Saga Rose Greenland Voyager August 2007

[Druke I]

I'm not sure at what point you classify a new ship an "apartment barge", but think about this:

 

Grand Princess class ships, and the modified Grand class ships, which are all postpanamax ships (too large to fit into the current locks at Panama), are actually shorter than the Coral & Island Princess ships.

 

Coral and Island are panamax ships, and fit into the current lock system.

They are narrower (less beamy), which in their case, is the critical measurement. They are also, in my opinion, much better looking!

 

The new locks, currently under construction, will accommodate much larger ships, both length and beam.

 

Norwegian Jewel is approximately same size as Coral and Island Princess.

[Saga Ruby]

I'm not sure at what point you classify a new ship an "apartment barge . . . ."

 

It's interesting that you would mention my personal definitions of an apartment barge versus a behemoth. Back in the day, a very excited young attorney said that she and her fiancee had booked a honeymoon cruise on a brand-new ship, Voyager of the Seas. Out of curiosity, I looked it up on the Web and was astounded to learn that the ship was close to 140,000gt. I didn't know until then that such a beast existed.

 

As we have chatted on this thread, I have been crystalizing my definitions, that an apartment barge is over 120,000 and behemoths are 90,00gt-119,000gt. It's just my way of sorting out the obscenely-sized ships from the merely huge. I have no word for the size of Oasis which leaves me speechles - a rare event, indeed.

 

Speaking of large situations, a comment about the fiscal situation here in the US - a pleasant young man from Moody's was interviewed and he mentioned that, when our fiscal status was epic, he wasn't worried, but when it became biblical, he didn't want to open his office door for fear of a swarm of locust flying into the room.

 

Ruby

[Druke I]

Thanks for your clarification re behemoths vs apartment barges.

 

The Grand Princess and her various sisters come in around 115,000GRT, so I guess they are only behemoths.

 

We sailed on Golden Princess (one of the Grand class), a nice ship, but too large for my tastes.

 

As you have heard me say before, any ship that is too big for the Panama Canal (current locks) is too damned big for me!

 

And I stand by my statement, we stole the Canal fair and square, and Jimmy Carter was wrong to give it back!

[Kapricorn]

I rather enjoy it when the ship is in heavy fog, what with the constant blowing of the ship's whistle (horn).

 

I also luxuriated in the blaring of the ship's horn. In fact, after I snapped that photograph I walked forward and stood for several moments underneath the mast with the horn, enjoying the sensation of all my molecules scrambling and unscrambling with each defiant, proud toot of the horn.

 

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?

 

I haven't had a "black-and-white evening" on my HAL cruises. It must be a new phenomenon. A shirt with a zebra pattern should do just fine.

 

The "butch" and "wife" have been together for six years, though married only for the past couple of years. She was what we call a "biker chick." Jayne Mansfield would have been envious of her two most prominent points.

 

Okay, any of those offended by "slightly off-colour" jokes please skip to the next thread. Here is the condensed version of what I said at the dinner table:

 

A guy was admitted to the hospital. The male nurse afterwards told the others that the patient was tattooed everywhere, even on his member, with the word "tiny" tattooed on it. A beautiful, curvy blonde nurse decided to see for herself, and went into the patient's room. Afterwards, she told the male nurse, "Oh, but when I took a look, it said Ticonderoga, NY."

 

The biker chick contributed a joke in the similar vein.

 

Donald.

[Druke I]

For those of us who rather enjoy heavy seas, I read over on the Cunard Forum that QM2 recently encountered Force 9 & Force 10 in the Bay of Biscay, making for a fairly rough transit.

 

Force 9 is winds of 47 to 54mph, with seas of 23' to 32'.

 

Force 10 is winds of 55 to 63mph, with seas of 29' to 41'.

 

The Bay of Biscay does of course have a reputation for being rough on occasion.

