Saga Rose Greenland Voyager August 2007

[Druke I]

Luckily, I've only had mal-de-mer once - and that was during that typhoon in the China Sea.

 

Once I up-chucked, I was fine, and it has not bothered me again.

 

My sister used to always get car-sick, but she outgrew it.

 

I have one daughter who used to get carsick, but after we got a car with air conditioning, she was much better.

[franu]

I never know what is happening when the seas are rocking and rolling as I am in my cabin "praying to the porcelain g-d"

 

In light of this has anyone cruised to the North Cape or Murmansk? I think that I will start my Bonine before I leave Toronto. You do notice that this problem that has been with me since early childhood has not stopped me from cruising some rough waters ie. Drake Passage, The Bay of Biscay, etc.

Fran

[Kapricorn]

Luckily, I've only had mal-de-mer once - and that was during that typhoon in the China Sea.

 

I felt "green" only once, and that was on Song of Norway in 1982 after we left San Juan. I didn't do any up-chucking, though. That ship was quite narrow-beamed, like a canoe, and she rolled sideways when we encountered heavy seas. I was fine on Zaandam a year ago off Alaska during what was probably my roughest seas ever.

 

Donald.

[Saga Ruby]

Wow! We blew by that one! Thanks everybody!

 

Ruby

[Druke I]

And it is still climbing! (I check it every time I'm on the 'puter.)

[Saga Ruby]

I have a PhD in travel ailments. My father, the globe-trotting physician, spent years training my sister and me about queasy stomachs and runny tummies. He didn’t accept whining but he did teach us how to deal with it and how to start eating properly after the alimentary canal had been swept clean. The best, first thing to eat after being sick is yogurt because the cultures help start up the good-guy bacteria in your tract.

 

On a ship, if my stomach felt "funny" as a child, I was taught to go out on an open deck or the bar area which usually overlooks the ocean. The theory (it does work for me) is that the eye needs a horizon and, in a cabin, we have nothing to focus on other than heaving cabin walls and floor and the brain protests.

 

In a walkaway, the hardest time I ever had with overcoming motion sickness was in the 50s in a DC-3, no air-conditioning, 10,000' over Monterrey, Mexico, hitting air pockets every mile, with a sister sitting next to me heaving into an airsick bag. When the stewardess came back and asked if I would like some orange juice, I accepted her offer which turned out to be a small glass (no, really, a glass!) of tepid liquid. Between my very sick sister and the OJ, I nearly lost it. Ever since then, I’ve known I could beat that ghastly watering of the mouth signaling oncoming misery.

 

One comment about runny tummy - my father coached us for years about that condition. What I retain from his teachings is that I watch closely to see if I have food poisoning (an old dear friend after all the travels) or an infection. It’s all the difference in the world. Back in the 70s, in addition to buying a ticket to Houston, I got a bonus of salmonella at Dallas Love Field from a poisoned hot dog at the snack bar. But hey! There’s nothing wrong with seeing Houston from the comfort of your hospital bed!

 

Fran - I’ve been to North Cape and environs on my Far North cruise to Svalbard and Norway. The seas were a bit rough in open Arctic waters, but I don’t remember it being bad near Nordkapp. Frankly I’m looking forward to crossing the Drake Passage north- and southbound in a ship so small that it will bounce around like a cork in a washing machine if we hit rough waters outside Cape Horn. I’m curious to see what else the oceans can throw at me. So are you signed up to sail on that MPII itinerary from Norway to Murmansk itinerary or is it still being contemplated?

 

Ruby

[seabourndt]

just thought i would toiuch base before my latest cruise adventure.

on MAXIM GORKY saturday from BREMERHAVEN TO NORWAY AND BACK for 6 days. it should be an interestring cruise. with 24 in our english group and germans(MANY MORE) hope we have a great time seeing a lot of the ship. still hoping to get a bridge and engine room vist on board despite being refused. i keepm ewatching JUGGANAUT to see what am going to be looking for while onboard.

all the best

dave

[Saga Ruby]

just thought i would toiuch base before my latest cruise adventure on MAXIM GORKY saturday from BREMERHAVEN TO NORWAY AND BACK for 6 days. it should be an interestring cruise. with 24 in our english group and germans(MANY MORE) hope we have a great time seeing a lot of the ship. still hoping to get a bridge and engine room vist on board despite being refused. i keepm ewatching JUGGANAUT to see what am going to be looking for while onboard.

all the best

dave

 

Bon voyage, Dave. I hope you will be able to bring back to us fresh information on the ship, its staff, and its condition as she turns to a new career as Marco Polo II.

