August 30, 2012
Pumpkin in 1.
We are about 90 percent packed to walk off the ship in the morning. The Bro and CJ will meet us and we will head for home, stopping in Wilson, NC before completing the journey Saturday.
The good thing is we have another cruise scheduled for this year. The bad thing is we have to wait until November. It takes so long for good things to get here, and they are gone so quickly. But that’s the way it is.
See you all soon.
TTFN
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
August 29, 2012.
Pumpkin in 2.
We slept late this morning, had breakfast in the “My Fair Lady” dining room, got tender tickets, and waited for our turn to go ashore in Newport, Rhode Island.
We passed St. Paul's UMC which advertises they are the world's oldest Methodist church with a steeple and a bell.
We walked around with two objectives: to find a used bookstore which advertised “fine old books”; and to find “Wood Pizza” – an eatery which advertised wood-fired pizza. We located both, and as my old Daddy used to say, “Nothing extra.” In fact, Wood Pizza was closed. How rude!
I bought a Star Trek novel, since I had finished reading the book I brought on ship, and Bonnie looked, unsuccessfully, for crocheting books.
We passed Cairn Stadium (I think that’s spelled correctly), the home of the Newport Gulls. The Gulls are in a developmental league, like the Wilson Tobs, college players who play from May until August, honing their skills with extra playing time after the college season ends. It’s a great old ball park, representative of by gone days. The last time we were here, the Gulls were in town and we watched a couple of innings.
The harbor in Newport is not deep enough for cruise ships to dock, so tenders must be used to get passengers ashore. We tendered in when we were on the Dawn Princess several years ago, preparing for our Atlantic crossing. In recent days the city government has put in a new law “no wake” law which requires all ships entering the harbor to travel no faster than 5 miles per hour, thus making a 5 minute trip into a 20 minute one. But it’s their harbor, and I guess they can do what they want.
We did find another gun for Mac.
I am happy to report that I inflicted the Hub Cap Joke on another table of unsuspecting cruisers. They are my favorite types to abuse – they’ve spent more days at sea than Noah, and the alternately brag and complain about every ship, every port, every meal, every cruise director ... you get the idea.
Well, time to get this posted. I’m not sure if there will be a report from sea tomorrow or not. Time will tell, but what is time to a hog (pictured is a variety transplanted to Bermuda from England and hunted to extinction).
TTFN.
Pumpkin in 2.
We slept late this morning, had breakfast in the “My Fair Lady” dining room, got tender tickets, and waited for our turn to go ashore in Newport, Rhode Island.
We passed St. Paul's UMC which advertises they are the world's oldest Methodist church with a steeple and a bell.
We walked around with two objectives: to find a used bookstore which advertised “fine old books”; and to find “Wood Pizza” – an eatery which advertised wood-fired pizza. We located both, and as my old Daddy used to say, “Nothing extra.” In fact, Wood Pizza was closed. How rude!
I bought a Star Trek novel, since I had finished reading the book I brought on ship, and Bonnie looked, unsuccessfully, for crocheting books.
We passed Cairn Stadium (I think that’s spelled correctly), the home of the Newport Gulls. The Gulls are in a developmental league, like the Wilson Tobs, college players who play from May until August, honing their skills with extra playing time after the college season ends. It’s a great old ball park, representative of by gone days. The last time we were here, the Gulls were in town and we watched a couple of innings.
The harbor in Newport is not deep enough for cruise ships to dock, so tenders must be used to get passengers ashore. We tendered in when we were on the Dawn Princess several years ago, preparing for our Atlantic crossing. In recent days the city government has put in a new law “no wake” law which requires all ships entering the harbor to travel no faster than 5 miles per hour, thus making a 5 minute trip into a 20 minute one. But it’s their harbor, and I guess they can do what they want.
I am happy to report that I inflicted the Hub Cap Joke on another table of unsuspecting cruisers. They are my favorite types to abuse – they’ve spent more days at sea than Noah, and the alternately brag and complain about every ship, every port, every meal, every cruise director ... you get the idea.
Well, time to get this posted. I’m not sure if there will be a report from sea tomorrow or not. Time will tell, but what is time to a hog (pictured is a variety transplanted to Bermuda from England and hunted to extinction).
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
August 28, 2012.
Well, if it’s Tuesday, this must be Boston.
We had purchased round-trip shuttle tickets to take us to Quincy Market where we were going to walk the Freedom Trail, but the skies over Bean Town were heavy with rain. We cashed in our tickets, and set out to spend a leisurely day reading, eating, and napping, with a touch of crocheting thrown in. As the clock approached the noon hour, we noticed that the rain had stopped, and there was nothing but blue skies (thank you, Mr. Worf, and Irving Berlin). Too late to get shuttle tickets again, as the ship sails at 3:30, we continued the above listed non-strenuous activities.
Since there are no Boston pictures to post, I am going to pick out a few of the Bermuda pix, and include them in this issue of the blog.
I did enjoy the honesty of this quote inside the Queen’s Museum.
Everyone who once resided at 4214 Cap Chat Street will recognize the car. I doubt it was one of our two, but it was interesting to see a Festiva-like vehicle parked at the dock.
The collection of anchors is inside the fortress walls at King’s Wharf, a collection rescued from the many shipwrecks that have occurred in the waters off of Bermuda. All of you history students know that the first permanent settlers to Bermuda arrived via the shipwreck of the “Sea Venture,” a vessel commanded by Sir George Somers, of the Virginia Company, which was on its way to restock the colony at Jamestown, and ran afoul of a hurricane. They bailed for three days and three nights – the newly constructed ship, on its maiden voyage, coming apart before their eyes. They grounded on a reef on July 28, 1609. All 150 passengers made it to shore where they took several months to construct two small vessels out of their flagship, and sail onto Virginia.
During their sojourn, deprived of all of the comforts of home, they discovered that the Palmetto berry could produce an intoxicating beverage. No known relationship, but during the time they were constructing the “Patience,” and the “Deliverance,” two babies were born.
Well enough of that. And for the Big Guy, another cannon pointed out to sea to shoot the bad guys!
Hopefully we will get some pictures tomorrow in New Port as we set off exploring on our own.
TTFN.
Well, if it’s Tuesday, this must be Boston.
We had purchased round-trip shuttle tickets to take us to Quincy Market where we were going to walk the Freedom Trail, but the skies over Bean Town were heavy with rain. We cashed in our tickets, and set out to spend a leisurely day reading, eating, and napping, with a touch of crocheting thrown in. As the clock approached the noon hour, we noticed that the rain had stopped, and there was nothing but blue skies (thank you, Mr. Worf, and Irving Berlin). Too late to get shuttle tickets again, as the ship sails at 3:30, we continued the above listed non-strenuous activities.
Since there are no Boston pictures to post, I am going to pick out a few of the Bermuda pix, and include them in this issue of the blog.
During their sojourn, deprived of all of the comforts of home, they discovered that the Palmetto berry could produce an intoxicating beverage. No known relationship, but during the time they were constructing the “Patience,” and the “Deliverance,” two babies were born.
Hopefully we will get some pictures tomorrow in New Port as we set off exploring on our own.
TTFN.
Monday, August 27, 2012
The Colonial New England talk was well-received. Spotlight Lounge, where I made the presentation, was full. Katrina, the activities director, predicted a good crowd because most people would be back onboard long before 4:00, and my talk was presented after we sailed.
Sunday morning we went to an Interdenominational Worship Service, led by Katrina, and it was a very good time. Simple. Direct. God-honoring. She led us in several prayers, the singing of some old hymns of the church, and some responsive readings. Before she gave the message (shorter than a recent wedding ceremony of our participation) she asked if anyone wanted to share. From my experience, that can be disastrous, but the only comment came from two ladies, twins, who are celebrating their 75th birthday tomorrow. One of them said, “Getting good use out of one egg for 150 years is something to thank God about!
Bonnie bought a few small souvenirs, and I spent $2.50 on a bottle of Coke, cold and delicious.
TTFN
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Well, here we are onboard the Enchantment of the Seas, and what would life onboard be like without a bump or two here and there. Or to put it another way, what would it would be like if the ship’s crew, or the security ashore, or any number of other people, didn’t do something that would cause my beloved wife to exhibit feelings of anxiety.
We had our stateroom number issued to us at dockside, without a hitch (and we drove from Edgewater to the dock with relative ease.
Through security without a hitch. No shoes or other garments had to be removed, and no alarms were set off. Bonnie is traveling, as she always does, with her cane, and they directed us to the front of the line where Sandy was ready to receive us.
