Our day in St Maarten AKA: I have no clue where we are

Today was our day in St. Maarten. We were supposed to be in port from 9am until 6. However, we arrived at 9:30 due to some horribly choppy seas last night (It never woke me up.) slowing us down. They extended our departure time until 6:30 so it was all good.

I put an order on my door last night for room service. It arrived promptly this morning at the appointed time. Unfortunately, my stomach was not ready to eat. I normally eat my breakfast at work around 930 or 10am but I am up at 5:30am. I did make myself eat ½ of a bagel though.

We were greeted by Steel Drums as we walked from the ship

We got the OK to debark and that went smoothly. Not much of a wait. We walked over to the Hertz Car Rental office to pick up our car for the day. There are several other ‘no brand name’ rental companies there, but I chose Hertz thinking a better product. HA Not only were they less efficient in getting people on their way, the car we were given was….well, let’s just say it ran and the AC worked. I have never seen such a filthy rental car and I’m pretty sure the muffler was about to fall off the thing. I honestly didn’t think to take a picture and I should have. It was not even a current model—although the model was one I had never heard of.

But, we were our way and promptly got lost and had to circle back and try again. We were told the island is one main road the whole way around. Uh huh. But they failed to mention the roundabouts and lack of signage. What it is about these that other countries love so much? Do they work better than a 4 way stop or a traffic light? I have no clue but they are slightly frightening.

One thing I will say though is the people here are so friendly. No road rage, people letting other people out in the heavy traffic areas. Everyone beeps a thank you. Even the people we met when we stopped for directions (multiple times) were so nice to us. One guy offered us a map and showed me where we were and gave me exact directions back to the port—or we would still be driving around, I think.

A random shot on our way to Orient Beach

We started on the Dutch side of the island and drove to the French side looking for Orient Beach

One problem was my ‘navigator’ is no navigator. He kept looking at the map saying, I have no idea where we are. LOL! So, we kept driving looking for obscure signs for Orient Beach. We found the place without too much difficulty and parked. We walked down the beach about a mile looking for the Discovery Beach Bar. We never did find it, but we ate at a place right on the beach called La String. No, I am not making that up. We had excellent food, very strong drinks and after we ate they brought us out an aperitif to help with digestion. It was very good and very alcoholic. Ours were lemony.

Our Apertif and those delicious Cherry Cigars--Hand rolled!

We struck up a conversation with the people at the next table-Jeff and Vicki from central Illinois. They vacation here every year and they told us we had to go here and there and we HAD to go to the airport to see the planes. Super nice people—I wish we could have talked to them for longer. They left us with a pack of little cherry cigars and instructions on where to get a custom made bathing suit and where to buy more cigars from “Joe” who would hook us up if we said Jeff and Vicki sent us. Ok, I confess, I smoked a cigar. It was very nice and went perfectly with my boozy buzz. Totally different than a cigarette.

A couple of shots from Orient Beach. The day stayed partly cloudy and the water was quite choppy. It was very warm though. It felt very commercialized there. Nice but not what I was expecting for some reason

That water though--the blues of the Caribbean get me every time! 

We sat in the restaurant’s lounge chairs under an umbrella for a while. The locals were parading up and down the beach selling their wares and offering braiding and massages. Kolton or Betzi must have made eye contact because next thing I know there are two women there asking the kids if they want a massage. They said no but then the women offered a free foot massage. They were hooked. In the end, they got a decently long foot and calf massage with aloe vera. The woman said $35 each and I said offer $20 but he settled at $30 each and said it was worth it.

We continued to lounge and enjoy the sound of the surf and the perfect breeze blowing across us. The sun was in and out behind the clouds and the temperature was perfect. I did not want to leave that chair—ever. But, leave I did and we traipsed back up the beach to where we parked the car.

A huge tour bus had us parked in but luckily the driver was right there so after some fancy maneuvering on both our parts, we squeezed by the big bus and off we went to Maho Beach and the airport. After driving through horrible traffic and up and down mountains, we decided to just head back to the ship. Because once again, my navigator and the lack of signs left us hopelessly lost and no clue even which side of the island we were on.

 This picture is for my nephew, Kolton.  He is a barber--so we took pictures of many shoppes in our travels.

So, on we drove hoping to see something familiar—my passenger was worried we were going to miss the ship and be lost forever. And BAM, there was the airport. So we found a place to park and walked over to the bar where I had the best drink of the trip so far. No, I have no idea what was in it but it was called a BBC. A frozen cup of alcoholic deliciousness is the most I can say. And we saw two planes land and a couple of small planes take off before we decided we’d better get on the road and get back to the car rental place. The bar has a monitor showing arrivals and departures and the time—so you know.

Kolton and Betzi

And here comes another airplane!!

We asked directions from one of the many cab drivers here and he said, it’s one road, turn right here and keep going and you will see the port. OK Easy Peasy!

As we’re driving parallel to the airport a huge plane takes off right over the road we were on and it was more amazing than watching the planes land. Wow, right over the freakin’ cars. Of course, no photo of that. Sigh

Back to driving. We drove and drove and drove some more. One road and keep going my ass. What about these roundabouts and random yield looking signs with curvy arrows on them—what should I do there? OMG We are lost again. This time, my passenger was looking somewhat sick and quite worried so I start taking random roads figuring we will hit the main road at some point. I drive and drive and finally decide to stop and ask someone. This was the nice man that gave me a map and explicit directions regarding what to do at the roundabouts.

