Carnival Cruise (May 2025)
My little sister was having her wedding on the Carnival Cruise Celebration ship, so 36 family members and friends joined them on an eight-day Caribbean cruise to the Dominican Republic (Amber Cove), Puerto Rico (San Juan), and the US Virgin Islands (St. Thomas).
My brother-in-law, sister, and I drove 14 hours to the Miami Port. It was actually a nice road trip. I’m sure it was because of the company. They were so chilled and laid back. We listened to 70-90’s R&B all the way down to Florida, and whenever it was my turn to drive, my brother-in-law would sit in the back seat and read us random cool facts about Virginia and Florida. I didn’t realize how long the Dismal Swamp Canal was. It’s 22 miles long, stretching from Chesapeake, VA down to North Carolina.
Day 1 (Sunday; May 4, 2025):
The first day was a very busy one. Once we made it to the port, we drove around in circles looking for the garage where we would leave my car for a week. Then there was people, confusion, lines, luggage handlers, hands stuck out for tips, and stress. As the wedding party, we boarded hours before the rest of the passengers, but I was bombarded with thoughts of everything that could go wrong: What if they don’t accept my forms of ID (even though I called them 3 million times about it to confirm)? What if the things they told me over the phone and the information I read on the Carnival Cruise Website was different once I got there? What about wardrobe malfunctions? And my bridesmaid dress was so snug. What if someone looked at me and went, “Ew. she looks like an old pregnant woman…” See, that’s why I like to wear loose clothes. Fluffy people look better in flowy clothes. If my bridesmaid dress was flowy, I wouldn’t have to keep remembering to suck in my stomach….
The wedding was beautiful, and all the things I had made up in my head and had worried about didn’t happen. Even though my little sister and her fiancé had been together for years, the tears still flowed. I’m pretty sure it’s a girl thing, but there was one part in the ceremony where I thought my new brother-in law looked misty-eyed. If I ask him, he’ll probably deny it and tell me it was my imagination 😊.
After the wedding, the boat set sail from the Miami Port at 3:30 pm. I didn’t even feel the ship moving!
Day 2 (Monday; May 5, 2025) Fun Day at Sea:
As the ship glided towards our first destination (The Dominican Republic), I decided to take in some onboard entertainment. The Fun Times schedule for that day had named the production Celestial Strings. The performance was described as, “a symphonic rock and pop experience.” A group called the Imperial String Trio teamed up with the Playlist Performers and gave us an amazing show. They all wore white, and with blue lights shining on them, the performance was beautiful, amazing, and mind blowing. I love the violin, and to see The Playlist Performers dance to the music was enchanting.
Day 3 (Tuesday; May 6, 2025) Dominican Republic:
We reached Amber Cove, bright and early at 7am. Although I wish I had the mental energy for it, I didn’t book my excursions before I had left for the cruise, so I missed out on the excursions for The Dominican Republic that day. For those trips, you had to leave at 7 and 8 am. That was way too early to be up and ready for something while on vacation, so I chose to book excursions for the second and third stops.
Even though I didn’t book anything for this first stop, my sister, my brother-in-law, and I decided to venture off the ship. We were supposed to meet on deck 3, which was the gangway. When I went to deck 3, they were nowhere in sight. I searched for them for about half an hour. We realized later that the ship had two gangways.
Because the wi-fi package was twenty-two dollars a day, we had downloaded a messaging system on our phones so the wedding party could communicate with each other. Some people in our group either weren’t getting the messages or they received notifications hours later, so I couldn’t reach them. I ended up getting off the boat alone and wandered through the many shops. I imagined a girl being separated from her group while on a cruise and to this day, her ghost wanders Amber Cove looking for them. That would be a great idea for a short story!
The shops on the island were nice, but the jewelry was very pricey. I love earrings, but the prices started at $90.00 a pair! The dress shops were also nice, but every time I saw something I liked, I remembered the other dresses I had bought on past cruises, so I kept telling myself, I don’t need this dress, I don’t need that dress…I brought enough sundresses for this cruise. Yet I do regret not buying one of my sisters an autumn orange and white dress that had her name written all over it. The white portions of the dress were like stripes with faded edges so that they looked like clouds that circled the dress. Sometimes I wonder what’s worse: Buyers regret, or regretting NOT buying something. When I regret not buying something, I keep thinking about it, and thinking about it, and thinking about it….
