Colorado Belle
10-24-2005, 05:11 PM
I decided to save my 18 night Panama Canal trip report for my 100th post!
The cruise trip was one of those last minute things...something about Panama Canal and 18 nights for $1100makes this gal perk right up! I sent an email to all my 'retired friends' and one person said YES she was interested. So I called and booked a 'picture window' or better outside cabin. {beware note in small print: possible obstructed view}.
When the tickets came, I noticed we were on the deck I wanted, but the view was 100% obstructed!!!!!. That made me wonder why I wasn't paying $999 for an INSIDE cabin ?????? Got that straightened out...exchanged picture window for 2 portholes aft, way aft. I don't get seasick, so fine by me!
I was busy trying to get all my legal stuff out of the way. I somehow knew that even tho it was 15 months and the judge had made no ruling as yet, that as soon as I booked a nonrefundable cruise that the ruling (to which I had 14 days to respond) would come due. And sure enough! So I was pretty busy, seeing as crooked judge had made some really crooked decisions.
What I didn't know, was that my friend was having worries too. Her daughter, age 22, is a recovering addict...and doing great BTW. But her parent's divorce hit her hard and she was in danger of backsliding. So my friend called me the day before our cruise to say she just couldn't go. I understand...I stand by 'family is everything'...but 20 hours just isn't enough to find a replacement!!!
I flew to LA and met up with a bunch of cruisers at the airport. We goofed around for the 3 hours it took to catch our bus to port. The checkin line was short and we were all busy reading a note from the Captain telling us that we weren't going to Puerto Vallarta as scheduled. Something about speed.
So now I'll tell ya about the ship! NCL's DREAM used to be the DReamward, a nice size ship that in 1998 got drydocked, cut in half, and a bunch of prebuilt cabins in a new 'midsection' got welded into the middle. I sailed the Dreamward right before the split...mo bettah than the C-sectioned version.
Last March, an engine went out and caused problems on the ship's Alaska runs. Surely, you say, they would have fixed it by now? But nooooooooo....
so long/short, we went through a hurricane off the coast of Cabo running on 3 of 4 engines, which meant we weren't able to outrun it as much as we sortof cruised along the edge of it. Cabo wasn't looking good as a port of call, we couldn't make PV if we tried (3 engines=lots slower). So we were off at sea,in high seas, rocking and rolling. Did I mention I don't get seasick? Did I mention everybody else did?
Now I realize so far, that this seems like the trip from hell, but honestly, it was a great trip!!!! I judge a cruise when all is said and done, mostly by the fun people I meet. And I met some really great people and had a wonderful time! But that will have to be left for PART II
Here's the cast of characters:
ME: cruising alone on an 18night voyage. 99 out of 100 people were retired. No pirates on this voyage.
Captain Lars: yes, he's Norwegian. At first, his noon reports sounded like he had been drinking Avocat (IYKWIM). But we were all soon to realize that Cap'n Lars had a terrific wit, that he was a po'd as the rest of us by NCL's refusal to make the ship seaworthy, and that if he ever lost his command that he could sub for the ship's comedy entertainment. And one night, the night he was murdered (in our murder mystery dinner) I was actually his 28 year old girlfriend....but more on that later!
Pauline: fairly conservative Canadian woman cruising with her mom and dad. I talked her into joining me on the ZIP LINE canopy tour in Costa Rica. Yes, she is still speaking to me!
Gordito: Met him in the casinio. He offered to show me 'his pretty little thing'. After I started to breath again, he introduced me to his 'pretty little wife', Nancy
Pat: Met him and his wife in the check-in line when he asked if I was traveling alone. In a nonplussed kind of way, I said: does it show?. He said, well, we'll just have to fix you up with a handsome young man. But then he looked around and said: well, maybe a rich old one!
Connie, a French gal, who is also a psychic.Camillia, from Houston, who taught me what booty-do is. Maria, from Trinidad, who ended up playing the first mate in the murder myster dinner, Diane and Steve and Linda (Di's sister) and Wayne and their grandson who was my date one night.John, on the cruse director staff, my dance partner in Ballroom Dance Class. Mrs.Crumpet, who made me a balloon flower. (She hosts tea parties for little girls in San Diego.) Gongolo and Betha, who knew the best way to get around election day in Acapulco.
