Short Cruises 101 Part 3

So after a busy day of boarding and unpacking, Kevin and I ventured out to check out our new home for the days to follow. One of the first things we found upon boarding was a cute little fold out card map of the ship. It had all the decks listed and showed cabin number ranges, elevators, restrooms, restaurants, etc... That little map was the handiest thing in my possession along with the cruise newsletter telling me what activities were happening for the rest of the day. By the time we boarded ship we had taken photos done by Carnival photographers. First stop on our explore and learn was the ship's gym and spa. On our way to it, we found the very first buffet. Between our Carnival basket and the buffet, we both felt like we had arrived.

Things I learned at this stage:
1) The professional photographer photos were going to be expensive.
2) Every single day on board ship there is a cocktail of the day and with that cocktail is a souvenir glass. We were just walking along and I was offered a cocktail. The server did not have his sign up noting that it was $7.25 each. So leave it to me to think they were free until Kevin told me what I had done by handing the server my sign and sail card. That's right yours truly was paying almost $15 worth of mildly alcoholic punch and a couple of souvenir glasses. If you like fruity drinks, get the fun card as the drink of the day is less expensive that way. If you don't, and I admit I am not really a fan of that type of beverage, skip it.
3) I love a good spa and normally don't mind going and getting a treatment or two done. What I found out, ship spas are a bit on the pricey side. Use of the gym on board is totally free but any treatment will easily run over $150 per person. The other thing is if you sign up for any body composition analysis or training course, expect to sit with the instructor and learn about the health products the ship is promoting which may also seem pricey if you are on a budget.
4) They actually do walk you through emergency procedures before you leave the port. This means you and the people on your floor get step by step instruction and are guided to your life boat to ensure you know what to do in an emergency. What I remember most? I had no emergency while on board.
5) Like Virginia getting confirmation that Santa Clause exists, I found my version of electronic Santa. Yup, these days you can get internet access onboard ship. With the exception of a few spots, you can go wireless. I know, who knew? Oh, btw, connecting to the internet is not cheap. The price per hour was $24. And they only ran specials from 4 - 6 pm during the day where if you bought time, you got and hour and a half vs. just one hour.
6) Dinner on board ship is really nice, it is a multi-course meal with a lovely dessert and all menus are posted right at the entrance of the restaurant. The menus for the day are posted in the morning and you can decide in advance what you want if you are sitting for dinner.
7) Did you know that ships have Art Galleries on board? They actually have an Art Auction on our last day at sea. They even had a contest running to guess the price of a Picasso print. Anyone could participate but you had to be present at the auction to win the prize they were giving away. And no, it was not the Picasso print.
8) Formal night on board was the 2nd night of the cruise and it was really nice to dress up in a gown for the event. On the Lido deck that night I saw so many families, couples and friends pose for photos by the Carnival photographers looking happy, relaxed and elegant.
9) And, last but on least, I have to admit there is something sweetly romantic about walking hand in hand on board ship. Some of my favorite moments were enjoying the views with Kevin all around the ship.

More to come in Part 4 - Changes, Changes, Changes