The Magic of MSC Musica
Our cruise on the MSC Musica was magical. Perhaps it was because we traveled in a big group. I will always remember that cruise. Here are more pictures of the MSC Musica. Let’s just say this cruise line is definitely worth your consideration.
MSC Musica
MSC Musica
MSC Musica
MSC Musica
In the evening, there’s spectacular entertainment, here are the performers after one show
MSC Musica
Did you know MSC Cruise Lines have cruises out of Florida now? One of their new ships is the MSC Divina and the reason I am mentioning this is that I have a picture shown below with that very name on it. I don’t know why I took it at the time (during the MSC Musica cruise, and I believe in Turkey) – perhaps because it has a little resemblance to my own name? Anyway, here’s the picture.
Here’s me on the MSC Musica
Davinder on the MSC Musica
Here’s my son (looking out to the swimming pool) and daughter all dressed up for an Indian function on the ship – we were part of a big Indian group on the cruise – we enjoyed Bollywood, Bhangra and more – danced to it, and ate Indian food.
MSC Musica
Here’s a picture taken of one of their lounges.
MSC Musica
Of course MSC Cruise Lines also depart from many other places throughout the world, including Europe, where we took our cruise from lovely Venice, Italy. I think my next post might have to be on Venice. I hope you all have a fantastic week!
Just A Few Reasons To Visit the Church Of Our Lady Of Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta
I didn’t take too many pictures of Puerto Vallarta while I was in Mexico last year during the Carnival Splendor cruise. I think it might have had something to do with it being a very hot day.
I did visit a beautiful church, and would recommend that if you are in Puerto Vallarta, you should visit the Church of Our Lady Of Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Several reasons to visit this church: it’s beautiful; it’s historical; incredible architecture; and it never hurts to go to any house of God. Go for inner peace, contemplation and go in the hopes of being blessed. Anyway, that’s what I like to think, and so I’m just sharing my reasons for visiting it.
Here are some pictures of the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puerto Vallarta
I enjoy seeing different churches and this one is a must-see.
Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puerto Vallarta
Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puerto Vallarta
Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puerto Vallarta
I tried to get pictures from many different angles
Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puerto Vallarta
You might find this information useful:
Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Church Of Our Lady Of Guadalupe, Puerto Vallarta
Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Church Of Our Lady Of Guadalupe
Nun at the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Street scene just outside the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
And another picture of the street just outside the Church
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Now I will digress away from the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe to bring you a few pictures of the surrounding area, this courtyard is very close to the Church
Courtyard Scene – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
I’m sure you will want to buy souvenirs, here’s a sneak peek at what you can expect in PV
Souvenir Shopping, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Souvenirs, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Souvenirs, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Close by to the cruise ship, my three kids just had to pose in front of the Puerto Vallarta sign – many others were doing exactly the same thing.
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Now, back to the ship – oh, the Splendor! As you can see, here in Puerto Vallarta, the ship pulled up right to dock – not like in Cabo San Lucas, where you have to go on a tender boat to the dock.
The Carnival Splendor in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Incase you haven’t seen my video of Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta, here it is.
I hope you enjoyed my pictures of Puerto Vallarta, and especially those of the Church Of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I hope I gave you enough reasons to visit the Church, but if not, please read the following:
http://www.homeandabroad.com/browse/details/sites.ha?mainInfoId=48153&rqs=vacationplanner
Thanks for visiting my post!
The Splendor of Cabo San Lucas
First some island music to get you into vacation spirit – this was my attempt at making a promo video! Also, as you may be aware – my old website at http://www.bindicruises.com is not available anymore – this all had something to do with the discontinuation of Mobile Me, and my decision to not look for another website host. Also, how many websites can one person maintain??!!
I will not write too much about the cruise itself as there are other posts that I have done on the Splendor, but this is all about Cabo San Lucas. Now for some pictures:
We went into a gift shop, and this was the view from within the shop
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Another shot of the same scene but with a different camera (one was taken with the Iphone, and one with my regular camera – a Canon G10)
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
This is my son in the gift shop
Gift Shop, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
We were entertained by various groups of people
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
In case you are hungry, there’s plenty of options
Places to Eat – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Restaurants of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Did you see? That “statue” moved! It just might get you, here it is almost getting my daughter!