Roberto and Vincente, our zipline guides. :beatinghe
Tune in tomorrow for Part II of Murder on the High Seas
The cruise trip was one of those last minute things...something about Panama Canal and 18 nights for $1100makes this gal perk right up! I sent an email to all my 'retired friends' and one person said YES she was interested. So I called and booked a 'picture window' or better outside cabin. {beware note in small print: possible obstructed view}.
When the tickets came, I noticed we were on the deck I wanted, but the view was 100% obstructed!!!!!. That made me wonder why I wasn't paying $999 for an INSIDE cabin ?????? Got that straightened out...exchanged picture window for 2 portholes aft, way aft. I don't get seasick, so fine by me!
I was busy trying to get all my legal stuff out of the way. I somehow knew that even tho it was 15 months and the judge had made no ruling as yet, that as soon as I booked a nonrefundable cruise that the ruling (to which I had 14 days to respond) would come due. And sure enough! So I was pretty busy, seeing as crooked judge had made some really crooked decisions.
What I didn't know, was that my friend was having worries too. Her daughter, age 22, is a recovering addict...and doing great BTW. But her parent's divorce hit her hard and she was in danger of backsliding. So my friend called me the day before our cruise to say she just couldn't go. I understand...I stand by 'family is everything'...but 20 hours just isn't enough to find a replacement!!!
I flew to LA and met up with a bunch of cruisers at the airport. We goofed around for the 3 hours it took to catch our bus to port. The checkin line was short and we were all busy reading a note from the Captain telling us that we weren't going to Puerto Vallarta as scheduled. Something about speed.
So now I'll tell ya about the ship! NCL's DREAM used to be the DReamward, a nice size ship that in 1998 got drydocked, cut in half, and a bunch of prebuilt cabins in a new 'midsection' got welded into the middle. I sailed the Dreamward right before the split...mo bettah than the C-sectioned version.
Last March, an engine went out and caused problems on the ship's Alaska runs. Surely, you say, they would have fixed it by now? But nooooooooo....
so long/short, we went through a hurricane off the coast of Cabo running on 3 of 4 engines, which meant we weren't able to outrun it as much as we sortof cruised along the edge of it. Cabo wasn't looking good as a port of call, we couldn't make PV if we tried (3 engines=lots slower). So we were off at sea,in high seas, rocking and rolling. Did I mention I don't get seasick? Did I mention everybody else did?
Now I realize so far, that this seems like the trip from hell, but honestly, it was a great trip!!!! I judge a cruise when all is said and done, mostly by the fun people I meet. And I met some really great people and had a wonderful time! But that will have to be left for PART II
Here's the cast of characters:
ME: cruising alone on an 18night voyage. 99 out of 100 people were retired. No pirates on this voyage.
Captain Lars: yes, he's Norwegian. At first, his noon reports sounded like he had been drinking Avocat (IYKWIM). But we were all soon to realize that Cap'n Lars had a terrific wit, that he was a po'd as the rest of us by NCL's refusal to make the ship seaworthy, and that if he ever lost his command that he could sub for the ship's comedy entertainment. And one night, the night he was murdered (in our murder mystery dinner) I was actually his 28 year old girlfriend....but more on that later!
Pauline: fairly conservative Canadian woman cruising with her mom and dad. I talked her into joining me on the ZIP LINE canopy tour in Costa Rica. Yes, she is still speaking to me!
Gordito: Met him in the casinio. He offered to show me 'his pretty little thing'. After I started to breath again, he introduced me to his 'pretty little wife', Nancy
Pat: Met him and his wife in the check-in line when he asked if I was traveling alone. In a nonplussed kind of way, I said: does it show?. He said, well, we'll just have to fix you up with a handsome young man. But then he looked around and said: well, maybe a rich old one!
Connie, a French gal, who is also a psychic.Camillia, from Houston, who taught me what booty-do is. Maria, from Trinidad, who ended up playing the first mate in the murder myster dinner, Diane and Steve and Linda (Di's sister) and Wayne and their grandson who was my date one night.John, on the cruse director staff, my dance partner in Ballroom Dance Class. Mrs.Crumpet, who made me a balloon flower. (She hosts tea parties for little girls in San Diego.) Gongolo and Betha, who knew the best way to get around election day in Acapulco.
Roberto and Vincente, our zipline guides. :beatinghe
Tune in tomorrow for Part II of Murder on the High Seas