Category: Uncategorized

Contributed by: filbert Saturday, April 21 2012 @ 05:18 PM CST

Text and pictures by Snookums, webification by Filbert

Part Nine

February 10 (Friday, Day 14, At sea) –

Snookums and Pat slept in until 9:15 and then showered. Pat ate a light breakfast of muesli while Snookums read on the verandah. The sun was out and the sea was calm. Then Snookums realized that Mom might get a 100-day medallion at the 11 AM Mariner reception and had to logon to try to verify it. She failed and decided to ask the concierge at Neptune Lounge if Mom was on the list. She was!

Snookums went to Mom’s room at 10:00 AM and opened up the door just a bit to see that it was pitch black and Judy was still sleeping so she didn’t go in. She returned to Mom’s room around 10:30 AM and now everyone was up but still in pajamas. Snookums made sure that Judy knew that Mom was going to get a copper medallion. Everyone said that they were attending so Snookums let them get dressed. Snookums and Pat arrived at the event at 10:45 in order to secure good seats.

Captain van Zaane, Mom with her copper medallion, Hotel Manager Stan Kuppens

The five of us were there and the Cruise Director announced medallion awardees one by one so that the honoree could get a photo with Captain van Zaane and Hotel Manager Stan Kuppens. Soon enough Mom’s name was called (and pronounced correctly) and she went to get her medallion. (Dad is fifteen nights behind Mom in the standings due to a Panama Canal cruise that Mom took with Snookums and other females around 20 years ago.) Free drinks were also offered at this reception and Dad ordered scotch on the rocks even though he hadn’t had breakfast yet. Mom, Judy and Pat each had mimosas while Snookums had a Caffeine Free Diet Coke and then a virgin pina colada. Judy also had a bloody Mary. Mom looked resplendent with her medallion and when the ceremony was over, we went to the Manhattan Dining Room for the Mariner lunch.

After lunch Snookums attended the invitation only “Question and Answer Session” with Stan Kuppens and gave her normal three suggestions about not putting the laundrymark (very sticky tag) ON stitching, posting a copy of the daily 1 PM captain’s announcement and offering a larger internet package (or even an unlimited one). She also enjoyed a virgin strawberry daiquiri.

Snookums worked on the journal and Pat read on the verandah. Around 4 PM, Pat came inside and fell asleep. We both managed to enjoy the last formal dinner. Mom brought their chilled bottle of champagne (compliments of HAL) to dinner and it was emptied before dessert was served! Mom, Dad and Judy went to see Cantaré, featuring HAL’s singers and dancers, again. Because this is a back-to-back cruise most of the production shows were repeated from last week but they have still gone to see some of them again.

Pat and Snookums returned to their cabin and set the clocks back one hour. Since the clocks showed that it was 6:45 PM (!), they even managed to stay awake to watch the movie “Saving Grace” and really enjoyed it. Judy came by with two new dresses for Pat and one of her daughters. Pat then wore her new dress to the chocolate extravaganza that started at 10:30 PM. They said it was weird since most of the desserts were like petit fours and weren’t even chocolate. There was a chocolate fountain but they just ate some fruit without the chocolate. The cotton candy machine was broken. They just said it was a very strange chocolate extravaganza. Snookums told them that she hasn’t been to one of those in at least four years (and many cruises ago).

February 11 (Saturday, Day 15, Half Moon Cay, Bahamas — Canceled) –

We woke up at 8 AM when the captain’s voice came over all of the loudspeakers. Snookums’s first thought was a medical emergency, but it was the captain telling everyone that the port was canceled due to high winds. It seemed fine outside, but some harbors are difficult to tender to when it is windy. Luckily we stopped at this port, HAL’s private island, last week and knew that it was just a beach.

Pat and Snookums went ahead and got up and got ready for the day and went to breakfast. It was actually nice and sunny outside and we enjoyed getting hot while eating muesli (Pat) and sticky buns and sunshine parfait (Snookums). After an hour or so, we went back to our clean cabin. By then it was cloudy and cooler and a little squall came through, too.

