Saga Rose Greenland Voyager August 2007

[Druke I]

I do believe it has already been documented in New Zealand.

[Saga Ruby]

Ruby, are you planning to do so on your trip to Rome and the Eastern Provinces? It is getting closer. Fran

 

No, I won't be taking medication with me. I take zero pills of any kind - no OTCs, no health store remedies, no prescriptions. As you can see, I have enjoyed wonderful health all my life with few speed bumps. The older I get, the more I know that I am one lucky gal.

 

As a teenager, at dinner one night with my parents, I mentioned that my left arm had been "asleep" for days. Mother was alarmed and gave The Look to my father the doctor. He shrugged and said, "It's probably a pinched nerve. If it doesn't go away in 10 days, you may have a brain tumour." Which did nothing to relieve my mother's concern. Short answer: pinched nerve.

 

From my childhood, I was highly trained about hand-washing, breathing thru my mouth when somebody sneezes, and traveler's diarrhea so off I go on the 15th, betting that I can beat most of the viruses and bacteria that await me. And, if I don't, I recognize that my Superman immune system will get me thru the health challenge in good order.

 

Poor Donald. He's almost the contra-indicator for cruises. Fortunately he does the Mexican Riviera cruises often enough that he won't miss seeing any important ports. But he's probably getting an ear full from unhappy fellow passengers!

 

Ruby

Edited May 2, 2009 by Saga Ruby

[Druke I]

Would it not be your Superwoman immune system?

[MMDown Under]

I do believe it has already been documented in New Zealand.

 

Yes. These were cases of people returning from Mexico.

 

We also have cases of Australians in London, who caught the flu from time spent recently in Mexico.

 

The worry is when it spreads from person to person, who have had no known contact with Mexico.

[MMDown Under]

No, I won't be taking medication with me. I take zero pills of any kind - no OTCs, no health store remedies, no prescriptions. As you can see, I have enjoyed wonderful health all my life with few speed bumps. The older I get, the more I know that I am one lucky gal.

 

As a teenager, at dinner one night with my parents, I mentioned that my left arm had been "asleep" for days. Mother was alarmed and gave The Look to my father the doctor. He shrugged and said, "It's probably a pinched nerve. If it doesn't go away in 10 days, you may have a brain tumour." Which did nothing to relieve my mother's concern. Short answer: pinched nerve.

 

 

Ruby

 

I was raised the same way.

 

We were fortunate to have a wonderful old family doctor, who believed in the "10 day rule".

 

Once grown, my younger daughter said to me in amazement, "You know Mum other people go to the doctor for just anything!"

[franu]

No, I won't be taking medication with me. I take zero pills of any kind - no OTCs, no health store remedies, no prescriptions. As you can see, I have enjoyed wonderful health all my life with few speed bumps. The older I get, the more I know that I am one lucky gal.

 

Although my beliefs are similar to yours, it is my genetic make-up that betrays me. Between my Rx's and OTC meds, pain management systems and cane, I fill my carry-on with these things. I absolutely refuse to give up and as suggested to me and use a scooter.

 

When my DS went to medical school, he called one day near the beginning of the first year and asked me what did so and so die of. When I completed my family he was no feeling so good about his future but then we did my DH's family. He knew right at that moment that there was nothing that wasn't on one side or the other.

 

Ruby, I could only wish to be in good shape too.

 

The media is wasting an excellent opportunity to teach those things that we learned at mother's knee. I realize that different cultures have different beliefs but when I was growing up there were many immigrant groups and they and we were taught not to spit in public. Now I see a lot of it.

 

We were taught to cover our mouths when we cough. I can't believe how many don't. I don't believe that breathing through the mouth when someone is coughing was part of it. In fact could you explain it to me.

Fran

[Saga Ruby]

Would it not be your Superwoman immune system?

 

I am sorry to say that I can't fit into her costume. So I had go with the man size!

 

The media is wasting an excellent opportunity to teach those things that we learned at mother's knee.

 

We were taught to cover our mouths when we cough. I can't believe how many don't. I don't believe that breathing through the mouth when someone is coughing was part of it. In fact could you explain it to me.

Fran

 

I totally agree that the media does nothing positive in times of trial like medical issues. They gloat at the current situation and relish throwing out scare words like "pandemic," "deaths," etc. What a pity that journalism chooses to go for the ratings points instead of calming an already-nervous public.

 

Toward the end of my father's 91 yrs., I asked him why we use soap to wash our hands. Why soap? He said that the chemical formula of soap breaks the surface tension of the dirt on skin and water carries it away. And the theory of "breathing thru your mouth" is that the nasal passages are warm and moist, perfect breeding grounds for inhaling a virus or flu bacterium, whereas bacteria going down the throat and into stomach acid are goners. It's an imperfect theory but one can at least try.

