ARUBA
Well it seems almost anticlimactic to finally have reached our first port. Aruba survives totally on tourism today it’s oil refineries and gold smelting businesses gone long ago. It is about 74 square miles and is infested with large hotels everywhere. The beaches are open to all, and they are gorgeous. About 90K hardy souls live here, most are Dutch and Roman Catholic (there’s a combination for you).
Hallway consult
One of our fellow passengers struck up a conversation with me in the hallway. He had trekker sticks and we started talking about them. He has ambulatory challenges and uses them; I had been debating whether to bring ours along today. But he also has some foot problems and was wearing sandals which I think I have persuaded him is probably not such a good idea for him to use on outings. Then we discussed his background which involved much work in the public and private sectors in so many diverse areas. He did eventually wind up finishing his working career in the discipline in which he got his college degree.
Internet connection
I have never experienced such unreliable internet service on a ship before that I recall. It may be because of the storm. At least I hope so. I’m getting kicked off with some regularity and Ed has still not been able to connect.
I finally went up to the internet café to check on it all. I couldn’t log into my email because Internet Explorer (Microsoft) does not support any MAC application which is what my email is based on. And they won’t allow Safari or Firefox to be installed in which case I could connect with me.com The tech said that one man said he had gotten on but we are both shocked and I told him I wasn’t going to try it and waste lots of time.
There appears to be a problem with the wifi and laptops; it is a Princess problem and this young man is clearly at his rope’s end trying to mollify those of us with laptops. I may try using a flash card at the terminal for some stuff but not quite yet.
We all feel his pain!
Today’s tour
Since we were late getting into port, we all met in the Casino Lounge and went off ship in shifts. Our tour was on a 55 passenger tour bus but there were probably only 20 of us if that many. We first went ot the Holiday Inn (where Natalie Holloway? Stayed) and caught a transfer boat to a “submarine” to see fish and an old ship wreck: The Antilles. This was actually much more interesting than either of us expected. First of all, the transfer boat ride over there was a new experience as the wind is something fierce here. The submarine immediately reminded me of the submarine ride at Disneyland except this one has large windows. We saw sergeant major, wasser and a few other fish; the wreck was easily viewed and I will try to post one good photo where you can see the guns. This took about an hour and then we were shuttled back where we picked up the bus again. Next we went to the California lighthouse (named after a ship which wrecked there in the early 1900s?) and there are impressive dunes here as well. A gorgeous location for a restaurant for a future visit. They had great old clay pots/jugs and amphora all around.
Next it was the Casabiri a park (and souvenir shop of course) where there are huge boulders and amazing sized cacti. Behind the souvenir shop are some wild animals. Hard to get a photo of the iguana which secret themselves in the cacti. I would too if I were them since they are eaten here. It sprinkled while were were here, something fairly rare in these parts. Everything here looks desert like and parched.
And then we were back in town where Ed and I sauntered through a few shops and then located a market where we bought sodas for a more respectable price than the ship affords. And Ed lugged them back in his backpack. When we are in LA, he has several large boxes of 24 to take on the ship.
Dinner and a show?
Only 4 of us but we had fun talking about all things silly. We went back to the room where I downloaded photos and began to edit some as Ed snored away with some weird ?news? channel droning away in the background (but turn it off and he immediately wakes up!) Soon we were off to the entertainment, a singer comedian. Let me just be as gentle as I can: he was beyond his prime when I was a child. He tries god bless him, and Ed will sit through anything like this so after a polite period of time, I excused myself and found the photos they’ve taken of us so far. There are some really cute photos of Ed. Our Aruba disembarkation photo is sooooo touristy! And the embarkation photo in Fort Lauderdale is imminently forgettable. Nonetheless, I gamely tucked them aside for Ed and I to plow through later.
Access to the blog
If you try to access the blog without success, try again later. I guess there’s a maintenance issue as I had this problem long before I left LA. Combine that with the fickle internet connection here on the ship and it’s a miracle anything gets posted!
Tomorrow
10 am Panama Canal talk
I always learn something new at these lectures and often it’s because of the nationality of the speaker and their particular perspective on events. Such was the case today. He has a slide show with embedded videos to illustrate his points. Altogether really still fascinating how it was all accomplished.
Trivia was moved to another site since our usual location is being used for an art auction. Then when we went to the second site, it was full and there is an overbooking problem. (the emerald lecture was using that space) Despite how I enjoy trivia, this is not a great sacrifice for me, believe me.
Library
I found the large print section. It’s small but with some variety. The sudoku was the offering for today; tomorrow is the brain teaser so I brought Ed a copy to play with. This space is quiet and a wonderful relaxing place to be. One lady had her laptop on but was watching others mostly. No one has started a jig saw puzzle yet. The book club is being discussed by many. There are a few magazines of various stripes to enjoy there.
News sources
CNN is of and on because of the satellite connection I presume. We got bits and pieces of Fareed Zacharia’s interview with an Iranian official. I appreciate that he doesn’t let them wiggle away from the questions but still, like American politicians, they have stock phrases they simply repeat.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Almost Aruba
DREARY AND MISERABLE OUTSIDE
As I write this it is Saturday morning and we are due in Aruba around 11 am. The sea has been very ugly all nite; so many folks are saying this is the roughest sailing they’ve experienced. Ed and I say “ha” in our minds. But the wind and conditions remind me of snow blizzards as a kid though the temp is in the 70s probably.
Ambulation is a challenge and it is amusing to see feeble folks holding hands as if they could help each other if one lost their balance. And while there are grab bars in many places, there are still substantial parts of the ship without any.
Photos
I’ve managed to upload a few photos before the internet connection was lost. Ed still hasn’t signed on.
We had several formal photos taken last night so we’ll see if any are salvageable.
Port Talk: Cartajena
This guy is hilarious no matter what he’s discussing. Dry British wit with good solid information. Some folks are concerned about security and have decided not to go off the ship. The drug lord situation is real but on a sponsored tour I can’t imagine one would have any problems as long as you aren’t wearing a Tiffany’s window on your body.
Pat Dahlstrom was just here and told me of some things to see so we’ve signed up for a tour that includes many of those sites.
Econ 101
I’m still waiting to be impressed by this speaker. WE discussed him at the table last night and everyone’s rather “eeehhh” about him. There was much discussion about the fact that he feels no one is at fault per se; everyone is at fault. That’s probably too close to home for some of us to swallow. He does provide handouts some of which are useful. Ed critiques and argues with the content of each. I just read until MEGO (my eyes glaze over) and then pass them to him. There is a quiz where you have to unscramble letters for companies on the stock market and I did better than I expected on it. Ed is stumped with 3 left. We’ll see if some brain spasm comes alone to complete the perfect answer(s).
