Weekenders

Sea Day Sea-ssentails

In between days at port, you often get to experience a sea day. This is a day of traveling to your next stop where you get to do anything and everything aboard the ship. Some enjoy sleeping in, laying out in the sun all day, and then getting to bed early. Others love spending the day in the casino, trying to strike it rich. We, like many others, like to do a little bit of everything. If you want a taste of a variety of Carnival amenities and experiences, take a minute to read about our Sea Day Sea-ssentials. 

Towel Animals!

On sea days you will encounter a zoo of Carnival’s famous towel animals. While you may become used to seeing one in your room each evening, on a sea day (if you get up early enough), you will find an incredible assortment of animals all over the Lido deck. And you can even visit the towel animal theater, where the towel animals come to life and put on a show!

towelanimals.jpg

towelanimal2.jpg

Morning Brunch

On sea days, we brunch. Sea day brunch in the dining room offers your standard omelets, eggs and toast, and blueberry pancakes. But there are also crazy options, like French toast coated with cereal, mac n’ cheese, steak-n-eggs, and banana cream pie. We love the menu of sea day brunch because it really makes you feel like you are on vacation. When else would you have blueberry pancakes, mac n’ cheese, and a double chocolate brownie at brunch. Cruise life is the best life. 

pancakes.jpg

Fun in the Sun

After morning brunch, we like to go get our tan on. Swap the coffee for a mimosa, put on some sunscreen, and soak up the sun. Feel free to snooze, read a book (Alli), or work on your Rubik’s cube solving speed (Bobby). 

funinsun.jpg

icecream.jpg

Hairy Chest Contest

Exactly what it sounds like. A contest for showing off your chest hair and performing hilarious challenges to music. The best part is that the hairiest man may not always win… like Bobby. He won for the second time in a row on this cruise. Ha!

hairychest.jpg

Martini Tasting

After the hairy chest contest, and a nice little nap, we head to the Alchemy Bar for some martini tasting. The bartenders make amazing cocktails and like to have fun with it! You can order a flight of 4 martinis, and then blind taste to try and figure out which one is which. It’s 5 o’clock somewhere! 

martini1.jpg

martini2.jpg

Art Auction

Art Auctions aren't something we normally spend our time doing, but why not peruse art and possibly bid on some? We love walking around and seeing the diverse art hanging on the walls of the Carnival Victory

Vroom!

Playlist productions are the live performances aboard the ships that have incredible dancing, lighting, and special effects. There are normally two showings on your sea-days, so depending on what else you have going on, make sure you get to one of them. Our favorite show so far was on this recent trip aboard the Carnival Victory, called Vroom! 

vroom.jpg

Piano Bar

This is not just a sea day activity for us. Almost every night aboard a Carnival cruise, we will end our night at the piano bar. Not only do the ships always have super talented pianists, but it is one of the most fun places to make friends. The same people normally go to piano bar. People that want to have a good time, meet other people, and are outgoing enough to sing songs at the top of their lungs. No matter what kind of day it has been, it is always a great idea to end it singing classic piano tunes with your new best friends!

pianobar.jpg

There are endless opportunities for fun on a Carnival sea-day. You can be adventurous, mellow, or anything in between. We just rattled off a bunch of activities that you will find us doing on our sea-days, how do you spend yours?

This post was created for Away We Go with Carnival, the destination for getting in the getaway state of mind. Head on over.

How to get the most out of a weekend cruise (3 WAYS)

Sometimes people have it in their mind that cruises are long…normally over a week. But you know what? There are weekend cruises out there, and even they can satisfy all your cruising desires. You can book them last-minute, you can pack light, and you can feel refreshed from your 9-5 grind during a quick 3 or 4-day escape.

In 3-4 days, you'll have plenty of time to make new friends (including the cruise staff) and make lasting memories. We’re going to share a little bit from our recent weekend cruise aboard the Carnival Victory. We left out of Miami on Friday afternoon, spent a day in Nassau, had a fun day at sea, and were back in Miami early Monday morning. 

