2004 SUMMITEERS - The Sequel

[shortstuft]

Thanks guys...

We were lucky to get into the hotel early. Almost like having an extra day. We booked the same hotel for the end of the month and we will be there for 2 days before. So maybe they knew that, I don't know.

Beau, Gary had so much bacon that he only had a few pieces the last breakfast.

Fishlips is a fun place to eat. Prices are pretty reasonable. From $10 for sandwiches to $14 for meals.

We mentioned to people about all the rain you and Kathie Lee ran into in Alaska. Everybody was talking about wanting to go to Alaska.

[CruzHawk]

Hi,

Well, we made it back in one piece. Had a good time that will hold us over until the next one in 3 weeks.

Ready or not....here comes the review, before I forget what happened.

We left the house for Coco Beach, but first had to stop at McDonald's for the breakfast of champions. Ordered our bacon, egg and cheese biscuit, but wait..........they gave us a egg Mcmuffin. So we didn't want any stinking ham so made a u-turn back to the drive thru. Got the right order and were on our way.

Of course, it is really, really windy, but we made it to the Country Inn and Suites by around 11:00. Check in is at 3:00 and the place was packed with people trying to leave and we had to fight our way in. We got lucky and they had our room ready. So we took the elevator up to the 4th floor (the highest level) and checked out our room.

Nice room with 2 queen size beds, microwave, coffee pot, iron and a fridge. We had a view of the pool and the hot tub. It was cold and very windy, so there was only a couple kids in the pool and one little kid in the hot tub.

We left the room and did a tour of the rest of the hotel. Nice area for the free breakfast, exercise room, big area on the main floor with comfy chairs, sofas, fireplace and free chocolate chip cookies. You could also take out books and they had a little store in case you forgot something like condoms or juice boxes. They had a little bit of everything.

As we were walking around there was a lady selling these hats that looked like they were made out of hard cardboard. If you turn them upside down they become a vase. They were kinda neat looking and wouldn't fall off your head if you tried. She also sold sandals with no straps or you could buy some extra bling to put around your ankles. She was only going to be there for another half hour, so we didn't buy anything.

By now the crowd had cleared out of the hotel so we got our cookies and went back to the room to change into our suits and try out the hot tub.
The wind had picked up more and it was cloudy and looked like rain. We were the only ones down at the pool and looked like we had the entire hotel to ourselves. Didn't see many people at all the rest of the trip.

As we were going back to the elevator, we waited and waited, but no elevator. The maid tried and it wouldn't work. So we had to walk down 4 flights of stairs. Ok for me, but Gary wasn't moving very fast.
Later they posted a sign that the elevator was broken and wouldn't be fixed until the next day.

We grabbed the last couple towels they had by the pool. Only they were about the size of a wash cloth. Got into the hot tub and it was nice and hot. The wind was blowing pieces of wood from the plants into the water and I had to keep throwing them back. Sun finally came out for about an hour. After that we decided to go back to the room.

The elevator was working to go up, but not down. So that was ok. After we changed we went to Ron Jon's and walked around the store. Bought some gifts for Christmas and headed back to the room.

I had picked up a booklet and it had a coupon for 10% off food at Fishlips, so we decided to go there for dinner. By now the wind was really blowing, and when we walked into Fishlips they had the whole main floor blocked off for their Halloween haunted house later that night.

So we grabbed a table close to the windows upstairs, but because of the weather, they had plastic over all the windows and we couldn't see out that well. There was a male singer with hair down to almost his knees. So we listened to him while we waited for our meal. Every once in a while the wind would grab the plastic and shove it across towards us. Gary had a lobster roll and I had a crab sandwich. It was ok, but needed more seasoning to it.

We got to see one of the cruise boats leave, but we couldn't see that well, so we left and went down the street a little ways to a small park and joined a group of people to watch the other cruise ships leave. One was the Freedom that we will be on in another 3 weeks.

After that, we decided to go back to the room and rest for the remainder of the night.

The next morning it was raining like crazy and still very windy. Gary had made some friends that were leaving on the same cruise. We would see them from time to time during the trip.

Soon it was time for the 6:00 AM breakfast. We were the only ones down there waiting to eat. The girl said that breakfast wouldn't be ready for another half hour, so we had coffee and waited.

Gary was disappointed that there wasn't any bacon. Only he could make his own egg McMuffin....why is everyone trying to shove those things down our throats :D:eek:. So he had one of those and I made myself a waffle and had some fruit.

Next up.........the rain keeps coming.
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[CruzHawk]

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[CruzHawk]

It was raining so hard we couldn't see the ship from the hotel, even though it was only a mile or so away.

We made it to the port and parked the car. Parking was now up to $75.00 for 4 days They should at least have valet parking for that. Still cold, windy and wet. Felt like we were in Alaska.

By then it was 10:15 and we had to wait until 10:30 or so before they would let us enter the security area. Some guy who thought he was the king tried to get in front of everyone, so we just let him be.

We met a couple behind us who had never cruised before and lived most of the time in an RV. They only had 4 sets of clothes and weren't sure if they would enjoy this, but were willing to give it a try. We tried to tell them what to make sure they saw and did. We didn't really see them for the rest of the cruise, so not sure if they will ever cruise again.

Finally, it was our turn to go thru security. Got thru that ok, and had to wait in the VIP section until we could get our boarding passing and room key. The ship was late clearing the last passengers and we found out when we were getting off the ship that 95% of the passengers didn't complete their custom forms.

Saw some people dressed in Halloween costumes. There was a couple of pirates, complete with fake parrots on their shoulders. Cute.

Got on the ship and headed straight to the Windjammer for lunch. Still not a lot of people running around. I had some honey stung chicken, mashed potatoes and some coconut thing that was quite good.

Watching it still raining, we wandered around the pool area, but nobody was in the pool. Nor did anyone go in the pool all day. That was a first.
This cruise had mostly people in their 40's to 60's with a few well behaved children thrown in.

It was almost 1:00 so we went the back way and got into our room a few minutes early. Nice room. We had a pretty good sized window, but part of it was blocked by a lifeboat. But if we bent over, we could see the ocean alright. The TV was the smallest thing I have ever seen. Less than a 13 inch, but they played the same things over and over again, so it didn't matter that I couldn't see it.

The bathroom had the "hugging" shower curtain, and it smelled a little funny, but that just blended in with us after a few days. We unpacked our clothes and walked around a little more and checked out of muster station.
We thought it was outside, but after we went outside, they directed us back into one of the clubs. The wind was so strong, that everytime someone opened the door, it would blow everything off the tables and some of the glasses got broken.

Soon it was time for sail away and we watched us leave Port Canaveral. By then it was time to check out the Diamond Club. We went up to the 14th Floor and it was packed. Another lady was trying to find a table, so we shared it with her and her husband. They only thing we could get for free was Champagne, red or white wine or sodas. So Gary and I had a glass of red wine. It was a large glass and we were all busy talking, so I didn't notice that the guy kept filling up my glass. Soon, I couldn't feel my face and I knew my mind would be the next to go.

I was time to go back down to the Windjammer for dinner. I was not feeling much of anything, just remember laughing alot. Lucky it was rather rough and the ship was rocking around like crazy and so was I. We made it to eat and I was trying to grab food and not fall down. I was trying to cut a piece of bread and it wasn't working so well. I also remember playing with a piece of aspargus. Gary announced to the waiter in a loud voice that I was drunk...I think he was a little bit also.......

Then the captain made an announcement that we were heading back to Port Canaveral because we had a medical emergency. We hadn't noticed, big surprise.

We went on to the welcome back show and they had a very funny comic, named David Orin. He was the winner of Star Search a few years ago, whose entire act was working off the people in the audience. He was pretty good.

After the show we saw that we were almost back to the port, by this time it was almost 9:00. So we watched as the ambulance and firetruck was waiting for us. They took off an older man and his family. I guess he had a heart condition and we heard later that he was doing better.

Since it took us so long to get back to port, we would have a day at sea tomorrow instead of going to Coco Cay and do the private island on the last day.

All day long we had seen so very original costumes. Gary got some pictures of bunnies, witches, Elmo etc. As we were leaving our room, out comes Buzz Lightyear and the cowgirl. So they posed so we could show Madison that we met Buzz Lightyear. I told her this later and she was quiet for awhile and then said "what"?

We listened to some people trying their hand at Karaoke. Some bad, others not so bad. Then they were having a Halloween dance party at Boleros so we went down there to check out all the costumes.

Soon it was time for bed............Drink of the day was Witch's Brew...don't know what was in it, but I think Gary had a Happy Birthday.

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[CruzHawk]

Tuesday........Since this was to be our day at Coco Cay, they weren't too prepared for a sea day. The cruise compass still had all the stuff for Coco Cay and they sent out a revised issue.

I was up at 5:00, took a shower and Gary & I headed out to the gym. It was still dark in the gym and there were a few people working out. Gary left me there so I could have fun on the treadmill. After about 40 minutes of that, I went back to the room to change and we headed off for bacon (I mean) breakfast. Still not a lot of people running around, and from the hallway full of empty plates, people down our hall ordered room service alot.

The weather had gotten a little better, it at least had stopped raining, but was still cloudy and windy. We found a nice spot by the front and sat in chairs trying to work on our tans, in the clouds. Soon it was time for the ice carving and making a black forest cake. Hung out by the pool for a while longer, then it was pizza and ice cream time upstairs. Checked out the cheap stuff at the stores and all the $10 watches, wallets etc.

They had the sexy man competition and belly flop, same old stuff. Wandered around the different clubs and listened to music. Gary took more pictures.

Gary had met a couple from Florida. This was her first cruise. We kinda hung around together. Real nice and fun to talk to. We keep run into them everywhere we went and found out that their cabin was just 10 doors down from ours.

Finally made it back upstairs to rest for awhile and change into our "formal" clothes....jeans and the same shirt we had worn all day. Decided not to go to the diamond club, since we had enough wine to last for awhile.

We watched some people get their pictures taken and there was the cutest little girl who was carrying a Minnie Mouse doll and the doll was wearing the same dress she was. She had her little Minnie Mouse red purse, so Gary took a couple pictures of her. I guess we were missing Madison.

Finally time to eat dinner. I grabbed some Lamb curry that was hot, but pretty good. Then the waiter came over and asked if I was doing better tonight. Oh good, it was the same guy from last night that Gary informed that I was drunk.... I told him I was sober and doing fine. I know he has seen it all and much worse, but it was still kind of funny.

We had already seen tonight's show, so we walked around and decided we were tired and went back to our room. It was only 8:20 but we were on vacation, so I guess we can go to bed whenever we want.

Pretty soon I hear this knock on the door and someone saying "room service". Well, I knew we didn't order room service, so I thought it was someone next door. He knocks again, and then our door starts to open.
Gary yelled at the guy, and he backed out fast. Saying he was sorry and we didn't have the sign on the door and he had knocked. He had chocolate covered strawberries, so Gary told him to leave it on the table and it was ok. Never saw a guy leave so fast. It was pretty funny. I guess he understood while Gary didn't get up.....

Now I was wide awake and Gary was eating strawberries, but he saved me one for the next morning.

Drink of the day if Mango Cooler.....still don't know what is in it.

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[pzerba]

very nice jill - fun photos too! Except for the rain...

[rjscott]

Well, you two sure are having the adventure, Jill! A return to port! Those poor people. How awful for them. I'm sure some of the passengers were steamed (given the reaction of those we've been on ships with when we've missed ports :rolleyes:), but I can only imagine how scary it would have been for the family involved. You and Gary are so easy-going, just taking it in stride. That's the way to roll with it.
Great pix, Gary! Your hotel looks lovely, and I will definitely check that one out if we should get to the Port Canaveral area. Oh, Amelia would have been in heaven with the people dressed up as Buzz and the Cowgirl (can never remember her name!). She just loves 'Toy Story'. Yeah, Jill, ya gotta watch out for those servers adding to your wine glass. It will sneak up on you! :p Nice touch, those strawberries, and thanks for the visuals, Gary! :D

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Gary great pic's .. love that camera.

[CruzHawk]

Gary great pic's .. love that camera.
The camera was my Birthday present from Jill. It's a Canon SX230HS. Still have a lot to figure out on it as to the settings but like the 14X zoom.

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Gary that was an excellent b day gift. Those are the best quality pics I have seen so far.

My camera is great outdoors but inside leaves a lot to be desired.

[shortstuft]

On to Wednesday and time to relax and unwind in Nassau. At least that's what the cruise compass said...

We got up early...I was up by 6:00 I think, Gary a couple hours before.

Got to enjoy the final chocolate covered strawberry....it was still good the next day.

We went upstairs to more bacon and watched as we were starting to come into Nassau. While I was looking out the window, a lady came up to me and asked if I worked for a doctor's office. She was the patient of one of my doctors. No place to hide....hope she didn't see me on the first night :eek:.

By now the sun was starting to come out, but it was very windy. We tried to find a place out of the wind, but that was impossible. The little trees were bent over and it felt like hurricane force winds. We still stayed outside and watched as we pulled into port.

Got off the ship and got our pictures taken 5 times. Got to start collecting some possiblities for our 2 free photos. Ran into our new friends Tim and Carla. Tim had to run some stuff back to the ship, so we kept Carla company while he was gone. We took off in opposite directions and I was looking for some free stuff.

You know how they always give you coupons for stuff just to get you into their stores. Usually I don't bother, but this time I decided to see how much free stuff I could get.

Walked into the first store. It was a bamboo store with most everything made out of bamboo. How they could make towels, and shirts so soft is beyond me, but the stuff was pretty nice. But enough of this I had free stuff to get. So I scored a bamboo and green colored wooden necklace. It was nice enough. On to the next store. This one was a gem stone store and I got a very nice gem stone necklace complete with the chain. This one I will keep for myself. The next place I walked in and some other people were starting to direct me as to where to go for the free lithrograph picture of Nassau. Everyone had the same thought in mind. Go in, get stuff and leave without buying anything. The last place was a diamond store and the lady gave me a blue gemstone in a little plastic bag. It was pretty and she asked me what I wanted to look at. I told her nothing and walked out.

We wandered around some more and found a nemo like fish keychain for Madison. Total expense in Nassau....$5.00.

Making our way back to the ship, we ran into Tim and Carla getting ready to back on board. That was the way it was. We were always running into each other. It got funny after awhile.

We were invited to a captain's welcome back party. It was right before lunch, so we had the shrimp, hot dogs and some other fancy stuff, plus a couple more drinks. This time there wasn't much, if any, alcohol in them. I walked out of there on my own this time.

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday was that they had barf bags (orange) hanging from the stairs next to the theatre. That was the first time I have ever seen that before.

The ship was still pretty empty, so we got back into our swimsuits and sat in the sun for awhile. Shot a couple hoops on the basketball court and went back to the room for a short nap.

Soon it was time for dinner. Gary wasn't very hungery so I grabbed some pasta.

Again we ran into Tim and Carla out on deck and soon it was time to go see the headliner show. It was the comedy juggling of Scott Cavanaugh. We had seen him before, but he was good so we watched again.

After the show was the Love and Marriage Game and we love to see this so we stayed. It never seems to disappoint. The couples are always funny and the oldest married couple beat us by only a couple months. I guess we are getting older than we think.

By that time Gary wanted to grab a piece of pizza, so I went up to the room to get ready for bed. No late night visitors tonight :D.

They had there sailaway party, dancing under the stars and Quest game, but it was so windy and we decided not to stay up.

They had fresh pineapple cocktail in a real pineapple, which was cute.

[shortstuft]

Last day.....Thursday.

Got up bright and early took a quick shower and went off to the gym. Today I had the whole place to myself for about 10 minutes. Then this older guy came in and it was just the 2 of us for 40 minutes or so. He did pretty well, for an old guy.

Time for breakfast again and I think I had cream of wheat with amonds and more fruit,orange juice, and milk, so you can guess where I was after 30 minutes...:)

Not many people up at all this morning. They had all partied the night before. We had arrived at Coco Cay, their private island. So we got our swimsuits on and guess who we ran into again? Tim and Carla, so we decided to go to the beach together.

We got on the very first tender and the sun was out and it was a beautiful day.

We enjoyed the sun and Tim was brave enough to go into the water. Too cold for me. Along comes the beer truck and he immediately gets stuck in the sand. They were going to call for help, but this was a beer truck, so all these guy came over and just lifted the truck up. So they got free beer.

After a while, they had set up the BBQ lunch, so we grabbed a table and had ribs, corn, mac & cheese and cookies.

Time to go back to the ship, so we took the tender back and went to the pool for awhile. Nice and quiet back on the ship.

Hit the casino to use up our free pulls and we each won a key chain.

Checked out our photos and most of them were pretty good this time. It was harder to only pick out 2....but free is free.

Went back upstairs to pack. Then back down to wander around some more. Either one of us were very hungry, so we grabbed some pizza and waited for the Windjammer to open. Meet some people from the hotel and talked to them for awhile. Then grabbed some key lime pie. It is the best thing they ever have, so I have to have a piece before we go.

We had already seen the singers and dance show and knew we wouldn't make it up for the late night comic, so off to bed we went.

