momofmeg

We enjoyed our 7-night Bermuda Cruise -- two stops 2 hours apart both in Bermuda. Two nights in Hamilton and one night in St. George. 2 sea days to go and 2 sea days to come back! I loved the overnight stays -- so few on cruises. /Sultan

That was great about Bermuda. That is the cruise we did on the original Pacific Princess. We actually went to all 3 ports there and on one my hubby at Hamiliton had left to scuba dive, and he returned to the ship at the royal dockyard! He did say though it sure gave him an eirie feeling when he saw the ship move out and he was on that motor boat going to the diving spot! He felt like he was being left!

Although it sounds like an oxymoron if there ever was one, a well known budget travel writer Arthur Frommer is suggesting that the new behemoth cruise ships loaded with amenities would do well just to remain in port. They could then offer seven day "stationary cruises" and never go anywhere, but guests would stay on board as in a traditional cruise, but never leave the dock. This would save foreign port fees and, most advantagious of all, costly fuel.

 

Would any of you be interested in such an arrangement or are there other benefits to traditional cruising at sea that you would miss, even if traditional cruising would cost substantially more than a "stationary cruise"?

Many took longer then that I guess after Katrina, but no I wouldn't-why? My favorite thing about crusing is being out on my balcony or up on deck watching the water roll by. I prefer that to anything else a cruiseship offers.

I have always said, some of these old cruise ships would make great hotels. That was done with the original Queen Mary. I hope one day to spend the night on her.

I really wished that had been done with the old Pacific Princess of "love Boat" fame, granted the staterooms were dinky but she could have been remodeled to make them larger, possibly taking two rooms and making one-the biggest draw would be the pool and other areas that looked just like what was seen on TV.

I hope by "doing something" you meant doing some ship-related work in the lifeboat and not "doing something" to/for himself!:eek:

Yep, the next day, the lifeboat outside our window was a ferry tender in Grand Cayman. he was getting it ready I guess.

I cant believe I read all 27 pages!

 

My wife and I were on the Celebrity Zenith. We had an outside room with a large window. The Zenith doesn't have balcony rooms. We were docked in Bermuda. Our window was facing out away from the land so we had a great view of the water. We had the Curtains wide open when all of a sudden a Ferry went past our window as we were standing there in all our naked glory. The People on the top of the Ferry were at the same height as our window looking right in at us! They were so close I could see there Eyes getting wider when they realized what they were seeing. My wife and I still laugh about it to this day...

Andy when we were on the Zenith we had an obstructed oceanview, obstructed with a lifeboat, so we thought we were safe from prying eyes- well we were lying our our bed watching TV (thankfully that was ALL we were doing) when we saw a reflection of a man in our TV-sure enough one of the crew was in the lifeboat out side our window doing something. That was early in our cruise, so we KNEW to close those curtains!

I had a great time laughing about other people, so now is the time for others to laugh about us.

This happened on the Voyager last year: I was in the cabin reading when my husband came in because he really, really had to pee. He has long ago learned that when the ship is moving it is safer to do this sitting down. Well, he left the door halfway open, so I had no problem hearing him scream that the ship was on fire, the sprinkler system had just turned on and he was getting all wet. I didn’t get rained on in the cabin so I told him the ship was not on fire, that probably it was just a problem with the sprinkler in our bathroom. Since he is the glass half empty kind of guy, he was hysterically screaming a detailed description of what would happen if the bathroom flooded, then the cabin and then our side of the ship. I got up to see the extend of the flood, but realized that everything was ok with the sprinkler. What my husband had not realized that he was only getting “sprinkled” on the lower part of his body. When sitting down on the toilet, he had simply forgotten to place a certain part of his inside the toilet. As you can well imagine, his hysterical screaming turned into hysterical laughter when he realized that he was the one doing the sprinkling. Probably he did not realize at that moment that he was going to be the one doing the cleaning up afterwards.

Your story reminded me of my poor hubby who must do everything he can and especially on our recent dream cruise, a transatlantic from Europe to the USA, as he felt we may never get back to those ports.