DSCF2155.jpg

We believe that in order to get everything you want out of your weekend cruise, there are three things that you should probably consider…  

#1 CREATE ROUTINE

Having some routine to your cruise will make you feel like you are at home. When we get on board, the first thing we do is unpack. Take all of our belongings out, pack them away throughout our cabin, and make our stateroom feel cozy. Next, we take a lap around the ship, briefly exploring everything it has to offer. Finally, we head to the main lounge area (on the Carnival Victory this is the Seven Seas Lounge) and have a drink while looking over the schedule of events for the coming days. It's essential to have an idea of what is going on, especially during a short cruise.

On Carnival cruises, here are the things we do every single day…

- Lounge – Even on a port day, we like to catch some rays
- Nap – Every day, we find time to nap
- Pizza Pirate (IMPORTANT - see below)
- Dine in our dining room – We love sitting at the same table and getting to know the people around us and our wait staff
- Chocolate Melting Cake (see below)
- Comedy Club – Laughing is the best
- Piano Bar – A great way to close the day is singing songs with your new best friends.

IMG_6244.jpg

#2 PLAN ON YOUR DIET STARTING MONDAY (when you get back)

You are on a short cruise. The purpose is to relax, refresh, and see the world. So please don’t be on a diet while you are cruising. This is your time to eat adventurously, and eat whatever you want, whenever you want. If you are nervous about how much you may eat without any self-control over the 3-4 day trip, then commit to your diet starting Monday (assuming that’s when you get back to reality). 

Since you are going to indulge in whatever you feel like, here are some of our favorites. 

First, take advantage of room service. With Carnival, they have a continental breakfast that you can have via room service each day. Fruit, cereal, bread, coffee, and juices. If you need some eggs, bacon, or something more hearty, head up a few floors to the Lido deck and grab something from the buffet.

Next, love Pizza Pirate as much as we do (they have both regular and gluten-free crust). We probably ate 1 pizza each per day. Ha! And on our sea day, Bobby ate 2 pizzas in one sitting! These amazing thin-crust pizzas are whipped up right in front of your eyes and can be customized to your liking. Pizza Pirate is seriously one of our FAVORITE parts about Carnival Cruises. Even if the secret gets out on how amazing it is, you’ll never wait more than 15 minutes from the time you get in line, to when you sink your teeth into a delicious slice of pepperoni.

DSCF2455.jpg

IMG_6405.jpg

Finally, get everything you want at dinner (including dessert). Carnival’s American Table-themed restaurants serve up amazing cuisine with a standing menu, and a menu that changes based on the port you have been in that day. If you can’t decide between a Fried Chicken B.L.T. from the current port-of-call or one of their nightly Steakhouse Selections, get both! The portions are relatively small, and most people could probably eat an appetizer, a salad, and a main dish. Bobby normally gets an appetizer, the item from the “rare-finds” menu (escargot, cured salmon, etc.), and 2 main dishes. Even if you don’t have room, you must order dessert. We ALWAYS get a Chocolate Melting Cake, and usually 1 (or 2) other desserts. Hehe. Remember, diet starts Monday. 

IMG_6189.jpg

IMG_5659.jpg

IMG_6187.jpg

DSCF2371.jpg

DSCF2368.jpg

 

#3 DO THINGS YOU MAY NOT DO AT HOME

Cruising is a great opportunity to try new things. Food, activities, and excursions that are probably different from your norm. We like to look through the schedule of events and pick at least one thing each day that we wouldn’t normally do. On this cruise, it was Karaoke (we would probably do this normally), an art auction, the Hairy Chest Contest (for Bobby – he won!), and ballroom dance lessons. If you’re worried about looking silly when you’re in front of everyone, realize you will probably never see any of these people again. So go for it!

IMG_5656.jpg

We are confident that weekend cruises can be for everyone! Enjoy one soon and let us know how it was!

IMG_5561.jpg

This post was created for Away We Go with Carnival, the destination for getting in the getaway state of mind. Head on over.

 

Laguna Beach Winter Weekend Getaway

We recently spent an AMAZING weekend in Laguna Beach! You can follow along on the @VisitLaguna Instagram! In the meantime, here are some of our favorite photos from our time in our favorite coastal town. 

