Our Trips Over the Years - Especially Alaska With Monique and Brian

Our first trip was to Palm Springs for our honeymoon and we decided we loved to travel. We had no money, though, so we took lots of day trips and little over nighters, Once, when I was pregnant with Tony, we went to Big Bear and stayed in a cute little cabin, where we froze to death all night. After the kids started arriving, we took lots of drives to Zuma Beach and Santa Monica and, of course, Disneyland. After we moved to Sparks, we went to visit Joline and Bill and my dad several times.

Zuma Beach

Vasquez Rocks

We took the kids on lots of trips but never anything very expensive. In 1973, we drove to Oklahoma to visit Bill's brother, Mike's family. While there, we went on a picnic and had a tornado warning, so we had to scramble back to their place quickly. On the way home, we visited the Grand Canyon and that is where I told Bill that Kathy was on the way.

I think it was 1984 that we drove to San Francisco with all the kids. We had a great time, but we didn't take any money with us, and, at that time, ATM withdrawals were limited to $100.00 per day, so over a three-day weekend, we had to make due with that amount for lodging, gas and food for five. It was pretty tough to do. We went to Golden Gate Park and the Atmospherium, which we all loved.

In 1985, we flew to Seattle to go to my cousin, Cathy's wedding. Tony couldn't go with us because of his paper route. We saw Uncle Larry and Aunt Betty in Portland. We took the train south from Seattle past Mt. St. Helen's and flew home from Portland.

In 1987, we drove to Lehman Caves, near Ely, Nevada, and down to Zion and Bryce Canyon in our new van. We camped along the way. The kids had a great time hiking in the parks and I wish we had stayed longer. We stopped in Las Vegas on the way home after our plans to go to the Grand Canyon were thwarted by the north rim still being closed. We stayed at Circus Circus campground and they wouldn't allow us to pitch a tent, so Tony volunteered to sleep on the roof of the van, which had a luggage rack, so there were sides to keep him from sliding off. During the night, he had a nightmare and he woke everyone up, including the families nearby, by yelling and pounding on the roof of the van.

This is the infamous nightmare van

Bill and I went on several trips when he had to go to schools for work. We went to Chicago, Raleigh, Dallas (twice), Columbus, Ohio, Arlington, Virginia and Montreal. We stayed in Montreal for two weeks and I loved wandering around during the day, seeing all the underground shops, parks and the nearby college.

Aunt Betty and Uncle Larry

We've visited several friends over the years. We met Wes and Patsy on our first cruise and we stayed in touch. They invited us to visit them, so in 2005 we flew to Jacksonville, Florida and stayed with them for a week. While we were there, we went to a barbeque at the home of their friends Kathleen and George, who were also on the cruise.

George, Kathleen, Wes, and Patsy

We met Ennio and Sherry in the late 90s, after we bought the condo, and we drove up to visit them in Idaho in 2008, on our way to Canada to be work campers.

With Sherry and Ennio

Pat and Leroy at the cottage in Lake Okanagan

On a boat in Lake Okanagan

In 1992, we settled a lawsuit with our developer and we took a vacation in Maui and The Big Island with Susie and Dave, and had a fantastic time, falling in love with Hawai'i.

We went to a couple of my high school reunions and at the one in 1992, Craig was there with his new wife, Jackie and we enjoyed being with them a lot. In 1994, we stayed with them in Honoka'i in Maui, and we started looking for a condo to buy.

In 1995, we found the condo what was perfect for us, and we have gone to stay in it numerous times over the years.

After Bryanna was born, we drove to southern California to see Joline and Bill and my dad and we stopped along the way to see Ann and John and Monique. Several months later, just after Bailey was born, we went to stay with Monique and Brian in Santa Maria with Bryanna. It was such fun to have her along with us. She rode the neighbor's horse and got all the attention.

Our favorite trip was when we moved to Maui and Bryanna and Bailey stayed with us for two months at the end of 2003. We took lots of horses and Polly Pockets, went to the library every week, swam, walked, went up country to different parks and we loved every minute. We taught them to swim in our pool and went to the Grand Wailea Resort to play on their wonderful water features.

Bill and I were both working as volunteers at the Pacific Whale Foundation, so we were able to take them out on the snorkel cruises and whale watches several times. They took to boats like they had been going on them all their lives. Kathy and Rommie flew over a couple of days before Christmas and they took the girls home in early January.

 June, 2004

Our first cruise ever was such a blast.  We went with Gee and Joe in April, 2004. After the cruise, I had to write to the cruise lines, hoping that we might get a call to be mystery shoppers for the cruise line.  It didn't work, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Carnival Cruise Lines

3655 N.W. 87^th Ave.

Miami  FL  33178-2428

Bill and Billie Garrow

2695 South Kihei Rd.  6-103

Kihei  HI  96753

June 8, 2004

We recently took a two-month vacation, the beginning of which was a cruise from Ensenada, Mexico to the Hawai’ian Islands aboard the Carnival Spirit.  As this was our first cruise, we really didn’t know what to expect.  We had heard both good and not-so-good things about the cruise experience.

During the cruise, we interacted with several staff members and we were pleasantly surprised that so many people went out of their way to make our cruise memorable.  Everyone we encountered was friendly, cheerful, and appeared as if they truly loved being a member of the Carnival team. Not only were we treated with respect, but we were made to feel as if we were truly valued as customers.  Our room steward, “Popcorn” was a delight.  We anticipated eagerly returning to our cabin each evening to find out what kind of animal awaited us.   Our well-appointed room was very comfortable, and we were surprised at how roomy it was.  The restaurant staff were extremely competent.  We felt fortunate that Ivitza and Maria took such excellent care to meet our every need at dinner.  They both went beyond the call of duty.    We left the cruise feeling that we had made three lifelong friends.

The variety of activities was truly amazing.  We enjoyed the entertainment in Pharoh’s Lounge ant the Lido Deck stage several times.  We went to Karaoke and the talent show.  We even played shuffleboard at midnight with our friends.  The best things of all, was that we didn’t have to do anything we didn’t want to do!

The food was beyond reproach.  We tasted many new menu items, as well as enjoying many old favorites, such as fish and chips, pork chops, and filet mignon.  The dessert tray was impossible to resist, and I have to admit that we did indulge in the forbidden sweets several times.

My husband and I are retired and have been performing mystery shops for several years, being independent contractors for several different services.  We evaluate restaurants, retail establishments and resort hotels, so we habitually look at things with a very critical eye.  While on vacation, even if we try to get out of the “spy” mode, we have difficulty doing so. 

We just wanted to thank you for making our first cruise such a delightful experience.  We will highly recommend you to our friends, family and associates.  We had such a wonderful time, and looking forward to our next Carnival Cruise.  We have already begun making plans for it.

Sincerely,

Billie Garrow

And, of course, we sent a letter to the airlines we flew on and the hotels we stayed in.  Here is one of them.

Hawai’ian Airlines

P.O. Box 30008

Honolulu  HI  96820

Bill and Billie Garrow

2695 South Kihei Road  6-103

Kihei  HI  96753

June 8, 2004

We recently took a two-month vacation, from Maui, Hawai’i to San Diego, California, cruising back to the Islands and then traveling extensively through the US mainland.  We planned to fly on Hawai’ian Airlines for both of our Mainland visits.  As it turned out, Hawai’ian was oversold from Honolulu to San Diego on April 12, so we volunteered to give up our seats.  The courtesy, friendliness, and professionalism by the Hawai’ian Airlines ticket agents were superior in every way.  They were able to secure a flight on American Airlines for us, with an upgrade to First Class, as well as compensating us with vouchers for a future trip.  In addition, as I was recovering from a debilitating illness, I was confined to a wheelchair under doctor’s orders.  The young skycap who hurriedly pushed me to our gate in time to board the flight, which was leaving earlier than our original flight, treated us as if we were truly valuable customers.

On May 5, we flew on Hawai’ian Airlines from Maui, non-stop to Seattle, and again, we were treated to the excellent service we have come to expect from Hawai’ian.  The only complaint we have is that we aren’t able to fly on our favorite airline  when we are traveling through the Mainland.  On the way home to Maui on May 30, we were able to upgrade to First Class, which is always a special treat for us.  Our flight attendant, Sheila, was a delight, carefully attending to our needs with good humor and concern.

