AndiD

Good Tuesday Evening, Crazies! The weather we have been having is not EVEN for the birds! We had a good dose of snow on Friday into mid-day Saturday; we had planned ahead so did not need to step out of our house until yesterday, when we stepped out to -8 degrees! Now today - I had a seminar this morning from 8:30 - Noon, after which we stepped outside to a 1/4-inch of ice coating the sidewalks, the streets, and our cars. And since I have a loaner....I didn't even have a brush or scraper! I was about to attempt the credit card trick when the car next door offered the use of their scraper - bless them! I crawled home, put the car in the garage until time to pick up Lucas. Many schools around us sent the kids home early; ours kept them the full day but then cancelled any after-school sports and activities. So we inched out to pick him up...inched our way back home with him, and luckily Mom came to get him so we didn't have to venture out again to get him back home. Now it is alternating between sleet/snow/rain. Jan - I know right?! The mice have been the major topic of conversation. They do like the warmth of the engine so they crawl up from underneath. No - our garage is not attached to the house, thank goodness! The peppermint seems to be working, but if not I'm going straight for the moth ball approach! Lucas was all full of wonder at the idea of mice nesting in my car - he wanted to know if they saved the nest...were any mice in it....could he see it? No....no....and no, lol! Apparently it isn't all that uncommon and many people have regaled me with horror stories of chewed-up wires, having babies in the cabin air filters, etc. etc. The tow truck company did call me yesterday, after which they did call the dealer and got all the details. They were supposed to call back this morning but have not... The car has been fixed and we were hoping they would just pay the dealer directly but not sure that will happen. I wasn't going to pick up the car today anyway, what with this crappy weather, so maybe by tomorrow we'll have some movement. A lawyer could probably help, but I also have the option of filing with my car insurance and then they will take up the fight. Sounds like your weather is not much better and yes - stay inside with your tree, a fire, and a glass of wine! Go Patriots! Hope all is well, Jackie, Miranda, Ray....etc..... Take care everyone!

Happy Weekend, Crazies! It is a snowy one for us...the storm that Jan will get soon is just now departing our area where up to 10 inches has fallen. We planned ahead and are inside until Monday! Miranda - So sorry to hear that you are not up to "snuff"! Take good care of yourself so that you can be back dancin' up a storm soon! Jan - So here is the ongoing saga of my car: It was NOT the fuel injectors, but alas, all is not well.... So....it got towed in on Tuesday. On Wednesday afternoon they called to say that they had found a mouse nest on the engine!! They cleaned all of that up and were going to start checking the filters and wires for mouse teeth damage! We immediately went out to Farm and Fleet and picked up pouches full of peppermint oil to hang under the hoods of our cars and scatter around the garage. Thursday they called to say that they had found a damaged O2 sensor and would replace....for $800.... OK - authorization given. Friday morning....another phone call....why hadn't I mentioned the grinding sound upon acceleration? "What grinding sound?", was my reply. Hmmm.... so they checked the video of the car being towed in...it seems that the tow company towed my car improperly - front wheels up instead of on a flatbed, which is the only way to tow an AWD car so as not to burn up the Power Transfer Unit...which is now burned up! We had AAA arrange the tow so I called AAA, who started a claim which would be looked at within 15 days(?!) They were going to immediately call the towing company and hoped that they would step up and take responsibility, which they have not so far, and unlikely to do so according to my service manager, who used to work for them. So...I called my insurance company, and if AAA does not step up, then I can file a claim with them and they will fight the good fight for me. In the meantime, I have had to authorize the $1600 repair (on top of the $800 repair) so that I am not without a car for 3 weeks or longer. AAAARGH! But yes, we have donated cars before; I was just kind of hoping, since this one has a 1.5 year old engine, new tires and new transmission, that I could get a little something for it. There is a case to be made for leasing...at least you get a new car every few years and do not need to make the decision of when to stop putting money into one!! Jackie - Hope you are doing okay - I am thinking about you! And of course, we are thinking about and missing our Shari! Hope everyone has a good weekend, in spite of the horrid weather a lot of us are experiencing....Happy Winter!

