75th Birthday Cruise w/ a Side of WWoHP

[bubba's mom]

Yay!! An update! It looks like a fun day.
I have to ask you about your camera...Is it the fuji xp10? I was playing with one at the sotre the other day. I am going to buy a waterproof one for our trip and I just don't want to pay a lot for one. This one seemed decent. But a kodak one is coming out in a few weeks that is slightly cheaper...and I might wait and give it a try before I buy. Have you had any problems with yours? Does it hold the charge pretty well?

I have to laugh about the "pirate" big black Dick... My DH would love to find that...and then of course make jokes about him all day.

Would you say the food was better on Carnival or Disney? I have heard pretty good things about Carnival food. But then I hear good things about Disney too...and then bad things about both as well. (we have 30 more days!!! )

I love the family pictures. How fun to have that as a keepsake.

hey Jen...

since we only have 4mths till vacation, figured I'd better finish getting LAST year's vacation posted

I was mistaken a bit...it's the Fuji WP (now discontinued because I'm sure there's a newer/better model): http://www.fujifilm.com/support/digital_cameras/specifications/z/finepix_z33wp/ (I have the green one). We think it's a great little camera (think DH paid about a buck and a half for it?). VERY compact, easy to use zoom and playback...we really like it. We haven't had any problems with it and it DOES seem to hold a really good charge (comes with one of those flat batteries). You need the SDHC memory card for it tho..not a regular SD card.

Hands down the Disney food blew Carny outta the water. I've read a lot of good reviews about Carny's food too...even have good friends who have NEVER had any problems with it. Our food portions were always small and the food was warm to cool...never hot. I enjoyed the food on the Disney ship MUCH better (except Disney doesn't have warm chocolate melting cake...THAT rox!)

Don't worry...you are going to love the Disney ship. That's to Bahamas, right?

 

[jenseib]

Thanks for that info. It looks like the xp is the newer model...and how funny, but I was looking at the green one too. I think I'll wait till the kodak comes out and see how it works. If it doesn't seem any better, than I will go with the fuji.

Yes we are going to Bahamas. Only 3 nighter though. I have booked the blue lagoon dolphin encounter for us at this point and time. I think we will have fun. Good thing about cruises, if your portion is small you can order something else too.

 

[jenseib]

I'm looking at amazon and the xp is only 107 right now with free 2 day shipping for me. Would you get the float strap? Does it need it? I might just go ahead and get it since I do know from the store that it took decent pics and your pics are really better than I thought they would be under water.

 

[bubba's mom]

I'm looking at amazon and the xp is only 107 right now with free 2 day shipping for me. Would you get the float strap? Does it need it? I might just go ahead and get it since I do know from the store that it took decent pics and your pics are really better than I thought they would be under water.

I'd get the strap. We don't have one, but I will before this summer's trip. It's just a 'piece of mind' thing...ya know? I'm always worried about dropping it in the water...heck, in '08 I dropped our regular camera in the terminal!

 

[macraven]

you know i always love your trip reports.

glad you posted again.

 

[bubba's mom]

you know i always love your trip reports.

glad you posted again.

 

[bubba's mom]

Day 5 - Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Cozumel Day

There was no hurry to get up early this morning knowing that our Deluxe Sail, Snorkel & Beach Party excursion wasn't until the afternoon...so, we slept in.

We went to the breakfast buffet again and ran into some family from our group...of course. Chatted about our plans for Cozumel and what sort of trouble we all got into the night before.

After breakfast, we decided to see if we could be refunded our excursion, for a couple of reasons.

Today we woke up to very cloudy skies and pretty choppy water. There was a cool breeze blowing and the weather just did not look like it was going to be good for snorkeling and going to the beach.

The other reason I thought our excursion might be a bad idea, is that for some unknown reason, Bubba was up in the middle of the night sick. I woke up when I heard him, and realized DH was there with him. I was going to get up, but my first thought was, "What am I going to do that Dad isn't already?" ....and my second thought was, "Where the heck would I go?" (because 2 people literally fill a bathroom on a cruiseship) I just made sure all was okay and told them I was there if they needed me. In about 5-10 minutes, they went back to bed...Bubba saying he felt much better.