My husband and I are retired and have been performing mystery shops for several years, being independent contractors for several different services.  We evaluate restaurants, retail establishments and resort hotels, so we habitually look at things with a very critical eye.  While on vacation, even if we try to get out of the “spy” mode, we have difficulty doing so.  .  So it was a pleasure to receive such top-notch service.

We just wanted to thank you helping to make our vacation such a delightful experience.  We will continue to recommend you to our friends, family and associates.  When making travel plans to other locations, Hawai’ian Airlines is indeed at the top of our list.

Sincerely,

Billie Garrow

Spring 2005

Shortly after our first cruise, when we were still living in Maui, in 2005, we entered a contest sponsored by the "Live with Regis and Kelly" Show.  The prize was passage on the Inaugural cruise of the Pride of America, from New York City to Miami.  We had to write something, which is long forgotten, and one night about two weeks after we sent it in, we had several friends over and were sitting on our lanai, playing a game, when the phone rang.  It was the local affiliate in Hawai'i, telling us that we were the winners for the state of Hawai'i.  Two weeks later, they flew us to New York for the cruise.  We had a fantastic time. The ship went from New York to Philadelphia, Boston, South Carolina and Miami.  Unfortunately, because they were filming the show every day, nobody was allowed to disembark at any of the ports, but otherwise, we loved every moment, except for a few minor details.  After we got home, we received a letter from Linda, from the Regis and Kelly show, asking for our in-depth review of the trip.  So....

Aloha Linda,

I wouldn’t have mentioned them to you, but since you asked, we did find a lot if things that could use attention.  Not exactly mishaps, but we did talk with a lot of folks that we met who agreed with some of our observations. I should tell you that Bill and I have been performing service evaluations as secret shoppers for several companies, for over five years, so we have become rather adept at observing the good, the bad, and the in-between.

1. This is the story of the flood - Tuesday - 3:00 AM - Philadelphia - Bill awoke to use the bathroom, and, when he put his foot on the floor, he thought for a moment that either it was too late, or that he had spilled his glass of water.  He woke me and told me to turn on the light.  We found that there was an inch of water on our floor.  Strangely, neither of us thought for a moment that we were sinking.  Bill thought that maybe it had rained really hard, or we had gotten some really massive waves.  But neither of those would have explained an inch of water. 

Bill called the pursers desk, and they said that a pipe had broken on the 10th floor, affecting the hallway and 5 or 6 rooms on each floor all the way down to the fourth floor.  They said someone would be right over to suck up the water.  After an hour, Bill called again, and they offered us a room to go to so we could sleep for a while.  As we left, the sucking crew arrived, and started on our hallway.  The crew chief assured us that they would take care of our room, and lock up when they were finished.  We found our new temporary cabin, which was an inside room, and we got a few hours of sleep. 

At 8:15, we trouped back to our room, only to find the door propped open, and no crew people around.  I went to find Priscilla, our cabin steward, and she said that she found it that way when she came on duty, but she thought we wanted it that way.  I told her that all our things were in there, and we were very unhappy that the door had been left open.  The floor was still soaked, not just damp, but soaked, so that when we walked on it, our feet made splashes.  Bill called the desk, to ask when they would be able to finish getting the water up, and was told that there were a lot of rooms affected, and they would get to it as soon as possible.  There were blowers in the hallway, and in three other rooms, but nobody ever came back to work on our room.  They offered to permanently move us to another cabin, but it would have been an inside cabin, and we were unwilling to spend the next three nights without at least a window, due to the fact that I am a bit claustrophobic.  We decided to make the room livable, so we went to the pool and got 12 towels to make stepping stones so we could walk around with relatively dry feet. The towels were replaced every few hours, as needed, until the next afternoon, when Jennie Born arranged for us to move to a different cabin.  She said someone would be over soon to help us to pack and move.  We didn’t need help with packing but waited in our cabin for three hours before we finally moved ourselves.

2. The day after the flood, before we were moved, we received a letter from NCL, apologizing for our inconvenience, and saying that they would waive the cover charge for any of their specialty restaurants.  All we had to do was make reservations.  Well, I got on the phone immediately to make reservations.  All three of the restaurants with a cover charge were already booked for the rest of the trip.  Great!  But, I mentioned the letter to the reservation clerk, and she said, people who had been flooded were being given special preference, and they would try to get us in.  I was able to get reservations at the Lazy J Steakhouse for that night (cover charge usually $15.00 each), for 9:00 PM, really too late for us, but, since it was all we could get, we figured we could have a late lunch and take a nap.  By the way, the food was wonderful, as was the service.
3. Our cabin steward never introduced herself to us.  We had to ask her name.
4. There are no peepholes or security chains on the doors, so when someone comes to the door (at 11:30 PM no less), you can't look out to see who it is. 
5. On other cruises, specifically Carnival and Royal Caribbean, there are designated smoking and non-smoking areas on the decks (usually port is smoking, and starboard is non-smoking), as well as certain floors, or at least wings of cabins.  This one allowed smoking anywhere outside, and we had folks on both sides of us who smoked, even one who smoked cigars, so we often had to close our balcony door so we could breath.
6. We were surprised to find that, rather than a top sheet, we had a heavy comforter, covered with a cotton duvet.  It was very luxurious, but entirely too warm, but when we threw it off, we were too cool. The second day, I asked our cabin steward, for a sheet, which she retrieved from a cart and handed to me. We left the sheet on the bed, assuming she would put it on the bed when she made up our room. Our room was never made up, so we ended up putting the sheet on the bed ourselves.  In fact, we never had our room made up, and we never got turn down service, even though we turned the little dial outside of the room, to indicate that we wanted those services.
7. The deck chairs were so close together, that it was very difficult to squeeze in between them in order to sit down.  On the bow, floor 12, I think, there is a lovely area for people to watch where the ship is going.  We went up there several times over the course of three days, and each time, we found the five rows of chairs in total disarray, due to people moving them around in order to get to the railing.  We wonder why there were no deck hands available to straighten them.  We never saw them in neat rows after we left the first day, when we left the dock in New York.  Also, they are facing in rather than out.  We'd much rather look at the scenery going by, rather than the walls of the ship, so we, quite often, turned two chairs around, and enjoyed watching the sea.  We saw that lots of other people did the same thing on a daily basis.
8. There were approximately 1100 guests on the ship, which has a capacity of 2200 to 2500 people.  On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, all the clean pool towels were gone, and people were resorting to bringing the white bath towels from their cabins to use at the pool.  Of course, part of the reason the towels were gone might have been other people from the 35 or so flooded cabins were taking them to use as stepping stones.  But what will happen when the ship is going at full capacity?  People won’t be happy when they can’t get a pool towel past 11:00 AM.
9. There are three pools on the ship.  One of them was closed to all but the LIVE people, which was totally understandable.  The other two pools are adjacent to each other on deck 11, but one of them was closed all week, with no explanation.  On the last two days, the weather was beautiful and hot, and the people really would have enjoyed having the use of both of those pools.
10. On other cruise lines, there are a variety of activities for guests to take part in all day long, so much so, that we have difficulty deciding which thing to do, for instance go to karaoke, a trivia contest, a pool activity, or a wine tasting.  This one had only a couple of fun activities, but they really pushed the bingo, liquor and art auctions with a vengeance.  For those of us who didn’t wan to spend a lot of money, there wasn’t a lot to d0.
11. They had some top notch performers, and we enjoyed the shows very much, but we think that 9:30 is awfully late for the shows.  Most ships have an early and a late show, so the people (yes, usually the older ones) have a choice of which one to attend.
12. They do have their act together on the embarkation and debarkation processes.  Everything went smoothly, and we didn’t hear of anyone who had difficulty getting their luggage at either end.
13. We found the food in the Aloha Café, which is their buffet/cafeteria restaurant to be mediocre.  They heated frozen pizzas out of boxes.  The wide variety of dinner rolls were stale, even on the first day.  I got moldy strawberries twice.  Not only did they serve bottled dressing for the salads, but the bottles were prominently displayed next to the condiments.  The hamburgers were assembly line instead of freshly prepared.  Again, I’m comparing with other cruise lines.
14. The main restaurants had impeccable service and excellent food, as did the specialty restaurants we patronized.
15. We found all the indoor public areas to be entirely too cold.  That includes the restaurants, the showrooms, the library and internet café, and the lobby.  That might have been just us, because we’re used to the heat of Maui, but there were people in those areas who were wearing pool towels as wraps.  Because Bill only took one pair of long pants, his dress ones, and it was so cold, we went to the shops to buy him a pair of chinos or even sweat pants, but found that they don’t sell them.  They also don’t sell sweatshirts or jackets.  We asked why, and we were told that the ship is going to Hawai’i, and people don’t need those things there.  What about those folks from Minneapolis, or Alaska, who want to buy clothing to take home with them?  I know that the Pacific Whale Foundation, where we volunteer, sells hundreds of cool weather clothes year round.  I think the ship people are missing a good market.  We mentioned that lots of people who visit Hawai’i like to buy clothing that they will be able to use at home, and that Pride of America sweatshirts would be a great way to advertise the ship on the mainland, didn’t seem to be impressed with those ideas.
16. The TV had TNT, CNN, a history channel, and two channels that showed movies.  Because we had a bit of jet lag the first two days we rested in our cabin a lot, and would have enjoyed watching a movie or two, but there were no TV listings.  I called to ask about it, and was told that there would be a TV guide included in the cruise newspaper, the Freestyle Daily, by Tuesday, but there never was one, and by then we were enjoying reading on deck and the in library, so we didn’t miss it.  But, we think some folks would appreciate knowing what was going to be on TV.
17. There were two bow camera stations on the TV, but no stern camera, and, unlike other ships, there was no navigation channel, which showed where we had been and where we were going.  We always enjoy checking to see where we are when on a cruise.
18. The Cadillac Café is a fifties diner, and very cute, but they were showing 80s hard rock videos on their flat screen TVs during a busy lunch hour.  That kind of music really didn’t fit in with the theme of the restaurant.
19. On the last morning of the cruise, we had a letter telling us that since the restaurants had been unable to accommodate the flood victims, we were each being given a $10.00 credit on our bill.  We contacted Jennie Born to let her know that we had been able to use the credit at one of the restaurants, but she very kindly, said that she didn’t want to know, so the whole cruise only cost us 94 cents, not counting ground transportation. 

