Voyager of the Seas Day 1 & 2

We had a great first night onboard the Voyager of the Seas!! We disembarked the Jubilee and Terminal 21 at 9:30 and made the twenty minute walk to Terminal 10. It was a bit adventurous since the Galveston port area isn't the most pedestrian friendly. Many of the "sidewalks" are grass or dirt. So our AWAY luggage got quite a workout. But we made it and had a quick boarding. We were onboard and at the pool deck by 10:35. Had a nice lunch at the Windjammer buffet. Salad and BBQ chicken. We went up to the Viking Crown lounge on Deck 14 to watch the deck party. This is a 180° lounge with views of the pool deck forward.  

Dinner was in the main dining room. Some good starters of smoked tomato soup, escargot and shrimp cocktail. Angie had the featured Indian main which was Chicken Saag. This was a stew of chicken in a tomato and spinach curry. A decent amount of spice!! I had the stuffed portobello mushroom which was perfectly cooked and had some crunchy panko. 

 Also a side of steamed broccoli. As usual, no dessert. After dinner we went back to the Viking Crown lounge for a nightcap.  

Today we had a sea day. We had breakfast at the Crown Lounge where they had a nice continental breakfast display. Smoked salmon on a bagel, some yogurt and fruit and a bran muffin!! We then headed to the pool deck and found what appeared to be the last couple of shaded seats. We enjoyed the music, had some lunch and of course watched the International Belly Flop competition. They showed it on the TV screen so you didn't have to be right next to the pool. I didn't enter this year. :-)

We then played some beverage trivia at the Pig & Whistle Pub. We missed quite a few questions. Such as what is the most popular pub name in England? And what did Australia invent in the 1950's that they called an Esky? Answers below.  

There is a band we found yesterday called The Deloreans which we liked. They play in the Star Lounge so will check them out before dinner. Tonight that will be at Izumi which is the Japanese restaurant. We had a great meal there when we sailed on Oasis a few weeks ago. 

We're staying in a Virtual Balcony interior cabin this cruise. First time in an interior in over ten years. 

 For those that are curious what the "virtual" part is, take a look. It's essentially a large TV screen with an image of the bow camera. Actually pretty neat. And you can close your drapes. But don't try to step outside.  

Tomorrow we'll be in Costa Maya. Arrival is scheduled for noon. We'll stay on the ship and enjoy a sea day. Probably hang out in the adults only Solarium area in the afternoon.  

Trivia answers:

Red Lion

Esky is a beer/beverage cooler/ice chest similar to what Coleman produces.

Last Sea Day on Jubilee

We're back in the United States!! Had one last sea day yesterday and did as many of the things left on our list as we could. Started with the famous Bloody Mary from Pig & Anchor. 

Then lunch was at Teppanyaki. We had a very fun chef. 

 Then we decided to try our luck in the casino. Neither one of us are big casino players. But Carnival provides guests who are in the higher loyalty levels with $25 Free Play. So we both played a new slot machine based on the Super Bowl. You got to pick your team and it had the typical symbols and all kinds of bonus games. I wasn't very lucky but Angie ended up winning the Mini Jackpot which was $40! Pretty good for using free money. 

After that we headed to the Carnival loyalty party. We always like to attend these to see who is the most seasoned traveler. On this cruise there was a guest who had sailed over 2000 days on Carnival. More surprising, there was a nine year old girl who was in Carnival's highest Diamond tier. That's over 200 days!!

After the party we headed to The Golden Mermaid and tried one of their signature cocktails called a Pearly Bubble. It had Bombay Sapphire, St Germain, lime juice, white cranberry juice and dragon fruit. And a big old smoke bubble!!

 Very refreshing!! And it was a free drink since Carnival gives all Platinum members a $16 drink voucher on the day of the loyalty party. It was then time for a mandatory rest period back in the cabin. We checked the movies on demand and found "The Champions" with Woody Harrelson. What a funny and heartwarming movie. I had never heard of it until my in-laws had recommended it. We weren't feeling like a sit down dinner so we had room service chicken wings, BLT and salads. We then stopped by Pig & Anchor to see Ivana one last time. She's trying to figure out what ship she wants to sail on next for her last contract. Yes. She's another young crew member who is deciding they've done this long enough and earned enough money. We talked about her trips to Greece and Ireland that she has planned after this contract. 

