2024 Feb 4-10, Five-Day Carnival Valor Cruise to Cozumel and Progresso, Mexico (5 Day Crusie)

 Sunday, Feb 4, Travel to Slidell, La.

Stopped at Jack's for breakfast gravy, sausage, and biscuit. We stopped at Murphy's in Petal, MS, to fill up with gas.

We stopped at McDonald's for a couple of pies and to use the restroom.

We checked in at Hampton Inn by Hilton Slidell, LA, room 213, and then went to eat dinner at Texas Roadhouse. I ordered grilled chicken and a baked sweet potato with rolls. Hubby ordered Caesar salad, steak, and baked potato.

Grilled chicken and baked sweet potato

We returned to the hotel, where we met a man unloading his car. He asked us if we were cruising with Carnival. I think he saw the Carnival luggage tag on my carry-on baggage. He and his wife were from Birmingham, AL. He said they had been cruising since the 90s. They had been on about 30 different cruises on different ships. We saw them leave the next morning.  

Monday, Feb 5, Travel to New Orleans 

Ate breakfast at the hotel with 2 waffle rounds with whipped cream, sausage, and cranberry juice. 

Checked out of the hotel and headed to New Orleans around 10 AM. 

Paid for parking at Erato St Cruise Terminal $125

Parked the car and walked to the elevator down to the boarding process. For lunch, we ate at Guys Burgers. 

And ordered a cheeseburger and fries.  Our room 6434 was ready by 1:30 PM. 

The ship left port around 3:30 P M. Let the party begin. 

It was too cold on the Lido Deck, so everyone met in the American Lobby. 

the Crimson Trio 

We listened to the Crimson Trio in the American Lobby. 

We ate dinner in the Lincoln Room. I ordered a shrimp cocktail, a crawfish strudel(savory baked phyllo, sweet corn remoulade), Szechuan Shrimp (scallions, garlic, angel hair noodles, peppers, and bok choy), and Cheese Cake with strawberry sauce. 

We sat next to a couple from the State of Washington. Said they lived on an island and watched cruise ships come up the Pacific Ocean. 

We also sat next to a mother and daughter from Columbus, Mississippi. 

Tuesday, Feb 6, Sea Day 

Watched the sun come up from my balcony. 

sunrise

At the Omelette Station, I ordered a loaded omelet made to order, with bacon and chocolate milk for breakfast.

9:00 AM made two necklaces at Creativity at Sea in the American Lobby. 

We went to the Fun Ashore Giveaway at 10:30 in the Ivanhoe Theatre but didn't win anything. 

Lunch was at the Mongolian Wok, where I ordered a shrimp stirfry with veggies.

Mongolian Wok Asian flavor your stir-fry bar with rice noodles,  veggies, sauce, and shrimp (double) cooked in unique culinary creations. 

Met a woman from Louisiana who loved Mongolian food. She had several bowls of food for crew members because they did not have the time to wait in line.

Took a long nap.

Dinner in the Lincoln Diner, where I ordered Herb-crusted salmon with asparagus, sweet potatoes, beurre shrimp cocktail, and Carnival's Chocolate Melt Cake with Ice cream. 

We once again sat next to the mother and daughter from Columbus, Mississippi. 

We went to the V IP Show at 7:00 PM in the Ivanhoe Theater. 

Wednesday, Feb 7, Cozumel 

Breakfast in Lincoln Dinner ordered waffle, omelet, sausage, and water. 

Went ashore in Cozumel around 9:00 AM.

We walked around to several shops and bought Ron a pair of Crocs. 

Took several pictures. Walked up the street to Margaritaville, where we ate lunch. 

We ordered 3 tacos, 1 Pepsi, Sunrise Margarita. We Walked back to our port area, stopping to take several pictures of the Coral Reef display. 

Stopped to take pictures in front of a couple of donkeys at the 3 Amigos. 

Dinner in the Washington Dining Room, where I ordered a Shrimp cocktail, Chicken, Veggies, and chocolate melt cake with ice cream. 

We listened to the Crimson Trio in the American Lobby. 

Chac Mool ("Red Claw") 

Thursday, Feb 8, Progresso 

Breakfast: Omelet bacon, pastry, and Chocolate milk. 

