Monday, July 31, 2007
Ciao Familia (you know – when in Sicily – LOL) Palermo was BEAUTIFUL.! LOL I am sitting here again in the dark typing. Today is actually Tuesday about 6:30 am. We are on our way to Naples but that is for the next blog. Couldn’t sleep – woke up at about 6 am – you’ll be happy Pam! J I’m finally getting up with the chickens.
Here’s a shorter version of yesterday. Palermo was gorgeous. We did a private tour and it was worth the expense – for me. I am an avid history lover and the amount of history given to us by our tour guide, Davide – I got his name from a fellow blog traveler, Celeste of the traveling nurse saga. He was plenty knowledgeable and nice. Although he was a smoker he was plenty courteous and always walked away when he needed to smoke which was plenty so for that I thank him.
Places we visited: Cathedral in Monreale, Cathedral in Palermo and the patron saint of Palermo St Rosalia’s perpetuated last stand (OK so she was a hermit) and burial place. We saw the catacombs and the perfectly embalmed body of a 2 yr old who died back in 1920. It was eerie to walk the catacombs although we got there about 10 minutes to closing siesta time. The bambina was so lifelike and doll like that had not the guide forwarned me, I’d of thought it was a doll. No pictures were allowed down there and frankly after our guide got into it with a senile father in Brother John garb – I didn’t want to chance it.
The cathedral in Palermo – VERY beautiful, ceilings painted al fresco style, gorgeous fonts, opulent baroque style of marble and granite. So much opulence that it just drops your mouth open. You truly are left speechless and with limited time to type I must move on.
The cathedral in Monreale is more familiar to me as it most closely resembles the churches, basilicas and cathedrals I’m most familiar with in Mexico. We also got to visit the Church that was erected on the site of the finding of St. Rosalia’s bones cave church. This was by far my best impression. The church was man made and carved and carries a gold filigreed image of the saint by the side of the alter. This church is very Lourdes (of Fatima fame) like in that while a cave – it also has rain gutters that collect the water for the faithful who believe in miracles.
We saw loads of OLD, OLD building full of history ( I LOVE HISTORY) and dating back to the beginnings of the 11th and 12th centuries. I also saw and thoroughly loved the flag of Sicily which is a yellow flag with an image of Medusa – 3 legged on the front. She was placed there to ward off other invading enemies. Sicily has be thoroughly under someone’s control at one point or another since its founding.
We got to visit what is called the “Fountain of Shame”, the fountain is gorgeous but is so named because of the state of dress ( or shall we say the state of undress ) of many of its statutes. The history of the fountain which is very famous and in postcards says that it was bought for a private noble but his son got into trouble and squandered away his fortune. It was sold and shipped to it new owners in 648 pieces. I was able to get a few pictures but due to the nature of the context (LOL) I cannot post it here.
We visited and actually got into the Med Sea, ok most of us, I was able to coax Priscilla into dipping a toe in the Med Sea just so that she can say she went into the Med. LOL
Yesterday was a full day and we got to see many, many sights on our private tour but let me tell you guys, it is VERY EXPENSIVE here. I can’t believe it. Those of you that didn’t come here, congratulate yourselves as you saved yourself loads of $$. We managed to check our bills and although we placed a credit down, 2 days into the cruise, we have already spent over $3,000 and most of those are for DCL excursions and some pictures and internet usage.
My ipone, that’s another story. At first I thought I was having so much problems with it until I realized that it worked in Barcelona. The ship is having major trouble with the internet. Since our ship is full, I imagine that is part of the problem. The other day when I posted 2 days worth, it took over 15 minutes to post it and that was with it already being typed! If you want to come to Europe folks, come alone, or with your spouse – you may enjoy it more and save some $$ while you are at it.
Monday was hot – over 90 degrees and Naples on Tuesday is supposed to be hot also. Davide was a good guide, although he may of found us a bit boring. I had to tailor our guide to some wants of the girls as Davide tends to walk fast – as most Europeans do anyway. At the end, we were picked up right outside the terminal doors and maybe walked about 300 ft from the ship – LOL as the crow flies – of course we had to zig zag through the terminal. But it was most reassuring to find someone we know waiting for us with my name on it. OH yeah! At the end of the day – I was kissed on both cheeks by a handsome, Italian man! LOL – well, he either found us very attractive as he kissed all the girls LOL or he was extremely happy with our tip. Either way, I am an optimist on cruises, (only here though J ) and wish to look on this experience with rose colored glasses on.
Upon boarding the ship none other than the infamous Chicken Boy checked my photo id and KTWC (Key to the World Card) , I snapped a quick picture and while Brent is rather a handsome man, he definitely looks more tired since I last saw him in September. Don’t we all!
We all got a laugh when we saw all the tour stickers that were stuck alongside the gangway rails and box, guess they’ve accumulated over the summer. If I get a chance, I will post a picture – it is cute.
Dinner went ok – we were in Animator’s Palette and our severs, Vlado from Croatia and Collin our drink waiter from Trinidad had a laugh at how quiet we all were. The girls wanted to come back in time for the 6:30 show but I chose to stay and take a shower as I was stinky! LOL – I fell asleep and didn’t get up until 8:20. Oh yeah –I did take a shower.
OK folks – it is now 7:15 and I must get going as we are supposed to meet our next tour guide at the terminal as soon as we get off the ship or by/around 8 am.
Until later hopefully.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Sat/Sun July 28th & 29th - "Ketchup" Time
Ketchup Time
OK well let’s see how this synopsis works:
Today is Sunday. We boarded the Magic on Saturday about 12:30 pm. We left The Hotel Royal at 11:45 got to the port around 12’ish and were in the line by 12:10. It looked a bit unorganized but luck was on our side. We sailed through the line and were onboard by 12:30. NOTE: although there was no line stating no photos I thought I’d push it to see. While in line to enter and before the x-ray machine, I snapped a quick one of the girls in line. Sure enough, 2 seconds later a guard came over and asked – I thought brusquely until I remembered we were in Spain – they swallow their letters – when I confirmed he told me erase it. I did – showed him how I did it and then after thanked me. All in all, he was very polite and sounded gracious after word. Not like in LA. You’d get your camera taken away so no photos here ok.
We got to Topsiders and had buffet brunch. After we finished it was time for our rooms. We got rooms 2083 and 2085. Inside staterooms – when we walked in there was a smell but I contribute it to the ship being fueled. DH called engineering anyway and they promptly brought up an air purifier.
