Grumpy and Slinkie explore the Roman Empire

[HeatherInFlorida]

Thanks again, Grumpy, for posting about your wonderful cruise. I'll bet you're looking forward to being home sweet home on the Prinsendam.

[Aussie Gal]

Grumpy and Slinkie,

It has been great to read of your recent travels. I was most interested to read of what you did from Kusadasi. You were so lucky to have the time to be able to drive to those 3 ancient cities. When we were there in 2004, we also went to different sites, being Melios, Didyma and Priene. There is so much history in that interesting country.

Enjoy the next part of your cruise back on the lovely Prinsendam.

Jennie

[arzz]

Thank you so much for taking us along on your tour. We, too, loved Turkey when we were there (though we will not do it in August next time as we did on our first trip -- we weathered 120 degrees in Turkey -- I do hope it was cooler for your folks) and would like some time to get back there for more than one day!

Bon Voyage on your Prinsendam tour. I will stay tuned.

[slgjhg]

hI ALL,

lOVE YOUR TRAVELOGUE, PLEASE KEEP IT COMING.

BEST REGARDS,

SHANNON

[ekerr19]

[quote name='jhannah']Wonderful! You'll enjoy walking through that ancient city. Before you go, pull out your Bible and read the book of Acts, chapter 19, beginning in verse 23. It's about a near riot that erupted among the silversmiths. It took place in the ampitheater in Ephesus. (Not the smaller Odeon, but the theater at the head of the main road that once led to the seashore.) You'll be able to walk around in the very venue where that took place.[/quote]

Jim - We got to hear this story again from our kids - their perspective, no less! The pics we have are amazing, imo - it was almost deserted on our visit and truly the highlight of our cruise.

We also visited the Olympic stadium outside Katakolon - not near as nice (or as well preserved!) as Ephesus. I was so afraid it (Ephesus) would be a major tourist trap and to our surprise, it wasn't.

Hopefully, we'll have the opportunity to share photos soon - I've contacted Lisa about the get-together and we hope everyone will be available. :)

[babyher]

Grumpy,

Thank you so much for posting your latest installments. As always enjoyed them so much. Sounds like a wonderful trip, so glad you are having a wonderful time.

Slinkie didn't buy any Maltese cross jewelry????????? *LOL*

I wear a little gold Maltese cross around my neck in memory of my dad who was a fireman for over 30 years.

Fear not Slinkie , I am sure you are still way ahead of the pack in the jewelry department :) :) *LOL*

Have a wonderful rest of your trip :)

Looking forward to your next installment

[Grumpy1]

