Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sunny and hot
From our stateroom this morning we heard a rooster crowing from the island!
We got a new captain yesterday, Captain Anthony Herriott from West Sussex, England. Because of the amount of days sailing with Princess, we now have “Platinum” status. This means that we both get 250 minutes of Internet usage for free. We were able to sit in a plusher section while we waited to board the ship, too. We are invited daily to the Skywalker Lounge for hors d’oeuvres before dinner and to a Captain’s Party for a couple free drinks. If we cruise 36 more days with Princess we will get to “Elite” status and they will do our laundry for free! Tim won’t have to walk 9 steps from our stateroom to do laundry!
I logged onto Face Book to send a quick Happy Birthday message to Son B before we left for St. Vincent. We were here 22 months ago and that is when we took the “Tour from Hell” ----steep hairpin curves in the back seat of a van with empty stomachs and we took our meds that are supposed to be taken with food. We did see Dark View Falls, the site of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and Soufriere, the renowned volcano at that time, worth the discomfort.
This time we decided to just do a short walk. There was a wonderful breeze today. The main street by the port in Kingstown is not built up at all. Humble stores, humble people. They were affected by the hurricane in October this year. We sat in a little café near the ship and had water and coffee while writing post cards. Tim is sending post cards-I elected not to this trip. While we were there a Caribbean band played Christmas music—a guitar, banjo, tin cans, and an old oil barrel made into a drum. St. Vincent is located in the Windward Islands, between Grenada and St. Lucia. It is 18 miles long and 11 miles wide with a population of about 120,000.
We had pizza by the pool for lunch. There is no band by the pool on this cruise. Sometimes they do play trivia. Tim thinks most of the passengers are from retirement villages in Florida like Del Boca Vista. We hardly ever see anyone drinking by the pool. Most passengers are older than we are. Admittedly, our Panama Canal cruise had older people too, but they must have been more into fun. I think we will try to cruise more with our two sets of Cruise Critic friends. I should have paid more attention at the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet last week.
Excellent Prime Rib in the DaVinci dining room.
Later tonight the Captain issued a plea for people with O+ or O- blood to report to the infirmary if they wished to donate. At the port it was announced that there had been a medical emergency and we lingered for about ½ hour later than planned, but apparently they opted to bring the person back on the ship. I have no idea what medical services St. Vincent can offer. Anyway, Tim did go to the medical center, but they already had enough volunteers. It sure sounds like they plan to do a blood transfusion on board.
TK’s Takes: Princess now seems to allow men wearing shorts in the dining room for dinner.
Aside to Donna, Brian, Nancy, and Lawrence: the planetary sculpture that amused Lawrence and the rest of us because of a certain remark is still on Deck 5. Just for future reference.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
BARBADOS—A QUICK TRIP
November 29, 2010
Sunny and hot
Barbados is not our favorite port. We took a mini bus to the port terminal, then a taxi ($2/each) to downtown Bridgetown. I think every other building is a bank. Towels and other souvenirs have the saying, “Banks, the beer of Barbados.” I did buy The Carolina, Florida, and The Caribbean Book of Pirates. Even though Capt. Rybka of the Niagara does not like pirates because of what they stand for, I do want to know more about them. The pirate stories in the Caribbean and Panama are widely reported whenever we are in port. Tomorrow’s port, St. Vincent, is where Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed.
We walked through the downtown stores and then returned to the port terminal. We decided that the next time we visit Barbados with some of our cruise critic friends, we will go to the Boatyard, Jeff’s favorite. That is a beachfront bar.
After a quick lunch I read by the pool. Tim decided to do wash.
More pool time this afternoon. Tim prefers the back pool; I prefer the pool midship because the deck chairs are better for reading. The “Cookie Girl” comes around about 2:30 with delicious soft fresh warm cookies, usually peanut butter and oatmeal. Today they played the silent film, Phantom of the Opera at 2 p.m. I saw it on the Coral Princess.
We dined in the DaVinci dining room-mozzarella and tomato, pineapple with strawberries sprinkled with coconut, and spinach quiche. Dessert was peanut butter and chocolate pie.
We watched The Other Guys with Will Farrell and Mark Wahlberg under the stars. This is a very cozy way to watch movies, even if they are not the best.
TK’s Takes: There are fewer steps to the Laundromat than there are to our washer and dryer at home.
Sunny and hot
Barbados is not our favorite port. We took a mini bus to the port terminal, then a taxi ($2/each) to downtown Bridgetown. I think every other building is a bank. Towels and other souvenirs have the saying, “Banks, the beer of Barbados.” I did buy The Carolina, Florida, and The Caribbean Book of Pirates. Even though Capt. Rybka of the Niagara does not like pirates because of what they stand for, I do want to know more about them. The pirate stories in the Caribbean and Panama are widely reported whenever we are in port. Tomorrow’s port, St. Vincent, is where Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed.
We walked through the downtown stores and then returned to the port terminal. We decided that the next time we visit Barbados with some of our cruise critic friends, we will go to the Boatyard, Jeff’s favorite. That is a beachfront bar.
After a quick lunch I read by the pool. Tim decided to do wash.
More pool time this afternoon. Tim prefers the back pool; I prefer the pool midship because the deck chairs are better for reading. The “Cookie Girl” comes around about 2:30 with delicious soft fresh warm cookies, usually peanut butter and oatmeal. Today they played the silent film, Phantom of the Opera at 2 p.m. I saw it on the Coral Princess.
We dined in the DaVinci dining room-mozzarella and tomato, pineapple with strawberries sprinkled with coconut, and spinach quiche. Dessert was peanut butter and chocolate pie.
We watched The Other Guys with Will Farrell and Mark Wahlberg under the stars. This is a very cozy way to watch movies, even if they are not the best.
