So we got to the port super excited for a Western Caribbean cruise (had been planning for close to a year) and the Carnival lady hops on the transfer bus and informs us that we are now going to the Eastern Caribbean due to TS Rina. BUMMER...but, probably a good decision, since (at least when we left FL) Cozumel was completely closed and we would have had a lot of rain anyway. We ended up at 3 bright and sunny ports and had a fabulous time. I will probably book Western again though, since we really had our hearts set on that trip.

Embarkation wasn't too bad. It took a while to get through security, but after that everything moved very quickly.

Once we were on the ship, we immediately headed to the cruise excurison desk to see what if any excursions we might be interested in at our new ports (Nassau, St Thomas and St Maarten). We chose to go to on the Ardastra Gardens and City Tour in Nassau and the Castaway Shipwreck Cove Catamaran and Snorkel in St Thomas. Ardastra Gardens was beautiful. Lots of plants and a nice size zoo. The Flamingo show was different. I was made to go into the show area and "strike my best flamingo pose" with the flamingos. Definitely good for a laugh! The catamaran/snorkel trip in St Thomas was AWESOME! The Castaway Girl is a beautiful catamaran with an awesome crew. So laid back and a ton of fun. While snorkeling, the crew guided us and we saw a shipwreck, tons of fish, held a sea urchin and saw a sting ray. On the return trip, we were treated to unlimited complimentary rum punch. Boy was that stuff good! They gave me a good bit, so getting up to get off the boat was interesting! Read more