WHOO HOO - Congratulations, Jackie! Much deserved for your contributions and your welcoming spirit toward new and old alike. I truly value your friendship and hope that we are able to sail together one day!

Good Wednesday Afternoon, Crazies! I am behind my time - so many posts and so much activity...unfortunately not all of it good news. I am so saddened to hear about Shari - I'm hoping that we can get updates about her - and am taking heart that she was able to go to rehab. Jackie - And I am so sorry to hear about your Gucci. It is so difficult to lose a beloved pet; no one understands how it feels until it happens! I am thinking about you and hoping you can heal with the good memories you have. Ray - Hope you and Yuki are feeling better. There is lots of nasty stuff going around so good that you are staying on top of it. We are having waves of that white stuff, which has now resulted in the cancellation of our State Board Meeting for the second week... Traveling down I-55 in bad weather than be VERY hazardous to your health! Jan - We did not see Aquaman...not really any interest. But we did babysit with a sickie all day Sunday so watched quite a few older movies....like Princess and the Frog, which I hadn't seen before and thoroughly adored, and Land Before Time #9. Who knew they made so many sequels to that movie - "made for DVD" - I don't think they ever played in the theaters. I thought the original was so sad but the sequels are much happier... Our tree is still glowing brightly....probably will come down this weekend, though, since it looks like we will be stuck in the house again. Miranda - Hope you had a fabulous time dancing with your friends! Just keep on dancing right through the winter...and on to your next cruise! Ours is 32 days and counting....... Well....my car went kablooey on my way home from a hair appointment yesterday...I think it is the fuel injectors again, in which case this will be the end of this car. We had to have it towed and I am awaiting the verdict of the service department... We knew we had to get a new one by July so I was just casually researching, etc., but now those plans will go into high gear. And I have to figure out how to dispose of this car - I certainly can't do a trade-in with it. Oh bother!! But at least I had fabulous hair when the tow truck driver came! 😂 Take care everyone - stay warm!

I certainly agree with you there!

I think for me it would depend on how long is left and what ports are coming up that will accept an offloaded body; not all of them will. If the cruise only had a couple of days left and it was heading back to the US, it would probably be quicker, easier and less costly to do that rather than try to make arrangements from an obscure port. We had a woman die on our 15-day Panama Canal crossing and her and her family were taken off in Guatamala...

Great articles, Jan! We'll have to look into Afternoon Tea at the Chateau!

I can empathize as well! I fell, coincidentally on a Royal Caribbean ship - we were coming into the dance lounge up on the top deck and it was very dark with strobe lighting on the dance floor, which drew my attention, and I missed a step down. The room was dark, the floor was black, the steps were black and I didn't pay close enough attention. I went straight down and immediately about 10 people came rushing to help...each pulling a limb in a different direction, trying to help me up! 😂 I was more embarrassed than anything, but my knees swelled up like balloons, and we had to scale back some of our plans for the remaining ports. Better lighting to differentiate the two steps down would have helped, and one gentleman said he did the same thing earlier. Attention to safety should be an ongoing review for passengers' sake and for the cruise lines.

Happy Monday, Crazies. Started back up with the normal routine today...Lucas after school and meetings in the early evenings... thankfully the weather is quite warm, if very soggy! Mid-50s today but solid rain and now the wind is coming. Very unusual weather, but we'll take it. Jackie - I agree that it is unusual to not hear from Shari - and also hope that she is alright. It is easy to "overdo" it at the holidays... How did your busy Monday at work go? An African safari is definitely something to look forward to, no matter how many times you've done it...like Alaska! Jan - Here's to a good 2019 for your travel business! I imagine it is hard to build up a clientele these days, what with all the "do-it-yourself websites and promises of free perks. People don't know what a good agent can do for them until they run into trouble and need a good agent! Hope everyone is doing well in the start of this new year - cheers!

