Legend of the Seas?!?

[DesertGal]

We liked sitting near the front of the ship on deck 4 out of the wind. The aft deck that you access through the spa is good but can be croweded. I found deck 4 much more quiet. It was like having my own gigantic balcony.

[rubrrick]

Carol, I am living vicarously thru you. You have better Legend facts and are so willing to share. Thank you, merci, grazzi............. If I could get our regular cabin on the LOS next summer to join you, we would. Thanks for staying in touch.

 

Rick

[cruisequeen8661]

Wow!! Thanks for all the tips. I'm really looking forward to this and it is very nice to know that there are a few spots where you can sit back and relax and just enjoy being at sea.

[beerntz]

Hi,

 

My friends and I are considering LOS for our cruise next year and I was so happy to see this thread full of great information.

 

One of my friend's concerns is that LOS is a small ship and that it'll be rocking in the open sea. She gets seasick and doesn't want to spend the entire cruise hurling. For those of you who have sailed on this ship before, could you tell me if the sail was smooth?

 

Thanks!

[rubrrick]

Even though the Legend is not of the Voyager class, she does very well in foul weather. I don't know what trip you are planning, unless it's one of the Transatlantic crossings, I would not worry about the stability of her at all. I have been aboard when we have hit some pretty good waves, and yes I can feel the movement. The cabin we take is forward on the 8th deck, and when my wife feels the motion, she will put on a patch, and is fine. I have sailed on her twice on a west coast to Hawaii and back and this past May out of Southampton to the Canary Islands. I would not hesitate to spend time on her in any part of the world.

 

Rick

[nfused2cruze]

Have a look at www.cruiseclues.com/shipstips/legendoftheseas.htm and you will find loads of photo albums with pictures of the Legend...Bart de Boer has about 100 and although 4 years old many relect the atmosphere well and there are photos of the solarium and the glass fronted areas I mentioned.

I have to admit that these photos are the best I seen yet of any ship. Bart knows how to take good pictures. You get the feeling you are on the ship - with the right lighting.

[beerntz]

Rubrrick--thanks for the response. We would most likely be sailing in November or December in the Caribbean. I'm thinking our chances of rocking there are much less than any of the cruises you mentioned (which sound wonderful, by the way).

[cruiser_carol]

:) Hello first of all .. to Jamiski, Setting sail, Bigger Bob, Phantom and of course Rubbrick... and All the other regulars on this thread. Hope you are all well as we start October...It is getting darker over here across the pond daily, but we have also had some lovely weather.

 

Hi BEERNTZ, First let me say that you will love the LOtS and will have a wonderful cruise and calm seas I am certain. We have been thru some rough seas on Legend and have survived to tell the tale.LoL. My husband and I sailed on the LOTs from July 30 to Aug. 13 from Southampton ,England thru the Med for 14 days. This was the height of summer and all the sailings both before and after us were smooth as glass by all accounts. (other than the Bay of Biscay on ocassion) However,on our cruise, there was a low pressure area off the coast of Southern France and this never cleared and kept us in continuous winds during all of our cruise. Every time we were in port.. the weather was hot and perfect. But as soon as we sailed.. the winds picked up. On 2 ocassions it was strong enough to close all of the outside decks, and on our sea day before Rome, it reached a force 8 gail..which is Very Strong. This is the ONLY time there was any obvious movement in the ship and the ONLY point in the cruise that it had Any affect on passengers. It lasted a matter of 8 or 9 hours and the ship handled very well. Our cabin was on level 3, and though forward, there was very subdued movement there. The lower levels are solid in the water.Therefore, less movement. The higher you go... it is obviously like a bobbing cork effect. Thankfully, I tend not to be bothered and enjoy watching the waves. I haven't gotten ill so far in my travels. But I always find it best to stay in an open space with some fresh air, rather than closed up in the cabin. As Rick advised, use a patch or tablets if you know rough seas are ahead. Sit in a lounge, or a bit of deck space near the center of the ship.The Bay of biscay, where rough seas can be expected, we had no trouble at all. So it was just a freak incident...hurricanes were all around across the Atlantic at that time.So the weather was very unsettled all over and it was very stormy as we left England. The Caribbean is an entirely different sea. Much more gentle and settled. Unless you are in hurricane season, which will have long past, it should be calm for your cruise. Don't worry..just relax and enjoy. I never expected winds and a gail in August. But, it's only in looking back now that I realize anything was less than perfect....Because I certainly had nothing but a fantastic time and a cruise that I felt was amazing in every way. The weather simply made it more interesting... It Did Not Take Away Anything From Our Cruise...Or Anyone Elses!!:) :) and Definitely Gave Me the Sea Experience I wanted. Have a Wonderful Cruise!!!