Jackie Kennedy jewels
The knockoffs were still on display when we sauntered through the atrium and we took a look. There was a video going on showing her wearing some of the pieces (also photos on the display table) and many interesting vignettes about her jewelry collection. Ed bought me a set which are lovely and have faux emeralds with Austrian crystals or CZs. Not exactly redhat quality but they’ll be enjoyed by both of us.
Formal Night
We passed on trivia because it’s simply too much to try to get dressed in 10 minutes. Besides, I don’t know how someone can get dressed alone. I need help with so many things on my dresses and Ed doesn’t have the dexterity to put in his studs and get his bow tie lined up. I wonder how many of these cabin stewards become “dressers” for passengers.
Captain’s reception
Well we do know we have a Captain. We know because we saw him for about 3 minutes when he said, or rather mumbled, hello and welcome. He left JJ to introduce the officers and staff. Overall not very impressive. Clearly he’s not a “people person.” I’m mildly sympathetic (though I do think the grip and grin is a part of the job description) because I can only imagine what a trial it is to smile and make nice over people.
I don’t know to what extent the personality of the Captain permeates the staff but I think it does matter. While the cabin stewards and other public personnel are universally pleasant, the dining room staff are perfunctory in some ways. The head waiter has come to our table 2 of the 3 evenings but has never introduced himself and all he ever says is: “is everything alright?” Those of you who travel a lot know that these guys will also expect tips at the end of the voyage. Most spend time getting to know the folks at the table, passing along tidbits of information, telling jokes, etc. Our table staff are pleasant but no banter. Perhaps they are new to the position and concerned about doing well.
World Cruise for all?
Many people are getting off in LA. Apparently they oversold that leg and there is a program called MOVE OVER. Princess calls folks and asks them to “move over” to another leg or cruise so they can have their accommodations. The more you play “hard to get”, the better the offers including, $$, free future cruises, etc. Well we haven’t experienced this but it’s intriguing. We’ll keep listening.
Also it seems that those who are not on for the full 107 days are not getting the jewelry sets and other special tokens. This makes sense but they expected to enjoy all the same perks as the folks signed up for the full world cruise.
Newspapers
There have been discussions about the lack of newspapers on the ship, even in the library. The internet services available to us are more generous than usual and the thinking is that between the TV and the internet, you can get your news there. Indeed, in reality most people are migrating to those sources of news but there’s nothing like a real newspaper in your hand.
No one knows what was in the state of the union address; we ask each other all the time. But the Super Bowl will be played in the Cabaret Lounge on Super Bowl Sunday.
Religious services
Shabbat services were advertised but no rabbi is on board. The priest says Mass everyone morning at 9 am in the Cabaret Lounge.
DANCE
This was the name of the production this evening where, again, the dancers outdid themselves. Despite the shifting of the ship, they somehow keep their balance. The skits were new to us except for “Sara Lee” which is cute take on a boy’s love for…Sara Lee. Amazing costumes. I’ve posted a few photos but it’s hard to get a good shot in those conditions and folks behind you don’t like the light from your camera LED screen so I probably won’t do it again with that camera anyway
Breakfast
Since Ed and I woke up around 6 and couldn’t go back to sleep, I got up and eventually went down to the dining room for breakfast. We had many stories of cruises at the table and all seem to have heard about the notorious cruise around So Amer on the Prinsendam several years ago. You learn a lot from other cruisers about bankruptcies and how to protect yourself in the case of one; lots of other practical information as well. Grand Circle has a great reputation among everyone with whom we speak.
Weather now.
While the ocean is still at 15’ swells, the sun is out and it is gorgeous. We will arrive in Aruba late because of the weather but we also will stay later. Good weather is predicted for today on the island. Many folks have been there before and all seem to enjoy it.
We come on as passengers; we leave as cargo.
As I write this it is Saturday morning and we are due in Aruba around 11 am. The sea has been very ugly all nite; so many folks are saying this is the roughest sailing they’ve experienced. Ed and I say “ha” in our minds. But the wind and conditions remind me of snow blizzards as a kid though the temp is in the 70s probably.
Ambulation is a challenge and it is amusing to see feeble folks holding hands as if they could help each other if one lost their balance. And while there are grab bars in many places, there are still substantial parts of the ship without any.
Photos
I’ve managed to upload a few photos before the internet connection was lost. Ed still hasn’t signed on.
We had several formal photos taken last night so we’ll see if any are salvageable.
Port Talk: Cartajena
This guy is hilarious no matter what he’s discussing. Dry British wit with good solid information. Some folks are concerned about security and have decided not to go off the ship. The drug lord situation is real but on a sponsored tour I can’t imagine one would have any problems as long as you aren’t wearing a Tiffany’s window on your body.
Pat Dahlstrom was just here and told me of some things to see so we’ve signed up for a tour that includes many of those sites.
Econ 101
I’m still waiting to be impressed by this speaker. WE discussed him at the table last night and everyone’s rather “eeehhh” about him. There was much discussion about the fact that he feels no one is at fault per se; everyone is at fault. That’s probably too close to home for some of us to swallow. He does provide handouts some of which are useful. Ed critiques and argues with the content of each. I just read until MEGO (my eyes glaze over) and then pass them to him. There is a quiz where you have to unscramble letters for companies on the stock market and I did better than I expected on it. Ed is stumped with 3 left. We’ll see if some brain spasm comes alone to complete the perfect answer(s).
Jackie Kennedy jewels
The knockoffs were still on display when we sauntered through the atrium and we took a look. There was a video going on showing her wearing some of the pieces (also photos on the display table) and many interesting vignettes about her jewelry collection. Ed bought me a set which are lovely and have faux emeralds with Austrian crystals or CZs. Not exactly redhat quality but they’ll be enjoyed by both of us.
Formal Night
We passed on trivia because it’s simply too much to try to get dressed in 10 minutes. Besides, I don’t know how someone can get dressed alone. I need help with so many things on my dresses and Ed doesn’t have the dexterity to put in his studs and get his bow tie lined up. I wonder how many of these cabin stewards become “dressers” for passengers.
Captain’s reception
Well we do know we have a Captain. We know because we saw him for about 3 minutes when he said, or rather mumbled, hello and welcome. He left JJ to introduce the officers and staff. Overall not very impressive. Clearly he’s not a “people person.” I’m mildly sympathetic (though I do think the grip and grin is a part of the job description) because I can only imagine what a trial it is to smile and make nice over people.
