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Hallelujah! We’re on a cruise and it’s… Day 0(h)

Those of you who know me know that it’s DAY 0… so come on now… sing it with me:

Day OH… Day yay yay oh.

I’m coming to you Live From the Carnival Horizon. Ok it’s not really live… but it’s close. I’m on board the Horizon on its first cruise out of Miami since the Cootie Bugs hit us. This is the first live from I’ve done in years since this is a special cruise. As always, I’ll tell you about the good, the bad, and the ugly of this cruise.

Before I get to the frivolity, and fun stuff, I want to pass on a little about boarding Carnival’s ships sailing out of Florida.

First and foremost, don’t leave home without it… your vaccination card. When you check in at the port, per CDC rules, they will not accept anything but the original. Photos on your phone or copies will not do. If you show up without it, you will have two options. 1) Get tested, @ $150 you pay and then board with special non-vaccinated rules. That gets you on a wait list and is not a guarantee you will get to board. If you get to board, it means you must wear a mask get re-tested (again at your cost) and “social distance.” Social distance means you probably won’t be able to eat, drink and have fun with anyone not in your cabin.

Provided you are fully vaccinated, once on the ship masks are gone. Right away it starts to feel like the pre-cootie bug days. Walking around the ship you would not know the Cootie bugs were ever around. That said, even though the crew are 100% vaccinated, they are still wearing masks and doing some anti cootie-bug stuff. But there’s nothing that seems to make any difference to the passengers.

I can’t begin to tell you how great it is to be back to everything we love about cruising on Carnival. First were the Ferengie burgers… you know those bad for your waist line, juicy mouth watering, Guy’s burgers. They are mmmmmm-mmmmmm good! With my first “Funship Special” (booze) in hand, I made a bee-line to Guy’s Burger Joint. I ate two of then along with a batch of spicy fries. Did I mention they are mmmmmm-mmmmmm good. I fully intend to gain at least 1 pound per day on this cruise. At least half of it in Ferengie Burgers.

Food in the dining room was the standard stuff we’ve been enjoying for years… and missing for the last months. It was nothing to write home about but tasty and more than you could possibly eat. Did I mention adding a pound a day. AND… I almost forgot… the Chocolate Melting cake is still the best and I’ve missed it almost as much as anything else about cruising.

Then… the thing I’ve been waiting for most since the beginning of 2020… a night in the Piano Bar. And it did not let me down. One of the best piano bar entertainers Carnival has, Eden Parker, did not disappoint. There was singing, laughing, and shots into the wee hours of the morning. The overwhelming reason I cruise on Carnival is for the fun and enjoyment I have in the piano bar. Eden was no exception and I look forward to spending every night of the cruise in the Piano Bar with some of my closest friends and my buddy… Senior Patron.

Finally, I have to mention how great the entire crew has been. As we boarded, everyone greeted us with a gleeful “welcome back.” We could tell they too were ecstatic about being back and could almost see the smiles under their masks. Every change I got I told them, “welcome back to you too” and it almost always got a laugh.

Before I end this post, I want to tell you I will continue posting the text of the coming day’s adventures here. It is far easier to post videos and pics on the Kokomo Man web page so you can find those there.

Since this is the new beginning, I’ll be glad to answer any questions you may have here. I’ll get to them as and when I can. So… post away.

That’s all for now… I’ve got a meeting with Senior Patron.

Kokomo Man