The Chardonnay Sisters Are Bringing Up The Aft

[diann744]

Warnings: PG-17, seriously long, pre and post cruise references, professional grade liver abuse, a criminal dearth of cheesy goldfish, nary a Somali pirate, silly purses and changing tenses throughout. You’ve been warned.

 

Time and money never seem to coexist. It seems when we have one in abundance, the other is in short supply. And sometimes, all too often for my liking, there’s a critical deficit of both. Or as I like to think of it, if time is money, clearly our time has not yet come.

 

But just as any wine with any cheese is better than no wine and no cheese, a short trip is better than no trip at all and so the Evil Twin and I booked onto a 3-day Pacific Coastal from Vancouver to San Francisco. Normally on a repositioning cruise, we can find a four or five day outing but this time the only four day was booked months back and fearing that it might be a Scientology charter, we decided that the three day was as good as it was going to get. We also planned to tack on three days in California’s Sonoma wine region to detox after coming off the ship’s wine packages. After all, we don't need a reason to enjoy a little wine; all we need is a saucer to lap it from. We packed a few extras just in case.

 

The plan was to get up early, have Sis’ LSH (Long Suffering Hubby) drive us to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena-Bob Hope-Gene Autry-Fred Astaire-Brad & Angelina Airport for our 7:00 am flight to Vancouver, hop the ship, cruise to Astoria, enjoy a sea day, get kicked off in San Francisco, make our way to Sonoma for two days at a “rustic” hotel, move to Petaluma for a third night, Forrest Gump our way to Oakland Airport and eventually arrive home, hopefully still ambulatory and unincarcerated.

 

In retrospect, that might have been a bit ambitious. After all, this was a birthday tour, in celebration of different milestones that both end in zero. No need for details; I’ll just say that we’re both approaching 40.* (*Note that I did not say from which direction.) All things considered, we may need to re-examine our lifelong aversion to exercise before again attempting this type of “luggage-intensive” travel. I haven’t tested it but I’m pretty sure my favorite workout at the gym would be judging.

 

We’d booked a Signature Suite and a few weeks prior to sail time, we were hit with the paid upgrade offer letting us know that for the low, low price of $150 each, we could go Neptune and look down our noses at the poor folks having to endure the hardships of the “inferior” suites like the Mercury or Venus that we’d originally been assigned. (Tongue firmly in cheek, as I assume you’ve figured out.)

 

The helpful rep in Seattle asked about location preferences but only having been lucky enough to travel in that kind of planetary style once or twice before, all I could come up with was, “uh, close to the Neptune but not right across from it?” (Just in case it goes supernova or gets demoted like poor Pluto and we end up on the Dolphin Deck.) We’re not exactly the kind of people who use “summer” as a verb so this is a special treat for us.

 

The helpful Upgrade Fairy, who seems a bit more of a capitalist than in the old days, clacked away on her keyboard a bit checking availability (or going for the high score in Candy Crush) and said, “well, I see you haven’t done this before and I wouldn’t necessarily suggest it for a longer cruise in case it’s not your glass of chard but would you like to try an aft wrap?”

 

On our last cruise in May, IRL Joanie invited us to visit her aft wrap cabin but we never got around to it because…. well, wine. But we decided not to be concerned that the HAL rep seemed to want us to be downwind and said yes.

 

Day 1. Travel Day. Xanax – it’s what’s for breakfast. Burbank Airport is 3.5 miles from me and 4.5 miles from Sis. There’s no need for any of that, “get there two hours before your flight nonsense and yet we still always seem to get there with plenty of time to spare.

 

For Burbank, the trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate it. It’s a small, lazy airport that doesn’t really open until 7:00 am except for the Fedex plane that departs every morning at 6:58 (and then flies directly over my bedroom window, belching exhaust and signaling that I’ve once again overslept.)

