PaulaW

Hi Everyone! I believe that Joey is talking about me. I had the pleasure of sailing with some of you on the Millie in 2006 on our wonderful Med cruise. For those I don't know yet, my name is Paula, I'm single and in my late 30's and I'm from the Western New York area-- just outside of Buffalo. Thanks to Joey, I was persuaded to join you on this wonderful cruise. For those of you who also sailed on the Millie, you may remember one of the guest entertainers. My dear friend, Hyperion Knight will also be on this sailing. He is an amazing classical pianist and his show is not to be missed! (no bias here, of course!) So, I have tried to catch up on reading this thread and will anxiously start the planning process. I plan to fly in early and join you at the HI Doral. I'm also up for the pre-cruise party and am interested in hearing any ideas you have for shore excursions. I've visited all of these ports before, but for some, it's been a long time.

Hi Everyone!! Made it home safe and sound about 8:30 last night. I just wanted to tell everyone how much I enjoyed meeting all of you. This was probably one of my best cruises ever and it is in part due to all of you. I enjoyed having a "family" away from home. So, I'm settling in and got my email caught up and laundry is almost done. Take care everyone!

I leave tomorrow at 2pm. My parents are picking me up around 12:30pm to head to the airport. I will meet Trish in Atlanta. I still have lots of packing to do, but everything around the house is pretty well taken care of. I mailed my absentee ballot today. So, I guess that's it. I can't wait to see all of you in Barcelona on the 28th! Diane, I will ask for you at the hotel. Everyone, please be safe and I hope everyone has pleasant flights! Bon Voyage! Paula

YIPPEE!!! I am done. I finished my last shift this morning. Now, I am like a whirling dervish trying to get my packing done. This is it!! We are at the end of a long planning period and it's time to get the show on the road! Diane, Thanks for the info from Claudio. I hope everything will work out OK. I will do my best to be positive and have a great time, no matter what. Happy Trails everyone!

Gail R, I'm so sorry that you're not feeling well. I will miss not being able to meet you! But take care of yourself-- that's what's most important! I'm in the home stretch! I have one more shift to go. My packing is coming along-- but I'm getting kind of daunted by the amount of things that are ending up on my list! I hope I can fit everything in with room left over. Diane-- Did you see the review on the"dark side" of our cruise from "mountainmare" who used Claudio's services? The poster raved about Fabrizio, but was given Roberto in Rome and was extremely disappointed-- especially with the guided tour of the vatican. I hope we are more fortunate!

Jerbet, Yes, I do. I live in Western New York, near Buffalo. About 20 minutes from the Canadian border. I'm down to 2 days left of work-- before I go. Of course they're both night shifts, but Monday morning, I'm done!!!

Gail, good to hear from you. I'm glad you arrived safely and are having a good time. Also, thank you for your kind thoughts. The snow actually was not the worst part of it. It's all gone now. The problem was the tree damage and the resulting power outages. We have utility crews here from all over the country and there are still about 60,000 people without power. Someone said that the damage that has resulted is comparable with that of a Category 1 hurricane. Not something one is used to dealing with in Western NY!! Diane, thanks for the reminder of the timers! I knew the time was changing, but forgot about resetting the timers. It's now on my list!

Not for me!! I am not a wine drinker--- actually I am not much of a drinker at all!! I am an eater! How is the packing going for everyone? I haven't started yet. I can't pack until a day or two before.

Yes, I have done this in advance and it has worked well for me in the past. It is actually on my list of things to do today!

Hi Everyone! Margaret, glad to hear your surgery went well. I have been debating for years whether or not to have it done, but I'm a little nervous. My vision is SO bad, that I am afraid that I can not be corrected sufficiently enough to not still need glasses/contacts. So for now, it's contacts for me! Diane, Thanks for the update on the taxi situation. I agree that we should meet at some point ahead of time to work out the details. I don't know how many of you have been paying attention to the Weather Channel lately, but we (the Western New York area) got socked with a REALLY early snow storm last night. This was the earliest date on record to get this much snow. I got about 12 inches of heavy, wet snow. The biggest problem was that all of the trees still had their leaves and there are MANY trees down and more than 250,000 people in the area with no power. Fortunately, I do have power and very little damage. I feel very blessed; most people had a lot of damage and some of my family still do not have power. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Yep! I leave on the 25th-- two weeks from tomorrow!! I am starting to go crazy from both excitement and the anxiety of trying to get everything done before I go. Because of the weather around here, I have the added burden of trying to make sure everything around the house is "winterized." It may very well be snowing by the time I get back! Happy Packing everyone!

Joey-- I love your new picture. :wink: Dessert is the best!! And thanks to everyone for the reminder to copy my passport and other documents!! I will put that on my "last minute" to do list.

