Wrap-Up: Carnival Cruise Line - Ship Liberty - includes CCL Complaint Responses

Sorry, for the delay in this post,  Life has been crazy and this was a length post.  

Carnival Liberty

January 11th - 16th 2015

Deck:  Riviera 

State Room:  1228

We booked our long awaited Mini-Moon Honeymoon Carnival Liberty Cruise with the assurance that we would have a king sized bed. The stateroom would have two twin beds pushed together.  Heather had doubted the lady she spoke/booked with on the phone.  After a few days of debate and weird feelings she decided to call and check on the type of room we were booked into.  It was a good thing she had, the room we were booked in had a bunk bed. Instead of Carnival correcting their mess up Heather even pointed out that all calls to their call center are recorded and they needed to go back and see that she was adamant that we have a king size bed.  I mean seriously, it is a HONEYMOON cruise.  Our only option was bunk beds or select a different room and pay more.  We went ahead and paid the difference to at least get the king size bed we originally booked.

Jump forward to the cruise....When we went to our stateroom we noticed that it was very hot. The room steward said he could get the air conditioning turned down for us.  We were in the room off and on for about 3 hours waiting for our luggage to be delivered.  Once it arrived we went to an open deck to observe the ship departure from the dock.

We returned about 5 hours after our original complaint about the room was even hotter.  We called the room steward again.  We were told someone would be right over to help. About 20 minutes later a lady (we later learned his girlfriend) arrived with a yellow temperature gauge.  The gauge was digital. She held it directly below the a/c vent in the main section of our stateroom.   The gauge showed 78.9°F.  She stated that 79°F was a minimum temperature for us to contact maintenance and that the only thing that could be done was to provide us a fan.

We got the fan (it was disgustingly dirty) and started to search for any outlets in the stateroom.  There was only one.  It was on the vanity about 8 feet from the bed.  While the search was going on it occurred to us that there was nowhere to plug in my CPAP machine.  I am medically required to use the machine to breathe at night.  The steward provided us an extension cord that was covered with splices wrapped in duct tape.  The cord went across the room and my wife tripped on the cord every night going to the bathroom in the dark.  We were worried the spliced cord might short out, catch fire, and/or damage my brand new expensive CPAP machine.  It would cost us $600-->700 to replace it.  The worst part is if it was destroyed I would have no way to go to sleep.

Our new dilemma became our comfort or the ability for me to breathe at night since we only had a single outlet.  Therefore, our room stayed hot with no air movement.  During the day we used the fan and it was still awful hot.  Plus, when we did run the fan it was so loud that you couldn't hear the TV, the ship loud speaker announcements, or even hold a conversation.

The TV remote was broken and the steward brought another broken remote.  I managed to piece together the two to get us a working remote that had to be held in both hands to keep it together when being used.  Also, we had to keep the curtains closed to help keep the room cooler so we never got to enjoy the ocean view window we paid extra for because we needed that king size bed and this was according to Carnival the only available room.

This was our honeymoon cruise, my wife became a gold member, and it was my first cruise. We had gotten a gift from a family member for our honeymoon, we got beautiful tuxedo strawberries. They were delivered at 2:00pm to our room (it was requested that they be delivered at night.)  When we returned to the cabin from watching the ship leave port we discovered the berries were mushy and melted. This was very upsetting, the heat of the room had destroyed them.

In addition, my wife likes the towel animals that were on the bed every night. She loved to photograph them and collect them in the room during the entire cruise.  Oh No Heather, Not this Cruise! The room attendant recycled the pet and even when she tried to hide the pet on the window ledge behind the curtain he removed them nightly.  Note they were behind the curtain and he didn't open the curtains he just took the animals and left the curtain closed (he was a JERK the entire cruise.)  We even asked the guy not to touch them and he smirked and still did it anyways.  It might seem minor to others but it was a big deal to my wife.  I mean really WHY take the animals?

My wife became a gold member this cruise. She never got any acknowledgment of it.  Not a pin for entering gold member status, or any info on the return guest party, or the ship pin she had gotten in the past. We were never even told Happy Honeymoon by anyone.

The last night we were on the ship, my wife went to guest services to complain again. We were both pretty worked up about the treatment on the cruise. Guest services had no record of our complaints about the room temperature or the room attendant.  They acted real concerned and said that a supervisor would come up to our cabin immediately. They never did.