TK’s Takes: There are fewer steps to the Laundromat than there are to our washer and dryer at home.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
GRENADA—THE SPICE ISLAND
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sunny, some rain, 80s F
We arrived in St. George, Grenada about 8 a.m. this morning. Every single morning I have ordered room service of fruit, croissants, orange juice, and coffee and that is how we awaken. A knock on the door and I jump out of bed to open the door for a waiter with our breakfast tray! If only this could happen at home!
I have looked forward to Grenada, the Spice Island, for years, and finally we are here! Others told me that they smelled the spices as soon as they debarked their ship. That was not the case today. We agreed to a tour at the port with 8 others on an air conditioned bus for $20. Luckily we sat in the first row behind the driver because Grenada has plenty of hills and hairpin curves on 1 and ½ lane “highways.” Glen Robert was a good driver and tour guide.
Facts he mentioned:
§ The first permanent European settlement was established in 1650 by the French
§ During the 18th century the French and English held the island alternately until the Treaty of Versailles ceded Grenada to the British
§ In 1974 Grenada was given independence
§ Grenada is 133 square miles in size
§ The U.S. and President Reagan helped the people overcome the Communist government in 1983.
§ Hurricane Ivan destroyed 95% of the homes in Grenada in 2004. Glenn Robert’s house was totally destroyed. He said the night of the hurricane was the longest he ever experienced. He and his family spent the night in the bathroom since that room was cement. His entire house was gone except for the bathroom toilet and a wooden floor. He felt fortunate that his life and his family were spared.
§ Hurricane Emily came to Grenada 10 months later. What Ivan did not destroy was destroyed by Emily.
§ Houses are built on stilts. Since Ivan and Emily houses are built differently. (more cement, but he showed us bamboo “log” trucks and said bamboo was used for building)
§ The rainforest gets 120 inches of rain per year.
§ Two seasons, wet and dry. 6 months rainy season.
§ The population of St. George, the capital, is about 34,000
§ Grenada is #2 in nutmeg production, but #1 in quality (Indonesia produces more)
Things we saw:
§ Gas/$6 per gallon
§ Volcanic rock/red earth
§ Banyan trees
§ Annendale Falls—nice little steep walk, divers
§ Lake Etang
§ One of the highest points on the island --- 1910 ft. altitude
§ Two churches still in ruins from the Hurricanes
§ Forts Matthew, George, and Frederick
§ The Cuban compound
§ Beautiful white beaches
We also stopped at a spice store. A girl showed us a nutmeg tree and the nut pod. When the nut pod is opened, we saw the red covering, mace, and then the nut. When the nut is cracked open, there is the nutmeg. In the pod or shell, the nutmeg stays fresh for up to 5 years. Nutmeg is grated for use in cooking/baking.
She also showed us other spices grown on the island besides nutmeg and mace: cinnamon, cloves, cocoa, vanilla, almond, turmeric, ginger, bayleaf. They all smelled so fresh and strong.
After our bus tour, which morphed into $30 because he took us to a beach and lookout, plus our $5 tip, we walked to BB’s Crabback Restaurant which was featured in Oprah’s magazine, O. We enjoyed conch fixed with Caribbean spices and crabmeat baked with herbs, wine, cheese, in a crab shell. Let’s say TK enjoyed that-I prefer seafood deep fried and just could not finish even though it was tasty.
When Tim walked back to the ship, I walked to Dot’s Plaza to buy spices for family/ friends who cook. Insert smiley face!
We dined again in the Horizon Court-British food tonight. Fish and chips! We love the comedian Kevin Hughes—hope he comes to Jr.’s Last Laugh in Erie!
TK’s Takes: Grenada is much greener and lusher than Aruba. Everywhere we went people were selling spice necklaces. (the necklaces were threaded alternately with different spices and herbs like nutmeg and cinnamon bark and smelled so good, but we knew we could not take them back to the U.S.)
Sunny, some rain, 80s F
We arrived in St. George, Grenada about 8 a.m. this morning. Every single morning I have ordered room service of fruit, croissants, orange juice, and coffee and that is how we awaken. A knock on the door and I jump out of bed to open the door for a waiter with our breakfast tray! If only this could happen at home!
I have looked forward to Grenada, the Spice Island, for years, and finally we are here! Others told me that they smelled the spices as soon as they debarked their ship. That was not the case today. We agreed to a tour at the port with 8 others on an air conditioned bus for $20. Luckily we sat in the first row behind the driver because Grenada has plenty of hills and hairpin curves on 1 and ½ lane “highways.” Glen Robert was a good driver and tour guide.
Facts he mentioned:
§ The first permanent European settlement was established in 1650 by the French
§ During the 18th century the French and English held the island alternately until the Treaty of Versailles ceded Grenada to the British
§ In 1974 Grenada was given independence
§ Grenada is 133 square miles in size
§ The U.S. and President Reagan helped the people overcome the Communist government in 1983.
§ Hurricane Ivan destroyed 95% of the homes in Grenada in 2004. Glenn Robert’s house was totally destroyed. He said the night of the hurricane was the longest he ever experienced. He and his family spent the night in the bathroom since that room was cement. His entire house was gone except for the bathroom toilet and a wooden floor. He felt fortunate that his life and his family were spared.
§ Hurricane Emily came to Grenada 10 months later. What Ivan did not destroy was destroyed by Emily.
§ Houses are built on stilts. Since Ivan and Emily houses are built differently. (more cement, but he showed us bamboo “log” trucks and said bamboo was used for building)
§ The rainforest gets 120 inches of rain per year.
§ Two seasons, wet and dry. 6 months rainy season.