After all the window shopping and talking myself out of buying sundresses, I decided to turn around and go back to the ship. That’s when I noticed these big blue letters in the distance that read: Amber Cove. The words were about seven feet high, and were so beautiful, people stood in line for the opportunity to pose in front of them and take pictures.
I couldn’t stand in line, because by that time, my feet were swollen and killing me. I found a bench by a little shop where more pretty sundresses swayed in the warm breezes. After I sat down, I looked off in the distance to the other side of the cove where people relaxed on loungers on the beach. I wanted to be part of that group of loungers, but my feet were hurting so badly, my main concern was how I was going to get back to the ship. The white sandals I wore were semi-comfortable and I’d had them for years, but that was the first time I had walked in them for more than half an hour. I doubted my sandals were the problem, because for the past few months, I’d been having pain in my feet, even when laying down. In the morning, it’s a struggle to walk when I first get out of bed. Since I’m hurling towards sixty, I wonder if it’s just another ailment that I need to accept, or if I need to get that checked out…
As I sat there, I saw older people riding around in scooters and others struggling to walk. A man with swollen legs was standing beside a palm tree. He was waiting for his wife who was returning from taking a picture in front of the big Amber Cove letters. Seeing these people amongst the crowd of younger tourists made me start feeling sorry for myself. I didn’t want to end up like that. Right there, I decided that if walking ever got that bad for me, I’d stay home for the rest of my life and just watch the travel channel.
Finally, I got up from the bench and realized that all I needed was to rest my feet, because walking was more bearable after that break. My spirits had lifted a bit, and as I headed back towards the ship, I realized that all those people on walkers, all those people on scooters, and all those people with swollen legs were on this trip because they weren’t going to let setbacks with walking ruin their zest for traveling. They were going to continue to live life and see the world until they absolutely couldn’t anymore. The thought made me smile a little. I decided to embrace their resilience. For such tenacity, I gave them kudos.
Day 4 (Wednesday; May 7, 2025) San Juan, Puerto Rico:
We reached our second port that day. None of the wedding party was interested in going on an excursion with me, so I went by myself on the beach trip to Vivo Beach Club. Other friendly passengers were going, so it didn’t feel like I was really by myself. My group had taken a twenty-minute shuttle to the Beach and we walked through the beach club area to get to the ocean.
For years, whenever I had imagined myself on a tropical vacation, I had pictured myself relaxing on a lounger with a pretty drink in my hand and a stunning view of the ocean before me. That day, the image became my reality. And it was amazing. I learned that day that fulfilling a dream, even though it was a small one, gave me peace and a sense of accomplishment. I will never forget that feeling.
That day, I did more than just enjoy the view:
I swam in the ocean.
I rode the waves.
And it was great.
Afterwards, I wandered to the beach club section where there was a u-shaped pool about five feet deep. Like magnets, people seemed drawn towards each other. Random little groups were formed in different areas throughout the pool. Almost everyone had a drink, holding their beers and Pina Coladas safely above water level. There was also another pool in the distance where people could wade up to the bar, order drinks, and enjoy sipping while relaxing in the clear blue water.
They all looked so happy and content.
I found an area where I could park my belongings and I submerged myself in water again. Like a tadpole, I swam amongst the group from one end of the u-shaped pool to the other. After getting winded, I found a spot near the edge and watched my legs as I moved them slowly through the clear water. It’s something about floating that makes water so appealing to me. It’s the most relaxing feeling in the world.
Two interracial couples slid into the water beside me. One couple was about my age, somewhere in their late fifties. The wife had dark features. She looked like she was Greek, and her husband was white. The other couple looked younger than us. The woman was white, very pretty, and her husband was black.
There’s something beautiful about mixed couples that gives me hope. Hope that future generations will be so blended, there will be no more room for racism.
With tattoos and piercings, the white woman had three sons and her youngest was by her husband. I kind of kept to myself as they talked, but when you’re by yourself, you get the chance to hear some interesting conversations:
“My white son burns easily.” She pointed in the direction of where he sat on a lounger. “So he’s stuck sitting under the umbrellas. He’s wearing a forty-five-dollar t-shirt.” She shook her head in disgust. “But that’s the cheapest I could find around here. And I have a soft spot for my sons so I bought it.”
I noticed a brown-skinned kid with curly black and bronze hair swimming around us. He was about seven years old.
“My black son is having a great time,” she continued. “He doesn’t have to worry too much about burning….”
I thought it was funny that she referred to her sons as the black son and the white son. When they heard me chuckle, they all looked at me. Then I became part of one of the random leisurely groups of people chatting in the pool.
