Carnival Vista 2021 – Precruise #2 Shopping an independent shop and 3 Etsy shops

One thing for is for certain, small shops and/or shops owned by an individual ALWAYS have amazing customer service. And they always want to make sure you are completely satisfied with their products. I will continue to use the shops I’m about to talk about.

We are currently at 20 days away from our cruise. At least that is the plan for now but we all know that could change in a moment’s notice.

The first time I ordered from customcruisewear.com was for our four-generation family cruise on the Carnival Vista in 2018. I found myself in a jam and needed to make an order for 9 shirts that I needed within a couple of weeks. Angela made sure our order was taken care of and was beyond helpful. Our shirts were amazing!

In 2019 after I Carnival Dream cruise, I started looking at cruises for 2020. I found an 8-day that I thought would be perfect as we have not been on a Bahamas cruise on the Carnival Freedom and the bonus was that there was an inside stateroom with walkway view available on deck 7. It was a no-brainer, especially since there was currently a $50 deposit special going on. So we were scheduled to sail in August 2020. As a Christmas present, I got my husband a t-shirt from customcruisewear.com that says HUSBAND & WIFE CRUISING PARTNERS FOR LIFE. Of course, I got one for myself as well. This was going to be the shirt we would wear when we boarded the Carnival Freedom!!! And we would have worn them except, COVID had other ideas.

On June 22, 2020, our cruise was cancelled. We had prepared ourselves for this possibility and we had a back-up plan in place. We had already decided that if it were to cancel, which it did, we would book on the Carnival Radiance and would upgrade our stateroom to a balcony cabin with the extra large balcony. I knew one was available and I was keeping my fingers crossed that it would still be available when I spoke to my PVP. It was!!! So now we were booked on the Carnival Radiance for August 2021. We had a year to prepare for it. Surely everything would be back to normal in 2021.

We were wrong. On July 23rd, 2020, we received a letter stating that our cruise was being cancelled as it would not be finished with dry dock. Thanks, COVID. I quickly looked at other options for August 2021 and we decided on an 8-day Bahamas cruise on the Carnival Dream. We booked it on July 23rd, 2020 in a balcony stateroom with the extra large balcony on deck 7.

During this time, it became obvious that the mom and pop shops were really suffering. And I’m sure they are still struggling to keep their heads above water.

Once June 2021 came around, I felt more confident that our cruise on the Carnival Dream would happen. I was so confident that on June 4th, 2021, I ordered a shirt from customcruisewear.com that says VACCINATED AND READY TO CRUISE. On that day, I decided that this would be the shirts that Jim and I would wear on embarkation day!!!

After a few days, I started thinking that I really wanted a shirt that says EMBARKATION HERE I COME and another shirt that says FINALLY ON A FUN SHIP. Since I knew that Angela at customcruisewear.com does custom shirts, I looked at all of the designs she has on here website and decided on the backgrounds I liked then sent her an email asking if my request could be done. And within a day or 2 I had the designs. So, I ordered 2 of each shirt. These shirts were ordered on June 9th, 2021 and I could not be more happy with these purchases from customcruisewear.com and will continue to order shirts from her.

On June 10th, 2021, we received an email stating that our cruise was being cancelled. And now we are booked on the Carnival Vista. I feel more confident with this as she has already started sailing. But I am fully aware that this too could change. But I’m still shopping!!!

After purchasing the shirts, I decided I really wanted to find some earrings with a nautical theme. I wasn’t finding anything on Amazon that I really wanted so I turned to Etsy and did a search for nautical theme jewelry. There was so much to choose from but I narrowed down my options to 3 pairs of earrings. And since I couldn’t pick just one, I picked all 3!!!

The first one is a pair of Anchor Earrings that are studs. The name of the shop is JustaGirlintheGarage. The earrings are perfect and I would highly recommend her shop. I will be wearing these earrings when I’m wearing my swimsuit, so almost every day!

