Island to Alaska with Pictures (part 2)

[cworld]

Thanks Joy, we're kinda stuck downtown, no cars. The French thing probably won't happen, imagine that, but I appreciate the thought.

 

Marilee,

Thanks.

[cruzluvr2]

cworld - Just wanted you to know that I'm still with you. I was very curious about what you would say about the Tribute show. Your memory is much better than mine. The only thing I remember is that the stage didn't work as it was intended. I didn't hear Dave say the company rep would be in Anchorage; but my group all decided the company would have a rep waiting to get on that ship as soon as we docked in Whittier. I kind of felt sorry for Dave, he was running his legs off trying to get activities rearranged and then would run into someone and have to stop and speak and be polite and then take off in a mad dash to handle the next crisis.

 

Oh, you are nearing the end of this little tale. Only one more sleep and breakfast and then on your way home. I do believe however that you still have another couple chapters of this trip you can entertain us with.

 

Gail

[Mrs. cworld]

My DH, are you ever going to tell your loyal readers that the whole problem with the Tribute stage was due to a little piece of plastic breaking and getting caught in some gears? And remember how long Dave the cruise director talked about it one morning on one of the shipboard TV channels?

[Sea Fan]

My DH, are you ever going to tell your loyal readers that the whole problem with the Tribute stage was due to a little piece of plastic breaking and getting caught in some gears? And remember how long Dave the cruise director talked about it one morning on one of the shipboard TV channels?

 

Oh No, Mrs C you have probably given away a whole chapter.:eek: :D

 

Dianne

[camperhawk]

Oh No, Mrs C you have probably given away a whole chapter.:eek: :D

 

Dianne

 

Don't worry Dianne and All! We all know as loyal readers that the rendition of the true story will be completely differently! I also bet that if Mr.C isn't too tired when he gets home that the little piece of plastic could become the subject of 3 maybe 4 chapters!

 

If it does come to an end (patience) We will have to start an uproar,protest or even just a plain old sit-in!

[margord]

Well I am all for the sit in. How do you do that on-line?

 

Marilee

[Sea Fan]

Include me in the sit in!!! My kind of protest!

 

Your right Camperhawk, What was I thinking?

 

Dianne

[cworld]

Chapter 44 – Oops.

 

I knew I was in trouble the minute the words came out of Dave’s mouth, “the malfunction was caused by a piece of Styrofoam that we found wedged under the stage.” My mind raced. How would I explain this? Things were going to get ugly.

 

“Oh, Gin,” he said.

 

“Yes, dear” I said as innocently as possible.

 

“Did you misplace something you need to tell me about.”

 

“What could you possibly be talking about.” I said, as I snuggled close to him and smiled, hoping to distract him. He still took my breath away every time I looked into his eyes. How was I going to explain this to him? He was going to freak. He’ll probably kill me. I’m going to be fish food. He should. I’ll kill me in the same situation. We may both get killed if that stuff falls into the wrong hands. OK, brain, quit panicking and start talking.

 

“Where are the jewels?” He asked.

 

“Jewels? My jewels are in the safe in the room.” I said. I know I shouldn’t stall but he’ll be so disappointed. What am I going to do?

 

He took my face a little roughly in his hands and looked severely into my eyes. “You know very well I’m not talking about the baubles you brought on the ship. Where are the jewels, Dear girl?”

 

I hated it when he called me “dear girl”. I knew he was intensely upset with me when he said “dear girl”. It sounded so demeaning. There was such vitriol. I can’t stand it.

 

“They’re safe.” I said, almost truthfully. “I didn’t know the stage was hydraulically powered. I thought the cubbyhole would be safe. No one ever went back there. I was real careful when I placed them. When the stage malfunctioned I knew. I knew. I went immediately and retrieved the stuff, but I guess I missed a piece. It was a mess. Somebody came while I was...”

 

He put his powerful hand over my mouth and shut me up.

 

Whoa horse. Stop it. I thought we’d banished that book to the etherlands a long time ago. You go away for one week and look what happens. Things start encroaching. Oh well. On with the show.

 

Mrs. C was correct. I’d neglected to mention that Dave, the Cruise Director guy, told us that a piece of Styrofoam got lodged into the stage and that’s what caused the malfunction. I still don’t know if I believe that story.

[Sea Fan]

So did in body else say "What?????" if it had been a book I would of been looking at the cover:D Darn I was waiting for the steamy part, especially when he took her face in his hands! And it was just about the "family jewels":eek: :D

 

Dianne

[cruisingbug]

I caught up! I caught up! I haven't posted since February but I finally caught up! :)

 

Hmm, what to say. Well, I thought that charging for the hot cocoa on deck was a big rip. They didn't have it in the buffet for free, either. The only way to get it free was from the dining room at breakfast.

 

I didn't realize the stage was broken. I wonder if it was fixed when we were there or if they just gave up for our cruise. We didn't stay long for most of the shows - we did sit through the one with the Broadway medleys and were pretty disappointed.

 

I had other thoughts as I was reading but now I'm a blank. What else is new - I have chronic new-mommy brain.

 

But as you can see, since February, we've booked another cruise and are leaving in 2 months! Yay! Not Princess this time - we prefer NCL and are heading out on the NCL Crown.

[margord]

Hi Carl,

 

Wow a piece of styrofoam??

 

Marilee

[Mrs. cworld]

No, as I've said before and my DH and I keep arguing about, a hard piece of plastic about 6 inches x 8 inches sabatoged the Tribute stage.