While talking to them my wife discussed the lack of notice about the gold member status. She was given a couple free drink vouchers at 9:10pm the last night for not having any notice about the party and its kind of funny as neither of us drink alcohol. That was pretty useless.  She was told the were all handed out to past guests on board on one the earlier days of the cruise, Sorry.  We later learned that our room attendant opted not to give her the pin.  It was supposed to be left in the room.

At dinner in the dining room are table companions were talking about there free goodies samples in their bathroom when they boarded the ship on the first day.  We had none...again the jerk room attendant.

Then there was the breakfast room service cards.  He refused to give us cards even after we requested them nightly.  One night we ended up asking a different room attendant down the hall to get some door hanger ordering cards.  That night the room attendant took them out of cabin.  He was being nasty on purpose.

Several times throughout the cruise we found that our personal belonging were moved around in the room.  This made for a very uncomfortable stay.

We also asked for ice throughout the cruise and never had any delivered.  We didn't even have an ice bucket or we would have gotten our own on the Lido deck.  We felt singled out by him.  Maybe he was treating others the same, who knows.

Then there is the ship arriving at Half Moon Cay for about 15 minuted and the Captain deciding that the seas were to choppy and we would do a fun day at sea rather than go to Half Moon.

I guess this is considered rough water!

This was a huge deal for us as this was the one port we wanted to get off and do things at.  It was the main reason we chose this cruise.  The captain didn't opted to go to one of the many other ports near by (heck, even go back to Nassau or Freeport.)  Then he just slowly returned the ship to Port Canaveral.  This was a huge let down for us.  And you guessed it, guest services did nothing about it when we complained.  I was told who was I to second guess the captain.  Hmmmm.  More Nastiness!

The ship had a few broken down Hot Tubs and we were told that is common.  The one's that were working were all jam packed full of people all the time.

Once we returned home Heather checked our checking account and noticed we were charged $37.37 by Carnival.  This was an extra fee and Heather being as careful with finances got right on the phone with Carnival to find out what the heck.  Turns out the room attendant tried for one last jab by billing us for stuff in the room mini-bar which we never even used.  Note:  Carnival did remove those fees. It took about 7 days for the refund to process.

We complained to Carnival Cruise Line and here is the response we got back from them:

If you are looking for a booze cruise, mediocre food, sad entertainment, and rude staff this the cruise line for you.  As for our family, I can honestly say that I doubt we will ever cruise with Carnival, again.

Review: Crystal River Computer Center in Crystal River, FL USA

You go over to your computer and turn it on. Nothing happens. After checking the power and even the fuse box and 10 more attempts to turn it on over and over, you admit defeat.  It could be anything. The power supply, motherboard, even the hard drive. Now what?  You could buy one part at a time and spend a lot of money to figure out the issue.  You could toss the computer and buy a new one.  Or you could go see Noah (the owner) at Crystal River Computer Center in Crystal River, Florida. 

We had to pay a visit with Dan's HP All-In-One computer when it died around 4 months ago.  CRCC determined that the issue was the hard drive so we decided to go with an SSD Drive.  A SSD Drive is a solid state hard drive.  It just means that there are no moving disc platters that can fail.  It is a much more durable option.  Everything is done with memory chips stacked in a waterfall arrangement. You also get faster computing and less corruption of files. It is a weakness of most all modern computing and SSD's hard drive's are the future of computers.  Plus, as memory gets cheaper and silicon chips become even cheaper and easier to manufacture, prices will just continue to drop and speeds will become even faster.

Then it happened again.  Another failure.  An older laptop of Candice's had the same issue. It was fast and painless to have Noah fix that one as well.

We also have another Dell laptop that had sat unused for a year or so.  It would not even power up. We bought a new battery with the hope that it would be a simple fix.  Of course not! LOL  As we knew Noah was trustworthy and knowledgeable we knew it was time for another trip to see him prior to leaving for Ecuador.  We really wanted three computers to take on the move.

We had the computer on our list of to do and somehow we managed to miss it until the other day. Noah was so helpful and understood our needs.  He managed to fit in our repair and he did it in record time.  

Amanda, my sister also had an older laptop that had no power cord and needed some love.  She gave it to us to see if we could salvage another laptop so we would have three laptops and one All-In-One. 

