Carnival's current loyalty program is based solely on the number of days a cruiser spends sailing with the company. While this policy rewards cruisers that sail more days, it can exclude some cruisers that spend on onboard. There are many cruisers that take a short cruiser and earn less loyalty points, but spend enough money onboard to nearly equal another cruise vacation. Everything in this post is how I think Carnival should rewrite their loyalty program. Since I am already giving my opinion on how the loyalty program should be rewritten, I am also going to share the perks I think people should get for being a part of each level. None of this is an official announcement and this my opinion on how the loyalty program should be done!

How Points Could Be Awarded
            Cruisers could earn points based on the days sailed and revenue spent during cruising. Both of these categories would combine to create one point total that shows a cruiser's overall loyalty to Carnival. 

For Sailing:
Everyone should get some points for the number of days sailed, just like Carnival's existing structure of the loyalty program. 
1 point  = 1 Day of the Cruise
Onboard Spending:
-  1 point earned for every $100.00 spent onboard.  Partial points could be awarded for increments of $25 or $50. For example, if a cruiser spends $150.00 he or she could earn 1.5 points. This category could be maxed at 10 points to insure a person could not buy a higher loyalty level. 
-  .5 point earned for each shore excursion booked.
-  1 point earned if a cruise's onboard expense account is linked with a Carnival credit card.
-  1 point earned if a future cruise is booked while onboard the cruise. The point will not be awarded until the final payment of the cruise comes.
-  .5 earned for booking a transfer or airfare with Carnival. 

Loyalty Levels - The Way I Think They Could Be Done:
Level 1:  First Cruise Only
1)   Digital Newsletter By Email  
2)    E Coupon Book Mailed To Cruiser's Email Address  - Carnival could send some digital coupons a cruiser can print from home and bring to the cruise that could be valid for various offers 
3)   Certificate At End of First Cruise -  This certificate could certify that the cruiser has completed his or her first cruise and could name basic voyage information. 

Level 2:  2nd Cruise - 69 points 
1)  Two Free Cruise Raffle Tickets  - Carnival could have a shipwide drawing where cruisers have a chance to win a free cruise. In this level each cruiser would get two raffle tickets to put into the free cruise drawing. 
2)  Carnival Logo Ballpoint Pen -  This could similar to the old pens Carnival would place in staterooms. 
3)  Digital Newsletter By Email and E-Coupon Book -  Same Descriptions As Level 1
4)  Certificate of Completion of Voyage -  This certificate could show the cruiser's name, ship name, itinerary taken, and dates onboard. 

Level 3:  70 points -  139 points
1)  5% Off A Cruise Upon Entry To This Level  -  When a cruiser earns this level Carnival could offer a 5% cruise discount that can be applied to the booking. This would be a one time offer.
2)   Three Free Cruise Raffle Tickets -  Carnival could have a shipwide drawing where cruisers have a chance to win a free cruise. In this level each cruiser would get three raffle tickets to put into the free cruise drawing. 
3)  Admission To Select Activities, Games, and Events  -  Carnival could have designated activities onboard, in addition to the regular activities, that are for cruisers on the Level 3 loyalty level and above. Some of these activities could include things such as trivia, bean bag toss, or a scavenger hunt.
4)  Extra Hour To Utilize Facilities -   Such As The Waterslide, Casino, Pools, Serenity Adults Only Retreat. Carnival could open these things one hour earlier to avoid impacting other cruiser's vacations.
5)   Carnival Logo Ballpoint Pen -   This could similar to the old pens Carnival would place in staterooms. 
6)  Digital Newsletter By Email and E-Coupon Book -  Same Descriptions As Level 1
7)  Certificate of Completion of Voyage -  This certificate could show the cruiser's name, ship name, itinerary taken, and dates onboard. 