 

In fact, the very first sentence written in my little reporter’s notebook for this trip is, “Christy makes me get up too early for Burbank.” In my opinion, if you’ve never missed a plane, you're spending entirely too much time at the airport. This is important because I usually start packing for a trip the night before and if my ride shows up when it’s still dark, I tend to arrive at my destination with three mismatched shoes, one pair of footy pajamas, a feather boa and a jar of mustard. But that’s a different story altogether. Let’s just say, if procrastination was an Olympic sport, I’d compete in it later.

 

We’d paid a small upgrade fee for extra legroom and a “free” drink on the flight and were both lucky enough to have empties next to our adjacent aisle seats. Alaska Airlines might be facing a mid-life crisis or something as our snack pack consisted of oat bran sesame sticks (seriously?) broken banana chips (did I do something to offend?) and dried cranberry clusters (just why?) Thank you very little, Alaska. Seriously, would a partnership with the M&M folks kill you? What’s next? Kale and quinoa trail mix? But they had wine and since we calculated that it was 5:30 pm in Johannesburg, we did what we could to cover the taste of the sticks, chips and clusters that so offended.

 

We survived the first part of the journey and landed in Seattle where we had more wine and bought some Famous Amos for the second leg of the trip. Nutrition is important, after all and we didn’t want to find ourselves in that dire situation again.

 

Vancouver at last! We hadn’t booked a transfer so caught a cab at the airport to Canada Place. (My God, 1,000 words in and she’s finally ready to talk about the cruise!)

 

We were boarding at the same time as the Disney Magic. Every third person in line was under three feet tall and wearing mouse ears. I kept remembering what a tour guide in Paris once told us about the Gypsy children – “kick ‘em, just kick ‘em.” (Sometimes my intense dislike of the color orange is the only thing keeping me in line.)

 

Once on board, we made our way to our much anticipated room in the caboose and were very, very pleased. The balcony was enormous, the room itself was large and well stocked, the, well, everything was pretty freaking fabulous. The day an HH obstructed outside no longer thrills is the day I’ll stop cruising but it’s a treat to see how the 1% lives every once in a while (any wine with any cheese, etc. )

 

We’ve read all the tips and tricks and learned that all staterooms had metal walls and so magnetized hooks would afford extra packing space although we’d never tried it before. Not quite. We’d packed about a dozen novelty purses for the three days and were bummed that none of the walls would hold a magnet. However, the ceiling did. So, we managed to adorn a short wall with a bevy of hanging purses that held up well unless someone veered too close to the wall and brought the whole thing crashing down. Not that that ever happened. But if God is watching us, the least we can do is be entertaining.

 

We set about decorating the room which included displaying photos of our loved ones. Actually, The Twin picked up a couple of small picture frames at the 99 cents store and we printed out some headshots of The Cumberbatch – one on her nightstand and one on mine. And of course, a slightly larger one for the desk. I’m quite sure our stews Wenjonly and Thariq thought we were crazy. What type of crazy depends on whether they recognized the guy in the pictures.

 

We unpacked quickly and ran (scratch that – hobbled) to the Crow’s. It was a long way. I kept hearing the Proclaimers singing in my head, “I would walk 500 miles….” Did I mention, this was the O’dam which we hadn’t been on before? We like the smaller, R and S class ships, many of which have recently been sold off. (We put in a bid for the Statendam but we didn’t pass the insurance physical.) Of the Vistas, we’d done the Westerdam and Zuiderdam (pass – not my ships) and the Noordam which we actually quite liked.

 

The O’dam was new for us and so far seemed to be quite acceptable. Except, after giving the pedometers a workout, we arrived at the Crow’s to find a private party underway. Sis and I love private parties but for some inexplicable reason, we hadn’t been invited to this one. Clearly, someone made an egregious error in judgment that they no doubt continue to regret.