All went well until Sandy scanned my passport and it told her the passport was issued to Michael David Sisler (my beloved wife is still sputtering about that one – “It makes no sense!” “His numbers aren’t the same!” “He hasn’t used his passport in 20 years!”). It took a quick check and they allowed as how I am Melvin David Sisler, Jr., and the passport was issued to Melvin David Sisler, Jr., and they changed my room card to read Melvin David Sisler, Jr., and so Melvin David Sisler, Jr., and not Michael David Sisler was admitted to Room 2021 on the Enchantment of the Seas. Who knows? Probably not even the Shadow.
I hope my passport shows up as Melvin David Sisler, Jr., on the 31st, or I may have some “splaining to do.”
We have been assigned to the second seating for the evening meal, and share a table with two other presenters – a husband and wife team who teach ballroom dancing.
The Activities Director, Katrina (good Russian name), called me this morning and asked if I could add a 5th talk to my presentations, so I will be doing “When Pirates Sailed the Atlantic” (which features the most famous Pirate to ever come out the Caribbean) in the morning before we dock, then two talks on New England, and on the way home “Famous, and Not So Famous Pirates and Other Pirate Stuff.”
August 25, 2012 – Day 3
When I do my talks, Bonnie is my time keeper. When I am within 10 minutes of quitting time she waves at me, so I can stop in time for questions. I always acknowledge her, and today I told the assembled throng that she has been my wife for 44 years and one day. After my talk, a young man came up to me and said he had been born on August 24, 1968, so he was 44 years and one day old. Small world department.
If you have seen this slide show (wake up, Amy) you know that I put up a slide that lists the countries from which pirates came during the Golden Age of Piracy. I then say, “One of the greatest Pirates of all time came from Puerto Rico,” and show a slide of Roberto Clemente. Today I had my #47 Pirate shirt hidden under my sport jacket. I received a warm ovation as I revealed the colors.
We ate lunch on board and then took a ferry to Hamilton, the capital of Bermuda, and from there a bus to Crystal Caves. I love caves and caverns, and this is one of the prettiest I have ever seen.
Tomorrow we will explore the area around the Royal Naval Dockyard. Ship sails at 4:30 p.m., and I will give my “Colonial New England and the Beginning of the Revolution” talk, as we point north towards Boston.
I give up! The Caves pix goes two paragraphs up, and the one below it is the Royal Dockyard. Oh well
TTFN
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
SHUTTING IT DOWN HERE, BOSS
February 8, 2012
Where are my pants? We have packed our suitcases and are waiting for our luggage tags so we can set our suitcases out for delivery to the dockside. Somewhere in my pea brain is the thought that I wore a lavender shirt and grey slacks to Fort Lauderdale. If my memory is correct, and my traveling companion can neither confirm or deny my version, I have lost the grey slacks. We moved last week from Aloha 237 to Dolphin 230, and if I had them at that point, I no longer do. Now ain’t that a fine howdy do? I guess when we get back to Woodland 233, I’ll know for sure. Maybe.
The line at the Purser’s Desk has been 45 minutes long all day long with people cued up to get their bills, inquire about travel arrangements, and so forth. The end of the line never seems to change. We wanted some small envelopes so we can give a special gratuity to our waiter and junior waiter tonight, and Bonnie stood in the line for 45 minutes. We went down to do some last minute shopping and take a few photographs about 4 o’clock, and the end of the line was right where Bonnie had started her adventure at 10:30 this morning.
I cannot begin to imagine what a job this is for Princess to get all of the details arranged to end the cruise early, and get people home. They have made airplane arrangements, booked hotel rooms for those who are staying over to sail on Saturday, adjusted charge accounts and on and on. My hat is really off to them for the way they’ve handled this, and especially for doing the right thing. It would have been easy to sail on to Curacao and then Aruba because the number of new cases is decreasing. There are new cases, but fewer in number than earlier in the week, so they could have justified sailing on. The cost to the cruise line must be enormous.
Rumors abound all over the ship. There are three ships in Fort Lauderdale carrying the norovirus. No, there are five. No, there are ten. The outbreak began last Thursday when the restaurants served lobster (but if it caused the outbreak on the Crown Princess, how did it get to the other ships, because our cooks did not feed their passengers). There have been 200 people sick. No 400. No half the ship’s compliment including crew! Anyway I know it is true because I got it from Billy Bob who looked it up on Snopes!
The folks we’ve fellowshipped with seem to be rather stoic about it. One gal said, “I’ve gotten a free five day vacation. I’ve been fed and taken care of, and it hasn’t cost me a penny.” That seems to be the general attitude.
When all is said and done – and more is usually said than done – Bonnie and I have had a good time, but we will be glad to get back to Woodland Drive. This will be the last blog entry. See you at the house, or in church.
TTFN!
Where are my pants? We have packed our suitcases and are waiting for our luggage tags so we can set our suitcases out for delivery to the dockside. Somewhere in my pea brain is the thought that I wore a lavender shirt and grey slacks to Fort Lauderdale. If my memory is correct, and my traveling companion can neither confirm or deny my version, I have lost the grey slacks. We moved last week from Aloha 237 to Dolphin 230, and if I had them at that point, I no longer do. Now ain’t that a fine howdy do? I guess when we get back to Woodland 233, I’ll know for sure. Maybe.
The line at the Purser’s Desk has been 45 minutes long all day long with people cued up to get their bills, inquire about travel arrangements, and so forth. The end of the line never seems to change. We wanted some small envelopes so we can give a special gratuity to our waiter and junior waiter tonight, and Bonnie stood in the line for 45 minutes. We went down to do some last minute shopping and take a few photographs about 4 o’clock, and the end of the line was right where Bonnie had started her adventure at 10:30 this morning.
I cannot begin to imagine what a job this is for Princess to get all of the details arranged to end the cruise early, and get people home. They have made airplane arrangements, booked hotel rooms for those who are staying over to sail on Saturday, adjusted charge accounts and on and on. My hat is really off to them for the way they’ve handled this, and especially for doing the right thing. It would have been easy to sail on to Curacao and then Aruba because the number of new cases is decreasing. There are new cases, but fewer in number than earlier in the week, so they could have justified sailing on. The cost to the cruise line must be enormous.
Rumors abound all over the ship. There are three ships in Fort Lauderdale carrying the norovirus. No, there are five. No, there are ten. The outbreak began last Thursday when the restaurants served lobster (but if it caused the outbreak on the Crown Princess, how did it get to the other ships, because our cooks did not feed their passengers). There have been 200 people sick. No 400. No half the ship’s compliment including crew! Anyway I know it is true because I got it from Billy Bob who looked it up on Snopes!
The folks we’ve fellowshipped with seem to be rather stoic about it. One gal said, “I’ve gotten a free five day vacation. I’ve been fed and taken care of, and it hasn’t cost me a penny.” That seems to be the general attitude.
When all is said and done – and more is usually said than done – Bonnie and I have had a good time, but we will be glad to get back to Woodland Drive. This will be the last blog entry. See you at the house, or in church.
TTFN!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
SAILING NORTH
February 7, 2012, Part 2
A brief report tonight, because we did a whole lot of nothing.
The highlight of the afternoon for yours truly was attending Afternoon Tea where I consumed tea, and small sandwiches, and scones with jam and clotted cream, and one peanut butter cookie.
For supper tonight we had skirt steak fajitas. Almost like being at Mi Rancho, with Slobodon taking the place of Wally, and Olena filling in for Fabiola.
The mood around the ship today has been subdued, as expected. None of us wanted our cruise cut short, but once the Captain relayed the conditions to the home office in California, the decision was made to get back home as quickly as possible. There are still new cases of the gastrointestinal distress being reported, but the outbreaks are slowing down. Regardless, both passengers and crew are being affected, and the decision was a wise one. Word is that after two full days of disinfecting, the Crown Princess will sail for the Western Caribbean on Saturday. To sum it up, this stuff has been bad juju. Thankfully, Bonnie and I remain well.
After supper we went to the Fusion Lounge where we took part in movie music trivia. The DJ played clips of music from 20 films and we had to identify the movie. We got three right (Titanic, Grease, and Beverly Hills Cop). I am embarrassed to report that we missed Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The winners had 15. I think they cheated.
I give my last talk for this cruise tomorrow at 11:45 on Fort Lauderdale. With passengers who are sailing next week being housed in the area, there might be a bigger than normal crowd, looking for things to do while ashore.
We will get our luggage tags tomorrow afternoon, pack and set our suitcases out for the porters to carry them to the baggage area, ready for disembarkation. We will leave the ship around 9 a.m., retrieve the Red Hot Chili Pepper and point it in the direction of Augusta. Home again, home again, jiggity jig.
TTFN
A brief report tonight, because we did a whole lot of nothing.
The highlight of the afternoon for yours truly was attending Afternoon Tea where I consumed tea, and small sandwiches, and scones with jam and clotted cream, and one peanut butter cookie.
