Deck Chair Queen

Replying to follow.

The lagging Carol here. I’ve been super busy at work lately and working at half my mental capacity (which my dear business partner of thirty years says still puts me ahead of most!). I wanted to thank you all for following along and for your kind wishes when we were ill. This is not a scientific survey but man there seems to be a lot of Covid on cruises. My friend and her ninety something aunt recently caught it in the first few weeks of a world cruise on Regent! Wouldn't that stink? Now that the CDC no longer requires cruise ships to report Covid outbreaks, we are all taking risks we can’t even quantify or asses. We will continue to cruise, of course, and to be as careful as we can. We just love the sea; that’s all I can say. And it’s lovely to be with all you like-minded folks on another GSJ voyage! Love from Mimi and Rodolfo, too. They are glad we will be home until August. Warmest regards, Carol

Oops I see I have fallen behind in my responsibilities. My excuses are 1) Covid fatigue; we are feeling much better but I am sleeping at least ten hours a day and have zero energy. I’m going to try to get back to work tomorrow. 2) Our loft’s heating system decided to give up the ghost on Sunday, just in time for a week of subzero temperatures. I’ve been trying madly to get it repaired on a holiday weekend. Fortunately we have electric baseboard heaters along the exterior wall and a very well insulated brick building built to last more than a hundred years ago. It’s about seventy inside but much colder in spots, like the frosted-over window by Norris’s workspace. So sloths: The sloth sanctuary was featured in an Animal Planet series years ago called “Meet The Sloths,” but I have been unable to track it down. For all the mishaps and screwups of the day, it was a wonderful excursion. They are precious, rare, and unique creatures and it was great to see them up close. A peaceful, Zen presence. No petting allowed, which I understand but regret. I also loved the canoe ride in the silent lush rain forest and was sorry it didn’t last longer. It was magical. I am not much of an outdoorswoman and I’m grateful for the chance to experience nature with so little effort on my part. Annie I noticed you in the dining room and wanted to invite you to join us but as a loner myself I recognized and respected the signals that you just wanted to dine in peace alone with your Kindle.

Actually we did not use the Medallion messaging so I don’t know about the notifications or internet requirements. We used regular iMessage SMS texts using the ship wifi and Verizon in ports. For full access to your wireless data plan (unlimited data in our case) you pay $10 per day per device with a Verizon Travel Pass. $5/day for Canada and Mexico.

Yes that was the big difference on this cruise. I too learned long ago not to order eggs, but somehow they have licked it (well not literally). I had two omelets, both piping hot and perfectly cooked. I don’t know about the hot drinks as I eschew the room service coffee. And I was ordering during rush hour, I imagine, on port days before early excursions. Also they keep you updated on your order on the app like DoorDash. I gave it the highest rating of anything in the survey. Did I mention you can order from the specialty restaurants (for a charge)?

Yes it’s very nice but no substitute for the Aviario Nacional de Colombia. There you will find 1700 birds of 170 species; 22 hectares. For the most part they are not caged (but the humans are, in immersive exhibits). They hang around because of the natural habitats, no predators, and plentiful food and water. It’s one of my most memorable excursions ever. I had my binocs and took 100 photos which someday I will run through Merlin to identify. The Andean Condor was probably the rarest but they were all beautiful from the eagles down to the little green parakeets. I was in heaven and wanted it to last forever.

Princess has made a deal with Stephen Schwartz, whom I consider to be a second tier Broadway composer, to create four production shows. This is the first. It was interesting to see some numbers from the unproduced and nearly mythical show, Houdini. And of course the crowd roared for anything from Wicked. Magic tricks don’t “read” well in such a venue, IMHO.

Also via the miracle of technology listening to Tannheuser broadcast live from the Metropolitan Opera House. No lame DJ on my idyllic balcony.

To clarify: I paid $30 for an eight ounce bag of beans in a stall at the cruise terminal. This is roughly equivalent to the price on Amazon, depending on the vendor, quantity purchased, and shipping terms. It was weak and flavorless. I used to love Blue Mountain coffee until I met Illy. I don’t believe I was ripped off with counterfeit coffee beans.