Welcome Bob & Kirsten! Yay!!! I am doing the doc dance!! Just heard from my TA and I'm off to pick them up! Joey, count me in to join you at the Cova. I love that place! I'm like you, however, no coffee, just hot chocolate and a scrumptious pastry!! I am really starting to bounce off the walls-- and I still have to work 12 days yet!

This really puts it into perspective. Time is really flying now!

I just got a phone call confirmation from the Captain's Club. Our reservation for the Olympic is also confirmed! Yay! We are going the 5th at 7 pm. Gail, thanks for the vote of confidence on the packing. Having my lists nearly complete does ease my anxiety a bit. I usually don't pack until the day before or so to minimize wrinkling. The List is my biggest obstacle-- I figure once it is on the list, it is off my mind. I just need to leave enough time to get it all done. I just did my schedule request for work and I will finish up at work the night of the 22nd, so I really have 2 full days to get ready before I leave, so that helps!

Welcome Vicki and Tom! Have got most of my packing lists underway and I am getting more organized. What I've noticed is that I still keep thinking that I've got so much time to do everything because I started planning so far in advance. But, my gosh, I leave 3 weeks from tomorrow!! I have to keep reminding myself that there is NOT so much time anymore. Does anyone else have this problem? Still no docs for us yet, either!

Thank you, Joey. This has been quite an amazing experience. I feel like we have definitely become one family and to go on a cruise and to already have made friends is very comforting. So, thanks to everyone for all hints and helpful advice and planning. These next 25 days can't go quickly enough!

Thanks for the info on the tips-- that's pretty much what I thought, but I figured I'd double check. I will also keep you posted if I hear any great tips about Barcelona from my friend. The only thing he has said, so far, is that staying on Las Ramblas near the Plaza Cataluna is the place to be!! So, I guess we've all chosen well in that regard. Still no docs for us, but hopefully soon. I wanna do the dance!!

Speaking of tips: Does anyone know, do we tip in US dollars or Euros? Just wondering because it will make a difference in how much US money I bring with me. Thanks! I just found out today that I may be bringing my Spanish guide with me to Barcelona. We are visiting a family friend in Madrid pre-cruise and he mentioned that he would like to go with us and spend the weekend in Barcelona as well. He says he has many friends in Barcelona, so I may be getting a more authentic visit to Barcelona than I planned. Should be pretty cool! Have a great cruise Jackie!

Ok everyone: I have to vent!! Delta totally screwed us over again. Joey, if you don't mind, could you please update our departure time from Venice to 11:25am? I go to check my itinerary on Delta.com as I've been doing at least once every 2 weeks and surprise! they've made another schedule change! Thank goodness, I check my itinerary often, otherwise when we connected in Paris, we would have discovered that our flight overseas would have left already! Nice, huh? They had us on a flight that departed before we arrived. So, after spending nearly 45 minutes on the phone with Delta, they were able to re-issue our tickets. Actually, my change is a big improvement. I only have one connection at JFK before returning home. Trish, however, really got shafted. She has to shuttle from JFK to LGA, connect in Atlanta before returning home. That was the best they could offer her. Don't you just love air travel?

Joey- Congratulations on receiving your docs!! That is really good news for the rest of us, as well. I was kinda thinking that I'll definitely get mine in the next 2 weeks or so. I really need to get myself in gear with my packing-- I've been mentally planning, but I need to get my lists made. Enjoy the weekend everyone-- we've been having beautiful fall weather here!

Gail-- I'm so sorry to hear about your dad. It's never easy to lose a loved one. May you have the support and love of your family to get each other through this difficult time. It sounds like your dad lived a long and happy life--try to focus on that.

Diane- Thank you for hosting us! Will you be in the salon, or should we ask for you? I cannot believe that we are down to 35 days-- we leave for Madrid exactly 5 weeks from today!!

The Plan sounds fine with me. I just need someone to invite me to be their "guest" :wink: Trish and I are nearby, so we can meet up with whomever or wherever. And Joey, thanks for the welcome home-- it's good to be back. I gambled very little, but I did come out ahead-- so I can't complain! I'm going to start working diligently on my packing list now.

Hi Everyone! I'm back! Just got in from Las Vegas yesterday. I had a great trip out there for a Continuing Education conference. I met a friend there and we had a great time sightseeing, etc. Now, it's time to focus on Europe exclusively! I've been catching up on the posts and as far as dinner in Barcelona pre-cruise, earlier is probably better for us. I'm not a late night kind of person, but, we'll go along with whatever. Where do things stand now? Are we just meeting for drinks/tapas or at the hotel? Just tell me where and when and we'll be there. Gail, I'm sorry to hear about your dad. You and your family are in my thoughts. Back to work tomorrow! Have a great week everyone!