The ship was underway for two days after leaving Ft Lauderdale, and we made good time except for one little bit of excitement. Our first evening in Fla. we were at dinner and they made an announcement for blood donors to go to the medical center. We went back to our normal days at sea and in the middle of the first night things got very bumpy. I mean, we were rocking and crashing down at the bow. Around 9 am the capt made an announcement we had turned course to head to New Orleans and we would rendezvous with a helicopter about 11am. They closed all balconies on the port side on several floors and moved those people out of their cabins. Also they did not let anyone in the pool areas. Jim and I ended up in the upper deck area by the putting green and had a great view of the entire rescue. Our rocky travels were because we were basing right into the Wind and later when we turned the capt put out the stabilizers and we settled right down. Then we had our last sad night wandering the nightspots and looking at familiar faces.
Notes on Travel Continued
Before I left home I bought two silk jackets to wear for formal evenings. They are the greatest. I got them at Lind's Pharmacy in Freeland. First, they fold up flat and travel like a breeze. Second, they can go over a shell or anything else or they can be buttoned up and worn as a closed jacket. I bought a gold color and turquoise, but I am going back to get more if they have any left. They can go over a skirt or over a pair of black pants, and they are lightweight enough that even in the tropics they would work? I noticed that lots of women had great sparkly tops to go with trousers or skirts for dress up, and I know people rotated back through things just like I did. On this trip I did not have enough short sleeved things. My idea that it would be cold all the time was wrong. The temps were normally around 65, and even higher. We had one cold day out of 32! Gotta go, more later. The Whidbey Wagners.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
At Sea on the Way to Galveston
Hello all, we had a day in Ft Lauderdale and then set sail last evening around 5:30 for a two day trip through the Gulf of Mexico to Galveston. We continue to eat well and sleep well, although Jim and I miss our bed at home. I have packed two bags, getting ready for the early morning departure to Hobby Airport. Janice and I went to the Knit and Natter group this morning and someone says there will be between 500 and 700 kids on board this ship when it leaves Galveston tomorrow, all going to the Caribbean for Christmas! Wow, I am glad I leave for home before that hits! They'll probabaly have a great time, but keep things really busy around here. We love the fact that 900 people got off in Florida. Fewer people in the buffet line and also at dinner.
I am making notes on what not to forget when you go on a cruise. No matter where you go, no matter what the weather, take a hat. I took a beret and bought wool hat, but I needed a hat with a brim to keep the sun off my face. It was a surprise to me that I might need that, but I am always ready to learn. Seems simple, but I forgot one and I didn't find one to buy. Not the season, I guess. Also, take toothpaste. They did not have toothpaste for sale on the ship. We had to buy some weird brand in Italy,and it is not like home. Another thing I needed was Tylenol. We had a hard time finding plain Tylenol in Italy, and I got some strange pills that dissolved in water like lemon fizzy pills. I hated drinking that stuff. They sell four at a time in the ship store, but they cost an arm and a leg. Jim went down and got some from the medical office and they charged him a fee of $14 for the visit! If you regularly take any meds, take them along. They have them but they cost. I forgot my little bottle of liquid laundry soap, so I washed my bras in shampoo. That is OK but not as good as real stuff. I could get dry powder in the laundry, but I chose not to use that. Lots of learning going on here. I took too many clothes. When they say take out half, they mean it. It takes two days to get laundry done, or you can do it yourself if you take a couple of hours out of your day or night. I never remembered the soap when I was ashore and I didn't need a huge bottle. Next time! More later on about this. The Whidbey Wagners
I am making notes on what not to forget when you go on a cruise. No matter where you go, no matter what the weather, take a hat. I took a beret and bought wool hat, but I needed a hat with a brim to keep the sun off my face. It was a surprise to me that I might need that, but I am always ready to learn. Seems simple, but I forgot one and I didn't find one to buy. Not the season, I guess. Also, take toothpaste. They did not have toothpaste for sale on the ship. We had to buy some weird brand in Italy,and it is not like home. Another thing I needed was Tylenol. We had a hard time finding plain Tylenol in Italy, and I got some strange pills that dissolved in water like lemon fizzy pills. I hated drinking that stuff. They sell four at a time in the ship store, but they cost an arm and a leg. Jim went down and got some from the medical office and they charged him a fee of $14 for the visit! If you regularly take any meds, take them along. They have them but they cost. I forgot my little bottle of liquid laundry soap, so I washed my bras in shampoo. That is OK but not as good as real stuff. I could get dry powder in the laundry, but I chose not to use that. Lots of learning going on here. I took too many clothes. When they say take out half, they mean it. It takes two days to get laundry done, or you can do it yourself if you take a couple of hours out of your day or night. I never remembered the soap when I was ashore and I didn't need a huge bottle. Next time! More later on about this. The Whidbey Wagners
Monday, December 17, 2012
Grumbling and Editing
Hello Everybody, this is our fourth day at sea and some people are getting grumpy. The computers are slow-like a massive dial-up-with lots of people trying to get on all at once. Not only do we have the Internet lounge, but everyone has an Ipad and they log in from thier seats every where they sit. Everything seems overpowered , and we are 3000 miles out in the middle of the Atlantic, so I don't know what they expect. Since things are a little slow, I'll only stay on a little while. BTW, the Editing part of this blog is that I will soon go over the posts and correct all the spelling errors. Usually I am in line or in a hurry and things get on here fairly quickly. Also, I plan to add some things with photos as soon as I can figure out how to do that.
We are on the Anytime Eating Plan, so we can go in the dining rooms (2) at any time during the evening. We are excluded from one of the dining rooms as that is reserved for 6 and 8:15 for those who have recquested an eating reservations each night. So, we wander in around 6:30 each evening, and as we greet the MaitreD', I ask for a shared table with "nice" people. Now he knows me and promises the "Nice" people! Last night we ate with a couple from Slovenia. Slovenia is only 3 hrs across in any direction. It has 2 million people, and it has the same problems as other European nations. We are so interested in all our fellow passengers. The woman was absolutely beautiful, tiny, and spoke little English. She told us they had been on a Round the World cruise last year and they had an English teacher on board who gave classes. That got me going. Maybe Princess would like to hire me to teach English on board! And, give me a free cabin. Anyway, Slovenia has lots of spa resorts, Mariana said. Her husband told me they are leaving Galveston after 32 days to board a Carnival ship for 2 weeks in the Caribbean, and then changing again to go down into South America, finally finishing up back in Ft Lauderdale after 48 more days. They stay home in the summer months only. Her only complaint was that the music on the ship was not very good for dancing. We have a normal dance band, a Beatles era or 50-60's dance band, and on occasion a country western group, all in different spots every nite, so I don't know what she wants. We do not have a grand ballroom; maybe she wanted that. Anyway, we can be entertained. I am going to find out more about Slovenia.
Today Jim had on his Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival tee and a lady asked if he lived there, and when he said no, Whidbey Island, she said she lived in Coupeville. She and her husband had moved from New Jersey and love it on the island. And, we met a couple on a bus who are retiring and want to move out of California, and now await an invitation to visit us because they are very interested in Whidbey. Mike says I have to quit inviting people! Everytime we identify ourselves as coming from Whidbey, people say they have been to Whidbey or know it and want to go there.
We also have met people who tell us about the amazing trips they have taken all over the world. When we first started I was sure I would never need to go back on another cruise to the same areas, but now I understand why the Cruise Critic people were planning tours to areas outside Rome. They take this trip over and over and get to spend times in areas not in the immediate port area. Some people are so savvy, they know to tell the tour guide they only want to see the Bottecelli paintings in Rome, and the tourguide takes them to the churches that have those paintings, and no where else. Another group went to three Tuscan villages for wine tasting and a grand lunch. The tours will do anything you want and with a small group, it is not difficult. I told the driver I wanted to get some wine in France, so he pointed out a grocery store and told me to go there. Others told me about going to a winery where they would fill up a plastic jug with fresh wine for only 5 Euros. We have learned so much, I feel like I should have a notebook to write down the travel tips I learn on each outing and at each meal. One interesting fact is that few people we talk to have traveled on Norwegian. Did I say that before? Anyway, I wonder what the deal is with that. One couple told me Carnival was not loud or young because they only travel on Carnival after October and every young family has gone home, leaving old people.