We live in GA, USA, so that is why we normally cruise the carribean,the caribbean costs less.

Well the day we were in Dublin, Ireland, we had booked an afternoon excursion for a city tour and a visit to a pub to watch a riverdance type show.

We docked at 6 AM that morning, so ofcourse, my husband, had to go into Dublin to visit Dublin Castle and the chester Beatty musuem as he may never go there again- plus he chose to go to some famous pub there.

Well time got away from him-so then he was in a rush to get back to ship for our excurison, and because he had had that beer at the pub last thing, he suddenly realized he had to PEE BAD! Well he had to take a shuttle bus back to ship and the bus had no bathroom.

So he runs into our stateroom about 10 minutes before we were to meet for our excursion and he has to pee so bad he can't stand it-and ofcourse his zipper caught, as he was rushing so to unzip his pants, well-------- you can guess the rest!

I told him it was his fault trying to do too much! He should have skipped that pub and beer! LOL!

The next day we sent out his jeans to be cleaned. I could not help but wonder what the steward thought!

Deck 7 balconies have an overhang over the lifeboats directly below so you can't see the water. No big deal. But it is quite surprising to be enjoying a private moment on your balcony and become startled as a hatch in the overhang opens and a crew member comes up through it! I'm sure being on deck 7 at all creates potential to have a crew member climbing around outside while washing windows or whatever, but 7122 had the hatch right out front too.

 

I wouldn't book it again as I enjoy the privacy a balcony normally affords me.

Are you KIDDING? You need to go and read that thread in the Floataway lounge about making whoopee on your balcony-you will discover more then crew members see you!

Now we were out in the middle of the ocean between Key West and Grand Cayman and I was undressing when I noticed the reflection of a man in the mirror-sure enough-a crew member was out in the lifeboat under our window doing something-I found out why the next day when that lifeboat was used for tendering-so now-even if I am in the middle of the ocean-if there is a lifeboat close by- I check the window before undressing!

On the Noordam to AK, do you think there will be an issue with aft pool deck chairs since it will be cold(er)? My parents are in VA8115.

We had a heated pool and used it and the hot tubs on our alaska cruise-it was HAL statendam we were on.

In the shore booklet there was a coupon for the bracelet and 1 charm for that port. And then in the other ports we just got the charms. They are pretty cheap stuff, nothing worth ordering. But if you want then go for it.

They are cheap goldtone garbage and I mean gold TONE as in painted a gold color-not even gold plated. They are not worth picking up.

If you like sift leather Wilsons' Leather has some really nice purses espically the lambskin ones. You kinda sound like me, something trendy that still fits my personal taste and small. I dont like chunky purses. I have found several cute ones at Brighton.

Their purses look good and also the lining of their purses holds up. I hate a purse looking nice and good from the outside but the lining ripping out from the inside. Not only does it have to be good quality leather for me that can be scratched but yet the color is not gone in the scratches-but it has to have a good quality lining.

Thanks everyone,

 

I was in a funk, thanks for your support. I am in between terms. It is a merry-go-round 12 weeks on 1 week off, only 9 more terms then my dissertation. I do put extra pressure on myslf to keep my 4.0.

 

Mom, thanks for your concern.:) I do not have diabetic neruopathy, I have nerve damage in my neck and right foot due to automobile accidents. Sorry about your pain and suffering. The pain and sensations in my foot are the same the difference is the cause. Talk with your doc, there are new meds for neuropathic pain. For me it's not just the pain but the other sensations like electric shocks and the feeling that something is crawling up my foot that drive me nuts.

 

Jane, Thanks,for the kind words and thoughts. I can't wait to take out my olive YSL. I'm still using my Fiore and Gucci Flora, but as soon as it feels like fall, oh wait a minute, it's cool out!:cool:

 

Mrs Moose, You are so very kind and caring. Thank you for reaching out to me.:)

 

Linda

Well whatever reason you buy things-my thinking is it is no one's business but your own!!!! Never justify to anyone!!!!!!! I am sorry to hear about your auto accident.