 

Ruby

[franu]

So are you signed up to sail on that MPII itinerary from Norway to Murmansk itinerary or is it still being contemplated?

Yes, I have made the commitment and paid my deposit. It is a 32 day cruise visiting many places that I have never been to. My decision was made between that itinerary and the "Across Three Seas". The Path of the Vikings won on the fact that it was not the first cruise of the Marco Polo II, I have only been to 2 of the ports previously and it is designated as the Reunion cruise. With the other cruise of 35 days I have been to all of the ports except seven. It would be a lot of repetition.

Ruby , My rememberer isn't working. Which month were you in Norway? What kinds of jackets or outerwear was appropriate?

 

Dave. I hope you will be able to bring back to us fresh information on the ship, its staff, and its condition as she turns to a new career as Marco Polo II

 

I will be interested to find as much information regarding the ship and how it sails. I understand that the Captain and those on the bridge will remain with the ship but Mr. Heller is committed to offering positions to as many of the former Filipino crew as wish to return to Orient.

Fran

[CGTNORMANDIE]

In light of this has anyone cruised to the North Cape or Murmansk? I think that I will start my Bonine before I leave Toronto. You do notice that this problem that has been with me since early childhood has not stopped me from cruising some rough waters ie. Drake Passage, The Bay of Biscay, etc.

Fran

 

HI GANG!!!

 

Mal de mer or seasickness happens more often with those who suffer from allergies. I should know...I have suffered from allergies most of my life. I have found that Bonine (good idea Fran) is the best cure for it. It is actually a form of Meglazine (sp?) and it desensitizes the inner ear. I have found that I can sail through hurricanes when I use Bonine. Fran is right...you start taking it once in the morning before you leave your home. It has always worked for me. Once I feel stable enough...I just stop taking it. It also works for the post cruise...when you feel the vibrations after you have left the ship.

 

CONGRATULATIONS RUBY...on 50,000 plus views!!!

 

Ross

[Saga Ruby]

Ruby, My rememberer isn't working. Which month were you in Norway? What kinds of jackets or outerwear was appropriate?

 

I sailed on Saga Ruby from Dover to the west coast of Norway in June 2005 with stops at Stavanger (and a local cruise on a small ferry to the fjord and Pulpit Rock), a picture postcard cruise into Geirangerfjord then we were off to Svalbard, over to Honningsvag, Nordkapp, Tromso, Molde, with our last port being Bergen where we all went on the "Norway in a Nutshell" day tour - one of the best tours I have ever done.

 

The Norwegian guides and locals were wearing trousers and blouses or shirts with jackets, sometimes those padded (GorTex?) vests. I carried lightweight gloves in my pocket. If you go up on Mount Dalsnibba above the town of Geiranger for the view, there is a good possibility of standing in cold mist and light rain as you peer 8,000' down into the fjord so one would want warmer clothes. One of our female guides mentioned how disappointed the Norwegians were in that summer weather - they traditionally look forward to shorts and tees for 90 days and it was too cold to don their summer gear when I was there.

 

When we were bused up to a mountaintop restaurant, it was chilly. If the day is cloudy and no sun to warm you, it can be a bit brisk. However, I stress that you are talking to a native Texan and I suspect that a Canadian would consider Norway just another stroll in the park. When the sun was out (which happened a lot), it was just a nice cool day.

 

When we tied up to the pier in Bergen, there were high winds hurling heavy rain horizontally across the bay and hills - I seriously thought of staying on the ship. When I talked to a British woman at breakfast, I mentioned how horrid the weather was and that I was reluctant to go out in such a storm. She laughed and said, "If we Brits didn’t go out in this weather, we would never go out!" I took her point, boarded the bus, we quickly drove out of the weather, and had a marvelous day.

 

I loved our shorex in Molde. We boarded a fine replica of a Viking ship and motored out to tiny Hahlomen Island. The biggest excitement of that excursion was the tall, stout fellow who fell into the freezing water at the pier and could not be pulled out. He finally swam around to a shoreline with a shallow incline and walked out with four men helping him out of the water. There was much concern about shock but he went to the Island with us and his clothes were washed and dried by the proprietors.

 

As far as your "rememberer," ditto for me. I consider this thread a HOHO - hop on, hop off, enjoy what you can, and I get to repeat my stories with the hope that folks are forgetting what I said!

