Two Days at Sea

After a fun night in New Orleans, we departed for Mobile, Alabama to catch out boat. We left New Orleans around 10:00 AM and arrived in Mobile around 12:30/1:00 PM. It was crazy as soon as we got there. We pulled into the huge drop-off area and unloaded our bags. A crew of people were there to assist us and load our bags onto the boat. After we got all the luggage stuff figured out, Dean parked the Vue, and we began the waiting process. We waited in line to check-in with Carnival Cruise. Once we were checked in we had to get our photos taken for our cruise card (we believe they take our pictures so they can locate us in port cities when we are lost or missing).

We are watching the hairy chest competition.

The lines moved pretty quickly and we soon got to board. We quickly found our rooms on board. The girls had their own room and the boys had their own room - both rooms were on opposite sides of the ship. Once we were all organized, we went up to the dining hall to get some lunch. You can eat all day while on board!

Our tiny bathroom and shower.

Our cute little room.

Our towel creatures. Each night was a new towel creature!

Around 4:00 PM we left Mobile and headed into the Gulf of Mexico. We would spend the next day and a half at sea and then port in Costa Maya. After Costa Maya, we headed for Cozumel, and then had one more day at sea as we returned to Mobile, Alabama.

The days at sea were awesome! There are so many activities on the ship. There is something you want to see all the time. With all of us being first time cruisers - we went to a lot of things on board just to see what it was all about.

We went to four comedy shows, three showtime events, and a couple of art auctions. We played several games of miniature golf. There was a nine hole course on the top deck of the ship - the wind was a big factor in each game. We played some bingo and blackjack. Brittany and I took some dance lessons. We learned (well, were were taught) to swing dance and country line dance. We did plenty of people watching, eating, and laying out. We watched several pool-side competitions. Our favorites were the hairy chest and belly flop competitions. There was just so much to do and see!

Trying to swing dance.

Every night we had a fantastic meal too. We ate dinner in the formal, Four Winds Dining Hall. There was a dress code to dine here. You couldn't wear swim wear, shorts or tank tops. It was strongly recommended that the men wear dress pants and a nice top (Josh and Alex's version of nice tops were frequently t-shirts). Ladies were recommended to wear capris, skirts, dresses, and nice pants as well.

Despite the dress code, the food was amazing! It was a four course meal every night. With a new menu each night. Each meal began with a small starter, then a salad, the main dish, and your dessert. The main dish options always included a sea food, vegetarian, and red meat plate for you to choose from. I had a lot of sea food since I love sea food and don't eat it that much at home. One of my favorite dishes was a calamari and shrimp plate. I finished off that meal with a fantastic chocolate melting cake - this dessert was ridiculously delicious!

Formal night!