What better way to show you just how fun a South America cruise can be then to hear it straight from Carnival Splendor's social host Jaime? You get to cruise vicariously as she details her trip from one beautiful port to another. Here is her seventeenth post.

Dear John,

Even though 25 crew members were not departing for Maccu Picchu today, those of us enjoying Lima - our only Peruvian port of call -- still managed to make it a wonderful day!  The morning began like most excellent days do, with tour distribution. Our amazing Assistant Cruise Director Brad brightened the day of one of our guests by personally escorting her to her shore excursion bus and managed to save her the front seat so that her injured knee would not be further hurt by climbing into and out of the bus. Brad worked his magic and managed to get her the seat of the guide. She told him how special he was and much she appreciated him and his hello. It is guests like these who are gracious and kind this that make our job worthwhile. 

Speaking of Brad, he and the cruise director Goose have been working so incredibly hard during this entire itinerary. They have been planning new and exciting activities for all of the guests and they are dealing with ever-changing ports, and busy gathering new ideas for each of our incredible adventures. To be honest, they have such a huge responsibility and they have been working for 10 plus hours each day on capers, scheduling, lounge distribution and planning. I have gained so much respect for both of these men and they deserve much appreciation for all of their hard work throughout this entire run. I apologize for going off on a tangent, but they truly are doing a great job, and it so interesting to see all of the planning and behind-the-scenes work that goes into such a huge operation like a brand new itinerary. 

At the conclusion of tours I had the wonderful opportunity to meet the three children of Pierre, our back lounge technician. I watched him embrace his family members that he had not seen since early November.  Working on board a cruise ship is quite rewarding, yet when one is away from their loved ones for such an extended period of time is such a difficult challenge. I have never seen Pierre’s face light up so much as when he first saw his babies. 

The "El Beso" statue in Love Park

When guests were finally off on their tours, shuttle buses and daytime adventures, myself and many crewmembers headed to the lovely downtown area Mira Flores. As you head off the ship on a Sunday, no one is ever sure how many of the shops and restaurants will be open. Luckily, it seemed as if the port was planning for the arrival of the Carnival Splendor, because I do not think one place of business had “closed”sign hanging in the window. On our drive to downtown we went through some areas that were less that affluent, but when we finally reached our destination the wonderful Lancomer mall was set before us. I believe I heard the voices of angels resounding throughout the mall with each swipe of the Visa, MasterCard or American Express! This mall had an extremely Americanized store selection. Since we will be returning to our typical store selection within only a few days, a group of friends and myself decided to explore the downtown by going for a pleasant walk around the city.

Our walk brought us to such destinations as Love Park where a huge statue entitled “El Beso” (The Kiss) stand 30 feet high in the center. The red colored path and surrounding area was quite nice. It had a beautiful view of the city and beach and the only thing missing was…someone to kiss (I’m not bothered, though!)  We continued our walk and we saw the downtown shopping area with an incredible opportunity for souvenir shopping! With only 13 days left until our return to the US, it is time so start expanding those suitcases with Peruvian and other South American memorabilia. Many hand-made scarves and glass blown figures were easily accessible at this marketplace. 

Enjoying my lunch in Lima

After shopping was complete, it was time to replenish our bellies with the traditional Peruvian meal – ceviche.  When pronounced correctly it sound like a derogatory term, when in actuality it is a tasty dish that was recommended by our Peruvian back lounge tech aka father extraordinaire, Pierre!  We stumbled upon an awesome restaurant, slightly off the main drag where it appeared all of the locals went for lunch.  After some difficulty communicating with the waiter at the restaurant, the three involved in my afternoon dining adventure ended up with two plates of seafood, chicken and rice, two other plates of seafood with rice, two salads, three beers, water and these reverse popcorn appetizers. The whole bill totaled $20 American dollars. I could be rich if I moved to Lima!

The day was quite nice. Even though there was no trip to Maccu Picchu, I did take a picture of the mountain from one of the local advertisements – so that is practically the same as going!

An absolutely amazing shot of a sunset from the deck of Carnival Splendor

Back on board, it was Latin deck party night. We had a lovely sail away with a beautiful sunset, as we head toward our last South American port of call – Quito, Ecuador.

All the best,
Jaime D =)