Jan115

Oh man, I missed the “newbie” thing. Did I look young?🙂

Thanks to Jason for getting us all back on board. 

Jackie - It’s great to hear from you, but I’m so very sorry to hear about your daughter. I was not aware of your first daughter’s Covid, and this latest tragic news must be so devastating for your family. My heartfelt sympathies to all. Wishing you a restful time in South Africa to unwind and recharge. If you’re interested, we’ve got a cruise to Spain & Portugal in late August 2024 - the link is in the Roll Call section. Or message me and I’ll send you the info. We would love to finally meet you.

So far it looks like the Pride of America will be staying the course for our cruise September 9. As Andi mentioned, there has been a lot of talk about getting tourists back to Maui, and since we’re docking on the other side, tours on the rest of the island away from Lahaina are still going. Anyway, we’re leaving for Honolulu a week from tomorrow. Time to think about packing.

If anyone has friends or family interested in our Celebrity Portugal Spain cruise, Celebrity has announced that they will be dropping Tips from “All Included” as of October 4. The cabins already booked and assigned in our group are fine; the tips will remain. Cabins booked after October 4 won’t get the tips. I don’t know how Celebrity can still call it “All Included” if they plan on dropping Tips, but I’m really not happy about this new thing. 

Have a great rest of the week!

Hi Everyone.

I am happy to see that Jason has taken care of the issues and we’re back to chatting again. 

We are on Cape Cod with the family in a three-bed, two-bath house and love the space for all 8 of us. With A/C, an open floor plan and a large sun room with wide floor to ceiling windows, the house is bright and airy, much better and more modern than anything we’ve ever rented. It’s about a 5-minute drive to be beach, and there is really nothing in walking distance, which is different from where we usually stay on the beach close to town. But it’s a nice change. The weather hasn’t been the best, but we’re managing some beach time between raindrops and getting some quality family time in.

I am so sad for Maui. Our itinerary departing on Pride of America on Sept. 9 will likely be changed with an extra night in Kona and Kauai. Old Lahaina Luau was destroyed. While we are sad to miss it, I feel terrible for all the people there and those that lost their lives.

Calling it a night. Enjoy your week!

9 hours ago, Miranda said:

Can't wait to see you guys again! 

Can’t wait to see you, too! I need somebody to dance with!🙂

Hi Everyone, 

I've posted our Spain and Portugal Cruise up on the Roll Call Board. If there are any members still lurking here, please check it out!

I had a breathing test a couple of weeks ago, and it came out fine. It seems that my asthma is getting better, and I reduced my maintenance inhaler to once a day. Hopefully, all that bronchitis induced breathing difficulty will soon be history.

The rain of the last couple of days that spoiled much of the 4th of July weekend is gone, and the sun has returned. The guys are here working on the front steps and patio. I can't wait until their done so I can once again enjoy my yard.

Our family Cape Cod beach vacation is just 5 weeks away. In the meantime, I'm hoping to hit the local beaches while this great weather lasts.

22 minutes ago, AndiD said:

🧡   SOLD!

Yes! So happy you’re coming - wouldn’t be the same without you!🙂

Join us aboard the beautiful Celebrity Equinox as we cruise the Mediterranean Sea, round-trip from Barcelona. We'll visit the port of Seville, Spain, spend a full two days in Lisbon, Portugal, enjoy a day in Porto, Portugal and experience the unique culture and history of Tangier, Morocco. Spend three days at sea relaxing onboard this beautiful ship. Lounge by the pool, be spoiled at the spa, taste the delicacies or explore the venues on-board, until we arrive at the next amazing destination. For more information, go to: https://7seajourneys.com/mbg/17608-2/

Miranda,

I see the Dock is working for us again, so I’m happy we can continue to share what’s going on with each other.

Unfortunately, the rest of the CruiseCrazies site is dying a slow death. If you look at the Welcome New Members tab, you’ll see that we haven’t had any new members join since Nov 2022 probably because the “Join” feature isn’t working properly. Jason has moved on to bigger things, it seems, and without fresh cruise news and content to keep the site alive, it can’t be saved.

I do have a heavy presence on Facebook with a dedicated agency FB page and travel groups. This is where I do my sharing, promoting and talking travel. I wish you would come over to FB. I’ve got a FB group for our Portugal/Spain cruise with five cabins booked.

Ray, please tell me I’m not getting senile and that I told you about the group I’m putting together for a Spain and Portugal cruise on Celebrity Equinox next Aug. 27, 2024. I can’t believe I didn’t even mention it when we talked yesterday. I think I remember including you in the message when I first put it together a couple of months ago, but you were looking at other options. Andi, Ed, David, Miranda and my brother Norm are coming so far. It’s not complete without you and Yuki.🙂

In the meantime we’re laying low this 4th of July Weekend. We’re having the front steps and patio refurbed, so no cookout here.

