Ok, so we weren't in the MIDDLE of hurricane Tomas but we definitely felt the effects. Rough water, rain, high winds and fluctuating temperatures we had it all, but we also had sunny warm weather and friends to share it with, so who can complain?
Our cruise was on a Carnival ship, called the Dream. We started out heading to the Bahamas....no problem, however- woke up in the not-so-sunny or warm Bahamas. Decided to go check out Atlantis and it was quite a tour. Lots of huge aquariums and a glass tunnel.. interesting at the very least.
The next day was a sea day and it was sunny and beautiful (although always kinda rocky). Followed up by our dining room experience where the guys took complete advantage of the multi-course menu and main dish selections. Although some of the food was kinda funky for me, there is always some sort of "normal" food available. Loved our waiters, Eduardo and Remaldo both from the Philippines. There was also a roving magician that kept the children....er.....men at our table entertained. One thing about being on a rough sea, the boat does rock you to sleep, we all had great sleep during our time aboard.
The next day was St. Thomas went on a sky gondola ride to the top of a mountain where you could see a good portion of the island. It was very beautiful up there. We were told before we went to try the bushwacker (a drink) and we did, it was quite yummy, like a milk shake, kind of but -not. wink wink. Then Greg and I went to do our snorkel trip and the others went to the beach. Now, it was sunny and clear at this time but the weather changed quickly.....started getting cooler and cloudy and then the sprinkles....we joked about how rain doesn't affect snorkeling - oh my the gods of sea were laughing at us it seems! Once on the boat the winds picked up and the skies turned very dark, but no lightening so the show was still on, we forged ahead and I can't really explain the ride other than if you have ever watched Deadliest Catch and seen the boats tossed about and anything not tied down flying around the boat and large waves crashing into and INSIDE the boat, then you have some idea of the wild ride we had. I will say when they passed out the inflatable life vests for snorkeling, everyone just went ahead and put them on......just sayin..... Not sure if anyone was actually fearing for their lives but it was a tiny bit frightening. Everyone laughed and joked and it was a fun time, not many pictures though because there was way too much water to get out the camera. Finally made it back into a cove where although the sky was still dark, the water was much calmer. The first stop was ok, some fish but not alot, could really tell the ocean was churning everything up. The second stop in another cove though......sting rays, sea turtles...made the Captain Nemo roller coaster ride worth it. Afterwards they served us some sort of staple on the snorkel tours - rum punch and pirate dark ale and off we went back to the mother ship. The single most wild thing I've ever done.
The next day was St. Maarten and we opted for a beach day......a little shopping, a little beach time, was very nice. However the remnants of Tomas could be seen on the beaches as they were somewhat littered with seaweed and sea debris, but still very lovely.
Then two days at sea......uneventful except I did notice they attached sea sick bags by the elevators.....the deck party was canceled two different times but the fun and party atmosphere continued. This was my 7th cruise and largest boat but I felt the most movement on this one. I, being one that gets motion sickness in a car, was very diligent about taking my preventatives.....a drug recommended by my doctor called meclizine. Never once did I feel sick. YAY!
Saturday morning bright and early they start kicking people off the boat, one of the crew were saying that if they are lucky, they will have one hour with no passengers on board. They are definitely a well-oiled machine. All in all - having been on several different cruise lines......this was the best. The crew of the Carnival Dream did an excellent job. The food was good, the boat was spotless and the crew was wonderful. It might very well have been a "dream" vacation.
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