Carinval Glory - NYC to New England... A Memoir

[juliang]

[quote name='ShakyBeef'][COLOR=blue]Let's see if I can try to explain...[/COLOR]

[COLOR=blue]This bit:[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][SIZE=3][COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri]"The point of this whole grandmother thing was actually very small – she taught me to eat anything, and be happy with it. She never used the line “… because there are starving children in [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri]China[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri]”. She said things more along the lines of, “You’d better eat fast, because there’s not enough for everyone, and two of you are going to be hungry.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Back to my modern-day gluttony!"[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]



[COLOR=blue]In combination with this bit:[/COLOR]


[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]"On top of my tolerance for spicy foods, I have a terribly bad sense of taste. I mean, I can’t really tell the difference between adjacent levels of food quality. I’ll illustrate. Here’s a simple food taste/quality chart:[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]+4 Amazing food[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]+3 Great food[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]+2 Good food[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]+1 OK food[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]+0 Edible food[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]-1 Edible, but wouldn’t choose to eat again food[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]-2 Barely edible food[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]-3 “Can’t swallow it, please-get-me-a-napkin” food[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]-4 “I’m not even going to touch the fork that’s holding that” food [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Now that we’ve established a simplified scale of taste – here’s what I mean. Here is MY food scale:[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]+2 “Yeah, I’ve had that before, and I think I liked it” food[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]+1 “Can’t remember if I’ve had that before, but I’ll try anything once” food[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]0 “I’ve had that and it kept me from going hungry” food[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]-1 “Oh, I think I had that once and almost died. Sure, I’ll try it again, but only a little bite” food[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]See the slight difference? It’s subtle, but if you read it again, I’m sure you’ll catch it this time.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]As for types of food, I have very few limits on animal type, animal’s living habits prior to death, or animal’s diet prior to death."[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]




[COLOR=blue]Eventually is connected back to this bit:[/COLOR]



[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]"At some point, Sentil comes by and reminds me that I have my Indian entrée waiting, as well. He tells me that he’ll wait for me to finish my salad, and bring it over with my lobster. I am so excited by the idea of having something that’s off-menu. I have no idea what it’s going to be. All I know is that it’s supposed to be an authentic Indian dish, and it’s supposed to be non-vegetarian. Imagine going to the MDR for dinner, having no idea what’s on the menu that night, and they just bring you some random dish. Ok, I could see how many people wouldn’t like that – but it’s a fun feeling for me. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]It works for me, because I’ll eat just about anything… once."[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]




[COLOR=blue]It's all just his round-about, rambling way of explaining why he's an adventurous eater -- letting you into his twisted mind and giving you some insight into some of the ways his "interesting" (to put it mildly) childhood shaped the way he felt about the food on the cruise. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=blue]He knows he's giving y'all a lot of non-cruise related "brain vomit" in this glorious magnum opus of his; but (surprisingly, to us:o) some of you seem to enjoy reading this extra stuff. The kind and enthusiastically positive responses of so many so far appear to be proof of that. To all of you, thank you! [/COLOR]

[COLOR=blue]To all those who do not enjoy being taken along on his kooky mental detours, I apologize on behalf of us both. As his "Editor" I suppose I might be able to convince him to keep them to a minimum. But I have to admit, I love his twisted, sarcastic, wacky brain and the crazy stuff it has been spewing out here. And I'm loath to stifle it. [/COLOR][/quote]

This is a bit late but I just learned of the link to this review this morning. and have probably spent 6 hours today reading it and am only to this point.

In Woodie Allen's Oscar winning Annie Hall there is scene in the kitchen where Woodie Allen cracks a joke and Diane Keaton (Annie Hall) gives him a blank stare. Despite his attraction, he must come face to face with mind numbing, permanent vapidity. No medication, no electric shock therapy could fix it. She will never get it.

You husband's brilliant wit, story telling and writing ability far exceeds many who try and write humor for a living, and even make a decent living out of it. Hard to believe his age when written. Way beyond his years. He must keep his hand in it in some way.