In the defense of NCL, the employees were still in the process of being trained, and we have hopes that they will get their act together before they get over here and start their weekly cruises around the islands.  All the employees we spoke to, including waiters, bus people, and cabin stewards, were very friendly.

I hope you got a bit of a kick from our adventures, and here is a photo you might enjoy.

Regards,

Billie


We cruised around the islands for free four times while volunteering for the Pacific Whale
Foundation. Bill lectured about animal life and the culture of Hawai'i and I was his assistant.
The last time was after we had moved back to Sparks so it was in late December 2005. We spent New Year's Eve between Lahaina and Lanai'i watching fireworks.

We went to see Scott and Jenn and the boys in Michigan and Virginia, but we wish we could have gone more often so we would know the boys better. We went to Pineville to see Tony and Anais twice, I think, and since they moved to Stafford, Virginia, we've been there three or four times. We were able to see Uncle Dinny and Aunt Laura several times.

Aunt Laura and Uncle Dinny

Once, Kathy and I went without Bill, because Uncle Dinny died and Bill had medical things going on.

Once when we were with Tony and Anais, they surprised us with a trip to Manhattan. It was a whirlwind trip, and we almost never stopped moving. The new World Trade Center Memorial was still under construction but it was open so we were able to see it. It is quite an awesome place.

Another time, we drove to Niagara Falls to see Bill's dad, and we stayed in a fancy hotel in Canada that overlooked the falls. It was a wonderful trip. Just a few months later, we had to fly back to clean out his condo because he had become unable to live there. Kathy went with us to help. One day, we decided to take a drive and I wanted to take Kathy to Goat Island, which is right on the river next to a bridge, I didn't see the turn for the island so we were on the bridge. When I got to the toll booth, I told the attendant that I hadn't meant to go to Canada but had turned in error. I asked if we could just turn around. She said they didn't have a turn-a-round and we would have to go over the bridge into Canada and they would take care of it. Unfortunately, Kathy doesn't have a passport, and we didn't have ours with us, so we had to wait for over an hour to be deported.

In 2006, we went on a Mexican Riviera cruise with Joe and Gee. Her cousin and several friends were there, too, and that was total fun. We had a balcony room, and we decided that we would never want to have an inside cabin.

We spent the whole summer of 2008 in West Bay Beach Resort in Kelowna, BC, Canada. There is a separate blog about that. We had a fantastic time, and we had planned to do it again, but then our world fell apart when Bill was diagnosed with melanoma.

The Big Cruise

In 2010, we took Bryanna and Bailey on a cruise to Mexico from Los Angeles. We drove down and stayed with my sister, who drove us to the dock in San Pedro. The cruise was so much fun, although Bill was on Interferon so he didn't have as good a time as the rest of us.

When we got back, we spent a couple of days with Joline and Bill.

Then we drove to Las Vegas to stay with Rollie and Donna. The girls spent most of their time in the pool.

On the drive home, I got stopped for doing 90 but got out of it because I told the officer that Bill was on chemo and he had to get to a bathroom in the worst way. He said to be careful and drive slower.

2011

January 31, 2011

The first of many trips to San Francisco began.

We're off to see the melanoma specialists in San Francisco. I'm so looking forward to driving with my hands glued to the wheel because I really don't want the guy who is two feet behind me, going 90, to get any closer. Maybe we'll go at 2 in the morning to avoid the rush hours of 4 am to 11 pm.

5-31-2011

The Whole Group

We had a wonderful trip to Texas. We got together with all the kids and grands and went to parks, the zoo and the Johnson Space Center.  In between there was plenty of time for just sitting around on the patio and talking/playing/reading/relaxing.  The drive was long and we were glad we had satellite radio so we could listen to radio classics like The Shadow, Escape and Suspense while we were driving over terrain that never seemed to change.  On the way home, instead of being storm chasers, we were storm escapees, because we were outrunning tornado weather from south of Ft. Worth all the way past Amarillo. The winds were incredible.  We even had a chance to see our good friends in Holland, Texas on the way to Houston and in Las Vegas on the way home.  We're heading over to San Francisco for Bill's second Ipi infusion tomorrow (as if we need a road trip!)  So far, the only side effect he has had from the first one is itchy skin, so we are grateful for that.  Thank you all for your notes, cards, emails, phone calls and texts.  It helps so much to know you are with us in spirit.

While we were at Scott and Jenn's, we took a day trip to a zoo between Houston and Dallas and spent some time with Anais parents.











We were going through a lot with Bill having treatments and having to go to San Francisco so often.
We were so lucky to be able to travel anyway. We went to Washington DC in late August.

FB post

August 19, 2011

Advice - when your co-pilot is 40 minutes late for your flight, and you take off one hour late, and they say that they are going to try to make up for lost time so they will be able to land in DC before they close the long runway for the nightly construction, and you end up circling Columbus for 20 minutes due to a sudden storm in DC, and then they have to land in Pittsburg because hey are running out of fuel, and every single hotel room in Pittsburg is booked, don't expect to get any sleep that night, and when they give you a $20.00 voucher for food, but all the restaurants are closed at 2:00 am, when you finally get rebooked, don't expect to get anything to eat. And don't expect to get to DC before noon. On the other hand, we have a three hour layover in lovely Boston.

Finally, we get to DC.

We went to the White House and the Pentagon, as well as several other beautiful, historic places.









From there, we drove to Niagara Falls and spent time visiting Dad, Uncle Joe and Walter and Sharon.

Tony got us a suite at a Sheraton overlooking the falls. It was fantastic.

August 29, 2011

The adventure continues. There was a hurricane, Irene, which disrupted everything on the east coast. Bumped in Salt Lake = $800.00 in flight vouchers and $24.00 in food vouchers. So we'll be a little late getting home. Kathy, even though she has to work tomorrow, will pick us up way late. Delta has almost made up for the bad experience on the way to DC.

In 2013, we took a cruise to Alaska and met Pam, Paige, Allan and Logan, from the bay area. Such lovely people with whom we have kept in touch and they came here a few months later and we met them for dinner at BJ's. Last year we had to go to San Francisco for a doctor appointment and we met them for a walk around Stanford and followed by dinner at a German Smorgasborg. They go to Hawai'i and we love to follow their pictures on Facebook.