Noah looked over both and announced that Amanda's was dead and not worth reviving due to age. He did manage to retrieve a TON of photo's that we gave back to Amanda that she had thought were gone forever.  Including, photos of her trip to Disneyland and Universal Studios.  It was such a nice thing to get back for her!

The other laptop got a SSD drive installed by Noah's wife Sarah and it was back on track.  We appreciate all the help we were given and Noah and Sarah Bragg went out of their way to help us get everything squared away for our move.  Thank you for saving us again! You both ROCK!

Dan wants to build a gaming computer in a year or so.  He can't decide if he needs a laptop or if he will build another desktop.  In the past he has modded computers with custom paint, windows and fans.  Not just to look cool but to be cooler and help components live longer.  One rig lasted over 10 years!  That will be a subject of a future blog for sure.

So this is a review that is long due for Noah and his company.  We are giving 5 shamrocks all day, every day!  And if we could give 6 we would! 

Dan and I spent around an hour and a half at his computer repair shop on Noah's day off to give everything on all three computers a quick look over before we fly down to South America.  Dan and Noah also spent some time chatting about subjects they are both passionate about from motorcycles, motors, geology, fossils, and of course computers.  We even found out that Noah has a similar passion for South America and he has asked for photos of our outings that we take.  Not a problem Noah, we plan to flood you with them :) 

So if you are in the area around Crystal River, make the drive over to Crystal River Computer Center. Noah and his team do web design, custom computer design, and repairs. He is honest, trustworthy, hard working, fast, affordable, and very knowledgeable. You won't find better service, anywhere! 

Dan wishes he could have gotten to know Noah better.  Both of them have similar interests and hobbies.  He felt like they could be a good friends.  Maybe in a few years of reading our blog him and he wife will decide to take the plunge and relocate to a lifestyle that will allow his family to relax, travel, and understand that life doesn't have to be all about work.  I hope he shows up in Cuenca, someday! You and your family have a standing invite.  Dan really does need some gringo friends! And I hear many expats would love to have someone knowledgeable take care of there computers. Just think about it Noah, your new company could be called Cuenca Centro de Cómputo. 

Crystal River Computer Center

1929 US NW HWY 19

Crystal River, FL 34428

1-352-794-3384

E-Mail:  crystalrivercomputercenter@gmail.com 

*** Coming Soon on The Bowen Knot ***

on The Bowen Knot:

1. Our Mini-Moon Honeymoon Cruise Wrap-Up including Carnivals Response
2. My 1st Anniversary Post to Dan
3. Review:  Crystal River Computer Center's
4. Furbabies Ecuador Process and Flying With Dogs, Ugh
5. Review:  GringoVisa's 
6. Review:  Our Hotel/Apartment in Cuenca

I will likely combine some of these into one post.  Please be patient while we wrap up life in Florida. I promise we will get all the info caught up soon.  It will be nice to have some stress free time to just write.

Thanks, Heather

Happy Retirement, Mama...Love, Heather, Amanda, and Dan

The time has finally come! Candice has headed off to work her final shift as a nurse.  She graduated nursing school back in 1977 and has worked like a dog ever since.

We had really hoped to have a family celebration however, we were told my a family member that this kind of an event is something co-works should plan, not extended family.

Well okay!  Heather and I were surprised by that info.  Neither of us are experienced in retirement party protocol.  Candice is part Gypsy and has traveled a lot in her life.  She has not worked for the same company for her entire nursing career.  Her current/last job she is leaving after only 7 months. Lets be realistically, we seriously doubt she will get that gold watch or any kind of a party from her fellow employees.  As for Heather, Amanda, and I, we want to say Great Job to Her and we really want to acknowledge all of her hard work as a nurse and as a single mother raising two daughters into wonderful grown women and for doing such a stellar job at both!

Heather and I have discussed with Candice our desire to do something special for her.  We have decided there is just so much stress right now and that we really want to wait until we arrive in Cuenca, Ecuador to celebrate Candice's Retirement, Heather and I's Anniversary, and the crazy effort required to make this move.  The stress that we are all under is pretty unbelievable!

What with packing, selling the car, the truck, and selling/donating 95-98% of all of our possessions is just plain hard.  Top all of that off with the visa process, the paperwork for the dogs, and all the expensive veterinarian visits... The list just seems to be endless.