§ The population of St. George, the capital, is about 34,000
§ Grenada is #2 in nutmeg production, but #1 in quality (Indonesia produces more)
Things we saw:
§ Gas/$6 per gallon
§ Volcanic rock/red earth
§ Banyan trees
§ Annendale Falls—nice little steep walk, divers
§ Lake Etang
§ One of the highest points on the island --- 1910 ft. altitude
§ Two churches still in ruins from the Hurricanes
§ Forts Matthew, George, and Frederick
§ The Cuban compound
§ Beautiful white beaches
We also stopped at a spice store. A girl showed us a nutmeg tree and the nut pod. When the nut pod is opened, we saw the red covering, mace, and then the nut. When the nut is cracked open, there is the nutmeg. In the pod or shell, the nutmeg stays fresh for up to 5 years. Nutmeg is grated for use in cooking/baking.
She also showed us other spices grown on the island besides nutmeg and mace: cinnamon, cloves, cocoa, vanilla, almond, turmeric, ginger, bayleaf. They all smelled so fresh and strong.
After our bus tour, which morphed into $30 because he took us to a beach and lookout, plus our $5 tip, we walked to BB’s Crabback Restaurant which was featured in Oprah’s magazine, O. We enjoyed conch fixed with Caribbean spices and crabmeat baked with herbs, wine, cheese, in a crab shell. Let’s say TK enjoyed that-I prefer seafood deep fried and just could not finish even though it was tasty.
When Tim walked back to the ship, I walked to Dot’s Plaza to buy spices for family/ friends who cook. Insert smiley face!
We dined again in the Horizon Court-British food tonight. Fish and chips! We love the comedian Kevin Hughes—hope he comes to Jr.’s Last Laugh in Erie!
TK’s Takes: Grenada is much greener and lusher than Aruba. Everywhere we went people were selling spice necklaces. (the necklaces were threaded alternately with different spices and herbs like nutmeg and cinnamon bark and smelled so good, but we knew we could not take them back to the U.S.)
Saturday, November 27, 2010
SEA DAY--EASTERLY COURSE IN SLIGHT SEAS
Overcast skies and 79 F
We are headed east toward Grenada today. The skies are overcast and it may rain. I am signed up for two computer classes.
I won a drink of the day on the morning TV show hosted by Billy London, the cruise director. TK won one on Tuesday, who is the captain? (Captain Roger Bilton of Sussex, England). The drink of the day is usually about $7, so we hope we will get four non-alcoholic drinks. The question was “How do you know which direction the elevator is going if you have your back to the elevator door.” The answer is: there is one ping for up and two for down (now I might have that confused-will check again). I never noticed before. By the way, today’s drink of the day is Dirty Banana—does that even sound good?
My two computer classes, Photoshop Elements Layers and Effects and Clone Tool Tips, were really informative. I can now make a cruise ship in the Caribbean look like it’s in Glacier Bay, Alaska. I can also remove my wrinkles (in photos only). Handy tricks if anyone asks! My son R will be impressed!
Today was English Pub luncheon in the Painted Desert restaurant. The fish and chips were very good.
We had dinner in the Horizon Court—we did dress formally, but had the German Biergarten buffet, weiner schnitzel, spaetzle, red cabbage, and German potato salad.
Movie unter der stars: Knight and Day with Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, and Marc Blucas (from Erie and I worked with his mother). It was a very cute movie and I love Tom Cruise. During the final credits it started to rain, so we were lucky.
We are headed east toward Grenada today. The skies are overcast and it may rain. I am signed up for two computer classes.
I won a drink of the day on the morning TV show hosted by Billy London, the cruise director. TK won one on Tuesday, who is the captain? (Captain Roger Bilton of Sussex, England). The drink of the day is usually about $7, so we hope we will get four non-alcoholic drinks. The question was “How do you know which direction the elevator is going if you have your back to the elevator door.” The answer is: there is one ping for up and two for down (now I might have that confused-will check again). I never noticed before. By the way, today’s drink of the day is Dirty Banana—does that even sound good?
My two computer classes, Photoshop Elements Layers and Effects and Clone Tool Tips, were really informative. I can now make a cruise ship in the Caribbean look like it’s in Glacier Bay, Alaska. I can also remove my wrinkles (in photos only). Handy tricks if anyone asks! My son R will be impressed!
Today was English Pub luncheon in the Painted Desert restaurant. The fish and chips were very good.
We had dinner in the Horizon Court—we did dress formally, but had the German Biergarten buffet, weiner schnitzel, spaetzle, red cabbage, and German potato salad.
Movie unter der stars: Knight and Day with Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, and Marc Blucas (from Erie and I worked with his mother). It was a very cute movie and I love Tom Cruise. During the final credits it started to rain, so we were lucky.
Friday, November 26, 2010
BLACK FRIDAY IN CURACAO
November 26, 2010
Sunny—80s F
I can’t help but think of our daughter in law, D, today. I know she will have a very busy day today, Black Friday. The rest of the season will be very very hectic for her and I hope she had some rest yesterday.
There was no Black Friday in Curacao. Prices did not improve one bit on things I am looking at like a new Canon camera. In fact, it is $150 more here than on the Internet. But, the weather is great—80s F—and we had a leisurely walk around the town of Willemstad.
Curacao lies about 40 miles off Venezuela, 38 miles long and 7.5 miles wide, with a population of 140,000. Amerigo Vespucci was the first European to find the island, but it did not play a great role in colonization until 1634 when the Dutch West India Company claimed Curacao. In 1915 the Royal Dutch Shell Company built one of the world’s largest refineries to process crude oil from Venezuela.
We were looking for a post office when we found the island market meant for the islanders. We have visited the fish market before but we had never walked through this one. There had to be at least 20+ vendors selling the same fruit and vegetables (bananas, melons, guava, oranges, apples, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, etc.) and all were displayed in the exact same way on each vendor’s cart. There were no prices visible. I really wondered how a buyer would know which vendor to purchase his groceries from. A mystery!
We had lunch back on the ship, lasagna Bolognese and fried zucchini for me. The food has been very good. I do think the passengers are a little older than we are and very conservative.
Dinner for two in Michelangelo: pineapple and prickly pear with tequila sauce, wild mushrooms and truffles (both appetizers), and turkey pot pie for me. Ceviche and avocado, oyster and leek soup, and strip steak with garlic butter for TK.