So, after breakfast we went to the Shore Excursion desk to inquire if our excursion was still running. Imagine when I got there at 10:20am, and read the sign that said the desk closed at 10am. Now, why in the heck would you close your excursion desk on the day you are literally pulling into port (supposed to dock around 11am) and the weather is questionable? Do they NOT think ANYONE would be by to ask?!!?

So I went over to the Guest Services desk. I asked how I find out if our excursion is running. She told me to go to the Shore Excursion desk. I took a step back out of her way (so she could see the Shore Excursion desk across the way) and said to her, "Can you not see it's closed?" She apologized saying she didn't realize it and then she asked me what excursion we had booked. I told her which one we had and she told me as far as she knew, all excursions were still running. (Uh, okay...then why did you ask me which one I had booked?) I explained we purchased these excursions 3 months ago and that my son was sick last night and the weather didn't look good for healthy people to snorkel, let alone someone not feeling 100%. She said if I really didn't want to do it, we could be refunded our money. All we had to do was bring her our tickets.

So we went directly to our cabin to retrieve our excursion tickets, opened the door and low and behold there was a blue paper under our door stating the excursion was cancelled and our money would be refunded back to our account. Now...how efficient is that...AND how come Guest Services didn't know that?!? I happily took our $179 credit back on our onboard account...which made our final bill at checkout day just under $200. For drinks, pictures and some souvies, NOT bad!!

So, with no particular place to be, we headed up to Dad's to check out Cozumel via his balcony. Some other family members stopped by too..... Aunt Sue taking pictures and Bubba hanging out.

SIL's parents were in the suite right next to Dad's. BIL and family happened to be on their way there, stopping by Dad's. There were some more pix taken and a discussion of a missing showerhead in BILs cabin. I don't remember who noticed it, but how funny it was to have this discussion and then see a BUCKET of showerheads in the hall right outside Dad's door!! and, btw...I had to complain our 2nd or 3rd nite aboard that my FIL (in the penthouse suite) had called 3x about a leaky showerhead. When I went to Guest Services, they didn't have any record of it and called maintence right away. It did get fixed that night (while we were at a show and gambling), but he didn't finish up till around midnight and then had to call housekeeping in to clean...argh!!! He didn't get to be till around 1am...and we were pissed!!

So, we come up with a plan that a little rain is not stopping us from getting off the ship. We planned to go into Cozumel w/ BIL and his in-laws for the day.

We got off the ship to a light rain and got the token picture coming off the ship. We then headed into the first Duty Free store we found. I found it interesting they print these on their cartons of smokes. We took a couple pix of the kids and I snapped a pic of this sign because I am still trying to figure it out!

We poked our noses into a few shops and by the time we got into the Cozumel Del Sol store, it was REALLY raining...HARD!! I had brought 3 ponchos from home with me and Bubba & I ended up putting ours on. We made it to the next store down before our group went for cover. Since I was the only adult with a poncho, I went to Pirana Joe's to get some ponchos for BILs family (who didn't have any). Of course the store was the furthest away, but I got 8 at $4.95ea...not a bad price (compared to places like Universal anyway!) I arrive back at the store with the ponchos (realizing I got 1 too many) and then we are on our way once everyone has one. This is my DH's: "it's raining on my vacation" look. This is proof I was there too.

I have no idea what this fountain is, but it was near the taxi area at the port. We hailed a taxi-van and piled everyone in and headed for Carlos & Charlie's. Thank goodness we didn't take the advice of "it's a few blocks up" (like BIL thought) and try to walk! (We did google map and find out however, if our ship had docked the next slip down, that Carlos & Charlie's IS within walking distance.) The driver told us it rained all day the day before too. I believed him because the roads looked very flooded!!

