Mariner of the Seas 1/4/2009 Around the Horn -- Part 2

[woody73]

Anne and I drove home yesterday after a wonderful time in Las Vegas. It was great seeing everyone at the Hornblowers reunion.

The hot weather aside, Las Vegas was the perfect place for the reunion. There were many similarities with being on a cruise ship:

• Buffets
• Free photo with coupon
• Free entertainment (Fremont Street Experience and Big Elvis)
• Cabin crawl
• Casino
• Free slot spins

Special thanks go to our excellent tour guides Don (Fremont Street) and Roger (VooDoo Lounge Terrace). Also, thank you Don for using your "Diamond Plus" card so the group could bypass the lines for the buffets.

Roger, thank you so much for the "Hornblowers of the Americas in Las Vegas" pinback buttons and refrigerator magnets. You really outdid yourself with the superb design. These will make lovely reminders of the excellent times we shared with some very special friends.

Viva Las Vegas!

Woody

[jill1349]

Don, want to second Woody's thank you for using your Platinum card to get us in the buffets. A nice perk for us. Thank you.

Jill

[dimeboxdtm]

Originally Posted by jill1349

Don, want to second Woody's thank you for using your Platinum card to get us in the buffets. A nice perk for us. Thank you.

It all hasn't completely sunk in yet as we are still here. Marguerite and I enjoyed seeing you all so much and it really was a lot like a cruise. I was glad that I could contribute to making this adventure a good one.

Happy to see the reports of you all traveling home safely.

Roger, you have been very busy since getting home. Thanks for organizing a photo album and place to add photos. That will come once I get home.

Woody, thank you for organizing this event. It was certainly a successful reunion.

Len and Letty, we really enjoyed the last visit with you on Friday. We are looking forward to seeing many fellow hornblowers on the TA in October, 2012.

We leave for home on Friday and expect to be in our driveway by the end of the day on Saturday.

Don

[woody73]

Originally Posted by dimeboxdtm

We are spending a quiet Sunday in Vegas . . .

. . . We leave for home on Friday and expect to be in our driveway by the end of the day on Saturday.

Anne and I had a wonderful time, and wish we were still in Las Vegas with you and Marguerite.

Wishing you a smooth drive home.

Woody

[Coralc]

Thanks so much everyone! We had a great time. It was so nice to meet everyone and get together with friends. I have uploaded our photos to your webshots album. A lot of them duplicate Roger & Ivan's but there are also a few different ones, including Big Elvis.

We look forward to seeing you all again!

~Patti & Bill

[cruzr4vr]

Don, Woody, and Roger: Thanks for all your organizing of our week in Vegas. Letty and I had a wonderful time seeing everyone. Allthough I was 'stuck' working for much of the daytimes, I had a great time visiting with everyone, and yes, there were those similarities to cruising.

Carol, the new battery in my car is still working fine. I still can't believe how lucky I was. For those who didn't hear the story, Carol, Letty & I went to Hoover Dam on Tuesday afternoon. Upon parking in a space in the Hoover Dam "covered" parking garage (over 110 degrees in temp outside), I turn off the engine, and the fun begins. Carol can't unlock her door, I can't either - in fact, the car is "dead", it won't start, nothing works. To make a long story short, the battery cable to the positive node on the battery cracked from corrosion, and there was no connection. When this happens, the engine stops, power steering doesn't work, etc. This could have happened while driving down the curves into the Hoover Dam area, even in the parking lot while going up and around curves. It could have been really bad had the battery cable disconnected anytime before it actually did. That's why we were very lucky. AAA came (thanks Carol), got the car started and saw us to Boulder City where we sat and waited for the repairs to be done. Fortunately, they were done in time for us to return to Hoover Dam, walk across it, take pictures, etc. but not in time for a tour.

Don, have a safe trip home this Saturday. We too enjoyed our visit with you and Marguerite last Friday before we left.

Len

[Coralc]

That's terrible Len. I'm glad at least that it happened while you were parking. And it's nice that you were able to see the dam and the new bridge.

That was the only bummer about Las Vegas, that were split up into 2 distant tables at dinner every time..I missed hearing about everyone else's adventures.

~Patti

[woody73]

Originally Posted by cruzr4vr

. . . For those who didn't hear the story, Carol, Letty & I went to Hoover Dam on Tuesday afternoon. Upon parking in a space in the Hoover Dam "covered" parking garage (over 110 degrees in temp outside), I turn off the engine, and the fun begins. Carol can't unlock her door, I can't either - in fact, the car is "dead", it won't start, nothing works. . .

. . . This could have happened while driving down the curves into the Hoover Dam area, even in the parking lot while going up and around curves. It could have been really bad had the battery cable disconnected anytime before it actually did. That's why we were very lucky. . .

Very lucky indeed! Glad to hear all of you were safe.

Woody

[jill1349]

Len, you were lucky. When I first read about how you had parked and could not get out of the car in 110 degree heat I thought about all of the warnings about leaving pets and kids in the car. They don't mention leaving adults in the car - guess they figure we don't count. Glad Carol had the AAA and you did not roast. I got pretty hot just after about 30 seconds in the car when I turn it off.

