vandrefalk

Thank you so much, HH and Blondie!!

Vandrefalk:)

Hum believes it was Captain Smorawski, Lady V.

 

How is the Colonel (if it is appropriate to ask: apologies if it is not). ?

The Colonel is doing quite nicely, thank you! Still needs to put on a lot more weight -- suspect he will on the crossing! Thanks for asking!

Vandrefalk

I, too, hope SD finds a way to recover. Do we know who the captain was? I recall both Capt Smorawski and Capt Eriksen being on board the night the crankshaft broke in 2013. This, of course, is much more serious. They are still showing the Sep 10 cruise on the website.

And I think we all have deep feelings about the crew as well as the friends we've made on this board. I'm sometimes surprised to realize how many of you I've come to know!! I really do feel as though I am with friends when I'm on the board.:)

And. . . one should never bet against Blondie!:D

Vandrefalk

Very much enjoying your reports! Brings back nice memories of our two trips to Athens -- one just last fall! Looking forward to reports of crew on board and your impressions of the islands.

Vandrefalk

Agree, Zimmy. Also thought I saw Rose and Mikee getting on the bus in the film clip. Worried about all.

Vandrefalk

Yes and yes, some do.

There's a little competion too but the "Jim Avery" lookalike always wins !

Thinking of entering Lady V ?

Perhaps -- we'll see.

No, Jim -- I could never aspire to dress like Hum -- t'wouldn't be proper! However, I can report back to you on the success of your shopping for him :D

Vandrefalk

Question for those of you who have done the fall crossing before -- when Halloween occurs on the crossing (as it will this fall), do the crew dress in costume? The guests? Just curious!

Vandrefalk

Darling,

To have you two on the dear old boat is a joy we will ALL look forward to.

You must let us know what we can do (and not).

You will be amongst chums and crew who love you.

The only time The Colonel will hit his head is when he "hits the pillow" every night after a satisfying and enjoyable day with chums who adore and respect him for all his years of service for his country and for being a ruddy nice chap t'boot.

Aw, shucks......

Deeply honored to be invited to the team! We'll study hard -- between the glasses of champers, of course! But must make sure Colonel Clint doesn't fall on his head -- that's a definite no-no! :eek:

Vandrefalk

Y'all should join us -- we're gonna have fun!!

Vandrefalk

We look forward to meeting you also Vanderfalk. Hopefully you enjoy trivia as there are several amoung those traveling (not saying who but they live in the posh part of GB, the wilds of Canada and the Outback of Australia) who are great players with encyclopedic memories of all sorts of nonsense. Oh the losses we have incurred at their hands......

As a matter of fact, we love trivia! Play quite often here at home. We each have different areas of expertise and usually do pretty well. We'll look forward to sharing useless/useful bits of knowledge!

Vandrefalk

Happy to report that we have been medical clearance to do the crossing!! As the neurosurgeon said "You gotta live your life!" So we look forward to seeing HH and Blondie again and meeting Commander Courageous and CoCoyote!

Also wanted to post an article from our AAA magazine -- editor sailed SD and loved it!! But appears it is too large :(

And Hayden and Michelle are an absolutely beautiful couple!! We met them on their very first SD cruise and they have continued to impress us.

Vandrefalk

May we live in interesting times!!

Brief interruption to report that Colonel Clint is now home! Recuperating slowly and not liking his eagle-eyed nurse telling him what he can and can't do :D

But that's my job!!

Thanks for all your concern and good wishes!

Vandrefalk

Yvie,

Thanks so much for your review! It brought back many lovely memories of the SD cruises we have done in that area.

Was a bit surprised about the lights in the bow for your night under the stars -- it's usually quite dark up there. We always request the egg crate and it makes a big difference. Much prefer being underway than at anchor!

So glad you had a good time!

Vandrefalk

We interrupt this fascinating and interesting discussion of the future of the great UK to let you know that Colonel Clint is scheduled to come home from rehab on Monday! He'll still need some speech therapy but is doing well. However, he was not exactly pleased when told he had to follow my directions! :D

Thank you for all your good thoughts -- still don't know if we will be able to make the fall crossing, but we'll see what the doctors say! :confused:

Vandrefalk

I've sailed with him once -- and his kids a few times. Crew can get a bit frazzled when he is onboard, but I've got like 20+ cruises on SD and only sailed with him once or twice. Don't worry about it.

Vandrefalk

No, Hum -- you aren't telling tales. Lord V/the Colonel/Clint was admitted to hospital in Charleston a week ago with a subdural hematoma (brain bleed). It's been a tough week with two craniotomies (sp?) and speech and movement issues. Starting to see slow improvement!! That is all good! CDreamer, Whatnot and you have been "in the loop" and Disney Jen has been sending lots of pixie dust! Appreciate all the good wishes!

Have only been able to watch a little bit of your tour de force and look forward to watching it all when life settles down a bit.

Vandrefalk

Jim, I agree with Charlie. Even though it's been awhile since we disembarked in STT, I recall that the immigration folks are the least pleasant I've encountered in the Caribbean. Seemed to me they drew out the process of clearing the ship just because they could. :eek: And then there is the joy of dealing with the airport itself. Unlike most, you can't just check your bags and hang around outside (and indulge in bad habits). No, you must go through with your bags, clear security, and then spend hours hanging around a less than pleasant terminal.

Having said that, when we get off in November after the crossing, we will bite the bullet and take the later flight so we can get home after being gone a MONTH!

Vandrefalk

So glad you enjoyed your cruise! And hope your husband is better!

Vandrefalk

So sad to hear Zoltan will be leaving :( The piano bar will never be the same, nor will Sweet Caroline (so good, so good). But your story on Blondie reminds me of a couple of cruises we took where there was a guest who liked to wear very short leopard print dresses (well, almost a dress). She became known as "Cat Lady" for her dancing moves, but particularly her penchant for wanting to climb up on the piano with drink in hand. One night she spilled it and I thought George was going to have a heart attack! Somehow or other, they did manage to get it cleaned up without ruining the piano!!

Sorry our lovely dinner ended up on the cutting room floor -- story of my life!

Vandrefalk

So when is the debut of the BBC epic on our travels??????

Vandrefalk

Current issue of Porthole has a very nice article on SD. "Little Cruise Line that Could." Here is the link to an excerpt of the article -- don't know how to post the whole thing, but it was very nice!

http://www.porthole.com/living-the-seadream/

Vandrefalk

Truth be told, first impressions of Hum are generally established by the fact that he is standing next to the spectacular Blondie with a look that says "I'm with her." Of course, once he does open his mouth you think "She's with him?" :)

Thank you, Trapper!! I am having a VERY BAD DAY -- and Idle Jottings and particularly your post brought what will likely be the one and only laugh of the day!

As to hairdryers, Zimmy does have very thick hair. Mine is less so, so I'm ok with the one on board, but Millie may well prefer having her own.

Vandrefalk

I've sailed with Julie several times -- she is a delight!!

Vandrefalk

Wilfam,

Have not been to Hydra or Paros, so can't comment. Sifnos is quiet -- not sure if SD has a tour there or not -- maybe an olive press thing. But kind of cute to wander around for a bit.

Do NOT miss Patmos! The tour to St John's monastery is quite good -- and it is one of the greener Greek isles. We quite liked it.

Glad you have tours at Ephesus -- lifetime experience.

And do not miss Mykonos! Charming village to wander -- good food. Think they have a tour or two, but if you've never been there, it's much more fun just to wander!

Don't know anything about diving, but don't remember any such options. Also not many options for water sports -- water may generally be too cold, depending on time of year.

Enjoy -- and do report back!

Vandrefalk