Splendid Things in Life : carnival spirit

Catch the Spirit- by Lauren Serrano

Stephanie — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:28:00 GMT

Before we left, I had everyone in the family send me a little about them and what they like to do. As with any assignment, “class” participation was not high…But, am going to share with you the bits and pieces along the way.

My Mom: 48 years old...never cruised on a big ship before...get very sea sick...love good wine, outdoor activity especially riding horses...tennis....and love good food!

Today as we sat at the supper club (day one At Sea) partaking in an absolutely fabulous wine tasting and food pairing by the Supper Club sommelier – my mom looked vibrant as a bee. (Yes, wine at 3pm – you are on VACATION!!)

After looking at the Supper Club menu, she is all about eating at the supper club every night (now granted that might entail a weight gain, so we will keep it to a minimum) and she is totally into cruising. She wants to come back! And this is just day two.

This morning my dad and her worked out; wandered the ship; had a light breakfast; took a siesta and then met up with my sister and me for lunch. It just so happens we ran into the rest of the family on Lido deck. We have past Princess, Holland, Costa, & Celebrity in our group. Everyone could not say enough about the service and hospitality received aboard the ship. The cabin crew already remembers our names! Wow!

Tonight was our first formal night and it was truly unbelievable. This is my fourth Carnival Cruise, and never have I attended the Captain’s Party – It was such a beautiful affair. Everyone looked so elegant, and I loved watching the couples dance. I need to learn some new moves – I’m actually kind of jealous as I grew up in the TLC and Ace of Base era, where it was not cool to take traditional dance lessons – so I’ve got none ;)

The food was delish and the service out of control perfect. I was so full after a day of decadent indulgence that it was off to bed early for me. But, rumor was, my Aunts closed down the disco. Crazy ladies!!

Good Bye San Diego, Hello Closet Space- by Lauren Serrano

Stephanie — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:07:00 GMT

Whoever said cabins are small got it all wrong. This is fantastic! An armoire of three: one for long dresses, one for skirts and tops, one full of shelves and a set of drawers! All my clothes have a home, yay! Ok, you may think this is over enthusiastic, but that is more closet space than my apartment! Times two! And, there is a great vanity for getting ready. I am in heaven…Did I mention the bath robes, absolutely delish. They should patent this design, I so need this for my tiny, cluttered apartment!! Extraordinary!

Ok, sorry for the digression, I get a little overenthusiastic when it comes to clothes and organization…

After a mini family reunion in the parking lot – all coming from different airports, cars, trains, and the like. We dropped our luggage with a porter and headed to the somewhat daunting line of passengers. How 2,300 something people were getting through that door is a miracle to me. But, we took a deep breath and forged forward. It was a surprisingly quick process given all the people – the FUN began as we took a family picture and boarded the beautifully warm and so elegantly decorated Carnival Spirit. It was Christmas time and I was going to be spending it with my family! I could not imagine a better gift.

Forget the mad holiday rush at the stores, forget cooking and cleaning, forget hastening stops from one party to the next – From here on out, not a worry in the world. It was time to relax, and enjoy each other’s company.

A Family Affair- by Lauren Serrano

Stephanie — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:33:00 GMT

And now, a tale of a fun family vacation courtesy of Carnival’s very own Lauren Serrano. Feel free to leave Lauren or any of her family members a question or comment!

It seems like in today’s hustle and bustle, we sometimes lose focus on the ever so important things in life. A statement that seems totally cliché, but over and over again we hear it, and since we are so busy we ignore it.

Well, cliché or not – making the time to get together with the family and actually spend QUALITY time is near impossible – Especially in my family – where we are all over the map- both geographically and age wise…And for that exact reason, we decided the only way to get us all in one place was to plan a family vacation. Well, as I was put in charge of this planning, it became really apparent just how hard it is to find a destination where everyone is happy. REALLY HARD!! But, a cruise seemed like such a natural choice. What better than to be off on your own all day and still get together around the dinner table in the evening to recount the days adventures.

Now, I want to tell you a little about how our trip came to be. I am fortunate to have some of the BEST grandparents out there. They are celebrating their 59th wedding anniversary! And they still love each other, love dancing, and just love life. All I can say, is I cannot believe my grandma is not in the loony bin – SEVEN KIDS! Seems a little scary to me…In fact, am still surprised she did not jump “ship” long ago…

They love cruising – Have been on over 10, but never Carnival. They were a little worried about the “energetic crowd” though – Luckily, Grandma is happy with a drink and chatting up strangers, and my Grandpa is just so easy going I know they will have a blast.

As we all get older, and all seven of my grandparent’s kids get busier and busier, it is so hard to get together as a family. Not to mention we all have such different definitions of a “FUN” Vacation. So, after the easiest “convincing” I’ve ever done, we were off on the Carnival Spirit for 8 days of adventure. Let’s hope all the “family time” doesn’t make me jump ship or better yet, stay in Acapulco and never come home!