2014

Coming up, we have an Alaskan cruise planned, the same on we went on in 2013. Monique and Brian will be coming along this time, and we are so excited already, although it is still 2 1/2 months away. Brian is so funny with his questions and answers about the trip. For example:

March 7

OH, filled out preferences. The cost for all day soda is $8+ per each day!   Thinking of bringing a 5 gallon gas can so I can get my proper share of soda per day.  I think Mo will want the coffee package, but need to talk to her.

March 8

Milk is also available 24 hours a day.So so is free room service!

BKG

Now you know that nothing is free,,,,especially on a big boat. I think of the milk and room service costing $3500 plus tips!

I think I will be mixing my coke drink with free milk.....

BB

March 10

OK, we purchased the travel insurance, like you.

I purchased the soft drink package, so we can have unlimited soda and hot chocolates!   All I have to do is go and refill 4 times per soda run.

I think you stated that the ship supplies a sippy cup? But can we bring our own if we want to?  Looking for a 164 ounce size, so my trips to the fountain area are reduced.

I can feel the island/ocean fever starting. Monique is already asking for her long johns to be brought down from storage for the cold winter weather we will be experiencing. Wait till I tell her that when we are at the pool, that she will not be allowed to wear the LJs.

Brian

She could start a trend with her long johns under her swimsuit. She would be a sensation on Instagram. She'd give Kim Kardashian a run for her money. 

I think when our friends purchased the soda package,  it came with a large plastic cup with a lid and a straw, but it is a good idea for us to take our own so we can fill them up with our contraband and coke when we go to the shows at night.  Hot chocolate, you say? Then maybe some Bailey's or Kahlua would be in order in one of our flasks. We could pack a large bottle of cream or brown "mouthwash."

BKG

March 10

Below are your choices of soda and stuff:

Indulge in this premium Unlimited Soda & More Package that includes the Unlimited Soda Package plus any mocktails, juices, and hot chocolate throughout your cruise.

So plan an what you want and it will be provided. I want hot chocolate while watching the movies outdoors.

OH, what is a mocktails?

BB

A mocktail is a cocktail without the liquor. Usually called a soda or juice.

BKG

mocktails  !!!!

Well how boring can that be......

I am sure we will find a way to spice it up some.

BB

March 14

Did you ask for robes? They're nice, thick terrycloth and perfect for going to the pool or spa. Or going to breakfast in your jammies.

BKG

I received a message that asked if I had ordered robes. I did that last week while I was looking around the cruise site. I thought the robes where not for going to the pool, but for flashing !  Who knew they where multi purpose!

Already started "collecting" things for the trip, and we only have two months to go.

Brian

May 20

Only 11 days to go! We are so ready for this trip. The emails just keep on going between Brian and us. About 58 days before the sailing date, Bill found that Costco travel had a sale and the balcony cabins were going for only $100.00 more than the price we paid for the window cabins. I spent a long time on the phone, between Costco Travel and Princess, but it didn't work. The special was for new bookings, only. It was too late to cancel the voyage and re-book it as a new trip, so we were out of luck. 

April 15 

These tours all sound great. If we have the private whale watching, does that mean we each  have our own boat. ? If so, we can race the boats and the whales and have a great time....should keep the coast guard busy..

The other tours also sound great, and we are in. Can we use our on-board credits to order these tours, once on the ship?  Still have not found anything that defines what the on-board credits can be used for.  I also noticed that 70% of the tours are ordered before the trip starts, so on-board credits do not count. Good marketing strategy with the ship company.

We are very interested in walking around the cities, and are looking forward to doing that. I know we are going to have a great time. Just being in some new places with good friends will be great for us.

Now, I did notice one special tour. It is a zip line from the top of one of the glaciers down to the deck of the ship. The distance is about 2 miles, all over water. You take a helo to the top of the glacier and they drop you off.  Interested?

I'll keep looking for other fun things to do......

BB

April 16 

The private whale watching tour - unfortunately, we don't all have our own boat, but we do all have our own whale. Most are private, but some might be sergeants or captains. The Zip line is a thumbs up for both of us, but only if you will be driving the helo yourself. Bill wants to know, who is Mr. Oliver Water you mentioned?

Don't fret about the jacket. It is a sort of tweed and it's what Jim Anderson from Father Knows Best used to wear to the dinner table except there are no elbow patches. It is Chaps by Ralph Lauren - pure new wool, made in Canada. We found several at Saver's in different sizes and colors so you should have no trouble finding one for you. Bill is going to wear black and dark blue jeans for most of the time, and he also has some cream Dockers, so he is definitely not dressing up in any way. The jacket is for warmth so he doesn't have to wear the same jacket he is bringing for outside and it has the benefit of looking a little bit dressed up. We just took a pic in the backyard so you can see it. Maybe you can find some similar jammies to wear with yours so you will both be, oh so de rigueur.

April 16 

Well, Bill looks great, but the PJs have to go. And what is wrong with his arm?  Oh, he is posing, sorry about that. Not used to the style.

So I would be OK if I did not bring a sports coat?   Trying to go casual.

And yes, I will be flying the helo, so hold on to your zip lines. We will coordinate during the trip.

Thanks for the picture of Bill, he does look nice from the waist up.

BB

Yes,  don't take one if you prefer not to.  We will still let you sit at our table.

BKG

April 17 

So it will be OK if I wear my lumber jack shirt and do not shave for a month?    Wow, you guys are great friends.

OH, we went to SF today and took a free tour of our boat/ship. Several hours long, got to see lots of fancy cabins, the interior and some of the dinning areas. Neat tour. It gave us a good look at the ship and how it is structured.  We had fun. It also was OUR ship that we will be taking in June, so that made it even better.  Tour was offered by Expedia Cruise Ship company.  We got free cookies and a glass of orange juice, two free cloth bags and lots of info. 

Brian

Humph!! Thanks for calling us! We could have joined you for a cookie and juice. No,  really, we're glad you had the chance to visit the ship.  Did you figure out where we're going to hang out? Did you see the Serenity Pool? That's where we spent a lot of time. Bill says,  "Where are our fancy cloth bags?" 

Hugs to you two

B and B

April 26 

OK, It seems everyone is bringing at least one nice set of cloths for dinning.

So, if that super savings place you have in Sparks (the $7 coats) has a coat, size 46 Regular, then pick up one for me. PLEASE, a different color than Bill, as we do not want to be the Bobsy Twins. Say a dark gray, or navy blue, even a dark brown might work. I also promise not to wear my PJ bottoms, but Bill is welcome to do it if he is comfortable. Will leave the color to your judgement. I plan on having a nice pair of black slacks.

That way, we can all go to a nice dinner, dressed properly.  Just trying to fit in correctly (Unless they have a Lumberjack restaurant on ship, then I would need to bring my chainsaw).

So, as you can see, I am getting ready to pack.......and getting excited.

Also saw pics of the cabinets and the counter top. They look very nice. Hope the project is going according to schedule.

Brian

April 27

Here are the jackets we picked out for Brian. Please let us know which one to buy, because we're sure there will be a lot of demand for them and we don't want to miss out.

Bill and Billie

The first jacket is the one that best describes my unusual personality. Or maybe I have a third option?

























OK, here is the real thing. Of course, the towel would be optional. 

Wow, very nice. And the socks match the towel.

Thank you, that will work very nicely.

Question. Do you plan on using a coat bag for the trip, along with your suitcase?   Just want to know if a coat bag is acceptable on this trip, or should everything go in the suitcase.

Also, does Bill plan on using a tie with his coat, or go sort of casual James Bond with on open collar. I like JB best.

Again, thanks for doing this. It looks like your place has quite a selection, along with prices that cannot be beat.

Brian

We're glad you like the jacket. I think you should both wear short shorts, knee socks and sandals to complete the look. Ties won't be necessary, as the open neck, JB look is much more sexy. As far as a coat bag, go for it. Bill has a suit bag that we could take if we don't think we have room in the suitcases. We will be taking our large and our medium suitcase, and probably our small one, for the cosmetics, pillows, etc. It is advisable to take a carry-on type of bag for important things, such as drugs and your special pillows, and anything you might want in the first three or four hours of being on the ship, because the luggage can take that long to be delivered to your room.