 

What specialty did your son go into? My father was a world-famous pathologist which could be fun or could be quite a burden for his children.

 

Ruby

[franu]

What specialty did your son go into? My father was a world-famous pathologist which could be fun or could be quite a burden for his children.

 

My son is a family physician. He also went back to school in the evenings to get his MBA. This made him a medical director of a clinic until recently when the fiscal climate changed and the owners sold the clinic.

 

Pathology was my great love although I didn't continue to pursue it after marriage. I was a technician working in Exfoliative Cytology and did research to prove the efficacy of the methods.

Fran

[Conte Di Savoia]

The current flu provides a great opportunity to study the spread of a virus around the world and how to cope with a pandemic. It's a great chance to learn how to deal with a medical crisis in the event that it should be anything like the 1918 influenza. Thus far this virus does not appear to be anything like that which occured in the early 20th century. It is not even as severe as the "usual" type of flu which we see during the traditional flu season in North America. There is no reason to panic IMO, despite the constant coverage by the media. The most irrational act which I've heard about was the emergency landing of a flight from Germany to New York. A passenger complained of flu-like symptons and the plane landed in Boston instead. That's just "plane" nuts!

[Saga Ruby]

Pathology was my great love although I didn't continue to pursue it after marriage. I was a technician working in Exfoliative Cytology and did research to prove the efficacy of the methods. Fran

 

As a child, my father had my sister and me work on alternate Sundays to help him with the grosses at his lab. So I learned at an early age about the human body and my father always answered my questions about anatomy. I also learned at an early age not to talk about my father's specialty because the answer always came back, "Ewww, your father works on dead people" which hurt my feelings quite a lot. In my grade school cafeteria I was discussing the details of gross anatomy when a teacher gently pulled me to the side and said that one of the kids was upset at my discussion and please leave the details for another time and place.

 

It's always a pleasure to talk to someone who knows and appreciates the detailed science of pathology. My daughter's residency in pathology was 5 years plus a fellowship at UT Southwestern - some surgeons don't have to that kind of learning curve for their work. And surgeons rarely tell their patients that "the lab" is run by a highly-qualified doctor, the "doctor's doctor."

 

I hope Donald gets back before I leave on the 15th. I would enjoy hearing The Latest on HAL before I go - and his Flu Cruise!

 

Ruby

[Host Sharon]

Oh dear, what have I been missing. Is Donald becoming a Jonah. I know the other passengers on Artemis will be relieved I have cancelled my cruise with six tender ports, since it always seems to be too rough to land when I am on board. I think I will skip the detailed discussions on anatomy though. Anyway - my book goes top the pritneres tomorrow so I am back in the land of the living and only 7 week and 2 days till my cruise :)

Edited May 5, 2009 by ships cat

[Druke I]

http://www.maritimematters.com has posted a nice picture of Saga Rose, tied up at Berth 101, Southampton, 5-7-09.

 

It is a nice looking ship, and you can really see the shear of the decks.

[Saga Ruby]

Ross has kindly given me a head's up about a review of Vision of the Seas which is so humourous, entertaining, and spot-on about tourist traps that I laughed and I laughed and I . . . .

 

It can be found at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=979928

 

It makes for great entertainment as we await Donald's return and his review of his Mexican Riviera/Swine Flu cruise.

 

Ruby

[Druke I]

Yes - a great read. Chuckled aloud several times.

[Kapricorn]

Poor Donald. First Norovirus and now this. He's definitely have a streak of bad luck cruising this spring. We need to pay attention to where Donald is going and avoid those areas.

 

I got back home a couple of hours ago - I was fifth off the ship! There were TV cameramen standing at the taxi stand, and they filmed my luggage being wheeled to a taxi and then being lifted into the trunk. The camera was then aimed at me. The taxi's rear door was still locked, so I turned to the camera, smiled and waved. According to a friend, the local TV news has been mentioning that there will be a shortage of taxi cabs in Vancouver this weekend due to 10,000 cruise ship passengers in addition to numerous conventions. I will have to see if I am on the 5 o'clock news!

 

From what I have learned about Donald, I expect that he will take it with good humour. I believe that he is happiest at sea.

 

You got it right, Fran! Good humour is the only way to deal with the unexpected. We did stop in Puerto Vallarta, and I went ashore to purchase a couple of bottles of pure vanilla, and a Mexican doll for my friend in Holland who collects dolls from around the world (I already sent her dolls from Hawaii and Alaska). The next four Mexican ports were cancelled, replaced with three sea days to San Diego. Naturally I was disappointed about not enjoying the Mexican sun, but I was not going to waste my time grumbling about it. I spent the sea days reading books from the ship's library and sunbathing whenever the sun came out.

