Cruising And More With Donna Kay

It's that time of year again!!!
DonnaKayGifts.com
Order your custom ornaments early
If I don't have a design in my shop for you, just message me on ETSY and I will see if I can make it.
Here are some of the ornaments on my shop
Check them out at DonnaKayGifts.com

I know it is still Summertime but a reminder that Christmas is around the corner and it never hurts to shop early!!
Also I have some absolutely beautiful wind chimes that make a wonderful gift or back yard enhancer in many different designs or your own design.
Click the link below to check out my Etsy shop.
Thank You
Donna Kay

donnakaygifts - Etsy Shop Island Clout by donnakaygifts located in Southport, North Carolina.

I read all of the comments on my last post and I sat and smiled remembering each of you. I really am touched with all of the comments and memories. It's so nice how many memories I have of all of you. I really am so appreciative of all of you and want you to all know what a wonderful crew of people we all were. I wish all of you the best and who knows, maybe I will pop up on a live one day but not for a party but just to say hello. I do miss all of you!!
Thanks for the memories :)

I have not posted in quite a while because I have been busy with my Etsy business as well as other personal things.
Keith and I moved to the beach for our retirement years! I am still doing my Etsy shop and that keeps me fairly busy working.
As you can see I have changed the name of my business to Donna Kay Gifts.
I also want to respond to the many messages I have received from many of you in my personal inbox. Thank you for reaching out and I truly appreciate all who have checked in on me. For those who have asked me to come back to facebook live parties, sorry but I just do not see that in my future. For various reasons I find what I am doing now suits me best and I have to do what is best for me and what makes me happy. I am sorry if that disappoints some of you but just know I really do appreciate all of you and feel I was lucky to have such a wonderful crew of supporters and friends here.
If you are looking for any personalized gifts for any occasion, feel free to check me out on DonnaKayGifts.com on etsy :)
Thank you all and I wish everyone the best now and in the future.
Donna Kay
FOLLOW MY PAGE ON ETSY FOR CUSTOM HOLIDAY ORNAMENTS AND GIFTS FOR ANY OCCASION
DonnaKayGifts.com

Looks delicious

🍪🎂 Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake is the ultimate treat! It's quick, easy, and perfect for any celebration. Happy baking! 🍪🎂✨

Ingredients:
3/4 cup salted butter, melted 🧈
1 cup light brown sugar 🍬
1/4 cup granulated sugar 🍬
1 egg + 1 egg yolk 🥚
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 🌿
2 cups all-purpose flour 🌾
1 teaspoon baking soda 🥄
1/2 teaspoon salt 🧂
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 🍫
Instructions:
Prepare Batter:

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or line it with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together 3/4 cup melted butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar until combined.
Add 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Mix well.
Stir in 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until just combined.
Fold in 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Bake:

Spread the dough evenly in the prepared cake pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the center is set. 🕒
Allow the cookie cake to cool in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate and Serve:

You can decorate with frosting, extra chocolate chips, or sprinkles if desired. Enjoy! 🍽️
Enjoy! 🍪

Leaving for my next cruise in a couple of weeks so any orders you may need, try to get them in now at IslandClout.com