Next morning in were back in Port Canaveral, grabbed a quick breakfast. Ran into Tim and Carla again and said our goodbyes.

Got the express check out and we only had to wait around 15 minutes before we were lead off the ship and on our way before 8:00 AM.

Now we only have to wait another 3 weeks for the next cruise......

Hope you enjoyed our short adventure...

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Yes Jill i enjoyed it. It sounds like you had a great time. Coco Cay was one of the ports they skipped on the Majasty cruise due to weather. Maybe you can twist Gary's arm to post a couple of pics so at least I will get to see what I missed.:D

[CruzHawk]

On to Wednesday and time to relax and unwind in Nassau. At least that's what the cruise compass said...

We got up early...I was up by 6:00 I think, Gary a couple hours before.

Got to enjoy the final chocolate covered strawberry....it was still good the next day.

We went upstairs to more bacon and watched as we were starting to come into Nassau. While I was looking out the window, a lady came up to me and asked if I worked for a doctor's office. She was the patient of one of my doctors. No place to hide....hope she didn't see me on the first night .

By now the sun was starting to come out, but it was very windy. We tried to find a place out of the wind, but that was impossible. The little trees were bent over and it felt like hurricane force winds. We still stayed outside and watched as we pulled into port.

Got off the ship and got our pictures taken 5 times. Got to start collecting some possiblities for our 2 free photos. Ran into our new friends Tim and Carla. Tim had to run some stuff back to the ship, so we kept Carla company while he was gone. We took off in opposite directions and I was looking for some free stuff.

You know how they always give you coupons for stuff just to get you into their stores. Usually I don't bother, but this time I decided to see how much free stuff I could get.

Walked into the first store. It was a bamboo store with most everything made out of bamboo. How they could make towels, and shirts so soft is beyond me, but the stuff was pretty nice. But enough of this I had free stuff to get. So I scored a bamboo and green colored wooden necklace. It was nice enough. On to the next store. This one was a gem stone store and I got a very nice gem stone necklace complete with the chain. This one I will keep for myself. The next place I walked in and some other people were starting to direct me as to where to go for the free lithrograph picture of Nassau. Everyone had the same thought in mind. Go in, get stuff and leave without buying anything. The last place was a diamond store and the lady gave me a blue gemstone in a little plastic bag. It was pretty and she asked me what I wanted to look at. I told her nothing and walked out.

We wandered around some more and found a nemo like fish keychain for Madison. Total expense in Nassau....$5.00.

Making our way back to the ship, we ran into Tim and Carla getting ready to back on board. That was the way it was. We were always running into each other. It got funny after awhile.

We were invited to a captain's welcome back party. It was right before lunch, so we had the shrimp, hot dogs and some other fancy stuff, plus a couple more drinks. This time there wasn't much, if any, alcohol in them. I walked out of there on my own this time.

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday was that they had barf bags (orange) hanging from the stairs next to the theatre. That was the first time I have ever seen that before.

The ship was still pretty empty, so we got back into our swimsuits and sat in the sun for awhile. Shot a couple hoops on the basketball court and went back to the room for a short nap.

Soon it was time for dinner. Gary wasn't very hungery so I grabbed some pasta.

Again we ran into Tim and Carla out on deck and soon it was time to go see the headliner show. It was the comedy juggling of Scott Cavanaugh. We had seen him before, but he was good so we watched again.

After the show was the Love and Marriage Game and we love to see this so we stayed. It never seems to disappoint. The couples are always funny and the oldest married couple beat us by only a couple months. I guess we are getting older than we think.

By that time Gary wanted to grab a piece of pizza, so I went up to the room to get ready for bed. No late night visitors tonight .

They had there sailaway party, dancing under the stars and Quest game, but it was so windy and we decided not to stay up.

They had fresh pineapple cocktail in a real pineapple, which was cute.

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[CruzHawk]

Last day.....Thursday.

Got up bright and early took a quick shower and went off to the gym. Today I had the whole place to myself for about 10 minutes. Then this older guy came in and it was just the 2 of us for 40 minutes or so. He did pretty well, for an old guy.

Time for breakfast again and I think I had cream of wheat with amonds and more fruit,orange juice, and milk, so you can guess where I was after 30 minutes...

Not many people up at all this morning. They had all partied the night before. We had arrived at Coco Cay, their private island. So we got our swimsuits on and guess who we ran into again? Tim and Carla, so we decided to go to the beach together.

We got on the very first tender and the sun was out and it was a beautiful day.

We enjoyed the sun and Tim was brave enough to go into the water. Too cold for me. Along comes the beer truck and he immediately gets stuck in the sand. They were going to call for help, but this was a beer truck, so all these guy came over and just lifted the truck up. So they got free beer.

After a while, they had set up the BBQ lunch, so we grabbed a table and had ribs, corn, mac & cheese and cookies.

Time to go back to the ship, so we took the tender back and went to the pool for awhile. Nice and quiet back on the ship.

Hit the casino to use up our free pulls and we each won a key chain.

Checked out our photos and most of them were pretty good this time. It was harder to only pick out 2....but free is free.

Went back upstairs to pack. Then back down to wander around some more. Either one of us were very hungry, so we grabbed some pizza and waited for the Windjammer to open. Meet some people from the hotel and talked to them for awhile. Then grabbed some key lime pie. It is the best thing they ever have, so I have to have a piece before we go.

We had already seen the singers and dance show and knew we wouldn't make it up for the late night comic, so off to bed we went.

Next morning in were back in Port Canaveral, grabbed a quick breakfast. Ran into Tim and Carla again and said our goodbyes.

Got the express check out and we only had to wait around 15 minutes before we were lead off the ship and on our way before 8:00 AM.

Now we only have to wait another 3 weeks for the next cruise......

Hope you enjoyed our short adventure...

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[CruzHawk]

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[SlimBeau]

:cool:..Happy Sunday, Summiteers...My Niners are 7-1, so all is good.:D..Gary and Jill Loving the review, and the great photos...You guys are like us, always a adventure when we go cruising...We did have a time on the Liberty..Yes?..:D Loved the photos of Coco Cay...Never been there...Now, I guess I don't have too....;)...Jill, you and Gary should write a book....How to go cruising on $5 a day!!!!!!...It would be a big hit...and then you could get a suite!!!...LOL>>>>>>A least you didn't have to look far for a lounger!!!;)..One last thought....What!!!! No Bacon Photos!!!!!

[CruzHawk]

Bacon....

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[shortstuft]

Beau....you had to ask about the bacon...took a while to clean all the drool off the computer..:D

I actually saw someone take more bacon than Gary. Hard to believe, but this guy had the whole plate full and piled high.

Coco Cay is our favorite beach. Clean and well layed out. Always plenty of chairs and they have the beer truck!

[rjscott]

Jill, grrrrrreat review! I had a coupon book one year for Cabo and Garrett and I did the same thing, to find all the free stuff we could. It was fun. I also got several gemstones in little baggies, but I then got a couple of pairs of small stud earrings that were nice and perfect as that's all my sister wears. Then, Garrett always likes to put music to his vacation video's, and one of the things we scored was a CD of tropical music, so he was happy. How funny that one of your Drs' patients was on your cruise. Such a truly small world. Gary, you really framed up that bacon photo nicely. ;) :p I do like the stops at the private islands, especially at the end of the cruise. A nice chance to wind down, do some snorkeling, have a nice picnic lunch (the food is always so good!) and wander around a nice beach. We've been to Princess Cay a couple of times and it is so nice. Great snorkeling and they have some decent shopping. I got Amelia a straw bag and the lady stitched Amelia's name on it while I waited. Amelia loved it, and only $5!
Ok, Jill, you've set the bar pretty high, so keep your wits about you for your next review. :)
Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Dang I would have loved Coco Cay. So tropical sorry we couldn't tender in.:( O' well next time.

The look on the guy's face at the beer truck is priceless. Like he's thinking "What do I do Mon?"

[rjscott]

Yeah, Grace, but that can't have been the first time that happened, do ya think? Or the first time a bunch of guys ran over and lifted the beer truck up to "save" it? :D I mean, can you think of better motivation than free beer? I can see even guys who claim "bad backs" getting in on that action! :p I don't think we had a beer truck on Princess Cay, though. That would have been a nice touch.

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

LOL Becki, on second glance he does look like he is looking for the Calvary to arrive.

[shortstuft]

It was funny to see the guys run to "help" the beer truck. This is the first time I have ever seen them get stuck. They got him out once and he still had the truck in reverse, so he got stuck again. They finally had to move the truck closer to the water so the sand was harder.

First day back to work and I'm counting the days until the next cruise...:eek:
They were suppose to have someone working my desk, but that lasted one day. So a week's worth of work was waiting for me to sort thru. Yesterday sure went by fast, but I ended up falling asleep on the couch at 7:00 and went to bed at 8:30.

[rjscott]

Oh yeah, Jill. That sounds like "back to work" blues. Oh well, not long 'til the next cruise for you two. ;)

Becki

[shortstuft]

Another thing I wasn't sure about, but just comfirmed it on another message board.

We were a little late getting on board and I heard one of the security people remark it was because the ship was rented out for the Bud Light Cruise and they couldn't get people out of bed.

A couple people that were on that cruise said it was a mess. People were drunk and vomiting all over. One girl peed in the elevator, some were peeing over the balconies. I guess both the Monarch and the Masjesty were both sponsered by Bud Light and they both met at their private island for another party.

Also the people that just got off the Monarch (the cruise right after ours) and really bad weather and they missed Coco Cay. So I guess we were lucky.

[rjscott]

OMG, Jill, I never fail to be amazed at people. I mean, I have no problem with people drinking and getting silly. But, drinking to the point of puking in public places and peeing in elevators?! That is just disgusting! No wonder they couldn't get people out of bed in the morning. :eek: Beau, reminds me of your one cruise where the guy about puked on your shoes in the lounge,wasn't it?

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Another thing I wasn't sure about, but just comfirmed it on another message board.

We were a little late getting on board and I heard one of the security people remark it was because the ship was rented out for the Bud Light Cruise and they couldn't get people out of bed.

A couple people that were on that cruise said it was a mess. People were drunk and vomiting all over. One girl peed in the elevator, some were peeing over the balconies. I guess both the Monarch and the Masjesty were both sponsered by Bud Light and they both met at their private island for another party.

Also the people that just got off the Monarch (the cruise right after ours) and really bad weather and they missed Coco Cay. So I guess we were lucky.


AND THAT MY FIRENDS IS WHY I DON'T DRINK BEER:p

[rjscott]

AND THAT MY FIRENDS IS WHY I DON'T DRINK BEER:p
Ha, Grace! I discovered, in a very unpleasant manner, that strawberry margaritas could make me pukey. Give me the straight stuff any day. :p
Becki

[CruzHawk]

Ha, Grace! I discovered, in a very unpleasant manner, that strawberry margaritas could make me pukey. Give me the straight stuff any day. :p
Becki

Sorry Becki I miss read this and thought you said perky... was going to have a strawberry margarita waiting for Jill when she got home.:D

Gary

[rjscott]

Sorry Becki I miss read this and thought you said perky... was going to have a strawberry margarita waiting for Jill when she got home.:D

Gary

Gary,
lol! yeah, you definitely want to avoid the other effect! ;)

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Ha, Grace! I discovered, in a very unpleasant manner, that strawberry margaritas could make me pukey. Give me the straight stuff any day. :p
Becki

OK Becki, Just how many strawberry margaritas was that:D

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Sorry Becki I miss read this and thought you said perky... was going to have a strawberry margarita waiting for Jill when she got home.:D

Gary


Gary two strawberry margarita's will make you a cheap date. At least that has been my experience:eek:

[rjscott]

OK Becki, Just how many strawberry margaritas was that:D

Grace, it was only 1 large one. Yucky! Guess I can't handle the sweet stuff. They tasted good going down, but not so nice otherwise. :p
Becki

[SlimBeau]

:cool:..Good Afternoon, Summiteers...I'm pulling what's left of my hair today...to drive my trucks, you need to have a Haz-Mat license...I only have three guys that have it...Today, One of my trucks went though a highway scale...The CHP checked his license...It had expired!!!!...My other driver was not working today because of a death in his family...So, I had to call my other guy from my office up north to get down here...So, now I have Three guys on the clock, waiting at the truck scale, for a Haz-mat driver...This sure has shot today profit all to heck....I just want to shut this place down and find a nice lsland somewhere with Kathie Lee....:eek::mad::eek:...Becki, the puking you are refering to happening on the No Sun Alaska Cruise..Didn't get near my feet, but pretty close...The thing I found disturbing was the group that was with the guy who tossed his cookies...though that was so funny!!!!!...I could just scream!!!!:eek:

[rjscott]

Poor Beau! Don't pull your hair out, Beau. Things will get better. I can only imagine how frustrating your day must have been though. Geez! But, I could see you and Kathie Lee living the good life on a island. Yep, you two could start up a nice little B&B... I would patronize your place!

Becki

[rjscott]

Beau, oh, my gosh, I forgot that disgusting puker was on your "no sun" cruise. Man, just one more memory to add to the "worst ever" file, eh? ;)

Becki

[shortstuft]

Yeah, Beau...you should run your own B&B. Could you imagine all the neat stories you would have to tell every day:)

I've been thinking about drinking ever since I got back to work. It has been crazy. Last night I didn't get out of work until 6:15, but at least I stayed awake past 7:00:D

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Beau, It is like babysitting isn't it. Guess you will now have to keep a record of when these licenses expire. Always something.

[CruzHawk]

Yeah, Beau...you should run your own B&B. Could you imagine all the neat stories you would have to tell every day:)

I've been thinking about drinking ever since I got back to work. It has been crazy. Last night I didn't get out of work until 6:15, but at least I stayed awake past 7:00:D

Needless to say Jill was neither PUKEY or PERKY last night... ho hum
:(

[rjscott]

Needless to say Jill was neither PUKEY or PERKY last night... ho hum
:(

Well, geez, Gary, ya gotta stop wearing her out on those B2B cruises! Yeah, you know what we're talking about! We saw the photo evidence. Strawberries in bed, indeed! :p

Becki

[shortstuft]

Gary needs to stop complaining about our boring life.....after all he did get a piece of birthday cake at my office yesterday.

[rjscott]

Gary needs to stop complaining about our boring life.....after all he did get a piece of birthday cake at my office yesterday.


Aww, that was nice! I won't ask what he got at home...;)

Becki

[CruzHawk]

ho hum!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[shortstuft]

Aww, that was nice! I won't ask what he got at home...;)

Becki

Nothing...he was full of cake.

Today we were playing hide and seek with Madison (her new favorite game) Didn't know poppa could hit in so many places....:D Anyway, he wanted a hug when we got ready to leave, but Madison hid under a table and won't come out. We were over by the door to leave and she comes running out to give poppa a hug. He bent over and hit is head on the corner of the railing by the front door....ouch...:eek: Hope the hug was worth it.

[rjscott]

Nothing...he was full of cake. LOL!

Today we were playing hide and seek with Madison (her new favorite game) Didn't know poppa could hit in so many places....:D Anyway, he wanted a hug when we got ready to leave, but Madison hid under a table and won't come out. We were over by the door to leave and she comes running out to give poppa a hug. He bent over and hit is head on the corner of the railing by the front door....ouch...:eek: Hope the hug was worth it.
Oh, yes, those hugs are always worth suffering a few minor injuries or indignities, right, Gary? ;) When Dylan, who is now 14 (and how did that happen?! :p ), was very young, he liked to play hide & seek also. When he would visit at my sister's house, I would hide in one of the rooms off the hallway. He would come toddling down the hall and I would jump out and yell, 'boo!'. He would yelp and run back to the living room giggling the whole way. But then he'd want to do it again. My sister was afraid I'd give him nightmares, but I said, look at him, he's laughing and wanting me to keep doing it. Good times! :D

Becki

[CruzHawk]

Oh, yes, those hugs are always worth suffering a few minor injuries or indignities, right, Gary?

Becki I remember that the HUG was great but what day is it?.... who was this short little blond lady laying next to me when I woke up this morning?.... and what year is it?.... memory loss from the bump on my head? or possibly the on set of old timers.

[rjscott]

Oh, yes, those hugs are always worth suffering a few minor injuries or indignities, right, Gary?

Becki I remember that the HUG was great but what day is it?.... who was this short little blond lady laying next to me when I woke up this morning?.... and what year is it?.... memory loss from the bump on my head? or possibly the on set of old timers.


How do you know you're Gary? ;) :D And, don't worry about what year it is; wait just a few weeks, and it will be a year later! :p

Becki

[Oink]

:) Hi Summiteers! Hope everybody is stoked for the holidays. :rolleyes: I know I can hardly wait for....New Year's Eve!!! :p ;) By then, I may have time to read all of your posts and catch up. In the meantime...carry on.

BTW - If I'm still working for Belk by Spring, I will be eligible for vacation. Anybody have a cruise booked after the 2nd week in March? If so, details please. :D

Later my friends....