All-inclusive Shore Excursion at 9 AM to Mi Casa Es Su Casa Private Beach your way. 

Back on the ship by 3:30 PM 

Lunch: avocado dip, chips, Pina cola, and coke. Watched our host make an avocado dip using Mangos and tomatoes. Cilantro, salt, pepper and avocados.

Dinner: Stuffed mushrooms, Fried Mississippi Catfish(cornmeal-crusted), spinach, mac & cheese, tartar sauce, and a banana split. 

Excursion to a Private beach with around 40 people took the bus with 2 children. A nine-year-old named Sabrina. Our host cooked us lunch: Mexican Avocado dip, chicken tacos, etc. We had a bartender who mixed drinks. I ordered a Pina cola and my hubby a margarita, both virgins. 

I walked along the beach, and the water was cold. Monday, a storm had come through with 50 MPH winds, so the water was a little choppy and dirty. Not many people went into the water. Most everyone sat in beach chairs, and some under umbrellas. Lunch was served around 10:30 AM. 

Around 10:30-11 We heard a mother call out  Sabrina, where are you?

She was nowhere to be found. Everyone joined in the search for Sabrina up and down the beach, inside the house. Going from one neighbor's house to another.  A neighbor called the police. Five showed up at the beach. A detective went along the beach, circling Sabrina's footprints. Neighbors called their friends, and several said they saw a small girl walking up the beach crying. 

She had walked about 1 1/2 to 2 miles up the beach to the nearby hotel. When they found her, she said, "I thought my family had left me, so I was walking back to the ship. You could see the ship from the beach. 

They took her to the hospital to be checked out for dehydration. 

The family was brought back to the beach house, where everyone enjoyed the rest of the day, eating and drinking. 

Everyone was so proud to see the little girl, Sabrina.

I overheard the mother ask Sabrina about her adventure, but she just said I don't want to discuss it. 

The mother's feet were covered in scratches from running through the thickets, looking for Sabrina. 

Everyone loaded back onto the bus and began our journey back to the ship. Thank God we were able to return with everyone. 

We were back on the ship by 3:30 PM. The ship's time to leave was 3:30-4 PM, but we didn't leave until almost 5 PM because a bus full of people was running late getting back from an excursion. 

The bus drove straight up to the ship, letting people off right at the boarding area. This was a very eventful day. 

Welcome to Yucatan

Friday, Feb 9, Sea Day 

Breakfast with Doctor Seuss Cat & the Hat, thing one, thing two in the Lincoln Dining room.

Hubby ordered Green eggs with ham and funny Belgian Waffles. I just ordered Funny Belgian Waffles with Moose Juice.

In the Ivanhoe Theater, we made a bulldog and an elephant out of towels and bought the Towel Art Book. 

Lunch was #6 Cuban Mixto: roasted pork, ham, yellow mustard, Swiss cheese sandwich, 3 cookies, and vanilla ice cream. 

Bought Build-A-Bear for St Jude on the Lido Deck. 

Hubby took a long nap while I watched TV.

Ate a salad for dinner. 

We watched 90s music and We Are the World in the Ivanhoe Theater. 

We did the Debark process in the Carnival App.

funny Belgian Waffles

Saturday, Feb 10, Travel Home

Breakfast Lido Deck 9 Omelets, chocolate milk, pastry. 

Waited for our app to tell us when to embark. 

Went through the immigration process, loaded our car, and started for home. 

We stopped in Petal, MS, to fill up with fuel. 

Stopped at Welcome Center  for a break

Ate lunch at Cracker Barrel in Meridian, MS

I ordered Fried Shrimp, Pinto Beans, cornbread, chow, and tartar sauce. 

Bought some chocolate candy and hubby a shirt. 

It began to rain in Russellville and rained all the way home. 

 

2024 Jan 13-21 Seven-Day Cruise on NCL Breakaway to Caribbean Islands

 On Jan 13, we traveled to Slidell, LA, and stayed at the Hampton Inn by Hilton, room 214, for one night. 

The next day, we traveled to New Orleans and boarded the Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship from Jan 14-21. So we missed all the bad weather.

We stopped at Shady Acres Village Seminary, MS, for lunch, where we ordered ribs, black-eyed peas, and creamed potatoes.