“My husband and I got high on the way to the Miami airport,” the pretty woman continued. “When we got there, we got harassed by security because we smelled like weed. Then when we went through the metal detector, my vagina lit up.”
My mouth went lax. Yes, you read that right: her vagina lit up. I burst out laughing.
“Yep. My lip down there is pierced,” she said.
That was too much information…yet hilarious.
Noone else was cracking up like I was. Were they shocked at the idea of sparks flying from her vagina at the airport? Or were they just shocked that she said it? Or maybe they just didn’t care? I don’t get out much these days, so maybe lip piercings and sparkly vaginas at airports are now the norm.
The lunch that was included on this excursion was described as a “delicious Puerto Rican-style buffet.” Although I saw a couple of people eating, I didn’t see a “delicious Puerto Rican-style buffet” anywhere, but what I did see that day were pretty drinks, an amazing beach, and some happy people. I also learned that if you have a vagina, be careful with that thing. It might glow when you walk through a metal detector.
Day 5 (Thursday; May 8, 2025) St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands:
I had booked the Fast Cat Turtle Bay Snorkel & Honeymoon Excursion for that day. This time, my niece came with me. She told me that every time she had bumped into me on the ship, I was a shade darker. “It’s not fair!” she said. “I want a tan too!” So she decided to hang with me to see what I was doing to achieve that look.
When you return from a vacation, the thing that I like about tans is that it gives people the perception you had fun. Even so, the closest I will ever come to sunbathing is exposing my legs so they can match my darker arms. But even that is rare because I don’t spend a lot of time outdoors. Don’t get me wrong-I love the outdoors; but sometimes the bugs will start chasing me. That’s when it’s time to run inside. The cool thing about cruises is that there aren’t any bugs. I don’t even remember having to swat at them on the islands where we docked. So I slathered on my sunscreen and took advantage of the outdoors on this cruise.
A portion of this island’s coastline was an expansive dock that was built to welcome visitors to the island. The dock was built of cement and kind of reminded me of a driveway, only ten times bigger and ten times longer. It was about thirty feet wide, and a red line had been painted along each edge as it ran down its length. On the other side of the red line was dark water. The space between the dock and our ship was narrow. For obvious reasons, no one was allowed to cross the red lines. It amazed me how the captain of the ship could skillfully glide up to the dock and “park” the boat. When coming off the ship, I could look across the dock and see another vessel docked alongside ours. It was another Carnival Cruise boat called The Mardi Gras.
When we got off the ship, we waited for our excursion leader to arrive. I noticed some beautiful scenery in the distance, across the water, where the coastline of St. Thomas met the sea. With blue water lapping at tree roots that rose from the ground, it looked so picturesque that I stepped out of the line and wandered towards the edge of the dock to take a picture.
“Ay, you!” someone yelled. “Get away from that red line!” I turned to see a man with his family standing beside my niece, Rachel. She was grinning mischievously as the man continued to yell at me. “Me and my family can step past it, but you can’t, okay?” Realizing that Rachel must have motivated him to screw with me, I snickered. Yet when I turned back around and took my picture, I cautiously inched towards the line, careful not to step past it.
The man’s name was Al. He was there with his wife, 3 teenage kids, and was one of the funniest people I’d ever met in my life.
When I got back in line, Al introduced himself and started with his teenage son. My niece told Al that they looked alike. Al thoughtfully glanced at his son, then shrugged his shoulders and gestured to his other two children. “Well, these guys right here…I don’t even know if they’re mine or not.” Rachel and I burst out laughing.
Our excursion leader led us further down the dock where we boarded a high-tech 65- foot Power Cat. The custom-built boat whisked us off to Buck Island, where they handed us our snorkel gear. Only one mile long and a quarter of mile wild, the tiny island was a bird sanctuary. The captain warned us not to step foot on the island because we would be fined $10,000. Since I don’t have that kind of money lying around, I decided I’d not bother the birds that day.
As we prepared for snorkeling, there was another couple who started arguing about the life jackets because the husband was adjusting his incorrectly. When they got in the water, they started arguing about their kids. The husband wanted their kids to stay close, while the wife told him to leave them alone. “They’re wearing life vests,” she exclaimed. “Let them explore!”
“I wish I came on this trip by myself!” he snapped back.