Today we're docked back in Galveston. We'll pack our luggage and head down the gangway around 9:30. We only have a short walk to our next adventure. We decided to change our plans for this trip. Originally we were going to Cancun for about a week. But instead, will be sailing in Voyager of the Seas on a five nights cruise. It will stop at two of the ports we just visited, Costa Maya and Cozumel. It's a new ship for us so we're excited to see how we like "smaller" ships. The Jubilee has about 6700 berths. Voyager has "only" 3600.

Indian Cooking Class on Carnival Jubilee

Yesterday we spent a good portion of the day at Loft 19. We ordered the special Korean steak and Chicken teriyaki pizzas right to our lounge chair. The chicken was the best option. 

 We were back at the cabin by 4 PM as we did some people watching from our balcony. There ended up being four ships in Costa Maya.  

We got ready for our special cooking class entitled "Mission Masala Tiger" which would feature Indian cuisine. Cooking classes are rare on cruise ships. You'll find some ships will still have cooking demonstrations (such as NCL and Princess) but those are almost always done with a comedic approach. Not completely intended for you to learn much of anything. Not the case on Carnival. They have a Carnival Kitchen set up on all their Excel class ships and one of their Vista class ships. And you can really learn techniques and recipes. And they're a lot of fun. In the past we had done a BBQ class as well as a sushi class. There were a total of six people who were in this class. 

We ended up making four Indian dishes: Matar Pulao (rice pilaf), Dal Shorba (lentil soup), Cabbage Foogath (salted shredded cabbage) and Vegetable Samosas. They make it easy since the sous chefs on the team prep and measure out all your ingredients. So obviously you have to do that "mis en place" yourself when you make it at home. But it's super helpful when you're learning. All the dishes were really easy to put together. Nothing complicated. And all delicious.   

After making all the dishes and sampling them, we then sat down for dinner. The chef and his team had made us their versions of all the same dishes we cooked. Plus a few other special ones including chicken Tikka Masala. They also made Vermicelli Payasam for dessert. This was a warm, almost soup-like dessert. Somewhere between grapenut pudding and rice pudding. It was very flavorful with cardamom and had a needed crunch from some chopped cashews. 

After dinner we tried to find some live music. We did find the string trio playing and stayed for a couple of songs. They were playing pop favorites from ABBA, but with a backing track. On other Carnival ships, we've really enjoyed the string trio when they just played their instruments. These are talented musicians who are really skilled, yet they appear to force them to play with a backing track. We left and went to see the solo guitarist playing his Johnny Cash tribute. That bar was jammed packed and SRO! So we decided to head back to the cabin.  

Today we are in Cozumel and will be staying on the ship. There are some food venues we really enjoy on Carnival that have simply been too busy on other days. But Cozumel is such a popular port, we'll have those places to ourselves. And what will we be having? Blue Iguana: We're coming for your delicious Huevos Rancheros with watermelon jicama salsa, smoked tomato salsa and crema!! Guy's Burger: Well, a burger. I may try their veggie burger as well. Big Chicken: We had their delicious Chicken Biscuit with Hot Honey the other day. Maybe just chicken tenders today with Shaq Sauce. And we'll see what Street Eats has to offer. Hopefully a tasty steamed bun. No other cruise line offers the variety of quick service lunch options as Carnival. It's not even close.

Roatan, Honduras

Yesterday we were in Isla Roatan. We had a room service breakfast of some delicious egg, avocado and Swiss cheese sandwiches. Then it was time for our excursion. We met off the ship and would be heading to Roatan Island Brewing Company. This was located directly in the jungle about a fifteen minute drive from the port area. 

I was surprised by the number of beers that they brew and the number on tap. Eight were available to sample. Our tour included four each so Angie and I each picked four different ones so we'd be able to try them all. The Black Berry Gose (a sour beer) was my favorite. Ange really liked the Nitro Coffee porter which tasted like an espresso martini. They also served some savory snacks of sausages, soft pretzels and mustard which went perfectly with the beer.  

After our samples, we had a brewery tour with the co-owner. He had come to Honduras in the mid 2000's to stay for about a month and do some diving.  Almost twenty years later, he's still here, bought land and built a brewery. 

