Texaspepper's Cruise Blog

Best Gumbo

Texaspepper — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 01:25:14 +0000

Well I grew up in CA and moved to Texas in 1994 and learned about good gumbo. Went to New Orleans 4 or 5 times and really learned about good gumbo. Acme Oyster House.

Royal Caribbean Or Carnival Cruises?

Texaspepper — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 01:05:51 +0000

Lido Deck Bars services in the pool area dies down about 5pm and when the crowd around the pool leaves the demand is down. Found this so on Fantasy, Ecstasy, Conquest, Elation, Holiday also.

Remember, those who have early dinning at 6:15 are in their rooms getting ready and now that it gets dark at 5:45pm the Lido Deck dies except for the smokers who sit on Lido port side to smoke.

Here is a photo of the Lido Deck on the Ecstasy taken about 6:45PM on Oct 26, 2010. This was formal night dinning and as you can see it is empty of people. All getting read for dinner or already at 6:15PM dinning

Been on Ecstasy twice in the last 12 months and have to say the it was the most friendly staff of any and all the Carnival cruises we have been on.

A cruise is what you make of it. Think about those just off the Splendor in San Diego, CA. I like to sing in the CCL Talent Shows and on the Conquest in the Legend shows. . .have fun and get to meet staff and guest. Meet people sitting on the Lido Deck. . .learn about their life. Get off in some of the ports and experience the culture and experience the food in the ports of call. Talk with the wait staff, room stewards and get to know their lives and family.

Buffet on any given ship is a chance call. We cruised RCCL five times and on the Voyager of the Seas 15 Day Barcelona to Galveston. It was good and then it was a miss. Been on 10 Carnival cruises. . .Conquest has the best Mongolian Grill and the Sea Food Bar up top of the Buffet. Great fried clams, oysters, fish and fries. Always fresh. Just returned from Carnival Ecstasy l10/30/10. OMG . . .the hamburger fresh cooked are to die for. RCCL only puts out the cooked burgers under a lamp and you get it when you get it in line.

I mentioned to them about the burgers under a heat lamp on the 15 Day T/A and on our last RCCL 01/10/10 Voyager of the Seas. The Windjammer Manger, Fati, whom I got go know pretty well, kind of said, they are pushing Johnny Rockets on the 12th deck where you pay $4.95 for the fresh cooked burgers. A couple of times on our cruise, we got coupon books with one free JR’s burger for two. They are wonderful and the wait staff show is worth the price.

Have a look at the Ecstasy Burger Bar on the Lido Deck. Fresh, hot and juicy . . .OMG. . .I want a burger tonight.

Have to say, Carnival is doing a great job on Ecstasy to provide quality service and food. I was impressed. Some of the better food in the MDR I have enjoyed in some time on any cruise. Great service in dinning as well as the room steward. Can’t say much for the Reggie Band at the pool on the Lido deck.

My lobster and tiger shrimp on Ecstasy 10/25/10. Served with a smile from our wait staff. Tender, hot and full of favor.

Our great room stewards. From left to right, George our steward from 08/09 Ecstasy, Irina (wife of Jose), Jose and Dewa our U81 stateroom stewards for 10/25/10 Cruise providing excellent service!

IMHO, a cruise is what you do to make it fun for you. Shows? Ya, see them but that is not the total cruise. When it comes right down to it, what do all of us remember about our time on the ship?

The service and the food. IMHO, that is the deciding factor that separates RCCL, CCL, HAL, NCL, Costa, Princess, and the rest. A stateroom is a stateroom. It may vary in size or amenities and layout, but like everyone that cruises. . .don’t spend a whole lot of time in the stateroom. No matter what. . .we’ll still keep on cruising. Key. . .treat others like you would like to be treated. Smile a lot and tip extra for over the top service personal and service when provided.

Since Galveston is our port of choice living in Texas, we have Carnival year around to cruise and Royal Caribbean Nov though mid April. In 2011 it will be CCL Magic and CCl Triumph. Then Mid Nov to mid April the RCCL Mariner of the Seas. Going to be a new choices for Galveston cruises. Still, a bad day on a cruise is better than a day at work at home. We’ll cruise RCCL and CCL . . .each has their own merits and quality.

BTW. . .you can view all our Carnival Cruise and Royal Caribbean Photos at my web site. http://www.texaspepper.net

Off We Go Again On CCL Conquest 10/02/2011

Texaspepper — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:09:07 +0000

Going again on CCL Conquest out of Galveston, TX October 2, 2011. Just 73 days and counting. Got to contact Carnival and give them my Carnival stock ownership and get my $100 OBC for the cruise. Do it each time we cruise CCL. RCCL does the same. Own 100 shares and get $100 OBC. CCL Conquest take me away.

Carnival Conquest Feb 20, 2011. Got all our family members on board

Texaspepper — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 02:48:09 +0000

FYI . . .we are now up to 11 family members going on the Carnival Conquest Feb 20, 2011. Got all our family members on board . . .got them a discount with our travel club membership. Should be a “family event” for sure. Got the family hooked on cruises and this his their 3rd cruise on CCL Conquest. They twisted our arm to join them. . .ya right they really had to twist, so we booked and will join them.My granddaughter loves to sing Karaoke as I do. I told her if she will try our to sing as Madonna in the Carnival Legend Show on Saturday night that I would try out again to sing as Frank Sinatra in the Legend Show. Did the Legend Show a couple of times on CCL and 4 times on RCCL Voyager of the Seas…..ah, never met a microphone I did not like. Smile.

We are going to have a great family time.

Carnival Conquest Feb 20, 2011

Texaspepper — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 02:41:52 +0000

DW and I have gotten our children hooked on cruises. .except it is Carnival Conquest. Feb 20, 2011 they are going for the 3rd time and they twisted our arm to join them. .a total of 9 with siblings . . .ya right, like it took a lot of twisting. So we’ll see VOTS on that Sunday but board Conquest. Well good part is DW and I are VIP so we zip right through.