The Vista Lounge was so full that the staff brought in folding chairs. We were willing to try this if the comedian/ “illusionist” was good, but as always, the tallest people in the world sat in front of us and we could not see. Peter Gossamer seemed very good, but we could not see the tricks. I ended up in the piano lounge again (Josef Bober) and started Michael Crichton’s Pirate Latitudes. A very appropriate read for a cruise.
TK’s Takes: TK found green beach glass in the small cove area on the walk to Curacao. We both got $5 free play in the Curacao casino and walked away with almost $30! It cost TK $1 to mail a postcard to his friend in Erie.
Sunny—80s F
I can’t help but think of our daughter in law, D, today. I know she will have a very busy day today, Black Friday. The rest of the season will be very very hectic for her and I hope she had some rest yesterday.
There was no Black Friday in Curacao. Prices did not improve one bit on things I am looking at like a new Canon camera. In fact, it is $150 more here than on the Internet. But, the weather is great—80s F—and we had a leisurely walk around the town of Willemstad.
Curacao lies about 40 miles off Venezuela, 38 miles long and 7.5 miles wide, with a population of 140,000. Amerigo Vespucci was the first European to find the island, but it did not play a great role in colonization until 1634 when the Dutch West India Company claimed Curacao. In 1915 the Royal Dutch Shell Company built one of the world’s largest refineries to process crude oil from Venezuela.
We were looking for a post office when we found the island market meant for the islanders. We have visited the fish market before but we had never walked through this one. There had to be at least 20+ vendors selling the same fruit and vegetables (bananas, melons, guava, oranges, apples, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, etc.) and all were displayed in the exact same way on each vendor’s cart. There were no prices visible. I really wondered how a buyer would know which vendor to purchase his groceries from. A mystery!
We had lunch back on the ship, lasagna Bolognese and fried zucchini for me. The food has been very good. I do think the passengers are a little older than we are and very conservative.
Dinner for two in Michelangelo: pineapple and prickly pear with tequila sauce, wild mushrooms and truffles (both appetizers), and turkey pot pie for me. Ceviche and avocado, oyster and leek soup, and strip steak with garlic butter for TK.
The Vista Lounge was so full that the staff brought in folding chairs. We were willing to try this if the comedian/ “illusionist” was good, but as always, the tallest people in the world sat in front of us and we could not see. Peter Gossamer seemed very good, but we could not see the tricks. I ended up in the piano lounge again (Josef Bober) and started Michael Crichton’s Pirate Latitudes. A very appropriate read for a cruise.
TK’s Takes: TK found green beach glass in the small cove area on the walk to Curacao. We both got $5 free play in the Curacao casino and walked away with almost $30! It cost TK $1 to mail a postcard to his friend in Erie.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM ARUBA!
November 25, 2010
Sunny and 80 F
No matter what, being in Aruba is not the same as having our wonderful family together for Thanksgiving. I know that everyone back home is enjoying a great Thanksgiving, but we miss our family! We wish all our family and friends a very Happy Thanksgiving Day. We are thankful for all of them!
Aruba, about 74,000 square miles in size with a population of about 34,000 people, is a friendly island. We do the same things every time we are here—shop and have lunch at Iguana Joe’s in Oranjestad, the capital and the port we have always arrived at. Today I looked at watches at Diamonds International and Little Switzerland. We bought our Aloe Aruba sunscreen. The shopping is very near the port and the traffic is busy, but drivers always stop at the crosswalks for pedestrians.
I am really hoping that turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie are on the menu tonight. Tim has decided that we will sit with a large group of people-that only seems right on Thanksgiving Day. When we returned to the ship today we went to the pool. I am reading another Greg Iles book, The Devil’s Punchbowl—set in Natchez, Mississippi. The protagonist is trying to save the town from vicious dog fighting and other dangers.
A football game (Lions vs. Patriots) was on the big movie screen. People seemed to be rooting for the Patriots.
Tim went to a gathering of U.S. military veteran-he said there were two WW II veterans, one had served in WW II, Korea, and Vietnam. He just told me there is a cornucopia display in the lobby that I need to see.
For our Thanksgiving feast, we dined in the Michelangelo dining room with six Canadians from Ontario. They were very sweet and we had a lot in common-all retired, one (Fred) had been a secondary French teacher, and they all liked to cruise. Even though lobster was also on the menu, we opted for the turkey and “fixins.” In this case that meant chestnut dressing, cranberry sauce, polenta, yams, broccoli, and gravy. The pumpkin pie was a little different, but good. I guess I should consider all the calories I saved by not eating several helpings of turkey, nice soft dinner rolls, and more than one piece of pumpkin, apple, and pecan pie. I admit I had two pieces of pumpkin pie at dinner, but their two pieces equals one of mine at home! The bottom line was that we enjoyed the dinner despite missing our family.
At one point, to make conversation while we were comparing cruises, I asked our new Canadian friends if they had ever sailed on a ship that showed silent films. Esther quickly retorted, “We are not that old!” We all had a laugh and I backpedaled by explaining that our cruise through the Panama Canal in February did have silent films in the afternoon by the pool, like The General with Buster Keaton.
After dinner Tim went to the movie, The Expendables, and I read my book in the piano bar (the pianist was Ray Coussins, former pianist with Frank Sinatra). He was very good.
Sunny and 80 F
No matter what, being in Aruba is not the same as having our wonderful family together for Thanksgiving. I know that everyone back home is enjoying a great Thanksgiving, but we miss our family! We wish all our family and friends a very Happy Thanksgiving Day. We are thankful for all of them!