About 10 minutes later, we arrived at Carlos & Charlie's. A hot touristy spot with American music and a lot of fun. If you are rained out, like we were, and are looking to get off the ship for lunch, I'd recommend it. If it were a bright sunny day, maybe not....too much water, shopping, snorkeling and other fun stuff to explore!

Some pix from Carlos & Charlie's: The "doormat" that greets you.

There are funny signs all over the place. The menu is HUGE and has funny stuff on it too! Bubba reading his menu. Some stuff printed on the menu: Hamburger, another menu pic, menu 1, menu 2, the House Rules and Headlines from Around the World. I specifically took a pic of the Guacamole on the menu...the description was funny! Needless to say, it took quite a while to read through the entire menu.
The kids liked the yard of soda(which is a tad over 3 cups btw). Their sodas.

Our group: Grumpy & Donna, BIL-SIL-DNi2, DNi1 & Bubba, SIL-DN2 and behind menu-DNe.
They also put sombreros on your whole partyand take a group pic...to sell you of course! DH, Bubba (never mind the goofy face), BIL with his Nike sombrero, Bubba & I and DH & I with sombreros. EVERYONE gets a balloon hat...whether ya want one or not. Some you can tell what they are: a flower, a heart, a crown, a bug antenna....others, well, you have to use your imagination. I think our nephew got a jester's hat and one niece got a stick figurine hat...kinda hard to tell if they are anything actually! Have no idea what Bubba's is, or SIL's or BIL's....some sort of DNA model or something?

A fun way to pass the time, and for the kids, is they give you crayons to draw on the "tablecloths"...aka brown paper. We did some drawings and had some fun with it too!

They also take some couples' pictures...to buy also. And all three couples had their pix taken: us, BIL/SIL and Grumpy & Donna (the joke with him was if he had enough on his credit card )

Some of the kids got burgers, one got pasta...the rest of us got cheese quesidillas and build your own fajita. We got 2 platters of those. Took a pic of the alcohol menu...just because the prices were in pesos and we aren't used to seeing such 'high' prices...lol... And a pic of this "special"...hard to get used to those pesos!

And then...there's the sangria whistle. This is where you get a paper bib and they pour sangria right into your mouth...blowing the whistle while doing so. It's quite the messy experience, but fun. Only Grumpy & DH did it in our group. I was smart and didn't choose to participate. As you can see...messy!

After lunch, it was still raining, so we decided to walk around and shop. Bubba & his cuz, the bros and bros w/ Grumpy. While out and about, we passed the Hard Rock Cafe. We found cover in a little shopping area where I picked up some vanilla for a client of mine and a shotglass for us (we collect them). My niece got a tanktop that says "I love shoes, bags & boys"...could NOT fit her to a 't' any better

While shopping, we passed by a Burger King and I couldn't resist taking a picture...only because the price is in pesos!!

There was someone from our ship who offered to take a group picture for us...so, why not? And my son wanted me to take a picture of him with this car of styrofoam balls...why, I don't know? Heck, we couldn't figure out why it was even there in the first place?!

We left the shopping area and headed toward the street. Here's a pic of us strollin down the street....blendin' in with the locals ..... And with no particular plan or place to go, where do you think we ended up? You'll never believe...... a super grocery store! Comparable to a Super Walmart! Odd thing was, when we went in, there was nothing in there but maybe a bank and some carts or something. We realized we had to take the escalator upstairs to the main store. Funky escalator...no steps. Just a ramp!

So we get upstairs and you should have seen us strolling thru the store, with our ponchos on (don't forget), checking stuff out! It was something I'll never forget! We were a sight!! These people that were there doing their everyday grocery shopping were staring at us....their faces were hilarious!! We figured it was similiar to a Super Walmart because they sold tires, appliances, clothes and other items besides groceries. I had to take this picture because I found it odd that eggs were sold (unrefrigerated) across the aisle from dog food. Some store pix: fish, wine, some bread at the bakery and the cafe. We bought some donuts for the kids, took some more pix, paid and headed out. We had to take a pic of the only 2 limes left! Had to show cousin Bryan that maybe, just maybe, Carnival went shopping for limes for his iced tea at dinner!

