March 7, 2019
Because we have to pack up and put our suitcases out into the hall tomorrow night after supper, this will be the last blog for this cruise, but these nightly ramblings will continue in April as we sail towards Rome.
We arrived in Cozumel at 10 o’clock this morning and took our position along with six other cruise ships. That works out to around 20,000 guests, give or take, and 14,000 crew, more or less, invading an island with a stable population of only 49,000. And one week from tomorrow there will be 9 ships in port, including the world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas with 6,700 guests and 2,200 crew. If we thought today was crowded!
We got to the Lido Deck around 8:30 and when we had finished we went down to Deck 3 to watch the Valor glide into her berth and tie up. That is always fun to see. It is always the same every time, but fun nevertheless. There is a precision to the work. The Captain maneuvers the ship up to her berth with small engines called azapods (speeling?) that pushes sideways, eliminating the need for tub boats. Then ropes are thrown ashore and tied off on pylons, three sets of ropes fore, and three sets aft. After that the customs agents swarm on board, check the papers, give the all clear and then head for the Lido. Gang ways are put out and secured and then the “all ashore that’s going ashore” is given. Fun to watch.
I had to go to Guest Relations to check on my reimbursement for shuttle tickets to and from the port. It was a complicated situation, made unnecessarily so by a woman whose name tag I couldn’t read but whose accent sounded very Russian. And those of you who have traveled with me to the Rodina know that Russian women are always right, even when they are demonstrably wrong. I showed her the papers from Carnival’s home office telling her what to do and she did what she wanted. At Guest Relations they had no record of my request, and so the agent dialed the home office where I spoke to the woman who gave me the instructions in the first place. A phone call was placed to the crew office and I don’t know if Ludmilla answered the phone or not, but the Entertainment Director and I spoke to another agent who said he had received a phone call and an email and all would be taken care of. I wish Ludmilla had answered the phone.
Next it was off to find the spot from which our shore excursion would depart, and find it we did. Together with 30 other travelers we went to the Mayan site of San Gervasio. San Gervasio is not the Mayan name (I forget the word, but the translation is “flat land”). Senior Gervasio was a Spanish gentlemen who claimed several hundred square acres of Cozumel, looking for gold. In the Aztec cities, gold was hidden under the floor of the temples and other structures. Mayan’s didn’t value gold as the Aztecs did, hence there was no gold. But in looking for it Mr. Gervasio dynamited the temples which would then lay in ruins for 100 years before archaeologists began the reconstruction.
San Gervasio was a major Mayan site, even though it is on an island 17 miles off of the mainland. The central part of the city was a temple dedicated to Ixhel (I know that’s not spelled right, but it is pronounced Eshell), the goddess of fertility. Women wanting to become pregnant or women who wanted their pregnancy blessed would come during the days of the full moon and make sacrifices.
Some of the original decorations are still in place. Mr. Gervasio having missed blowing those up.
Enough history. We had a nice bus ride to a stop along the Caribbean where we got some great pictures and passed up an opportunity to buy souvenirs. After the photo stop we drove another 30 minutes to the archaeological site where we only had an hour to look at all of the buildings (and of course 20 minutes to look for souvenirs which we once again eschewed – we both wished we had had more time to enjoy all of the buildings). The last stop, about 15 minutes away was a late lunch at an authentic Mexican restaurant. We don’t remember what the food was called, but it was good.
We got back on board in time to go to supper, after which we decided to miss the magician/illusionist whom we have seen before. Worn out from the day, my cruise buddy is asleep, so this will be your only account of the doings.
And so, TTFN
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
WE BUILT THIS CITY ON ROCK AND ROLL
March 6, 2019
At least that’s what the singers and dancers proclaimed tonight. LOUDLY! High energy. High volume. It’s no wonder they only did this show one time. Tomorrow night will be the last production show of the cruise and the last show for this particular cast. They are going home, their contract concluded, and if they sign up for a new one, they will go to a different ship. I was talking to one member who was hoping for a ship on the Left Coast that will go to Australia. That would be sweet. Haven’t been there. Yet.
Tonight was the Captain’s Cocktail Party. It is amazing how many folks come out for free food and free booze. We had some very good hor d’oeuvres and very nice fruit punch. As it was getting close to closing time – there were actually two parties, one at 4:45 and another at 6:45 – people were ordering drinks by the pair.
Tomorrow we are doing our only excursion of this cruise, going ashore on Cozumel to visit the Mayan ruins of San Gervaso. I had wanted to go to the ruins at Tulum, but last year there were attacks on the water taxis that went from the island to the mainland, so I guess that’s why the ship isn’t doing it. They were private taxis, but I guess they are taking no chances. Disappointing, but understandable. Better safe than not safe.
Tonight was the last Gala Night of the cruise, and this was a real gala night. Tuxedos and fancy dresses. We were a dashing couple, and I didn’t have to say so myself. Lots of kind folks did it for us. I had lobster tail for supper and Bonnie had the vegetarian dish. New York style cheese cake for dessert for both of us.