Level 4:  140 points -  249 points 
1)  10% Off A Cruise Upon Entry To This Level - When a cruiser earns this level Carnival could offer a 10% cruise discount that can be applied to the booking. This would a one time offer.
2)  Five Free Cruise Raffle Tickets -  Carnival could have a shipwide drawing where cruisers have a chance to win a free cruise. In this level each cruiser would get five raffle tickets to put into the free cruise drawing. 
3)  One Free Beverage Coupon -  It would be great to have a coupon that could be used on any item under a certain price, at any place, and at any time. 
4)  Additional Main Dining Room Selections Menu -  Carnival could offer a few extra options on the main dining room menu at dinner for these guests. These options could be available for an additional charge to everyone else, but free to people in this level. 
5)  Half Price Beverage Service 8:00 - 9:30AM On 1st Sea Day  
6)  Free Tour of An Area of the Vessel -  Carnival could give people a choice of touring the bridge, engine control room, Deck 0 crew areas, or galley of the vessel. 
7)   Ship on a Stick Trophy  -  Carnival could give a ship on a stick trophy to all guests that qualify for this level.
8)  Admission To Select Activities, Games, and Events  -  Carnival could have designated activities onboard, in addition to the regular activities, that are for cruisers on the Level 3 loyalty level and above. Some of these activities could include things such as trivia, bean bag toss, or a scavenger hunt.
9)  Extra Hour To Utilize Facilities -   Such As The Waterslide, Casino, Pools, Serenity Adults Only Retreat. Carnival could open these things one hour earlier for these guests to avoid impacting other cruiser's vacations.
10)   Carnival Logo Ballpoint Pen -   This could similar to the old pens Carnival would place in staterooms. 
11)  Digital Newsletter By Email and E-Coupon Book -  Same Descriptions As Level 1
12)  Certificate of Completion of Voyage -  This certificate could show the cruiser's name, ship name, itinerary taken, and dates onboard. 
13)  Name Entered Into Drawing For Free Faster to the Fun -  2 weeks prior to cruising a random guest from this category will be selected to receive Carnival's Faster to the Fun for free. 
14)   15% off All Photo Gallery Orders 

Level 5:  250 points - 499 points
1)  Port Taxes and Fees Waived For One Cruise Only  -  The fees that are added to the base ticket price could be waived upon entry into Level 5. 
2)  Seven Free Cruise Raffle Tickets - Carnival could have a shipwide drawing where cruisers have a chance to win a free cruise. In this level each cruiser would get seven raffle tickets to put into the free cruise drawing. 
3)  Past Guest Lunch Party-    Instead of the typical party, Carnival could offer lunch in a dining room for guests of this level and above. The lunch could be a variety of selections from the regular main dining room and steakhouse. Carnival could offer free beverage service to all the guests in this party. This could take place on the last sea day of the cruise vacation.
4)  Free Bag of Laundry -  Carnival could allow for the guests in this level to have one free bag of laundry washed per cruise.
5)  Chocolate Covered Strawberries -  Carnival could send a plate of chocolate covered strawberries to these people's staterooms. 
6)  Logo Gift  - Carnival could give a logo gift to these guests similar to what the actual current program does.
7)  Priority Boarding and Disembarkation At Normal Boarding & Disembarkation Times
8)  Priority Line at Guest Services
9)  Priority Dining Selections For Main Dining Room
10)  Admission To Select Activities, Games, and Events  -  Carnival could have designated activities onboard, in addition to the regular activities, that are for cruisers on the Level 3 loyalty level and above. Some of these activities could include things such as trivia, bean bag toss, or a scavenger hunt.
11)  Extra Hour To Utilize Facilities -   Such As The Waterslide, Casino, Pools, Serenity Adults Only Retreat. Carnival could open these things one hour earlier for these guests to avoid impacting other cruiser's vacations.
12)   Carnival Logo Ballpoint Pen -   This could similar to the old pens Carnival would place in staterooms. 
13)  Digital Newsletter By Email and E-Coupon Book -  Same Descriptions As Level 1
14)  Certificate of Completion of Voyage -  This certificate could show the cruiser's name, ship name, itinerary taken, and dates onboard. 
15)   Welcome Letter From The Captain -  An official letter from the ship's captain welcoming the guest back onboard could be presented upon arrival. 
16)  Priority Luggage Delivery
17)  20% Off Photo Gallery Orders

