Jim_Iain Apex Key West, TansAtlantic and British Isle with a Week in Amsterdam

[LisaLeone]

"Next rule you could not feed your dog for 2 days prior to class so they were anxious for the reward and would not fill up before the class was over."

 

@Jim_Iain I am curious... typo?

What I have learned from my anxious 13 year old dog (who is on *****), is that what humans might mistake for aggression is actually anxiety from animals that don't have the language skills to express what makes them fearful. 

Yours was a very blessed pup. And you had the honor to be there for the crossing over... how loved Luke must have felt to the very last.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

We get to to the Dockyards tomorrow on the Reflection, we will probably catch the ferry to Hamilton to hit the Marks & Sparks 😁

The Reflection TA has been 100% better than the Apex TA last spring probably due to the ship being 100% staffed and trained 

[Mark.Jules]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Not sure which I liked best so posting both.  Opinions? 
 

 

Im drawn to the one on bottom. 

 

I like the top as the depth is intriguing; however, both are nice. Jules is signing up for a course on the iphone photography site. Thanks for mentioning it to us. 

[pd7277]

On 4/23/2023 at 6:14 PM, Jim_Iain said:

 

Thanks Tom ... saw your post after I wrote that.  

 

I guess we had the opposite complaint when they shifted to the new point structure.   We have always sailed in Suites and in the conversion instead of getting credits for the number of days x points per night we got just 2 points per cruise compared to 180 points we will get for this cruise in a CS.

 

Jim - If you only received 2 points there is something wrong.  On our 7 night (non-suite) cruises between 1996 and 2001, we received 1 point per cruise.  When the conversion happened, we were given 30 points per cruise. I was able to see my points for all cruises on the Celebrity website until sometime during the pandemic, when Celebrity backed out the pre-2014 cruises from their website.  I'm glad I had recorded mine before then.  I'm sure you can have someone on board (Captain Circle host) pull up your account to verify a proper conversion. 

 

[asnaleah]

Loved your Luke story, and yes, I teared up. We used to think we could never get another dog, but realized we are dog people and love having them in our lives. Our newest baby, Archie, is an absolute joy. Our only issue is leaving him home while we cruise! 

[juanrod]

@Jim_Iainneed to remember to have dinner and a cookie prior to reading your trip report when I get home from work 😋. I had to put down your report after a couple of pictures and eat before I sat in front of fridge and forged 😂.  Safe travels across the pond.  

[JackE]

@Jim_Iain Thank you for such great posts! New to the CC boards and have very much enjoyed your cruise adventure news! My partner Andrew and I have a Med cruise booked on the Edge this August, and then the second sailing of the Ascent in November. We can't wait to retire like you and Iain and cruise all the time! We live in NYC and have a couple more years of working.

 

Wanted to let you know that we spent some time in Amsterdam last August before and after an Apex cruise to Scandinavia/Baltic. Have two restaurants that we highly recommend: 

 

Van T' Spit (From the Spit) located on Frans Halsstraat near where you staying around the museum plein (if I remember from your post). The BEST rotisserie chicken and homemade sides. Very casual but DELISH. In fact, we went there twice, once before the cruise, and once after.

 

Restaurant De Kas - which is set in a greenhouse in a local park. They only serve what's fresh and what they have grown themselves. It's in a park that we took the local metro to (Amstel Station I believe, and then it's about a 10-15 minute walk). Very charming and an experience not to be missed. You need reservations for this one - going for lunch is cool so you can appreciate your surroundings. 

 

Have a wonderful time in one of our favorite cities! Jack

[hcat]

just want to say

HAPPY PAGE 50 !

another amazing blog by Jim!

[Sphynxlady]

I am currently in a wheelchair but previously had a Doberman service dog. Silas sailed with me on at least four cruises including Europe, andSouth America on Infinity. Celebrity treated him  like a star. He has been gone for sixteen years and I still miss him everyday.. Made many memories on ship.

 

[hcat]

9 hours ago, pd7277 said:

 

Jim - If you only received 2 points there is something wrong.  On our 7 night (non-suite) cruises between 1996 and 2001, we received 1 point per cruise.  When the conversion happened, we were given 30 points per cruise. I was able to see my points for all cruises on the Celebrity website until sometime during the pandemic, when Celebrity backed out the pre-2014 cruises from their website.  I'm glad I had recorded mine before then.  I'm sure you can have someone on board (Captain Circle host) pull up your account to verify a proper conversion. 