For supper tonight we had skirt steak fajitas. Almost like being at Mi Rancho, with Slobodon taking the place of Wally, and Olena filling in for Fabiola.
The mood around the ship today has been subdued, as expected. None of us wanted our cruise cut short, but once the Captain relayed the conditions to the home office in California, the decision was made to get back home as quickly as possible. There are still new cases of the gastrointestinal distress being reported, but the outbreaks are slowing down. Regardless, both passengers and crew are being affected, and the decision was a wise one. Word is that after two full days of disinfecting, the Crown Princess will sail for the Western Caribbean on Saturday. To sum it up, this stuff has been bad juju. Thankfully, Bonnie and I remain well.
After supper we went to the Fusion Lounge where we took part in movie music trivia. The DJ played clips of music from 20 films and we had to identify the movie. We got three right (Titanic, Grease, and Beverly Hills Cop). I am embarrassed to report that we missed Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The winners had 15. I think they cheated.
I give my last talk for this cruise tomorrow at 11:45 on Fort Lauderdale. With passengers who are sailing next week being housed in the area, there might be a bigger than normal crowd, looking for things to do while ashore.
We will get our luggage tags tomorrow afternoon, pack and set our suitcases out for the porters to carry them to the baggage area, ready for disembarkation. We will leave the ship around 9 a.m., retrieve the Red Hot Chili Pepper and point it in the direction of Augusta. Home again, home again, jiggity jig.
TTFN
TURN TURN TURN
February 7, 2012
Which line (from music or movie) best describes the rest of this cruise?
1. I’m coming home. I’ve done my time (from Tie a Yellow Ribbon).
2. There’s just a few more hours, that’s all the time we’ve got (from My Fair Lady).
3. Well, this is another fine mess you’ve gotten us into Stanley (said by Oliver Hardy)
4. All of the above.
The Captain came on the ship wide intercom system at 7:55 this morning, and said, “Please stand by. I will be back in 5 minutes with an important announcement.” Bonnie and I looked at each other and said, “He’s turning around and heading back to Fort Lauderdale because of continued outbreaks of the norovirus.” And we were right.
The last two stops, Curacao and Aruba, are cancelled and we will dock in Fort Lauderdale Thursday morning at 7 a.m. Even after a thorough disinfection on Saturday, and approval to sail by the Centers for Disease Control, people continue to get sick (we are well). And it’s not only passengers, the crew is getting sick as well. So the Crown Princess is on her way back, two days early. She’s supposed to sail again on Saturday, so they will have two full days to super clean the vessel.
Princess is taking a huge hit on this, but it shows that they care about the safety of their customers. The full fare for the cruise will be refunded to the paying passengers (that does not include us). All shore excursions will be refunded. And for those who flew into Fort Lauderdale, the cruise line is changing their plane tickets and paying the change fares, and if necessary, putting people up in hotels, until they can fly.
We haven’t decided yet whether we are going to drive home in one day, or two. But – and somebody from Macedonia, please tell Bird we’ll be there for breakfast, and I’ll make gravy.
TTFN
Which line (from music or movie) best describes the rest of this cruise?
1. I’m coming home. I’ve done my time (from Tie a Yellow Ribbon).
2. There’s just a few more hours, that’s all the time we’ve got (from My Fair Lady).
3. Well, this is another fine mess you’ve gotten us into Stanley (said by Oliver Hardy)
4. All of the above.
The Captain came on the ship wide intercom system at 7:55 this morning, and said, “Please stand by. I will be back in 5 minutes with an important announcement.” Bonnie and I looked at each other and said, “He’s turning around and heading back to Fort Lauderdale because of continued outbreaks of the norovirus.” And we were right.
The last two stops, Curacao and Aruba, are cancelled and we will dock in Fort Lauderdale Thursday morning at 7 a.m. Even after a thorough disinfection on Saturday, and approval to sail by the Centers for Disease Control, people continue to get sick (we are well). And it’s not only passengers, the crew is getting sick as well. So the Crown Princess is on her way back, two days early. She’s supposed to sail again on Saturday, so they will have two full days to super clean the vessel.
Princess is taking a huge hit on this, but it shows that they care about the safety of their customers. The full fare for the cruise will be refunded to the paying passengers (that does not include us). All shore excursions will be refunded. And for those who flew into Fort Lauderdale, the cruise line is changing their plane tickets and paying the change fares, and if necessary, putting people up in hotels, until they can fly.
We haven’t decided yet whether we are going to drive home in one day, or two. But – and somebody from Macedonia, please tell Bird we’ll be there for breakfast, and I’ll make gravy.
TTFN
Monday, February 6, 2012
WE ALL LIVE IN A YELLOW SUBMARINE!
February 6, 2012
Another lazy day at sea. I did my Curacao talk at 1:00, Bonnie did line dancing and Zumba, we drank coffee and coke, and did a whole lot of nothing. Tonight was formal night, so we dressed in our finest finery and paraded around the ship. I am glad we weren’t on Deck 5 for the Captain’s Champagne Waterfall, because just as the captain and one of the guests began to pour, someone threw up on the waterfall. Well, that’s over for the night!
After supper we went to the Explorer’s Lounge where we heard a comedian and then played Beatles Music Trivia. Chris, the deputy cruise director, played clips to 25 songs and we had to guess the names of the songs. Bonnie and I were joined in the game by Lori, a retired teacher from Pittsburgh! She and I reminisced about KDKA, Reg Cordic, and other long ago memories. Our team got 21 out of 25. Another team got 22, and the winners had a perfect paper. It was fun guessing, and then as the answers were revealed we had a sing-along. It was largely out of tune, and countless key changes, and it was great!
We dock at 9 a.m. and head off for a 3 hour tour to the western part of the island, returning to Willemstad around noon. We’ll stay in town and visit a few museums we missed last week.
Hopefully some good pictures to post tomorrow night.
TTFN!
Another lazy day at sea. I did my Curacao talk at 1:00, Bonnie did line dancing and Zumba, we drank coffee and coke, and did a whole lot of nothing. Tonight was formal night, so we dressed in our finest finery and paraded around the ship. I am glad we weren’t on Deck 5 for the Captain’s Champagne Waterfall, because just as the captain and one of the guests began to pour, someone threw up on the waterfall. Well, that’s over for the night!
After supper we went to the Explorer’s Lounge where we heard a comedian and then played Beatles Music Trivia. Chris, the deputy cruise director, played clips to 25 songs and we had to guess the names of the songs. Bonnie and I were joined in the game by Lori, a retired teacher from Pittsburgh! She and I reminisced about KDKA, Reg Cordic, and other long ago memories. Our team got 21 out of 25. Another team got 22, and the winners had a perfect paper. It was fun guessing, and then as the answers were revealed we had a sing-along. It was largely out of tune, and countless key changes, and it was great!
We dock at 9 a.m. and head off for a 3 hour tour to the western part of the island, returning to Willemstad around noon. We’ll stay in town and visit a few museums we missed last week.
Hopefully some good pictures to post tomorrow night.
TTFN!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
SAILING SAILING OVER THE BOUNDING MAIN
February 5, 2012
A day without the dry land gout, the belly belly vinges and jerking at the naval is a good day! Shipboard scuttlebutt – excuse me, scuttleboat – put the number of people struck down by the norovirus at between 80 and 400. Mercifully, we did not number in that throng. We did learn that while the ship was being sanitized yesterday, all of the food that was onboard was disposed of and all new food stocked in – even though the very likely cause of the illness was a virus. And there were two other ships in port yesterday that were disembarking sick passengers, so the virus cause is strengthened.
Any way, a good day at sea – our favorite. I did my “Pirates of the Caribbean” talk today to a good-sized audience, and it was received very well. The “Curacao” talk is tomorrow, and if this week is like last week, it will be the largest attended of my talks.
I had an interesting discussion with Lisa Ball, the cruise director, this evening. She said it is unusual for a 7 day cruise to have guest speakers, even though passengers frequently ask for them. She asked me to encourage my audiences to respond favorably to the end of cruise survey so that they will be able to book more folk like me on future cruises. And it is very gratifying to be told by the staff that they wish we could stay on longer.
We have booked an excursion for Curacao that explores that western part of the island, including a national park, and other photo op places, so in the Tuesday blog, I hope to have some pictures to share.
We weren’t going to take any more shore excursions, but the Princess Cruise Line, as a way to apologize for the delay in leaving Fort Lauderdale, which meant we missed our stop today at Princess Cays, gave every passenger a $50 credit to his or her shipboard account, and so we are using ours for this excursion. They also gave everyone a $20 credit for having to buy lunch ashore yesterday waiting to get on the ship. All together, the credits will cost Princess more than $200,000 – demonstrating that they are concerned about the well-being and the happiness of their guests.
