Carnival Glory - Jul. 3 sailing

[dznymom]

Thank you for the great updates. We sail the Glory next month and can't wait! We recommended her to friends who are on her right now on their first cruise. They were very worried about getting seasick, so I have been dying to know how the sea conditions have been. Your boys might have met the kids - Ian is 17 and Trish is gorgeous and 15. They are from New Hampshire.

 

Keep the updates coming and take care of those sunburns!

[grenowoods]

Stu,

Thanks for taking the time to write your review! I am having a great time reading it! Did you see 'Ron' in the Piano bar? Is 'Joe' a guitarist, one of the guys in the jazz band that you bought drinks for? Just curious, as I had met these guys on a previous cruise-great to hang out with! Please keep us posted. BTW, sorry to hear your boys were puked on. I bet you are keeping him (the vomiter) on his toes now. LOL--I can just picture him...looking into every bar or area that he walks into , to see if you are there first before he enters--how funny! Enjoy!!

Happy Cruising!

Seeker

Sorry, I don't remeber their names.

 

Stu.

[grenowoods]

I just have a quick question: what cell phone provider do you have that you were able to have cell coverage in Belize? Do you also have coverage in Cozumel?

 

Thanks!

I'm from Canada. The phone I'm using is my secondary cell phone and it is a GSM phone on the Fido network. When I bought it last year it had the best worldwide coverage. Rogers in Canada is switching to GSM and their worldwide coverage is improving. My brother, an airline pilot got a Rogers phone and he uses it around the world. ATT in the US is switching to GSM and I noticed that my Fido phone picked them up this time instead of Nextel. My phone did not work in Costa Maya but it did work in Belize and Cozumel.

 

Stu.

[grenowoods]

Wednesday, July 7 – Cozumel

 

Hello,

 

Brandon and I went for a 2 hour taxi ride around the island of Cozumel today. Jordan didn't come because his sunburn was bothering him. I tried to get him to go down to the infirmary but he refused to go because he thought they'd send him to a Mexican hospital. I tried to convince him that that isn’t really a bad thing and they wouldn't need to anyway as the ship is well equiped but he was buying it. Colin didn't want to go either.

 

Anyway, off we went with our very friendly taxi driver Christo. I've never been over on the Atlantic side of Cozumel and we discovered that it is very beautiful over there. We stopped at a couple of road side spots for a drink and got back to the ship just in time. I decided to stop at the infirmary and ask if they had anything better for sunburn than I was using. I discovered that Jordan was there already writhing in agony – Colin had taken him down after discovering him in the room bouncing off the walls due to very severe itching from the sunburn. Jordan is very brave when it comes to medical matters so when he acts like this you really know that something is wrong. He finally started crying and he put his arms around me and begged me to make it go away. I almost lost it. The nurse from England kept scolding him for the way he was behaving. I was not pleased as he obviously couldn't help it. Another nurse from South Africa was much nicer, as was the doctor from Germany. They sold me various stuff to apply and we were sent on our way with a wet cloth on his back which seemed to help a little. The doctor said that if it gets much worse they could give him a shot with something in it to help the itching and put him to sleep. I kinda figured that’s what they should have done at the time given his condition but I went on my way. After 15 minutes in the cabin I realized that he was getting worse so I rushed him back down and they put him on an IV with the required meds and he soon calmed down and went to sleep. I picked him up a few hours later and he seemed better although he was very groggy. I took him back to the cabin, got him something to eat and drink, game him some meds for the pain and itching, applied some of the lotion and he began sleeping soundly. We’re taking turns watching him. Poor kid – he hasn’t seen any sun since Monday and he won’t for a few more days.

 

Yikes, my back started to itch.

 

Tonight was the talent show. All the acts were terrific. The first was a female vocalist who was amazing. Stuart (the cruise director) asked her if she was a professional – no, she’s a school principal! Halfway through, Stuart got three couples on the stage, a newlywed, married for 25 years and the other married for 50. The men were sent off and when they returned later the result was hilarious – I won’t spoil it for those of you who are travelling on the Glory soon but the 91 year old man stole the show.

