Brilliance Review - the List Cruise - Dec 5 10 - Better Late than Never

[dirtgirl]

Hoping these pics of the water spout work!

[erbunny]

Carol, I think your attitude is wonderful, especially knowing what else you went through before you made it home. Thanks for posting this review and the additional info about what actually went on in the days after the list.

[sg1phileshipper]

Carol, I think your attitude is wonderful, especially knowing what else you went through before you made it home. Thanks for posting this review and the additional info about what actually went on in the days after the list.

 

 

I totally agree. If everyone had an attitude like you, the world would be a wonderful place :D. Hope the bruises have healed by now.

 

By the way, pics of the water spout are scary. I've never seen anything like that, and to be honest, I have no idea what it is. Maybe someone will be kind enough to explain :)

 

Cindy

[dirtgirl]

Dec 13

 

Ship was still moving, but not as much. Many things were still closed - no shops, not allowed on the top decks. The gym was still closed! This was day 3 for me, and the biggest hardship for me on the cruise. I ran the stairs again, causing bemused looks from a lot of people.:o

 

While leaving the Windjammer at lunch, we heard a commotion going on in the Centrum. There were people gathered around on all levels looking down. We went down to deck 4 to see a crew member (not the Captain - not sure who he was) addressing the crowd. The crowd was hostile. I was starting to fear for the crew member's safety. People in a mob do things that they would never do individually. People were asking questions, and not liking the answers. They started chanting liar, liar, liar. I was looking at my colleague, just not believing what we were seeing. Security started showing up. They wisely decided to schedule a meet in the theatre for later in the afternoon. The Centrum was not a good venue for this.

 

This was the start, too, of me feeling a tightness in my neck area. It was uncomfortable to bend over the sink to rinse my mouth out or wash my face. I didn't know what it was, but I wasn't liking it!:rolleyes:

 

I did not go to the meeting in the theatre. I didn't want to be with a bunch of angry people. That meeting was very short - they basically announced that there was to be an announcement later on, and that it would be beyond our expectations.

 

They announced the refund of the cruise fare while I was in the Schooner Bar before dinner. You could hear cheering and clapping. It was beyond my expectations. I was not expecting that at all, much less demanding it. It did change the mood of the ship, however. I was tired of hearing people complain. Yes, there was nothing to do for a couple of days but sit in a bar. I don't go to the casino, and that was the only other venue open. As I said, my worst part was no gym!:p And no nightclub, either! I love going to the nightclub.

 

It was formal night again, and then 70's night in the Centrum. That was a good party, as always. Too bad that once the 70's part was over, there was nowhere to continue dancing. It just became 'blech' elevator music in the Centrum. It was a shame, as we there ready to dance. There was no more dancing for the rest of the cruise - the nightclub never opened.:(

[dirtgirl]

Carol, I think your attitude is wonderful, especially knowing what else you went through before you made it home. Thanks for posting this review and the additional info about what actually went on in the days after the list.

 

I totally agree. If everyone had an attitude like you, the world would be a wonderful place :D. Hope the bruises have healed by now.

 

By the way, pics of the water spout are scary. I've never seen anything like that, and to be honest, I have no idea what it is. Maybe someone will be kind enough to explain :)

 

Cindy

 

 

Thank you so much! The bruises have healed, but the neck is still an issue, and will be for a quite a bit longer. I have 4 appointments per week on it.

[CAC104]

Thank you for taking the time to write a review of your experiences. It sounds like it was a frightening experience...At least it didn't turn out like the Poseidon Adventure .;)

[Debathome]

Hang on people, her adventure isn't over yet!

 

Carol, thanks for taking the time to do a detailed review AND for clearing up a lot of the stories that we had heard. Good to hear it from someone who witnessed it first hand.

 

Can't wait for the rest of the holiday from hell story to continue....

It's much better than the book I am reading! :p

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Loving every word......can't wait for more!!

 

***

[IBookHePays]

Great job so far, Carol, you are so fair and balanced in your review! I also like your attitude, lady!

 

"There went Carol, flying back and forth again" .........priceless!

 

I hope writing all the details down somehow improves your injury:):):)

[wrp96]

By the way, pics of the water spout are scary. I've never seen anything like that, and to be honest, I have no idea what it is. Maybe someone will be kind enough to explain :)

 

Cindy

 

 

Basically water spouts are tornadoes that form over water.

