Our Carnival Pride Repo Journeys Cruise (with pics) - 2/26/17

[Jamman]

Tonight we are eating dinner in David’s Steakhouse. We like to eat in the Steakhouse, if the ship has one, at least once a cruise. We were given a lovely table for two next to the window…..

The compliments of the Chef were a crab melt……..

The wonderful focaccia bread and the accompaniments…..

For her starter Patti chose the crab cake…..

To be continued…….

 

[Jamman]

I had two orders of the Portobello mushrooms for my starter……

We both had the Caesar salad which was made tableside…..

For her entrée Patti ordered the Maine lobster tails…….

I always order the 18 oz. spice rubbed ribeye cooked medium…….

For dessert tonight, I chose the chocolate sampler…….

To be continued……

 

[Jamman]

Patti really likes the fruit plate, which she brings back to the cabin…..

It was a great meal with great service. As we leave Patti takes this shot of the bar in David’s Steakhouse…..

Here are a couple of shots of Patti and I that the Hostess took…….

We were now stuffed and getting sleepy, so after a short walk around the ship, we headed back to the cabin for the night. For those that want to know, the show in the Taj Mahal was the Playlist Production of “Getaway Island”. Mark Hawkins and Diane Ford were still playing at Punchliners.

Here is tonight’s turndown service and towel animal……

Coming up next: Our first visit ever to Costa Rica!!!

 

[Christoffer]

This is awesome, thank you Jeff!

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Loving your review and pictures.

We did nearly everything you did in Tampa. But we got the senior citizen discount for the streetcar.

 

[Jamman]

Thursday, March 2nd - Port Limon, Costa Rica - 11am to 6pm)

Here are today’s Fun Times……..

We were up at 7am, and looking out at the horizon we could see that it was cloudy and rainy, so we won’t be getting any sunrise pictures today. The seas were fairly calm…..

To be continued…..

 

[Jamman]

Looking outside, we could see that it had begun to rain……

Patti didn’t want any breakfast today, so I decided to make my way to the Blue Iguana Cantina for a breakfast burrito. Heading outside it was still raining, and the Lido Deck was slick and wet…..

The Morning Show with CD Steve was playing on the big screen……

I have arrived at the Blue Iguana Cantina……

To be continued…..

 

[Jamman]

Here is the sign that helps you make your burrito decisions…….

Of course, I already know what I want, and my burrito is made with a smile…..

I take my burrito and head over to the Red Frog Rum Bar where Winston hooks me up with a Thirsty Frog Red. Ah, the breakfast of champions……

This is my view of the empty Lido Pool area from my perch at the Red Frog Rum Bar…..

After I finished my breakfast, I went back to my cabin to watch us pull into Port Limon. It is still raining as we make our approach…..

To be continued…..

 

[Jamman]

This is where the Carnival Pride will be docking…..

The Carnival Pride begins to back into her berth…..

There are tugs standing by in case they are needed…..

We are just about in, and the rain has stopped and it is clearing up…..

To be continued…..

 

[Jamman]

All Carnival tours were meeting in the Taj Mahal at 11am. The tours would leave the ship first, and then everyone else could debark. They called each tour one at a time to line up to debark, but since the ship didn’t get cleared until 11:25am, the line became insanely long. Here we are in the Taj Mahal before our tour was called…..

We are doing the “All about Limon” tour today.

EXCURSION DETAILS
The province of Limon is prized for its vibrant culture and stunning scenery. Join us as we explore the region and learn about its history and people. Travel in air-conditioned comfort for a drive around Limon and its city that still retains its old roots. Next, visit a private reserve and enjoy a walk through the forest via a network of low-rise cemented walkways. Keep an eye out (and camera ready) for animals like monkeys and other wildlife. Continue to the private pier and board an open-air boat for a cruise along the calm Tortuguero Canals “Costa Rica’s Amazon”. With over 2400 species of flora and a wide array of wildlife, the area will astound you with its biodiversity. Refresh with a delicious fruit buffet and natural refreshments while local music is played; browse for a memento of your eco-day in Limón, then re-board your transportation and head back to the ship via a scenic coastal road.
NOTES

• Some walking is required along flat surfaces, bring along a hat, sun protection, insect repellent, soft walking shoes and a camera.
• Rain gear is recommended.
• Wildlife sightings while common, they can not be guaranteed

· $69.99 / Adult ,$59.99 / Child

Once our tour was called it took a good half hour to get off the ship, but here we are…..

