Dave And Traci Travels

Cruise to Key West & Bahamas Blog

November 2017

After a few changes, the plan was to do Thanksgiving lunch at Margaritaville in Bossier City, then south to Coushatta to play and on to Galveston from there. Our cruise left out the 26^th and back on the third of December on the Carnival Breeze. The cruise was equal sea and port days, stopping in Key West, Florida, Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas. For Key West, I rented us each a scooter. Our excursion in Freeport, arranged through Carnival, was a snorkeling and beach day. For Nassau, I bought day passes to explore the aquariums at Atlantis.

We both had a great time. The trip went to plan for the most part with only one issue. We had great fun, amazing experiences, ate incredible food and relaxed a lot! {in the photos you will see lots of pictures of Lighting McQueen … I’m making a book for Myles 😊}

Our pre-cruise fun started with Thanksgiving lunch at Margaritaville in Bossier City, Louisiana. This is our third year to have lunch here. Their Cajun style Thanksgiving buffet is just delicious. All the classics with a twist. My favorites are pea salad, acorn squash and brisket mac & cheese. We had the same waitress as last year, Ms. Radius. She was running her rear off, but always had a smile. We ate so much that we didn’t make it to dessert. After all that we decided to play a couple more slots but no winning.

Headed out the door south to Coushatta. So, I made the error again! Coushatta the town and Coushatta the casino are hours apart, guess what I did? I reserved our hotel near the town. That part turned out okay because we were tired anyway. We stayed at the Super 8 in Mansfield, Louisiana. I have been using Super 8 lately with no issues and it was a good price for an overnight. Room was clean and no apparent issues. We brought in what we needed for the night. No dinner was needed after the huge lunch. Got ready for bed and climbed in. Bed was very squishy and I could feel springs in my back. I should have got another room or something. But I didn’t and thought I could tough it out. Bad bad decision. I woke up the next morning in so much pain and couldn’t walk. I went through my mini pharmacy I brought with me I forgot my tens unit, ice packs and heating pad. Popped a pain pill, hoping that and a ride on the heated seat would work. Made it to Coushatta Casino Resort (near Kinder, La.) we only stayed around an hour – just not feeling it. David didn’t even want to hang out for lunch. I decided to salvage the day and find a scenic route from there to Galveston. Decided on heading all the way south to the coast, then ride the coast to Galveston. I found Sabine NWF that had a paved / boardwalk trail about 2 miles or so. Next step in dealing with my back pain would be trying a nice long walk. Sabine NWF was beautiful and the trail was well kept. While we didn’t spot any gators (we did see their beds); I did hear one. Watch the video – too funny. Unfortunately, the walk did nothing for my back pain so more meds and on to the hotel in Galveston. We took two lane highways along the coast and to Bolivar Peninsula to ride the ferry over to Galveston Island. Yes! We could have gone around the bay on 10 then through Baytown; but what fun would that have been? This drive did get a bit monotonous and we did have to wait around an hour for the ferry. So worth it. The ferry is just a short ride but an awesome end to our adventurous day.

https://www.margaritavillebossiercity.com/
Thanksgiving Lunch is $26.99 with no discounts or player points to be used.

😞 https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/mansfield-louisiana/super-8-mansfield-la/overview?CID=LC:SE::GGL:RIO:National:43351&iata=00065402
$70 for the night, pain & suffering thrown in for free!

http://www.coushattacasinoresort.com/

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/sabine/
Free!

http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/ferrytimes/
Free!

We made it to our hotel around 7pm to check in. We are staying the next two nights at Rodeway Inn. The hotel came highly recommended for a pre-cruise stay. Dave was starving so I didn’t check the room, I had to get him something to eat. We had shared a bag of chips for lunch. We usually have Mexican food on Friday’s so I hit Trip Advisor. Salsa’s on the beach had great reviews and nearby. Reviews were right; good food and service. No complaints. Back to the hotel, the area is a bit sketchy by no means total ghetto. The owner lets you park there for your cruise but we didn’t. Room was clean and okay maintained – needs updating and bottom of our mirror was broken. My main concern was the bed. It was fine. I only needed extra pillows. Called down and the owner was still there he said to send my husband for whatever I needed. The owner of this property is very nice and accommodating. I would definitely stay again if there for pre-cruise.

https://www.choicehotels.com/texas/galveston/rodeway-inn-hotels/txf92
$170 for 2 nights

http://www.salsasgalveston.com/
mid priced meals

Even though I tried everything I knew that if I didn’t get my back pain / stiffness under control my first cruise was not going to be that fun. Next morning, I told Dave I would be back and took a drive down to where you can drive down onto the beach. This is down just before the entrance to the state park. I sat in the car on the beach watching the waves and praying for a good hour or so. Went to Wal-Mart and shuffled through getting things I forgot and last-minute things. Then had to stop at Walgreens also. Back at the hotel I told David I was going to do what I needed to do and he could go see what he wanted to see around town. That didn’t work he wanted to stay with me. We hit my back with everything I had and a nap later I was ready to get out again. About 3 or 4pm.