The second one is a pair of Flip Flor Anchor hardboard earrings. The shop name is PaintedPugCreations. I love these earrings. In fact, I’m wearing them today. They are not heavy at all and will definitely be worn a lot!!!

The final one is a pair of Nautical Earrings from the shop MichelleLynneJewelry. I will definitely be wearing these earrings when I wear my FINALLY ON A FUN SHIP shirt.

In the future when I’m looking for earrings for a special theme, I will first look at these shops. They are fantastic and the quality if perfect.

So now I ask that you please come back for the next shopping installment.

Carnival Vista 2021 – Precruise #1

We currently are 23 days out from our cruise on the Carnival Vista. I’m still not 100% positive it will happen, but I am trying to remain optimistic.

Pre-cruise reservations have been made for our overnight stay in Galveston. We will be staying at The Commodore on the Beach as we have stayed there before and had no problems. So, should this cruise cancel, at least we WILL be spending one night in Galveston.

This cruise will be taking us to Mahogany Bay, Belize, and Cozumel. We plan on doing nothing in Mahogany Bay other than shopping, which I didn’t do the last time we were there, and possibly spending time on the beach. We will just wait and see how we feel when we get there. In Belize, we might take the tender to the port for some quick shopping but then again, we might just stay on the ship and do absolutely nothing. We are looking forward to our stop in Cozumel. For the first time in fourteen trips, both cruise and land, we will be going to Mr. Sanchos. I am looking forward to doing something absolutely different than what we have done before.

Yesterday, we were notified of some new protocols for vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers. Beginning August 7th, there is a new mask protocol in place. “We strongly encourage all guests to wear face masks when indoors, particularly guests who are unvaccinated including children under the age of 12 should wear masks in public areas, except when eating or drinking.” I am NOT concerned with this at all and I have no problem following this. Beginning August 14th “we will require ALL fully vaccinated guests to produce a negative viral COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) taken within 3 days of their embarkation on all Carnival Cruise Line sailings” It goes on to say “Fully vaccinated guests will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test along with proof of full vaccination upon arrival in the terminal and can then proceed to board.” Jim and I will be have our tests done on either the Wednesday or Thursday before we are scheduled to cruise. And let it be know, I will gladly follow this protocol as well.

Leading up to yesterday’s letter, I had been doing some shopping. Mostly from Amazon, and couple of things from Venus, and several t-shirts from custom cruise wear. I strongly recommend that shop for cruise shirts and they also have door signs and banners and other cruise related items. Go check them out sometime.

In the days to come, I will blog about the purchases made for this cruise that will also be used in future cruises, what we are packing, and even some jewelry I made for myself. I had to do something to keep myself occupied.

So for now, I will end this blog. Please stay tuned for the next blog, Carnival Vista 2021 – Precruise #2.

Carnival Dream 2021 Precruise #3 Another one bites the dust.

On Thursday, June 10th, our 8-day cruise on the Carnival Dream was cancelled. For some reason, I had not fully trusted that this cruise would happen so I was not surprised. In fact, I had been preparing myself by looking at options for cruises in 2022. The original cruise list option consisted of 5 options.

Option #1 – 7-day cruise on the Carnival Vista sailing on 03/26/2022 going to Mahogany Bay, Belize, and Cozumel.

Option #2 – 7-day cruise on the Carnival Vista sailing 04/16/2022 going to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.

Option #3 – 7-day cruise on Carnival Vista sailing on 08/22/2022 going to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.

Option #4 – 7-day cruise on Carnival Vista sailing on 08/27/2022 going to Mahogany Bay, Belize, and Cozumel.

Option #5 – 8-day cruise o the Carnival Dream sailing on 08/27/2022 going to Key West, Freeport, Half Moon Cay, and Nassau.

After discussing with my better half, we narrowed down the list to option #2 or option #5. But, we would also consider the Carnival Vista sailing on 08/28/2021 going to Mahogany Bay, Belize, and Cozumel.

