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 eighteenth and final post.

Dear John,

This is it, the conclusion to the “South American adventure” part of the very first (and hopefully not the last) South American itinerary that the Carnival Cruise Lines has ever operated.  After this we have only two ports left before returning to the United States!  We visited Manta, Ecuador today. Upon arrival, it was obvious that we were within extremely close proximity to the equator because the intense heat and direct sunlight provided many of our guests with a complexion similar to that of a lobster served on formal night. 

After our last day of tours and our monthly full crew boat drill completed, myself and some other members of the crew took the same route that the guests did for our lovely day in Manta. Right on the pier, welcoming us to the city was boats filled with tuna fisherman waving with open arms. The tuna they were catching were not baby chickens of the sea; they were the most enormous slimy smelly creatures that could not easily be recognized as “tuna.” 

When the appeal of taking pictures of the fisherman wore off, and our bodies adjusted to the extreme humidity, those people who didn’t go out on organized tours either rode the complimentary shuttle to the entrance of the pier where they had options to relax on the blissful beach enjoy a cold drink and purchase some local crafts. Or they took the $10 hop on – hop off bus organized by Condor Travel to go see the hotel with internet access, visit an extensive traditional open Ecuadorian marketplace and finally experience a nice, air-conditioned mall.

Once we arrived at the arts and crafts market it was a great opportunity to buy straw “Panama hats” that are actually made here in Ecuador. These tightly woven hand made hats sell for up to $300 in the states, and can be purchased here for only $25!  This in itself made the trip worthwhile! Other hand-made jewelry and crafts were at the market as well. In addition we had traditional live music playing such favorites as the Titanic theme song (I think they were mocking us!)  As I walked around searching for the perfect accessories for my formal night attire, one of the men selling his goods expressed his interest in my Carnival Towel that I had brought in case we ended up at the beach. I greatly value and love my towel because it reminds me of my favorite place to work AND the place who provides all of my pay checks =). 

This gentleman proposed to trade one of his beautiful pieces of jewelry for my ever-so-highly acclaimed towel. At first I didn’t want to give it up because as you know they are not only absorbent and classy but these towels are also a great way to clean up spilled beverages. After much haggling, I ended up getting a nice pearl necklace with a white shell in exchange for my navy blue irreplaceable, unique Carnival Towel. Good thing I am friends with the laundry manager who distributes the new towels ::wink::.  

Also at the marketplace, Lawrence, our production singer, tried to refine his bartering skills by talking down the price of a locket necklace for his baby sister. When speaking turned out to be an unsuccessful method of price negotiation, he attempted to serenade the local vendor in exchange for a lower price. The woman clearly did not speak English, she looked scared, and wanted him to stop… so she lowered the cost of the locket from $25 to $20!

Queen Neptune, King Neptune, Lifeguard, Sailor Owen and Merman Lauren before the big Equator Crossing Ceremony

After we exhausted our monetary resources at the market place we pressed on to the next bus stop, the Manta Mall. On the drive over we saw very interesting buildings with bamboo scaffolding. I understand that they may have different building resources in the southern hemisphere, but it did not appear as if these homes under construction provided any shelter from any sort of precipitation that may pass through the city.  Good thing that their most fierce weather element is sunshine!  

If there has one thing I have learned from visiting all of these foreign places it is: a mall is a mall is a mall… even though this one did contain significantly more incense and beads than I am used to. The vendors all accepted the US dollars as appropriate currency, so that was a nice change to our other recent ports. Some friends and I walked around the mall for a bit before enjoying our strawberry milkshakes and heading back to the ship. On the way back we saw the city’s tuna monument! Our wonderful guide Michelle told us all about Quito, the capital of Ecuador, which is only a one-hour flight away from Manta. Since Catholicism is the main religion of this country, the capital city contains much of the Catholic heritage and history. 

Guests at the Equator crossing ceremony enjoying the Elite showband right before we crossed.

Back on board this evening we were crossing the imaginary line that separates the lower and upper hemisphere! Our equator crossing ceremony was a huge success with our emcee Goose, King Brad Neptune and Queen Jaime Neptune! All of the guests on board the Carnival Splendor at this time can happily consider themselves amongst a family of shellbacks.

Thank you for letting me share my Carnival Splendor South America adventure with all of you!
=) Jaime