Ribs, black-eyed peas, creamed potatoes

Shady Acres Village Seminary, MS

The first day was a sea day, where we enjoyed checking out the ship and enjoying shows and eating.
In Cozumel, we visited the Chankanaab National Park. 

Cozumel 

In Rotan Bay Islands, Honduras, we did an excursion to Gumbalimba Preserve Animal Sanctuary, where we interacted with the white face monkeys and the Macaw birds. 

Red McCaws 

White Face Monkeys Rotan 

 In Harvest Caye, Belize, was the Monkey River Eco Boat Tour. We rode a boat through the jungle. 

We walked through the jungle, where we saw spiders, termite mounds, boa snakes in the trees, and several white face monkeys in the tree. We also saw a couple of iguanas. Harvest Caye had some beautiful beaches. 

Wooden Iquana 
behind the Iquana is the Wildlife Experience, where we saw a butterfly house, a boa, and the McCaws. 

Wildlife Experience 

Our last stop was Costa Maya, my favorite stop. Here, we took the Mayan Reality Tour, where we visited some Maya ruins. Continued our journey on the bus to a Maya family home where they cooked chicken (in a pot) in the ground. We were served Chicken Tacos with sauce and did a tequila tasting. After the tour, we rode the bus back to Costa Maya, where we watched the dolphins swim. 

Flamingos 

Dolphins playing basketball 

I did the Amorino Gelato Al Naturel bird tour. I climbed up a series of steps to birdcages that were spaced out along several swing bridges. There you can watch the dolphins swim, and see the beaches and swimming pools. A perfect view of the island. Our last day was a sea day. We watched people play Pictionary, deal or no deal, and several trivia games. The closer we got to New Orleans, the stronger the wind and the cooler it was. On Sunday, we docked and exited the ship and began our trip home. 

Roads in Russellville, Al

The further north we went, the colder it got. We began to see snow and ice along the roadways beginning in and around Russellville. The roads were clear enough for us to get home. We sure were glad we missed all the bad weather. But glad to be home.

2024 Jan 7, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge

 What a beautiful day for traveling. We rode to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in Decatur, where we saw many Sandhill Cranes and several different kinds of ducks at the Visitor's overlook buildings.

The newly remodeled Museum was opened. There, we saw Sandhills, & Whooping Cranes, Belted kingfishers, Snakes, Alligators, Geese, ducks, hawks, butterflies, otters, Northern Flickers, and many other animals.

Several empty displays are waiting to be added. We saw several friendly people. I guess they were happy to be outside after this last cold spell. 

Sandhill & Whooping Cranes at the Museum 

Belted Kingfisher at the Museum

We stopped at Logan's Roadhouse for lunch. Hubby ordered a salad, steak, and baked potato. I ordered a chicken salad with Roadhouse dressing.

Steak and baked potato at Logans Roadhouse 

On our way home, we saw a Bald Eagle on a Paul Bunyan Power Line near the demolished Paper Mill in Town Creek. 

The eagle made a squawking sound when it saw me. It was letting me know to leave. 

We saw several terns perched on the light poles as we crossed Wheeler Dam. 

Our last stop was Wheeler Dam, where we saw a few White Pelicans, terns, and many cormorants.

2023 Dec 20, Christmas Tree Trails, and Christmas Card Lane Madison & Decatur, AL

Today was another busy day. We rode to RSA to take 7 hot Dimino pizzas to Hubby's old co-worker for Christmas lunch.

After lunch, we rode to Madison there, I walked among & took pictures of the Polar Express Christmas Trees.

Polar Express Christmas Tree in Madison
A Christmas Story  

Next, we rode up one side and down the other to take pictures of Madison's Christmas Card Trail. 

Merry Christmas Welcome to Alabama 

We stopped at Ollies in Madison to pick up a few items.

Then we rode to Decature, stopping at Their Enchanted Forest Trail. (It looked as if a hurricane had blown through.) 

The Enchanted Forest Christmas Tree 

We stopped at ALDI USA in Decatur to pick up a few more items for our Christmas Meal.

We saw 3 redtail hawks on power lines on the way home. 

Our last stop was at Wheeler Dam, where we saw several White Pelicans, lots of cormorants, and a few gulls.