Today and tomorrow at sea, and then we are in Ft Lauderdale for a day. We are going on an airboat ride in the Everglades. That's for Jim, since I am not very interested, but he thinks it will be cool. Hope we don't see too many alligators! Then we have two more days to reach Galveston. I am getting sad the trip will be over soon. I think I could stay on the ship for many more days and be happy. Who knew! Best to all, and more later. The Whidbey Wagners
We are on the Anytime Eating Plan, so we can go in the dining rooms (2) at any time during the evening. We are excluded from one of the dining rooms as that is reserved for 6 and 8:15 for those who have recquested an eating reservations each night. So, we wander in around 6:30 each evening, and as we greet the MaitreD', I ask for a shared table with "nice" people. Now he knows me and promises the "Nice" people! Last night we ate with a couple from Slovenia. Slovenia is only 3 hrs across in any direction. It has 2 million people, and it has the same problems as other European nations. We are so interested in all our fellow passengers. The woman was absolutely beautiful, tiny, and spoke little English. She told us they had been on a Round the World cruise last year and they had an English teacher on board who gave classes. That got me going. Maybe Princess would like to hire me to teach English on board! And, give me a free cabin. Anyway, Slovenia has lots of spa resorts, Mariana said. Her husband told me they are leaving Galveston after 32 days to board a Carnival ship for 2 weeks in the Caribbean, and then changing again to go down into South America, finally finishing up back in Ft Lauderdale after 48 more days. They stay home in the summer months only. Her only complaint was that the music on the ship was not very good for dancing. We have a normal dance band, a Beatles era or 50-60's dance band, and on occasion a country western group, all in different spots every nite, so I don't know what she wants. We do not have a grand ballroom; maybe she wanted that. Anyway, we can be entertained. I am going to find out more about Slovenia.
Today Jim had on his Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival tee and a lady asked if he lived there, and when he said no, Whidbey Island, she said she lived in Coupeville. She and her husband had moved from New Jersey and love it on the island. And, we met a couple on a bus who are retiring and want to move out of California, and now await an invitation to visit us because they are very interested in Whidbey. Mike says I have to quit inviting people! Everytime we identify ourselves as coming from Whidbey, people say they have been to Whidbey or know it and want to go there.
We also have met people who tell us about the amazing trips they have taken all over the world. When we first started I was sure I would never need to go back on another cruise to the same areas, but now I understand why the Cruise Critic people were planning tours to areas outside Rome. They take this trip over and over and get to spend times in areas not in the immediate port area. Some people are so savvy, they know to tell the tour guide they only want to see the Bottecelli paintings in Rome, and the tourguide takes them to the churches that have those paintings, and no where else. Another group went to three Tuscan villages for wine tasting and a grand lunch. The tours will do anything you want and with a small group, it is not difficult. I told the driver I wanted to get some wine in France, so he pointed out a grocery store and told me to go there. Others told me about going to a winery where they would fill up a plastic jug with fresh wine for only 5 Euros. We have learned so much, I feel like I should have a notebook to write down the travel tips I learn on each outing and at each meal. One interesting fact is that few people we talk to have traveled on Norwegian. Did I say that before? Anyway, I wonder what the deal is with that. One couple told me Carnival was not loud or young because they only travel on Carnival after October and every young family has gone home, leaving old people.
Today and tomorrow at sea, and then we are in Ft Lauderdale for a day. We are going on an airboat ride in the Everglades. That's for Jim, since I am not very interested, but he thinks it will be cool. Hope we don't see too many alligators! Then we have two more days to reach Galveston. I am getting sad the trip will be over soon. I think I could stay on the ship for many more days and be happy. Who knew! Best to all, and more later. The Whidbey Wagners
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Mid-Atlantic
Hello Everybody, in the middle of the Atlantic, I have plenty of time to catch up. We are on our 4th sea day, and so far I have been busy.
The Spa
I have not used the spa for massages, but I've had my nails done twice and yesterday I had my hair done, even my roots colored so I look like normal if I turn sideways! The girl who did my hair, finished the color and said, "Now, we have removed all the wisdom from your head!" Nice way of saying, white hair!!! I also had a facial. In the midst of this I asked many questions and learned that the spas on Holland America, Princess, Carnival, Etc-all those who are in the Carnival family-use the same spa company. They recruit all over the world. One girl told me they came to South Africa to her school and talked about working for the cruise lines. There is a rigorous interview and training program, and if you work for Disney, it is really a big deal for education because they include all the famous Disney happiness as part of their training. The main headquarters for the company is in London, so they fly everyone there and do training and then out to the ships. The hairdresser was going to be in Alaska in the fall, and she had been on four different cruise lines in three years, with short visits to Disney. She will be going out on the Royal Princess, the latest liner to launch, because she has been invited by her boss who will be running the spa on that ship. She did a good job except for the hair color in my ears, so I think she is being rewarded. They also told me the head of each department gets to hire his or her own crew, so if the Housekeeping guy is Phillipino, he will hire from that country, making it easier to communicate with his crew. Interesting. We have a Scottish captain and an Italian first mate. ??
Noro Virus
The ship is on red alert for the noro virus. We are not allowed to handle any food, everything is served to us. Makes the lines at the buffet go slower, and we see fewer servers. There is some complaining about that. It takes a while to get your coffee when you sit down for breakfast. We are eating breakfast in the buffet with all the variety, and that has slowed down the process. With the weather iffy outside, we don't have many people on deck, so we are all squashed inside. This is a huge ship, but finding a table with a view is a premium. We find people camping out in the buffet area, just sitting at tables reading their ipads or a book while people troll the aisles hoping someone will leave. That causes irritation. Sometimes the dining rooms are empty and other times they seem full. We can't tell if the virus has any impact on that or not. If you have symptoms, they demand you call 911 and get treatment from the ship's doc, and then you are quaranteened for 72 hours. I asked the girl at the spa and she said she has not heard of any crew members sick with the virus, but people refuse to call the clinic and spread it around to passengers. No one on our floor has appeared to be ill, but it is pretty quiet.
Entertainment.
We have this very old gentleman author who speaks everyday about ocean liners. He has written numerous books on ocean travel, including a book on the Titanic. He is entertaining, a great story teller and very popular. We also had lunch with the Bridge expert who gives a lecture every day or so and then runs a duplicate bridge game for passengers. He was very nice and told us Holland American does not pay for a Bridge expert, so he does get something from Princess, a room and other stuff? The floor shows in the theater are better than HAL, but the comics and others are equal. Good singers, violinists, etc. They have the equivalent of three bands on this ship, because they are playing all over every night. The library is a tiny room with only a few books. Wow, HAL excells there.
Photos
We are going to put together a video of slides and video I took on the trip to share with others. We have so manty photos and so many memories. The Med is filled with wonderful cities, and more antiquities than anyone can even grasp. The Acropolis is a highlight. Venice was magical. Barcelona is a redo-I fell in love with Gaudi (his church is inspired!)-a very different view than how many others feel. We learned lots about Portugal, and I would like to visit there again. Of course, Italy is on the list for another visit. I was disappointed we did not get to eat a real meal there. We had our lunch in Positano, but we didn't go to a restaurant because we did not have time. We ate pizza every time we had a quick lunch. The same was true for Greece. We ate the same thing everywhere. It was good but not as adventurous as I would have liked to have been. We did take photos of the food we ate, so you can all see what I am talking about.