Level 6:  500+ points
1) Dinner With the Captain & Officers -  A complimentary steakhouse style dinner with the ship's leadership team could be provided. 
2)  Unlimited Laundry -  Carnival could allow these guests unlimited laundry washing.
3)  Past Guest Lunch Party-    Instead of the typical party, Carnival could offer lunch in a dining room for guests of this level and above. The lunch could be a variety of selections from the regular main dining room and steakhouse. Carnival could offer free beverage service to all the guests in this party. This could take place on the last sea day of the cruise vacation.
4)   Automatic Boarding -   Instead of waiting in the terminal for boarding to begin, these guests could be escorted onboard to a specialized waiting area on the ship. At the time regular boarding will begin, the guests would then be told they are free to move about the cruise ship.
5)  Chocolate Covered Strawberries -  Carnival could send a plate of chocolate covered strawberries to these people's staterooms. 
6)  Logo Gift  - Carnival could give a logo gift to these guests similar to what the actual current program does.
7)  Priority Boarding and Disembarkation At Normal Boarding & Disembarkation Times
8)  Priority Line at Guest Services
9)  Priority Dining Selections For Main Dining Room
10)  Admission To Select Activities, Games, and Events  -  Carnival could have designated activities onboard, in addition to the regular activities, that are for cruisers on the Level 3 loyalty level and above. Some of these activities could include things such as trivia, bean bag toss, or a scavenger hunt.
11)  Extra Hour To Utilize Facilities -   Such As The Waterslide, Casino, Pools, Serenity Adults Only Retreat. Carnival could open these things one hour earlier for these guests to avoid impacting other cruiser's vacations.
12)   Carnival Logo Ballpoint Pen -   This could similar to the old pens Carnival would place in staterooms. 
13)  Digital Newsletter By Email and E-Coupon Book -  Same Descriptions As Level 1
14)  Certificate of Completion of Voyage -  This certificate could show the cruiser's name, ship name, itinerary taken, and dates onboard. 
15)   Welcome Letter From The Captain -  An official letter from the ship's captain welcoming the guest back onboard could be presented upon arrival. 
16)  Priority Luggage Delivery  - 
17)   Priority Room Service Order -   These guests could receive priority room service delivery. 
18)  25% Off All Photo Gallery Orders 
19)  First To Have Stateroom Serviced At Night -  These guests could have their stateroom serviced at night before the others. 
20)  Free Tour of The Bridge, Engine Control Room, and Galley -  This could be similar to the Behind the Fun Tour, but without seeing the full tour area. Most likely, the people in this level would have already seen these places, but may want to visit them again.

Please keep in mind all of these items are my suggestions and are not officially happening at this time. Some of these ideas I based on the current loyalty program, but many others I have come up with on my own.

          As you get off your cruise ship to explore a port of call you will be greeted with a variety of shops, restaurants, and attractions. Besides taking shore excursions, many cruisers will spend his or her time browsing shops in a port of call.  Whether you plan to buy items in a shop or just want to browse a shop there are some ways for you to score freebies and discounts from these stores.

I.  Attend Your Ship's Destination Shopping Talk 
         Many cruise lines and ships have a shopping expert onboard that will lead a talk prior to the arrival in a port of call. At these talks you can learn valuable information about where you can shop and how to save money in port.  Also at the shopping talk or shopping desk you can find out where to get cheap items, get coupons, and if any shops in the port of call will be holding raffles for cruise ship passengers. 

II.  Research Shops In Advance
            Spend a little time reading about shopping in the ports of call you are cruising to in advance. You may learn valuable information and find online coupons for some stores. If you find some reviews of the stores online, you may learn to avoid some stores because of poor service, low quality products, or pushy salespeople. 

III. Watch Out For Pushy Salespeople
            Some stores will have salespeople that will bug you to purchase something. A few of these people will pester you from the minute you step in the door to the second you step out of the door. Watch out for these people! If you feel bothered or annoyed because of a salesperson you should leave the store and tell the person you do not wish to buy the product. 

IV.   Use Coupons
             Occasionally, you will get coupons for some shops in ports of call. These discount coupons could come from your cruise ship, a local visitor center, a travel guide, or inside the store's physical location. Consider using the coupon if you think the deal you are getting is a good one.