 

Reluctantly, we relocated to the Lido for tacos and wine, both of which were desperately needed before heading back to the room (“and I would walk 500 more….”) to muster up for the muster drill. The drill went smoothly but each time I do one, I swear I’ll get there early next time to secure a spot adjacent to a wall. I always forget how freaked out I get when surrounded, shoulder to shoulder, back to chest, with a crowd of folks. Enochlophobia, it’s called. Not to be confused with claustrophobia, which is a fear of closed spaces. I have that now too. Usually when I’m on my way to the Crow’s Nest and I’m afraid it’ll be closed for a private party.

 

After muster, we headed back to the Crow’s (just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to drop down at your door) where my clock purse and The Evil One’s Marilyn Monroe high heeled shoe purse turned some heads. Bong at the bar ensured that wine flowed and a good time was had. By us, at least. And we didn’t even need help getting up onto those Nordic-designed barstools (acrophobia – fear of heights.)

 

After a drink or two, we made our way to the Neptune to check on something. I can’t remember what….because, well, wine. While we were there however, we asked about the wine packages. It was a bit obvious that they weren’t completely ready to handle that but would happily send out for more info but when we made it clear we knew exactly what we wanted, the package happened – three for the MDR and four for the room.

 

This was the first time we’d ever seen wine and champagne up for grabs in the Neptune. We didn’t wish to offend, so we grabbed and settled in to enjoy the refined atmosphere we know we can’t afford to become accustomed to.

 

From there we retreated back to the room to clean up for dinner and as we exited the elevator, saw a couple of crew members we’d never laid eyes on before carrying a full ice bucket who declared, “oh, we’re just bringing your wine!” All I could think was, “how did they know it was us?”

 

Quick note – tonight was the blood moon and we had the best view of anyone on the planet. My camera won’t back me up, treacherous piece of c&%p that it is, but I swear, it was amazing.

 

Dinner in the MDR was prime rib for both of us and Her Evilness was seriously miffed (kinda like a dragon trying to blow out candles) with me when the bevy of waiters delivered a birthday cake and sang. It wasn’t me though. Although, she never actually said it was my fault; she just said she was going to blame me.

 

We had a “not great” table at first blush. Right between a table for four and a waiter’s station towards the back of the room (why does everyone seem to look at us and think, “posterior’s good for you?”) If it was a much longer trip, we might have asked for a change but for three days it was fine. As it turned out, the two couples next to us were a blast, and the waiters, even more so. Not just the ones assigned to us, but all of the waiters in that part of the dining room seemed to enjoy coming over and making fun of our purses and just generally making sure we always had a great time.

 

After dinner, we hit the Piano Bar, hoping that the headliner was somewhere in the B- to B+ range. It seems these days that HAL piano players are either bad enough that you can always find a seat but don’t really want one or so great that you can’t get near the place after the first day. Barry from Boston was terrific and while we didn’t get seats at the Piano, had a lovely place to sit and sing along.

 

Then there was the obligatory stop in the Casino followed by late Happy Hour in the disco. I wanted to stay up for a lot longer but Sis pointed out that I might be ready for bed. “I’m not slurring my speech, I’m just talking in cursive!” Eventually, we retired to the room when our Check Liver lights came on. After all, the best way to deal with fatigue is to sleep it off.

 

Day 2. Astoria. We slept late, rather understandably since it felt like our brains had taken up macramé, and didn’t leave the room until about 11:30 when we made our way to the Lido for a late breakfast/early lunch. We hit the buffet line separately and were shocked to find, when we reconvened at the table, that we’d each chosen, oddly enough, a roll, some cheese and a scoop of potato salad. That twin thing really is strong.

 

The waitress came by and offered wine but we were too embarrassed to accept when everyone around us was rocking coffee and tea. We need to set up some signal whereby the wait staff knows to bring wine but in coffee cups and put down that little carousel of sugars and creamer. Yeah, I’m sure we could pull that off.

 

But we didn’t wait too long. After breakfast we cruised through the Explorations for puzzles and newsprint and settled in for our first of the day at the Crow’s.

 

And now for a couple of mid-cruise observations. Hard to believe we’re mid-cruise when we just got here but that’s the fact.

