Granny's 2008 Adventure

[johnnycruise]

Now you are going to attempt a BUS???

 

Granny,

 

Got to agree with Matt. Steer clear of the bus. Fort Lauderdale is pretty easy to figure out, so why not just rent a car?

 

As for your tardy housekeeper ... next time just wait about 10 minutes after the late day cleaning, then call the front desk and ask for a turndown!:D

 

johnny

[GrannyLorr]

I know it seems a simple matter to rent a car, and go where you want. Have any of you ever seen my husband driving on the “wrong” side of the road?? That can be real scary! There have been times we have rented cars in the USA, then proceeded to drive the wrong way around “round abouts” (not sure what you call them…maybe “turning circles”?) in heavy traffic!......Nope……think it’s a better idea to take the bus! After all what can possibly go wrong on a bus?

Last night we had some people from another Internet Forum, pick us up and take us out to a local Restaurant for dinner. They drove up from Miami and we had a lovely night. Now Granny is starting to relax.

So this morning its time to tackle the local buses. We know we need to cross the road in front of the Hyatt, and catch a #40 bus. We shared the bus shelter with a man attached to his shopping trolley, and were pleased to see he was still there at the end of the day to welcome us home! Two buses came along that looked like “trolleys”……I stuck my head in the door of each and enquired “are you going to the Galleria”? First one I just got a “NO”……second one was much more informative……”NO……you need a City Bus, and you will have to jump out in front of it as they don’t stop”…….That sounds fine, I told John that the next City bus that comes past, he will have to jump out in front of! We knew we had to have $1.25, correct money; no change can be given……so we were all organized. Eventually the bus arrived and off we went. Drove all along the beach and it looked lovely, well would have if the weather had been a bit better….its still freezing cold here, so wont be getting a closer look at the beach.

Reached the Galleria Mall, but then found it didn’t really have to sort of shops we were looking for. There was a Macys, Neiman Marcus, Saks etc…..but what we really wanted was what we call a “junk shop” or a “dollar shop”. Nothing like that at the Galleria!! We needed to buy some odds and ends for the cruise, stuff we didn’t want to carry all the way from home. Next idea was to go back to the Walgreens near the Hyatt, which Martha posted about yesterday. We then looked at the bus timetable, and noticed that at the far end of the #40 Bus route, was another Mall. Now shopping at a local neighbourhood Mall is probably just what we needed. Back onto the bus, but this time we had forgotten about the “$1.25, exact change needed” bit…….we only had $1 bills. John decided to just use 3 $1 bills, that way we would be overpaying by 50 cents….not a problem…..call it a donation to the City. No way could anything be that simple. The driver called John back, and presented him with a DAY PASS….thats fine for John……he has a Day Pass, I don’t have a ticket at all! In Australia we have what are called “Inspectors”….they hop on and off all the Public transport, trying to snare anyone who is fare evading!! I could just see poor old Granny spending a night in the local “prison by the water” that was pointed out to us yesterday during our brief “water taxi” excursion.

Well the bus went on and on……..the clientele changed…….a lot…….the scenery changed……..a lot…….the language changed…….a lot…….

At this stage we both started laughing out loud…….actually we really started fitting in with the other passengers….some of them were also laughing and talking out loud……

We had a great sense of déjà vu……….Once when we were in London, we were worn out and couldn’t walk another step, so decided to hop on a double decker bus, and just ride until we had recovered. We traveled through a lot of areas that tourists don’t usually see……lots of boarded up windows etc……not a problem, the bus would eventually turn around and we would get off when it reached a better area. It was a good idea anyway…..the bus then turned into a dark street, then into a dark yard……the engine was turned off….the lights were turned off……the driver started to lock the doors….he had no idea two dumb Aussies were still upstairs waiting for the rest of their ride!!

It didn’t get quite that bad this time……the bus arrived at the Mall…..and success at last, there was a Dollar shop!! We got lots of extra clothes hangers for our Suite, some Fabric softener for our washing, as the water is so hard on the ship, and a few other bits and pieces. There was also a shop with hair and skin care and I needed some of that too….but all the skin stuff seemed to be “to lighten the skin colour” and I am already pale enough…..so looks like we will have to make another trip to Walgreens tomorrow…….

[GrannyLorr]

Here is a pic of the Legend......hopefully I have cleaned the camera properly and future photos wont have black smudges on them!!