[Saga Ruby]

Okay, any of those offended by "slightly off-colour" jokes please skip to the next thread. Here is the condensed version of what I said at the dinner table:

 

A guy was admitted to the hospital. The male nurse afterwards told the others that the patient was tattooed everywhere, even on his member, with the word "tiny" tattooed on it. A beautiful, curvy blonde nurse decided to see for herself, and went into the patient's room. Afterwards, she told the male nurse, "Oh, but when I took a look, it said Ticonderoga, NY."Donald.

 

My parents were from Pennsylvania and they told the same joke but the male nurse saw a tattoo saying "Puny" and the blonde bombshell nurse read "Punxsutawny."

 

Thanks for your clarification re behemoths vs apartment barges. The Grand Princess and her various sisters come in around 115,000GRT, so I guess they are only behemoths. We sailed on Golden Princess (one of the Grand class), a nice ship, but too large for my tastes.

 

When the driver deposited me at the pier in Istanbul, I could see Nautica hovering over the terminal. To these eyes, she looked quite large. In port, I enjoy strolling the length of my ship to count decks and trying to spot my cabin. I hope Fran will be able to give a first-person account of dealing with a ship so large that one doesn't really get an overall view of what one is sailing on.

 

Perhaps it's the difference between a peaceful, clean, well-planned downtown Fort Worth, Texas to hectic, stressful Manhattan which is so packed with brick and concrete that it is a bit overwhelming. It is a personal puzzler that newbie pax are lined up to sail on a ship that is trying to duplicate Central Park in New York City.

 

To me, the Venetian Hotel in Vegas is not Venezia and Oasis is not NYC. The modern tourist's goals of paying for the faux atmosphere of Disneyland and Disney World are reflected in the world of cruises. After all, why see the original when a domestic "second copy" will do?

 

Ruby

[franu]

The Bay of Biscay does of course have a reputation for being rough on occasion.

 

Michael, I wish that someone had prepared me for that one. The ship was swaying side to side as well as back and forth. That was worse than the Drake's Passage for me.

 

My parents were from Pennsylvania and they told the same joke but the male nurse saw a tattoo saying "Puny" and the blonde bombshell nurse read "Punxsutawny."

 

That was no tattoo, that was Phil.

 

I was at a party last week and met an avid sailor. She asked me "What size ship do you prefer?" When I answered 20 to 25 thousand grt. she looked at me in disbelief. I was the first person she had spoken to who preferred small ships other than sailboats.

 

As for my behemoth sailing, I will probably keep my mouth shut but my eyes will be outside their orbs.

Fran

[Druke I]

Just because a body of water has a reputation for being rough does not mean it always will be so.

 

We've crossed the Tasman Sea three times, and it has been fairly smooth each time.

 

'Round the Horn also is supposed to be rough - and it was not bad at all when we did it, Mar 06. We also got into the Falklands (Port Stanley) on that trip without a problem, although many ships don't attempt it if the water is acting up at all.

 

Now the Irish Sea is another story - it was very rough when we took the ferry from Dublin to Wales, in May (or June?) '05. That was on an auto ferry, and they are not really built with enough keel to handle heavy seas.

 

And of course, there is the North Sea, which also has a reputation for getting rough. We have experienced some chop there, but haven't hit heavy seas there (yet).

[Kapricorn]

My parents were from Pennsylvania and they told the same joke but the male nurse saw a tattoo saying "Puny" and the blonde bombshell nurse read "Punxsutawny."

 

I'm sure that there are versions of this joke all around the world. In Canada, the version is the word "Swan" becoming "Saskatchewan."

 

Just because a body of water has a reputation for being rough does not mean it always will be so.

 

I sailed from Hawaii to Vancouver twice, and both times my travel agent warned me that the Pacific Ocean would be rough. However, it was as smooth as English Bay in Vancouver. My cruise to Alaska on Zaandam a year ago was among the roughest - if not the most roughest - in my experience.

 

Donald.

[franu]

Now the Irish Sea is another story - it was very rough when we took the ferry from Dublin to Wales, in May (or June?) '05. That was on an auto ferry, and they are not really built with enough keel to handle heavy seas.