Yes I know there are pain killers on the market for that-I am afraid though-if I went that way-I would just give up and forget the diet-the pain reminds me what I did to myself not listening to my Dr. and I should stick to my diet so I don't destroy anything else-you know like my kidneys or my heart.

Hi girls, thanks for the replies:) ya'll are just special.

 

I will try to reply to each:

 

Judy, I know you are correct~repositioning cruises are always

less money and I am trying to definitely take that into

consideration. I have used the same TA for almost 3 years

now. I sent her an email on Friday. (she usually replies quickly)

but I haven't heard back yet..maybe she is on vacation for

the Holiday weekend. But I know one way is always less $:)

 

MomofMeg, Yes, I have sailed Constellation before and

love her. But Sept 2007 is not in my time frame. I am sure

you will enjoy your cruise.

 

Sox Fan, thank you for those thoughts too. In theory

you might be correct and your hubby is right, all they

can say is "no" but I will be totally honest with you...

I don't want to "work" while on the ship. Hope this

makes sense.

And I don't want you to think I am not appreciative

of the suggestion. But once I am on a ship...well,

I don't want to "have to be somewhere" at a certain

time, place, etc....unless of course it is an "excursion

of my choice";)

 

I have some ways I can save some extra money

which I won't get into on here. Just hoping

it all works out for me.

 

I will keep ya'll posted about this...because ya'll

are so nice and helpful:)

Lois, we are celebrating our Jan. 2008 -25 years of marriage then-as you know-there are not many European cruises in January-so we are celebrating a few months early-I don't have a problem with that- as we got engaged on Labor Day weekend-so it WILL be 25 years since we were engaged. (Besides I think Meg is planning a big todo-party on our actual anniversary-I am not supposed to know that!)

Now for our 30th we will do Hawaii and I guess we can do that one in January! Maybe you should look into Hawaii? then you can post about it and I can drool for 5 years while I wait for our trip!!!!

Hi Lois!

This has nothing whatsoever to do with handbags - but for a Trans Atlantic cruise, you may be able to get a real deal for a repositioning cruise in the fall or spring when the ships move from Florida to Europe and vice versa. We got a bargain on the Grandeur a couple of years ago. It was pretty last minute (two months out) when we decided to go. The cruiseline offered free air on our cabin accommodation. If you have a great TA, then maybe they can be on the lookout, especially if you are flexible with your travel dates.

For my 50th, we were going through the Canal. I didn't want to be anywhere near home when that epic event happened!!

To get back on topic, please wear shoes and carry the handbag of your choice.:)

--Judy

I second that Lois! We got a great deal for the Sept. 15, 2007 Celebrity Constellation cruise-look at that one! I know you have posted about cruising that ship before-but this will only our second on Celebrity-but I have read so many good things about the Connie I am really excited-even if it IS over a year away still.

I'm one of those people who always stays in a suite and enjoys designer bags. For me, I'm compensating. My life is pretty restricted. I am disabled and I can't enjoy a lot of the things people take for granted like running or dancing or just having a pain free day. So when I go on a cruise I want to be in the most comfortable accomodations possible. I spend a lot of time in my cabin, can't drink or take excursions, don't gamble so there is not much to spend my money on. I like the creature comforts of my suite. I have nerve damage so I can't even get a massage.

 

As far as handbags or shoes, shoes are for comfort. Less expensive shoes are just not comfortable. Handbags I admit are just a real splurge. I don't change mine very often. I buy one for fall and one for spring and my evening bag is my Leiber. I guess my rationalization is I'm not depriving or hurting anyone by my indulgences so why not.

 

I don't think anyone has to justify or explain why they choose to spend their money on the things they choose to buy or defend their prioirties. We all have our reasons for the choices we make. For some reason, in the US, we have this ethic that to indulge oneself is something that needs to be justified and sacrifice is noble.

 

It was hurtful to me that no one responded to me earlier in this thread. It should not have been, but it was. For some reason, I felt that way right now. I have been around long enough to know better than to take things personally, but I just had to let all of you who know me know how I feel.