All right, we are back in business and we were on the right road. HA! Aaaaaaaaaand now the traffic is stopped again and a giant drawbridge goes up. Oh goody. The man 2 cars in front of us gets out of his vehicle and walks off down the street. WTF? Then the yacht parade begins. They sail majestically past the cars heading for open seas. Pretty sure there were 11 of them. I see the bridge start to lower and the man still isn’t back to his car. Huh.  Oh wait, here he comes, running down the street with his 6-pack of beer. Priorities people—keep them straight. ;-)

Finally, we are on our way again and we travel up and down mountains and yes, there in the distance in the familiar funnel! We are going to make-it AND on time to return the rental. YAY us!

Back on board now, and only slightly burned from our day today! A nice hot shower and I am ready for dinner, but it appears my dinner companions are not feeling it. Hmmm. Not sure what I will do.

I have to say I love the showers and the water pressure. So refreshing and those big, fluffy towels to dry off with. Cabin cleaned up for me every day. I totally love the Carnival beds and that duvet is the perfect cover—just the right weight.  I could live like this forever. Someday, I hope to at least live like this for a couple of months!

Just back from another 'meh' dinner. The asparagus soup was delicious as was the caesar salad. The entree seemed sort of bland. Maybe it's me--who knows. I do know I am tired. The seas seem to be very calm--the ship is barely rocking at all. 

Tomorrow is a very early port in St. Kitts. I think we dock at 7:30. 

I'll post pictures tomorrow. 
Oh and I just looked at my St. Kitts list for tomorrow. The beach bar we looked for today is actually on St. Kitts. <rolling eyes at myself>

Rainy Days and Mondays

Actually, we woke this morning to continuing high seas and winds and clouds. What? Clouds? But after a cloudy, rainy start to this Monday at sea, the skies cleared although the high seas and winds remain. The pool and hot tubs were heavily used.

After another wonderful morning spent sleeping in, I got up, got coffee and went over to the Havana Bar to read and enjoy watching the sea—a favorite pastime of mine. There was a woman playing acoustic guitar and singing everything from Dream On to Walk the Line. It was very relaxing and quite quiet when compared to the lido buffet and pool areas.

When lunch time arrived, once again, I chose the Mongolian Wok. Chicken and stir fry vegetables in a Thai BBQ sauce. It was very good with a bit of a kick to it. Kolton and Betzi joined me and decided to try the pizza today. They said it was good. I do love the way this ship has pizza, freshly made and available 24 hours a day. You can get as little as a slice or a whole pizza with a variety of toppings. They do pizza right on this line!

We went to the shops and the casino where I promptly lost money in the slots—something I usually never indulge in. But they enjoy playing and were both lucky.

At 3 we made our way to the Aft Sunrise Restaurant for Tea. Yes, English tea. I wanted the kids to experience that. A formal dining room experience with white tablecloths, fancy folded napkins, a wooden box containing different kinds of tea and individual pots of hot water. Then the tea carts made their way around the room with cucumber sandwiches, smoked salmon on toast points. After that, the pastries: macaroons, pound cake, various other cakes and cookies and, of course, scones with clotted cream. YUM.

I really like the Sunrise restaurant better than the one we are assigned to for dinner. For tea, we were seated at a table right next to the window. As we were on Deck 4, we had a great view of the high seas and that gorgeous dark blue water.

We walked back through the Casino after tea and decided to give the slots another chance. I spotted an older Wheel of Fortune machine in the back of the casino and decided to give it one last try. I live to hear that “Wheel of Fortune” when you get 3 wheels, and then hit the button and watch the wheel spin around and around, hoping for big money. It’s addicting. It was my favorite machine back in the day when I went to Vegas regularly.  I got a couple of spins and hit some big 7s or something and was smart enough to cash out.

I haven’t been dwelling on it or letting it get in the way of my fun on this cruise, but my cabin is still experiencing plumbing issues. I had to call maintenance again this morning to report the issue of the non-flushing toilet was still there. In addition, the sewage smell we’ve noticed at several different places around the ship is now in the hallway outside my cabin. Luckily, the smell is not in the cabin—YET. I’m not pleased about this but I am not being an idiot like Julianna’s parents.

If the problem begins to impact my enjoyment of the cruise or I am severely inconvenienced in any way, I will raise the issue until I get a satisfactory answer. Until then, I’m just waiting to see how it plays out.

Tonight's dinner was 'meh'. I ended up having 2 cups of asparagas soup and a Caesar Salad--both of which were delicious. The main courses were very forgettable--IMO. Again, I bring up the lack of formality in the dining room and our waitstaff is quite slow. We arrived at dinner on time and 8:15 and we did not have our appetizers until almost 9pm. And instead of bringing your appetizer first, then a salad, it all comes at the same time. Blah. I am not a fan of American Table as I've said before. I think Carnival made a big mistake with this--but again, just my opinion.


We did have an interesting diversion while awaiting our food. A woman sitting 2 tables away from us was apparently very intoxicated. She lit up a cigarette in the dining room--which was taken away from her and extinguished. Then she went to a waiter's station on the next level (a step up from where we were sitting) and stood up on the ledge and was talking to a waiter--about who knows what. They told her to get down. Security was called and she was not escorted from the dining room but taken back to her table. However, there was a security person or two in our area for about 20 minutes keeping an eye on her. I think that was a dining room first for me.

We went to the comedy show for the 10:30 show and saw one of the most Un-funny comedians I have ever seen. That was 40 minutes of my life I will never get back. I'm back in my cabin now, finishing up this post and getting my stuff ready for tomorrow and St. Maarten. I rented a car for the day.....