Forgot to mention that while eating the buffet I started showing around a picture of our head server from our PC cruise and long story short, one of the waiters went and got him. As we were leaving, up comes Alen (from Croatia) with the waiter who RAN and got him. I was so excited to see him that I just hugged him. LOL, right in front of Steve. This is unusual for those that know me. I was just so happy to see a face that I recognized after such a long time. And this never ceases to amaze me, he remembered DH, April and myself, took a second for the names but he came up with the location of our last cruises under him. WOW! Must be a prerequisite or something! Anyway, he managed to take us up to Palos and get some kinks straightened out. He is no longer a waiter but the dining supervisor! It’s good to know people in high places. Turns out we are sitting alone but that’s ok – I requested to be at least under our old beverage server – Collin from Trinidad. That evening dinner was in Parrot Cay – we saw Collin – it took a second but BAM! When DH asked – remember us – he told us – OMG! Of course, my old friends. (He has a new food waiter – Putu is gone) but sure enouh in a matter of seconds he was confirming what I suspected – it must be a requisite of memory to work here. He even told us that he still has a magnet of he and April from 2 yrs ago on his fridge at home. Then he proceeded to shock DH when he asked him if he still had his laptop and was planning on bringing it to dinner sometime soon. LOL, the whole table got a laugh out of that.
Later, we went upstairs and caught the sail-away party. It wasn’t quite as large as the ones in FL but it was nice not being in the HOT sun. After, we dropped by the store – which was open in port and bought some special pins and what not for the cruise. They have some wonderful Med souvenirs. So of course, “he” (DH) managed to hit the $120 minimum for a VAT refund that first night.
Let’s see – got to bed around midnight- tried texting to Pam some messages and got the error message so I though. See next page….
Sunday, July 29, 2008
Today got up at 8:45 which is 11:45 pm PST time. Today is our first sea day with tonight being formal night. YIPPEEE! I get to try my new black dress Steve bought me in El Cortes Ingles in Barcelona. Its kinda simple black dress with tiny rhinstones ornamentation but at least it flatters me better than what I have.
Ok , got to the DIS meet at 9:30 with DH, April and later on Megan and Yesenia joined us. Priscilla, poor thing was still trying to recover from jet lag. It has hit hard but I think I am getting adjusted to it. Watch Out, Pam – I MAY and I stress MAY just get up before you – (Course keep in mind – this is the ONLY time it may happen – LOL)
Anyway, had a wonderful time getting to meet everyone. I was a bit shy at first but after decided to swallow that and just jump in. Meet Brian (Former CPer) who was the guy responsible for designing our logo and finally met DanfromCA who cleaned it up for all of us. Dan really is a great guy with a great sense of humor – can’t wait to spend more time talking to him. Unfortunately, Dan’s bags didn’t make this cruise but is hoping to catch up to us in Naples (Sorry Dan – didn’t mean to gossip) but I like his attitude, he told me that he needed to rush off and get as much clothes as he can before his bags catch up as that money that is going towards clothes will be his souvenirs $$. Did I mention that Dan has a fabulous sense of humor? Great Guy.
Mingled a bit, meet mostly everyone that I have been corresponding with for the last 4 months. Also, tooks lots of photos of everyone and they are great, Thanks Jeanne (Kyla), she ordered the lanyards, kudos to Brian (FormerCPer) and Dan as mentioned above for they design and clean-up. Finally met Mary Jo AKA MJ – she really is beautiful – don’t let her say anything else. Helen – is also beautiful she managed to say hi just before they headed off for Palo’s brunch. Oh yeah – meet up with Julie – I like her – we’ll be stalking each other all over Europe for the next 4-5 weeks. ROTFL! Her daughters and she beautiful too! Finally caught up with DIsneySpirit – Tom and Lynn, beautiful people – ok everybody – everyone chime in – “Everything is beautiful……”
After went to brunch in Topsiders and although the scrambled eggs were gone, had a wonderful omelet and other stuff. Got some sweet cantelope. Awesome fruit. HOWEVER, they cannot compete with the farmer’s market in Barcelona- that was awesome and I went picture crazy there. Will have to post a picture blog someday!
Later, went to an enrichment lecture Series presentation done by Dr. Kenneth Pearl on Pompeii. Lots of interesting info on Pompeii and Herculaneum. Although Herculaneum is a bit more preserved than Pompeii – he said that Pompeii’s ash/cover is easier to excavate than Herculaneum. More damage here due to heavier ash and rubble. Everything collapsed whereas in Pompeii some held up.
Steve and I then took a 1 ½ hr nap in order to keep me from being grumpy.
OH yeah – some bit of bad news, nothing major, Steve and I attended a DVC membership
presentation after. While there, I got up to get some cookies and a drink, as I did, an older lady with a large bag managed to bump into me, I fell back a step, she then swung around to ask me if I was ok when the next think I know, we hear a WHOMP! Can you guess what it was?
Yes, my camera was swept off the table in Studio Sea. My jaw just dropped. I looked at the flash and immediately knew that it was gone. My hope immediately turned to – OH NO! Please don’t have cracked the lens. I didn’t know what to say when the lady asked me – Did I do that? What do you say to that. I just looked at DH and swallowed and just nodded no. She moved on. I wanted to cry but being on a Disney mood, my next thought after checking out my camera and taking some test shots were – it seems alright. Oh Well, ‘bout time for a new flash. This one was at least 4 yrs old. It was a Canon 420 EX flash but at least , I hope, its just the flash. The bottom 2 screws came undone, cracked open, the red face on the front broke but the face is still intact and when I attached it and held it down on the camera, the shoe still contacts and syncs with the camera. Steve later on that evening managed to tape it together. It will hold for a few days but its definitely time for a new flash. Now, if this was ordinary Laura, I would have screamed and thrown a tantrum but seeing as this is the new and improved Laura – I swallowed it a bit and moved on. Consoled myself with the thought – no use crying over spilt milk and maybe this is why God blessed with a working spouse so he takes pity on my mishaps. NOT MY FAULT FOLKS, really, how can I blame grandma. OK on to something else.
Took a nap. Got ready for formal night, missed The Golden Mickey show but I have seen it. Megan took Priscilla and Yesenia to see it and they enjoyed it. Got all pretty and made it out by 8 pm to take pictures. They have a Med Route backdrop with Capt Tom on it. He looked much better since he was wearing his dark outfit and the background was light. Took pictures there and managed to finagle one of the entire party, our family, and the older girls with Capt Tom. I’m sure the party behind us wasn’t too happy. Also, there are 2 different pretty backgrounds, one with Roman arches and one with an Italian canal/water drop as the background. Very pretty and about time they came up with something different.
Tonight was dinner in Lumiere’s. When we walked in managed to corral Alen into taking us to our table. He is such a sweet man. When one of the waiters tried to take us – Alen said – that’s ok – they are my special guests. WOW! Made me feel special. Dining Supervisor and all. Made sure that the rest of my party realized the special attn we were getting. The rest of the evening was the same, first to have our orders, appetizers, entrees and desserts.
Just as we were about to get up and leave, Brent our CD came on the loudspeaker. Apparently there has been a medical health crisis that necessitates the Magic to stop in the nearest port thus delaying our 1st stop in Palermo by 2 hrs. We will be stopping in the nearest port – Sardinia and doing a medical evacuation. We will get into Palermo at 9:30 instead of the scheduled 7 am. We were supposed to leave at 5:30 but will now be leaving at 9:30 (well that is all aboard time). So, sorry for the victim/patient but the bright side to this is that at least we get to sleep in a bit. I am just a bit worried that our private tour guide (read not DCL) doesn’t think we are a no show. I inquired of our head server, Stephane from France if the ship notifies the incoming port and he assured me that they did.