 

I know I have been busy. But I try to check in when I can. Sorry if that has not been often enough.

 

Linda:(

Oh I don't think anyone is trying to justify what they spend. One person said she needs to because of her work-it is pretty much required-as she works in the fashion industry-others-well-we all do what we want with our money. I don't see a thing wrong with that-unless we are going bankrupt or something to buy stuff we can't afford. If not-well everyone has the right to spend their money the way they want.

I noticed you said you have nerve damage. Is it neography ( I have no idea how that is spelled which is why I usually just say I have nerve damage)from diabetes? I have that myself and I know what you mean about comfortable shoes. I have to be very careful what shoes I put on my feet. They have to be very good quality leather and fairly low heeled or else I pay dearly in pain.

I wish I could find Stone Mountain in the wine/cordoavan colors. All I see them in is camel and black.

momofmeg--You might want to try Boscov's on line. Just type in handbags.

Take care,

Pat......Does anyone know how to clean a leather bag?

I will check them out. You know, years ago I loved John Romain bags, but then they started going downhill in quality and price. They are very inexpensive now-I see them for under $30 (fake leather) where years ago you did good to find one under $100.

These two brands used to be good leather too, if the bags were scratched it was not like the color was taken off-because they had been dyed cheaply- and the lining of the bags held up also-the linings did not rip out after a few uses like the cheap bags did.

I guess when a brand loses it's popularity then they start making cheaper stuff so they can offer cheaper prices??????? I am not sure what THAT is all about.

My "theory" is the middle class is disapeering-everyone is either wealthy or poor now-very few of us in the middle class now-so it does not pay to cator to us anymore.

I wish I could find Stone Mountain in the wine/cordoavan colors. All I see them in is camel and black.

momofmeg--You might want to try Boscov's on line. Just type in handbags.

Take care,

Pat......Does anyone know how to clean a leather bag?

I use mink oil. You can buy it at any shoe store or shoe repair shop. Probally good ole Wallyworld too-but iI am not sure about them.

I use Stone Mt. for everyday. One for winter, one for summer. I pick them because they are the right size with the right compartments for my needs. I have a Maxx that I love for the fall. But my alltime favorite is by Icon. It has dance shoes on it, and is a work of art.

By the way-- can any one recommend a good leather cleaner? I've always used saddle soap and was wondering if there is something not so tedious?

 

Take care,

Pat.

I have seen some very nice stone Mountain ones-I still go mostly for aigner-their signature color that is sort've a wine/cordavan. I like that color because it goes with everything and I hate changing bags. I only chang bags for evening when I am doing something "dressy" and then I pull out one of my sparkly "formal night" cruise purses.

One thing though about Aigner -I noticed is now -they come in faux leather-yes they are less money-but they are cr^*p to me-I still want a nice leather bag. I never bought their bags for their name but for the quality- and that seems to be going.

I wish I could find Stone Mountain in the wine/cordoavan colors. All I see them in is camel and black.

this was the funiest!!! A drunk best man form an onboard wedding who went down the slide on a Carnival ship in his tux! I imaginehe had to buy that tux!!!!

Now I have had some unpleasant obnoxious drunk passenger stories too-but this one was just funny!!!!

Somehow I missed this thread before. I was just going to add another great duiretic is dandelion. You don't have to drink it in a tea. You can buy it in capsules. I get it at Vitamin world and take it in capsules daily. I also take parsley in capusles.

I like Propel fitness water too-but I would never drink "buckets" of it. It is put out by Gatorade and like Gatorade has sodium and potassium-just not sugars-so it is great for a diabetic to drink when out in the heat-for ex. like spending a day at the beach.

There is another flavored water I like callled Fruit 2 O-you find it in the same area as Propel. It has no carbs in it but still has sodium-so I won't drink alot of it either.

