A Trip to Winston-Salem, NC for Premiere Wrestling Xperience's "Phenomenal Debut"

It's been several weeks since the events that I'm collecting in this entry to my blog and I feel as though I should apologize up front for it taking as long as it has for me to publish this; not necessarily because anything in it is especially time-sensitive or even all that superlative compared to the lump sum of material that is Redbeard's Rambling as a whole, rather because I had told myself going into 2014 that I wanted to add at least 3 entries a month. Wouldn't you know it, I only managed 2 for January. What's more, here it is the middle of February and I've only got this here entry to show for my efforts. This is why I don't make New Year's resolutions anymore - they sound like good ideas but these days they're mostly unattainable goals we make for ourselves because it looks good in a Facebook and/or Twitter post to say you're doing something with your life when in reality you have no clue where to even begin.

All that having been said, I went somewhere in January that I'd never been before, that being Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The occasion? The final event of what was a trio of shows over the course of as many days for Premiere Wrestling Xperience, this one having been dubbed "Phenomenal Debut" by virtue of the fact that it would be PWX's first show of 2014 in Winston-Salem and the debut for the promotion of "The Phenomenal One" himself, AJ Styles, who would be facing off against Cedric Alexander, one of the best professional wrestlers on the independent scene today. Theirs was but one match on the card, though, as PWX clearly spared no expense in gathering talent from far & wide in order to put together an evening of action that included the likes of Kevin Steen, Davey Richards, Michael Elgin, "Hurricane" Shane Helms, and many more.

I set out on the morning of January 19, 2014, the same day the show was to be held. I wouldn't have been able to attend the event if not for the fact hat I had the next day off from work; Martin Luther King Day, one of quite a few holidays I appreciatively get as part of my schedule as an employee of county government in the state of South Carolina. Generally speaking, my wife would've joined me for a trip like this but she did me a favor by agreeing to stay home with the children - those being "children" of the furry, 4-legged kind as we were watching her parent's dog for the weekend. She's a trooper, that wife of mine, but I figure she owes me some time to myself for all the nights she goes off for a meeting with her covens (otherwise known as one of the local civics groups in which she participates).

When I plotted my route I'd planned to take a scenic tour by way of back roads, mostly avoiding the interstate. I tend to prefer this kind of travel for leisurely trips like this one as highways just don't provide the same kind of experience that a good, old two-lane road through rural America can give you. I wound up sticking to my original course about as far as the town of Kershaw, SC, at which point I diverted (somewhat by mistake; I thought I knew where I was going and kept driving even though my GPS was telling me otherwise) onto a different path that would eventually put me onto I-77 then I-40. This wasn't a bad move, though, as it took my through my hometown of Lancaster, SC.

I grew up in Lancaster. In actuality, I did more than that as I spent my first 20 years of life there before moving to Florence, SC for college after which I moved back to Lancaster and stayed there for the better part of another 7 years until such time that I relocated to Orangeburg, SC for work and what would eventually become the life I now have in Saint Matthews, SC. I highlight the length of time I was in Lancaster because a lot has changed about it since the time I lived there, and by "a lot" I mean "A LOT". There are a plethora of new buildings along the stretch of highway 9 bypass, some commercial and some governmental, but the biggest changes exist in the northernmost tip of the county. This part of Lancaster appears to have become a bedroom community for people who work in nearby Charlotte, North Carolina but who enjoy the lower cost of living that exists across the state line. While it's great to see economic growth in what is apparently a prosperous part of town, I can't help but say that it looks absolutely awful. Almost every piece of land along highway 521 seems to be taken up by a strip mall, shopping center, or housing development. Urban sprawl has come to Lancaster, something I never thought would happen. It's great for the tax-base but it's all one big, gaudy eye-sore at this point.

Be that as it may, as I drove through one town after another I was pleasantly reminded of memories from pro wrestling events I've attended in the past which took place in those same locales. Kershaw, SC: It boggles my mind that I saw Jake Manning and Steve Corino wrestle to a 60-minute time limit draw in front of a crowd of probably less than 20 people. Lancaster, SC: I will never forget watching Mr. BBB (which stood for Big Buddy Bigham) and Manslaughter (who's also known as Manchild, Cracker, and about half a dozen other names) break a ring that was made partially from wood, on a hip toss of all things, then finish the match in an environment that was incredibly unsafe. Indian Land, SC: Jeff Hardy, fresh out of the World Wrestling Federation and wrestling as Willow the Wisp character to avoid non-compete issues, had a match against Kirby Mack (in another scary ring, this one being a metal frame but with garden hoses for ropes). Charlotte, NC: Taking my then-girlfriend, now-wife to our first independent wrestling event together as a couple, getting to meet Ric Flair, and watching Hulk Hogan order a hot dog alongside fans at the concession stand. It goes without saying that I've seen a lot in my days of traveling around in the name of being a fan of pro wrestling, and quite frankly I hope to add many more stories to my catalog before I'm done.