OK all, that is all for now, just wanted to write this down and make my first attempt at posting via DCL. BTW, as expected, some problems with internet and heard from a crew member that by today or tomorrow, we should be able to log on via wireless laptops. I am going to try it out soon. I typed this on word and am hoping to figure out how to post it to save time on the internet café. The prices are as usual - $0.75 pr minute or packages of time the biggest being 500 minutes for $150.00 dollars. Guess which one Megan signed up for? LOL
OK, we just received a revised updated info: all ashore time in Palermo will be 9:30 am. All aboard time is 6:30 pm. OH well, so much for Chicken Boy – AKA Brent the CD’s info.
OK , better go – as this is one long puppy! Later all. Hope I can keep up – tomorrow starts a week of fast and furious days.
Hope your all enjoying! Love to all – miss you all (OK not really it just came out – LOL) but I really do wish friends and family could have come but with my novels hopefully you’ll all feel as if you’re here and you are - in spirit that is.
Wish me luck – these puppies of mine (legs) are tired. PHEW! Bye!
OK well let’s see how this synopsis works:
Today is Sunday. We boarded the Magic on Saturday about 12:30 pm. We left The Hotel Royal at 11:45 got to the port around 12’ish and were in the line by 12:10. It looked a bit unorganized but luck was on our side. We sailed through the line and were onboard by 12:30. NOTE: although there was no line stating no photos I thought I’d push it to see. While in line to enter and before the x-ray machine, I snapped a quick one of the girls in line. Sure enough, 2 seconds later a guard came over and asked – I thought brusquely until I remembered we were in Spain – they swallow their letters – when I confirmed he told me erase it. I did – showed him how I did it and then after thanked me. All in all, he was very polite and sounded gracious after word. Not like in LA. You’d get your camera taken away so no photos here ok.
We got to Topsiders and had buffet brunch. After we finished it was time for our rooms. We got rooms 2083 and 2085. Inside staterooms – when we walked in there was a smell but I contribute it to the ship being fueled. DH called engineering anyway and they promptly brought up an air purifier.
Forgot to mention that while eating the buffet I started showing around a picture of our head server from our PC cruise and long story short, one of the waiters went and got him. As we were leaving, up comes Alen (from Croatia) with the waiter who RAN and got him. I was so excited to see him that I just hugged him. LOL, right in front of Steve. This is unusual for those that know me. I was just so happy to see a face that I recognized after such a long time. And this never ceases to amaze me, he remembered DH, April and myself, took a second for the names but he came up with the location of our last cruises under him. WOW! Must be a prerequisite or something! Anyway, he managed to take us up to Palos and get some kinks straightened out. He is no longer a waiter but the dining supervisor! It’s good to know people in high places. Turns out we are sitting alone but that’s ok – I requested to be at least under our old beverage server – Collin from Trinidad. That evening dinner was in Parrot Cay – we saw Collin – it took a second but BAM! When DH asked – remember us – he told us – OMG! Of course, my old friends. (He has a new food waiter – Putu is gone) but sure enouh in a matter of seconds he was confirming what I suspected – it must be a requisite of memory to work here. He even told us that he still has a magnet of he and April from 2 yrs ago on his fridge at home. Then he proceeded to shock DH when he asked him if he still had his laptop and was planning on bringing it to dinner sometime soon. LOL, the whole table got a laugh out of that.
Later, we went upstairs and caught the sail-away party. It wasn’t quite as large as the ones in FL but it was nice not being in the HOT sun. After, we dropped by the store – which was open in port and bought some special pins and what not for the cruise. They have some wonderful Med souvenirs. So of course, “he” (DH) managed to hit the $120 minimum for a VAT refund that first night.
Let’s see – got to bed around midnight- tried texting to Pam some messages and got the error message so I though. See next page….
Sunday, July 29, 2008
Today got up at 8:45 which is 11:45 pm PST time. Today is our first sea day with tonight being formal night. YIPPEEE! I get to try my new black dress Steve bought me in El Cortes Ingles in Barcelona. Its kinda simple black dress with tiny rhinstones ornamentation but at least it flatters me better than what I have.
Ok , got to the DIS meet at 9:30 with DH, April and later on Megan and Yesenia joined us. Priscilla, poor thing was still trying to recover from jet lag. It has hit hard but I think I am getting adjusted to it. Watch Out, Pam – I MAY and I stress MAY just get up before you – (Course keep in mind – this is the ONLY time it may happen – LOL)
Anyway, had a wonderful time getting to meet everyone. I was a bit shy at first but after decided to swallow that and just jump in. Meet Brian (Former CPer) who was the guy responsible for designing our logo and finally met DanfromCA who cleaned it up for all of us. Dan really is a great guy with a great sense of humor – can’t wait to spend more time talking to him. Unfortunately, Dan’s bags didn’t make this cruise but is hoping to catch up to us in Naples (Sorry Dan – didn’t mean to gossip) but I like his attitude, he told me that he needed to rush off and get as much clothes as he can before his bags catch up as that money that is going towards clothes will be his souvenirs $$. Did I mention that Dan has a fabulous sense of humor? Great Guy.
Mingled a bit, meet mostly everyone that I have been corresponding with for the last 4 months. Also, tooks lots of photos of everyone and they are great, Thanks Jeanne (Kyla), she ordered the lanyards, kudos to Brian (FormerCPer) and Dan as mentioned above for they design and clean-up. Finally met Mary Jo AKA MJ – she really is beautiful – don’t let her say anything else. Helen – is also beautiful she managed to say hi just before they headed off for Palo’s brunch. Oh yeah – meet up with Julie – I like her – we’ll be stalking each other all over Europe for the next 4-5 weeks. ROTFL! Her daughters and she beautiful too! Finally caught up with DIsneySpirit – Tom and Lynn, beautiful people – ok everybody – everyone chime in – “Everything is beautiful……”
After went to brunch in Topsiders and although the scrambled eggs were gone, had a wonderful omelet and other stuff. Got some sweet cantelope. Awesome fruit. HOWEVER, they cannot compete with the farmer’s market in Barcelona- that was awesome and I went picture crazy there. Will have to post a picture blog someday!
Later, went to an enrichment lecture Series presentation done by Dr. Kenneth Pearl on Pompeii. Lots of interesting info on Pompeii and Herculaneum. Although Herculaneum is a bit more preserved than Pompeii – he said that Pompeii’s ash/cover is easier to excavate than Herculaneum. More damage here due to heavier ash and rubble. Everything collapsed whereas in Pompeii some held up.
Steve and I then took a 1 ½ hr nap in order to keep me from being grumpy.
OH yeah – some bit of bad news, nothing major, Steve and I attended a DVC membership
presentation after. While there, I got up to get some cookies and a drink, as I did, an older lady with a large bag managed to bump into me, I fell back a step, she then swung around to ask me if I was ok when the next think I know, we hear a WHOMP! Can you guess what it was?