[juliang]

[quote name='shakybeef']awww, look at that - this old thing has popped back up again.:) i was just talking to a cruise buddy about it yesterday (hi, to the 'first delta';) if you ever read this far), and here it is again.



Ah, the great mel brooks! I can only imagine what life with him must be like.:rolleyes: And i thought i had it rough!:p

um, at the risk of sounding dumb (for possibly the 387th time on these boards alone:rolleyes:) who's de barry? Did you mean dave barry? 'cause if so, that's kinda funny. But i don't know, maybe him being the lovechild of this de barry is even funnier.


So glad you found it again! You probably couldn't find it because the dork spelled carnival wrong in the title.:cool: Enjoy your cruise! Here's wishing you weather as lovely as what we had. : )[/quote]

yep--meant dave barry.

[Delta Hotel]

[quote name='juliang']yep--meant dave barry.[/quote]

WHOA - HEY! Each time someone posts on this supposed-to-be-dead "sea scroll", I'm surprised, and also reminded that I wrote it at all.

JulianG - thanks for the kind words, and thank you for helping to remind me of my own experiences. Sometimes, even [I]I [/I]get sucked into reading chunks of this memoir and have that funny, "oh, yeah... I remember that" thought.

I was really, really tempted to write a memoir for my last cruise (family cruise on Carnival Pride from Baltimore) but a huge portion of my pictures was lost when my camera's memory card died half way through the cruise! ARRRGGGH! <------ that's frustration, not being a pirate.

DH

[Jamesl5180]

[quote name='Delta Hotel']Hey BSUGrad,
Your question is simple, but the answer is very complex, and the possibilities are endless for how to use someone's picture. For example (and this is completely fictional, but realistic), lets say that you find a thread on CC where someone is talking about taking a cruise in a few weeks such as a roll call. If that person provides their home town (which many do), their first names (which many do) and perhaps their occupation, the kind of car they drive, their employer, the name of their kid's school, etc... It's pretty easy to use these bits of information to find their full names, their addresses, and other useful information.

If they post a picture of their kid, and it's easily deduced where their kid goes to school, a pedofile could go to the school and easily pick them out using their posted picture. The possibilities are endless for someone who thinks this way.

If you can deduce someone's address (which isn't all that hard), you can go to their house and rob them while they're on vacation. That's a common one.

Pictures of people's faces are more valuable than one might think. I have done IT security consulting for large police departments and local governments. It's amazing what you can do with just a picture of someone's face. Even Google's Picassa freeware program has a very impressive facial recognition system and database cataloging ability. If you apply these technologies with purpose and mal intent, a lot of harm can be done.

I know how this stuff can be used for good and bad. If me keeping personal information and pictures off of Cruise Critic even remotely prevents my family from being a news article or statistic, I'll gladly do it.

Boy... I think this might have been the most serious moment on this thread, yet!

DH[/QUOTE]

I was very curious of this also. Thanks for the question and reply.

BTW great review, I am a fan of the details and all of the back stories.

[retiring soon]

DH & Shaky ~ just found this thread on Sat. & finished it now. What
a funny & interesting read. Thanks so much!:D

Hope you will write another memoir some day. Sorry to hear about the loss of your photos.:(

~ Jo ~ :)

[mlrod]

Has anyone been to fitness classes on The Glory? With all the food I plan to eat, I would like to start the day with a class of some type.

[europe14]

I know you wrote this ages ago, but I just found it in the last week and have had so much fun reading it. Thanks so much and I do hope you write another one sometime. Loved Shakey Beef's comments too. Your daughters are adorable too.

