Middle Aged Drama Queen's Eastern Med Review: Serenade, Pics, Surprises & Fun!

[ZoeyVictoria]

We just wrapped ours very well in our luggage...wrapped and wrapped in clothes and then placed in the center of our luggage...and we then said many prayers. :D

 

 

I tried that last month, flying from Atlanta to Fort Myers. My son gave me a pint jar of homemade strawberry preserves, which I enclosed in a zip lock bag, then wrapped in a t-shirt, buried in a stack of folded dirty clothes which were placed inside a plastic bag in the very center of my luggage. Got to Fort Myers and had a love note from TSA. The strawberry preserves made it through the inspection, but were dropped (cradled in nothing but the zip lock bag) against the outside wall of my lugage :eek: The jar was not broken, miraculously, but the incident did nothing to enhance my love and respect for TSA.

[Steppy08]

Can't imagine that there are different rules in US compared to rest of the world.

If you buy before the last leg you just ask the cashier to seal it for you. They have special see-through bags that they put the stuff in and this works fine.

(There are some other rules also. Something related on time between the flight or you leaving the airport or something like that. But I have never bothered to learn those since that has never been applicable for me.

 

Cheers, Atle

 

But there are different rules for the US. Even sealed, all liquids (except those medically necessary) must be no more than 3oz and in a clear plastic bag. You can't bring bottles of liquor as carry ons, no matter how much you try to convince the TSA they're medically necessary.:D

[Erex]

But there are different rules for the US. Even sealed, all liquids (except those medically necessary) must be no more than 3oz and in a clear plastic bag. You can't bring bottles of liquor as carry ons, no matter how much you try to convince the TSA they're medically necessary.:D

 

You are right. The rules I was mentioning is basically just for EU + a couple of additional countries.

 

Cheers, Atle

[Kellie Poodle]

Aw, thank you!

 

I have no idea how to bookmark...I'll be curious, as well, to see if someone knows...it would help me when I read others' long reviews! :)

Go to the "user CP" at the bottom of the box on the top. It's on the left. It will bring up any threads you've subscribed to.

 

Generally if you have posted to the thread, you are subscribed.

[momazon]

PS..anyone know of an easy way to bookmark where you left off the night before? Each day I have to send myself a message saying Post #XXX lol then go find that the next day.

 

I am also subscribed to this wonderful thread - but without the notifications. The upper left BLUE bar should have a "View First Unread" button to click. I do NOT know how it actually knows... but it seems to get me to the right place!

[Kellie Poodle]

If you know ahead of time, bring a large roll of bubble-wrap with you and make sure you pack the liquor in the missle of your case surrounded by clothes. Unfortunately if you have a connecting flight back in the US you cant buy at the airport overseas as it will be confiscated in the security check :-(

 

 

Magellan's travel store sells "bottle armor" They are special sleeves for toting wine in checked luggage. They come in a pair and one of them has a cork screw and foil cutter in a little pocket.

 

I have used them to bring home wine from cruises and to bring wine on the ship if I'm cruising with Celebrity, where it's permitted.

[BonTexasNY]

Bravo!!! Exceptional review/blog. One day I wanna meet up with a lovely blonde lady who seems lost, looking for that perfiect "10" gelato and ask her "Are you Sherri? From CC??" :D

[sharpasice]

Sherri I have enjoyed your post so much, I leave in two days on the same cruise and this has really made these last couple weeks go by quickly and taken my excitement level through the roof! Plus, it looks like you may just finish it before I leave, I was worried I would miss out on the ending! You're talk of packing brought up a question for me when you mentioned the couple of bottles of wine you were taking home. I have only sailed Carribbean and since the laws when in place about liquids in carry-ons I have found it easier to just buy my liquor in the airport duty free shops to take on with me since they are still cheaper than home. I wanted to pick up a couple of bottles of wine while in Italy and wondered how you got yours home, did you just wrap them well in your luggage and hope the luggage handlers were gentle that day? Have you, or anyone else reading this blog, shipped home wine or know how much it is to ship? I don't want to end up paying as much to ship the wine as to buy it.

 

Thanks for the help!

