Hopefully, Live From the MS Amsterdam May 17 - June 1, 2014

[Okie1946]

This is out of order, I know, but I had to share this news with you all!

 

I won a cruise at Bingo, this morning! What a pleasant way to end our cruise!

 

DM will sacrifice herself to go back to the Caribbean with me (she's not overly fond of the Caribbean).

 

Another trip to plan.... What a first world problem!!

 

WHOOT!!!! WHOOT!!!! Best way to end one cruise - win another one!!!!!!!

 

Okie

[AlohaPride]

THAT IS SO AWESOME!!!!!!! Congratulations!!!!!

 

[Mtn2Sea]

Congratulations on your Bingo prize! Looking forward to another great review.

[POA1]

This is out of order, I know, but I had to share this news with you all!

 

I won a cruise at Bingo, this morning! What a pleasant way to end our cruise!

 

DM will sacrifice herself to go back to the Caribbean with me (she's not overly fond of the Caribbean).

 

Another trip to plan.... What a first world problem!!

 

Outstanding! Congratulations and huzzahs all around. :)

[jaspersmycat]

Congratulations! As someone earlier said, it because of the good karma you generated by giving all of us the info on your cruise.

[baggal]

This is out of order, I know, but I had to share this news with you all!

 

I won a cruise at Bingo, this morning! What a pleasant way to end our cruise!

 

DM will sacrifice herself to go back to the Caribbean with me (she's not overly fond of the Caribbean).

 

Another trip to plan.... What a first world problem!!

 

Wow! Congrats! And thanks for posting the great news so quickly! Enjoy!

[Stratheden]

Absolutely thrilled for you. Good Karma for all the questions that you answered so graciously. :D

[utahtea]

This is out of order, I know, but I had to share this news with you all!

 

I won a cruise at Bingo, this morning! What a pleasant way to end our cruise!

 

DM will sacrifice herself to go back to the Caribbean with me (she's not overly fond of the Caribbean).

 

Another trip to plan.... What a first world problem!!

 

CONGRATULATIONS on the free cruise!

 

Thank you so much for taking us on your 14 Day Alaska Cruise. We are even more excited now to be taking the June 22nd sailing!

 

Utahtea

[Watson's aunt]

Hi

 

Congrats to you what a wonderful way to end a cruise.

 

 

Mary

[Himself]

Congratulations and what a nice way to end a cruise. Thank you for all the reporting you did on your cruise.

[Avery's Gram]

And obviously, it couldn't happen to a nicer person! How wonderful for you!

 

Barbara M. In NH

[erewhon]

This is out of order, I know, but I had to share this news with you all!

 

I won a cruise at Bingo, this morning! What a pleasant way to end our cruise!

 

DM will sacrifice herself to go back to the Caribbean with me (she's not overly fond of the Caribbean).

 

Another trip to plan.... What a first world problem!!

 

Congratulations on winning a cruise.

Well deserved.

[Alberta Quilter]

May 30/14 Sea Day, enroute to Victoria

 

It was a fairly relaxing day. DM had breakfast in the cabin as she didn't want to bother others with her coughing. Thanks to those on CC who mentioned using the tray underneath the ice bucket! I used that to get some breakfast for her. Then I went and ate in the Lido; I do like the omelet station!

 

There was a blowout sale by the shops, items sold at a 75% discount. DM and I picked up some T-shirts for $6. There were many more items, like jewellery, bags and other trinkets and useless items that one does not need. DM was able to pick up the duty free booze she purchased.

 

We both played trivia and bingo. We had our worst trivia to date and won the booby prize of a HAL mug. We did not win $25K at the last bingo, we didn't win any prize at bingo. I had asked Jazzy why the last bingo of the cruise was not $100K any more. He said it was because someone won $75K about a year ago; he thought it was on the Volendam.

 

I, and a number of other people, worked on the puzzle, a few times during the day and evening, and the last piece was finally put in at 12:30 am on Saturday morning!

 

Tonight was the last formal night of the cruise, and the traditional surf and turf was on the menu. Two of us had the surf and turf, while the remaining four had a version of surf and surf! You see, there was halibut on the menu as well. Well, we asked for the lobster tail and the halibut, instead of the filet. It was quite good.

 

We went to the show, Northern Lights, by the singers and dancers. We hadn't seen them before except when they sang at the Karaoke one evening. (We missed their other shows, I think there were two of them, three in total.). I didn't care much for the show, and was actually offended by part of it. It wasn't the singing or the dancing, it was the content and song choices. The part that offended me, as a Canadian, was the cast being dressed up in flashy RCMP uniforms and portraying them as if they were keystone cops. Imagine, one of the members of your country's institutions thumbing her nose at her superior not to mention other clowning around during that segment. I wondered if I was being overly sensitive but the more I think about it, I think I'm right to be offended. I will let HAL know when I fill out my survey.

 

No packing was done today. We said our goodbyes to the dining room stewards.

 

Tomorrow, we arrive in Victoria, and disembark.