[aberthelot]

[quote name='Delta Hotel'][SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Mom and Dad take off in a hurry with the girls. Wifey and I sit at the table for a few more minutes while I finish my cappuccino and pie. After I’ve had enough pie (I didn’t finish it) and Wifey’s ready to go, we leisurely leave the MDR and walk toward the atrium lobby. Since it’s just the two of us, and we don’t have to try and manage kids or parents, we stroll through the photo gallery, searching for pictures of our group. As we approach the photo gallery with the intent of looking at photos (but not buying them), I keep my smile and don’t let on the fact that I’m having a wicked battle inside of me about the dilemma that I know we will certainly encounter in less than one minute’s time. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]As an avid photographer [who’s not really good at taking pictures but takes lots of them anyway], I feel that I’m justified in my decision to resist buying professional photos of our children. Wifey and I couldn’t care less about photos of us, it’s pictures of our children that are so hard to turn down, knowing that real pictures of the children I’ve financially supported for [I]years [/I]will be shredded and thrown away by complete strangers. Strangers who are likely to be from Indonesia, India, or Thailand! [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Photos of us are usually horrible. We almost never see a cruise ship photo of us that we’d ever consider buying. I only added the word “almost” because it’s not like me to use strong, definitive language when speaking about anything that involves my memory or judgment since I’ve been told that I’m wrong so incredibly often. I’m told that I’m wrong so often that eventually it just sinks in and now, almost every thought is immediately followed by the statement, or at the very least the thought, “… but I could be wrong.”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]We peruse the photo gallery and find some photos of us and our kids, and some of Wifey’s parents. We flip through the photos of the kids, and either put photos of us in the back of the pile, or we pull them down and drop them into the trash can on the floor. Oh yeah, there’s often a cardboard box on the floor in the photo gallery that you can place your rejected photos in so that they don’t take up extra space, and they’re easier to sort through later… or something like that… but I could be wrong.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]I was actually hoping to [I]not [/I]see any good photos of my girls in the gallery. This sounds counter-intuitive, but I dread having to make the decision of whether to buy a picture or not. It’s partly about the excessive cost of the cruise ship photo packages, but it’s mostly a desire to feel like I’ve succeeded. For example, if I see a photo in the gallery of my girls that makes me think, “Wow. That’s a great photo of my girls. We need to buy that”, there’s a little part of me that feels like I’ve somehow failed as a photographer [amateur though I may be]. I like to look at pictures that invoke feeling, and try to decipher what it is about the photograph that causes the feeling, and then I try to practice that “feeling” in my own photos. Of course, these are just thoughts that I have. I normally don’t ever get around to doing any of this… but I like to [I]think [/I]about doing it.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Whew! No great photos of our girls. That’s a relief. Time to move on. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]We wander toward the atrium lobby. We’re on Deck 4, and we approach the spiral-like staircase that leads down to the atrium lobby bar. I head toward the stairs, indicating to Wifey that I’d like to take the stairs down to Deck 3. I have no goal, and no agenda. I just wanted to be on Deck 3, and thought that the spiral-like staircase would be a fun way to get there. I’m calling it a spiral-like staircase because the staircase never actually completes a full circle (if viewed from above). For me, a real spiral staircase must complete at least one full circle; these stairs do not. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]I know, this sounds terribly picky and perhaps a waste of brain-space, but details like this help me to hold my world together. If a staircase which only completes half of a circle can be called a spiral staircase, then where do you draw the line between a spiral staircase, and “just a curved staircase”? Go ahead, stop and think about this as you sip your coffee. It may help to stare blankly at an inanimate object in the room as you contemplate the definition of [I]spiral staircase[/I]. If you’re in a room with a window, do not look out the window. Now, raise one eyebrow slightly, and say the following out loud… ready?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black][YOU] “Hmm. Is a spiral staircase [I]really [/I]a spiral staircase if none of the treads on the staircase are ever overlapped by other treads on the same staircase? What if the staircase gradually grows in diameter as it goes downward or upward? Would [I]this [/I]qualify as a spiral staircase? How much higher or lower does the next step have to be in order to be considered a ‘stair’?”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]Good, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way – Wifey and I go down the stairs to the atrium lobby area. We walk through the lobby toward the glass elevators. Without really saying anything to each other, we had already decided to go to the Lido bar.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]We round the corner by Guest services, enter the Deck 3 elevator lobby, press the up-arrow button on the glass elevator wall, and wait for a few seconds. Wifey and I split up a little so she can watch the elevators on the left, and I can watch the elevators on the right side. The glass elevator doors are set in from the lobby wall, so it’s difficult to see when doors open on the far ends. A few seconds later, an elevator arrives (we can see it appear through the glass) and it’s right between us. We both take a couple of steps toward each other while still leaving enough room for anyone in the elevator to get out.