Dream 10/15 2009

[CarnivalFan2]

Hi Jeanette & Terry (not sure if we have any more Sogno-ites left ),

Terry- sorry to hear about Tom and we (Jeanne & I) send our prayers and best wishes for a complete recovery.

Thanks for your kind words on our trip to Michigan & Wisconsin. It was great and we accomplished our goal of getting my boys some quality time with the family, especially my mom. I was pleased to see that my mom's mobility has seemed to improve . Weather was great (high 70;s, low 80's) and we had a really nice RV trailer that we rented...brand new.

My boys even took part in a fishing tournament out on Lake Michigan ! They had a great time, as we all did. My boys are with me 1 more week, before they head back to SD with their mom. Wow, time has flown!

Jeanette- well, we are still on track for our Princess Alaska cruise. I have diligently been saving for it and hopefully, with a decent tax return in Feb, we'll be able to have it paid for in advance (always a good thing). A little harder, since we are also paying for our moms.

Well, we may seperate our honeymoon out of the Alaska trip with the moms, after all. Jeanne & I are looking at a Carnival early-saver on the Carnival Magic out of Galveston....7 day Eastern (Bahamas) in Jan 2013. The early saver really does cut the price...so much in fact that we are looking at a suite for the same price a balcony is now priced for a 2011 cruise. This could be our "real" honeymoon...no moms, no kids ! Cruise stops in Key West, and goes to Freeport & Nassau, Bahamas. I am thinking that we might just stay on the ship for the Freeport port call! Funny, I used to live in S. Florida and Bahamas were "yawn"...but, now having lived in Houston & the Western Gulf for so long, and going to Cozumel, MX so many times, I really want to go back to that blue, blue water in the Bahamas!

Well, just wanted to check in and glad us "hard core" "Sogno-ites" are keeoing this thread alive! Take care and have a great weekend!

Marty (& Jeanne)

[GRAMMYTAN]

Originally Posted by mom23guys

Our summer has been eventful. Tom had to have by-pass surgery a couple of weeks ago. He is recovering but slowly. Slow steady progess. We had to cancel the European cruise because he is just not going to be ready to do that much sightseeing. We'll have to postpone this bucket list cruise for a while. My summer vacation was 10 nights in a hotel in Philly close to the hospital but thankfully we will have many more years to enjoy our trips. Make everyday count.
Terry

I would say "quite" eventful! I am sorry about Tom's surgery and hope that he continues to a full recovery. I'm also sorry to hear that you had to cancel the Euro Cruise. Even if he were up to it, I would probably not want to get that far from home for a while. You guys seem to have always made everyday count and I am praying that you also have many more years together to enjoy your travels.

Originally Posted by CarnivalFan2

Hi Jeanette & Terry (not sure if we have any more Sogno-ites left ),

Terry- sorry to hear about Tom and we (Jeanne & I) send our prayers and best wishes for a complete recovery.

Thanks for your kind words on our trip to Michigan & Wisconsin. It was great and we accomplished our goal of getting my boys some quality time with the family, especially my mom. I was pleased to see that my mom's mobility has seemed to improve . Weather was great (high 70;s, low 80's) and we had a really nice RV trailer that we rented...brand new.

My boys even took part in a fishing tournament out on Lake Michigan ! They had a great time, as we all did. My boys are with me 1 more week, before they head back to SD with their mom. Wow, time has flown!

Jeanette- well, we are still on track for our Princess Alaska cruise. I have diligently been saving for it and hopefully, with a decent tax return in Feb, we'll be able to have it paid for in advance (always a good thing). A little harder, since we are also paying for our moms.

Well, we may seperate our honeymoon out of the Alaska trip with the moms, after all. Jeanne & I are looking at a Carnival early-saver on the Carnival Magic out of Galveston....7 day Eastern (Bahamas) in Jan 2013. The early saver really does cut the price...so much in fact that we are looking at a suite for the same price a balcony is now priced for a 2011 cruise. This could be our "real" honeymoon...no moms, no kids ! Cruise stops in Key West, and goes to Freeport & Nassau, Bahamas. I am thinking that we might just stay on the ship for the Freeport port call! Funny, I used to live in S. Florida and Bahamas were "yawn"...but, now having lived in Houston & the Western Gulf for so long, and going to Cozumel, MX so many times, I really want to go back to that blue, blue water in the Bahamas!

Well, just wanted to check in and glad us "hard core" "Sogno-ites" are keeoing this thread alive! Take care and have a great weekend!

Marty (& Jeanne)

Marty & Jeanne, good to hear that you had such a wonderful trip with your family..sounds like a lot of memory making. We've spent many a family vacation in RV's in campgrounds and those trips are so much more memorable to the kids than any hotel we ever took them to.