The ship is rolling a little today, but not as bad as the first day at sea. It is warm, almost 70 degrees, and windy. Off to a lecture and then we will be reading, knitting and having another great meal! Think of us as we suffer through this. The Whidbey Wagners
The Spa
I have not used the spa for massages, but I've had my nails done twice and yesterday I had my hair done, even my roots colored so I look like normal if I turn sideways! The girl who did my hair, finished the color and said, "Now, we have removed all the wisdom from your head!" Nice way of saying, white hair!!! I also had a facial. In the midst of this I asked many questions and learned that the spas on Holland America, Princess, Carnival, Etc-all those who are in the Carnival family-use the same spa company. They recruit all over the world. One girl told me they came to South Africa to her school and talked about working for the cruise lines. There is a rigorous interview and training program, and if you work for Disney, it is really a big deal for education because they include all the famous Disney happiness as part of their training. The main headquarters for the company is in London, so they fly everyone there and do training and then out to the ships. The hairdresser was going to be in Alaska in the fall, and she had been on four different cruise lines in three years, with short visits to Disney. She will be going out on the Royal Princess, the latest liner to launch, because she has been invited by her boss who will be running the spa on that ship. She did a good job except for the hair color in my ears, so I think she is being rewarded. They also told me the head of each department gets to hire his or her own crew, so if the Housekeeping guy is Phillipino, he will hire from that country, making it easier to communicate with his crew. Interesting. We have a Scottish captain and an Italian first mate. ??
Noro Virus
The ship is on red alert for the noro virus. We are not allowed to handle any food, everything is served to us. Makes the lines at the buffet go slower, and we see fewer servers. There is some complaining about that. It takes a while to get your coffee when you sit down for breakfast. We are eating breakfast in the buffet with all the variety, and that has slowed down the process. With the weather iffy outside, we don't have many people on deck, so we are all squashed inside. This is a huge ship, but finding a table with a view is a premium. We find people camping out in the buffet area, just sitting at tables reading their ipads or a book while people troll the aisles hoping someone will leave. That causes irritation. Sometimes the dining rooms are empty and other times they seem full. We can't tell if the virus has any impact on that or not. If you have symptoms, they demand you call 911 and get treatment from the ship's doc, and then you are quaranteened for 72 hours. I asked the girl at the spa and she said she has not heard of any crew members sick with the virus, but people refuse to call the clinic and spread it around to passengers. No one on our floor has appeared to be ill, but it is pretty quiet.
Entertainment.
We have this very old gentleman author who speaks everyday about ocean liners. He has written numerous books on ocean travel, including a book on the Titanic. He is entertaining, a great story teller and very popular. We also had lunch with the Bridge expert who gives a lecture every day or so and then runs a duplicate bridge game for passengers. He was very nice and told us Holland American does not pay for a Bridge expert, so he does get something from Princess, a room and other stuff? The floor shows in the theater are better than HAL, but the comics and others are equal. Good singers, violinists, etc. They have the equivalent of three bands on this ship, because they are playing all over every night. The library is a tiny room with only a few books. Wow, HAL excells there.
Photos
We are going to put together a video of slides and video I took on the trip to share with others. We have so manty photos and so many memories. The Med is filled with wonderful cities, and more antiquities than anyone can even grasp. The Acropolis is a highlight. Venice was magical. Barcelona is a redo-I fell in love with Gaudi (his church is inspired!)-a very different view than how many others feel. We learned lots about Portugal, and I would like to visit there again. Of course, Italy is on the list for another visit. I was disappointed we did not get to eat a real meal there. We had our lunch in Positano, but we didn't go to a restaurant because we did not have time. We ate pizza every time we had a quick lunch. The same was true for Greece. We ate the same thing everywhere. It was good but not as adventurous as I would have liked to have been. We did take photos of the food we ate, so you can all see what I am talking about.
The ship is rolling a little today, but not as bad as the first day at sea. It is warm, almost 70 degrees, and windy. Off to a lecture and then we will be reading, knitting and having another great meal! Think of us as we suffer through this. The Whidbey Wagners
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Barcelona, Lisbon and Punta Delgada-Azores
Hello Everybody, I know I jumped off the internet and never talked about Barcelona. We were coming in to Lisbon and Jim rushed up to tell me we needed to go see the arrival, so off I went. We spend all our time running from onhe end of this ship to another. Oh, for the HAL days when the ship was 1/2 this size. We are way up in the bow and everything else is in the back or middle except for the theater. Anyway, back to Barcelona and the weather. It has been wonderful. We have not been cold except for a few days. Barcelona was sunny and warm-around 65 degrees. We sat outside and ate paella and enjoyed watching the crowds walk by in the Ramblas. We were entranced with the Sagradia De Familia, Gaudi's amazing work. Many comments were that the outside looks like a kid's project gone wrong, but the inside is inspired. I thought the whole thing was inspired. It spoke to me somehow, and I thought the inside was so spiritual. It is so wonderful and you could spend days in it, just seeing all aspects, but sadly it is not a working church. It was blessed by the Popoe and it is a Basilica, but they only hold special masses there on occasion. It is a tourist attraction only. Too bad! Barcelona was a wonderful city with handsome Catalans and wealthy looking streets and shops.
We went on a day tour with the ship's excursion dept, but we learned a lesson. We do so much better with another couple and taking taxis or the bus. Mike and Janice are willing to go out and about with us, actually Mike is leading the charge, and we have seen so much just on our own (note the ATV ride in Mykonos!). And, we save money. The ship tours are more and you have to stay in the huge group of 48. When we reached Lisbon, we decided to do our own thing. Right outside the terminal building was a taxi driver who spoke excellent English, and for 100 Euros he took us all over the city and gave us the history, political situation, and attitude of the Portugese people. He was as conservative as Mike, and we really laughed about their problems with immigration: the Rumanians. Lisbon is a great city, with wide streets and narrow streets, and neighborhoods. They have wonderful pastries, which we sampled, and lots of places to sit in outdoor cafes. It was a great day, and I can see us coming back to Lisbon, or Lisboa.
Today we were in the Azores. We loved the great terminal and the narrow streets for walking. All the streets are paved with small stone pavers of black and white and have designs in them. The crosswalks are in only white so you know exactly where to walk. They use their lava stone to build buildings and that makes lots of black and white buildings, too. The churches are well covered in gold as are all the churches in Europe. We ate pastries, bought a few more sourvenirs, and went back to the ship for a nap. Another cruise ship is parked in front of us, a FredOlson Cruise Liner. Wow, what a beautiful small ship. The Princess looks like a giant floating hotel and the other one is a yacht.
Tonight we leave for the US and will be at sea for six days. We've had some pitching days on the way to the Azores, and the little pills I take keep me happy and asleep! So, I may nap all the way to Florida. More when we get there. The Whidbey Wagners
We went on a day tour with the ship's excursion dept, but we learned a lesson. We do so much better with another couple and taking taxis or the bus. Mike and Janice are willing to go out and about with us, actually Mike is leading the charge, and we have seen so much just on our own (note the ATV ride in Mykonos!). And, we save money. The ship tours are more and you have to stay in the huge group of 48. When we reached Lisbon, we decided to do our own thing. Right outside the terminal building was a taxi driver who spoke excellent English, and for 100 Euros he took us all over the city and gave us the history, political situation, and attitude of the Portugese people. He was as conservative as Mike, and we really laughed about their problems with immigration: the Rumanians. Lisbon is a great city, with wide streets and narrow streets, and neighborhoods. They have wonderful pastries, which we sampled, and lots of places to sit in outdoor cafes. It was a great day, and I can see us coming back to Lisbon, or Lisboa.