[Alberta Quilter]

May 31/14 Victoria

 

We weren't to arrive in Victoria until 1:00 pm so we had time to have a leisurely breakfast, and pack our things.

 

We opted to have our final breakfast in the MDR as we usually do on the last day of any cruise. Well, it didn't work so well. I requested eggs Benny with a gluten free muffin, and bacon, as I had the other times I had ordered breakfast in the MDR. Two people, including the steward who took the order, came back to me to verify what I wanted, a GF pastry or an English muffin. I said an English muffin. A few minutes later, he brought me a GF muffin, like a bran or blueberry muffin. When I said that I wanted a gluten free English muffin for my eggs Benny, he finally understood what I meant. I did receive the gf muffin, but no bacon. One of the others at the table ordered his eggs sunnyside up; he received scrambled! We were finished when he received his breakfast. It took time to get additional coffee, hot water, etc for the others, too. It seemed to be an off day.

 

DM went down to finish packing and I went up to the Lido to get some bacon. It was just hopping up there at 9:45! I had thought maybe there were more people in the MDR to be causing the issues down there but the Lido was really busy! I got my bacon, ate it and then scooted down for the Win A Cruise Bingo. I already told you about that but I'll give you some more details.

 

I do find the bingo to be expensive, I think I mentioned that before. In the bingo today, we were only playing one game, a blackout. Whoever won would win a cruise for two to the Caribbean or Mexico. I thought I would only get one set of three cards which cost $25. (Two sets was $35.) I didn't need to spend even another $10 to get double the chance to win. One of our table mates came down and sat beside me; she said she came to watch me win. Well, she must have been my good luck charm! Of the three cards I played one was worse than the others, in that the initial numbers called were on the other two but not on the third. Guess which card won me the cruise? The third one!

 

Right after the bingo game, trivia was being held. After filling out the paperwork with Jazzy, I raced up to the Crow's Nest to join the others. DM was already there. I shoved the cruise certificate in front of her face; she didn't know what it was at first. And didn't until I told the others. You couldn't wipe the smile off my face! I think she's pretty happy, too.

 

How did we do at trivia? The worst ever! No booby prize today. Who cares; I won a cruise!

 

Back down in the room, we finalized the packing. For you future 14 day cruisers, they started lunch earlier than usual today; 11:00 in the Lido, and 11:30 in the MDR. I had one last Dive In burger (either I'm getting better at containing the mess, or they're adjusting their condiment/topping proportions).

 

We thought that disembarking the ship would be best after everyone else had gone through customs and started on their tours. That was a good decision. There was no one ahead of, or behind, us. We passed through customs easily.

 

A former colleague picked us up and took us to our hotel so we could check in and drop off the bags. Then we went to his place and visited with his wife and another former colleague. They took us out for dinner as a thank you for my telling them about a price drop on one of their cruises a couple of years ago. Apparently, I saved them a few thousand dollars for their group of five.

 

Well, that's it for now. We fly out of Victoria tomorrow evening. As I have to go back to work early on Monday, I will post more sometime next week. You know what it's like getting back to reality...

 

Thank you all for joining me on my cruise to a favourite place. It's been fun doing the live thread, receiving the feedback, and checking things out for you. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I hope this report has encouraged those who have not considered going to Alaska to think about it, and, hopefully, go. It really is amazing.

[carri cruiser]

May 31/14 Victoria

 

We weren't to arrive in Victoria until 1:00 pm so we had time to have a leisurely breakfast, and pack our things.

 

We opted to have our final breakfast in the MDR as we usually do on the last day of any cruise. Well, it didn't work so well. I requested eggs Benny with a gluten free muffin, and bacon, as I had the other times I had ordered breakfast in the MDR. Two people, including the steward who took the order, came back to me to verify what I wanted, a GF pastry or an English muffin. I said an English muffin. A few minutes later, he brought me a GF muffin, like a bran or blueberry muffin. When I said that I wanted a gluten free English muffin for my eggs Benny, he finally understood what I meant. I did receive the gf muffin, but no bacon. One of the others at the table ordered his eggs sunnyside up; he received scrambled! We were finished when he received his breakfast. It took time to get additional coffee, hot water, etc for the others, too. It seemed to be an off day.

 

DM went down to finish packing and I went up to the Lido to get some bacon. It was just hopping up there at 9:45! I had thought maybe there were more people in the MDR to be causing the issues down there but the Lido was really busy! I got my bacon, ate it and then scooted down for the Win A Cruise Bingo. I already told you about that but I'll give you some more details.

 

I do find the bingo to be expensive, I think I mentioned that before. In the bingo today, we were only playing one game, a blackout. Whoever won would win a cruise for two to the Caribbean or Mexico. I thought I would only get one set of three cards which cost $25. (Two sets was $35.) I didn't need to spend even another $10 to get double the chance to win. One of our table mates came down and sat beside me; she said she came to watch me win. Well, she must have been my good luck charm! Of the three cards I played one was worse than the others, in that the initial numbers called were on the other two but not on the third. Guess which card won me the cruise? The third one!

