October 28 – November 2
Day One – The Beginning
Cruising is a fun all-inclusive way to spend time with your loved ones and friends. This was my first cruise and we were looking forward to time off. The idea of going sailing on the Atlantic Ocean was daunting and exciting. I wondered if I was going to get sea sick and be nauseated the entire time. I wasn’t sick thanked goodness but my husband and I both were recuperating from a cold.
We were also looking into going on a more expensive cruise but thought that a shorter and less expensive adventure was prudent. I really had no idea what we had instore. It wasn’t unpleasant but we are not loud, drinking, over indulgent adventurers. I do not buy a pitcher of margarita’s because a buzz is not enough.
My husband and I needed to reconnect in a fun way. We are building a house which entails a lot of decisions and stress. A five-day cruise was the perfect way to sit back and enjoy the sun while not having to worry about driving on vacation. We purchase the “cheers” drinking package so on-ship we did not have to pay for alcohol, beer, wine, soda or water. We could drink 15 cocktails a day, and it was worth It. On a cruise all purchases from the bar cost more than at home. Food onboard ship was also paid for and a pleasant sit-down dinner meal came with the price of the room. We knew these facts before we stepped foot on the ship. An all-inclusive vacation with the warmth of the sun.
Our way to the boat was on two Delta flights from Charlotte International Airport. We got up before the break of day to a flight that was on-time and perfect. In Atlanta, our stopover, the plane was an hour and a half late because it had to go back to the airport in New Orleans because of an unruly passenger. We needed to be on the boat by 1:00PM but that was impossible. My dear husband called Carnival and explain our plight. They said it was fine but thanked us for the heads up. They would call the dock and if the captain approved, they would wait for us. It was not necessary thanks to our lead-footed chauffeur.
We scheduled a driver to take us to our cruise from the airport. We were able to get to the dock from Orlando International Airport in 45 minutes. Our driver told us after we arrived that he had never driven so fast. He did get a sizable tip for helping us out.
Once we showed our boarding pass and our pictures were taken, we were allowed on the boat. We received our identification cards which we needed for everything, dining, drinks, being let on and off the ship. Our luggage was taken to our room eventually. This was fine because we were told to assemble at our muster station for the safety briefing. It was held in the casino, which reeked of cigarettes. They scanned our cards so that they knew that we were there. Let the cruise begin.
We went back to our room and changed into more fitting attire, shorts and a tee-shirt. We then found a bar and had a drink. This was our first day so we explored the ship. Carnival Elation is a small cruise vehicle so exploration did not take that long.
That is pretty much the first day of our cruise. We had dinner and went to sleep. We had been awake since 4:30AM and even sleeping in a strange bed was not too bad.