So, ttnf, this girl is tired from all this relaxing I've been doing!!

Blown Away--Almost

Today was our first sea day. I took advantage of that and slept until about 10am. My companions got up a bit earlier and went to the sea day brunch. They called the cabin and food wasn’t sounding good to me so I went back to sleep. Well, I tried to. The people in the cabins across the hall from me are thoughtless idiots. No matter what time of day or night, they use their ‘loud voices’ and have no concept of how to close a door quietly. Sigh

After a long, hot shower, I eventually made my way up to the Lido deck to have a bit of breakfast. It is normal breakfast fare. The stations are set up with hot dishes like scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, potatoes, pancakes, waffles etc. Another station has pastries and breads, another lunch meat, cheeses -etc. There are other areas dedicated to custom made omelets and the Havana Bar has ‘Cuban bites’. I know they also offer a Green Eggs and Ham character type breakfast for the kids.

As today was Easter, they had an Easter Bunny available for pictures and bunny face painting for the kids as well. There may have been other activities but I didn’t see them.  I will say the Kids Clubs are in high gear as there are many kids on this cruise and from what I’ve heard and seen, many of the kids attend.

The sun was shining and the sky mostly cloud free when I made my way outside. The main pool area was wall to wall people around the pool and the tiered areas around it. I started climbing to the next decks intending to go to Serenity and read a bit.

The ship was still rocking and rolling and the winds were still constant at 50 knots. Holy crap. It was difficult to walk up the steps and the wind was unbelievably strong. Still, there was some seating up there—no loungers or clam shells loungers. I took a seat in one of the sectional seating areas and settled in to read. After a few minutes, I was cold. I headed around the corner to the towel station and checked out 2 towels and covered up. Yes, the wind made it that chilly. After covering up, I was able to stay there for a few hours and read, nap and watch the sea. Despite being on the 14^th deck, it was very easy to see how large the swell was and see the whitecaps.

These seas rival the cruise Lindsey and I were on in 2008 in the Mediterranean. Still, a sunny day at sea is a good day in my book and I enjoyed just being outside despite the wind. The captain came on for his daily update and said he was changing course to try and get to a less choppy and windy area. But I don’t think he had any luck as the winds continued all afternoon.

I had a late lunch at the Mongolian Wok—again. I cannot get enough of that food. Today I had chicken, vegetables and cellophane noodles in a black bean sauce. And I walked over to the Havana Bar area to eat it. That area overlooks the aft of the ship. I ate my delicious lunch watching the wake. I headed back to my cabin around 4 or so and found these giant dryers on the floor near my door. The maintenance man told me there had been a ‘flood’ in another cabin. Sure enough, when I walked in, the carpeting near my door was wet.

Because I expended so much energy lounging and eating, I decided to read but my eyes kept shutting and I drifted off, only to be awakened by my lovely neighbors screaming for Julianna to “Come on, we’re waiting”…Julianna, Let’s go…..Julianna, get out here this minute” I was pretty much ready to go and drag Julianna out of the cabin but apparently she appeared and the door slamming began. I drifted back to sleep…..RING RING RING. Hi, this is guest services, I’m just wondering about the clean-up in your cabin. Is everything alright now? You don’t notice any uh… smell? Oh great, it was a sewage flood. But luckily I did not notice any smell. Any other issues? Yes, I tell her. My toilet doesn’t flush all the time. You push the button and nothing happens, then like 5 minutes later it flushes. Ok, we’ll have maintenance come up and then finish drying out your cabin. What time do you go to dinner? 

Ok. Now back to my nap.  Dozing off……KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, then the door opening. Oh, Hello Miss Jill, I just wanted to drop off your Platinum Gifts, I can come back. I said, No just come in and leave them. It’s fine. Seems I am entitled to a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and a pin with the year and ship name on it. Good, now maybe I can get a nap. Ahhhhhhhh, rocked to sleep once again by the ship.

Tonight the cabin and the crew were in the atrium lobby for a meet and greet. Social butterfly, me decided to shake hands with each of them and ask them some questions. If you know me you know that is so not me, but for whatever reason, I did it. I actually even had a picture taken with the Captain.  But after I did that, I immediately headed to a hand sanitizer station to douse my hands. Now, that is very me!!!

Now, onto dinner! Tonight was the first formal night and the American Feast dinner. Most people were dressed to the nines! I love seeing that. The tables were covered with a white tablecloth tonight but that formality I love at dinner was still not present. I had pasta carbonara as a starter and the lobster and shrimp for my dinner. Oh and while we were waiting for our appetizers to come out, the waiter came over and started speaking to Kolton about complimentary wine and showed him a wine list. Then it came out that the wine was for the inconvenience of the accident in his cabin with the plumbing. Ummm, yeah that was me. So I chose a nice bottle of white wine to go with dinner. I thought that was very nice as I was not really inconvenienced at all.

Pasta Carbonara

Lobster and Shrimp

After dinner, we walked out to the atrium where they were just beginning a Motown tribute. We were 1 deck above and the place was packed. They had the stage show singers and dancers all around the bar and then for 2 more floors above, people were gathered around the railings. We watched that for a lot longer than we should have and then made our way to the comedy club. We should have gotten there a lot earlier as it was SRO. So we stood and the comedian was very dirty and very funny. I’m glad we decided to go.

There really is so much going on, day and night, on this ship. You will never have enough time to do it all.