 

When Ryndam arrived in Long Beach, I opened my cabin window curtains and was surprised by the sight of Queen Mary nearby. Later that day I enjoyed three hours of touring Queen Mary, imagining myself mingling with the rich and famous during the heyday of transatlantic travel. The area where my uncle was photographed is indeed in the First Class section.

 

It was also my first time in Avalon on Catalina Island. I wandered through it for about an hour, but unfortunately it was over-run by 3,000 passengers from the mega-barge Star Princess. As I returned by tender to Ryndam, I observed a very long line of Princess passengers standing in the sunlight, waiting to return to their ship.

 

Ryndam was under Code Red when I boarded in San Diego, as there was a norovirus outbreak during the previous cruise. It was lifted two or three days later. Throughout these two weeks I was quite the fanatic with frequent hand-washings and the use of Purell disinfectant. Voila! I am back home in good health, though five or six pounds heavier.

 

Donald.

Edited May 8, 2009 by Kapricorn
spelling correction!

[Saga Ruby]

When Ryndam arrived in Long Beach, I opened my cabin window curtains and was surprised by the sight of Queen Mary nearby. Later that day I enjoyed three hours of touring Queen Mary, imagining myself mingling with the rich and famous during the heyday of transatlantic travel. The area where my uncle was photographed is indeed in the First Class section.

 

Does the QM tour still include the engine room? I found that particularly fascinating but that was back in 1988 so things can easily have changed.

 

It was also my first time in Avalon on Catalina Island. I wandered through it for about an hour, but unfortunately it was over-run by 3,000 passengers from the mega-barge Star Princess. As I returned by tender to Ryndam, I observed a very long line of Princess passengers standing in the sunlight, waiting to return to their ship.

 

You have me laughing about the mega-barge. A couple of years ago, I saw a wonderful, depressing photo of six cruise-ship barges in Ketchikan - it cured me forever of wanting to return to Alaska.

 

Voila! I am back home in good health, though five or six pounds heavier. Donald.

 

You have a wonderful attitude about your cruise in spite of the pancaked itinerary. It fascinates me that pax grumbled about the necessary changes while I realize that they would have grumbled if the itinerary had remained in place and the pax might have been exposed to the flu. You can't win for losing with barge passengers.

 

I leave for Prinsendam on Friday and have questions. Your best guess - will there be a Chef's Night onboard? We have 4 formal nights and 12 "dressy casual." Did you get flowers and fresh fruit every day? Most of my cruises do, but in this era of cutbacks and the huge cost savings I made on this particular cruise, I wonder.

 

Was any extra touch deleted from your cruise that used to be a usual? Did the staff seem as hospitable as in the past? In other words, is the current economy having any effect based on your past experiences with HAL?

 

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

Does the QM tour still include the engine room? I found that particularly fascinating but that was back in 1988 so things can easily have changed.

 

Indeed I stumbled around the labyrinth of the QM's engine room. The propeller box was drained of water and the screws were not spinning. Maintenance must have been underway there.

 

 

I leave for Prinsendam on Friday and have questions. Your best guess - will there be a Chef's Night onboard? We have 4 formal nights and 12 "dressy casual." Did you get flowers and fresh fruit every day? Most of my cruises do, but in this era of cutbacks and the huge cost savings I made on this particular cruise, I wonder.

 

There was a Chef's Night on Ryndam. On our first day aboard, a friend and I went to the maitre d' of the specialty restaurant, Pinnacle Grill, and asked when would be the Chef's Night, and he replied on the last formal night before returning to San Diego. We thereupon booked a table for two for that night.

 

As occupant of a oceanview cabin, I was asked which fruits I wanted in my cabin, and I got oranges in a basket. There would be three at any one time, so they were reasonably fresh. No flowers for oceanview cabins, though, just in the suites. Perhaps regular HAL travellers get flowers, just as I do on Celebrity cruises no matter my cabin category.

 

Was any extra touch deleted from your cruise that used to be a usual? Did the staff seem as hospitable as in the past? In other words, is the current economy having any effect based on your past experiences with HAL?

 

The nightly summons to dinner by a costumed bellhop with his bell has been discontinued for the past two or three years. The staff was just as hospitable as usual - I had absolutely no complaints on that score.

 

Donald.

[MMDown Under]

Ross has kindly given me a head's up about a review of Vision of the Seas which is so humourous, entertaining, and spot-on about tourist traps that I laughed and I laughed and I . . . .