Good Saturday Afternoon, Crazies! We are having a very mild day - upper 40s - so down came the outside decorations. I do keep my tree and inside decorated for a little while longer, though - I do love the lit tree in the evenings! We have our annual SIL birthday dinner and family trip to Barnes and Noble tonight. In spite of owning more books than I can possibly read in my remaining lifetime, I can't help but buy more! And I am unapologetic about it, lol! I do manage to knock off 6-7 on each cruise...so my solution would be to take more cruises so I can read more books - right?! Miranda - Yes - our Edge cruise is 43 days away, followed by our Adventure of the Seas cruise with Krista and Efrain at 70 days away and then 215 until our Crazies Cruise - yay! Hooray on your air conditioning. Yep - Alaska first, then Hawaii - those are my top two as well. Then it is a close third between Norway and the Galapagos. Ray - You are getting busier and busier every day; I must admit I truly love the leisure time I have. Now having just looked at my calendar for next week - I have a meeting every night, with Lucas in the afternoons of course...ah well, it is all of my own choosing...and yours is as well, right? Just be sure to stop in and say hey to us! Good luck to everyone heading back to work on Monday - I guess that truly signals the end of the holiday season. Hellooooo Winter!

I concur that there are many excursions I consider "favorites" but, surprisingly, mine came on a Viking river cruise - the Paris/Normandy itinerary - when we toured Monet's gardens. The gardens were the inspiration for many of his paintings and to see those paintings "come to life" and to be standing "in" his paintings was awe-inspiring!

Ray - We have indeed been to Alaska three times: Once with Holland America - we did a 6-day land tour followed by a 7-day cruise down to Vancouver. We did Princess with a 7-day cruise up from Vancouver followed by a 4-day land cruise and we did a 12-day cruise only with Celebrity. IF you are doing both land and sea then I definitely would go with Princess - they have the best lodges and are flawlessly organized! IF you are doing cruise-only....Viking does do a really great cruise itinerary there.... I am in the midst of researching Alaska for 2020 with our Little Guy... We are still planning on the Adriatic for 2021, but would totally understand if you want to put it on the back burner....Alaska is my favorite destination!!

Happy 2019 to all my CruiseCrazies friends!! Hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve - no matter how you spent it. We had a wonderful dinner at one of our favorite restaurants and then went back to Lucas' for games and noisemakers and "grape wine" ...followed later by the "real thing", lol. Today is a quiet one spent watching the NHL Winter Classic - Go Hawks - and reading! We had pouring-down rain yesterday and today is just gloomy and chilly, but no snow....at least not yet. Miranda - So happy to hear that Peggy and Larry are joining us - will look forward to meeting them! Just 219 days to go, ha! Enjoy the day everyone!

So my question is....how do they know you are a "banana" until the very end of the cruise? Or do most people tip throughout?

Good Saturday Evening, Crazies! Well I have done virtually nothing for two days...I did join in an impromptu bridge game on Thursday...took my ring in to Jared's yesterday to get the split band fixed...picked same ring up today...finished two books I was reading... Very lazy, but very happy, ha! Jan and Jackie - Thanks for the great insight into Alaska in May. I've decided that we will just go with the time and itinerary that fits us best, and not worry about historical weather or wildlife probabilities. Having been three times....I can truly say that both of those are unpredictable! We do not venture far on New Year's Eve...out to dinner and then back to Heidi's to play games and ring in the new year. Krista and Efrain will join us this year so should be fun. Miranda - Glad you had a nice time with Martina. I can understand not wanting to make the long haul any more, but you were right in saying that we would love to cruise with her again! Maybe if we pick another European one she will join in? How about your NYE plans? Shari - Saw all that snow in Minnesota - hope you did not get the brunt of that storm. It brought us lots and lots of rain and wind! Today we did wake up to an icy snow that barely covered the ground, but it warmed just enough to melt it off of the driveways and roads. Tomorrow is the girls' shopping day - hooray! We will start at our favorite place for an early lunch and then hit our favorites stores and malls. That will be the most activity I've done all week, lol. I really must figure out how to fit a regular gym stop into my day.....NEXT week.... Have a very Safe and Happy New Year celebration, Crazies!