Totally random thought--the Cruise Director on this ship began to annoy me Day 1 with a particular word she uses in her 'announcements' every single time. The word is "lovelys". It even looks annoying spelled. She refers to all the passengers as her "lovelys'. Good day my lovelys, have a great evening my lovelys, enjoy your day at sea my lovelys. She is British--obviously. And to me, she is just as annoying in person. You just know she has those awful British teeth. I hope I don't get close enough to her to find out. LOL

Well, kids, it’s 12:30 and I should get to sleep. Another grueling day of lounging is up tomorrow and I need to rest up.

Oh, and I will post pictures tomorrow—I took a bunch on my phone but forgot the thingy that takes them off your phone and puts them on the computer. So I am re-taking pics with my camera!

TTFN---The winds and high seas continue to blow us further southeast but we are down to 47 knots. 

A Sunshine Kinda Day

We awoke very early this morning, after a few hours of sleep, at the Aloft Hotel – BWI for a 7am flight. We took their shuttle (that runs every ½ hour) to the airport at 5am. Once again, Pre-Check was my friend. 2 people ahead of me in the security line and I could leave all my stuff in my carry-on, my shoes stayed on my feet and only had to pass through a metal detector.

The goodness continued as I had an almond pretzel from Auntie Anne’s and an Orange Smoothie from the smoothie place. Breakfast doesn’t get much better than this!

Boarding was smooth and I ended up having a great seatmate and we ended up chatting for the entire flight! It even made me forgot about the child that screamed for the first hour of the flight! Our luggage was on the belt in about 10 minutes and we were out the door to catch our shuttle to the port. We used Coltran Shuttle. The cost was $20 per person each way. The driver was so nice. He carries a stapler because most people forget those dumb luggage tags have to be either stapled or taped on the handle of your luggage. He did all of that before we even left the port.

Now the port was an entirely different story. A complete clusterf@#k. There were 3 ships in port and we had to wait about 30 minutes in the van because the people directing the traffic were so inept. UGH But after that the good mojo continued as I have priority boarding and was directed to a completely non-chaotic, quiet area to get checked-in for the cruise.  Then a stroll past all the other folks waiting to be called and we were on the Sunshine !!! 

First up—food. I must say I was impressed. I’ve not ever been on this ship but I liked how they had the buffet set up in smaller stations. It seems like there were not as many long lines. I immediately made a beeline for the Stir Fry place. I found it tucked away at the front of the ship near the Havana Bar. Most people had not yet discovered this place but it’s one of my favorites. I had stir fry chicken and shrimp with fresh vegetables and cellophane noodles in a black bean sauce. OMG Food Nirvana!

Kolton and Betzi went for the Guy’s Burgers and fries. They said they were delicious. Then we had to have a cone of soft-serve ice cream. My stateroom was ready when we boarded so we put all our carry-on stuff in my cabin and set off to explore the ship a bit. Then it was nap time until the muster drill.

After the muster drill, I came back to the cabin and my luggage had arrived. I packed everything away. The cabin does have an ample amount of storage. It’s decorated in a more updated color scheme and the art work is different. The bathroom is a bit different than other ships I’ve sailed on. The shower is much larger than the typical ones and therefore, none of that nasty shower curtain cling if you attempt to shave your legs in there. Very nice. Overall, a very comfortable room.

I chose Deck 9 this cruise—which is the Lido deck. We have 2 forward, inside cabins. It’s too early to decide if this was a good choice. I’ll let you know. The main reason I chose this location is that it is 2 decks below the Serenity Area on this ship and directly below the Spa-so no noise above us in the evenings. And we thought we wanted to be close to Serenity. This ship has a 3 level, adults only Serenity area, with its own pool and waterfall, hot tubs and a big bar. It is in the very front of the ship and offers some nice views.

The ship also has “Dive-In Movies” on the Lido deck in the evening. A family movie early and a more adult feature later—around 10. The screen they have is gorgeous. During the day it plays videos of underwater scenery that is so crisp and clear, I’m sure the movies will be gorgeous as well.

I am just back from dinner. We chose late seating at 8:15. It’s a tab bit late but on port days, we won’t have to rush back to the ship to make a 5:15 dinner. They have anytime dining on this ship too but I prefer a set time.  Dinner was good however, I almost choked to death on a piece of grapefruit in my salad. Really. I think they were getting ready to Heimlich me when I started coughing. Not really the type of attention one wants to draw to ones self—but that’s life.

Lack of sleep and a long day of travel today has wiped this gypsy out and I’m going to call it a night at 10:45. Tomorrow is a sea day and they are also having the Sea Day Brunch, which is always quite good.

The ship is rockin’ and rollin’ right now. The ship information on the TV says that we are moving at 17.5 knots and there is quite a bit of motion as the winds are 50+ kts and gusting. But it’s just going to rock me to sleep.

I will try and add some pictures tomorrow. 

Ta-ta from somewhere off the coast of Florida!

I am Beginning to Loathe the Color Gray

Ever since my Phoenix living daughter visited me in January and uttered the words that are stuck in my mind: "It's so gray here. I don't know how you stand it," I have been noticing how gray it really is.

I know I've known this on many levels for years and years now--hence my mentioning the need for a light box to cure my depression every winter. But for some reason, I have always associated it with the shorter days.

Now, the days are once again getting longer, but IT IS STILL VERY GRAY here.  Hmmm. Maybe it isn't the length of the days but the amount of sunshine per day that makes the difference?

I went to the NCOA website and found a chart that listed the percentage of sunny days per year:
Arizona 85%
PA  52%

We are in a similar category to places like Seattle, Lansing MI, Syracuse NY. Why are we living in such a Vitamin D deficient place? The entire population of the state should be on anti-depressants or massive doses of Vitamin D.