[SIZE=2]28 August 2006, Messina, continued...
-
Slinkie & Grumpy left the ship a few minutes before 9a and walked the very short distance into town. There were a couple of souvenir shops open, but not much else. It was a very pleasant morning and they wandered around, taking a few pictures, looking in a few windows, figuring the shops would open about 9:30a. There were a few shops that had signs indicating that their hours were 9:30a to 1:00p and 5p to 9p. As 9:30a came and went, a few stores opened, but most remained shuttered. Grumpy remarked that all of the shopkeepers must have been partying over the weekend and were still recovering. He may have been right, as he found out that, despite the hours that are posted on the doors, few places open before 1p on Mondays. With the Noordam sailing at 1:30p, Slinkie's shopping was severely limited. After wandering through the few stores that were open and finding nothing worth a second look, Slinkie & Grumpy wandered back to the ship and enjoyed their usual Lido lunch. Sailaway was scheduled for 2p, but apparently there weren't any passengers still wandering around town, so the Gangway came up a few minutes early and the Noordam was underway by 1:45p.
-
The rest of the day was filled with seminars by the group and the address on Winning the Future, with Q&A session, by Newt Gingrich that was open to all that wished to attend in the Vista Lounge. That session, at 4:45 in the afternoon was very well attended... most of the shows don't draw an audience as large as he did...
-
-
29 August 2006, Civitavecchia/Rome.
-
All good things must come to an end... and this cruise has certainly been a good thing. The Noordam was at the dock about 6:45, the ship was quickly cleared by the authorities and the first departures were being called by about 7:15. Slinkie & Grumpy had requested an 8a departure. They were up at 6:30, up to the Lido for breakfast by 7 and their color/number, Purple 1, was called at 7:45. The luggage was quickly located and then it was just a matter of waiting for the driver to show up. He was a few minutes late, but soon Slinkie & Grumpy were in their Mercedes and motoring along to Rome. No Mario Andretti wannabee, this time, but the driver had them at their hotel by about 9:45. They checked in, but rooms weren't ready that early. The luggage was stored away and Slinkie & Grumpy headed out tom explore.
There are several hop on/hop off buses that run around Rome. Some have more stops than others and some run more frequently than others. Most operate from the bus area in front of the Termini train station, which is a ten minute walk from the Hotel Mascagni. Grumpy saw a couple of red double deckers and wandered over. There was a sign on the side that said tickets could be purchased on board. OK, sounds pretty good, so they get in a short line. Seeing a few people start to get on the bus and then get off again, Grumpy wondered what was going on. The driver for the second bus was standing by his bus and Grumpy was able to strike up a conversation. "Can we purchase our tickets on board?" "No. You must go to the red box." "But the sign says you can get them on board." " No. Go to the red box." Now Grumpy is looking for the red box, but isn't seeing anything. There are all sorts of ticket booths, but no red one. "Where's the red box?" " There where all of the people are in line." Grumpy doesn't see any line other than the one he is in and is beginning to wonder if he's being jerked around by the vertically challenged driver. He asks again where the red box is. "By the yellow information booth" is the answer from the driver who must by now be sure that Grumpy is deaf, blind or both, and Grumpy is pretty sure he still posseses most of his faculties and senses. He looks around again and doesn't see any yellow information booth either. "Which direction?" Grumpy asks. Pointing straight toward his bus, he answers, "Right there!". Now Grumpy is convinced the man is daft! But finally figuring that there might be something on the other side of the bus, Grumpy crouches down to his level and, sure enough, he can see straight through the bus and across the square to where the information booth is located. After crossing the square and obtaining one day tickets (13Euro each) Slinkie & Grumpy had to again stand in line for the bus, but since they run every 10 minutes it didn't take long to get on the bus and set out to see the sights.
-
The weather was perfect. Warm, but not really hot. Riding on the open upper deck of the bus afforded some good photo opportunities. G&S hopped off the bus at the first stop past the Vatican, close to the river. By then it was lunch time, so they found a litlle sidewalk cafe, enjoyed pizza and beer and hopped back on the next bus that came by. Two stops later they hopped off again. This was the stop Grumpy was dreading. Slinkie had taken a quick look at the stop information and, like a laser, homed in on the words "World Famous Shopping District". Fortunately, most of those world famous stores are the designers that cater to the young crowd and feature the club clothes that Slnkie chooses not to wear, so it wasn't too bad. There was one store that had a sweater that Slinkie loved... and it was one of the few stores where they still had "Saldi" signs displayed, so Grumpy parted with a few hard earned Euros once again. Slinkie & Grumpy continued wandering down through that area, zigzagging back and forth until they arrived at Trevi Fountain. Now, some may accuse Grumpy of throwing money away, but usually, he likes to see something in return. The tradition at Trevi, though, is to throw your coins in the fountain and get nothing back except a hazy promise about returning someday or something like that. Since the fountain fairy has never specified a minimum value of coin to use, Grumpy figured a couple of those Euro pennies were expendable and got a picture of the Slinkie girl tossing the coins over her shoulder into the fountain. The stop for the bus was just around the corner and Slinkie & Grumpy stayed on until they arrived back at Termini Station. By then their room was ready and they were able to relax for a bit, check email and all of that good stuff and then get ready for dinner. This time they knew there was no use going out before 7p. They went to the Ristorante around the corner from the hotel, had a very good dinner and wandered back to the hotel to spend the night.