 

NFUSED2CRUZE I am so pleased that you found the website Cruise clues to be helpful and that you liked the photos.Be sure to check out the reviews and other pages. Lots of helpful stuff and you can track where the Legend is at any time. There is lots more informationon on just about every ship sailing if you scroll down the menu on the left. It is a good way of comparing different ships when you have a choice to make. Hope you have a great cruise!!!! Give us a review when you get back..would love to hear from everyone about your experiences. Carol

[jamiski]

So sorry I haven't posted in so long. Still hacking through the details of the wedding. Majority rules, we are taking the Mariner of the Seas out of Port Canaveral. I am happy with the choice though, we are going to be going to 3 ports none of us have ever been to and there are 3 sea days. I LOVE SEA DAYS!!! The wedding party wants us to splurge on a nice room too, so we are thinking of booking an aft balcony.

 

As long as the LOS keeps sailing out of Tampa in the winter, I am sure our next cruise will be on it!!

 

Marjorie and Carol - This wet cold is the worst! It goes right through you! Ugh, I don't want to go anywhere it is miserable. I know you can both feel my pain.

 

Marjorie - Very cool about the new job, I've been thinking about getting a few travel courses under mybelt. Since talking about cruises is one of my favorite hobbies. Let us know how it works out for you.

 

Carol - Thanks for the earlier advice, I am marrying the man I love :) How did you mini-reunion go? That was quite the interesting story.

 

Jen - If you are still around, glad to hear that news didn't immediately effect you and your hubby.

 

Settingsail and anyone I missed - Hope all is well :)

[cruiser_carol]

Hi Jamie, the weather is the same here..very damp and I have begun to hiberbate. The cold really does bring my bones to a halt. I am very pleased with your choice for your wedding. It is a fantastic decision. I already know that ALL the RCI ships are beautiful...you cannot go wrong... and I have been looking at photos of some of the others. I still can't keep them straight in my head as to which are which. My favorites are the ones that have lots of glass and views of the sea..light and bright.(Vision and Radiance class I think) which is Mariner? RCI certainly offer a lot of choices and there is lots more to do on the bigger ships. They really are spectacular. I would travel on as many as I could. In our case there is no choice for the Med... as the Brilliance and another(can't remember if it's the Voyager?) sail from Spain and Italy thru the Med. but are much more expensive and shorter cruises for the money.. than the Legend out of Southampton. However, as I found the last cruise to be brilliant...and I never thought that I'd sail again for another 20 years...I am very happy to return on the Legend. It would be very hard for me to keep up with double the size ship, as I felt I didn't see it all on the legend and never seemed to sleep. I'd definitely have to stay up all night on a bigger one. Perhaps more ships will sail from the UK in future and I will get the chance to try some others or I might end up back in my home state of Florida one day and sail from there. You will have a beautiful wedding..that is for certain. Definitely go for a balcony if you can..how romantic will that be? I agree with your choice regarding itinery. The ports are very important. we have changed our itinery from this year, adding Malaga, Spain and Palma, Mallorca but eliminating the Algarve, which we don't mind..but also losing Rome. which we do.. but it is the only varied itinery from last year and we did love the other ports and will have longer time in some.. but also wanted some new places.