Yes, my camera was swept off the table in Studio Sea. My jaw just dropped. I looked at the flash and immediately knew that it was gone. My hope immediately turned to – OH NO! Please don’t have cracked the lens. I didn’t know what to say when the lady asked me – Did I do that? What do you say to that. I just looked at DH and swallowed and just nodded no. She moved on. I wanted to cry but being on a Disney mood, my next thought after checking out my camera and taking some test shots were – it seems alright. Oh Well, ‘bout time for a new flash. This one was at least 4 yrs old. It was a Canon 420 EX flash but at least , I hope, its just the flash. The bottom 2 screws came undone, cracked open, the red face on the front broke but the face is still intact and when I attached it and held it down on the camera, the shoe still contacts and syncs with the camera. Steve later on that evening managed to tape it together. It will hold for a few days but its definitely time for a new flash. Now, if this was ordinary Laura, I would have screamed and thrown a tantrum but seeing as this is the new and improved Laura – I swallowed it a bit and moved on. Consoled myself with the thought – no use crying over spilt milk and maybe this is why God blessed with a working spouse so he takes pity on my mishaps. NOT MY FAULT FOLKS, really, how can I blame grandma. OK on to something else.
Took a nap. Got ready for formal night, missed The Golden Mickey show but I have seen it. Megan took Priscilla and Yesenia to see it and they enjoyed it. Got all pretty and made it out by 8 pm to take pictures. They have a Med Route backdrop with Capt Tom on it. He looked much better since he was wearing his dark outfit and the background was light. Took pictures there and managed to finagle one of the entire party, our family, and the older girls with Capt Tom. I’m sure the party behind us wasn’t too happy. Also, there are 2 different pretty backgrounds, one with Roman arches and one with an Italian canal/water drop as the background. Very pretty and about time they came up with something different.
Tonight was dinner in Lumiere’s. When we walked in managed to corral Alen into taking us to our table. He is such a sweet man. When one of the waiters tried to take us – Alen said – that’s ok – they are my special guests. WOW! Made me feel special. Dining Supervisor and all. Made sure that the rest of my party realized the special attn we were getting. The rest of the evening was the same, first to have our orders, appetizers, entrees and desserts.
Just as we were about to get up and leave, Brent our CD came on the loudspeaker. Apparently there has been a medical health crisis that necessitates the Magic to stop in the nearest port thus delaying our 1st stop in Palermo by 2 hrs. We will be stopping in the nearest port – Sardinia and doing a medical evacuation. We will get into Palermo at 9:30 instead of the scheduled 7 am. We were supposed to leave at 5:30 but will now be leaving at 9:30 (well that is all aboard time). So, sorry for the victim/patient but the bright side to this is that at least we get to sleep in a bit. I am just a bit worried that our private tour guide (read not DCL) doesn’t think we are a no show. I inquired of our head server, Stephane from France if the ship notifies the incoming port and he assured me that they did.
OK all, that is all for now, just wanted to write this down and make my first attempt at posting via DCL. BTW, as expected, some problems with internet and heard from a crew member that by today or tomorrow, we should be able to log on via wireless laptops. I am going to try it out soon. I typed this on word and am hoping to figure out how to post it to save time on the internet café. The prices are as usual - $0.75 pr minute or packages of time the biggest being 500 minutes for $150.00 dollars. Guess which one Megan signed up for? LOL
OK, we just received a revised updated info: all ashore time in Palermo will be 9:30 am. All aboard time is 6:30 pm. OH well, so much for Chicken Boy – AKA Brent the CD’s info.
OK , better go – as this is one long puppy! Later all. Hope I can keep up – tomorrow starts a week of fast and furious days.
Hope your all enjoying! Love to all – miss you all (OK not really it just came out – LOL) but I really do wish friends and family could have come but with my novels hopefully you’ll all feel as if you’re here and you are - in spirit that is.
Wish me luck – these puppies of mine (legs) are tired. PHEW! Bye!
Friday, July 27, 2007
The Day has started.
Well, the plan was for us to get up at 8:30 and get started. Reality time: In my room, I am up, 1/2 way dressed and the other two in my room are snoring away. LOL - haven't even checked on the other room. What if I call and wake the girls up?
Anyway, I'm playing with the notion of going next door (drugstore type) for some odds and ends we forgot. I had time to check my DIS addiction and get my morning fix. The walk last night allowed us to check out the Starbucks spots which the girls were very happy for. As for me, I don't do Starbucks - have tried several times but to me (GASP! SHOCK! HORROR!) coffee is coffee and the sweet ones are too sweet. I have plenty of ways to make myself bigger w/o resorting to another addiction as well. ROTFL!
Anyway, I may step out and try to hunt down those elusive Churros con Chocolate that I smelled last night and saw a sign for. Now that, I may have to become addicted too - and the person responsible for making me aware of this? My trainer - thanks Tammi! LOL
OK - just my first check in of the day as I had some time. Will try again later.
Anyway, I'm playing with the notion of going next door (drugstore type) for some odds and ends we forgot. I had time to check my DIS addiction and get my morning fix. The walk last night allowed us to check out the Starbucks spots which the girls were very happy for. As for me, I don't do Starbucks - have tried several times but to me (GASP! SHOCK! HORROR!) coffee is coffee and the sweet ones are too sweet. I have plenty of ways to make myself bigger w/o resorting to another addiction as well. ROTFL!
Anyway, I may step out and try to hunt down those elusive Churros con Chocolate that I smelled last night and saw a sign for. Now that, I may have to become addicted too - and the person responsible for making me aware of this? My trainer - thanks Tammi! LOL
OK - just my first check in of the day as I had some time. Will try again later.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
The Elliott's Have Landed!
WOO HOO! The Elliott's have landed!
We arrived at Barcelona Int'l Airport at 6:40 pm (PST =9:40 am) We ended up being at the front of the customs line - how I have no idea but breezed through that. Got some $ exchanged at an exchange house in baggage claims which actually was only $0.05 cents more than an atm while the girls collected our bags.
We exited baggage area and found our private shuttle guy waiting for us. Let me tell you - if anyone was considering doing this - this was a godsend. I TOTALLY underestimated how tired I would be - although I slept some on the plane. Anyway, we got into this square mini-van that held up to 7 VERY comfortable. The best part? The actually working airconditioing. DH mentioned he enjoyed this much better than the limo - much cooler. I didn't think the humidity was as bad as they say - I personally think Orlando is worse.
Anyway, arrived at the Royal Ramblas at 7:40 pm. Tried to get going but everyone ended up crashing for about an hr. We got up by 9 :30 and went in search of food. We tried the Hard Rock Cafe which is literally 1 minute from the hotel which places us at the top end of Las Ramblas. The 2 hr wait was unbearable. So we tried going to McDonalds but it was too dark so we ended up going to Burger King! Where much to Megan's horror - they have no clue what ranch dressing is! GASP! Anyway, after dinner we did a quick walk of Las Ramblas and ended up back at our hotel at about midnight. DH decided to get the internet access which turned out to be running about $15 Euros for a 24 hr period or $9 Euros for 1 1/2 hr. So as it was so late - we went with te 24 hr one. We will play Friday by ear as everyone is VERY tired. Poor Yesenia and Priscilla were dragged along as we walked Las Ramblas - they have not experienced me in walking mode yet! ROTFL! However, I view it as good practice for the cruise.