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]When the doors open, we see that there’s a large man on a scooter in the elevator already, but there’s still room behind him for Wifey and me to stand comfortably, but not to move around. The man is facing forward toward the atrium, with his back to the elevator doors. When I say “large man”, I’m not accurately describing his size. This man would easily qualify for the term “morbidly obese”. Keep in mind that I’m not using this term as a personal judgment, but rather as a generally accepted term (often used by medical professionals) so that you can more accurately imagine the scene in the elevator.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]As we step into the elevator, we notice that there’s another person in the elevator with him, a young, happy fellow with a great smile. Wifey and I both stand behind the scooter and Wifey presses the button for the Deck 9 since the buttons are on her side of the elevator, and there’s no room for me to reach around her. The young man in the elevator with us is standing up against the glass on the right, front corner of the small elevator. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]The elevator goes up and stops on Deck 9, and the doors open. Looking over my shoulder to make sure the lobby is clear, Wifey and I take a step backwards out of the elevator (since there’s not enough room for both of us to comfortably turn around). I’m not sure if the man on the scooter meant to get off on Deck 9 or not, perhaps the young man in the front of the elevator wanted to get off on Deck 9, so he asked the man on the scooter to let him out. Again, these glass elevators are relatively narrow, and the man on the scooter took up the entire width of the elevator, so the young man in the front couldn’t have even squeezed by the scooter if he had wanted to. If he had attempted to, I’m sure that there would have been a considerable amount of body contact, more contact than even the friendliest of strangers would be comfortable with. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Wifey and I are out of the elevator but still facing the doors because we stepped out backwards. We hear the beeping of the scooter as it backs out of the elevator. The man on the scooter backs out of the elevator without looking over his shoulder – he just goes. Wifey and I see a young twenty-something couple approaching the elevator door from the right side. I think they just wanted to cross through the walkway and didn’t necessarily want to get on the elevator. The young couple hears the beeping of the scooter and stops just shy of the elevator doors. The man on the scooter continues to back up out of the elevator and without noticing, backs over the young woman’s foot with the rear right wheel of the scooter. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]The woman yelps and begins to hop on her left foot while trying to balance on her remaining open-toed high-heeled shoe. The young man in the hallway grabs her arm to help balance her. The young man says to his girlfriend [I’m assuming], “Are you OK?”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]“He just… he just ran over my foot!” she says loudly, with half amazement and also what I take to be her version of letting him (the man on the scooter) know what he has just done, in case he didn’t notice. There’s a moment of still air among all of us. I can’t speak for anyone else there, but in this brief pause, I was waiting/expecting an apology of some kind. The moment was probably less than half of a second in total, but it felt like a full minute.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]The man on the scooter glances up at the young couple, continues to back up, turns the scooter’s handlebars, and without a single word said or muttered, rolls off down the hallway as we all watch him leave. Wifey and I both see this happen and we stand there with that “Oh my… did I just see that happen?” face. Wifey and I make eye contact with the young couple and share a brief wordless moment of disbelief. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]Wifey notices that the other woman is still favoring her one foot and says to the young woman, “Are you alright?” [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]“Yeah, thanks.” The young woman says, as she puts her foot down and the two begin to walk off down the hallway in their originally intended direction.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]We shake our heads in disbelief and begin to move toward the Lido Bar. It’s a little after 8PM now, but there’s still some light in the sky. The sky is colored in wonderful shades of blues and oranges, with the clouds moving between shades of purples, grays, and blues. I deposit Wifey at the Lido outdoor bar and walk over to the glass wall which surrounds the Lido deck. I scan the large panes of glass for a relatively clear area through which I can take a few pictures. I don’t like taking pictures through glass, especially dirty, salt-covered, tempered glass, but I also didn’t feel like walking up the stairs to Deck 10 where there’s open air. So… my photos suffered a little bit for my laziness. Oh well… I forgive me.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3][COLOR=black]I take about 12-15 pictures, making small adjustments between each one, then using the LCD screen on my camera to check for exposure, color, and light adjustments. After about a minute or so, I get bored, and the sun is setting quickly, and the photos are becoming very blah… so I quit and walk back over to Wifey.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black][IMG]http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb479/Delta_Hotel/Glory%20Day%204/mini-ND3_1775a.jpg[/IMG][/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE]
I think you need to get this published!