Any news on Shari? I keep checking her FB page, but nothing.

Enjoy summer and stay cool!

Hi Miranda and Andi, 

I just finished my Prima review and it’s posted everywhere on Facebook. Miranda, you can find it here: https://janscruisereviews.home.blog/2023/05/30/norwegian-prima-transatlantic-cruise-nyc-to-iceland-05-14-23/

I just read Andy’s account, and i agree with everything she said. At times it was so crowded everywhere that I either retreated to my balcony or put on my 4 layers, hat and gloves and sat outside on Deck 8, which is the Infinity Beach area - empty in this particular climate. 

Miranda, I’m so sorry to hear about Marina getting lost. That’s my family’s biggest fear, me getting lost when I go off by myself. I went into town in Akureyri, and fortunately, it’s very safe and a small town so hard to get lost. But in most places, I don’t trust myself to not get lost and prefer an organized tour - safety in numbers, after all. 

Andi - I totally forgot to add something about snow, wind and rain in my review, other than the fact that we missed ports due to weather. I’d love to put that photo of you and the snowmen in - only if you don’t mind sending it to me. 

David tested positive for Covid with fever, headache and cough. I have the same symptoms, but tested negative - so far. Go figure. 

Once I catch up and recovered from this horrible cough, let’s talk about a revisit to Iceland - by land!

Welcome back, Miranda! Yeah, a big front-facing window cabin can be great until it isn’t. It’s not much good when the sun shining in makes it too hot. Glad you had a great time otherwise! Israel and Cyprus should be amazing! Is this your first time in both destinations? 

Our cruise with Andi and Ed is just 33 days away. We’re all looking forward to escape from life for a while!

We’re having a spell of warm weather this week. I’ve got all my windows open today to let in the fresh air. The grandkids came over Easter morning for Gramma and Papa’s annual Easter egg hunt. The bigger they get, the faster they find the eggs. I have to get creative at hiding them. 

This CruiseCrazies site seems to be broken again. There have been no new members joining since October, so the sign-up process must not be working right. I think Jason must have given up on it. 

Anyway, enjoy the week!

Hey kids,

My brother Norm and his wife Dana may be joining us on our Crazies cruise in 2024!  That makes 5 cabins I’ve got booked - Yay!

I’ve been really busy with everyone back to planning cruises. Once the dust settles, I hope to get our deposits in this weekend. 

We had another storm yesterday that was forecasted to give us a foot of snow. Once again, it was all rain. I’m not complaining, of course. Last year we had a few feet, and this year a few inches.

Meanwhile, the tulips are coming up!
 

11 hours ago, Miranda said:

Thanks for putting it together Jan. What amount do I have to fill in to be paid beforehand?

$900 deposit. Thanks!! So glad we’re doing this!

Here’s the page I put together for the 2024 Mediterranean cruise on Celebrity. I emailed it to Andi and Miranda. https://7seajourneys.com/mbg/17608-2/ 

26 minutes ago, AndiD said:

Yay - I'm so glad you like this cruise and I say the more the merrier - Peggy and Larry and KC and Martina we can invite Ray and Yuki!  That is........Jan - did you get Dave to approve?!

What is your next cruise, Miranda - I feel like it is coming up? 

Yes, David is all in! And YES, Miranda, we just LOVE a party, and your birthday will be the perfect celebration! Please ask KC, Peggy, Larry, Martina and anyone else if they want to come along. I will run it by Ray and Yuki and will get pricing and information together to share. This is SO exciting!!

Yes, Andi - I meant Equinox. I especially love the overnight in Lisbon.🙂 I have yet to run it by David, but I know he’ll love the itinerary. The cruise ends early enough in September so it should work for his schedule. 

Miranda - what do you think of the itinerary and dates for this one?

We’ve booked Alaska on Sapphire Princess with the grandkids next July 2024. Looking forward to their first cruise!

We lucked out again, with only a couple of inches in Monday’s storm, and it all melted the next day. We have a couple more inches coming tonight that, again, will be washed away by rain in the morning. 

Spring can’t be far behind!

