Our only plan for Curacao was to go to the beach and perhaps do a little shopping (Max still searching for a giant bottle of Grey Goose).
I didn't research any beaches and was just planning to go wherever the cab drivers wanted to take us. "You want to go to Mambo Beach?" "Uhhh... sure. Sounds good!" It was another $5/person cab.
I didn't realize that Mambo Beach was a private beach. We paid $3.75 for entry... but then when we left and came back, no one was there taking money. So I'm actually not 100% positive that we actually had to pay - it might have been some lady trying to make some quick money (kidding - I hope).
We claimed chairs and were there for a good bit. Just when I thought that they weren't going to charge us, a lady came buy to collect $3/chair. Not a bad price.
Max and I swam out to the rock wall where there were many crabs. It was very slippery and a little difficult to climb up, so I wouldn't suggest letting young children swim out there alone (not to mention, it got pretty deep). We didn't think to bring our masks and snorkels but heard from others that the snorkeling was good.
There was frequent cloud coverage, and we weren't getting much sun - not to mention Full House came back from their boat tour - so we decided to check out the bar. We had a long debate about this, actually, because the drink prices were hardly better than those on the ship. It wasn't the cheap Mexican prices I was hoping for. But, the drinks were good - perhaps better than those on the ship. We have side-by-side comparisons because the mudslide that Max ordered in Curacao was great while the mudslide he ordered on the ship was perhaps the worst mudslide ever.
Before returning to the ship, we had to check out the stores. Curacao had a nice shopping center with high-end brands.
I also found my own cheese...
As did Max...
We returned to the ship and ate lunch by the aft pool.
Those cookies are amazing. You can order them from room service or find them at the buffet. I think Carnival wins the award for "best cookies at sea."
No runners, yet! (When it comes close to final boarding time, passengers who are behind schedule begin running down the pier to make the ship.)
Max and I hung out in Serenity where the chairs are very comfortable. Although it can be difficult to find a spot in Serenity in the morning on a sea day, I do like that Carnival has a complimentary adults-only lounge area.
Max and I had brought a cheap bottle of wine on board and were planning to drink it tonight, but I forgot the corkscrew. I sent Max out to the bar and gift store to see if he could purchase one. He came back and told me that they don't sell them - you have to order through room service. So I called room service for the first time (Max had been ordering off of the TV), and they said they would bring it by shortly. 45 minutes later.... no corkscrew. I call again, and whoever picked up said it was on its way.
We were planning to go to the show that evening, but room service still hadn't brought the corkscrew. After over an hour and a half, I called again, and she said that she would send it again. The third call did it because there was someone at our door ten minutes later. I really didn't want to tip, but I doubted it was the second delivery person's fault.... The corkscrew had the Carnival label on it, and you bet I kept that thing after waiting so long for it!
Now, one problem I haven't mentioned yet was our stateroom steward. His name was Tri (pronounced like "Three"), and throughout our cruise, he kept walking in on us. He would do a quick knock and then open the door. One time I was actually changing, but thankfully had the closet door open which blocked his view (I hope). Knock twice, Tri!
Well, Max didn't like him at all because he was always in our room when we came back from breakfast or an excursion, and then we'd have to wait ten minutes for him to finish. And then he could never just wait for us to go to dinner at 8:14 - he was always trying to clean our room while we were in it! This night, however, Tri really crossed the line. We finally had the wine bottle open and were enjoying some wine when Tri did the quick knock and came in. Max told him to give us 15 minutes. Ten minutes later, Tri quick knocks and comes in and asks us if we are ready to go to dinner so he can clean our room.
EXCUSE ME? First of all, it's only five more minutes that you have to wait, Tri. Calm down. Second, stop coming into our room without our permission. It's not okay. And finally, it is absolutely unacceptable for you to ask us to leave so that you can clean the room, especially when we're going to leave in five minutes, anyway.
We were so annoyed that we got up and left. I should have filed a complaint with Guest Services, but I thought I would be able to mention it on that post-cruise survey that they never sent to us. Since that was a fail, I'll just complain about it here!
Oysters Rockefeller
Petite Filet Mignon
He's fancy...
Max ordered the Lasagna Bolognese.
The night before, Max wanted to order the after dinner drink, but the shot guy never came to us. Tonight, he put in the request for him to come to us. However, we didn't realize that these were souvenir glasses, so we left them on the table.
Old Fashioned Apple Pie.... missing a bite.
We had a bit of time until the Blue Iguana Fiesta on the Lido deck, so we played a few games of checkers in the Red Frog Pub.
I lost every round until my pieces suddenly became super pieces and gained the ability to jump anywhere on the board. That happens sometimes...
I thought the color-changing glow cube tables on deck 11 above the main pool were interesting. The unsightly "slippery floor" sign in the background is a bit obnoxious. However, I do suppose it's a good thing that they actually used them because when we sailed the Royal Princess, the top deck would become a giant slip-n-slide after the fountain show, but there wasn't a caution sign in sight!
It turns out that the Blue Iguana Fiesta was actually a teen party - most likely because it was later in the cruise, and they had all made friends in the club, so their egos were super pumped with their new posses which enabled them to take over the deck party. Anyway, when DJ JonCarlos (who, in case you forgot, is the worst DJ ever) made a shout-out to "Circle C," that was our cue to leave.
We retreated to Serenity.
I like this perspective, but unfortunately, I don't believe I went back to get it with a tripod. Bummer!!
Time to call it a night...
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