[cworld]

Please dear, we never argue about anything. I've learned very well that whenever we're not agreeing on facts that you're always right. (Even when you're wrong.) Yes, dear, if you say so, it was a piece of hard plastic.

 

PS. I'll try to get something up tomorrow night.

 

I finally got the scanner to work. I've posted the Tribute program on the (oops, I can't mention where, you'll just have to find it on your own, but it begins with a bl).

[cworld]

After Tribute we (Mr. and Mrs. New Jersey and Mrs. C and I, for those of you keeping score at home) walked around the ship one last time. We ran in to Dave, the Cruise Director Guy, who talked to us like he had all the time in the world. He did say something about My Map. He told us that the woman that got My Map was on a mission to get it at any cost. She wanted it as a gift for her husband. Why did I have to pick the one trip on which some rich person wanted my map so bad they’d spend millions? (You’d have thought after 16 months I’d be over that one, maybe someday.)

 

Mr. and Mrs. New Jersey had some high brow function they were planning to go to. So they said their goodbye’s. We exchanged emails and phone numbers and vowed to never see each other again. Or was that vowed to keep in touch. You know how it is. Almost like Church Camp. Goodbye Sally, I’ll write every day. I’ll think about you every hour. I’ll call next week. It never happens. You write one letter, they write one letter, and that’s it. That’s kinda like us and the New Jersey’s. We have exchanged a couple of emails and some pictures, but, we probably won’t ever really see or hear from them again.

 

I guess that’s life. Kinda sad really.

 

Mrs. C wasn’t quite ready to turn in, so since we just happened to be right in front of the casino we went in and blew another $4.00. I still don’t get the fascination with slot machines. I put in my nickels, and won a couple of times, but I was not hooked. I walked away not caring if I ever saw another slot machine again. I’m not sure Mrs. C had the same experience.

[cruisingbug]

I'm pretty amazed that you can remember what you did and when in such detail so long after your cruise. I remember that I took a cruise, on a boat, a big boat, and saw some whales (lumbering leviathans) from a little boat. And some bears on the side of the road. But I have no idea what I ate at what dinner. I don't remember why I didn't get the crab legs (I love crab legs). Or maybe I did get them and was unimpressed. I do remember getting sick the last night, after eating some kind of ceviche-like appetizer in an avocado bowl. I remember that VERY well. And sitting next to a little old lady whose husband wasn't feeling well and so she was eating alone. But we had to abandon her before hubby could get through dessert (he brought it back to the room) because I didn't feel very well either. :~

[camperhawk]

Okay Carl...get er done! You must have been figuring out a way to get this thread to end appropriately or how to get us all to keep reading elsewhere! Just do it! We all know...It Hurts!

[margord]

Still with you Carl.

 

Marilee

[Sea Fan]

Yeah, where did that man go???? It's scary when Carl is this quiet for this long:eek:

 

Dianne

[cworld]

Sorry, but work has me buried right now. Hopefully I'll have something tomorrow.

 

Anyone got a shovel?

[camperhawk]

Here you go Carl! We'll be here!

[cworld]

Camperhawk,

 

Thanks I needed that.

[cworld]

We (Mrs. C and I, the New Jersey’s had gone on to their high brow function, which if I remember correctly was actually a Captain’s Circle activity, and since it was our first voyage on Princess we weren’t invited) walked around the ship for a couple of minutes, then we went back to our cabin. It was almost depressing. This was going to be our last few hours on the ship. In less than 12 hours we would be disembarking and heading home (sob). I took a couple of pics from the balcony. There was enough light to take pictures even though it was almost 11 pm Alaska time (Actually it was 2:42 am Oklahoma time).

 

We got ready and went to bed. How exciting. Aren’t you glad you’ve hung around for this?

 

The sun came up and it was Saturday. Go home day. It was a sad time. Even the weather knew it was a sad time. It was overcast and rainy in Whittier. It was as if Alaska knew that our, Mrs. C’s and mine, trip was coming to and end and it was crying. Alaska was never going to be the same. I just couldn’t bear the thought of us leaving it. I know what you’re thinking, but what else other conclusion could a sane individual come to. For almost every moment of our trip the weather had been perfect. Cloudy in the glaciers, which is supposed to make the ice look bluer, and perfectly clear and beautiful on the days we were on shore. Now here we were at the end of our voyage, preparing to disembark from the Incredible Island Princess and the “spirit” of Alaska was crying for us. How touching.

 

We grabbed breakfast, came back to our cabin, brushed our teeth, and went down to wait for our color to be called. How boring. I snapped a few pictures of Whittier and the trains taking people wherever the trains take people. Again, they should be pretty easy to find if you want to.

 

Walking around the decks was really eerie. There was no one out on deck. All of the chairs and stuff were gone. What was usually a bustling area was quiet and lonely. It was a more that just a little sad. Truly I did feel a great sense of melancholy. There was sadness in the air. It was a glum gloomy day that had a glum gloomy feeling.

 

I gotta quit before I become suicidal or something.

[margord]

Carl,

 

Where are you?

 

Marilee

[Sea Fan]

Marilee, Your right I think this is the longest we haven't heard from him. Carl, are you still buried at work?? Hope everything is okay.

 

Dianne

[mich2]

I hope all is well in the cworld household.

 

Hmmmm, maybe Carl is trying to wean us.