At home I drink filtered tap water and I add a little "Real Lemon" lemon juice to it-as I have a problem with retaining water all the time-no worse on cruises-this is just the norm-though I did used to notice this worse when traveling when I was younger. I have had my heart checked and my kidneys so it is nothing like that. (Having diabetes those are always regularly checked)

I really think it is just middle-age. But I can say this-taking the herbal duiretics helps and I look much younger and better when I am not all "puffy". I actually hate the puffy face much worse then the legs or feet-nothing looks older to me then a puffy face. Also when puffy you have weight gain but not a true weight gain-real fat does not look near as bad as puffy does in my opinion.

I don't know how I missed this thread before-just was going to say along with parsley and lemon juice-another good durietic is dandelion. You can get it in capsule form. I buy mine at Vitamin World. I take it daily as I tend to retain water-I think it is more of a problem for us that have reached middle-age. I also take parsley and I add lemon juice to my drinking water.

I like Propel fitness water too-but even though it is low in carbs I still have to count them so I can't just drink buckets of it. The Propel is put out by Gatorade and it does have sodium in it along with potassium so you really should not drink buckets of it unless you are out in the heat a lot. It is a good replacement for gatorade for those who are diabetic and need their sodium and potassium replaced after working or being in the heat for a long time.

There is another flavored water I found called Fruit 2 O.-but it also has a little sodium in it-but no carbs. Normally though when at home I just drink filtered tap water with a tad of lemon juice added.

I am currently listening to Birds of Prey by Jance (not quite sure of author). It is a mystery taking place on a cruise ship to Alaska. They are mentioning the ports I will be visiting next month so makes it very interesting.

Before my Alaska cruise I read a book by Janet Daily (do not remember the title) that covered around 350 years. It started around 1675 or a little before when the Russians would go there for seal pelts and later made settlements and the men married Indian or native women. It went through the history of this one family up to modern day. All the ports I visited were mentioned in the book too.

Our cruise did not go to Skagway and after reading about the gold rush in that book I was wishing it did.

I read a book by Leona blair called Fascination that about one -fourth of the book was an ocean crossing and the rest of book was about the lives of these people who had met on the crossing. It was a decent read. Set in 1900 so the turn of the LAST century.

We went 3 years ago and got off the ship on Memorial day. It was cold but not freezing. The highs were 55-60 and it even reached 75 the day we were in anchorage. The lows were like 35. The only place it is really freezing is when your ship is in the glaciers. There is a constant strong windy mist so it feels very cold.Bring a waterproof jacket and plenty of swaethers. Forget the heavy coat just LAYER in the glaciers. Have your winter scarf,gloves etc. I had a walking suit made of that parachute type material that was water proof that I wore in the glaciers. Jeans are fine for excursions in ports so bring them but I would not want to be wearing a pair of wet jeans in the glaciers. And the way that mist hits you-believe me-they will be wet and COLD. I also bought some of those 88 cents disaposable rain ponchos at Walmarts. They are small- fit in your pocket and much easier to keep up with then an umbrella. They sale them in the ports everywhere but there you pay $3.50 instead of 88 cents. For dinner you can wear even summer wear if you want-the ships have heat or bring your nice winter clothes for dinner wear and certainly velvet will be acceptable you see it all over on formal night.

Carnival Tropicale 10/15/98 Western Caribbean

RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 11/22/99 Bahamas

Carnival Fascination 09/23/00 Southern caribbean

HAL Statendam 05/20/01 Alaska

RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 11/08/01 Bahamas

Pacific Princess 09/29/02 Bermuda

Carnival Inspiration 12/14/03 Western caribbean

Carnival Miracle 04/09/04 Bahamas

When we took RCCL out of Miami we took their bus. This was 5 years ago and it was $30 a person round-trip. Sounds like taxi is more affordable from the above post.

Carnival Tropicale 10/15/98 Western Caribbean

RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 11/22/99 Bahamas

Carnival Fascination 09/23/00 Southern caribbean

HAL Statendam 05/20/01 Alaska

RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 11/08/01 Bahamas

Pacific Princess 09/29/02 Bermuda

Carnival Inspiration 12/14/03 Western caribbean

Carnival Miracle 04/09/04 Bahamas