-
-
30 August 2006, Civitavecchia. On Board the Slinkiedam.
-
Slinkie & Grumpy were up about 8a, enjoyed the breakfast provided by the hotel, checked out and just a few minutes past 10a were picked up for the trip to the port. There were 3 other couples at the Hotel Mascagni that Grumpy saw that had Prinsendam tags on their luggage, but didn't get a chance to get acquainted before their minivan showed up to take them away. It sure looked like a tight fit for 6 people and a mountain of luggage. Slinkie and Grumpy arrived at the port at 11:30 on the nose. There were no lines. They dropped off the two big bags with the porters, went through the security checkpoint, filled out the medical questionaire and proceeded to the checkin counter.
-
Slinkie is a happy girl! The last time Grumpy checked the online boarding pass information before leaving for the Noordam, Cabin SS040 was still confirmed for the Prinsendam. When Slinkie & Grumpy arrived at the port this morning and handed in the preprinted boarding passes, they were informed that the cabin listed was incorrect. Grumpy had made a change from the cabin originally booked in order to get SS040 and had visions of being told that they were back in their original Cat C cabin. He need not have worried though as the lovely lady at the checkin counter continued... "Your new cabin number is 018"... YES!!!! The upgrade fairy lives!!! She's Grumpy's new best friend! Ah, the suite life. If Grumpy could have his choice of any Cat SA on the ship it would be either 018 or 021. They are the ones that are just forward of the forward elevators on Lido deck, and they are the furtherest aft of that Category. Just a few steps from the stairs/elevators, one flight below the Crow's Nest, great internet signal strength.... and room. Lots of room! Did Grumpy mention that Slinkie's a happy girl?
-
Slinkie & Grumpy were met at the gangway by one of the always smiling staff and escorted to the Neptune. Grumpy noted as they went by that their cabin door was open. He checked and it had been made up, their shore excursion tickets and personal stationary were in place and waiting, so they moved in. Not bad... 11:45, in the room and ready to head to the Lido. Wandering around the ship, it really did seem like coming home to Slinkie & Grumpy. Everything was just as they left it more than a year ago. Slinkie is so happy to be back on her "Slinkiedam". Luggage was a bit slow to be delivered, it was sent to cabin 040. Our steward, Supri, retrieved it for us and in no time the closet and drawers were full and the empty suitcases stowed. After getting the internet set up, and making sure everything was OK, Slinkie & Grumpy relaxed a bit before muster drill. They then went to the Lido pool, starboard side and staked out a table for sailaway. Grumpy was wearing his Grumpy hat so the fellow CC'ers would recognize him. They soon started arriving and before long there were 21 CC'ers from the rollcall thread gathered there and just having a ball getting acquainted.
-
At long last Grumpy is caught up on the travelogue so it's time for him to review the posts and see if there are any questions that need answers.
-
Ger_77... depending on how long you have between planes, you may get your luggage or it may come in on the next flight. Find out what time the next Frankfort to Rome flight arrives so if your luggage doesn't show up, you will know when to expect it. The flights are every couple of hours in the mornings. Don't rely on them retrieving your luggage and delivering it. They will eventually, but you could be on the ship for a day or several days before it catches up to you. Either hang around and wait for it, or, if it's the day of the cruise, give the HAL rep the information and let them locate it for you. We checked four bags and only carried on our two computer bags and Slinkie's purse. All of the valuables and medications were in the computer bags. We usually carryon one 20 inch roll on bag, but decided to avoid the security hassles by keeping things simple. It worked out well.
-
JohnnyI !! Good to hear from you! We've missed you. We hope all is well with you.
-
Blue Eyes and Aloha Pride, Grumpy has also spent some time in Georgia. Never lived there, but has worked there several times, including a couple of months in Columbus right on the edge of Ft. Benniing.
-
Heather... The rotating dining arrangements were great from the passenger point of view. You really get to know people better over a relaxing dinner than you do during the seminars and social hours.
-
ekerr19... The weather had moderated somewhat for our cruise. Kusadasi was about 100 to 105, but it was very dry so it was like Arizona 105. A week earlier it had been 10 to 15 degrees warmer. 90 in Florida seems worse than 105 there. We really had no complaints about the weather.
-
Aussie Gal... Grumpy had originally planned to do the three cities that you did, but one of the women that wanted to tour with us had checked some guidebooks that recommended that the tour we took was a "must see" and the other three were listed as "see them if you have time after seeing Ephesus, Pamakkule, Afrodisias and Hieropolis." Our tour guide pretty much confirmed that, although I'm sure we would have thoroughly enjoyed Miletus, Didyma and Priene. We talked to several people that had visited Sirince and found it to be very interesting also.
-
All of the others... thanks so much for your comments and for riding along with us. We'll try to keep this updated.
[/SIZE]

