Have you ever witnessed anything gross in a buffet on land or at sea before by another person? Cruise ships are no different than buffets on land, except for being at sea. Buffets have to be maintained because some careless people make a mess or contaminate the food. Many cruise ships have workers stationed at the buffet to watch for this and remove any food as quickly as possible once contaminated or even just running low.  There are some basic guidelines and things not to do when in a buffet on a cruise ship.  Actually, these guidelines could even be applied to most land buffets too.  Enjoy and here is what not to do:

      The photo above is of the Navigator of the Seas on 2/9/14 in Galveston, Texas.  This photo was taken by one of my family members that was waiting in line to park their car at a parking lot. The Navigator of the Seas and Carnival Magic were both delayed on 2/9/14 because of fog that kept the ships from arriving on-time.  Passengers boarded in the evening and at night because once the ship's docked disembarking passengers had to get off first.  I cropped this part out of the original photo to give some privacy to the cars and people also waiting in line to park their car at a parking lot.
      The Navigator of the Seas recently underwent renovation for a few weeks. The ship is now back departing from  Galveston and will sail year round in 2014.  The ship's itineraries for the entire part of 2015 are not known at the time I am writing this.  The ship looks bright for a foggy night!  I wish I could have been with my family member to see this sight too!
       The Navigator of the Seas and Carnival Magic could not depart until 2/10/14 from Galveston because fog. Both ships spent the night and had to wait until the fog cleared on the morning of 2/10 to depart.  Here is a photo that my family member took from the Magic of the Navigator sailing behind:

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      Fog can be a concern for many cruise ship departure ports. When fog is thick and visibility is limited many ports will close and not allow any ships in or out.  When ships cannot come in due to fog this impacts both the disembarking passengers and the embarking passengers.  I have this blog post divided into two sections -  passengers onboard the ship in fog and passengers waiting to board their ship that is delayed because of fog.
For Passengers Who Are Stranded On the Ship In Fog
      If you find yourself onboard the cruise ship stranded because of fog you may either be happy because of some extended time onboard the ship or unhappy because you were ready to get home and you missed your flight.  If you find yourself in this situation your reaction will be determined by the circumstances that you are in. 
Cell Phones and Calling -  You are probably ready to use your phone on the day you should have gotten off the ship, especially if your phone has been turned off all week.  Before using your phone you might want to make sure that you are close enough to land not to get charged a roaming fee.  Each cell phone carrier defines roaming fees and international fees differently and according to your cell phone plan, so you might want to learn more about roaming/international fees from your carrier before you leave.  If you really need to call someone and you know that you will be charged a roaming fee try to keep your call short and to the point. 
Missing Your Flight or Train?  -   If you are missing your flight or train ride you are probably going to be unhappy and stressed.  The specifics on what to do in this case will depend on your airline/train company and if they are willing to help you.  If you purchased travel insurance you might want to find out if this scenario is included in your insurance package.  To try to avoid missing your flight or train ride you could always fly out a day or two after your cruise was scheduled to end.
Will I get fed any meals on my fog stranded ship?  There is a chance you will get an extra meal, but this will depend on your cruise line and the extent of the delay.  Many cruise lines will keep their normal food rotations for the buffet and if you are onboard extra time you will probably have the same food the first day of your cruise. 
How Do I Find Out The Most Up To Date Docking and Delay Information?  -  Most likely your cruise ship will be making announcements over the loud speaker or give out flyers with information.   If you are not learning any valuable information you could contact Guest Services to try to learn information from them.

Try to enjoy the last moments of your cruise vacation and try to make the best of the situation. 