 

It can be found at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=979928

 

It makes for great entertainment as we await Donald's return and his review of his Mexican Riviera/Swine Flu cruise.

 

Ruby

 

I also enjoyed this entertaining humourous review.

 

Bon Voyage for your cruise, Ruby. Looking forward to reading of your cruise experiences on your return.

[Druke I]

I did not know that HAL had discontinued the dinner chimes. Too bad. It has been awhile since we've been on HAL.

 

Ruby: have a great trip on Prinsendam.

[Saga Ruby]

I did not know that HAL had discontinued the dinner chimes. Too bad. It has been awhile since we've been on HAL.

 

I still miss the sailaway streamers, the dinner chimes, and the oh-so-quiet fire watchman walking from box to box, checking in with his turnkey.

 

Donald - two questions: Was there a black-and-white formal dinner on your cruise? And do you ever dine at the Lido Deck buffet on those nights you feel like being informal? I notice that you go to Pinnacle Grill for an option on nights you don't dine in the GDR.

 

Thanks, everybody, for the bon voyage wishes. As I have said, I'm going on this ship to remember my days and weeks on Royal Viking. I don't have a busy itinerary at all; for me, it will be a deck chair and my Kindle2.

 

Ruby

[franu]

Ruby, Of course I am wishing you a wonderful trip and cruise. It is so special that you can take this trip down memory lane. Obviously, you have lots of very special memories on that ship. I hope that it will give you the "warm fuzzies" that you are looking for.

 

It is important to remember that nothing is as good or sweet as memories. I hope that you celebrate the differences. With your sense of humour I am certain that all will be wonderful.

 

Bon Voyage.

Fran

[Kapricorn]

Donald - two questions: Was there a black-and-white formal dinner on your cruise? And do you ever dine at the Lido Deck buffet on those nights you feel like being informal? I notice that you go to Pinnacle Grill for an option on nights you don't dine in the GDR.

 

There were four formal evenings during the 14-day cruise. Most of the passengers dressed appropriately, though there were still some who insist on appearing in the casino and other public spaces in t-shirts, shorts and sandals. These people probably ate dinner in the Lido buffet.

 

I've never, ever "dined" in the Lido buffet. I always have breakfast and lunch in the buffet, hence I'd like some pampering in the evening by the dining room waiters. I went to the Pinnacle Grill just to avoid the embarrassing spectacles during the Chef's Hat event. You certainly can dine in the Lido buffet if you like - the tables are covered with tablecloths and trainee waiters take your orders.

 

Ruby, enjoy your relaxation on the cruise.

 

Donald.

Edited May 10, 2009 by Kapricorn

[Saga Ruby]

All my cruising life, I thought that a ship's size (tonnage) meant that tonnage was how much water it displayed, gross weight as it were.

 

In 2003 onboard Constellation, the subject came up and one of my tablemates said that was incorrect. He said that 44,000 tons was the interior ship's capacity. I was gobsmacked. The next evening, he came to table with a print-out showing the definition of marine tons. I was happy to have learned something.

 

Can someone tell me "the rest of the story?" If memory serves, wasn't the tonnage designation of a ship shown as 44,000gwt? I thought the "gwt" was gross-weight tons. Then the brochures were reading as "gross tons" and now I have no idea what or how the size is indicated.

 

Has the definition of ship's tonnage (tonnes) been consistent throughout the last century into this millenium?

 

Ruby

[Kapricorn]

I've also thought that tonnage referred to a ship's weight. I had wondered if every part of the ship was weighed before installation, to arrive at the total weight. Who cares about a ship's interior capacity?

 

I remember that the tonnage of the United States was first given as around 53,000, and after a while it was suddenly dropped to around 35,000. I think that considering her size, the former figure is the correct one.

 

Donald.

[Druke I]

Cruise ships are normally classified by Gross Registered Tonnage, which is a measurement of interior volume.

 

Some merchant ships are classified by Gross Weight Tonnage, which usually is displacement tonnage.

 

Naval ships usually will be displacement tonnage, although there may be two different tonnages listed - normal and wartime load!

 

Then, of course, there is Deadweight Tonnage, which is the weight of the ship, and may be calculated either empty or "stored".

 

Muddying the waters for cruise ships, some companies recently have been deleting the volume area of balconies, which has the effect of reducing the GRT, important for reducing the fees for passage through the Panama Canal or Suez Canal. Of course, if the balconies are "hull cut", their volume would be included. In some of those cases, they have been calling it "Gross Tonnage".

 

Further complicating matters is short ton, long ton, metric ton, etc.

 

Very confusing, to say the least. It may well be time to come up with a new, standardized system, applied across the board!

Edited May 12, 2009 by Druke I