As we were led to our tour bus we passed a couple of guys playing the xylophone on the pier…….

Here’s the stern of the Carnival Pride……..

Once on the bus our tour guide Jose told us not to worry, because even though we were getting a late start, we would be getting the full tour. Here’s a view of the Carnival Pride as we leave the terminal area…..

To be continued……

 

[Jamman]

The tour starts in the city of Limon itself. Jose tells us about all the points of interest. Here is an open market…..

A typical city street……

There is barbed wire everywhere. Jose explains that the people use it to protect their possessions, not themselves, and that the city is perfectly safe. Really?

Here is the largest Cathedral in Limon, along with the Rectory…..

As with any busy city there is a lot of traffic. Our tour through the city took a long time because of the traffic…..

To be continued…..

 

[Jamman]

We are now traveling along the coastline on our way to a banana plantation…..

Along the way, we stop at a roadside stand where Jose gets off…..

Jose comes back on the bus with a stalk of “baby” bananas…..

They really are small……..

I think that I could eat about 20 of them!

Jose shows us a cacao pod. This is what they make chocolate out of…..

To be continued…..

 

[Jamman]

We have arrived at the banana plantation…..

The banana stalks are wrapped in blue bags. This keeps the insecticides from washing away, and helps prevent cross contamination in the event a plant becomes diseased. Jose explains that if several plants become diseased, they will burn down an acre of plants to stop it from spreading…..

The tour is now heading to the rain forest. Along the way we pass the University of Costa Rica……

Recognize any of these names?

To be continued…..

 

[Jamman]

We are heading to the Tortuguero Rainforest……

There are many rivers and canals here that can be explored. Here is a dock where you can board a boat to explore the area…..

Our bus arrives at a private reserve…….

We are greeted with live music……

Here you can get free water and lemonade, use the restroom, and of course there is a gift shop…..

To be continued…….

 

[Jamman]

We have boarded a boat to explore the rain forest by river…..

Jose is still our guide, and will be for the entire time…..

Here are some views from along the river…..

To be continued……

 

[Jamman]

Here are a few shots of a three toed sloth. This sloth was way up at the top of a tree, but Patti was able to zoom in for a close up…..

Here are some more views from along the river……

To be continued…..

 

[Jamman]

Jose said that this was a two toed sloth, though I don’t know how you can tell the difference from this far away. Again, Patti was able to zoom in for a close up…..

Here are a few more views along the water as we come to the end of the river portion of our tour…….

To be continued…..

 

[Jamman]

After leaving the boat, Jose gathers us together for the walking part of the tour. We will be following a paved, slightly elevated path through the rain forest. Here, Jose shows us a wild banana. Those black seeds in the banana are very poisonous…..

Jose is handling some spooky looking spiders, which I can only assume are not poisonous!

Here is some of the flora and fauna along the pathway…..

To be continued…..

 

[Jamman]

Here are Patti and I on the trail…..

Here is some more flora and fauna as we wind our way to the end of the trail…..

To be continued……

 

[Jamman]

After we left the trail, we went back to the welcome center where there was fresh fruit waiting for us. Once refreshed, we boarded our bus to head back to Port Limon…..

Here are a few coastline views as we made our way back…..

Once back, Patti went over to check out the Souvenir Market, and I went back to the ship.

This tour for us was one of those been there, done that, kind of thing. We thought it took too long to finally get to the rain forest. I would give it 3 stars out of 5.

To be continued…..