Aruba, about 74,000 square miles in size with a population of about 34,000 people, is a friendly island. We do the same things every time we are here—shop and have lunch at Iguana Joe’s in Oranjestad, the capital and the port we have always arrived at. Today I looked at watches at Diamonds International and Little Switzerland. We bought our Aloe Aruba sunscreen. The shopping is very near the port and the traffic is busy, but drivers always stop at the crosswalks for pedestrians.
I am really hoping that turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie are on the menu tonight. Tim has decided that we will sit with a large group of people-that only seems right on Thanksgiving Day. When we returned to the ship today we went to the pool. I am reading another Greg Iles book, The Devil’s Punchbowl—set in Natchez, Mississippi. The protagonist is trying to save the town from vicious dog fighting and other dangers.
A football game (Lions vs. Patriots) was on the big movie screen. People seemed to be rooting for the Patriots.
Tim went to a gathering of U.S. military veteran-he said there were two WW II veterans, one had served in WW II, Korea, and Vietnam. He just told me there is a cornucopia display in the lobby that I need to see.
For our Thanksgiving feast, we dined in the Michelangelo dining room with six Canadians from Ontario. They were very sweet and we had a lot in common-all retired, one (Fred) had been a secondary French teacher, and they all liked to cruise. Even though lobster was also on the menu, we opted for the turkey and “fixins.” In this case that meant chestnut dressing, cranberry sauce, polenta, yams, broccoli, and gravy. The pumpkin pie was a little different, but good. I guess I should consider all the calories I saved by not eating several helpings of turkey, nice soft dinner rolls, and more than one piece of pumpkin, apple, and pecan pie. I admit I had two pieces of pumpkin pie at dinner, but their two pieces equals one of mine at home! The bottom line was that we enjoyed the dinner despite missing our family.
At one point, to make conversation while we were comparing cruises, I asked our new Canadian friends if they had ever sailed on a ship that showed silent films. Esther quickly retorted, “We are not that old!” We all had a laugh and I backpedaled by explaining that our cruise through the Panama Canal in February did have silent films in the afternoon by the pool, like The General with Buster Keaton.
After dinner Tim went to the movie, The Expendables, and I read my book in the piano bar (the pianist was Ray Coussins, former pianist with Frank Sinatra). He was very good.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
GRAND PRINCESS SAILS AWAY!
November 22-24, 2010
Sunny and Warm
November 22: We had a long wait to board the ship because of special cleaning, but we boarded by 1 p.m. After delivering our carry on bags to our room, C321, we headed for lunch in the DaVinci dining room. The chick pea soup was wonderful-I always wonder why I don’t make some of the great soups we enjoy on the ship myself.
The Treasure Hunt contest resulted in my winning a $20 bingo card for the final bingo game at the end of the voyage. The Sail Away took place at 5 or so and we waved goodbye to Fort Lauderdale.
We dined at the seafood buffet because TK loves that lobster! The show dancers and the comedian, Kevin Hughes, at the first show will certainly entertain us this trip.
November 23: Room service breakfast is my favorite-croissant, coffee, melon. We met our Cruise Critic acquaintances at a Meet and Greet-about 20 or so people. We exchanged gifts from our hometowns and I received a Tennessee hat and a small oil painting from the Montgomery family. Tim got a Florida bottle opener . Our Romolos chocolate, Presque Isle bottle wraps, and handmade “Lake Effect” soap (looks like a Lake Erie sunset) went over well. The group is friendly and we will look forward to seeing them around the ship.
We spent way too much time at the Port Shopping lecture—we could give this lecture ourselves.
The comedian, Kevin Hughes, was very funny show tonight was based on relationships. He basically said women were always changing and men just needed to go along for the ride. After that show we had popcorn at the movie under the stars, Killers. Tom Selleck, Ashton Kutcher, and Katherine Heigl. This dark comedy could not have received good reviews.
We especially miss our family and friends this time. I really miss starting to prepare our Thanksgiving feast.
We had lunch and dinner at the buffet. I am surprised at the number of people who do this. Deep fried scallops, fries, and key lime pie—I don’t eat too fancy. We went to MUTS and saw Prince of Persia with Jake Gyllenhaal and Ben Kingsley. It rained, but we were far enough under the deck that we kept dry. The wait staff brought us popcorn.
Sunny and Warm
November 22: We had a long wait to board the ship because of special cleaning, but we boarded by 1 p.m. After delivering our carry on bags to our room, C321, we headed for lunch in the DaVinci dining room. The chick pea soup was wonderful-I always wonder why I don’t make some of the great soups we enjoy on the ship myself.
The Treasure Hunt contest resulted in my winning a $20 bingo card for the final bingo game at the end of the voyage. The Sail Away took place at 5 or so and we waved goodbye to Fort Lauderdale.
We dined at the seafood buffet because TK loves that lobster! The show dancers and the comedian, Kevin Hughes, at the first show will certainly entertain us this trip.
November 23: Room service breakfast is my favorite-croissant, coffee, melon. We met our Cruise Critic acquaintances at a Meet and Greet-about 20 or so people. We exchanged gifts from our hometowns and I received a Tennessee hat and a small oil painting from the Montgomery family. Tim got a Florida bottle opener . Our Romolos chocolate, Presque Isle bottle wraps, and handmade “Lake Effect” soap (looks like a Lake Erie sunset) went over well. The group is friendly and we will look forward to seeing them around the ship.
We spent way too much time at the Port Shopping lecture—we could give this lecture ourselves.
The comedian, Kevin Hughes, was very funny show tonight was based on relationships. He basically said women were always changing and men just needed to go along for the ride. After that show we had popcorn at the movie under the stars, Killers. Tom Selleck, Ashton Kutcher, and Katherine Heigl. This dark comedy could not have received good reviews.
We especially miss our family and friends this time. I really miss starting to prepare our Thanksgiving feast.