I don’t know to what extent the personality of the Captain permeates the staff but I think it does matter. While the cabin stewards and other public personnel are universally pleasant, the dining room staff are perfunctory in some ways. The head waiter has come to our table 2 of the 3 evenings but has never introduced himself and all he ever says is: “is everything alright?” Those of you who travel a lot know that these guys will also expect tips at the end of the voyage. Most spend time getting to know the folks at the table, passing along tidbits of information, telling jokes, etc. Our table staff are pleasant but no banter. Perhaps they are new to the position and concerned about doing well.
World Cruise for all?
Many people are getting off in LA. Apparently they oversold that leg and there is a program called MOVE OVER. Princess calls folks and asks them to “move over” to another leg or cruise so they can have their accommodations. The more you play “hard to get”, the better the offers including, $$, free future cruises, etc. Well we haven’t experienced this but it’s intriguing. We’ll keep listening.
Also it seems that those who are not on for the full 107 days are not getting the jewelry sets and other special tokens. This makes sense but they expected to enjoy all the same perks as the folks signed up for the full world cruise.
Newspapers
There have been discussions about the lack of newspapers on the ship, even in the library. The internet services available to us are more generous than usual and the thinking is that between the TV and the internet, you can get your news there. Indeed, in reality most people are migrating to those sources of news but there’s nothing like a real newspaper in your hand.
No one knows what was in the state of the union address; we ask each other all the time. But the Super Bowl will be played in the Cabaret Lounge on Super Bowl Sunday.
Religious services
Shabbat services were advertised but no rabbi is on board. The priest says Mass everyone morning at 9 am in the Cabaret Lounge.
DANCE
This was the name of the production this evening where, again, the dancers outdid themselves. Despite the shifting of the ship, they somehow keep their balance. The skits were new to us except for “Sara Lee” which is cute take on a boy’s love for…Sara Lee. Amazing costumes. I’ve posted a few photos but it’s hard to get a good shot in those conditions and folks behind you don’t like the light from your camera LED screen so I probably won’t do it again with that camera anyway
Breakfast
Since Ed and I woke up around 6 and couldn’t go back to sleep, I got up and eventually went down to the dining room for breakfast. We had many stories of cruises at the table and all seem to have heard about the notorious cruise around So Amer on the Prinsendam several years ago. You learn a lot from other cruisers about bankruptcies and how to protect yourself in the case of one; lots of other practical information as well. Grand Circle has a great reputation among everyone with whom we speak.
Weather now.
While the ocean is still at 15’ swells, the sun is out and it is gorgeous. We will arrive in Aruba late because of the weather but we also will stay later. Good weather is predicted for today on the island. Many folks have been there before and all seem to enjoy it.
We come on as passengers; we leave as cargo.
Friday, January 29, 2010
H I G H seas
ARUBA TOMORROW
Dinner
We had a full table of 8 tonite. The 4th couple is much more subdued compared to the rest of us. Hearing the conversation around the total table is still a problem. We had asked for a table of 6 and I guess it simply wasn’t possible. When you bring the subject up, everyone agrees. Nonetheless we all struggle through to hear each other.
The Laundromat
I didn’t bring up this topic, someone else at the table did. This generated a hilarious discussion with some contributions requested to continue my data collection toward my future publication: Laundromats on cruise ships. There is chagrin that we have only one Laundromat on this ship with 624 paying passengers. I have not yet heard how many of us are now Elite status and thus have free laundry, but I suspect it’s a large number which would mean that there should be easier access to the ship’s Laundromat. I’ll keep you posted as I know I have a dedicated following who are sitting on the edges of their seats to get the latest installment.
We are now preparing our second laundry sack to go to be processed. Probably our first batch will arrive today. Traditionally, anything that can be hung (PJs included) will be found in the closet and the folded things arrive in a laundry bag. This isn’t like the Prinsendam where our laundry arrived in a wicker basket protected by tissue paper with a sticker holding it in place as if it were a marvelous gift to you.
On the way to lunch, we heard folks talking about the Laundromat: where it is, what are the best times to go, etc. Then at lunch another couple brought up the issue and contributed another vignette to the future book: It seems that two women got into a tussle on one of the large ships because someone removed laundry from the dryer and the wives got into a fight. So their German husbands got into a fisticuff in the laundry room and all were thrown off at the next port which apparently was some isolated island where it’ll cost a fortune to get back home.
The lady also said that some women were sending their husbands down to the laundry room because they were afraid to go.
TV offerings
We do get CNN sporadically and most of it is international. Right now they are broadcasting the live testimony of Tony Blair about the Iraq war lead up. The civility of the Brits makes our hearings look like such a farce. We also have the usual ship’s channels and HNL (?) one I’d not seen before. I have not run across FOX news as I’ve zipped through the various channels and it’s not listed in the TV guide. They have some fun movies, one which has Tab Hunter who is a guest on this cruise and will be interviewed later. (hasn’t he died?) I’ll keep you posted.
I like looking at the ship’s channel with the wheel and the icons that show the direction of the wind across the ship. You all know them. They only have written information on that channel so far and this display of information is less useful for me with my visual challenges. Darn.
Entertainment
We had a young comedian Jeff Nease who makes me think of the LA Times and Newsweek columnist Joel Stein. He was amusing and we had some good laughs. Very gentle sweet guy. Of course, the life’s observations of comedians is always a bright spot.
The High Seas
“We are on the bosom of the sea. And remember, the bosom always heaves!”
As I write this in the morning, the seas are at 15-16’ swells with spray and Deck 5 is closed to walkers (they have to protect us from our own stupidity!) We still have 368 miles/knots to Aruiba and the ship is definitely bucking the 25 mph winds (ok so it may be knots but take that into account). You have to be careful when you go to sit on the commode because as you lean forward, if the ship also lists that direction at the same time, you are likely to wind up with your face in the shower drain.
SLEEP
Or lack of same? We did get to sleep last night at a decent hour and we had made an unspoken agreement not to set the alarm. This was for several reasons: we have a built up sleep deficit which is fed a lot by my coughing jags at nite which jolt both of us awake, we LOST an hour last night (don’t ask: I don’t understand either but Aruba is the cause. We’ll get it back later). And there wasn’t much this morning that we couldn’t afford to miss. I’m not likely to purchase any Jacqueline Kennedy knockoffs and I made the difficult decision to miss trivia this morning and also this afternoon. Since this is a formal night, it is a tight schedule to do trivia and be ready for the Captain’s cocktail party at 5:15 pm including getting in the formal portrait while you look decent. I love trivia but it becomes a “have to” and I get annoyed with folks who say they’ll show up and then don’t. You hold their seat and turn others away and then wind up with short numbers in your team so I plan to just drop in as it works for us.