[Beachcruzer]

Laura and I split off from the group, as I wanted to walk to the Agora. We did that and went for lunch. We had Mousakka, which Laura absolutely hated!!! :D I had ouzo, and she hated that, too. LMAO :p

 

One small correction.....The Mousakka was absolutely NASTY, but I might be willing to try the Ouzo again. :D LOL It was definitely a shock to my system, but I bet it could become enjoyable after a sip or two. ;)

 

I loved both our ports in Greece and would love to go back again! :) I would definitely prefer to not be stuck in that awful weather again though and will definitely travel earlier in the year next time. Considering what we experienced though, I think we both did a great job maintaining our composure. We stayed level headed and didn't freak out. I'm sorry poor Carol got bounced around so much though! I should have shared my closet/bathroom space!

[dirtgirl]

One small correction.....The Mousakka was absolutely NASTY, but I might be willing to try the Ouzo again. LOL It was definitely a shock to my system, but I bet it could become enjoyable after a sip or two. ;)

 

I loved both our ports in Greece and would love to go back again! :) I would definitely prefer to not be stuck in that awful weather again though and will definitely travel earlier in the year next time. Considering what we experienced though, I think we both did a great job maintaining our composure. We stayed level headed and didn't freak out. I'm sorry poor Carol got bounced around so much though! I should have shared my closet/bathroom space!

 

 

I loved it when you said the Mousakka was NASTY. LOL I love mousakka.:p

 

I'm afraid you won't want to cruise with me again!! I seem to be cursed! :o :D

 

Another thing that happened this day that was disturbing took place when I was in the Guest Relations line-up. There was a very loud woman ahead of me, claiming that we took on water. She was saying the crew quarters were ankle-deep in water, and she was telling this to media outlets. She was so proud of herself. She was full of ****. :mad: It's misinformation like this that makes me SO upset. Why lie? Are you so full of yourself that you have to do that to make yourself feel important?

[wrp96]

I seem to be cursed! :o :D

 

 

Maybe it's the people you cruise with that are cursed and not you.;):p

Edited January 25, 2011 by wrp96

[dirtgirl]

Dec 14 Malta - day 1

 

The gym was open!! The gym was open!!:D Worked out for about an hour and a half, loving every minute of it!

 

We didn't have anything planned for this day, so we just did the Hop On Hop Off (or Freeze Your Buns Off) bus.:rolleyes: We did the route that took us to Mosta and Mdina. I had wanted to go to Mosta to see the Mosta Domb (the church that was bombed in WWII but the bomb didn't go off), and the walled city of Mdina. The church was closed when we got there, though, which was SO disappointing! :( Mdina was gorgeous, and we bought lots of Mdina glass there. I was going to buy a lot of Christmas gifts in Egypt, but I ended up buying LOTS of Mdina glass instead!

 

The HOHO bus ride was too long, though, and we were up top exposed to the elements. I was doing ok until it started to rain. That was it for me. I stood in the bottom part of the bus for an hour, while Laura sat in the rain. I don't know how she did that!! Beautiful scenery, though, and lovely towns.

 

It was funny. Everyone wanted to get off the ship in Malta, after 3 days of rocky seas. I couldn't wait to get back on the ship and warm up! :o

[dirtgirl]

Dec 15 Malta Day 2

 

My neck was REALLY starting to bug me now. I knew it was a nerve problem, as I have had pinched nerves in my lower back before. The tightness often went away by itself with my back, though. I thought this might go away, too, and I'm not one to run to the doctor for every little thing. So, I was trying to tough it out until I got home. I had met a chiropractor earlier on the cruise, but I didn't know where he was, and I didn't want to knock on his door if I did know and ask, 'Hey, can you adjust me?" :o

 

I had booked the Hypogeum for this day. It is a must see!!! You have to book online well in advance, as they only allow 10 people per hour in there. They are strict about that, too! It is an ancient underground burial temple dating 5000-6000 years ago. It's fascinating. That was for the afternoon, so we tried to find the Triton Fountain and the St. John's Co-Cathedral on foot in the morning. It was pouring rain and we got lost (ok, my fault:o). We did eventually get there, and the Cathedral is another must see. We were in there at least an hour. We grabbed a taxi out to the Hypogeum, and he also took us to the Temple of Tarxien, which is a few blocks away from the Hypogeum.

 

I really felt we 'did' Malta. The 6 hours we did have scheduled there originally was not near enough. I'm glad we had two days. I would have like to have seen the Blue Grotto or the island of Gozo, but there was no time.

 

A lot of people that I have spoken to have no idea of where Malta is or what is there. If you take the time to research the history of a place, it becomes all the more fascinating when you see it. The theme of this cruise was Ancient Cultures and Civilizations. So when you look at it from that respect, it takes on more meaning. I have to go back! But not in December... :p

 

That night was Quest. I always get well into that, donating this and that!:p Our 'guy' stripped down to a black thong (that happened to be positioned halfway down the backside. :eek: I have to say, that when he said his name, and that he was from Vancouver, the room erupted into wild applause. :D

[Rancher Dave]

It is high, as it's only good for one entry. If you are on the Brilliance and it's going to Oman then you need two visas. $2,000 is ridiculous. It's causing Canadians to cancel this cruise. I did..................wouldn't even consider it now or in the future.

