Things I learned this week

• Apparently, this is lizard birthing season here in FL. I have seen hundreds of teeny lizards darting around the sidewalks and plantings around the house. I mean teeny--like an inch or so long. They are still creepy. And I wonder if all the grown lizards have died because I haven't seen any of them. (Note to self: research lizard life expectancy in spare time.)
• I love thunderstorms in the evenings.
• Unless it rains the night before, the pool water is bath temperature this time of year.
• Because this place is a ghost town until the fall, the pool is pretty much empty all day.
• If you go to the pool around 4pm, however, the pool is still empty but there is a 'man club' in full force sitting on the porch at the clubhouse. 
• If you use the pool during 'man club' hours, be prepared to hear lots of bullsh*t, witness lots of alcohol consumption and hear the eff word and other vulgar terms on a regular basis. I am not sure if I am breaking some unspoken rule in using the pool at this time, but I do go in the late afternoon. I may look into wireless waterproof headphones so I can stream my music. The profanity does not bother me, it's the bullsh*t I have a hard time with.
• Although in my mind, I am still kinda young, my real self has reminded me that I am not. I rearranged the furniture in my office/guest room today. Somehow, I've injured my thigh? WTH? 
• Speaking of aging, my real self gave me another wake-up call with the persistent ache in my left arm, diagnosed as tendonitis. I've had 2 cortisone shots and they don't help, so I ordered capsaicin cream and an arm brace. The brace just goes on your arm and when you tighten it, per the reviews, you get relief from the pain. I'm not sure it's working but I kinda feel like an athlete when I am out and about with it on. And as we all know, athlete is not a word someone would ever use to describe me. (This is the girl that flunked gym class--not performance related really, I just skipped that class)    Click HERE if you want a picture.
• Booze is really cheap here. 
• Back to the capsaicin cream, never rub it on your arm and forget to wash your hands and then eat a sandwich. My mouth and lips were burny for hours.
• I bought a blood pressure machine because I had a reaction to the drug the doctor told me to take every day after the cortisone shot that caused my BP to be sky high.  (meloxicam in case you are interested) Another real self-affirmation on aging--I have been taking my BP every day even though it's returned to normal ranges. My real self apparently likes to know those numbers. 
• The sky here is such a gorgeous blue, it can only be called "Florida blue".  I never saw this color in PA--there always seemed to be a thin cloud cover muting the color of the sky.
• I haven't had a decent tomato since I left PA. I miss BLTs and BLATs. sigh. I'm going to investigate farmer's markets to see if I can find better produce. I am also going to research growing my own tomatoes in this climate. 
• Gas is about 20 - 25 cents a gallon cheaper here than in PA.
• One of the non-sexual, vular topics of the man club today was generators. Hmmmm. Thinking about doing some research on those too. Consumer Reports was discussed and of course, which man had the biggest one.. of course.  (Whatever) 

That's my education for the week. I'm sure I'll learn many new things in the coming weeks, months and years. Stay tuned!!!

jilly

And so it begins!

 The long awaited and often dreamed about, move to Florida! I’m taking the auto train, my car is loaded with my remaining possessions. It feels sort of unreal—as have the past few weeks since I accepted a new job.

Since I have nothing but time until I get to Florida tomorrow morning, I thought I would fill you in on what’s been happening in my life!!!

I applied for a job months ago and it sat in the “Hiring Manager Review” status on the company website. Then, surprise, surprise, a received a call, late afternoon, on July 6^th from the director asking me if I was interested in interviewing for the job. I assured him I was. So, an interview was set up for the following Tuesday, July 10^th at 3:30.

Tuesday rolled around and to be honest, I was not expecting much. Although I was very jazzed about the job description—it sounded as though it was written just for me—I’d learned not to get too excited as the jobs I applied for were for remote work, meaning I was not just competing against ‘local talent’, but talent all over the country and beyond.

Anyway, Tuesday rolled around, the interview lasted about 45 minutes and they told me they would have a decision early the following week. Wednesday night after work, I checked my email from the HR department asking for a phone call meeting the next day. I replied immediately and thought this is either really good or really bad as the hiring director stated they had just begun interviews.

Thursday finally arrived and I dialed into the call at noon. They wanted to offer me the job!!!!! Pay and PTO rates almost exactly what I had. I accepted. The woman asked if I wanted until Monday to provide an answer---------Ummmmmmm NO, I will accept right now.