[Paraveina]

[quote name='Delta Hotel']Wifey and I are out of the elevator but still facing the doors because we stepped out backwards. We hear the beeping of the scooter as it backs out of the elevator. The man on the scooter backs out of the elevator without looking over his shoulder – he just goes. Wifey and I see a young twenty-something couple approaching the elevator door from the right side. I think they just wanted to cross through the walkway and didn’t necessarily want to get on the elevator. The young couple hears the beeping of the scooter and stops just shy of the elevator doors. The man on the scooter continues to back up out of the elevator and without noticing, backs over the young woman’s foot with the rear right wheel of the scooter.

The woman yelps and begins to hop on her left foot while trying to balance on her remaining open-toed high-heeled shoe. The young man in the hallway grabs her arm to help balance her. The young man says to his girlfriend [I’m assuming], “Are you OK?”
“He just… he just ran over my foot!” she says loudly, with half amazement and also what I take to be her version of letting him (the man on the scooter) know what he has just done, in case he didn’t notice. There’s a moment of still air among all of us. I can’t speak for anyone else there, but in this brief pause, I was waiting/expecting an apology of some kind. The moment was probably less than half of a second in total, but it felt like a full minute.

The man on the scooter glances up at the young couple, continues to back up, turns the scooter’s handlebars, and without a single word said or muttered, rolls off down the hallway as we all watch him leave. Wifey and I both see this happen and we stand there with that “Oh my… did I just see that happen?” face. Wifey and I make eye contact with the young couple and share a brief wordless moment of disbelief.
[/QUOTE]

If he is disabled, it's entirely possible he doesn't have the range of motion required to look over his shoulder and relies on the beeping of his scooter to notify others he is backing up.

Even if he does have the required range of motion, it's still our responsibility as able bodied people to use our privilege of ease of motion to get out of his way rather than expecting him to accommodate us. ie it is far easier for us to take a step back and stay out of the way than it is for a person with mobility issues to figure out exactly where their wheels will be at every second of the day. Frankly I think I'd find it exhausting if I had to spend my day dodging able bodied people in addition to dealing with whatever other challenges the day presented. Edited April 23, 2013 by Paraveina

[ShakyBeef]

[quote name='Paraveina']If he is disabled, it's entirely possible he doesn't have the range of motion required to look over his shoulder and relies on the beeping of his scooter to notify others he is backing up.

Even if he does have the required range of motion, it's still our responsibility as able bodied people to use our privilege of ease of motion to get out of his way rather than expecting him to accommodate us. ie it is far easier for us to take a step back and stay out of the way than it is for a person with mobility issues to figure out exactly where their wheels will be at every second of the day. Frankly I think I'd find it exhausting if I had to spend my day dodging able bodied people in addition to dealing with whatever other challenges the day presented.[/quote]

Hi! Thanks, everyone who has recently made such nice comments. I'm glad to see this memoir is still being read.