We had lunch and dinner at the buffet. I am surprised at the number of people who do this. Deep fried scallops, fries, and key lime pie—I don’t eat too fancy. We went to MUTS and saw Prince of Persia with Jake Gyllenhaal and Ben Kingsley. It rained, but we were far enough under the deck that we kept dry. The wait staff brought us popcorn.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
ORLANDO--DISNEY WORLD AND NCTE TO FORT LAUDERDALE
November 17-21, 2010
November 17: On our last day at Universal we went on a few more rides: Twister, JAWS, Terminator, and Disaster. We had lunch at Emeril’s-fried chicken and sweet potato biscuits-very very good. I got stuck on the Simpson Family Ride at Krusty______. Riders had to be helped off, but at least we were not stuck in the air.
November 18: We left the Universal area and moved into Coronado Springs at Disney. After checking in we headed straight to EPCOT. The park is decorated for Christmas and the gardens reflected that in contrast to our last visit at Eastertime.
Test Track / Soaring
We enjoyed pastry in France and dinner in Germany. The German buffet was very good-chicken schnitzel, spaetzle, hunter gravy, German potato salad, red cabbage, pretzel rolls, and sausage. Later we had dinner with friend H at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney.
November 19: Spent the day at the NCTE Conference. Jill, Heather, and I checked the technology in the room we would be presenting the Medal of Honor curriculum in. Tim and I ran out for lunch at the Irish restaurant Raglan Road in Downtown Disney.
November 20: Jennifer, Medal of Honor recipient Jack Jacobs, Heather, Jill, and I had a very good presentation at the Yacht and Beach Club in the Grand Harbour Ballroom, Salon III from 1:15 to 2:30 p.m. We were spot on! I was glad my Navy guy was there with me!
Medal of Honor: Examining Lessons of Personal Bravery and Self-Sacrifice--A resource for teachers to engage students through investigation~
Description in the NCTE program: Our curriculum ensures that the legacy of Medal of Honor recipients continues. Students across the country can learn about history, use their language arts skills, as well as learn about the values of courage, commitment, integrity, sacrifice, patriotism, and citizenship. We modeled research based teaching strategies to mirror classroom activities, helping students not only live literate lives, but be engaged in conversations about the future of America and their part in that as well. We wanted participants to see how they could help students connect the lessons learned by these recipients to their own lives.
After the presentation and a short debriefing, Tim and I went to the Magic Kingdom. I really want to do Disney World again with B1 and B2 and their parents—this trip only confirmed that more. We had lunch/dinner at Pecos Bill in Frontierland—really reasonable and tasty. I had a taco salad. We rode Steamboat river ride, People Mover, Carousel of Progress. The Magic Kingdom was dressed up for Christmas-a wonderful sight of lights.
November 21, 2010
On the road to Fort Lauderdale, Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall, and dinner at Chili’s. TK is ready to cruise!
November 17: On our last day at Universal we went on a few more rides: Twister, JAWS, Terminator, and Disaster. We had lunch at Emeril’s-fried chicken and sweet potato biscuits-very very good. I got stuck on the Simpson Family Ride at Krusty______. Riders had to be helped off, but at least we were not stuck in the air.
November 18: We left the Universal area and moved into Coronado Springs at Disney. After checking in we headed straight to EPCOT. The park is decorated for Christmas and the gardens reflected that in contrast to our last visit at Eastertime.
Test Track / Soaring
We enjoyed pastry in France and dinner in Germany. The German buffet was very good-chicken schnitzel, spaetzle, hunter gravy, German potato salad, red cabbage, pretzel rolls, and sausage. Later we had dinner with friend H at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney.
November 19: Spent the day at the NCTE Conference. Jill, Heather, and I checked the technology in the room we would be presenting the Medal of Honor curriculum in. Tim and I ran out for lunch at the Irish restaurant Raglan Road in Downtown Disney.
November 20: Jennifer, Medal of Honor recipient Jack Jacobs, Heather, Jill, and I had a very good presentation at the Yacht and Beach Club in the Grand Harbour Ballroom, Salon III from 1:15 to 2:30 p.m. We were spot on! I was glad my Navy guy was there with me!
Medal of Honor: Examining Lessons of Personal Bravery and Self-Sacrifice--A resource for teachers to engage students through investigation~
Description in the NCTE program: Our curriculum ensures that the legacy of Medal of Honor recipients continues. Students across the country can learn about history, use their language arts skills, as well as learn about the values of courage, commitment, integrity, sacrifice, patriotism, and citizenship. We modeled research based teaching strategies to mirror classroom activities, helping students not only live literate lives, but be engaged in conversations about the future of America and their part in that as well. We wanted participants to see how they could help students connect the lessons learned by these recipients to their own lives.
After the presentation and a short debriefing, Tim and I went to the Magic Kingdom. I really want to do Disney World again with B1 and B2 and their parents—this trip only confirmed that more. We had lunch/dinner at Pecos Bill in Frontierland—really reasonable and tasty. I had a taco salad. We rode Steamboat river ride, People Mover, Carousel of Progress. The Magic Kingdom was dressed up for Christmas-a wonderful sight of lights.
November 21, 2010
On the road to Fort Lauderdale, Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall, and dinner at Chili’s. TK is ready to cruise!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS-PART II
Today we went to the Universal Studios part of the Theme Park. I decided to try the Simpsons Ride-TK thought he would not do well on it, so I went ahead. I was in a car with 7 other people when the operators announced that the car we were in was malfunctioning. We had to wait to be escorted out. What is up with that?? I decided not to try again. The main idea of the ride was that you were in a theme park (Krustyland) with a crazed killer on the loose. I think there is a crazed mechanic on the loose following me around.
Our other rides we did successfully: Terminator 2 (Arnold comes back to save the day-3D glasses, futuristic); Disaster! (audience members participate in a disaster. We got on a train and a semi tractor trailer almost slides into us); JAWS (a boat ride where we encountered a huge shark, oil tanks catch on fire); Twister (an F5 tornado--trees split in two, a huge neon sign crashes down, and a gasoline pump catches fire).