 

And of course, there is the North Sea, which also has a reputation for getting rough. We have experienced some chop there, but haven't hit heavy seas there (yet).

 

Now with all of my tales of mal de mer off I go in August to see the North Sea, The Arctic Ocean and the Irish Sea. Michael, thanks for the warning. I shall have to buy the bottle of 100 Mecklazine tablets when I am in Wisconsin in a few weeks.

Ruby, As far as I know there is no association between Joe's Stone Crab and Joe's Crab Shack. The former has been in business since 1913 and is still run by the same family. I have never eaten stone crabs to my knowledge.

 

Donald, I too found the Pacific Ocean true to its name; peaceful

Fran

 

[Saga Ruby]

Donald, I too found the Pacific Ocean true to its name; peaceful. Fran

 

Back in the day, my parents were visiting at my home and were introduced to my new dog. Daddy sat on the sofa and patted the dog who lapped up the attention. My father, who enjoyed a polysyllabic vocabulary, looked up from petting the dog and said, "He is quite a pacific behemoth." It took me a minute to realize that he was complimenting the dog.

 

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

My father, who enjoyed a polysyllabic vocabulary, looked up from petting the dog and said, "He is quite a pacific behemoth." It took me a minute to realize that he was complimenting the dog.

 

What a quaint way of praising your dog! Can you give one or two other examples of your father's polysyllabic vocabulary?

 

Celebrity has replaced Mercury with Millennium on the December 7, 2009, Caribbean cruise. I am not going to fly all the way to San Juan to sail on another ship, so I am checking Mercury's new itineraries to see if there is one to which I can switch my booking.

 

You must've noticed that I've removed my avatar. Not that the oil painting accidentally slipped out of its box during the last disembarkation, but I was at a disadvantage when people from my roll calls recognize me within hours after embarking. I felt as if I had "Kapricorn" tattooed across my forehead. I'd rather meet them as pre-arranged.

 

Donald.

[Saga Ruby]

What a quaint way of praising your dog! Can you give one or two other examples of your father's polysyllabic vocabulary?Donald.

 

Donald, I have spent a couple of days trying to dredge up other examples of my parents' vocabularies, but no joy at this time. One of my early childhood memories is listening to my parents compose a "letter to the editor" at the Fort Worth newspaper. For two hours, they focused on the absolute correct usage of the word "shibbolith." I didn't know what they were talking about but it sounded intriguing.

 

My upbringing was quite formal, quite proper, and corrections were gently issued to guide my sister and me along the path to good etiquette and deportment. At the time, it was annoying, but now I'm flattered that my parents took the time to teach us social skills. After all, one can always discard it but that is impossible if one never knew it in the first place.

 

Today, when I speak Spanish in Texas, inevitably the listener asks where I learned my Spanish because it is quite formal, softly spoken. I have learned to short-cut the conversation and say in Spanish that my grandfather was from Vieja Espana and the listeners nod and understand.

 

Ruby

[Saga Ruby]

I rarely use my mobile but was recently editing a phone number and got quite a kick out of the clamshell photo - a close-up of a British red telephone booth inside the beautiful Victorian wrought-iron cruise terminal at Dover.

 

In my photo gallery on the phone, I have the Al-Bustani Palace Hotel in Muscat, Oman, plus Cape Farewell Passage in Greenland, drummers at a music festival in Reykjavik, and "approaching twilight" in the Indian Ocean with a freighter passing by my "oceanview" cabin. Why do I not post these pix? Because I'm too cheap to pay for Internet bundles on a phone that is almost never turned on!

 

Do y'all have travel or ship pix on your mobiles? And by the way, where is ships cat? Are you back from your Black Sea adventure yet?

 

Ruby

[Druke I]

Mobile? Photos on mobile?

 

I am a dinosaur, and do not own a cell phone, nor do I intend to purchase one.

