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Cruise Archive · 2001 Review
A Visit to Margaritaville
by Pam Cackler
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On March 4, 2001, my husband Jeff and I set sail with 142 other
Parrotheads on the gorgeous Carnival Victory to explore “those little
latitudes”. It was the adventure of a lifetime for us, but I will
start at the beginning, almost one year prior to that date.
In late March of 2000, I received an e-mail from a Parrothead phriend
from Cincinnati suggesting that I check out the Atlanta Parrothead
website, which was advertising an upcoming 7-day cruise. I had previously
corresponded with this phriend regarding the number of events, clubs
and concerts available to Parrotheads throughout the Midwest and east
coast, and lamenting the lack of such things available to us in a
small town such as Wenatchee, so she thought I might be interested
in checking this one out. I am forever in her debt.
We looked at the photos of previous cruises posted on the website,
the itinerary and plans for the March 2001 cruise, and within minutes
made up our minds that even if we had to take out a second mortgage
we would find a way to do this.
During our year of planning, the great folks at the Atlanta Parrothead
Club made sure we were kept up to the minute with information on everything--
from what to pack to “smuggling tips” for getting the required “attitude
adjustment products” aboard in our luggage (Carnival Cruises has a
policy prohibiting guests from bringing liquor aboard).
We left Wenatchee on Friday, March 2 to overnight in Seattle and fly
out at 6:00 AM Saturday, March 3. We arrived in Miami at around 5:00
PM local time and were taken to our hotel. Most of the rest of the
Parrothead group had an outing planned that evening in Miami, but
in the interest of being fully coherent the next day for our departure,
we opted to forego that one night.
Sunday morning we were picked up by Carnival and taken to the ship,
where the embarkation process went very smoothly. A few details about
the ship—The Carnival Victory is the newest ship in Carnival’s fleet,
having made her maiden voyage only last October. She is 893 feet long,
with a beam of 116 feet and has 14 decks, 4 pools, and 18 bars! We
settled into our balcony stateroom on the Panorama deck, next to the
top, where we found that the travel agent who booked the cruise had
provided us with a complimentary bottle of champagne. Shortly thereafter,
we rendezvoused with the rest of the Parrotheads who were holding
a very subdued (HA!) “welcome aboard” party on the Lido deck aft,
near the pool. We were given our ID tags, and the phun began.
Monday was a day at sea, during which we began to explore the ship
(and try to remember our way back to our stateroom), got better acquainted
with some of the others, tested various boat drinks, and sunned. My
husband participated, along with two other Parrotheads, in the men’s
“hairy chest contest”, scoring a 9 out of ten, but alas, only coming
in tied for second place.
Monday night was the Captain’s cocktail party and formal dinner. All
of the Parrotheads were seated together and we took up the entire
center section of the main dining floor. That night I dined on lobster,
mushroom risotto, and a great Chardonnay. After dinner, the phun continued,
when the Parrotheads assembled for the “pub crawl” which was a progressive
trip from one bar to the next throughout the ship. We paused in the
main promenade, where the guitar player knew a few Buffett tunes,
and we kicked all of our shoes into a pile in front of the stage and
entertained the rest of the guests with singing and a conga line through
the casino. This was the first of many occasions during the cruise
when we were asked “Who are you guys and how do I sign up to join
you?!”
Tuesday found us in Cozumel, Mexico. The group had planned a catamaran
snorkel trip, which was unfortunately canceled by the operator due
to water conditions. Undeterred by this minor setback, our intrepid
leader, Brent Jones of the APHC, knew that “plan B was foolproof”
and directed us to a beach club about 5 miles out of town. We all
loaded up in taxis and spent the better part of the day on the beach,
where for $25 we had all we could drink, use of the beach and pool,
kayaks, hammocks, and of course music. By this time, most of the Parrothead
men had had their toenails painted (including my usually conservative
husband) – 5 different colors, one for each toe – by some of the Parrothead
women. The big toe even had polka dots. A few eyebrows were raised.
That night we all went to Carlos and Charlie’s Bar in town for dinner
and more phrolicking.
Wednesday was another day at sea. Most of us again retired to the
aft pool area, where we hung the Margaritaville Tequila banner, the
Conch Republic Flag, and my very own parrot banner around the bar
and pool area just to warn any trespassers what they were in for.
There was singing, dumping of ice buckets on each other, and a somewhat
laid back beach ball volleyball game (all participants lying in chaise
lounges).
Wednesday evening was perhaps the highlight of the trip as far as
the parties went. Prior to departure, the cruise organizers had set
up Wednesday as “toga night” . We were all e-mailed, requesting us
to make togas or bring our most outrageous Parrothead attire, which
we would wear to dinner in the formal dining room that evening. And
oh, what an entrance we made! There were 144 of us, dressed in everything
from coconut bras and grass skirts to incredibly loud tropical print
togas, with every variety of head gear. We marched in as a group,
entering on the upper level of the dining room and circling down the
staircase to the main floor. More than a few mouths dropped! After
dinner we joined the dining room waitstaff in a huge conga line and
snaked through the room. We were definitely the people their parents
warned them about.
Thursday we arrived in Grand Cayman. The group went on various different
shore excursions, including a tour of the island with stops in Hell
(yes, that is the name of the town) and snorkeling among the sting
rays at Sting Ray City. Some of the group also went scuba diving.
Upon our return to the ship, we were treated to a “free champagne
party put on by our hosts”—Brent Sr. and Stella Jones. Brent Sr. and
Stella own a cruise travel agency and are the parents of the aforementioned
Brent Jones, our sterling cruise organizer from the APHC. Both Jeff
and I are extremely grateful to all of them for all that they did
to make this a fabulous trip. They spared no expense to treat us—including
this cocktail party with wonderful hors d’oeuvres and boat drinks.
Friday we arrived in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Again the group went on various
shore excursions. Jeff and I opted for a relaxing bamboo raft trip
down the Martha Brae River. The river runs through a 400 year old
Spanish sugar plantation which is now abandoned. Relics of what once
was, including old sugar cane processing machinery and a cemetery,
are on both sides of the river and are easily visible as you float
down the stream. The banks are lined with bamboo, breadfruit, and
African tulip trees, some complete with hanging orchids. It was a
beautiful trip.
Saturday was our last day at sea, en route back to Miami. Again, most
of us opted for the relaxation of the pool area. Toward the end of
the afternoon, we availed ourselves of the Jacuzzis next to the pool,
stuphing as many Parrotheads as possible into them while consuming
the boat drink of the day. Oh, and of course, singing! I learned some
new songs this trip, most of which I will not sing to my mother……..
To leave our fellow cruisers with a last fond memory of us, Saturday
night at dinner was bathrobe night. Carnival provides big fluffy white
terrycloth bathrobes in each cabin for the guests, so we all donned
them and wore them to dinner. It was a nice finishing touch.
Sunday, alas, we got up, said a sad farewell to new phriends and headed
for home. Would I go again? Can you give me 5 minutes to pack?
Again, Atlanta Parrothead Club, and especially Brent Jones Sr., Stella
Jones, and Brent Jr. deserve a huge amount of thanks for making it
all come off without a hitch and for being so gracious to us Pacific
Northwesterners, even if we do talk funny. We truly had “a lovely
cruise”!
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