We spent time running back and forth between cabins for no apparent reason and soon enough it was time for lunch. We went to Lido and saw that Mom, Dad and Judy were eating there, too, and joined them.

Some of the free jewelry, including the Diamonds International charm bracelet and charms

After lunch we decided to go ahead and pack since it was still cloudy out. Pat’s luggage weighs right at 50 pounds and Snookums’s is around 43 pounds. There shouldn’t be any luggage weight issues tomorrow.

Snookums was still waiting for one blouse to come back from the laundry (it was more than one day late and wasn’t with the rest of the laundry order) and it finally appeared. Our St. Maarten guavaberry liqueur was also delivered so that it could get packed in the suitcases.

Dinner was at Canaletto which is the free Italian restaurant in Lido. Everyone enjoyed it and really liked the antipasti that was presented at the beginning of the meal. The grilled vegetables, mozzarella, salami, artichokes, olives and other tidbits were a great start. The cotton candy that was served before the dessert was a weird concept, but was greatly enjoyed by Judy and Pat. Free champagne was served with dessert due to the canceled port.

February 12 (Sunday, Day 16, Ft. Lauderdale) –

We docked at 7 AM but the midship gangway was broken so the crew couldn’t unload the luggage as planned and had to use the aft gangway instead. This resulted in around a 30-minute delay. It didn’t bother us since we weren’t going to leave until 10 AM or so anyway.

Per the cruise journal, our cruise traveled 4,425 nautical miles (or 5,090 miles) with an average high temperature around 77º.

Pat said that it was very rough during the night but Snookums didn’t notice it at all. Pat didn’t get much sleep. Mom also said it was rough and didn’t get much sleep but she is fighting a cold that she started to notice on Friday. And, she has had a cough for a few days, too.

Pat and Snookums ate a leisurely breakfast inside due to the 51º temperature outside. It is cloudy, too – what else is new??? We all left the ship around 10 AM and easily found our luggage and went through Customs and Immigration. All five of us and our luggage managed to fit in an SUV taxi and we got to the airport in no time at all. Even though Pat was flying Delta and the rest of us were on Southwest, Pat got out when we did since all of the luggage was jumbled together. We said our goodbyes and she walked to her terminal. There was a huge line, about 90 minutes long, at the security checkpoint but Dad’s wheelchair got us to the front of the line. It really did take people 90 minutes to get through TSA for the Southwest terminal at FLL. That is what happens when at least six ships, including a 5,000 passenger one, disembark at the same time.

We got to our gate and Snookums bought coffee, sandwiches and a Sunday paper. After around a 90-minute wait, it was time to board our flight and we arrived in Kansas City on time. Filbert was waiting to pick us up and after we got the luggage and wheelchair in the minivan, we headed off. It was sunny but only 32º and 2 inches of snow are forecast for Monday, naturally!

Note – Mom woke up on Monday with a temperature and went to Urgent Care and was diagnosed with pneumonia and a sinus infection. She had a great time on the cruise, but didn’t need this as a lasting memory!

Contributed by: filbert Thursday, April 19 2012 @ 05:14 PM CST

Text and pictures by Snookums, webification by Filbert

Part Eight

February 9 (Thursday, Day 13, St. Maarten) –

We woke up and it was raining (naturally!). It didn’t stop us, though, from heading out to meet with our private tour guide, Joyce Prince ($375). And the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. The five of us found Joyce and her nice big van and she started by taking us on an island tour. Then she dropped off Pat, Judy and Snookums on Front Street so they could get their two Diamonds International charms (sunglasses and clock charms) and the Effy pendant and took Mom and Dad on more of an island tour for twenty minutes or so. When the five of us met up again, we went to the butterfly farm ($12 per person) and spent a nice hour there. It was supposed to be handicap accessible and for the most part it was, but due to the heavy rain that had occurred earlier in the day, Dad’s wheelchair wheels got stuck a few times in the mud and had to be manhandled out. Snookums found a 10 cent (Euro) coin, too, at the butterfly farm. She was hoping to find a guilder from the Dutch side, but settled for the Euro coin from the French side.