[ekerr19]

Thanks Grumpy!!! (and Slinkie!) So glad to hear the upgrade fairy is still alive and well! What a nice surprise!!! Enjoy!

Can't wait for the next installment.... :)

P.S. I know what you mean about the upscale shops in Rome - I wondered about some of those "fashions", lol! Many were not my style either...

[Waxer]

First, thank you for this wonderful thread; very enjoyable reading!

I have a question for S&G or any other experienced Euro-cruisers regarding the missing luggage. Was this luggage that was on HAL-booked flights? Or was it luggage from self-booked or TA-booked flights? The reason I ask is, I am planning a Euro-cruise, and thinking that if I take the HAL-booked flight, even if it is more expensive than what I can come up with on my own, it is worth it because HAL is "on the hook" to get us and our luggage aboard ship.

Is this correct? Or are all the luggage hassles I've been seeing referenced here for HAL-booked flights?

Thanks, in advance,

[LAFFNVEGAS]

[SIZE=3]Grumpy and Slinkie, so glad you have arrived on your Slinkiedam;) I bet it felt so good walking across the gangway. Sounds like everything is going perfectly so will look forward to your next installment:) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Thanks for posting.[/SIZE]

[Aussie Gal]

Grumpie and Slinkie,

What a wonderful surprise you had at check in. Now if that would only happen to us on the 24th!

I am enjoying reading your travelogue and loved hearing about your visit to Rome as that is one of our favourite cities.

Enjoy your time on the lovely Prinsendam and please give Captain Gundersen our greetings from "down under". He is our most favourite Captain on all the HAL ships.

Jennie

[Copper10-8]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=navy]Grumpy; really enjoyed reading about your (and Slinkie's) adventures aboard Noordam. Plus it's always good to see a husband fully domesticated and supurbly trained in the art of spousal shopping for jewelry and shoes! :eek: I fully agree with Jim Hannah, you should be publishing your writings. I'd buy them in a minute, even the ones written in the style of Water the farting dog:D [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000080]Have an awseome cruise on Prinsendam. I'm pretty sure C/D Pieter Daems got off Prinsendam in Civitavecchia when you got on so you guys must have a new C/D. Please give Captain Gundersen our regards (from the cop that helped him locate the elderly couple who got lost in Split, Croatia in 2004) If you happen to see Security Officer Daniel Blajan, ask him if he's caught any ducks in Sitka lately;) [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000080]Congrats on your upgrade to "officers country" Looking very much forward to reading about your Slinkiedam adventures in the Med[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Aussie Gal]

[quote name='Copper10-8'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=navy]Grumpy; really enjoyed reading about your (and Slinkie's) adventures aboard Noordam. Plus it's always good to see a husband fully domesticated and supurbly trained in the art of spousal shopping for jewelry and shoes! :eek: I fully agree with Jim Hannah, you should be publishing your writings. I'd buy them in a minute, even the ones written in the style of Water the farting dog:D [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000080]Have an awseome cruise on Prinsendam. I'm pretty sure C/D Pieter Daems got off Prinsendam in Civitavecchia when you got on so you guys must have a new C/D. Please give Captain Gundersen our regards (from the cop that helped him locate the elderly couple who got lost in Split, Croatia in 2004) If you happen to see Security Officer Daniel Blajan, ask him if he's caught any ducks in Sitka lately;) [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#000080]Congrats on your upgrade to "officers country" Looking very much forward to reading about your Slinkiedam adventures in the Med[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/quote]