 

My reunion with my old neighbor went well in that it was very easy to carry on a conversation and we didn't feel uncomfortable. We picked him up at the train station and ended up giving him a tour of derby. We had a nice pub meal near our home,very good food... and he seemed to enjoy it.. although not the wine or beer he asked for..drank neither..for whatever reason. We then went on to our house which we had worked very hard to make look absolutely perfect and were very proud as it represents All My Husbands Years Of Hard Work. We have just extended it. My daughters and their boyfriends were waiting and behaved beautifully. He commented on how lovely they were but that was the only comment on anything. We looked at some photos,had a coffee (2 in fact) which he didn't drink. Chatted a bit, had a coke and drove him back to the train and waited to see him off. There were loads and loads of police ,as a big football game was on and lots of footballers were on his train.We have a lot of violence over football. I asked him to let us know that he arrived safely in London at his hotel as he had to cross the city. that was Saturday night, but we never heard anything until tuesday. A line via Email saying.. Home safely..thanks for the hospitality..off to Washington D. C. on business with my wife and her friend on wednesday. Nothing personal about meeting us, our home, our neighborhood, derby..it was very disappointing. But perhaps we are oversensitive. what do you think?

 

There will be more passengers returning on the Legend on Saturday, hope there are some reviews on how it was. I think there is only one more cruise from Southampton until they go transatlantic back to the US. the months are certainly flying by now. Summer is long gone now. When is the date of your wedding/cruise? are you still having your wedding ceremony first or what did you finally decide to do ? Keep in touch Jamie...All the Best Carol

[madge62]

Yes, it's very doomy and gloomy weather we're having here and somehow I've gotten myself a wretched cold which kept me home from work today. There's much to do as well since it's Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend and I haven't even purchased a turkey!

 

Carol and Jamey, thanks for your comments about my new part-time career, I will be checking in with the agency on Tuesday and start my training, what fun!

 

Jamey, if you have any questions about the Mariner, fire away, I very much enjoyed our cruise although we did the Western Itinerary. We have also done an Eastern itinerary twice though on other ships.

 

 

Marjorie

[phantom728]

Hello to all -

I've been out of commission with a slight sinus issue the past few days...no thanks to my DH who decided to share...something I was not interested in:(

 

Jamey - You'll love the Mariner:) . We traveled on the sister ship, Explorer w/eastern itinerary and loved it. Even though the ship is big, it's very easy to navigate, once you figure out what is at each end of the ship (ex: windjammer vs. spa). This will be a big help in getting where you need to go. Just remember the Royal Promenade is the central hub of the ship and that makes it easy to get where you need to be.

 

We were originally scheduled this January for Grandeur out of NO, but decided right before RC announced their decision to go on Legend. The reason I picked Grandeur was because 1. it was different class than Explorer, 2. the itinerary had 3 stops, which also interested me because I love sea days as well. I'm glad we did change because now the Grandeur itineraries are 4-5 days instead of 7. Legend has 4 stops and all in a row. I keep thinking that maybe I'll try to skip a day and stay on the ship, but love to visit new places so I'm sure that I won't. Guess it depends on how much there is to see.

 

I can't complain about our weather here. It's been beautiful. Today and tomorrow we are getting rain from Tropical Storm Tammy, but it's much needed as we've had very little all summer. Then the temps will be dropping into the mid 60's. Not too bad for this time of year. Yesterday it was 80, so we're really having an indian summer and I'm loving every minute. I'm dreading the thought of snow and cold weather, but have the cruise to look forward to. When we traveled this past January, it was the coldest week of weather here and darn:rolleyes: we missed it!

 

Everyone have a super day!

Jen

[jamiski]

Hi all, I am going to have to keep this quick, our computer has a virus and is running really slow. So much for the $60 we just spent on anti-virus.

 

Carol - The Mariner is one the of the huge Voyager class ships. I prefer the smaller guys but as my Mom says 'at least you know you'll get a quality cruise with RCI'. I love the Eastern ports, CocoCay Bahamas, St Maartin and St Thomas AND 3 sea days. I LOVE SEA DAYS!!!

 

I don't think you are oversensative, I am actually a little disappointed too. At least the conversation went well. Did he seem grateful when he left?

 

The actual wedding plans are in the air. I have to book the cruise first before I can make them anyway. Hopefully we'll book the cruise this week.

 

Marjorie - At least it was nice out today, I don't think I could take another day of rain. Unfortunately I think yesterday was a sample of winter. :(

We did some running around today and stopped in a Flight Center, I talked to the guy for a half hour just about cruising. My honey had to pull me away. I could have talked for hours!

One question about the Mariner at the moment. I saw some pictures that someone had posted on the cruiseclues website. It look like there was a 'County Fair' theme on the ship. Did it seem to kidish or hokie? Or maybe it was just the casino?