Well, it’s 11 p.m. here, and my cruise buddy said she would pass for tonight, but she’ll be back tomorrow with another adventure from Blogging Bonnie.
Until then. TTFN
At least that’s what the singers and dancers proclaimed tonight. LOUDLY! High energy. High volume. It’s no wonder they only did this show one time. Tomorrow night will be the last production show of the cruise and the last show for this particular cast. They are going home, their contract concluded, and if they sign up for a new one, they will go to a different ship. I was talking to one member who was hoping for a ship on the Left Coast that will go to Australia. That would be sweet. Haven’t been there. Yet.
Tonight was the Captain’s Cocktail Party. It is amazing how many folks come out for free food and free booze. We had some very good hor d’oeuvres and very nice fruit punch. As it was getting close to closing time – there were actually two parties, one at 4:45 and another at 6:45 – people were ordering drinks by the pair.
Tomorrow we are doing our only excursion of this cruise, going ashore on Cozumel to visit the Mayan ruins of San Gervaso. I had wanted to go to the ruins at Tulum, but last year there were attacks on the water taxis that went from the island to the mainland, so I guess that’s why the ship isn’t doing it. They were private taxis, but I guess they are taking no chances. Disappointing, but understandable. Better safe than not safe.
Tonight was the last Gala Night of the cruise, and this was a real gala night. Tuxedos and fancy dresses. We were a dashing couple, and I didn’t have to say so myself. Lots of kind folks did it for us. I had lobster tail for supper and Bonnie had the vegetarian dish. New York style cheese cake for dessert for both of us.
Well, it’s 11 p.m. here, and my cruise buddy said she would pass for tonight, but she’ll be back tomorrow with another adventure from Blogging Bonnie.
Until then. TTFN
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
FAT TUESDAY
March 5, 2019
There is a Fat Tuesday, alias Mardi Gras, parade coming up in an hour or so and an accompanying party, but your favorite cruisers will miss the excitement, aiming to be checking the backs of our eye lids for holes.
We did, however, celebrate this morning by winning a trivia contest! We played in three and did fairly well in the other two, but in “All About Nothing,” we smoked ‘em! We had 10, the closest competitor had 3, out of 20. In the first one, “Decades,” we had 11 and the winner had 14, and in the last one “Genius,” we had 13 and the winner had a perfect 20 out of 20. And for our efforts in All About Nothing we won a ship on a stick. If you want to see our trophy, go to eBay and put in “ship on a stick” or “Carnival ship on a stick.” They are being offered for $15 and up. We are keeping ours.
And we celebrated after supper because we got an email from Holland America, telling us that we have been assigned to the Veendam, sailing from Fort Lauderdale to Rome, leaving on April 14. I had put our hats in the ring for two sailings and got one. If the Pirates could hit every one out of two they’d win the World Series for sure. Start the parade!
Okay, before I turn it over to Bonnie, here are some of the questions from the Genius Trivia.
7 = D of the W (answer: 7 = Days of the Week)
Now you know how to do it.
1001 = AN
12 = S of the Z
54 = C in a D with J
57 = HV
We got those correct. We missed:
18 = H on a G C
3 = B M S H T R
1000 = W that a P is W
64 = S on a CB
There were 20 in all, but that’s enough for tonight.
And now it’s Bonnie’s turn!
TTFN
Well, I woke about 5 and knew it would be at least an hour before the ship got to the port and I was right. At 6:30 the azsupods starting making sounds as the ship was docking. No sleeping then. We got up and got ready. As we were getting ready they announced at 7 you could get off. About 30 minutes later they said they were closing the gangway because another ship was docking. Now that was strange. I have never known a ship to stop their gangway because another ship docked. They opened it back up in about 20 minutes. By then we were headed up for breakfast, about 8. The dance couple was headed up at the same time so we had breakfast together. Really nice couple, they are not retired. They are Christian counselors and cruise on their vacations. We shared stories of our adventures cruising.
After breakfast we went up to deck 14 to look at the town. Not much to see. We got off the ship and headed to an area just off the dock set up with many vendors!! When we were up top we saw the ship that had docked. It was HUGE! A ship from Germany we think. It was Aida and the ships name was Diva.
Well, we made our way into the huge area with sellers of all the typical touristy stuff. But there were quite a few vendors who had hand made stuff that was very nice besides all the made in China stuff. There was one person who had a leather stall and it smelled heavenly. It reminded me of the tannery where my Dad worked. I talked to the vendor and he was very nice and we swapped stories about making leather. He had some beautiful purses, no I didn’t buy any.
We bought a few things. Surprises for some of you. We spent about an hour wandering in and out of the booths. It was very HOT!! I was glad when we got back on the ship. We deposited our goodies in the room and headed for the Atrium where the trivia was going on. I crocheted and your Dad wrote answers. It was fun. I can’t believe we won. The ship on a stick is a coveted prize on the ship. I am keeping ours. It will go on the mantel piece.