Hi Everyone! I see you’ve been tossing around some ideas. I was just looking at this Spain and Portugal on Celebrity Infinity. It’s for late August, so I don’t know that works for everyone: 

     9 Nights | Western Mediterranean | Celebrity Cruises: Celebrity Equinox

• Day 1: Barcelona - Spain

  Tue Aug 27, 2024 | Depart 5:00 PM 
• Day 2: At Sea

  Wed Aug 28, 2024 
• Day 3: Seville (Cadiz) - Spain

  Thu Aug 29, 2024 |  8:00 AM To 5:00 PM 
• Day 4: Lisbon - Portugal

  Fri Aug 30, 2024 |  Arrive 8:00 AM 
• Day 5: Lisbon - Portugal

  Sat Aug 31, 2024 |  Depart 6:00 PM 
• Day 6: Porto (Leixoes) - Portugal

  Sun Sep 1, 2024 |  8:00 AM To 7:00 PM 
• Day 7: At Sea

  Mon Sep 2, 2024 
• Day 8: Tangier - Morocco

  Tue Sep 3, 2024 |  8:00 AM To 6:00 PM 
• Day 9: At Sea

  Wed Sep 4, 2024 
• Day 10: Barcelona - Spain

  Thu Sep 5, 2024 | Arrive 6:00 AM 

https://book.myagentgenie.com/swift/cruise/package/1385519--9-Night-Spain---Portugal?siid=200516&lang=1

I’ve been doing better in the last week or two, but still get asthma episodes, usually at night, a couple of times a week. My doc still tries to convince me that too will go away. I hope he’s right. 

Andi - We have missed all the storms you keep sending us. In fact our snow shovels are still packed away from last year. The snow drought may end tomorrow, though, as we’re expecting a few inches. The plow guy will be thrilled!

Hi everyone!

January was a miserable month for me with this endless bronchitis and resulting asthma. I had a couple of relapses, but fortunately not bad enough to send me to the hospital. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I finally may have turned a corner, but I hate to be too optimistic. My 3rd prednisone round ends tomorrow, the end of which seems to trigger relapses. I now carry my inhaler wherever I go, and I have a followup appointment scheduled with a specialist just in case I need it. I went to the gym Sunday morning, the first time back in over 6 weeks, and I did okay. Hoping February is better. 

Our deep freeze lasted only a night. Temps dipped to -11 degrees (F), and wind chill was somewhere near -25. The wind was hurricane force but fortunately we only lost a couple of lingering Christmas decor items on the lawn. The next day it went up to near 50. Go figure. There were abundant stories of frozen, broken pipes. In fact, Amanda has a plumber in her apartment building right now fixing a broken pipe, so hopefully she'll have her heat and hot water back today.

Miranda, you've got some great cruises lined up this year. I particularly want to hear all about the Enchanted Princess because we booked a 10-day Southern Caribbean on the same ship over New Year's. I've been hearing feedback across most all the cruise lines about service and staffing issues. Maybe this will be the year that the cruise lines get their acts together and bring service back up to where it was pre-pandemic. I think we've cut them enough slack.

Andi - WDW has indeed changed so much, from necessary park reservations each day to the Genie+ app. Fortunately, my daughter Kristin is a very focused planner, and though I booked the trip, I left her in charge of the whole Genie thing, including being ready to click at 7:00 am to get the lightening lanes booked. I was so grateful, because if she hadn't taken over the day-to-day planning, we would have missed out on a lot. We saw and did everything we wanted with little time wasted. In fact, I made a decision after that trip to no longer book WDW for clients. I simply don't have the time to keep up with all the changes.

Our future travel plans so far consist of the May 14th Prima cruise to Iceland with Andi and Ed, a week at the beach on Cape Cod with the family in August, a September Hawaii cruise on Pride of America with Norm and Dana, and the Southern Caribbean cruise on the Enchanted Princess Dec. 28. 

We have nothing planned yet for 2024, so, yes, let's throw out some ideas!

Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone. I actually spent the day in the ER after David called 911 when I was short of breath with a fever and couldn’t stop coughing. They put me on oxygen, gave me breathing treatments, chest X-ray, blood work and EKG which all came back normal. They sent me home with another round of prednisone and an inhaler. Turns out I had a severe asthma attack as a direct result of the bronchitis. So now it’s being treated like asthma and I’m doing much better but still tired and wiped out. I’m going to follow up with my doc tomorrow to see what’s next, but I hope this is the end of this long road.

The birthday celebration wasn’t a total loss. The kids came by on Monday and brought me lunch and cake.🙂

Happy New Year! Wishing you all a year full of great cruise adventures!

It’s already the 10th of January, and it’s never too late for good wishes for a new year. I’m still hacking away and went back to the doc for round two of ammo for this battle with bronchitis. I went for an X-ray and it came back normal. No pneumonia - so that’s a relief. Hopefully, this will run its course and I’ll be able to carry on an entire conversation with someone without breaking out in a coughing fit. Two weeks is enough.

