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I rose early and went up to Deck 10 to do some blogging. I left text messages for Marlene telling her where I was and what I was doing. But she didn’t get them and was pretty miffed that I would walk off without communicating. A minor tempest that soon blew over.
We had breakfast then left the ship to roam the port area. We did some shopping at the Margaritaville complex near the pier. Marlene found a $50 dress that she liked, a liter of vanilla for $10 and a $3 magnet. I found a $15 pina colada that was arguably the worst I have ever tasted. What a waste of $15!
On the dockOn the dockAss between two assesTwo touristsIn a shopping areaMarlene with fake pyrimid
We reboarded the ship for lunch and I did some more blogging while Marlene napped. The nap seemed like a good idea so I napped for about an hour too. We went to the casino before dinner and my luck ran out – I lost $200 (down $100 for the cruise). Dinner was good, but not spectacular. We went to 2 shows after dinner – a musical show, “Classic Pop” that was simply wonderful. Great voices and dancing, along with beautiful costumes and lighting. This may have been the best show I have ever seen aboard a ship.
Classic PopClassic PopClassic PopMarlene with male vocalistMarlene with female vocalists
Then we caught the late night X-rated comedy show. Two very funny guys who ventured into topics that can’t be mentioned here.
Belize is a great place for snorkeling, scuba diving and jungle excursions. But the city is a third-world mess and all of those activities involve expensive excursions and a 30-minute ferry shuttle ride to shore. We were not interested in doing any of those things so we stayed on the ship.
We had some minimal internet at breakfast (we were, after all, a mile from shore) and were able to catch up on messages and email. But I was not able to blog. It was a nice day and we decided to spend an hour wandering about the Venezia. It is pretty typical in what it offers but everything is done with style. We like this ship very much. I will try to show you why.
The atrium lobby is beautiful, with glass staircases and golden griffins. The pool may be the most beautiful that I have seen on any cruise ship – you feel like you are in the middle of an Italian plaza.
Atrium lobbyMain pool
The interior staircases are decorated with scenes of Venice and paintings of people in masks. Very tasteful.
Stairwell paintingsMore masquerade
The Lido buffet is very attractive and there are a number of specialty grills available, including a Guy’s Burger.
Lido buffetGuy’s BurgerHallwayLarge painting of a Venice scene
The ship has a JavaBlue coffee cafe where, for a price, you can get some really good coffee. But the coffee in the buffet is pretty good too.
If you want to be active, the ship has some very nice water slides, a basketball/pickleball court, minigolf, a ropes course and some exercise equipment. There is also a small pool at the stern which offers a nice view of the ocean.
Serenity cabanasMinigolf and ropes courseOutside exercise equipmentMain pool from Deck 11Rear pool
Today was my 76th birthday. The ship apparently knew that and put Beef Wellington on the menu. Delicious. However, the rest of the meal was terrible. I started with a beef barley soup that was supposed to have beef and ham. There was none. And very little barley. It was like a bland potato soup. Blah. The salad arrived with no dressing at all. We had to request some. And the desserts were blah also. The worst meal we have had on board. But saved by the terrific Beef Wellington. Marlene had swordfish which she said was quite good.
Beef WellingtonSwordfish
The day was also spoiled by the air disaster in DC. Terrible news.
We attended the show after dinner – Color My World. Very colorful production. Very good voices. A treat.
Marlene also got a photo op with TJ, the Cruise Director.
TJ doing the show introTJ after the show, ready for the 80s party
We went to the casino after the show. I lost $60 (but still up $100 for the cruise). Marlene didn’t play – she is still smarting from her losses earlier in the trip.
I like Roatan. It is a pretty, laid-back island with some nice beaches. But we had no interest in an excursion of any kind, so we, after the usual breakfast, got off the ship and wandered about the cruise port area a bit. We shopped but bought nothing.
Port shopping area with Venezia in the backgroundMarlene with Roatan securityMarlene and pirateUs
We reboarded in time for lunch then did a bit of trivia. But I didn’t like the game so went off to blog a bit. Marlene napped.
After dinner we visited the casino, as usual. I won $30 (up $160 for the cruise). Marlene continued to lose.
I mentioned that Marlene was up all night, playing slots. I should also mention that while I was in the casino I consumed 2 Funship Specials and 2 Long Island Ice Teas – all VERY strong. I didn’t feel all that tipsy when I went to bed at 3am but I was pretty hung over in the morning. And all day, for that matter. I had coffee for breakfast. Neither of us felt very eager for the afternoon party for Platinum and Diamond passengers (we are both Platinum with Carnival), so we skipped it. Marlene napped. I read.
We spent some time in the casino in the afternoon. I broke even. We went back after dinner (which we took in the buffet) and I had some luck. I won $130. Up $130 for the cruise. Marlene continued to lose.
The White Party was held that evening. But despite packing white clothes for me for the first time ever, neither of us felt like going. Another big event that we skipped.