Well, we set our clocks ahead one hour onboard tonight, so it is getting close to bed time. Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite!
TTFN!
A day without the dry land gout, the belly belly vinges and jerking at the naval is a good day! Shipboard scuttlebutt – excuse me, scuttleboat – put the number of people struck down by the norovirus at between 80 and 400. Mercifully, we did not number in that throng. We did learn that while the ship was being sanitized yesterday, all of the food that was onboard was disposed of and all new food stocked in – even though the very likely cause of the illness was a virus. And there were two other ships in port yesterday that were disembarking sick passengers, so the virus cause is strengthened.
Any way, a good day at sea – our favorite. I did my “Pirates of the Caribbean” talk today to a good-sized audience, and it was received very well. The “Curacao” talk is tomorrow, and if this week is like last week, it will be the largest attended of my talks.
I had an interesting discussion with Lisa Ball, the cruise director, this evening. She said it is unusual for a 7 day cruise to have guest speakers, even though passengers frequently ask for them. She asked me to encourage my audiences to respond favorably to the end of cruise survey so that they will be able to book more folk like me on future cruises. And it is very gratifying to be told by the staff that they wish we could stay on longer.
We have booked an excursion for Curacao that explores that western part of the island, including a national park, and other photo op places, so in the Tuesday blog, I hope to have some pictures to share.
We weren’t going to take any more shore excursions, but the Princess Cruise Line, as a way to apologize for the delay in leaving Fort Lauderdale, which meant we missed our stop today at Princess Cays, gave every passenger a $50 credit to his or her shipboard account, and so we are using ours for this excursion. They also gave everyone a $20 credit for having to buy lunch ashore yesterday waiting to get on the ship. All together, the credits will cost Princess more than $200,000 – demonstrating that they are concerned about the well-being and the happiness of their guests.
Well, we set our clocks ahead one hour onboard tonight, so it is getting close to bed time. Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite!
TTFN!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
HURRY UP AND WAIT
February 4, 2012
What a day! This is a day that saw the best laid plans of mice and men and cruise ships go astray.
Some 150 of our fellow passengers came down with gastrointestinal crud. One rumor circulating is that a helicopter landed on the ship in the night and took two severely ill people off and flew them to a local hospital. However it played out, all of the well people were disembarked first, and the sickos last. Then the entire ship at to be sterilized – CDC rules. At first we were told, “You’ll be able to reboard at 2 o’clock.” Then it was 4. Finally it was 5:45. As a result, we will not sail until 10:30 tonight, which means we will miss our stop at Princess Cays. I’m not sure what that will mean for my talk schedule, but I do have an extra talk with me.
We relocated to Dolphin 230, having spent last week in Aloha 237. This stateroom seems a little smaller, but it is very adequate, since we don’t spend a lot of time in it.
The emergency life jacket drill is at 10:00 p.m. Regulations require it before we sail. Immediately thereafter, it will be bed time for we two (Bonnie is already napping – I got four naps sitting in the Broward County Convention Center for 8 hours).
We had supper with Buddy and Jan from St. Louis and Ken and Larry from Idaho. Again because of the delays in getting onboard, the dining room arrangements for tonight were discarded and every dining room was open for any time dining.
Well, that’s all folks.
TTFN!
What a day! This is a day that saw the best laid plans of mice and men and cruise ships go astray.
Some 150 of our fellow passengers came down with gastrointestinal crud. One rumor circulating is that a helicopter landed on the ship in the night and took two severely ill people off and flew them to a local hospital. However it played out, all of the well people were disembarked first, and the sickos last. Then the entire ship at to be sterilized – CDC rules. At first we were told, “You’ll be able to reboard at 2 o’clock.” Then it was 4. Finally it was 5:45. As a result, we will not sail until 10:30 tonight, which means we will miss our stop at Princess Cays. I’m not sure what that will mean for my talk schedule, but I do have an extra talk with me.
We relocated to Dolphin 230, having spent last week in Aloha 237. This stateroom seems a little smaller, but it is very adequate, since we don’t spend a lot of time in it.
The emergency life jacket drill is at 10:00 p.m. Regulations require it before we sail. Immediately thereafter, it will be bed time for we two (Bonnie is already napping – I got four naps sitting in the Broward County Convention Center for 8 hours).
We had supper with Buddy and Jan from St. Louis and Ken and Larry from Idaho. Again because of the delays in getting onboard, the dining room arrangements for tonight were discarded and every dining room was open for any time dining.
Well, that’s all folks.
TTFN!
Friday, February 3, 2012
THE DAY OF THE NORO
February 3, 2012
Well ain’t that a fine Howdy Do? Norovirus is attacking the Crown Princess. Your humble scribe and the wife of his youth are well, but evidently there are a lot of people worshiping the Great White Buddha, or chasing alligators, or ... you get the picture.
Seriously, the Captain has been on the intercom three times already today telling folks to wash their hands, and if they feel sick, call the infirmary and stay in their staterooms until the infirmary calls them back.
The Captain said he will have the ship in early tomorrow to allow for extra time to clean before new folk come on board. The dinner table gossip has the ship getting in at 4 a.m. instead of 7 a.m. And for reasons that are not made known to lowly Guest Speakers, we are being assigned a new stateroom, so we have to pack tonight, and the Accommodations Department will move our luggage in the morning.
Because of the virus, the entire ship has to be sanitized, and as passengers in transit we will go through customs and then go to the Broward County Convention Center to wait for the all clear. Embarkation will be at 4 p.m. I don’t know if that means we don’t start till 4, or we will be on board and sale at 4. Either way it promises to be a stressful day (see Sisler, Bonnie Belle, wife of my youth). So pray saints!
Well ain’t that a fine Howdy Do? Norovirus is attacking the Crown Princess. Your humble scribe and the wife of his youth are well, but evidently there are a lot of people worshiping the Great White Buddha, or chasing alligators, or ... you get the picture.
Seriously, the Captain has been on the intercom three times already today telling folks to wash their hands, and if they feel sick, call the infirmary and stay in their staterooms until the infirmary calls them back.
The Captain said he will have the ship in early tomorrow to allow for extra time to clean before new folk come on board. The dinner table gossip has the ship getting in at 4 a.m. instead of 7 a.m. And for reasons that are not made known to lowly Guest Speakers, we are being assigned a new stateroom, so we have to pack tonight, and the Accommodations Department will move our luggage in the morning.
Because of the virus, the entire ship has to be sanitized, and as passengers in transit we will go through customs and then go to the Broward County Convention Center to wait for the all clear. Embarkation will be at 4 p.m. I don’t know if that means we don’t start till 4, or we will be on board and sale at 4. Either way it promises to be a stressful day (see Sisler, Bonnie Belle, wife of my youth). So pray saints!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
A LAZY DAY AT SEA
February 2, 2012
A lazy day at sea. I did my “Famous And Not So Famous Pirates and other Pirate Stuff” today. There was a good crowd on hand, and a lively time of questions and answers afterwards. Probably the most questions I’ve ever been asked at one of these talks. A couple of the questions were outside my “area of expertise” – like the pirates of the Barbary Coast, and the Somali pirates – and I said so, although I was able to contribute a little bit to the questions.
When asked who my favorite pirate was, I immediately answered, “Roberto Clemente!” That answer got a round of applause – must be more than one Bucco fan onboard – or more than one person who recognizes a great baseball player and great humanitarian. Then someone followed up with, “Who is your favorite pirate from the Golden Age of piracy?” I answered “Black Bart,” because he took more ships and more treasure than all of the others we’ve been talking about combined.
Actually, I have a sneaking admiration for Ching I Sao, a female pirate from China, who at one time had 1500 ships and 80,000 men under her flag. She is technically outside the Golden Age, but her influence was so great that the Chinese government sued for peace, and gave in to all of her terms.
I have been going to “High Tea” each day. Bonnie allows as how she doesn’t like tea, so she won’t go. The tea is nothing spectacular – it is Lipton’s. I’d rather they have Earl Grey, hot, but when in Rome ... The main reason I go is for the little scones, biscuit like creations, that you slather in clotted cream and jam. Yum! They also have cookies and small sandwiches, but I usually stick to the scones.
Several of my table mates today had attended one or another of my talks, and they gave me a big head complimenting me. I’ve done some small changes in the Pirates talks, and a major overhaul of Curacao and Fort Lauderdale. So far, I’ve been pleased, but as long as the audience is happy, it must be going ok.
The photograph is of the Crown Princess (to the right) and a ship of the Holland America line, the Zuiderdam. The Zuiderdam was literally backing out of Santa Anna Bay in Curacao, and I liked the composition of the two ships. The color isn’t natural. I played with a Photoshop like program.