 

Jen - I was on the Voyager a few years ago and know what you mean about using major landmarks to find you way around. I got turned around leaving the Disco on the last night of the cruise and it took me a half hour to find my stateroom. Big ship or not, I always turn the wrong way out of an elevator.

 

 

So much for keeping this short. Hopefully we can fix the computer soon. Otherwise you'll know why I've disappeared. Talk to you soon!

[rubrrick]

So, will there be, or not be a wedding on the Legend of the Seas?

 

Or have I missed the last missles while out of touch??

 

Rick

[madge62]

Yes, Jamey, it was much nicer today but unfortunately rain came late this afternoon and evening. We spent most of the night running around for groceries for our TG dinner, got a big turkey and lotsa pumpkin pie!

 

The County Fair you speak of on the Mariner is probably the few statues positioned around the front of the casino. I have photo of my DH next to the Daisy Mae-type character but can't figure out how to post it! It's not hokey, just fun stuff! The whole ship is bright and beautiful and I don't have any complaints to speak of.

[beerntz]

Thanks Carol! I had a feeling that the Caribbean would be fine, but it's nice to hear it confirmed.

 

I don't get seasick either, but my daughter and several of my friends do, so I have to do some convinciing. The Legend sounds like a beautiful ship, and the crew has gotten raves from most of what I read, so what's not to love?!

 

Thanks again to you and Rubrrick for your help. My next cruise is in less than six weeks, and I have to start planning for the one after that! :D

[cruiser_carol]

Hi Everyone, Pouring rain here in England and very damp. Madge, Hope you are enjoying your Thanksgiving. I shamefully admit, that I did not realize that Canada celebrated Thanksgiving. Your menu sounded delicious...I could just imagine some Pumpkin Pie with whipped cream! I cannot remember when I last had some or when I last had a Real Thanksgiving. We have a Costco on our doorstep, but they don't sell Pumpkin pies sadly. We had a turkey dinner last year near the time..but no celebration for many, many,years and of course, lots of my family are gone now. Parents, sisters, brother-in-law,friends. This is the price we pay for getting older and in being apart. Years just fly by..the memories live on forever..but we must treasure every day that we are together. I have Just spent some precious time with my little grandaughter and in just 6 days since our last visit, she has grown and changed again. It is amazing to see her running around and so very strong after all her illness. She is brilliant..very, very, funny. Left our house turned upside down. .

 

Jamie, As I said, I would love the chance to try out ALL of the ships. The Mariner will be Wonderful.. RCI is a fantastic cruise operator and have the most beautiful ships of anyone and the friendliest service. I have been looking at loads of photos, of lots of ships, and of different companies and none compare to RCI. The Voyager Class ships are the most popular from what I have read. They have so many facilities and so much choice...it will be Great! I too love the sea days. That's why the LOTS itinery from Southampton was so good. We had sailing day and the 2 days following at sea..then 2 port days..then a sea day...then 4 port days....then sea.....2 port days..and a final sea day...before arriving home. Every single evening was also at sea..so it was wonderful. That is the other loss on this new varied Med itinery for 2006......as well as skipping Rome, we will stop over night in Barcelona and Palma, missing those evenings at sea and lose even more with the extra time in port. We do arrive and sail at odd hours... so make a bit of seatime up with extra daylight sailing.....as we are asleep for most of the other. But still lose about 30 hrs.total. It will be wonderful just the same and it is exciting to anticipate a few new places to visit. Do Keep us up to date on all your wedding plans, and STOP WORRying!!!

 