Your upcoming cruises sound great and I know you and Jeanne will enjoy the Magic and the Bahamas. While there is not much to do in Freeport, we do enjoy getting off the ship and doing a little shopping. Our first cruise to the Freeport about 8 years ago was right after that string of storms that closed them down for a couple of months. We were the first ship in for them and I asked our group to not even think about haggling prices with anyone there since we new they were hurting from the loss of ship passenger's revenue. We met a big local lady there who ran one of the little booths in the straw market. Everyone called her "Big Mama" and we bought so many souvenirs from her at full price that she just hugged us and started giving us little trinkets etc. Now everytime we go back we look her up. Of course when we try to find her, all the other vendors keep saying "I'm Big Mama, I'm Big Mamao." I think her real name is Daphne. I'll have to try to find her picture kissing Ray and post in on facebook.

After our June cruise with the grandsons, our summer has been just laid back and lazy doing things around home like spending time at the beach. You might have noticed our pics on Facebook where we took the Ferry Boat out one evening and took a lot of pics of the Carnival Elation as is sailed by near sunset. This week we used the Ferry to go to Fort Morgan and spent a day at a beach house with our son and his family.

We don't have a cruise planned right now but, really really really, want to go back one more time on the Med cruise and are looking at October 2012 with, hopefully, a back to back TA . A lot depends on if I retire by then, and the economy and air travel costs. If we see that we are not going to do that, we might look at Alaska next year and possibly the Magic out of Galaveston.

[mom23guys]

Thanks for the prayers and well wishes. Today has been the best day yet. Progress had been slow but no seems to be moving along at a faster pace.

Marty glad your mom is getting more mobile. You'll love that Alaska cruise.
Jeanette,
maybe we'll be doing Europe again in 2012.

Terry

[mom23guys]

Hi Jeanette,
How are you feeling? Tom is getting better everyday but recovery is hard work.
Terry

[GRAMMYTAN]

I am back at work, but still not doing great. Back to doc a couple of days ago and he is pushing me to have surgery, but I just can't wrap my mind around doing it right now. If the pain continues, I will have to consider it though. For right now, I am hoping that the pain will either get better, or I will learn to live with the pain.

[mom23guys]

Stay dry Jeanette. Send some of that rain to Marty.
Terry

[GRAMMYTAN]

We are home again. Got a last minute comp room at a casino in Biloxi MS last night. We figured we could watch it rain from a nice hotel just as good as we could from home. With comp meals, free play and hotel room, looking out the window at all the water, we could almost imagine being on a cruise ship. LOL.

We are still getting rain, but thankfully, not much wind here. There was a lot of water and some flooding along the MS coast, but nothing serious (as far as we could see).

We have been wondering about the Elation though. It is due back in Mobile Monday morning and we heard that the Mobile harbor is closed. There was a small oil spill in the river Thursday but the Elation got out. Now, with that and the weather, they may not be able to dock Monday or sail Monday. I think the NOLA harbor is closed as well and we have friends who were due back to NOLA today. Rumor has it that their ship is just staying out until this weather is over with.

[GRAMMYTAN]

Just sent out a group email to our Sogno friends inviting everyone to post here over the next week in celebration of our 2nd Anniversary of the SOGNO Roll Call Meet on Board 10/15.

Remember to subscribe to this thread so you will be notified by email when (if) others post this week.

Hope everyone is having many great cruise experiences with one always on the horizon and that everyone is doing well.

A few of the Sogno-nites are now friends on my facebook as well. Let me know here if you want to join us on my facebook account.

[jebl]

Ok, Sognoites, here is the update on Judy and Ethel.

Ethel lost her husband in Jan '10 just 3 months after our cruise. It wasn't a great loss as it was cheaper than a divorce. She was on the verge and her problem was gone.

In Oct '11 she and I along with my DH Jack and 3 other friends did a 10 day land tour in Europe then a 13 day transatlantic on the Celebrity Eclipse. I was not impressed with the Eclipse at all. Had more fun on the Dream.

Jack and I are plugging along. Booked on the RCCL Majesty of the Seas for Dec for a 4 day Bahamas cruise. Ethel and her new beau along with another couple we are good friends with will be with us. It is to celebrate my 70th birthday. Holy Moly when did I get 'old'. Still feel 50!!

In Jan I am group leader for 26 on board the NCL Star western Carib sailing out of Tampa. It should be a fun cruise as the group is all our friends and neighbors from our community.

Jack and I also booked the Allure of the Seas for Dec '12. That will be to celebrate our 10th anniversary.

Hard to believe that it has been 2 years since the Dream. Time sure is flying so I must be having lots of fun!!!!