I hope to meet up with some other DIS people tomorrow but we shall see. Oh yeah - for those that decided NOT to come - if it makes you feel ANY BETTER - you were right in not coming in 1 sense. Dinner at BK? Ended up costing about $70 for a party of 6. We had managed to exchange some money at the aiport and got $690 for $1000 at the exchange house. When we did the ATM- it was only a about $5.00 less than what we paid at the airport so all in all - ok - but it sure has gone quick. Now I'm worried about how much $$ we will be spending this vacation.
The upside? I LOVE Barcelona. Although only seen for a few minutes, can't wait to see some sights later on today. On Saturday, embarkation day! WOO HOO!
OK - hotel triple room - we laughed at this - is actually the size of a Motel 6 room but is adequate for 2 nights. Price could be a bit cheaper but you know the saying. When in Rome.....which brings up a little point - you all know those little "foot washers" that are next to the toilet? Yeah - um those.......well, didn't want to upset Ceasar so I did as the Romans did and you know what? Don't knock it till you try it! ROTFL! Now, the girls want to know how it was and my response? When in Rome..............
Later everyone. hope to update more later.
Oh yeah - the shuttle dropped us literally 4 steps from the hotel front door. The girls were jazzed because we got to go through a revolving door. It makes me feel good to be able to experience this trip through their eyes although today was not a good one for that - they were drop dead tired and too polite to say anything. Hopefully by Sunday - we'll all be adjusted.
The hotel front desk personnel speak almost excellent English and are turning out to be very helpful. No bad experiences yet. Keeping our fingers crossed to continued good luck!
(The flight staff on the 2nd leg of the plane ride didn't seem as friendly for some reason. Not as friendly as BA from LAX to London Heathrow. April got sick on us and when dinner was served, they'd run out of chicken. As she is not a beef person - she didn't eat the beef roast dinner. We ended up hitting a bit of turbulence - nothing major - just enough to get her nauseated. The staff were wonderful. Came by several times to inquire and even gave us "bread sticks" think pretzels bits and some "quell" think dramamine and continually checked on us. She was better by breakfast which was a turkey and cheese on a dinner roll with strawberry banana yougurt, OJ and mayo. Breakfast was better than dinner and she turned out to be ok after that) I think she just ran her body down as we left on her finals day at summer school.
OK that's all - very late and we are attempting to get up at 8:30 Barcelona time - which BTW is 9 hrs ahead of PST time.
Have fun all and will try and post more tomorrow. OH WAIT! - got a chance to see some "living statues" on Las Ramblas. 2 were ok but the one we didn't get a picture of was what I call - The Wind Blown Woman. She was cool - dressed in a red velvet formal with heels and a scarf and looking like she was walking into the wind. This was before dinner and we wanted to get something to eat and catch her later. She was gone of course but I hope to catch her tomorrow - she is worth posting a picture of! Later all! ;-)
We arrived at Barcelona Int'l Airport at 6:40 pm (PST =9:40 am) We ended up being at the front of the customs line - how I have no idea but breezed through that. Got some $ exchanged at an exchange house in baggage claims which actually was only $0.05 cents more than an atm while the girls collected our bags.
We exited baggage area and found our private shuttle guy waiting for us. Let me tell you - if anyone was considering doing this - this was a godsend. I TOTALLY underestimated how tired I would be - although I slept some on the plane. Anyway, we got into this square mini-van that held up to 7 VERY comfortable. The best part? The actually working airconditioing. DH mentioned he enjoyed this much better than the limo - much cooler. I didn't think the humidity was as bad as they say - I personally think Orlando is worse.
Anyway, arrived at the Royal Ramblas at 7:40 pm. Tried to get going but everyone ended up crashing for about an hr. We got up by 9 :30 and went in search of food. We tried the Hard Rock Cafe which is literally 1 minute from the hotel which places us at the top end of Las Ramblas. The 2 hr wait was unbearable. So we tried going to McDonalds but it was too dark so we ended up going to Burger King! Where much to Megan's horror - they have no clue what ranch dressing is! GASP! Anyway, after dinner we did a quick walk of Las Ramblas and ended up back at our hotel at about midnight. DH decided to get the internet access which turned out to be running about $15 Euros for a 24 hr period or $9 Euros for 1 1/2 hr. So as it was so late - we went with te 24 hr one. We will play Friday by ear as everyone is VERY tired. Poor Yesenia and Priscilla were dragged along as we walked Las Ramblas - they have not experienced me in walking mode yet! ROTFL! However, I view it as good practice for the cruise.
I hope to meet up with some other DIS people tomorrow but we shall see. Oh yeah - for those that decided NOT to come - if it makes you feel ANY BETTER - you were right in not coming in 1 sense. Dinner at BK? Ended up costing about $70 for a party of 6. We had managed to exchange some money at the aiport and got $690 for $1000 at the exchange house. When we did the ATM- it was only a about $5.00 less than what we paid at the airport so all in all - ok - but it sure has gone quick. Now I'm worried about how much $$ we will be spending this vacation.
The upside? I LOVE Barcelona. Although only seen for a few minutes, can't wait to see some sights later on today. On Saturday, embarkation day! WOO HOO!
OK - hotel triple room - we laughed at this - is actually the size of a Motel 6 room but is adequate for 2 nights. Price could be a bit cheaper but you know the saying. When in Rome.....which brings up a little point - you all know those little "foot washers" that are next to the toilet? Yeah - um those.......well, didn't want to upset Ceasar so I did as the Romans did and you know what? Don't knock it till you try it! ROTFL! Now, the girls want to know how it was and my response? When in Rome..............
Later everyone. hope to update more later.
Oh yeah - the shuttle dropped us literally 4 steps from the hotel front door. The girls were jazzed because we got to go through a revolving door. It makes me feel good to be able to experience this trip through their eyes although today was not a good one for that - they were drop dead tired and too polite to say anything. Hopefully by Sunday - we'll all be adjusted.
The hotel front desk personnel speak almost excellent English and are turning out to be very helpful. No bad experiences yet. Keeping our fingers crossed to continued good luck!
(The flight staff on the 2nd leg of the plane ride didn't seem as friendly for some reason. Not as friendly as BA from LAX to London Heathrow. April got sick on us and when dinner was served, they'd run out of chicken. As she is not a beef person - she didn't eat the beef roast dinner. We ended up hitting a bit of turbulence - nothing major - just enough to get her nauseated. The staff were wonderful. Came by several times to inquire and even gave us "bread sticks" think pretzels bits and some "quell" think dramamine and continually checked on us. She was better by breakfast which was a turkey and cheese on a dinner roll with strawberry banana yougurt, OJ and mayo. Breakfast was better than dinner and she turned out to be ok after that) I think she just ran her body down as we left on her finals day at summer school.