In regards to my childhood neighbor and reunion...Yes, he seemed very pleased with the visit. No obvious shock at seeing me for the first time...no objections to giving me a hug and kiss on the cheek when he left and lots of smiles and waves... I think he simply is in a different league to us..his life is very busy and his job very technical and scientific... a bit of a high flyer for his company traveling all over europe for them for the past 35 years. We admired a photo of his house..not massively big..but very stylish... the back yard was huge. It is 40 min from Memphis and I had the impression that land is widely available there and not as expensive as elsewhere?? I don't think he would appreciate just HOW EXpENSiVE Prices are here and the Value. We could never afford our home in London...it is worth $350,000 to $400,000..but is mortgaged to half of that. the very cheapest home here in derby, and smallest, cost nearly $200,000. I don't think that is considered cheap in the US or Canada..but then I have been away a long time. Let me know . Our house is quite roomy 2 story ..We have a large open plan living room/dining room /with a glass enclosed garden room off the dining room to the rear. All have been decorated in very urban sleek style (on a cheap budget) A large kitchen with separate laundry room to match and the double garage has been converted to a very big bedroom with a lovely chrome and black and white full tiled bathroom with shower and tub.We also extended 2 small bedrooms into one upstairs..so we now have 3 large size bedrooms on the second floor with 2 full bathrooms, all newly tiled and new suites in the bathrooms... One has a special power shower with all the jets as I have severe back pain with arthritis and a muscle condition. My neck is gone as my spine has curved and I have football shoulders that are rock hard..I have to keep my hair longer to cover the hump at my shoulders where my neck should be and my face and all look really puffy as a result of everything squished down on my shoulders and I am no longer skinny, that's for sure. But not a complete disasster either and not massively fat or unsightly. He was certainly no Brad Pit. ( perhaps he didn't like the footballer look?) In any case, I have heard No more...but then he is off looking into solar energy as his next project. Where as I am about to load the very scientific washing machine. Interesting!! And I can look forward to Saturday night in front of the telly. Well at least thanks to Our little Evie.....I now have Sky to watch!!! Regards to All, Carol

[masterbaker]

Hello! Mind if I pop in? I just wanted to thank you for the information about LOTS. I'm in serious cruise withdrawal and am so looking forward to sailing the Legend next. We leave April 1, :eek: (April fools day, I sure hope that doesn't become some joke) saling from Tampa to the western caribbean. The little details shared here about LOTS have been very helpful. We are booked in an aft balcony and are looking forward to wonderful views of the wake as we sail.

 

The compassion to the hurricane victims shown here has touched my heart, our home was severely damaged with hurricane Charley last year so I know how hard it is for those unlucky people. It will be many years before New Orleans will be back to normal and I'm afraid that many families will not return as it will be easier to begin again elsewhere. Just knowing that people from far away care will mean a lot to those affected.

 

Thanks again for sharing info on LOTS, I can't wait (although I have no choice) to have my turn to sail.

[rubrrick]

Hello! Mind if I pop in? I just wanted to thank you for the information about LOTS. I'm in serious cruise withdrawal and am so looking forward to sailing the Legend next. We leave April 1, :eek: (April fools day, I sure hope that doesn't become some joke) saling from Tampa to the western caribbean. .

 

Thanks again for sharing info on LOTS, I can't wait (although I have no choice) to have my turn to sail.

 

Welsome masterbaker. Although I believe there are 5 sister ships to the Legend, The Legend is very special to others as well as my DW and me. She has a wonderful crew, and as of her drydock in Portugal this past spring, the Windjammer now has the same look as the newer RCCl ships. Some of the things that I love about the Legend is that all of the open areas have so many windows that it is so bright during the day. The crew constantly is cleaning and polishing the brass, that gives the feeling that the ship is almost as clean as when she was new.

The food, when we were aboard for our Canary Island trip this spring, was some of the best that RCCL has every put out. I believe that they have made major imporvements in that department since last year. The Legend is not a mega ship, and we love being on a smaller ship with fewer passengers.

I hope you have a wonderful trip. Thanks for checking in.

 

Rick

[cruiser_carol]

Hi everyone im putting some pictures on for my mom, of her cruise on the legend this past august.

 

[cruiser_carol]

Sorry Folks, we have had some difficulties trying to do this and the photos have not gone thru as a link as planned. We are still trying to sort it out..any advice on getting a photo link attached would be welcome. Hi Rick..great to meet up again. Hope you are fine. Master baker I am so pleased to hear of your planned cruise and agree 100% with everything that Rick has said . The Legend is beautiful..light and bright...full of charm and elegance. The food was very good....plenty of choice and presented beautifully. We too loved all the glass and all the many sea views from wherever you were on the ship. The crew and customer relations staff were superb. Everyone went out of their way to make us feel that we were important and went out of their way to assist us... always personally greeting us whenever we passed by and checking that we were well and that everything was fine. The entertainment was excellent and varied and the lounges, centrum, and 7 tier atrium gorgeous. A friendly warm atmosphere. It truly was far superior to anything we expected.The ship looked Great!.. spotlessly clean and Nothing Old About Her. A brilliant cruise and we are returning in 2006 for another Med cruise with my wonderful daughters.