Bell time for the show was set at 5 PM and I conceivably could have driven to & from the event without spending the night in Winston-Salem, however because I don't quite like the idea of being a liability to myself or other motorists I felt it best to seek shelter for the evening. Even though I'd never stayed at one of their hotels before I chose an area La Quinta Inn as it wasn't too expensive, wasn't too far from the venue, and was easy to find as it's located right off I-40. I was pleased with the hotel overall as it was everything I needed and then some although what I remember most about the room was the fact that (I kid you not) one of the soaps smelled exactly like an Orange Julius. That's how you know you're too in tune with food, by the way, when you begin associating the scent of non-food items with food items.

An added and unexpected benefit to this particular hotel was the fact that there happened to be a Moe's Southwest Grill literally next door. I am a huge fan of Moe's as I love their steak burritos and all the fresh ingredients you can add to them. Their guacamole and the fact that I can get a cherry Sprite from the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine are just icing on top of an already delicious cake. I would eat there more frequently than I do if not for the fact that I have to drive at least a half hour in any direction to get to one. The convenience of this location made it ripe pickings for a late lunch/early supper.

While I was gathering napkins and other supplies for my meal, a young man (I would say in his late teens or early twenties) approached me with a Bible tract. I realized what he was giving me as soon as I saw his hand; rather than try to explain to him that he & I are already on the same team, I simply accepted the pamphlet, thanked him for the gesture and went about my business. I couldn't help but wonder after the fact about whether or not I look like a Christian because I have been handed more than just a few tracts during my adult life. Is there something about me that gives off the impression I'm not a believer? This weighed on me for a while as I agree with the old adage that we, as Christians, are the only Bible that some people will ever read.

The show would be taking place at a venue called Ziggy's, which is typically a concert venue but is large enough inside to accommodate for a wrestling ring and still have plenty of space for fan seating. Like I said, I'd never been to Winston-Salem before so of course I'd never been to Ziggy's but I had heard of it as it seems to be a regular tour stop for a number of bands that I follow. When I arrived at the building I was immediately impressed with its size and that there appeared to be plenty of parking available nearby. It was clear to me before I ever set foot inside this was a well-maintained venue and one that is professionally operated - as a fan who's grown somewhat sick of going to indie pro wrestling events held in musty VFW halls and ratty bars, it was a welcome change to be able to come to a joint like Ziggy's (which, admittedly, has a bar but at least it's a nice bar). It really reminded me of one of my favorite, albeit now defunct, concert venues, that being Headliners in Columbia, SC as the two clubs share many similar features (balcony seating being prime among them).

Standing in line with your fellow fans prior to an event like this is always fun, or at least it is to me. You wind up inevitably meeting interesting people who are, if nothing else, good for conversation. I got in line about 30-45 minutes prior to the doors opening as the queue had already begun to grow to a decent length by that time. I'd say that it was within 20 minutes of doors opening that the line was split into sections with fans being directed to one lane or another depending on what sort of ticket they'd purchased, that being either general admission or VIP. I had a VIP second row floor seat; VIP in this instance granted access to a pre-show meet & greet with the talent, but in all honesty I was only interested in getting inside early so as to hopefully get a better seat than I would have otherwise. I overheard one man who arrived fairly late expressing some displeasure over the fact that the VIP line was as long as it was. I think his interpretation of "VIP" was that it is something which offers a level of exclusivity limited to only a handful of patrons, and rightfully so. I can only assume he wasn't aware of the fact that VIP, in wrestling terms, is a money grab of a gimmick because people (like myself) will pay extra if it means their experience will be that much more idealistic.

I wound up being deep enough in the VIP line that I didn't get as great of a seat as I'd hoped. I tend to try and get a seat on the end of a row as I have fairly long legs and any amount of extra knee space I can get is awesome. I did get a seat on the end of a row, but it was a chair that was butted up directly against a gigantic sub-woofer. I was hesitant to take the seat at first because I didn't want to risk losing my hearing by sitting there but it had several tactical advantages that made it the best option out of what few seats were left by that point. I was able to spread out comfortably and use part of the concert stage as a shelf for stowing my gear (i.e., my camera bag and coat). The sub-woofer wound up not being an issue as I gather Ziggy's realized they shouldn't be used what with people sitting so close to them.