Today we were in the Azores. We loved the great terminal and the narrow streets for walking. All the streets are paved with small stone pavers of black and white and have designs in them. The crosswalks are in only white so you know exactly where to walk. They use their lava stone to build buildings and that makes lots of black and white buildings, too. The churches are well covered in gold as are all the churches in Europe. We ate pastries, bought a few more sourvenirs, and went back to the ship for a nap. Another cruise ship is parked in front of us, a FredOlson Cruise Liner. Wow, what a beautiful small ship. The Princess looks like a giant floating hotel and the other one is a yacht.
Tonight we leave for the US and will be at sea for six days. We've had some pitching days on the way to the Azores, and the little pills I take keep me happy and asleep! So, I may nap all the way to Florida. More when we get there. The Whidbey Wagners
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Canne and Barcelona
Hello All, Canne and Monaco were not a disappointment. They are worth all the hype, looking exactly as you would expect. They had huge flocked Christmas trees decorating the square in front of the casino in Monte Carlo, and we went in the casino and looked around for 5 minutes, but the overall view of the luxury and fancy hotels and elaborate buildings is truly like the bodn movies. We also saw the beautiful beaches and marinas with biggggg yachts. The most exciting thing for Jim was all along the street as we walked in front of the Hotel de Paris and the casino: cars. Bentleys, Rolls, Faerraris, Jags, BMW's, Mercedes, you name it and we saw all the high priced toys. Our guide told us they park those out front just to get attention. That sounds like a great advertising campaign and we bought it. Barcelona later! Gotta go see Gibralter as it slides by. The Whidbey Wagners
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Rome and Livorno
Hello All, we had two days at sea for a great recovery time, although the seas were very bumpy, as the Captain says. He also says roly poly which I am sure is a nautical term we don't use nearly enough. The first night out, we rolled, pitched and banged our way around the end of the boot on the way to Rome. Finally, I got up and took a seasick pill, actually I took two, and then I spent the rest of the night and the next day sleeping. True, I finally woke around 5 for dinner. Mike and Janice told me they had been instructed to never take more than one pill in 24 hours! I survived, and the rolling the second night didn't bother me at all. Jim woke on Dec 5 at the Rome port with a little nagging tickle in his throat. We went off for the marathon trip to all sites Rome, including the Colliseum, Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, Basilica of St Peter, the Trevi Fountain, other fountains, and sights. We were exhausted after that, my knees were giving out, and we woke this morning with Jim in full cold mode and me dragging around after him. So, we skipped Florence. It might seem like we made a bad decision, but the day would have been just like yesterday because they are cramming everything into one day, and Jim would have infected everybody in the van! We need to come back to Italy on a land trip to poke around Venice, Rome and Florence. I didn't think I would want to do that, but after this short trip, I am sure there are lots of things to see in more than one day. I got the information I want: I need to come back to Italy. Anyway, we are hoping to feel good enough tomorrow to go to Cannes and Barcelona the next day.
We continue to meet interesting people. I asked Jim what he was giving me for our 50th anniversary and he suggested a round the world cruise! So, since then I have been asking everyone if they have been on any of those kinds of cruises. Yesterday a gentleman from Surry, BC, told me he had met a woman who went on a leg of Round the World and she got an extra trip to Alaska because Holland America was trying to outbid Princess on the deal. Looks like we'll be doing some real bargain shopping! Before we set out on the world trip, we have to get across the Atlantic and we have to cross the Pacific to Hawaii in the spring. I may not like long sea days; we'll see. Anyway, our 50th isn't until 2016 so we can do some planning.
We learned so much yesterday. It makes sense, but I did not know we have two US ambassadors in Rome, one to Italy and one to the Vatican City! Also, the Knights of Malta have their own independent state here in Rome, a property close to the Vatican and to the Egyptian embassy ( to the Vatican). Michaelangelo had a very ribald sense of humor, too. More later on that. Signing off for now, The Whidbey Wagners
We continue to meet interesting people. I asked Jim what he was giving me for our 50th anniversary and he suggested a round the world cruise! So, since then I have been asking everyone if they have been on any of those kinds of cruises. Yesterday a gentleman from Surry, BC, told me he had met a woman who went on a leg of Round the World and she got an extra trip to Alaska because Holland America was trying to outbid Princess on the deal. Looks like we'll be doing some real bargain shopping! Before we set out on the world trip, we have to get across the Atlantic and we have to cross the Pacific to Hawaii in the spring. I may not like long sea days; we'll see. Anyway, our 50th isn't until 2016 so we can do some planning.
We learned so much yesterday. It makes sense, but I did not know we have two US ambassadors in Rome, one to Italy and one to the Vatican City! Also, the Knights of Malta have their own independent state here in Rome, a property close to the Vatican and to the Egyptian embassy ( to the Vatican). Michaelangelo had a very ribald sense of humor, too. More later on that. Signing off for now, The Whidbey Wagners
Monday, December 3, 2012
Venice, ETC.
Hello All, we are at sea, with lumpy or bumpy seas, as the Captain says, with fresh, very fresh wind! That means white caps and some rolling around. Not too bad right now, and no signs of sea sickness in anyone.
We arrived in Venice about 1PM day before yesterday, and we took a boat ride around the area. The boat did not go down the Grand Canal, so we missed out on that the first day, but we made up for it yesterday. We were out on the bow for our arrival and we had Italian tenors singing along while we cruised slowly in with tugs fore and aft. It was magical. Then we went for our boat ride, learning about the area. This is a fascinating city, and the first one I would like to visit for a week. We had a good night and then got up to strike out on our own into Venice. We jumped on the people mover to Piassi Roma, and then onto a vaporetto for the water trip down the Grand Canal. It was raining off and on and cold, and St Mark's Square was flooded so we had to walk on the elevated sidewalks, and we missed the Cathedral because they were having mass in there. Walking around and in and out of the narrow streets showed us fantastic high fashion clothes and jewelry. After pizza for lunch, Jim and I headed back to the ship. The rain was getting worse and we were cold; Janice and Mike went back to the square and got into the cathedral and said it was amazing. That means we have to come back here!! Today we meet the others on our Rome tour athe next Cruise Critic Meet and Greet. Too much food, too many places but the two days at sea will let us catch up with rest and relax. Tonight we go to the Crown Grill to celebrate the Connell's anniversary, 42 years. Nice place to celebrate. We are well and happy. Best to all, the Whidbey Wagners. P.S. When we returned to the ship afdter our Venice tour, the entire boat was decorated for Christmas!