The girls decided to dive into their donuts as we were leaving. When we left, we noticed a bar across the street at the Hotel Barracuda. So, we went there. I had to take a picture of this sign outside just because it was so funny..given our circumstances!

We went through the internet area and out back to the No Name Beach Club bar out back. We checked out the pool, ocean and took some pix...of course!! The bar was out back, behind the hotel by the pool. And it was really beautiful back there. The pool and the ocean....from what I understand, you can snorkel right off the steps out back. Hotel pix: 1, 2, 3 and 4. Pix of a family of drowned lookin' rats!

We were here for one quick drink, then we left and hailed a taxi-van back to the ship.

Once back in the area, we took a couple of pictures we missed on the way in (because it starting raining hard). And, just because my DH had been drinking so much, and stopping for a bathroom every chance he got, I HAD to take this momento picture.

There's a Ron Jon Surf shop in the shopping area just off the ship in the pier area. Who knew you could go all the way to Mexico instead of just Florida?

We diverted to Fat Tuesday just before reboarding the ship...again, meeting some family that happened to be leaving there on their way back to the ship. I ended up taking my niece and son back on board and the rest stayed for drinks and music. I just wanted DRY feets for a change. Walking around in the water in flipflops all day was getting old... I was tired of being wet. Just wanted out of the rain and to be dry! There were a couple of good photo opportunities here that we took advantage of before we left for the ship. We were all happy to be back on "dry ship"!

It was almost 6pm when we boarded back on the ship. Guess we weren't making dinner in the dining room that night...ole buffet it was for tonight. But, just for something light, as we were anticipating the Mexican Fiesta (buffet) on deck later than night (turns out, wasn't all that great anyway). Our nieces kept trying to make the perfect ice cream cone. I think part of their problem was it was ice milk and not soft serve ice cream...yuck! But DNi2 came close...but DNi1 came closer!! She was so proud! And her Uncle was fortunate to catch it all on video.

Some of the pizza crew having buffet for dinner. We were pulling out of Cozumel and my SIL and DNi2 went outside to get a picture. Of what, I don't know? But, we took their picture....while DNi1 had enough of yet another ice cream cone she took a shot at making.

After dinner Bubba went to Camp Carnival for the Dodgeball tourney. He said he had a lot of fun and did real well...almost won. Maybe came in 2nd or 3rd? He scattered after that because the were showing the movie "Tooth Fairy"....not his speed he said. After he left Camp Carnival and I have no idea who he hooked up with and what they did? Eh...I'd find out later...no big deal....

After dinner, we headed toward the casino because we knew it'd be opening soon (because we just left Cozumel). DH found his Dad and some of the guys playing private poker in the Chopin Lounge. I waited for him back at the casino and decided to sit at the table and have a drink w/ the ladies. My drink of the day: Blue Margarita (in no souvenir cup I might add... ) I waited there for a bit for DH to come back...I wanted to go shopping in the gift shop. Figuring tomorrow is our last day, and at sea, I figured it'd be crowded as all heck. After a while, my DH came by and we went to the gift shop and we were the only ones in the whole shop! We got a couple shotglasses, a t-shirt for Bubba that he had picked out earlier and an ornament of the ship for Christmas for Bubba. (Our tradition is to get him an ornament from us each year and it's the first ornament on the tree each Christmas, and a t-shirt that he wears the first day of school. It usually has something to signify something special that happened that year or where he was on vacation.) After our purchase, we dropped our bag off back at our cabin.

We stopped back at the casino where BIL & his family had arrived. He & DH went into the casino, while I sat and chatted with the family.

Since we all sat and had drinks and visited outside the casino, we did NOT meet for pizza this night. But later in the evening, when we returned to our cabin, Bubba was laying in bed with a washcloth on his knee. Turns out, he got a nasty scrape on it from falling down the stairs. He says he was tripped by an older kid but we think he was running on the steps and tripped & fell. I just think he didn't want to look stupid or be in trouble for running. Since it was late, I let it go and cleaned it up and plopped a bandaid on it. Whatever happened, it was over and time to move on....move on to bed that is!