BKG

April 28

Well, sorry to say that me in short shorts is not going to happen. Even I have some reservations about scaring people on a boat at sea. If they all run away from me and end up on one end of the ship, it will tip over, and we do not want that to happen.  That happen, sort of, when everyone on the navy carriers would rush to one side of the ship to see something. 5000 people all in one place caused the ship to lean somewhat.

I will let Monique know about the luggage that you plan on taking. I think she will want her own large bag, just because she packs as if she is going for a 3 week event without any washer or dryers available. But you never know. I had planned to bring a computer bag with just books, paperwork and my meds, but no computer.

A question about bag delivery. Is it expected to give a tip when the bags are delivered. Trying to plan on how much cash I should bring, beyond the big tip at the end of the trip.

Who knows, with your teaching us, we might become reasonable ship people by the end of this trip. I was noticing the ship has movies at night, outdoors. I think Monique and I would enjoy that under the stars, as long as we have a heavy jacket and a blanket (and I can get hot chocolate for all of us as part of my beverage package).

Thanks for the info.

Brian

Perfect socks, so we bought each of you a pair.   

April 30

Cool. I'll let Bill buy them first and model them for us. After we all stop laughing, I will think still need to think about buying them.

But I am glad that you are on the lookout for cool stuff for us guys to wear on the ship. Do they have a brig on the ship. You know the socks are kind of like accordions....use one and go to jail.

Keep looking

Brian

May 10

So, again, we got online to check the prices and found a lower rate, so I called Costco Travel, again. This time, it was a success. The rate was able to be applied to our trip, so for $200.00 per cabin, we upgraded to balconies on the Baja deck, from windows on the Plaza deck, six decks higher. We were thrilled, so I sent an email to Brian.

"We want to call you tonight. Will 8 ish be good?"

8 works fine........I hope everything is ok?

They were beyond thrilled. So, our trip is going to be extra special with our wonderful balconies. We can toss spit wads into each other's doors. Also, we all decided to take the White Pass Scenic Railway.

Done. Attached is the receipt. We are printing everything, so you don't need to. It is also on our cruise personalizors, so you can see it there, too. 

Billie

May 15

Thanks for the Costco item. AS to the railroad, go ahead and book. Let us know how much we owe you, from the change in ticket price on the ship and the train. We can send a check as needed.

It is starting to look like we are actually going to go and the railroad trip looks very nice (I pulled it up on the internet).

I even brought down the luggage, so it must be real.

May 17

OK, we now have round trip bus tickets from Petaluma to Pier 27. We are tagged as "old people fair", so you will have to mumble slightly and act a little off (it should not be a problem for anyone of us). They discount senior people with slight dementia......and if anyone asks, we are all 62 or older, right...What was the subject, I just forgot.

Also, the check is in the mail to you for the suite costs and the train. Let me know if you do not receive by Friday's mail.

So this week, I will be selecting from my vast wardrobe the nautical cloths (or is that naughty cloths) I will be taking with me on the boat...sorry the ship....and packing the big bag. We are 14 days away.....and counting.

How goes the work in the kitchen? Installed that sink yet?  Looking for pictures of Bill with a sledge hammer and cabinets coming down, like they do on TV.  Or you could do what I did once and save the old cabinets for garage storage cabinets.

Brian

Well, Billie is off to Picasso & wine; that's where they drink themselves silly and think they can paint great works of "art".

We have not started demo on the kitchen, only removing all the pots, pans & dishes.  It looks empty!

The cabinets should be in town tomorrow and we will go see them-- sure hope they are right.

Then the demo will begin the week of the 25th and continue until well after we have departed; not for good, only to Alaska -- but that may be one and the same?....

Thanks for setting up the shuttle ( not the Columbia, just the one to SF).  We will try our darnedest to emulate (big word) you with the dementia.

I might just try the hammer, but no promises.

Ship -- boat -- whatever floats your dinghy.

The cabinets are going to #1 son... Don't know if he is picking up or if Rommie is delivering... more to come.

Aloha and Mahalo nui loa!

B&B 

Wow, humor and info. I am impressed,  Usually its me that does the humor, that Billie does not get, but I will keep trying and eventually Billie will catch on to me. Then I do not know what I will do.

So, when you come back from the big boat, your kitchen will be all done, or the lot will still be smoldering. Lets hope for the kitchen done and everything just the way you want it.   How did Number 1 son get the old cabinets....what about the only daughter, doesn't she count?

keep up the good work, only 13 more days......

Brian,

On May 17, I fell and landed on my face, causing swelling and bruises. This is the exchange with Brian.

Brian,

We didn't intend for you to to pay the upgrade on the cabins. We thought you could take us to dinner one night on the ship.

We are getting so excited. Our bags are kind of packed. There are stacks of clothes and piles of stuff that we might want to take but aren't sure, yet. We are taking one good pair of binoculars and one not great pair - really more like opera glasses. We do have another good pair that we can bring for you, but we are pretty sure you have some that are better than what we have. Let us know.

I'm trying to find out if the ship provides an iron, because we can't find our little folding travel iron. Do you have one?

I

I fell while taking a walk with Bill, yesterday morning, landing on my face on the sidewalk, and I have attached pictures of me so you can see how I look. I had a CT scan of my head and I am fine, but I look like crap, as one of my best friends told me. My main concern was having to miss the cruise if my skull was broken. Glad to say that is not the case. You might have to put up with some purple coloration, but I will try to color coordinate my wardrobe if I am still off color.

We will be seeing you two in just over one week!!!!!!!!

Love,

Us 

Well, first of all, you do look bad, but very happy you are OK.  You have to stop doing that, or everyone on the ship will be talking about the poor lady that was attacked by Russian mobsters and is now hiding from them on our ship......sounds a lot better that just falling down.

We plan on taking you to dinner, and we greatly appreciate the upgrade and all the work it took to get the upgrade. We will find a balance somehow.

Now, we have two binoculars, one large one smaller. So I think we are covered. I do have a travel iron, but not sure where it is, so I will have to go looking. Will be packing this weekend, and that will drive Monique nuts.

Please take care of yourself, we want you in one piece.

Brian

May 19

Tonight, I sent a new picture to show how it was progressing. 

Wow! That is one shiner! I'm glad that you had a scan & that we are still on for our cruise. 13 days. YEAH!

Hope you are feeling better and no headache have come from your fall. We need you in good health in 12 days.

Are things stabilizing...

We also need you think of a good cover story. I found a "used" electronic monitoring ankle bracelet on Craigs List. We could us that as part of the story about Relocation and a massive undercover trial in which you are the key witness. Thus you are being hid on a boat for a week or so, before the Feds/Homeland Security lands a helo onto the ship and wicks you away......I mean, it is possible.....

More to come, but first we want you healthy. 

Brian

My answer - 

Shhhh. Remember the boy, who shall remain nameless for his own protection, is now a mucky muck in the DOJ so we have to be careful. I'm sure Witness Protection will give me a story that is plausible. BTW, payment received today, so all is covered.

And, I'm feeling fine. Did a five mile walk today, 4.37 with Bill. He pooped out so I finished alone and I didn't trip. Yay!

Love,

Billie

I just printed out boarding passes and luggage tags. Yay!




 August 1

Wow! Almost two months since the cruise ended and I'm just getting around to writing about it.


Day 1 May 31

We're waiting for the bus to take us to the dock












Our first glimpse of the Grand Princess

Waiting to board

Sail away











Finally taking some time to relax

Day 2 June 1

On Patti and Bob's balcony. We were surprised to run into them on the cruise, on the first day, and they invited us over to see their suite.

 Monique and I hung out on our balconies most mornings.

With the Wilders

Day 3 June 2

 Breakfast at the buffet

Braving the cold

Looking at the itinerary

Day 4 June 3  Juneau

 At Mendenhall Glacier

  Beautiful flowers

On a Juneau street

A waterfall from the ship

Laundry time

Crown Grill for fish and chips

Day 5 June 4   Skagway

Braving the cold, yet, again

 Walking through Skagway

On the White Pass and Yukon Train that took us into Canada. We saw beautiful scenery, but were disappointed that we couldn't get off the train

An old bridge

                                    Going around a bend

 Bill enjoyed the hot tub

We discovered Skipbo on the ship, and we played it often.

Leaving Skagway

 Our wake at 11 pm

Little lighthouse

Day 6 June 5 Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay was serene and beautiful. It rained most of the time, so we didn't get a lot of photos.