OK that's all - very late and we are attempting to get up at 8:30 Barcelona time - which BTW is 9 hrs ahead of PST time.
Have fun all and will try and post more tomorrow. OH WAIT! - got a chance to see some "living statues" on Las Ramblas. 2 were ok but the one we didn't get a picture of was what I call - The Wind Blown Woman. She was cool - dressed in a red velvet formal with heels and a scarf and looking like she was walking into the wind. This was before dinner and we wanted to get something to eat and catch her later. She was gone of course but I hope to catch her tomorrow - she is worth posting a picture of! Later all! ;-)
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Check in was a Breeze!
Hey everyone - check-in was a breeze. I did online checkin on Tuesday and got our boarding passes. Got to the airport at 2:20 and were at the gate at about 3:10. No problem. We used skycaps and curbside check-in although we didn't need too. It was great! The guy was able to take our bags to the front of the x-ray line (did I mention the line was horrendous? Use skycaps or personnel - they take you to the front of the line!) with Steve while the girls and I stayed at the counter giving our clerk a hard time. We snapped a picture of him while working to prove he did. LOL He was fun. He was even able to get Priscilla 1 row behind us directly instead of 7 rows behind Steve's assigned seat but we may kick Steve back there as he will probably be snoring! He pulled 2 all nighters the night before we left. Please excuse any typing errors as I am trying out my new notebook - 10-inch screen works all right but takes some getting used too!
As for me - I am actually doing really well. Only 2 minor blow-ups on my part which is really fantastic - Steve keeps remarking - wow - your doing great. Did I mention I am a terrible flyer? LOL
One of the reasons I blew up was that I was attempting to post from my new iphone to blogger dot com. Couldn't - so asked Megan why - she thought it was because I had my old phone number in there. We deleted it and BAM! Nothing but problems. Turns out iPhone is not compatible with blogging just yet. :-( So now when I tried to enter my old number - problems - seems that when DH gave me the new Nextel i930 International # - the "Know-It-Alls" at Nextell "FORGOT" (DUH!) to activate text messaging. DOY!
So now that they have attempted to activate text messaging, turns out that Blogger has been having some texting problems. So as of the moment, no picture availibility. Double :-(
We are at gate 121 at the International Tom Bradley Terminal. We got through the line in less than 1/2 hr - the girls are now sitting on the floor playing cards and I need to tell them to not take up so much space - or not! If not them - someone else will. Although it is kinda nice to see such excitement and exurberance from the younger ones. Perhaps they are the reasons I'm still sane. OK - I will sign off for now. Our plane is scheduled to take off at 5:50 pm and it is now 4:01. May try to check on here again.
I have now had 2 SMALL slices of pepperoni pizza which really ='s 1 small Domino slice and I broke down and had regular coke to help aid the tylonol (OK spelled wrong here) go down faster.
Dang - forgot my ginger pills. Oh well, Guess I'll be hitting that El Cortes Ingles much faster to see if they have it - now to remember what the Spanish or Catalona word is for Ginger? Any guesses anyone?
Later gators.
As for me - I am actually doing really well. Only 2 minor blow-ups on my part which is really fantastic - Steve keeps remarking - wow - your doing great. Did I mention I am a terrible flyer? LOL
One of the reasons I blew up was that I was attempting to post from my new iphone to blogger dot com. Couldn't - so asked Megan why - she thought it was because I had my old phone number in there. We deleted it and BAM! Nothing but problems. Turns out iPhone is not compatible with blogging just yet. :-( So now when I tried to enter my old number - problems - seems that when DH gave me the new Nextel i930 International # - the "Know-It-Alls" at Nextell "FORGOT" (DUH!) to activate text messaging. DOY!
So now that they have attempted to activate text messaging, turns out that Blogger has been having some texting problems. So as of the moment, no picture availibility. Double :-(
We are at gate 121 at the International Tom Bradley Terminal. We got through the line in less than 1/2 hr - the girls are now sitting on the floor playing cards and I need to tell them to not take up so much space - or not! If not them - someone else will. Although it is kinda nice to see such excitement and exurberance from the younger ones. Perhaps they are the reasons I'm still sane. OK - I will sign off for now. Our plane is scheduled to take off at 5:50 pm and it is now 4:01. May try to check on here again.
I have now had 2 SMALL slices of pepperoni pizza which really ='s 1 small Domino slice and I broke down and had regular coke to help aid the tylonol (OK spelled wrong here) go down faster.
Dang - forgot my ginger pills. Oh well, Guess I'll be hitting that El Cortes Ingles much faster to see if they have it - now to remember what the Spanish or Catalona word is for Ginger? Any guesses anyone?
Later gators.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME AND DH!
OK, an explanation is in order - in a forum I participate in - DH stands for either Dear Husband/Hubby or Disney Hubby/Husband. For future reference, I will be using this sometimes in case I forget.
OK - the last couple of days has been hectic. Been to dentist's, dr's, eye dr's and spa and facials have been done. In all the haste - I forgot to tell DD-Megan Happy Birthday! But being the trooper she is - she took it all in stride. Her b-day was Friday, July 20 - my other Cancer. She decided she wanted to go to Po'Folks rest here in Buena Park which coincidentally was right across the st. from the restaurant (Medieval Times) which she was going to attend at 7:30 with her gang. Sometimes that girl surprises me with her planning.....hmmmm.....wonder who she reminds me of! ROTFL!
Anyway, it was also my brother's and SIL (sister-in-law's) anniversary. They got married the day before we did in a hush hush ceremony so as not to take away from our nuptials - long story - not that interesting! LOL
Anyway, so the four of us - sans Andrew - my younger sister and my brother, SIL and their 3 kids did Po'Folks. Dinner went nice. After - the waiters announced to the whole rest. that it was Megan's B-day and EVERYONE in the rest. sang to her - I had not seen that shade of red in a long time! Thank God they didn't put the toilet seat cover around her neck - she may have run from the rest.
Anyway, today was our anniversary. How did we spend it? Packing you say? Not quite - DH/Steve has been on the phone trying to activate my new toy - iPhone! I got it last week but just tried to upload and activiate. So what did we discover? That my laptop was not working - (this after 6 hrs of frustrations and me threatening to throw this $600 toy into the 1st wall that got in front of me. Did I ever mention that I had a temper? ROTFL. Anyway, finally went to bed, woke up in a bit of a better mood.
Lord knows why I'm in this mood, the bags aren't packed. The human girls brought down all their laundry for me to do before we leave. They haven't even packed nor have I. Our anniversary presents are still sitting on the steps and we had a late brunch/dinner. To top it all off, we were supposed to go to a b-day party of a friends who just happens to share my b-day (23rd). So, while I should be in high panic mode, HORRIBLY upset that my laptop was totally destroyed by the Sony Experts and it being our special day - I am scaringly sitting here calmy typing. I think I am in denial.
Seriously, I think someone needs to pinch me. Its either that or in the back of my head I know that within 4 days - nothing much will matter anymore as we will be jetting our way to Barcelona, Spain! WOO HOO!