Paraveina, thanks for your comment. I'm not sure if you're saying it's the young lady's fault that she got run over, or that we shouldn't have expected the man on the scooter to apologize for running over her foot, or both. Maybe the former might be a little bit true, but I think, mostly, it is not. The latter however, I don't agree with at all. The man was aware he ran over the girl. He should have apologized. And he could have and should have looked before backing out. At the very least, he should have rolled out slowly, letting the beeping warn people.

DH and I jumped through some PC hoops to tone down this one particular incident. But we happen to know that this man was perfectly able of checking where he was going and that he knew he ran over the girl and didn't apologize. We also happen to know who he is, to a certain extent. He is on an online forum and is regularly a rude jerk to people online - he seems to take pleasure in hiding behind his screenname and insulting others. Since I have seen his rudeness online since the Glory cruise, his rudeness onboard doesn't surprise me, in hindsight.

I am trying really hard not to say too much here. But I don't agree that it is "our responsibility as able bodied people to use our privilege of ease of motion to get out of his way rather than expecting him to accommodate us". Although I don't expect him or others like him to "accommodate us", I also don't think it is our job to jump out of his way so he doesn't even have to look before throwing it into reverse and running over anyone behind him.

He didn't pull out slowly, either. He pulled out of there so quickly and the couple was just passing by, they probably didn't have time to notice him before he ran over her. He should have kept that scooter under control so as to not injure other people. I think everyone should take responsibility for not running over each other, on scooter, on foot, whatever. It is not unreasonable to expect to be able to walk down a hall without being run over. And most importantly here, it is not unreasonable to expect an apology if one is run over.

DH and I always stand back and allow people in wheelchairs and scooters to go ahead of us, into an elevator, etc. We get out of their way when we see them coming. We have wheelchair-bound family members. We are not insensitive to the difficulties of others. But we don't think just because a person is seated on a motorized vehicle, it is everyone else's job to get the heck out of their way so we don't get run over.

[kangaand2roos]

Well, I'm going to breathe life back into this baby again! SB referenced this report in another Glory trip report, and I looked back in her old posts to find this wonderful review! Thanks for the enjoyment! My 10 YO daughter and I will be taking this cruise on August 5. Just us girls! Daddy and younger brother (8YO) are staying behind.

A couple of questions, just out of curiosity...OK...nosiness!

The trip to the ER...Was that the Lyme Disease? You kinda left us hanging!

Camp Carnival...was it your choice or the girls' not to use it? My kids loved it on our last Carnival cruise. They were almost 6 and almost 4. They loved it so much than they nearly fell apart when I suggested we just spend a day at the pool and skip all the fun!

This upcoming trip, though, DD says she mostly wants to hang with her old mama. I told her that I'd love that, but I suspect that once she reads about the activities, she'll want some Camp time. I told her that it's up to her as long as she eats dinner with me, but I'd love to have some good girl time with her. She starts Middle School this year, and as far as I'm concerned, Middle School is just a gateway drug that leads to High School, College, and moving away from home! I'll take all of her I can get while I can get it!!

We are going zip lining in St. John. I'm a bit afraid of heights and it's a bit out of my comfort zone, but I'm totally looking forward to it!

I laughed at the meandering into Westminster story! I live in southernPA and we are only about 1/2 an hour from there. I lived in the Reisterstown/Owings Mills area for quite a few years.

You didn't mention the muster drill. Was it immediately prior to sail away?

I'm sure I'll muster (hee, hee, hee) up some more questions, but I've spent my entire day reading this and I'm tired! Good night and thanks!!

[Delta Hotel]

[quote name='kangaand2roos']

A couple of questions, just out of curiosity...OK...nosiness!

The trip to the ER...Was that the Lyme Disease? You kinda left us hanging!

Camp Carnival...was it your choice or the girls' not to use it? My kids loved it on our last Carnival cruise. They were almost 6 and almost 4. They loved it so much than they nearly fell apart when I suggested we just spend a day at the pool and skip all the fun!

You didn't mention the muster drill. Was it immediately prior to sail away?