Glad that all (except Don and Margarite who are still having fun) made it home.

Jill

[woody73]

Due to inactivity, this thread sadly dropped off the thread index.

Woody

[RSS from SF]

.

Hi Woody and everyone!

If everyone's okay with this, I'll now request from Laura S. to move this thread to our new Hornblower forum.

I'm fairly certain that once this thread is moved over, the rolling-off issue will be solved or at least greatly alleviated.
(I see that all the threads I created on the new forum, including threads last posted to on August 5th, are still there.)

.

FYI fellow Hornblowers, here's the new Hornblower forum:

HORNBLOWERS OF THE AMERICAS: Mariner of the Seas 1/4/2009 Around the Horn

LINK: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=750.

.

FYI also everyone,

The new forum is open for posting. We can continue to post to this thread (which we'll move to the new forum, but should still have the same link), as well as now have other Hornblower-specific threads anyone can start and/or post to.

For example, Letty and Len have started a couple of threads for cruises that they'd like fellow Hornblowers to check out, to see if anyone might be interested in joining:
.

1. June 20, 2012 Jewel of the Seas, Norway - Iceland
   
   LINK: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1462642
   
   From Len on this new thread:

   "Letty and I are booked on this cruise. It's a wonderful itinerary - fjords of Norway, Shetland Island, Faroe Islands, and 2 days in Iceland. A roundtrip out of Harwich, England. We would love to have other hornblowers join us. Len "

   .
2. 4.25.2013 Shanghai to Seward Celebrity Millenimum
   
   LINK: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1474385
   
   From Letty on this new thread:

   "Hi all Len and I are considering do this cruise for our 40th anniversay. Wondering if anyone else is interested??? "

   From Letty on Facebook, in the Hornblower group:

   "We booked the Millenimum (Celebrity) for April 25, 2013 from Shanghai to Seward for our 40th anniversary. I have to talk to my TA but she said something about free internet and free laundry. I don't know if that's because we're D+ or what but I guess there are lots of perks. Prices are pretty decent right now and we checked air fare United 1-way to Shanghai was just under $500/pp for April 2012. The cruise is 15 nights to Seward Alaska. Hope some of you book."

-Roger-

[woody73]

Originally Posted by RSS from SF

.
If everyone's okay with this, I'll now request from Laura S. to move this thread to our new Hornblower forum.

Roger, I think that's a great idea. Thanks for handling the move.

Woody

[cruzr4vr]

Roger, that sounds like a good idea. Get this moved to our forum. Thanks. Len

[RSS from SF]

Originally Posted by woody73

Roger, I think that's a great idea. Thanks for handling the move.

Woody

Originally Posted by cruzr4vr

Roger, that sounds like a good idea. Get this moved to our forum. Thanks. Len

Thanks Woody and Len and everyone!

I emailed LauraS, requesting that this thread be moved to the new Hornblower forum for us.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

-Roger-

[donanderson]

Originally Posted by RSS from SF

Thanks Woody and Len and everyone!

I emailed LauraS, requesting that this thread be moved to the new Hornblower forum for us.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

-Roger-

__________________________________________________ _

Thanks, Roger.

FYI and everyone else, Pat and I are going on a 14 day Transatlantic from San Juan to Barcelona, Spain on Apr 21st next year, followed by a 12 day round trip Mediterranian cruise from Barcelona on the Serenade, a sister ship of the Radiance, which we have been on before many times. The repositioning cruise for a balcony just got reduced again. I think we are paying about $1600 for two for a balcony stateroom on the transatlantic leg. May go down again since the ship is not very full. Join us. Don

[RSS from SF]

Originally Posted by donanderson

Thanks, Roger.

My pleasure, Don!

---

Originally Posted by donanderson

FYI and everyone else, Pat and I are going on a 14 day Transatlantic from San Juan to Barcelona, Spain on Apr 21st next year, followed by a 12 day round trip Mediterranian cruise from Barcelona on the Serenade, a sister ship of the Radiance, which we have been on before many times. The repositioning cruise for a balcony just got reduced again. I think we are paying about $1600 for two for a balcony stateroom on the transatlantic leg. May go down again since the ship is not very full. Join us. Don

FYI Don (and anyone else who has booked cruises that fellow Hornblowers might like to take):
.

If/When you'd like to start a thread or threads for the above itinerary, feel free to create the threads in the new Hornblower forum,
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=750.


Perhaps thread names such as the following, or whatever else works for you [Note: 85 character maximum for thread name]:

• April 21, 2012 - Serenade - 14nt Eastbound Transatlantic, San Juan-Barcelona
  .
• May 5, 2012 - Serenade - 12nt Med Greek Isles, Barcelona R/T Cannes-Italy-Greece
  
  ---------
  and/or
  ---------
  .
• April 21, 2012 - Serenade - 26nt B2B: San Juan-Barcelona 14nt, Med Greek Isles 12nt

.
Thanks!
-Roger-

[RSS from SF]

.

