C.J. Bradshaw  

Age: 28
Occupation: educator
Number of Cruises: First Cruise
Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Lines
Ship: Holiday
Sailing Date: June 3rd, 2002
Itinerary: 5 day cruise to Cozemel and Playa Del Carmen

This was the first cruise for my family and I. We took a group of 13 adults and 1 child. We took the Amtrak train down to New Orleans Sunday. Our train was to leave at 6:55 a.m. that morning out of Memphis. There was a 6hr delay.

We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel in the French Quarters. The hotel was nice and we were right down from the casino. We took a taxi to the port the next day.

Monday - We went through check in at the port which was smooth and organized. It took no more than 20 minutes. We first went to our cabins which were on the main level ocean view. We all were pleased with the rooms. Lunch was provided on the Lido Deck from 1:30-3:30. We left the port late around 5:15 instead of 4:00. That was O.K. we had plenty to eat and the time went fast. The worst experience was putting on the life jacket for the drill.

The jackets were uncomfortable. Some people were complaining about the amount of steps they had to climb to get to their muster stations for the life boats.

After the drill everything else was great. The music was great at Doc Holidays club that night.

Tuesday - Was A Day at Sea. The water was very rough many people got sick due to the rough winds up to 55 miles per hour. It was formal night in the restaurant. The food was great in the dining halls. You could try as many items as you liked. The staff was a lot of fun and very entertaining each night. They loved to sing for different occasions such as anniversaries, birthdays, etc. I was glad that the storm came at the day at sea instead of the day we would port. There were many activities inside the ship to do we just could not enjoy the deck do to the weather. With our rooms being on the main level we did not feel the rough sails as much as being on the upper levels of the ship.

Wednesday - Playa Del Carmen was our first port. I took the Cancun City tour excursion. I rate it a 5 on a scale from 1 to 10. It was mostly shopping. We went to 3 different shopping areas and came back to Playa Del Carmen. I think I should have gotten a bus to just drop me off in Cancun instead of taking the shopping tour. It was rushed because the water was still rough from the storm the day before so it took us 2 hrs to get of the Holiday to port they called us by groups and ours was the last tour group to get off. The tour guide said we should have been the 2nd because our tour was long. The water was very pretty there. The attendants in the flea market we visited begged a lot.

Thursday - Cozumel was the port for the day. The shops were nice when you first get off the boat. It did not take long to get off like in Playa Del Carmen because we walked down the pier to the shops. The liquor was very cheap in the shops. There is a restriction on the amount you can buy. We also took a taxi ride to the beach called Rancho's beach it was nice and there was no admission fee. Taxi ride 15 dollars per cab each way. We had to be back on the boat by 3:30 p.m.

Friday - Day at Sea. Many Activities on the ship to engage in. Please attend the Debarkation meeting if this is your first cruise it will answer many questions. During the day there was a hairy chest contest, galley tour, newlywed game, trivia game show. That night there was a guest talent show and many places to go to enjoy music. There was also a midnight buffet.

Overall the cruise was great. You really get more than your money's worth. The food was great. The ship was in excellent shape even though it is the oldest ship that carnival is sailing. I would like to cruise on one of the newer larger ships to compare the difference because this one was wonderful.

The service and all workers were wonderful. The cruise director was very good too. I have been sold on cruising this will be a yearly thing for me and my family. We are already planning our next one for next year. I think we will try Royal Caribbean. I heard it was an excellent line too.

If you have any ?'s feel free to ask.

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