I'm sure I'll muster (hee, hee, hee) up some more questions, but I've spent my entire day reading this and I'm tired! Good night and thanks!![/quote]

Hi Kangaand2Roos!

Ok! so it would appear that I did leave out a few details that might have helped round-out the memoir a little!

So, I don't remember a definite diagnosis from my trip to the ER - but Wifey seems to remember it as being some fast-moving stomach virus that was going around... and it just hit me a little harder than most.

As for muster drill - I honestly don't recall anymore. When I was on this cruise, I had no intentions of writing this memoir. I mostly used my photos and Wifey's memory to compile a time-line... but apparently I didn't take any pictures at or around muster, and neither of us had particularly fond memories of this muster drill... so it was left out completely.

For Camp Carnival - the decision was easy. We wanted to spend time with our girls. I work long hours and really love spending time with them. Also, we asked them if they wanted to go to Camp Carnival, and they both said that they only wanted to go to Camp if they could be together, but due to the age-brackets at Camp, they'd be separated most of the time. So, they said that they'd rather be with us. They were happy with their decision, with the rare and occasional wistful longing to play with the other kids.

I'm happy for your August cruise, and I wish you great courage on your zip-lining excursion!

DH

[fluffy123]

Wow just stumbled upon this today. Very entertaining review! Thank you for the details. Your writing and humor are very reflective of my own..... raging ADD ! Life is a blast!:)
Just booked this cruise out of NY today (typical) - departing August 10.

[kangaand2roos]

[quote name='fluffy123']Wow just stumbled upon this today. Very entertaining review! Thank you for the details. Your writing and humor are very reflective of my own..... raging ADD ! Life is a blast!:)
Just booked this cruise out of NY today (typical) - departing August 10.[/QUOTE]

We Will be debarking as you embark! We will try to leave the place in one piece!

[ShakyBeef]

Good detective work in finding the thread, Kanga!:cool: Welcome (and welcome, Fluffy123, too) to this ancient piece of CC history. I'm so glad you are enjoying it. DH put a lot of himself into this memoir and I love re-reading it every now and then. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one still reading it and enjoying it.:o

Kanga, we ziplined on our Alaska cruise, in Ketchikan, and LOVED it! DH and I agreed that it was one of the best things we have ever done. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

I, too, cannot remember how long before sailaway our Muster Drill was, nor anything in particular about it, other than our muster station was on an outside deck, and the kids were squished between us and the adults in front of us. DH picked up Daughter #1, and I picked up Daughter #2, and we held them for the entire Muster Drill to keep them from having to stand with strangers' butts in their faces.

The ER visit diagnosis [U]was[/U] a severe stomach virus that was particularly bad that year and making the rounds through the community. A nurse told me the hospital was full of people with it, but that DH was one of the worst cases they had seen. It's no surprise DH doesn't remember this or other details of that hospital stay - he was [U]really[/U] sick and [U]really[/U] out of it. But it's amazing how clearly he remembers the endoscopy.:eek::p

Awww, the Westminster adventure.:o Good times. We flet like such intrepid explorers, having traveled so far for so long... until Mom burst our bubble.:rolleyes:

[kangaand2roos]

[quote name='ShakyBeef']

Awww, the Westminster adventure.:o Good times. We flet like such intrepid explorers, having traveled so far for so long... until Mom burst our bubble.:rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

Lol!

[kangaand2roos]

If you ever feel the need to go on a Walt Disney World or Disneyland vacation, I can return the favor as I have posted some excessively lengthy and overly detailed trip reports on one of my favorite Disney sites!