 

I got back to the cabin just as Jordan woke up. He complained of more itching so I applied lotion and gave him his next pill a couple of hours early. Things got worse rapidly and he was soon in agony again. With one hand I rubbed lotion on his back as he writhed on the floor and I called 911 with the other and then rushed him back down to the infirmary. Fortunately we left the IV attachment in his arm so more meds were pumped in fairly quickly. I wheeled him back up to the cabin and after about 15 minutes he calmed down and fell into a restless sleep. I have to wake him in a few hours to give him a pill. Should be a fun night :-)

 

Later

 

Stu

[krimpet]

I Seat Here And All I Can Think Is WOW

I Can't Imagine How Your Doing This.......... Your Son With A Bad Sunburn..........still Finding Time To Sea Shows And Sitesea........ And Then,

You Posting Daily! Please Keep Us Updated On Your Son And I Hope The Rest Of Your Cruise Becomes More Fun And Less Stressful.....................rich

[seeker]

Stu,

Did the Doctor say your son had sun poisoning or something to that effect? Is he physically ill also beside being in horrible pain? I did have sun poisoning once and it is the worst---I sympathize with your son and you. You are doing a terrific job being a great Dad and handling it all. I just wanted to let you know that!

Happy Cruising!

Seeker

[michelle319]

Stu-

 

So sorry to hear that Jordan is suffering:( My first thought was sun poisoning also. Has he been taking in enough fluids?? My thoughts are with him (and you). Please take care.

[picktown cruiser]

Stu,

 

Thanks for a great post. I have really enjoyed it, as I have just discovered it today. I'm so sorry for what Jordan is going through. I hope he is doing a little better now. We will be sailing 7/31 with our 3 teenage sons, and I am going to make this required reading as they are not big fans of sunscreen. Thanks again, and I do hope Jordan is better.

[Knights on the Beach]

Stu, your poor son! I'm sorry he's having such a tough time! I remember when my niece was little, she had such a bad sunburn the docter had her in bandages. Your post should be a strong reminder of how dangerous the sun can be, especially in or around water.

[Maryandi]

Poor child - my best to you.

 

 

After some vicious sunburns, my DH won't go in the water without an old t-shirt on. Living in FL all my life, I can sympathize. DH now is paying for the Dermotoligists new car with skin cancers.

 

Watch it when you are young, you'll pay when you are older.

 

My grandson is a redhead - my daughter is a sunscreen nut - Dh redhead, too but there was no stuff when he was a child.

 

I know you had lots of sunscreen and I feel for you.

 

Good luck, MaryAnn

[grenowoods]

Thursday, July 8 – Progresso

 

Hello,

 

Well, last night was a restless sleep for me. Every time Jordan moved I woke up. I set my alarm for 5:30 to give him his meds but at 5AM he suddenly got up and headed for the bathroom. I sat bolt upright and asked him what was wrong expecting the worst. He calmly told me that he was heading to the bathroom to take his pill. Dumbfounded, I cancelled the wake up call and went back to sleep. I woke him up again at 10:30 and gave him another pill. He was very groggy so I let him sleep. I got the other boys up and got them through the shower, then I got I got Jordan up and he took a shower, with his arm in the air (IV connection was still inserted). Brandon and Jordan wanted to get off the ship but I was concerned about leaving Jordan. I finally decided that he was sufficiently drugged to leave him with his friends and took his brothers into town. Unfortunately, shore excursions were out of the question today due to Jordan’s condition. No big deal though – my son comes first.

 

We left Jordan with his friends and headed into town. Brandon got a t-shirt that he’d been looking for and his traditional shot glass. I got my traditional beer mug and Colin got a chair hammock that he has always wanted. We had a couple of drinks and headed back to the ship as I was concerned about Jordan.

 

We took the bus back and I left the boys by all the stores and bars by the ship and I went back to find Jordan. I found him, completely out of character, quiet, sitting with his friends. The drugs had finally taken hold. I went back out to collect the other two and discovered that the local vendors didn’t have a problem selling them beer. I was unimpressed but as it turns out they didn’t suffer too much and we went back on the ship. I took Jordan back down to the infirmary where I got more meds and got the IV connection removed. I think we are over the hurdle.

 

When we were getting ready for the welcome back party, Jordan seemed to come out of it and he put his suit on. I was amazed. They showed a presentation on the history of Carnival. Their first ship was formerly the Empress of Canada, the ship I came to Canada on in 1965. I almost cried. Big memories there – I had no idea. Jordan was a trooper and we went for our formal dinner which was very enjoyable.

 

The show tonight was Rock Down Broadway. It was VERY good. On a personal note, for those of you who have seen it and am more sophisticated than I am, please don’t flame me if you didn’t enjoy it. I enjoyed it and that’s all that matters. Sorry to get serious.

 

At the show, Al and Rose (Al is the 91 year old I mentioned last night) showed up and got a round of applause. I went over and spoke to them, took their picture and arranged to have their drinks paid for. They are the salt of the earth. Al has an amazing death grip

handshake.