Tomorrow sometime will be the Fort Lauderdale talk, and then the next day, we will be back in Fort Lauderdale, our journey half completed.
This is formal night, and we are going to go to a couple of shows after dinner, so I will post this edition early, and catch up on any new doings tomorrow.
TTFN!
A lazy day at sea. I did my “Famous And Not So Famous Pirates and other Pirate Stuff” today. There was a good crowd on hand, and a lively time of questions and answers afterwards. Probably the most questions I’ve ever been asked at one of these talks. A couple of the questions were outside my “area of expertise” – like the pirates of the Barbary Coast, and the Somali pirates – and I said so, although I was able to contribute a little bit to the questions.
When asked who my favorite pirate was, I immediately answered, “Roberto Clemente!” That answer got a round of applause – must be more than one Bucco fan onboard – or more than one person who recognizes a great baseball player and great humanitarian. Then someone followed up with, “Who is your favorite pirate from the Golden Age of piracy?” I answered “Black Bart,” because he took more ships and more treasure than all of the others we’ve been talking about combined.
Actually, I have a sneaking admiration for Ching I Sao, a female pirate from China, who at one time had 1500 ships and 80,000 men under her flag. She is technically outside the Golden Age, but her influence was so great that the Chinese government sued for peace, and gave in to all of her terms.
I have been going to “High Tea” each day. Bonnie allows as how she doesn’t like tea, so she won’t go. The tea is nothing spectacular – it is Lipton’s. I’d rather they have Earl Grey, hot, but when in Rome ... The main reason I go is for the little scones, biscuit like creations, that you slather in clotted cream and jam. Yum! They also have cookies and small sandwiches, but I usually stick to the scones.
Several of my table mates today had attended one or another of my talks, and they gave me a big head complimenting me. I’ve done some small changes in the Pirates talks, and a major overhaul of Curacao and Fort Lauderdale. So far, I’ve been pleased, but as long as the audience is happy, it must be going ok.
The photograph is of the Crown Princess (to the right) and a ship of the Holland America line, the Zuiderdam. The Zuiderdam was literally backing out of Santa Anna Bay in Curacao, and I liked the composition of the two ships. The color isn’t natural. I played with a Photoshop like program.
Tomorrow sometime will be the Fort Lauderdale talk, and then the next day, we will be back in Fort Lauderdale, our journey half completed.
This is formal night, and we are going to go to a couple of shows after dinner, so I will post this edition early, and catch up on any new doings tomorrow.
TTFN!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
ROLLY POLLY
February 1, 2012
If the islands we visit, depend on Bonnie and I for their livelihood, they will be bankrupt by noon tomorrow. We walked off the ship after breakfast and spent all of an hour in Oranjestad, Aruba. Bonnie bought 10 post cards and two refrigerator magnets. I bought three bottles of Coca Cola, the small 237 ml bottle, consumed one and the other two will journey back to 233 (they are labled Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao). All together, we spent less than $20. So, like I said, bankrupt by noon tomorrow.
This fellow was positioned above one of the in-town shops, to attract visitors.
Back onboard, we played movie triva. We teamed up with four other folks and finished next to last. Actually, there were only two teams, and the other team won first place. The last time we played trivia, it was against a half-dozen teams, and we came in first. The winner’s prize for that one was a flashlight/keychain. A lanaird was the consolation prize today.
You’ve all heard the old saying, “That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Well, in Curacao yesterday our guide, Loraine, had a new one: “That was the drop that filled the bucket!” Feel free to use it.
We chose not to go into any of the three dining rooms today for lunch, because I want to go to afternoon tea, and they always have a variety of sweets and small sandwiches. Bonnie had a hamburger, and catsup with French fries. No, I did not say that wrong. She covered her fries about two inches deep in catsup. I chose a slice of pepperoni pizza, and it reminded me very much of Roma’s pizza back home – greasy and undercooked (but there are folks reading this blog who think that’s the best pizza known to humankind).
Supper is served in the Botticelli in a few minutes. The Captain just broadcast a shipwide message: we are heading for some rough seas. Winds will pick up to 35-40 knots and the seas will be 8-10 feet. He said we would be experiencing “Rolly Polly” which means instead of bobbing up and down, we will be rolling side to side. That he said is easier on us all that plowing into the seas and going up and down. Your friendly neighborhood cruisers put on fresh sea-sick patches today, so we are ready.
If the islands we visit, depend on Bonnie and I for their livelihood, they will be bankrupt by noon tomorrow. We walked off the ship after breakfast and spent all of an hour in Oranjestad, Aruba. Bonnie bought 10 post cards and two refrigerator magnets. I bought three bottles of Coca Cola, the small 237 ml bottle, consumed one and the other two will journey back to 233 (they are labled Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao). All together, we spent less than $20. So, like I said, bankrupt by noon tomorrow.
This fellow was positioned above one of the in-town shops, to attract visitors.
Back onboard, we played movie triva. We teamed up with four other folks and finished next to last. Actually, there were only two teams, and the other team won first place. The last time we played trivia, it was against a half-dozen teams, and we came in first. The winner’s prize for that one was a flashlight/keychain. A lanaird was the consolation prize today.
You’ve all heard the old saying, “That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Well, in Curacao yesterday our guide, Loraine, had a new one: “That was the drop that filled the bucket!” Feel free to use it.
We chose not to go into any of the three dining rooms today for lunch, because I want to go to afternoon tea, and they always have a variety of sweets and small sandwiches. Bonnie had a hamburger, and catsup with French fries. No, I did not say that wrong. She covered her fries about two inches deep in catsup. I chose a slice of pepperoni pizza, and it reminded me very much of Roma’s pizza back home – greasy and undercooked (but there are folks reading this blog who think that’s the best pizza known to humankind).
Supper is served in the Botticelli in a few minutes. The Captain just broadcast a shipwide message: we are heading for some rough seas. Winds will pick up to 35-40 knots and the seas will be 8-10 feet. He said we would be experiencing “Rolly Polly” which means instead of bobbing up and down, we will be rolling side to side. That he said is easier on us all that plowing into the seas and going up and down. Your friendly neighborhood cruisers put on fresh sea-sick patches today, so we are ready.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
ON CURACAO
January 31, 2012
“Curacao: An Experience of the Heart” was the title of today’s talk, and it was very well attended. After lunch we took a trip to the Hato Caves (no good pictures – they won’t let you photograph in the areas where there are good formations because about 400 bats live in the cave, and flash and digital photography disturb them). After the caves we did a brief walking tour of historical Willemstad, and then back to the ship for supper and a show (through which your humble scribe slept – not the performers’ fault; I was pooped).
Here are a few pictures. First of the travelers.
Second, Fort Amsterdam.
Third, buildings in the Punda (the point) along Santa Anna Bay.
And finally, a view out our bus window on the Queen Juliana Bridge, 185 feet above the surface of the bay.
We are wandering on our own around Aruba tomorrow.
TTFN!
“Curacao: An Experience of the Heart” was the title of today’s talk, and it was very well attended. After lunch we took a trip to the Hato Caves (no good pictures – they won’t let you photograph in the areas where there are good formations because about 400 bats live in the cave, and flash and digital photography disturb them). After the caves we did a brief walking tour of historical Willemstad, and then back to the ship for supper and a show (through which your humble scribe slept – not the performers’ fault; I was pooped).
Here are a few pictures. First of the travelers.
Second, Fort Amsterdam.
Third, buildings in the Punda (the point) along Santa Anna Bay.
And finally, a view out our bus window on the Queen Juliana Bridge, 185 feet above the surface of the bay.
We are wandering on our own around Aruba tomorrow.
TTFN!
Monday, January 30, 2012
THE BOOT SCOOTIN' BOOGIE
January 30, 2012
We slept until 7:30 this morning, hurriedly applied our morning toilet, dressed and went to Deck 15 for breakfast at the Horizon Club. I inhaled my scrambled eggs and corned beef hash so I could get to an informal Bible study, while Bonnie went to Line Dancing.
We met back up at 10 o’clock for Early Risers Team Trivia where we were joined by a couple with whom we had supper Saturday night and another couple. The six of us were crowned ERTT Champions and awarded a key chain/pin light appropriately labeled with Princess Cruse Line markings.
On sea days the Wheelhouse Bar is converted into an British Pub for lunch. Offerings were Fish & Chips (selected by my companion), Bangers & Mash (my choice), and Steak and Kidney Pie, which we both eschewed. The young man in the picture with Bonnie is Andi, our server for lunch.