[PeaSea8ch]

Bon Voayge Granny and John and have a blast on your 85 day sojourn!!! Also, great photo of the Legend amongst the behemoths :D

 

BTW, I recieved an email from My TA today advising me that the extra 10 minutes of sleep before your end of cruise Swiss flight to Zurich granted several months ago has been taken away so your flight from Lisbon now departs at 7:45 am. Since you are having such an adventure so far, I wanted you both to be well prepared! :rolleyes:

 

So looking forward to meeting and seeing you both in FLL on March 17, St. Patrick's day! I will be the tall one with an orange vest on Deck 7 during the lifeboat drill. :p

 

Blue skies, calm seas and gentle breezes to all Pride-ite full and partial South American circumnavigators!

 

P. S. I thought the Pride sailed on Friday and not Saturday. :o

[cands]

Oh dear, Lorraine!

 

You had me belly laughing as I read your post at work.

I can see why you've chosen a nice long cruise - you can get into much less trouble than when you travel independently.

 

I understand fully though; it's great fun working out transport systems in foreign lands - adds to the adventure of travel:)

 

Keep up the good work, and stay safe!

 

Best wishes

Steve.

[Martita B.]

Grannylorr,

When you board the Pride tomorrow you may want to book a massage for you and John ~~~~:D Sounds as if you've had quite a time in Ft Laud:confused:

If you forget any items you can certainly pick these up in Costa Rica ~~~or just visit with the Boutique Manager. She has "the secret closet!";) She keeps almost any/all items we need aboard the vessel.

I'm hoping by chance, the Pride and the Legend might meet in Central America ~~~we leave Jan. 16th from Caldera, Costa Rica.

Have a safe embarkation ! And a wonderful "Sailabration!" Please tell Nelson at the Sky Bar "Howdy from his Texas Cowgirl.":p

Martita B.

[Keith1010]

Granny, have a wonderful time on the cruise. I look forward to hearing all about it and when you reach South America I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did. It's beautiful. Enjoy.

 

Bon Voyage!

 

Keith

[Seabourn-nail]

Granny/Lorraine,

I truly wish you and your husband a wonderful cruise (85 days!) on board the Pride.

I will be reading your posts with interest.

I just came home from the Legend Holiday cruise and we had a fantastic time. Thanks for the photo of the Legend docked in Ft. Lauderdale. I can add that one to all of mine. I will post about our cruise later and maybe add a photo show.

Bon voyage!

Marja (with jet lag and sea legs)

[Iamboatman]

Granny:

 

Said with much love: JUST GET ON THE DARN SHIP AND END THE MADNESS!:D :eek:

 

May Walgreen's answer all your needs, may your suite be ready upon embarkation and may there be a nice comfortable chair with a drink waiting for you to collapse into. Bon Voyage!:)

[jgn]

I, too, have had a good laugh over your misadventures, Lorraine/Granny. I'm looking forward to meeting you on March 17th as I'm sure you'll have many new tales to tell us! Maybe you should give us a slide show/story telling one day on our Crossing!! BTW. I know what you mean about chilly. Here on Amelia Island we are also freezing our butts off!

 

Jean

[GrannyLorr]

I have just climbed out of bed, and don’t have much planned for today, so there shouldn’t be any chance of me getting into trouble! Think we will have breakfast at the hotel, then go for a long hike across the bridge to Walgreens. The rest of the day will probably be spent with me trying to get everything back into the luggage…..AFTER I spend half a day at the ironing board! What a horrible thought! :(

We are expecting two couples here today, who we met on the last cruise. One lot is coming in on the Regent Mariner, they have sailed all the way from Sydney. The Mariner hasn’t arrived yet, but we can see the Amsterdam and the Lirica. Tomorrow will be madness here….so many ships due in. It may be hard to get any photos of the Pride as she will probably be hidden behind all the giants! Navigator and Radiance of the Seas, Grand and Emerald Princess, Zuiderdam and Maasdam, Carnival Liberty, Costa Mediterranea, and SEABOURN PRIDE!

***************************************************

Well Paul I was really looking forward to that extra 10 minutes sleep, that dream didn’t last long did it!

Martha, I read somewhere else about the Pride and Legend meeting up around Costa Rica, that would be fun and a great opportunity to gets lots of pics!

Marja, so glad you had a wonderful Holiday cruise, you certainly deserved to have a great time. I had taken more photos of the Legend as she was sailing out, but my camera was very dirty and they all had lots of marks on them. Also ~somehow~ I managed to delete them all!! My camera hadn’t been used since my last little “misadventure” in the Aussie outback….with all that dust etc no wonder it was so dirty!