We arrived in Venice about 1PM day before yesterday, and we took a boat ride around the area. The boat did not go down the Grand Canal, so we missed out on that the first day, but we made up for it yesterday. We were out on the bow for our arrival and we had Italian tenors singing along while we cruised slowly in with tugs fore and aft. It was magical. Then we went for our boat ride, learning about the area. This is a fascinating city, and the first one I would like to visit for a week. We had a good night and then got up to strike out on our own into Venice. We jumped on the people mover to Piassi Roma, and then onto a vaporetto for the water trip down the Grand Canal. It was raining off and on and cold, and St Mark's Square was flooded so we had to walk on the elevated sidewalks, and we missed the Cathedral because they were having mass in there. Walking around and in and out of the narrow streets showed us fantastic high fashion clothes and jewelry. After pizza for lunch, Jim and I headed back to the ship. The rain was getting worse and we were cold; Janice and Mike went back to the square and got into the cathedral and said it was amazing. That means we have to come back here!! Today we meet the others on our Rome tour athe next Cruise Critic Meet and Greet. Too much food, too many places but the two days at sea will let us catch up with rest and relax. Tonight we go to the Crown Grill to celebrate the Connell's anniversary, 42 years. Nice place to celebrate. We are well and happy. Best to all, the Whidbey Wagners. P.S. When we returned to the ship afdter our Venice tour, the entire boat was decorated for Christmas!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
The Acropolis and More
Hello All:
Today we are in Corfu, Greece, but let me begin at the beginning. We got to Athens right on schedule, with perfect weather, about 65 degrees and sunny off and on. We had a private tour organized through Cruise Critic, and were very pleased again with all that we got for our money. We were met at the dock and went immediately to the Acropolis. That was a challange and a thrill. The Acropolis sits on a very high hill, and you must climb to get up to it. Sometimes there are steps, but mostly it is a winding path made of stones and marble, with a step every now and then. At the top, there are real wooden steps, climbing steeply to the interior. At that height, I was getting vertigo and didn't look down at the city, but it was spread out all over for everyone to see. This is the highest hill in Athens! The ruins are massive, and there is more than one area up there, so we were up for quite a while. After seeing all there was, and believe me we took lots of pics, we went back down those stairs to the bus for a ride to the ancient Athens cemetery. By then my knees were really sore, so I took every opportunity to sit down. It seems those Greeks liked to build elaborately beautiful markers for the cemetery until the gov't said, no more,and they had to resort to small round pilings with only a name. That only lasted about 5-10 years and then they were back to the gigantic monuments, all very beautiful. We also saw a museum along the way with amazingly fine pottery from the 6th Century AD. After the cemetery, we went to the old market, the Plaka, (the spelling is varied, but close to that). The old market had a wealth of stalls, people sitting around, lots of dogs, and junk for sale.
[Our guide told us the 18-25 year olds are 50% out of work, so they are lazing around all over and covering everything, and I mean everything, with graffiti. It was amazing to see every buuilding in Athens, including public buildings like banks and offices covered in mostly protest graffiti. There was also art graffiti that matched lots of NY and LA art. The 25-40 year olds are 27% unemployed which leaves lots of old guys hanging out,too, yelling at each other and getting ready for the next protest. The guide said she had held off on the next protest so we wouldn't have any problems while we are in Greece. And, she said the peacefull demonstrations are co-opted by militants who just want to make trouble for everyone. In reply to a question about the Greek national economy, she said the economy was based on tourism and shipping. Also, some cotton and vegetables in the European market. In some places we've been there are often 4-5 cruise ships anchored or ashore, so that makes lots of tourist dollars. We are the last ship in most of the ports and everything has slowed down for the season.]
Next on our day in Athens we went to the National Archeological Museum to see the facade from the Acropolis and other parts that have been removed for preservation. Lots of the bits on the Acropolis and Parthenon, etc. are remade to look like the originals. The most interesting thing in the museum was the construction setting it at the same height and same orientation as the Acropolis. And, then they had the facade that runs around the Acropolis in its entirity....minus the chunks Elgin took to the
British Museum! After we were about 1/3 way around, I asked the guide if one of the pieces was in the BM and that loosened the flood gates about the Elgin marbles. It is horrifying to see how much of the facade of the Acropolis the BM has in their display. The missing parts are displayed in Athens in stark white so that you can tell the originals from the patina on the old ones. Almost all of it is in Britain. I suggested we start a petition to return the marbles to Greece! Our guide said when Melina Mercouri was the President of Greece, and because she was so well known as an actress and so popular in the world, they hoped she could put pressure on the Brits to return them, but nothing happened. It was a wonderful display and well worth the whole trip to Athens to see how the Acropolis was supposed to look.
[I should take a short pause here to discuss food. I am walking like crazy, but I can't really believe I am losing weight. I may not be gaining any, however. OK, to my main point. We finally figured out why we couldn't get a good gyro here in Greece. When we were in Santorini we did get one for 2.5 Euros at a small corner cafe, but then in Mykonos and Athens we went into restaurants and they gave us a huge plate with all the fixings, (beef, pork or lamb, tomatoes, red onions, tzsiki and french fries)but with the pita cut up (9 Euros). When we were in Athens I asked the guide what we were doing wrong, and she explained we were sitting down. Gyros are take out food! Today in Corfu we found a MicMac and had a great gyro with all the fixins for 2-5 Euros. We picked it up and sat outside at a table, but they did not wait on us. MicMac is McDonalds on Corfu.]
Yesterday we should have gone into Olympia, but we have been in the line of a storm, with rain and 65 knot winds last night. The captain decided we could not go to the dock, and he would not take us off on tenders at that Olympia port of Katakolon, so off we went, running before the wind, to Corfu which has a nice protected harbor. We anchored out last night and then came into town this morning on the dock. Everybody went out and about for a little look see, got rained on, and then came back to the boat for a lazy afternoon. That was good for my knees. The squalls are supposed to keep coming tonight, but we hope everything is clear for Dubrovnik tomorrow, and then Venice.We heard Venice was underwater again, but Jim assures me we will not have flooding because the tides will have gone down and the moon won't be high. We have a boat tour planned for Venice and then the second day we'll get out and about to see St Marks' Square and other sights.
We continue to stay well, and have had a great time so far. Stay tuned for more. The Whidbey Wagners
Today we are in Corfu, Greece, but let me begin at the beginning. We got to Athens right on schedule, with perfect weather, about 65 degrees and sunny off and on. We had a private tour organized through Cruise Critic, and were very pleased again with all that we got for our money. We were met at the dock and went immediately to the Acropolis. That was a challange and a thrill. The Acropolis sits on a very high hill, and you must climb to get up to it. Sometimes there are steps, but mostly it is a winding path made of stones and marble, with a step every now and then. At the top, there are real wooden steps, climbing steeply to the interior. At that height, I was getting vertigo and didn't look down at the city, but it was spread out all over for everyone to see. This is the highest hill in Athens! The ruins are massive, and there is more than one area up there, so we were up for quite a while. After seeing all there was, and believe me we took lots of pics, we went back down those stairs to the bus for a ride to the ancient Athens cemetery. By then my knees were really sore, so I took every opportunity to sit down. It seems those Greeks liked to build elaborately beautiful markers for the cemetery until the gov't said, no more,and they had to resort to small round pilings with only a name. That only lasted about 5-10 years and then they were back to the gigantic monuments, all very beautiful. We also saw a museum along the way with amazingly fine pottery from the 6th Century AD. After the cemetery, we went to the old market, the Plaka, (the spelling is varied, but close to that). The old market had a wealth of stalls, people sitting around, lots of dogs, and junk for sale.
[Our guide told us the 18-25 year olds are 50% out of work, so they are lazing around all over and covering everything, and I mean everything, with graffiti. It was amazing to see every buuilding in Athens, including public buildings like banks and offices covered in mostly protest graffiti. There was also art graffiti that matched lots of NY and LA art. The 25-40 year olds are 27% unemployed which leaves lots of old guys hanging out,too, yelling at each other and getting ready for the next protest. The guide said she had held off on the next protest so we wouldn't have any problems while we are in Greece. And, she said the peacefull demonstrations are co-opted by militants who just want to make trouble for everyone. In reply to a question about the Greek national economy, she said the economy was based on tourism and shipping. Also, some cotton and vegetables in the European market. In some places we've been there are often 4-5 cruise ships anchored or ashore, so that makes lots of tourist dollars. We are the last ship in most of the ports and everything has slowed down for the season.]
Next on our day in Athens we went to the National Archeological Museum to see the facade from the Acropolis and other parts that have been removed for preservation. Lots of the bits on the Acropolis and Parthenon, etc. are remade to look like the originals. The most interesting thing in the museum was the construction setting it at the same height and same orientation as the Acropolis. And, then they had the facade that runs around the Acropolis in its entirity....minus the chunks Elgin took to the
British Museum! After we were about 1/3 way around, I asked the guide if one of the pieces was in the BM and that loosened the flood gates about the Elgin marbles. It is horrifying to see how much of the facade of the Acropolis the BM has in their display. The missing parts are displayed in Athens in stark white so that you can tell the originals from the patina on the old ones. Almost all of it is in Britain. I suggested we start a petition to return the marbles to Greece! Our guide said when Melina Mercouri was the President of Greece, and because she was so well known as an actress and so popular in the world, they hoped she could put pressure on the Brits to return them, but nothing happened. It was a wonderful display and well worth the whole trip to Athens to see how the Acropolis was supposed to look.