The show was broken down into three 3-match segments. Here's a recap of the matches featured on "Phenomenal Debut" and a brief commentary on each.

Match #1 - Andrew Everett vs. Lodi

Opening matches can be a blessing or a curse for those involved as you wind up being responsible for setting a tone for the remainder of an event. In the case of this bout, you had the grizzled veteran Lodi (yes, that Lodi - as in the one from World Championship Wrestling, best known for his involvement in Raven's Flock) taking on Andrew Everett, one of the hottest high flyers going right now. There was an obvious contrast of styles and it wasn't the smoothest of matches but it got the crowd going which is about as much as you can ask for. Lodi won with a spike DDT after Everett missed a maneuver off the top rope.

Match #2 - Kyle O'Reilly vs. Michael Elgin

Two Ring of Honor regulars doing battle here, and that's exactly the kind of match they had - a pure, physical, and protracted battle with Kyle O'Reilly relying on his speed & agility to try and overcome the power & aggressiveness of Michael Elgin. These two exchanged many near falls and they did a great job of never allowing the match to be at a point where Kyle's chances of winning were ever in doubt, which is always tricky when putting together a contest where one athlete has such a size advantage over another. Elgin ultimately prevailed with a powerbomb.

Match #3 - Davey Richards vs. Rich Swann

Davey Richards has been involved in a ton of online chatter as of late stemming from his split with Ring of Honor, spending a brief length of time with World Wrestling Entertainment's NXT developmental program, then signing a deal with TNA Wrestling (along with Eddie Edwards, his tag team partner in the American Wolves). He's clearly on the rise but he's still taking bookings like this one against Rich Swann, a wrestler I'd never seen compete in person but of whom I had knowledge. Their match was a good come-down from the brutality displayed by Elgin & O'Reilly as it featured a lot of entertaining moments; these two don't hate each other, they just wanted to put on a good show and that's exactly what they did. Richards won via a reversal when Swann attempted a splash.

Match #4 - Jake Manning & Hurricane Helms vs. John Skyler & Kevin Steen

This was an oddball combination of players but the result of it was a fantastic match. Manning & Skyler have gone back and forth with one another for some time now after having won the PWX tag team championship (which they've since lost) as a result of a fluke pairing a while back. This most recent development in their feud had them set to pick their own partners, with Manning opting for North Carolina's own "Hurricane" Shane Helms and Skyler selecting another ROH regular in the form of Kevin Steen. Manning, Steen & Helms are on a different level than Skyler; the charisma of those three simply overshadowed the former "Box Boy", and perhaps it was fitting then that Steen turned on him (not that they were ever on the same page) after they'd lost, delivering not one but two package piledrivers to Skyler.

Match #5 - Amanda Rodriguez vs. Amber O'Neal

The dynamic of this match has to have some explanation. Rodriguez is an up & coming women's wrestler and O'Neal is one of the most talented female competitors in all of North America. The two of them have been at odds forever, and things are getting worse now that their real-life significant others - Caleb Konley for Rodriquez; Luke "DOC" Gallows for O'Neal - are being brought into the mix. O'Neal won the match as a result of interference from Gallows who nailed Amanda with a big boot while Amber distracted the referee. Caleb Konley was in late to gather up what was left of Rodriguez, carrying her to the back afterwards.

Match #6 - PWX Tag Team Championship Match: Worst Case Scenario (Ethan Case & Elijah Evans w/manager The Tommy Thomas) (C) vs. Los Ben Dejos (Rios & Cruz)

Two things I'll say I loved about this match right off the top: 1) The Tommy Thomas (yes, there's a "The" in front of his name) is an annoying, conceited, boisterous manager and he's brilliant at it, and 2) PWX made the match have a big-fight feel immediately with how the combatants were introduced. Little touches like that go a long way in adding to presentation and PWX gets it right here. The match itself was a bit of a spot-fest with both teams relying on high impact/high risk maneuvers from bell to bell. That's not a bad thing, though, because it hadn't been done yet on this card. (That's another tribute to PWX's skillful booking, plenty of variety and something for every kind of wrestling fan.) Worst Case Scenario retained the championship after hitting a double-team jackhammer on Rios.

Match #7 - PWX Championship Match: Luke Gallows vs. Caleb Konley (C)

I talked about how Ziggy's is a music venue earlier in this piece but there's also a number of bars there. Fittingly enough, with this match Gallows and Konley had what could best be described as a knockdown, drag-out bar fight. The two of them brawled into the crowd, making their way through a majority of the fan seating, and at one point Gallows began to mercilessly pummel Konley with folding chairs. Caleb mounted a comeback, though, and got an ounce of revenge for his love interest by outsmarting Gallows when he got the "Suntan Biker Man" into a roll-up out of a reversal on a chokeslam.