[Kapricorn]

My upbringing was quite formal, quite proper, and corrections were gently issued to guide my sister and me along the path to good etiquette and deportment. At the time, it was annoying, but now I'm flattered that my parents took the time to teach us social skills. After all, one can always discard it but that is impossible if one never knew it in the first place.

 

I'm also thankful to have been taught proper etiquette and deportment, especially after observing a lack of these on some of my cruises. Last July, one of the guys at my dining room table had absolutely no clue about the utensils. He often ate steak with the dessert fork.

 

And by the way, where is ships cat? Are you back from your Black Sea adventure yet?

 

Plus, where is Conte? He has disappeared after embarking on Eurodam a month ago. Is it a matter for Hercule Poirot?

 

Donald.

[Host Sharon]

Just back today - still not unpacked, although laundry stared and shopping done !

Wow, what a cruise. I can thoroughly recommend it. Lovely ship, superb weather most of the time (horrendous thunderstorm one night, but only rain in Istanbul, otherwise clear blue skies and sun. Very hot in Athens, icy wind off the Steppes in Odessa. We never did land in Sochi - but only becasue very heavy swell made tendering impossible. We also midded out Nessebur for similar reason.

 

Highlights: Being allowed to enter the Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Odessa during Sunday service, Eagels soaring high over the Bosphorus, Sitting in on a violin class at the Odessa Music Academy (plus we got a short concert just for us), standing on the battlefield at Sevastopol and Balaklava..........

[Host Sharon]

Apologies - the spelling has gone awry as I have hit a few wrong keys - my chair keeps moving (at least that is what it feels like!) - and the site won't let me correct it.

[franu]

I know that there is so much to do now that you are home. Besides getting your land legs working properly, re-entry can be a problem. When this is under control I eagerly await your report and amazing photos.

Fran

[Kapricorn]

Welcome back, Ships Cat!

 

Did you see a steamer trunk floating somewhere? Conte is missing.

 

Donald

[Host Sharon]

Welcome back, Ships Cat!

 

Did you see a steamer trunk floating somewhere? Conte is missing.

 

Donald

 

No sorry.......unless it sank:( Mine is so heavy now I am having to unpack it on the floor as I can't lift it onto the spare bed! Must learn Ruby's knack of packing light!!

 

In fact we saw very few other ships at all. Just a few very small ones I have never heard of like Blue Monarch, one Behemoth (?) - MSC Poesia, and Celebrity Galaxy.

[Druke I]

Not seeing other ships does not surprise me

 

Way back in 5-89, we took a trans-Pacific, Osaka Japan to Vancouver BC, via Honolulu.

 

In the 5 days between Osaka and Honolulu, we saw not a single ship, nor airplane, just one frigate bird probably flying from Midway. It was easy to see how the Japanese battle fleet was able to sail and attack Pearl Harbor without being detected in those pre-radar days. The oceans are vast!

[franu]

Apologies - the spelling has gone awry as I have hit a few wrong keys

 

ships cat, I can understand your discomfort about you spelling errors. This is obviously because of being overtired from your travels. We understand.

 

I always felt uncomfortable posting directly to the boards. I hate making mistakes because my mother, who was a child of immigrant parents, always stressed grammar and spelling. In fact, my mother used to tell people that I would correct my own grammar even at the age of three.

 

I the past, I wrote on "MS Word" corrected it and then posted it. I think that I walk around with a miniature form of my mother on my shoulder and because of it, I try to keep myself in check. What I love about "Internet Explorer 7" is the spell check option while posting. It keeps me on the straight and narrow.

Fran

[Host Sharon]

Thanks Fran. In the past I would have gone in and edited it, but for some reason, Cruise Critic doesn't let me do that since I have been back! In fact I had trouble logging in at all.

[Kapricorn]

Michael, in 2005 when I sailed on Carnival Spirit from Hawaii to Vancouver, I didn't see a single ship during our four days on the Pacific Ocean. That ocean certainly is vast!

 

Donald.