 

Ruby

[Druke I]

People of a certain age (including you and me) are allowed, even expected, to repeat themselves.

 

I love telling my stories - even if Virginia does deliver a sharp elbow on occasion.

[Kapricorn]

Here are three of my favourite photographs taken last week in Alaska:

 

1) Juneau;

2) Sitka; and

3) some of the millions of salmon in Ketchikan.

 

Donald.

[franu]

Donald, Your Alaskan photos are hauntingly beautiful. I keep going back to look at them. I am saving my Alaska trip for when I am less able to get around. Flying to Vancouver is a minor thing for me in comparison to some of my flights. My son lived in North Vancouver, New Westminster and Point Roberts, WA so I am familiar with the ride.

 

I did find the airport personnel less than helpful and now that they have and use tasers, I am concerned.

[Druke I]

Big flap over on the NCL board. Apparently Apollo Management has put a stop on the construction of NCL's F3 class behemoth, following a row with the Aker shipyard over construction change orders.

 

Anyway, now the hull of the uncompleted vessel may be for sale, in case you still wanted to custom build your own ship! The thread would lead one to believe that it may have been already offered to Carnival and Royal Caribbean, neither of whom are interested.

 

Apollo, you may remember, also has a large financial interest in Oceania.

[Saga Ruby]

Anyway, now the hull of the uncompleted vessel may be for sale, in case you still wanted to custom build your own ship! The thread would lead one to believe that it may have been already offered to Carnival and Royal Caribbean, neither of whom are interested.

 

 

 

Oh, Michael, you have me laughing! My very own hull with which to do anything I can imagine!

Problem No. 1

- there would be no profit on my ship because such a small contingency would want to sail on it - no FlowRider, no ice rink - oh so boring.

Problem No. 2

- the name

Marco Polo

is already on the water - twice.

Problem No. 3

- I was heavily invested in Lehman Bros so my pocketbook is dented (just kidding!).

Problem No. 4

- I can't afford engines, so oars would be the order of the day. Hmmm, I wonder what length of oars would be required to reach the water from the empty boiler room of an apartment barge?

Thanks for passing along this information. I can't read the NCL and Carnival boards because the glitter blinds me

 

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

Fran, I'm glad that you find my photographs to be as nice as I find your photographs. I've always taken pictures on Alaskan cruises over the past three years, and I've discovered that those snapped on perfectly sunny days are boring. It's when there are inclement weather, clouds or sunsets that dramatic pictures end up in my camera.

 

I've selected ten of my best Alaskan pictures for your viewing pleasure.

 

Donald.

[Kapricorn]

Fran, here's the second batch of photographs. I don't often encounter fog on the Alaskan cruises, which was why I especially liked these first two pictures.

 

Donald.

[Kapricorn]

Ruby, I discovered on my recent cruise that I was mistaken as to the three forbidden topics of dinnertime conversation. One of my table companions said that these taboos were Politics, Religion and Sex (not Money). Since I rarely - if ever - discuss sex at the dinner table, that thought had never occurred to me.

 

However, since a butch motorcycle fellow at my last week's dinner table had tattoos conspicuously all over his arms and chest (visible at the top of the open buttons of his shirt), I ventured a "slightly off-colour" joke about body tattoos which was met with laughter, especially from his wife. So ... maybe Sex is okay depending on who's at the table, right?

 

Donald.

[franu]

Ruby, According to the Seatrade Inside News Aker is looking for customers but "The F3 blueprint has no main show lounge, for example, and the controversial ‘New Wave’ cabin design might not be acceptable to a new owner."

 

Those new wave designs would leave no option for me, can you imagine just how sick I would be if trapped in one of those cabins. What on earth will passengers do if there is no main show lounge and no buffet. How can any gourmand exist without the buffet? Besides the fact that the price is too rich for my blood.

 

Well Ruby, with only 4 problems, you win. F3 will be yours.

 

I can't read the NCL and Carnival boards because the glitter blinds me

Now I know what is wrong with my eyesight. I will be on my free cruise in 110 days

Fran

[franu]

Donald I have two favourites. The ship coming out of the fog makes me wonder how it got there. The one with the beautiful sunset has something in the water that that makes me wonder is it animal or mineral? I shall enjoy looking at them again and again. Thanks.