They have changed some scheduling so that most of the lectures we’d be most interested in are all scheduled in the afternoon slots: port lectures and the subject speakers. I hope they keep this up as it makes life a lot easier.
SODA and such
AS you know one of the revenue centers for ships is the drink (of all kinds) sales. Unlimited sodas for Ft. Lauderdale to LA is $80. I’m pretty much off of caffeine and their offerings aren’t very exciting anyway so we brought Crystal light and I make a 2 qt amount in a pint container. We then dilute it 1:4 in a glass. So far it’s working pretty good but carrying the 1 pt container is sticky and has other limits. We’ll keep working on this.
SEA AIR
It’s refreshing of course but I’m beginning to realize that my hair is becoming like my mother’s was toward the end of her life and as Pat and Nancy’s hair s become; that is, it frizzes in moist air. So today I’m trying a different tack and putting gel on it and letting it air dry. I could look like a drowned rat but on second thought that might actually be an improvement.
READING
I brought a collection of Reader’s Digest Large Print Condensed books and have been enjoying how much easier they are to read. I’ve gone through several novels of varying “quality” including “Dear John” by Nicholas Sparks which I see is on several best seller lists. It’ll probably make a good movie in the future. I’ll have to start casting it in my mind.
Internet
Well no connection at the moment and I’ll need to see how close Ed is to being ready to go to the DR for lunch. I peeled two oranges to tide us over. We are in the habit of nibbling on fruits out of hand when on cruises and except for the fact that they often come to us rock hard initially, it is a wonderful treat. We have them out at home of course, but these amounts are more modest (Ed thinks Costco is the volume we two need in the house!) and they are replenished frequently.
TOURS IN LOS ANGELES
I’ve always been curious about what kinds of tours are offered to folks visiting LA on ships so he’s a summary of the offerings and range of prices.
Highlights: driving through USC area, Olvera St (shopping) Hollywood with 15 min at Mann’s Chinese Theatre, then shopping at Farmer’s Market. This is 5 ½ hrs for $49 (lunch on your own).
LA Scenes: Photo stop near Music Center downtown, Hollywood Bowl and Chinese theatre, Fartmer’s Market and drive by Rodeo Drive. 4 hrs $49
Universal Studios on your own as this is just the transportation up there where they drop you off and pick up after 7 hrs and sets you back $39 which is probably not a bad price for that distance.
Dinner
We had a full table of 8 tonite. The 4th couple is much more subdued compared to the rest of us. Hearing the conversation around the total table is still a problem. We had asked for a table of 6 and I guess it simply wasn’t possible. When you bring the subject up, everyone agrees. Nonetheless we all struggle through to hear each other.
The Laundromat
I didn’t bring up this topic, someone else at the table did. This generated a hilarious discussion with some contributions requested to continue my data collection toward my future publication: Laundromats on cruise ships. There is chagrin that we have only one Laundromat on this ship with 624 paying passengers. I have not yet heard how many of us are now Elite status and thus have free laundry, but I suspect it’s a large number which would mean that there should be easier access to the ship’s Laundromat. I’ll keep you posted as I know I have a dedicated following who are sitting on the edges of their seats to get the latest installment.
We are now preparing our second laundry sack to go to be processed. Probably our first batch will arrive today. Traditionally, anything that can be hung (PJs included) will be found in the closet and the folded things arrive in a laundry bag. This isn’t like the Prinsendam where our laundry arrived in a wicker basket protected by tissue paper with a sticker holding it in place as if it were a marvelous gift to you.
On the way to lunch, we heard folks talking about the Laundromat: where it is, what are the best times to go, etc. Then at lunch another couple brought up the issue and contributed another vignette to the future book: It seems that two women got into a tussle on one of the large ships because someone removed laundry from the dryer and the wives got into a fight. So their German husbands got into a fisticuff in the laundry room and all were thrown off at the next port which apparently was some isolated island where it’ll cost a fortune to get back home.
The lady also said that some women were sending their husbands down to the laundry room because they were afraid to go.
TV offerings
We do get CNN sporadically and most of it is international. Right now they are broadcasting the live testimony of Tony Blair about the Iraq war lead up. The civility of the Brits makes our hearings look like such a farce. We also have the usual ship’s channels and HNL (?) one I’d not seen before. I have not run across FOX news as I’ve zipped through the various channels and it’s not listed in the TV guide. They have some fun movies, one which has Tab Hunter who is a guest on this cruise and will be interviewed later. (hasn’t he died?) I’ll keep you posted.
I like looking at the ship’s channel with the wheel and the icons that show the direction of the wind across the ship. You all know them. They only have written information on that channel so far and this display of information is less useful for me with my visual challenges. Darn.
Entertainment
We had a young comedian Jeff Nease who makes me think of the LA Times and Newsweek columnist Joel Stein. He was amusing and we had some good laughs. Very gentle sweet guy. Of course, the life’s observations of comedians is always a bright spot.
The High Seas
“We are on the bosom of the sea. And remember, the bosom always heaves!”
As I write this in the morning, the seas are at 15-16’ swells with spray and Deck 5 is closed to walkers (they have to protect us from our own stupidity!) We still have 368 miles/knots to Aruiba and the ship is definitely bucking the 25 mph winds (ok so it may be knots but take that into account). You have to be careful when you go to sit on the commode because as you lean forward, if the ship also lists that direction at the same time, you are likely to wind up with your face in the shower drain.
SLEEP
Or lack of same? We did get to sleep last night at a decent hour and we had made an unspoken agreement not to set the alarm. This was for several reasons: we have a built up sleep deficit which is fed a lot by my coughing jags at nite which jolt both of us awake, we LOST an hour last night (don’t ask: I don’t understand either but Aruba is the cause. We’ll get it back later). And there wasn’t much this morning that we couldn’t afford to miss. I’m not likely to purchase any Jacqueline Kennedy knockoffs and I made the difficult decision to miss trivia this morning and also this afternoon. Since this is a formal night, it is a tight schedule to do trivia and be ready for the Captain’s cocktail party at 5:15 pm including getting in the formal portrait while you look decent. I love trivia but it becomes a “have to” and I get annoyed with folks who say they’ll show up and then don’t. You hold their seat and turn others away and then wind up with short numbers in your team so I plan to just drop in as it works for us.
They have changed some scheduling so that most of the lectures we’d be most interested in are all scheduled in the afternoon slots: port lectures and the subject speakers. I hope they keep this up as it makes life a lot easier.