Supper was fair. I had fried green tomatoes, they weren’t much, and chicken fried steak, it was okay. Then, we left and went to the early show. It was a country western show by the Carnival cast. IT WAS LOUD!! And it was very hard to understand what the words were. It was not as good as the last show.
We are back in the room and in our pj’s. Soon to brush teeth and go to bed. Sea day tomorrow so I will get more crocheting done.
Love you all, Mom, Granny and Bonnie
There is a Fat Tuesday, alias Mardi Gras, parade coming up in an hour or so and an accompanying party, but your favorite cruisers will miss the excitement, aiming to be checking the backs of our eye lids for holes.
We did, however, celebrate this morning by winning a trivia contest! We played in three and did fairly well in the other two, but in “All About Nothing,” we smoked ‘em! We had 10, the closest competitor had 3, out of 20. In the first one, “Decades,” we had 11 and the winner had 14, and in the last one “Genius,” we had 13 and the winner had a perfect 20 out of 20. And for our efforts in All About Nothing we won a ship on a stick. If you want to see our trophy, go to eBay and put in “ship on a stick” or “Carnival ship on a stick.” They are being offered for $15 and up. We are keeping ours.
And we celebrated after supper because we got an email from Holland America, telling us that we have been assigned to the Veendam, sailing from Fort Lauderdale to Rome, leaving on April 14. I had put our hats in the ring for two sailings and got one. If the Pirates could hit every one out of two they’d win the World Series for sure. Start the parade!
Okay, before I turn it over to Bonnie, here are some of the questions from the Genius Trivia.
7 = D of the W (answer: 7 = Days of the Week)
Now you know how to do it.
1001 = AN
12 = S of the Z
54 = C in a D with J
57 = HV
We got those correct. We missed:
18 = H on a G C
3 = B M S H T R
1000 = W that a P is W
64 = S on a CB
There were 20 in all, but that’s enough for tonight.
And now it’s Bonnie’s turn!
TTFN
Well, I woke about 5 and knew it would be at least an hour before the ship got to the port and I was right. At 6:30 the azsupods starting making sounds as the ship was docking. No sleeping then. We got up and got ready. As we were getting ready they announced at 7 you could get off. About 30 minutes later they said they were closing the gangway because another ship was docking. Now that was strange. I have never known a ship to stop their gangway because another ship docked. They opened it back up in about 20 minutes. By then we were headed up for breakfast, about 8. The dance couple was headed up at the same time so we had breakfast together. Really nice couple, they are not retired. They are Christian counselors and cruise on their vacations. We shared stories of our adventures cruising.
After breakfast we went up to deck 14 to look at the town. Not much to see. We got off the ship and headed to an area just off the dock set up with many vendors!! When we were up top we saw the ship that had docked. It was HUGE! A ship from Germany we think. It was Aida and the ships name was Diva.
Well, we made our way into the huge area with sellers of all the typical touristy stuff. But there were quite a few vendors who had hand made stuff that was very nice besides all the made in China stuff. There was one person who had a leather stall and it smelled heavenly. It reminded me of the tannery where my Dad worked. I talked to the vendor and he was very nice and we swapped stories about making leather. He had some beautiful purses, no I didn’t buy any.
We bought a few things. Surprises for some of you. We spent about an hour wandering in and out of the booths. It was very HOT!! I was glad when we got back on the ship. We deposited our goodies in the room and headed for the Atrium where the trivia was going on. I crocheted and your Dad wrote answers. It was fun. I can’t believe we won. The ship on a stick is a coveted prize on the ship. I am keeping ours. It will go on the mantel piece.
Supper was fair. I had fried green tomatoes, they weren’t much, and chicken fried steak, it was okay. Then, we left and went to the early show. It was a country western show by the Carnival cast. IT WAS LOUD!! And it was very hard to understand what the words were. It was not as good as the last show.
We are back in the room and in our pj’s. Soon to brush teeth and go to bed. Sea day tomorrow so I will get more crocheting done.
Love you all, Mom, Granny and Bonnie
Sunday, March 3, 2019
FUNNY STUFF
March 3, 2019
Regular readers of this blog have heard me complain before about comedians, especially those who do insult comedy, too lazy to develop a real routine and tell funny stories. Well, tonight’s comic, JeROME (that’s the way he spells it) was hilarious. He told stories about young people and technology, old people and technology. He made fun of cruise ship cabins and cruise ship bathrooms. He picked on Muslims, Mormons, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. He did horror movies. And ended up with a great parody of Michael Jackson (instead of one glove, he wore a tube sock – actually, he got that one wrong because he put it on his left hand and Michael Jackson wore his glove on his right hand – and does anyone remember the joke from the 1980s: Why are the Atlanta Braves like Michael Jackson? They both wear one glove for no apparent reason. I laughed!).
Tomorrow we sail into the Panama Canal, go through two locks and then anchor in Lake Gatun and sail back out. My cruise buddy is annoyed that there appears to be no place on the ship where we can get way forward to watch us actually entering the locks. So we’ll find a different vantage point and enjoy a new perspective.