V.  Bargaining - Some Places Do This, But Other's Do Not
              You have probably heard that in foreign markets you can try to bargain with the shop to get a better price.  Make sure you research what ports of call typically have bargaining and which ones don't.  Doing this research will help you know if bargaining is acceptable in the ports of call you are cruising to. 
          If you are going to a place that does have bargaining make sure you bargain with your lowest price first.  Setting the lowest price first might help by increasing your chances of meeting in the middle with what the shop wants.  However, if you don't like the price or cannot bargain well walk away and forget about the item.  In some shops if the bargain process isn't going well and a tourist starts to walk away the shop will give in to what the tourist wants to pay.  Be careful not to pay more than what the item is worth.


           We wish you the very best of luck in your port of call shopping and a great cruise vacation!

          Cruise ships are often full of people from all different lifestyles, cultures, and values. While some cruisers have certain behaviors because it is a part of their culture, there are some other cruisers that intentionally step onboard to annoy and irritate others. Don't become the annoying cruise passenger and try to have some respect for the others onboard. As a way to share experiences I have seen, heard of, or imagined I have created this list of 100 ways you can annoy fellow cruise passengers. I do not recommend doing these things and a few of these things can get you thrown off the ship or in trouble. I am not responsible for your behavior or any actions you take after reading this list.  