Restaurants in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Now for a look at the marina area of Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Family picture time, me with my kids Luca, Chandi and Niki, who inspired me to name my business Luchanik named just after them – Lu-Cha-Nik
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
I really like this picture taken near one of the hotels
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Must get in the palm trees of Cabo
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Now for a street scene
Downtown Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Restaurants of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Art of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Some useful information
Tourist Information, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
You may need to cool off and enjoy the sights
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Fancy a large cup of coffee?
Cafe Canelas, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Mexico definitely is colorful!
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
The Carnival Splendor awaits us!
Carnival Splendor, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Leaving Cabo San Lucas…..this picture was taken from the ship
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
On a previous trip to Cabo San Lucas, I took these pictures
The Arch, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
I hope you enjoyed looking at the pictures I took of Cabo San Lucas. This was the first port we stopped at, and the second port – Puerto Vallarta will be in my next post. Thank you for visiting my blog.
Get Into The Splendor!
Get into the Splendor – the Carnival Splendor! The Carnival Splendor is a beautiful ship, in fact it is splendid! Some quick facts: it first sailed in 2008; it holds approximately 3000 people; it has a number of swimming pools; and it has the only Indian restaurant I’ve ever seen on a ship – the Tandoor. Quite simply put: it has all the splendor you would need on a cruise vacation. I’m not going to go into all the details of the Splendor, and my cruise on it, but you can take a look at a write-up I did directly after the July, 2011 cruise – my review of the Carnival Splendor. Here are some pictures:
Carnival Splendor
Carnival Splendor
Carnival Splendor
Adults Only Swimming Pool – Carnival Splendor
Main Swimming Pool – Carnival Splendor
Main Swimming Pool – Carnival Splendor
Drinks Service – Carnival Splendor
Outdoor Movie Theatre – Carnival Splendor
Kids Splash Area – Carnival Splendor
Kids Pool – Carnival Splendor
Waterslide – Carnival Splendor
Waterslide & Kids Pool – Carnival Splendor
Waterslide – Carnival Splendor
Carnival Splendor lobby
Gold Pearl Dining Room – Carnival Splendor
Gold Pearl Dining Room – Carnival Splendor
That’s me in the Black Pearl Dining Room
Black Pearl Dining Room
That’s me in the Lido Dining Room
Lido Dining Room – Carnival Splendor
Lido Dining Room – Carnival Splendor
The Coffee Shop – Carnival Splendor
Elevators – Carnival Splendor
The Lobby – Carnival Splendor
Lobby Bar – Carnival Splendor
Cabin – Carnival Splendor
Cabin – Carnival Splendor
Thalassotherapy Pool – Cloud 9 Spa – Carnival Splendor
Spa – Carnival Splendor
Spa – Carnival Splendor
Gym – Carnival Splendor
Spectacular Lounge – Carnival Splendor
Robusto Bar – Carnival Splendor
If you want to stay connected while you’re on your cruise, it is an extra cost (not included unfortunately) – just go visit The Web, which is the name of the Internet Lounge.
The Web – Carnival Splendor
El Morocco Lounge – Carnival Splendor
The El Morocco Lounge is so beautiful, that I just had to include another photo
El Morocco Lounge – Carnival Splendor
Bollywood dance lesson time, and even my little Chandi (in the pink dress) got into the groove, and she was just 20 months old at the time!
El Morocco Lounge – Carnival Splendor
Here Chandi is with two of the UCSD Zor dancers
El Morocco Lounge – Carnival Splendor
UCSD Zor – one of the top Bollywood dance teams in the nation entertained my group – the Bindi Group – this time with Bhangra!
UCSD Zor – Red Carpet Disco – Carnival Splendor
We had Indian food most nights on the cruise in the Gold Pearl Dining Room, here’s a look at just one night’s dishes:
Indian Food – Gold Pearl Dining Room – Carnival Splendor
Did you know that there’s an Indian place on the Lido Deck called the Tandoor where they serve Indian food every day at lunch time? Here’s just a little of what’s on the menu:
Tandoor – Carnival Splendor
I just have to share with you some of the wonderful food that I put on my plate from the Tandoor!