Andi - the weather everywhere has been crazy everywhere. One day it’s spring, the next it’s a blizzard. Actually, we’ve been lucky. So far this season, we’ve had about an inch of snow. It’s been pretty mild on average, and that’s A-okay with me! Medicare and supplements are such a pain in the A#$%! They make it so complicated with so many choices. When I signed up for Social Security, my boss gave me a written cheat sheet of his recommendations and how it all worked, which helped a lot. Fortunately, we were able to save a little by signing up with the supplement from David’s former school department. It’s a Tufts plan, and I have to say it’s been great. I wish I could say the same about dental.

We booked a Hawaii cruise for early September! My brother Norm and his wife, Dana, are celebrating their 25th this year and wanted a Hawaiian cruise. Turns out we’re doing the Norwegian Pride of America, which wasn’t my choice, but they were not enthusiastic about the 8 or 9 sea days the other cruise line itineraries have. No matter, though. I’m not about to turn down a cruise, so we’re joining them. We’re doing a couple of nights in Honolulu and a 3-night stop in San Diego on the way back. We’re super-psyched! We’re also looking at a New Year’s Eve cruise, the Sky Princess to the Caribbean on December 30th. 

Hope everyone is okay. Ray, come say HI when you’re up for it. 

Hi Everyone, 

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and are having a good holiday week. I started with a cough just after my last Covid booster on the 19th, which then turned into bronchitis. I've been sick all week and feel bad for David because we haven't been able to do anything fun together. Plus, feeling crappy couldn't happen at a worse time. It's quarterly billing week for the law office, and even though I work from home, it's been tough to drag myself to the computer to work. I'm hoping the course of steroids and antibiotics will kick this thing soon.

Before the cough got too bad, we did manage to have the kids and my brother Norm over for Christmas Day and enjoyed Christmas Eve day with David's family. 

Andi - your cruise sounds amazing, and thanks for sharing your review. I have yet to get aboard the newer Princess ships, and I have not been to most of the Southern Caribbean islands, but I hope to change that in the next couple of years. 

Miranda - I hope you enjoyed your stay on SS Rotterdam with Martina. What a nice get away!

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2023!

Hi Everone!

Stopping by to say HI. I’ve been busy decking the halls and the front yard with holiday cheer. We made a spontaneous decision this year and bought an artificial tree, an 8-footer complete with lights from Balsam Hill. It’s beautiful but what a bear to set up. It wasn’t difficult, just heavy. It came in 2 giant boxes, which David hauled into the house. While he was teaching, I started the setup. It came in 4 sections, with each branch needing “fluffing”. It took me 2 hours. 😳 

The grandsons stayed over this weekend, and I let them finish the trimming. Their favorite part was climbing a ladder to reach the top branches.

Andi I hope you’re having a wonderful cruise. That beautiful photo on FB from Tortola made me wish I was there instead of this winter cold. You’ve missed some awful storms crossing the country, so you picked a good time. Hope the weather is better for your flight home.

Ray - I hope you had a nice birthday celebration. You and Yuki must be beyond excited for your upcoming South America adventure!

It’s pretty quiet here. In fact, there hasn’t even been anyone to “Welcome” since October. I think there must be a glitch in the site and the sign up isn’t working.

Have a good night!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RAY. 🎈🎉🎂🍨 It’s a milestone day for you, and I hope you celebrate in a wild and crazy way! But don’t hurt yourself!

Hi friends!

It's been a busy few weeks. Our contractor has finally begun work on the half bath we're installing in the basement. Actually, I should say "quarter bath" because it's the size of a small walk-in closet - just enough room for the toilet and tiniest of sinks. The primary purpose of this teeny-tiny water closet is to make our bladders gladder sooner when we arrive home. The hike upstairs to the main level and the mad dash down the hall to the main bath is a challenge sometimes, and this will make it so much easier. 

I've been doing some fall cleaning, and this morning was window-washing day. Armed with paper towels, window wash and a crazy long-handled squeegee, I tackled the main windows on three sides of the house. I don't trust myself on a ladder any longer, so that squeegee pole was the best investment I've made since we bought this house. 

David and I have done it again. We woke up this morning, looked at each other, asked how much we really wanted to cruise to Ensenada over Thanksgiving (not much, we said), and decided to cancel. I've always lamented how cool it would be to be away at Thanksgiving and let someone else take over the cooking and cleaning. But when all was said and done, we're going to miss being with our family on turkey day (and the days surrounding). Not only that, but flying cross country to the west coast for a 4-day cruise doesn't seem to make much sense. So I'm making a turkey, and whomever hasn't already made other plans can join us. 

