After our muster, we decided to find the "Not So, Secret" forward deck so we could get a clear, quiet, and unobstructed view as the ship left the dock and sailed out of Port Canaveral. To get to the "Not So, Secret" deck we went to the 6th deck and walked forward to the bow. There was an unmarked door that we opened. Then there was another door that led outside to an unoccupied deck. We explored a bit and discovered that there were actually 3 "Not So, Secret" decks with linked stairwells that all provided a great view of the bow of the ship. We sat and basked in the hot and muggy mid-afternoon sun and waited for the ship to drop it's mooring lines and begin the cruise. There was only 6 or 7 people that came out to the "Not So, Secret" deck to view our departure. It was a very nice place to see what was going on and be away from all the crowds.
As we left port, the Carnival Sensation was in front of our ship and the Disney Magic was behind us (with Mickey Mouse hang of the back of the Magic.) As we sailed out of the port, we saw lots of people parked along Jetty Park. They were all waving and yelling goodbye as the ships sailed out of port.
After leaving port we headed back to our stateroom to check to see if our luggage had arrived. Once we got back to our cabin, we had to call our steward again and discussion an issue we were still having with our cabin. This was the second time we had to contacted him and discussed this uncomfortable issue with him. (see the last post that covers pro's and con's for more info) Then one after the other our bags arrived. It took about 30 minutes for all of our luggage to appear.
When we were heading back to our stateroom earlier we had heard from a fellow passenger that they were playing the Denver Bronco's playoff game on the big screen over the pool on the Lido deck. So, we headed up there and managed to find two pool chairs in the middle of a group of Bronco fans. So I relaxed and settled in to watch the game. Heather and I both had put on Scopolamine Patches "Motion Sickness Patches" after we boarded the ship and Heather's wasn't working, yet. The water was really rough and the ship was swaying pretty bad. So, Heather thought that maybe it would help if she took a walk and got a drink of water. She heading toward the buffet and beverage area to see if anything looked good because rolling back and forth in her lounge chair just wasn't doing it for her.
Heather and I were very excited to go to all the dinners, nightly. We expected the food to be outstanding. Now, I am a self professed foodie so the chance to eat some different foods was a pleasant change from the normal fare we have at home. So forgive us, while we detail the food. It was a fun and important portion of our cruise.
For our appetizers, Heather had the Shrimp Cocktail with Traditional Cocktail Sauce and I had the Orange and Grapefruit Fillets. They were both yummy!
For our dinners, Heather selected the Honey Glazed Pork Loin with Carrot Cinnamon Puree and I picked the Salmon Fillet. Then we both picked the Mac N Cheese with Bacon as a side, we heard it was really good. Heather's entree was delicious and mine was a bit overcooked and it had almost no flavor. The Mac N Cheese was oily and lacked in both cheese and bacon, basically tasteless.
For our desserts, we both selected the Nutella Tiramisu with Roasted Hazelnuts and Caramel. It was tasty as a dessert, however it wasn't even close to any tiramisu that neither Heather nor I had ever had. The flavors were off, they didn't compliment each other in any way, and the texture was close to scrambled eggs. The chef did not tempering the egg yolk properly. I had hoped for a more pronounced flavor of either the hazelnuts, the caramel, or better yet the Nutella. Both of us really do love Nutella, quite a lot.
Our overall impression was that the dishes we just ok. However, it was nice to be able to try things we don't get in our ordinary everyday life. We both were remaining optimistic that we would have some really yummy dinners in the upcoming days.
We took a romantic walk up on deck and around the ship and then we retired to the cabin. In our stateroom was our Famous Carnival Cruise Towel Animal, our FunTimes, and our Sweet Dreams Chocolates. Then we settled in our comfy "King Size" bed, where we talked and cuddled into the later hours of the night.
We set an alarm on Heather's Kindle Fire HD and fell asleep looking forward to our first Caribbean port of call, Freeport, Bahama's.
To Be Continued.....
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