Don't get me wrong, this now means that I cannot take my laptop that had all my iTunes audiobooks - 12 of them, my Adobe and Canon and Olympus software downloaded on it. My contacts and info for our private tours and anything I might of needed for the cruise - but DH will figure out some way to upload to his and we will be taking his.
Unless some little fairy comes along and drops a brand new laptop for me to take! You never now - strange things happen to me.
OK - enough for now as I am sure this is the longest post yet.
Maybe more later - right now - Steve looks like he might be making some headway, my USB ports were deleted by the Sony experts - turns out that there are different levels of expert helpers and we should have been talking to level 2 experts instead of level 1. The results being that we were instructed to delete our USB ports. Now they have been restored for now but DH is trying to load my iTunes into his laptop just to keep me happy.
As for me? I'm sitting here trying to figure out why I am not completely beserk? My only thought is that "I'm going to the Med in 4 days" is running through my head like the stock's ticker tape at Wall Street.
OK - so do you all consider me crazy?
BTW, I still haven't packed!
OK, an explanation is in order - in a forum I participate in - DH stands for either Dear Husband/Hubby or Disney Hubby/Husband. For future reference, I will be using this sometimes in case I forget.
OK - the last couple of days has been hectic. Been to dentist's, dr's, eye dr's and spa and facials have been done. In all the haste - I forgot to tell DD-Megan Happy Birthday! But being the trooper she is - she took it all in stride. Her b-day was Friday, July 20 - my other Cancer. She decided she wanted to go to Po'Folks rest here in Buena Park which coincidentally was right across the st. from the restaurant (Medieval Times) which she was going to attend at 7:30 with her gang. Sometimes that girl surprises me with her planning.....hmmmm.....wonder who she reminds me of! ROTFL!
Anyway, it was also my brother's and SIL (sister-in-law's) anniversary. They got married the day before we did in a hush hush ceremony so as not to take away from our nuptials - long story - not that interesting! LOL
Anyway, so the four of us - sans Andrew - my younger sister and my brother, SIL and their 3 kids did Po'Folks. Dinner went nice. After - the waiters announced to the whole rest. that it was Megan's B-day and EVERYONE in the rest. sang to her - I had not seen that shade of red in a long time! Thank God they didn't put the toilet seat cover around her neck - she may have run from the rest.
Anyway, today was our anniversary. How did we spend it? Packing you say? Not quite - DH/Steve has been on the phone trying to activate my new toy - iPhone! I got it last week but just tried to upload and activiate. So what did we discover? That my laptop was not working - (this after 6 hrs of frustrations and me threatening to throw this $600 toy into the 1st wall that got in front of me. Did I ever mention that I had a temper? ROTFL. Anyway, finally went to bed, woke up in a bit of a better mood.
Lord knows why I'm in this mood, the bags aren't packed. The human girls brought down all their laundry for me to do before we leave. They haven't even packed nor have I. Our anniversary presents are still sitting on the steps and we had a late brunch/dinner. To top it all off, we were supposed to go to a b-day party of a friends who just happens to share my b-day (23rd). So, while I should be in high panic mode, HORRIBLY upset that my laptop was totally destroyed by the Sony Experts and it being our special day - I am scaringly sitting here calmy typing. I think I am in denial.
Seriously, I think someone needs to pinch me. Its either that or in the back of my head I know that within 4 days - nothing much will matter anymore as we will be jetting our way to Barcelona, Spain! WOO HOO!
Don't get me wrong, this now means that I cannot take my laptop that had all my iTunes audiobooks - 12 of them, my Adobe and Canon and Olympus software downloaded on it. My contacts and info for our private tours and anything I might of needed for the cruise - but DH will figure out some way to upload to his and we will be taking his.
Unless some little fairy comes along and drops a brand new laptop for me to take! You never now - strange things happen to me.
OK - enough for now as I am sure this is the longest post yet.
Maybe more later - right now - Steve looks like he might be making some headway, my USB ports were deleted by the Sony experts - turns out that there are different levels of expert helpers and we should have been talking to level 2 experts instead of level 1. The results being that we were instructed to delete our USB ports. Now they have been restored for now but DH is trying to load my iTunes into his laptop just to keep me happy.
As for me? I'm sitting here trying to figure out why I am not completely beserk? My only thought is that "I'm going to the Med in 4 days" is running through my head like the stock's ticker tape at Wall Street.
OK - so do you all consider me crazy?
BTW, I still haven't packed!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Our Docs Have Arrived!
OK we got the call from or TA today - our docs have arrived AGAIN! This time they are correct. Yippee! No upgrade seems our cruise is sold out - :-(
Oh well, as I mentioned on our thread, I will be happier when we return from excursions and all we have to do is climb up 1 stairwell while everyone is waiting for 1 working elevator. ROTFL. I can always find a plus when I'm cruising!
Ok, so we got our docs, found out that the TA is springing for a limo service on our day of departure. WOO HOO! We leave LA in style. Believe it or not this will only be my 2nd time in a limo - I lead such a sheltered life! ROTFL! April on the other hand - I believe this will be her 6th or 7th time. When I die - I hope that I can come back as either her or Isis. Both are spoiled rotten. OK - Chloe is too!
Back to the limo - I again come out on the short end - upon the family's return they will be picked up at LAX by limo again. While I will be hailing a taxi at Barcelona's International Airport. That's ok though - I have just over 2 weeks by myself!!! Can you all tell I'm excited?
OK -so countdown is on - this time next week I will be bouncing off the walls trying to get to sleep. I have no idea how April will be doing. She is attending summer school (not required - she chose to go to get ahead for next year - the girl's a glutton for punishment) and will be taking her final exam on the morning of the 25th.
My plan is for us to get picked up from our house (in the limo!) at 1:15 so that we can arrive at the airport with some extra time. As some of you know - I tend to be a bit on the tense and nervous side when I travel. What a wonderful and calm way to start off this vacation.
OK - here are the participants in this journey of mine:
Steve, myself, Megan, April and Megan's BFF - Yesenia and the lucky last minute stand-in - Priscilla. Priscilla cheerfully stepped in when our son, Andrew, chose not to come on the trip. So that is our group - the ages range from 41 for both myself and my husband, Megan will have just turned 20 and her BFF is also 20. Priscilla I believe will be 21 in Sept. Alas - still underage for drinking. LOL!
We will be traveling in two cabins, are on deck 2 and they are inside staterooms. Just in case anybody out there hasn't been cruising - the inside cabins are basically little cells that have no windows. Steve tends to like these as they allow no sunlight in and therefore he can sleep in and there tends to be less movement from rough seas. So middle of the boat works fine for us! The funny part about Steve getting sick is that when he tried the patch - he got sick - so as long as the seas aren't too rough - we're ok.
OK - that's about it for now - I am still getting used to this. Hope you all enjoy - make sure to check back often!
Oh well, as I mentioned on our thread, I will be happier when we return from excursions and all we have to do is climb up 1 stairwell while everyone is waiting for 1 working elevator. ROTFL. I can always find a plus when I'm cruising!