We had lunch at Emeril's--the sweet potato biscuits and fried chicken were the best!
Our other rides we did successfully: Terminator 2 (Arnold comes back to save the day-3D glasses, futuristic); Disaster! (audience members participate in a disaster. We got on a train and a semi tractor trailer almost slides into us); JAWS (a boat ride where we encountered a huge shark, oil tanks catch on fire); Twister (an F5 tornado--trees split in two, a huge neon sign crashes down, and a gasoline pump catches fire).
We had lunch at Emeril's--the sweet potato biscuits and fried chicken were the best!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT, PART I
November 16, 2010
High 70s, sunny
After paying $15 to park, we walked to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, for our first day of feeling like kids. We were told this was a very good time to come to the theme park since it was not too crowded. We headed straight for “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” and we were totally amazed at how much we felt like we were in Harry Potter’s world.
Hogwarts train, talking plants, cobbled streets, black robed men and women, owls, and a wand store all added to the atmosphere. First, we bought some butter beer, a lovely mix of butterscotch, ginger, and froth, with a buttery smooth taste. Since we got there early, our wait for the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey simulation ride was very short. This creative ride in Hogwarts School and Castle down the corridors and in the classrooms was the all time best I’ve ever been on. We also soared through hilly landscapes on an aerial car through a quidditch game with Harry and Ron. We encountered dragons, huge spiders, and talking portraits on the walls, the classrooms, and corridors. The downside of this tumultuous ride was the effect on our stomachs. TK felt very queasy afterwards, and I was barely OK.
We toured Poseidon’s Fury—the “remains” of Poseidon’s Temple where the water and fire effects are great in The Lost Continent. We walked through Marvel Hero Island and saw Spiderman, Wolverine, and other superheroes on the street. We needed a kid to ride on the Pteranodon Flyers-an aerial ride that looked really calm, but no go in Jurassic Park!
On our way to lunch at Hog Head’s Pub we got the bright idea to ride on the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride. About 2 minutes into the ride the train stopped. Period. We sat there for 40 minutes high in the sky wondering what was going on. The same music droned on and on. Every once in awhile an employee would tell us help was on the way. We were not too concerned, but I knew I was not going to be climbing down the tubular tracks to the mythical Seussical area way down below. Finally, the engineers and employees pushed the train/trolley to an area where there was a metal walkway and guided us a little way to an area that had a walkway beside the train, secured the cars so they would not roll, and helped us individually out of the cars. We were helped down the stairway back to solid ground. The employees gave us fast passes for the rest of the day and bottles of $2.75 water each. Just a little excitement.
At the Pub we enjoyed shepherd’s pie. We walked the park twice, then settled in for Unstoppable at the 8000 seat movie theater. This was a very good movie that fit in with our train theme of the day.
Medal of Honor
I must add that today was a historic day as SSgt. Salvatore A. Giunta was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama. SSgt. Guinta is the first living recipient since the Viet Nam War. One of Guinta’s actions, at age 22, was that he rescued a wounded soldier from an Afghanistan insurgent ambush and pulled him back to cover. Minutes later, he stopped a pair of insurgents from abducting another soldier. He has said that he cannot reconcile what he did with his newfound hero status. He also said, “If I am a hero, then every man who stands around me, every person who defends this country, is a hero.” His “extraordinary bravery and selflessness” will serve him well in his new responsibilities and roles as a Medal of Honor recipient.
Community, Courage, Sacrifice, Integrity, Patriotism, Commitment-the values of the Medal of Honor Foundation. SSgt. Guinta certainly exemplifies those values.
High 70s, sunny
After paying $15 to park, we walked to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, for our first day of feeling like kids. We were told this was a very good time to come to the theme park since it was not too crowded. We headed straight for “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” and we were totally amazed at how much we felt like we were in Harry Potter’s world.
Hogwarts train, talking plants, cobbled streets, black robed men and women, owls, and a wand store all added to the atmosphere. First, we bought some butter beer, a lovely mix of butterscotch, ginger, and froth, with a buttery smooth taste. Since we got there early, our wait for the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey simulation ride was very short. This creative ride in Hogwarts School and Castle down the corridors and in the classrooms was the all time best I’ve ever been on. We also soared through hilly landscapes on an aerial car through a quidditch game with Harry and Ron. We encountered dragons, huge spiders, and talking portraits on the walls, the classrooms, and corridors. The downside of this tumultuous ride was the effect on our stomachs. TK felt very queasy afterwards, and I was barely OK.
We toured Poseidon’s Fury—the “remains” of Poseidon’s Temple where the water and fire effects are great in The Lost Continent. We walked through Marvel Hero Island and saw Spiderman, Wolverine, and other superheroes on the street. We needed a kid to ride on the Pteranodon Flyers-an aerial ride that looked really calm, but no go in Jurassic Park!
On our way to lunch at Hog Head’s Pub we got the bright idea to ride on the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride. About 2 minutes into the ride the train stopped. Period. We sat there for 40 minutes high in the sky wondering what was going on. The same music droned on and on. Every once in awhile an employee would tell us help was on the way. We were not too concerned, but I knew I was not going to be climbing down the tubular tracks to the mythical Seussical area way down below. Finally, the engineers and employees pushed the train/trolley to an area where there was a metal walkway and guided us a little way to an area that had a walkway beside the train, secured the cars so they would not roll, and helped us individually out of the cars. We were helped down the stairway back to solid ground. The employees gave us fast passes for the rest of the day and bottles of $2.75 water each. Just a little excitement.
At the Pub we enjoyed shepherd’s pie. We walked the park twice, then settled in for Unstoppable at the 8000 seat movie theater. This was a very good movie that fit in with our train theme of the day.
