Northeast Ohio winters aren’t as severe as they used to be. Indeed, over the past few years, our worst weather events have occurred during the summer – including two extended blackouts. I’ve never minded the snow that much. But the cold and dry air are hard on my sinuses and skin. So, Daniel and I are always eager to get a break from the weather. We avoid travel during holidays – too much price gouging by airlines and hotels, along with overcrowded airports and roads. But the first two weeks of December have worked out well for us.
Daniel and
I had previously been on two other cruises: a west coast Princess Cruise in 2017, and a Royal Caribbean cruise to Key West and
Havana the following year.
Both cruises and lines had their
benefits and drawbacks. COVID put the
kibosh on more cruising, plus there were more landlocked areas we wanted to
see. So, it wasn’t until last week that
we returned to cruising, out of New Orleans visiting Cozumel and Progreso
Mexico on the Carnival Valor.
As we’d
never been to New Orleans before, Daniel and I decided to fly in a day early
and explore the area. Louis Armstrong
New Orleans International Airport has been extensively renovated over the past
decade and I found myself wishing once again that Cleveland had a better, more
connected airport. I found a hotel that
was convenient to both the French Quarter and the cruise terminal – both were
within walking distance. We greatly
enjoyed walking the French Quarter and stopping in the various shops and watering
holes there. Being on a Sunday evening,
the scene there was quieter than one would see on Mardi Gras. But we observed several people in striking costumes,
and no one seemed to pay them much mind.
I found the genteel decadence of the place to be surprisingly appealing.
The next
morning, Daniel and I walked from our hotel to the cruise terminal via the
Riverwalk outlets – probably the weakest mall of its kind I’ve ever seen.
Each cruise
line has its own brand identity, even if the line is owned by a larger parent
corporation. For example, Carnival,
Princess, and Cunard are all subsidiaries of Carnival Corporation and plc – yet
the experience of cruising on each varies widely. When we cruised on the Grand Princess, I was
in the midst of the usual angst about turning 50. I discovered I was younger than most of the
passengers and decided to forego further cruises on that line until I was a bit
older. Carnival is the opposite. Somewhat like Walmart, Carnival is all about
price point, emphasizing shipboard parties, and promoting itself as the “fun”
cruise line. Cabin prices for two, which
of course include meals in the “free” restaurants, can be astonishingly low. Thus, one sees more variety in age and
ethnicity among the passengers than one would see on Princess or Cunard. The vast majority were American, but we also
met with two British brothers. One of
the unofficial rules of cruising relates to something my grandmother used to say,
“Never speak of sex, religion, or politics with casual acquaintances.” I heard no mention of the recent election
during the cruise, or politics of any sort.
In that respect, this cruise was a welcome escape.
As with
movie theaters, most cruise line profit is not made on the rooms themselves but
on the extras they constantly try to sell you.
The extras range from taking a meal in one of the “premium” restaurants,
to purchasing pictures of your and your loved one(s) taken by the ship’s
photographer, to buying accoutrements like cologne and jewelry onboard
ship. Then there are the drinks, which
are expensive. I will say Carnival was a
bit less in my face about these perks than Royal Caribbean was.
Valor is a
Conquest class ship, 20 years old and due for a major refurbishment next
year. American design motifs are seen
throughout: bas-reliefs of Washington, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt;
sculpted bald eagles; wallpaper featuring figures like Eleanor Roosevelt and
Neil Armstrong. Depending on whether you
select “fixed time” or “anytime” dining, you will be seated in either the
Washington or Lincoln dining rooms. The food
in Lincoln was good but not outstanding, the service was mostly on-point; Blue
Iguana and Guy’s burgers are also good – the former had an excellent breakfast
burrito; Rosie’s buffet had standard buffet food; there was also a BBQ place
with the blandest sides imaginable – although the meat itself was good. Daniel & I only dined at one premium
restaurant: Scarlett’s Steakhouse, which was very fine indeed.
Everything,
from dinner reservations to excursions to texting with your travel companion is
handled via Carnival’s Hub app. All the
scheduled events for the day were listed which made it easy for us to select
things to do and get reminders.
We
experienced rough weather Wednesday and our excursion in Cozumel was subsequently canceled (a refund
was promptly posted to our account).
Daniel and I did some local shopping, then went to Fat Tuesday near the
pier and began drinking at 11:00am – something of a record for me. The nachos there were on a lower level than
Taco Bell. But at least we got some
commemorative cups.
The rough
weather continued Wednesday night as we sailed into Progreso. By the time we docked, the skies had started
to clear and we were on our way to Hacienda
Sotuta de Peón
for some horseback riding, swimming in a local cenote, and lunch. Daniel was lucky enough to get a nice
tranquil mare named Cielo, whereas I was given a slightly feisty Napoleon. The water in the cenote (itself a likely
remnant of the asteroid that caused the extinction
of the dinosaurs)
was unexpectedly warm – when our tour guide told us the temperature was 64°, I
momentarily forgot that he was measuring in Celsius. The tour also included a rope making
demonstration which I found fascinating.
We flew
home Saturday, connecting at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental
Airport. Our flight from Houston to Cleveland
boarded from the recently renovated C terminal, which simply has the best gates
I’ve seen at any airport, anywhere.
Instead of rows of seats with the occasional outlet, there are sets of
desks with outlets aplenty, from which you can charge your devices while
enjoying a meal or getting some work done.
Cleveland should take notice.
There was
another aspect to this trip that we haven’t had to deal with since our dog
Mason died in 2020 – boarding our pet.
Brownie has been to visit Camp Bow Wow several times and we’ve been able to observe him enjoying
himself with his canine companions. He’s
come to anticipate his trips there so much that as we dropped him off the day
before our flight, he began pulling on his leash to get in. Brownie was there for the duration of our
trip and we picked him up the morning after our return bathed and ready to go
home.
After the
activity of the last few weeks, we’re looking forward to a quiet Christmas.