 

Right after the bingo game, trivia was being held. After filling out the paperwork with Jazzy, I raced up to the Crow's Nest to join the others. DM was already there. I shoved the cruise certificate in front of her face; she didn't know what it was at first. And didn't until I told the others. You couldn't wipe the smile off my face! I think she's pretty happy, too.

 

How did we do at trivia? The worst ever! No booby prize today. Who cares; I won a cruise!

 

Back down in the room, we finalized the packing. For you future 14 day cruisers, they started lunch earlier than usual today; 11:00 in the Lido, and 11:30 in the MDR. I had one last Dive In burger (either I'm getting better at containing the mess, or they're adjusting their condiment/topping proportions).

 

We thought that disembarking the ship would be best after everyone else had gone through customs and started on their tours. That was a good decision. There was no one ahead of, or behind, us. We passed through customs easily.

 

A former colleague picked us up and took us to our hotel so we could check in and drop off the bags. Then we went to his place and visited with his wife and another former colleague. They took us out for dinner as a thank you for my telling them about a price drop on one of their cruises a couple of years ago. Apparently, I saved them a few thousand dollars for their group of five.

 

Well, that's it for now. We fly out of Victoria tomorrow evening. As I have to go back to work early on Monday, I will post more sometime next week. You know what it's like getting back to reality...

 

Thank you all for joining me on my cruise to a favourite place. It's been fun doing the live thread, receiving the feedback, and checking things out for you. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I hope this report has encouraged those who have not considered going to Alaska to think about it, and, hopefully, go. It really is amazing.

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!! winning a cruise is great, lucky you!! I have enjoyed this cruise with you, wishing I were on this particular one, but not able to go just yet, it was the next best thing........... going with you almost live!! Thanks, clipper... I''ll be looking for you on the boards....

[rajkr74]

Thanks for all your "Live" posts on your cruise. Looking forward to our 6-22-14 cruise on the Amsterdam and your posts are getting us more excited for our upcoming cruise. We enjoyed your writing style and insights of your cruise, thanks. :)

[Watson's aunt]

Hi

 

Thank you for posting. I am really excited reading your posts. I am also on the 6/22 cruise.. I be in seattle on 17. wow thats only 16days away. How was the internet?? I will try to do a live report.

 

 

Mary

[lcand1923]

Thank you, again, for doing your thread.

 

Thanks for the notes about yarn shops in the various ports. I have notes on all of them.

 

I especially want to thank you for the note about the pollen. I had not read that anywhere and do suffer from seasonal allergies. My "medicine kit" has been expanded to include extras of my allergy meds.

 

Winning the cruise was the icing on the cake for all of us who have been going "Live" with you!

 

Safe journey home!

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

Thanks so much for doing this "live from". I've enjoyed following along & now am looking forward with excitement to my cruise on Aug 24.

 

Congratulations on winning a cruise, how exciting that must have been!

 

Safe travels home.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[POA1]

Super thread. Great reporting. Thank you,

[Susie51]

Congratulations on winning a free cruise. What cabin category did you win?

 

Please let us know which cruise you will be taking.

[Alberta Quilter]

Congratulations on winning a free cruise. What cabin category did you win?

 

Please let us know which cruise you will be taking.

 

It was the lowest category cabin, an inside. It is limited to the Caribbean or Mexico, 7 day cruise. I'm pretty sure that one can upgrade to a higher category, at an additional cost, of course.

 

I will follow-up next week to find out the rest of the terms and conditions and to see if we can apply the value of the cruise won to a cruise in another region.

[Alberta Quilter]

Hi

 

Thank you for posting. I am really excited reading your posts. I am also on the 6/22 cruise.. I be in seattle on 17. wow thats only 16days away. How was the internet?? I will try to do a live report.

 

 

Mary

 

I'm certainly no expert but I found the internet to be fairly good most of the time. Certainly, there were times it was down. I used it mostly late at night or early in the morning so that may have had something to do with my success with it. I think one glitch I had was due to my own fault. I did log on once, found that I couldn't get through to CC, and logged out right away. Somehow I lost over 100 minutes of time. That was quickly rectified the next day with the librarian.

Edited June 1, 2014 by Alberta Quilter

[cruz chic]

It was the lowest category cabin, an inside. It is limited to the Caribbean or Mexico, 7 day cruise. I'm pretty sure that one can upgrade to a higher category, at an additional cost, of course.

 

I will follow-up next week to find out the rest of the terms and conditions and to see if we can apply the value of the cruise won to a cruise in another region.

 

Congrats on winning the cruise! Based on what I've heard on cc you can upgrade. Don't know if you can use it in another area. Thanks for your thread. I really enjoyed it. Sorry you have to work Monday.

[Watson's aunt]

hi

 

Thank you. Not sure how I will be late night after happy hour and late dinner. But I will try.

 

 

Mary