A little over 100 hours ago I disembarked from the Carnival Fantasy in New Orleans following a 5-day sailing to and from Mexico. I had a great time on the ship and in the ports-of-call. I can’t wait to go on my next Carnival cruise – in a little over 200 days !
Here now are my TOP 6 Carnival cruise ships that I’ve been on over the past decade in chronological order:
This is perhaps one of my favourite weekly series here on this blog to prepare for, compile, and then ultimately publish for your reading and viewing pleasure. It allows me to reminisce about my storied past. It’s a past that spans from a mere millisecond ago to sometime in 1966 when God created me.
Allow me to do a bit of reminiscing here.
A week ago tonight I was exploring and enjoying the Carnival Fantasy as she sailed southbound down the Mississippi River towards the Gulf Of Mexico.
5 years ago on this holiday weekend I spent 2 days and 2 nights up at my former playground of the Walt Disney World area. I used to go up there for wild and crazy fun several times per year for about a dozen years. Other than once on church business (last April) I haven’t been up there in nearly 27 months.
18 years ago this week in 1991 I was living in a MASSIVE tent city in Saudi Arabia serving during Operation Desert Storm. At that time I didn’t know when I would be able to return back home stateside. War is tough, but ironically I had a lot of fun in the sand over there. For many reasons (including the successful war campaign) 1991 was the greatest year of my active duty military career.
34 years ago on tomorrow’s date in 1975 I had my first Communion ceremony at Catholic school as a second grader. Communion means so much more to me today than it did 34 years ago – or even 4 years ago. Tomorrow morning during the first church service I’ll be at my usual position serving Communion to my brothers and sisters of Life Pointe Church at one of four stations set up inside the theatre.
It’s fun to reminisce about the past, but it’s all about facing the future and moving forward aggresively while chasing daylight.
Here’s a cool tune from a cool band out of Australia that’s still alive and touring today all over the world. From 1978 it’s “Reminiscing” from Little River Band. It’s one of my favourite songs of its genre of all-time. Enjoy !
This week I present to you the TOP 5 things that I’m most looking forward to on my upcoming Carnival cruise. Perhaps it will make you giggle out loud like a little girl:
5. Dressing up in my most elegant formal attire to shake hands with the Captain, introduce myself as ‘The Major’, and then indulge in rich hors d’oeuvres on fancy plates while watching old people dance the Charleston up on stage.
4. Dude – Those 100-minute 8-course dinners every single night of the week. Need I say more ? Hey I’m all about the food ! It’s all good like that !
3. Dancing out in the middle of the disco dance floor like it’s 1989 and I’m 22 years old. I still have some leftover dance moves in me that I never got to during the 1985 to 2005 time-frame. If I return to America’s Riviera in noticeable pain then you can pretty much surmise that I finally got to those dance moves out on the open seas. I may have made a total fool of myself, but it surely wouldn’t be the first time.
2. She’s sweet – I16 ! He’s on social security – O65 ! She’s got the sexy legs of Bingo – B11 ! Representing all of the States – G50 ! Middle-aged Bingo – N40 ! B I N G O ! ! !
1. Embarking on one long continuous ‘Major’s Walk-A-Thon’ up and down and all around all of the various decks from the time that I step on that cruise ship to the time that I step off of it. How else am I gonna work off the 4,750 calories that I’ll be consuming over the course of 5 MASSIVE meals per day ?
‘Monday Night Countdown’ returns in 2 weeks on Monday February 16TH 2009.
Vacationers and snowbirds alike spend millions of dollars each year to visit this particular region of the U.S.A. that I call home year-round. It’s America’s Riviera, and for those of us who call it home we tend to get bored and restless after awhile. Even we need to go elsewhere on vacation to get away from it all. Once we return back home again then that’s when we really appreciate what we actually have down here.
Here are my TOP 5 vacation destinations that I’d love to visit to get away from it all for just a short little while:
5. Australia / New Zealand – This is one of the top entries on my personal ‘Bucket List’. I am very intrigued with these two secluded nations. In a previous life on the web I used to have an actual fanbase in this part of the world.
4. United Kingdom – I lived there for two years and one week nearly a quarter of a century ago. I haven’t been back since. I promised myself that I would be back when I departed back then. I intend to keep that promise – some Summer.
3. Madeira – This is perhaps the most exotic place that I’ve ever visited in my entire Life. I did so in early November 2007 as part of a Mediterranean / Transatlantic Carnival cruise from Rome Italy to Miami Florida. I was only on the (capital) island for a day, but I could have spent at least a week there.
2. Bermuda – I visited there twice as a little kid back in the mid-1970s, and I haven’t been back since. A couple of nights ago I actually did research online regarding seasonal hotel rates on the island. I think I know where I wish to stay now once I decide to pull the trigger on this whole vacation thing there.
1. Mexico – I made this my top vacation destination because this will actually occur within the next two weeks. I’ll be visiting Progreso and Cozumel on back-to-back days as back-to-back ports-of-call on my upcoming Carnival cruise. I’ve never been to Progreso. I’ve been to Cozumel more than any other port-of-call, and it’s probably my favourite of them all.
CountUp 