 

Our thoughts and prayers are always with all those poor people from the Gulf states who have had family die and lost their homes and jobs and pray that they will have the help and support needed to start a new life. I cannot imagine how that must feel to lose everything you ever had. Also those in the current disassters in Mexico and The earthquake victims of India and Pakistan. We are very, very lucky...and I am so pleased to see "ALL THE GOOD" That Has Come From The Masses Of People Wanting To Help From Arouind The World. It makes it clear to me that there is a Lot Less Bad In The World...We Just Tend To See and Hear More Of It..and The Good Therefore, Sometimes Gets Hidden. Regards to everyone, Carol in England

[jamiski]

Rick - Sorry no Legend wedding. I am almost 100% postive there will be a Legend 1st Aniversary cruise.

 

Marjorie - Glad to hear the decor of the Mariner is tasteful. Just from looking at the details of the ship, it seems like RCI is trying to make the Mariner and the Navigator the more 'upscale' of the Voyager class. Instead of the sports bar, there is wine tasting etc...

Few more Mariner questions...How pretty is the Portifino's (I don't think I spelled that right)? Instead of a reception we are thinking about having dinner there with the family. We are thinking about getting married in the chapel, is there anywhere else you remember might be cute for a small wedding? Thanks for you help!

We were having a conversation on how people from the island go to the airport. Do you ferry over? or are there connections through one of the island airports? If you don't mind my asking.

Your thanksgiving menu sounds yummy. I might have to hop on the ferry and head over! We're heading to Kev's Mom's for dinner on Monday. I am making the dessert though. She has a bad habit of buying Safeway cakes, ewww. I am making a pudding pie, with chocolate cookie crust. :)

 

Carol - Canadian turkey day is Monday, I think (Marjorie can correct me if I am wrong) that the day originally celebrated the end of a sickness for a Prince or King? I am still getting used to the Royal connections that Canada still has. The CBC has a weekly program talking about the Royal family, its different.

I think your observation of your former neighbor is pretty bang on, I have a step brother that lives in that area and I know he and his wife own a very nice house and don't make a ton of money. Most of the US is still very cheap, when I was living in Harrisburg, PA I could have bought a 5 bedroom Victorian fixer-upper for $23,000. Here we are looking at a 470sf studio for $145,000. It is nearly impossible to get a two bedroom under $300,000 and that isn't just in the city.

Your house sounds very lovely. I was amazed to hear you have a seperate laundry room. All the show's I've watched on UK property have a washing machine in the kitchen. Oh My!

 

 

Well going to run now, my honey's Dad is in hospital. Nothing to scary, he had scheduled knee replacement. We're going to go bring him some candy to cheer him up.

 

Have a good day/evening :)

[cruiser_carol]

Hi Jamie........ I hope that your Honey's father is OK after his knee replacement. Also thanks for the explaination on the Thanksgiving celebration in Canada. Funny you mentioned Safeway, they are here as well, but a lot of them have been bought out by other companies.Walmart is very big and Morrisons. Do you have IKEA there for furniture? I love them.

 

Thanks for saying that our house sounds nice,our laundry room is only small as it has a door going out to the backyard and a door going out to what was the garage.. but now is my bedroom. On the remaining full wall is the washer and dryer with 3 cupboards and a counter. It looks really nice. We fitted it ourselves to match the kitchen units that are adjoining. It had only a sink and 1 cupboard and no room for a dryer..when we moved in. Most of the houses our way are built within the past 20 years..imost of the TV shows feature London or Southern counties..where houses are much older, more expensive and sometimes less equipped. I feel very embarassed that talked so much about the house and my aging bones. I forget that this is not a personal Email..I always think I am speaking one to one. Sorry to those stuck reading my personal facts. I just wanted an opinion. I think what I was trying to say came out wrong. .My old neighbor is someone very well educated and successful and perhaps is used to a much higher standard of life than we are and has been for some time. Commenting on our home wouldn't have seemed important...just like leaving the drinks costing around $6 or $7 a time was of no importance. He is regularly on an expense account and eating out is the norm. However, a meal out for us was Special and he was our guest. He had, in fairness, suggested some time ago taking us out. But he had traveled a very long way to see us, and the least we could do was offer him a meal. We were eager to see how he liked our home ,as we had to go thru a lot to get it and struggle constantly to keep it going. We felt we had achieved a high standard with all of our work. WE ALL (including the kids) had the manners to compliment the photo of his home and made a big fuss of the porch and grounds..he seemed to expect it..but had felt no need to return the compliment, or to comment at all on where we lived. Though he did say thankyou when he left to everyone and he was very pleasant and said that he'd enjoyed his visit.