A much needed rest before the evening activities

The Sanctuary

Day 7 June 6  Ketchikan

 Arriving in port and waiting to go to town

Here we didn't take any excursions, choosing to walk almost five miles through the town to enjoy the beautiful flowers and other scenery.

A friendly tree

We climbed several hundred steps to get up here and then we walked down by way of a road instead of using the stairs, again.

Lunch at a local cafe.

Sail away

 Playing Skipbo, again.

And again

Finally, a pretty sunset

Day 8 June 7  Day at Sea

Apparently, we did nothing because there aren't any pictures.

Day 9 June 8 Victoria - Our 48th anniversary

We rode a shuttle into town and walked around in the rain for several miles. We went into the Empress Hotel, after being told by the staff that we couldn't go in through the front entrance. After walking around, we walked out through that entrance and gave them a smug look.

Fancy washroom for the ladies

They refused to go inside the Manscape store

This was Monique's first time in Canada since she moved away in 1965

We had a wonderful anniversary with Monique and Brian and some new friends

After dinner we danced and then played Skipbo before the evening entertainment

Day 10 June 9

Monique trying for one last sunset shot

 Enjoying the balcony one last time. Look, no jacket or gloves!

Fun at the crew talent show on the last night

Day 11 June 10  Home again

Arriving with no fog was fantastic. We had set our alarms to get up early, and Bill and I went for a walk to get coffee. We checked to make sure we had plenty of time. When we got back to our cabin, I went out to see how far away we were, and there was the bridge. I quickly knocked on the Bendzick's window and told her to throw on some clothes so she could watch the arrival. Their alarm hadn't gone off so she wasn't ready. They made it with only a few minutes to spare.

San Francisco waking up

Alcatraz in the sunrise

The cruise was wonderful. A great way to introduce Brian and Monique to shipboard life. We are already planning our next one. Panama Canal?

August 10

After talking to Gary Raffanelli, we decided to take the cruise on the Freedom of the Seas, which is the one Abbacadabra will be on. It leaves from Ft. Lauderdale on December 4. We are using our FF miles with United to fly, so it will cost us very little. Except, we are going to have to leave here on Dec 1, go to Denver, spend the night, and catch the 8:30 flight to Ft. Lauderdale. Originally, we had booked the flights for Dec 2, but United changed their schedule (only a few days after we booked) and the flight to Florida will be leaving 17 minutes before the flight from Reno to Denver will land, so, rather than have to make two stops on the way, and spend over 14 hours traveling, we thought it would be fun to just explore Denver a little bit. At least this will extend our vacation, even if it will make it more expensive.

We will be going to visit Craig and Jackie in Longview, Washington on September 30. Bailey will stay at our house because there is no school that week. That was lucky for us. Craig said we will go to Mt. St. Helen's one day. None of us have ever been there. I've booked a room at the Gray Cat Inn in Cottage Grove, Oregon for on the way there.

October 19

The visit with Craig and Jackie was really fun and relaxing. We had planned to do a lot of walking but the weather influenced that so we didn't get to do as much as we wanted. On the way there, we stayed in Cottage Grove, Oregon at a B & B called The Grey Cat.

The proprietor, Sherry, was nice but the place was pretty dumpy, with stuff stashed all around the living room and pantry areas. The dining room and our room were more organized and we only spent one night there.  We took a walk to town after checking in in the late afternoon, and the neighborhood left something to be desired, as it was located on a main street. We found a pretty covered bridge, but it wasn't old.

The bed was comfortable and the breakfast was good. The cat was friendly, spending quite a bit of time on my lap when I got up early and sat in the living room to read.

The drive from Cottage Grove was good, probably because it was a Saturday, so there was little traffic in Portland.

Craig and Jackie's house is great, and is pretty big, although not as big as the one they were in when they lived in Battle Ground, but this one they actually own. They have a beautiful view. The first night we were there, I went for a walk along their road, but only went a little under two miles because there was no shoulder, and I didn't like being so close to cars on the windy mountain road. The dogs, Mua and Murphy, are just big puppies and they were fun to play with.

The cat, is very playful, and I enjoyed him They still have Boo, the cockateel, who mostly sits on his perch and watches the world. The cat kept trying to get into our room at night, and the last night, he got the dogs to help at around 3 am. They all burst in and the cat jumped up on Bill, giving us a bit of a scare. After we got them out, we managed to get back to sleep.

We had several visits from deer who love their yard. They put apples out and that draws them in.

Did I mention that it rained a lot?

We went to the beach at Willow's Beach on the Columbia River to walk with Jackie and we found a neat piece of wood for Kathy. Jackie found some driftwood for her garden.

We drove to Mt. St. Helen's, but it was raining so we decided not to drive all the way to the top visitor's center because we wouldn't have been able to go on any of the muddy trails. We had lunch that day at a really good restaurant and brought home a coconut cream pie for dessert, which was superb. That night we went to Will's parents', Markie and Charles', house for dinner.

Jackie made chili for our first dinner, and we had a delicious flank steak our last night. We played a lot of Mexican Train and a little bit of cribbage. We enjoyed some of the local vegetation and used the hot tub. The best thing - I had my first massage. It was so relaxing and I couldn't help wishing I had done it sooner. However, I am really more confidant in my skin than I have been in my whole adult life, and I might not have enjoyed it so much before when I felt like a total blob.

The last day, Wednesday, we spent the entire morning on the deck with a fire and the rain falling all around. It was perfect.

We stayed for five days, although, we really would have enjoyed staying longer. With Bailey taking care of the house and dogs, we wanted to be sure to be home in time for her to have a day to herself before going back to school.

We left on Thursday, Oct 6 and headed over to the coast so we could enjoy the ocean for a little while. It rained most of the way, but we were able to get out of the car and walk a few times. We found a historic covered bridge on the way to Astoria, which we detoured to get to.

This is the Gray's River bridge

One time, we had stopped at an overlook, and were walking back to another overlook, which we had missed, when we heard and saw a large rock fall from the cliff above. This pic shows the car on the far right. The rock fell near the middle of the area on the road.

It landed about 15 feet from us in the middle of the southbound lane. If it had hit a car, it could have caused serious damage, or even gone through the windshield. We could see that there were no cars coming, so Bill ran out to move it to the side of the road, so no cars would hit it.

We stopped at the Tillamook Factory and got some cheese, and then we turned inland at Newport so we could have dinner at the Spaghetti Factory in Corvalis. After dinner, we drove for a couple more hours and made it to Medford where we stayed at a Shiloh Inn. It was adequate, and the beds were very comfortable so we got a good night's sleep. Mt. Shasta got quite a bit of snow between the time we drove through on the way, and our trip home.

We had a good drive home via the 70. We stopped for chicken pot pie at a Marie Callendar's in Redding.

November 23

We went to stay with Tony and Anais on Nov 12 for the start of our trip. We went to a neat craft and antique store when we first got to Sacramento, and then we went to the Spaghetti Factory for lunch, We stopped by a couple of other stores before going back to their house and seeing what they have accomplished in the house and yard since we were last there. He bought tickets to a fund raiser at Eric's son's school, so we went there for dinner and we had a really good time, despite the really loud music. There was a silent auction, and between them and us, we bought 25 bottles of wine. We also bought some Walking Dead figurines that we plan to sell on eBay.

The dinner was fantastic, tri tip, chicken, various salads and cake. We went to bed shortly after getting back to their place, and we left early in the morning on Sunday to drive to Canyon Country.

Our visit with Joline and Bill was fun. She always makes such great dinners so we were well fed. We walked the first night at the golf course, but we couldn't walk very far because it was getting dark and there are critters out there.

We drove to Lancaster to visit with Terri and Devon on Monday.

We had lunch on Tuesday with Nina and Mike, After that, Joline took us to see the fire area.

Wednesday night Cyndi and Mark and Debby and Gavon came over for dinner.

Joline and I had a little blow up on Wednesday afternoon, but we fixed it quickly.

Thursday morning, we left at 5:30 for the drive to Las Vegas and we got there at 10:30, leaving us plenty of time to check in to Sam's Town and have a shower before lunch. The "classes" were mostly interesting, although we really didn't learn anything. What was great was the dinner at The Angry Butcher on Thursday night. I had halibut and Bill had salmon. The dinners were wonderful. AARP always feeds everyone well, so both lunches that they served were very good.