Jaime

 

 

 

If you google wine bottle protectors, wine bottle bags, etc..you get the idea, there are plenty of wine and alcohol protectors on line and even in your local wine store or liquor store specially made for transporting liquor in your luggage. Some are inflatable, some are padded and some are a combo of padding and absorbant material. They are very cheap, usually under $5. We have made a few wine purchases on the ships and before disembark you just take the bottle to the store at which it was purchased and they will provide you with a protector that they inflate for you. I like these the best. I do not think they sell these though, I believe they are only for ship purchased alcohol. Most of these are small enough when empty to just pack for used at the end of your trip. They are smaller than a roll of bubble wrap for sure. I only use the inflatables but they have been great and (knock on wood) I have never had any breakage. I do pack them only one or two bottles per bag, in the center well padded by clothes. Hope this helps. :D

[jaimeandandy]

Thanks for all the wine packing tips! How about shipping? Has anyone priced shipping of wine to the states from Italy?

[teese]

Not quite...still awaiting "disembarkation disaster" and long ago promised Daily Compasses. THEN come the withdrawals!

 

Oh yes, more story to come!! Yipee!!!

[FloGaleRNTX]

Bravo!!! Exceptional review/blog. One day I wanna meet up with a lovely blonde lady who seems lost, looking for that perfiect "10" gelato and ask her "Are you Sherri? From CC??" :D

 

 

So Sherri can respond "Well, yes. Yes, I am!"

 

Sherri, you sound amazing.

 

Barbara

[Off2China]

Sherri,

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your trip. What a wonderful review!!

 

Sorry for the intrusion--I spend most of my time on the Princess board but saw the title of this thread when I first got on CC yesterday and couldn't resist a peek. Well, a few hours later I finally got through the whole thing. FABULOUS review and you, Sherri, are definitely right up there with Sailor Jack.

 

I took the liberty of checking out your blog also and would recommend others who may not have clicked on the link in your signature to do so. Really good stuff!

 

Okay, so let's hear about the disembarkation disaster! :D

[Coolcruise02]

Great review and pictures!!! :)

[IrishLassie]

Just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed your review, Sherrie, and the pics are GREAT! Sure hope that we are able to do a cruise like this some day.:)

One question, do you know yet when you'll start your review of your FOS cruise??? Can't wait to read it too! :D

Thanks again for sharing your cruise vacation with all of us. :)

[FloGaleRNTX]

I've also read the blog....just brilliant. Sherri, have you ever thought about writing a book?????

 

Barbara

[BonTexasNY]

So Sherri can respond "Well, yes. Yes, I am!"

 

Sherri, you sound amazing.

 

Barbara

 

 

Waving to Barbara... just because. ;):)

[KansCocoa]

 

 

STOP IT, you guys! My family thinks I'm hard enough to live with, and you all are making it worse!!! All of these kudos and praises - my head is going to EXPLODE! :D:D

 

Okay...let's see if I address everything here:

 

1. Yes, I still have a few more posts on this one...so this one isn't quite finished yet. :) I still have the disaster of disembarkation, and then the drama that unfolded the next day - our travel day.

 

2. Thanks for the tips on packing wine and bookmarking the site. Gee, the things we learn on Cruise Critic. How do people cruise without this site? Heck, how do people get through LIFE without this site?! With that said:

 

3. If I ever DO write a book, I think I'll call it, "Everything I Know In Life, I Learned From Cruise Critic." :p

 

4. FOS review coming this week...today was spent getting Mickey enrolled in 7th grade (I realize that I should have spent some time this summer teaching my daughter how to open a combination lock. OMG - it took FOREVER for her to master opening her locker today...and I use the term "master" loosely!!!) We then spent 3 hours at the orthodontist for her braces that she is getting. I think I'm ready for another cruise after today.

 

5. Oh, I meant to add...I HOPE I see you all on a cruise! Or...if you ever would see a Red Cross volunteer - with a smile and a grin - it's probably me. Come up and say, "Hey - aren't you Sherri? From CC?" And you KNOW what my answer will be! I'm all over the country at any given time, so you just never know where I may pop up!!!!

 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2012 by KansCocoa

[jtagphillycruiser]

Sherri,

 

The binder...it's kinda sad in a way, but totally understand. Your review is almost over & I will certainly miss your updates. I am planning a med. cruise in May, 2013 & have learned so much from this review. Thank you for all your time & effort. All I can say is that I would love to be on a roll call cruise with you some day.....Joanne

[celebrity]

Sherri,

 

The binder...it's kinda sad in a way, but totally understand. Your review is almost over & I will certainly miss your updates. I am planning a med. cruise in May, 2013 & have learned so much from this review. Thank you for all your time & effort. All I can say is that I would love to be on a roll call cruise with you some day.....Joanne

 

Add me to the fan base. I am so sorry to see this thread winding down. You're info is invaluable as I'll be sailing the Med in 2013. I too hope our paths cross one day on a ship.

