The forecast for today was sunny with a high of 84 degrees. It was a gorgeous day.
I had taken a look at Yelp for breakfast restaurant recommendations in Long Beach and we decided to try the Omelette Inn in Downtown Long Beach. We got there shortly after it opened at 7 a.m. and before we left every table indoors was filled and people were starting to sit outdoors even though it was still a bit cool.
The prices are very low – omelettes and chicken-fried steak breakfasts for $8 and $9 respectively – and service was great.
Next we went to the Walmart a few blocks away to find another pair of swim trunks for my husband and last stopped by Starbucks so I could get a Pumpkin Spice latte.
I should tell you the Carnival Miracle was delayed and the ship didn’t get to the port until around 9:30 am. We had received an email, text message and phone calls from Carnival the day before letting us know and advising us to not arrive at the cruise terminal until 2:30 pm. The ships departure was being delayed from 4:30 to 5 pm.
I called the front desk and requested our checkout be pushed back from the usual noon to 1 pm and they said yes. We were scheduled for the 1:50 pm free shuttle to the port.
Once we saw the Miracle arrived we decided to walk over to the Queen Mary and get a closer view. It was probably about a 1.5 mile walk roundtrip and we enjoyed the views of downtown, the marina, the Queen Mary and of course the Miracle.
We then decided to use the pool area. This was the only time my husband got to wear his brand new trunks and you’ll find out why later.
There was only one other couple in the entire area and we enjoyed swimming and then the Jacuzzi before sunning to dry off.
They had loungers in little cabanas that were so relaxing and peaceful.
There’s also a bar but we decided to hold off on more drinks until the ship.
When we checked out our bags were checked into the luggage room by the front desk an we headed back to Fuego’s for a light lunch.
We split a plate of 3 tacos with rice and beans. It was delicious! We went back to the lobby and met a couple from the cruise Facebook group and found out that four other people signed up for there shuttle time, 1:30 pm, had gone earlier so there would be room on their shuttle. We decided to join them since the shuttle was running late. My husband got the bags from the room and the shuttle filled up and we were off. The bags were offloaded and left with the baggage handlers. Note, we didn’t personally hand over our bags.
We then got into the longest check-in line I’ve ever had in over a dozen cruises. The worse part was the first 30 minutes because we were in the sun. Once we got under cover it was fine. Check-in was outdoors because there was no room inside the terminal.
After 90 minutes we made it to the front desk and was quickly checked in. A change from our last cruise was that the picture was taken at check-in. We got group 15 but all groups were boarding so we got in the line for the terminal. It took 30 minutes to get through this line and we were on-board the ship at 4 pm.
We went straight to the room and got our first view from the aft balcony. We had a lounger, two chairs and a table out there and took a few moments to appreciate this view of the Long Beach skyline.
One bag was already at the room and we had two more to come. I started unpacking while my husband went to the Lido and grabbed a snack for us. We shared a roasted turkey sandwich from the deli (very tasty).
I had a message from guest services wanting to confirm the details of the Cruise Critic cocktail party I organized. We agreed to meet after dinner for payment.
The captain had announced we’d get underway at 7 pm. There were a lot of supplies to load for a 15 day cruise and they had a late start.
The safety drill was shortly after 5 pm and although not fun, it wasn’t unpleasant. We had muster area D. When it was over, it was time for our 5:30 dinner eating in the Bacchus dining room. We hadn’t even had time to check out what type of table we had.
We like tables of 8 or 10 so we can meet a variety of people. We were assigned to a booth for four people which was disappointing. If we got a dud of a couple, it could get uncomfortable.
Our waiter Gembong introduced himself to us and gave us menus. After we ordered our tablemates arrived. We were relieved to find conversation was easy and fun. They are of like ages and also from California.
Here’s our selections for the evening.
- Appetizers: vegetable spring rolls, tomato soup, shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad
- Entrees: Sweet & Sour Shrimp, brisket
- Dessert: Tropical fruit plate, crème brulee with butter pecan ice cream
The service was excellent and the food was good.
After dinner I went to guest services and she showed me the venue and I arranged for a check-in table before paying. Unfortunately because we were still in port (we didn’t leave until at 8 pm) tax would be added so we agreed I’d pay the next day.
I then noticed a voice mail on my phone that had been left during dinner from the bellman at the hotel. They had one of our bags and wanted to know if we took the wrong one. What! As it turns out, my husband hadn’t noticed he had the wrong big black bag AND I didn’t double-check. We had dropped off someone else’s bag at the port- who wasn’t sailing.
The hotel wanted me to bring back the wrong suitcase and I had to explain to her I won’t get custody of the bag since it didn’t have my room tag on it. I didn’t think to ask for the name of the person so I could find out if it was on-board or not. It may be going to Hawaii or may still be at the port. The hotel was going to follow-up with the port the next day. Our bag would still be be waiting at the Hotel Maya when we got back.
My husband was devastated to learn he’d make such a mistake. We started thinking about everything that we were missing and the most important were our toiletries. Our gift shop bill is going to be high this trip!
Fortunately, I have a habit of dividing clothes amongst bags so we both the basics. The one thing I probably can’t buy on-board and will miss are my sneakers. There goes my plan to work out!
After the long day and standing around for hours waiting to board we were exhausted and turned in early.
Click on the image above to see today’s Fun Times program. If you missed the first post for this cruise the link is below.
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