[SlimBeau]

:cool:..Good Morning, Summiteers....Getting ready to have a full house to watch the Niner Game...:D:D...Jill, If Gary doesn't remember you...Just hold some Bacon under his nose..and It will all come back...I mean, it works for me....MMMMMMM....BACON!!!!!;):D

[shortstuft]

Oink...so glad you have something to look forward to with your new job. Cruise planning is one way to stay employed.

Beau...bacon works for everything. It is the miracle drug:D

We don't have any other cruises planned as of yet. Just have to make it thru the holidays. We will probably put a down payment on a new cruise to get the on board credit.

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Hi all,

Haven't been around been car shopping what a nightmare. They have no cars on the lot (atleast the ones I was after). So you can't test drive or get the color you want. I guess its the ecomony everyone must what the lower price vehicles.

Finally decided today and It will arrive Monday. Whew, :p

[rjscott]

So what did you decide on Grace?

Garrett just took delivery on his Ford Explorer last Saturday. He is liking it, thank heavens! :p Much to our relief, he sold his van just two days before the Explorer came in, so he didn't have to trade it in. Made a few bucks more selling it on his own, which is always a good thing. ;)

Garrett's going to carry over a few vacation days from this year to next Jan. so we can go to Ft Lauderdale and visit our friends who are wintering there again. Hope the weather will be decent then, but it was the best we could do, timing-wise. I'm off to purchase our tickets now. We have to fly into Miami this time. Ugh!

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Becki,

I got a kia rio hatchback and pimped it out lol....it is fun to drive the back window is small :eek: So i will have to be careful backing up.

Good luck on getting your tickets.

Grace

[shortstuft]

Becki...a vacation is a vacation.

Grace...I like the Kia's, it's just my size.

[rjscott]

Jill, how right you are! We always have fun in Florida, even when it seems as cold as it is at home in Ohio. :p Our friends just bought a place in The Villages (do you know where that is?) and so we'll make a least one trip up there while we're visiting to help them get the place ready for their move south from Ohio. And, we're staying at the same apartment motel where we stayed last year. It's an older place, but kept up very nicely. It's run by a great gal, and we got an efficiency last year with a full kitchen so that we could have breakfast in the room (Garrett's gotta have his cereal!) and keep some ice cream, beer and pop on hand. It had a nice sized living room and sleeping area, so we asked for that type room again. If you looked on the booking sites, the motel showed no availability, but I think she holds some rooms back for "regulars". They have people from all over who come year after year. They have 2 nice-sized pools, one heated, and they are only 2 blocks from Ft Lauderdale beach. It's very quiet at night, which we like, because once we're in, we're there to sleep. ;) The people who stay there actually say 'good morning' to you when they see you. Imagine that! :p And, parking right at the door. Ok,now I'm getting excited about going. Thanks, Jill! :D

Becki

[shortstuft]

Sounds like a nice place, where people are friendly. Better than the place we stayed at right before a cruise in Miami.

Bars on the windows and a security guard in the parking lot. We took the kids to subway and were walking back with our food, when these cars came by honking their horns and leaning out the windows. Couldn't get back to our room fast enough.

But stuff like that makes for good stories, right Beau?

[rjscott]

Jill, yeah, some parts of Miami can be scary. My mom lived south of Miami for about 6 yrs and I loved it there, but she lived in a nice area. And, even when we did venture into Miami proper, we knew which areas to stay out of. The one time Garrett and I decided to spend a few hours in downtown Miami, we decided to try some authentic Cuban food. We went into this little diner. They could see that we were really white-bread, but were so nice and helped us choose what to get and how to eat it; like pouring the black beans over the rice, which is how the Cubans do it. I wanted to go to Calle Ocho, but didn't want to push my luck. :p
But, yes, the place we're staying in Ft Lauderdale is a gem. We weren't sure the first time we stayed there, as there were places around it that were boarded up. But, our friends had checked it out for us and had given us the thumbs up out of about 6 places I gave them. We can even go up and walk along the beach and see the cruise ships sailing by.

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Jill and Becki are the hotels near the cruise port in Mia. a safe area?

[rjscott]

Grace. generally speaking, yes. But, before I'd pick a hotel, I'd go on the Florida departure boards and see what hotels people are recommending. I'd also check Trip Advisor. A hotel can be good one year and a dump the next.

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Thanks Becki I will remember your advice.

[SlimBeau]

:cool:..Good Afternoon, Summiteers...Well, couldn't wait any longer...Just booked a short Cruise next May...It's a Pacific Coast Wine Cruise....Great Price...because is only Five Days, I was able to book an Aqua Class on Deck Nine on the "Millie"..Don't you just love the "M"Class..:D...The Millie will just be coming outta her Drydock..so she will be upgraded, just like the "Connie" was last spring....It' so nice to have a countdown clock again!!!:D:D:D

[rjscott]

Yay, for Beau! Sounds like a winner for your next cruise, Beau. Good going!

Becki

[shortstuft]

Happy for you and Kathie Lee.......fun to have something to look forward to and May is a nice month to cruise.

Wine cruise..........oh, the stories you will tell, if you can remember them!!:eek:

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Hey Beau Congrads on your new booking.:D Wine cruise sounds interesting.

[shortstuft]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone....I will be busy tomorrow with cooking, cleaning, family and then finish getting ready to cruise..........:):D

Talk to you all when we return.

[rjscott]

Jill, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Enjoy your cruise and the bacon(Gary!). ;) I'm hosting Thanksgiving here as well, but for a smaller group. Just put the first pie in to bake.

Beau, you should try that Movie Location Tour while you're in "port" in SF on your cruise. We had a lot of fun on that. And, with your knowledge of movies, you would especially love it. Check it out: http://www.sanfranciscomovietours.com/ Hope you have better weather in Victoria this time. :p If not, check out the Royal BC museum like we did. It really is quite interesting and a nice way to spend a few hrs if the weather is crappy. Are you going to go right home after debarking the ship or spend a day in Vancouver?

Happy Thanksgiving, Summiteers! Gobble, gobble!

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Happy turkey day summiteers :d

[shortstuft]

Well, this day is not starting out too good. Went to put the pies in the oven at 3:00 AM and it doesn't work. So now we had to take the turkey to my mom's to cook, and trying to fix the rest with the range top and microwave.

Happy freking thanksgiving everyone..........

PS...Gary feels like crap because of his allergies, can't breathe and he is a real joy to be around.

But, we will laugh at this someday.....

[rjscott]

Oh, Jill, sorry to hear that! But, you're right, it will make for a good story one day. The day before Thanksgiving a couple of years ago, I was having friends over (whom I'd never cooked for) and, same as you, I had turned on the oven to preheat it and went about my business. Went to put things in it and was stunned to find it was not hot. I have an electric stove, which I hate, but it came with the house, and I'm too practical to get rid of it. :rolleyes: So, I call Garrett at work and tell him what's wrong, and he figures it's the heating element. Thank God he's handy! He finds a place that has one and brings it home and takes the old one out and plugs the new one in and, voila! , I'm back in business! But it was stressful with all that food to be cooked in the meantime. I usually have a few dishes I can make ahead, like my pies and some side dishes. Then, they just need warmed up before serving.
I got an electric roaster a few years ago and this was the first year I used it. Boy, was that nice. I had a pretty big turkey and it fit in quite nicely and that way I had my oven free for the side dishes and other things without worrying about timing everything at the last minute.
Poor Gary, hope he's feeling better. Allergies are terrible here too. We still have a lot of leaves on the trees and on the ground, which is causing a lot of mold, so no wonder allergies are in full bloom.
Gotta pack Garrett this weekend for his trip to the Netherlands. He'll be gone two weeks on business. He hasn't been traveling at all lately so I'll be at loose ends, I'm sure. Maybe I'll surprise him and drag out the Christmas tree and decorate the house while he's gone. Hmmmm...

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Jill, I hope the rest of Thanksgiving went well. I hate when I have everything all planned out and something screws it up. Just throws the whole day out of whack.

Our Thanksgiving went well.. I played with the baby all day. She is now one, walking and talking some words. She really enjoyed the turkey diner, ate everything but the mashed potatoes. Unlike my grandchildren who are finicky eaters, the great granddaughter is a chow hound:D

[pzerba]

sometimes I read this thread, and I feel is just like the old style party line phones - I just pick-up and quickly learn right where everyone left off.

It is quite entertaining and endearing.

Back to my darkened room and the night goggles for my other peeping...

[rjscott]

Grace, sounds like the perfect Thanksgiving. Having a baby to play with and watch at that early age is so fun anytime. We are on "baby watch" as my nephew and his wife are awaiting their first baby any day now. She was due on Thanksgiving day, so is past due, poor thing.

Hi, Paul! Peep on by anytime. :p

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

OMG PAUL, I forgot all about a party line. And they say the short term memory is the first to go...lol.

My mother was an switchboard operator for bell tele. She would tell me stories about me picking up the phone and asking for her. One of the other operators would put her on. Geez, now I wonder if you can even get a live person on the phone without going through the 14 digit menu?

[rjscott]

Grace, how funny! My mom was a switchboard operator for years. She worked at several places, including the University of Akron, and then Ft Belvoir in Virginia. That's how I came to live in Virginia, and meet Garrett. :) My mom trained me on the switchboard at Akron U when I was going to work the switchboard at Hiram College where I went to school. I had the chance to do that as a summer job. Soooo much better than bussing tables, let me tell you. Hiram was a small private school, but I went there on grants and scholarships, so I needed a job for spending money. It also was, at that time, the Cleveland Browns' summer training camp. So, working the switchboard in the student union, I was, um, "approached", by many of the players as they passed thru the student union. :p

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Becki, I can see why that would be your favorite job.:D After all if you have to work it is nice to have some perks.

[rjscott]

Grace, looks like it's you and me keeping the board alive while Jill & Gary are on their cruise, huh? Guess Beau's still recovering from his big Turkey Day! :p

Becki

[SlimBeau]

:cool: Hello, Summiteers....Sorry, I have been hurting, last week...When we were in Reno, for Thanksgiving...We brought a new Christmas Tree...When I loaded it into my pickup, I twisted my Back..So I have been in allot of pain, and not moving very well...It is starting to feel better...But, Kathie Lee is still tying my shoelaces...:eek::rolleyes:. Not much going on.. Work is very slow right now...I'm just trying to keep the doors open and get everyone paid...:D:D

[rjscott]

Oh, Beau, you have to remember, you're not a pup anymore, big guy! :D Hope you feel better soon! My sister has now been out of work for a week, so she is not in the holiday spirit either. At least she got her vacation pay for the year and a bonus for her facility closing, so that will tide her over a few weeks. Hopefully, something will come along for her by the first of the year.

Becki

[shortstuft]

Hi Everyone.............

Beau, sorry to hear about your back. Was that a real tree you were trying to lift?

Thanksgiving turned out ok. Poor Gary was sick with a sinus infection and how much fun is it to drag a 20 pound turkey down the street and into the car trunk.

He says he is never eating turkey again.............:eek:

It was still fun to get together with the family, but Christmas we are putting out a deli tray and any baking will have to be done by other family members.

I will try to work on the cruise review, but now it is back to WORK...ugh!

[rjscott]

Poor Jill, Thanksgiving cooking snafu's and a sick hubby. Yikes! Hope Gary is feeling better. Didya get him some good drugs yet? Boy, that work thing sure does get in the way of cruisin' doesn't it? Well, other than paying for the cruises, huh? :p
I have a new greatniece, as of Friday. Her name is Anna Grace, and here she is:

[shortstuft]

Becki....congrads on the new baby...so cute and she won't be happy that her birthday is so close to Christmas in a few years. Madison's is about a 1 1/2 weeks after Christmas and she thinks she should get stuff every week:eek:

Gary got some drugs, but it didn't really help much. I think only a snowfall will help right now......

[shortstuft]

Well, I guess I will get started on the cruise review. Hope it doesn't bore everyone because nobody does reviews like Beau....

We started out Friday (black Friday). Left the house around 9:00 and did a quick stop at McDonald's. Gary informs me that his "allergies" are now probably something else. He is coughing and can't breathe. But he did well with the 3 hours drive to Port Canaveral.

We arrive at Country Inn and Suites. The same place we stayed the month before. We check in without any problems and make our way to our room. Good luck, because the elevators are now working. They did groan and shake, but didn't stop between floors.

Our room was a spa suite. It was quite nice with big whirlpool tub, microwave, coffee maker, fridge and large king size bed.

We rested for awhile and decided to check out the pool etc, but it was windy, cloudy and seemed cold to us. So we went to McDonalds and grabbed a hamburger, fries and Gary got 2 chicken sandwiches.
We went back to the room. I ate my burger, and fries. Gary managed to eat 1/2 of his chicken sandwich.

The lady brought our "romance package" which was a bottle of champagne, 2 bottles of water, and a package of dove chocolates. Gary didn't touch the chocolate...ok, now I know he is really sick.

He took a nap while I watched "The Young and Restless" Christmas show. I haven't watched this show in years and it was a flashback to back when I was watching it. Watched a couple movies and finally talked Gary into trying out the whirlpool tub.

It took forever for the tub to fill up and I got the water too hot, so we had to wait for it to cool down. The jets wouldn't come on at first, but finally fired up. We sat in that for a half hours then tried to turn off the jets...no good. They would turn off for 3 minutes, then come back on again for another 2 minutes. Couldn't get it to stop, so we drained out the water, but that just made it worse. Gary went down to the desk to get someone to look at it, but it was 7:00PM on a holiday weekend. No luck and no other rooms available.

Finally after an another hour of the jets coming on and off...finally it stopped. Gary went to bed, and I was thinking of drinking the whole bottle of champagne by myself, but didn't. I had a couple pieces of chocolate instead. Watched a couple shows on TV and went to sleep...well, I tried, because by now Gary was breathing fast and he sounded like he was drowning.

The next day we hit the free breakfast bar. I will normally eat almost anything, but the smell coming out of this place was bad. I think it was fried potatoes, but all we could smell was the grease. I think I had oatmeal, even the fruit tasted like it had sat in an onion for a day. No bacon for Gary, just some kind of sausage and those fried potatoes.

I wanted to check out the art fair that was going on. So we drove up and down the main streets, but couldn't find it. So we pulled into a Wallgreens so Gary could get some drugs. We are checking out the options and along comes this guy with his wife. Well, she had the same thing and the guy was a pharmacist so he advised us what to get.

Loaded up on pills and unable to find the art fair, we went back to the hotel. Gary went to bed and I took my bottle of water, grabbed a couple free cookies from the front counter, a magazine and went to sit by the pool. It was too hot in the sun and too cold in the shade, so I stayed out there for awhile and gave up. Nobody else at the pool. Too windy and I guess they were all out shopping.

Watched a couple more movies and I was hungry. Gary didn't want to go out and there was nothing close by. I was thinking about walking the Burger King, but Gary said I could have his other Chicken sandwich from the night before. So I ate that, made some hot tea and ate some more chocolate....still looking at the champagne....:D

We were afraid to start up the whirlpool again, so didn't bother with it.

They had a little shop downstairs that had snacks, so Gary got me a bag of cheetos and he ate a couple of those. He liked them, so he went back down and got another couple bags.

Finally decided to call it a night.....Hopefull they will let Gary on the ship tomorrow.

[rjscott]

Oh, Jill, not a good start to your cruise at all. :( The room sounded nice, what with the nice tub, but geez that would have irritated me what with the jets coming on and off for sure! Poor Gary, though, and poor you, having to suffer along with him. At least at home, we can escape into another room. :p Ugh, that breakfast sounds revolting, what with the smell. How disappointing. Kinda like my rubbery omelet on our NCL cruise. :D Hope it gets better...

Gosh, I hadn't thought about the baby thinking she'd get gifts every few weeks, what with her b/day being so close to Christmas. Ha! Well, the parent live in Pittsburgh, so they'll have to deal with that. I'll warn my nephew that will be a problem in a few years. :p

Becki

[shortstuft]

On to the first day on board..........

We woke up early and at least the shower in the hotel was nice and warm. Outdoors is still cold, windy and will be a wear a jacket all day kind of day.

Down to try the free breakfast again.......the same smell is still there, same potatoes. I'm not really sure what I had, eggs, I think. Gary was lucky he couldn't smell.

We had a couple hours to kill and it was not a good day to spend outside, so we watched "Friends" on the TV, the one where Raquel and Ross have their baby. It was like a 4-5 parter. We saw the first 3 parts and decided to go stand in line at the ship.

We got there around 10:30 and there is no line and they are letting people check in. Gary held up well, and even filled out the health form with no problem. They never even batted an eye. So we move on to the Diamond/Suite seating to wait to board. We were on board by 11:10. Got the welcome aboard picture taken and followed the group of people to the Windjammer for lunch. Of course, that didn't open until 11:30 so we waited to be let in.

We got a seat by the windows and I'm not sure what I had, but it wasn't bad. Gary sucked down some coffee.

We still had about another hour before we could get into the room so we down to the pool. Nobody in the pool or even around the pool. No one went in the pool all day. Usually there is someone from Canada or Iceland that tries the pool, but not today.

