Western Caribbean Carnival Inspiration

May 30, 2004

I sprung out of bed in our home in Brandon, Fl (20 minutes from Tampa) and began the exciting last minute packing of toiletry items and such that I couldn't pack a month ago when I started preparing for our journey because they would be needed the night before. By the time I had showered and adorned my "cruise embarkation outfit" complete with a wide brimmed straw hat, the group of those who would be coming with us started to arrive. Along with my husband and son, my two sisters were joining us and they both brought a guest. So it was 7 cruisers in all. My husband, son and I had sailed 4 times before this but it was the other 4's first cruise. There was a ton of last minute craziness as we tried to get out the door but finally we were off. As we were driving down the road full of anticipation, the blue and red symbol of all that is Carnival came into view at last. The funnel towers over the surrounding buildings at the Port of Tampa. Then the whole ship could be seen and we cheered for our new home. Read more