SODA and such
AS you know one of the revenue centers for ships is the drink (of all kinds) sales. Unlimited sodas for Ft. Lauderdale to LA is $80. I’m pretty much off of caffeine and their offerings aren’t very exciting anyway so we brought Crystal light and I make a 2 qt amount in a pint container. We then dilute it 1:4 in a glass. So far it’s working pretty good but carrying the 1 pt container is sticky and has other limits. We’ll keep working on this.
SEA AIR
It’s refreshing of course but I’m beginning to realize that my hair is becoming like my mother’s was toward the end of her life and as Pat and Nancy’s hair s become; that is, it frizzes in moist air. So today I’m trying a different tack and putting gel on it and letting it air dry. I could look like a drowned rat but on second thought that might actually be an improvement.
READING
I brought a collection of Reader’s Digest Large Print Condensed books and have been enjoying how much easier they are to read. I’ve gone through several novels of varying “quality” including “Dear John” by Nicholas Sparks which I see is on several best seller lists. It’ll probably make a good movie in the future. I’ll have to start casting it in my mind.
Internet
Well no connection at the moment and I’ll need to see how close Ed is to being ready to go to the DR for lunch. I peeled two oranges to tide us over. We are in the habit of nibbling on fruits out of hand when on cruises and except for the fact that they often come to us rock hard initially, it is a wonderful treat. We have them out at home of course, but these amounts are more modest (Ed thinks Costco is the volume we two need in the house!) and they are replenished frequently.
TOURS IN LOS ANGELES
I’ve always been curious about what kinds of tours are offered to folks visiting LA on ships so he’s a summary of the offerings and range of prices.
Highlights: driving through USC area, Olvera St (shopping) Hollywood with 15 min at Mann’s Chinese Theatre, then shopping at Farmer’s Market. This is 5 ½ hrs for $49 (lunch on your own).
LA Scenes: Photo stop near Music Center downtown, Hollywood Bowl and Chinese theatre, Fartmer’s Market and drive by Rodeo Drive. 4 hrs $49
Universal Studios on your own as this is just the transportation up there where they drop you off and pick up after 7 hrs and sets you back $39 which is probably not a bad price for that distance.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
We have internet!
First Day at Sea
As I write the coast of Cuba is starboard (R) and since we are on the starboard side, we can see it. And there’s a grey ship in the distance but I couldn’t begin to tell you if it’s military or not. The Island Princess and the Ruby Princess, the newest ship, are passing us on the port side.
107 unforgettable days; six continents; more than 40 legendary ports. That’s what’s at the bottom of the letters to us. Formal nights, at least to LA, are only on Friday nite. I don’t know about beyond that.
We did the treasure hunt for one of the prizes; this was a cinch for us since we know the ship almost as well as our home. We didn’t win anything but had fun listening o the music—great duo—and enjoying the free, but certainly not very good, champagne. We then had a drink of the day which was a mango something or another wqith run in it. IT tasted mostly of coconut and rum to me but Ed liked it enough. Fortunately we didn’t have to take the “souvenir hurricane glass” with it which was $2 on it’s own.
We ran into Nicholas and Ursula, he is the ship’s MD. Had a nice conversation with him about Germany and he complained that the Christmas time at home added a few too many pounds to his frame; we’ve noticed several folks have added a few pounds in the last 2 yrs.
DINNER
Our table is for 8 and each of us agreed that conversation is easier at a table for 6. Only 6 of us showed up but the distances are still a problem. One couple is from Wisconsin and the other from Pennsylvania. Ed and I were in the middle so we each visited with the couple next to us. One of the waiters from an adjacent table came to say hello to us: it was Amador from the World Cruise. We would see him a lot at lunch when we went to the DR. That was certainly a surprise.
ENTERTAINMENT
The dancers came out with their usual enthusiasm and disgusting (because we can’t come close to matching it) energy in skimpy costumes that would do the Academy Awards to shame. The skit was called Cruising and was new to us. JJ King, our favorite Cruise Director (now called “Entertainment something”). He gave us some stats: 321 of us are on for the full 207 days. Others are on only to LA, Sydney or Singapore. Americans are the largest group of course. Most of the cruise staff are Aussies: adorable young folks. JJ sang a few ballads (he was a long time entertainer himself) and then we came back to address the remainder of the unpacking. Ed carried the major weight of the job and he did manage to get all the luggage under the bed!
The egg crate mattress doesn’t fully fit the top of the bed so there are areas on each side about 8” wide where one feels like you’re falling off. Next time the sheets are changed, I’ve asked for it to be turned and leave the empty space under the pillows.
We managed to get to bed by midnight but that’s not to say asleep and my coughing jags, which are less but still pretty impressive, don’t help either of us sleep soundly.
DAY TWO
I had a wake up call for 8 am. No Nancy here to do the set up for me; I was forced to learn myself. Ha. I can’t use my iPhone as an alarm because of the cost of the connections it automatically makes; pretty useless and scary because it chalks up charges I’m not even aware of so I’ve shut it off.
GIFTS
On our bed was a gift (well you know you’re paying for it in the long run) for each of us. It is a round jewelry holder and he got cuff links with the sea witch design; I got CZ earrings and we both got a special pin for this cruise which has a nice design. This was unexpected and a practical thing we will use. I find it ironic that our safe is still not bolted down and anyone with access could tuck it under their arm and be on their way.
COMMANDATORE
He’s with us again for a while and he’ll be doing his culinary demonstrations. We can “earn” a new certificate if we wish. Folks who know me are rolling on the floor laughing.
TRIVIA
I knew you couldn’t wait to hear! We met another Chuck upstairs and were a team of 3 since the others didn’t show. We did well enough but it was a hard quiz; 3 teams tied with 14 so you know it wasn’t a breeze. They are not giving out gifts this time. Rather you get a certificate and at some later date, you can choose what gift you want. That’s a far better system I think.
INTERNET
I went to see why I couldn’t connect and there was a lonely soul up there complaining that we didn’t have any connections. So it wasn’t just me not knowing what to do. Ed just plugged in his iPHone which was almost at zero battery. He got a text message from the infamous MCP carrier which charges you your life’s savings because the iPhone is pulling down data in the background. He finally checked all his connections but I’m still skeptical given my experience in December where I thought I had turned off everything too.
REUNION
There’s talk of a reunion of the folks who were on the Pacific Princess in 2008 for the world cruise; every time we turn around, there’s someone else from that cruise. The rumors about the numbers range from 20 to over 100. We’ll see.
ARUBA-PORT LECTURE
Well the speaker is hilarious and he provides good solid information about the island with only a post script message about “shopping”. I’m looking forward to seeing it in person though I can’t imagine how people survive on what has an aloe vera farm as it’s main industry at this point. Tourism has become big here.
