You never really know how your first vacation with a new group of friends will go. You can hope for the best, but there is always a certain level of hesitation and uncertainty waiting to play out.
Recently, I took that out-of-office leap of faith with a new group of friends that was 350+ strong. Based on the number of participants alone, you may have guessed it – I was on my first ever Brian Christopher Cruise. Thankfully for me, it was one of the best vacations of my life and, no, it wasn’t just because of the casino fun.
At the beginning of April, I took Brian up on his invite to hit the seven seas out of my old hometown, Galveston, Texas. Ironically, I used to live right across from the cruise port. I remember waking up to the sound of ship horns, seeing throngs of people wheeling their suitcases through our historic streets, and remarking how cool it was that I lived somewhere that cruise ships frequented. Little did I know that ten years after leaving the tiny island, I’d be back, and with some of my favorite people!
The first day of the cruise kicked off with a welcome party in the ship’s comedy club. I was more than happy to help Brian and Marco welcome 350 people for a week of fun and adventure around the Caribbean. During the welcome party, we mixed and mingled before jumping into a Q&A session with Brian. Players got to ask Brian all about the cruise and anything else that came to mind including some tips for trying their luck in the on board casino.
I have a hunch Brian elected to take us all on the Carnival Jubilee because of its gorgeous casino, complete with a separate and very well appointed non-smoking area. While this was my first Carnival cruise, I have been on dozens of other ships and can confidently say, the Jubilee has the best casino I have seen on the seven seas.
Back to the activities! Although I am a frequent gambler, I have only participated in a handful of slot tournaments, the large majority being at Rudies Weekend. I like to participate when I know the players and there is a sense of healthy competition. Of course, when you’re on a cruise ship with 350 of your closest gambling friends, I am going to participate! The slot tournament was held on one of our sea days, Brian was there to welcome all players and enjoy some of the coffee and pastries the casino team had put out for our group.
After filming some content, Brian and I took on the tournament together, determined to beat each other. While I was able to out score Brian, we woefully placed away from the top spots. Our friends Christian and Kelly were still in it to win, however, so we joined their cheering squads in the final round. Kelly slapped her buttons all the way into first place, the only time button slapping is encouraged, and took home (to her cabin) a cool $1,500 in Fun Play (Carnival’s version of free play).
Casino aside, the Jubilee features tons of other areas to explore like the open decks, bars and lounges, plus paid options like The Spa and even a roller coaster! Over the course of our seven day cruise, I took a cooking class with my friends, went on two shore excursions, and even opted to get a haircut.
I’ll be the first to admit the ship was the star of the cruise for me compared to the port destinations, but I have to applaud the shore excursions we took. I was very fortunate to take part in two guided tours with our group of ten (Brian, Marco, Brian’s parents, and our friends) around Cozumel, Mexico and Isla Tropicale, Roatan. In Cozumel we took a bus tour and explored some local markets. While we didn’t know we’d be tasting the local tequila at 9 a.m., we were good sports and had roughly 15 (mini) shots each before loading back up to go to our next destination.
In Roatan, it was all about the animals! You may have heard about BCSloths.Com, the very detailed April fool’s plan the BC team executed this year. Needless to say, our group was PUMPED to meet some sloths. We said “hi” to the critters and scooped up some local chocolate that directly benefited their care through profits. I was wearing a shirt with a giant sloth on it when I hit my first double major of the cruise.
Towards the end of the cruise, we all met up in the casino for a group pull. Because of the size of our group, we split into two sections, ready to test our luck. Those group pull videos will be shared later on the channel – you’ll have to watch to see how we did.
Lastly, we had our second party, this time a goodbye, until we meet again shindig. Once again, our group took over the comedy club and settled in for drinks, appetizers and conversation. Brian thanked everyone for joining him, raised his glass for a group cheers, and opened up another Q&A session. After answering any lingering questions, we had another giveaway where people were able to win Fun Play or some BC swag.
One of the most unexpected delights I encountered during the week was a traveling magician that made his way around to the different dining outlets. The magician, Magician Bharath, brought up-close magic to tables including ours. We were fortunate to see him twice during the week.
The second visit blew our collective minds. I handed over a $20 bill and somehow, with the random numbers our group was throwing out, Bharath was able to make the sum match the serial number on the bill. Despite our requests for Bharath to join us in the casino to up our odds, he was unable… probably for obvious reasons.
For what it’s worth, because my husband is often not able to join me for trips, I really appreciated the group aspect of the Brian Christopher cruises. It was awesome to be able to attend the various parties and not have to worry about sitting alone. Everyone in our group was welcoming and eager to talk about our latest wins (and losses) in the casino. Our group all had name tag lanyards too, these made it super easy and natural to strike up a chat and celebrate those bonus wins.
If you haven’t already, you can sign up to join the BCSlots crew on an upcoming sailing here! I have my eye on Canada in September!