On Friday, we woke up to complete darkness, due to a blackout.

We never found out what the problem was. Bill and I drove to a Denny's that was outside the dark zone for coffee and to read our books, and we got back in time for the breakfast. The power was out for about an hour and a half.

Friday night, we were invited to join Maria, Nancy, Darryl, Shirley, Mary, Janice and Nancy's husband for dinner at The Big Mess, a BBQ restaurant in Sam's Town.

The food was, again, excellent. After that, Mary drove Darryl and us to see the Ethyl M Cactus Garden light display, which was fascinating.

In the morning, we left at about 5:30 for the drive home. It was smooth and we had a good time. We stopped in Tonapah for breakfast and got home about 2:00.

Caribbean Cruise!

Ft. Lauderdale Dec 1 to Dec 10, including a cruise on the Freedom of the Seas, Dec 4 to 10

We flew through Denver and Houston on Dec 1. The original plan was to spend one day and night in Denver and go to Ft. Lauderdale non-stop on Dec 2. Bill thought it would be a better idea to just go straight to Ft. Lauderdale so we would have two full days to spend there before the cruise.

We spent over two hours in the United First Class lounge in Denver, which makes the waiting so much more pleasant. We had a good breakfast of cereal, fruit, sweet rolls and coffee. Just before we left for our next flight, they were bringing out a nice lunch of salad bar and cold cuts. We could have stayed long enough to have a little bit of lunch, but we weren't hungry, so on we went.

Waiting for our flight in comfort

The flights were fine and we landed in Ft. Lauderdale in the early evening, got the shuttle and went to the Springhill Suites, where Gary had arranged for us to stay. The suite was not the best we've ever seen, but it was fine, and larger than a regular hotel room, so we were happy. The bed was comfortable and the area was not too bad.

View from our window

We walked over to explore the shopping center across the street from the hotel but found nothing special about it. I had thought it was going to be a nice big mall, but it was more of a strip mall. We were looking for dinner, but we couldn't find a restaurant, other than Burger King, so we went back to the hotel and had the cookies that we had wrapped up from the lounge in Denver. Then we went to the hot tub for a while and hit the bed early.

On Friday morning, we took a walk to Hollywood Beach, about 4 and 1/2 miles. It was fun, and we weren't in a hurry, so it was pretty good, but once we got there, it had gotten hot and we were tired. We went to Ocean's 13, a bar right on the beach, and Bill had a couple of beers that cost him a total of $3.00. That revived him enough that we walked down to the water and along the beach, finding shells, for about a half mile.

Ocean's 13 at Hollywood Beach

Bill had put sunscreen on, but we didn't take any with us, so we had to get him out of the sun, and we couldn't walk back, because there would be very little shade so we decided to call Uber. The driver called us and said he was on the way and would be there in five minutes. A few minutes later, he called again, and asked where we were. He said he would be there in 30 seconds. We were at the edge of a huge parking lot, so we could see quite a lot of area, but we didn't see cars moving like they were looing for someone. After 15 minutes, I tried to call the guy, but had no luck, and we found out that Uber has no phone support for passengers. Bill was getting pretty exhausted, so I went up to ask the parking lot attendant for assistance and she kindly called a taxi for us. The taxi driver was there in just a couple of minutes, and he turned out to be very friendly. He took us back to the hotel, and we conversed all the way. He said that if we needed a ride while we were there, we could call him directly. Bill took a rest and I read by the pool. That evening, we walked one mile in the rain, past the shopping center, to a TGIF and had a wonderful dinner.

We had a brownie sundae for dessert

The walk back was dry. We went to the pool for a while and called it a day.

Saturday, after breakfast and a stroll around the hotels in the area, we walked to a bank that was about a half mile north of the hotel, which was the opposite direction from the day before. On the way, we were pleasantly surprised by an igloo of iguanas (Tony decided that since we don't know what a group of them is called, they will be called an igloo henceforth.)

We got back to the hotel, and I got on the phone to see if I could find something to do for the afternoon. I discovered that there is a water taxi that takes people through the Intracoastal to Ft. Lauderdale Beach area. It was only $20.00 each and there were on and off privileges at multiple stops. So, we called our taxi driver and he took us to Margaritaville at Hollywood Beach to catch the water taxi. Bill had a bear while waiting. We found out that all beers in that area are not as reasonable as those at Ocean's 13. One beer was $9.00!

Margaritaville Beer

The water taxi took about 45 minutes to get to the first stop. It was a pleasant trip, with lots of beautiful scenery. The narration was good, so we learned a lot about the area. We saw several huge orange and yellow iguanas, but weren't able to get any photos.

Steven Spielberg's Yacht

Our first stop in Ft. Lauderdale took us to a very crowded area where there was a Riptide Concert going on.

After we got away from that area, the crowds thinned some, and we were able to walk for miles along Ft. Lauderdale Beach.

At one point, we were getting tired, so we found one of the water taxi pick up points, which was just a sign at the end of a cul de sac. The taxi came along and took us to the end of the line where we got off, expecting to find dinner, but it turned out that the restaurants were very pricy and crowded, so we caught a taxi back the area we had walked through and went to a little Italian restaurant where we had a pizza and Bill had a glass of wine. I was able to charge my phone for a little while so I could take more pictures after dinner.

Spazios Restaurant

Across the street from Spazios

The ride back to Margaritaville was cold but still fun.

Open drawbridge

Fancy house on the Intracoastal

When we got back, we called our taxi driver, but he was off for the night, so we got a waiting taxi and went back to the hotel. We went in the hot tub for a few minutes. It was a wonderful day.

Sunday morning, we took a walk around the grounds and got packed for the cruise. We met Gary's brothers, Dave and Mike, in the hotel lobby and we waited together. Gary was supposed to pick us up at noon, but he was very delayed by all the traffic at the port, so he didn't get there until well after 1.

The cruise was really fun. We love being on the water so much, and having a balcony on the ship is a necessity for us. We were diverted from our route to Grand Cayman, our first stop, by a critically ill passenger. They were going to make a stop in Key West, Florida, but all of a sudden, we turned around and headed back on course. It turned out that the person passed away. That was very unfortunate for the family, who had to continue with the trip.

Grand Cayman was pretty uneventful. We got a bus, which was really more of an old van that picked up people along the way, and went to Seven Mile Beach, which was what Gary recommended. We walked back toward town on the sand, carrying our shoes, and after a mile or so, we went up to the road and walked a little bit more. We got to a Ritz Carlton Resort, and went inside for some watermelon and cantaloupe water, and to use a restroom.

Ritz Carlton Resort

Pretty flowers

The ships in port

Then we found the bus stop and went back to the ship. We spent the rest of the day at the pool and hanging out on the ship.

Cozumel, Mexico.

We left the ship and were walking to town, and noticed that two people were following us. We moved over so they could pass, and they stopped and said that they had been following us because we looked like we knew where to go. So, we spent the day together and became friends. They taught us how to take advantage of all the free trinkets the jewelry stores offer without actually buying anything. We were offered free shots of tequila in almost every shop, even the jewelry stores, which we accepted and enjoyed thoroughly. And, we were surprised to be offered weed and blow in many places. Those offers we passed up. Beers were $1 and $2, and we were serenaded at one of our many beer stops.

Cozumel from the ship

Serenade

Our ship and the only other one in port

Time for another beer

Costa Maya, Mexico. We spent part of the day with Denise and Jeff, but they were more adventurous than we were. We stopped at the plaza just past the shopping area, that was free to everyone. There was a huge pool, and two large bars, as well as lots of shops with, yet, more tequila tastes. Denise and Jeff wandered off to explore, while we swam. They came back to tell us that they had found that we could go to a beach "up the road" for $6.00 cab ride and $3.00 entrance fee for each of us. It had chairs, umbrellas, white sand and free drinks. We had heard about the scam offers, so we decided not to take the chance. Turns out we were very wrong. They had a wonderful time, swimming in the crystal clear blue-green water. We wish we had gone with them, but we were glad they had such a great time. Next time we go on a cruise that goes to Costa Maya, we will know where to go.