 

Thing #1 – smoking. Skip this if smoking topics cause you to have blood pressure issues. As a smoker, I can say that HAL ships keep you on your toes. There have been many changes over the years and different ships have different policies so it’s never easy to know what to expect. Generally, in recent years, there’s the SeaView, Casino (when it’s open) and a small area outside the Crow’s. On some ships, the SeaView smoking area is a very small portion of the Starboard side and often so crowded even a smoker’s eyes will water. On shorter trips like this one, the Casino is almost never open. And on the Noordam, and I assume other ships with Spa rooms, there’s no smoking area on the Crow’s deck.

 

On the O’dam, for now at least but I know she’s getting a refit soon, I was very happy to find that the SeaView smoking area was large and welcoming and there was a dedicated, covered area outside the Crow’s with actual tables, chairs and ashtrays so that smokers did not have to feel like the last legally discriminated against class. Now if only they had some video poker machines in the smoking section of the Casino….. Yes, I know, but I still believe the Easter Bunny is real and hope springs eternal.

 

Thing #2 – drink packages. Her Evilness and I drink wine (bet that’s a shocker) and so don’t go in for the Drink of the Day and such. Since we’ve now got some stars behind us, we get really good deals on wine packages and so the new “15 drinks a day package” has not called to us. And now that we’ve been on a few outings that have featured it, we would seriously recommend it be discontinued.

 

We’ve often done two repositioning (4-5 days trips) per year but have also done much longer outings. We’ve read on these boards of how the “short-timers” can be loud, crazy and disruptive and I can understand that to some degree – we’re only here for a few days and we want to pack in the most fun we can have. Still, Sis and I tend to have a lot of fun but we do it quietly. On this trip, we often found ourselves apologizing for other short-timers as if we would all be painted with the same brush.

 

One “gentleman” was bragging about the various ways he’s found to exceed the 15 drink per day maximum and let’s just say it showed. A woman can sometimes make a fool out of a man but a lot guys, like this one, are the do it yourself type.

 

Thing #3 – Cell phones. Do people really need to sit at a bar where there’s an open invitation to be social and speak with other folks and still spend the entire time taking selfies and watching YouTube videos? (Sorry, I suppose I just made it very clear which direction I’m approaching 40 from!)

 

Moving on, we actually had a shore stop today. Astoria! We were late getting in and the captain told us it was because the boat was actually longer than the pier. Not sure if that’s true but it gave us a chance to gear up for our shorex in this cute little town.

 

We booked a tour to Cannon Beach and Seaside that was billed as a shopping tour. We’ve always found that there’s not a lot of shopping time on HAL tours so booking one with the word “shopping” in the title was sure to please. Not so much.

 

The big deal in Cannon Beach was a large off-shore rock called the Haystack. We were given many opportunities to photograph it, but having lived reasonably close to Morro Bay and Morro Rock, which is well more than twice the size, found it less than impressive. We did, however, find a small brewery where we they managed to dig up a bottle of wine that had likely been gathering dust and sediment since the before the Beatles broke up.

 

Most of the shopping opportunities were of the high brow variety and very artsy -- $4,500 cast iron sculptures of Yorkshire Terriers and the like. I just wanted some fridge magnets.

 

Seaside was a bit more accessible and the tour guide told us of a place where you could buy local jams like salmonberry and marionberry (which I assume is named after the DC mayor and made with cocaine) but we couldn’t find it, which is saying something in a town of fewer than 6,500 people. But, well……wine.

 

Back on board, we hit the Crow’s where Bong delivered and all was soon well. We’d also found a flyer outside our door about a shorex that would take us to Sonoma once we landed in SF. Since Sonoma was our destination for this trip, we decided to see if we could turn this excursion into transportation. No real answers so we decided to check back the next day.

 

We made our way back to the hind end of the ship to get ready for dinner where we watched a beautiful sunset and an even more gorgeous moonrise off the balcony with the best views of any on the ship.