John,

Just read your post and we were on that same excursion where we went first to the Roman ruins at Salina in the rain and then to the lovely walled town, Trogin I think it was called. That is where the elderly couple got lost and we waited while Captain Gundersen and another passenger (obviously yourself) when off to find them. I have a lovely photo of Captain Gundersen and my DH taken in that lovely town.

Earlier in the cruise we did the full day tour of Odessa which took in a Ballet programme during the afternoon. One poor passenger fell down the marble stairs at the theatre and ended up in hospital with a broken hip. His poor wife had to pack up all their clothes and leave the ship. I felt so sorry for them both. Were you on that excursion as well?

Jennie

[localady]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]I too look very much forward to your continuing adventures!:) [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]I am really enjoying your continuing adventures as we board the Noordam in 29 days :D, and have booked the Slinkiedam for next year at this time!! It's great to hear all about your adventures on the Noordam, the Slinkeydam and your touring tales.:D [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]Continued calm seas and sunny skies![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[ger_77]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]Congratulations on the upgrade ... it's nice to know the fairy is real! I also appreciate your response to my query about lost luggage and your carry-ons; we are arriving the day of the cruise, but about 11:00AM. Hopefully the HAL rep will be able to locate it for us and have it delivered to the ship before we sail away. I'm honestly planning on packing our carry-ons as if we won't have our main luggage for a day or two. Have a wonderful trip aboard the "Slinkiedam" - looking forward to reading more about your experiences onboard and on shore.[/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]Waxer: our experience with lost luggage comes from HAL-booked flights. We live in the "frozen tundra" and find that it is much less expensive for us to take HAL's air, particularly on "open-jaw" tickets where you land in one city and depart from another. We'll have to see what happens in October when we fly to Venice - seriously, I'm not that optimistic that our luggage will get to the ship when we do![/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)[/FONT]

[Bucky3]

G&S - Printed out your posts for our friend who was on the same Noordam cruise. She was a member of a Tauck Tour group. I know she'll enjoy reading a review from another angle! Look forward to your next adventure! Great reading for us all! Thanks for taking us all along.

[Copper10-8]

[quote name='Aussie Gal']John,

Just read your post and we were on that same excursion where we went first to the Roman ruins at Salina in the rain and then to the lovely walled town, Trogin I think it was called. That is where the elderly couple got lost and we waited while Captain Gundersen and another passenger (obviously yourself) when off to find them. I have a lovely photo of Captain Gundersen and my DH taken in that lovely town.

Earlier in the cruise we did the full day tour of Odessa which took in a Ballet programme during the afternoon. One poor passenger fell down the marble stairs at the theatre and ended up in hospital with a broken hip. His poor wife had to pack up all their clothes and leave the ship. I felt so sorry for them both. Were you on that excursion as well?

Jennie[/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=navy]That's the one Jennie! Small world eh? Even on the same bus!! What's the odds of that one? The reason the capt. was there is because he's very interested in ancient history, ruins, etc - He wanted to see the ruins at Salina and it did rain for a bit! Unbelievable!:) That couple, the gentleman couldn't walk very good, got lost within the old part of Trogin. Took a search party to find them;)

We did see a folkloric show (not a ballet) but I think that was in Yalta (didn't see a gentleman fall) - Great itinerary on that cruise especially the Black Sea ports - remember the tendering at Nessebur, Bulgaria with the swells - got kinda rough and the statue of Lenin pointing at a McDonalds restaurant in Odessa? - Sorry, got carried away - this is Grumpy's thread [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Aussie Gal]

John,

That tendering in Nessebur got rougher as the afternoon wore on. One gentleman went off with his pusher and I remember watching from our verandah as the last tender returned and the crew trying to help him onto the ship with the huge swells. It was a fantastic itinerary.