[crzynurs]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][COLOR=black]We get off on 5. While standing in the elevator, I stare at the buttons. Some people stare at the doors, some people stare at the top of the elevator where the floor-level indicator is. I stare at the buttons if I’m facing forward. If I’m facing the back of the elevator because I’m the last one on – I stare directly at people. It may seem awkward, but they don’t seem to notice. Why? Because they’re all staring at something else. I look directly at them, and they almost never make eye contact. One of these days, I’m going to look at them, and make little noises or something to see if they’ll look. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]



My husband does this and then will usually make some comment about a rash or something like that. He doesn't even need to be the last one on. He refuses to conform. LOL

[cormike1]

Just finished reading this whole "epic" and loved it! We go in Sept. and looking forward to it. We live in Ontario and have never "been down East" as we say in Canada. After reading your posts we are really looking forward to seeing our 2 CDN cities. By the way, I say "slippy" all the time...my husband says it is a "Montreal" word as that is where I was raised. He had never heard of that word before so I had to read him your post and explanation about the word "slippy" LOL. Thanks again for a great read!!!

[maurinsky2]

Just a quick note on your first post. I don't know what your theories are about why the northern 95 states have tolls, but Connecticut does not currently have any tolls at all, so you can take us off that list.

 

(This is meant as a humorous correction, not as a complaint)

Edited July 29, 2013 by maurinsky2

[kangaand2roos]

Just finished reading this whole "epic" and loved it! We go in Sept. and looking forward to it. We live in Ontario and have never "been down East" as we say in Canada. After reading your posts we are really looking forward to seeing our 2 CDN cities. By the way, I say "slippy" all the time...my husband says it is a "Montreal" word as that is where I was raised. He had never heard of that word before so I had to read him your post and explanation about the word "slippy" LOL. Thanks again for a great read!!!

 

My parents were both born and raised in Montreal. They moved to the states right before I was born! I don't specifically remember "slippy" being a word they used ;-)

[cormike1]

My parents were both born and raised in Montreal. They moved to the states right before I was born! I don't specifically remember "slippy" being a word they used ;-)

 

My husband just teases me about it.....he didn't even think it was a real word...it is you know lol.

[ShakyBeef]

Although DH "invented":rolleyes::p the word slippy in noun form here in his memoir, he got the word slippy (adj. slippery) as well as the term hoaved up (adj. mounded or swollen, like a small hill) from me. Example: The road is hoaved up in the middle so that rain will run off into the gutters. This makes the wet road less slippy.

I got these terms from my Grandma (Mom's mom), who came from a very small town in central Pennsylvania. It was explained to me that these were PA Dutch terms, but I'm not sure if that's true. We've just always used them in my family, and they slipped into DH's vernacular, as well.:o It's interesting to learn that 'slippy' has sprung up in other areas (Montreal, at least), too.:)

[shoppingfever]

With no plans of ever sailing on this ship, I have spent two days reading every post in this thread. Your memoir is simply amazing. Still keeping your privacy, you opened up your life to us and I have laughed and cried at various times throughout this thread. It truly was a wonderful memoir and I hate there it has come to an end.

 

Shaky (would not dare call you Beef), your banter with him sounds like mine with my husband. Before you would even post, I knew you were getting ready to come back with a comment for him because I would have done the same.

 

Your girls are precious, your love for each other and for your family shows clearly through your written words, and you both have talent beyond measure.

 

Thank you for taking the time to write about your trip and to share your life with us!

[ShakyBeef]

With no plans of ever sailing on this ship, I have spent two days reading every post in this thread. Your memoir is simply amazing. Still keeping your privacy, you opened up your life to us and I have laughed and cried at various times throughout this thread. It truly was a wonderful memoir and I hate there it has come to an end.

 

Shaky (would not dare call you Beef), your banter with him sounds like mine with my husband. Before you would even post, I knew you were getting ready to come back with a comment for him because I would have done the same.

 

Your girls are precious, your love for each other and for your family shows clearly through your written words, and you both have talent beyond measure.

 

Thank you for taking the time to write about your trip and to share your life with us!

 

Aww, that is just so sweet of you. Now I'm all teary-eyed.:o Thank you so much for your very kind, complementary, encouraging words. I just read your post to DH. We're both touched and so glad that you enjoyed it.

 

And thanks especially for not calling me that detestable B**f word.:cool::D