ECONOMIST
It’s surprising to see financial speakers since a law suit years ago where someone accused, and won a large settlement from, Princess for speakers giving financial advice which these folks followed . This fellow is still stuck on Econ 101. I never took an Econ class but I knew most of what he was saying and Ed was tapping his nails on the wooden table between us, a sure sign that he disagreed with the speaker. There are 4 more lectures before he leaves the ship in Acapulco. I’ll go just to watch Ed’s reactions and see how long it takes him to start questioning him.
TRIVIA
People say they will come and then don’t so we joined a group of folks who were pleasant enough. One lady left (she didn’t make any contributions anyway) and we were joined by a very bright lady who I recall from the 2008 cruise. She’s very sharp. We groaned at some of the questions and later at the answers, two of which we KNOW are wrong, but it is after all (repeat after me): “only a game.”
Since I heard the internet connection for the laptops is now available (the unsaid message being that those souls who rely on the terminals in the “internet café” are not happy campers), I figured I’d finish this off and try to upload.
It is gloomy with some sunny skies peeking from behind large clouds. The sea has been roiling all day and the trade winds are fierce. The weather overall is warm and pleasant enough other than the gloom and winds. I can still see the hint of land beyond our balcony so I must assume Cuba is still out there.
As I write the coast of Cuba is starboard (R) and since we are on the starboard side, we can see it. And there’s a grey ship in the distance but I couldn’t begin to tell you if it’s military or not. The Island Princess and the Ruby Princess, the newest ship, are passing us on the port side.
107 unforgettable days; six continents; more than 40 legendary ports. That’s what’s at the bottom of the letters to us. Formal nights, at least to LA, are only on Friday nite. I don’t know about beyond that.
We did the treasure hunt for one of the prizes; this was a cinch for us since we know the ship almost as well as our home. We didn’t win anything but had fun listening o the music—great duo—and enjoying the free, but certainly not very good, champagne. We then had a drink of the day which was a mango something or another wqith run in it. IT tasted mostly of coconut and rum to me but Ed liked it enough. Fortunately we didn’t have to take the “souvenir hurricane glass” with it which was $2 on it’s own.
We ran into Nicholas and Ursula, he is the ship’s MD. Had a nice conversation with him about Germany and he complained that the Christmas time at home added a few too many pounds to his frame; we’ve noticed several folks have added a few pounds in the last 2 yrs.
DINNER
Our table is for 8 and each of us agreed that conversation is easier at a table for 6. Only 6 of us showed up but the distances are still a problem. One couple is from Wisconsin and the other from Pennsylvania. Ed and I were in the middle so we each visited with the couple next to us. One of the waiters from an adjacent table came to say hello to us: it was Amador from the World Cruise. We would see him a lot at lunch when we went to the DR. That was certainly a surprise.
ENTERTAINMENT
The dancers came out with their usual enthusiasm and disgusting (because we can’t come close to matching it) energy in skimpy costumes that would do the Academy Awards to shame. The skit was called Cruising and was new to us. JJ King, our favorite Cruise Director (now called “Entertainment something”). He gave us some stats: 321 of us are on for the full 207 days. Others are on only to LA, Sydney or Singapore. Americans are the largest group of course. Most of the cruise staff are Aussies: adorable young folks. JJ sang a few ballads (he was a long time entertainer himself) and then we came back to address the remainder of the unpacking. Ed carried the major weight of the job and he did manage to get all the luggage under the bed!
The egg crate mattress doesn’t fully fit the top of the bed so there are areas on each side about 8” wide where one feels like you’re falling off. Next time the sheets are changed, I’ve asked for it to be turned and leave the empty space under the pillows.
We managed to get to bed by midnight but that’s not to say asleep and my coughing jags, which are less but still pretty impressive, don’t help either of us sleep soundly.
DAY TWO
I had a wake up call for 8 am. No Nancy here to do the set up for me; I was forced to learn myself. Ha. I can’t use my iPhone as an alarm because of the cost of the connections it automatically makes; pretty useless and scary because it chalks up charges I’m not even aware of so I’ve shut it off.
GIFTS
On our bed was a gift (well you know you’re paying for it in the long run) for each of us. It is a round jewelry holder and he got cuff links with the sea witch design; I got CZ earrings and we both got a special pin for this cruise which has a nice design. This was unexpected and a practical thing we will use. I find it ironic that our safe is still not bolted down and anyone with access could tuck it under their arm and be on their way.
COMMANDATORE
He’s with us again for a while and he’ll be doing his culinary demonstrations. We can “earn” a new certificate if we wish. Folks who know me are rolling on the floor laughing.
TRIVIA
I knew you couldn’t wait to hear! We met another Chuck upstairs and were a team of 3 since the others didn’t show. We did well enough but it was a hard quiz; 3 teams tied with 14 so you know it wasn’t a breeze. They are not giving out gifts this time. Rather you get a certificate and at some later date, you can choose what gift you want. That’s a far better system I think.
INTERNET
I went to see why I couldn’t connect and there was a lonely soul up there complaining that we didn’t have any connections. So it wasn’t just me not knowing what to do. Ed just plugged in his iPHone which was almost at zero battery. He got a text message from the infamous MCP carrier which charges you your life’s savings because the iPhone is pulling down data in the background. He finally checked all his connections but I’m still skeptical given my experience in December where I thought I had turned off everything too.
REUNION
There’s talk of a reunion of the folks who were on the Pacific Princess in 2008 for the world cruise; every time we turn around, there’s someone else from that cruise. The rumors about the numbers range from 20 to over 100. We’ll see.
ARUBA-PORT LECTURE
Well the speaker is hilarious and he provides good solid information about the island with only a post script message about “shopping”. I’m looking forward to seeing it in person though I can’t imagine how people survive on what has an aloe vera farm as it’s main industry at this point. Tourism has become big here.
ECONOMIST
It’s surprising to see financial speakers since a law suit years ago where someone accused, and won a large settlement from, Princess for speakers giving financial advice which these folks followed . This fellow is still stuck on Econ 101. I never took an Econ class but I knew most of what he was saying and Ed was tapping his nails on the wooden table between us, a sure sign that he disagreed with the speaker. There are 4 more lectures before he leaves the ship in Acapulco. I’ll go just to watch Ed’s reactions and see how long it takes him to start questioning him.
TRIVIA
People say they will come and then don’t so we joined a group of folks who were pleasant enough. One lady left (she didn’t make any contributions anyway) and we were joined by a very bright lady who I recall from the 2008 cruise. She’s very sharp. We groaned at some of the questions and later at the answers, two of which we KNOW are wrong, but it is after all (repeat after me): “only a game.”