For Passengers Who Are Waiting To Board Their Ship That Is Delayed Because of Fog
      If you find yourself waiting for your cruise ship that is delayed because of fog you are probably not happy because you will have to wait longer for your vacation to start.  There are many scenarios that could occur that will depend on when the fog clears and when the ship docks. 
Alerts From Your Cruise Line -   Many cruise lines utilize their website, text messages, and emails to try to deliver information to embarking passengers that are waiting for their cruise ship to arrive in port.  The way your cruise line might communicate will vary and is up to the individual cruise line.
Should I proceed to terminal at normal time if the ship is not docked?    This is a hard one.  You will need to find this out from your cruise line. 
Will I get compensation?   This will depend on your cruise line's generosity.  The more time your boarding is pushed back the greater CHANCE you will have for any compensation.  Most likely you would not receive compensation at all, but there is always a chance you could receive a small amount. 
Itinerary Changes  -   There is always a chance that because of the delayed sailing from your homeport that your itinerary could be modified.  Itinerary modifications could include, but are not limited to,  missing ports of call or having times in  ports of call changed. Your cruise line will determine a modified itinerary based off the amount of sailing time lost.  
Will I Be Able To Board My Cruise Ship 

The most important thing to remember:   Keep in touch with your cruise line and have a way to contact your cruise line.  Try to make the best of not being onboard and when you do get onboard have a great time!

This article has been updated on December 26, 2016. 

      I really love cruising and spend most of my spare time researching cruise ships, ports, and updating this website & blog. There are a lot of people that enjoy and love cruising just as much or even more than me for a variety of different reasons.
      Today, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I am going to share the reasons why I love cruising.  If you agree with me click the thumbs up and if you don't agree click the thumbs down!

1.  The Food

       I have always enjoyed the food onboard all of the cruise ships that I have been on.  This includes the main dining room as well as the buffets. There are a few dishes and things that were not good or great, but mostly I have found something that I have liked to eat.  Many cruise ships often have a variety of different food choices available onboard, so most likely everyone will find something they like.

2.  The Ocean  

       The first time I cruised I was shocked at how blue water can be.  The color of the water will dependent on where you are cruising and the weather that you are cruising in.  In some places the water can be different shades of blue and sadly in a few places the water is murky.  I enjoy seeing the blue ocean and I like my blue ocean pictures because I can get great desktop background images.

3.  Variety of Onboard Amenities and Activities

         Activities and amenities onboard will vary from ship to ship and voyage to voyage, but I have always enjoyed the activities and amenities available on all of my cruises. I like participating in scavenger hunts, trivia, game shows (especially spelling bees), and some other activities. I always try to win the ship's onboard prizes.

4.  Ports of Call

           My favorite ports of call are Juneau, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.  Cruise ships and cruise lines offer a variety of itineraries that visit different ports of call. 

5.   The Service

           Service is something that can vary from cruise to cruise and is usually dependent on the individual crew member.  For the most part I have always experienced good service and dealt with attentive staff that do their job well.  I have had a few negative experiences, but they were minor and not bad enough to ruin a cruise.

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Review Introduction:
      It never occurred to me to  review any of the cruises that I went on before I started this website until now. This is not my typical cruise review. If you want to see my typical cruise reviews I recommend that you check out my Carnival Miracle or Carnival Triumph cruise reviews under the My Cruise Reviews tab. Unlike those reviews this review will focus more on the highlights and not the details because a lot of the minor details about this cruise have been lost over time. I also will have fewer photos included in this review because at the time of this cruise I did not take very many photos. 


Cruise Itinerary:
Day 1     July 5, 2007       Galveston, Texas
Day 2     July 6, 2007       Fun Day At Sea
Day 3     July 7, 2007       Cozumel, Mexico
Day 4     July 8, 2007       Fun Day At Sea
Day 5     July 9, 2007       Galveston, Texas

July 5, 2007, Day 1: Galveston, Texas

       Today was the first day of my first cruise.  The morning started with a lot of excitement and last minute packing to get ready to go. When I first woke up I remember turning on the Galveston Webcams to see if the Ecstasy had docked yet. The webcam was offline on this morning and had an outdated picture, so I kept thinking that the ship was not in yet. I turned on the local 8am news and they were live in Galveston showing my ship, the Ecstasy, docking because a passenger committed suicide on the cruise before mine.  I then realized that the webcam was not showing a live picture.  I enjoyed seeing some video of my ship, although it was a little scary and sad that someone jumped off on the cruise before mine.