Casa Laguna is a quaint, cozy seaside hotel that is perfect for a weekend getaway. Even with the great weather, we always appreciate an intimate area to enjoy a drink with a fireplace. The room has beautiful decor, a spacious bathroom, and a nice patio where our pup Sally could relax :)

Can you believe this is January? We love southern California!

Oceanfront and candlelit at Splashes... can it get any better? 

Brunch at Harvest and dinner at Driftwood Kitchen... These incredible restaurants made sure we definitely did not leave hungry.

Lunch and a shopping spree at Tommy Bahama! Best. Weekend. Ever. 

The Visit Laguna Beach app allows you to have perfect timing on the trolley so you can make it to Mozambique in time for the rockin' live music!

Stay tuned for an upcoming blog for details on why you should spend your Valentine's Day in Laguna Beach! Ocean. Food. Romance. We probably don't need to say much more than that... but we will :) 

Tips for the Ultimate Weekend Getaway South of the Border

For those of you that are new to traveling, and anxious to explore, but not sure how. And for those of you that have been bit by the travel bug but are short on vacation time… We just discovered a location that we believe is the PERFECT combination of adventure & culture, and ease & comfort.

The Royal Suites Punta de Mita by Palladium Hotel Group is everything you’d want in an all-inclusive, PLUS the rich culture and authentic Mexico flavor you’d want to to explore. This is a rare all-inclusive that truly does highlight and appreciate local culture - and that is extremely hard to find!!

Here are some ways we maximized our stay at the Royal Suites!

1.   TRAVEL TIME :: When making the most out of a short weekend trip, it’s crucial that travel time is very minimal. Lucky for us, getting to the Royal Suites was a breeze! We flew out of our local airport in Orange County and made sure we had a 2-hour direct flight to Puerto Vallarta. Before we could say “Hola!” we were being greeted with margaritas and smiling faces at the airport, and from there it’s only a short taxi ride to the Royal Suites!

2.   MAKE A PLAN :: We know what you’re thinking. Plan when you’re on vacation?! What is that?? But hear us out! Since you only have a few days - plan out the “must-see’s” that you want to do during your stay. Whether that’s horseback riding on the beach or a massage treatment, get those set up before you go so you don’t have to worry about them when you get there. The last thing you want to do on your vacation is spend your time contemplating what to do, where to go, etc. Have everything set up so that you can relax by the pool with a margarita as much as possible. ;)

3.   DON’T DO IT ALL :: This might sound contradicting from our last tip, but listen. You’re on vacation. Escape from expectations. At a place like the Royal Suites, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with all of the countless entertainment and activity options... 

4.   TURN OFF :: Turn off your phones. Turn off your e-mail. Turn off “work mode”. For most of you, this might be the hardest, but most needed tip you’ll get. And we stand by it. For this one weekend, forget about what you have on Monday and LIVE IN THE MOMENT! Take a walk on the beach, bring a deck of cards, drink champagne from your jacuzzi tub… You deserve it. And your sanity will thank you!

We stayed at the Royal Suites from a Thursday through a Sunday, which some might think is too short of a trip when traveling to another country. We beg to differ. We were able to see, do, and eat everything we wanted - and came home feeling completely revived and refreshed! International travel doesn’t mean you need to use up all your vacation days and clear out your schedule. You truly can have a relaxing and fulfilling getaway - all within a long weekend! 

A Rockin' Weekend at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana was an incredible experience. It was the first time either of us experienced an all-inclusive resort, and all we were thinking was “don’t make us leave”. It started from the moment we arrived. A short trip from the airport, you drive up on a beautiful property and are quickly greeted by friendly valet attendants. It couldn’t have been more than 1 minute before we were in the air conditioned lobby with tropical drinks in hand! After an overnight flight, this was a dream. We waited in a short line, spotted a few professional athletes, and took a stroll around the property before heading to our room. It was definitely a short stroll, considering how massive the property is. The Hard Rock Punta Cana boast 13 pools (with swim-up bars), 9 restaurants, 23 bars, a Jack Nicklaus designed golf course, a beautiful Rock Spa®, the biggest casino in the Dominican Republic, world class shopping, and over 1700 rooms.