[I should take a short pause here to discuss food. I am walking like crazy, but I can't really believe I am losing weight. I may not be gaining any, however. OK, to my main point. We finally figured out why we couldn't get a good gyro here in Greece. When we were in Santorini we did get one for 2.5 Euros at a small corner cafe, but then in Mykonos and Athens we went into restaurants and they gave us a huge plate with all the fixings, (beef, pork or lamb, tomatoes, red onions, tzsiki and french fries)but with the pita cut up (9 Euros). When we were in Athens I asked the guide what we were doing wrong, and she explained we were sitting down. Gyros are take out food! Today in Corfu we found a MicMac and had a great gyro with all the fixins for 2-5 Euros. We picked it up and sat outside at a table, but they did not wait on us. MicMac is McDonalds on Corfu.]
Yesterday we should have gone into Olympia, but we have been in the line of a storm, with rain and 65 knot winds last night. The captain decided we could not go to the dock, and he would not take us off on tenders at that Olympia port of Katakolon, so off we went, running before the wind, to Corfu which has a nice protected harbor. We anchored out last night and then came into town this morning on the dock. Everybody went out and about for a little look see, got rained on, and then came back to the boat for a lazy afternoon. That was good for my knees. The squalls are supposed to keep coming tonight, but we hope everything is clear for Dubrovnik tomorrow, and then Venice.We heard Venice was underwater again, but Jim assures me we will not have flooding because the tides will have gone down and the moon won't be high. We have a boat tour planned for Venice and then the second day we'll get out and about to see St Marks' Square and other sights.
We continue to stay well, and have had a great time so far. Stay tuned for more. The Whidbey Wagners
Monday, November 26, 2012
Kusadasi-Turkey-Ephesus & Mykonos-Greece
Hello Everyone, yesterday was a very busy day, and I collapsed for a short rest before dinner, and then we saw the show in the theater and hit the sack! We docked at Kusadasi for our tour into the hills to see Ephesus, and the final resting place for the Virgin Mary. That was all part of the tour with the cruiseship, and had little walking involved, which was good since Janice and I both have sore knees. The overview of Ephesus, a barely exposed archeological site was interesting. It was a huge city at one time and a big seaport. After many earthquakes it was damaged, the sea receded, rivers flooded and a malaria outbreak caused it to collapse as a city, several times over many centuries. It had the largest library outside Alexandria at one time, all removed by Alexander and taken to Egypt. Anyway, the Turks are very nice people and seem squeezed between many more seriously Muslim countries when they have a secular gov't. The guide says that creates some tensions when their borders are invaded by refugees from other neighbors. Also, they are continuously ravaged by earthquakes. After she told us how many and how serious they are, I was glad to leave there. Our last stop on the day tour was at the carpet factory where they showed us how they gather the silk to make rugs. They also grow their own cotton in
turkey for rugs and other products. The carpets were amazing, amazing, and Jim bought a runner for the hallway and a small rug for his den. Of course, he did it at my prompting. It was quite an experience to get the full on sales pitch of the men at the carpet place. Deals and more deals were offered. We had an audience! Hope our kids want to inherit real rugs because they are real rugs! We'll wait and see if they get delivered in six weeks or so. The Princess Cruise lines guarantees the company, so I felt pretty good about it.
Today we did Mykonos. Wow! It lives up to all the hype. There are winding lanes, going up and around, all white washed buildings and blue doors. There are small chapels on every other corner. There is blue, blue water on sand beaches and boats painted bright orange and bright blue. We saw the windmills, no longer used but so interesting. The weather has been perfect, 60-65 degrees and sun. The winds are blowing about 25 today, so it is breezy. We have had gyros twice now and enjoyed them very much. Today we had them and they came in separate peices so we had to put them together. The french fries inside the roll is unique. Best of all, and a surprise for my children, we rented an ATV, and Jim and I went charging around the island up steep hills and down to find the out of the way places we wanted to see. (Charging may be an exaggeration since sometimes were were chugging!) I consider it a red letter day that Jim got me on an ATV. I had doubts it would carry us, but the nice Greek man told me it would carry him and he was much bigger than me!!
This is really the bucket list trip. Tomorrow is Athens, and another tour. Wish you could all be here with us. The Whidbey Wagners
turkey for rugs and other products. The carpets were amazing, amazing, and Jim bought a runner for the hallway and a small rug for his den. Of course, he did it at my prompting. It was quite an experience to get the full on sales pitch of the men at the carpet place. Deals and more deals were offered. We had an audience! Hope our kids want to inherit real rugs because they are real rugs! We'll wait and see if they get delivered in six weeks or so. The Princess Cruise lines guarantees the company, so I felt pretty good about it.
Today we did Mykonos. Wow! It lives up to all the hype. There are winding lanes, going up and around, all white washed buildings and blue doors. There are small chapels on every other corner. There is blue, blue water on sand beaches and boats painted bright orange and bright blue. We saw the windmills, no longer used but so interesting. The weather has been perfect, 60-65 degrees and sun. The winds are blowing about 25 today, so it is breezy. We have had gyros twice now and enjoyed them very much. Today we had them and they came in separate peices so we had to put them together. The french fries inside the roll is unique. Best of all, and a surprise for my children, we rented an ATV, and Jim and I went charging around the island up steep hills and down to find the out of the way places we wanted to see. (Charging may be an exaggeration since sometimes were were chugging!) I consider it a red letter day that Jim got me on an ATV. I had doubts it would carry us, but the nice Greek man told me it would carry him and he was much bigger than me!!
This is really the bucket list trip. Tomorrow is Athens, and another tour. Wish you could all be here with us. The Whidbey Wagners
Friday, November 23, 2012
Sailing Along!
Hello All! Our Thanksgiving day was great. We got a little extra sleep, and then got to know our ship. It is huge; however; we are able to manage finding our way around. Just like a giant hotel. We are meeting some nice people. Our Meet and Greet with the Cruise Critic group was fun, and the Captain showed up to talk to us. We got to meet some people from our next tour and saw some faces we recognized from our first tour. That helps when the ship is full of 3000 people.
Points of interest on the Crown Princess:
1. The buffet is huge and twice now I have missed over 1/2 of the offerings because I thought I had seen it all. Yesterday they had a complete Asian buffet as well as other American offerings. Today I plan to make sure I walk around the entire area for all the choices. Last night at a formal dinner for Thanksgiving we had the traditional turkey dinner and all the sides, but they started with a seafood cocktail steeped in Vodka. Gotta' watch the chef because almost every meal has some special dish with alcohol. I tried the Pina Colada soup our first night; couldn't figure out whether I should drink it or spoon it since they served it in a glass! The Creme Brulee is great, and Jim has figured out how to order two scoops of ice cream with chocolate sauce; I had great lamb shanks one night, and Jim had a wonderful prime rib the first night. We are not starving.
2. The showroom had a good show last night, and the seats are very comfortable in the theater. On Holland America, the theater seats are mixed in with small cocktail tables to allow drink service, cutting down on the number of people in the theater. Not on Princess. We had lots of room, comfy seats, and none of that drink business. We were there to see the show! It was the usual semi-Vegas production, but not too long and good voices. Each night there is a show, and we can eat dinner, see the show and get to bed by 9:30, which is great for old people. Tonight there is a violinist.