Sorry Grumpy and Slinkie for taking over your post. I was so excited when I found out that John had been on the Prinsendam with us back in 2004!

Jennie

[Copper10-8]

[quote name='Aussie Gal']John,

That tendering in Nessebur got rougher as the afternoon wore on. One gentleman went off with his pusher and I remember watching from our verandah as the last tender returned and the crew trying to help him onto the ship with the huge swells. It was a fantastic itinerary.

Sorry Grumpy and Slinkie for taking over your post. I was so excited when I found out that John had been on the Prinsendam with us back in 2004!

Jennie[/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=navy]Sorry Grumpy, last one!:o Jennie, HAL put a couple of officers (instead of the usual Filipino guys from the Deck Dept) on that gangway (tendering) platform in Nessebur. They were basically pulling pax from the tenders onto that platform while the swells were punishing the tender boats). Some folks basically made that transfer while airborne until they were caught on that platform. I remember seeing those guys at work (they were soaked after they were done) and being in awe of the good work they did! They really earned their wages that day in Nessebur.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[jhannah]

Wonderful upgrade! I know you're enjoying the suite life on The Elegant Explorer. Keep those credit cards handy! :)

[Grumpy1]

[SIZE=2]31 August 2006, Alghero, Sardinia, Italy
-
Sardinia is that large island 100 or so miles west of Civitavecchia and is the first port of call for the Prinsendam on this cruise. It is just a little smaller than Sicily, but has a much smaller population. Noted for its nice beaches and good weather, it is a favorite vacation spot for many, and some parts of the island rely pretty heavily on the tourist trade. They do have some commercial mining, farming and wine making, too. The main industry seems to be coral jewelry, particularly a very red coral. Although the island is part of Italy, they are self governed in most matters. The Sardinian language, although rooted in Latin, is different from the Italian language, but Italian is widely used. Alghero, although it is a town in Sardinia, does not consider itself to be a Sardinian Town. Many years ago, the Catalonians drove the people out of Algherno and repopulated the town with Catalonians. Today, the people of Alghero still consider themselves to be Catalonian.
-
The Prinsendam was a few minutes late arriving and dropping anchor. The anchorage was also further from shore than expected. There was another ship, Island Seas, already at anchor with their tender operation underway. It seemed to take forever for the first tender to get the shore operation set up and get the Prinsendam's tenders going. Slinkie and Grumpy were in group 7 (the last scheduled tour) and were supposed to depart the ship at 12:30p. It was about 1:15 when their number was finally called. Their tour was called Alghero Discovery, and was na quick overview of the portion of Sardinia where Alghero is located. Of particular interest was the stop at the prehistoric settlement of Palmavera Nuraghe. There are remains of two-story stone towers dating back to 1100 BC, along with a Pentagon shaped wall that enclosed the towers. There are a few dozen small circular foundations, which were probably the houses and one larger circular building with an alter or something similar in the middle. That building is at the intersection of two walls of the pentagon, and probably served as the central meeting place. All of those buildings had vertical walls, so likely had thatch roofs. The twin towers in the center were larger and the inner room was conical and completely closed at the top. There was a second wall around that with a spiral stairway to the second floor, which surrounded the upper portion of the cone. The actual use of the structures and who lived there is somewhat unclear, as the structures are unique to Sardinia and various archeologists have differing theories about the site.
-
From there the tour went to Capo Caccia, a good point for panoramic views of the harbor and across to Alghero. There are some caves in the area that are supposed to be quite interesting, but the tour didn't go there. The bus went back into Alghero and toured the city before stopping a couple of blocks away from the tender dock. From there, the guide led the group down a narrow street that used to be the main street in the old town. There was store after store selling the coral jewelry. You would think that with so much competition the prices would be competetive, but Grumpy thinks they love their coral so much they don't want to part with it. Or if they do part with it, you will pay dearly. Slinkie and Grumpy's contribution to the local economy amounted to two bottles of the local wines.
-
All aboard was set for 5:30p with Sailaway scheduled for 6p. Grumpy watched from his verandah as the last tender returned at 6:15. Things must run on "island time" here like they do in the Caribbean...
-
Slinkie and Grumpy are at a table for eight, late seating. Their dinner companions are a very likeable bunch and the converstions are quite lively. It promises to be very enjoyable. The suite cocktail reception was this evening. After meeting in the Neptune, small groups were led across to the Captain's quarters for music, cocktails, hors d' and conversation. Grumpy passed along the greetings from those of you that had requested he do so. He asked Grumpy if he was writing anything about this trip and said he had really enjoyed the world cruise thread.... Grumpy thought the Captain would have better tastes in literature...
-
For those that might ask, the Captain is Halle Thon Gundersen, the HM is Fekko Ebbens and the Cruise Director is Chris Bisson. Everything around the ship seems to be just as it was at the end of the world cruise except for the addition of the painting and the tiles by Stephen Card in the forward stairwell. Very nice works. The staff is friendly and so helpful. The faces may be different, but the service is the same as we have come to expect from the wonderful HAL staff and crew.
-
Slinkie and Grumpy found that one couple from their table on the world cruise is on this cruise. Another person from that table was on the Noordam cruise. It's nice to see familiar faces among the passengers. The first person that Grumpy spoke with at the suite reception lives less than five miles from Slinkie and Grumpy. Hmmm, gotta travel halfway around the world to meet your neighbors.... Well, during the season in Naples, FL it might be easier to travel halfway around the world than to fight the snowbirds for five miles.
-
Copper and Jennie... no need to apologize for meandering off on a different tangent on this thread... Grumpy's probably hijacked more threads than he's started... but he enjoys reading about the adventures of others mixed into the thread. Feel free to share anything you'd like... Well, maybe almost anything...
-
Waxer... the luggage problems seem to arise regardless of who handled the air arrangements. HAL seems to do everything they can to help track it down, even if they weren't involved in the arrangements. If you read the fine print in the contract, HAL really isn't "on the hook". Their legal department makes sure about things like that. But they really do try to keep the passengers coming back by doing more than might be legally required.
-
Bucky3... we saw the Tauck group on the Noordam, but never talked to anyone that was a part of the group. Their group and ours were in different sections of the Crow's Nest a time or two.
[/SIZE]