Andi - I hope you're enjoying your pre-cruise in San Diego and looking forward to another turn on the Koningsdam. I love that ship, and it brings back so many great memories from our Crazies cruise. Can't wait to hear your report!

Ray - I hope you're continuing to improve health-wise and staying out of trouble!

Miranda - KC has certainly earned his cruise. I hope he's having a relaxing and restful time on Wonder of the Seas! I did not know that fall break was a thing for kids in the Netherlands. When does the school year typically begin and end? Over here, we begin anywhere from mid-August to first week of September, and end in early to mid-June. Breaks happen over the Christmas holiday through New Year's Day, 1-2 weeks, and then there is either a break in March, or some schools still do two breaks - February and April. Our fall weather has been unbelievably warm the past couple of weeks, and is expected to be like summer this weekend. I'll take it. I love fall, and the warm weather makes it much more enjoyable, and the less I have to turn up the heat, the better. 

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

On 10/19/2022 at 3:49 PM, Iluv2cruise said:

WOW, what happened to Carnival??? We are very disappointed after our recent cruise.

The customer service has really gone downhill. They appeared to very short on staff and the food is just not the same. I also had an issue with onboard credit and it is impossible to speak to anyone after a cruise. They only offer email customer service and it took over 6 weeks to hear from them. Their “I care” didn’t care!!! We did enjoy the Cruise Director and Cabin Steward. The embarkation and debarkation was good but the rest was pretty dismal.

Be aware that Carnival Cruise line was the worst of my ten cruises, so sad.

So sorry to hear things weren’t up to par on Carnival. Short staffing, poor service, dining problems and other issues seem to be prevalent across all lines, not just Carnival. Some patience is needed while the cruise lines work on getting back to the level of service we’re all used to. I have found that it’s always best to address issues that come up while you’re on board while it’s happening, and not after the cruise. Customer relations gets tons of mail and phone calls and handles in the order they are received, sometimes weeks or months. A travel agent has the inside track for resolving issues after a cruise and can get to the root of a problem quicker.  I know it doesn’t help for your Carnival cruise, but by booking with a travel agent in the future, you’ll have help from a professional if an issue arises.😃

Hopefully, your next cruise will be smooth sailing!

Andi,

if an “old age growth” turns out to be the only thing to come from all this testing, I’d say you’re in good shape.🤣 In one of my mammograms about 10 years ago, they scared the living daylights out of me when they found a suspicious thing and immediately sent me for an ultrasound. Like, don’t get dressed and take a stroll down the all to the u/s room.😳 That led to a biopsy a couple of weeks later. After all that, it turned  out to be a benign cyst, thankfully. Hoping your test comes out clean!

Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that your December cruise is sold out. I just meant that it wasn’t available for me to book as my Commodore grad cruise. They only make certain sailings available to agents for this reward. 

I got your message about the Iceland excursions being ready to book. I’m going to look at the options Monday when I have more time. Tomorrow we’re celebrating Kristin’s 40th birthday. There is something about your child turning 40 that makes one feel ancient!

Andi - I saw your Gala pics on Facebook in all your finery. Must have been quite the event! It's about time you gave up a few responsibility and pass them down to someone else. The trick is finding someone to fit your shoes, but I'm sure there are many qualified leaders for the roles. Now, if I can only talk David into giving up a few things so he doesn't run himself into the ground. I am glad to hear that your health scares were not too worrisome. It would be a shame to give up all that responsibility only to find yourself unable to enjoy all that newfound free time. 

I finally went to my PCP for my annual visit - or in this case, bi-annual. Time got away from me, and the only doc I've seen in two years is the dentist. I got the blood work out of the way first thing, but I've got another appointment later today for a toenail issue, and hopefully he can clear that up so I can wear a shoe. It's getting a little nippy for sandals. In the next month I play catch up with a long-missed mammogram and colonoscopy. Those always make for a great day out.

I passed my Princess Commodore training nearly 10 years ago, and I have yet to take the free cruise they gave me. David can never seem to go because they are last minute and often at times when he's busy. I checked to see if the Dec. 9 Enchanted Princess was available so I could join you and Ed, but unfortunately it isn't. I'm hoping to get one of the girls with me in the winter or spring.

I have friends who just returned from a weekend in Iceland and raved about their time in Reykjavik. They did a Sky Lagoon/Golden Circle tour and highly recommend it. They also found a free walking tour in town, and all you have to pay is a tip at the end. They also recommended warm clothing, which for us in May, goes without saying. 

I'm off to the doc ...