Monday, the 16^th, I emailed my resignation to my manager. And then the next two weeks dragged by as I finished up some tasks I was assigned and prepared to leave my job and my temporary home in Hooterville.

Finally, finally, finally, July 27^th arrived and I was FREE!!!!!  Everyone I worked with regularly at HMHS called, pinged or texted me to wish me well except the person I reported to directly. I believe that is a direct reflection of the kind of person he is.

A little get-together was planned at my friend’s house and I invited some former co-workers from CBC. It was a lovely little party and I was elated to get to see my friends before I left. Each of them is so special to me. I don’t have a lot of close friends, but these women remained in my life even after I no longer worked at CBC. They brought lovely gifts and reminders of our friendship that I will treasure. Most of all though, I will cherish their friendship and hope it will stand the test of distance!

Saturday was spent trying to complete the mermaid shadow boxes I hope to sell at a large craft show this fall. I plan on posting them to my Facebook on both my personal page and my House of Krause page. If you see something you like, let me know!!!   The photos are not great but you get the idea.

 

 

 

 Saturday night was capped off with an evening spent around the fire pit enjoying a wonderful fire, great wine, and great company!  A fitting ending to my time in PA.  (

Sunday was all about packing and visiting my parents, where I was given the family silverware that I’ve always loved. It wasn’t easy to say goodbye, but thanks to Facetime and Skype, I can see them when I want!  I also have a quick trip planned for Thanksgiving.  Because we all know that is the best food of the year!!!!!  I am also hoping my family will visit me in FL from time to time.

So, now we are up to today and I’ve been sitting in my comfy chair on the auto train for quite some time now. We moved a bit but I guess they are adding the car carriers to the back of the train now. We are scheduled to leave at 4 and it’s about 3:55.  The train is not crowded. I was put in the ‘no kids’ car and it is very sparsely populated so everyone has their own row of 2. It will be much easier to relax after dinner and hopefully actually get some sleep.

Dinner is at 5 and I anticipate the menu being exactly the same as it’s been every other time I’ve traveled.

Back from dinner and it is exactly the same menu—edible but not great. After dinner, I decided to pay the bar car a visit and purchase a few adult beverages to drink at my seat. Wonderful idea as I was able to sleep for a few hours!

Made the drive home in about 2 hours or so—completely uneventful. A quick stop at the grocery store and the rest of the day was spent unpacking the car and trying to find new homes for the rest of my belongings. I quickly discovered the closet in my bedroom could in no way accommodate all the clothes. So I began the big purge! Goodwill is going to be the recipient of some very nice clothes and other items!

Thursday I was determined to get everything organized but, it was not to be. I didn’t think I had that much stuff in PA but all the closets, pantry etc. had to be reorganized. I had more stuff than I thought.

Another purge will be in order very soon.

Today, Friday, I spent the morning waiting for the cable guy to show up and move my internet to what will soon be my home office. J  I also reorganized the storage areas in the bathroom and linen closet.

As soon as the cable guy is done, I think I deserve a reward! Pool time for this girl!

I wake up in the morning and I’m so happy that I’m finally here!

Movin' Out

The title to my post is actually a reference to the Billy Joel song, Movin' Out (Anthony's Jilly's Song)!  Yes, folks, the time has come to say fair's fair.. err No, no, the time has come to leave Hooterville in my rearview mirror and head south to my little piece of paradise near the Gulf of Mexico!

It's the last step in my years-long plan to make my home in Florida!

If you want to refresh your memory regarding my journey, below are links to the previous blog posts:
Turn the Page

So, it's been awhile

Time for a Cool Change

I put my notice it at work and my last day is July 27th. I am beyond thrilled. I feel like I'm floating on a cloud. My dream is coming true! 

That's all for now!

Gypsy Jilly

PS: I will tell you that there is a trip in the works for 2019 and it's a 'biggie'. I can't wait to tell you about that!  Soon! I promise.

Nieuw Amsterdam - Thoughts

This was our first time sailing on Holland and I must say I was very pleasantly surprised. I had expected the demographics to skew much higher in age. I don’t know whether or not it was because it was Easter that were far more children aboard than expected. It seemed as though there were many family groups and not nearly as many older people on this trip.

Despite being platinum on Carnival, I was not happy with how the dining experienced has been cheapened on that line. I love the white tablecloths, charger plates, extra services etc and that does not happen on Carnival any longer. I was feeling like I was eating at Chili’s or someplace similar. That is not the experience I want on my vacation. I want that ‘extra’.

