Trip report
Jan. 8th, 2005 01:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eviltammyCut, pasted, and edited from an email list. Very random and disjointed:
>At 01:38 PM 1/5/2005 -0800, you wrote:
>>At 02:56 PM 12/29/2004, Tammy wrote:
>>tam, contemplating a trip report
>Still waiting....
Umm... well.... ::sigh:: okay.
::g::
Short version: we enjoyed it, probably wouldn't do it again unless it's a special cruise - or Alaska.
Longer version: wwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
eeeeeennnnnnnnjjjjjjjjjjjjooooooooooyyyyyyeeeeeeeddddddddd
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
........................................................
Sorry, couldn't resist. Aw, heck, didn't even try ::eg::. Here's the real report.
We did enjoy it. We set out on a Thursday morning, breakfasted at Cracker Barrel and headed on down the road. We took a back road my brother recommended that took us in a straighter route and got there in plenty of time, without much traffic. Apparently there had been an accident or something earlier and Mom's friend L and her friend were stuck in traffic for an hour or so at 2 mph. We breezed through security and checkin and headed onto the ship - after having our picture taken (we bought none of the pictures taken of us - we're both allergic to having our pictures taken - we're the takers, not the takees).
Damn, that's a big boat! 9 named floors. We were on the 4th, which was the top floor of the rooms, except for a few on the verandah deck. From bottom to top: Riviera, Main, Upper, Empress(ours), Admiral, Promenade, Lido, Verandah, and Sun (a half deck at the front of the ship). Our room, no windows, was the very last room at the rear of the ship on the inner side of the corridor - the outer side, with windows, had one or two more - I think there was a staircase behind our room up to the next floor. Participants are Mom, L, T, and me. L&T in E200, Mom and I in E204. Aaaaallllllllllllllll the way down the hallway.
I ripped the map of the ship off of the little brochure and became the group navigator (if we'd done a Poseidon Adventure, I'd have been a combo of Gene Hackman as leader and Shelley Winters as size and swimming ability - without the preaching).
We went to the safety drill, where we met up with L&T, then wandered up to the Lido Deck where the pizzeria was - Mom and I hadn't had anything but snacks since that morning.
I didn't get off in Freeport - we were planning on it, but you had to take a cab from the port into town
and I figured it was going to be a lot of walking, so I stayed on board. The others went but didn't stay too long and ended up on the Lido Deck by the pool area, I think. I ended up not going off at Nassau too - Mom did and said it was a good thing - all she did was walk and it was hot. She bought a few things - a couple of T-shirts, a necklace, a tote, and a couple other things - maybe around $50. Sunday was the day at sea - we just wandered around doing this, sitting there, reading and eating. Seas got a bit rough that day. T was ill - but she hadn't fully recovered from having the flu right before the cruise (I believe Mom said that L said T now had pneumonia, which she didn't realize until she went to the doctor). We opted to take our own luggage off, so we left early on Monday and got headed home. Mom drove from Jacksonville FL to Hardeeville, SC where we got onto the back road again. She was sleepy, so I drove the next two hours to Columbia, then she drove the next 2 home. Around 6 hours.
The staff were *incredibly* nice and helpful. The food was good and plentiful. But it seems to be more for people who like to do stuff - go here, go there, do this, do that. Mom and I both prefer just going to the beach - she goes down to the sand, I go to the pool, we stay there for a few hours, then go eat. The meals were 4 courses - starter, salad, entree, dessert - and much much fancier than what we're used to. I'm more adventurous and did like what I had, but I'd have been happier with plainer fare. (Oh, and I got to translate the menus for the table too - though I made sure to say that I wasn't always sure I was right)
Neither of us got to swim at all - the pools and hot tubs had ladders, not steps - and the pools were small and full of kids. And just way too much walking. Though that's more my own fault for being fat and out of shape. Also, if you don't like crowds or loud situations (which, again, is both Mom and I) - you might think about something else. I also lost my Christmas present bracelet and burned a hole in my dress by laying it over a candle.
Oh, one thing: lots of people were recommending Bonine instead of Dramamine, said it made you less drowsy, though there is a non-drowsy Dramamine. Mom and I opted for natural methods and bought ginger pills. Neither of us got seasick, even when the sea was rough, but T took a couple of them that night and swear they saved her life.
