Monday, Traveled to Slidell, Louisiana. We stopped in North Port at Mapco and filled up with gas for $29.49.
We ate lunch at Cracker Barrel in Meridian, MS. I ordered pinto beans, fried okra, and grilled chicken. $6.53 We also had cornbread, biscuits, jelly, and water. Bought gas at 2.99 a gallon at Mapco in Northport, AL, for $29.49, and bought gas at Texaco Carrier, MS, for $3.09 a gallon.
We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Slidedell at 4:40 P.M. We watched TV and went to bed early. We skipped supper after a packed lunch.
We stayed one night at the Hampton Inn, located at 56460 Frank Pichon Rd, Slidell, LA.
Carnival Valor Cruise Ship Stateroom Deck Muster Station
2021 Nov 15, Monday Day 2: Sea Day
Took a shower, ate a Reese's cup, and finished my Sprite. We ate breakfast at the hotel. I ordered scrambled eggs, sausage, muffins, and cranberry juice to drink. We checked out, loaded the car, and headed into New Orleans. We encountered work traffic on I-10 heading into New Orleans. We parked on 4A in the parking deck, walked to the elevators, and proceeded to the ground level to wait in line for processing, along with everyone else.
A woman called out Have your boarding passes ready for inspection (not folded)
We walked through several lines. We handed the inspector our passports, boarding passes, COVID cards, and the results of our COVID test, which showed we were negative. After several more lines, we were finally seated, waiting to board the ship at 10:40 A.M.
Our rooms would not be ready until after 1:30 P.M. After boarding the boat, we walked to Guy's Burgers, where we ordered a hamburger and fries. I got lemonade to drink.
The dressing for the hamburger was on a buffet; I got onions and fried mushrooms. When we finished, we walked around the ship carrying several bags. (Camera bag with Nikon D7200, medicine bag, my purse, and overnight bag) Wanda had her backpack and her purse.
Around 1:30 P.M., we walked to our cabin, unloaded everything, and rested.
We went back upstairs to watch the ship leave the dock, and that's when the party began. (4–5 P.M.)We watched the sunset as the boat rolled down the mighty Mississippi, and it was dark when we reached the ocean.
We returned to our cabin and changed into nicer clothes to dine in the Lincoln Room. I started with a shrimp cocktail, followed by a Caesar Salad; the entrée was Sweet & Sour Shrimp, and I finished with a Strawberry cake. (5–6 P.M.)
At dinner, we sat next to a couple from Tennessee near Cookeville; they had left their 13-year-old daughter at home with her grandparents because she refused to get the COVID-19 shot.
After dinner, we went to cabin 9268, which had a balcony, and went to bed early.
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| Leaving New Orleans on Carnival Valor |
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| Sunset leaving New Orleans on the Mighty Mississippi River |
Nov 16, Tuesday, Sea Day Day 3:
We showered and went upstairs so Wanda could get herself some coffee. I also got some cranberry juice. We watched the sunrise around 6 A.M. and then went to the Washington room for brunch. I ordered a Parfait with nuts, Blueberries, strawberries, and yogurt. They cleaned our cabin while we were at brunch and left a towel on the bed. I ate a small taco for lunch. Today is a sea day, so we sat outside and watched schools of flying fish. Today was very windy, and the water was very turbulent. Walking was hard; at times, everyone looked like they were drunk. We had dinner in the Lincoln Room, and no one sat next to us tonight. I ordered prime ribs with gravy and potatoes. My appetizer was cocktail shrimp, and I finished with a custard pie for dessert.
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| Sunset Gulf of Mexico (Sea Day) |
Nov 17, Wednesday, Excursion: Mr. Sancho's Cozumel, Mexico Day 4:
Watched the sun come up and then went to breakfast.
I ate cantaloupe, French toast with syrup, eggs Benedict (which I didn't like), and chocolate milk for breakfast.
Today, we docked in Cozumel. We took a taxi to Mr. Sancho's, which cost us $ 17 each way. It is a fifteen-minute ride south of Cozumel.
At Mr. Sancho's, it cost us 55 dollars for all-you-can-eat and drink.
We sampled a Margarita and a daiquiri while sitting under a bamboo roof. There was a rain shower while we were there, but we didn't get wet. We watched people swimming, snorkeling, and engaging in other activities, but we decided to enjoy the view under our umbrella.
