Here's the story. Just a note: if anyone affiliated with Carnival is reading this, the sketch of the ship is MINE. I drew it...and did NOT steal it from any of your stupid websites.
The June 16, 1995 cruise of the Carnival MS Celebration was a 20th wedding anniversary present and a graduation gift to our daughter, Connie. Tim, her boyfriend, also went with us. He had never seen the ocean or swam in salt water. The three of us had been on 2 other cruises previously, both Carnival's. The first was the Jubilee and the other was the maiden voyage of the Ecstasy. Both those cruises were excellent and we were so excited to be going again, and introducing a new person to the world of cruising.
We were a little disappointed initially. They did not offer a free "cast off" drink as usual, but we didn't make a big deal. As the ship set sail at 4:30PM on that Saturday, we had a muster drill as soon as we were in international waters and then prepared for dinner.
We've always taken our muster drill seriously, I know...most people don't. Bruce's father was in the Navy in WWII and has told us enough stories to make us aware of the dangers of being at sea. We paid close attention to where our PFD's were and the location of our muster station. Just for the record, EVERYONE SHOULD ALWAYS TAKE THE DRILL SERIOUSLY. Trust me...
Dinner was great, as usual, and we all had a great time at the show and the casino. We all got back to the cabin at around 3:30 AM and laughed and told jokes for about an hour before finally passing out. I forgot to mention we had made friends that evening with a musician named Jeff (he had a "French" last name...it escapes me); a one-man show on the promenade deck by the main bar.
The next morning, Bruce and I woke up around 8:30AM and went up to the Lido (outside) deck to have breakfast. Connie and Tim were still asleep. We scammed a great table and had just finished our meal and were looking at the scenery when we felt a shudder. It must have been around 9:30AM. There was another couple at a table nearby, and we all sort of stopped for a moment and looked at each other. I said, jokingly, "...must have been a school of fish." and we all laughed. The incident immediately left my mind, and I didn't think of it until later on. We decided to wake up Connie and Tim and get dressed for a day at the pool. A tan is always the best souvenir. As we were going downstairs in the elevator, I remember remarking how it smelled as if someone had been smoking in it. Now, I smoke...but I can't stand it when someone smokes in an area that is obviously not intended for it: elevators, bathrooms, airplanes, etc. I was pretty ticked off, and mentioned it again on our way up to the pool later on. Bruce didn't smell it at the time, but Connie did.