David wanted to go see the anchor in Texas City so off we went. We also drove over the cause way, really enjoying watching the kids fishing. At the bottom of the causeway there was a seafood shack & bait shop called Boyds. This would normally not be my thing but we are on an adventure here. I ordered a shrimp po-boy sandwich and he had catfish. Both came with fries. The seafood was so so so good, so fresh. And the bread for my sandwich was fresh baked and perfect. Stuffed from this we headed over to The Pleasure Pier as I wanted to ride the ferris wheel at sunset. A bit expensive for this as it was just for me, David doesn’t ride rides. I found some sweet kiddos whose parents didn’t ride rides and rode with them. Very much enjoyed it. We decided to skip the Christmas thing at Moody Gardens for an early night. Sunday, I had planned on going to church but all the pain meds caught up with me, David let me sleep in.

http://www.texascity-library.org/disaster/first.php
This link explains the anchor & propeller. Free in city park.

https://www.boydsonestop.com/
Cheap eats for lunch and pick up some seafood for dinner!

http://www.pleasurepier.com/
$30 for me to ride the ferris wheel. I know.

Finally after months of waiting … It’s Cruise Day! I went down to Shipley’s Donuts for some breakfast. So good! We did a final check that we had everything. Yes, and then some. No doubt we were first time cruisers LOL. Each of us had a large suit case, the garment bag, each a backpack type bag, another duffle bag with the tri-pod bag strapped on, beach bag I used for a carry on and the camera bag. We were a bit confused at first as to where to go to drop our bags but we figured it out. Decided last minute to stuff the camera bag into one of the checked bags. We checked four bags total with no issues. From there things went pretty darn quick. Checked into our parking lot, we used Port Parking. Indoor and gated secure property. They shuttled us right back over to the port. We could have done the luggage too if we wanted. No issues and would recommend them. Carnival had us from this line to the next and next thing we know we are on the boat eating lunch at Cucina del Capitano.

https://www.carnival.com/
$1800 about for cruise, $700 for drink packages, $95 Behind the Fun Tour - Just one. Bingo $45 to 35 each session.

http://www.portparking.com/
$120 total for 8 days.

I’m going to sum up our ports before talking about the boat itself.

Our first stop was Key West, Florida. We had from about 10 am to 4pm for port time. The scooters were rented from Pirate Rentals. David and I didn’t join the huge rush to get off the boat but did go down quickly as we had a lot we wanted to see. Pirate Rentals picked us up right outside of Margaritaville then back to their location. Some quick paperwork and overview of the scooters. They made sure we could handle them, then sent us on our way. We drove around a quieter neighborhood to get the hang of things. We stayed on the scooters just about five hours. We at lunch at Sandy’s Café – famous for their Cuban Sandwich. It was an awesome sandwich. We made fly by (less than 10 minute) stops at the Southern Most Point Buoy, Ernest Hemingway House and The Key West Lighthouse. We did actual stops at The Key West Garden Club, The Basilica of Saint Mary Star of the Sea, Key West Cemetery and The Key West Ship Wreck Museum. As we drove through the various parts of Key West we saw so much of the hurricane recovery going on. At the garden club it was so bad. The gardens were centered around part of a Spanish fort built in the 1700s both the fort tower and a large tree aged at over 100 years are gone. Most of the plants are being replaced. Some work was still being done at St. Mary’s and their roof will need to be replaced. The grounds and church were just beautiful and I would love to go to a service there some day. The cemetery is just something to see – some unique grave stones. We found The Shipwreck Museum way more interesting than we thought. Ship wreck salvage and storage is evidently what built Key West. Who knew? Not me. After a very full day we turned in the scooters and had them drop us off on Duval Street. We strolled back and got a yummy chocolate dipped frozen key lime pie on a stick!

https://www.piratescooterrentals.com/
$100 for both, plus they hold a $200 deposit but don't run through. Discount for reserving online.

https://www.keywestshipwreck.com/
$27 for both, discount online.

https://www.sandyscafe.com/
Cheap eats for lunch!

In Freeport we had to be up super early for our excursion. It was all pretty well organized between Carnival and the port. We were on a double decker bus in no time for a thirty minute or so drive to our excursion. I will say Freeport is more of an industrial port turned tourism. It is pretty run down outside of the gated communities where the resorts are. Our snorkel group had to take two boats and it was not exactly easy for us to get in. The seas they were rough. We got out to the reef and went over all the gear, safety and procedures. David and I thank goodness brought our own full-face masks. I still swallowed too much salt water. The swells were a good seven feet at times. They only gave us 30 minutes in the water which we thought was not much, until we did it. We were ready to be done. Our guide took our camera down near where we found a sting ray in the sand. Very awesome experience. Once off the boats we were directed down a long path to the beach front (with someone there to open the gate and lock it behind us). I’m very glad I didn’t pay extra for the lunch; neither of us could eat. They had large shaded hammocks hanging just off the beach. We took one each and sacked out. Great nap. I lounged the whole time. David took a walk for some pictures. Another bus back to the boat.

https://www.carnival.com/shore-excursions/snorkeling/reef-snorkel-beach-break-and-shopping-416071
$170 for both through Carnival

Our final port was Nassau. We had a long port day so we didn’t worry about getting off quickly. It was so crazy as there were four other cruise ships docked in with us. All we had planned was over to Atlantis and back. Found a taxi over the bridge, didn’t take water taxi as we were told about where it docks at. At the bottom of a steep hill. No thank you. We did our self-guided tour all over Atlantis. Got a taxi back to the boat. The taxi driver asked if we minded a stop for gas. Not a problem – I got to talk local stuff with him. I asked him if Nassau was always so chaotic? He said that when the hurricanes hit; the other islands evacuated with their cars and Nassau is just overrun with cars and people now. It’s sad all around. He dropped us off at the straw market. I was able to get exactly what my grandbabies wanted from just one vendor. Back on the boat in the early afternoon.