Finally went to check out our room. It is an inside within an inside Deck 6 and way to the very back of the ship. Easy to find, but a lot of walking from the elevator. The room was very nice, plenty of room with a big bed, small chair (which Gary spent alot of time in) and pretty good size TV. Lots of space for clothes. Waiting in the room was our gift package from Royal of nuts, cookies, dried fruit and 2 bottles of water...plus a big old bottle of champagne from our travel agent....we ended up taking that home..:(

One nice thing they have started doing is to give you a paper called The Planner. It has all the important activities during the week, so you know what not to miss.

We didn't make it to the pre Meet and Mingle at 3:00 and just went to the muster drill at 4:00. We got lucky and went to the dinning room to wait. So we sat by the window and watched the Carnival ship leave port.
After muster, we went back to the room and met our room stewart. He was American and very nice. He had our room cleaned in under 15 minutes.

Time to leave port, so we went to watch on Deck 4. There was a very friendly lady standing next to me and she talked forever about everything, but was very nice.

Soon it was time for dinner. Again Gary didn't eat much, so we were done quickly. Wandered around the shops, free liquior samples, but we had to hurry to attend the Welcome Aboard show. Got to meet our cruise director Graham Seymour, very funny guy who has his own morning show on the TV from 6 to noon every day. We tried to watch that every day.
The show had a comic whom we had seen before, the act was exactly the same, but still funny. After the show, Gary decided to go back to the room, so we called it a night. More fun tomorrow.....Will the sun come out tomorrow?????

[rjscott]

Jill, sounds like your cruise was off to a quiet start, what with Gary not feeling so well. Your cabin sounds nice, and starting off the entertainment with a comic is a welcome change. So often the ships start off with those production numbers, which I am so over.

Becki

[rjscott]

Happy Birthday, Madame Oink! Hope you have a wonderful day, and that the coming year brings you only good things.

XOXO,
Becki

[SlimBeau]

:cool:...Good Morning, Summiteers...My back is better, but, now it's my sinuses!!!...I guess I caught it from Gary...Gary not eating Bacon!!!! Get that boy, to the ER STAT!!!!....Jill, don't be so hard on yourself, you write fine cruise Reviews...Didn't you have the greatest Cruise Mentor in Moi???:eek::rolleyes:..Plus, didn't I warn you about cruising Alaska???..I told you about the weather!!!!>>>>>>>LOL.....Liking your review so far, To bad about Gary feeling under the weather..Tell him to take a Vick cough drop and wrap it in BACON!!!..Works for me...;)..Happy Birthday to Lenore...

[rjscott]

Aha! That's what Gary's been doing wrong; he should have been wrapping his cough drops in bacon! He's having bacon withdrawal! :eek: That could be fatal in his weakened state. Leave it to Dr. Beau to figure it out. :p

Becki

[shortstuft]

Yes, I knew he was sick when he only had a couple strips of bacon and not a whole plate full.....

Glad we got our vacation in when we did, big changes at work. Letting people go, right before Christmas, really nice. Good news is I still have my job, bad news...I will be working my butt off even more than ever. They tried to move my best friend at work because they said she was slow and old....she is a year younger than me......:eek: oh no......

I will hang in and things will probably change again in a couple months. Corporate is all about the bottom line and they don't think things thru.

Happy Birthday Oink............

[shortstuft]

On to cruise day number 2...today we are at sea. Weather is better, still cloudy, but a little warmer. We are still wearing our jackets.

Got up around 5:30 -6:00 to hit the gym. I like the gym on the Freedom, lots of machines so no waiting. Worked the treadmill for a while then hit the weights. This guy came up to me and smiled. I told him I enjoyed his dancing the night before, he gave me a funny look and said he was one of the trainers....opps.....well, he looked just like one of the dancers...wouldn't be the last time to put my foot in my mouth.

Meet Gary down at the Promanade and went to breakfast. He only had a couple strips of bacon and a llittle bit of eggs. I had fruit, eggs, milk and a muffin.

Not much going on so we put on our swimsuits and headed down to the solarium. Found a couple of the nice lounge chairs and I got 4 towels so we could wrap up in them. It was still cold and windy. Gary took and nap and I looked around. People had reserved all the good chairs by the windows with books, etc and nobody showed up for hours. Hate when people have no concern for someone else enjoying the view.

Later a lady and her husband came to sit in the chairs. She had slipped on the wet deck and did something to her hand. She had it in a bucket of ice. One of the pool stewarts talked her into going to the medical center. She came about a hour later and it was just sprained.

Talked Gary into going in the hot tub. The water was kinda warm, but the wind was blowing so hard, it was spraying the water all over. Anything that wasn't under water was freezing. So we finally got out and wrapped up in the towels for a while.

Didn't eat much for lunch, if we had anything at all. Can't remember. A lot of times we didn't eat lunch.

On this ship you have to reserve all your shows. Otherwise you can't get in until 15 minutes before it starts. We had reservations for the 3:00 ice show. We have seen this show probably 4-5 times, but it is enjoyable.
By the time we got down to the show, 40 minutes early there was already a big line. I stood in line while Gary held up a counter. Didn't get our front row seats, but we were a few rows up in the center. The ice show was completely full.

After that Gary took a nap and I watched an Adam Sandler movie.

Went to dinner and we had seen the production number already. It was formal night, so we walked around watching people get their pictures taken and called it a night.

Put the do not disturb sign up this time so they wouldn't deliver our special treats. That came the next day and it took us 2 days to eat them.

Not sure about the drink of the day..............

[rjscott]

Jill, that ice show sounds great. It really draws them in, huh? Now that would be something we would want to go to for sure. That would be something different we've not experienced on a cruise before. Boy, I'll bet you were hoping the weather would clear up so you and Gary could start cooking in the sun a little bit. When I have a cold, I always feel better when I can soak in the sun for awhile.

Becki

[shortstuft]

It was only warm and sunny for a few days, so didn't get to bake much.

The ice show is something to see. The skaters have such a limited space to work, but they are all national champions so they do a good job.

They have so many costume changes. Oh, I did forget to mention. This one skater came out and it was just him and another guy. He was carrying these big wings and was out there skating. A heard all these people talking, laughing and taking pictures. Then I looked at the guys pants and he had forgotten to zip up. He had this big smile on his face, but would have loved to see his expression when he got off the ice and realized he was flashing the world.

[rjscott]

Whoops! :p

Becki

[shortstuft]

Sorry guys, the next installment of the cruise will have to wait until I feel up to it. I spent the entire weekend in bed (not nearly as fun as it sounds). I had some of the same symptoms as Gary, but no sinus infection.

Poor Gary had to watch Madison Saturday by himself, but he did come back in one piece.

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Jill,

Enjoying your review. I enjoy the ice skating shows and luckly at our meet and greet we were given tickets to go any time, so I ended up with decent seats. I always wonder how they keep their balance as the ship must list alittle.

Happy Birthday Oink.

[rjscott]

Jill, sorry to hear you caught even a little of Gary's creeping crud. Ugh! Garrett was sick for almost two weeks with some sinus infection and also got thrush in his mouth and throat. He was on two kinds of antibiotics; one for 14 days for the sinus infection and some kind of lozenge he had to do 4x a day for the thrush. I cannot believe I didn't get sick too, what with all his hacking and sneezing. But, he slept in our guest room and I kept a tub of those Clorox wipes and wiped down the remote anytime I wanted to use it, and the phone as well. Other things like refrigerator door handles, light switches, door knobs, etc., those got wiped down too. He was lucky to be finished with his antibiotics before he left for Europe.

Becki

[shortstuft]

I need to get some Lysol...just to have on hand or to cover Gary in it:D

[SlimBeau]

:cool:..Good Morning, Summiteers...So, that's where I caught it!!!..Garret must have touched your keyboard, Becki!!! Now, I have the same thing!!!!...Or Jill, or Gary gave it to me.....I mean you can get virus over the internet, can't you?????:eek::eek::rolleyes:;)

[rjscott]

Yep, Beau, those viruses can be nasty! :p

Yeah, Jill, you could make Gary a Lysol garment out of those wipes. ;)

Becki

[shortstuft]

Funny Becki...I would only need a couple sheets:D
Beau, Don't you know to wear protection when you come on this board?

You would not believe how many people have this virus in some form or another. It has been unreal and takes a while to get over it.

Be careful out there.............

[rjscott]

Alrighty, Jill! ;) Guess our Jill is on the mend, or at least her sharp wit is intact. :D Hope you're feeling bettter, Jill.

Becki

[Oink]

:) Hello Summiteers! Just popping in to let you know I survived my 53rd birthday, and (drum roll please) I'm still employed!! :p My benefits kicked in last week, so I guess I'm officially part of the working class again. :rolleyes: Seems like I'm always at work, but in reality, Belk does not allow a minute of OT. I've yet to clock a 40 hour work week. Unfortunately, sales are not as brisk as I keep hearing on the news....not for Belk anyway. :(

My BF, Jim, quit his crappy job with Radio Shack the day before Thanksgiving without notice. :eek: His district and regional managers pissed him off one too many times. He called his DM and told him that their last conversation was the straw that broke the camel's back. Jim went into his store, processed the payroll, dropped off the keys and said "good luck to you" and walked out!!!!! He's very relieved, but also consumed with guilt and remorse. They just wore him down to a nub. What a horrible company.

Jill - Sorry to hear about your lay-offs. Maybe you should keep a record of the key words like "old". Could be used for a lawsuit later....if needed.

Becki - When we were kids, my parents used to take us up to Hiram to watch the Browns summer scrimmages. I remember being soooooo bored! Also, you know my Dad is a graduate of Akron U, right?

Beau - Hope your back and head are feeling better now.

Grace - Are you planning any cruises in 2012? If so, are you planning on taking me with you? :D Seriously, I'd really love to do a Spring or Fall cruise next year, if I can swing it financially and work-wise. Sure would be fun if we could organize something.

Hello to Paul & Jenn and Gary and Kathie Lee and Garrett and all the other Summiteers. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. Cheers!

[rjscott]

Howdy, Oink! Bet you're glad to get off of COBRA, huh? My sister is now paying that, and we're hoping she can soon find another position so that she doesn't have to pay it for long. I didn't know your dad went to Akron U. Small world. It was a small place back then. Now it just sprawls across the city. He probably wouldn't recognize it. Too bad about your BF, Jim. Having changed jobs several times over the years, I can empathize with him, poor guy. Hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Oinkster!

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Oink, Would love to do a cruise with you, we would have a great time.. Only I can't plan right now.
Xmas, new car, ect ... Need a couple months to recoup. You get it. But definitly in 2012.

I would love to do a southern carribean out of Fll or Mia. But most are 10 days. 10 days may not work for you. But I am up for any that are cheap, remember I am entitled to the 55 discount. :D

Don't know if you remember but I smoke alot :eek::eek: I do have an electronic cig that has no oder, second hand smoke ect. But need the real deal for the most part when not in the cabin. So you need to consider that fact. I will not be offened if you don't want to cruise with a smoker. Let me know.

Later
Grace

[Oink]

Admit it....you did, didn't you? ;)

Becki - My COBRA expired on June 30th, so I've had NO insurance since July. :eek: It's amazing how much cheaper Rxs are without insurance! I will continue to get my maintenence drugs at Kroger on the $4/$10 generic plan, then use my Rx card for the occassional antibiotic or other odd drug. I hope your sister finds new employment quickly, but she should definitely plan for the long haul. What is her line of work, and how flexible is she regarding location and salary?

Grace - I have been looking at 7-10 day cruises out of FLL and MIA for late March thru April. Of course, I'm only at the dreaming stage right now. :rolleyes: So many things will have to fall into place before I can even consider booking a cruise. I am willing to wait for a last minute deal to get the cheap fare. The smoking thing could be problematic, but no need to veto the whole idea just because of that. I think I will go peruse the cruise sites. BRB....

[rjscott]

Oink, my dear, we always miss you! My sister is a social worker, and she has a looong drug list, as she suffers from depression and anxiety. She is very flexible on salary, but not so much location, as she wants to be close to her only daughter and grandchildren. I have been able to get her to (finally!) consider jobs in the Cleveland suburbs and in Canton, even tho' she isn't fond of driving too far. I've told her she really needs to get a job first and foremost, even if she has to drive an hour each way. Then, she can keep looking for something closer. She finally got with the program and agreed to apply for the jobs outside of Akron. She has good experience, but I'm not sure how well she's interviewing. And, I think employers may be concerned that she is nearing retirement age and so may think 'why hire her if she's going to bail in two or three years?'. So, I've been coaching her to go in with enthusiasm and let them know she's in for several years, as she likes her work and wants to do it for as long as she can. Just not sure she is doing that. <sigh>

Becki

[Oink]

Okay, I did some searches for Spring 2012. Here are my favs (in order by length first, then preference)

7 Nights
Ruby Princess - Eastern - Multiple dates (new ship)
NCL Pearl - Western - Multiple dates

9 Nights
HAL Noordam - Southern - March 26th

10 Nights
Emerald Princess - Several Itineraries - Multiple dates
Celebrity Equinox - Eastern/Southern - March 16th or April 6th
HAL Maasdam - Eastern - April 6th (new port-St Bart's)
NCL Dawn - Eastern/Southern - March 18th or April 8th

Even though I'm cheap and poor, I cannot lower myself to Carnival. :p
Royal is too expensive in comparison.
Actually, they are all too expensive right now.
The big 'wave' season is right after the holidays.
Prices should drop around mid-February.
Please post if you spot any bargains! :D

Later my cruise peeps....

[rjscott]

If I can put my 2 cent's in on your picks, Oink:
We really liked the Emerald Princess. It's a big ship, but nicely laid out. We had an inside cabin, but it was fairly spacious. Loooooved the Equinox. My only quibble with that ship was that the cabins had very little storage space. Nice closet space, with plentiful hangers provided, but very little drawer space. We ended up working out of our rolling duffel bag for our polo shirts and things like that, as we had nowhere to put them. There is space over the beds, but, awkward to get to. But, the bathroom is just lovely. Glass shower, lots of room and storage in there. And, lots of lovely public rooms, and good daily activities. Nice flat screen TV's in the cabins with many free current movies to choose from
to watch.
And, I am just thrilled to see that a ship has added St Bart's back to their itinerary. I will be looking at that one for next fall. We've been to St. Barts twice and I just love it. Tres French, and lots of lovely beaches. Rent a little car and tool around the island; stop and shop and visit the beaches, have lunch. So fun!
Hope you and Grace can pair up for a cruise. That would be cool!

Becki

[rjscott]

Grace, about the smoking, how is the electronic cigarette? I ask because my sister has started smoking again after not having smoked for over 15 years. I'm very concerned because she has some health issues already, having had one type of cancer and has had one knee replacement and needs another, but she doesn't seem inclined to stop smoking again. I do know it's difficult to stop, so I don't rag on her, but I wonder if this electronic cigarette would work for her or at least help her cut back? Especially now that she's not working, the cost of cigarettes alone needs to make her cut back, even if she doesn't care about the health costs. So, do you find it is like a real cigarette? Does it give you that "satisfaction"?
Thanks for any advice.
Becki

[shortstuft]

This has got to be the most entertaining board that ever lived....you guys are so interesting and funny.

Oink, glad to see you back in action. You probably only have 5 minutes of vacation and already planning a cruise.

I am feeling better and will finish the cruise review, but I have to finish the Christmas stuff. Only one more week and the fat, old guy comes down the chimney...wish Uncle Louie would learn to use the door like everyone else.

[rjscott]

Ok, Jill, just so you know, like Beau, you are not off the hook for your review no matter how long it takes! ;) :p We live for those reviews (and Gary's photo's!). :D Gladyyou are feeling better, but, yes, Christmas does take priority, especially when you have a little one.

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Grace, about the smoking, how is the electronic cigarette? I ask because my sister has started smoking again after not having smoked for over 15 years. I'm very concerned because she has some health issues already, having had one type of cancer and has had one knee replacement and needs another, but she doesn't seem inclined to stop smoking again. I do know it's difficult to stop, so I don't rag on her, but I wonder if this electronic cigarette would work for her or at least help her cut back? Especially now that she's not working, the cost of cigarettes alone needs to make her cut back, even if she doesn't care about the health costs. So, do you find it is like a real cigarette? Does it give you that "satisfaction"?
Thanks for any advice.
Becki

Becky, IMO it does act like a real cig. Unlike a patch it provides the habits of having something in your hand and puffing on it, ect. You blow out a lot of vapor. So it is like smoking a real cig. I ordered a two piece. A prefull carto (looks like a filter) equialent to 1 pack of cigarettes and battery (which looks like the end of the cig). I order Juice
and refull my carto. Doing this brings the price down to about 37 cents a pack or less. You should order her a starter kit for xmas. www.vapor4life.com (http://www.vapor4life.com)

I originally ordered from a different company. The kit came, and after charging the batterys. I went 3 weeks without a real cigarette. Then I could not get supplies from them as they were back ordered and went back to smoking. Now for whatever reason I can't make the switch back.

There are different strenghts of nicotine, so she could keep cutting back on that, even get down to zero. I guess the benifits are no chemicals, more socially accepted.
you feel and breathe better, and the costis reduced.