 

 

We received 40 points for a short cruise on BEYOND in a sky suite.  For Ascent in  AQ class we will earn 35 pts  and then less for an SV on APEX..

 

we have no goal and will never read past E +...current perks at thst level work ok for us..hope they do not mess with it!

         *   *      *   *       *   *

 I am enjoying all the pet stories..our beloved pets leave pawprints on our hearts!

[Jim_Iain]

Good morning from the North Atlantic -  Just did a position check and our little Sister Beyond is Port but we have begun our more northerly course as she heads to the Azores. 

 

[Jim_Iain]

10 hours ago, pd7277 said:

 

Jim - If you only received 2 points there is something wrong.  On our 7 night (non-suite) cruises between 1996 and 2001, we received 1 point per cruise.  When the conversion happened, we were given 30 points per cruise. I was able to see my points for all cruises on the Celebrity website until sometime during the pandemic, when Celebrity backed out the pre-2014 cruises from their website.  I'm glad I had recorded mine before then.  I'm sure you can have someone on board (Captain Circle host) pull up your account to verify a proper conversion. 

 

You are correct and my memory is flogging.    I just remember we got more points on our first cruise after conversation than our total cruise history 

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

15 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

I am a little big to be turned over anyone’s knee.

 

You are welcom to come an join us on our next Millie sailing 5/27/24 12-day Best of Japan.

 

 

lOL

We unfortunately will be on the repositioning from Sydney to Vancouver 

[Jim_Iain]

13 hours ago, TPCRUISER2 said:

Jim, Thanks for the pictures from my Favorite island! Must have been warm, might be the first time I have seen Lain not wearing jeans.

Always learn something new about you with every review! Loved your story about your beloved Luke! 

Looking forward to your updates on your crossing. 

 

it was perfect temps.   Not hot nor cold and no wind. 

[Jim_Iain]

13 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

 

I do love your iPhone photog style. I own a Nikon and a Fuji camera, but lately, like you, due to size and weight, I tend to only take my iPhone with me anymore. Especially after breaking my ankle, I like to walk a lot and I don’t want to feel unbalanced by the camera.

 

The lasted iPhone with the wide angle makes that more doable for me; like you I have the iPhone Pro Max 14. 

I find the iPhone with 3 lenses to be incredibly convenient.   Also I would miss so many shots trying to open and setup a shot with a SLR.  
 

I always have my phone and just click away. 

[Jim_Iain]

13 hours ago, haynesra said:

Jim loved the story on Luke. We absolutely love Goldens!!! Our son Matt had a golden as his assistant dog. We swore that he was human. He loved Matt so much and we he died our whole family was truly devastated. Matt swore he never wanted another dog because nothing could replace Crockett. Fast forward 4 years later and we got a Lab (Duke). It took all of 10 minutes for Matt to fall in love with Duke.

 

You should consider getting another one, they bring so much love and loyalty.

Duke seems like a wonderful friend. 
 

After 9 years without him will probably never replace him. 
 

Besides I can’t afford one unless he is a prescribed Service Dog.   Boarding him would cost more than an extra room on the ship. 

[Jim_Iain]

14 hours ago, upwarduk said:

How do you under expose on an iPhone?
 

You press edit and then the plus minus.    Slide left all the way.    Then how down the line and play with each feature. 
 

Example.  over exposed vs underexposed.  The thing that is fun is you can adjust a bad picture and make it good

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

12 hours ago, REEtired said:

Jim, following along and gorgeous pictures. I miss my Murphy and can’t ever replace her.  She was very special. Marie 

Last night our waiter Sonny shared a picture of his Golden.  He said he FaceTimes with her daily   

[Oceangoer2]

On 4/24/2023 at 6:36 AM, Jim_Iain said:

We have a great butler.   I had some laundry to send out Boarding day -   He said just leave it out when we go to dinner and he would fill in the laundry slip for us and have it back before 5 the next day.

 

Unlike the Bag Challenge -  With the Fee Laundry all the socks came back in a cute little fabric parcel.   They even matched all of our socks.   I kidded with Iain and said they should of rolled the socks together so I could just drop in the drawer.