Since I heard the internet connection for the laptops is now available (the unsaid message being that those souls who rely on the terminals in the “internet café” are not happy campers), I figured I’d finish this off and try to upload.
It is gloomy with some sunny skies peeking from behind large clouds. The sea has been roiling all day and the trade winds are fierce. The weather overall is warm and pleasant enough other than the gloom and winds. I can still see the hint of land beyond our balcony so I must assume Cuba is still out there.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
We're on the ship
Made it to …Ft. Lauderdale
Well we made it out of LA with lots of luggage which is not to say that we have everything we “need” and perhaps more what we want—or thought we wanted. We’ll see.
Our neighbor, Sue, was generous enough to deal with a final gift of our trash for this week. What are great neighbors you say? We have them in spades.
You would all be so proud of Ed. Packing is an oppressive job under the best circumstances but despite every room in the house having “stuff” in it that needed to be packed, he managed to get it all done and out the door ON TIME! But there’s more! The house didn’t look like a tornado had been through it when we left. I take my hat off to him.
Our original plan was to go to the flyaway and then to LAX but in the cab we mentally figured out the cost of this taxi, the flyaway for two, tips for porters and such, and told the driver to just take us all the way to LAX. This meant we arrived earlier than we had expected. But we were incredibly lucky because the lines were modest5 and we were whizzed on through in record time. We read a little and then decided to have some lunch before we boarded since the airlines don’t feed you anymore. Our choices were slim but we decided to splurge on a Whopper from Burger King; this is probably my first since my 30s. It was deeee licious! Ed kept pressing me to add cheese which I resisted. He told me upon his return that we were the only ones eating only a Whopper; everyone else was having double and triple whoppers!
We boarded around noon and were the usual sardines. I finished a large print novel and spent the rest of the time catching up with my classical and C&W music especially Allison Kraus, Lyle, Brad, Taylor and a few more.
The sunset over the gulf of Mexico from 34000 feet is SPECTACULAR! One of the extra bonuses of this flight.
We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale after dusk and fairly quickly made our way to the shuttle to the Marriot suites with other couples from So Cal, including some also on this cruise. One lady is a retired fashion design instructor from CSUN so we chatted about campus events and folks we knew.
We wanted an inexpensive place to stay and that’s what we got. There’s no place around to get food so we picked up two Lean Cuisines from the freezer next to the desk clerk ($5 each for those doing comparative shopping) and we had a wonderful gourmet dinner in our “mini-suite” next to the local freeway. Good preparation for the pleasure of dining aboard the Pacific Princess.
Ed took over the computer for some more “legal” work (whatever will happen when he’s not around?) and we got to bed about 11 pm E coast time. Sleep the night before wasn’t a full nite either.
We were both awake before the alarm rang and every piece of luggage save one was opened to pull out things we were using. Somehow he got all back together in time for the 10:30 am shuttle to the port—the only choice we were given. Before we left, we had a very nice breakfast downstairs and visited for a while with the CSUN lady and her husband.
It was a hurry up and wait issue. Even though the ship was just out of dry dock, they couldn’t board us until noon. Platinum and Elite were sequestered in a separate but large area and soon we heard the tunes from the steel drum band in the reception area. Not too bad.
Getting signed in wasn’t bad. You have to sign a public health form assuring them that you don’t have the usual suspicious symptoms: fever, diarrhea,vomiting… They are universally nice and helpful on these desks. She asked if we were “commodores” which was new to us. She said that or you take long trips. I guess travel agents are sometimes “commodores”; who knew?
I wondered where the ubiquitos photographer would be as they are always taking embarkation photos. Sure enough, on the bridge walking over to the ship, there he was. You couldn’t escape and there wasn’t any décor.
And immediately after I entered the atrium, I shouted “Angus!” He was the purser on our 2008 cruise. You can’t miss him: spiky blond hair, probably Scots or Brit, white framed glasses, at least 6’4” (and I am NOT exaggerating) and I probably outweigh him! So we caught up (he’s been on two other small ships in the interim). We heard JJ’s voice over the intercom just now and his wife is back with the boutiques. Frankie is on staff again as well. We believe the same German MD is onboard (Nicholas who’s wife’s name was Ursula). The captain is not one we recognize.
We dropped our rollaboards in our cabin which is exactly midships and a mirror image of our last cabin set up 2008. Some things are new: flat screen TV, you can smell paint everywhere and the carpets are clearly new. And you know what was coming next: FOOD! The Horizon Lounge is the same as before. Food is good. I ate modestly; Ed piled the plate as if he hadn’t eaten in at least 24 hours which I suppose might be a convincing argument.
We took the treasure hunt around to get our stamps for the drawing later (remember I won the bouquet on the Hawaii trip this way).Ed was excited because the gym has all new equipment; you just know Charles Atlas image was on his mind. He also wanted to check out our table in the DR which is in the middle and is for only 6 people. Next we got our cruise cards punched so we could wear them around our necks for convenience. Getting them punched can now only be done at the purser’s desk.
It is 2:30 local time and we have lifeboat drill in 45 min. Our luggage isn’t here but we’ve unloaded all our other stuff. We met our cabin steward, Edison, from the Phillipines. He’s older than most we’ve had. Gave him the usual requests for robes and such. Also, the safe is present but not bolted down; you can literally pick it up and walk out with it under your arm. So somehow that will happen soon.
I’m going to stop now as the first piece of luggage arrived. More later.
Well we made it out of LA with lots of luggage which is not to say that we have everything we “need” and perhaps more what we want—or thought we wanted. We’ll see.
Our neighbor, Sue, was generous enough to deal with a final gift of our trash for this week. What are great neighbors you say? We have them in spades.
You would all be so proud of Ed. Packing is an oppressive job under the best circumstances but despite every room in the house having “stuff” in it that needed to be packed, he managed to get it all done and out the door ON TIME! But there’s more! The house didn’t look like a tornado had been through it when we left. I take my hat off to him.
Our original plan was to go to the flyaway and then to LAX but in the cab we mentally figured out the cost of this taxi, the flyaway for two, tips for porters and such, and told the driver to just take us all the way to LAX. This meant we arrived earlier than we had expected. But we were incredibly lucky because the lines were modest5 and we were whizzed on through in record time. We read a little and then decided to have some lunch before we boarded since the airlines don’t feed you anymore. Our choices were slim but we decided to splurge on a Whopper from Burger King; this is probably my first since my 30s. It was deeee licious! Ed kept pressing me to add cheese which I resisted. He told me upon his return that we were the only ones eating only a Whopper; everyone else was having double and triple whoppers!