Sorry to be so long winded, but hope it helped

Grace

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Oink,

I looked at the Dawn April 6th, 10 day, $649 inside. obc $150.
So 10 day can be reasonable.

I will look at the others after the holiday.

Later
Grace

[rjscott]

Becky, IMO it does act like a real cig. Unlike a patch it provides the habits of having something in your hand and puffing on it, ect. You blow out a lot of vapor. So it is like smoking a real cig. I ordered a two piece. A prefull carto (looks like a filter) equialent to 1 pack of cigarettes and battery (which looks like the end of the cig). I order Juice
and refull my carto. Doing this brings the price down to about 37 cents a pack or less. You should order her a starter kit for xmas. www.vapor4life.com (http://www.vapor4life.com)

I originally ordered from a different company. The kit came, and after charging the batterys. I went 3 weeks without a real cigarette. Then I could not get supplies from them as they were back ordered and went back to smoking. Now for whatever reason I can't make the switch back.

There are different strenghts of nicotine, so she could keep cutting back on that, even get down to zero. I guess the benifits are no chemicals, more socially accepted.
you feel and breathe better, and the costis reduced.

Sorry to be so long winded, but hope it helped

Grace

Grace, you were not long-winded at all. Very useful info! Thanks so much for the great explanation. I'm going to check it out online right now.

Becki

[SlimBeau]

:cool:..Good Evening, Summiteers...Jill, you are correct this is the best board...ever!!!!!!:eek::rolleyes:...But, I'm being Modest....:rolleyes:...Jill, you have to finish the review...The big guy in the red suit will understand...I mean, when he isn't flying around the world behind his reindeers....He must be cruising!!!!!..Right?..Grace and Oink, it a bit later than you want to go, but...the price is right..Join us on our "Whine" Cruise up the California coast..It's only Five Days...But, stops in San Francisco and Victoria..Ends in Vancouver...I know it's a long way to fly...But, May is the best month to visit the left coast...I just wish we could find something we could all go for a Reunion Cruise....Just to tough, I guess...(Sigh)....

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Beau,

Would love to see Ca. maybe its the go west young man go west thing, or easy rider, or just to see the pacific ocean when you have lived your life on the Atlantic.

But, omg the cost of air :eek: O'well have new car will travel, Just how much gas is that?, And how many miles did you say it was?

I think a reunion cruise is possible, just got to take the Beau by the horns. :p

[rjscott]

Grace, yeah, the cost of the airfare, even from Detroit, for the cruise from Vancouver to L.A. on our Pacific Coastal cruise would have been $450! We used FF miles, as we decided (and Oink concurred) that we'd be better off using them than saving them. Never know when the airlines will change or even do away with the programs. So, a bird in the hand... :p That's how we're going to Miami in Jan. Using the last of our AA miles we have left over from flying to Australia twice (well, Garrett went 3x, and in Business Class, so he got more miles!). So, Beau, there are more of us who would have to fly west for a reunion cruise, so I'm thinkin' your gonna have to bite the bullet and come east (which I know you will, right?).

Anyway, Grace, I want to thank you again for the info on the electronic cigarette. I talked with my sister today and she said she has quit smoking but is really struggling. I know it's because she isn't working right now, and, with all that time on her hands and worried about the money and if/when she'll find another job, it's no wonder she's struggling with the no smoking. So, I sent her the link for the elec. cig. and she is interested and I told her we'd get it for her if she'd use it. She has to decide on the nicotine level, etc. So, yay! This could be a real turning point for her! :D

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Becki, That is good news. Once she gets it she can look on you tube to fine how to refill with the juice. One thing good about that company is
they will send sales to her via email. Free Shipping, 30% off, buy one get one ect. I wish her luck... If you are ordering the kit get one with 2 batteries so while one is charging, she can use the other.

[SlimBeau]

:cool:.Good Evening, Summiteers....Yes, we will go east for a reunion cruise...I know most of youse, live east of the Big Muddy...We just have to find the right cruise..you know, One where, everyone loves the ports, airfare and cruise fare is good....and at a time we can all go...Should be easy!!!!!!:eek:;)...We have finally, got to the point where we are filling the Hot tub my father installed in his bathroom...He drained it years ago, said it was broken...I think after his wife died, he just didn't want to bother with it...
We will see, I will kept you all informed...;)...My Sister was down today, picked up one of our father extra beds...
We have turned that bedroom into a gym with a
BowFlex and treadmill....Now, all I have to do, is to use them!!!!:eek:..Grace you should try to get out here sometime...The Northern California Coast is so beautiful......It needs to be on everyone's Bucket List.....;)

[rjscott]

Grace, thanks for those tips! I am writing them down. ;) You should get paid a commission by the company. :D

Beau, sounds like the house is coming right along for you. And, I agree with your words of wisdom for Grace. I was just thinking the same thing this morning about our trip down the Northern California coast. That was probably one of my all-time favorite vacations, and that's saying a lot because we've been on some wonderful vacations. But, that 17-mile drive in the Monterey Peninsula is just spectacular, and the drive down to Big Sur is something everyone should do once in their lives if they have the opportunity. Just amazing scenery everywhere you look. As for the reunion cruise, I only have 2 requests; no Jamaica and no Bahamas, please. Really, the people there are so aggressive, they just wear me out. Other than that, I'm good. We haven't been to the Southern Caribbean in a while, so I'd love to hit some of those ports if we could swing that, but any are good.

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Beau, I really do think a reunion cruise would be possible. There are only what 10 or 11 of us left on the thread. You would be traveling the greatest distance. So I am thinking that if we found something far enough in advance ...say Sept 2012 or Jan 2013, then everyone could have time to schedule. But like you said there are a lot of factors that may make it difficult. Have fun in the hot tub.

Grace

[rjscott]

Oink, I checked out the Maasdam for cruises going to St. Bart's and, PHOOEY! It stops going there in April '12. I am bummed! The only ships going there otherwise are the "luxury" ships like Seabourn, Regent and Oceania. Well, now I'm looking at one that goes to Grand Turk, San Juan and either St Thomas or St Maarten. Have never been to Grand Turk/Caicos and haven't been to San Juan in years, so that would be good for either next fall or early 2013. Did you say reunion cruise, Grace? ;)

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Yep, Becki we are now talking reunion cruise.

I love grand turk and st martin, and private islands. And lets face it since they don't have design your own itinery (and why don't they have that?)
consessions are always made.

Southern is something I would like (not etched in stone).

And any cruise line. I have enjoyed them all.

[rjscott]

Grace, we've always enjoyed the private islands, especially when it's at the end of the cruise. It's nice to have a day to wind down and have some beach time, have a barbeque and have a nice snorkel before getting down to the business of repacking and heading home.

Becki

[shortstuft]

Day 3......

After a windy, somewhat cloudy day at sea we find ourselves coming into Labadee. They have built a pier since the last time we were here. No tendering..:D It's still cloudy, but the wind has died down and it might be a halfway decent day after all.

Hit the gym again around 6:15 and there is nothing like being on a treadmill and watching us get closer and closer to this beautiful island.

After the gym, Gary & I head for breakfast. He is still very sick and only has a few pieces of bacon....this is getting serious. I suggest he go to the medical facility. Gary doesn't have a great track record with doctors. They tell him what to do and he tells them they are nuts. But when he agreed to go, and knew he was near death....

At this point everyone else is getting off the ship. They try to point us off the ship, but we head for the medic. The place is empty except for one person, so may be no waiting. Gary fills out the forms and they tell him to be prepared to pay an arm and may be half a leg. He agrees and wants me to go back with him.

The doctor seems like an alright guy. He listens to his chest and says his lungs are clear!!!!!! Unbelivable since he sounded like he was drowning earlier. He has a sinus infection, gives him some pills and a nasal spray. We leave the center and go back upstairs. I had forgotten to get the receipt to turn in to my insurance, so back down I go. Only to have them tell me that they will send it to the room later.

At this point, Gary doesn't want to go to the island. So we stay on board and head down to the pool. Gary tries to lay out, but then some people come over with perfume and it sets Gary on a coughing spell. So he moves and it was getting cold laying in the shade. He goes back to the room and I move to the other pool for awhile and watch one of the cruise game people waiting around for someone to play a game. No one comes so he gives up and leaves.

I wander around and check out the library. Not much of interest to read.

Go back up to the room and Gary's not in the mood to eat, so I watch a movie and check out the next cruises they sent up to the room. They are already pushing December cruises for next year.

Independence Of The Seas Dec 8 & 22
Fort Lauderdale, Fl
Cruising
Cruising
Basseterre, St. Kitts
Philipsburg, St. Maarten
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Labadee, Haiti
Cruising
Fort Lauderdale, Fl...
No prices but nice islands. We will put a down payment later for another cruise to be decided later.

Soon everyone is back on the ship and we are leaving on to Falmouth, Jamaica.

We have reservations for the 7:00 magic show Now You See It with Drew Thomas. We have seen this show 3 times, but it is always entertaining. There are some things that are pretty impressive for such a small area.

After the show we go up to eat dinner. I grabbed a piece of fish, but made the mistake of putting some kind of sauce on it that was really greasy. It turned my stomach so I got some pumpkin/ginger soup that was really good and it helped.

At this point, we were both tired. Doing nothing can wear you out. So back up to the room we go.

The drink of the day was Tequila Tuesday. Tequila, orange juice and grenadine. Still haven't made it to get our free drinks. Got another message from the lounge director reminding us to come visit.

We were also to get an additional $50 from AAA for booking our cruise. We didn't get it and left a message with the travel agent. Finally after a few days we found out that we won't get it because we were already getting the $100 ship board credit. Oh well........

I really like their beds on board....like sleeping on a cloud.......

[shortstuft]

Day 4......

Today we are arriving at Falmouth, Jamaica. We have never been to this port before, so it will be a new experience for us.

Today is our Anniversary....air kisses for Gary, because I still don't want to get too close to him...so romantic.....:D

Decide to hit the gym again. This time I try one of the bike that you halfway lay down on. Very comfortable. I could use one of these at home.

Gary meets me and we go down to breakfast. He is still not eating much. We head on deck to watch us pull into port. They are still working on some of the buildings, but what they have done looks nice.

It is sunny and hot. Gary decides he doesn't want to leave the ship. So I grab my ID and some money and Gary takes pictures of me leaving the ship...never to be seen again...

My first time ever leaving on my own. I wander around all the shops. They have a lot of watch and jewerly shops. Some liquior, and jerk chicken. There is a small band playing. I walk down the long street and get to where I see armed guards, barbed wire and gates. This is where I stop and turn around. No sense looking for trouble.

I really like how they have everything set up. The inside stores, then in the middle there is the craft stores set up by the poorier people. They aren't too pushy and everyone is friendly.

They have a separate place to take taxis, so no one is yelling at you to take a tour or to get a taxi. If you want a taxi, you go stand in line. All very straight forward.

It was over 90 degrees and I didn't see anything I wanted to buy, so I decided to go back to the ship. It took over 10 minutes, just to get back on board. Very Slow....Lots of people trying to get back on the ship.

Gary was taking a nap, so I grabbed some lunch and went to check out the screening room. It is this little movie theatre in the back of the ship. Only has room for about 50 people. They were showing the movie Rango.
It was a kids movie, but I had heard it was cute, so what the heck.
Only about 10 people in there and one couple walked out 5 minutes into the movie. It was a funny movie and I was glad I stuck it out. The seats were not all that comfortable.

Grabbed Gary a cup of coffee and some cookies and went back to the room. I guess he had gotten up and got some coffee on his own.

By that time we went up to the deck to watch people rushing to get back on board. We were parked right next to the Voyager and we left first.

No show tonight, since we had already seen the ice show. So we grabbed some pizza and went back up to the room.

We were just too tired to stay up for the Love and Marriage show, so we watched it on the TV. That is always a funny show.

Sorry not much excitement this cruise..........

[rjscott]

She's back! Glad you've resumed the review, Jill. Man, Gary must've felt just awful. What a way to celebrate your anniversary. :( Garrett and I have both visited the ship's Dr. on two separate occasions, and they are very accommodating about charging it to your shipboard acct. :p The Dr. on the Summit was Italian and VERY good-looking! Yum!
I was wondering about Falmouth, Jamaica, when I saw some ships were starting to port there. Do you know what kinds of excursions they were offering there? Maybe with it being a new port, the people won't be such a pain in the rear as they are in Ocho Rios and Mo' Bay. It might take a few years for Falmouth to get that attitude, hm? I always thought Jamaica was such a lovely island, it is a shame that the aggressiveness of the people there turn off so many tourists.
That pumpkin-ginger soup sounds good. MMM!

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Jill, Glad we are back to the review. I really feel bad for Gary..Hope I am never sick on a cruise.

Jamaica: I don't blame you a bit for not passing the guards.

[shortstuft]

Becki,

I didn't see where there was really any different tours. We had looked at a couple that looked interesting, but it was the Martha Brae rafting that we had done before. They all end up in the same places....Ocho Rios etc.

The new pier is set up much better, so it feels safer. They do have a pirate boat ride that is 2 hours long that you can pick up right at the pier. I have heard that people have enjoyed it.

[shortstuft]

Day 5.....

The day is not starting out too well. Waves are really high and wind is blowing. The ocean just looks weird.

Decide not to go to the gym since we are to arrive in Grand Cayman and I wanted to do some shopping.

We go down to breakfast. Gary is feeling a little better, but still doesn't eat all that much. The cook at the omlet station wanted to know is I wanted an omlet. So I ordered a vegetable omlet and grabbed some fruit and decided to get a container of low fat chocolate milk. Went to pour the milk into the glass and what came out was truely horrible. It no way looked like milk. It wasn't even how milk gets when it goes bad. This looked like the stuff Gary has been hacking up all week. It really made me sick...so I got rid of that right away and every time I thought I might have chocolate milk I changed my mind. The omlet was good, however.

We were to arrive at Grand Cayman by 8:00. We couldn't see any land and didn't look like we were even close to any islands. After awhile I heard people saying that they were refunding tours. Then they make the announcement that the weather is too rough and we won't be going to stop. Bummer.....now we have another day at sea.

Check out our onboard account and Gary's medical bill is there. $162.00 which cleans out our $100 shipboard credit. Oh well, easy come, easy go. Later they took off the port charges for Grand Cayman is that was another $40 off the bill. We ended up with total charges of around $ 23.00 which I ended up getting $51.00 back from my medical account. So Gary got treated for free.

Gary goes back to the room and we are rocking and rolling on the high seas. I check out a shopping talk for Cozumel and almost won a prize, but the lady that came in right after me won. They were having a flash mob rehearsal after that, but I didn't stay.

They had the 3D movie Shrek Ever After so I checked that out. Pretty good effects and enjoyable movie.

They really didn't have much activities planned since this was to be an island day. I grabbed a cup of tea and sat outside and watched the water for awhile. Then went to check on Gary.

We had already seen the production show, so we actually ate dinner, looked in some of the stores and went back upstairs.

For those football fans, they played games all week on the outside big screen TV. So the guys liked that.

Drink of the day is Thirsty Thursday. A tropical blend of vodka, blue curacao and fruit juices....still haven't had one drink all cruise.

[rjscott]

Wow, Jill, not a good day for you. I'd heard of a lot of people missing GC, but it had never happened to us and we've been there 4 or 5 times. I guess sometimes the cruise ships now go to the northern side of the island if they can't tender at Georgetown, but in your case it sounds like it was just too rough for any stop. Too bad. I really like Grand Cayman. The past two times we've rented a car and tooled around. The first time we went to different beaches and to Hell. That was interesting. :p The last time we drove up to Rum Point, a very pretty beach on the north side of the island. There's decent snorkeling, and there are rentals for jet ski's, and there are boats for parasailing,etc.

Sounds like you came out ok on your shipboard acct. ;)

Becki

[shortstuft]

One of the cruise directors said that they very rarely miss Grand Cayman, but one guy on board has missed it 3 times. So we blame him..:D

[shortstuft]

Day 6.............

Since we spent all day at sea yesterday we will arrive in Cozumel 2 hours early.

Head up to the gym and work out next to the same old guy who is in great shape. I guess his age at around 80. He likes the bike the best, but I've seen him on the treadmill and elipitical machine. He also does most of the weight circuit.

Grab breakfast again...Gary is feeling a little better. Today he has a chocolate donut..and a couple strips of bacon and an egg.

Walk out on deck and watch us pull into port. We have 2 free photos and there is 3 photo opps after we get off the ship. It is still early and nothing is open yet and we don't have a tour planned, so we stay on the ship until 10:00.

Gary is finally getting off the ship. We stop to get our photos taken with some guy dressed as if he is prepared to go to battle. He has a feather headpiece and he is half naked (yes !) and all painted up. Next they have where you can wear a Mexican hat, but we have seen at least a 100 people put on this hat, no thanks. So we get our photo again by the front of the ship. That picture disapeared and we never did see it.

It is cloudy, again, so we wander around the little shops. I buy a blue lizard to hang on the wall and a mexican hat magnet. The shop is really busy and it is hot in there, so we get out fast.

