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Mardi Gras Celebration The Splendour of the Seas Port Stops & Excursions



Dennis and I arrived to Galveston, Texas two days before the departure of the Western Caribbean Cruise on the Splendour of the Seas. We started out visit to Galveston by attending the Mardi Gras celebrations in towntown Galveston on Saturday night. On Sunday morning we took a brief trip up the freeway to the Texas cities of Kemah, League City and Dickinson. I spent a few of my early childhood years in those cities. The pictures below are of the City of Galveston.

- Dave McGrath-Wagner







The Galveston Mardi Gras was a lot of fun. We attended the Krewe of Gambrinus "Carnevalle Italiano" Parade and the block party after the parade. There were approximately 200,000 people at these events. The parade made its way down from 14th Street to 63rd Street in Galveston, Texas. Enjoy the pictures below of some of the high school bands, drill teams and floats from southeast Texas. We got our best beads at the festive block in old town Galveston.

- Dennis McGrath-Wagner




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Dennis and I took another fun cruise this time in the Western Carribbean. We visited the ports of Cozumel, Mexico and Costa Maya, Mexico. We enjoyed spending the cruise as part of a group of friends, most of whom we did not formally know yet. Our group of friends included Jessica & Marlene, Tom and John, Bobby and Barry, Lisa, Billy and Anita. Enjoy the pictures on this page taken during the cruise aboard the Splendour of the Seas.

- Dave McGrath-Wagner




Visit the Royal Caribbean International web site for more information.


Centrum

The Centrum was very lovely with the finest art displayed each day. The main ship activity held at this location of the ship were the art auctions. Our group decided to take a few group pictures on formal night.

Top roll: Dennis, Bobby and Barry, Lower roll: Dave, Marlene, Anita, Jessica and Bill Dave, Dennis, Barry and Bobby Dave & Dennis




The Rock Climbing Wall

Many enjoyed the challenge of climbing up the wall which is located in the aft part of the vessel. Some of our friends enjoyed the challenge as Dennis and I took pictures and took video footage of them.

Jessica Marlene
Bob being let down from the top




Viking Crown Lounge

We and our friends danced at the Disco 70's theme night party at the Viking Lounge.
Jessica and Dennis getting down on the dance floor The Village People strutting their stuff Jessica, Marlene, Bob and Dave striking a pose




Poolside & Solarium

We spent a lot of time enjoying this part of the ship. There were a lot of activities conducted here including dancing under the stars, sexy legs contest, belly flop contest, barbeque, ice carving and much much more. The caribbean music was great.

Dennis kicking back
How about a Texas BBQ partner?




The King & I Dining Room

Each evening Dennis and I enjoyed dinner with our fabulous friends from the East Coast. There were eleven of us sharing fun stories and getting to know each other better during the cruise. This group was a real highlight of our cruise experience. There were theme nights in the dining room and the service staff sang for us and were most entertaining. There was a pianist below playing music to really make the atmosphere most pleasant.

Bob & Barry at dinner
Marlene, Jessica and Bill Anita & Bob Marlene, Bill, Tom and John
The waiters and staff are singing to everyone in the dining room. Bobby, Jessica and Marlene




Top Hat Lounge

Dennis and I along with some of our friends enjoy the Captain's Welcome Aboard Reception at this lounge. There were other activties held at this lounge such as Bingo games.

The ship's Captain




42nd Street Theatre

The shows onboard the ship were really good. I took a back stage tour of the theatre and it was most interesting what goes into a production and all the customes and technical work behind the scenes. Below are some pictures taken of the theatre and the shows that were held during the cruise.





Production Showtime
Presents

David Morgan & Chucky
February 27th, 2006

Mr. David Morgan was really funny. One of our friends Anita was one of several invited on the stage to be part of a routine.



Visit the Comedy Team Chucky and David Morgan web site for more information.




Production Showtime
Presents

Royal Caribbean Singers & Dancers in
JUMP JIVIN' SWING
February 28th, 2006

The show as very good with good dancing and singing. A disappointing crowd for such a fine performance.





Production Showtime
Presents

The Royal Caribbean Singers & Dancers in
DANCIN' THRU THE MOVIES
March 2nd, 2006

The show was most enjoyable. The music took us back to memories of some fine films over the years.




Production Showtime
Presents

The Artistry of Florescence and
the skill & Comedy of Los Pampas Gauchos
September 15, 2005

The show was kinda magic. Some really good skills displayed with whips and some fun comedy.


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Cozumel, Mexico

We spent little time in Cozumel, Mexico and instead ventured off with friends to swim with the dolphins. The sunny day started with a boat ride to Puerto Adventuras located in the heart of the Riviera Maya. Most of the pictures below were taken during our Dolphin Discovery excursion. A small walk was enjoyed along the waterfront of Cozumel. Everyone in our group was part of a video that was produced of our lovefest with the dolphins.

Dave frisky dolphins sharing a little love Dennis
Dave the dolphin showing some love

Visit the Dolphin Discovery web site for more information.





Costa Maya, Mexico

We enjoyed our visit to beautiful Costa Maya, Mexico. Costa Maya is best known for its jungles, beaches, lagoons and Mayan ruins. Our visit was all about swimming and enjoying the hot sun overlooking the clear blue waters. The place was a wonderful tropical paradise we hope to visit again in the future.



Dennis and I enjoyed the overall cruise experience aboard the Splendour of the Seas. We found the ship to be very nice and liked the layout of the vessel. The quality of service provided by the ship's staff for dining, room service and entertainment was superb. The only drawback was the lack of good scheduling of activities. Despite some good evening shows and other good activities we noticed the lack of solid attendence of passengers. Our friend Bob gave us the idea of naming this cruise the "Hee Haw" cruise because most of the passengers were from Texas and the gulf coast. Based on our past cruise experiences with cruises originating from Miami and Los Angeles, it's likely we will not choose to take another cruise out of Galveston. This cruise was most enjoyable largely in part by sharing it with our friends from the East Coast. We give this cruise an overall rating of "B".

- Dave McGrath-Wagner


Visit the Cruise Critic web site for opinions of other people who have been on cruises.

Visit the Royal Caribbean International web site for more information.

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