After we turn to sail out of the last lock, I will be doing my talk on Art. At this afternoon’s photography talk, I told the folks about the upcoming art talk and assuring them it had nothing to do with the on board ship’s auctions sponsored by Park West Galleries (if you are new to cruising, let me tell you that almost every ship at sea has a PWG and the same paintings from ship which they try to hock in a make believe auction – one lady on this cruise told me she won the door prize at an auction and then they wanted her to pay to frame the picture and have it mailed to her home – she turned the prize down). I told them I had two art talks, one on museums, artists, and history from three Caribbean islands, and the other on the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. At the end of the photography talk I let them vote on which one they wanted to hear and the Caribbean won the day. So that’s tomorrow, and to be repeated two days hence.
Speaking of art talks, I need to begin my rehearsal, so it’s time for Blogging with Bonnie.
TTFN
I got up twice last night to potty, in case you are keeping count! We got up at 7 and got ready and headed for breakfast. I decided on a bacon sandwich with mustard and some cantaloupe. Still haven’t found any good hot chocolate. After breakfast it was off to walk. I walked about an hour for 5000 steps. Then, down to the room to get my crocheting. I decided to sit outside today in the great sea air. I found a spot on deck 3 outside on the deck. It was great. At just before 10 I went to the Eagles lounge to his talk at 10. It is the photography one and it is always interesting. There have been good crowds at all the talks.
When were walking to the Atrium after the talk, we saw a sign that said get your free charm bracelet from 3to 6, today only. So we stopped and asked and picked up a coupon for the free, pandora like bracelet.
After the talk we went to the atrium on deck 3 to watch the dance instructors teach the Cha-cha-cha. On the dancers from the crew show comes to the lessons with his girl friend and they take the lesson. He is a very good dancer and a singer too. I think he is my favorite one of the group of 7 singers and dancers. After the lesson we went to lunch. Today we sat outside by the pizza place and had a pepperoni pizza and a caesar salad. Then, of course an ice cream cone. Then, we finished a match of Yahtzee. He won.
After the game he walked back to the room to get ready and I went to the Eagles lounge. His talk started at 3 but I wanted to go get the freebie. So I left about quarter to 3. There was already a line and I joined it. I would have been 5 people ahead but 5 people came and joined the line with their friends even though there were people in line already behind their friends. Not fair. Besides the free bracelet you could get a set of 5 charms for $10 and there is a charm of the day for $5 and when you have 8 charms you get a free ship charm. Well, I bought the 5 charms and there was a choice today of three other charms and I got a turtle.
Now I need two more to get my ship. By the time I had gotten my stuff the line was all the way back to the casino, about 50 or people in line. Glad I went early. I made it back for the last 30 minutes of the talk. The afore mentioned dancer and his girl friend were at the talk. Cool.
Then, it was back to the room for a nap before getting ready for supper. Only 2 other couples showed for supper at our table. Supper was just okay. The best part was the chocolate panna cotte, a kind of pudding. But the company was good and we had a good time talking.
The show tonight was a singer, Consuela Ivy. We have gone to her show twice before on other ships and don’t care for the show. She has a beautiful voice and can sing but she only sings about 4 songs in an hour. She does a lot of talking and other stuff. Don’t care for it. So we went to the PG comedy show.
Now back in the room. I think tomorrow I am going to go to deck 3 and sit and watch when we go through the canal. I have seen the gates before so I will watch the “mules” which are trains that pull the ships though. It will be fun.
Well, bedtime now or soon. Mike and Ivy we will be thinking of you and Gabe tomorrow.
Love you all. Mom, Granny and Bonnie
Regular readers of this blog have heard me complain before about comedians, especially those who do insult comedy, too lazy to develop a real routine and tell funny stories. Well, tonight’s comic, JeROME (that’s the way he spells it) was hilarious. He told stories about young people and technology, old people and technology. He made fun of cruise ship cabins and cruise ship bathrooms. He picked on Muslims, Mormons, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. He did horror movies. And ended up with a great parody of Michael Jackson (instead of one glove, he wore a tube sock – actually, he got that one wrong because he put it on his left hand and Michael Jackson wore his glove on his right hand – and does anyone remember the joke from the 1980s: Why are the Atlanta Braves like Michael Jackson? They both wear one glove for no apparent reason. I laughed!).
Tomorrow we sail into the Panama Canal, go through two locks and then anchor in Lake Gatun and sail back out. My cruise buddy is annoyed that there appears to be no place on the ship where we can get way forward to watch us actually entering the locks. So we’ll find a different vantage point and enjoy a new perspective.
After we turn to sail out of the last lock, I will be doing my talk on Art. At this afternoon’s photography talk, I told the folks about the upcoming art talk and assuring them it had nothing to do with the on board ship’s auctions sponsored by Park West Galleries (if you are new to cruising, let me tell you that almost every ship at sea has a PWG and the same paintings from ship which they try to hock in a make believe auction – one lady on this cruise told me she won the door prize at an auction and then they wanted her to pay to frame the picture and have it mailed to her home – she turned the prize down). I told them I had two art talks, one on museums, artists, and history from three Caribbean islands, and the other on the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. At the end of the photography talk I let them vote on which one they wanted to hear and the Caribbean won the day. So that’s tomorrow, and to be repeated two days hence.