Carnival has also increased the number of cabins a steward has to clean and the last cruise we were on, we were asked to choose either morning or evening cabin service and Ice is now a special request.

So, we were searching for a line that still provides the level of service we want on our vacation.

Cabins:

We had two inside cabins, aft on Deck 6. I would highly recommend this location. Three floors up to the Lido and three down for dinner. I didn’t notice excessive movement in this area but then I don’t notice it unless it’s really bad.

The cabins themselves were nicely appointed. Large bed, 2 nightstands, a desk/dressing area with chair, the mini bar to the right of the desk area—built in and a small table. Closet space was ample and I loved the fold-down shelves in the closets!

I also loved that there were USB ports on either side of the beds! No need to fight over outlets on the desk.

The bathroom was a standard cruise ship design—our rooms had a shower and no tub. The shower was equipped with Spa shampoo, conditioner and body wash and also had 2 grab bars. The sink was wide and had glass shelves on the right side.

One thing I noticed in all the hallways were the bars on one side of the hallways to the cabins. These would come in handy for those not so steady on their feet.

   

One of the pieces of art in my cabin!

The Lido Market

We ate here many times and enjoyed the variety of food that was served. The thing I liked the most is EVERYTHING was served by employees. That appeals greatly to my germophobic personality and has got to cut down on the spread of Noro-Virus. There are also hand sanitizer placed in the entrances.

Back to the food though. We loved the cooked to order eggs station. It was very organized and the line moved quickly. You could also get bacon, turkey bacon, sausages, hash browns, bagels and toast here. Depending on the day, they also served pancakes or French Toast too.

There were self-serve plated items on chill trays such as Yogurt, fresh fruit, cereals & milk.

Lunch

In my opinion, lunch was the best meal. Again the Lido deck had such variety. They had one station completed devoted to fresh fruit and another making these huge fresh salads to order. They had sandwiches made up and wrapped with varied ingredients too.

They had a made to order Thai food area as well as made to order pasta. The Thai food was wonderful and I ate there twice. The pasta bar should have been wonderful as well, but I found the sauces very bland despite having them add lots of garlic and some other seasoning. I think that was really the only “miss” we had.

We ate at the Burger Joint and the Pizza place a few times and enjoyed the food. The French Fries were a huge hit.

Dive-In Hotdog and Fries

The Ice Cream station was also a huge hit (and this is also where you can find Bread Pudding!) They serve regular ice cream and soft serve in waffle cones or bowls. Toppings can also be added. They did have varying flavors or regular ice cream too.

Made to Order Pasta

  

Thai Chicken and Noodles 

Late Night Snacks

The Lido also provided a surprising amount of food between 10:30pm and 11:30pm. You could get an entire meal if you wanted to.  Mostly my companions hit it up for the French fries!

Dinner-Main Dining Room- late seating

We ate in the main dining room 5 of the 7 days and most everything we ordered was good—but nothing over the top. We did not go hungry by any means, but I felt most of the food was just average. The only below average item I had was the French Onion Soup. The broth tasted like dishwater. On another night, all the croutons in the Caesar Salad were soft. Blah. The group at the table next to ours did mention this to their water and one of the Chefs came out to apologize.

The one standout for me was the Lobster Tail. It was cooked perfectly and very tasty. The steak that was served with it was “meh”. I think I just prefer things a bit more seasoned.

Regarding desserts—the items we chose were good, but I have to say I miss the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake on Carnival’s dessert menu every night!

Surf and Turf

Dessert

Pinnacle

We ate here the last night and the food was amazing. Between the 3 of us we got: Filet Mignon, King Crab Legs and Halibut with Shrimp Scampi. Each main dish was excellent. The portion of Crab legs was enormous—far more than one person could eat. The sides were very good, beginning with a Caesar Salad mixed at the table. Shareable sides included mashed potatoes and asparagus. I ordered a baked potato.

For dessert, the Molten Lava Chocolate cake with a side of ice cream and raspberry cheesecake. Both were delicious but we couldn’t finish them—we were too full.

I felt it was worth the money and normally would tip here. However, our waiter was not the caliber we expected. Not once, did he notice our water glasses needed to be filled. And we had to ask him more than once for more water. He did not check back with us regarding our entries to see if everything was good. He just acted like he didn’t want to be there and that we were disturbing him with our requests. We did not let that stop us from enjoying the meal—we all loved it and would go back there again.