We saw several birds scavenging for food.
We were brought fried jumbo coconut shrimp with orange sauce, guacamole, salsa, and chips.
We also sampled a Pina Colada, Miami Vice, Banana Mama, and Mr. Sancho's special. Our waiter was Aldo, a charming young man who said he was married with a young son.
He said that we were queens for the day. He introduced us to his co-worker and told the son of another mother that he was very gracious and helpful.
We took the taxi back to the shopping area in Cozumel. I bought a pair of pineapple teal shorts and a Burgundy top, spending $34.50.
We went through security and boarded the ship around 2:30 P.M.
We watched the boat depart from the port at 4:30 P.M.
We ate dinner in the Lincoln Room. I ordered Caesar salad, steak with gravy, potatoes, & broccoli. My appetizer was a shrimp cocktail, and the dessert was chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.
Tomorrow, we will dock in Progresso.
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| Day trip to Cozumel |
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| Our waiter, Aldo, at Mr. Sancho's Beach |
Nov 18, Thursday, Progresso, Mexico Day 5:
Ate breakfast and saw towel art everywhere around the pool area.
We docked at Progresso and embarked around 9 A.M. with my boarding pass around my neck and my iPad in my hand. We loaded into a van, and there were 14 of us. We rode about an hour to Celestron, where we used the restrooms and loaded into three boats. There were 4 in two boats and six in one boat. Wanda said, "I hope we don't turn over because I can't swim," and our guide, Misael, said the water is only two feet deep. We saw pink flamingos at a distance. Flamingos eat small shrimp that live in shallow waters. They also eat algae & crustaceans that contain pigments called carotenoids. These pigments are found in the shrimp and blue-green algae that they eat.
Next, we rode a short distance and saw Blue Herons, osprey, American Anhinga, and pygmy kingfisher.
We rode through a tunnel of mangroves, where we saw several termite mounds in the biodiversity of the mangrove Yucatán peninsula.
We stopped at a boardwalk where we saw a pygmy kingfisher.
We rode back to where we had parked the van, exited the boat, used the restroom, and browsed the trinkets for sale. We loaded into the truck and rode to the beach area where our meals were being prepared.
We ate chips & guacamole dip, smoked fish, veggies, and a margarita at the restaurant.
We stayed on the beach for about 30 minutes.
Loaded back into the van for an hour-long ride back to the ship. Our guide played the movie "The Big Year," a nature documentary about two bird enthusiasts competing against the cocky, cutthroat world record holder in a year-long bird-spotting competition.
We loaded onto the ship and watched it leave port at sunset.
We dressed for dinner: cocktail shrimp, Cajun shrimp, bread, and dessert. We then went to a show for about 60 minutes.
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| Island of Progreso |
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| Some of the birds that we saw at Progreso |
Nov 19, Friday, Sea Day Day 6:
Sea Day, we are on our return trip to New Orleans.
We ate brunch in the Washington room; I ordered bread and sausage with cheese grits.
We went upstairs and got in line to purchase an item that benefits St. Jude, where I bought a Build-A-Bear.
We watched the Carnival Valor Family & Mardi Gras giveaway with Matt, the cruise director. I ordered fried shrimp, salad, ribs, green beans, potatoes with gravy, and a dessert in the Lincoln room that night. Watched a Dean Martin special on TV, then went to sleep.
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| Friday's Sunrise |
Nov 20, Saturday, Travel Home Day 7:
Packed the night before, making sure we had everything. We ate breakfast, consisting of a couple of pastries and two chocolate milks.
Grabbed our bags and met the Silver & Platinum sailors in the Lincoln Dining Room. Loaded into the elevators and walked to our car on level 4A. Began our journey home. Filled with gas at Love's in Sandersville, MS, for $28.31, we ordered a sausage and cheese muffin at McDonald's. We stopped at Arby's for a beef & cheddar sandwich with curly fries and a Coke for lunch. We were at Wanda's by 4:30 P.M., but Hubby had not gotten home from work, so we sat around and talked until Hubby picked me up.
Hampton Inn 56460 Frank Pichon Rd, Slidell, LA
Carnival Valor Cruise Ship Stateroom Deck Muster Station