 

The adult show at midnight was a little different as it was advertised as “R” rated but on the milder side. I think that meant that he (Percy Crews) didn’t use the F word. It was a very funny show.

 

I got the kid’s clothes back today that the IDIOT puked on in Belize. Unfortunately, one of the t-shirts got ruined somehow. It was almost new and wasn’t cheap. I’m just going to let it go – not worth the aggravation. It was good of Carnival to do what they did. It’s interesting that I haven’t seen the IDIOT since Belize. Lucky for him. He really doesn’t want to encounter me. LOL. Um, but I really do mean that. Security told me that they were going to give me a report but they didn’t. That’s not surprising. I think they like to sweep this stuff under the rug.

 

Someone characterised Carnival passengers as being a bunch of drunks based on the puking incident I described. This is extremely unfair as the individual in question is the only one who I have seen who has been obnoxiously intoxicated. It seems like I am always defending Carnival. I like Carnival, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

 

It’s around 2:30 (I write this during the day in parts) and Jordan appears to have come around. I’m going to continue the meds just in case though – I just gave him another dose and hopefully he will have a good night. Well, I’m going to head up to the back of the ship outside and catch up with the friends I’ve met during the cruise.

 

It’s hard to believe that I have to pack tomorrow. It seems like we only just got on the ship. Heavy sigh.

 

Later,

 

Stu.

[michelle319]

Thanks for the update, Stu. Glad to hear Jordan is feeling better.

 

I love your attitude about the cruise. Someone else may have decided that having something like what happened to your son would ruin their cruise. You are a great dad! You've taken care of your son and his needs yet you've also been able to enjoy your cruise along with your other two sons. You've made the best of it and that's what makes a great cruise, taking the unexpected bad with the good.

 

Hard to believe you'll be finishing your trip tomorrow. I have really enjoyed reading this post!

[HockeyMom44]

Hey guys....

say HELLO to my daughter and her boyfriend!!!They are on your cruise. Hope they are also having a good time. ;)

Looks like you'll be home tomarrow.

Trudy

[grenowoods]

Hey guys....

say HELLO to my daughter and her boyfriend!!!They are on your cruise. Hope they are also having a good time. ;)

Looks like you'll be home tomarrow.

Trudy

I just spoke to your daughter 5 minutes ago. We also sat at the same table at lunch. Small world.

 

Stu.

[Knights on the Beach]

Someone characterised Carnival passengers as being a bunch of drunks based on the puking incident I described. This is extremely unfair as the individual in question is the only one who I have seen who has been obnoxiously intoxicated. It seems like I am always defending Carnival. I like Carnival, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

Don't pay any attention to him; that was one of his typical negative comments. I'd argue with him, but that would mean I'd have to read and decipher his posts first, and I don't have the time or patience for that anymore. ;) We like Carnival too, and I've really enjoyed reading your comments about your cruise. We LOVED the Glory! Glad to hear Jordan is doing better.

[Pam in CA]

Please let us know how Jordan is. I can't imagine how stressful this has been for you during what should have been a wonderful vacation. As you said, your child comes first.

[grenowoods]

Thanks for the update, Stu. Glad to hear Jordan is feeling better.

 

I love your attitude about the cruise. Someone else may have decided that having something like what happened to your son would ruin their cruise. You are a great dad! You've taken care of your son and his needs yet you've also been able to enjoy your cruise along with your other two sons. You've made the best of it and that's what makes a great cruise, taking the unexpected bad with the good.

 

Hard to believe you'll be finishing your trip tomorrow. I have really enjoyed reading this post!

Thank you for your very kind comments. I have a daily review in progress and I will post it later if the wireless connection still works. Otherwise, I'll post it when I get home. It's so nice to sit in the Ivory Bar with a beer and nice music and write this. In case I can't connect later, Jordan his back to himself but no sun (I gave him his last meds at 2AM this morning and let him sleep in really late).

 

Stu.

[grenowoods]

Friday, July 9 – At sea

 

Hello,

 

Our last day. Sniff, sniff.

 

I let the boys sleep in today. They needed it, especially Jordan. I gave Jordan his last meds at 2AM and he’s back to his usual self again today. I am very relieved – that kid had me worried.

 

The Pursers desk kindly phoned and woke me this morning at 9:30 to ask if I’d received my kids’ laundered clothes. I resisted the urge to give her instructions on how to launder dark t-shirts but I just told her everything was fine and thanked her. I was too tired anyway as I went to bed at 4:30. She also mentioned that the idiot apologized. I just want to forget that it happened.