First Time Seeing The Ship and Embarkation:
       The first time I saw the Ecstasy I was amazed at the large size.  At the time I did not know that cruise ships could get any larger. The area around the Galveston cruise terminal was busy with people, cars, buses, and shuttles. We parked at Lighthouse Parking and took their shuttle to the terminal. We arrived at the terminal in the early 11 o'clock hour because we read that boarding was scheduled to start at noon.  I did not know that boarding really starts as early as 11:00am, but today boarding was delayed because of an investigation by Homeland Security.
For future cruises I knew to arrive at the cruise terminal in the 10 o'clock hour.
       The way the terminal was in 2007 was a little different compared to following years.  We had an option of using a porter or taking our luggage to a little counter.  We brought our luggage to a little counter and it was checked in.  Next, we proceeded into the terminal and immediately got directed upstairs via an escalator. All of the lines for document check and security were short and the only long line was the line to get Sail & Sign Cards and finalize the check in process. 
Boarding The Ship & First Impression:
       This part of the entire day stands out to me the most.  After our zone was called we got in a long line to take a picture with this photo backdrop (it was quite ugly, to be honest).  After that we walked a little bit more and we got our picture taken for the Sail & Sign Card system. We continued to follow people, but instead of using the gangway, passengers were directed to the bottom floor of the terminal and we boarded the ship on Deck 3 (lowest level above the waterline). My first opinion of the ship was this is very bland compared to the pictures. I had no idea that Deck 3 was intended for crew with the exception of the infirmary.  Passengers were told to get in an elevator and go to Deck 10 - Lido.  We got into an elevator and went to Deck 10. After I got out of the elevator I was very impressed with the ship's appearance.  I really liked the atrium and also liked the pool deck on the Lido. 
Lunch:
      I don't remember too much about lunch except I had a headache and was not very hungry.  I could not find the Pizzeria, Grill, Deli, or even the dessert station.  I was very lost and found the Taste of Nations buffet line.  The featured nation for the day was Italian. The food was pretty good. 
Stateroom:
        Our staterooms were closed until about 1:30 or 2:00PM.  When we arrived in our room we had a Carnival Capers (presently Fun-Times) waiting and a bunch of other papers too.  My stateroom was on the Main Deck Starboard side.  I was startled the first time I flushed a toilet on the ship.  It was loud and had very good suction. 

Muster Station Drill and Sail-A-Way
        I don't really remember much about the Muster Station drill except I was stationed at Muster Station F. Muster Station F was outside on the Lido Deck near the outside buffet lines. We had to bring our lifejackets to the muster station drill and this was my least favorite part of the entire cruise. 
         The ship departed Galveston on-time and it was enjoyable to watch Galveston go by from the ship's front.

Dinner in the Main Dining Room
       The food was great and the service was great in the main dining room.  I had early seating at 5:45PM in the Wind Song Dining Room.  In 2007, there was no YourTime Dining.   Either you had early or late seating.  I was impressed with the large amount of silverware that was on the tables because I didn't even need half of it.  I enjoyed the food and was excited to come back the next day for breakfast and lunch the next day (which were not as good as dinner).

The First Night's Entertainment - Or Lack of For Me
        After dinner we went to bed.  We didn't go to the Welcome Aboard Show or go eat any food at the midnight buffet like I had planned.  The bed was very comfortable and mixed with the swaying of the ship it was easy to fall asleep.

Are you enjoying this review?  Part 2: Sea Day #1  is Coming Soon!