 

Tonight’s purses were The Evil One’s infamous fish purse and my newly acquired phone purse. The phone gets extra points because it actually works. Plug your smart phone in and when it rings, grab the purse handle and start talking. Not that I can demonstrate on board, because I can’t afford the roaming charges. Plus, I’m a total Luddite and can barely make my smart phone work on a good day. The last time I asked Siri a question she responded with, “Seriously? It’s been four years and you’re just now gonna talk to me?”

 

Dinner for me was a crab and artichoke brioche and roast duck. No kale or quinoa in sight. Can you say “happy?” The Evil One had a steak and her regularly ordered Caesar Salad. For the first time in a long time, the salad was delivered with the normally anticipated fishy. I was able to remove the offending anchovy without too much fuss but Sis paled so that I think most of the waiters had an Epi-Pen at the ready.

 

After dinner, we did something we rarely do. We actually went to a show. Elliott Finkel was the piano player and the first thing we thought was, “My God, he must be 90.” In fact, he told us, his father, Fyvush Finkel, of Picket Fences fame, is 93 and going strong. The son put on a very enjoyable show and actually rocked a version of “Uptown Funk You Up.”

 

After that, I think we caught one song in the Piano Bar where Barry was calling them in from the hallway but we couldn’t find good seats and so wandered away for late Happy Hour at the disco.

 

Then we remembered that we were in an Enormodam and so there was a BB King’s! We only caught the last song or two but what an amazing venue. We would not be forgetting again. A wonderful way to end the night.

 

Day 3. Sea Day. We were up at the crack of 9:30 and I think my liver just won Employee of the Month. We cleaned up to visit the shorex desk where we learned that (1) the Sonoma excursion could not be used as one-way transportation and (2) that it had been cancelled anyway due to lack of interest. We were directed to the Locations Desk to inquire further.

 

Now normally, Her Evilness is one to plan our trips out to a T. Documents are color-coded, folded, spindled, mutilated, vetted, re-vetted and filed away in triplicate. On a very rare occasion, an occasion like this one, I’ll offer my help with the planning part of things. Typically, she’s much too smart to accept.

 

Somehow, this time, I said I would suss out getting from the pier in SF to downtown Sonoma. Pretty much the extent of my planning involved downloading the Uber app and calling it a day. A day or so before boarding, I learned that Uber was not allowed to pick up from the pier. So we found ourselves completely without means of transportation for this 45 mile drive.

 

The nice lady at the Locations Desk was not able to offer a solution although I do think she admired the problem.

 

Moving on. Much like yesterday, we eventually wandered through the Explorations for puzzles and newsprint and settled in for the first drink of the day at the Crow’s.

 

Today’s daytime purses were The Evil One’s pink flamingo and my chalkboard. We used the chalkboard to pencil in our schedule for the day and so it said things like, “Pinnacle Lunch at 12:30,” followed by, “Casino at 3:00 for Slot Tournament,” and Happy Hour at 4:00 in Crow’s.”

 

Lunch at the Pinnacle was marvelous and we seemed to get the best seats in the house. Not sure if that was because we were in a Neptune Suite or just because they wanted to make it easier to keep us from running out on the bill. Still, we were pleased. Sis had the burger and while I wanted that soooo bad, I’d promised myself I would order something different this time. So, the Mediterranean antipasto plate followed by the penne with grilled chicken breast, lemon basil sauce, sun dried tomatoes and arugula. I’m not sure arugula isn’t just another word for kale but I pushed it to the side of the plate just in case.

 

One thing’s for certain, I won’t be weighing myself any time soon. Before I left home I put my scale in the closet and that’s where she’ll stay until she apologizes.

 

After lunch we found ourselves in the Ocean Bar where we met a couple of absolutely hilarious guys who had us in stitches until it was time to dress for dinner.