After the warm welcome, opening our door to our Caribbean Suite took the experience to another level. Our room had a big, comfortable bed, a private bath with double showers, free liquor dispensers (an all-inclusive must), free Wi-Fi, a balcony overlooking the ocean and courtyard, and a hydro spa tub! We freaked out over the spa tub. It was so sad that we only had two nights here, because we could have easily spent a whole day just hanging out in our room ordering room service (which is included!!) and bouncing back and forth between the balcony and the hydro spa tub. But we made the most of it. We relaxed in the tub while watching the TV right above it (we don’t have cable at home), and spent one afternoon watching the sunset and smoking cigars on our balcony. 

While we only had 2 full days at the resort, we did our best to explore as much as possible. We definitely took in more than 2 full day’s worth of food… we probably ate more like a week’s worth. We ate our 3 dinners at Ipanema, Zen, and Toro. Ipanema is a Brazilian style restaurant where servers walk around with various meats and poultry ready to slice you your choice. Zen is a Teppanyaki style restaurant that specialized in both Chinese and Japanese dishes. While the food was fantastic, we were really here for the show the chef puts on as he creates the meal right in front of you. We enjoyed the family style meal and we made some friends at our table! Lastly, we ate at Toro, their amazing Steak house! At Toro we had some choice cuts of meat and enjoyed incredible views. On top of dining at these 3 restaurants, we may or may not have made a few trips to Pizzeto, their restaurant serving artisanal brick oven-style pizza into the late hours each evening. Please don’t judge us. Even with full bellies each night, we woke up hungry to indulge in breakfast buffets or room service. We tried to avoid lunch so we wouldn’t put on too much weight…

After breakfast or lunch we would explore to try and walk off some of the food. After dinner we would dance. The ORO Nightclub is the ultimate dance party! They had a local DJ that gave us a remarkably authentic Dominican nightclub experience. One night we went to a beach party, where we had some island cocktails and did more dancing. You could describe our trip here as lounging, eating, and dancing. At the end of the night (but also running throughout the day) you can catch one of the trams that will take you all over the resort. This is definitely a plus when you’re ready for bed and your feet can’t handle the walk back. 

We spent our days on the beaches and at the pools. The beaches are wide-open with beautiful white sand and warm blue water. It was surprising that with so many rooms, the beaches were very mellow. There were always plenty of open chaise lounges and hammocks for us to nap in. During the day, the beaches were always a relaxing, quiet place to be, while at the pool you could either find a good spot for a drink and a book, or you could get wild in some crazy pool activity. We did a little of both, spending most of our pool time lounging, but then also checking out the foam party and doing some water aerobics to burn some calories. All the pools had bars nearby, and many of the pools had swim-up bars. There was also a water park for kids, where Bobby was disappointed when he heard he was too big for the water slide. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana even has a lazy river, where you can get in an inner tube and float a large loop around the property. Regardless of if we were on the sand, by the pool, or floating the river, the serene vibe and beautiful surroundings demanded we enjoy many naps while at the Hard Rock. Thank you for the relaxation!

With all that we did get to enjoy, we can’t forget to mention some of the amazing amenities we did not have time for (you need at least 5 days here). First of all, they have 9 restaurants and we were only able to get to 4. There are so many incredible cuisine options here, satisfying anything you can imagine. You can go to one of their specialty steakhouses or Asian cuisine like we did, or you can indulge in one of their incredible buffets! There is also an 18-hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus (arguably the greatest golfer of all time). We saw the beautiful course, but did not have time to experience it! For those of you that cannot hit a golf club, there’s also a mini golf course! 

You can probably tell that we did not have nearly enough time at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana. We ate, drank, danced, and lounged. We didn’t even shop or spend time at the Casino! But we aren’t worried that we missed out, we just know that we need to spend more time here! If you’re interested in having a rockin’ time like we did, check out the website at www.hrhpuntacana.com

Thank you Hard Rock! We will be back!