Galveston is going to become a jumping place with the 3 new ships coming to port permanently. Mariner of the Seas only 6 months out of the year. I am looking forward to sailing on Mariner.

Let me get this straight . . . .

Texaspepper — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:03:26 +0000

Let me get this straight . . . .

We’re going to be “gifted” with a health care
plan we are forced to purchase and
fined if we don’t,

Which purportedly covers at least
ten million more people,
without adding a single new doctor,
but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents,

written by a committee whose chairman
says he doesn’t understand it,

passed by a Congress that didn?t read it but
exempted themselves from it,

and signed by a President who smokes,

with funding administered by a treasury chief who
didn’t pay his taxes,

for which we?ll be taxed for four years before any
“benefits” take effect,

by a government which has
already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare,

all to be overseen by a surgeon general
who is obese,

and financed by a country that’s broke!!!!!

What the hell could
possibly go wrong?

Carnival Cruise Lines has eliminated on line discounts for their cruises

Texaspepper — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:09:09 +0000

Carnival Cruise Lines has eliminated on line discounts for their cruises when you book. What that means, the Travel Agent discounts are no longer there. We are members of Great Escapes Travel Club in FL, and when we would book on line we would see a list price and then under it would be a “discount” but no longer. Our club T/A told us the same as has been posted in this thread.

BTW, Royal Caribbean has been doing this for a long time and Carnival is the last big cruise company to get on board with the “no discount” to T/A’s policy.

What to expect when you arrive at Galveston Cruise Terminal

Texaspepper — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 21:17:37 +0000

Depending on the ship you are sailing, Conquest or Ecstasy and where you are parking (we always use Lighthouse Parking) try to be dropping off your bags at the curb for porters to take your bags by about 11AM.

The Conquest takes longer for all the passengers to embark, but we normally get on by noon on either ship. Mind you, we sail as VIP and this gets us through security in 2 minutes, VIP check in and board straight away.

If you arrive at the curb to drop your bags about 10:30 to 10:45 AM and proceed up the escalators to show CCL Staff your boarding pass and your Sign & Sail you will then be in line for Security and then a line to present your docs and receive your Carnival Card. You head to a waiting area and sit until they start calling for boarding. You go through a photo shot stop for a photo of you and your other members get a Carnival Photo standing in front of a mural of the ship FLASH the photo which you can buy later on board. Then up the boarding ramps and you present your card . . .attendant inserts it into the validation machine at which point you pose for a photo that is then imprinted on your card for all future off and on the ship events at the ports of call. Ta Da .. now you are on the ship.

You go up to the Lido Deck find a table outside or inside the buffet and have lunch. Your stateroom will be ready about 1:30PM and then you can go drop your carry on bags in the stateroom. Lock your valuables in the room safe and explore the ship. You check in luggage will starting arriving to your stateroom about 4:30PM to 6:00 ish PM. It could be earlier.

Have fun!

My heart goes out to the folks on CCL Splendor

Texaspepper — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 01:34:09 +0000

The poor folks on the Carnival Splendor . . .stranded in the Pacific Ocean. Ship lost all refrigeration, all food in the fig, A/C and now they are flying in food from the Ronald Regan Aircraft Carrier to the the CCL Splendor. I had to laugh when I saw the NBC Nightly News tonight -not at or because of the passengers sad plight, but. . .they are flying in hundreds of cases of Spam. . not the email but the real deal. Spam in the can. OMG. . .two weeks ago Linda and I were on Carnival Ecstasy out of Galveston, TX for a five day cruise. . .had lobster, tiger shrimp, prime rib, steak, fresh mahi mahi fish. . .now these folks get Spam in a can. Bet there will be some guys on board with military backgrounds that can remember Spam. Passengers will recall in later times the MDR. . .”Yes, we had Spam with rice, eggs or such.” Bless their hearts. . .it is going to be a LONG trip from Ensenada is Tijuana then US buses to Long Beach.

Here is our latest photos of Ecstasy cruise link.

A Cruise Is What You Make Of It!

Texaspepper — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 00:22:36 +0000

A cruise is what you make of it. That is why I preform in the CCL Talent Shows and on the Conquest in the Legend shows. . .have fun. Meet people sitting on the Lido Deck. . .learn about their life. Get off in some of the ports and experience the culture and experience the food in the ports of call.

Buffet on any given ship is a chance call. We cruised RCCL five times and on the Voyager of the Seas 15 Day Barcelona to Galveston. It was good and then it was a miss. Been on 10 Carnival cruises. . .Conquest has the best Mongolian Grill and the Sea Food Bar up top of the Buffet. Great fried clams, oysters, fish and fries. Always fresh. Just returned from Carnival Ecstasy last week. OMG . . .the hamburger fresh cooked are to die for. RCCL only puts out the cooked burgers under a lamp and you get it when you get it in line. I complained to them on the 15 Day T/A and on our last RCCL 01/10/10 Voyager of the Seas. They are pushing Johnny Rockets on the 12th deck where you pay $4.95 for the fresh cooked burgers.

Again, a cruise is what you do to make it fun for you. Shows? Ya, see them but that is not the total cruise. When it comes right down to it, what do all of us remember about our time on the ship? The service and the food. IMHO, that is the deciding factor that separates RCCL, CCL, HAL, NCL, Costa, Princess, and the rest. A stateroom is a stateroom. It may vary in size or amenities and layout, but like everyone that cruises. . .don’t spend a whole lot of time in the stateroom. No matter what. . .we’ll still keep on cruising. Booking for Feb 2011 next week on Conquest.