Match #8 - 4-Way Tag Team Match: Country Jacked (Corey Hollis & Adam Page) vs. "Mr. Elite Drew Myers & Shaun Tempers vs. Lance Lude & Zane Riley vs. Chase Brown & Kyle Matthews

A match like this will typically go one of two ways - either it will be an entertaining mess or a horrifically sloppy mess. It's like an overly complicated piece of machinery, with all the moving parts it can't really help itself but be anything other than one of those. Fortunately it was more of the former than the latter! Country Jacked outlasted their opponents and after the match they issued a challenge to Roderick Strong & Eddie Edwards for PWX's February events, saying that they're time as a team is over if can't take out Strong & Edwards.

I would like to point out two individuals involved in the contest because they're worth highlighting but for very different reasons. "Mr. Elite" Drew Myers has arguably the biggest up-side of any pro wrestler in the region, and that includes a whole bunch of well-known talent. His size and physique put him into a class of athlete that's above the rest and the fact that he can actually wrestle makes him even more of a hot commodity. "The Party Man-imal"/"I AM WRESTLING"/"50 Shades of Wrestling" Zane Riley is one of my absolute favorite wrestlers right now and it's because he is one of very few wrestlers out there (at least in our part of the world) who truly gets what it is to do comedy in wrestling. If you watch a Zane Riley match and don't laugh, you're probably a jerk and a tight-wad who doesn't know how to have a good time. I would pay money to watch either of these guys, so it's great that they're usually on PWX cards.

Match #9 - PWX Dream Match Series: AJ Styles vs. Cedric Alexander

Plenty of folks have weighed in on this match with commentary of their own and at this late of a juncture I don't know that I could add anything unique to its discussion other than to state that this was all it was hyped up to be and then some. Every once in a while you see two guys create magic inside a wrestling ring and that's what happened here.

Cedric Alexander is one of the most consistent and talented wrestlers to not have gotten a bigger opportunity than he has as of yet (hard to say a Ring of Honor contract isn't a "big" opportunity but it's the truth). AJ Styles is a one-of-a-kind athlete who unfortunately got lost in a mix of bad ideas towards the end of his run with TNA Wrestling and he was terribly disrespected by them in their not doing more to keep him around. The two of them created a marvelous main event that would've been fit to headline any show in the world. I can't say that I've seen many 5-star matches in my life but this definitely was one. Styles delivered all of his signature moves but Alexander hit him with what had to be the sickest looking back-breaker I've ever seen. AJ came out on top by catching Cedric with a Styles clash, and after the match he showed tremendous respect to his opponent as well as his own legacy in the sport by taking the high road in avoiding the opportunity to run down TNA as a whole and its owner Dixie Carter in front of a live audience. Cedric left the ring quietly, allowing the fans to do the talking by chanting "NEXT WORLD CHAMP!" as he made his exit.

 The show was over just shy of 9 PM, making it a nearly 4-hour event. Needless to say, by the time it was over I was worn out and in need of sustenance. Few things that time of night sound better than a greasy cheeseburger and fries which is why I did my best to locate a Wendy's only to discover that there apparently is no Wendy's in Winston-Salem. If there is, I couldn't find it. I begrudgingly settled for Taco Bell as it was either that or McDonald's - believe me when I tell you that when you've already had Moe's eating at Taco Bell is like going to Western Sizzler after having been to Ruth's Chris. Sure, it's food and you can eat it, but you don't really want to. All I'll say about the quality of that particular meal is that whatever Taco Bell is attempting to pass off as guacamole is far from legitimate, which I guess isn't surprising since they don't use 100% beef in their dishes anyway.

I would like to say that the decision to eat food from Taco Bell was the last culinary mistake I made on this trip. Sadly, it wasn't. The next morning I went down to the lobby of the La Quinta for what I anticipated as being a lovely continental breakfast, and it appeared that I would get as much seeing as how the spread looked to be top notch - cereal, fruits, bagels, coffee. The whole 9 yards, as it were. Also there were a couple waffle irons and a batter dispenser.

I'm always a little weary of these waffle irons because they're never secure, and by that I mean there's nothing in the way of a little hand finding its way onto their blazing-hot surface than the air that separates one from the other - they seem like a liability more than anything, but what do I know? I've never had to pay for a skin graft operation as part of a personal injury lawsuit stemming from burns incurred as a result of a hotel not doing their due diligence to protect its patrons.