Speaking of art talks, I need to begin my rehearsal, so it’s time for Blogging with Bonnie.
TTFN
I got up twice last night to potty, in case you are keeping count! We got up at 7 and got ready and headed for breakfast. I decided on a bacon sandwich with mustard and some cantaloupe. Still haven’t found any good hot chocolate. After breakfast it was off to walk. I walked about an hour for 5000 steps. Then, down to the room to get my crocheting. I decided to sit outside today in the great sea air. I found a spot on deck 3 outside on the deck. It was great. At just before 10 I went to the Eagles lounge to his talk at 10. It is the photography one and it is always interesting. There have been good crowds at all the talks.
When were walking to the Atrium after the talk, we saw a sign that said get your free charm bracelet from 3to 6, today only. So we stopped and asked and picked up a coupon for the free, pandora like bracelet.
After the talk we went to the atrium on deck 3 to watch the dance instructors teach the Cha-cha-cha. On the dancers from the crew show comes to the lessons with his girl friend and they take the lesson. He is a very good dancer and a singer too. I think he is my favorite one of the group of 7 singers and dancers. After the lesson we went to lunch. Today we sat outside by the pizza place and had a pepperoni pizza and a caesar salad. Then, of course an ice cream cone. Then, we finished a match of Yahtzee. He won.
After the game he walked back to the room to get ready and I went to the Eagles lounge. His talk started at 3 but I wanted to go get the freebie. So I left about quarter to 3. There was already a line and I joined it. I would have been 5 people ahead but 5 people came and joined the line with their friends even though there were people in line already behind their friends. Not fair. Besides the free bracelet you could get a set of 5 charms for $10 and there is a charm of the day for $5 and when you have 8 charms you get a free ship charm. Well, I bought the 5 charms and there was a choice today of three other charms and I got a turtle.
Now I need two more to get my ship. By the time I had gotten my stuff the line was all the way back to the casino, about 50 or people in line. Glad I went early. I made it back for the last 30 minutes of the talk. The afore mentioned dancer and his girl friend were at the talk. Cool.
Then, it was back to the room for a nap before getting ready for supper. Only 2 other couples showed for supper at our table. Supper was just okay. The best part was the chocolate panna cotte, a kind of pudding. But the company was good and we had a good time talking.
The show tonight was a singer, Consuela Ivy. We have gone to her show twice before on other ships and don’t care for the show. She has a beautiful voice and can sing but she only sings about 4 songs in an hour. She does a lot of talking and other stuff. Don’t care for it. So we went to the PG comedy show.
Now back in the room. I think tomorrow I am going to go to deck 3 and sit and watch when we go through the canal. I have seen the gates before so I will watch the “mules” which are trains that pull the ships though. It will be fun.
Well, bedtime now or soon. Mike and Ivy we will be thinking of you and Gabe tomorrow.
Love you all. Mom, Granny and Bonnie
Saturday, March 2, 2019
SATURDAY AT SEA
March 2, 2019
I can’t remember if I’ve told you or not (raise your hand if you’ve heard it) but my talk schedule is different this time from any other Journeys cruise we have done. Instead of doing a talk twice a day as before, several days I do only one talk – that subject to be repeated several days later. Today was one of those days and it was my Social Media talk: “Blogging Your Vacation (or Whatever).”
The last time I did this talk one of the guests told me about a couple of things to add, and I checked his suggestions out and made some changes for the better. One of them is a site called Grammarly. The URL is grammarly.com and for all of you writers out there – people in high school who have to do term papers and research papers, people working on their bachelors degrees with similar requirements, people working on their Masters – finish your paper and pop it into that site, just copy and paste, and it will make suggestions for improving your grammar (that’s grammar, not Granny). Great site. And the audience was good which always makes for a better talk.
Every one was present at Table 525 tonight. Last night there were just 6 of us, tonight all 10 were present and accounted for. A new couple sat across from us, or we from them (take your choice) from Texas, Bob and Sandy. At first I thought they wouldn’t be any fun, but they picked it up and made for pleasant conversation. The couple at the far end of the table were too far away to do more than say “howdy” to, so we said it and didn’t have any other interaction with them. We’ll pick different seats tomorrow so we can visit with others. Makes for a fun dinner.
Well, I’m going to cut my time on the keyboard short tonight, so my cruise buddy can blog. She is wide awake and ready to hit the keys.
So, TTFN
Well, where shall I begin. We drove to Atlanta Wednesday stopping in Madison to eat at CFA and stop at an antique place that is nice. Picked up some birthday presents for some upcoming birthdays. Then, we proceeded on to our hotel for the night. Nothing extra but it was clean and had a restaurant of sorts and we enjoyed a nice meal. We watched wheel and jeopardy and then some forged and fire shows enjoying some popcorn.
