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John and Diane's Amazing Adventure - Part III


Johnny B

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We have some advice to new world cruisers: DON’T DO IT! It’s just too darned habit forming. In 2008 we booked our “Once in a Lifetime” world cruise, reserved a balcony (since we’d only do it once) and had a wonderful time. We made great friends, spent time with them during the summer, remembered all the wonderful things we had done and seen, and then, two years later, we had to do it “just one more time.” It was wonderful seeing all our 2008 friends and experiencing new places. So what’s our excuse for 2012? We just couldn’t let our friends down – and the four months of luxury treatment (without a dish to wash, a bed to make, or a sock to launder) didn’t hurt either.

 

Even with everything planned, the good news we received this week that our son-in-law’s Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is in remission was the “last shoe to fall” to get us going gung-ho on planning.

 

We’ve got our passports with necessary visas to Brazil and India (decided this time just to get the 10-year ones – who knows?). Our house is rented, our luggage is almost all packed, and WE ARE READY!

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Wonderful news. It is never easy but we are so lucky to be able to sail for 4 months and it never gets less exciting each year. Some of our good friends will board tomorrow and for us on the 27th. We will be the welcoming group on the back deck. Happy Sails Alsas

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What great news about your son-in-law and that you will once again be taking us along on a cruise. I looked for your posts every morning and am hopeful that you will be posting "live" again. Next year we will be traveling to Peru and can't wait to try the Pisco Sours that you so vividly described and enjoyed. Thank you again for giving us the gift to cruise with you!!!! Cherie

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I have been reading the world cruise 2012 roll call thread - it sounds like an amazing trip. That's great news about your son-in-law being in remission. My brother was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, and has been in remission for a year now. Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

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Wonderful news about your SIL and your trip. So enjoyed "traveling along with you" last time. You were very generous with your time and excellent writing. Please keep us posted. Happy holidays and smooth sailing.

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For our third "once in a lifetime" cruise, we decided that if we booked an outside cabin instead of a balcony, we could afford to do this longer, and not have to make this the last one. We would love to have a balcony, but we're now getting fairly practical. Having not done a WC in anything but a balcony, it will be interesting to see how we like it. Our friends who have been sailing in outside rooms for years love them because they have an extra closet. Also, last cruise we found that in cold climes a balcony isn't very useful - especially on the day off Antarctica when we had two inches of snow on it!

 

In 2010 we booked an outside, were offered an upgrade to a balcony for $4000 each, and that seemed like a good deal, but this year's offer was jut too high for our budget. Of course if HAL decided to upgrade us, we wouldn't turn them down. There's nothing like watching the flying fish in the South Pacific while sitting on the balcony with a glass of wine.

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Okay, your first sentence had me a little worried, since we'll be setting off on our first world cruise! And we're already booked for our second, thanks to an itinerary we just couldn't pass up! (We did the same thing - booked a great stateroom for our once-in-a-lifetime, but have stepped down for the second one.)

 

So glad to hear that your SIL had wonderful news and an early Christmas present for you!

 

See you on board the Amsterdam in a few short weeks! :)

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Thanks to all of you who have expressed good wishes regarding our 32 year old SIL. It's been a tough year for him (Josh), our DD and GD (two rounds of chemo followed by a month of radiation. For the last 7-8 months we've been trying to balance getting ready for the cruise while also being ready to cancel if his situation worsened. Now that he is in remission (but must be tested again in 3 months), we are getting ready for the best Christmas ever!

 

And for Flyingfish, the wine is ready!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well, we're getting down to the crunch time, and are getting ever more anxious to get on board - or at least away from the house. We have those four big suitcases sitting on the floor in an extra bedroom, and the cat seems to think that they make great places to soak up the sun! Speaking of luggage, though, we just went through a fiasco in the making. We received notice from our cruise agent that our luggage would be picked up on December 27 - we all get more efficient with a deadline, don't we? - and began shooting for that date.

 

When we didn't receive our shipping tags, we called the "baggage line" at HAL, where a really nice lady told us that we weren't on the list for a pickup! Of course panic then set in, but after a 40-minute conversation (doncha just love 800 numbers?) we received confirmation that FedEx would indeed come to pick up our four bags on December 27, and they emailed the luggage tags for them, lacking only the nice plastic covers that they promised would be given us by the driver.

 

In 2008, after sending off 8 bags (we had a veranda for our "once in a lifetime" cruise), we received one of ours back a week later, as well as someone else's package containing our address. Things have improved, but I guess glitches still happen.

 

As soon as the bags are picked up, the next goal is getting the house ready for the renters. We've found that living near the coast in Central California is very attractive to people from cold climes, and we've had the same renters twice now - from northern Montana. However, it does mean getting everything out of the way for them, emptying closets and drawers, and getting extra plastic storage boxes at Target and putting them under the bed. It's rather like partially moving out of your house, but it does get everything clean and orderly!

 

Besides Christmas coming in the middle of all this, John decided that the 23rd was a good date for his annual "alumni open house," when many of his former students come to visit us and each other. He taught grade 12 AP English literature for several years and coached the tennis team, so there are plenty of young people to invite. It usually averages about 50 or 60 - just what we need with everything else to do!

 

We've chosen most of our shore excursions and have the necessary visas. When we signed up for the 2010 cruise (our second), we realized that a 10-year visa for India might be a good idea, and for this one we get a 10-year visa for Brazil. It's good that we don't need our yellow fever inoculation, but we're taking the paperwork from 2010 along anyway.

 

So . . . we're getting to the really, really exciting part and are looking forward to arriving in Ft. Lauderdale, where we'll spend 2 nights beginning to catch up with friends from previous cruises - including Bill and Mary Ann, whose 2007 blog got us hooked. Bill and Mary Ann - it's all your fault!

 

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. We are surrounded by our wonderful family, including our 5-year-old granddaughter who can use our IPad better than we can.

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We board on the 27th dec we are down to how many sleeps till we arrive HOME! Each time is just as exciting as the first one. So glad that your family is all clear. We will be in our usual spot out back on the 6th. Looking forward to seeing all the familiar faces. Alsas

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John and Diane, Thanks for sharing the joy of good news and taking us along on your grand adventure. DH and I sometimes talk of the possiblity of a WC for us, so maybe you'll hook us too:) Blessings for a happy healthy holiday and new year. m--

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Their blog really is terrific isn't it? Yours it too. I know it takes time and resources and just want to say that your efforts are very much enjoyed and appreciated. Bon Voyage to you and best wishes for continued good health to your son-in-law.

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