FYI Everyone:

Cruise Critic Community Support performed the following thread maintenance for us:
.

1. Moved the following thread from the Floataway Lounge to the Hornblower Forum http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=750:
   
   "Mariner of the Seas 1/4/2009 Around the Horn -- Part 2"
   http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1442200
   
   .
2. Made the following threads "Sticky" in the Hornblower Forum http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=750:
   
   .
   
   1. "Mariner of the Seas 1/4/2009 Around the Horn -- Part 2"
      http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1442200
      
      .
   2. "FROM THE ARCHIVES - INFORMATION & POSTS SAVED from the Mariner 1/4/2009 ATH Roll Call"
      http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1459211
      
      .
   3. "Suggested ROLL/REUNION Format: {Alpha Month, Date, YYYY - Ship/Location - Other info}"
      http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1458098
      
      .
   4. "TEST THREAD - You can try out new posts here, before posting to another thread."
      http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1459541

Thanks!
-Roger-

[RSS from SF]

Originally Posted by donanderson

FYI and everyone else, Pat and I are going on a 14 day Transatlantic from San Juan to Barcelona, Spain on Apr 21st next year, followed by a 12 day round trip Mediterranian cruise from Barcelona on the Serenade, a sister ship of the Radiance, which we have been on before many times. The repositioning cruise for a balcony just got reduced again. I think we are paying about $1600 for two for a balcony stateroom on the transatlantic leg. May go down again since the ship is not very full. Join us. Don

Originally Posted by RSS from SF

FYI Don (and anyone else who has booked cruises that fellow Hornblowers might like to take):
.

If/When you'd like to start a thread or threads for the above itinerary, feel free to create the threads in the new Hornblower forum,
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=750.


Perhaps thread names such as the following, or whatever else works for you [Note: 85 character maximum for thread name]:

• April 21, 2012 - Serenade - 14nt Eastbound Transatlantic, San Juan-Barcelona
  .
• May 5, 2012 - Serenade - 12nt Med Greek Isles, Barcelona R/T Cannes-Italy-Greece
  
  ---------
  and/or
  ---------
  .
• April 21, 2012 - Serenade - 26nt B2B: San Juan-Barcelona 14nt, Med Greek Isles 12nt

Don, I forgot --

I also used your itinerary for examples of possible Thread Titles in
"Suggested ROLL/REUNION Format: {Alpha Month, Date, YYYY - Ship/Location - Other info}", http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1458098.


Here are other examples of thread titles using your itinerary, taken from the link above:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 21, 2012 - Serenade Of The Seas - 14 night repositioning, San Juan to Barcelona
April 21, 2012 - Serenade OTS - 14 night repositioning from San Juan to Barcelona
April 21, 2012 - Serenade - 14 night repositioning from San Juan to Barcelona

May 5, 2012 - Serenade OTS - 12 nt Barcelona R/T incl Cannes,Italy(3),Greece,Turkey
May 5, 2012 - Serenade - 12 nt Barcelona R/T incl Cannes,Florence,Rome,Greece,Turkey

April 21, 2012 - Serenade - B2B 26 nt: 14nt San Juan-Barcelona, 12nt Barcelona R/T
April 21, 2012 - Serenade - B2B 26 nt: 14nt SanJuan-Barcelona, 12nt Medit Greek Isles
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[woody73]

Originally Posted by RSS from SF

If/When you'd like to start a thread or threads for the above itinerary, feel free to create the threads in the new Hornblower forum

Roger, I have added three new threads for cruises that some Hornblowers have booked.

Thank you for creating this new Hornblower forum. It will make it much easier for Hornblowers to stay connected.

Woody

[donanderson]

Originally Posted by RSS from SF

Don, I forgot --

I also used your itinerary for examples of possible Thread Titles in
"Suggested ROLL/REUNION Format: {Alpha Month, Date, YYYY - Ship/Location - Other info}", http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1458098.


Here are other examples of thread titles using your itinerary, taken from the link above:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 21, 2012 - Serenade Of The Seas - 14 night repositioning, San Juan to Barcelona
April 21, 2012 - Serenade OTS - 14 night repositioning from San Juan to Barcelona
April 21, 2012 - Serenade - 14 night repositioning from San Juan to Barcelona

May 5, 2012 - Serenade OTS - 12 nt Barcelona R/T incl Cannes,Italy(3),Greece,Turkey
May 5, 2012 - Serenade - 12 nt Barcelona R/T incl Cannes,Florence,Rome,Greece,Turkey

April 21, 2012 - Serenade - B2B 26 nt: 14nt San Juan-Barcelona, 12nt Barcelona R/T
April 21, 2012 - Serenade - B2B 26 nt: 14nt SanJuan-Barcelona, 12nt Medit Greek Isles
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

____________________________________________

Roger...Thanks for putting those in the appropriate place. Will be nice to see if anyone joins us. Don