Thanks again!

[CAC104]

Thanks for all the wine packing tips! How about shipping? Has anyone priced shipping of wine to the states from Italy?

I took a wonderful tour that took us to Pisa, the walled cities and then through the wine country in Italy and we went to a winery for lunch and a delux wine tasting. I think by the time we tasted all the wine we all were very free with our credit cards and ordering wines. I selected a case of wine, and the price quoted included the shipping to home. The wine did arrive as promised.

[sstepson]

 

 

 

SOMEONE took a group photo of us in the room, but I have YET to see that photo. Hopefully, it will appear one of these days and I’ll have a copy to share. <hint, hint>

 

 

 

 

Hmm...methinks you might be referring to me...!

 

I couldn't re-size it to fit on CC (I'm a bit of a computer idiot...) so I just sent it to your e-mail!

[KansCocoa]

 

So…if you're still with me...today is now Wednesday, July 4th…D-Day. Disembarkation Day. Dreaded Day. Depression Day.

 

 

Having gotten caught up in cruises past with the craziness of disembarkation, I was determined to avoid that this time...so, when I saw RCI offer their Late Departure Option for our sailing, I jumped all over it. What a great deal!

 

The Late Departure Option will allow us to stay onboard as late as 3:00 pm, where we can use all of the public areas on the ship – including the Windjammer, gym, sports court, pool and arcade – for most of the day. There was a minimal fee for this, but it will serve our needs perfectly. Our post-night apartment in Barcelona won't be ready for check-in until 3:00 pm anyway (per their email before the trip), so we'll just sit back and relax onboard the ship. And the Klingons can eat at the Jammer, saving us food costs in Barcelona. After booking the Late Departure Option online a few weeks before our sail date, I pre-arranged (and paid) for a cab to pick us up at the port at 3:00 pm.

 

Perfect!

 

This is treated like an excursion, so we had received our excursion tickets in our cabin during the cruise. However, there wasn’t any explanation on how the program worked, which I thought was odd…but I assumed that instructions would be delivered on the last night of the cruise.

 

 

The day before, while packing, I had instructed everyone to keep out whatever they would need for today – whether that was swim suits, tennis shoes, reading materials, etc. The rest had been packed up and had been whisked away in our heavy suitcases.

 

So...this was our plan. Stay onboard until 3:00 pm...walk off to our pre-arranged cab...and then check in to our pre-arranged apartment. Life is good.

 

 

 

That morning, I finally managed to sleep in…which was AWESOME. No, really. I FINALLY slept in…the first time in nearly two weeks. I could already tell that this day was going to be the best day EVER! Since my plan for the day was to be a sloth at the pool, I donned my swim suit and leisurely finished up some last minute packing that needed to be done. We had our suite until 9:00 am, so I wanted to hide out for awhile and avoid the craziness that was surely happening outside those suite doors, with everyone else scrambling to get off the ship.

 

As I was packing, I couldn't help but get to thinking...(always scary), and I was thinking how weird it was that we hadn’t received ANY instructions on how the Late Departure Option worked. Nothing. Nada. If I hadn’t read CruiseCritic, I wouldn’t have a CLUE as to how it worked. Which I thought was very odd.

 

“Huh,” I observed to Hubby Mike that morning. “It’s very weird that RCI hasn’t given us any instructions…I mean, if I hadn’t read it on CC, how would we KNOW we had to be out of our room by 9:00 am???”

 

Hubby Mike just assumed I had “missed” the instructions…but I knew better. Something was wrong. Call it intuition, call it an impending sense of doom - but something wasn't right. At about 8:15, I said to Hubby Mike, “You know…this is VERY weird. Can you humor me and head down to Guest Relations and see if you can find out how this works?”

 

He sighs, but he heads down. Within 10 minutes he’s back up in the room, with a look of panic on his face.

 

“It was CANCELLED!” he says. “We have to be off the ship – like, NOW!”

 

“WHAT????!!!!!!” I shriek. Surely he misunderstood something. Surely I misheard him. Surely this is a mistake.

 

“They cancelled it,” he repeated. “They want everyone off the ship by 9:00 am. We need to hurry up and GO!"

