Blogs from Long Beach, Los Angeles, California, United States, North America - page 3

There is so much to do when you first get on the ship! But, now we can go outside and see what's going on for Sail Away! But first ... Safety Drill We were Lifeboat Station #5, but we had to meet in the Normandie Main Lounge and then be led here by Carnival Team Members. Hopefully, we won't have to use this emergency system during the trip ... I don't think I could find my way here myself! Also, back in the day (as my kids say) we had to go the the Muster Drill with our Life Vests on. Not anymore. I guess they got tired of looking at a sea of tourists in orange vests all blowing their emergency whistles and making 'original' jokes about the ship going down ... am I the ... read more

The Lido Deck has the best of two worlds ... food and fun in the sun! Along with everyone else who just embarked, we headed up to the Paris Lido Restaurant (AKA Lido Buffet) for some lunch. Outside was the Mongolian Grill with its continuously long lines, along with hamburgers and hotdogs. Inside was where the rest of the food was laid out. Here was the main buffet, salad bar, fruit bar, dessert shrine, deli, pizza and of course 24-hour soft-serve ice cream machines. Heaven on a Lido! We ate lunch here everyday and found the staff to be both friendly and helpful. It's no wonder the food is such a large part of a cruise for us all. There is just so much there ... and plenty of choices. We can't help but be like ... read more

Being aboard the Queen Mary is really like stepping back in time to that wonderful Art Deco era of the 30s. Not only is the decor rich with originality, but ‘big band swing’ music from the 30s could be heard all over. The ambiance was that great. I love the architecture from this era, it's so beautiful. The simple, linear details really provide a lot of opportunity for the photographer! I was quickly drawn to the elevator banks ... they just don’t make elevators like this anymore. Standing in front of them I couldn’t help but think of all the people ... the famous, the rich, the regal ... who may have passed through these them. We the ventured to the Promenade, which is the place where everything is happening ... well, it would be when ... read more

Geo: 33.7664, -118.192Well the day started out well. We got up about 6:15 am, and Naomi got packed. I will have to ship to her house in Florida about 2 boxes of stuff that wouldn't fit in her suitcases. After a nice breakfast in Long Beach, I took her to the Long Beach Airport. After getting her checked in, I walked her to the security check point. I admit I got misty-eyed. It was a nice 3 weeks having her with me and sight seing across the country. I then went on to my doctor visit regarding my rash. While there, she text me that the plane hadnt left yet due to enging problems. After another hour, I had to go pick her up. They rebooked her on a 11 pm direct flight to Orlando out ... read more

Geo: 33.7664, -118.192We slept in (for me until 7am and for Naomi until 10:30 am). Got some laundry done and then we headed out to Long Beach to do some errands. After I got a TB test for school done at the doctors office, we went to eat at one of my favorite pizza places, Big E Pizza. We both had the pizza sandwiches and shared a salad. The off to next door to my nail salon. I paid for Naomi to have a manicure and pedicure while I had the works. When we finished 2 hours later, I drove us to Huntington Beach for some Dairy Queen ice cream. We then headed home where Naomi made from scratch bread and a spinach and artichoke dip! Yum! We spent the rest of the night working on ... read more