So - we enjoyed it - the whole purpose was to be away from home on the first Christmas without Dad and do something distracting - it worked. I think the worst moment was on the drive down, when Willie Nelson started singing "On the Road Again" on the radio - Dad loved that song and we always seemed to hear it when we started a trip. We ate pretty good. Mom had lots of fun with L (for which I would have smiled through a horrible trip) - T was okay - a bit self-centered and bossy - and she did a crew member one afternoon. I understand why people rave about them and if it was something special, like a con/friend cruise, or the 'see the glaciers and Denali' cruise, I'd do it again, but it's not really my kind of thing.
>At 01:38 PM 1/5/2005 -0800, you wrote:
>>At 02:56 PM 12/29/2004, Tammy wrote:
>>tam, contemplating a trip report
>Still waiting....
Umm... well.... ::sigh:: okay.
::g::
Short version: we enjoyed it, probably wouldn't do it again unless it's a special cruise - or Alaska.
Longer version: wwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
eeeeeennnnnnnnjjjjjjjjjjjjooooooooooyyyyyyeeeeeeeddddddddd
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
........................................................
Sorry, couldn't resist. Aw, heck, didn't even try ::eg::. Here's the real report.
We did enjoy it. We set out on a Thursday morning, breakfasted at Cracker Barrel and headed on down the road. We took a back road my brother recommended that took us in a straighter route and got there in plenty of time, without much traffic. Apparently there had been an accident or something earlier and Mom's friend L and her friend were stuck in traffic for an hour or so at 2 mph. We breezed through security and checkin and headed onto the ship - after having our picture taken (we bought none of the pictures taken of us - we're both allergic to having our pictures taken - we're the takers, not the takees).
Damn, that's a big boat! 9 named floors. We were on the 4th, which was the top floor of the rooms, except for a few on the verandah deck. From bottom to top: Riviera, Main, Upper, Empress(ours), Admiral, Promenade, Lido, Verandah, and Sun (a half deck at the front of the ship). Our room, no windows, was the very last room at the rear of the ship on the inner side of the corridor - the outer side, with windows, had one or two more - I think there was a staircase behind our room up to the next floor. Participants are Mom, L, T, and me. L&T in E200, Mom and I in E204. Aaaaallllllllllllllll the way down the hallway.
I ripped the map of the ship off of the little brochure and became the group navigator (if we'd done a Poseidon Adventure, I'd have been a combo of Gene Hackman as leader and Shelley Winters as size and swimming ability
We went to the safety drill, where we met up with L&T, then wandered up to the Lido Deck where the pizzeria was - Mom and I hadn't had anything but snacks since that morning.
I didn't get off in Freeport - we were planning on it, but you had to take a cab from the port into town
and I figured it was going to be a lot of walking, so I stayed on board. The others went but didn't stay too long and ended up on the Lido Deck by the pool area, I think. I ended up not going off at Nassau too - Mom did and said it was a good thing - all she did was walk and it was hot. She bought a few things - a couple of T-shirts, a necklace, a tote, and a couple other things - maybe around $50. Sunday was the day at sea - we just wandered around doing this, sitting there, reading and eating
The staff were *incredibly* nice and helpful. The food was good and plentiful. But it seems to be more for people who like to do stuff - go here, go there, do this, do that. Mom and I both prefer just going to the beach - she goes down to the sand, I go to the pool, we stay there for a few hours, then go eat. The meals were 4 courses - starter, salad, entree, dessert - and much much fancier than what we're used to. I'm more adventurous and did like what I had, but I'd have been happier with plainer fare. (Oh, and I got to translate the menus for the table too
Neither of us got to swim at all - the pools and hot tubs had ladders, not steps - and the pools were small and full of kids. And just way too much walking. Though that's more my own fault for being fat and out of shape. Also, if you don't like crowds or loud situations (which, again, is both Mom and I) - you might think about something else. I also lost my Christmas present bracelet and burned a hole in my dress by laying it over a candle.
Oh, one thing: lots of people were recommending Bonine instead of Dramamine, said it made you less drowsy, though there is a non-drowsy Dramamine. Mom and I opted for natural methods and bought ginger pills. Neither of us got seasick, even when the sea was rough, but T took a couple of them that night and swear they saved her life.
So - we enjoyed it - the whole purpose was to be away from home on the first Christmas without Dad and do something distracting - it worked. I think the worst moment was on the drive down, when Willie Nelson started singing "On the Road Again" on the radio - Dad loved that song and we always seemed to hear it when we started a trip. We ate pretty good. Mom had lots of fun with L (for which I would have smiled through a horrible trip) - T was okay - a bit self-centered and bossy - and she did a crew member one afternoon. I understand why people rave about them and if it was something special, like a con/friend cruise, or the 'see the glaciers and Denali' cruise, I'd do it again, but it's not really my kind of thing.