Yes I took full advantage of the room service when we came back hot and exhausted and ravenous from an excursion. Also for early breakfasts before early excursions. It’s a dream with the Medallion app, no charge, no tipping, fast, and freshly prepared. Minimal human contact, my favorite morning mode. I maintain my balcony is the nicest dining locale on the ship, so why not take advantage of it. The menu is limited but more than adequate. The coffee of course is undrinkable so I don’t even order it, just stop by IC on my way off the ship.

<< It seemed like a shanty town backin 1986.>> Carol here, aka DeckChair Queen. I’m here to speak up for Ocho Rios in the sixties. I am officially half Jamaican as my mother hailed from Kingston born of many generations of Jamaicans. It’s a long story but many Spanish and Portuguese Jews ended up in the West Indies in the diaspora. I have relatives buried in the Falmouth cemetery, my cousin tells me. I spent all my childhood and teenage summers in Kingston in the fifties and sixties visiting my grandmother and relatives. We would often rent a house near Ocho Rios for a beach vacation. I remember fondly the incredible natural beauty, great street food, and the warm and funny inhabitants. My biggest disappointment about our cancelled excursion was missing a chance to eat homemade Jamaican food at the Great House near Falmouth. Seeing the lovely Konokos gardens compensated to some extent (they were too far from Falmouth but changing ports made them accessible). By the way, I don’t have Covid yet but it’s nearly inevitable that I will—impossible to isolate in a loft.

Here are more recent photos of Rodolfo and Mimi. They’ve grown! Carol

Very sweet of you! It’s emotionally tough but nothing like what he is going through. Of course he never stops joking and making all the medical people laugh and giggle. He might be coming home tomorrow! No more Ted Lasso’s for me! Carol

Thanks to all of you for kind good wishes. Norris’s message to you is that he is not out of the woods but he’s on the path. Fingers crossed he can come home in a few days. Carol

This is Carol. Norris’s cold became worse and his doctor sent him to the ER today. He has pneumonia and will be in the hospital for a couple of days for treatment. He wanted me to explain to you all why there is a hiatus in the GSJ. All will be well.

To respond in greater detail: I packed three pieces of outerwear, all from Eddie Bauer. A down vest for medium cold days, a hooded raincoat for, um, rainy days, and my down hooded Chicago winter parka, which is good down to sub zero temperatures. Luckily I never needed the raincoat, a useless precaution. I packed hiking boots but never used them. Flannel shirts were a must in Iceland and I did get cold on the whale watching boat even with parka and hood (no scarf) and gloves. No thermals. In the aforementioned new Briggs & Riley 29” expandable spinner I also had room for Norris’s winter parka and had maybe four inches to spare. On the way back some of this was used for the Portavogie wall art, the Irish candy, eight fridge magnets, and a can of stroopwaffles. Great suitcase and even with all this lighter than my previous smaller suitcase. Carol

Not only the best meal at sea, but also on a par with any fine meal we have consumed on land. Then you throw in the sea view, the gentle rocking, maybe a hint of a sunset, and by Jove you are at the apex of dining! Please don’t bring back The Dancers. Carol

Deck Chair Queen aka Carol, piping up with some practical info about out air travel arrangements, as I am the one who makes them —Travel Agent to the Stars (TM). In March (about three months ahead) we purchased refundable Economy tickets on UA, which thankfully had direct flights from Chicago to Amsterdam ( and back). We paid another $250 per person per leg for Economy Plus for a couple of inches of extra space but the same prison food. We applied for upgrades using miles but naturally they first try to sell as many Business and Premium seats as they can so you don’t know for months. Unfortunately you can’t apply for upgrades to both Business and Premium Economy, just one or the other. In Premium Economy you get slightly better food and a couple more inches of space. I watched our fare and the seating over time. The fares went only one direction—up. The Premium Economy seats sold out quickly, as there are only three rows and they are pretty good value unless you get a middle seat, which isn’t. What I should have done from the start if I wanted to upgrade with miles (which is what we save our miles for) is apply for the Business upgrade, as I could only choose one. I even tried to change my upgrade application but no dice. I believe the Business upgrade would have gone through, as many flights left with unsold Business seats. I go on at length because 1) I learned a lesson and 2) the terminology is confusing and the rules are needlessly rigid. On the final day I was offered an upgrade to Business for $6200 each, so you can see why we did not fly Business. We were lucky on the inbound flight to have an empty middle seat between us (he must have a window and I must have an aisle), and we were actually quite comfy. Carol’s Transatlantic Jet Lag Rule is sleep as much as you can outbound and stay awake as much as you can inbound, so it didn’t matter if we couldn’t recline all the way inbound. I hope this helps.