3. This ship has movies under the stars, so last night Jim and Mike went down(out) to the deck to watch a football game. Jim wore his new lightweight down parka and said he was not cold at all. Good buy, Janet! Mike and Janice watched a movie yesterday afternoon, so it must not be too cool out on the deck. BTW, the weather has been amazing so far, 65 degrees or so and sunny off and on. People were in the pool yesterday.
We are in Santorini, Greece tomorrow and are going out on our own to see the sights. To get to the top of the hill from the port you have to walk 535 steps or take the tram or ride a donkey. Janice is taking a donkey, Mike plans to walk and Jim and I are going on the gondola tram; I will have my eyes closed. My knees are recovering from the long Pompeii day, so I think I can manage a trek around Santorini. We'll see. That's all for today. I'll check in again tomorrow. The Whidbey Wagners in the Ionian Sea.
Points of interest on the Crown Princess:
1. The buffet is huge and twice now I have missed over 1/2 of the offerings because I thought I had seen it all. Yesterday they had a complete Asian buffet as well as other American offerings. Today I plan to make sure I walk around the entire area for all the choices. Last night at a formal dinner for Thanksgiving we had the traditional turkey dinner and all the sides, but they started with a seafood cocktail steeped in Vodka. Gotta' watch the chef because almost every meal has some special dish with alcohol. I tried the Pina Colada soup our first night; couldn't figure out whether I should drink it or spoon it since they served it in a glass! The Creme Brulee is great, and Jim has figured out how to order two scoops of ice cream with chocolate sauce; I had great lamb shanks one night, and Jim had a wonderful prime rib the first night. We are not starving.
2. The showroom had a good show last night, and the seats are very comfortable in the theater. On Holland America, the theater seats are mixed in with small cocktail tables to allow drink service, cutting down on the number of people in the theater. Not on Princess. We had lots of room, comfy seats, and none of that drink business. We were there to see the show! It was the usual semi-Vegas production, but not too long and good voices. Each night there is a show, and we can eat dinner, see the show and get to bed by 9:30, which is great for old people. Tonight there is a violinist.
3. This ship has movies under the stars, so last night Jim and Mike went down(out) to the deck to watch a football game. Jim wore his new lightweight down parka and said he was not cold at all. Good buy, Janet! Mike and Janice watched a movie yesterday afternoon, so it must not be too cool out on the deck. BTW, the weather has been amazing so far, 65 degrees or so and sunny off and on. People were in the pool yesterday.
We are in Santorini, Greece tomorrow and are going out on our own to see the sights. To get to the top of the hill from the port you have to walk 535 steps or take the tram or ride a donkey. Janice is taking a donkey, Mike plans to walk and Jim and I are going on the gondola tram; I will have my eyes closed. My knees are recovering from the long Pompeii day, so I think I can manage a trek around Santorini. We'll see. That's all for today. I'll check in again tomorrow. The Whidbey Wagners in the Ionian Sea.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Naples is gone!
Hello All, Happy Thanksgiving , and here is a quick update.
Day 1 and 2.We left Oak Harbor at 2:45AM for a quick trip to SeaTac. We didn't get much sleep, so it was a tired group that took off at 7:15AM on an American flight to JFK. Jim and I had a window with another man on the aisle; it was tight but we managed. We had almost 3 hrs in NYC but we had to travel a long way and go through another set of security screenings, including an xray and some consternation with the rivets on Jim's jeans and the bone in my bra! We failed to go through the passport check so we were paged for a special screening for that, but eventually got our seats on the plane to London. We sat 4 abreast on that leg, and Mike's tv and lights didn't work. He got unhappy with British Air then. That flight seemed short until we reached London, and we were held on the taxiway for 45 mionutes while they figured out how to unlock the stairs we had to debark onto since the jet way was broken?? Another security check! We missed our flight to Rome, arriving on a later flight to be met by the Princess people who had been looking for us. Lots of people were arriving late, so no worries, and our luggage all arrived; that would have been the last straw for four people who will never again take such a long trip without a few sleep breaks; I was hung over drunk for lack of it. Every time we got still we all fell asleep. To end it all, we got on the ship and managed to be on time for the longest and most thorough Muster Drill we have ever had. I guess the Costa ship wreck has everyone paying attention to things, and we are not making any little jaunts around islands either! Dinner was good, but I didn't care, and we were in bed by 9 and exhausted sleep followed.
Day 3. Naples: Breakfast was at 6AM for a tour meeting at 7AM. The night went too fast. The tour, however, was wonderful. We had a beautiful Italian woman guide, Josepina, who spoke great English and gave us lots of information as we toured the Amalfi coast, Pompeii and Sorrento and Positano. The sights were amazing, the sea was flat, the sun was shining, the temp was around 65 degrees, the lunch was the greatest, and the sight of Pompeii which has been uncovered from 60 ft of ash! was exciting and informative. I returned to the ship with sore legs, knees, and butt (yes,even my butt was sore), and rushed to have dinner, after which we fell into the bed again. BTW, our tour was planned with the Cruise Critic group, and it was well worth every Euro. We had 13 people, a great sized group to manage with friendly and interesting people along for the ride.
Day 4-At Sea. OMG, I am so relieved to be at sea, resting finally from the long trip and able to recover from my athletic excess. I have had some pain relievers, slept in, had coffeee delivered in our cabin, a reasonable breakfast, and now I have two whole days to rest and recupe before we reach our next destination. A few differences in Princess and Holland America: The robes in the cabins are not as nice or as big! The dress in the dining room is much more casual. The food seems the same except the fruit soups seem sweeter. The shops are fancier. The people are younger. Not all bad!
Hope you have a great Thanksgiving Day and dinner. Until later, The Whidbey Wagners
Day 1 and 2.We left Oak Harbor at 2:45AM for a quick trip to SeaTac. We didn't get much sleep, so it was a tired group that took off at 7:15AM on an American flight to JFK. Jim and I had a window with another man on the aisle; it was tight but we managed. We had almost 3 hrs in NYC but we had to travel a long way and go through another set of security screenings, including an xray and some consternation with the rivets on Jim's jeans and the bone in my bra! We failed to go through the passport check so we were paged for a special screening for that, but eventually got our seats on the plane to London. We sat 4 abreast on that leg, and Mike's tv and lights didn't work. He got unhappy with British Air then. That flight seemed short until we reached London, and we were held on the taxiway for 45 mionutes while they figured out how to unlock the stairs we had to debark onto since the jet way was broken?? Another security check! We missed our flight to Rome, arriving on a later flight to be met by the Princess people who had been looking for us. Lots of people were arriving late, so no worries, and our luggage all arrived; that would have been the last straw for four people who will never again take such a long trip without a few sleep breaks; I was hung over drunk for lack of it. Every time we got still we all fell asleep. To end it all, we got on the ship and managed to be on time for the longest and most thorough Muster Drill we have ever had. I guess the Costa ship wreck has everyone paying attention to things, and we are not making any little jaunts around islands either! Dinner was good, but I didn't care, and we were in bed by 9 and exhausted sleep followed.
Day 3. Naples: Breakfast was at 6AM for a tour meeting at 7AM. The night went too fast. The tour, however, was wonderful. We had a beautiful Italian woman guide, Josepina, who spoke great English and gave us lots of information as we toured the Amalfi coast, Pompeii and Sorrento and Positano. The sights were amazing, the sea was flat, the sun was shining, the temp was around 65 degrees, the lunch was the greatest, and the sight of Pompeii which has been uncovered from 60 ft of ash! was exciting and informative. I returned to the ship with sore legs, knees, and butt (yes,even my butt was sore), and rushed to have dinner, after which we fell into the bed again. BTW, our tour was planned with the Cruise Critic group, and it was well worth every Euro. We had 13 people, a great sized group to manage with friendly and interesting people along for the ride.