Go into another little store and find a little toy for Madison. The line to pay is out the door, but I wait it out. Next is this little store that I love. They have so many nice wall hanging and really different handmade crafts. I bought a butterfly the last time we were there, but they didn't have any that I liked. Gary saw these wind chimes, but this one was a little Mexican family. So cute, so I had to buy it. It is now hanging in our kitchen.

Of course, I had to check out the pharmacy. Just to see what they had. So many drugs, so little time. I overheard two guys taking while we were waiting to get off the ship. One guy needed some meds and the other guy told him to go to the pharmacy and he could get it without a prescription. He said he had been taking his wife's meds...some people are so stupid. I didn't buy anything, but it was fun to look around. They really did have a little bit of everything.

After that we walked around and checked out a little bar, which wasn't open yet. Gary took a few pictures. He really didn't take too many at all this trip.

Gary was getting tired, so we went back to the ship. He took a nap and I went up to the pool and sat out for awhile. The day turned out pretty nice after all.

Didn't feel like doing much for dinner, so we went to the pizza place and had a couple slices. They had this big Christmas tree set up and we were watching them take pictures. So we decided to get our picture taken by the tree. It was formal night and we had on our jeans, but we ended up getting the picture, plus the one in Cozumel.

The headliner show was a ventriloquist named Jay Johnson. He was in the TV show Soap from the 70's. I think we had seen him before, so we didn't go. I heard later that he wasn't that good and people were walking out.

Not much else going on, so we called it an early night...

Drink of the day is Fruity Friday. Tropical mixture of vodka, peach schnapps and fruit juices.

[shortstuft]

Day 7..............

Another rough, windy, cloudy day..

Go to the gym one last time. I should have lost a few pounds this cruise, but actually gained 2....had to get sick to finally lose them.

One last breakfast, same old stuff.

We are at sea today and the weather is so bad that I wished I had stayed outside by the pool longer yesterday. No one is at the pools. The wind is blowing so hard, it is pushing all the water out of the pools and the hot tub.

They were to have their Walk for Wishes out on the top deck, but had to move it to another deck because they didn't want anyone falling off the ship.

We decided to go put a deposit on another cruise. We wait around for an agent and she takes our $200 and that way we can still get a $100 shipboard credit when we are ready to go again.

They have their food festival in the promanade. Ice carving and bread animals. So we look at that, check out some stores and go have lunch.

We also go to the captain's corner to listen to Q & A's from the captain and his staff.

We are also invited to the backstage tour. Gary doesn't want to go, so I go by myself. It is always interesting to go backstage and to talk to the staff and dancers. Only about 15 attend, so it's a nice small group.

By that time, it is time to pack up the luggage, go to dinner and we didn't see the farewell show.

Long trip back home, but we are off the ship by 6:30 so that is nice.

Hope you enjoyed the report. Sorry not much adventure, but I got alot of rest....

[rjscott]

Jill, your weather sounds a lot like our's on our Pacific coast cruise; cool, windy and not a lot of sun. Still sounds like you made the most of it, even with Gary being sick. I remember that Jay Johnson from "Soap". He was funny on the show, but it was pretty much a one-note kind of thing, and that was, what, 20-25 yrs ago? Billy Crystal was just a kid then, if that tells you anything. :p Your backstage tours are a nice perk. That would be cool to get to talk with the performers in a small-group setting.
Can't wait to hear which ship and itinerary you'll choose for your next cruise.

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Jill,

Great review.

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Have a very Merry Christmas Summiteers :D

[pzerba]

A Very Merry Christmas to all - and a gift for the "boys"

Crazy Bacon Cookies

1 pouch Betty Crocker Peanut butter cookie mix

1/3 c. vegetable oil (if you want more bacon flavor use the bacon grease)

2 tablespoons maple-flavored syrup

1 egg

10 bacon, crispyly cooked, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)

1/2 c. chopped peanuts

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Lightly spray 9-inch square pan with cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, stir together cookie mix, oil or bacon grease, and egg until soft dough forms.

Stir in bacon and peanuts into dough. Press evenly into pan.

3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, sprinkle with choco chips; bake for 1 minute longer.

Immediately spread melted coco chips over bars.

4. Just before chocolate is set, cut into bars, before removing from pan cool completely, about 1 hour or until chocolate chips are set.

[Oink]

Happy Festivus Summiteers! Oh, and Happy Winter Solstice too! :rolleyes:

I was just on facebook and saw a post from Diane. I had no idea she just had major heart surgery...open heart quad bypass. :eek: OMG! Serious stuff. Let's all keep her in our thoughts and prayers. Please, please let 2012 be a year of good news and joyous celebrations for ALL the Summiteers. Amen.

Peace....

[rjscott]

Please, please let 2012 be a year of good news and joyous celebrations for ALL the Summiteers. Amen.

Peace....

Oinkster, from your lips to God's ears, my dear. You are all so dear to me; even tho' it's been years since I've seen any of you in person, keeping in touch on these boards and sharing our good news & bad, fun times and struggles, makes it seem like we saw each other just the other day. Here's hoping we can make that reunion cruise a reality. ;)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Summiteers!

Becki

[rjscott]

A Very Merry Christmas to all - and a gift for the "boys"

Crazy Bacon Cookies

1 pouch Betty Crocker Peanut butter cookie mix

1/3 c. vegetable oil (if you want more bacon flavor use the bacon grease)

2 tablespoons maple-flavored syrup

1 egg

10 bacon, crispyly cooked, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)

1/2 c. chopped peanuts

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Lightly spray 9-inch square pan with cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, stir together cookie mix, oil or bacon grease, and egg until soft dough forms.

Stir in bacon and peanuts into dough. Press evenly into pan.

3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, sprinkle with choco chips; bake for 1 minute longer.

Immediately spread melted coco chips over bars.

4. Just before chocolate is set, cut into bars, before removing from pan cool completely, about 1 hour or until chocolate chips are set.

OMG, Paul, that actually sounds good! :D

[pzerba]

Oinkster, from your lips to God's ears, my dear. You are all so dear to me; even tho' it's been years since I've seen any of you in person, keeping in touch on these boards and sharing our good news & bad, fun times and struggles, makes it seem like we saw each other just the other day. Here's hoping we can make that reunion cruise a reality. ;)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Summiteers!

Becki

Nicely said!

[SlimBeau]

:cool:..Good Afternoon, Summiteers...Amen, to that Becki. I couldn't have said it better...and you all know what a wordsmith Moi, is....:rolleyes::D...Jill, Great Review...To bad about Gary being Sick and missing all that BACON!!!!:D:D.Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our Summiteer Friends and Family...:D..Kathie Lee is baking the Bacon Cookies as we speak!!!

[shortstuft]

Bacon cookies......yummy...makes me wish I had a working oven.

Went to the store for napkins, came back with tons of other stuff and forgot the napkins....oh well, back to the store.

MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone:D

[Oink]

:D :D :D Merry Christmas Summiteers! :D :D :D

[shortstuft]

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We like to do something different every Christmas to the kids. This year we did a take off on the TV show Storage Wars. We got tubs and filled them with stuff, gave the kids fake money and made them "bid" on their Christmas gifts.

We had fun collecting the stuff all year and they had a great time trying to outbid everyone for the boxes they wanted.

[rjscott]

Jill, what a terrific idea! Oh my gosh, Dylan and Amelia would love to do that. What fun! We had a great day yesterday. Went to lunch at a very nice Italian restaurant just south of Cleveland. My brother and SIL arranged it so that we could meet up with their son and DIL and see the new baby girl (who lives in Pittsburgh). My sister, niece, her husband and Dylan & Amelia also came. We had a great lunch, and a good visit and that poor baby, only 3 weeks old, got passed around like a football. There are some great photos on my FB page. The baby, Anna, was so good. She barely let out a whimper the whole time we were there. My nephew, who is 6'8" and about 275 lbs, having been a footballl star in college, is quite a sap when it comes to his baby and I find that so touching. He is just so fascinated by her and everything she does. When I was holding her, he was pointing out how little her fingers were. He is going to be just the best dad.
Hope all the Summiteers had a great Christmas. New Year's plans?

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Hi Summiteers,

Our Christmas was a lot of fun. Went by to fast. My great granddaughter
turned one in November. I think kids really make the day.

[rjscott]

Grace, you are absolutely correct! ;) It's all about the kids. I thought my nephew, Dylan, would be kinda jaded at 14, but he was still excited about the things he got and so polite to thank everyone for his gifts. Even tho' Amelia got the most, when she was done opening, her response was, " is there anymore?". :rolleyes:

Becki

[shortstuft]

Kids are so funny. Madison helped me pass out the gifts. I would give her one for me and say "this one is for Nana" so she would laugh and give it back to me.

While the kids were doing the Storage Wars, she sat all sad. No more gifts to pass out. So she read a book instead.

The day after Christmas our garage door wouldn't open, so we had to have a part replaced...$169.00. Then yesterday Gary took his car in to be serviced and he was there from 6:30 am until 2:00pm and that was over eleven hundred dollars. We can never come out ahead. That was our next cruise money...

Will just have to live thru everyone else's cruises. Happy New Year everyone...we are staying in like we always do.

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Jill, Ouch!!!!!

What is it with December??? It seems like the last part of the year was a financial drain.

Yeasterday we had wind and rain like a hurricane and it sounds like something was coming in the house. Well there it was a piece of siding flapping around. Better that then a tree, huh? Really no big deal. I will get my son to put it back on.

I hope this is the last of Gary's car problems for a long time. I had my car for 11 years 109,000 miles and never a problem. Then march the starter went, and Dec the clutch. So it was time for a new one.

[rjscott]

Oh, ouch is right, Jill & Gary. Hope this is the end of your bad news spending and the new year starts off bright for you. Yeah, those kids are funny alright. Amelia made a big deal of telling Garrett that Santa didn't bring Dylan anything; that all of Dylan's gifts were from Mommy and Daddy. She liked it when I asked if Dylan didn't even get a lump of coal from Santa. "No, nothing!". :p

Becki

[shortstuft]

Well, at least my car only has one more payment left and it's all ours:D

Madison had told Santa that she only wanted 3 things for Christmas. So mommy and daddy made sure she got what she wanted plus more. Then Christmas eve Steve's brother called the house as Santa and Madison asked for a horse on a stick to replace the one we got her last year at the dollar store.

So come Christmas morning and no horse on a stick (couldn't find it). So Madison says I only asked for 4 things. Why did Santa bring me all this other stuff? And where is her horse?

So we went to Toys R Us on Monday and found 2 horses. We wrapped them in the car on the way to her house. We told her that Santa had hid them and we only just found them. She was very happy and immediately put them "away" in her toy box.

[rjscott]

Oh, that's sweet, Jill. We did the Salvation Army "Toys for Tots" distribution and we had several boxes of those hobby horses. Some of them were unicorns. Madison would have been in heaven. :)

Becki

[shortstuft]

Yes, Cracker Barrel had a dragon and an elephant, but it wasn't a horse..:)

[pzerba]

Happy New Years to all !! A heart-felt thank you to all for the support for the last year, and a giant wish for a fantastic 2012 , and let's all hope the Mayan's were wrong...

[rjscott]

Happy New Year, Summiteers from my sweet new greatniece, Anna Grace.

[Cruise Girl Forever]

HAPPY NEW YEAR SUMMITEERS

Wonder how long it will be before I stop writing 2011 on everything?

Grace

[SlimBeau]

:cool:...Geez, What happened to 2011?..It was just here...now, Gone with the Wind!!!...Happy to New Year, Summiteers...I just got a great after Christmas Gift.....I have been waiting for a year, for one on my favorite Authors to publish his next Book, the last which ended in a Cliffhanger....I was going to have to wait till mid-march to find out what happened:(...However, I have a friend who works in a Book Store...He got a early release copy and gave it to me...:D:D:D...I have it sitting next to my computer, I'm already 150 pages into it...and I can tell you it was worth the wait!!!!!...I'm so happy:D...Almost like going on a cruise...OK, that was too far....LOL>>>>>>>>>

[rjscott]

Wow, Beau, you have some influential friends! That is indeed a good Christmas gift. I am such a reader as well. I always take at least 2 books with me on vacation, as I read on the flights (or in the car) and then in the room/cabin at night. If we're on a ship and have sea days, Garrett and I will usually take our books out on deck and read for an hour or so on deck also. Well, I read; he reads for a few minutes and then the head bobs, and, I think you know the rest. :rolleyes: :p So, for my birthday & Christmas this year, he got me a "Nook". I hadn't wanted one, as I really do like the "printed page". But, last trip we had an extra carry-on because Garrett wanted his DVD player and I had an extra book for a book discussion onboard the ship (one of our roll call was a librarian). Then, he wanted to take my GPS for walking around Vancouver, San Francisco and L.A. (it has a very nice pedestrian mode, but then you have to have the cord to charge it). So, we had a lot of extra stuff we wouldn't have normally had, plus 3 books for me. So, I agreed to look at the Nook, but just the basic one for reading. Big mistake. Garrett, being the gadget guy he is, was dazzled by the Nook Tablet and decided that was the one I had to have. Resistance was futile! But, I really do love it. I haven't bought a lot of books yet, but got a couple of free apps, and a couple of free books, as Barnes & Noble have "Free Fridays" where they offer a free book every Friday. It's not always something that appeals to me, but it is a chance to try a new author. Also, I can borrow books from my library, so that's nice. Also, the tablet does have web availability thru wi-fi, and that is truly terrific. In the past, if I couldn't access my email while away from home, I just didn't worry about it. But, now I can check periodically with my Nook. Also, it has the website Pandora for music. Pandora allows you to kind of set up a juke box of your own by setting up "stations" to listen to by selecting groups or artists you want to hear and then giving a thumbs up or down to songs Pandora then plays for you. Pandora will also suggest other artists/groups whose music is like those who you most listen to. You can listen on the tablet with or without headphones. Very cool.

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Well, I can't believe that after all these years I find that we are all readers.

Beau: What book are you reading? and agree that is was the perfect xmas present.

Becky, My son has a nook and likes it. I thought I would only like a real book. But it would be nice to make the print bigger. lol lol. Plus I read you can borrow books from the library??? and share a book with a friend.
I always take a book for the flight, but on the ship late in the day I seem to head to the deck with the life boats, drink in hand and my book. I enjoy looking out over the ocean and realizing that I am indeed at sea. Usually wake up a half hour later and still on page 5:eek: So like Garret in that respect.

I am reading "girl with the dragon tattoo". The first 40 pages bored me, but was info I needed to know and it is really a good read.

Also if you haven't read skinnydip by carl haissen take it on your next cruise. A husboand thows his wife overboard on a cruise. That is all I am going to tell yea.

Later
Grace

[rjscott]

Grace, yes, you can borrow e-books from your library. Just like normal books, but you don't have to return them. After your "return" date, they are just wiped off your reader. How cool is that?! Although, even with the e-books, they only have so many copies, and so you may have to get on a waiting list. And, yes, being able to change the font and size of font is way cool. For me, being an early riser, I always had to have my booklight with me, so I could lay in bed and read and not wake Garrett up. Now, with my Nook, I dont' have to worry about that, as it is backlit. (You do have to have a light with the lower end reader Nooks. But, our friend has a reader Kindle and his case came with a cool little light that pulls up when he needs it.). I read a lot of Stephen King, and his latest books are over 500 pages, and so this Nook will save me a lot of room in my carryon, let me tell you! :p I like your suggestion for "Skinny Dip". I'll check for that on my Nook. ;)

Becki

[shortstuft]

I love to read, but right now I just don't have much time. I got 2 books for Christmas, since my little brother has been burning up his computer with his short stories and he is working on his second novel, so we get his books every year for Christmas.

Becki, what happens to the books once you have read them? Do you delete them, save them or do they just disappear if you run out of room?
It would save a lot of room in the house trying to keep books around.

Yes, Beau, what is the name of the book you are reading?

Spent yesterday watching the Outback Bowl. Michigan State and Georgia Bulldogs. Gary's sister went to the game and were leaving to go back to Michigan after the game. It went into 3 overtimes, but Michigan finally won. They didn't get very far on the the road after the game.

[rjscott]

Jill, the e-readers have so much room (memory) on them, you could have hundreds of books on them without having to delete any. And, the higher end ones, like the Nook Color or the Tablet, have the ability to add a chip to them so you can add even more stuff for web browsing and all that. A lot of people read multiple books at a time, so that's nice to be able to "bookmark" where you are in each book and go back to it when you're ready. Plus, since I subscribe to "People" magazine, Barnes & Noble has an agreement where I can get my "People on my Nook as well for free, so when I'm away from home, I can read it on my Nook for as long as I'm a subscriber. That's cool, because I give my copies to my sister to read, so I don't have to take the mag with me on vacation and then drag it back home to give to her.
Sounds like your brother is really churning out some page-turners. Good going! You must be really proud of him!

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Becky do you find more or less eye strain with the nook, then say the computer, or real book?

Jill, like you I do have difficultly trying to find time to read. Ofcouse that will change in the summer as I will be at the beach. What is the title of the book your brother wrote?