 

Hubby Mike then goes on to say that supposedly, Guest Services contacted everyone affected…although there was another passenger, right beside Hubby Mike, who was also learning about this for the very first time. So, not EVERYONE was contacted....

 

 

This is CRAZY. Why weren’t we TOLD it was cancelled? What if I hadn’t sent Hubby Mike to Guest Relations…? We wouldn’t have had a clue. We would have been heading to the pool – or the gym – or the sports deck – and would have looked like idiots. (I know - not the first time!!!) AND – where are the boy Klingons? I have to somehow get a hold of them and tell them to pack up and get to our cabin ASAP. We’re getting kicked off. ACK!

 

 

All of these thoughts – and more – are racing through my head, as I frantically try to throw our stuff into our carry-on bags as quickly as possible. And the more I think about it, the more steamed I get. I keep going back to, "Why weren’t we told??!!!"

 

First things first, though. In between frantically packing, I was calling the boys’ cabin, with no luck. For all I knew, they were already at the gym – or the library – or at the Windjammer. Great. I was just heading out the door to go find them when they walked in, dressed for the pool. I give them the good news that we’ve been kicked off the ship, and then I had to convince them that this wasn't a sick joke that I was playing, or my weird sense of humor, but we really WERE getting kicked off the ship.

 

"GO! Get your stuff!!! NOW!" I hustle them out of the room.

 

Let me interject here…I am normally the most laid-back, fun, pleasant person you’ve ever met. Really. I mean, in my line of work, I can’t let things faze me…whether I’m working a wildfire in San Diego, or a hurricane in Galveston, or a tornado in Joplin – I’m the girl with a smile on my face and laughter in my heart. But…THIS??!! I was LIVID. So…as I STOMPED down to Guest Services, I had steam – STEAM – coming out of my ears. When I got to the counter, I asked the lady there why we hadn’t been told of this cancellation – and had to find out about it AT THE LAST MINUTE. She looked at me and very calmly said, “We called everyone.”

 

As if that explained everything.

 

“Well. I beg to differ. You didn’t call US,” I said, as calmly as I was able right back at her. She slowly blinks, asked what our names were, and I told her…and she checked a list. And she said, “It shows here that we called.”

 

“Who did you talk to?” I asked. “Because you certainly didn’t talk to me. Or my husband. Or any of my children. Perhaps it was one of my towel animals. Or was it my cabin attendant???”

 

Ew. Sorry. My motto in life is "Classy, Sassy and a bit Smart A$$y" - and the sassy side was coming out. It has a tendency to do that when I'm a bit...steamed. I'm not proud of that side...but it's there. I own it.

 

She looks back at her list…and then says, a bit hesitantly, “If we didn’t get ahold of anyone, we left a message.”

 

“Would you like to go check my voice mail in my room?” I asked. “Because there IS no voice mail. Perhaps in the future, it would behoove you to make sure you actually talk to a LIVE person - or, better yet, put a letter on the person's bed in their cabin.”

 

And I stomped back to my cabin. Humpf. I told her. :rolleyes:

 

Later, upon reflection, it occurred to me that they may very well have indeed called us…but if you remember, WAY back in my story, I mentioned our last-minute transfer to the Royal Suite. And how it seemed that no one onboard got notice of that transfer, as they invariably had us down in the wrong room. Our MTD reservations were always under the wrong room; our pre-purchased photo package was under the wrong room; and even our spa appointments were - you guessed it - under the wrong room. I am hypothesizing they called the wrong room. At least, I hope that’s where the breakdown occurred…because I can’t imagine what else happened.

 

Anyway…it is now 9:00 am and the crew members are hustling everyone off the ship as quickly as they can. We gather up the Klingons and are one of the last ones to leave the ship. We make our way down to the luggage area, and there’s our luggage – sitting pretty much all by itself on the luggage carousel…looking very abandoned. We then head outside the port…and huddle up to figure out what to do next.

 

Here’s where I’m thankful I had the mobile international phone…and here’s where I’m REALLY thankful I had pre-loaded the telephone numbers of all of our tour operators, including the cab company that was scheduled to pick us up at 3:00 pm later that day. (That I had pre-paid for.) So – if I can put a tip here – PRELOAD your tour/cab telephone numbers before you depart…it will save you lots of time later. (Not to mention, my Binder had been buried at sea…I almost didn’t have the telephone number!!!) I called Barcelona Day Tours to see if they can come get us now, rather than 3:00 pm, and the dispatcher says that unfortunately, all cabs are busy, what with taking other passengers to the airport and such, so it will be at least an hour before they can come get us.