   

One of the private tables at Pinnacle

The lighting

Shows

The only show we managed to see was the BB King Tribute. The performers were so talented and the show seemed to be full always. We enjoyed the set and at only about 45 minutes to an hour long, it was just the perfect length.

Piano Bar

They relocated the Piano bar and increased the space to allow more people to attend. For us, and others on the cruise, the fact that they moved it to an area directly across from the casino was rather painful. Had the dueling piano players been talented, I’m sure it would have been entertaining. However, I think I can speak for the majority of people on the cruise and report that they were AWFUL. The dealers were grimacing at the off-tone, voice cracking noises and we actually heard more than one person say they were leaving the casino because they couldn’t stand it any longer. Not good news for the casino.

Casino

The casino is quite small on the ship but does have a nice selection of slots. The table game area is small and they only had 1 3-Card Poker table. Most nights it was challenging to get a seat. They did not increase the number of tables yet Black Jack table were idle. Not sure about the purpose—but I did manage to spend some time at 3 Card Poker-with decent results I might add.

Seaview Pool and bar area

We spent most of our time in this area. The pool was a decent size and over seven feet deep. Plenty of loungers were set out each day but during peak hours you had to watch and wait for a chair. (The chair hogs were out in force as they are on every line) There was no policing by any staff that I saw despite the notice about the 30 minute rule.

The pool itself is supposed to be for adults only and, again, that was not being enforced. I know the Lido pool was closed one day for cleaning due to someone vomiting in the pool so all the kids were allowed. However, on days when the Lido pool was open, I still saw children in and out of the Seaview pool all day.

The starboard side of the bar area is the only place to smoke on the entire ship. (The info in the room stated the Casino would allow smoking on certain nights. However, they did not allow smoking there at all as far as I know.

There were quite a few smokers onboard and, at times, it was challenging to find a spot to sit. I understand the non-smoker’s point of view, but smoking is LEGAL and they should have more than one spot for smokers to congregate.

Shops

There was a small area of shops on the ship but the biggest surprise for me—and others: They did not have cartons of cigarettes for sale, and their liquor selection tended toward the very high end stuff and was quite small.

They did have a shop with all the cruise wear you expect, a perfume cosmetics area and several higher end jewelry stores.

Ship Décor

I absolutely loved how this ship was decorated. You could spend hours just wandering around looking at all the interesting art. The NYC skyline piece hanging in the atrium was gorgeous. The walls in the passenger cabin hallways were filled with black and white photos of people and places in NYC ‘back in the day’.

These were in all of the elevators. I hated "Friday" because that meant it was almost over....

Afternoon Tea served in Pinnacle!

There is no food on these plates--just glaze!

 Easter Dessert in the main dining room 

There were fresh flowers everywhere and on all the tables!

  

Easter decorations!

  

Looking down 3 levels 

The seating area in the atrium was beautiful and unique.

Looking down into the Steakhouse.

There were comfy seating areas scattered all over the ship making it very easy to rest your tired self. The Crow’s nest area, we only visited once but it was also very nice and ‘user friendly’. There was a bar up there and lots of seating, including tables where folks could play cards or boards game or just sit and look at the ocean. Lovely area.

Bars/Drinks

We did not have a drink package but did indulge in 3-4 adult beverages most days. They had a nice variety of alcohol and I thought the drinks were very good. I heard people complaining about the prices, but I think $10 including a tip is about the norm on any ship.

There are an adequate number of bars on the ship for the size.

Service

The service was excellent (with the exception of Sterling!) Most of the staff went out of their way to make sure you were comfortable and had what you needed. For example, one morning I stumbled up to the Lido deck to wake up a bit before breakfast and right there was our favorite waiter, Noel, asking if he could bring me a coffee. Ice water, iced tea or lemonade was served to you in the Lido seating area. Our cabin stewards were like genies, popping in and out of our cabins and leaving them made up beautifully even if we were only gone for 15 minutes or so.

I would put this service on-par with what I experienced on the Pacific Princess 2 years ago.

Random Pictures:

The Seaview Pool/Bar area at night

Adorable Towel Animals awaited Us Every Evening. Here are a few

This guy was my favorite!

Sunset on our last day at Sea

Moonlight at Sea

I could watch this for days

Conclusion

The size of the ship is great. I think it’s about 2000 guests. Perfect size. The mega-ships are not for me and I’m glad Holland still has a variety of smaller ships to choose from.

Overall, I felt the ship is very elegant and one I am looking forward to sailing on again. Our vacation was perfect and just what we all needed. For details on the ports, please see the link in my signature to view my travel blog.