Travel Journals

Tuesday, February 20, 2024 Aboard the Carnival Miracle, Pacific Ocean Today the seas returned to relative normalcy. The captain announced that the swells were still around 10 feet high, but the wind was much calmer (though strong). For the past 3 days, all passengers have been confined to the inside of the ship. Deck 10, which is entirely outside and exposed to the elements, has been closed. But today the captain lifted the restriction and we were able to go fully outside. Must have been that 5 bucks I slipped him when we had our photo taken with him last night. Anne and I enjoyed a pleasant walk around Deck 10, which goes around the perimeter of the ship. It was a bit windy, especially walking into the wind, but walking in the opposite direction was…a breeze! This morning we attended a Hawaiian language class. We are not exactly fluent in the language yet, but at least we can say Hello, See you later, Thank you, and No problem. That is, we can say those expressions, some animal w...

Monday, February 19, 2024 Aboard the Carnival Miracle, East Pacific Ocean Today we continued our rockin’ roller coaster ride on the Carnival Miracle, and I suppose it is a Miracle that we are still afloat! Just kidding - it’s not that serious! But the captain did announce that the wave swells were 12 to 15 feet, and I could feel each and every one of them! As the ship climbed up the crest of a wave, it felt like I had suddenly put on an additional 200 pounds of weight, momentarily causing me to vow to cut back on my food consumption on this cruise! But as we slid down the other side of the wave, I immediately banished that obscene idea as I felt as light as a feather, almost weightless. What a ride! Today was Presidents’ Day onbaord the Carnival Miracle. To honor this special occasion, the ship held a traditional, old fashioned Presidents’ Day Trivia Contest. Sample Question: What are George Washington’s wooden dentures made of? A. Wood B. Human teeth C. Animal teeth D. Meta...

Sunday, February 18, 2024 Aboard the Carnival Miracle, East Pacific Ocean This morning I slept in until almost 8am! In the “real world” if I did such an irresponsible thing, I would feel guilty, like I was completely wasting away my day. But the amazing thing about being on a cruise is that I did not feel the slightest bit of guilt whatsoever! This is the life! Is THIS the real world?! Yesterday when we checked in to the cruise, I asked the checkin staff if it was possible to get a cabin upgrade to a larger room. After all, I explained, how could Carnival possibly deny such a request from this cute, young couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on their ship? We were told that it might very well be possible because the ship was only carrying about 2,200 passengers (out of capacity of over 3,000). We were told we should check with Guest Services after boarding the ship. We waited in line almost an hour, only to be told that we would have to come back after 5pm to se...

Saturday, February 17, 2024 Aboard the Carnival Miracle, North Pacific Ocean We spent a few quiet hours with Douglas and Stephanie’s family this morning in Newport Beach. Then we hopped on a Lyft and went to the cruise port in Long Beach, California where our beautiful ship, the Carnival Miracle, was waiting for us…along with close to 3,000 other people. Our checkin went without incident, and by 12pm we were relaxing on the deck by a pool, enjoying a delicious buffet lunch (Guy’s Burgers, a Carnival Cruise staple) while listening to a couple of musicians serenade us with oldies but goodies music. It’s good to be back onboard a cruise ship again, since our Christmas cruise 2 months ago! Around 1:30pm we could get into our ocean-view balcony cabin on the 7th floor, and after a delightful nap, our suitcases arrived at our room. We spent some time unpacking and getting our room organized just so, before we took a tour of the ship. We both agreed that this is going to be...

Friday, February 16, 2024 Newport Beach, California Today Anne and I started our 50th Wedding Anniversary Jubilee Celebration! Actually, our 50th Wedding Anniversary will be July 20, 2024. But we are starting this Jubilee Celebration in February. We flew to Southern California this afternoon, and we will stay one night with our son’s family here in Newport Beach. Tomorrow we will board the Carnival Miracle cruise ship for a 15-night cruise to Hawaii and back. I suppose it’s an appropriate name for the ship. Indeed, it’s a Miracle that Anne has been able to put up with me for these 50 years! We will spend 5 days traveling from Long Beach, California to the Hawaiian Islands and visit 5 islands. Finally, we will cruise back to California, with a stop at the island of Ensenada, Mexico. Twenty-five years ago, we celebrated our 25th Anniversary in Maui, Hawaii. So it’s appropriate that we celebrate our 50th in Hawaii, too! We enjoyed a delightful evening with Douglas and Stepha...