I obtained a disposable cup to get some batter, going by the graphical instructions on the dispenser. I don't know exactly what went wrong but the extruding nozzle on the batter dispenser popped off in my hand. I stood there in horror for a few moments as chilled, gooey waffle batter began to dump out of the thing, seemingly by the gallon, going everywhere and anywhere. I tried to alert a member of their staff but no one was within earshot of my calls, and to make matters worse I apparently decided to have breakfast when most everyone else staying in the hotel did as I found myself struggling in front of an audience of what seemed to be 10-15 people (none of whom made any attempt to assist me, I might add). I finally did get the attention of someone who worked at the hotel and she did what she could to help but by then the damage was done, both to the breakfast nook and to my ego. Suffice to say I didn't hang around that scene long - I went back to my room, cleaned off my hands, grabbed my stuff and exited out one of the side doors as I wasn't going to show my face in the lobby again after that fiasco. I wound up having breakfast at a nearby Golden Corral.

The drive home was uneventful; I opted for the interstate coming back through South Carolina as I was ready to get to my sleepy little adopted hometown of Saint Matthews, our dog, and my wife. I'm often caught off guard by how good it feels to come home. I look forward to trips like this, sometimes for weeks or months, and yet it always winds up that coming home is one of the most welcome parts of the whole experience. (With the exception of Walt Disney World, that is - I think my wife & I both would stay there forever if we could.) I guess this proves that no matter where you may go, there's just no place like home.

Our Voyage to the Western Caribbean (Part 1)

Well before my wife and I got married but after I'd asked for her hand, I made a promise to her that our life together would be an adventure.  I'd like to think it's lived up to that guarantee thus far.

We began the process of putting our vacation together more than a year ago.  If you didn't know, when booking a cruise it's much better to do so as far in advance as possible seeing as how the cruise lines raise their rates as the date of departure nears.  We wanted to have this trip serve as a follow up to our honeymoon, almost as if we were turning going on a cruise into an annual event, but we knew that we wouldn't be able to take the trip so close to our anniversary (which is in May) seeing as how we'd both be using up a majority of our vacation time for our yearly trek to Myrtle Beach in June.  Our sights were set on sailing to the Western Caribbean but the potential perils of hurricane season weighed heavily on our minds when looking at cruise itineraries in that part of the world, which is why we decided November would be as good a time of year as any.  We'd sailed on the Carnival Sensation for our honeymoon; the Sensation is a great boat and one with a fairly interesting history (it was loaned to the government in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina for use as a refuge for people who'd been displaced by the storm and then put through a complete refit thereafter) but I wanted to experience one of the bigger, more modern vessels in Carnival's fleet.  Our honeymoon was also a fairly short trip, a 4-day jaunt to the Bahamas, and I was desiring something more lengthy.  All factors having been considered, we booked a 7-day cruise on board the Carnival Dream - one of Carnival's newest and largest ships - with stops in port at Cozumel, Belize, Isla Roatan, and Costa Maya.

To say that the weeks and months leading up to the cruise were somewhat agonizing would be an understatement.  Every so often we would remind each other of the fact that our trip was inching its way ever nearer, dangling out in front of us like a carrot - only this wasn't a carrot, this was more like a porterhouse steak cooked to perfection and served with all the trimmings. (It's fitting that I use a food analogy in this context because Jill and I have noticed that when we plot our vacations it invariably turns out that much of them are centered around things we want to eat or visiting restaurants we want to experience.) When we were less than a month away from setting sail, the both of us were just about as giddy as I can ever remember having been.  We normally take a few small trips throughout the year but we hadn't been anywhere this year since our Myrtle Beach trip, which meant we'd essentially been cooped up at home for nearly six months.  Suffice to say that we were chomping at the bit to get out on the road again.

This was the fortune I received from Red Bowl Asian Bistro the night before we left.

As I've detailed previously, packing for this trip was a definite challenge or at least it was for me.  I hadn't considered the logistics of wrangling enough clothes for a 7-day voyage that includes several formal occasions when we were booking this trip.  Fortunately, my bags had enough give to them that I was able to get everything packed but they couldn't save me from a bit of lighthearted ridicule from my wife who managed to only need one suitcase (which should count as at least 2 because her suitcase is only slightly smaller than a Smart Car) whereas I had two suitcases plus a duffel bag and my backpack.  I wound up bringing way more clothes than I would need, but as the old saying goes I'd sooner have had it and not needed it than needed it and not had it.