[SlimBeau]

:cool:..Good Morning, Summiteers...Well, the Holidays are over:(..I have enjoyed having Four day weekends for the last two weeks...I guess back to reality...:(..For all of those who asked..the name of the book I'm reading is "A Rising Thunder" by David Weber...It's book 17 in the Honor Harrington series..This is Military Sci-Fi at it's best IMHO...LOL>....It took me to Chapter Sixteen to finally find out what happens to the Cliffhanger...:D..I can see that he is going to do it again in this Book..(Sigh) what can you do????:D..As to the E-Book debate...I got a Kindle for my Birthday...I'm loving it...I still like books...However, the Kindle is much lighter and thinner, so it's easier to carry around and to read. I don't have the Kindle Fire, just the Book Reader...But, you can download Games and it's really nice for guide books...the only problem I have seen, is you have to turn the page more offen...LOL>>>>>>>;)

[rjscott]

Grace, I haven't spent a long time reading yet on the Nook, like I do a printed book, so I can't fairly evaluate. We'll be headed to Florida later this month, so I can give you the scoop then. ;)
Beau, the book you're reading sounds like something Garrett would like. He read all of Tom Clancy's, and if I go to bed before he does, when I turn on the TV in our family room,the channel is set to the "Millitary" channel. :p
Ah, the guidebooks. Well, I was hoping to be able to borrow guidebooks from the library for my Nook when we travel. But, at this point, the selections of guidebooks are really limited (meaning "older"), so I'm stuck with either buying them for my Nook or taking along borrowed paperbacks if I want current info. The reason I want guidebooks in the first place is for restaurant and attraction info, and if I have an old guidebook, the reviews of the restaurant could have changed or the restaurant could even have gone out of business. Geez! :rolleyes:

Becki

[shortstuft]

My brother's book is called "Driving Crazy" by Randy D. Pearson.

It's about 2 guys who go across the country to buy an old standing video game and get it home in one piece. He has a lot of references to Michigan and Florida.

It's not on the best sellers list (yet) but his sales have been pretty good.

Work was crazy again yesterday. We are to check on everyone's insurance, but of course, the internet was down, slow or dead...and I was on hold to an insurance company for 20 minutes, just to be told that they are running some stuff and to call back in 30 minutes. Of course, it was 4:45 at that time and they close at 5:00. Looks like another vacation may be in order....:D

[rjscott]

Jill, sounds like a looong day at work for you. Ugh! Yep, a vacation is needed stat! :D

Becki

[CruiseNut7]

Summiteers, remember me ........

Can't seem to stay out of the hospital lately. I underwent open heart (quad bypass) surgery on November 29th. They kinda' caught me off guard on this one as I had to go to the hospital's Out Patient center for another cardiac cath on November 22nd and the results were not favorable so the doctors would not let me go home. I was told that I needed the surgery, but they couldn't put a team together with Thanksgiving only a few days away so I had to wait it out. I got to know the staff pretty well in that week, but Thanksgiving dinner in a hospital bed is just not the same. With the doctors' fear that I could have a heart attack, I was in the right place at the right time - thank God. I'm recuperating slowly, as it's not something that can be rushed. They still won't let me drive. Dennis took a month of FMLA, but had to get back to work so flew back to Florida on New Year's Day.

Enough about me ...... hope everyone's holidays were wonderful. I did get to be with my family for a short time on Christmas Day. I secretly just wanted to see the baby! Addison is walking now, so all you grandmas and aunties know that they are constantly on the move -- but so cute watching them toddle around like a drunken sailor! OR reminded me of a few times I've returned to the ship from having too many yards of Margaritas in Cozumel - no comments from you, Paul - ! I know you have pics! Did I just admit to being over-served .... it's the drugs talking!

Well, I must take the time to catch up on what y'all have been up to. Jill and Gary's not so perfect cruise, Beau's new book, Becky's adorable new niece and Nook.

I attached a photo of Addy from her first birthday in November - I did get to attend that grand event. Hope it pops up, if not, maybe Gary can guide this so non-technical individual. I know, Gary and Paul have given me instructions before, but I still lack the ability to post something other than a thumbnail pic.

Wishing all Summiteers and their families the best in 2012 !

[CruiseNut7]

OMG - did I just turn the page! Perhaps it's a sign -- an encouraging sign -- I need one. Yippee-skippy, as Oink would say!

;)

[rjscott]

Diane, so wonderful to hear from you! So sorry to hear about your recent heart troubles, but it sure sounds like the Lord was looking out for you by getting you medical attention before something more serious happened. Wow! Glad to hear you are on the mend, if slowly. I'm sure that is no fun. The photo of Addison is just adorable, and she is too cute! That age is so fun when their personality starts peeking thru. I'm sure she just brings you so much delight. Don't stay away so long next time. ;)

Becki

[shortstuft]

Diane....Please take care of yourself. We need all the Summiteers we can get. We are like the old World War vets that start dying off one by one. I can relate to the last of the little guys from Wizard of Oz that just died.

Burrrrrrr...plenty cold here in Florida. The last few days/nights it has been in the low 30's at night and only up to 50's during the day. We are not used to freezing for more than a day at a time. I've actually been wearing layers. Madison's birthday party is Sunday in a park, so we are hoping it will warm up by then.

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Diane, Glad to hear you are on the mend. That was quite serious.

jill, we had sime snow last night here in Jersey. But all in all its been a mild winter so far. Saturday I am hearing will be 57 degrees, pretty good for January

[shortstuft]

Diane, Glad to hear you are on the mend. That was quite serious.

jill, we had sime snow last night here in Jersey. But all in all its been a mild winter so far. Saturday I am hearing will be 57 degrees, pretty good for January

Yeah, you guys are actually getting some pretty decent weather lately.
Much warmer for the weekend, back up to 70.

[rjscott]

We're not doing too badly here weather-wise either. About like you, Grace, although we've had virtually no snow yet. Makes me nervous that we'll get pounded about the time we need to fly out for Ft Lauderdale at the end of the month. :eek: My niece and sister live over near Cleveland, and they got several inches of snow the other day, while we just got a dusting that melted before noon. Ok by me, as I tend to hunker down at home on the days we get any measureable snow anymore. I don't mind driving in it at all, but only if I can be on the road when there are few other drivers. It never fails to amaze me that every year people here drive like they've never before seen snow. Grrr! :p

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Yep, Becki when it hits I will hunker down too.

The new wheels is an automatic, and I have always driven a manual transmission. So this should be interesting in the snow. No more down shifting for me. It has a manual shift also but what a joke it is like a video game joy stick lol.

[Oink]

:D Hi Gang! Hope everybody enjoyed the holidays. Personally, I'm so glad they're over. :o Just too much all at one time....Thanksgiving, my birthday, Christmas, New Year's and then INVENTORY!!!!!! :eek: Finally, everything is back to "normal" (whatever that is??)

Okay, enough small talk .... Turns out, I have more than 5 minutes of vacation time for 2012 Jill. Are you listening Grace? I have earned 6 vacation days, plus 5 personal days, and a sick day already. :D And as if that weren't enough cause for a celebration, I just found out we're closed Easter Sunday. YIPPEE SKIPPY!!!!!!!!!!! Would love to find a cheap cruise the week of (after) Easter. We have so many black out times, that a Fall cruise is almost impossible. Unless I risk going in Sept or early Oct.

Anyway, just something to ponder.

Hi Nutty! Glad to see you back in action. Hope you're feeling better and treating yourself right.

Hi Becki & Garrett and Beau & Kathie Lee and Jill & Gary and Paul & Jen and Diane & Dennis....CHEERS cruise buds!

Later....

[shortstuft]

Happy Monday everyone.......:)

Had a wonderful day yesterday. It was Madison's 4th birthday party. Stacy had it at a park near their house. Tinkerbell was the theme and she was everywhere.......:D

Madison's little friends were so cute and she got lots of stuff.

Fun watching the kids play "pin the circle on the ladybug. They were wearing a mask and when they would get up close to the ladybug, they would lift the mask so they could see. Pretty soon all the girls had their stickers all close together. Except for Madison and another girl that didn't cheat. They were so funny to watch.

Oink.......Glad you can finally enjoy the fruits of your labor. Makes you feel better just by searching for a cruise...doesn't it?

We too are glad to be back to somewhat normal...Enjoy the holiday, but always glad when they are over.

[rjscott]

Hiya, Oinkster! Sounds like you will soon have something to look forward to! ;) Yippee Skippy! :D
Jill, sounds like Madison's b'day party was lots of fun. Photo's, Gary?

Becki

[shortstuft]

Gary took over 200 hundred pictures...you might get one....:D

[rjscott]

Gary took over 200 hundred pictures...you might get one....:D

Anticipation... :p

Becki

[shortstuft]

Pictures are up on Gary's facebook page...Becki, I see you have already peeked....:)

[rjscott]

Yes, Jill, I did, and they are terrific as expected! ;) :D But, what else could we expect, with such a fabulous subject as Madison?

Becki

[CruzHawk]

Madison 4 years old

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/385078_287171107999512_100001198743121_764454_1176 663949_n.jpg

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/383360_287210284662261_100001198743121_764639_6017 91599_n.jpg

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/408274_287208564662433_100001198743121_764625_7805 22611_n.jpg

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/391813_287207411329215_100001198743121_764613_1181 395522_n.jpg

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/405719_287208174662472_100001198743121_764621_1344 992710_n.jpg

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Wow What a great birthday cake !!!!!!

My heater died !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :eek: they are putting a new one in now. Can't wait till they are done freezing my arse off.

My poor back account.. lol

[rjscott]

Grace, don't you wonder how it is it always happens that the heater goes out in the coldest weather?! It can't go out when it's only mildly cold. Oh no! :confused: Our furnace stopped working one time when Garrett was in Europe, and I had no idea who to call, as he does all of our home repairs, so we don't even have a handyman list. :eek: So, I called him in Europe! Luckily, the furnace we have is the same one our neighbor has and Garrett called him (he's retired) to come over and look at our's to see if he (another engineer) could see what the problem was. Between the two of them they figured out it was a fuse in the furnace! Our neighbor went and bought two fuses; replaced our's and kept one in reserve for himself. Wow, what luck, eh?
Hope you get your heater fixed before you are an icicle, sweetie! :p

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Becky, it stopped working last March. Sept had it fixed ($300) not bad.
Then it stopped again this week. A friend in the business came over flipped the gas switch on and off and wa-la heat. The next morning however nothing. So he is saying I need two parts ($700) just the parts, So since it is over 15 years old I decided just to get a new one rather then be nickled and dimed.

Now, if I can just figure out how to make money as fast as I spend it.
All will be well.:D

[rjscott]

Ah, well, Grace, if you have the answer to that please share it, willya?!:D
Becki

[SlimBeau]

:cool:..Good Morning, Summiteers...Did you hear about the Costa Ship that ran aground, put a 163 foot slash in it side and now it laying on it side!!!!!...I heard that Eight people died when they panicked and jumped over the side into freezing water...Our prayers go to all those families who lost loved ones today...:(:(...I think I will always get cruise insurance now....:eek:

[rjscott]

Beau, I didn't hear about that until you mentioned it, and I then went and read the story. Yikes, how horrific! You never think that they wouldn't be able to use the lifeboats to get you off the ship, so a good reminder to know where your lifejackets are, huh? Those poor people.

Becki

[CruzHawk]

Costa Cruise Lines and it's parent company should pay dearly for this. This was a regular stop on this itineray and with the guidence systems and sonar on these ships today no way should this have happen, It is entirely the fault of the crew. The Captain has been arrested for manslaughter, abandoning ship before all passengers had been evacuated. Costa has a long history of accidents and near misses...

In 2010 its vessels had two collisions. Power failure was blamed when the Costa Classica smashed into a cargo vessel in China's Yangtze River injuring three people; the other came when the captain tried to dock the Costa Europa at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt during high winds, killing three crew and injuring four passengers.

Costa Europa passenger Arlene Grant, from Aberdeen, said at the time: “We were coming into port and, as we came around a point of land, the boat hit the jetty, leaving a hole in deck one.

“The captain made an announcement saying there had been an accident but to continue as normal.

“But at 5.30am another announcement was made and we were told to pack our luggage and abandon ship.

“By that time, the boat had listed to one side and things were flying all over the place.

“It was pretty terrifying as it was dark and the ship had been listing. I think this was to keep the hole out of the water.”

An unnamed maritime official blamed that accident on “100 per cent human error”, but Costa Cruises said it was due to bad weather.


In the same year the Costa Atlantica developed steering problems and a crew member was later arrested over possessing and importing child pornography.


In 2009 the cruise line was fined $35,000 for deceptive advertising and the same year saw a near-mutiny on the Costa Europa over engine problems as well as a fire on the Costa Romantica in the generator room which led to 1,429 passengers being evacuated..


In 2008 the Costa Concordia hit the dockside in Palermo in bad weather and the crew of the Costa Atlantica was criticised by the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch after they almost collided with a car transporter in the Channel.

The waterway has a strict two-way traffic system and they had strayed into oncoming ships, forcing another vessel to do a u-turn at speed in order to avoid a crash. There were 1,697 passengers on board at the time.


The report found Costa crews had been involved in three other near-accidents in European waters.

[Cruise Girl Forever]

I saw a small clip on the news last night. They said there was no crew to help the passangers. This is what bothered me the most!

When a ship falls on its side does it make it impossible to use the lifeboats?

We are instructed to put life vest on and go to muster station only. Then no crew when you get there. ???

I really feel for the people that were on that ship.

[rjscott]

Wow, Gary, that's quite a deplorable history for Costa. The only other incident I had read about was the one where they hit the pier in Egypt, killing a crew member. We sailed Costa once many years ago and, while it wasn't the best experience, it definitely wasn't the worst. But, I sure won't be choosing them again, assuming they stay in business after this debacle. What kind of people are they hiring, anyway?!

Grace, no they cannot use the lifeboats in a situation like this one that occured. With the boat listing like it did, the boats would swing out too far on the one side for the people to get into them and on the other side would be unuseable as they couldn't be made operational. Very scary. That's why people were jumping into the water and swimming to shore.

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

I did some research here on cc and the crew was there (so much for the nightly news) lots of videos..the captian did steer to shore and manovered so the hole would be out of the water.

One cc member said it happened during diner and the lights went out. People were in a panic running down the stairs knocking others down.

One life boat was filled to cap. and they closed the door ..people started screaming and pushing on the door, got it open and rushed on the lifeboat, because of the weight it tilted on its side and hit the ship knocking everyone down.

What a shame.

[rjscott]

Grace, I did read that it happened during dinner, and that the lights went out and there was a loud noise. Just so scary on those megaliners to be so far from your cabin to get your lifejacket and any possessions (like your passport and money). Yes, I know there are lifejackets on deck, but still.

We were on the Emerald Princess in the Caribbean and we were in our cabin in the evening and the lights went out. We made our way to the door and opened it and another two couples came out of their cabins and asked if we had lights. We talked for a bit and our lights came back on and we went back into our cabin. Lights went out again, and this time in the passageway as well. Shortly after, the ship stopped moving. Uh, not good. The backup generators brought some lights back on, but not all. The captain came on the P.A. and said not to worry. Yeah, too late for that, captain! We went back into our cabin and read for a bit from our booklights and after about 20 minutes the lights came on & the ship started moving again, but it seemed like hours. It's really scary to be out in the middle of the ocean in the dark on a disabled ship. Well, for me anyway.

Beau, you must be very happy that your team won, eh? :D

Becki

[shortstuft]

I'm sure Beau is still jumping up and down over last night's game. Last 3 minutes were nail biters for sure.....

I also read that when the lights went out on the ship, they told people in the dining room that it was nothing. Some people that had cruised plenty, knew better and went to get their life jackets. Also better to stay on the ship as long as possible to avoid freezing.

[SlimBeau]

:cool:..Good Evening, Summiteers...Yes, I have been jumping up and down...I can't believe that Green Bay played so poorly...Maybe, the Giants just wanted it more...Anywhoo, Now my Niners have to play the hottest team in Football right now...But, a least we get to play them in our house.:D..As to the poor souls on that Costa liner...We were thinking about booking Costa for a Med Cruise...Not now....I think I will stick to Celebrity.....Somthing was very wrong on that ship..A new ship like that just doesn't go off course like that...has to be human error...If you have stock in Carnival...I would sell it first thing on Monday...Remember Costa is owned by Carnival..I don't think insurance will cover this...Yes...Just hope they find everyone, for the families sake...:(:(:(

[CruiseNut7]

The Costa shipwreck - what a tragedy! I believe this is totally human error on the part of the crew/captain. He was way too close to shore and one report said he was "showboating" and hit a reef. It just shouldn't have happened. How terrified those passengers must have been.

Rocks emerged from the damaged side of Concordia. The gash in the ship's hull stretched more than 160 feet.

Like you, Becki, we sailed on Costa once. It was okay, but not our best experience.

My thoughts are with the passengers and families of those lost or missing.


:(:(:(

[CruiseNut7]

DID YOU SEE THIS NEW INFO ABOUT THE COSTA TRAGEDY? UNREAL!