We boarded around noon and were the usual sardines. I finished a large print novel and spent the rest of the time catching up with my classical and C&W music especially Allison Kraus, Lyle, Brad, Taylor and a few more.
The sunset over the gulf of Mexico from 34000 feet is SPECTACULAR! One of the extra bonuses of this flight.
We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale after dusk and fairly quickly made our way to the shuttle to the Marriot suites with other couples from So Cal, including some also on this cruise. One lady is a retired fashion design instructor from CSUN so we chatted about campus events and folks we knew.
We wanted an inexpensive place to stay and that’s what we got. There’s no place around to get food so we picked up two Lean Cuisines from the freezer next to the desk clerk ($5 each for those doing comparative shopping) and we had a wonderful gourmet dinner in our “mini-suite” next to the local freeway. Good preparation for the pleasure of dining aboard the Pacific Princess.
Ed took over the computer for some more “legal” work (whatever will happen when he’s not around?) and we got to bed about 11 pm E coast time. Sleep the night before wasn’t a full nite either.
We were both awake before the alarm rang and every piece of luggage save one was opened to pull out things we were using. Somehow he got all back together in time for the 10:30 am shuttle to the port—the only choice we were given. Before we left, we had a very nice breakfast downstairs and visited for a while with the CSUN lady and her husband.
It was a hurry up and wait issue. Even though the ship was just out of dry dock, they couldn’t board us until noon. Platinum and Elite were sequestered in a separate but large area and soon we heard the tunes from the steel drum band in the reception area. Not too bad.
Getting signed in wasn’t bad. You have to sign a public health form assuring them that you don’t have the usual suspicious symptoms: fever, diarrhea,vomiting… They are universally nice and helpful on these desks. She asked if we were “commodores” which was new to us. She said that or you take long trips. I guess travel agents are sometimes “commodores”; who knew?
I wondered where the ubiquitos photographer would be as they are always taking embarkation photos. Sure enough, on the bridge walking over to the ship, there he was. You couldn’t escape and there wasn’t any décor.
And immediately after I entered the atrium, I shouted “Angus!” He was the purser on our 2008 cruise. You can’t miss him: spiky blond hair, probably Scots or Brit, white framed glasses, at least 6’4” (and I am NOT exaggerating) and I probably outweigh him! So we caught up (he’s been on two other small ships in the interim). We heard JJ’s voice over the intercom just now and his wife is back with the boutiques. Frankie is on staff again as well. We believe the same German MD is onboard (Nicholas who’s wife’s name was Ursula). The captain is not one we recognize.
We dropped our rollaboards in our cabin which is exactly midships and a mirror image of our last cabin set up 2008. Some things are new: flat screen TV, you can smell paint everywhere and the carpets are clearly new. And you know what was coming next: FOOD! The Horizon Lounge is the same as before. Food is good. I ate modestly; Ed piled the plate as if he hadn’t eaten in at least 24 hours which I suppose might be a convincing argument.
We took the treasure hunt around to get our stamps for the drawing later (remember I won the bouquet on the Hawaii trip this way).Ed was excited because the gym has all new equipment; you just know Charles Atlas image was on his mind. He also wanted to check out our table in the DR which is in the middle and is for only 6 people. Next we got our cruise cards punched so we could wear them around our necks for convenience. Getting them punched can now only be done at the purser’s desk.
It is 2:30 local time and we have lifeboat drill in 45 min. Our luggage isn’t here but we’ve unloaded all our other stuff. We met our cabin steward, Edison, from the Phillipines. He’s older than most we’ve had. Gave him the usual requests for robes and such. Also, the safe is present but not bolted down; you can literally pick it up and walk out with it under your arm. So somehow that will happen soon.
I’m going to stop now as the first piece of luggage arrived. More later.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
beginning to get frantic: didn't we know it was coming?
Ed decided to give up his totalled car so that's out of the way until July; my car is out of the shop with a new bumper. Got hair and other things done today. MD appts next week before we go. Funeral of a cousin who died today. Keys and gargage door opener missing and buried somewhere in house. I've almost given up hope of unearthing them and there wouldn't be time to complete the things they involve anyway.
Things scattered all over the house. so many last minute things to remember and do. Will be glad to get on the ship!
Found out there are other veterans of 2008 world cruise also back on this one and that this one is sold out.
Re: Email Notification: I've still not figured out how to make this work for followers so I'm exploring another way to notify all of you. So expect one more email from me (I thank you for your patience in advance) and then I really must put it all to rest.
Tomorrow red hat luau with egg salad sandwiches. It's sponsored by rabbi's wife and so no pork or other non-kosher offerings. And it's cold but we'll be toasty inside and have fun I'm sure. Ed will be glad to be rid of me for a while I've no doubt.
Thankfully the weather is gorgeous and the mountains are splendid with LOTS of snow.
Things scattered all over the house. so many last minute things to remember and do. Will be glad to get on the ship!
Found out there are other veterans of 2008 world cruise also back on this one and that this one is sold out.
Re: Email Notification: I've still not figured out how to make this work for followers so I'm exploring another way to notify all of you. So expect one more email from me (I thank you for your patience in advance) and then I really must put it all to rest.
Tomorrow red hat luau with egg salad sandwiches. It's sponsored by rabbi's wife and so no pork or other non-kosher offerings. And it's cold but we'll be toasty inside and have fun I'm sure. Ed will be glad to be rid of me for a while I've no doubt.
Thankfully the weather is gorgeous and the mountains are splendid with LOTS of snow.
Monday, January 18, 2010
7+ more days
Today I began laying out piles of things: toiletries, clothes, electronics, luggage and other bags underneath the table...you get the picture. I also uunearthed the photo of Ed and I Kagoshima Japan on the last long trip on the very same ship exactly two years ago. I thought that was pretty cool, however, I spent waaayyyy too much time trying to get the photo just the right size and to center it. Finally gave up.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Getting closer
I've added a few new gadgets to the web site: a counter and a map of the cruise (not a very good one I'm afraid). Be careful to only follow the blue line as that's the Pacific Princess; we get off at Rome.
Photos I post to my picasa site will automatically show at the top; you can click there and see the rest.
The web cam for the ship is right up top. Right now it is in dry dock in the Bahamas. Take a look.
Photos I post to my picasa site will automatically show at the top; you can click there and see the rest.
The web cam for the ship is right up top. Right now it is in dry dock in the Bahamas. Take a look.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Getting ready
I'm starting this blog now so folks can sign up and automatically receive any posts I/we make. At the top left hand side of the page is a menu item:"follow". If you click there, you can sign up for this blog. You'll know it's working when you get notices. I'll be starting posts within the next week. Email me: bfaherty@me.com if you have any questions.
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