St. Maarten scenic overview

Front Street in Filbertipsburg, St. Maarten (Dutch side)

Goats minding their own business

Butterfly farm photos:

Mating butterflies

A beautiful photo!! – Mom and butterflies

After seeing the butterflies we continued our island tour by going to the French side of the island, or Saint Martin. No passports are needed, but there are two school systems, two phone systems, two sets of currency (the guilder and the Euro – but dollars are taken on both sides as are the guilder and Euro), etc. Two nations have peacefully co-existed on a small island since 1648. We decided it was time for lunch so Joyce stopped in Marigot, a charming seaside resort on the French side, and the six of us enjoyed lunch at an outdoor café. Mom ordered the fried red snapper which was very similar to what she had in Ft. Lauderdale at Pancho’s Backyard the night before the cruise started. She loved it just as much, too. Dad and Snookums ordered the $10 combo special of three curries – goat, shrimp and chicken. It also came with rice and beans, a nice tossed salad, pasta and fried plantains. Pat and Snookums love fried plantains. Pat ordered the oxtail stew and Judy ordered garlic shrimp. (Judy ordered something that she knew wouldn’t have any bones and that she wouldn’t have to use her fingers and she was right!) Joyce enjoyed another special of the day which was crab stuffed mahi mahi with clams. Joyce said that the red snapper, mahi mahi and goat were local. Heineken was the only beer offered (and, yes, we were on the French side of the island and NOT the Dutch side!) and Mom, Dad, Pat and Judy enjoyed that, too.

The French side – Saint Martin

Fort Saint Louis

Lunch in Marigot

Trio of curries – goat, chicken and shrimp (and a plantain!!)

After lunch we saw more of the island when we headed back to the ship. (We didn’t have time for snorkeling.) When we got to the port area, we got more Diamonds International charms and even Mom got in on the act and got a sunglasses charm! We also hit up Effy for more free lemon quartz pendants and Mom got one of those, too. Snookums made Pat taste the guavaberry liqueur, the guavaberry rum and the guavaberry colada (made from the liqueur). Pat thought the liqueur was the best (and really enjoyed the colada, too) so two bottles were purchased – one for each household. The liqueur can also be used in cooking which is what Joyce uses it for. Guavaberry liqueur can only be purchased on St. Maarten and is not exported.

After we got back to the ship, Snookums took her first nap of the entire cruise. (Snookums usually takes a nap every day on cruises, but the 5:30 dinner seems to put a crimp in that!)

We ate at Tamarind and since we ate there last week everyone kind of knew what Asian entrees to order. Snookums and Judy again had the red curry chicken and Pat ordered it, too, and loved it. Dad ordered the crispy duck and Mom had the seafood hot pot. Mom’s bowl was loaded with crab legs, shrimp, clams, mussels and all sorts of other seafood items. In Snookums’s opinion, the desserts are not that wonderful but Pat really enjoyed the wasabi sorbet. Snookums recommended it since Gary, our friend on the 2011 Eurodam cruise, ordered it and just loved it. Pat agreed!

After dinner we all received invitations to the Captain’s cocktail reception so from 7:30 to 8:15, we enjoyed free beverages. Dad ordered a scotch on the rocks and Snookums ordered a coco-mint blender drink (non-alcoholic, of course) and Judy and Mom settled for champagne. Dad started falling asleep in his scooter which meant it was time for bed. It was a full, full day for all of us.