Captain's favor to head waiter to blame for cruise ship disaster?



Story updated 4:53 p.m. ET: The captain of the luxury cruise ship that capsized after hitting rocks off Italy had sailed perilously close to the coast to "make a bow" to people on a Tuscan island, according to media reports.
Francesco Schettino made the dangerous maneuver so that the Costa Concordia's head waiter could salute his family on land, according to reports.


Shortly before the ship hit the rocks, the waiter's sister, Patrizia Tievoli, had posted on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/people/Patrizia-Tievoli/100002442147750) that: “In a short period of time the Concordia ship will pass very close. A big greeting to my brother who finally gets to have a holiday on landing in Savona,” the Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9018869/Cruise-disaster-captain-neared-rocks-in-Facebook-stunt-for-friends-family.html) reported.

....... and the story went on ........

WOW - !


:(:(:(:(:(

[rjscott]

I did see that, Diane, and I do believe it, given what I read about the head of the line now acknowledging that the captain did indeed decide to navigate outside the normal passage. Incredible! What arrogance!
Hey, Diane, which Costa ship did you sail on? We sailed on the Carla Costa back in 1990. It was an interesting sailing. We sailed from San Juan, and we visited Caracas as well, and we had a lot of Spanish-speaking passengers, so at every show, they did announcements in both English and Spanish. But, boy, at sailaway, the Hispanics took over the dance floor and really tore it up. I loved watching them dance. Ay, yi, yi! :D

Becki

[CruiseNut7]

Good morning cruise buds,

We sailed on the Costa Mediterranea in 2008, Eastern Caribbean, Becki. This cruise was one that that I booked less than 10 days before sailing - I'd never done that before - anyway.......

On the home page, CC is keeping us updated on the Costa Concordia tragedy. It's interesting to read what the passengers are saying and everything else.

HERE IS A SMALL PART OF THE LATEST UPDATE - you're NOT going to believe what the captain is quoted as saying. I was astounded. He just keeps digging a big hole for himself - what a coward, to say the least:

********

Meanwhile, the travails of the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, took another absurd turn when he was quoted as telling investigators during a three-hour interrogation that he "tripped" and ended up in a lifeboat by mistake.

“The passengers were pouring onto the decks, taking the lifeboats by assault,” he said, according to Italy's La Rebubblica newspaper. “I didn't even have a life jacket because I had given it to one of the passengers. I was trying to get people to get into the boats in an orderly fashion. Suddenly, since the ship was at a 60 to 70 degree angle, I tripped and I ended up in one of the boats. That's how I found myself there.”


********


He "tripped" and fell into a lifeboat by mistake - OMG, REALLY ?!


Have a good day - catch up with y'all later. Take care.


- Diane





:eek::mad::mad::mad::mad::eek:

[rjscott]

Diane, ok, and if anyone believes that crap, they need to join that captain in prison. I'll be interested to see if his tox screen comes back positive or if he is just an all-around idiot. Those poor people! You go on a cruise with what you think is a reputable cruise line and never dream you'd have a nightmarish experience like that, or worse, lose your life. I've been reading some postings as well, Diane, and my God, the initial lack of response from Costa was horrible. But, I guess that is the norm when there's a problem until it's proven to be the cruise line's fault; If they appear to be over-solicitous, then they could appear to be admitting culpability. Just appalling!

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

I sailed the Costa mediterranea also. Loved that cruise. We were in the elevator with another passenger some type of emergency signal went off.
A horn blast I think but don't recall. The women asked should we go to our cabins and get a life vest. RA said no its nothing, and I just thought I need to be out of this elevator. It turned out to be nothing, arrived at the buffet. Crew greeting us and telling us nothing was wrong. Than cruising as usual. I forget about this till the tragedy.

That captain new exactly what was happening to that ship, that is why he bailed right away. Geez from what I read at first the crew wasn't allowing people to board the lifeboats. Guess they were awaiting orders from their chief.



Very scary, I guess your on your own.

[rjscott]

Dr Phil will be interviewing passengers from the Costa cruise disaster tomorrow on his show. So, watch or DVR or tape it if you want to see it.
Becki

[CruiseNut7]

Dr Phil will be interviewing passengers from the Costa cruise disaster tomorrow on his show. So, watch or DVR or tape it if you want to see it.
Becki

Thanks for the heads-up, Becki. I will record it (need to learn how to use my new AT&T U-verse) !!



:eek::(:mad::rolleyes:

[shortstuft]

That's like saying "I tripped and that's how my hand ended up on her boobs...(paul signal)

The latest is that he was "entertaining" a woman and wasn't even on deck when it happened.

[rjscott]

Thanks for the heads-up, Becki. I will record it (need to learn how to use my new AT&T U-verse) !!



:eek::(:mad::rolleyes:


Diane, my friend has that and she loves it! She set her DVR from an event we were at when a reporter interviewed us and told us what time it would be on. That was pretty cool that she could do that.

Becki

[rjscott]

That's like saying "I tripped and that's how my hand ended up on her boobs...(paul signal)

The latest is that he was "entertaining" a woman and wasn't even on deck when it happened.

Well, he'll be "entertained" plenty in prison now, I'll bet! :rolleyes: ;)

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Well we had our first winter snow last night .. Not bad considering it is the 21st of Jan. Not much snow really so glad it did not lay on the sidewalk or drive. Temps have been 38 to 50 so I can't complain.

Did anyone watch 20/20 lat night?? It really put a dim light on cruising and was disappointing as about only 10 minutes or so was devoted to the deaster. With no new info.

[rjscott]

Grace, missed 20/20. Sounds like you are having decent weather. We've had a cold snap and about 4 inches of snow, but as you've said, not too bad for Jan 21st. Garrett got dressed early and was getting ready to get out our snowblower and discovered that our neighbor was out there doing both his driveway and walks and our's too. He's retired and bored, so good for us! :p I'll have to bake him something. He does appreciate my baked goods. :D

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Becky, love when that happens. Now if I can get my neighbor to clean off the car.:D

[Cruise Girl Forever]

OMG I turned the page:p

[SlimBeau]

:cool:..Sorry, Grace Darling...I turned the page!!!!;):D:D:D..Oooopps...My Bad>>>>>>>

[shortstuft]

:cool:..Sorry, Grace Darling...I turned the page!!!!;):D:D:D..Oooopps...My Bad>>>>>>>

Off by 4 posts Beau........Don't you hate when that happens??

[rjscott]

Oh, you guys! :p Alicia is up in heaven laughing her wings off! :D

Becki

[rjscott]

Summiteers, here's some first-hand reports of the Concordia disaster. So sad...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9029866/Costa-Concordia-the-inside-story-of-the-night-of-Friday-January-13.html

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

:cool:..Sorry, Grace Darling...I turned the page!!!!;):D:D:D..Oooopps...My Bad>>>>>>>

Beau, I thought I finally lost it. lol lol

[CruzHawk]

Where is everyone?:(:(:(

[rjscott]

Gary, I think Beau is in mourning... ;)
Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Hey Gary ,,, I am here also...but nothing new to share.
Guess that good.:p

[SlimBeau]

:cool:..Good Day Summiteers...All I can say is Ditto...:D..Still sad the Niners lost..However, I'm sure there are Packer and Saints Fans just as Sad....:(...I would tell you about all the trouble I'm having with my cable company...But, that would bore you...I usually have a big Super Bowl Party..However, this year my heart would not be in it....:(

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Beau, No supper bowl party here either. The Eagles:eek: what can I say.
But an Eagles fan is a die hard fan. Think we watch them play so we can scream at them ...lol... Things like What the H... Really! Really intercepted again?! And words that are not appropriate to type here.
But there is always next year. So what the heck, I already have the Jersey. Even if Westbrook disappeared the following season.

[Oink]

:) Hi Summiteers! What's shakin' bacon? I have some big news....I have the weekend off!!!!! This is the first Saturday I've had off since I started with Belk nearly 5 months ago. And get this....I also have next weekend, Super Bowl Sunday weekend, OFF too! :D YIPPEE SKIPPY!!!!

My BF, Jim, has been up in NC since Tuesday visiting his 88 year old Mom. Poor guy woke up with a nasty cold/flu on Monday, but made the 5.5 hour trip anyway. He's been sick the entire time. :( His Mommy has been mothering him and lovin' every minute of it! I just hope she doesn't catch his creepy crud.

Yesterday they let one of our managers go. He'd been with the company for 7 years. He has 4 kids and a stay-at-home wife. :eek: I don't have any details, but I think it was just general poor performance. I feel so bad for him....really nice guy. But you know what they say about nice guys. :mad:

Has anybody ever been to Biloxi MS/Beau Rivage Resort? I'm thinking about a 3-4 day vacation there, maybe in April. Not that I can afford it, of course. :rolleyes:

Later my peeps....

[shortstuft]

[quote=SlimBeau;32167176]I would tell you about all the trouble I'm having with my cable company...quote]

Cable company problems!!........We have been dealing with the cable company for a few weeks now. TV comes on, but no picture, just sound, then it shuts off. When we can get it to come up, everything is good.
Cable company would not send anyone out. They sent a new box, put that in, still doing the same thing. Maybe it is the cable, they send out a new cable. TV came up once. We left it on all weekend, but after we shut it off. Nothing but the cable light blinking on and off.

So we finally got a new TV from Best Buy yesterday. Hopefull when they deliver it, it will work. Gary has been watching the little emergency TV we have, which is 5 inches and only gets 2 Spanish channels, ABC and some lifetime woman's channel. It's been a long 3 weeks for him..:eek:

[SlimBeau]

:cool:...Good Morning, Summiters....Jill, I hear you...Gary must be losing his mind...No TV for Three Weeks!!!! During the Playoffs!!!!...I just hope you have been feeding him lots and lots of BACON!!!...to make up for it..The lastest outrage from my Cable Company...(ATT)...I was disputing charges on my Bill...When from outa nowhere..They turn off my Cable, Internet and Phone!!!:eek:...So, I call them up...and I have to give them a Credit Card to turn in back on...They then inform me, that it was a $5 charge to turn it off and a $5 Charge to use a credit card to turn it back on!!!!:eek:..Last week I got my bill...On top of all the charges...They hit me with a $90 fee to turn my cable back on!!!!!:eek:...I got on the phone and got them to take their phony charge off....I have had this Cable Company three months and every month so far, I had to call and dispute my Bill...:mad:..If It wasn't such a hassle to change back I would...another month of this and I will..Oinkster, we hope you enjoyed your weekend off...:D

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Jill, Three weeks without them fixing your cable:eek:

omg , I am surprised Gary hasn't strangled someone with their cord.;)

Some crap here also. I was part of the win back program promised the world to me for 2 years. Then I spent 3 months before the first year ended as Iwas told the deal was only for 1 year the salesman was new and didn't know that. I have a signed CONTACT. Finally they gave it to me for another year.

What happen to the days where you brought a tv slapped on some rabbit ears and watched for free. (all 6 channels).

Leaving you now, sounding like my father.

[shortstuft]

We are finding that we are old people living in the fast paced world of the young. I remember when we just wanted to buy a light. Now you have to hire someone one to install it. Nothing just plugs in anymore.

Even our cable wires were old fashion. We had the 3 plugs and the guy said that they don't make those anymore. We must have an old TV. I looked it up when we got home...it was 7 years old...:confused:

I guess that's why we have kids..so they can help us with our electonics...

Beau....your cable company sounds like a real rip off.....Doesn't he know who you are???

[SlimBeau]

:cool:..Good Afternoon, Summiteers....Yes, Jill..At&t doesn't seem to relize my Greatness!!!!:eek::rolleyes: I'm getting ready to tell them just to come and get their stuff...;)...Jill, we are not getting Old...We are just middle-aged....Now, all we have to do, is live to 150 and that would be true!!!!!!:eek::eek:

[shortstuft]

True Beau, very true....:)

[shortstuft]

HA....page turner...........:D:D:):eek:

[CruzHawk]

No more eye strain and cable works great on my new 55". Wow things are really big compared to the 7" I've been watching for the past 3 weeks.

Happy days are here again!!!!:):):):):)

[shortstuft]

Yea, you should see how big the boobies are on the Spanish channel girls now............:eek::eek::eek:

[CruzHawk]

Yea, you should see how big the boobies are on the Spanish channel girls now............:eek::eek::eek:

Did someone say BOOBIE'S?:D:D

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Jill and Gary, LOL

Enjoy the new tv.

[Oink]

:D :D HAPPY SUPERBOWL SUNDAY!!! :D :D



:confused: BTW - Where's Becki been? No posts in over a week? :eek:

[Oink]

FYI - I will be cheering for the all American team wearing Red, White and Blue! ;) :p :rolleyes:

[rjscott]

:confused: BTW - Where's Becki been? No posts in over a week? :eek:

Oink, dear, thanks for asking! :) We're just back from a week in FL. We went to Ft Lauderdale to visit our friends who are wintering there again. Had good weather and good food. Our friends will be moving to The Villages, though, so this will be our last year visiting the Ft Lauderdale area.
Now we have to focus on our European river cruise in April. :D

Becki

[shortstuft]

Becki, you picked a good week to visit Florida. Our weather has been pretty nice lately.

[rjscott]

Jill, yes, it was a great week. We did have some spotty rain the last day, and it was windy at night, but otherwise just beautiful. Got to wear my sandals all week. :p

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Becki, So what did you guys do while you were there?

[rjscott]

Becki, So what did you guys do while you were there?

Grace, we really didn't do anything too exciting. We've been to Ft Lauderdale so many times, and we really went down to visit with our friends and to enjoy (hopefully) some warmer weather. We stayed in the same apartment hotel we stayed in last year, which is just a couple of blocks from Ft Lauderdale beach, and very reasonably priced. We got an efficiency, but after a couple of nights, we were upgraded to a 1-bdr apartment, as the people above us were late-nighters. Seems they were from Brazil, and they had family come in and they don't even eat dinner until 10PM! :eek: So, about the time we're ready for bed, they are just ready to start visiting. They weren't really noisy, but moved around a lot and that kept waking us up. The hotel owner is very sensitive to her guests wants/needs and so moved us to a nicer unit at no extra charge. She has return guests year after year and that is why.
But, we enjoyed walking on the beach and we also visited the Museum of Art there as they were having a special exhibit from the Uffizi Gallery in Italy. The nearest the exhibit will be to us will be in Madison, WI, so we took the opportunity to see it in Ft Lauderdale. It was called, "Offering of the Angels" and was spectacular. Paintings and tapestries from artists' interpretations of the significant events of the bible. Just beautiful.
Also did some shopping with my girlfriend while the guys were working on cars. :D

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Becki, Sounds like you had a good vacation. And were upgraded.
no wonder you stay there. More places could learn from that owners customer service.

[rjscott]

Grace, you are so right! Customer service is so lacking these days. Trying to find someone to wait on you is one thing, but then getting attitude when you do is another. :mad: It was pretty comical when we arrived at the hotel. It was about 8PM, and the office is open until 9PM. Angela knew we'd be getting there b/t 8-8:30, but no one was in the office when we got there. So, we parked ourselves on a bench near the pool to wait for her to return. Several of her "regulars" came by and asked us if we'd gone into the office to look for her. They then went into the office themselves to see. One older couple took it upon themselves to track her down for us, even tho' we told them we'd stayed there before and she knew we were coming. This couple were Italian, and Angela and her family are from Italy. The woman even called Angela's mother to tell her (in Italian!) to call Angela and tell her she had customers waiting to check in. :p So funny! Angela came running from another unit. She'd gotten sidelined by a guest who wanted to chat. The people who stay there are so friendly, which is another plus.

Becki

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Wow Becki sounds like a great place to stay, even the guest go out of their way for ya! :D is this hotel near the cruise port???

[rjscott]

Grace, not really close to the port; more north. But very close to the Galleria, and a short drive from Las Olas so some good restaurants nearby. And, so nice to be able to get up in the morning and walk on the beach without paying those high prices for the oceanfront places.
;)
Becki

[shortstuft]

Funny how some hotel owners want to keep people coming back year after year with good service.

Our last 2 stays at the Country Inn and Suites, we had an elevator that only went in one direction, no towels for the pool, but we couldn't take them out of our rooms, and a jacuzzi that wouldn't stop running. But, on the plus side, their cookies were good............:D

[rjscott]

Jill, hey, if you can say at least one good thing, sometimes that's enough! ;) :D
We've stayed in some very upscale places over the years, and while they were very nice, we have found that, for a longer stay, these "mom & pop" places try harder to please to keep people coming back and also to refer by word of mouth, as they don't have the budget for big-time advertising.

Becki

[Oink]

:) Hi Summiteers! Just checking in to let you know that this post is number

:D 500!!:D

on our "new" thread. :confused: Wonder how many total posts there were from the very beginning?

Tomorrow we are having a LeVian Trunk Show. If you're not familiar with LeVian, they are a designer line of fine jewelry that focuses heavily on chocolate diamonds paired with unusual colored gems. Our store's goal is $15,000. We take phone orders. Be sure to ask for Madam Oink! ;)

Later....