Splendid Things in Life : family vacation

A Sailaway for Mother’s Day- by Eva

Stephanie — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:00:00 GMT

My Mom is one special lady. You won’t find a (seventy-something) with more strength, spirit, and love of life. Cruising has long been Mom’s vacation of choice, and we are exclusively Carnival cruisers!! So when choosing something special for Mother’s Day, it was just a question of which Carnival cruise it would be.

We chose Ecstasy out of Galveston….first time on Ecstasy and first time out of Galveston. A winner in all ways!! Fantasy class is our favorite, and Galveston is within driving distance of our new home in OKC. Coming to OKC from FL was difficult for our cruising lives!!

We did the five day that leaves on Mondays, visiting Progreso and Cozumel. While Cozumel is a long time favorite port, it was our first visit to Progreso. Loved it too, and it goes on the favorite port list! Progreso is a small beach town….waking up to its new stature in Carnival’s itinerary. I hope it stays there. The people are warm and welcoming; you can feel the excitement the visitors to this sweet town are generating! We had a blast!

Ultimately, as always, the ports were icing on the Carnival cake, as it was our onboard experience that made this trip one my Mom will always cherish. The crew on Ecstasy goes the extra mile…no TEN miles!!!....and my Mom was royally pampered all week by every crew member we encountered, especially our waiters Freddy and Rommy, the Society Bar staff Jelko and Dragan, Lido staff Izabella, Assistant Maitre’d Eva,….and literally dozens more. You can feel the dedication of this crew to giving its guests the ultimate experience.

As if this wasn’t enough, my Mom had a special treat thanks to the extra effort of John Heald. This special man took the time to have Ecstasy Cruise Director (Extraordinaire!!!) Tina Noble seek us out at the Captain’s Party for introductions to the Captain and Senior Officers. Tina’s attention to my Mom will never be forgotten, there are no words that could do justice to the emotions of my heart.

We had a Mother’s Day to remember, and Ecstasy is a gem in Carnival’s crown thanks to its people…it’s always the people that make the most difference. Bravo Carnival!!

Floatie (AKA Eva)

Proud member of CruiseCritics.com, and JohnHealdsBlog.com!

Some pics of our experience:

Mom with Cruise Director Tina

Mom and I in the beautiful WindStar Dining Room…

Mom wanted to take Fabulous Freddy home….look at that smile!!

Carnival Splendor Countdown Underway

Stephanie — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:27:00 GMT

Spring is in the air and that means that the launch of our brand new ship, the Carnival Splendor is only a few months away. With preparations well underway for the finishing touches on the ship’s onboard amenities we’re hard at work planning the splendid naming ceremony and inaugural sailing.

Much more than just a ship, the Carnival Splendor truly offers something for everyone. Our Cloud 9 Spa facilities are the perfect relaxation area and the expansive 5,500 square foot play area and water spray park are just the things that will keep the kids talking for months!

As you can see, we’re overflowing with anticipation, so we want to make sure our guests stay up-to-date with the latest information. With that said, check out the latest renderings of the ship. And, for more information on the ultimate family vacation check this out:

"From a 5,500-square-foot play area – the largest in the “Fun Ship” fleet – to a fun-filled water spray park and facilities and activities aimed at youngsters, ’tweens and teens, kids of all ages are sure to have a blast aboard Carnival Cruise Lines’ new 113,000-ton Carnival Splendor, set to debut this summer….Designed as the ultimate vacation for families, Carnival Splendor will offer different programs catering to specific age groups, including “Camp Carnival” (ages 2-11), “Circle C” (ages 12-14) and “Club O2” (ages 15-17), along with children’s menus, a corkscrew water slide, a stroller rental program and numerous other family-friendly features.” Click here to read the rest.

Promenade

Aft Lounge

Restuarant

Theatre

Atrium

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!