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JOIN LINDY LIVE FROM THE MS ZAANDAM Sept 24 to Oct 12, 2011

lindalans

By lindalans,
in Holland America Line

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lindalans

lindalans

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Well I've decided to do a "Live from the MS Zaandam" for all the wonderful C.C.ers who were so good to me last year, when I had the now famous "mis-adventure on the high seas."

I'll be flying out a day early so will be bring you my first report from the Delta Downtown Suites tomorrow night in Vancouver.

On the Zaandam I'll be sending out my report every evening so I hope you will travel along with me.

Lindy

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lindalans

lindalans

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Saturday, Sept 25, 2011. Vancouver. Warm & sunny.

As a preamble to my cruise on the Zaandam to Hawaii, I have to say the planning of this cruise, and the months and weeks prior to today, have been totally different than the planning (and aftermath) of last years cruise on the MS Amsterdam.

Last year I booked the 14 day July Alaskan cruise as a respite from having spent Christmas and New Year of 2009/2010 in hospital with a broken right arm. Recovery was slow, it was a cold snowy winter in Alberta, and I couldn’t drive! Despite looking forward to cruising to Alaska again, I just couldn’t get into the swing of things, I wasn’t excited, plus I booked NO excursions so decided to just wing it. Looking back I now wonder if all those inner feelings, were in fact warnings that the cruise was just not meant to be!

Since day 1 of booking to go to Hawaii I’ve been so excited! I’ve researched Hawaii to death, spent many hours debating which luau to attend, have booked shore excursions for everyday we are on the islands, and have found out that you can’t leave Hawaii without trying two “must do’s.” These are eating a dole whip (which is a pineapple ice cream) and a puka dog!! Before this new found knowledge I found it strange why a woman would want to go all the way to Hawaii to buy a dog!!! For those of you who are not as smart as I am now, a puka dog is a bread bun with a hole in the middle where they insert a “high grade” hot dog and special sauces. It is supposed to be to die for (and expensive) but if I manage to find one (and decide to splurge) I’ll let you know what I think.

This is my 3rd cruise and my 3rd as the planner of the Meet and Greet. We are a group of 26 and I think we are going to be a fun group. Especially as we all like fru fru drinks (mine is a frozen margueretta) and some of us plan to meet in the Crow’s Nest at 2:30pm tomorrow and again after the fire drill for “sail away.”

But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself so will back up and tell you of today’s happenings which got of to an early start at 7am after only 5 hours sleep. By the time I’d packed last minute things it was time to pick up my friend Audrey prior to my friend Carole arriving to take us from Red Deer to Calgary airport. Audrey and I were both flying Westjet. My flight to Vancouver was leaving at 4pm and Audrey’s flight to Kelowna left at 4:30pm. However my flight was delayed a ½ hour so she actually left first.

Being in a wheelchair I get to pre-board so I’d alerted them at the desk that my power chair would be gate checked. While I was sitting waiting, the girl at the gate came and asked if I was Linda which I confirmed. When I got to the door of the plane, one of the Westjet ground crew took my luggage, while another girl was helping me remove the arm of the chair, which houses the joystick. I always take this onboard so it isn’t damaged in the hold where the actual wheelchair goes, and I showed them how to put it in freewheel.

She was stowing it in the overhead storage as she was telling the flight attendant it was fragile, so I was joking and said “without it, I’d be up the creek without a paddle and that I needed the paddle as I was going on a cruise to Hawaii.” So the other flight attendant was laughing, and the couple sitting beside me were laughing, as they were meeting friends in Vancouver and then flying to Maui. I asked if they lived in Calgary and they said they were from Red Deer, so I said I was too. Then Kevin (the guy) said “is your name Linda?” I said yes then he said “You used to live in Stettler didn’t you” and I said “How do you know that?” It turned out his older brothers from Stettler “adopted” me one night in the Royal Hotel when I first lived there in 1977 as we had the same surname, and spelt the same too. I also knew his Mum and Dad really well. Kevin is the youngest of the family but he still recognized me which means I can’t have aged very much since then. J By the time we got to Vancouver we’d got caught up on all the news.

Now when you pre-board you are last getting off, but at 4:40pm there was my little red wheelchair waiting at the door of the plane. Only problem was it wouldn’t work! It was as dead as a door nail! 4 guys looked at it then sent for another 2. Still no joy, so they put me in a manual chair, pushed my power chair, collected my baggage, and then we all went to the baggage office.

I was there from 5pm until 8pm. During this time, Stephan and Hoden from Westjet where on the phone constantly trying to find a wheelchair company in Vancouver to either fix it, or rent me a loaner. They called the Hotel - Delta to inform them I was delayed. I was asked if I wanted anything to drink or, how could they make me more comfortable. They kept me updated as well as being polite and courteous, and they promised they’d have me on the ship by noon. By 8:15pm I was tired so they called a taxi to get me to the hotel (which they paid for $33:80) and promised they’d keep me informed.

At 10:15pm the front desk called to say that Westjet had sent my wheelchair by taxi to the hotel. Apparently a wire had come loose in transit so it was an easy fix. When you see a Westjet flight advertised they always say “We Care” and I can honestly say they do.

I intend to write a letter to Westjet Corporate Office and praising these 2 indiviuals for their kindness and concern and compassion. They thanked me for my patience, but it wasn’t their fault, and the main thing is I’ll be on that darn ship tomorrow.

The moral of this story is “don’t joke about being up the creek without a paddle when you are flying to join a cruise ship!!

It’s 1:27am in Vancouver so I’m signing off for tonight, and I hope tomorrow will bring sunny skies, calm seas, and a few fru fru drinks!!!!!

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