I really need to move to Florida or Hawaii (I also need to live near the ocean to be totally happy.)

In the interim, I am asking for a test of my Vitamin D level when I go for my yearly check-up next week and I will temporarily be relocating to a cruise ship and sailing around the Caribbean for 8 nights soon to try and remedy this most depressing situation!

I'll keep you posted about my warm** and sunny state of mind while I am gone!

**Warm is another story entirely. But a brief summary: In addition to the need for sun, I am suddenly unable to keep warm. And I mean, I have a sweater and an oversized heating pad at work that are used almost every day. At home, I wear socks and mukluk booties, sweaters and keep a space heater near my feet at all times.

Normal woman thing you say? Wrong, my friend. Until about 6 months ago, I was a menopausal, hot flashing mess. I'm talking short sleeves, year round, nothing but a sheet covering me in bed, regular bouts of feeling so hot, I probably could have de-iced the sidewalks in front of my house.

Now? My new car has seat warmers and I have used them EVERY DAY since I bought the car and I carry gloves with me at all times.

So there you have it, I'm now a Gypsy on a mission to find warmth and sunshine!

I Discovered the Perfect Cruise!

OMG. I was out visiting my favorite browsing site to spend a little time daydreaming about future destinations. I stumbled across, what I believe, may be the perfect cruise for me! It is not on a preferred cruise line, however, I could certainly deal with that if I got to go on a cruise like this!

I do realize that by the time I can actually go on a trip like this I will have to be retired or have a very generous employer that would allow me time off without pay, but I digress. The trip itself is actually very reasonably priced when you consider it's 49 days. Even paying a disgusting single supplement of 100%, the total with port taxes is about $275 per day. That includes all the food in four different restaurants - unless I want to splurge and go to one of 6 or 7 upcharge restaurants, an alcohol package for the entire cruise, entertainment, a decent place to sleep and transportation to all of these wonderful places.

This isn't even taking into consideration the fact that I can enjoy a dip in one of the two pools--one with a water slide, or spend some time in a hot tub, spend endless hours watching the gorgeous deep blue seas, I can do a bit of shopping or even take in a movie or two.

And if I want to pay a little extra, I can visit a gorgeous spa that contains a steam room, a thermal suite, a wet relaxation area and several other yummy places.

So, all in all, I think a great value for the money. An even better value would be finding an amenable traveler to split the cost with me! Wow, that would bring the per-day cost down to about $138 a day and that is a super bargain. But unless the companion was perfect, could be a nightmare! 150 square feel shared between 2 people for 50 days.....Maybe not.... But something to ponder.....

Well, if nothing else, this cruise is a nice motivational tool to inspire me to look to the future and maintain my 'vow of poverty' with regard to spending for the next few years!

Date	Port	Arrive	Depart
Saturday, September 23	Seattle, WA		4:00pm
Sunday, September 24	At Sea
Monday, September 25	Ketchikan, AK	7:00am	3:00pm
Tuesday, September 26	Tracy Arm (Twin Sawyer Glaciers), AK (Cruising)
Tuesday, September 26	Juneau, AK	2:00pm	10:00pm
Wednesday, September 27	Skagway, AK	7:00am	5:30pm
Thursday, September 28	At Sea
Friday, September 29	Icy Strait Point, AK	7:00am	5:00pm
Saturday, September 30	Sitka, AK	7:00am	5:00pm
Sunday, October 1	Prince Rupert, BC, Canada	11:00am	7:00pm
Monday, October 2	At Sea
Tuesday, October 3	Vancouver, BC, Canada	8:00am	4:00pm
Wednesday, October 4	At Sea
Thursday, October 5	At Sea
Friday, October 6	At Sea
Saturday, October 7	At Sea
Sunday, October 8	At Sea
Monday, October 9	Hilo, Hawaii, HI	8:00am	6:00pm
Tuesday, October 10	Kona, Hawaii, HI	8:00am	6:00pm
Wednesday, October 11	Kahului, Maui, HI	8:00am
Thursday, October 12	Kahului, Maui, HI		6:00pm
Friday, October 13	Honolulu, Oahu, HI	7:00am	8:00pm
Saturday, October 14	Nawiliwili, Kauai, HI	8:00am	5:00pm
Sunday, October 15	Hilo, Hawaii, HI	9:00am	6:00pm
Monday, October 16	At Sea
Tuesday, October 17	At Sea
Wednesday, October 18	At Sea
Thursday, October 19	At Sea
Friday, October 20	Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands	8:00am	6:00pm
Saturday, October 21	At Sea
Sunday, October 22	Fakarava, Tuamotu Islands	8:00am	2:00pm
Monday, October 23	Bora Bora, Society Islands	10:00am	7:00pm
Tuesday, October 24	Moorea, Society Islands	8:00am	4:00pm
Tuesday, October 24	Papeete, Tahiti, Society Islands	7:00pm	6:00pm
Thursday, October 26	Raiatea, Society Islands	8:00am	6:00pm
Friday, October 27	Bora Bora, Society Islands	8:00am	6:00pm
Saturday, October 28	At Sea
Sunday, October 29	At Sea
Monday, October 30	Pago Pago, American Samoa	9:00am	6:00pm
Wednesday, November 1	Apia, Samoa	8:00am	4:00pm
Thursday, November 2	At Sea
Friday, November 3	Suva, Fiji	8:00am	6:00pm
Saturday, November 4	Lautoka, Fiji	8:00am	5:00pm
Sunday, November 5	At Sea
Monday, November 6	Port-Vila, Vanuatu	8:00am	6:00pm
Tuesday, November 7	At Sea
Wednesday, November 8	Noumea, New Caledonia	8:00am	7:00pm
Thursday, November 9	Ile des Pins, New Caledonia	8:00am	7:00pm
Friday, November 10	At Sea
Saturday, November 11	At Sea
Sunday, November 12	Sydney, Australia	8:00am

tata for now and keep dreaming!