Indian Food from Tandoor – Carnival Splendor
Here’s a look at some other food that was served on the Splendor:
If you want to work off all that food with a swim in the evening, this is what it looks like by the pool at night time:
Main Swimming Pool At Night – Carnival Splendor
Or if you want to just kick back and try your luck in the Casino
Casino – Carnival Splendor
This is where your little ones will be entertained
Camp Carnival – Carnival Splendor
Don’t forget, there’s always ways to have some good family time with activities such as miniature golf
Miniature Golf – Carnival Splendor
Miniature Golf – Carnival Splendor
Now for one last day time pool picture
Carnival Splendor
If you are wondering what the address is for where you can catch your cruise at Long Beach Cruise Terminal, it’s right in this next picture:
Long Beach, CA – Carnival Cruise Terminal
I also recently made another video, and since my pictures are no longer on my blog at luchaniktravel.com (it got redirected to my CruiseOne website), that is why I have put some of them here, and on my video. I had spent so much time putting my pictures on my blog, but now they’re all gone. Anyway, that is why I started this blog (Why I Started A Blog In The First Place?)
Here is my newest cruise video of the Carnival Splendor:
This is different to my ship inspection video of the Carnival Splendor that I did prior to taking the July, 2011 cruise to Mexico.
I hope you like my pictures, and my videos of the Carnival Splendor. Remember, life can be full of splendor, you just have to look for it…….just get into the Splendor, and you may find what you are looking for – a wonderful vacation!
Indian Cruises – Cultural Enrichment At Sea
I enjoy Bollywood and Bhangra music and dance. I just love Indian culture, and there’s nothing wrong with that – after all, I am Indian. I may have grown up in England, and now live in the USA, but culture is deeper than where we live, it’s the embodiment of who we are – who we interact with, and what makes us bond together, and what we enjoy. I may be Indian, but I am also British and I’m also American. I may love Bollywood, and Bhangra, but additionally….. I love pop music, soul music, reggae music and jazz, and even a bit of rap. If I didn’t love the other forms of music, I wouldn’t tape them as ardently as I do when I go on cruises, and then show the world…..I only do that – because I love to watch most forms of dance and musical entertainment, and then of course, I love to photograph and video tape it too!
When I had the chance to introduce a bit of culture on a cruise ship, I was all for it. I hired a group – UCSD Zor – one of the top Bollywood dance teams in the USA – to perform on my Bindi Cruise to Mexico on the Carnival Splendor in July, 2011. I didn’t think twice about it. It took a lot of planning, and was quite a huge undertaking for me – a fairly new travel agent at that time (I just started in this business in January 2010). Would I do something like that again? Who knows? Maybe, sometime in the future.
I love Bollywood movies, but when it really comes to Indian music – I have to admit that I love Bhangra just a bit more than I do Bollywood. That’s why I asked Zor – who are really more of a Bollywood team to do a Bhangra routine, and guess what…..they were really good at it. When you have versatility like that, you are true performers. I was really happy with the performances of Zor on the cruise. Here’s a picture of UCSD Zor below, they are fantastic at both Bollywood and Bhangra!
UCSD Zor, performing Bhangra
And here I am with UCSD Zor who are in their Bollywood outfits now, instead of Bhangra outfits (as above)
UCSD Zor – Carnival Splendor
Want to know more about Bhangra? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhangra_(music)
Want to see hear the full-length Bhangra song that was partly shown in my new Enchantment Of The Seas video, and see who the musician is? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJztXj2GPfk
Want to see a fabulous Bhangra dance video that I put together of UCSD Zor – one of the top Bollywood dance teams in the USA, when they were dancing to Bhangra on my Bindi Cruise to Mexico on the Carnival Splendor?
Want to see a fantastic Bollywood dance video that I put together of UCSD Zor when they performed on my Bindi Cruise to Mexico?
Thank you for reading!
My Video Of The Enchantment Of The Seas
I just finished uploading my video today, and hope you will like it. This video shows many areas around the Enchantment Of The Seas, and it shows the Sailing Away Party, in addition to the Farewell Party. What was interesting was that many people danced during the Sailing Away Party, when there was regular Western music, but as soon as Bhangra music was played, there was just one person dancing. I had to show this in my video – because I love Bhangra, as well as Bollywood, but I also love many types of Western music. Okay, I will admit that there weren’t as many Indian people on this cruise ship as I’ve seen on other cruise ships, but you would think that Bhangra music should have caught on by now. Bhangra music has a very catchy beat, and it’s hard to resist moving when you hear this wonderful music.
Other than the Sailing Away Party, I also showed the Captain’s Reception, some of the entertainment in the Centrum, and the common areas, including the main pool, Schooners Bar, and the Solarium.
Anyway, I hope you will watch my video, and remember……cultural enrichment can brig you joy!
Main Swimming Pool – Enchantment Of The Seas
luchanik 