Then at one o’clock, I did my first talk of the cruise, “Pirates of the Caribbean.” I have a couple of corny jokes incorporated into the talk (what wise guy just said, “So what else is new?”) and when I received a few groans, I told them they were treading on dangerous ground. Failure to fully appreciate my jokes would unleash upon them the terror of the Hub Cap Joke! At the end of my talk, when I asked for questions, one man said, “So, what is the hub cap joke?” I replied, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” and launched into a refrain of “there’s no plate like chrome for the hollandaise.” It was greeted with Macedonia-like moans and groans. That’ll teach ‘em! When I tell them about the poisonous rocks in Hato Caves (on Curacao) they will know the consequences of not laughing uproariously.
The dress this evening is formal, so we will be going to the Botticelli in our best bib and tucker. There are three social occasions* later that we will try to attend: “Motor City” – a production show featuring the Crown Princess singers and dancers, “Liars Club Game Show” and the efforts of Comedy Vocalist Gary Delena. I shall report on them subsequently.
* Extra points for knowing who said, “It has been said that social occasions are only warfare disguised. Many prefer it more open, more honest.” And to whom?
The “Motor City” review was fun. Lots of golden oldies, enjoyed by the golden oldies. We did not make the other two shows. Nobody goes there any more. It is too crowded.
I do my Curacao talk in the morning (I am the lead-in for the shopping lecture). We have been asked to serve as escorts for one of the excursions tomorrow, so I should have some good stories, and good pictures for the next edition.
TTFN!
We slept until 7:30 this morning, hurriedly applied our morning toilet, dressed and went to Deck 15 for breakfast at the Horizon Club. I inhaled my scrambled eggs and corned beef hash so I could get to an informal Bible study, while Bonnie went to Line Dancing.
We met back up at 10 o’clock for Early Risers Team Trivia where we were joined by a couple with whom we had supper Saturday night and another couple. The six of us were crowned ERTT Champions and awarded a key chain/pin light appropriately labeled with Princess Cruse Line markings.
On sea days the Wheelhouse Bar is converted into an British Pub for lunch. Offerings were Fish & Chips (selected by my companion), Bangers & Mash (my choice), and Steak and Kidney Pie, which we both eschewed. The young man in the picture with Bonnie is Andi, our server for lunch.
Then at one o’clock, I did my first talk of the cruise, “Pirates of the Caribbean.” I have a couple of corny jokes incorporated into the talk (what wise guy just said, “So what else is new?”) and when I received a few groans, I told them they were treading on dangerous ground. Failure to fully appreciate my jokes would unleash upon them the terror of the Hub Cap Joke! At the end of my talk, when I asked for questions, one man said, “So, what is the hub cap joke?” I replied, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” and launched into a refrain of “there’s no plate like chrome for the hollandaise.” It was greeted with Macedonia-like moans and groans. That’ll teach ‘em! When I tell them about the poisonous rocks in Hato Caves (on Curacao) they will know the consequences of not laughing uproariously.
The dress this evening is formal, so we will be going to the Botticelli in our best bib and tucker. There are three social occasions* later that we will try to attend: “Motor City” – a production show featuring the Crown Princess singers and dancers, “Liars Club Game Show” and the efforts of Comedy Vocalist Gary Delena. I shall report on them subsequently.
* Extra points for knowing who said, “It has been said that social occasions are only warfare disguised. Many prefer it more open, more honest.” And to whom?
The “Motor City” review was fun. Lots of golden oldies, enjoyed by the golden oldies. We did not make the other two shows. Nobody goes there any more. It is too crowded.
I do my Curacao talk in the morning (I am the lead-in for the shopping lecture). We have been asked to serve as escorts for one of the excursions tomorrow, so I should have some good stories, and good pictures for the next edition.
TTFN!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
LAZY, HAZY, CRAZY DAYS OF JANUARY
January 29, 2012
Before bogging on our very leisurely day (the Crown Princess is anchored at their private island, Princess Cays (pronounced “keys”) I am compelled to belly ache, growl, and generally vent.
With some 3200 people on board (2000 of them passengers) you know there are going to be folks who are upset about everything. Nothing is right, and how dare you! I paid good money to be on this ship, and I expect to be greeted in grand fashion!
At least that’s the way some of our fellow cruisers act. For lunch today, we grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza and cokes, and sat by a window overlooking Princess Cays. Two women – obviously God’s gift to Princess Cruises – sat opposite us, and started complaining before ever settling their boats into their chairs (Luke and Mac may read this and they are not allowed to say BUTT, so I will use the more polite form, as in “Nemo touched the boat” – actually his little fish friend did say “butt” but we aren’t allowed to say “butt” unless it is the NCAA March Madness, then you can say BUTler).
One ancient gal, with prematurely orange hair, snapped her fingers at the young man serving in our area and asked, “Did you clean this table?” He assured her he had. “Well,” Orangey said, “You obviously do not know the meaning of the world ‘clean’. Is there ANYONE on this ship who does?” The young man who was the object of her belligerence had only minutes earlier waited on us (and our table was, indeed, clean), bringing extra silverware, extra napkins, offering a service of beverages, and generally being very efficient. I guess if she puts him down, it will build her up, although I don’t remember Mark quoting Jesus in that fashion: “Choose the lower station, and wait to be elevated to the higher station.”
That was an extreme example, but a lot of people treat the folks who serve us onboard as though the staff were only just higher up the evolutionary scale than say, a pile of doggie doolie. I couldn’t tell you how many people I have observed being served, and never once saying, “Thank you.” Buying a ticket must excuse you from having good manners. If there is a Ship’s Discipline for passengers, it surely must have a paragraph about being civil to the folks who are taking care of your ever need. The rude dudes and dudettes were certainly not raised in the vicinity of 117 Shenandoah Avenue!
It is a fact of life, that the more cruises you book with a particular cruise line, the more perks the company gives you to keep you coming back. We ate on our last cruise with a couple who proclaimed 50 voyages, and therefore, demanded, yes demanded, to be seated at the Captain’s table. It was only their money that entitled them to such – certainly not their humility or their civility – and they never seemed to grasp that fact. Since they were sitting at a table for four couples, they obviously weren’t all that important – not a captain’s table in sight, not even a captain’s chair, or a captain’s cup, or a captain’s whatever (insert Nemo here) – because they had to rub elbows with the unwashed six of us!
Oh well.
And now for the day’s activities.
This afternoon we attended our first ever onboard ship fine arts auction. Anyone who has ever been on a cruise has seen beautiful paintings (and some strange paintings) lining the passage ways. I guess you can buy a painting straight out, but today was the first of several auctions. The auctioneer gave a history of the artist and his or her works, then told us what the retail price was in the art world, and finally told us what the opening bid would be on each piece – ranging from $190 to over $15,000. He showed us some 30 pieces, getting bids only on the first two lots, selling only three paintings.
My mind, as most of the readers of this blog know, works in not normal ways. As he took down the final offering, having talked for about 45 minutes without making any more sales, I thought of the old Beatles song, “Eleanor Rigby.” The Beatles sang of the local parson writing the words to a sermon no one would hear, and Ms. Rigby “was buried along with her name. Nobody came.”
I imagined the frustration of the auctioneer – and the parson – putting incredible energy into something that produced no response from his listeners, or in the case of the parson, produced no listeners.
“Message, Spock?”
Well, my first talk – “Pirates of the Caribbean” – will be Monday at 1 p.m. The five o’clock movie out on deck is, you guessed it, “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
Closed circuit to Wendy: Tell your oldest child that they have me listed in the program, not as David, but as Melvin. And now a man who needs no introduction ...
This morning I went to a Interdenominational Church Service, directed by the Assistant Cruise Director, Chris Hycz. There were about 30 folks in the service. We recited some old prayers and confessions and sang all of the verse to “Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus,” “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee,” and “Onward, Christian Soldiers!” None of the songs were politically correct. They all talked about God as Father, mentioned war and combat, and referred to humanity as “men.” Chris’ message – and he introduced himself as not being a pastor, not being a priest, having no credentials other than the desire to lead us in worship – was “Take the Worst Seat.”
Macedonians, when you read that sermon title in an upcoming bulletin, pretend you did not reach this Blog.
It was a good, lazy day doing not much of anything. I went to a Skategories game. Bonnie went to ceramics class. We both attended the art auction (see above), had supper in the Botticelli dining room (fish for me, shrimp for her), and attended the early show of comedians Alfred and Seymour (as Seymour said when selling their DVDs, you CAN have fun without cussing). I took no pictures today, but tomorrow is all day at sea, so I will try and get some pix around the ship.
TTFN!
Before bogging on our very leisurely day (the Crown Princess is anchored at their private island, Princess Cays (pronounced “keys”) I am compelled to belly ache, growl, and generally vent.
With some 3200 people on board (2000 of them passengers) you know there are going to be folks who are upset about everything. Nothing is right, and how dare you! I paid good money to be on this ship, and I expect to be greeted in grand fashion!