Medal of Honor
I must add that today was a historic day as SSgt. Salvatore A. Giunta was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama. SSgt. Guinta is the first living recipient since the Viet Nam War. One of Guinta’s actions, at age 22, was that he rescued a wounded soldier from an Afghanistan insurgent ambush and pulled him back to cover. Minutes later, he stopped a pair of insurgents from abducting another soldier. He has said that he cannot reconcile what he did with his newfound hero status. He also said, “If I am a hero, then every man who stands around me, every person who defends this country, is a hero.” His “extraordinary bravery and selflessness” will serve him well in his new responsibilities and roles as a Medal of Honor recipient.
Community, Courage, Sacrifice, Integrity, Patriotism, Commitment-the values of the Medal of Honor Foundation. SSgt. Guinta certainly exemplifies those values.
Monday, November 15, 2010
ORLANDO, FLORIDA--SUNNY AND 77 F
We briefly stopped at the Welcome Center over the border for the customary orange juice and in Ormond Beach, Florida, at the best shoe store ever. By 2 p.m. we were at our hotel in Orlando, near Universal Studios Theme Park. TK forced me to go to the Premium Outlet Mall as well as the fine Millennia Mall. The Mall Christmas decorations were beautiful, including a 20 ft. Christmas tree all glittery, gold, and red.
Cheesecake Factory at the Mall for dinner.
Tomorrow, Universal Studios and Harry Potter, here we come!
Cheesecake Factory at the Mall for dinner.
Tomorrow, Universal Studios and Harry Potter, here we come!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
SAVANNAH--
The drive today from Wytheville to Savannah was about 7 hours. We could push ourselves more, but we don't have to! About 2 p.m. we noted it was about 70 F. In November!
Because we arrived early enough, we drove to the Oglethorpe Mall. We should have driven to Tybee Island and eaten at Uncle Bubba's Oyster House, Paula Deen's brother's restaurant. But, we didn't!
Because we arrived early enough, we drove to the Oglethorpe Mall. We should have driven to Tybee Island and eaten at Uncle Bubba's Oyster House, Paula Deen's brother's restaurant. But, we didn't!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
FIRST DAY-WYTHEVILLE, VIRGINIA
Saturday, November 13, 2010
We left our driveway at 8:42 a.m. It took longer to pack the Avalanche than we expected. The day was clear and the temperature was in the 60s. TK bought the CD, The 12th Imam, so we listened to that all the way to Wytheville.
*Tuna fish sandwiches on cement picnic benches at the first West Virginia rest stop on I-79.
*About 7 hours on the road, 6,5 hours of driving.
*We arrived in Wytheville about 3:30 a.m., kind of early, so we visited two antique shops. I was very tempted by a Franciscan Apple water pitcher.
*Light dinner at Wendy’s and we checked in at the Hampton.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
CRUISING AGAIN--Trip Itinerary
Another cruise! Actually we switched cruises because the October Mediterranean cruise on the RCL Navigator was getting complicated (e.g. how does one get from Rome to Citavecchio easily; and instead of the Marseille stop where we could easily get to Aix en Provence where I lived, a 20 mile trip, the cruise line changed the French port to Toulon, 2 hours away from Aix). I promise myself that we will do the Mediterranean another time.
Then, my NCTE proposal with friend H was accepted and so now we are off to Disney World/Orlando/NCTE's national conference and then the cruise. When TK saw that we would be so close to Fort Lauderdale he smelled a cruise and booked the Grand Princess!
Our itinerary:
November 13: Wytheville, Virginia
November 14: Savannah, Georgia
November 15: Orlando, Florida
November 16, 17: Universal Studios, Orlando
November 18-20: Disney World, Orlando/NCTE national conference
November 20: Medal of Honor: Examining Lessons of Personal Bravery and Self-Sacrifice: A resource for teachers to engage students through investigation. Our presentation is in the Yacht and Beach Club, Grand Harbour Ballroom, Salon 3.
November 21: Fort Lauderdale
November 22: Board the Grand Princess
November 23, 24: At Sea
November 25: Thanksgiving Day in Aruba
November 26: Curacao
November 27: At Sea
November 28: Grenada
November 29: Barbados
November 30: Son Brian's birthday! We will celebrate for him in St. Vincent
December 1: St. Kitts
December 2: St. Thomas
December 3: Santo Domingo
December 4: At Sea
December 5: Princess Cays
December 6: Fort Lauderdale to Kingsville, Georgia
December 7: Spartanburg, SC
December 8: Medal of Honor training in Spartanburg--maybe drive to Summerville, West Virginia afterward
December 9: Maybe Erie
December 10: or maybe Erie!
Then, my NCTE proposal with friend H was accepted and so now we are off to Disney World/Orlando/NCTE's national conference and then the cruise. When TK saw that we would be so close to Fort Lauderdale he smelled a cruise and booked the Grand Princess!
Our itinerary:
November 13: Wytheville, Virginia
November 14: Savannah, Georgia
November 15: Orlando, Florida
November 16, 17: Universal Studios, Orlando
November 18-20: Disney World, Orlando/NCTE national conference
November 20: Medal of Honor: Examining Lessons of Personal Bravery and Self-Sacrifice: A resource for teachers to engage students through investigation. Our presentation is in the Yacht and Beach Club, Grand Harbour Ballroom, Salon 3.
November 21: Fort Lauderdale
November 22: Board the Grand Princess
November 23, 24: At Sea
November 25: Thanksgiving Day in Aruba
November 26: Curacao
November 27: At Sea
November 28: Grenada
November 29: Barbados
November 30: Son Brian's birthday! We will celebrate for him in St. Vincent
December 1: St. Kitts
December 2: St. Thomas
December 3: Santo Domingo
December 4: At Sea
December 5: Princess Cays
December 6: Fort Lauderdale to Kingsville, Georgia
December 7: Spartanburg, SC
December 8: Medal of Honor training in Spartanburg--maybe drive to Summerville, West Virginia afterward
December 9: Maybe Erie
December 10: or maybe Erie!
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