Tampa NCL Terminal

[RedRover96]

DW & I are flying in the day before and usually have a couple drinks in our hotel room during the evening Since we are flying we will be luggage checking mini-bottles to bring with us. If we decide not to drink or consume all of them are there by chance any lockers (like the old bus terminal lockers) in the cruise terminal that we can leave them. We have the Ultimate Beverage Program (UBP) on the cruise, therefore have no need or desire to sneak them on board, just hate to throw away good liquor! Figure it’s a long shot just checking.

 

Thanks!

RedRover96

[Capt_BJ]

no lockers . . .

[RedRover96]

Thanks, Captain, Sir! Tall ship Eagle?

 

RedRover96

[Capt_BJ]

Thanks, Captain, Sir! Tall ship Eagle?

 

RedRover96

 

at the top 'o the main ..... 1974

 

 

On senior cruise I was, fore mast captain for knowing all the procedures and line locations on the pin rails best . .

 

real sailing . . .

 

Two Atlantic crossing under square rig sail may not sound like much today

 

but how many you got?!?!?!

 

 

I was a weird cadet, I LIKED sailing EAGLE, and manged to get on every year of my USCGA time ..... after that I did not return to EAGLE, but served as CO of two cutters, one in the Carib' and one in the west with Bering Sea time on my card . .

 

[RedRover96]

Unfortunately or fortunately I never sailed the Atlantic, my son has, he graduated in ’04, now Lt Cmdr., last post EO on Boutwell in San Diego, 1st was Mellon in Seattle. He’s doing grad school now. However I've spent a week on Eagle from Trinidad to St Martin (under Capt Luke) plus been underway in both Norfolk, VA and Wilmington, NC, been on deck on Lisbon, Portugal and Charleston, SC. He was like you except aft (?) mast Captain his Sr. year, as I told him he would have been happy sleeping on a hammock from the Main. I did make the crow’s nest, no farther for me!!!

 

RedRover96

[Capt_BJ]

Ivan Luke was a tough act to follow

 

I relieved him of VALIANT in Miami Beach ... he was a sea dog

 

he went on to command EAGLE ... having the 'qual code' cuz he'd been a deck watch officer on her earlier ... when he was an instructor at the Academy

 

I was not so qualified // so not elig' for EAGLE command

 

I had to settle for an HEC splitting its time 'tween the Bering Sea and the Pacific south of 'Diego versus cadet crises!!!!

[RedRover96]

My son served his last 2 summers on Eagle under Capt. Luke (’02 & ’03). After I sailed a week on Eagle (03’ Trinidad- St Martin) basically under his command I felt like my son had a great leader to model himself after. Obviously he has many role models; however Capt. Luke was the one I had the opportunity to spend the most time with. Unfortunately, I doubt my son has many more opportunities to be underway, think he will be in land based engineering billets. According to him not many EO’s once they have been on a HEC get to go back underway. Luckily he is doing 2 years of grad school locally, so we are enjoying have him so close, well really our grandson!!! :D

[Capt_BJ]

According to him not many EO’s once they have been on a HEC get to go back underway.

 

he should not give up so easily .....

one of my MUNRO XO's had been an EO and after a successful XO tour, went on to Command a 270 and had screened for an HEC when he decided to retire. I know of 3 other EO's who've gone on to an MEC Command - taking the somewhat unpopular job of an HEC XO is the path. It can be done ... but seldom will be 'offered' you must pursue it . . .

 

Believe it or not the greater obstacle is grad school. When I was beginning CG wanted 'dual path' officers. You should have one foot rooted in an operations specialty, and the other in an engineering discipline. When I was retiring 8 years ago the pendulum had swung .... now the engineering ind information systems disciplines required so much specialization that staying active in operations required a real fight with the program manager - who had to OK an out of specialty tour. I was one of the first guys CG sent to post grad work in Computer Systems (1980) ... getting out to stay afloat was a fight but it CAN be done. It helps to have a good mentor from the OPS side.

[RedRover96]

Whatever happens, it’s his “boat” now. Listening to him he will have at least 3 years at some type of engineering office (gut feeling Oakland) after getting a Masters in Engineering Management. That will put him at the 15 year mark. I guess it will all depend on how much he wants it, openings and how far he might want to go past 20. A lot of what if’s!!! Thanks for your advice on the USCG, I’ll pass it on to him, he’s been on leave (Spring Break) back out to CA, married a California gal! He spent 10 years out west Seattle, Oakland and San Diego, not sure he will ever come back east permanently!

 

 

Back to cruising, have you been on NCL Sun, if so any suggestions about the ship or port calls (Roatan, Costa Maya & Cozumel)? We've never done the western Caribbean, lots of stops in the eastern Caribbean back in our old Windjammer Barefoot Cruise days. I liked those days, standard joke in the fleet, for Captains Dinner “if you don’t have a clean t-shirt, turn a dirty one inside out”. NCL Freestyle dining is casual, but not that casual! :D

 

Thanks Again!

RedRover96

[Capt_BJ]

I don't sail NCL (anymore) or Carnival (ever) . . . .unless you count a Carn' owned line

 

as WINDSTAR was Carn owned for a while and CUNARD is now . . .