The day started, as it usually does, with breakfast. Then some trivia where I teamed up with 4 other passengers for General Knowledge, then Big Bang Theory. We did well – 17 and 14 correct, out of 20 – but did not win.
Marlene went to Guest Services at the start of the trivia to put some money on her account and had not returned an hour later. I went in search of her and found her on the phone – a Guest Services phone – talking to Barclay Bank, the bank that provides her Carnival credit card. When she first tried to use the card at the start of the cruise she found that it was blocked. She was on the phone trying to resolve this problem.
Let me see if I can explain this in a way that doesn’t sound totally idiotic… Hmmmm… Nope, it sounds totally idiotic. The problem, you see, is that the bank, seeing that she was using a Carnival card when on a Carnival cruise, decided that it must be fraudulent and blocked the card. To use a Carnival card on a Carnival cruise you must notify the bank that you are leaving the country. Is there any Carnival cruise that doesn’t leave the country? None that I know of. So the agent was asking all sorts of idiotic questions like “what country are you in now?” The idea that a cruise ship might be on the ocean and not in port seemed to be incomprehensible.
The card was finally unblocked after 30 minutes on the phone and talking to a supervisor. But I asked Marlene to please cancel the card. It is more trouble than it is worth.
Marlene told me about a ring she had seen that she loved. She doesn’t need more jewelry but it is not often that she gushes over a piece like she did over this one, so I got it. Valentine’s Day is coming.
Ready for Elegant Night
I intended to get a slice of pizza for lunch but decided to try the Pepperoni Pizza Burger at Guy’s Burgers. A nice grilled hamburger patty, a pepperoni sauce and a slice of mozzarella cheese. Pretty good but MESSY. I had sauce running down my arm as I ate it.
Before dinner we were treated to a brief Italian operetta piece by masqueraded singers. Very nice voices and beautiful garb.
Dinner was elegant and Marlene looked lovely. I got to wear my new blue suit for the first time. We looked… adorable. My entree was filet mignon and short ribs. Marlene had a shrimp dish. Very good.
The show was Epic Rock and it was a very good production. The cast has some very good voices and the production was very professional.
We went to the casino after the show and stayed WAY too long. I finally went to bed around 3am (down $50, even for the cruise) but Marlene continued to play until nearly 8am. She has more stamina than I do.
Masqueraded singersEpic RockEpic RockEpic RockEpic RockEpic RockEpic Rock
The view from the Venezia’s Lido Deck at the dock in Port Canaveral
We started the auto trek to Port Canaveral just a few minutes later than planned – about 8:45am – and arrived at the parking lot exactly on time at noon. We packed well except that we once again forgot the sign that we use to mark our cabin. It was in the bag with the birthday card and present that Marlene had for me. Guess I will have to open those when I return.
Marlene with one of the crew
There was a bit of a wait at the TSA checkpoint, but we got through without my pocket knife being confiscated as it was on the previous cruise. We arrived on the ship just in time to hear the announcement that the rooms were ready. Pretty good timing overall.
We unpacked and went up to the Lido deck to grab a bite to eat. We thought we had plenty of time to get to the muster station to check in. We headed there around 3pm but had difficulty finding it. We have never before had difficulty finding a muster station. You would think the location would be well marked. You would also think that the crew would know where it was located. But if you were on the Venezia you would be wrong. We asked 6 crew members where Muster Station D3 was located and none could give us a clear answer. We finally found it but it was NOT on Deck 3 as I expected – it was on Deck 4. This lack of signage and training didn’t give me a warm fuzzy feeling about how an evacuation would proceed in an emergency.
Then, to top it off, the muster station was closed – we arrived too late. The crew told us we would have to go to Guest Services to register for the muster. Wrong again. We stood in the long line (it is always long on embarkation day) only to be told that Guest Services did not have anything to do with the muster. Again, a lack of training on display. The punishment for missing the muster? We would receive a harshly-worded letter and would be denied the privilege of drinking alcohol for an hour. One whole hour.
I will describe the ship in detail later but I can tell you that this is NOT a sister of the Luminosa. The Venezia is considerably larger (4,200 passengers) and newer than the Luminosa. It is also more beautiful. Our first impressions were quite positive.
Except for the “smart” elevators. On this ship you have to tell the elevator where you are going before it arrives – you pick the floor on a video screen as you wait. You can’t just board any car and get to the floor of your choice – it assigns you to a car designated by a letter. This actually works pretty well when there isn’t a horde of people waiting – but there is always a horde on embarkation day. I picked my floor and was assigned to Car X. But after waiting for 10 minutes I was informed by one of the crew that Car X was “empty” which sounded like a good thing to me. But apparently “empty” meant “unavailable.” The crew had to override the “smart” elevators to actually get people to where they wanted to go. A big fail for automation.