We got up at 5 so we could take the shuttle to the airport at 6. There were several other people who rode with us. Not much trouble at the airport and we got a bite of breakfast before we went to our gate. It had started raining by the time our flight took off. The plane was on time and the flight was only an hour and 40 minutes. We both slept for about 40 minutes or so. Arriving at Hobby airport in Houston (it was raining here too), we collected our luggage and soon found the carnival people. The ship still hadn’t docked, it actually docked about 30 minutes after we got our luggage and meet up with the Carnival people. It actually was 3 hours before they got a shuttle to the airport to get us. We were lucky and got the last 2 seats on the first shuttle. Found out later they actually had 3 shuttles that came in all. When we got to the pier it was still raining and we got off the bus identified our luggage to the porters and headed for check in. Got thru the security (I made it with my bottle of diet sprite, which I wasn’t supposed to have) and checked in and onto the ship. Found our room and our keys and I napped and he went off to check on our dining. Since we had 8:30 dining we ate on the lido deck. Good food but not very warm. We went to the welcome aboard show and then to bed.
He had gotten a chance to meet the entertainment director when he went to guest services to check on whether our credit card was entered into the computer, it was not. So he knew his schedule. We got up Friday morning at 7 so we could get ready, have breakfast and he could rehearse. I went walking after breakfast, I actually had 10000+ steps Thursday and Friday. Today I only got 8700. His first talk was a mess. There antiquated system wouldn’t work with the new computer, so for the second talk we pulled out the spare computer and everything was great. Both talks yesterday were well attended. Everyone was very complimentary.
Our dinner was changed to 6 and we went to supper and had a nice meal. The show last night was great. We have to go to the last show because the service is extremely slow and we don’t get out of the dining room till 8. Same thing happened tonight. I do not like tables of ten. We went to the comedy show at 8:30 last night and tonight. Tonight there isn’t any other show so we came back to the room. I am still awake so I am blogging. I was exhausted last night and was soon in bed.
Sorry this is very rambling. My mind is trying to keep up with the events. I have gotten some crocheting done and have been trying to find a good spot where we can watch when we get to the canal. Unfortunately the bow of the ship on deck 10 and 11 is the location of the adult only serenity pool and cabanas. It also has a fenced in play area for the children’s program. I will do some more exploring tomorrow to see if there is some place else to stand and watch.
Today while he was studying for his 2:15 talk I went to a couple of trivias in the atrium and sat and crocheted and listened. In the one on general knowledge I only got 9 correct, he knew 5 answers I didn’t know. We also got a chance to meet the dance couple, there room is opposite ours, who were giving a waltz lesson after the trivias. We went to lunch and had hamburgers and fries and an ice cream cone. After lunch he went to the room to dress and I headed to the Eagles lounge to wait for the talk. The lounge was a mess. They had a cooking show and had not cleaned up the mess. He came shortly after I did and he went back to the room to call the entertainment director to tell here the room was not prepared for his talk. She had to call someone to clean up the mess. Fortunately it was completed just about 2, his talk was at 2:15. The talk went well, we went back to the room, he napped and I didn’t. Then it was off to supper and another comedy show. Now in the room, he is fading fast and we are headed to bed.
Sorry this is rambling I will do better tomorrow night. Love you all.
Love, Mom, Granny and Bonnie
I can’t remember if I’ve told you or not (raise your hand if you’ve heard it) but my talk schedule is different this time from any other Journeys cruise we have done. Instead of doing a talk twice a day as before, several days I do only one talk – that subject to be repeated several days later. Today was one of those days and it was my Social Media talk: “Blogging Your Vacation (or Whatever).”
The last time I did this talk one of the guests told me about a couple of things to add, and I checked his suggestions out and made some changes for the better. One of them is a site called Grammarly. The URL is grammarly.com and for all of you writers out there – people in high school who have to do term papers and research papers, people working on their bachelors degrees with similar requirements, people working on their Masters – finish your paper and pop it into that site, just copy and paste, and it will make suggestions for improving your grammar (that’s grammar, not Granny). Great site. And the audience was good which always makes for a better talk.
Every one was present at Table 525 tonight. Last night there were just 6 of us, tonight all 10 were present and accounted for. A new couple sat across from us, or we from them (take your choice) from Texas, Bob and Sandy. At first I thought they wouldn’t be any fun, but they picked it up and made for pleasant conversation. The couple at the far end of the table were too far away to do more than say “howdy” to, so we said it and didn’t have any other interaction with them. We’ll pick different seats tomorrow so we can visit with others. Makes for a fun dinner.
Well, I’m going to cut my time on the keyboard short tonight, so my cruise buddy can blog. She is wide awake and ready to hit the keys.
So, TTFN
Well, where shall I begin. We drove to Atlanta Wednesday stopping in Madison to eat at CFA and stop at an antique place that is nice. Picked up some birthday presents for some upcoming birthdays. Then, we proceeded on to our hotel for the night. Nothing extra but it was clean and had a restaurant of sorts and we enjoyed a nice meal. We watched wheel and jeopardy and then some forged and fire shows enjoying some popcorn.