Tomorrow is our last day onboard...and an 'at sea' day too. Just packing and chillaxing!!

 

[macraven]

randy looks rather happy in the pics....
kewl!

 

[klacey1]

LOL I love the pictures from your lunch-- especially those couples and sangria shots! Classic!

 

[jenseib]

You guys really made a crappy weather day into a lot of fun. Too bad it rained. I went to Cozumel once on a cruise. I have heard that since then a hurricane destroyed a lot of the docking area and it was rebuitl, plus a new area. The area you were at looks very familiar, only newer. I bet that was the spot. We also stopped at that Fat Tuesdays too.

 

[bubba's mom]

You guys really made a crappy weather day into a lot of fun. Too bad it rained. I went to Cozumel once on a cruise. I have heard that since then a hurricane destroyed a lot of the docking area and it was rebuitl, plus a new area. The area you were at looks very familiar, only newer. I bet that was the spot. We also stopped at that Fat Tuesdays too.

There are 3 slips at Cozumel to dock at...Punta Maya is where we were. I think it's the most popular. You'd never know it was rebuilt after a hurricane. We are really hoping it doesn't rain THIS year when we stop in Cozumel...fingers crossed....

okay....this is takin waaay too long..... I'm on it

 

[bubba's mom]

Day 6 - Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Last day....at sea.....

Today was our last day and it was at sea. Why is it, when you JUST START to know your way around the ship, it's time to leave?? My 11 yo son knew the ship better than us early on! We were asking HIM which way to be going

We started again with breakfast in the usual spot...but someone else was at our table! We sat at the bigger booth across from it and Dad, the uncles and wives were already all there.

After a leisurly breakfast, we went up to the sundeck to get some sun.

After the deluge of rain yesterday, we were lookin' forward to it. Turns out, the guys wouldn't stick around long, because Dad & the other guys in the family got a poker game goin' on in the Chopin Lounge. They spent all afternoon there..not losing their money as quickly as in the casino I think Uncle Paul had brought rolls of quarters with him? Sounds like they planned the poker game....

Bubba stayed through lunch and had a burger ( and SIL had a salad) and read his book for a bit. There wasn't anything too interesting in CC he wanted to do. He mentioned more than once, that they didn't really do much catered toward the 9-11 age group...more activites were geared toward the younger kids. He spent maybe 15% of his cruise in the club, whereas on the Disney ship, he maybe spent 90% of his time in their kids club. He was quite dissappointed with their kids club on Carnival.

Eventually, Bubba left for a Wii & Playstation tournament (again) and the last hour or two on the sundeck was just my niece, SIL & I on deck (with DNi1 & Donna stopping by here and there). We had a very nice, quiet time laying in the sun and chatting. A memory I will always cherish (since I don't usually get to spend any time just sitting and talking with them).

Since it was a sea day, and I spent quite a few hours on the sundeck, sorry to say there aren't too many pix from today. Altho, I think DH has some video of my BIL doing the "YMCA" dance from across the pool.

Before we knew it, it was around 3:30-4:00 and time to get showered up for dinner. ...AFTER 1 more pic Mom!

Some pix from our last nite dinner: SIL's family, kids table, our table, Dad's table here & here (notice Bryan's limes ) and Uncle Ronnie...a/k/a Frank Sinatra. And for kicks, Dad's brothers and a self-pic of us...since we didn't get many pictures of US with OUR camera!

I had the veal parm...but can't find a pic of it?
Again had the warm chocolate melting cake and DH had baked alaska for dessert.

After dinner, we went back to our room so I could finish packing our stuff to put outside our door for baggage pickup. We wanted to change out of our 'nicer' clothes and into something more comfortable/casual for the rest of the night and for tomorrow. I wanted to pack our dinner clothes and I stayed to finish packing while DH went in search of Dad and family. I had to have our luggage outside our door between 8-11pm.