Fran

[Druke I]

Kapricorn: Great photos. I rather enjoy it when the ship is in heavy fog, what with the constant blowing of the ship's whistle (horn). We had about 36 hours of that between Greenland and Newfoundland, back in Aug 98 on the late great Royal Princess.

 

Ruby: You are dating yourself, talking about the boiler rooms. They are now called engine rooms! (Even though there are still some boilers on the diesel/electric powered ships.)

[Saga Ruby]

However, since a butch motorcycle fellow at my last week's dinner table had tattoos conspicuously all over his arms and chest (visible at the top of the open buttons of his shirt), I ventured a "slightly off-colour" joke about body tattoos which was met with laughter, especially from his wife. So ... maybe Sex is okay depending on who's at the table, right? Donald.

 

Donald - Sex it is. As we are all enjoying your marvelous Alaskan pix - would we enjoy the "slightly off-colour" joke about body tattoos? Also I am pondering the word "butch" with the word "wife" used in the same sentence.

 

By the bye, I see quite a few comments on the HAL board about "black-and-white evenings." I’ll be on Prinsendam for 16 days - is it inevitable that a b&w occasion will pop up? Does one know before departure that appropriate wardrobe should be packed or shall I simply bring along a zebra skin?

Now I know what is wrong with my eyesight. I will be on my free cruise in 110 days. Fran

Fran - I know you’re not dancing around the room with anticipation about your NCL cruise. But, I must admit, it has an intriguing quality to it. Think of the neutrally-observed information you can bring back to us. I would think that the activities of the NCL holiday and spring crowd would be diminished and you can sit in a public lounge or deck and watch a remarkable parade pass by. Please remind me which ship you will be traveling on - is it a true apartment barge size or simply a behemoth?

Ruby: You are dating yourself, talking about the boiler rooms. They are now called engine rooms! (Even though there are still some boilers on the diesel/electric powered ships.)

Michael - yes, I have decided that I no longer care about dating myself. I have lived a wonderful life with the usual ups and downs and I choose to let my Technicolor memories shine rather than rollerblading thru a park with my iPod blaring. Now where’s Virginia so she can use that sharp elbow? Wa-hahahaha!

 

Ruby

[franu]

Please remind me which ship you will be traveling on - is it a true apartment barge size or simply a behemoth?

The ship is the Norwegian Jewel. I guess that with the following statistics,you can better comment on its size. Although I was not certain that I would require any Bonine being on a ship this size, I have changed my mind. After checking photos of the facilities, I need the Bonine now. The colours and the combinations of such seem like an affront to anyone over the age of six.

My cruise will most probably have many sea days as I don't wish to fight crowds in order to see nothing. This free cruise is now costing too much with flights and pre and post hotels and a car rental as we fly home from FT. Meyers.

I don't know how good "Joe's Stone Crab" restaurant is but as we will be there the day prior to my cruise which will also be my Bday and I have heard so much about it, my friend and I will have the feast.

Fran

Ship Statistics

Year Built2005 Tonnage91,740 tons RegistryBahamas Length965 feet Beam106 feet Passenger Capacity2,376 Crew Size1,000 Total Inside Cabins405 Total Outside Cabins783 Cabins & Suites w/ verandas540 Suites178 Maximum Occupancy per room6 Age RestrictionsOne person must be 21 or older Dinner Seatings1 Seating AssignmentsOpen Dining Hours5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Dining Room Dress CodeOptional formal nights; no jeans, t-shirts or shorts during dinner.

[Saga Ruby]

 

The ship is the Norwegian Jewel. I guess that with the following statistics,you can better comment on its size.

 

I looked up Jewel on Google Images and stumbled across a most interesting photo clearly demonstrating the "old versus new" or "classic versus modern" concept in cruise ships. http://www.bbc.co.uk/guernsey/content/images/2008/05/06/qe2_and_norwegian_jewel_040_470x352.jpg

 

Frankly I was surprised that Jewel is not in the "apartment barge" category; she is almost the exact same size as Constellation which I sailed in 2003. If I were to sail on that size ship again, I would not choose a bow cabin because I needed a skateboard to get from my cabin to any point on the ship. (It turned out that the Bridge crew didn't require my assistance in this particular crossing.)

 

I became well-organized about taking what I needed for half a day when I left my cabin. I cannot imagine what forward or aft cabin pax do on apartment barges. The mind shudders.

 

I wonder if Joe's Stone Crab is the same franchise as Joe's Crab Shack. But feasting on fine seafood for one's birthday sounds like a plan to me!

 

Ruby