When we received notice that our cruise on the Carnival Dream was cancelled, I immediately contacted our super awesome PVP so see if there was any availability on the Vista leaving on 08/28/2021. Luckily, there were staterooms available so we are now book on the Carnival Vista. I’m so happy that our countdown has not changed.

I feel much better about this cruise sailing since her first voyage is scheduled for July 3, 2021! When I booked this cruise, I was formed that vaccines are required which is not a problem for us since we had our vaccines in March! We are excited to go on the Carnival Vista again and look forward to repeating a 7-day itinerary. This time, we will take our time to really enjoy all the ship has to offer.

Hopefully sometime this week, Carnival will be informing the guests sailing in July and August the excursion protocol. I’m certain it will be regarding if the guests are allowed to book excursions outside of Carnival and if the guests are allowed to explore the ports of calls on their own.

We are sailing in a different time, now. Things are changing and will continue to change. And I, for one, am okay with any changes that come.

Just get me on a ship!!!!

Carnival Dream 2021 Precruise #2, 200-Day Countdown

We are now at our 200-day countdown. Normally I would be diligently making out our packing lists, to-do lists, and checking hotel rates daily. Although I have been checking hotel rates, I have not made any reservations as I know changes are coming. I just do not know when. So, we are basically in a holding pattern.

While in this holding pattern, I have discussed with my husband our options when the time comes. Depending on how the cruise is changed, we are considering changing to the Carnival Vista in March, 2022.

And so, we wait. I consider our options for other things to do in August.

Telling Our Story One Scrapbook Page At A Time – Organizing My Alpha Stickers Part 2

I must admit, this is taking me a lot longer than I anticipated. But at least it is definitely a work in progress. This is what I have completed so far.

I still have 117 sheets of alpha cardstock to turn into stickers plus 4 cards of alpha stickers to add to that mix.

Originally, I was putting the alphas in 2″ x 2″ poly bags, but I have found it difficult to put that many alphas in them. So I ordered 3″ x 4″ poly bags to use. My hope is that it will much easier to store the alphas until I turn them into stickers.

I will report back once I have all of the alphas ready to turn into stickers. Please wish me luck. Feel free to offer any advice or suggestions on this project.

Have a great day!!!

Telling Our Story One Scrapbook Page At A Time – Installment 23, More from 2007

Today I decided to use 2 photos from 2007 to make 2 new scrapbook pages. I hope you enjoy them.

This first is a picture of my husband and I at a Valentine dance. It is rare that we have pictures together and even more rare that it actually turns out decent. The only exception are pictures we have made on cruises. But for some reason, this picture really turned out good. I was very surprised.

The second picture is a picture of 2 of my granddaughters playing on a play ground at a neighborhood elementary school. These girls loved to play on the playground. Now they are all grown up and are always off in different directions.

I hope you enjoyed these pages. I will be back with more tomorrow!

Telling Our Story One Scrapbook Page At A Time – Installment 22, Family Edition #5 NASCAR 2007

Something you should know about me. I have loved NASCAR for a long time. So much that I even named our pets after race tracks. Our first dog, I named her Daytona. Why??? Because I thought you looked like the backstretch at Daytona after the big one, all black with some white and brown. Our cat is named Talladega, because he has some stripes. Our third dog is named Cartwright. How does that relate to Texas Motor Speedway? The big screen they show the race on is called Big Hoss and we actually call our dog Hoss. And our newest addition to our canine family is Dixie. There is actually a Dixie Racetrack in Georgia, so that is close enough to racing for us. Now, on with the story for today’s scrapbook page.

For Christmas, 2006, I gave my kids tickets to the NASCAR Busch race. My daughter couldn’t go so her oldest daughter took her place!

