Latest Cruise

First cruise aboard aboard an Oasis-class ship, the Wonder of the Seas. Cabin 10th floor 10147

Missed shuttle to cruise ship. Caught ride on another van got to terminal by 1 p.m. picked up scooter, went through security, up to Windjammer for buffet lunch. Very good, crowded, but they had handicapped tables available. Usual dishes and treats. Then to theater to check off safety drill. I'm now in cabin and Julie is off people watching. Met cabin steward and he will separate beds.

RC app doesn't seem to be working. We set up stuff and get confirmation message, but then then the crew has no record of it. But we work it out. Dinner of fish filet was very good. Show tonight was the RC singers and dancers doing a variety show. Then off to bed.

Day 2

Up at 8 a.m. and off to the 'Jammer for  hearty breakfast. Went to Solarium for dip in whirlpool and some reading. Lunch of roast beef, mashed potatoes and various salads. Nap and then get dressed for formal night in dining room. Italian theme. I had lasagna,  Caesar salad,  and Tira Masu for dessert. Off to centrum. I am fascinated by the robot bartender and the cocktail lounge that raises and lowers like a giant elevator.  Off to the ice arena for a lovely show, then to bed. They are going to charge my scooter so I don't have to  charge it in the room.

Day 3

Up at 8 a.m. scooter is fully charged and waiting for me just outside our cabin. Off to Windjammer for breakfast. Then Julie and I split, her to Solarium and me to central park for some reading -- Make Your Bed. What has happened to my other Kindle books? The device seems to be fighting me. Back to cabin for a little nap. Gonna skip lunch today. Having a little poop chute problem due to too much eating. Finally figured out Kindle books am re-reading a Janet Evanovich Fox/O'Hara The Heist.  Spent some time in Central Park. Went to the Schooner Bar for a cold Red Stripe and listened to Juan Valenzuela on guitar. Fine musician. Dress night in dining room. Beef tenderloin with mushrooms and mashed potatoes. Creme Brule for dessert. Off to the Aqua theater for water show. Cross between Tommy Bartlett's dancing waters and O show in Vegas. High diving and spectacular light show. To bed after that 10:30.

Day 4

Up at 7:30 and breakfast in the 'Jammer. We're docked in St. Maartin now. Julie going hot tubbing. Shit, shave and brush teeth for me.  Update the journal. Off to Central Park. NY can't compare to this cleanliness. Light rain. Most are ashore so I'm enjoying the light crowds at Central Park.  Had nice chat with lady with a chi tzu as a service/comfort dog. Broke the chair. Took 2 crew members to help me up. Nap. Dinner was a salmon filet,  corn cakes, and flan for dessert. Show tonight was a juggler/comedian. To bed around 10 p.m. and once again they are changing my scooter for me.

Day 5

Up at 8 a.m. and off Windjammer for breakfast. In Central Park now. We are docked at St. Thomas and Julie is going ashore to explore. We've been invited to a renewal of wedding vows, photos, and then to dinner at Chops by a nice couple (Stanley and Kimberly) from California. They bought both our dinners which came to $174. Carrot cake for dessert. I have to say food at Chops wasn't all that much better than the dining room. Back to cabin. Kind of a restless night with lots of peeing.

Day 6

Up at 7 and to Windjammer for light breakfast. Usual activities. Then Central park and then the O show. There isn't an ounce of fat on any of those women. 

Day 7

Breakfast in the 'Jammer. Finally connected with Gmail so I an talk with Dawn.  Julie off to Coco Cay. I stayed behind and enjoyed the serenity of the ship with many of 7,000 passengers off to the island. Still, lots of kids, though, with the ship's own water park. Got another full-blown cold. Why does this always happen to me? Lobster dinner tonight. Delicious.

Day 8

Docked at Orlando. Breakfast in the dining room as is our custom. Debarking went incredibly smooth. Picked up luggage, then caught bus for ride to the airport.

Had to kill a day at the airport. Lots of gate changes and delay. Finally sent us to Reagan airport in DC. Had one of my worst meals EVER, ANYWHERE at P. F. Changs. Couldn't even finish it. Next from Reagan to Madison had me sitting next t to an Asian guy who was as asshole watch football on his phone. I coughed all the way, and Asian guy couldn't get couldn't get out of his seat fast enough.

Retrieved luggage and phoned Dawn who was waiting in the remote lot. This was about 1 a.m., and they pretty much closed the airport after we left. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Keeping a Travel Journal

Image
 By Bruce Shawkey Found this interesting book in the Internet archive about keeping a travel journal, which I have done for a number of years. It's always fun for me to read about past travels, whether to the next town over, or the next continent. In her introduction, author Lavinia Spalding writes: "Keeping a travel journal is a time-honored art form steeped with tradition and romance, a practice with countless iterations and formulas. Some people approach it like a religious discipline, sitting each afternoon with pen and notebook to dutifully chronicle the events of their day. " I would add to that everything I ate (being a foodie), the hotels and motels I stayed at, and the shenanigans of my two cats, who were often my semi-reluctant travel companions when traveling by car to Florida, where I spent many winters.  Here's a look at her table of contents: 1 — Let the Wild Writing Begin Choosing a journal and beginning your journey    2 — It's the Intention that M...
Read more

Latest Trip to Dubuque

Image
Recently returned from an overnight getaway to Dubuque with sister, Dawn. Started with lunch at Decatur Dairy in Brodhead. Grilled  cheese sandwiches, Diet Coke, and a bag of fresh cheese curds to take on the road. Then off to Dubuque along picturesque Highway 11, over the Mississippi River into Iowa, and checked in to the Julien Hotel.  First off, down to the whirlpool/pool for a relaxing soak in the whirlpool and invigorating couple of laps in the pool. Next, a relaxing nap. Then onto dinner at the Woodfire Steakhouse inside the Diamond Jo casino. Delicious, and served by our favorite waitress, Michelle. Awesome tenderloin steak, served with asparagus spears and an iceberg wedge salad with blue cheese dressing. A delicious fudge brownie dessert with sour cherries and ice cream, which Michelle comped on, since we were celebrating our escape from the Oscar apartments. Next, we went into the casino, where I found a $10 blackjack table, and Dawn played a $5 blackjack machine....
Read more

My Latest Cruise

Image
M y latest cruise with Julie Holmes. We sailed out of Baltimore, Maryland to Nassau Bahamas on an 8-day cruise aboard the Vision of the Seas. Here is my daily log along with some observations. Overall, a wonderful cruise. Some much-needed R&R after a year filled with stroke rehab, a noisy drug dealer, computer issues, and more. But there were some hiccups and lessons learned. Wed. Jan 17 Julie here in the afternoon in preparation for cruise. Thursday January 18, 2024, Day one: First was just getting to Baltimore. Julie and I had to fly out of O'Hare, because there no available flights out of Madison. So we had to take a very early (5 a.m.) VanGalder bus to O'Hare. Once there, United Airlines was very accommodating to my handicap and wheeled me through security and to the departure gate.   While there, I had a meal at Berghoff's. I wanted breakfast, but they only had lunch,  so I got a bratwurst.   Once in Baltimore, Julie and I took an Uber ride to our motel...
Read more