Oh my gosh, Cynthia, what wonderful details of your experiences... I could almost feel that sun beating down in the line to embark... and I will have my wide brimmed sunhat with me.

I will have to keep my sister away from those art auctions, as she has a tendency to get carried away with art, no matter the price.

I love the idea of tea time, as some cool relaxation could just be the ticket on a hectic afternoon.

And the guys will be glad to know that they can get a beer while waiting to get on the ship.

I am just praying that we don't have any problems, as we don't even arrive (and that's if we are on time) at LAX until 12:30 pm on Sunday. I would not have booked that way myself, but we booked through Carnival air and they promise we will make it to the ship on time. Next time (and I am already sure there will be a next time) we will book our own air and arrive the day before departure.

Of course, I could fly from Texas to California on wings of excitement right now, but then I would just have to wait at that terminal even longer. LOL

So very very glad you had the trip of a lifetime. Sounds like you have a great family and had a great time.

Thanks to everyone in this forum for all of their wonderful advice and tips. We are as prepared as possible and I just know we will have a great time. Even the guys are getting excited now.

brenda

First off, Cynthia WELCOME BACK and OMG!!!!! I had chill bumps for the last page and a half. I am absolutely dying here. I must leave NOW!!! Your honesty is greatly appreciated and I will print off your review so my family can read it. Your writing is so detailed you let us all enjoy each moment with you. (As well as yours Diana!!!) These reviews just keep getting better, and better, and better!

Diana - Thanks for the response on the questions. Hopefully you will check back here once in awhile...and WE HAVE to take the 2009 cruise on the Splendor. I'll check more into it on the ship. Who knows....I may just book it then! I am glad to know that there are multiple things that we won't be doing on this first cruise that we can catch on the next.

Brenda - YOUR NEXT!!!! The countdown begins. I have no doubt we will have a wonderful time on this ship. From the very first response I received from A'ndrea...she had me SOLD! I am looking forward to EVERYTHING!

Avril - Welcome to Cruise-Chat. This was my first home for all my cruising information. The people here are wonderful - and just a little more intimate than other boards. A'ndrea is our tour guide here...and well the rest of us are just trying to keep up with you "cruising professionals". You really must share your secrets! Diana just took her first...and my goodness her tickers just keep popping up. A'ndrea you really are due for another one!!!!

I am finally under 50 days! It is coming SOOOO fast! I guess with all the drama lately...it has made the days fly by. And yes, mom is finally home (in a wheelchair...but at home), FIL is finally home again, and kids are in the school routine. AHHHHH, finally no more hospital trips and early morning temper tantrums (and that was from the 13yr. old!!!)

Diana, Cynthia....was there anything you forgot that you wish you would have remembered to pack/bring?

As well as what did you pack that was just plain and simple a waste of space?

Well... I didn't use the bunjees I brought because it was just too difficult to get them to work with the door, and by Tuesday evening it was tooooooooo hot. We just went out on the balcony any chance we got.

The things I am glad I brought are:
The over the door hanger
An alarm clock (mine was a cheap one from Target that had speakers for my iPod)
The clothespins for the shower curtain
Big bottles of my own shampoo and conditioner - I ended up using more than I ever would have imagined.
The thing with the extra electrical plugs
Cheap watches for all of us
Large post-its

The Capers are a little big to carry around, so I had those little lined post-it pads. At the pursers desk are these little maps of the ship (they are in a rack and look like post cards until you take a closer look). I would check the Capers, write down what I wanted to do and where it was, and stick it into the little map. That was very easy to carry around, and by referring to the map I always knew where to go. I also made another post-it with the same schedule that I stuck to the mirror. Then if the kids needed me they could see where I probably was and may be able to find me. I wasn't always where I thought I would be, but it at least gave them an idea. We don't usually wear watches, but there were very few clocks onboard, so they really came in handy.

We brought ponchos, umbrellas and a raincoat, but we didn't need them. But they would have been nice to have if it had rained. We brought walkie talkies, but we found each other pretty easily and using the watches we just said "Meet me here at this time". I never used the extension cord. And I changed my mind about going to the gym the moment I got on board - I wasn't going to miss a minute of vacation at the gym! So I didn't need the work-out clothes I brought.

What we all really needed was more "play clothes"! None of us anticipated that it would be so hot that our clothes could only be worn one time. It doesn't take much room in the suitcase to pack extra shorts and tanks (and bras and underwear!) so throw lots of those in. There are laundry facilities, but none of us wanted to take time to use them.

Oh, one thing that none of us had was a sweater or wrap. The dining room was very cold, and while I was fine there, my daughter was always freezing in her sleeveless blouses. The rest of the ship was pretty comfortable.

We also brought one extra suitcase, anticipating lots of purchases - and thank gosh we did! All our suitcases were filled to bursting when we left!

Oh, also bring lots of sun tan lotion - we tan pretty easily and used only #8 and we were fine, but we saw several burned people.

And definitely bring bug spray if you are doing excursions in the jungle (zip lines, horseback riding).