 

Our last night on board was terrific – dinner, Happy Hour and BB King’s. But, warning: dates in calendar are closer than they appear and we had to pack. As we did, I once again asked Her Evilness about the cruise myth I’d heard regarding pillow chocolates. In more than 10 years of cruising I’ve yet to see evidence of this old wives’ tale. Still, she denies all knowledge. Once again, her expression does not lend itself to her defense. Revenge is beneath me but accidents happen. Just sayin’, this is chocolate we’re talking about, right?

 

Day 4. Here’s Your Hat, What’s Your Hurry? We’d ordered room service for that fateful morning when we would forcefully removed from the ship and enjoyed bacon and coffee on our beautiful balcony which would soon belong to others who would enjoy it through the canal and all the way to Fort Lauderdale. I hate those people. But that’s a bear we all gotta cross.

 

No, I really don’t hate them. I envy them a bit and I hope they are having a wonderful time. And I hope to find myself in that position again soon – walking into a beautiful room on a HAL ship, ready for adventure and a bit of liver exercising (or exorcising.)

 

We’re booked on the Koningsdam Iceland excursion next summer so I’d better start saving money but you know, well……wine.

 

So that’s the end of the cruise portion of our trip and you can feel free to pop back to whatever you were doing before you got sucked into this long, long story. I’m just gonna commit a few more things to paper (or internet) before they completely slip through the cheesecloth. Stick around if you like.

 

We grabbed our suitcases and exited onto the sidewalk at the pier hoping to find shuttles, tour buses, rickshaws, sherpas or some other forms of public transportation so we could pretend that our complete lack of preparation could be explained as pre-planned spontaneity. Unfortunately, all we found was a very long taxi line and Plan B was stubbornly refusing to reveal itself.

 

When we finally reached the front of the line, the poor cab driver nearly popped his clogs when we told him where we wanted to go. “Do you have any idea what that would cost?!” “Actually, we were hoping you could tell us.” $195 plus tip. Ouch. It was getting harder to pretend this had been the plan all along but since there wasn’t a mule and cart anywhere in sight, it would have to do. (And here the Sis thought I’d actually handle this when I said I would. I wasn’t actually lying, I was just writing fiction with my mouth.)

 

An hour and a half or so later, we were dropped outside the rustic hotel that would be our home for the next few days – The aptly named Sonoma Hotel. Here’s a link to our review of that memorable experience: http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=omXl10tTm05iZ5mKE4OdEw

 

Murphy’s Irish Pub became our new local hang and since we couldn’t be in the Crow’s or the MDR, it filled in admirably.

 

One last thing. Grapeline Tours. They do small group tours in the Temecula, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara wine regions. The Evil One was the first customer they had to do all three. She’s been trying to get me on one of their outings for years but since she and the LSH usually go mid-week when it’s a bit cheaper, it never worked out. They just recently added a Sonoma tour and we had eagerly signed up. Sis is now the first person to have done all four of the regions.

 

Our tour guide, Katrina, picked us up a block or two from the Hotel California (ahem, I mean Sonoma Hotel) and our group of six was off for a full day of debauchery. We visited four wineries, with private tastings at each and a full catered lunch at a particularly beautiful outdoor spot.

 

By the end of the day, the six of us (well, seven, because Katrina was a fast friend by now) were hugging each other and saying how much we’d miss each other and all those other ridiculous things you say to people you’ve bonded with over alcohol.

 

As we were getting dropped off, it once again occurred to us that we had no way to get to our next stop the next day. And the rather scary folks at our hotel didn’t seem too approachable. We asked Katrina if Grapeline picked people up as far away as Petaluma. “Sure,” she said. “Hmmm, do you think we could get picked up here tomorrow, do another tour and get dropped off there?” She didn’t see why not and gave us the office number.

 

We called her boss, Robynne, explained our plight and since they had room on the small coach, there was space for our luggage. So the next morning, we checked out of our hotel, hopped back on the coach (Oh Katrina, you’re driving us to drink – no, seriously, get in the coach, you’re driving) and spent another wonderful day touring the Sonoma wine country. They even made sure that three of the four wineries were different from the ones we’d visited the first day. As if that would have been a hardship. Seriously, I can’t recommend these folks enough.