We got up at 5 so we could take the shuttle to the airport at 6. There were several other people who rode with us. Not much trouble at the airport and we got a bite of breakfast before we went to our gate. It had started raining by the time our flight took off. The plane was on time and the flight was only an hour and 40 minutes. We both slept for about 40 minutes or so. Arriving at Hobby airport in Houston (it was raining here too), we collected our luggage and soon found the carnival people. The ship still hadn’t docked, it actually docked about 30 minutes after we got our luggage and meet up with the Carnival people. It actually was 3 hours before they got a shuttle to the airport to get us. We were lucky and got the last 2 seats on the first shuttle. Found out later they actually had 3 shuttles that came in all. When we got to the pier it was still raining and we got off the bus identified our luggage to the porters and headed for check in. Got thru the security (I made it with my bottle of diet sprite, which I wasn’t supposed to have) and checked in and onto the ship. Found our room and our keys and I napped and he went off to check on our dining. Since we had 8:30 dining we ate on the lido deck. Good food but not very warm. We went to the welcome aboard show and then to bed.
He had gotten a chance to meet the entertainment director when he went to guest services to check on whether our credit card was entered into the computer, it was not. So he knew his schedule. We got up Friday morning at 7 so we could get ready, have breakfast and he could rehearse. I went walking after breakfast, I actually had 10000+ steps Thursday and Friday. Today I only got 8700. His first talk was a mess. There antiquated system wouldn’t work with the new computer, so for the second talk we pulled out the spare computer and everything was great. Both talks yesterday were well attended. Everyone was very complimentary.
Our dinner was changed to 6 and we went to supper and had a nice meal. The show last night was great. We have to go to the last show because the service is extremely slow and we don’t get out of the dining room till 8. Same thing happened tonight. I do not like tables of ten. We went to the comedy show at 8:30 last night and tonight. Tonight there isn’t any other show so we came back to the room. I am still awake so I am blogging. I was exhausted last night and was soon in bed.
Sorry this is very rambling. My mind is trying to keep up with the events. I have gotten some crocheting done and have been trying to find a good spot where we can watch when we get to the canal. Unfortunately the bow of the ship on deck 10 and 11 is the location of the adult only serenity pool and cabanas. It also has a fenced in play area for the children’s program. I will do some more exploring tomorrow to see if there is some place else to stand and watch.
Today while he was studying for his 2:15 talk I went to a couple of trivias in the atrium and sat and crocheted and listened. In the one on general knowledge I only got 9 correct, he knew 5 answers I didn’t know. We also got a chance to meet the dance couple, there room is opposite ours, who were giving a waltz lesson after the trivias. We went to lunch and had hamburgers and fries and an ice cream cone. After lunch he went to the room to dress and I headed to the Eagles lounge to wait for the talk. The lounge was a mess. They had a cooking show and had not cleaned up the mess. He came shortly after I did and he went back to the room to call the entertainment director to tell here the room was not prepared for his talk. She had to call someone to clean up the mess. Fortunately it was completed just about 2, his talk was at 2:15. The talk went well, we went back to the room, he napped and I didn’t. Then it was off to supper and another comedy show. Now in the room, he is fading fast and we are headed to bed.
Sorry this is rambling I will do better tomorrow night. Love you all.
Love, Mom, Granny and Bonnie
Friday, March 1, 2019
OH MY GOODNESS!
March 1, 2019
Murphy’s Law was in full operation during my first talk of the cruise (Yes, We May Have No Bananas). It started downhill, and just never recovered.
I met with the tech people more than a half hour before show time to get things set up, and the first thing that happened when they hooked their system up to my main computer was the two systems – mine and theirs – saying, “We are not going to play together!” They hooked up the VGA connection and the picture started flipping not unlike the TVs that I grew up with, except this time there was no vertical hold. Flip. Stop flipping. Flip. Stop flipping. Restart. Flip. Stop flipping.
So they brought in their laptop and I plugged in my flash drive. Theirs was a gaming computer which means it all sorts of speed and memory and other stuff I know nothing about. I tested the audio on one of the clips and it worked fine. So show time.
The short version of this story is one of four videos played and two of three sound tracks didn’t. The audience was good natured. I pointed my clicker at the screen and made amusing remarks and we all laughed. Then we got to a spot where the sound did work and one of the ship’s officers came on with the noon time report and stopped the sound. We all laughed again. To make up for the lack of audio, I described the piece they would have seen and sang the tune. And I invited them back for the 3 o’clock show so they could see what they missed. I don’t think anyone took me up on the invitation. I guess my imitation of the Minions doing “Ba Ba Ba Bannnana” was okay.
After the show we hooked up my old computer with Windows XP, the one that I am typing this blog on and the one that will transmit it out to you, and you know what happened. Everything worked perfectly. So for the rest of the cruise I will go on stage with old faithful. This has happened before, never quite so dramatically, but we had a good time nonetheless. Holy cow!