Gondola in the dining room
Lunch was very good and so was dinner. I had short ribs for my dinner entree – my favorite dish on a cruise. We got our first view of the gondola in the dining room – a feature that Marlene found fascinating. I thought it was pretty cool too.
Then we went to the casino. We get free drinks there while we play, which is a great deal so long as we don’t lose at slots. Marlene did lose, but not much. I was up $170 before going on a losing streak but still ended the night up $50.
Our interior cabin was quite large – another pleasant surprise. A very nice cabin with a very comfortable bed on a very beautiful ship.
Marlene and I have 4 cruises booked for 2025. Tomorrow we embark on the first and shortest of the four – a mere 7 days. It is on the Carnival Venezia, a new ship for both of us. This is a sister ship of the Carnival Luminosa which we took across the Pacific Ocean a year ago. These ships were both purchased by Carnival from Costa so they don’t look like Carnival ships. But we liked the Luminosa and I expect we will like the Venezia as well. Especially since it reportedly has a gondola in the dining room – a feature that Marlene finds very romantic.
The itinerary is a fairly common “western Caribbean” route – Roatan Honduras, Belize City Belize and Cozumel Mexico. We have been to all of these ports before so only the ship will be new to us. But we love cruising so the ports are of little consequence. We will dine and we will dance. And we will have a fine week.
And it will be warmer than the bitter (for Florida) weather we have had for the past 2 weeks. We can warm up.
It might be a meteorological low that is responsible, but what I mean is that the weather in Fort Myers this week – or this entire month, for that matter – is the worst I have ever seen since arriving in Florida over 10 years ago. And I have been through 5 hurricanes and 2 summers (which some say are intolerable). I would MUCH rather have a hot day with a brief shower than a day-long drizzle with a high of 50 degrees. Which is what I have today, had yesterday and the day before. This is the wettest, most miserable “dry season” I have ever experienced.
I like Harlan Coben’s books. This is the 12th Coben book I have reviewed and I may have read a few that I didn’t review. All have been good. Some have been spectacularly good. This one is nearly spectacularly good.
Coben has a number of book series with different protagonists. This is #8 in the series of books featuring Myron Bolitar, sports agent and former basketball phenom. He is often assisted by his upper crust head-banging “uber-WASP” buddy Win (actual name Windsor Horne Lockwood III) and he certainly assists in this one.
The main story here starts with a promise that Myron makes to the daughter of the woman he is dating and the daughter’s friend. He was alarmed when he overheard them talking about getting a ride home from a boy who was drunk. His promise: call me if you need a ride. Any time. No questions asked. Won’t tell your parents.
He receives that phone call around 2am a few weeks later from the friend of the daughter. She is in Manhattan and needs a ride to New Jersey, to a friend’s house where she is staying overnight. Myron picks her up and delivers her to the address she gives. A good deed done, right? Yes, except that she then disappears. The place where she was delivered knows nothing about her and no children live there. And the place where Myron picked her up in Manhattan? The exact spot where another girl disappeared just a few weeks before. Myron is suddenly the prime suspect in a series of kidnappings. Myron needs to figure out what is going on, to save himself.
Myron finds the first girl, but has to deal with the girl’s father who is a bad guy into a variety of illegal activities. He is convinced that Myron has taken his daughter and sends two thugs to question him. Win is instrumental in extracting Myron from this dangerous duo. And this first girl is, in fact, a runaway. But how can it be that the other girl was at the same location in Manhattan? They went to the same school but didn’t know each other.
That question – how the two girls disappearances are related – is the core question in this book. And its answer is a huge surprise. Coben always produces plots with big surprises. That is one of the things I love about Coben’s books – they keep me guessing.
There is also a romantic subplot that is very satisfying.
The Fort Myers Seafood Festival is an annual event. We went last year and went Saturday afternoon this year (it is a 3-day festival). The food is great, but overpriced. The music is terrific and free. We go for the music.
Two of our favorite groups – Memphis Lightning and Deb and the Dynamics – played back-to-back on Saturday. We danced, of course, and kept warm by keeping active (the high temp was about 65 degrees). The venue was the Caloosahatchee Sound Amphitheater which is on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River in downtown Fort Myers. A beautiful venue and we were treated to a beautiful sunset.
SunsetMemphis Lightning
Then the temperature dropped – about 10 degrees in 30 minutes. I had sniffles before the day began and the chill didn’t help. We went home and I went to bed. But I was pretty sick both Sunday and Monday. A bad end to a good day.
A Florida low
It might be a meteorological low that is responsible, but what I mean is that the weather in Fort Myers this week – or this entire month, for that matter – is the worst I have ever seen since arriving in Florida over 10 years ago. And I have been through 5 hurricanes and 2 summers (which some say are intolerable). I would MUCH rather have a hot day with a brief shower than a day-long drizzle with a high of 50 degrees. Which is what I have today, had yesterday and the day before. This is the wettest, most miserable “dry season” I have ever experienced.