Jilly

I don't have enough Vacation Days!

I know, I know--such a first world problem. I love my job, however, I do not have as many PTO days as I had previously. So, I've had to try and figure out how to extend my vacation time in order to travel as much as I would like to.

I've come up with a couple of things I will be trying out. The first option is to travel over a holiday. Memorial Day and Fourth of July are good options. But travelling at that time does have its disadvantages.

• 1. Unless you decide very early when you are travelling you will pay more for your flight, hotel and car rental. For Example. I am thinking of going to Sanibel over Memorial Day weekend. In order to get a reasonably (not great) priced flight, I had to leave on Saturday later afternoon or evening. Ok. I can live with that. 
• Then I tried to book a car rental. I want to use a car rental place at the airport for convenience. Well, a small car--renting from Saturday night until Wednesday afternoon costs $350. Compare to a non-holiday weekend last year where a rental for a week was $97.  I keep checking and prices have done nothing except go up to more that $50+ a day AND the pick-up locations are Off Site.

2. Travelling over holidays is much more crowded and usually, has many more families at kid-friendly destinations. For me, personally, I prefer not to share the pool, restaurants, beach etc with kids--they generally are being kids and I don't get the calm vibe I like to experience on vacation. 

Travelling during the times most kids are attending school is my personal preference. However, when trying to maximise your vacation time, choices need to be made. I haven't quite made up my mind what I am going to do. 

The other option I am considering is taking less time off for my vacations. And again, there are pluses and minuses to that approach as well. 

-s

1. You don't get the same relaxed vacation vibe from a long weekend as you do from a week long trip. 

2. It is more costly to take multiple shorter vacations- especially when there is airfare and car rentals involved. 

3. You really can't fly anyplace more than a couple of hours away or you will spend the better part of 2 days just getting there and getting home. 

+s

1. hmmm.. having a hard time thinking of pluses. 

Another option is to conserve your PTO - or at least part of it - for the year and use it the following year.  That is what I have to do this year. (UGH) I am planning on a multi-week trip to Sydney and Fiji in 2018 and will need 13 PTO days. The beauty of this vacation is that it is taking place over our Thanksgiving--so I have two paid holidays there!! And that was intentional. 

I hope to carry over a minimum of 5 days. Wish me luck on that. LOL  

So, in summary, at least one vacation this year is going to take advantage of a holiday. But other than that, I have no plans. Kicking around Aruba over 4th of July.. but nothing definite. I may end up cancelling Sanibel...again who knows? Plus, I prefer vacationing when the weather here is cold. Life here is so much more bearable when it's sunny and warm. Makes it much easier to stay home!

I'll keep you posted on my plans. 

Oh and by the way, in case you were wondering, I love living in my new place. It's perfect! And I am getting used to the 'other side of the river'. Someone asked me if I miss my house--not one bit, which I find strange because I really did love my place. So, it must have been time for me to go!

TTFN

Next up is an 8 day cruise to the eastern Caribbean!

Sanibel Island, here I come.......at some point

Tuesday morning, bright and early, I arrived at work, to start what I hoped would be a quick day. HA HA HA. As usual, fate just chuckled and said, We'll see about that. As it turned out, I didn't finish work until 5:30-ish. I still had to pack, do my dishes and generally straighten up my place, get gas, visit my parents and drive to Baltimore. UGH

I didn't get on the road until almost 8pm. And just to keep it interesting, it was pouring rain. At least it wasn't sleeting anymore. We finally made it to Aloft which is near the airport. I've never stayed at this hotel brand before. I used Priceline and got this hotel for fairly cheap. Because the flight departs at 6am, it made sense to drive down the night before. And, because I could leave the car at the hotel and not have to pay at a lot, the hotel was almost free. We still didn't get a ton of sleep as we needed to eat some dinner and have a few drinks at the hotel bar. (Me especially after the day I had)  We needed to get up at 3:00am!!!  We went to sleep about 11ish and the alarms went off at 3:10am. Blah

The hotel was interesting. Very hip, modern, trendy--kind of an urban loft feel. Hence the name, I guess. I'd like to stay there another time when I can get to Baltimore earlier. The room was unlike any I've ever stayed in. It was very comfortable. I would stay here again. What I would not do is eat and/or drink in the hotel bar. 3 draft beers each and some 'meh' food costs as much as the room. Unreal.

I have to comment about the bartender/cook/server.  A more flustered and inept person could not have been assigned to these jobs. If I heard "I'm so sorry" once, I heard it 50 times. We tried to order food and they were out of most of the items on the menu. And bottle after bottle of empty liquor bottles were on the lighted shelves. WTH? I guess to keep it looking pretty. The bartender kept saying how she had been slammed earlier---she had a full bar. I should mention that the bar had about 10 seats.