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     February 10, 2014, will mark the one year anniversary since the Carnival Triumph engine room fire that happened in February 2013. In the year 2013 various cruise lines and ships were featured in national headlines for different reasons and the question of "Is Cruising Safe?" was constantly asked by the media and many people who became weary of cruising. The Carnival Triumph engine room fire was a cruise ship disaster that stood out to me this year. I followed the news of the Carnival Triumph every day after the initial engine room fire because I was curious about the ship because I sailed on the Triumph in 2010 and I had a cruise booked that was scheduled to sail June 27, 2013. 
     The Carnival Triumph engine room fire occurred early February 10, 2013, when the ship was sailing in the Gulf of Mexico on its way back to Galveston, Texas.  The ship's scheduled itinerary was a 4 day that departed on February 7, 2013, and the cruise's only port of call was Cozumel, Mexico. The passengers onboard were supposed to dock in Galveston, Texas on February 11, 2013 to end their cruise.  However, after the engine room fire occurred this cruise was no longer a normal cruise.  In a February 15 press release, one day after the Triumph docked in Mobile, Carnival states that the ship docked at the Alabama Cruise Terminal at approximately 9:30PM CST and the guests onboard were disembarked by 12:50AM on the morning of February 15, 2013.  In the same press release Carnival also discusses the various transportation arrangements that were secured for the guests, compensation information, and some of the future cancelled cruises.  At the time of the press release cruises for the Triumph were cancelled thru April 13, 2013. To view the same press release that I got some of this information from please click here.  This press release will open in a separate window, take you away from my website to  Carnival's News website.

     On March 29, 2013, Carnival announced as a part of the company's fleet wide review more Triumph cruises would be cancelled and the Sunshine's debut would be delayed because it would also have some cruises cancelled. These new cancellations were cited to be because Carnival was going to increase operating redundancies and back up systems onboard their ships. The Triumph's date to re-enter service was now June 3, 2013, only a few weeks prior to my cruise on the ship. Carnival stated in this press release that they were making investments to improve each ship's fire prevention, detection, and suppression systems, and the hotel services that can run on emergency power. To view this press release please click here.  This press release will open in a new window, take you away from my website to Carnival's news website. This link also contains some information about the Sunshine cancellations too. 
     I thought at this point things couldn't get any worse for Carnival. They had already had to cancel more Triumph & Sunshine cruises, and had different mechanical issues with the Dream, Legend, and Elation. However, on April 3, 2013 the Triumph broke free from its dock in Mobile, Alabama because of high winds above 70 miles per hour.  At the time the Triumph was at a wet dock in Mobile, Alabama. This information is from an April 4, 2013 press release. You can view the press release by clicking here.  The press release will open in a new window, take you away from my website to Carnival's News website.

On April 18, 2013, Carnival cancelled two additional 5 day cruises making the Triumph's estimated re-launch date June 13, 2013. In the press release Carnival states that the cause of the two additional cancellations was because of damage from the ship breaking free from a Mobile, Alabama wet dock due to high winds. Also some onboard work time was lost because of this interruption. Carnival also announced that the ship would be going to Freeport, Bahamas, to complete repairs. To view the press release that I got this information from click here.  This press release will open in a separate window and take you away from my website to Carnival's News website.

     On May 8, 2013, Carnival announced the Triumph would depart May 8, 2013, from Mobile, Alabama to sail to Freeport, Bahamas. The ship would sail under its own power to Freeport!  Also Carnival announced that while in Freeport the ship would receive some 2.0 upgrades such as Guy's Burger Joint, Blue Iguana Cantina, Alchemy Bar, EA Sports Bar, Red Frog Rum Bar, and Blue Iguana Tequila Bar. In addition to these upgrades the ship would receive some of the improved safety systems and some general cosmetic work. To view this press release click here.  This press release will open a separate window and will take you away from my website to Carnival's news website. 
     Thankfully there were no more delays to the Triumph's return to service! The Triumph was able to resume sailing June 13, 2013, from Galveston, Texas.  I sailed on the renovated and refreshed Carnival Triumph on June 27, 2013, on a 4 day from Galveston, Texas.  I was on the ship's fourth sailing back in service!

Carnival Triumph Resources For Those Interested:

My June 2013 Carnival Triumph 4-day Review    Click Here to View
Carnival Triumph Ship Tour (2013)                    Click Here To View

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