Saturday, February 26, 2022

Embarkation Day Recap on Carnival Cruise 2022 | 3-Day Baja Mexico Vacation #CruiseVacation



It's finally embarkation day aboard Carnival Radiance. I have my passport, driver's license, boarding pass, negative Covid-19 test, and weekend bag. I boarded the ship in Long Beach, California, and parked my car right at the port. I do recommend watching your phone navigation closely so you don't miss the exit, which leads right to the port. It was a bit tricky. I missed it and had to go over a long bridge and go all the way around to try again...lol. I still got to the port on time. I gave myself enough time to get to the port and to allow for traffic. Once you park your car and go to the ground level of cruise parking, the entrance to the Carnival ship is straight ahead. There was a guide present, checking for my boarding pass and negative test. Then I went to another table to get checked in by another Carnival guide. Everyone was pleasant, professional, and had smiles on their faces. Then I walked up this ramp a ways to another photo check-in station for security purposes and then a final check-in at the counter, with a security photo also. Then, I sat for about 5 minutes and it was time to board the ship. Carnival lets you choose your boarding time so I chose between 11:00 and 11:30 since I normally eat lunch during that time. The rooms would not be ready until 1:30pm so it's normally a good time to grab lunch. I am taking a 3-day Baja Mexico Cruise, with one day at sea and then a stop in Ensenada, Mexico, and then back to Long Beach. This is a recap video of my first day getting settled into my interior stateroom, the sail away party, dinner (since I'm vegan I had the Indian cuisine each night), Bingo play, and the evening stage performance. Oh! There is a great opportunity to see dolphins during the sail away party too! I was at the right place at the right time to catch that moment.

Cruising is a great way to have an all-inclusive vacation experience (room, food, entertainment, and shore excursions) no matter how long you want it to be. It's a safe way to travel solo, with friends, or with someone you love. Carnival Radiance is a renovated ship so it was recently put back out to sea. If you have never cruised before, a weekend getaway is a great way to figure out if it's a vacation experience for you. There are many cruise lines to choose from and I recommend giving them all a go! Then, you can narrow down your favorites for future cruises. Enjoy! Day 2: Day at Sea, of my 3-Day Baja Mexico cruise, is on the way!




Weekend Bags on Amazon

Weekender Bags for Women Oversized Travel Bag






































Saturday, February 19, 2022

How To Do Inspire Diagnostics At Home Health Test for #Cruise Travel



I recently took a 3-day cruise aboard Carnival Radiance from Long Beach, CA, to relax and recharge before I start my new career journey. My last cruise vacation was before the Covid-19 outbreak. First, I had to get tested for Covid-19 before my embarkation date in order to board the ship. On Carnival's website, here, they provide Vaccinated Voyages information and great details on how they are providing assistance to all guests. As of this blog post, you can get tested on your departure date at the port or at home within 24-48 hours before your embarkation date. The rules are constantly changing, with the cruise lines following CDC guidance, so make sure to look over their website for new options for vaccinated and unvaccinated guests. After reviewing their website, I decided to take the

Inspire Diagnostics At-Home Health Test, which can be purchased online, then I scheduled my testing date and time. This test is approved by the CDC for emergency use and is approved by Carnival because it is a proctored test. Zoom was used to connect with an authorized individual from the Inspire team. The process can be completed in 20 mins or less. This option is available to fully vaccinated guests. Now, Carnival is providing Covid-19 testing at port for a minimal fee to vaccinated guests, sailing for shorter cruise dates, and testing to all other customers at another price point. In the video below, I will walk you through the entire process of purchasing your at-home test for your cruise and taking the Covid-19 test LIVE with an Inspire Diagnostics representative.

I have included timecodes below to help you sort through the video information if you would like to see a particular section of the video.

Timecodes for this video can be clicked from the description of this video if you watch from my YouTube channel. However, if watching from my blog, scan through the video to these times below to get to where you want to see a specific portion of the video.

0:00 Intro

0:35 Purchasing and Scheduling the Inspire Diagnostics Test

5:09 A Look Inside the Inspire Diagnostics Box

5:36 Taking the Proctored Inspire Diagnostics Covid Test via Zoom Call

9:02 My Review of the Proctored Test Experience

9:41 Results of my Inspire Diagnostics Covid Test

10:11 How to Retrieve Your Inspire Diagnostic Test Results for Printing or Downloading

11:50 Conclusion/Outro


Some Cruise Essentials




Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Planting Garlic From Cloves in Pots #Gardening



At the end of December, I planted garlic from cloves in pots. I purchased my garlic from the organic section of the grocery store. Since I saw that a number of other gardeners were having success growing garlic from cloves, I wanted to try this method. As a second-year gardener here in 2022, I am attempting to grow more and more vegetables and add new varieties as well. I planted the organic cloves of garlic on New Year's Eve in some amended soil with worm castings. I had to hurry because it takes about six months or more for the garlic to mature and have enough chill hours (4-8 weeks) from the weather. I spaced all of the cloves to be about four inches apart and an inch or so deep in my pot. Some also went into my raised bed. I followed the recommendation to add one to two inches of mulch (I used straw), which will keep the moisture in after watering them in thoroughly. After a couple of weeks in January, the garlic started to show signs of life. I was seriously shocked because at first, I thought weed seeds blew in the pot because we get so much wind during the colder months here in my part of Southern California. However, luckily, the foilage was from the garlic cloves. In the video, I will take you through the process of planting garlic from cloves in pots and then show you my update from the end of January, so it's been a full month of growth. I will keep you posted on my garlic harvest in June or the beginning of July. Stay tuned...



Some helpful books on gardening for beginners are listed below. These are some of the most popular resources and gardeners I am aware of today.

Organic Gardening for Everyone: Homegrown Vegetables Made Easy - No Experience Required!  


The Modern Homestead Garden: Growing Self-sufficiency in Any Size Backyard 


Field Guide to Urban Gardening: How to Grow Plants, No Matter Where You Live