Contributed by: filbert Tuesday, April 17 2012 @ 05:12 PM CST

Text and pictures by Snookums, webification by Filbert

Part Seven

February 8 (Wednesday, Day 12, San Juan, Puerto Rico) –

Snookums woke up around 9:15 and immediately yelled to Pat to wake up since she was going with Dad to the 9:30 AM “Veterans Meeting”. To Snookums’s surprise, Pat was not in the room. Snookums got up and showered and piddled around until 11:00 or so. It was very cool and cloudy and windy and rained a bit, too. Pat came back to the cabin and then Ian, the Travel Guide, announced that a scenic narration would occur as we passed El Morro Fort so we went outside on the bow of the ship on deck 5 to see our approach. It was VERY, VERY windy on the bow but the view was great and the sun was fully out. After we got our pictures, we went to Lido for lunch and ate by the pool. While we were eating, the pool’s retractable roof was opened up the whole way since it was so sunny (finally!). Dad drove by in his scooter and we talked to him for a few minutes before he left for the library and we went back to our cabin to get ready to walk around San Juan.

Dad, Pat and Snookums

Since we are on the 14-day back-to-back cruise, all of us were invited to an international brunch in the dining room but it was a buffet and packed at 11:15 when it opened so Lido was the lunch spot of choice for everyone today.

Judy, Pat and Mom on 7057’s verandah

El Morro Fort as seen from the ship

Judy, Pat and Snookums left the ship around 1:15 and headed for El Morro Fort. First stop, though, was at CVS (Snookums’s favorite store!) where some non-drowsy Dramamine and a postcard for Mom were bought. Then Judy decided to go to the three stores that were giving away free jewelry so we did that and each got a ½ carat amethyst pendant, a frog charm, an anchor charm and a 1 carat loose midnight sapphire (appraised at $100 – yeah, right). We also stopped at a souvenir store where all of the handicrafts were made in Puerto Rico. Snookums bought a $10 pressed tin on wood hanging of the fort and Pat bought a $6 terracotta tile nativity scene. This was all in Old San Juan which is over 465 years old and has streets paved with adoquine stones. They are tinted a beautiful blue from their prior use as furnace slag. The stones arrived as ballast on the early Spanish ships.

Old San Juan

We finally made it to El Morro Fort and rather than pay $5 to go in, we just walked around it. El Morro Fort has six levels and rises 140 feet above the sea and has 18-foot wide walls. The wall fell only once, in 1538, when the Earl of Cumberland led his troops over the barrier. Then we walked to Fort San Cristobál and passed by a nice lighted, outdoor basketball court named for NBA star Carmelo Anthony. We continued walking to the capitol of Puerto Rico and enjoyed looking at the mural on the inside of the dome as well as the other painted ceilings and walls. It had a nice bathroom, too! We continued our walk and decided to get more free jewelry since we had extra coupons. Pat didn’t want to participate and she just stood outside the stores. We ended our walk at the Governor’s mansion before heading back to the ship.

El Morro Fort and cemetery

Pat, Snookums and Judy in front of a sentry tower

Fort San Cristobál

Ponce de Léon mural in capitol rotunda

Capitol rotunda mural

Governor’s mansion

We got back to Judy’s cabin at 5:35 PM and Judy and Pat decided to eat with Mom and Dad in the dining room. They quickly changed out of their shorts and headed back out while Snookums went to her cabin and changed shoes, washed up and took her time and then went to Lido for a “Flavors of the World” special dinner buffet. She started with a fruit cup (from the Caribbean section) and a pretzel (from the German section) and then had a knockwurst and sauerkraut. Then she had a pork enchilada and chips and salsa from the Mexican section. (She didn’t eat from the American section with steak and baked potatoes.) Dessert was a delicious apple fritter-type fried thing from the German section. Snookums brought one back for Pat, and she loved it, too.

Mom spent most of the day on the verandah but wasn’t too thrilled since it was on the shady side AND since Carnival was docked directly across from us and played its open-air movie, with loud sound, the entire day. But, it was warm and not raining so that made it bearable. Dad spent time in the library and then went to the back of the ship on deck 9 to get some sun.

During dinner in the dining room, our waiter, Putu, invited Pat to the Indonesian Crew show at 11 PM so she went and thoroughly enjoyed it. Snookums slept.