Boatman, thanks for the Bon Voyage……I just can’t wait to get to our suite and break open that champagne!! I remember well, what you said when I last set sail something about “sailing away as happy as Larry”….of course the biggest cyclone to hit our Queensland coast in years was Larry, and we weren’t even aware he was lurking! It isn’t hurricane season in this area is it?

Thanks for all the good wishes from everyone else, and Keith I am sure we will have a wonderful time…..we always do! Well maybe not so much on our last trip, Flying doctors, chain saw surgery, not something I plan to do again!!

*******************************************************

There is a little bit of news I would love to pass on, but can’t really do it here. Maybe I should send an email to Martha, and you can get the news from her? :D

[GrannyLorr]

oh oh.......Marthas email address is at home....on my other computer......maybe you could email me Martha?

[Martita B.]

Grannylorr,

In YOUR honor I'm going to reply in PURPLE!:D

My e-mail is on it's way to you at the Pier 66 Hotel!:p

Pinkie

[Margate Cruiser]

We will see all of you on board the 23rd. For the next 25 days.

[Martita B.]

Grannylorr,

I just checked cruiseship.cal and there will be 9 ships docked tomorrow at Port Everglades so it could be a 'lit hectic.

The Pride is usually easy to spot, however.

Have a nice evening and happy boarding tomorrow!:p

Martita B.

[GrannyLorr]

Martha, I sent you that email this morning but, just checked and it said it hasnt been able to be delivered!!! Oh well, you will hear the gossip eventually I suppose! I am just in the middle of repacking everything, still havent plugged the iron in....must get to that soon! :( Just going to have room service again tonight. Hope to get some good photos tomorrow, will be up at dawn!!

[Martita B.]

Grannylorr,

I received your e-mail ~~~and replied.;)

I hope you found everything you were looking for ~~Ft Lauderdale is a grrreat place to shop!

Have a lovely "in suite" dinner tonight ~~:p

Happy sailing and a big "Bon Voyage" to you and John!

Martita B.

[Iamboatman]

Granny,

 

It is not Hurricane Season, so you can be Happy as Larry without concern; especially since you've been Flat Out Like A Lizard these past days! Good On Ya!

 

Oh, yeah: Mazel Tov!

[mycruz]

I have stumbled on this posting while doing research on Seabourn and have really loved reading about your adventures so far. I hope you will be posting from your cruise, I would love to hear about it.

 

Bon Voyage, here's to a great sailing for you and your husband.

[burlingameCA]

Grannylorr,

 

I've so enjoyed your adventures in traveling; I, too, have been sneaking a peak at your log from work every day. You have a calling, and I look forward to meeting you on the Patagonia leg.

 

There was a time when travel to me meant seeking out adventures from youth hostels on $5 a day, and rooms with the bath down the hall. How nice it is to graduate to Seabourn. :)

 

Christine

[Martita B.]

Grannylorr,

I do hope your boarding the Pride was a "breeze" and you're

now enjoying Sail-Away and soon readying for dinner!

I was viewing cruisecal webcams and saw a few of the mega ships leave Port Everglades at 5 p.m. I just caught a glimpse of the Pride Castle ~~~~

I visited with Miss A. this morning ~~she also stayed at Pier 66,

She was anxious to board and go to her Suite to check on her pre-boarded luggage.

Have a marvelous sailing and please post your latest "ruckus!":confused:

Bon Voyage Baines!:p

Martita B.

[GrannyLorr]

I was determined to see all the ships arrive in port today, and I did! First monster, the Emerald Princess came in about 4am……and from then on it was like traffic on the Freeway! One after the other they came in, the Seabourn Pride being the last just before 7am. Captain Dexter must have been anxious for his vegemite, as he parked his boat right outside our window!

The Hyatt was complete madness this morning, with 9 ships in port, most of them the huge monsters with thousands of passengers; the lobby was in a rather hectic state! We had to check out at 11am. so, prepared to just sit for a few hours. Heard others had cars arranged for 1pm so John made a booking for us too. The taxis and limos etc were having a lovely time. The concierge told us that this happens EVERY weekend! Sounds like a taxi would be a good business to get into in Fort Lauderdale!

Our car arrived…….but our luggage had disappeared from the storage room! We just couldn’t believe it. That luggage had made it from Brisbane, to Narita, to LA to Chicago, to Washington DC to Fort Lauderdale…….then from the front of the hotel it disappears!! Luckily it was found; it had been loaded into someone else’s car!! Didn’t really need that little bit of anxiety when we were so close to the ship!

The Pride was docked right next to the bridge, so we boarded from the Sea Escape building. It seemed most of the 200 passengers had arrived early, but didn’t take long for us all to get onboard. The queues for the other ships stretched for miles! Being a rather wet miserable day, we were glad we didn’t have to wait in one of those queues!