We All Love You and We Are All So Proud of You Mama
Love, Heather, Amanda, and Dan

Thank you mom for your years of sacrifice

You juggled family and work so beautifully

When you came home and gave us hugs

We watched as you moved so gracefully

To show us what love is really made of

To show us the value of hard work

So enjoy your retirement mom

It’s something you have definitely earned.

Update:  Mom received 3 cakes at work and had a really enjoyable final work shift.  Congratulations Mom We Love You!!! :) 

Saying Goodbye to My Best Friend, Christie

On Friday the 13th, I enjoyed a relaxing and fun day with my Best Friend Christie.  This was my last chance to see her before we head out to Ecuador.  We had a wonderful lunch at the Front Porch and Pie Shop, in Dunnellon, FL.  We each enjoyed a Bacon & Cheddar Cheese Burger (cooked medium), we both had Fries, and as a side I picked a Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing and Christie selected Cole Slaw.  To drink we both enjoyed a refreshing and taste Coca-Cola.  You can't eat here without ordering the pie. Christie tried the Pecan Pie and I tried the Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie.  OMGosh do they make the most amazing and out of this world yummy food.

Many months ago, I read the Fifty Shades of Grey book series.  I have been wanting to see the movie since it was released back on Valentines Day.  Now with all the crazy planning for the move I haven't had a chance to fit it into my day or night.

However, today was the perfect day to see the movie.  Christie had seen the movie the day it was release and was good with seeing it again.

We caught the 4:15pm showing in Crystal River, FL.  This was my first time visiting this theater and my first time inside our local mall.  I have to say that the roof of the mall looks just like the old Florida Festival near Sea World in Orlando, FL.

We enjoyed a little popcorn and soda during the movie.  We both enjoyed the movie and hope they continue making the remaining books into movies.  After the movie, we headed back to the house so Dan and I could load Christie up with all kinds of stuff that we are not taking with us on the move.  It was unbelievable hard to say goodbye to my Best Friend.  I know it's not a forever goodbye. However, it is still difficult.  Christie, Dan and I Love You and Are Going to Really Miss You.  You will always be My Best Friend and Sister. <3

Review: Chefs of Napoli II in Inverness, FL USA *Lunch*

We broke our promise.  We did want to go to the Front Porch Restaurant on March 16, 2015 but, they were closed.

After spending half a day running errands all three of us were stark raving hungry.  And the discussion ensued.  Where to eat.  I kept quiet and let the ladies hash it out.  I knew better than to help. :)

Within a minute it was decided and off we drove to Inverness, FL to Chef's of Napoli II.  Our previous visit was about two months prior and really only Candice enjoyed her meal during that time.  I was really hoping that I could find something on the menu better than what I or even Heather had consumed on the previous visit.

Once we were seated and had ordered our drinks we engaged the waiter about the menu. I questioned him about my strictly butter and cheese only greasy fettuccine Alfredo that I had on the previous visit.  Now, I have made homemade Fettuccine Alfredo maybe 40 times in my life. This waiter told me only Americans used cream in the sauce and real Italians didn't use cream in it. Hmmm? What?!! Only butter and cheese makes Alfredo sauce?  Since When??????

http://www.pasta-recipes-by-italians.com/history-of-fettucini-alfredo.html

THAT hyperlink explains it all my readers. The complete history of the sauce and it's origins and even a list of ingredients.

I knew he was lying to me!!! Thanks, Google, I love this inter-web thingy sometimes! :)

OK, so on to the discussion with the waiter... After being told the lie and receiving instruction on how I had it all wrong I decided to order something safe. Ravioli. And both ladies ordered the Baked Ziti.

As always, the bread they brought us was warm and fresh out of the oven.  It is homemade and Just Plain YUMMY AWESOME!  WE LOVE IT!  Even my Gluten Intolerant Wife that SHOULD BE AVOIDING the Bread and Pasta.  BTW she disobeys her health and eats it anyways.  The Gluten Force is Strong in that One :)  

The salads we ordered were tasty.  Love the mixed greens.

The plates arrived, The Ziti didn't look baked and it was lacking in cheese.  It may have even been cooked in a large pan and dished out but, we really couldn't tell. The sauce tasted like it came straight from a can with no seasoning or garlic added to it.  As for my Ravioli, there were only 3 in my bowl. I ate one and left the other two for the puppies. They tasted just like they came from the frozen section at Walmart.