Fast forward to about 4:30am the next morning. We left for the airport on the free shuttle. The airport was empty. I've never seen it like that. We had TSA Pre-check but it really didn't make a lot of difference. We made it to our gate and it was fairly empty. As the time passed, there were still not very many people. As it turned out, there were only 37 passengers on the plane. That happens to me NEVER. Each person could pretty much have a row to themselves. Nice. And......one of the computers on the flight deck was not working. They actually did the 'help desk' fix for the computer. They turned the plane off and on--twice. No luck. The Tech people came to take a look. Again, no luck. They called the 'big guns'. And we sat and sat and sat. It was FREEZING on the plane. After more diagnostics were performed, the expert figured it out and the faulty part was switched out.

We took off about an hour late--we think. Because we were both asleep when we finally took off. LOL! We arrived at the Fort Myers airport about 930. We were off the plane in minutes and walking to baggage claim. When we arrived, the bags were sitting on the belt --which was not even moving as there were so few bags. Again--never happens to me. We walked across the walkway to the rental car place. Again, luck was on our side--no line at Alamo. We were on the road in no time.

The room at Holiday Inn Sanibel Island was ready when we checked-in. Wow. We were on the beach by 11am. Ahhhhhhh. Finally in my happy place!  Life is very, very good.  Sun, sand, warmth, shells and there were tons of sponges washed up....And you know who could not control herself. (Note: It wasn't me)

A late lunch at the hotel Tiki Bar and several wonderful Strawberry Pina Coladas and I was feeling mellow. I decided to go over to the pergola and sit in the comfy chairs and read my book. Aaaaaand of course, the previously quiet pool area was overrun by loud children. "Mom, watch me" at least a hundred times. My chill vibe oozing from my body, I made my way back down to the kid-free beach and did some more shelling and some more chilling in a lounge chair.

When the no-see-ums started biting, close to sunset, we left the beach and went back to the room and immediately realized we locked both keys in the room. Nice move! 20 minutes and in possession of a new key, we got cleaned up and went to get a few things at the store.

We are back in the room now, watching Survivor. I think we will be calling it an early night tonight. That's all the news for now.

I'll post some pictures tomorrow. I'm too tired tonight.

Ciao

New digs and New travel.... Life is good!

Since the last time I posted, I've accomplished quite a bit. I actually moved from my house to an apartment. AND it's actually about 93% decorated! I know...amazing. Art work has been hung, things are put away and the most amazing thing---everything fits!

I was quite worried despite the fact that I measured the rooms here, measured all my furniture and then used graph papers and scale cut-outs of all the furniture prior to moving. (I know, organizational craziness.)

I was also assigned a storage cage type thing in the basement, but the only thing I am storing down there are empty boxes and bins that I will need for the next move. That basement creeps me out so bad. I will not go down there unless it's daylight, I have a box cutter in my hand and there is someone with me. Because of some law, the door to the place needs to be kept unlocked. So my imagination goes into overdrive and pictures some murderer lurking down there. Plus, there is all sorts of forgotten furniture down there (perfect hiding place for said murderer) and.. well, it's a basement.

But enough of that topic--

In two weeks, I've changed my life in a major way and I have to tell you, it feels great!

Now, onto more important topics! Travel!

I'm leaving next week for a quick trip south to hopefully, stock up on Vitamin D to help me make it through the winter. (I am still considering one of those light boxes for my desk at work) A few clicks and it could be on its way with Amazon Prime. That is deadly--believe me. So easy to get just about anything you want in 2 days. People say you can get it cheaper elsewhere, but I'd rather pay a little more so I don't have to actually go to the store and get it!. But once again, I digress.

Back to Travel. Sanibel Island is once again calling my name.  I am looking forward to long days on the beach and eating dinner outside at our favorite restaurants! Of course, pasty Jilly will need sunscreen. But it does inhibit Vitamin D absorption so I will have to balance that out.

And, I have another cruise planned for April. Believe it or not, I got a great casino rate for any cruises I book by the end of the year for next year!. Honey, I was on that faster than you can say Blackjack!
I'm thinking of booking a second cruise for October or November of 17. Well, I'm not thinking of doing it, I am doing that, I just haven't booked it yet.

The cruise in April is eight nights and it stops in Puerto Rico, Grand Turk, St Maarten and St. Kitts. I'm really looking forward to that. The Serenity area on this ship is amazing. It's 3 levels and it has a pool with a waterfall! And on top of that, there are four wonderful sea days!

So that's all the news for now. It's unreal that we are into December already. The only good thing I have to say about the onset of winter is: At least this winter I will not have to do any shoveling!

The Latest Ramblings

Well, it's been almost 2 weeks since my last post. And do I have all the packing finished as planned? Ummmm, hell no. I probably should really be in a panic now, but I'm not. I think that will set in next week when I realize movers will be here on Saturday.

I have lined up a couple of people to help me lug boxes over to my new place. I get the key on Tuesday. And the ReStore folks will be here that day as well to pick up the furniture and some other household items I won't be moving to the new place.

That will be sort of bittersweet. I have this love seat in my family room that I've owned for 32 years now. YES, it's that old. But it is in wonderful condition. It's a beautiful, colorful cotton fabric that has worn like iron all these years. It's really deep and cushy and wonderful for curling up with a good book. It had a matching sofa but I got rid of that earlier this year. (I almost cried when I saw it leaving)

Anyway, I was planning on taking it with me and putting it in the second bedroom I am using as an office/pottery making room. But then my mind started being logical and I realized I should instead take the twin mattress and get a day bed frame for it--just in case I ever host a sleep-over. Sometimes I hate logic. Actually, I did take pictures of it looking all comfy and I can view them on my phone anytime... but it won't be the same. It's also included in many family photos over the years, but I will still really miss it.