 

I started packing and then went and collected our passports at 11 and came back to the room and started the arduous task of packing for four while the kids slept. Brandon and I had a nice lunch around 1:45. The other 2 went in search of their friends- their crowd grows daily.

 

It’s so nice that we don’t have to do the Customs thing for non-US citizens at 6AM like all the other Carnival ships. Is this a Port Canaveral thing? This means we can get up at 7 instead of 5 which means that I can go to bed at 6 instead of 4. I hope I’m kidding.

 

The day went by way too fast. I should have worked out but I was just too lazy (and tired). I joined Brandon in the gym and went in the steam room – be careful there – it is really hot but the view out the window is incredible. We then went in whirlpool and enjoyed the waterfall, stared at the glass ceiling and wished we were on a 14 day cruise.

 

We had a wonderful dinner tonight. It was a tearful (for me) goodbye to Elena (from Belarus) and Fabio (from Peru). They were fantastic, as was the all the ship’s staff. When Elena hugged me and told me that she thought I was a wonderful dad, I couldn’t hold back the tears.

 

I made it down to the infirmary, just before they closed, to thank them for taking care of Jordan. My two favourite nurses were at the desk and they appreciated the thanks. I wanted to get them flowers but I couldn’t find any.

 

I have been handing out tips to my favourite staff members tonight. They really appreciate it and they very much deserve it for their hard work.

 

Brandon went and had a massage after dinner. I’ve never had one (although I’m told I give very good ones). I’ll have to try it sometime. We’ll see how Brandon liked it. Addendum – he liked it – I don’t have any details

 

In the “every cloud has a silver lining” department, we missed what we wanted to do in Belize and Progresso. It’s so unfortunate that we will have to come back and try again!!!!

 

I got a great seat at the show tonight. The trick is to get there about 15 minutes before the bingo starts. I got a great seat in usual spot in the second row on the left side which is OT’s section. Had a great conversation with some nice folks from Florida behind me. Al and Rose showed up and I went over to talk to them. Rose, what a sweetheart, asked about Jordan. I tried to buy them drinks but Al said he thought he needed Tums. I offered him that too but he declined. I then realized that I had forgotten to buy the Talent Show tape where Al performed. My friends from Florida saved my seat while I went up and bought it. When I got back Rose signed it for me and gave me her address so I could send her a picture of me and the boys. I sure do hope I am like the two of them at their age, not to mention making it that far. Anyway, the comedy show by Percy Crews was fantastic. He did the adult comedy show last night. I preferred tonight’s show. I was in pain from laughter. I had a nice conversation with him afterwards and bought his CD. I’m accumulating a large collection.

 

Okay, now we’re in real time. I’m in the Ivory lounge. David, from Turkey, the bartender, is terrific. Christina, from Croatia, who serves us drinks at dinner, is here too. I’m about to get a picture of her and Brandon, who is beside me at the moment. She is a real sweetheart.

 

Later,

 

Stu.

[HockeyMom44]

Stu...

 

Just got off the phone with my daughter. They are waiting as we speak to depart the ship.

Glad to hear that everyone is feeling better! MY neighbor had a really bad sunburn on his cruise also. The doctor was not as knowledgeable as the one on your ship and he suffered terribly until he returned home! Thank goodness the medical staff was so good.

Hope the rest of your cruise went well,as well as your trip home.

My daughter and her boyfriend said "Hello".

 

Trudy

[krimpet]

stu.......... I Hope Someday Our Paths Cross Somewhere, Maybe On A Cruise Because I Surely Would Like To Buy You A Drink!

You Have Handled This Week Amazingly And To Say Your A Great Dad Would Be An Understatement!!!!!

I Can Tell This Just By Your Readings...... Please Post Some More When You Get Home And Be Safe!!!......................

Thanks For A Great Week Of Reading And I Am Glad Jordan Is Feeling Better.............rich :)

[watermo]

Stu, thank you for sharing your week with us. I have truely enjoyed it. I am sorry for the bad experience that Jordan had, but living in Florida I know how easy it is to get badly burned and not realize it at the time.

 

I will be sailing on the Glory in September, and I can hardly wait.

 

Each day that I would read your day's activity, I would say "there is a remarkable man". I think your should be very proud of yourself and your sons.

 

Hope you had a good trip home and thanks again for sharing your cruise with us.