Day 4-At Sea. OMG, I am so relieved to be at sea, resting finally from the long trip and able to recover from my athletic excess. I have had some pain relievers, slept in, had coffeee delivered in our cabin, a reasonable breakfast, and now I have two whole days to rest and recupe before we reach our next destination. A few differences in Princess and Holland America: The robes in the cabins are not as nice or as big! The dress in the dining room is much more casual. The food seems the same except the fruit soups seem sweeter. The shops are fancier. The people are younger. Not all bad!
Hope you have a great Thanksgiving Day and dinner. Until later, The Whidbey Wagners
Monday, November 19, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
The Big Cruise
We are sailing on the Crown Princess: Year Built: 2006 Last Refurbished: 2011 Gross Tonnage: 113,000 tons Passenger Capacity: 3,080 Crew Size: 1,142.Crown Princess is a Grand Class ship owned and operated by Princess Cruises. Her maiden voyage took place on June 14, 2006
Our cruise begins in Rome and then our list of ports includes: Naples(Pompeii), Santorini, Greece, Kusadasi, Turkey(Ephesus),Mykonos, Athens, Olympia, Dubrovnik, Croatia, Venice, Rome, Florence, Canne, France, Barcelona, Spain, Lisbon, Portugal and the Azores. Then we have 6 days at sea before we reach Ft Lauderdale and then finally to Galveston. There are a few sea days here and there to give us a rest between ports. As you can see, this is a real Bucket List. I plan to post at least every other day, I hope more often, but it depends on availability of internet access.
The Crown Princess is 951 ft (290 m) long, and our cabin is the second cabin from the front on Deck C. All the dining rooms are far aft. If I work this right, I can include my daily walks as I go to meals!!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Roche Harbor and Beyond
We are on a week long cruise, staying in Roche Hbr for two days and leaving for Echo Bay at noon today. We re cruising with Mike and Janice Connell on their Irish Ayes, a Catalina 27 and Alan Parks on his Tartan 30, Misty Isle. Mike is a great fisherman so we ate dungeness crab two nights in a row and last night we ate on the deck at the restaurant with a beautiful sunset and a full moon at night. Tomorrow we meet up with Anita and Ed Johnson on Jester for a few days on Orcas Island, at Rosario Resort.
The Desolation Sound cruise was a success but they did not go at far.They had bad seas so decided to visit the Gulf Islands so went to Ladysmith and Montague and Maple Bay before heading back via Roche and other US ports. They were gone about two weeks and loved the boy time. We will return home on Labor Day for a few weeks recoup before I set off for Ashland and plays with my friend Debbie Miller. Jim plans a trip to the Wooden Boat Festival in PT Townsend the week before I go so you can see we are busy, busy.
This year we will have lots of cruise time. We leave for 32 days in November and then Jim sets off for the Galapagos in February and then we go to Hawaii for a two week cruise in April. We will be sailing on Princess for the first time. Hope we like it.
Our friends Janet and Dee left for their five hundred mile walk across Spain and we got our first spot notification That was very exciting! Buen suerte, ladies!
The Desolation Sound cruise was a success but they did not go at far.They had bad seas so decided to visit the Gulf Islands so went to Ladysmith and Montague and Maple Bay before heading back via Roche and other US ports. They were gone about two weeks and loved the boy time. We will return home on Labor Day for a few weeks recoup before I set off for Ashland and plays with my friend Debbie Miller. Jim plans a trip to the Wooden Boat Festival in PT Townsend the week before I go so you can see we are busy, busy.
This year we will have lots of cruise time. We leave for 32 days in November and then Jim sets off for the Galapagos in February and then we go to Hawaii for a two week cruise in April. We will be sailing on Princess for the first time. Hope we like it.
Our friends Janet and Dee left for their five hundred mile walk across Spain and we got our first spot notification That was very exciting! Buen suerte, ladies!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
One Year Later-Almost
Happy 4th of July!
We are recovered from boat emergencies, body ailments and a long winter. Jim leaves July 11 for a trip to Desolation Sound on Mark Casteel's boat, Rosie, along with Alan Parks and Jimmy Ragland on his boat SnowGoose. This will be a first for Jim, traveling in a power boat/trawler into Canadian waters. I have planned meals and packed lots of canned/fast food to help them get through their weeks at sea. They will stop in Nanaimo or Comox for provisions before they head into the isolated anchorages of Desolation Sound so they probably won't starve to death, but I want to do my bit. Even included some chocolate mini candy bars for late night sweet attacks! Hope the weather is good and the seas mild.
32 Days At Sea
I have reactivated this blog so I can get people ready for our next long cruise. We had to abort our New England cruise last fall because I was ill, but this year I am ready to go and we found a real deal on Princess cruises on board the Crown Princess. We leave Rome on Nov 20 for a cruise through the Mediterranean, stopping in Naples, side trips to Florence, Pisa, Pompei, Cannes, Athen, Mykonos, Santorini, Ephesus in Turkey, Barcelona, and then to Ft Lauderdale and finally Galveston on Dec 22. We will be on the ship for 32 days!! I plan to blog down to this trip so friends and family can get ready with us and share the trip as we go along.
The first thing we've discovered is the credit card we wanted to use expires the same month as the trip starts, so we had to order a new one early to allow purchase of side trips and other purchases on board. Also, we discovered Jim's passport expires less than six months after we return home so the cruise line will not accept his passport number. That brought the online cruise planning to a stop until we get those renewals completed. While I wait for those to arrive, I am researching the ports of call and sightseeing opportunities. Also, I am reading all suggestions for packing for long cruises. I still need to find out if Princess has a special price to cover all laundry like Holland America does. We plan to pack enough clothes for 10 days and send things out on the 7th day with a 2 day turn around. Of course, we could go to the laundry, but with a huge boat, I bet there will be a waiting line. Also, I don't want to do laundry. Maybe if we were on a 112 day cruise I would consider it. We'll see. More later.
We are recovered from boat emergencies, body ailments and a long winter. Jim leaves July 11 for a trip to Desolation Sound on Mark Casteel's boat, Rosie, along with Alan Parks and Jimmy Ragland on his boat SnowGoose. This will be a first for Jim, traveling in a power boat/trawler into Canadian waters. I have planned meals and packed lots of canned/fast food to help them get through their weeks at sea. They will stop in Nanaimo or Comox for provisions before they head into the isolated anchorages of Desolation Sound so they probably won't starve to death, but I want to do my bit. Even included some chocolate mini candy bars for late night sweet attacks! Hope the weather is good and the seas mild.
32 Days At Sea
I have reactivated this blog so I can get people ready for our next long cruise. We had to abort our New England cruise last fall because I was ill, but this year I am ready to go and we found a real deal on Princess cruises on board the Crown Princess. We leave Rome on Nov 20 for a cruise through the Mediterranean, stopping in Naples, side trips to Florence, Pisa, Pompei, Cannes, Athen, Mykonos, Santorini, Ephesus in Turkey, Barcelona, and then to Ft Lauderdale and finally Galveston on Dec 22. We will be on the ship for 32 days!! I plan to blog down to this trip so friends and family can get ready with us and share the trip as we go along.
The first thing we've discovered is the credit card we wanted to use expires the same month as the trip starts, so we had to order a new one early to allow purchase of side trips and other purchases on board. Also, we discovered Jim's passport expires less than six months after we return home so the cruise line will not accept his passport number. That brought the online cruise planning to a stop until we get those renewals completed. While I wait for those to arrive, I am researching the ports of call and sightseeing opportunities. Also, I am reading all suggestions for packing for long cruises. I still need to find out if Princess has a special price to cover all laundry like Holland America does. We plan to pack enough clothes for 10 days and send things out on the 7th day with a 2 day turn around. Of course, we could go to the laundry, but with a huge boat, I bet there will be a waiting line. Also, I don't want to do laundry. Maybe if we were on a 112 day cruise I would consider it. We'll see. More later.
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