Now on to the boat. Our lunch at Cucina Del Capitano was perfect as we sat on the port side where it was very quiet. A chance for me to just chill out from all the excitement and anxiety. At 1 pm we could go to our cabin. Balcony cabin 6434. Our sail & sign cards were in the mail box. Room was clean and well stocked. First issue … I didn’t know how to work the lights. That took a full day to figure out. 2^nd day I stopped up the toilet. Other than my own issues no problem with the cabin.

Before the cruise I had nightmares about getting lost on the ship. Well maybe not as bad as the dreams; but I did get lost quite a bit. But maps and phone app were great. But wandering lost is a great way to see the whole ship. I like the deck on serenity. I had a good nap in one of the clam shells. Most of the cruise was pretty windy so I didn’t spend much time out there. On our last sea day the weather was really good, so we took advantage. We went down the water slide, walked the upper deck, and played mini golf. The ship is very large and it is to get mixed up but that is okay, it’s not like you’re going to get left somewhere.

https://www.bahamasdaypass.com/
$100 for both.

As far as fun on the ship. There is tons to do. David took the Behind the Fun Tour and loved it. He was gone for hours and got all skinny on what goes on. We saw the orientation show, the Motown show, the Love & Marriage show and one of the comedy shows. The Love & Marriage was our favorite, so funny. I got a chance to play three sessions of bingo. I broke my personal NFL ban to watch the Cowboys on MNF out on the deck with tons of other fans – that was awesome way to watch the game. We also spent time in the casino mostly playing cards.

We just ate in all the included venues. David actually enjoyed the dining room. Trying our new foods, he loved the braised ox tongue. We ate in their every night but two. The last night we were too tired to get dressed. We met a couple playing trivia and they invited us to eat at buffet with them. Yuck. It was crowded and I couldn’t find anything appetizing at all. Ended up with some pasta and sauce. I didn’t complain about it. But didn’t return to the buffet. The only other thing we didn’t have a chance to try was the Mongolian Grill. All the bar service was great. I think I tried 6 or 7 drinks from the Alchemy Bar – all great! We did the sea day brunch on the last day and this is the only time I had bad service. I did a try on Cheerios crusted french toast and it was good to me. I waited forever for wait staff to check on us but they didn’t. I finally got the waitress and she got me something else. We were at a large round table with veteran cruisers who found this an exception not the rule. Other than that we ate very very good on the ship.

For the most part all the staff we encountered was awesome. All but that one waitress was very attentive. The cruise director Mike was amazing, endless energy. The fun crew was so personal and friendly. I was amazed at the casino staff – I have never encountered such before. Misdeal – no big deal, no waiting while eye in sky confirms – the pit boss just says fix it. Also, it was pretty cool how everyone just pitches in to help one another. We didn’t encounter anyone that I would say was rude or anywhere near.

What the cruisers reading this want to know … did we catch the cruise bug? I would say no. David says he felt just too confined. But he does want to do an Alaskan cruise in the future and maybe some other shorter cruises. I agree with him. I think we will stick road trips for now. We are both glad we went and did get to relax a bit. Key West is on our list to go back to for sure. Going to Atlantis in Nassau is a maybe if we have the opportunity. Over all this was a great trip for us and we were able get re-centered.

No Problem There!
I'm certain they are aggressive either way.

Photos

This was after the snort. LOL!

Beginning of Trail - Like that Warning!

Boardwalk over swamp. Lots of "evidence" of coyotes here with bones and feathers. Guess it gives them an aerial assault.

They call this part Alligator Alley!

Plenty of beds and slides! They definitely live around here.

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Highway to Galveston

On The Ferry over to Galveston

Anchor & Propeller in Texas City

Carnival Fantasy

Beach & Ships from the Ferris Wheel

Residents of the Pier

Sunset from the Ferris Wheel

Sunset from the Pier

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Shots of the Carnival Breeze

Cruise Life - Beer in one Hand and Ice Cream in Other
Wandering in Swimsuit!

This is how good the Guy's Burgers, especially when starving!

Dress Up Night

First Glimpse of Breeze

Right Before We Boarded

Got to Have a Towel Animal Shot

Dave stunk up the cabin one night so I opened up the balcony door air out. Also got these awesome moon shots.

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Key West

Our rides for the day!

We were greeted right away by the natives. Legend is that when cockfighting was made illegal in Key West they just turned them loose. Now they are everywhere.