 

Naoma

[grenowoods]

Saturday, July 10, 2004

 

I spent much of last night socializing with some Carnival folks. They went to bed really late and had to work early in the morning – I felt sorry for them. It got to the point where it didn’t make sense for me to go to bed. I spoke to the Red Sail manager at 5AM. I swear that man never sleeps. He is a really nice guy. At 6AM I went for coffee and was amazed at the number of people eating breakfast already. I got some pictures in the dark as we docked.

 

Getting off the ship was uncharacteristically painful this morning. Our flight was at 1:05PM and I didn’t give it much thought as we’ve always made it to the airport in plenty of time, even when it’s Orlando. Our colour, blue, ended up being called last at 10AM. Then we lined up for an hour to collect our bags and clear customs. Then we sat on the bus for half an hour waiting for it to fill – turns out it was the last of two buses. At 11:30 I started to get worried and so I went and spoke to the driver and we soon left. Not surprisingly, I slept on the way to the airport. Of course, our bags were last off the bus as we were the first on. We ended up being late for our flight (we checked in at 12:45) and got the dreaded LATE CHECK-IN tags. We just got on the flight – the guy at the gate was surprised to see us but was actually really nice unlike other airlines' personnel who scowl at you. I was sweating from the running but he politely told me to relax and take a breath. As usual, the flight left right on time. We connected in Baltimore and arrived, you guessed it, on time at 5:30 in Buffalo. The Southwest employees on the plane performed their usual antics. On the flight to Baltimore the attendant sang a song. On the flight to Buffalo, as soon as the seatbelt sign went off the guy came on the PA and said, “Okay now get off my plane”. That got a laugh. We didn’t hold out much hope that our bags made it on the plane in Orlando but were amazed when 3 bags came out. Our euphoria was short-lived as two of our bags didn't make it - the important ones of course. The Southwest attendant in Buffalo guessed that they would arrive on the 9:10PM flight. We decided not to wait as we were tired and there was no guarantee that they would arrive. We got home at 8:30 and the laundry ritual began. My teens worked on their video game withdrawal. Sure enough, at 9:50PM, Southwest called and said that they had my bags. He couldn’t have been politer and told me that I could pick them up anytime I wanted.

 

I’m taking the boys to Darien Lake (roller coaster/water park about 30 minutes east of Buffalo) on Monday afternoon and we’re staying at the lodge there until Wednesday. We did this a couple of years ago and really enjoyed staying at the park. I was hoping to pick up the 2 remaining bags on the way there as the airport is right off the I-90 on the way. But I’m starting to notice that we’re missing a few essential things, like the bathing suits for instance. I don’t do roller coasters but nothing will keep me out of the water park. I love the water slides. It’s always fun when the old guy here beats his teenagers when we have a race. We’re going to keep Jordan away from the water park though. I suppose I could just pick up the bags and try and take out what we need but I know how tightly I packed them and I would really like to open them at home. I actually managed to get Brandon’s sombrero and Colin’s hammock chair in the same suitcase, tightly surrounded by dirty laundry. So, I may be making the 3 hour round trip to Buffalo tomorrow.

 

Anyway, that’s about all from me. Thank you for all your kind comments and I apologize for rambling at times (this particular post, for example!). I look forward to our next cruise but I think I may have to get a second job. Actually, if I had the money I’ve already picked out the potential next two. But I have to put that out of my mind.

 

I’m now working on the second load of laundry. Happy cruising everyone.

 

Stu.

[dznymom]

welcome back to reality Stu :) I have really enjoyed your reports, and we are expecting to hear from our friends who were on your sailing sometime today.

 

On the one ocassion wihere I had a missing bag with Southwest, they delivered it directly to my hotel when it finally turned up. I don't know if this is an option for you, but it's worth asking about if you haven't already.

 

Enjoy your trip to Darien Lake. That should help with the Post Cruise Depression!

 

Chris in NH

Anxiously awaiting our Aug 14 Glory Cruise

[grenowoods]

Hi Chris,

 

Unfortunately when you check in late they don't deliver your bags if they don't arrive with you. All airlines have that policy. Besides, there is a border between the airport and my home and that further complicates things.

 

As usual, it feels like the house is moving. I even think I hear all the ship sounds when I'm in bed. The boys are all asleep and I've resumed the laundry ritual. I've had my required two cups of coffee so I must shuffle off to Buffalo really soon or the day is going to disappear.

 

Take care,

 

Stu.

[michelle319]

Stu, glad to see you made it home safe and sound! Didn't realize we were (somewhat) neighbors. We live in NE Ohio.

 

Thank you again for the wonderful posts. I can hardly wait for our cruise on the Glory:)