And then the waiter produced a cheese grater and asked if anyone wanted cheese.  Mom got some and then Heather started to but the grinder made a loud noise and the waiter said sorry that it was broken.  He said he would be right back with another.  After 5 minutes he approached with a bowl of pre-grated cheese and offered some to Heather.  She declined and asked for some real cheese to be grated or shaved not something from a jar. The waiter made some rude noise and shuffled off never to return it seems.

Around this time an older customer left and the music playing changed as well. We went from 50's oldies to modern rock and it was turned up so loud we couldn't even hear ourselves talk. I asked a different waiter to turn it down please and he couldn't even hear me.  Finally, he understood and turned it down.

Heather was about halfway done with her meal when the manager brought us more of the delicious warm bread.  Heather lit into the man about the waiter and the attitude.  We got a lesson from the manager about the grinders and cheese.  Here we go again, I thought...

Then Heather mentioned that we are bloggers.  Things changed immediately.  He became friendly. Within seconds Heather got fresh grated cheese.  The situation seemed to be better and the ladies felt that the manager had made amends. So I thought we were done.  Then the waiter came over and apologized.  WOW!  It was obvious that this guy didn't want to but he understood his actions were wrong.  I might not like the food here but the manager was earning big points in our book.  However, the change wasn't because we were customers mistreated.  We were Bloggers!!!

The ladies decided to order some Tiramisu.  Wrong request.  It wasn't set, yet.  The manager came over and apologized.  In addition, he gave the ladies a piece of Limoncello Cake and a Slice of Cheesecake on the house.  Then as we were walking toward the door the manager chased after us and he gave me a few chucks of this huge Pecarano Cheese he had shown me.  After I expressed to him just how much I love it.

We left on a positive note.  The ladies thought the manager made a gallant effort to save the experience.  I don't often not tip as I have worked in restaurants and I understand the work required. This waiter got nothing from me.  I think he would do better to not correct customers with lies.  And to drop the attitude.  In fact, he might consider a different form of employment.

I would recommend that this restaurant needs to give the baker (the managers wife) a serious raise. The bread is some of the best we ever have had.

Improve your sauce.  Add some seasonings.  Even a marinara has seasonings.  The current sauce has no flavor, it tastes like cheap canned tomatoes and that's it.  Give a few more Ravioli, please. Seriously, three of them is a joke.  Bake your Ziti!  The definition of baked means to cook by dry heat in or as if in an oven and/or harden the cheese on top.  Oh...and add heavy cream to that Alfredo sauce, please.

I would give two shamrocks.  Heather gave them three.  And Candice gave three, as well. So I guess I was outvoted on this one. :)

Do you think it was the manager trying to make it right, as he would any other customer?  Or was it because Heather said we were Bloggers?  Thoughts???

Happy 1st Anniversary, Heather...Love, Dan

Our Beautiful Wedding Cake That Heather Made and Her Amazing Flowers Candice Made.
We Had Such a Wonderful Wedding Day!

We have packed 9 bags, so far for the move to Cuenca, Ecuador and it looks another 3 or 4 bags might be needed.  And we pared down so much!  I would have sworn that we could have it all done with only our allotted 9 x 70lbs bags.  Just Scary!

Today is a very special day for Heather and I.  It's not only a holiday (St. Patrick's Day) but it is also our First Wedding Anniversary.  We were Married in Cocoa Beach, Florida USA by our Best Friend Christie.

Heather and I were reviewing and talking about all the stress and tough times we faced during the last year.  My fight to regain my daughters and/or get to spend some time with them.  The move we did to bring my belonging's from Cheyenne to Orlando.  The move from Orlando, FL to Hernando, FL.  Our round-trip driving trip from Florida to Colorado to fight for my girls.  The loss of custody of my daughters.  And then my ex-wife refusing to allow me any communication with Emma and Danielle.   Plus, we were court ordered to begin reintegration therapy between Emma and Danielle and myself/Heather.  Our deciding to not move to Washington or Oregon but to Ecuador.  My Health Issues and Surgery.  The list goes on and on.

