THE CARNIVAL BREEZE

As soon as I saw Carnival was launching a new ship, I wanted to cruise on it and before we even boarded the ship, I knew I would not be disappointed.

What a sight to see her docked in the Port of Miami.  She is the largest ship we have cruised on...1,004 feet long.

The first thing we did was find our cabin...a balcony is a must-have feature.

The second thing we did was find the food...Guy's burgers, fries and lemonade were delicious...

After filling our bellies, it was time to quench our thirst...those strawberry daiquiris were delicious!

Now, let's explore the ship: Here is the Tides pool at the back of the ship...

The Beach pool in the middle of the ship...

The waterslides and Waterworks area...I went down the yellow waterslide three times...I think more adults were on the waterslides than kids!

So much to do on the Sports Square including pool tables and miniature golf.

Ah, this is being on vacation!

The interior is as beautiful as the exterior...here is the atrium and its beautiful decor.

Piano Bar 88 lounge...I love the piano keys bar top.

The Liquid Nightclub disco...

The Ovation Theatre where we saw some terrific musical dance shows.

The Winner's Luck Casino...I was thrilled when I won $25!

We saw the adult-only comedy shows in the Limelight Lounge...

In the Ocean Plaza music plays every night...

Then there are the food options...Lido Marketplace.

Guy's Burger Joint...

Fat Jimmy C-side BBQ as seen from our balcony as we were docked in Key West.  It's open only on sea days.

Of course, this is only a small percentage of what you can see, eat and enjoy on the Carnival Breeze cruise ship.  To see the entire ship yourself, you will just have to book a cruise by clicking here.

NOTE: This was the third Carnival cruise we had taken. Despite all the previous events that had occurred on other Carnival ships, we had an absolutely wonderful time, and I would recommend Carnival to anyone.

All photos in this blog post were taken by me during our cruise in May, 2013.

TOWEL ART

One of the fun things on a cruise is coming back to your cabin every night to find an adorable creature sitting on your bed that your cabin steward has created from a bath towel.

Here are the ones from my most recent cruises:

A seal...

An eskimo...

I'm still questioning what this is...

A floppy-earred dog??

A frog...

Goose...swan?

Another cute dog...

And then a wonderful surprise at the pool deck one morning...every deck chair had a towel animal on it!

Aren't these just adorable!!!

All photos were taken by me during my cruise in 2011 and 2013.

OUR VISIT TO ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL INCLUDED A WEDDING...

One of the chances you take when visiting a major church on a Saturday afternoon is that a wedding may be taking place. That is exactly what happened during our visit to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.

Here is the bride walking down the aisle of the church. She must have really wanted to get married in this church because she had several hundred uninvited guests show up at her wedding. However, I can understand why she wanted to have her wedding at St. Patrick's Cathedral. It is a gorgeous church!

Start with the bronze doors...they weigh an astonishing 9,000 pounds each!

Carved into their facades are figures representing both saints as well as certain distinguished “blessed people.” They include New York’s own Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born saint. 

Built in the traditional Gothic style, the cathedral reminds many of the great Gothic cathedrals of Europe such as Cologne and Reims.

In the photo below, beneath the pointed arches, you can see the beautiful red Archbishop's Throne and on the right, the marble pulpit.

Beautiful stained glass windows throughout. The windows were made by renowned artists in Chartres, France; Birmingham, England and Boston, Massachusetts.

Above you can see the bride and groom during the wedding ceremony.

The Pieta here in St. Patrick's Cathedral is three times larger than the one in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

There are over a dozen beautiful side altars lining both sides of the church:

Altar of Saint Rose of Lima...

Altar of Saint John Baptist de la Salle...

Altar of Saints Brigid and Bernard...

Altar of the Holy Face...

Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa...

Altar of the Sacred Heart...The golden baldachin once stood above the Archbishops chair. Cardinal Cooke felt that it was too lavish to be a decoration for the Archbishop’s seat.

The Baptistery...

End your visit with a look above to see the beautiful Gothic architecture of the ribbed vaulting of the ceiling and more of the exquisite stained glass.

Some other facts about St. Patrick's Cathedral:

• St. Patrick’s Cathedral was opened on May 25, 1879. 
• The Cathedral seats about 2,200 people.
• The exterior length is about 405 feet.
• The width is 274 feet.
• The spires rise 330 feet from street level.
• The architect was James Renwick, an American.
• The Lady Chapel was designed by another American, Charles Mathews.
• The Archbishops of New York are buried in a crypt under the high altar. Their honorary hats, called galeros, hang from the ceiling over their tombs.
• The Cathedral has three organs.
• The baldachin over the main altar is solid bronze.
• Over 3 million people visit each year
• On April 19, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI became the first Pope to celebrate Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. 

For more information about the Cathedral, click here.

 

All photos were taken by me during my trip to New York City in September, 2012.

 

VIEWS FROM THE 86TH FLOOR...AND HIGHER.

On our final full day in New York City, we went up to the top of the Empire State Building. First, we went to the 86th floor observation deck.

Looking east: I love the art deco of the Chrysler Building. The 59th Street bridge is in the background, crossing Roosevelt Island in the East River.

Looking north: Fifth Avenue divides the photo; Central Park is in the background. There are so many tall buildings that the scene looks fake, like a scale-model of the city.

Looking west: Macy's is in the lower right; the partial view of the circular building in the center is Madison Square Garden. That's the Hudson River in this photo.

Looking south: Of course, One World Trade Center rises above lower Manhattan and the financial district.  To the far right in the middle is Lady Liberty.  In the distance in the middle left is the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. (Unfortunately, the skies turned overcast during this photo.)

Then we took a second elevator up to the 102nd floor! That is nearly a quarter of a mile above the street. Looking north, you get an even better view of Central Park.

And looking south towards the financial district, you can just see Liberty and Ellis Islands to the right.

Visit the Empire State Building website here for information about tickets. The current adult ticket price to visit both observation decks is $42.00.

NOTE: Pre-purchase your tickets online! Pre-purchasing and printing any and all tickets is my biggest tip to any traveler. You save so much valuable tourist time. Online ticket buyers skip the ticket line (which can be long) and go straight to the observation deck.  If you splurge and purchase the express tickets ($47.50 for the 86th floor only; $64.50 for both observation decks.), you can skip both the ticket and elevator lines. We did not purchase the express tickets. Fortunately we did not have a long wait to get on the elevator to the 86th floor observation deck, so I'm not sure the extra cost is necessary.

The Observatory is open from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily.

One other tip: The 86th floor observation deck is outside. The air temperature 860 feet in the air is much cooler (and windier) than down on the sidewalk in front of the Empire State Building.  You may want to carry a jacket or sweater. 

All photos in this post were taken by me during my trip to New York City in September, 2012.