Finally some pics from my cruise the first week of April

Today I returned home from a 5 day/4 night cruise out of Charleston SC on the Carnival Sunshine ship. Here I will review the ship from my own personal opinion.
This is one of Carnival's older ships and lets start by saying "I had a great time". There are so many pros to the cruise but there are somethings that I noticed are not as good in my opinion, to other cruise ships.
Just about any cruise is a good cruise.
First I drove to Charleston from Charlotte area in NC. It was approx a 3 1/2 hour drive. I went with a girlfriend and we met at a hotel the day before. I always suggest staying in a hotel the night before to assure you don't miss your cruise.
The morning of the cruise we drove to the port and parked. Parking cost approx $85 to leave your car at the port for the duration of the cruise. I highly recommend purchasing the "Faster to the fun" option. This cost approx $99 for both of us, not a piece. This allowed us to board faster and do some other things quicker so if standing in lines drives you crazy, this helps some and I will purchase this again for my next cruise ( going on the Mardi Gras with my husband in a few weeks.
I also recommend getting a prescription from your Dr. for the "behind the ear patch" to avoid any seasick feeling while out to sea. I have never cruised without this and feel that I spend too much money on a cruise to take a risk of ruining it by being seasick. I put one small patch (smaller than a quarter) behind my ear and have never experienced any nausea on a cruise. Why take the chance!!
They recommend changing the patch for a new one every 3 days but I have never felt the need to change it and have had just a single patch last me the duration of a 7 day cruise. Maybe I am not prone to seasickness or maybe the patch prevents it, I will never know because I won't take the risk.
I recommend purchasing the Carnival luggage tag holders from amazon as well as a sturdy lanyard because the lanyard is something you will wear the entire cruise with your cruise card attached. For those first time cruisers, your cruise card opens your door, purchases your drinks (even if you have the drink package you need to present the cruise card) The cruise card is used for almost all purchases and you need to register for your cruise with a credit card that will be "Attached to your cruise card". The only time I used cash was to tip the bartender a dollar each time I got a drink, to leave tips for housekeeping and during excursions. When on an excursion you typically tip someone along the way and may use cash with local shops and such. Even though I purchased the drink package for alcohol I feel leaving a dollar tip each time I got a drink helped me get faster service plus it's just good customer behavior. The ship staff doesn't make great money and they really do appreciate each dollar they receive. Also be aware that the drink package does not include room service and you will be charged on your card for drinks (coffee and OJ included) when using room service.
DECORATE your door!! Many people purchase cruise flags or some kind of door decoration to find your room much easier down the long corridor of doors that all look the same. Plus its just a fun novelty to have a fun decorated cabin door. ( I sell these items at IslandClout.com )
I have found the food was not as appealing this last cruise as prior cruises I have been on but it wasn't bad either. The food was fine, just not fabulous. Let's be real here, you don't have to cook or do the dishes so its a win win. You may not love all of the options but there should be something you like on the menu.
I found the Guys Burger Joint was fabulous and the pizza place was really good too!! There is more than enough choices for you to be well fed and at just about any hour of the day there is food available somewhere.
The excursions are my favorite part of a cruise so take advantage of them!! I swam with pigs in the Bahamas this trip. Where else can you go in the ocean and have pigs walking around you? The water was chilly for me but I went in up to my knees and had a blast feeding the pigs. Be careful because they do bite if you put your hand near their mouth. Not that they are aggressive but they think you are feeding them. You are provided a skewer with fruit and hot dogs to feed them with. We were lucky enough to have been there when babies were just 6 weeks old so we got to hold a baby pig as well as feed the bigger ones. This excursion was a great memory for me. I recommend it! They do provide a lunch on this excursion but it was not anything I was interested in so I brought a bagel from the ship to eat. It was about the pigs and beach for me, not the food on this one so don't expect some lavish lunch.
I recommend ALWAYS booking your excursion with the cruise line because you are guaranteed the ship will not leave without you if the guide runs a little late but if you go off "on your own" and run into a delay, the ship will not wait for you and you are stuck on an island somewhere and it is at your own risk. This alone should be a reason to book only with the cruise line. I would not recommend trying to cut costs and go off on your own.
The beds were comfortable for me ( I prefer a softer bed) But I really wish I had taken my own pillow. I prefer a thinner down pillow to a fluffy one. Next cruise my pillow will be attending.
I always get a balcony so I cannot really compare an interior room to a balcony room. I am one that likes to take a nap in the afternoon and spend some time in the cabin. Just makes me feel better to "Touch base" in my cabin through out the day. I also love sitting on the balcony just enjoying the ocean view.
The rooms are small compared to a hotel room but I found the room fine for a cruise cabin, with the exception of the diagonal toilet! Bathrooms are very tight on a cruise ship but the angle of the toilet was annoying. The public bathrooms on the ship are more spacious for the record.
The pool, ugh! The public pool was small and crowded and I had zero interest in getting in. It would have been like taking a bath with a ton of strangers all squished together. Hard pass for me!
I recommend taking advantage of the dining room for breakfast and dinner, the buffet is fine but why pass up the experience of sitting in the dining room and feeling like you are out at a nice restaurant. Also know you can order two entrees or appetizers if you would like, I don't believe they charge extra until you order 3 or more. For example we ordered appetizers but then ordered an extra just to try frog legs ( not my favorite, tastes like turkey kinda but I hated the idea or eating a frog. I love frogs). There is so much to do on a cruise like trivia, piano bar, sing a longs, water slides and just so much that you will be as busy as you want or just hang out and relax. This is your vacation so make it whatever you want it to be. Your last night there you will be packing and getting ready to leave the ship early in the am. We packed the night before after having a fun night in the bar with new people we met and plan on keeping in touch with.
We also brought tumblers ( I made them and highly recommend bringing one along) because the cruise ship cups are quite small and it is much better to be able to fill a large tumbler when walking around or sitting out by the pool. We brought ours on the excursion as well.
One more thing is I had plastic containers of vitamin water and had to throw them out before getting on the ship! Bummer. But for safety reasons Carnival only allows 12 oz cans IN A CARDBOARD box. Like a 12 pack of pepsi or coke would have been fine. I think it is great they allow that but just be sure it meets their requirements so you don't have to ditch it before embarking on the ship.
Something new is the cruise app. I felt lost without the cruise app and I did not purchase the wifi package ( I wanted to disconnect from social media for the time on the cruise) so I highly recommend adding that app to your phone prior to setting sail. You can make reservations for meals and keep up with all of the cruise activities with this app. When leaving the ship you have two choices... pack your bags the night before and leave them outside of your room so the staff can load them and have them ready when you are exiting the ship or you can choose to carry your own bags down and skip the long line to claim your luggage. We choose to carry our own and were literally off the ship by 7:30 am.
I think I covered most of the important points here but if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the feed. I will post the pictures here later today for you to see some of my trip.
Next cruise is on the Carnival Mardi Gras in a few weeks and I will write a review of that cruise after my return as well.
We have the Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas reserved but its a ways out for that cruise.
Donna Kay
IslandClout.com
for cruise tumblers, bags, and door decorations

IslandClout.com

https://islandclout.etsy.com/listing/1692929467

https://islandclout.etsy.com/listing/1391802667/custom-cruisin-boozin-besties-cruise-bag