 

Great. We wait. And we wait. And we wait. Slowly, all other departing passengers leave the port, via cabs, or buses, or private cars…with the exception of us. We were all by ourselves. Yes, folks – my family can now claim the title of the LAST TO LEAVE THE PORT ON JULY 4th, 2012!!! Yup. We win. We were last.

 

After we were unceremoniously kicked OFF the ship, guys in hazmat suits immediately got ON the ship, with spray cans of…something. The Klingons think it was disinfectant – due to the outbreak of Norovirus – which does make me think that could be why the Late Departure Option was cancelled. However, I don’t know for sure – so remember, this is pure speculation. It could have been bug spray, it could have been happy spray, it could have been "spend more money onboard" spray – who knows?!

 

More later than sooner, it was 10:30 am…and we were now watching people arriving in cabs and getting ready to check-in…and although we were excited for them, we were really sad for us…as it was now very real that we were done. Finished. Over. Yesterday’s news.

 

At 11:00 am, I called Barcelona Day Tours back, and the dispatcher says, “Oh – sorry. Go ahead and grab a different cab and we’ll refund you your money.”

 

You couldn’t have told me this 90 minutes ago???!!!

 

We have five people…with five large suitcases. We can’t just “grab” any-old cab. It has to be a Monster Cab – so we can all fit. Eventually, I see a mini station-wagon cab that looks sorta’, somewhat, kinda’ big – so we approach the driver to see if he can take us. We put two suitcases in the trunk of the cab…Bradley, Mickey and I squish into the very back seat, with our carry-ons piled on our laps; Hubby Mike and Taylor squish into the middle seat, along with another giant suitcase…and the driver is up front, with two more suitcases squished into the front passenger seat. We looked like a clown car. But we made it work.

 

At 11:15 am, we FINALLY left the port.

 

After the frantic rush of the morning, it was nice to find out that our apartment was ready – early – and we could get the key and check in. We needed some good news, and this was very welcomed.

 

So...that was our crazy, chaotic disembarkation.

 

The bad news...we were off the ship.

 

The good news...we were now free...to explore Barcelona some more. And explore we did. The next installment will tell just how we spent our day - it was AMAZING - and we'll finish up with the drama of our travel day....

 

And more pictures in our next installment. Promise.

 

 

[KansCocoa]

Hey - I knew if I "hinted" for a copy of our Limoncello Party photo, I'd get it!

 

Our Limoncello & Champagne Stone Soup Cruise Critic Farewell Party in the Royal Suite....

 

 

Hubby Mike is the one taking the photo...so he's missing.

 

And Mickey? She was at the arcade. Racking up more charges. Which is why SHE'S missing!

 

This was just a small portion of our wonderful CC group...I wish we'd done a group photo at our M&M, but there were too many of us!!! :D

Edited August 7, 2012 by KansCocoa

[Beth C]

Magellan's travel store sells "bottle armor" They are special sleeves for toting wine in checked luggage. They come in a pair and one of them has a cork screw and foil cutter in a little pocket.

 

I have used them to bring home wine from cruises and to bring wine on the ship if I'm cruising with Celebrity, where it's permitted.

 

Amazing review - can't wait for the Freedom although for some reason I think there might not be as ~much~ drama ;)

 

To add a little tid bit I picked up on CC somewhere at some point in regards to packing booze in your suitcase... find someone with a un potty trained child... or an adult with a bladder control issue and borrow a diaper or two. Wrap said bottle o booze in the diaper (big people diapers work best) before putting it in a xl ziploc bags. Tada cushiony protection and if it does happen to break, the diaper will absorb the liquid (it's your choice whether you want to squeeze it out when you get home... no one will judge ;))

Edited August 7, 2012 by Beth C

[sstepson]

Amazing review - can't wait for the Freedom although for some reason I think there might not be as ~much~ drama ;)

 

To add a little tid bit I picked up on CC somewhere at some point in regards to packing booze in your suitcase... find someone with a un potty trained child... or an adult with a bladder control issue and borrow a diaper or two. Wrap said bottle o booze in the diaper (big people diapers work best) before putting it in a xl ziploc bags. Tada cushiony protection and if it does happen to break, the diaper will absorb the liquid (it's your choice whether you want to squeeze it out when you get home... no one will judge ;))

 

Hmmm...morbid, yet functional...!