Ok, so we got our docs, found out that the TA is springing for a limo service on our day of departure. WOO HOO! We leave LA in style. Believe it or not this will only be my 2nd time in a limo - I lead such a sheltered life! ROTFL! April on the other hand - I believe this will be her 6th or 7th time. When I die - I hope that I can come back as either her or Isis. Both are spoiled rotten. OK - Chloe is too!
Back to the limo - I again come out on the short end - upon the family's return they will be picked up at LAX by limo again. While I will be hailing a taxi at Barcelona's International Airport. That's ok though - I have just over 2 weeks by myself!!! Can you all tell I'm excited?
OK -so countdown is on - this time next week I will be bouncing off the walls trying to get to sleep. I have no idea how April will be doing. She is attending summer school (not required - she chose to go to get ahead for next year - the girl's a glutton for punishment) and will be taking her final exam on the morning of the 25th.
My plan is for us to get picked up from our house (in the limo!) at 1:15 so that we can arrive at the airport with some extra time. As some of you know - I tend to be a bit on the tense and nervous side when I travel. What a wonderful and calm way to start off this vacation.
OK - here are the participants in this journey of mine:
Steve, myself, Megan, April and Megan's BFF - Yesenia and the lucky last minute stand-in - Priscilla. Priscilla cheerfully stepped in when our son, Andrew, chose not to come on the trip. So that is our group - the ages range from 41 for both myself and my husband, Megan will have just turned 20 and her BFF is also 20. Priscilla I believe will be 21 in Sept. Alas - still underage for drinking. LOL!
We will be traveling in two cabins, are on deck 2 and they are inside staterooms. Just in case anybody out there hasn't been cruising - the inside cabins are basically little cells that have no windows. Steve tends to like these as they allow no sunlight in and therefore he can sleep in and there tends to be less movement from rough seas. So middle of the boat works fine for us! The funny part about Steve getting sick is that when he tried the patch - he got sick - so as long as the seas aren't too rough - we're ok.
OK - that's about it for now - I am still getting used to this. Hope you all enjoy - make sure to check back often!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
How this trip came about!
OK, here is a bit of information to those that have heard rumblings.
I love to travel. When I learned that DCL was going to the Med in the summer of '07, I was so there. I practically dragged my whole family into coming. Yeah - right you all say - it really wasn't that hard! LOL. Anyway, what started out as a small trip snowballed when my youngest, April convinced her dad that we could NOT in all conscienceness be that close to Disneyland Paris and not go there. So things were extended first for 3 days, then 5 days then 1 week. From there, it soon avalanched into something more. With April starting parochial high school on August 27, we were all set to come home on August 15th. That is until.....
A very good friend managed to twist my army so hard (ROTFL) that she practically blackmailed me into doing the TransAtlantic Repo Cruise departing Barcelona on August 18th (ok really the 19th). So therefore the title of my blog. I will be wandering all over Europe from July 26th until I board the DCL EB Repo Cruise to Port Canaveral on Sept 1st.
This is my first endeavor on such a large scale. In May of this year, I took my first in 20 years solo flight on spur of the moment. I went to FL to help celebrate a dear friends b-day over Mother's Day weekend. That gave me the courage to actually try this crazy and impulsive plan. I have had lots of fun but also plenty of crazy, stressed-out times in planning and as we are in single digits counting the days, I finally took this plunge and started this. So bear with me everyone if I look amateurish - for I am.
Also, another disclaimer - I have a knack for making even the simplest things hard and anything electronic does not always work for me. You may sometimes see me refer to myself as Schlep-rock! You all know the character from the Flintstones that walks around with a black cloud over his head? YES! That be me!
OK - if I ever learn to post pictures - I intend to do that also but again bear with me as I will be learning on this trip. Also, if service is as slow as they say on other blog reports on the ship - I may be delayed in posting but here is my itinerary:
Family Med Cruise from July 28-Aug8
Fly into Paris and stay on the Left Bank from Aug 8th - 12th
Go to DL Paris from Aug 12 - 15th
Family goes home on Aug 15th.
Laura goes back to Barcelona on the 15th and kills 3 days there with friends.
Will board the Magic on Aug 18th and return to Port Canaveral on Sept 1st.
Stay at WDW until Tuesday, Sept 5th
NOTE: Hubby and girls will meet me in FL on Sept 1st. They fly out of LAX on a red-eye to pick me up from FL. Don't I have the nicest family?
I love to travel. When I learned that DCL was going to the Med in the summer of '07, I was so there. I practically dragged my whole family into coming. Yeah - right you all say - it really wasn't that hard! LOL. Anyway, what started out as a small trip snowballed when my youngest, April convinced her dad that we could NOT in all conscienceness be that close to Disneyland Paris and not go there. So things were extended first for 3 days, then 5 days then 1 week. From there, it soon avalanched into something more. With April starting parochial high school on August 27, we were all set to come home on August 15th. That is until.....
A very good friend managed to twist my army so hard (ROTFL) that she practically blackmailed me into doing the TransAtlantic Repo Cruise departing Barcelona on August 18th (ok really the 19th). So therefore the title of my blog. I will be wandering all over Europe from July 26th until I board the DCL EB Repo Cruise to Port Canaveral on Sept 1st.
This is my first endeavor on such a large scale. In May of this year, I took my first in 20 years solo flight on spur of the moment. I went to FL to help celebrate a dear friends b-day over Mother's Day weekend. That gave me the courage to actually try this crazy and impulsive plan. I have had lots of fun but also plenty of crazy, stressed-out times in planning and as we are in single digits counting the days, I finally took this plunge and started this. So bear with me everyone if I look amateurish - for I am.
Also, another disclaimer - I have a knack for making even the simplest things hard and anything electronic does not always work for me. You may sometimes see me refer to myself as Schlep-rock! You all know the character from the Flintstones that walks around with a black cloud over his head? YES! That be me!
OK - if I ever learn to post pictures - I intend to do that also but again bear with me as I will be learning on this trip. Also, if service is as slow as they say on other blog reports on the ship - I may be delayed in posting but here is my itinerary:
Family Med Cruise from July 28-Aug8
Fly into Paris and stay on the Left Bank from Aug 8th - 12th
Go to DL Paris from Aug 12 - 15th
Family goes home on Aug 15th.
Laura goes back to Barcelona on the 15th and kills 3 days there with friends.
Will board the Magic on Aug 18th and return to Port Canaveral on Sept 1st.
Stay at WDW until Tuesday, Sept 5th
NOTE: Hubby and girls will meet me in FL on Sept 1st. They fly out of LAX on a red-eye to pick me up from FL. Don't I have the nicest family?
Monday, July 16, 2007
Ok everyone - here I go - let's hope that I can follow through on this. I am trying out this site to see if I can remember what I saw this summer. I do not know what this trip will bring but you can come along with me for the ride. CAUTION: I do tend to ramble a lot so I might be long-winded. Like a true pirate - YE BE FOREWARNED!
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