*Tent on Wheels ON WATER* Mini Jeep Rhino Adventure

We booked the Mini Jeep Rhino Adventure based on the great ratings and reviews out at Carnival.com and after having experienced it for ourselves: we completely agree - this is a 5 star excursion!  We thought it was:

Our tickets were delivered to the staterooms (Well, two rooms.  The other two of us had to go to the Excursion Desk and pick them up - easy enough).  Instructions for meeting in the Northern Lights dining room were printed on them, so as the Magic finished docking, we went down to wait for our group to be called.  Not sure why they did it this way- we were called and then released onto the dock, and had to find our excursion line again at the end of the dock. (The Progresso excursion was much better organized for leaving the ship.)

View from the line we were standing in - we saw dolphins in the pool to the right!

We were lined up at the end of the dock, waiting for everyone else who had booked this adventure. Then we were loaded onto buses and vans with other cruisers who were heading to our destination: the Uvero Beach Club.  When we got there, everyone broke into different groups - some going to the all-inclusive beach break, some going on an ATV adventure, and then our group of maybe 30 heading out to the mini jeeps.  After a crash course from our guides, Reggie and Momo, we were off!

It's hard to describe in words how awesome this adventure was! We zoomed down the dirt roads, bumping over big potholes, giggling, laughing and having an absolute blast all along the way.

Loving it so far, but the best was yet to come - check this out:

Yep, we're about to go driving on the beach!!

But wait, there's more!  Once we were done with the beach, we took off for the jungle!

And I mean, waaaay into the jungle.....

After about 30 minutes of driving, we stopped, Reggie gave us each a bottle of water, and then we switched drivers, repeating the beach-jungle-sand-moguls route.

What? I didn't tell you about the sand moguls?  Well, it's kinda hard to show it in pictures, so once I get off Hubby's computer, I'll see if he can't upload a video of them.  Let's just say, I've never heard a group of grown adults laugh and giggle so hard in all my life.  RB even said at dinner "making Mom bounce in the jeep" was his favorite part of the day.  It was a BLAST!

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, so we turned the jeeps around and headed back towards the resort. Reggie and Momo did an awesome job as guides, and even had a great sense of humor about their job: "If you had fun, this was the Mini Jeep tour.  If you didn't remember you rode the ATVs!" We really felt like we got our money's worth, just in all the time we spent driving around.

Guillermo and Reginald aka Momo and Reggie

When we made it back to the resort, we were told there would be two different return times: 5pm, and 7pm.  We were all a little hungry, knew it would be an hour drive back, and since our excursion didn't include the buffet and we didn't want to spend $18/person, we decided to ride back at 5pm.  This gave us just enough time to do a little exploring.

There's a rickety long rope bridge that leads out to the remainders of an old pier, and the inflatable water park area.  RDB and I walked across (cautiously!) and enjoyed a few short moments looking back at the resort and out at the ocean.  If you can handle the possibility of falling into the clear and shallow water (I'm not kidding when I say it was rickety) it's worth the walk to the end.

Five minutes to 5 rolled around and we got in line for the ride back.  Keep in mind, we're a group of eight - so when the guy who was loading the bus said he only had room for four and we would have to wait for the 7pm departure, I threw a hissy-fit held my ground and reminded him that they had brought busses and vans to the resort, meaning they would have to take busses and vans back to the port.  It only took a few minutes of my firmness, and another two couples to show up, and he decided that yes, a 12 passenger van would also be leaving at 5pm.  I'm not normally one to be so forward, but I did not want to be held captive at the resort with an $18/person buffet when the Northern Lights dining room and a warm-chocolate-melting-cake were waiting for me back on the Magic.

Overall is was a fabulous adventure - and one that we would certainly enjoy again!

THANKS! to all of you who've dropped over from various Facebook links and CruiseCritic (and my review on Carnival.com)!  It's been a pleasure to have you "traveling along!"  Head on over to the start of our adventures on water here and enjoy a lot more fun and photos!