CrabbyHarper
November 22nd, 2004, 07:14 PM
Good grief! I can't believe all I have posted and still have stuff to say! So here's a quick list:
Religious Services. A Priest was on board and we had Mass every day - something I greatly appreciated. There were Protestant services almost every day and Jewish services Friday night.
Liquor: I brought some aboard in my checked luggage with no problem. I bought some rum in Barbados and brought the bottle onto the ship with no problem. We bought several bottles of rum in the Duty-Free on the pier in San Juan. Brought them right aboard and up to our suite. The usual man waiting at the gangway to collect the bottles was not there. My bar bill was still substantial - regular old gin martinis - my drug of choice - were $6.25 each - a bit stiff I thought.
Coffee - best in the Lido. I did not care for the fancy coffee machine in the Java Cafe or the Neptune Lounge.
PA announcements - few and far between and I like it like that!
Fellow PAX - a real delight! Mostly older folks but a good mix with some younger ones, faces of several colors, bodies of many sizes, and a few, very few, kids. Chatting with strangers in the Lido or the dining room or the bar, picking up partners for trivia or scattergories is a great way to appreciate human variation.
Smoking - mostly not too noticeable, but awful in the Piano bar. My BIL, who is a real three pack a day man, came out of the Piano Bar and told me not to go in - it was even a bit rough for him. This was disappointing because I love piano music ( even play it a bit myself) and there were several games like Name that Tune that I would have liked, but oh, well!
Photographers - mostly not too intrusive. Worst place was a bottle neck at HMC as pax were trying to disembark and there was what seemed a mandatory halt for photos at the top of the ramp. Prices were a bit high - I would have purchased our embark photo but the price was doubled by a "package" that seemed more a HAL ad than a desirable photo.
Funny occurences: At St. Kitts, as we docked we pulled up to a German cruise ship. DH was on the Sports Deck helping to watch our Captain do his job - when he observed a knot of little old ladies in almost a riot! The German ship had a very high up "Clothing Optional" deck, and the ladies were having the time of their lives observing a hirsute, protuberant elderly gentleman airing out his birthday suit! One of the Ladies later said the old gals were having their biggest thrill in years!
Entertainment - we saw very little but the comedian Richie Minervini was fantastic! The write-ups in the daily poop sheet could use some refining. Had I known that the "Instrumentalist" was a banjo player, I would have roused myself from my drowsy couch and attended his show!
Pool and Hot tubs. Rarely had a problem using these. One of my sisters liked the Navigation pool, I liked the Lido. Watching the waves splash the unwary was fun! No chair hogs apparent. Thank goodness!
Medevac. One sad event occured after we left San Juan. An older lady had to be medevaced off the ship by Coast Guard chopper when we were only about 15 hours out of Norfolk. We heard that she was hemorhaging (Spelling ain't right). The captain kept the pax informed of what was occuring and asked for our assistance in keeping clear of the operation. We were later informed that she was hospitalized in stable condition. Since the ship had to stop almost dead in the water for the transfer to take place, I was amazed that our arrival in Norfolk was on time the next morning.
Disembark. The faster and smoothest I have ever had! We had priority debarkation number 1 because we were in a suite. but even so, the new procedures are great. ANyone can remain in cabin until his number or letter is called! And there is something new called "Express Embarkation." You have to have registered a charge card for your expenses and you have to schlep all your own luggage - no putting it out in the corridor the night before. No crew member is allowed to help you. We did not choose this option but for someone young, agile, and with less that our mountains of luggage this is a neat option.
Gerry
Religious Services. A Priest was on board and we had Mass every day - something I greatly appreciated. There were Protestant services almost every day and Jewish services Friday night.
Liquor: I brought some aboard in my checked luggage with no problem. I bought some rum in Barbados and brought the bottle onto the ship with no problem. We bought several bottles of rum in the Duty-Free on the pier in San Juan. Brought them right aboard and up to our suite. The usual man waiting at the gangway to collect the bottles was not there. My bar bill was still substantial - regular old gin martinis - my drug of choice - were $6.25 each - a bit stiff I thought.
Coffee - best in the Lido. I did not care for the fancy coffee machine in the Java Cafe or the Neptune Lounge.
PA announcements - few and far between and I like it like that!
Fellow PAX - a real delight! Mostly older folks but a good mix with some younger ones, faces of several colors, bodies of many sizes, and a few, very few, kids. Chatting with strangers in the Lido or the dining room or the bar, picking up partners for trivia or scattergories is a great way to appreciate human variation.
Smoking - mostly not too noticeable, but awful in the Piano bar. My BIL, who is a real three pack a day man, came out of the Piano Bar and told me not to go in - it was even a bit rough for him. This was disappointing because I love piano music ( even play it a bit myself) and there were several games like Name that Tune that I would have liked, but oh, well!
Photographers - mostly not too intrusive. Worst place was a bottle neck at HMC as pax were trying to disembark and there was what seemed a mandatory halt for photos at the top of the ramp. Prices were a bit high - I would have purchased our embark photo but the price was doubled by a "package" that seemed more a HAL ad than a desirable photo.
Funny occurences: At St. Kitts, as we docked we pulled up to a German cruise ship. DH was on the Sports Deck helping to watch our Captain do his job - when he observed a knot of little old ladies in almost a riot! The German ship had a very high up "Clothing Optional" deck, and the ladies were having the time of their lives observing a hirsute, protuberant elderly gentleman airing out his birthday suit! One of the Ladies later said the old gals were having their biggest thrill in years!
Entertainment - we saw very little but the comedian Richie Minervini was fantastic! The write-ups in the daily poop sheet could use some refining. Had I known that the "Instrumentalist" was a banjo player, I would have roused myself from my drowsy couch and attended his show!
Pool and Hot tubs. Rarely had a problem using these. One of my sisters liked the Navigation pool, I liked the Lido. Watching the waves splash the unwary was fun! No chair hogs apparent. Thank goodness!
Medevac. One sad event occured after we left San Juan. An older lady had to be medevaced off the ship by Coast Guard chopper when we were only about 15 hours out of Norfolk. We heard that she was hemorhaging (Spelling ain't right). The captain kept the pax informed of what was occuring and asked for our assistance in keeping clear of the operation. We were later informed that she was hospitalized in stable condition. Since the ship had to stop almost dead in the water for the transfer to take place, I was amazed that our arrival in Norfolk was on time the next morning.
Disembark. The faster and smoothest I have ever had! We had priority debarkation number 1 because we were in a suite. but even so, the new procedures are great. ANyone can remain in cabin until his number or letter is called! And there is something new called "Express Embarkation." You have to have registered a charge card for your expenses and you have to schlep all your own luggage - no putting it out in the corridor the night before. No crew member is allowed to help you. We did not choose this option but for someone young, agile, and with less that our mountains of luggage this is a neat option.
Gerry