AND... (this list is getting out of control, haha) The hair dryer in the room was excellent and high powered. It was definitely as good as mine at home.

Cynthia...got it...don't need bug spray - not getting me on the zipline!!! And leave the hairdryer...takes up too much space!

By the way...are you Pischina???? Seemed an awful lot like your trip!!! Noticed your in San Jose...we're neighbors - I'm up in the Livermore area.

oooops didn't see that first post...will go back and read that one!

Ok...read that one - thanks for the info on the maps. Will go check that out right away. The boat just seem so huge...and I want to try and get to all these fun things.

Where was the Tea Time held. Have been reading about that and I definitely want to drag DH and oldest son there. I know they will enjoy it once they get there.

I am hoping the weather will be better towards October...but I will wait to see what Brenda thinks. Will pack a jacket/sweater though for the dining room and cool evenings.

And well suncreen is already bought and waiting to be packed away!!!!

Hahahaha... I am Pischina... do you know me from CruiseCritic or elsewhere?

Tea Time was held in various places, they were always noted on the Capers. Take your whole family - if they don't like it they can easily leave, it was very informal, not a "group" thing at all.

The little map thing was very cool, and I think most people never knew about them. The ship is big and we were constantly lost the first 24 hours, but by the second day we knew where everything was or could at least find everything very easily. You'll have no problem after a bit!

Michele, Cynthia brings up a really good point. The dining room on Pride was freezing. I usually wore strapless or halter top dresses and I was cold. If you stroll the upper deck after dinner, it will be cool up there, as well. Bring a wrap or a sweater. You will be glad you did.

A'ndrea

Hi A'ndrea Hope all is well back there on the East Coast! I will definitely pack some heavier clothes too. I HATE being cold! Hopefully Brenda will be able to give me a little hint what I will find at the end of September since she is going a few weeks before me!

Brenda - saw your Pride "review" over at Cruisecritic. It was a quick one of the one you gave us all here...so I knew who it was immediately! Thanks for giving us the GOOD one here!!! Are you in San Jose or neighboring city???

How much for those little maps at the pursers desk?

Hey Michele! How are you? Getting excited?

Everything is really great here in the Northeast. You will never hear me complaining in the summer months.

How is your summer? Your children are back at school right? My daughter goes off to college on Monday. My youngest goes back to school after Labor Day.

Maps are free at the Purser's Desk, by the way.

A'ndrea

Michele, you will have to wait a few weeks for MY review, we sail on the 2nd of Sept.

I think you must have been referring to Cynthia, who did a great review for all of us who waited here at home anxiously to here about her cruise.

Brenda

Haha, I wasn't sure who she was talking to either, haha!!!! I've been having so much fun this morning reading the CrazyTown thread over at Cruise Critic I've barely glanced at this board today. (Check out the "Stupid Carnival" thread there, it's just a trainwreck that you can't look away from!). And yes, I am in San Jose, in the foothills.

I am leaving work now but will be home and back online soon. I'm glad you liked my review, disjointed as it was. If there's anything else you want to know, feel free to ask - I keep thinking of more things to tell you (like the great hairdryers!) but don't want to run this thread into hundreds of pages . I actually had a lot to say about the five different excursions we took - do you think I should post separate reviews for them here in the Ports of Call section? I don't know if anyone but us actually reads this thread, I know I was a little intimidated to chime in when I first got here. ...Okay, off to home I go!

SORRY Brenda & Cynthia it has been a LOOOONG day. I know I meant Cynthia...but well, it didn't get typed that way!!!!

And yes, of course please let us know exactly what you thought of the excursions...I haven't cruised yet....and either has BRENDA...see I got it now! And the thread is MExican Riviera!!!! I sure hope others would jump right in for any information they have on the subject! The more the merrier!

I will check back with you all in the morning. Off I go for the 1 1/2 hr commute home! YUCK!

It's okay, I get confused sometimes too!!!

The silly thread at CruiseCritic was deleted, finally. I love Crazy-Pants people - They're so.. worrisome and fascinating at the same time. I wonder how they function in real society, ya know??

Okay, so I will write up some reviews and post them later. Thank you all for being such nice, regular, helpful people!!!

Hi CruzGirl, welcome to cruisechat. You will find lots of helpful people here. I much prefer this site.

Cynthia i'm glad you enjoyed your cruise. my kids can't wait to go back. I absolutely can't wait myself. I wonder how often they switch cruise directors. We had Tina Noble last month.

Cynthia, I am sorry you had such a hard time at embarkation. We arrived at 9:45, had no line. Also, there were lots of carnival people pointing the way to the check in line.

Michele,
I forgot to pack a travel clock and extra tshirts and short. It is absolutely hot and humid in port and you will need to change once back on the ship and again before dinner.

Michele, Andrea and Cynthia are right. I bought a wrap on board because I was so cold. Also, it gets cold at night when you are on the pacific ocean side so bring a light jacket for the evening and a sweater for the cold mornings.