Jeff and Denise as we left the ship

Thursday night, after our partial day in Costa Maya - The reason for the cruise - Abbacadabra - The Ultimate Abba Tribute. Gary Raffanelli suggested that we take the cruise, because he knows we love their performances. So, why not? The cruise was wonderful in itself, but the concerts made it totally special. Gary called us on Monday, and invited us up to visit him in his suite, which was just above our modest balcony room, We stayed for an hour or so and he said the performances were going to be on Thursday, and we could go to t...he sound check if we wanted to, so we got to the theater at 4. The only people in there besides the performers and the ship techs were Gary's brothers, who are just as friendly as he is, and one of his biggest fans, a late 70-something British lady named Lilianna, who adores him, and us, so that was pretty cool. We stayed for the 7 pm and the 9 pm shows, and we sat in the front row, which was so different from where we usually sit in a theater. Denise and Jeff joined us for the 7 pm show, and they said they had a good time. We loved every moment of the shows.

The private party, with open bar, was on Friday at 4, and even though it was officially from 4 to 5, it didn't really end until almost 6. What a great way to spend the last day aboard the Freedom.

Add caption

Singing at the party                                                         Dave dancing with the Twin Towers

Steve, Rich, Gary, Haley, Leslie, Susie, and Trent after the party

The last day of the cruise was a hang around day. It was raining most of the day, but we went to the pool for a while with Denise and Jeff, and we spent some time reading. On Saturday, Dec 10, we pulled into Ft. Lauderdale about 5 am, and we met them for breakfast at 7. We gathered our luggage and walked off the ship about 9. It was pouring and Denise got soaked walking out to find the Uber car she had ordered. We loaded everything and the driver took us to the car rental place, where we picked up their car, and they drove us to the airport.

Unfortunately, we had to wait near the ticketing area for over two hours, because we were there over six hours before our flight. The line got longer and longer to check luggage, so I went outside to see if curbside check-in was an option. There was no line at all, so we got the luggage checked and we were on our way through security. 

Crazy line to check the luggage - over 100 people long

                                                                                    The wait outside was short and quick

We were able to sit in the United First Class Lounge in Ft. Lauderdale for almost four hours before our first flight, because we were so early. They served delicious minestroni soup, cheeses, vegies, rolls, chocolate chip cookies, and, best of all, they had an open bar. Bill chose wine and I had my first Cosmopolitan, and my second. Our Royal Caribbean beverage containers were a perfect way to carry our "leftover" drinks ...onto the plane, so we could finish them at our leisure.

We volunteered to be bumped, and they said they would compensate us $400.00 each, take us to a hotel near the Miami airport, give us dinner and breakfast and we would get to Sacramento by 8 pm tonight. Tony was going to Denver in the morning, so he wouldn't have been able to pick us up at the airport. We thought we might stay over with Gee Weckerle and Joe. who have a condo there, and then rent a car the next day to drive home, but it turned out that they didn't need our seats after all. That was disappointing, but, really, we were so glad to walk in the door of our very own house last night and sleep in our comfortable bed. Our dogs were ecstatic to see us. They haven't let us out of their sight all day.  There is truly no place like home.

What kinds of exciting adventures await us in 2017? We will go to see Tony and Anais a few times for sure. There will be visits with Monique and Brian, and my 50th class reunion is coming up in October. I will just put those things in the 2017 blog, so this one is now finished.

2017

We got to Ann and Johns house on Tuesday, October 3. I had been there once, but Bill hadn't. It is a beautiful house and they have a sweeping view from their huge deck. We enjoyed visiting with them and on Wednesday, we went for a walk with John at Three Bridges in the morning to Morro Bay in the afternoon, where we had delicious fish and chips. We had plenty of time for relaxing and eating. This was the trip for my 50th Granada Hills High class reunion, and we had a really good time. I wrote about the trip in detail on the 2017 blog.

From Ventura, we went to stay with Bill and Joline for a couple of days. The highlight of that visit was that we took the train from Santa Clarita to downtown Los Angeles, where we walked through Alvero Street and a little bit of Chinatown.

2018

We have nothing planned for this year, yet. But, we are sure something will come along. I wonder what it will be.

2021 - May 20 - Flew to Houston to visit Scott and Jen and the boys. See 2021 blog. 

2021 - June 6 - Canyon Country to see Bill and Joline. Yummy food was the highlight. We went to LA on the train and visited Olivera Street. 

2021 - June 29 - Monique and Brian's house in Petaluma. We went to Bodega Bay with Brian, but, unfortunately, Monique had to work. The kids and grands came over for a BBQ so we had a wonderful time with them. 

2021 - July 20 - We flew to Portland to stay at Craig and Jackie's house while they went to Kauai for three weeks. We had fun playing tourist, going to the beach, etc. Bill got sick and we thought he might have Covid, but I took him for a test, which was negative. When they got back, we stayed for a few more days. See 2021 blog. 

2021 - September - We drove to Longview to visit with Craig and Jackie for a few days. We had a good drive and we did a little bit of sightseeing with them. Mostly, we stayed in and played games. 

2021 -  November 14 - Redmond, Oregon with Craig and Jackie. Good drive and a fun time. See 2021 - Thank God We Made It Through the Year.

2022 - June 19 - Petaluma to visit Monique and Brian for three days. We went to Kirsten and Jay;s for a graduation dinner for Emily.

2022 - June 24 -Graeagle for two nights to visit Susie and Kurt. 

2022 - June 26 - We left Graeagle on Sunday morning to go to Camp Richardson to spend the afternoon and have dinner with the Bendzicks. 

2022 - July 7 - Day trip to Stampede with two dogs, Maddie and Koda. 

2022 - Sept 20 - Drove to Mt. Hood to spend the night on the way to Longview. We stayed in Longview for a few days before going up to Ocean Shores. The house is so pretty and we had a lovely time. We walked a lot, and drove to lots of different beaches, including to one very close to the house, where we got stuck in the sand. Good times.  See 2022 blog. 

2022 - November 2 - Day trip to Pyramid with Tony.

2023

January 29

We have been having trouble remembering all theruises we have gone on so we decided to make a list. Details about these trips are in other blogs. 

2004 - April - We flow from Maui to San Diego with Joe and Gee. We stayed there for a couple of days, playing tourist, and then we hopped on a bus which took us to Ensenada, where the Carnival Spirit was waiting to take us to Hawai'i. We had a wonderful time on our first cruise. I had been sick just before we went, with Mononucleosis, and my doctor said I had to take it very slow, but I felt great the whole time. 

2005 - Spring - We won a trip on the inaugural cruise on the Pride of America, from New York to Miami, on the Regis and Kelly show. 

2004 to 2005 - 4 Hawai'ian cruises around the Islands on the Pride of Aloha. These were free cruises through the Pacific Whale Foundation. Bill gave lectures on the History and Oceanography of the area and I was his assistant. The most beautiful part of each one was that the ship went by the erupting volcano, Kilauia, at night, so we could see the bright red lava flow into the ocean. One of the most memorable ones was the week after Christmas. On New Year's Eve, we stopped in the channel between Maui and Lanai to watch the fireworks at midnight. 

2006 - Spring - Mexican Riviera on NCL with Joe and Gee. We stayed in a Marriot in Long Beach for two nights before the cruise. 

2010 - June - We took Bryanna and Bailey on the Carnival Splendor for a Mexican Riviera cruise. We loved every moment of it. After the cruise, we took them to Jolines house, and then on to the Bell's in Las Vegas to swim and play for a few days. We drove home on 95 and I almost got a ticket for doing 85, but the officer took pity on us because I said that Bill was on chemo and he desperately needed to use a bathroom. The girls got a kick out of that. 

2013 - June - Carolee and her daughter came over from Maui to go on the Grand Princess out of San Francisco for a cruise to Alaska. It was a wonderful trip. 

2016 - June - Monique and Brian cruised with us to Alaska on the Grand Princess. Again, a wonderful trip.

2016 - December - Bill and I flew to Ft. Lauderdale, where we spent a few days just hanging out. The main reason for the trip was to go on the Freedom of the seas on December 4, because we were talking to Gary, and he asked us why we hadn't gone on one of his cruises yet. We thought it was a great idea, so we did it. 

2019 - Panama Canal - We had always wanted to take the cruise through the Panama Canal, so on January 31, we boarded the Coral Princess. Another fantastic trip. 

2023 - March 6 to March 23 - Ft. Lauderdale to Barcelona, Spain on the Enchanted Princess with Craig and Jackie. Then we are going to spend several days in Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco and Amsterdam, flying home on April 4.

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