 

Recently Celebrity launched a new program in combination with The British Butler's Institution.   All butlers and retest hosts went through training on being a "Proper Butler" including training on packing and unpacking suitcases -  which of course virtually not many would ever consider asking for.

 

 

That's the way our laundry came back....!  When I wanted to return the neat little baggie parcel I left it on our bed more than once.  Our butler kept returning it to us.  Guess he meant for us to use it for the 'next' laundry deposit...☺️.

[awhfy]

On 4/25/2023 at 6:21 AM, Jim_Iain said:

 

John,    I'm much the same,  in fact due to @GenerationX wonderful food reviews I did something I've never done before and order a steak on the first Lunch instead of either the Luminea burger or Lobster roll.     It was delicious, flavorful and cooked to perfection.

I mostly eat fish on ships for two reason - 

 

First because Luminae has always had Fish Chefs that really know what they are doing

 

Second I have no self control and what lands on my plate ends in my stomach - whether I'm hungry or not... Just like my Golden Retriever -

 

I compare myself to Luke, our retriever because of what the Vet taught me.   We rescued Luke with a police escort.   He was a police dog that the officer was abusing, both physically and emotionally.    His family had 4 little Poodle/Chinaware mix that were indoor dogs.   Luke was banished to the outside and would sit at the window and watch them play.   Out of boredom he was acting out and chewing and destroying the patio furniture -- things dogs do when bored.

 

HIs biggest issue was he was a cadaver searcher BUT he was terrified of Gun Shot and Lightning the officer was trying to beat the fear out of him.  He had stopped eating  and lost most of his hair and was down to 35 pounds.   They brought him out and put him in the back seat of the car - I had the seats down so plenty of space.     I still remember on the 1 hour drive home he put his head on my shoulder and kept it there -    Having hair like a butch cut -  it tickle and he had me laughing. 

 

OK.... as usually I'm getting long winded in my tale.      First day It took me 30 minutes to get him in the house because I guess he had always been beaten if he went into the house.   That's when we learned how much training he was going to need    He peed on the floor and I realized it made sense.   If he had never been allowed in a house how would he know not to.   I hugged him and said -  Luke (his original name) no you do that outside ---- took him out and when he peed I have him a single treat.   He looked at me and said with those sad eye  --- I didn't know.     Done --- he never peed on the floor again. 

 

Finally to the subject of this rambling post.     I took him to the vet as he wasn't eating.    The most wonderful vet in the world.   He taught me a bit about dog psychology.    This is going to sound really counter intuitive.   Put a bowl down with 2 Cups of dry food.   Only leave it for 5 minutes.    If he doesn't eat it pick it up and put on the counter until next meal time.  

 

Dogs when they eat will just cram food quickly and don't know when they are full to stop.   Took two meals until the third disappeared in 30 seconds...  That's how I eat.   What ever  you put in front of me or leave on the counter like snacks...   Hand Mouth without any self control.     That's also why I never ask the butler to leave anything.

 

Finally -  Doc told us to bring him up to 78 pounds - ideal weight for his small boy Golden frame.   We got him their and kept him at his ideal weight his whole life.    I got too close to him and when he died it destroyed me and have never replaced or allowed myself to get that close to a dog again

 

The day I picked him up

Our 16 yr old golden gal, Lady (she was) Lacey. When she passed we haven’t been able to get another. She was letting us know it had starting to rain & she wasn’t impressed

[Oceangoer2]

On 4/25/2023 at 8:21 AM, Jim_Iain said:

 

John,    I'm much the same,  in fact due to @GenerationX wonderful food reviews I did something I've never done before and order a steak on the first Lunch instead of either the Luminea burger or Lobster roll.     It was delicious, flavorful and cooked to perfection.

I mostly eat fish on ships for two reason - 

 

First because Luminae has always had Fish Chefs that really know what they are doing

 

Second I have no self control and what lands on my plate ends in my stomach - whether I'm hungry or not... Just like my Golden Retriever -

 

I compare myself to Luke, our retriever because of what the Vet taught me.   We rescued Luke with a police escort.   He was a police dog that the officer was abusing, both physically and emotionally.    His family had 4 little Poodle/Chinaware mix that were indoor dogs.   Luke was banished to the outside and would sit at the window and watch them play.   Out of boredom he was acting out and chewing and destroying the patio furniture -- things dogs do when bored.