Our vacation began the morning of November 11, 2011 - Veterans Day.

11-11-11 (Friday): It finally hit me that we were about to leave for a trip to Mexico as I was loading our luggage into the car.  Loading luggage being the point where the rubber meets the road, as it were, when it comes to fantasies of a vacation materializing into something much more substantive.  What would we do, what would we see, who would we meet, and so many other questions danced around in my head, all swirling about each other with excitement over getting the opportunity to do something so unique as this.

When planning for our honeymoon last year, I knew we wouldn't be able to make the entire drive from South Carolina to Florida the day of our wedding as we would be getting married in the afternoon and would most certainly have much revelry to enjoy before departing.  That being the case, I looked for an oasis along the route which would allow us an opportunity to get some rest.  I found such a spot in the form of Kingsland, Georgia - pretty much the last town in the peach state you encounter traveling south on I-95 before entering Florida.

We stopped for lunch at a Cracker Barrel not far from Savannah.  Cracker Barrel might have been an odd choice for a first date, but their location in Orangeburg was where Jill and I first met and for this reason those restaurants will always be special to us.  The meal was quite tasty, however the real treat from our stop there was when I validated my genius-level IQ via the golf tee peg board game featured on each table in every Cracker Barrel.

Straight up skills, yo...

There are many hotels and restaurants around Kingsland as the town has definitely seized the chance to welcome road-weary travelers.  For our honeymoon, we'd stayed at a Best Western and I think I'll always remember the process of checking into that hotel well after midnight while standing in line with many other folks who were closer to being asleep than they were awake (the other resounding memory from that night being Jill's struggle to remove all the make-up and hairspray that had been put on her).  This time through we stayed at a Days Inn which was modestly priced and adequate for our needs but not nearly as nice as the Best Western.

After checking in, we kicked back and relaxed for a few hours.  When dinner-time rolled around I had it in mind that I wanted to try a local restaurant instead of a chain.  I had looked up several potentials before we'd left home; we narrowed down our search by glancing over the local Yellow Pages and had it in mind to try the Bonzai Japanese Steakhouse.  To say that Jill was apprehensive about dining there after we arrived would be selling short her reaction.  Truth be told, it was dark and the decor outside the restaurant wasn't all that inviting but the parking lot was somewhat full (although that could've been attributable to the fact that several other restaurants were adjacent to Bonzai).  We road by a few other restaurants - all chains - and most of them appeared to be near capacity which was no surprise given it was a Friday evening.

Somewhat begrudgingly, Jill agreed to eat at Bonzai after all.  From her hesitance to get out of the car, you'd have thought she was under the impression I was leading her into some kind of den of horrors.  Fortunately, this meal would be one of the more memorable dining experiences (for good reasons) of the entire trip.  The interior of the restaurant was nothing like the outside; very brightly lit and welcoming, albeit somewhat cramped (I'll admit that isn't an unbiased statement seeing as how a space that cramps a person my size would be perfectly comfortable for most people).  The food was quite good and our chef was entertaining with his constant-yet-mostly-unintelligible banter ("Yummy, yummy, woo-hoo!" is about all I could make out).  After the meal we picked up a few more doses of Dramamine as I wasn't sure if we had enough (we did) then returned to our room to get a good night's rest.

11-12-11 (Saturday): I didn't sleep all that well, ironically enough.  Chalk it up to excitement or to my body not being accustomed to the strange bed I'd put it in.  On top of that, when setting the alarm clock the night before I somehow managed to change the time on the device so instead of waking up at 6:30 AM like we'd planned I woke us up at (drum roll, if you will) 5:30 AM!  This wasn't that bad, though, as it gave us plenty of time to gather ourselves and have breakfast (the continental breakfast Days Inn was serving didn't look all that appetizing - besides, there was a Shoney's directly in front of the hotel and their breakfast buffet is too enticing to pass up; the wait staff at this particular location were excellent and amazingly up-beat for being at work so early in the morning) before setting off on the final leg of our drive to Port Canaveral.

Kingsland, GA is around 3 miles from the Florida state line which meant we weren't on the road long before we were stopping, this time at the Florida visitors welcome center.  I have so many fond memories of this welcome center, odd as that may seem.  When I was growing up, my family came to Florida almost every summer and we would always stop at the welcome center to have a cup of fresh orange or grapefruit juice and to pick up a slew of brochures (I kid you not when I say we would easily fill up a grocery bag with those things).  The place hasn't changed much since I was a child - they're still serving juice (I had two cups this time through, one grapefruit and one orange) and the walls of brochures are as vibrantly colored as ever.