They reminded me of a couple I knew when I was in the military. They never cared who was listening, and made people uncomfortable when they snapped at each other. I remembered looking them up on Facebook about 20 years later and they are still together. As I watched this couple yell at each other in the water, I pictured them both, ninety years old, still together. Communication is key, right? 😊
The cool thing about snorkeling is that you don’t have to know how to swim. They give you life vests. I swim, but since we were in 12 feet of water, my niece suggested that I put on a life vest just to be on the safe side.
One girl yelled, “I see a turtle! I see a turtle!” That was the only turtle sighting on the trip.
I didn’t see much when I first started snorkeling, so I figured I’d venture closer to the island. Then I started seeing all these cool, colorful fish and sea urchins. The co-captain of the boat dived deeper into the water and emerged with a starfish. Everyone crowded around her with “oohs” and “ahs.” Then she dived to the bottom again. She emerged with a sea urchin this time and let me hold it. When she turned it over, it had a mouth right in the middle. The shape of the sea urchin kind of reminded me of those puffy, pink marshmallow snacks with the chocolate cake in the middle, but this thing was bigger. It was light gray and had spikes.
After about an hour of snorkeling, we were whisked off to “Honeymoon Beach” Water Island. The tiny island is residential, and about two hundred people live there. It’s only two and a half miles long to almost a mile wide, and the coastline was beautiful. I saw a man on the beach with his pickup truck parked beside a weathered and beat up shed. He was rummaging around in the cab of his truck. Aside from him, the rest of the beach looked isolated, with pure coastline untouched by human hands.
It was beautiful.
It was peaceful.
It was serene.
The captain of the boat tossed out the anchor about 10 feet from the beach and let us get off and swim. The clear blue sea was surreal. I swam around like a tadpole for a bit, and when my feet no longer touched the bottom, I treaded water. Because of the extremely high salt content, it was much easier than treading water in the pool at home. It felt effortless.
As I glided through the water, I noticed that people had begun gathering in groups, talking and getting to know each other. It reminded me of how we bonded in the pool at Vivo Beach Club. I swam back towards the boat where my niece, Rachel, was chatting with a couple. Getting to know them was very interesting, as they had been on numerous cruises.
When I looked up at the boat, I noticed that the captain had lowered a long metal stick into the water. Attached at the end was a cup holder with a tropical rum drink that they called painkillers. Suddenly, people began swarming around the boat. It was like he was feeding fish. I wondered if he knew that he would start a feeding frenzy, because he had to keep lowering down drink after drink after drink.
Later, a young girl in her late teens with stunning emerald green eyes glided up to Rachel and I. She asked, “What are you two talking about? I want to get in on this conversation.” See, that’s how laid back and friendly everyone was on this trip. We see people’s best sides when we’re on vacation. And I’m pretty sure the rum drink had something to do with our bonding too.
Another excursion boat pulled up later, and this guy pulled up to our vessel in a motorized inflatable raft. He started handing out drinks, claiming that his were better. He had more rum in his, but I still liked our captain’s elixir better. The guy on the boat and our captain exchanged some words, and when he sped away, our captain poked his rum drink stick in the air at him like it was a spear, then he looked at me and we laughed.
When our boat returned from the excursion, we docked at a small tourist town about half a mile from the ship. It begun raining, and we could see the ship in the distance. Everyone got off the boat and began frantically searching for the restrooms in town, which was ironic because earlier, we all had the chance pee in an entire ocean. With our full bladders, we were too far away from the ship to make it in time. When we finally found the restrooms, a guy was standing in the men’s line. He rolled his eyes to the sky and said, “I’ve never had to pee so badly in my life!”
After Rachel and I finally relieved our bladders and began to head down the dock towards the ship, the light rain had turned into a Niagara Falls downpour. Without a care in the world, I lifted my face to the sky and let the heavens pour down on my face. I raised my arms and yelled, “Ahhhhh! Life is good!”
Rachel seemed bewildered at my free-spirited moment. “Wow,” she said, “anyone else would have been freaking out and complaining right now.”
I just felt so exhilarated. I will never forget the best day I had on the Carnival Cruise.
Day 6 (Friday; May 9, 2025) Fun Day at Sea:
Sometimes extreme fun has misery lurking around the corner, because day 6 ended up being a fun day of diarrhea. By the time my stomach had started bubbling, the ship had pulled out of port and was on its way back to Miami. I woke up that morning and was confined to my cabin until 4pm! Being on vacation, there were a gazillion reasons why I could have been blessed with the runnies, so I’ll list just a few:
Suspicion no. #1–My gallbladder. Was it mad at me for eating all those fried chicken strips? Not only did I eat fried food, but I had also slathered Ranch Dressing all over them and had added fries. There’s this thing about Ranch Dressing: it’s so good, I want to make a commercial about it. It makes my taste buds perform pirouettes. As I write this, my mouth is starting to water.