 

Regarding your wedding cruise on Mariner,Your idea to have a family meal at Portofinos' sounds very good. Everyone raves about their meals. It would be a lovely romantic atmosphere..very intimate. Just right for a Special Family Occassion. All the ships are so beautiful, I don't think any RCI ship lacks taste. But you guys have more experience of them than I do. There was, as a matter of interest, wine tasting in the dining room on the Legend. If you were in a suite, or had C & A points or something, you attended for free..otherwise it cost about $9. Keep us up to date on your plans, Jamie. Cheers for now, Carol

[madge62]

Glad to see this thread is still busting at the seams!

 

Your house sounds lovely Carol, and I had no idea that there were Wal-Marts and Safeways over there as there are plenty here. We do have 2 Ikeas in the greater Vancouver area and I get to them once in a while just to check out all the new stuff.

 

Thanksgiving is indeed on Monday but most people I know of choose to have their dinner on Sunday as Monday seems to be a great travel day for those heading home. Today I have premade the stuffing, cranberries and yams. I made individual duchess potatoes and stuck them in the freezer last week, they just need to be placed on a cookie sheet and stuck in the oven prior to the meal for heating and crisping, yum!

 

Jamey, I have to admit I never really saw Portofinos! We were travelling with my sister and her 3 daughters and chose to eat every night in the dining room instead of opting for an adult-only meal. The entry way of Port. was lovely though! I never saw the chapel either, just know how to get there, off the Viking Crown Lounge. I think that might be the nicest place to have the ceremony. Although if you're into a windy moment, the front of the ship (where the heli pad is) is quite quiet, only because it's so darn windy. I think people visit it and escape quickly!

 

As for flying out of YVR from the Island, we generally take the ferry over and either park at the airport or leave our vehicle at a hotel that will keep it for the time we're away. Once when we flew to Las Vegas we took a floatplane over to the airport which was quite the experience, flying over the islands and all. Only problem is you're limited with cargo space so it could never be an option when we cruise, there's waaaaaaaay too much luggage!

 

 

Marjorie

[jamiski]

Carol - I am suprised too to hear there are Safeways over there, I know you mentioned Walmart. As Marjorie said we are lucky enough to have 2 Ikea's. Our apartement is pretty much all Ikea, I love the deals you can get there. I am a sale flyer hound, I look through every sale flyer we get!

 

Funny story about Ikea, before we moved downtown we lived in the suburb of Coquitlam. Which is the home to one of the Ikeas. We had a heat wave in May that was miserable. Our apartment was East facing so we had horrible heat in our apartment from sun-up till about 1pm in the afternoon. Every morning during this heat wave my honey and I got up at 7am and went to Ikea for breakfast since it was cheap and air conditioned. We would then go sit in one of the living room displays for a couple of hours till our apartment would be livable again.

 

No worries about sharing your personal stories. We are all friends in here.

 

Kev's dad is doing ok, he was a little out of it when we saw him. Mostly due to the heavy pain killers he is on. Its sad he has to spend and holiday in the hospital, but I am sure he'll have plenty visitors.

 

Marjorie - Thanks anyway about Portofinos and the Chapel. I never gave those 'pay extra' resturants a second thought, I figured you've already paid for your meal in the dining room. I think it will be great for the wedding night, since we don't have many people coming. I couldn't wrap my head around paying extra for cheese and crackers at the reception when there is always so much food available anywhere on the ship. We're just going to do cake immediately following the wedding :)