1.  Slamming Your Stateroom Door (Includes Intentional Slamming.  Keep In Mind This Can Happen Accidentally.)
2.  Continuously Flushing The Toilet At Night To Try To Wake Others Up
3.  Shouting On Your Balcony or On The Public Decks For All To Hear
4.  Playing Loud Music on Your Balcony
5.  Pushing All of the Floor Buttons In The Elevator To Make The Elevator Stop At Every Floor
6.  Entering The Elevator Before All Have Exited
7.  Cutting In Line (Whether Buffet or Any Line)
8.  Arguing With Busy Crew Members For Petty Reasons When A Line Is Forming Behind You
9.  Laying In The Middle of The Stateroom Hallway So Others Cannot Pass You By
10. Singing or Talking Loudly As You Walk Down The Stateroom Hallway
11. Throwing Plates In The Buffet Like A Frisbee  (Seen Two Kids Do This)
12.  Slowly Studying The Food In the Buffet Line Before Taking Some
13. Walking The Wrong Way On A One Way Stairwell
14.  Asking "Dumb" Questions At The Muster Station Drill To Make The Drill A Little Longer
15.  Coming Late To The Muster Station Drill (This holds up the drill for everyone else)
16.  Not Flushing The Toilet In Public Bathrooms
17.  Saving Deck Chairs
18.  Coughing or Sneezing On Others In The Elevator
19.  Passing Gas In The Elevator or Making Noises To Simulate This Bodily Function In The Elevator
20.  Touching The Food In the Buffet (BIG NO! Could get you in trouble! ) 
21.  Knocking someone over in the buffet that is carrying a tray of food. 
22.  Intentionally Wasting Food In the Buffet
23.  Turning Doorknobs To Others' Rooms To Scare or Irritate Them
24.  Stealing From Stateroom Stewards' Carts
25.  Being Loud In Your Stateroom or Turning The TV To A Loud Volume
26.  Not Following Dress Code For Dining Areas
27.  Taking Someone Else's Dinner Silverware When You Know It Is Not Yours
28.  Monopolizing Your Servers' Time When They Have Other Tables That Need Attention Too
29.  Staring At People Sitting At Other Tables
30.  Running On The Outside Decks Near The Pool (Not A Good Idea, You Could Slip)
31.  Splashing Water From The Pools Onto Others
32.  Discharging Bodily Waste Into The Water Recreational Facilities On The Ship
33.  Eating or Drinking In the Pool
34.  Randomly Taking Pictures Of Other Cruisers Without Their Permission
35.  Swimming Into Someone Else In the Pool
36.  Cutting In Line For The Waterslide
37.  Going Down The Waterslide Before You Are Told To Do So By A Crew Member (Creates Safety Concern)
38.  Using a mini golf club as a baseball and trying to play baseball with your golf ball
39.  Throwing Mini Golf Equipment At Others Or Off The Ship
40.  Slobbering On Gym Equipment
41.  Hogging A Piece of Gym Equipment Because Cruise Ships Often Have Limited Equipment
42.  Turning On Music in the Gym For All To Hear
43.  Saving Seats Before Production Shows or Events Begin In The Main Show Lounge
44.  Talking During Events or Shows
45.  Standing Up To Block Someone Else's View During The Show
46.  Playing Hide and Seek With Gift Shop Items 
47.  Taking Merchandise From Other Guests While They Are In the Gift Shop
48.  Putting In More Raffle Tickets For Things Than You Should
49.  In a game of Bingo, shouting our Bingo intentionally when you know you should not
50.  Clogging Up The Line To Get Back on The Ship To Dig For Your Shipboard Card
51.  Recycling Another Person's Photo At the Photo Gallery
52.  Throwing Soft Serve Ice Cream Cones At Others
53.  Buying Some Random Person's Photo From The Photo Gallery
54.  Walking The Wrong Way on the Jogging Track
55.  Smoking In Non-Designated Areas
56.  Cursing In Front of Young Children 
57.  Stopping The Middle of A Busy Walkway To Tie Your Shoe
58.  Putting On Sunscreen With Others Directly Around You (Some People Could Be Allergic)
59.  Ordering Food From A Counter And Then Walking Away
60.  Loudly Discussing Your Political Views Hoping Someone On The Ship Will Agree or Disagree With You
61.  Singing At Karaoke In A Poor Manner To Irritate Others 
62.  Taking Someone Else's Empty Wheelchair That Was Parked For Some Reason (I have seen this one happen. The people involved got in trouble and the ship's crew threatened to call security.) 
63.  Prank Calling Room Service To Make The List Longer To Make Others Wait Longer
64.  Giving Guest Services A Hard Time To Make The Line Longer
65.  Yelling At The Casino Machines When You Lose
66.  Fighting 
67.  Sitting At An Internet Cafe Workstation Without Logging In To Hog It
68.  Putting Dirty Plates On Another Person's Table That Is Actively Using The Table
69.  Pretending To Be Interested In A Sales Pitch Onboard To Make The Line Behind You Grow Longer 
70.  Not Holding Doors Open To Cruisers Behind You
71.  Giving Others Wrong Information About Various Cruise Activities Intentionally
72.  Sitting At A Seat In The Bar (Without Ordering Anything) To Keeping Others From Getting A Seat
73.  Throwing Food Into The Pool 
74.  Leaving Your Trash In the Middle of A Walkway
75.  Knocking On Other Cruisers' Stateroom Doors
76.  Trying To Look Onto Someone Else's Balcony
77.  Taking An Entire Stack of Daily Onboard Newsletters
78.   Filling Your Plate With An Entire Serving's Worth Of Food
79.   Smacking or Chewing Loudly On Purpose When Eating
80.   Pressing The Close Doors Button In the Elevator To Prevent Others From Entering
81.   Calling An Elevator To Come And Walking Away
82.   Bumping Into Others
83.   Asking Others To Watch Your Stuff For Extended Periods of Time (Never Trust Anyone To Do This)
84.   Stomping On The Ship's Stairwells
85.   Calling Other Cruisers Staterooms Randomly
86.   Taking More Silverware Than You Need 
87.   Leaving Your Stateroom Door Open To Get Others To Look Inside Your Room
88.   Leaving The Light on Your Balcony On At Night (In Some Cases This Will Interfere With Navigation)
89.   Taking Food From A Closed Buffet Line
90.   Being Disrespectful To Others In Any General Manner
91.   Forgetting Basic Manners
92.   Taking Your Time Going Down The Waterslide
93.   Allowing Your Children Into Adults Only Areas To Irritate The Adults In the Facility 
94.   Purposely Showing P.D.A. In Public Areas For Attention 
95.   Pushing Others Aside When Trying To Get A Look From Deck Rails 
96.   Pouring Weird Sauces on Foods To Make Others Around You Feel Grossed Out
97.   Lying To Other Guests or Crew Members
98.   Standing In the Middle Of Doorways To Prevent Others From Passing By
99.   Giving False Directions To Lost Cruisers
100.  Coming Back Late To The Ship Intentionally (You Risk Being Left!) 

I hope you enjoyed this list of 100 things you can do to annoy your fellow cruise passengers. I do not recommend you try these things. A few of these things could get you in trouble with your cruise line or kicked off the vessel. 