Double-fisting juices - grapefruit in one hand, orange in the other

To me, navigating through Jacksonville is the only tricky part about getting to Port Canaveral.  Notice that I said "through" and not "around" as you do have an option since there is a bypass available to those not wanting to take a direct route.  We were on something of a tight schedule which is why we'd be taking the straightest path, right through the center of Jacksonville.  There are so many interchanges, off-ramps, on-ramps, and random other potential bottlenecks to this stretch of road that I would probably decline the chance to live or work there if I had to use it for transportation every day.  From the sky, I'm sure that the highways going through that city have to look like a bundle of serpents writhing around each other.  Thankfully, there is ample signage to assist motorists; between them and our handy GPS, it wasn't too difficult of a segment.

The approach to Port Canaveral is a real treat for me because it's within a stone's throw of Cape Canaveral, site of NASA's Kennedy Space Center.  You can see many of the buildings making up the complex from the road, but it would turn out that we'd have a much better view of them later on in the day.

As we neared the port we could see several cruise ships sitting out on the water like great behemoths of the sea.  It's amazing to see craft as large as these - trust me when I say that they get a whole lot bigger the closer you are to them!  They truly are "nautical cities" and for someone like myself who marvels at feats of engineering it is astounding to consider all that goes into operating and maintaining these vessels.  I'd love to someday see what all goes on behind the scenes as I'm sure it's fascinating.

Our home away from home for the next 7 days, the Carnival Dream

We'd gotten turned around last year when entering the port as our directions weren't as effective as I'd hope they'd be (signage near the port wasn't all that helpful either), however we had no such issues this year.  Of course, the fact that we could very clearly see where our boat was docked helped - the Carnival Dream is one of the larger boats in port at Canaveral, after all, so it wasn't difficult to spot.  We just had to find our way to it, which was easy enough as the route into the parking lot and embarkation area is clearly marked.  After dropping off our luggage with the porters, we were able to park the car less than 50 yards away from the ship, an ideal scenario seeing as how we'd be carrying the luggage we'd just deposited upon our return.

Getting through security checkpoints when entering a cruise ship is not unlike the process of boarding an airplane - well, I take that back because while Homeland Security is present there are no body scanners, no pat-downs, and no limitations on how much shampoo you can bring with you (not that you need to bring any as the stateroom showers on Carnival boats come stocked with plenty of shampoo and shower gel).  It's a tedious process but only because of the shear volume of travelers to be processed.  Similarly, guest check-in can feel like it's taking forever but the truth of it is that patience is the order of the day when it comes to embarkation.  The whole ordeal took less than an hour, all totaled, which is impressive.

An aside to the check-in process is a personal story about Carnival's sign and sail cards.  The sign and sail card is an all-purpose device as it functions as your room key, identification, and is linked to your on-board spending account (you don't use cash or credit/debit cards on these boats, rather you wrack up charges over the course of your trip and are responsible for paying the balance when you return to port).  When we checked in for our honeymoon cruise, I was rather put off by the fact that Jill received a prestigious-looking gold sign and sail card whereas I was issued a card that was powder-blue in color. (The powder-blue, to me, looked like something they should be giving to kids.) It turns out that customers who've sailed previously with Carnival are recognized by different color cards, those being gold and platinum (given to guests who've taken 10 cruises with Carnival).  Jill had sailed with Carnival before, hence why she was ahead of me in the pecking order.  Be that as it may, I was pleased to get my first gold sign and sail card this time around.

Walking across the gantry connecting land to our boat was like leaving reality and entering a completely different realm of existence - one where it's perfectly acceptable to order 4 deserts after having eaten 5 servings of lobster.  Once we were on board, we made our way to the lido deck because we weren't yet allowed into our staterooms.  Lido is an important place because it's where all the buffets are located, and seeing as how it was just past lunchtime seating was at a premium but we were able to get a table without much delay. (This would be the only occasion where we'd have much difficulty in finding a table on lido; in contrast I'd read reviews online that seemed to indicate it was almost impossible 100% of the time.)

The Dream features several stations around its lido deck that offer customized fare, such as a burrito bar which was where I decided to dine this first day (other selections included pasta, salads, omelets, hot dogs & hamburgers, and deli sandwiches).  The food on these boats is impeccable, and the fact that service in some form is available 24 hours a day is remarkable.  Again I'll say that the logistics of running an operation like this are astounding.