Suspicion no.# 2–Too many drinks on the snorkeling trip. I had given myself a lecture before I went on this excursion, reminding myself that alcohol while frolicking in the water are ingredients that don’t mix. But everyone seemed so happy and much friendlier when they were drinking, so I felt it was my obligation to this excursion to support happiness and friendliness. Right?
Suspicion no. #3—The whole cruise in general. I found out that ten people in my party had the runs. Before debarkation day, I planned to approach random people on the ship (even the captain)and ask if they also had the runs. That would be a great conversation starter.
Day 7 (Saturday; May 10, 2025) Farewell Day at Sea:
I woke up in time for breakfast, packed my little writing suitcase with wheels, and joined my aunt and cousins at the buffet. I sat beside an expansive window with an amazing view of the sea. We chatted for a while, then one of my sisters joined us. We chatted for a bit too. When they all left, another cousin showed up and sat with me. It was nice because I hadn’t had a conversation with him in years. After he left, I pulled out my laptop and worked on my journaling of this trip while the memories were still fresh. I was there until lunchtime and wrote five pages. That was the only day of the cruise that I was able to speak to everyone in the wedding party, because at various times during my writing, they had all passed through the buffet area and saw me. Some waved at me, and others sat and chatted with me. I loved it! If I ever go on a long cruise again, I’ll dedicate at least two of my cruise days to writing by the scenic windows and chatting with people who pass by.
Day 8 (Sunday; May 11, 2025) Debarkation Day:
I woke up at about 2 am. My mind was busy as I reflected on this trip and thought about things to remember if I go on another long cruise:
Reflection #1: I loved the excursion days. Three or four excursions and an outing, even if it’s just getting off the ship and shopping, is good for the soul (I still regret not buying that sundress).
Reflection #2: Do not prioritize fashion over comfort. The white sandals I had worn had always been a little uncomfortable while walking around in them at home. At the first stop (Amber Cove), my feet had felt like they were going to explode! My feet are fifty-eight years old. If I multiply that by heat and two hours of window shopping, then that was a recipe for disaster. I should have known better.
Reflection #3: When planning to attend one of the amazing nightly performances and I happen to be relaxing with one of my family members or a friend, feel free to skip the show. I never know when I’ll have a nice conversation and be able bond with that person again. Those moments are priceless, so keep doing more of that.
I gave up trying to fall back to sleep, so I finished packing and wandered around the ship. The only people I saw was an occasional staff member working, doing some last-minute preparations for debarkation.
It was about 4:30 am when I went up to the Lido Deck. As the ship glided towards Miami, I marveled at the approaching city lights. I rushed up another flight of steps to the topmost floor of the ship to get a better view. It was mesmerizing.
As I watched the ship ease into the dock, I saw another passenger about fifty feet away, watching the city lights too. With curly black hair, he was a nice looking light brown skinned guy in his twenties, and was just as fascinated with the city lights as I was. As he rested his arms on the railing, I imagined that he had a great time and had a lot to tell his friends when he got home. He finally moved away from the balcony and began walking towards me. “Good morning,” he said.
“Hi, how are you?”
“Sad,” he said and continued on his way.
And that’s the thing about cruises. Most people want them to last forever, because when it’s over, real life is waiting for them at home: back to the bills, back to getting up early for work every morning, back to fighting traffic, back to staring at that junk mail pile you don’t feel like sorting through because you know there’s more bills in there, back to fixing broke down things in your home, back to that moody car, back to washing dishes. Back to a life where no one caters to your every need like they do on a wonderful cruise. Yet despite all the “back to woes,” I was kind of ready to go home. Responsibility builds character, right? And the easy life can get boring after a while—at least that’s what I tell myself.
Come to think of it, getting up early is actually a blessing because not everyone can get out of bed. Fighting traffic is worth it if it means that I have a car to drive and a job as the destination. Having home repairs is also a blessing because that means I have a home. And this trip is a celebration of my hard work and determination.
So as I stood there, absorbing the beautiful city lights of Miami, I reflected on what the Carnival Celebration Cruise Ship meant to me:
It was a celebration of working hard and deserving good vacations.
It was a celebration of continually moving ahead on this earth.
It was a celebration of discoveries.
…a celebration of family.
…and a celebration of life.
IBring 
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