Day #6:    Halifax, Nova Scotia
Cruise Line:  Princess        Ship:  Caribbean Princess   Length of Cruise:  7 days     Departure Port:  New York City

Arrival: We were up early this morning to see the beautiful sunrise from our balcony. We even had time to eat breakfast in the Horizon buffet on the Lido deck before arriving in Halifax around 9:00am. 

History: Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, was established in 1749 as a British military outpost. During the 19th & early 20th centuries, Halifax was the entry point for European immigrants coming to Canada. In 1917 there was a huge explosion in Halifax when a cargo ship carrying TNT collided with another ship in the harbor. The explosion leveled a large portion of the harbor and killed approximately 2,000 people. The harbor has been restored.

Touring on your own:
             Along downtown Halifax’s waterfront boardwalk were many interesting, historic places to visit as well as eateries and fun shops filled with local handmade items. Within walking distance of the ship was Pier 21/Canadian Museum of Immigration where the stories of the many people who passed through here were remembered. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic had relics from Nova Scotia’s maritime history including artifacts from the RMS Titanic. St. Paul’s Church, built in 1750, was the first Anglican Church in Canada and oldest building in Halifax. It survived the 1917 explosion but still has a broken window (“explosion window”) and a chunk of debris embedded in a wall as a result of the explosion.

Excursions:
                   Our excursion first took us on a tour through downtown Halifax with the guide explaining the historic buildings and sights. We briefly stopped at the Citadel National Historical Site. The British built this star-shaped fortress in the 1800’s to guard against attack. We were there long enough to observe the changing of the guard. Since the Citadel was not that far away from the ship, we could have gone back after the excursion to enjoy the interactive exhibits and portrayal of life in the fort.                      
                 Our second stop was at the Halifax Public (free) Gardens which were formal Victorian gardens of about 17 acres of floral displays, fountains, statues and a gazebo. Nearby to the gardens was the Spring Garden Road where shopping and eating lunch were available for a limited amount of time.                    
                 Our third stop was an hour drive to Peggy’s Cove which was a tiny but active fishing village that dates back to 1811. It is located on the rocky coastline near the famous and most photographed lighthouse in Canada. The lighthouse was built in 1914 and is still in use today. We were warned to be very careful walking out on the huge, slippery rocks surrounding the lighthouse! 
                 After leaving Peggy’s Cove we drove along a very scenic route to get back to Halifax and our fourth and final stop – Fairview Cemetery where 121 victims of the Titanic are buried in a special section of the cemetery. Our tour guide walked the grounds with us and explained all the events surrounding the sinking of the Titanic.

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Day #5:    Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Cruise Line:  Princess        Ship:  Caribbean Princess   Length of Cruise:  7 days     Departure Port:  New York City

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Arrival: During the early morning hours, our ship traveled through the Bay of Fundy to St. John Harbor and docked at around 8:30am in Saint John. 

History: In 1604 Samuel de Champlain discovered Saint John, but the first lasting settlement was made by British colonists in 1762. After the American Revolution, 14,000 Loyalists fled the new United States and arrived in Saint John in 1783. The “Great Fire” occurred in June, 1877 and most of Saint John was destroyed. It was rebuilt in stone and has an interesting collection of turn-of-the-century architecture.

Excursion: There are many fascinating places to see in Saint John, so we chose a hop on-hop off London style double-decker bus to transport us around to the most popular attractions and historic landmarks. These included Rockwood Park, Fallsview Park and the Reversing Rapids, Fort Howe, and The Old City Market.

Lunch: We went back to the ship after our tour to have lunch. This time we tried the Prego Pizzeria located on Deck 15. We had big slices of delicious pizza which gave us the energy to disembark again and go back into Saint John to see what we had missed on our morning tour.

On Our Own: Although our hop-on hop-off pass was good for all day, we decided to walk back to some of the buildings and neighborhoods that we saw from the bus.  This included Barbour’s General Store, the Stone Church, Loyalist House, homes in the historic section of town and the Church of St. Andrew and St. David. Saint John is very accessible by foot.

Shopping: After the ship set sail at about 5:00pm, we had time to check out the Canada & New England Port Tees that were on sale in the Piazza on Deck 5. There were also other shops on Decks 6 & 7 that had interesting souvenirs to consider purchasing.