You know, I may be slightly crazy for missing an inanimate object. Maybe I should seek therapy. I would probably find out an even crazier reason I am attached to it. Nah, I'm not going to dwell on that!

So, back to this move that is consuming most of my spare time. I did put all the photo albums in large storage bins. My gosh! I have a TON of them. There must be tens of thousands of photos. A new goal of mine is to scan them and then store them on a zip drive. I have a great new printer and it does have a scanner but I am thinking of investing in a scanner that is more suited for photo scanning.

I've done a bunch of research---first on companies that will scan photos for you. Ummm, yeah, I don't think so. I calculated the cost with various companies on a conservative estimate of the number of photos I have, and it was well over 1K. So, hence the research into purchasing a scanner of my own. I found one for less than $200. This will be a winter project, I think.

OMG I sometimes read this horoscope site that has monthly horoscopes. Well, I just read November and it could not be more apropos to the month I've had. Here is part of the summary:

November is packed with opportunity, all of it exciting. First, watch for offers that come up in your career during November’s first two weeks. The beautiful new moon of October 30 will still be influencing you as you enter the month, and this is absolutely your best time of 2016 to investigate what else life holds for you professionally. If you are self-employed, you can give yourself a promotion by landing a new prestigious client or by getting positive publicity that becomes the talk of the industry. In terms of career, you are golden, having paid your dues in your career from October 2012 to December 2015. You learned a great deal during this phase and proved your mettle through a series of cosmic tests. Now, this month, you can reap the benefits.

This month’s full moon November 14 will bring a conclusion to a home living or family matter. You may move, sign a lease, buy or sell property, see a renovation completed, choose a roommate, or announce a decision about another important home-related matter. If you are helping an elderly family member with various tasks or decisions, you will find a course of action that will please you and your parent.

If you've been following along, you will remember I was just hired at the company where I was a contractor and that came with a terrific salary increase! And did I not pay my dues for the past couple of years and pass all sorts of cosmic tests??   Uh huh, been there, done that.

Of course, if the rest of my horoscope is right, Look out!  Sexy and Attractive Aura heading my way!  LOL Honestly, I've not noticed anything yet--maybe I need new hair color or something. I'll keep you posted.

One of the happiest developments of the month will be Mars’ entry into Aquarius, set to bring you energy, courage, optimism, and drive from November 8 to December 19. You will have greater control over events without having to make many compromises, and you will have the perfect time to launch new ventures and start new relationships. Mars will also make your aura more sexy and attractive, and you’ll have to handle the fuss! 

Speaking of hair color, I really want some of those gorgeous colorful highlights like these.Although maybe not quite so dramatic--more subtle. Let's see what happens next week!

I guess I should get to bed. I have to get up early tomorrow. UGH I hate setting an alarm on the weekend.
TTFN
jilly

Downsizing

As October comes to a close, I am slightly panicked when I think that about only have two more weeks to get ready to move.

Speaking of October--what a weekend we had here. It was shorts and flip flops weather all weekend until the rain came. Very unseasonal. But I think that was the last hurrah of Summer 2016. Sigh.

This weekend coming up, we turn the clocks back. Oh joy, go to work in darkness and come home in darkness. I am seriously considering getting one of those SAD light boxes. Does anyone have experience with those? Do they work? I saw a desktop model I could use at work. It has great reviews on Amazon..... I am tempted. I can feel the grayness starting to settle in around me.  But I digress.

Back to moving. My nephew was over yesterday and he partially filled one of those Bagster dumpster things with bricks and scrap wood and various other useless items I won't be needing. Plus we filled my truck with things and drove to our local ReStore. And today, I had my new neighbors come shopping in my house for various furniture items I won't be needing. They moved here from Hawaii and pretty much arrived with the clothes on their back.

They are super nice people and I am sorry I won't be having them as neighbors for long. But, like I told them, we may not be neighbors for long, but we can be friends forever!

And I still have more things I am donating to the ReStore. If you have one in your area, you should check them out. They are a great organization. The items you donate are sold and the proceeds benefit your local Habitat for Humanity. Plus the store itself is a wonderful place to shop for doors, window, kitchen cupboards---pretty much anything household related. I love poking around in there.

I have never considered myself a pack rat by any means, but I am amazed at how much 'stuff' I have. But still, downsizing from 2200 square feet of living space plus a workroom and laundry/storage area to a two bedroom apartment is a pretty drastic change. But I must say, much like the downsizing of so-called 'friends' in 2015, it's painful at first but eventually, you are so much the better for experiencing it.

My plan for this work week is to pack up all the non-furniture items in each room. I'm sure there will be a small amount of additional purging as I narrow down my belongings to just what I need and the things I really treasure.

I have one really important thing to do before I move, though. I must dig up my Saint that was buried in the front yard by my friends. He is upside down right now but he is going to stay that way until all the paperwork is signed and I have my check in hand!  Even though I am not Catholic I am a firm believer in the saints. My denomination is often called "Catholic Light" because of the many similarities to the Catholic faith. Basically, the Episcopal religion is Catholic without confession.

I've often thought that going to confession would make you feel so 'light' afterward. You know, unburdening yourself of sins and getting official forgiveness. And I am half in love with this Pope. He may be the final reason I need to convert!

So there you have it folks. I've gone from talking about moving, weather, SAD and religion--all in one post!!!

Happy Sunday! I'm off immerse myself in another life, in another time, in another country--all without leaving the comfort of my bed! An excellent book can do that for you!

Always remember, when your 'real life' doesn't allow you to travel, you can still live like a Gypsy in your mind with a good book!

tata for now!