At least that’s the way some of our fellow cruisers act. For lunch today, we grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza and cokes, and sat by a window overlooking Princess Cays. Two women – obviously God’s gift to Princess Cruises – sat opposite us, and started complaining before ever settling their boats into their chairs (Luke and Mac may read this and they are not allowed to say BUTT, so I will use the more polite form, as in “Nemo touched the boat” – actually his little fish friend did say “butt” but we aren’t allowed to say “butt” unless it is the NCAA March Madness, then you can say BUTler).
One ancient gal, with prematurely orange hair, snapped her fingers at the young man serving in our area and asked, “Did you clean this table?” He assured her he had. “Well,” Orangey said, “You obviously do not know the meaning of the world ‘clean’. Is there ANYONE on this ship who does?” The young man who was the object of her belligerence had only minutes earlier waited on us (and our table was, indeed, clean), bringing extra silverware, extra napkins, offering a service of beverages, and generally being very efficient. I guess if she puts him down, it will build her up, although I don’t remember Mark quoting Jesus in that fashion: “Choose the lower station, and wait to be elevated to the higher station.”
That was an extreme example, but a lot of people treat the folks who serve us onboard as though the staff were only just higher up the evolutionary scale than say, a pile of doggie doolie. I couldn’t tell you how many people I have observed being served, and never once saying, “Thank you.” Buying a ticket must excuse you from having good manners. If there is a Ship’s Discipline for passengers, it surely must have a paragraph about being civil to the folks who are taking care of your ever need. The rude dudes and dudettes were certainly not raised in the vicinity of 117 Shenandoah Avenue!
It is a fact of life, that the more cruises you book with a particular cruise line, the more perks the company gives you to keep you coming back. We ate on our last cruise with a couple who proclaimed 50 voyages, and therefore, demanded, yes demanded, to be seated at the Captain’s table. It was only their money that entitled them to such – certainly not their humility or their civility – and they never seemed to grasp that fact. Since they were sitting at a table for four couples, they obviously weren’t all that important – not a captain’s table in sight, not even a captain’s chair, or a captain’s cup, or a captain’s whatever (insert Nemo here) – because they had to rub elbows with the unwashed six of us!
Oh well.
And now for the day’s activities.
This afternoon we attended our first ever onboard ship fine arts auction. Anyone who has ever been on a cruise has seen beautiful paintings (and some strange paintings) lining the passage ways. I guess you can buy a painting straight out, but today was the first of several auctions. The auctioneer gave a history of the artist and his or her works, then told us what the retail price was in the art world, and finally told us what the opening bid would be on each piece – ranging from $190 to over $15,000. He showed us some 30 pieces, getting bids only on the first two lots, selling only three paintings.
My mind, as most of the readers of this blog know, works in not normal ways. As he took down the final offering, having talked for about 45 minutes without making any more sales, I thought of the old Beatles song, “Eleanor Rigby.” The Beatles sang of the local parson writing the words to a sermon no one would hear, and Ms. Rigby “was buried along with her name. Nobody came.”
I imagined the frustration of the auctioneer – and the parson – putting incredible energy into something that produced no response from his listeners, or in the case of the parson, produced no listeners.
“Message, Spock?”
Well, my first talk – “Pirates of the Caribbean” – will be Monday at 1 p.m. The five o’clock movie out on deck is, you guessed it, “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
Closed circuit to Wendy: Tell your oldest child that they have me listed in the program, not as David, but as Melvin. And now a man who needs no introduction ...
This morning I went to a Interdenominational Church Service, directed by the Assistant Cruise Director, Chris Hycz. There were about 30 folks in the service. We recited some old prayers and confessions and sang all of the verse to “Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus,” “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee,” and “Onward, Christian Soldiers!” None of the songs were politically correct. They all talked about God as Father, mentioned war and combat, and referred to humanity as “men.” Chris’ message – and he introduced himself as not being a pastor, not being a priest, having no credentials other than the desire to lead us in worship – was “Take the Worst Seat.”
Macedonians, when you read that sermon title in an upcoming bulletin, pretend you did not reach this Blog.
It was a good, lazy day doing not much of anything. I went to a Skategories game. Bonnie went to ceramics class. We both attended the art auction (see above), had supper in the Botticelli dining room (fish for me, shrimp for her), and attended the early show of comedians Alfred and Seymour (as Seymour said when selling their DVDs, you CAN have fun without cussing). I took no pictures today, but tomorrow is all day at sea, so I will try and get some pix around the ship.
TTFN!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
FINALLLY AT SEA
January 28, 2012
We arrived in Fort Lauderdale at 10 a.m., parked the car, took a shuttle to the ship, and waited while the disembarking passengers disembarked. It was almost noon before we got on the ship.
As a guest speaker, our stateroom number is not revealed before we board. I guess they figure if we are down near the engine room, or close to a bilge pump, we’ll abandon ship before we are actually on the ship. Strange arrangement, but it’s their way. Onboard Princess we have twice been in crew quarters, once on Deck 4 and once on Deck 7. The cabin on Deck 7 was an officer’s cabin and not bad at all.
There were 7 cruises ships in Port Everglades today. On December 21, 2003, there were 15 cruise ships in port – a record unequaled by any port in the world. On March 20, 2010, there 52,000 cruise passengers in Port Everglades, also a world record.
This time we are on the Aloha Deck. There is only one passenger cabin deck above us. I think in the way of things, the higher up you go, the more the cabin’s cost. But, regardless, this is a very nice room. It is currently set up with the beds separated, but our Cabin Steward, Henry, is on his way to make the sleeping arrangements into a full-size bed. Nice desk and work area, huge closet, and a nicely furnished personal needs room.
Ours is an inside stateroom, which means when the lights are out, it is darker than Dick’s hat band, darker than midnight in a thousand cypress swamps. Twas the dark of the moon on the 6th of June in a Kenworth full of logs, a cab-over Pete with a reefer on, and a Jimmy haulin’ hogs. We was heading for bear on I 1-0, and I said, “Pig Pen, this here’s the Rubber Duck, and I’m about to put the hammer down” (thank you C.W. McCall).
Makes for good sleeping – as my traveling companion is doing right now, even though all of the lights are on.
We lunched at the Trident Grill on hamburgers for her, and bratwurst for me. They also had knockwurst. I chose the best of the wurst. Did I hear a moan? Do you want me to repeat the Hub Cap Joke in these pages? I thought not!
I have yet to meet with ship’s personnel, but I have tried. Instructions left at our stateroom told me to contact Christ, the assistant cruise director. However the phone system is “recycling” and that number is “not valid.” We have an emergency stations meeting at 3:30, so hopefully he’ll be there.
Well in the 8 hours since I wrote that last paragraph, I finally met with Chris, a jolly good chap from Merry Olde England. We ate supper with 3 other couples in the Michaelangelo dining room, went to the welcome on board show, met cruise director Lisa (also a British subject), got a Diet Coke, and are now barely awake, ready to sleep the sleep of the just.
It has been a good day. TTFN!
We arrived in Fort Lauderdale at 10 a.m., parked the car, took a shuttle to the ship, and waited while the disembarking passengers disembarked. It was almost noon before we got on the ship.
As a guest speaker, our stateroom number is not revealed before we board. I guess they figure if we are down near the engine room, or close to a bilge pump, we’ll abandon ship before we are actually on the ship. Strange arrangement, but it’s their way. Onboard Princess we have twice been in crew quarters, once on Deck 4 and once on Deck 7. The cabin on Deck 7 was an officer’s cabin and not bad at all.
There were 7 cruises ships in Port Everglades today. On December 21, 2003, there were 15 cruise ships in port – a record unequaled by any port in the world. On March 20, 2010, there 52,000 cruise passengers in Port Everglades, also a world record.
This time we are on the Aloha Deck. There is only one passenger cabin deck above us. I think in the way of things, the higher up you go, the more the cabin’s cost. But, regardless, this is a very nice room. It is currently set up with the beds separated, but our Cabin Steward, Henry, is on his way to make the sleeping arrangements into a full-size bed. Nice desk and work area, huge closet, and a nicely furnished personal needs room.
Ours is an inside stateroom, which means when the lights are out, it is darker than Dick’s hat band, darker than midnight in a thousand cypress swamps. Twas the dark of the moon on the 6th of June in a Kenworth full of logs, a cab-over Pete with a reefer on, and a Jimmy haulin’ hogs. We was heading for bear on I 1-0, and I said, “Pig Pen, this here’s the Rubber Duck, and I’m about to put the hammer down” (thank you C.W. McCall).
Makes for good sleeping – as my traveling companion is doing right now, even though all of the lights are on.