We all went into the Magellan Lounge to get our Security passes etc and for the men to hand over their Credit cards! While we were waiting we had a visit from David Green from Seabourn, he knows me as “GrannyLorr”. It didn’t take too long before we were allowed to go to our suites.

Our Stewardess is Amanda from South Africa. Then the fun began…..unpacking……didn’t really take us too long, and we had most done by the time sail away took place. Luckily the weather had cleared a lot, skies still pretty dark but was a lot warmer than it had been for the last few days. All the ships were leaving at the same time……got lots of pics of the other ships.

Captain Dexter came up to the Sky Bar, and he spoke to me. I made some comment about his Pommie accent, and next thing I know, he is threatening to evict me in Costa Rica!! So maybe my report from the Pride won’t be a very long one after all! I will have to try to behave myself!

Dinner was with some friends from our last cruise, wonderful food of course and great company. We all had a fairly early night….tomorrow we will get more into the swing of things!

One thing I was disappointed in, was that we didn’t know any of the crew. We were hoping there would be a few from our Spirit cruise….not even Chef Markus is here!

[GrannyLorr]

I have uploaded some photos from Fort Lauderdale, but cany stay on line long enough to write comments on the photos....you will see one of the "building site" that was our original hotel!!

Sunday 6th. January

We slept like babies last night. The bed and pillows were perfect….didn’t really want to get out of bed early, but lots to organize today….like setting up my internet!

Off to the Restaurant for breakfast, and were surprised to see so many people in there. Last cruise we did there were very few having breakfast in the Restaurant. It was still nice and quiet, and I met Judith and Ivor from CC. We had promised ourselves we wouldn’t eat so much this time….but who can say no to Swedish pancakes and lamb chops! John even took a pastry! At least I had more self control than that!! Maybe I should just ~try~ a doughnut tomorrow!

Next it was off to a Port talk…….by the end of it we decided to cancel one tour we had prebooked, and book another. That wasn’t a problem so now we are all set for this leg of our cruise.

Then into the Computer room to set up my internet account. The internet is working in my Suite so far, but is quite slow, so don’t know how I will manage to upload photos.

At Midday Captain Dexter made an announcement, explaining where we were and how fast we were going etc. Seems the weather has improved and conditions are looking good. Most of today we have been able to see Cuba on our Port side.

12.15 was Trivia time! Up to the Constellation Lounge about 10 minutes early and the place was already packed! Most teams seemed to be already full, but there were 3 people sitting alone so we asked if they wanted any dummies for their team. When we introduced ourselves we found there were us from Oz, a lady from Canada, one from Bermuda and a couple from Britain……so we named ourselves The Commonwealth. Then an American couple came and joined us, so we are now The Commonwealth Plus 2. Captain Dexter arrived to see the beginning of the Trivia War, and told me he would be having vegemite for breakfast tomorrow.

Some may remember our great success last cruise in becoming Trivia Champions, well don’t hold your breath this time! Maybe they just weren’t “Commonwealth” type questions. Our standing after the first game? SECOND Last. At least we weren’t as dumb as one other team! Anyway didn’t want to win today, prize was just bookmarks and we have enough of those. I may not report on Trivia in future.

So from Trivia, it was up to the Veranda for lunch. We both exercised more self control this time and I only had 2 scoops of strawberry ice-cream for dessert…..no cakes….no cookies.

Tonight is a Formal night, but I wasn’t sure if we would be going as we sent Johns Tux off last night to be cleaned, and weren’t sure if it would arrive back in time. When we got back from lunch, there it was all spic and span. I think it was Steve wanted to know that answer so he and Chris can screw up their suits in the bottom of the luggage without worrying.

This afternoon we have been doing the laundry!! Quite an exciting way to spend a sea afternoon on Seabourn but as its already 12 days since we left home, ~some things~ are becoming scarce! Now we are all up to date again so can really settle in and enjoy the next two sea days.

[Martita B.]

Grannylorr

Wellll, you and John finally arrived safe and sound! I was happy to hear your luggage didn't take off, down 17th Street in the mistaken car! :confused: And Captain Dexter wouldn't dare evict you in Costa Rica ~~who would write such interesting and comical posts on CC ? Please tell him I send him my "Howdy Do's!"

Thank you again for your "Granny tales of travel!":D

Have a most wonderful formal evening tonight and enjoy the Captain's welcome reception!

Martita B.

[wynkys]

Glad to hear that you are finally underway and thank you once again for such fine quality reporting.

 

Wayne