 

HIs biggest issue was he was a cadaver searcher BUT he was terrified of Gun Shot and Lightning the officer was trying to beat the fear out of him.  He had stopped eating  and lost most of his hair and was down to 35 pounds.   They brought him out and put him in the back seat of the car - I had the seats down so plenty of space.     I still remember on the 1 hour drive home he put his head on my shoulder and kept it there -    Having hair like a butch cut -  it tickle and he had me laughing. 

 

OK.... as usually I'm getting long winded in my tale.      First day It took me 30 minutes to get him in the house because I guess he had always been beaten if he went into the house.   That's when we learned how much training he was going to need    He peed on the floor and I realized it made sense.   If he had never been allowed in a house how would he know not to.   I hugged him and said -  Luke (his original name) no you do that outside ---- took him out and when he peed I have him a single treat.   He looked at me and said with those sad eye  --- I didn't know.     Done --- he never peed on the floor again. 

 

Finally to the subject of this rambling post.     I took him to the vet as he wasn't eating.    The most wonderful vet in the world.   He taught me a bit about dog psychology.    This is going to sound really counter intuitive.   Put a bowl down with 2 Cups of dry food.   Only leave it for 5 minutes.    If he doesn't eat it pick it up and put on the counter until next meal time.  

 

Dogs when they eat will just cram food quickly and don't know when they are full to stop.   Took two meals until the third disappeared in 30 seconds...  That's how I eat.   What ever  you put in front of me or leave on the counter like snacks...   Hand Mouth without any self control.     That's also why I never ask the butler to leave anything.

 

Finally -  Doc told us to bring him up to 78 pounds - ideal weight for his small boy Golden frame.   We got him their and kept him at his ideal weight his whole life.    I got too close to him and when he died it destroyed me and have never replaced or allowed myself to get that close to a dog again

 

The day I picked him up

I understand your 'closeness'.......being too close is wonderful for the dog...but the owner suffers when the pet passes....went through it with a beautiful little bichon;  can't bring myself to have another.

[Lena11033]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Last night our waiter Sonny shared a picture of his Golden.  He said he FaceTimes with her daily   

 

lol half of my calls when traveling is my husband bringing his iPad up to the dogs do they can see me. It's funny they are all different, Bella will look but understands I'm coming back, Watson will lick the iPad when seeing me, Sherlock will be disgruntled and look away annoyed and Cole will come up with a bring smile and tail wagging.

 

I get the cost of boarding, other than my husband is a homebody cost of boarding 4 dogs would be more than the trip plus one of them has epilepsy so had to take specific medication 2 times a day

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, awhfy said:

Our 16 yr old golden gal, Lady (she was) Lacey. When she passed we haven’t been able to get another. She was letting us know it had starting to rain & she wasn’t impressed

Ahhh.. a beautiful Golden Oldie...  Luke also turned grey and got snow nose.

[FRMPEI]

18 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

 

Interesting that you used Zaandam in your example. Zaandam is the first ship of the season to visit our home port of Charlottetown today.  A wee bit chilly today here @ +6C with overcast skies.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[Jim_Iain]

17 minutes ago, Lena11033 said:

 

lol half of my calls when traveling is my husband bringing his iPad up to the dogs do they can see me. It's funny they are all different, Bella will look but understands I'm coming back, Watson will lick the iPad when seeing me, Sherlock will be disgruntled and look away annoyed and Cole will come up with a bring smile and tail wagging.

 

I get the cost of boarding, other than my husband is a homebody cost of boarding 4 dogs would be more than the trip plus one of them has epilepsy so had to take specific medication 2 times a day

 

We had a great sitter...   He was a dog trainer and had in home boarding.   Luke went and just lived with his family --- Scruffy, his dog and luke were best buddies.   He would teach him a trick each time we left him.    His kids grew up around Luke.    Sometime he would have a couple more dogs during the holdiays.

 

He was away one time and I found an app that matches us Dog Walker and Sitters.    I found what looked like an ideal match but she was a single mother with a small place and she was concerned with Potentially Luke's size.    I came over an met her and her Spectrum Challenged son.    Luke was a really gently animal and her son sat their petting Luke while he just layed their..  She was amazed because her son had never responded to an animal like that before... She accepted the 2 week fostering.     Luke and her son became immediate friends ... she said it seemed that he picked up on her son's need with no training.   She would text us dozens of pictures daily.