We lunched at the Trident Grill on hamburgers for her, and bratwurst for me. They also had knockwurst. I chose the best of the wurst. Did I hear a moan? Do you want me to repeat the Hub Cap Joke in these pages? I thought not!
I have yet to meet with ship’s personnel, but I have tried. Instructions left at our stateroom told me to contact Christ, the assistant cruise director. However the phone system is “recycling” and that number is “not valid.” We have an emergency stations meeting at 3:30, so hopefully he’ll be there.
Well in the 8 hours since I wrote that last paragraph, I finally met with Chris, a jolly good chap from Merry Olde England. We ate supper with 3 other couples in the Michaelangelo dining room, went to the welcome on board show, met cruise director Lisa (also a British subject), got a Diet Coke, and are now barely awake, ready to sleep the sleep of the just.
It has been a good day. TTFN!
Friday, January 27, 2012
MEMORIES
January 27, 2012
Jesus spoke of a time when there would be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” He was of course looking into the future to the eternal residence of those who will be cast out.
There are two other possible interpretations.
The first was October 14, 1992. If you don’t know that date (which to borrow from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, will live in infamy) don’t call your self a Pittsburgh Pirate fan (of course, amnesia might be preferable to remembering the wimpy throw from pre-druggie Barry Bonds, and the limping, lumbering slide by former Pirate Sid Bream).
The second was yesterday. Almost. My traveling companion and I were asking each other, “Did you remember to pack the BLANK?” And we were each of us pleased to be able to answer, “Yes.” Until, with the Red Hot Chili Pepper fully loaded, we were heading for the door and parts south, when Bonnie asked, “Did you get our passports?” Had she not asked that most important question, there would have been weeping and gnashing of teeth, and the Crown Princess could have sailed without us.
Great question! Alex Trebek would have called it – incorrectly – a “clue”.
A few weeks ago, Bonnie, Michael, and I watched the premier of a TV show called “Shipping Wars.” It’s about four people in the transportation business who underbid each other for unusual shipping jobs. One of the items was a horse made out of automobile bumpers that used to sit outside of Mile High Stadium. Made in honor of the Denver Broncos, it ended up in Ripley’s Believe it or Not in New York. Ripley’s wanted it transported to St. Augustine, to their museum there. Driving down SR 16 this morning, guess what we saw. Yup.
Before finding the horse, we were sitting once again in Ihop having breakfast – no snatch and grabs, and much better service – when an aroma brought back precious memories.
I was sipping coffee, and enjoying Harvest Grain ‘N Nut pancakes (soak them in syrup, and eat from the outside to the melted butter in the center) when someone walked past and the scent of Woodbury After Shave lingered in the air.
It is a distinctive, clean smell. There was always a bottle of it in the medicine cabinet at 117 Shenandoah Avenue in Loch Lynn, Maryland. It was the after shave my Dad used. I once bought him Old Spice, and he thanked me, splashed some on, sat the bottle on the shelf beside the Woodbury, and never opened it again.
I haven’t smelled Woodbury in almost 16 years. Dad died on June 18, 1996.
Whoever you were with the great old-fashioned scent, thanks for the memories.
Moment of silence.
Jesus spoke of a time when there would be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” He was of course looking into the future to the eternal residence of those who will be cast out.
There are two other possible interpretations.
The first was October 14, 1992. If you don’t know that date (which to borrow from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, will live in infamy) don’t call your self a Pittsburgh Pirate fan (of course, amnesia might be preferable to remembering the wimpy throw from pre-druggie Barry Bonds, and the limping, lumbering slide by former Pirate Sid Bream).
The second was yesterday. Almost. My traveling companion and I were asking each other, “Did you remember to pack the BLANK?” And we were each of us pleased to be able to answer, “Yes.” Until, with the Red Hot Chili Pepper fully loaded, we were heading for the door and parts south, when Bonnie asked, “Did you get our passports?” Had she not asked that most important question, there would have been weeping and gnashing of teeth, and the Crown Princess could have sailed without us.
Great question! Alex Trebek would have called it – incorrectly – a “clue”.
A few weeks ago, Bonnie, Michael, and I watched the premier of a TV show called “Shipping Wars.” It’s about four people in the transportation business who underbid each other for unusual shipping jobs. One of the items was a horse made out of automobile bumpers that used to sit outside of Mile High Stadium. Made in honor of the Denver Broncos, it ended up in Ripley’s Believe it or Not in New York. Ripley’s wanted it transported to St. Augustine, to their museum there. Driving down SR 16 this morning, guess what we saw. Yup.
Before finding the horse, we were sitting once again in Ihop having breakfast – no snatch and grabs, and much better service – when an aroma brought back precious memories.
I was sipping coffee, and enjoying Harvest Grain ‘N Nut pancakes (soak them in syrup, and eat from the outside to the melted butter in the center) when someone walked past and the scent of Woodbury After Shave lingered in the air.
It is a distinctive, clean smell. There was always a bottle of it in the medicine cabinet at 117 Shenandoah Avenue in Loch Lynn, Maryland. It was the after shave my Dad used. I once bought him Old Spice, and he thanked me, splashed some on, sat the bottle on the shelf beside the Woodbury, and never opened it again.
I haven’t smelled Woodbury in almost 16 years. Dad died on June 18, 1996.
Whoever you were with the great old-fashioned scent, thanks for the memories.
Moment of silence.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
January 26, 2012
Slowly I turned. Then step by step. Inch by inch. If you were born in the 70s you may not recognize the classic vaudeville routine about “Niagra Falls.” Unless they re-ran The Three Stooges in your area. Anyway, for the purpose of this Blog – slowly we drove. Made it to St. Augustine at 6 p.m. by way of a stop in Savannah prowling through antique stores.
Another slow day tomorrow, driving a total of four hours to Stuart, Florida, and then to the Crown Princess on Saturday. That way my assistant driver won’t get too worn out, seeing as how she’s been “under house arrest” for 7 weeks.
We visited Wright Square in Savannah. There is a monument in the Square dedicated to Tomo-Chi-Chi, a member of the Creek Indian Nation who helped Oglethorpe in the founding of Georgia. Together they helped repel a Spanish invasion (I am tempted here to make a politically incorrect comment about the current illegal Spanish invasion, but I will resist).
We also visited Lutheran Church of the Ascension. The sanctuary is on the second floor and has a beautiful stained glass window of ... wait for it ... the Ascension.
One exciting event to report. While we were finishing up our supper at Ihop, a customer ordered a to go order and a to eat now order. When he finished the to eat now order, he picked up the to go order and dashed out the door, hopping out of Ihop with our waitress chasing him. How rude! We were left waiting for our bill while she proved she was as bad at running as she was at waitressing (my pot roast sandwich came out as a turkey sandwich and my fruit cup was not delivered at all – your humble scribe did point out both mistakes which were corrected).
For dessert, we went to the Dooney & Burke outlet store, where Bonnie added to her collection. She said, very sincerely, "This will be my prize for this trip." And she knows I'll forget by tomorrow. Smart!
Well, to bed to bed said sleepy head!
Slowly I turned. Then step by step. Inch by inch. If you were born in the 70s you may not recognize the classic vaudeville routine about “Niagra Falls.” Unless they re-ran The Three Stooges in your area. Anyway, for the purpose of this Blog – slowly we drove. Made it to St. Augustine at 6 p.m. by way of a stop in Savannah prowling through antique stores.
Another slow day tomorrow, driving a total of four hours to Stuart, Florida, and then to the Crown Princess on Saturday. That way my assistant driver won’t get too worn out, seeing as how she’s been “under house arrest” for 7 weeks.
We visited Wright Square in Savannah. There is a monument in the Square dedicated to Tomo-Chi-Chi, a member of the Creek Indian Nation who helped Oglethorpe in the founding of Georgia. Together they helped repel a Spanish invasion (I am tempted here to make a politically incorrect comment about the current illegal Spanish invasion, but I will resist).
We also visited Lutheran Church of the Ascension. The sanctuary is on the second floor and has a beautiful stained glass window of ... wait for it ... the Ascension.
One exciting event to report. While we were finishing up our supper at Ihop, a customer ordered a to go order and a to eat now order. When he finished the to eat now order, he picked up the to go order and dashed out the door, hopping out of Ihop with our waitress chasing him. How rude! We were left waiting for our bill while she proved she was as bad at running as she was at waitressing (my pot roast sandwich came out as a turkey sandwich and my fruit cup was not delivered at all – your humble scribe did point out both mistakes which were corrected).
For dessert, we went to the Dooney & Burke outlet store, where Bonnie added to her collection. She said, very sincerely, "This will be my prize for this trip." And she knows I'll forget by tomorrow. Smart!
Well, to bed to bed said sleepy head!
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