I tried to tell you yesterday that getting to the ship and getting on board was the smoothest I think we’ve ever experienced. No problems at airport security, which meant that no TSA agent reached for handcuffs when a certain member of my party faced the scanner and the conveyor belt. We had to wait a couple of hours for the bus to come to pick us up because the Valor was delayed into Galveston by fog. We got on board, got to our stateroom and both of our sign and sail cards which also double as our room keys worked (that hasn’t always been the case). I talked to the maitre d about switching our 8:15 dining to the early time of 6 or My Time and today we got a note giving us 6 p.m., early dining. It is a table for 10 but there were only 6 of us there. Companionable folks.
The welcome aboard show last night was standard fare. The cruise director talked too much and the singers and dancers performed too little. But tonight’s show was top notch. A tribute to the 70s and Disco music. High energy cast. Great job. And an enthusiastic audience. All except the two people who sat beside me who looked straight ahead without a smile and almost never raised their hands to clap. But the rest of us enjoyed it and gave the cast a well deserved standing ovation.
I need to tell you that our room, old number 1202 is the last room down the hall port side forward. If we were any farther forward we would be wet. And being on deck one we sometimes hear the waves as they wash by the ship. Last night it proved the background for a restful sleep. Tonight, I think we are smashing whales. The waves are picking up a little bit. But one of my regular readers sent me a picture of the snow in his front yard, so a few extra waves in the Gulf of Mexico – with 70 degree weather, heading for the 80s – aren’t all that bad.
Well, my companion begs off tonight. I got a nap and she did not. But she will meet you here at the keyboard on an upcoming blog. Speaking of blogs, my social media talk is tomorrow. Only one talk tomorrow, Vasily. I will repeat it several days down the sea.
So, TTFN
Murphy’s Law was in full operation during my first talk of the cruise (Yes, We May Have No Bananas). It started downhill, and just never recovered.
I met with the tech people more than a half hour before show time to get things set up, and the first thing that happened when they hooked their system up to my main computer was the two systems – mine and theirs – saying, “We are not going to play together!” They hooked up the VGA connection and the picture started flipping not unlike the TVs that I grew up with, except this time there was no vertical hold. Flip. Stop flipping. Flip. Stop flipping. Restart. Flip. Stop flipping.
So they brought in their laptop and I plugged in my flash drive. Theirs was a gaming computer which means it all sorts of speed and memory and other stuff I know nothing about. I tested the audio on one of the clips and it worked fine. So show time.
The short version of this story is one of four videos played and two of three sound tracks didn’t. The audience was good natured. I pointed my clicker at the screen and made amusing remarks and we all laughed. Then we got to a spot where the sound did work and one of the ship’s officers came on with the noon time report and stopped the sound. We all laughed again. To make up for the lack of audio, I described the piece they would have seen and sang the tune. And I invited them back for the 3 o’clock show so they could see what they missed. I don’t think anyone took me up on the invitation. I guess my imitation of the Minions doing “Ba Ba Ba Bannnana” was okay.
After the show we hooked up my old computer with Windows XP, the one that I am typing this blog on and the one that will transmit it out to you, and you know what happened. Everything worked perfectly. So for the rest of the cruise I will go on stage with old faithful. This has happened before, never quite so dramatically, but we had a good time nonetheless. Holy cow!
I tried to tell you yesterday that getting to the ship and getting on board was the smoothest I think we’ve ever experienced. No problems at airport security, which meant that no TSA agent reached for handcuffs when a certain member of my party faced the scanner and the conveyor belt. We had to wait a couple of hours for the bus to come to pick us up because the Valor was delayed into Galveston by fog. We got on board, got to our stateroom and both of our sign and sail cards which also double as our room keys worked (that hasn’t always been the case). I talked to the maitre d about switching our 8:15 dining to the early time of 6 or My Time and today we got a note giving us 6 p.m., early dining. It is a table for 10 but there were only 6 of us there. Companionable folks.
The welcome aboard show last night was standard fare. The cruise director talked too much and the singers and dancers performed too little. But tonight’s show was top notch. A tribute to the 70s and Disco music. High energy cast. Great job. And an enthusiastic audience. All except the two people who sat beside me who looked straight ahead without a smile and almost never raised their hands to clap. But the rest of us enjoyed it and gave the cast a well deserved standing ovation.
I need to tell you that our room, old number 1202 is the last room down the hall port side forward. If we were any farther forward we would be wet. And being on deck one we sometimes hear the waves as they wash by the ship. Last night it proved the background for a restful sleep. Tonight, I think we are smashing whales. The waves are picking up a little bit. But one of my regular readers sent me a picture of the snow in his front yard, so a few extra waves in the Gulf of Mexico – with 70 degree weather, heading for the 80s – aren’t all that bad.
Well, my companion begs off tonight. I got a nap and she did not. But she will meet you here at the keyboard on an upcoming blog. Speaking of blogs, my social media talk is tomorrow. Only one talk tomorrow, Vasily. I will repeat it several days down the sea.
So, TTFN
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