 In addition to explaining the normal process of making beer, he also highlighted some of the challenges of making beer on an island. Getting the grains is one of the biggest challenges since barley isn't grown on the island. And ordering direct from suppliers around the world has all kinds of complications including Honduras customs. He ended up having to work through a distributor in Atlanta where the shipments already have some level of vetting which aids in the customs process. Although Honduras still taxes his goods. And he also has to pay taxes when ordering through his Atlanta distributor. And a typical order could take five weeks to reach the brewery with all the customs checkpoints. Water is easy as he has built a sufficient well. 

After our tour, we headed back to the ship. We were ready for a relaxing pool day. The Carnival Jubilee (and all Carnival Excel class ships) have an area called Loft 19. This is a special private pool deck. We're staying in a cabin that provides access to this area. We found chairs that were mostly shaded and just enjoyed some relative quiet. We did get into the whirlpool however it was a tad hotter than we would have liked. It was still very relaxing and I may have napped. We stayed there until 6 PM when we departed Roatan.

Back at the cabin we got ready for dinner. The menu at the main dining room looked good again. I had jambalaya fettuccine along with an herb stuffing portobello mushroom. I had also ordered a shrimp cocktail so I could put extra into the jambalaya. Both very tasty. No dessert.   

After dinner we headed to Pig & Anchor bar to see Ivana. We had a cocktail and listened to the Backyard Band. They are listed in the daily activities as a "country band". And they do start their sets with country songs. And then diverge into other genres. Two nights ago it was Motown. Last night it was the psychedelic era with some Jefferson Airplane. A very enjoyable band. It was time to head back to the cabin.  

Today we're in Costa Maya and will be staying on the ship, curating our own sea day. Probably more time in Loft 19 and if we need a cooler pool, the Serenity area is justone deck some. Neither area should be crowded today. At least until the masses come back to the ship after their tours.  

For dinner tonight we'll be taking a cooking class in the Carnival Kitchen called Mission Masala Tiger. We'll be making our own Indian themed dinner!! It's one of our favorite cuisines. And the ship's executive chef and sous chef are both from India which is usually a good sign for the quality of the Indian food onboard. More on that tomorrow.

Carnival Jubilee Sea Day #1

Yesterday we had a relaxing morning. Ordered some room service breakfast of delicious breakfast sandwiches. One was egg, turkey avocado and Swiss on multi grain and the other sausage egg and provolone on an English muffin. We then headed outside to enjoy a beautifully sunny (but windy) day. We found a spot at the Red Frog Tiki Bar and enjoyed some Grapefruit Bubbly!! As I mentioned yesterday, this ship has a bit of a Texas theme. And one of the activities is a multi part tailgate party. Yesterday we saw part one which had various competitions with guests. The funniest one to watch was the cow milking contest. The ship had a "cow" with udders and each team had to take turns milking this cow. Which ever tean had the most "milk" (really water) at the end of several rounds was the winner. Teams really got into it. And I can say I have never seen this on a cruise. So kudos to Carnival for coming up with something unique. 

After watching the competition, it was time for little snack which would serve as our light lunch. We needed to save room for tonight's dinner extravaganza: Chef's Table. We went to Street Eats which is a small food hall concept. They have three themed stands that feature different small plates each day. One has different topped fries. The other will have a different steamed bun each day. And the other has some type of other Asian or Indian food. Today there was pepperoni pizza fries, pad Thai and beef bao bun. All very tasty!!

After our snack we headed back to the cabin for some movie time. We watched "The Marvels". Interesting premise but the film was missing some of the magic of other Marvel movies. Even Samuel L. Jackson couldn't save it. We then had a mandatory rest period. 

We got ready for dinner and headed to our meeting spot at 6:15. Tonight was Chef's Table!! We have done this before on other Carnival ships. This ship class is unique in that the dining room is built in the middle of the galley. 

Some wonderfully creative and tasty courses including a duck "cigar", lobster three ways (ravioli, butter poached and broth), smoked venison and a chocolate "forest".

 So much good food!! My favorite was the lobster. 

 Since the meal took over two hours, we felt the need to walk around the ship a bit. Eventually we made it back to the cabin.  