It was cold but still an exciting time. I was so happy my oldest son was able to make it! We had a great time. One of these days, we might go to another one. Over the years, there have been a lot of changes in the way the races are run. I’m not saying they are good or bad. I’m just not a fan of them. Don’t get me wrong. I do still love a good race! It’s just that the drivers I followed in the beginning are no longer racing. So, travel opportunities are more of a priority than going to races

Telling Our Story One Scrapbook Page At A Time -Installment 21, Kimmie and Kelly’s Morning Of Fun

There is not a scrapbook page for today but I do have a one photo to share.

Today, my daughter picked me up with plans of looking for a new recliner for my mom. Our initial plans were to go to Big Lots to look at recliners and Joann’s to look around.

Our first stop was to drop off my moms meds snd other items she ran out of, couldn’t find, or just wanted. Kimmie also had a wrapped Christmas present and Christmas card to have delivered to her as well. So far, so good!

We made it to Big Lots but it had not opened for the day. There just happens to be a Target in the same shopping center. So we did what any normal female would do… we went to Target. But there was a bit of a delay getting inside. My mom called Kimmie to thank her for the frame and the card. We changed to topic of the conversation to let her know we were out looking for a new recliner for her explaining the fall risk she has since it swivels. She. Was. Mad. She does not want a new recliner. Eventually she told us that she wants us to get her 2 frames like the one she has for Wesley’s family. She doesn’t know the size of the frame but she has pictures of her other family that needs to be put in a frame. It turns out, the other family is Kimmie’s family!!! We laughed so hard we were crying.

We finally made it inside Target for a little shopping and, of course, a Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha and a regular mocha. Followed by stops at Big Lots, Joann’s, and Michael’s.

Overall it was a fabulous day and I can’t wait to do it again!!! But next time, I will not leave my Starbucks Mocha in Kimmies car.

Telling Our Story One Scrapbook Page At A Time – Installment 20, Organizing My Alpha Stickers part 1

For a long time, I have struggled with storage options for my alpha stickers. I have tried putting them in binders and that worked for a while until I realized that if they were not in my sight, I would not use them. So, like so many others, I started watching YouTube videos to see how other people store their alpha stickers.

After watching a lot of videos, I have decided to try something I saw in one of the videos. I wish I could remember who’s video it was, but I just don’t. But, she used a divided freezer bin and some 6″ x 12″ poly bags, both found on Amazon. I also ordered some 4″ x 6″ photo protectors and some 2″ x 2″ zip plastic poly bags.

At first I tried some 1 mil poly bags and they just seemed to thin. So I ordered some 4 mil poly bags and they feel thicker, more sturdy for my needs.

Now that I have the supplies, it is time to start organizing. I will continue this series to document my progress every Saturday as I have a lot of alpha stickers and non-stickers to get organized.

Telling Our Story One Scrapbook Page At A Time – Installment 19, Galveston 2012 No. 6, Evening in Galveston.

It seems only appropriate after the walking, driving, in and out of the car, that we did it would be appropriate for us to go in search of a place to eat. The dining options in Galveston are endless. The variety ranges from fast food to fine dining. It all depends on what you want at any given time. Today we decided to have a late lunch, early dinner at Joe’s Crab Shack. It’s nothing special but definitely hit the spot. Of course, our travel mascot Fernando deFrog Cruise had to have a cocktail!

A walk along Seawall Boulevard was required after eating. Obviously I was on my way to my favorite shopping spot on Seawall! Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures inside Murdochs but maybe on another trip to Galveston, I will.

Our evening ended with a beautiful sunset outside the condo.

We didn’t know how the evening/night would end, but it ended suddenly. While we were relaxing, we received a frantic call from our granddaughter, Jennifer. My mom fell in the bathroom and she did not know what to do. Jennifer was scared as I’m sure anyone would be at that age (13). We immediately packed up and headed back home. I think we made it to the hospital in record time! Luckily, there were no serious injuries and the cause of the fall was determined to be from a seizure and a small stroke.