Then add to all of that the stress of two people who have known each other from as far back as when we were 15 and 16.  Plus, as adults in our 40's we are set in our own ways on how to do things.  We are discovering how to live with each other.  We try to grow, show each other our love, and it seems that everyday we both have to work on some part of our marriage.  Granted, it is work and sometimes neither of us wants to work on it.  There are times when we just want all of life's stresses to just go away.

We also have the added stress of my mother-in-law living with us, as well.  That's not a bad thing mind you, it just means we both have to consider her opinion in everything we discuss. In a way I feel that I married both of them.  Like it or not they did come attached.  Now, Candy is a blast to be around and she is very wise.  She acts as a good go between for us when we don't always have the same views.

Our required nightly reward for Heather and I is when we get to hold each other and talk for hours. We both feel like those teenagers that used to kiss and talk on that grassy hill behind Heather's townhouse in Winter Park, Florida.  It makes all the effort and work that our marriage requires, so worthwhile.

Another observation, I married my first wife for all the wrong reasons.  I definitely married the wrong woman, as well.  She was extremely immature and her only focus in life and the marriage was on herself, not the family unit.  There were a lot of things that I got wrong during that first marriage.  I learned a lot from it no matter how bad it was and yeah, I do own a lot of what happened.  But, this time I hit a gold mine.  I have finally found what I wanted for my whole life.  A partner that understands what it means to work together to be stronger.  It's the greatest thing I have ever experienced in life.

You could offer me vast amounts of money, or a supermodel...and I would just laugh at the offer.  It's not money, or anything else but love that makes this work. I finally found my soul mate.  I love you Heather, I always will!  Happy 1st Anniversary!  Dan

Our Unity Sand
White = Bride:  Heather
Blue = Groom:  Dan
Seashells = Our Officiant:  Christie

We can't wait to move to Ecuador it's time to sell our 2009 Toyota Yaris Sedan w/Certified Warranty Low Miles - $6995 - Hernando, Florida

Sale Price:  $6995

We are honest sellers and we wanted to start with the only thing this 2009 Toyota Yaris needs and that is a set of new tires. We have discounted the price to reflect the cost of replacement tires. The car has been gone over by our mechanic and given a clean bill of health. He did give it an oil change, anew air filter, and we had the belts replaced. This car has no mechanical issues at all.

We are the second owners of the car, it was bought with 9k on the odometer. The car has been professionally detailed inside and out. Carpets were shampooed and steam cleaned and the paint was cleaned with a clay bar and then waxed. The car comes with factory Yaris branded floor mats front and back. 

There were a few small blemishes in the paint. All were only 2-3 millimeters in size. We have included photos to show them. There are no rips or damage to the interior. The car has never been in an accident and has always been properly maintained. The owner/driver is a 60 year old woman. Car has not been abused. And it is 100% Smoke-Free.


Toyota certified warranty coverage for the drive train (motor and transmission) is still present and won't expire until 100k or November 29th, 2015. All manuals and warranty papers are included and the title is free and clear and in hand. (Florida title)


The car comes with key less remote entry however the owner has lost the remote. A new one is easily obtained through Toyota, she is still looking for the remote and if it is located it will be included with the sale.

Runs like a champ. Amazing on Gas. The car gets over 30mpg city/hwy. The car is still being used a few times a week locally so the mileage may change slightly. I would drive this car across the US and back with no issues. Does not burn oil or consume any fluids or leak at all.

• VIN (Vehicle Identification Number): JTDBT903791319594
• Year: 2009
• Transmission: Automatic
• Make: Toyota
• Body Type: Sedan
• Model: Yaris
• Warranty: Vehicle has an existing warranty
• Trim: Sedan 4-Door
• Vehicle Title: Clear
• Engine: 1.5L 1497CC l4 GAS DOHC Naturally Aspirated
• Options: MP3, CD Player, IPod Jack w/cord
• Drive Type: FWD
• Safety Features: Anti-Lock Brakes, Driver Airbag, Passenger Airbag, Side Airbags
• Mileage: 84,032
• Power Options: Air Conditioning, Cruise Control, Power Locks, Power Windows
• Exterior Color: Charcoal Gray
• Fuel Type: Gasoline
• Interior Color: Charcoal Gray
• For Sale By: Private Seller with Clean Title in Hand
• Number of Cylinders: 4
• Disability Equipped: No