When I got to our room (which was pretty much right after dinner), I noticed Bubba had stopped by, changed his clothes, ate a chocolate, and was out the door just that fast! When I told him to stop by the room and get changed so I could pack his dinner clothes, I'm glad he listened and didn't waste any time.

When I was finished packing, I headed to the casino to meet DH and some of the rest of the family. Just before I closed the door to leave our cabin, I double checked to see if I had my key. I didn't!! I realized DH had it since I didn't have anywhere to put it during dinner. Crud. Well, bags were out and I could do no more. Had to take my chance I'd find DH at the casino....

Confident I'd find DH there, I headed to the casino to the family's favorite poker table. BINGO! DH was not only there, he decided to play $50! (I was sorta shocked because we're not gamblers because we don't win.) I got my key from him and told him bags were out. I stood behind him and watched him play and after about 10-15 min of playing, he turned to me and said if he quit after this hand, he'd break even. (he said he was up to $110 at one point) I said that was good...fun time playin...He says, "No..I plan to lose it all." Huh???

He explained it was the 'fun' of playing with his brother and his Dad...wasn't about the money. Oh...gotcha

Not long after he lost all his winnings and original $50, and his Dad lost his $100, in like 6 hands, it was close to the adult comedy show time. Once again, bingo was already going on, so we went a bit early to see if seats would open up. Ironically, we ran into family that were there playing and not planning on staying to see the comedy show. We planned to wait for bingo to be over and take their seats.

Wouldn'tcha know, their friends that were sailing too, he hit for $600! I happened to be sitting on the floor in front of him and noticed he needed 1 number to win. After I saw it was N-40, don'tcha know, they called it!! WOW That is like never MY luck! Good for him tho!!

The show was good...I've seen better. But, it was good for a few laughs.

On our way back to the casino, I just had to stop and take in the scenery. I took a few pictures, but they just don't do it any justice. It was really pretty lit up at night.

After the show, we went back to the casino briefly (no, DH didn't play this time ) before heading for pizza one last time.

We had a nice chat till about midnight and decided it was time to turn in. Bubba was already back at the cabin in bed. He was tired. I think all those late nights this week finally caught up with him. It wasn't too late when we went to sleep....since they call you early to kick ya off the boat after breakfast in the morning.

 

[macraven]

 

[jenseib]

Bummer it's the last night of the cruise. But it seems like you all had a good time with the family. And made the best of bad weather.
The ship does look pretty.
I did end up getting that camera. Only gave it one test run so far. The pictures were decent. Not nearly as nice as my SLR, but I think they will be good for what I want it for...getting wet and taking pictures.
We are still at 2 1/2 weeks before we go. Time seems to be dragging, but I do have a lot to get ready yet, so I should probably get started on that.
I did do a trail pack yesterday, with most stuff in the suitcases and weighed them to see how "off" I was. I borrowed one big suitcase from my older DD and it must be really heavy on it's own because it weighed a lot more than my other 2 did. But I think we should be fine with the few other small things I wil lneed to add to them.

 

[bubba's mom]

I did end up getting that camera. Not nearly as nice as my SLR, but I think they will be good for what I want it for...getting wet and taking pictures.

I did do a trail pack yesterday, with most stuff in the suitcases and weighed them to see how "off" I was.

Don't expect a waterproof camera to be as good as a SLR camera and you'll be fine. Remember a digital waterproof camera is BETTER than those crap-ola disposable underwater cameras

Also...a tip that worked really well for me...roll your clothes & pack them. I found they were less wrinkled and they took up less space.

 

[bubba's mom]

Day 7 - Thursday, July 8, 2010

"Time to get off the ship" day.

This is bittersweet because the service was subpar for this cruise, it was sad for everyone to be going their own way. It was really nice to spend time with family we don't see very often (hence the trip)...hopefully it's not that far until the next 'reunion'.