 

So, (dear Lord, she’s finally done!) short trip but what a ride!

[SS Exeter]

I look for your "reviews" all the time - Thank you for taking even a short cruise so that I can enjoy your writing. And Oh My do I enjoy.:cool:

[Lizzie68]

I saw the thread, went and poured myself a glass of wine, and sat down to read and be entertained. And I certainly was, laughing out loud so often DH was looking at me wondering whether he should call someone. Thanks so much for a fabulous and unique review again.:D

[chefestelle]

Wow, that was wonderful! And hilarious! Thanks!

[pv girl]

Loved, loved, loved it, but it was over way too soon. You guys really need to save up for a world cruise and keep us laughing for 100 days. Think of all the purses you could acquire from strange places! Looking forward to hearing about you initiating the crew on the new ship next summer. You do know it's cold in Iceland - only wine will keep you warm.

[DeeniEncinitas]

WOW got online saw my fav sisters could not wait to hear of your adventures!!!

Love reading all of your reviews, and this one was great!

Had a big smile while reading!!! You guys sure do have fun!

Glad you got the upgrade, and isn't it amazing to experience the Neptune suite So!

Hard to go back!

Happy sailings

Denise:)

[Boytjie]

Always fun to read your travel logs!

 

Which vineyards did you go to in Sonoma?

[scm1848]

If I'm going to be on a cruise with you and the E.O., I will need to double my supply of Depends. Also, I will need to pre-order wine to be delivered by my cabin to insure that my liver's maintenance schedule is kept up.

[Hooked!]

Thank you. Just...thank you. I had to put down the iPad a few times due to legitimate "lol".

[innlady1]

Thanks for another fabulous review of your escapades!

[Rowsby]

Too funny.....and loved it....!!!!

[kjw869]

Nice to see you posting again. We sailed with you on the Noordam in May.

[madera1]

Loved reading your review...so entertaining!! Thanks for the tips. Looking forward to your Iceland review next year.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[legalslave]

Loved reading your review! For those who have never met you, they need to be told you are actually like your writing, witty and loveable! Sounds like you both had a great time as you usually do. Sure hope to cruise with you both again in the future. I would for sure recognize you both by the purses. So happy you enjoyed the aft wrap. It's worth the walk to the Neptune. Ken got us hooked on them and you sure can't beat the views. Thanks for the very enjoyable review.

 

Oh, hi Ken (kjw869)

 

Diane

Edited October 15, 2015 by legalslave

[dobiemom]

Hi there!

Chardonnay Sisters write again! ;):D

[oldbluff]

Thanks for an excellent read!

[dancourt]

Brilliant........another great blog.......thanks.

 

Susan

[EbayCruiser]

First time I've read one of your reviews, where have I been, well....wine!

 

Thanks for the great review and, by the way, GASP - I do not drink wine! LOL

Edited October 15, 2015 by EbayCruiser

[puppycanducruise]

Marvelous.

Thanks for sharing.

[WeLoveCruising]

I'm a fan of your writing style! Thanks for the interesting read.

[sedbandmom]

Love, love, love your reviews!!!

 

Sandy

[ger_77]

"I’m not slurring my speech, I’m just talking in cursive!”just about killed me. Seriously, I had tears running down my face at that point and DH finally asked what I was reading. He's pretty controlled at the best of times, but even he was giggling as I read parts of your review aloud. You are hilarious; thanks for taking us along on another escapade with a wine glass firmly gripped in one hand (or maybe two, I don't judge).

 

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

Gerry

[POA1]

A delight, as always!

[tamsno]

So enjoy your writing and style in general!! Will look for your other epics! If your're doing Koningsdam Iceland 8/14/16 I'll be there. Would be fun to meet. Cheers!

[RJ2002]

Another fabulous review. Thank you!