[GRAMMYTAN]

Judy & Ethel sounds like you girls are having way too much fun! Don't worry about turning 70, if you feel like you are 50, that's all that matters.

Ray and I, along with another couple just booked a 12 day on the Carnival Breeze for October 25, 2012. We will have the same ports, but sail out of Barcelona instead of Rome. We were going to book the B2B T/A afterwards, but decided we really would rather spend a few more days in Rome, so we will be there for a few days either pre-cruise or post-cruise. I wish some of our gang from the Dream Sogno group would be going with us.

If anyone has any great recommendations for tours please let me know.

[mom23guys]

Hi all. Tom and I are leaving tomorrow for a short 4 night cruise to Key West and Cozumel. Since doctor gave Tom the go ahead we just want to get back in the swing of things. We're going on the Millennium, our mini Milli. We'll be celebrating our Sogno anniversary aboard.
Terry

[GRAMMYTAN]

Originally Posted by mom23guys

Hi all. Tom and I are leaving tomorrow for a short 4 night cruise to Key West and Cozumel. Since doctor gave Tom the go ahead we just want to get back in the swing of things. We're going on the Millennium, our mini Milli. We'll be celebrating our Sogno anniversary aboard.
Terry

Well Terry & Tom I guess you are getting ready to sail to Key West & Cozumel today. Glad to hear that Tom is doing so much better and hope you both have a great time. Ray and I changed our October 25 Breeze cruise from Barcelona to October 13 2012 (at least I hope our TA got this done yesterday LOL). Since we want to spend a few days in Rome as well we thought it might be just a tad warmer two weeks earlier. I guess we will be celebrating the third anniversary of the SOGNO cruise on boad the Carnival Breeze. This time I have a full year to plan instead of 3 months.

[BlairHatton]

www.BlairHattonPicks.com

[GRAMMYTAN]

Hello all Sogno Friends - just thought I would pop in to see if anyone is still watching our old thread and ask if anyone else is doing the Med on the Breeze or maybe did the Majic Med last year. We are sailing the Breeze from Barcelona in October seeing the same ports we all did in 2009.

[santacruiser1]

Originally Posted by GRAMMYTAN

Hello all Sogno Friends - just thought I would pop in to see if anyone is still watching our old thread and ask if anyone else is doing the Med on the Breeze or maybe did the Majic Med last year. We are sailing the Breeze from Barcelona in October seeing the same ports we all did in 2009.

Hi Jeanette and Ray and of course all of our cruise mates on the Dream
It has been a while since i have surfed by this site and good to see that you and Ray are still on here. LoL
We are in Boquete Panama for at least six months, and spent the winter here and are house sitting some folks house as they had to goback to USA for health reasons.
We have been surfing cruises recently thinking of somewhere to go.
Jeanette please email me gopldghia@gmail.com and let us know about your upcoming cruise as we may go also

[GRAMMYTAN]

Originally Posted by santacruiser1

Hi Jeanette and Ray and of course all of our cruise mates on the Dream
It has been a while since i have surfed by this site and good to see that you and Ray are still on here. LoL
We are in Boquete Panama for at least six months, and spent the winter here and are house sitting some folks house as they had to goback to USA for health reasons.
We have been surfing cruises recently thinking of somewhere to go.
Jeanette please email me gopldghia@gmail.com and let us know about your upcoming cruise as we may go also

Good to hear from you and how nice that you have the opportunity to spend a few months in Panama. I will email you about the Breeze cruise shortly.

[GRAMMYTAN]

Sorry couldn't get the email to go through at the address listed.

We are doing the same ports as we all did on the Dream in 2009 but sailing out of Barcelona instead of Rome this time. We sail almost the same date though - October 13.

[santacruiser1]

Jeanette
Well this tells me to proofread my messages , for sometimes i know not what my fingers are typing.
Correct email goldghia@gmail.com
Clint and Anna

[GRAMMYTAN]

Any other Sogno Dream cruisers scheduled to sail the Breeze Med this year?

[Deanne Willis]

Hi all,
I feel like I'm catching up with some old dear friends. I guess I am. Just checked on Sogno and there you were!

Joe and I are finally getting back to cruising. We finally sold our house last April. We had 3 houses for a while and it didn't leave much for cruising, both time and money.

Jeannette. We are doing the same cruise next October 8th on the Celebrity Equinox. I'll think of you especially in Murano. We had so much fun trying to figure out those Venetian Islands.
Terry, I could use your brains in the next Trivia Contest. We are going to Hawaii Feb 17th on Celebrity Century, think about it.
Marty, I bet your boys are getting so grown up!!

We sure were lucky to have such a great group!!

Denise and Joe