After we were up and ready, we headed to the usual spot at breakfast. It was crowded since everyone was there to eat before disembarkation. Unfortunately, it was a little squished, and we were limited to 2 of 'our' tables. Oh, and I just had to take a pic of these three because of their matching purple outfits.

After a leisurely, but squished, breakfast, we headed to the Promenade to wait for our number to be called (we were #18) to leave the ship. Dad & Grumpy were one of the first to be let off the ship...being VIP's and all. One last look at "our" poker table.

I took a few pix of the family already there hanging out waiting for their turn to be called. The kids said their goodbyes to each other while they waited.

Video from our cruise.

Finally our number was called, and we herded off the ship. This was such a mess...nobody directing any sort of line or order anywhere to get off (so UNLIKE boarding). It was VERY slow going, but eventually we made it. I remember Disney handled this process much better!

We headed outside and looked around for the spot for a Budget car pick-up. I didn't see any, so we headed across the street into a parking garage where it seemed people were being picked up...privately and by rental car agencies. I still couldn't find a "Budget" anywhere. I saw other car rental companies' pick-up spots, but not a Budget.

I remember when we were finished with our Disney cruise in 2008, the Budget spot was clearly marked...along with the other car rental agencies. I guess I was expecting something sort of the same from the Port of Tampa. My bad I guess.

Look very closely at the parking garage ramp. Bubba is standing up there preparing for the ultimate Heely to the bottom. Now before you think I'm one of "those" parents who let their kids misbehave and such, let me just say it was not busy in this parking garage AT ALL. If it would've been dangerous or annoying to others, we wouldn't have allowed him to do it.

So Bubba was now occupied and now we're annoyed and I called the number on my confirmation. I asked him where the Budget pick-up spot was, and he said there wasn't one. I also mentioned I didn't know that I had to call for the rental pick-up, and he told me there was "no area to be picked up in, you have to call". Woulda been nice to know in ADVANCE! So, the best we could, we set up a pick-up spot. We waited at the corner (down from the exit of the cruise terminal) in front of Hooters.

We didn't wait very long...probably about 15 minutes or so for him to show. Turns out, it was the owner of that rental office that came to pick us up....in his private truck.

He drove us to the office to pick up our car. Would you believe it was right down the street (maybe a block..if that!) from the Quorum/Wyndam hotel we stayed at the night before the cruise?! Anyhow, at the time, we thought this guy was really nice and treated us great. I had reserved an economy car (like every year) and when we were walking into the building (which, btw, was very small, old and cruddy looking), he told us he had a nice Grand Prix to give us. My DH told him we reserved an economy car and didn't need a car that big. He said he had something "out back" and would bring an economy car around front. I told him that if he had a 4 door back there, I preferred that (because of having Bubba along & luggage) versus a 2 door. He acknowledged my request and headed off.

Not too long after, he returned and asked where we were returning the car. We told him the Holiday Inn @ Universal. He was nice saying he knew the girl who worked there...don't bother filling the gas tank, let them do it. He even wrote "return empty" on our paperwork. We took his business card to write to Budget with very nice things to say about him.

We initialed where he told us to, gave him our insurance company name and answered the "have you ever been convicted or arrested for a DUI" question. He brought our car around to the front and were on our way to Dad's in Ocala.

There, we met up with some family that had ridden home with Dad. Matter of fact, Aunt Dottie had asked us to claim a couple of cartons of smokes for her and she happily retrieved them from us when we arrived.

We just relaxed the rest of the evening at Dad's and I started with some laundry.

Tomorrow is the beginning of some much needed rest

before heading to Universal!!!

 

[macraven]

woo hoo.........sounds like more trippie to come...

 

[jenseib]

How frustrating to have to search for a pick up stop. At least the guy made things good for you. What kind of car did he get for you then? I do laundry on trips too. It makes less fore me to pack...ok, maybe not less, but I don't OVER pack as much then.

 

[RVGal]

Looking forward to more.

 

[klacey1]

Ahh, nothing like relaxing and sunning and chatting. I love how moments like that can be the absolute best of the trip! Can't wait to hear more!