Dinner: As we had most evenings, we ate dinner in the Coral Dining Room and since we were not assigned a particular table, we were able to meet people from different states and countries. It was fun to learn a little about each person’s background and about the cruises previously taken.

Day #4:    Bar Harbor, Maine
Cruise Line:  Princess        Ship:  Caribbean Princess   Length of Cruise:  7 days     Departure Port:  New York City

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Arrival: At around 7:00am, another beautiful sunrise welcomed us as we rounded Mt. Desert Island and entered Frenchman’s Bay where the ship anchored.  For passengers who had booked excursions and for those wanting to go ashore to explore the village of Bar Harbor, it was necessary to use the ship’s tenders. The tendering process went smoothly, the water was calm and the trip did not take very long.

Morning in Bar Harbor: Since our excursion didn’t start until late morning, we had plenty of time to explore the village of Bar Harbor with its many shops and galleries. There was also time for a walk along the scenic historic shore path that passed elegant homes of the Bar Harbor Golden Age.

Acadia National Park: One of the reasons for booking this cruise in October was to be able to visit Acadia NP and, hopefully, to see beautiful fall colors. Unfortunately, a strong wind storm several weeks ahead of the cruise blew away many of the leaves. But the storm didn’t do anything to diminish the beauty of Acadia National Park. The park had it all – spectacular ocean scenery with beaches and mountains.

Excursions: Most of the excursions visited Acadia NP with various stopping points, ways of transporting (coach, carriage, limousine, boat or bicycle), and different lengths of tours. Our 2.5 hour excursion was by coach and we drove along the coastline of the park, passed Sand Beach, stopped at Thunder Hole and then followed a winding, narrow road to the top of Cadillac Mountain, the tallest mountain on the US Atlantic coast. We spent the majority of our time on the mountain which gave us a great view of Frenchman’s Bay and Porcupine Islands as well as Bar Harbor. We could even see our cruise ship!

Afternoon Tea: We arrived back to the ship in time for a special treat – afternoon tea. It sounded very English and it was. There were tiny sandwiches, many different kinds of cookies and other desserts and, of course, tea, but the best (for me) was the scones served with whipped cream and jam.  I really didn’t need to eat dinner after all the scones I ate!

Evening Entertainment: The Comedy Showtime that evening starred a hypnotist. He asked for volunteers from the audience to take part in the show by being hypnotized by him. If these “volunteers” were not really volunteers, it was not apparent to me. It was the funniest show I have ever seen. After the show I felt a little guilty for laughing so hard at the antics of my fellow passengers, but they did agree to be hypnotized and, hopefully, knew how foolish they might look to the audience.

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Day #3:    Boston, Massachusetts
Cruise Line:  Princess        Ship:  Caribbean Princess   Length of Cruise:  7 days     Departure Port:  New York City

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Arrival: Since the ship did not arrive in Boston until around 10:00am, we had plenty of time for a later, leisurely breakfast in the Coral Dining Room. Breakfast was served from 7:00-9:00am.

Excursions: Boston is sometimes called the “Cradle of American Independence” and has so many historic sites all over the city that it was hard to choose what to visit in the time we were in port. We took a bus tour of historic Boston and Cambridge, walked through Harvard Yard, visited the Old North Church and Paul Revere Square and then walked a portion of the Freedom Trail. The Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile trail which takes you to see about 16 of Boston’s most historical places. All you have to do is follow the red brick path! We had the option of staying in Quincy Market where we could shop and eat lunch and then take the shuttle bus back to the ship. Since the tour had lasted about 3.5 hours, it sounded like a good idea to go back to the ship.

Afternoon entertainment: Although a nap was appealing after coming in from the excursion, there were also some options such as trivia competitions, sports competitions, or just hanging out in a quiet place on the ship to read or play cards with friends.

Departure: The ship set sail for Bar Harbor during our dinner. We hardly knew we were moving because we were studying the menu that was so varied it was hard to decide what to pick. It was fun to try something new knowing that if you didn’t like it you could always order something else. My downfall was always the desserts!

Evening Entertainment: This evening we enjoyed the piano entertainer in the Crooners Lounge. He was an amazing pianist who could play anything anyone requested and was also a hilarious comedian. He had the entire audience laughing at his antics!

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