You will be glad to learn that Pfizer is developing an annual mRNA vaccine that will combine the current Covid strain, the current flu strain, and RSV. We just got our third Covid booster (so five shots total) and we had run out of room on our vaccine cards! If one doesn’t get severe side effects, it seems like a no-brainer to get the boosters. Nobody ever claimed they would prevent infection, but the risk reduction for severe illness and mortality has been proven (Not official medical advice—I am a bond analyst). So off we go to Amsterdam in less than a week. We will even get to add a new opera house to our list! Deck Chair Queen (aka Carol)

You make a good point. It is difficult to pinpoint where we got infected and the precise onset of symptoms. There are so many variables and so little data. I am 99% certain it was on the cruise itself, however. In order of likelihood: Churchills, bus tours, tenders, dining room. The current strain is much more contagious. We don’t know what the community levels were. Our boosters could be waning in effectiveness after four months (no data made public on this). We didn’t get sick on our 2021 cruise, when testing, masking, and vaccinations were required, not just “recommended.” What could we have done differently? Not much. What could the cruise lines do differently? A ton, including enforcing local requirements on excursions. Will we cruise again? You betcha! Although I would prefer to take a “calculated risk” when I know the odds. Carol

Thanks to everyone for your good wishes. We obviously were well protected from severe disease because of our boosters. But man the cruise ship had abandoned ALL protocols. In Mexico they announced several times that local laws required masking on the tenders and busses, but it was ignored by the passengers and not enforced by the crew/tour guides. This made me furious, especially given the age of the passengers. After a near death experience for the industry in 2020, you would think it would be extra careful, but no. I truly don’t know how I could have been more careful, but one-way masking only provides a modicum of protection. Norris didn’t want to bring everybody down by mentioning the Covid, but I felt it was a public service. Obviously we can’t rely upon the CDC to warn cruisers.

I got a real kick out of the families in matching Christmas jammies. My high school band mate’s daughter and son-in-law made the original Christmas jammies viral video, and I guess they really started something. We don’t do much for Christmas besides exchanging gifts and having a great meal, so it was so much fun participating in these happy rituals. Now I want to do a holiday cruise every year!

Where do I start? I saw every show but one and this was the weakest by far. Princess used to distinguish itself with its live music and still claims to excel. But over the years they have used lip synching more and more. In this revue one of the sopranos walked off the stage during a duet and never came back. No explanation. Her part was taken by a taped track. I consider this insulting to the audience’s intelligence, especially when they pretend the dancers are singing (with no mikes). Really? By contrast, Vox Fortura (two shows) comprised four classically trained musicians who could also do Motown. They even sang one number a capella and unmiked! They open with O Fortuna from Carmina Burana (you would recognize it) and I imagine the name Carl Orff has never been uttered on a cruise ship stage before or since. But I’m getting ahead of Norris. Carol The Critical

Another highlight for me (and one of the reasons I chose this excursion) came next. We went to a small but excellent museum featuring the history of the region including its famous cave paintings (photos of course but also some poached fragments). All the exhibits are in Spanish so having a knowledgeable tour guide and a small group really helped. On the way back to the ship I was amazed by the cardon cactus forest. They grow to over seventy feet. The desert adjoining the ocean was unique for me. Ask Norris to post a photo.

Touring at Christmas had the bonus of the beautiful church decorations for the holiday, and some gorgeous nativity scenes.