Carnival Jubilee Embarkation

We had an easy drive from Houston to the Port of Galveston. Although once we got within a few blocks of the port, traffic came to a standstill. It's a relatively small area for there to be multiple ships. We had our driver drop us off a couple of blocks away so he wouldn't get stuck and we walked to the terminal.  

We were onboard by 11 AM and we went all the way to the top: Deck 18. Angie was going to film while areas weren't yet too busy. We've been on sister ships Mardi Gras and Celebration, so the layout of the ship is similar. But there are always tweaks you see. Especially with the third ship in a class. One big difference is we noticed a lot of different furniture that made venues either look smaller or larger. For example, Emeril's quick service restaurant had a series of large booths for seating. Those are gone and replaced by relatively simple tables, greatly expanding the seating capacity for this popular restaurant.  

We also had some lunch!! A great chicken shawarma with a deliciously spicy sauce!! 

 As we were touring we also found one of our favorite bartenders we had met on the Venezia in July 2023. Ivana was working at the Pig & Anchor Brewhouse on this ship. We went back to our cabin to rest and unpack. And do some laundry!!   

Angie had booked a massage appointment for 3 PM so while she did that, I checked out the pizza!! For science, of course!! Mardia Gras had a New Orleans theme. Celebration was a tribute to Carnival's 50th anniversary so it had a Miami theme having some slices with a Cuban twist. Jubilee's theme is a little bit of Texas with a smidgen of the ocean. The specialty pies are a TexMex and BBQ Chicken. I asked for a slice of each but they didn't have any ready so I went with my old staple the Four Cheese!! I'll definitely try the new ones sometime during the cruise.  

Angie and I met back at the cabin for sailaway and then got ready for dinner. We headed to Pig & Anchor to chat with Ivana. There are some Texas laws that prevent the sale of any liquor or beer that isn't provided by a local distributor. So for about the first couple of hours until you leave Texas water, the brands sold are limited. All the other spirits are locked up and only a small lineup is presented for what you can choose. Thankfully we could get a Bombay and Tonic. We chatted with Ivana for a while. She isn't a fan of these big ships. The bar she works at is all the way aft on Deck 8. Her cabin is all the way forward. When she gets her hour break she has to account for the twenty minute round trip walk. She much prefers the smaller ships for that reason. She also told us her next contract will be her last one. We remembered her telling us she has some young children. It is a hard life that the crew chooses. And I think it used to be that some of them had these jobs for "life". I remember chatting with many older crew over the years. And you still see that. But more recently I've seen crew that have decided they only need to do these jobs for a few years, get enough money saved up and then spend quality time with their families.  

Carnival has a fantastic HUB app where you can do a virtual check-in for dinner. You enter that you're ready to eat and then are given an approximate wait time. When your table is ready, there is a notification in the app with the table number and you head to the restaurant. We had checked in while chatting with Ivana and headed to the restaurant. Quickly sat down and ordered. Had a delicious tomato soup, vegetable Wellington and pappardelle with braised lamb. Angie had the same soup and a BBQ salmon that was a recipe from Emeril Lagasse. 

 All very good. Especially impressed with the vegetable Wellington. A nice flaky crust filled with flavorful veggies including peppers, zucchini and eggplant. It was a playful twist on a vegetable lasagna. No dessert.  

After dinner we headed to Grand Central which is a midship stage the ship uses for some shows. They had the ship's orchestra playing some crowd favorites along with three singers. They had a very fun brass section who had their own dance moves. 

We then headed to the main theater for a show called "Dear Future Husband". The theme was a couple was getting married on a cruise ship!! How convenient!! A really talented cast, especially the singers.

 It was a collection of fun songs including an energetic finale of "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk Off The Moon. I really enjoyed it. What surprised me the most is that the theater was almost completely filled. Yet there were hardly any people clapping or singing or really doing anything except staring. And I thought this was supposed to be a FUN ship. Strange behavior. Maybe people were tired? But why show up for a 9:30 show? Maybe they'll regroup today.  

Today we don't have much planned. We may just enjoy the cabin, order some room service and watch a few movies. Our big event tonight is Chef's Table. We've done that in several ships before and Carnival really does it the best. On Celebration the dinner takes place in a special dining room they built inside the galley. And it's the same on this ship. Looking forward to that again.