Not long after we'd finished our lunch an announcement was made that guests could make their way to their staterooms.  I was very eager to see ours as we'd be occupying a cove balcony stateroom, which is unique in comparison to other balcony rooms in that the balcony does not overhang the side of the boat.  Instead these balconies are tucked into the ships' hull making them more secure as well as more private.  When we opened the door we immediately noticed that this room was larger than what we'd experienced previously on the Carnival Sensation.  Our room featured a king-size bed, a seating area with a couch, ample closet space, a great bathroom, and - of course - the balcony which was spectacular.  An added bonus was that we were on the port side (which is the left-hand side if you're in the boat and facing the front of the ship) meaning that we'd get a great view of each port (not to be redundant) we'd be visiting.

Our stateroom, a cove balcony class - very spacious & comfortable.

At this point in time we hadn't yet received our luggage.  This is another part of cruising that demands patience seeing as how each and every bag has to be delivered to the stateroom it belongs and this can take a fair amount of time on a boat like the Dream since there could be more than 4,000 guests on board.

It's required that all guests participate in an evacuation drill prior to the ship leaving port.  In a nut shell, this is where you learn what you would be doing in the event of an emergency where there might be no other option than to use the ship's lifeboats to escape some level of danger.  It involves everyone reporting to their assigned muster stations then receiving instruction on how to effectively use life preservers.  This is the sort of thing that comes across as being unnecessary, to the point that if you've sat through it once you should receive some kind of lifetime certification, but for a  number of reasons (read, payouts from personal injury lawsuits) it doesn't quite work that way.  Once the muster drill was complete we decided to make our way to the promenade deck to watch as we left port.

We shoved off around 5 PM, close to dusk for this time of year.  On our way out of port, we passed several other boats including a Disney ship and another of Carnival's fleet.  This gave us a much more vivid sense of just how tall the Dream is seeing as how we were standing on one of the middle-upper level decks and we were looking across the tops of those other boats.  The setting sun was a great backdrop for our departure, as was the sight of a shrimp boat following behind us.

On our way out of Port Canaveral

You have many dining options but when it comes to dinner the only way to go for us is to enjoy a meal in one of the main dining rooms.  For this cruise we were assigned to the Scarlet dining room; we realized as the week went on that most of the featured locations inside the boat had monikers that made reference to a shade of red.  We were curious to find out who our table-mates would be as we were looking forward to meeting some of our fellow cruisers.  As it would turn out, we were assigned to a booth instead of one of the larger tables, making for much more quaint dining experiences.  We had the table to ourselves that first night as we later learned that our table-mates had decided to visit the steakhouse this first evening.  I received a special treat at the end of our meal in the form of a heart-shaped chocolate cake Jill had ordered as a surprise; our waiter brought it to our table and sang "Happy Anniversary" to us (and encouraged us to "kissy-kissy").  The cake, like all the food served to us that week, was almost too pretty to eat but of course we ate it anyway and it was delicious - moist, creamy, and chocolatey!

The view from our table in the Scarlet Dining Room

After dinner, we returned to our stateroom and low & behold our luggage had arrived.  We unpacked our bags and bundled up several orders of laundry (there are do-it-yourself laundry stations on board but if you think I'm going to iron something while I'm on vacation you've got another thing coming) and gave them to our steward before venturing back out to peruse the Fun Shops.  Jill and I have developed quite a collection of magnets over our years of traveling together (in my opinion they're the best souvenirs imaginable - I can go to get a cold drink and be reminded of our escapades), and we added to it this first night by picking up a magnet featuring a great image of the Dream.

We capped off our evening by watching several programs in the Encore Theater.  Bingo games - which almost always preceded performances in the Encore (they're as good of a lead-in as any; come for the bingo, stay for the show) - are never hard to find on Carnival's boats and I have to say they aren't exactly bashful when it comes to giving away prizes.  More often than not, winners of these games would receive either a hefty amount of cash or a large amount of credit being applied to their sign and sail account (there were even a few games played later in the week where if you won your entire sign and sail charges would be wiped out; that's a huge opportunity because trust me when I say that over the duration of a 7-day cruise you can wrack up a significant balance).  Trivia games are also commonplace with the game of the evening being centered around material from the 1980s.  The actual performance we saw that night was an introduction to the entertainers who'd be putting their skills on display for us the remainder of the week.  By far my favorite element of this show was a segment arranged by Fun Force who are a group of break dancers.  Quite frankly I don't think the human body was intended to bend or move the way these guys are able to, so the notion that they're able to perform the acrobatic feats they do is out of this world.

The Encore Theater/Lounge

By the end of the show, we were ready to retire to our stateroom.  Between being on the road and all the excitement of the day, we'd thoroughly worn ourselves out.  It had been a great first day and our adventure was definitely only just beginning!