[Waxer]

Thank you, Grumpy; that was an extremely useful pointer about the cruise line not really being on the hook!

[AlohaPride]

I just LOVE reading your stories! I admire them so much that I have already purchased a little diary to keep a "log" while I'm on the Noordam this December! :D

[ger_77]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]Waxer, technically HAL doesn't take responsibility for your luggage until it comes off the aircraft and is loaded onto their ships. When luggage is lost, it's usually the airlines fault, not the cruise lines. But when you happen to have luggage go astray, they go out of their way to try to recover it for you. They did our laundry every night, making sure our clothes were back by 7AM, and kept us updated daily on its location. When it finally reached the ship at Istanbul, we claimed it at the docks where it was being guarded by no less than 2 officers. Is there any wonder why we keep coming back to HAL??? Customer service means a lot.[/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)[/FONT]

[SDHALFAN]

[quote name='AlohaPride']I just LOVE reading your stories! I admire them so much that I have already purchased a little diary to keep a "log" while I'm on the Noordam this December! :D[/quote]

Hi again Mary,

I used to keep a log of our cruises but since my husband died I have become lazy. That's really a shame because, even if you don't plan to post a review of your cruise, it is fun to go back and reread all those entries.

One visits so many interesting places on cruises and meets such interesting people, and has so many incredible experiences worth remembering.

Be sure to keep up your journal, even on those days when it seems like too much trouble, because it's just like having a photo album and you can go back and look and remember all those once-in-a-lifetime things.

Valerie:)