2023 Dec 23, Early Works Museum Huntsville and Rogersville Christmas Trees in Heritage Park

 Today, we rode to Huntsville to take Ava to Early Works. 

Grinch guarding the big Red Door.

Warning Trucks entering the Play Area 

It was decorated for Christmas with Christmas trees in every corner. Inside the country store was the Grinch. Before we went inside, we saw an inflatable Grinch guarding the big red door. At the Country Store was a sign: The Grinch Cafe has been serving nauseating food since 1966."A cafe can be bad in every way, but the food is worse." 

A meal
 fit for a king

But Ava and her new friends made a meal fit for a king. One of Ava's friends said the meal was half Thanksgiving and Half Christmas.

Adventures in a Snow Globe at the North Pole 

We ate lunch at 88 Buffet. I ate shrimp, fried Sweet potatoes, chicken, and Rangoon with cream cheese. I did not care much for the fish.

My plate of Shrimp, chicken, fried sweet potatoes,  Sweet rolls, and
Rangoon

Ava ate a plate of fruit, jello, and Ice cream. Ava had been sick, and she was not eating much.

We stopped in Rogersville to see Their Christmas Trees. This was our last stop.

Rogersville Tinsel Trail 

Ava and the Toy Soldier in Red Lights

2023 Dec 14, Christmas Card Lane Ditto Landing, Big Spring Park Tinsel Trail Huntsville & North Pole Stroll Athens

 Today, we stopped at Jack in Athens for two cheesecake pies and a scoop of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream for Ava. 

We strolled down North Pole Lane to see the Christmas Trees in Athens. 

North Pole Stroll 

We stopped at Murphy's to fill up with fuel.

We stopped at RSA, so Ava could see the rockets. 

RSA Rockets 

We rode to Ditto Landing to stroll along the Tennessee River to see the Christmas Cards that were dotted along the bank of the river. 

Ava loves animals this was her favorite.

Hubby stopped about halfway down while Ava and I strolled to the end, stopping to take pictures. 

A few people were walking, and a few were riding bicycles along the pathway.

We stopped at Chick-fil-A South Huntsville to eat lunch. Ava and I both ordered a kid's meal with ice cream. Hubby, a chicken sandwich. 

Our last stop was at Big Spring Parks Tinsel Trail. Lots of Christmas trees on both sides of Big Spring. 

This is Ava's favorite at Big Spring Park. 

Hubby sat in the car while Ava and I strolled up and down and around the park. 

We stopped to feed the ducks and fish. 

Feeding the Ducks and fish 

2023 Dec 13, McWane Science Center Museum Birmingham, Toyota Field Dancing Lights

 Today, we ate breakfast at Jacks in Cullman. I ordered gravy with sausage and biscuits. Ave ordered sausage and biscuits. Hubby ordered a ham and cheese sandwich. 

McWane Science Center Birmingham, Al 

We traveled to Birmingham, stopping at the McWane Science Museum Center. Hubby went to level 3 to see the train display. 

Ava and I went to the second floor to see the dinosaurs, where we saw a Super Cell Tank and birds in a tree, Ava was a weather girl, and she rode the Sky High Cycle. 

Sky High Cycle

We walked up to the third floor, and Ave rode the train and the Zipline several times.

Ava rode the Train

In the basement was the World of Water Aquarium, where Ave petted a shark and ray. 

We saw coral, a variety of fish, and eel.

On the first floor, Ave made large bubbles and experimented with several science objects.  Ava lay on a bed of nails. We went inside the distortion room, on the top corner, you were small, and on the bottom corner, you were large. 

Ava on a bed of nails 

distortion room,
"Honey, I shrunk the kid"

 We stopped for dinner at Oh! Bryans in Hartselle. Hubby ordered steak, baked potato, and salad bar. I ordered a chicken wrap. Ave ordered chicken nuggets and fries from McDonalds.

Ava touched a Python before we left McWane Science Center.

Ava with the Blues Brothers 

After dinner, we rode to Toyota Field in Huntsville to see the dancing lights. 

Winter Wonder Land was not open, but we did get to see the light show. 

Traffic was horrible in Huntsville. 

It was way after dark when we arrived home. 

Ava spent the night.