 

I think it was for a business visa as opposed to a tourist visa and usually tourist visa's cost less than business visa's. Regarless it can get expensive.

 

We are thinking about a tour that goes into Oman on Sunday before we sail...so we would end up with 3 visa's for UAE and 2 for Oman in the one trip. Of course as US citizens it is not quite as bad as it would be cost wise for those aside form the 30-odd countries given easier access to tourist visas in the UAE.

[sg1phileshipper]

Basically water spouts are tornadoes that form over water.

 

Eeeek, that sounds scary:eek:. Thanks for explaining to me

 

 

Cindy

[sg1phileshipper]

I find your review very fascinating. I can't wait to read more. Thanks for posting it and take very good care of you neck. :)

 

Cindy

[dirtgirl]

I find your review very fascinating. I can't wait to read more. Thanks for posting it and take very good care of you neck.

 

Cindy

 

 

Merci, Cindy!

 

Dec 16 Last sea day

 

Oh, the day before disembarkation. My favourite. :rolleyes: Blech. I woke up going owowowowowowowow as my neck down into my right arm was SO sore. :( I had to go to class in the morning, then packed. The weather started picking up again, just in time for me to go to the gym. CLOSED AGAIN. Fourth time in the cruise. I've never had this happen before! So, up and down the stairs I went.:o You may wonder why I work out if I'm sore, well, I'm a fanatic, that's why.:p And at that point, it wasn't bothering me while exercising. It was hard to sleep and it was achy, but it didn't seem to bother me working out.

 

The rough weather once again kept Laura and another colleague from dinner. I have to say, the rocking and rolling was getting rather wearisome! It was funny running in the stairwell (I picked the forward stairs as the aft ones were too busy). Some people were looking absolutely green, and were sitting on the stairs. I was afraid they were going to vomit at any moment...:p And there I was, running up and down. I'm so happy I don't get seasick!!

 

Lucky me did run into the chiropractor in the Schooner Bar. He did some tests and diagnosed a pinched neck nerve. He then adjusted me. I don't think I'll ever be 'cracked' in a bar again, but it was priceless!:D I did feel a bit better for a while.

[dirtgirl]

Dec 17 - Disembarkation

 

I wasn't doing too well pain-wise, and I was anxious for the day to be over. I wanted to get home and get my neck looked at. My right arm was tingling into my forefinger and thumb, and the muscles in my back were twitching uncontrollably. Since Monday it had just gotten worse and worse. It turns out I had whiplash as well as the pinched nerve. I was eating ibuprofen like it was candy.

 

Disembarkation itself was simple - no Immigration! You get your luggage and off you go. How civilized.

 

Laura and I grabbed a cab to the airport where we said our good-byes. I then hooked up with a bunch of other TAs that were on the same flight to London. The flight was uneventful, but LHR is another story. What an airport that is! Fly into Terminal 3. Grab all your bags and carry them down the stairs into a bus. Drive to Terminal 3. Get out at Terminal 3, and find the bus to Terminal 5. 10 minute drive (it seemed) to get to Terminal 5. Then it was upstairs, downstairs, elevators, escalators, security check points - it was like running the Amazing Race! :rolleyes: We were sweating by the time we finally got to our gate. :o

 

The wait began for our flight, and we were told it was delayed. I went near to the boarding gate as I had paid for a seat at the back of the plane, and I thought they would call rows. Not so! It's a free for all. I'm used to back of the plane boarding first - makes sense. I was lucky I was where I was. So, just be aware that rows aren't called there!

 

We were told we were waiting for a de-icer, and so we sat for 2.5 hours. We were then ordered off the plane, as the crew would have exceeded their work hours.

 

And so began being stranded for 8 days.

[Happy ks]

Carol, it could be a movie ;)

 

Love ya!

K

[jrzebird]

Carol, it could be a movie ;)

 

Love ya!

K

 

A horror movie! I didn't expect that last line. When you get tired of being a TA, you should write novels.

[dirtgirl]

A horror movie! I didn't expect that last line. When you get tired of being a TA, you should write novels.

 

 

Thank you! :) There was a long thread about my stay in England, so I don't want to bore everyone with repeating it!

[Coralc]

Thank you! :) There was a long thread about my stay in England, so I don't want to bore everyone with repeating it!

 

You're not boring us...we wanted to read it all in one place. Continuity is important...please continue with your review. We are looking forward to it. :D:D

[dirtgirl]

You're not boring us...we wanted to read it all in one place. Continuity is important...please continue with your review. We are looking forward to it. :D:D

 

 

How sweet!