Where is the moment we needed the most
You kick up the leaves and the MAGIC is lost
They tell me your blue skies fade to grey
They tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carryin' on
You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces everytime
And I don't need no carryin' on
Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
Thanks to Daniel Powter (the American Idol hit from last season) for my song of the day.
Now, can I just say, when things are going so well, something has to go wrong and this morning would be the one.
We actually got off to an early start at 7:30 a.m. and got all loaded up and made it to terminal one at the international airport to drop the car and get checked in. On the way we needed to stop and put gas in the car. However, after driving around for 40 minutes, we could not find a gas station anywhere. Now, as we got closer to the airport, we saw the gasoline sign, so got off the freeway and followed the roundabouts for two or three of them and then at the final one, the gasoline picture had a big "X" written over the gasoline picture. Okay, so forget putting gas in the car, we will just return the car and pay a premium to have them put gas in.
Off we go. Get to terminal one to the rental car lot and there is NO sign to return SIXT Rental Cars. The guy in Barcelona had told me to just drive to the returns and there would be a "Meet and Greet" to return the car. So we then drive back on the road thinking maybe we should go to terminal 2, then terminal 3, then terminal 4. Now during all this I am back on the roads and getting further and further away from terminal 1 where we should be.
So, back we go to terminal 1 (it is now 9:00 a.m. and I am getting a little nervous). We decide that I will drop Robert and Jamie off at the drop off area and then worse case scenario I will figure out what to do with the car on my own. The drop off/departure area was a disaster, to say the least, with the amount of people in the traffic congestion and the lines. My anxiety level was rising by the minute.
Finally got them dropped after the police officer came by yelling at me (along with everyone else he was yelling at) to move your cars. Where did he expect people to drop off people? It was the departure drop off point after all.
Then I drove to the short term parking area, driving around for 15 minutes until I finally found someone leaving and parked in the spot. I took the keys, the rental agreement and my carry on and headed off to find Robert and Jamie. Figured I could deal with the car AFTER we got checked in.
Well, Robert and Jamie were in the Atlanta departure line and not the JFK line. So after we got reprimanded by the Delta Agent, she took our passports to her computer and got us listed for the flight I guess. Then we had to go to the check-in line for our baggage check in. The agent proceeded to tell me that our luggage was overweight. I think it was about at that point that I had the tears running down my cheeks and asked her if I got extra luggage allowance since I was a medallion member. I told her we only had 3 bags to check total and one carry on. She then just kinda dropped in and printed our labels and then in the next breath................................
"Oh, by the way Mrs. Neeley, the flight is oversold (I about panicked thinking about our planned trip in New York to see Beauty and the Beast), so I have had to upgrade the 3 of you to Business Class on the flight, I hope that is okay." OKAY? Need she ask more? Jamie was thrilled she was getting a Business Class seat and would eat "real food" and see "real movies" and listen to "real music" all of her own choosing. I have to say, that at that point, there was a silver lining in the cloud. I was just so thankful we had started at 7:30 that morning and not an hour later.
I then asked the agent about SIXT Rental Car and explained my dilemma. She had no idea how to help us, but at that point, we were checked in and it was 9:40 a.m. and we had 40 minutes until we needed to be to our departure gate. She directed us to go downstairs where the other rental car companies were, so we left Jamie next to the check in area with our carry on and off Robert and I went.
Went downstairs and asked all the rental car companies, they knew nothing. Saw the lost and found area and figured worse case scenario that would be where the keys ended up. We walked outside to the rental lot and asked some gal and she said "they are usually inside the terminal in a black and orange business suit" but they don't have an office. So back inside we went looking for the black/orange suit person. After about 10 minutes we finally found Vanessa coming out of the elevator. After we explained our frustration, and she said "oh, you just come in and bring me the keys", we were like, and how do we do that since we can't park at the curb or anything. I proceeded to give her the keys, the short term parking ticket, and told her the row and stall number where to find the car. I am going to send an email to Delta about my frustration with the car rental company since they recommended them as a new partner.
By then it was 9:55 a.m., so we headed back (what seemed like a mile) and if I thought the terminal was bad an hour before, it was now a disaster zone. The check in lines went out the door into the street at the drop off area. I am so glad we started off early.
Went through security (pretty easy) and the customs/immigration area with no problem. They stamped our passports and it was an Adios to Madrid as we headed to our gate.
Our flight was about 30 minutes late taking off. Landed in New York on time though. It was raining. Had to wait about 40 minutes for luggage since we were first through the border patrol since we were in row 1 on the airplane.
Robert and Jamie thought we were headed for a connecting flight to Salt Lake still, it wasn't until I turned left and headed to ground transportation and Robert started yelling at me that I said "Oh, I forgot to tell you, we are staying in New York overnight. We have something special to go to."
Jamie was a little stressed as she had dance camp first thing Monday morning, I told her "no problem" I had already worked out the issue with her dance company.
We headed to the Marriott Marquis in Times Square and arrived at 3:30 p.m. Georgie and Joe arrived at 4 p.m. and Robert and Jamie were surprised to see our guests, although Robert had figured out we were probably meeting up with them.
We visited and showed our stuff from the trip. Georgie and Joe had been to the Disney Store and brought us a really cool poster and fan with Beauty and the Beast on it for closing night. I then told Robert and Jamie we were going to the "Final Bow" for Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. Yes, after 13 years, it was closing, and the next show to open there would be The Little Mermaid".
We headed across the street for the 6 p.m. show. Donny Osmond was playing Gaston. I was able to get 4 tickets for the closing (tickets were not sold to the public), and Georgie went along with us and Joe (he is such a great guy) wandered around NYC while we went to the play.
It was awesome. The cast did a tremendous job knowing it was the final bow. There were tears. As Beast sang his final song near the end, I was looking through our binoculars and he had tears streaming down his face as he sang. The audience cheered constantly throughout the whole performance and the cast was really doing an outstanding performance. Donny got loads and loads of cheers everytime he came on stage. I never thought he could pull off Gaston, put he did. It was quite an honor for him to be invited back to do the "final bow" performance considering he only played Gaston for 3 1/2 months during the 13 years it was on Broadway!
After the show, the rain had stopped and we were tired as it was 3 a.m. in the morning to us! We headed up to bed as we had a 7 a.m. flight. Georgie and Joe came up with us and then we said our goodbyes and they headed home.
Off to bed we went at 9:45 p.m. as we need to be up at 4 a.m. to leave the hotel at 5 a.m. for our 7 a.m. departure.
The start to our BAD DAY ended up on an awesome note and it was a wonderful conclusion to our vacation!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
A Horse With No Name (Saturday, July 28)-Barcelona to Madrid
On the first part of the journey
I was looking at all the life
There were plants and birds and rocks and things
There was sand and hills and rings
The first thing i met was a fly with a buzz
And the sky with no clouds
The heat was hot and the ground was dry
But the air was full of sound
I've been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can remember your name
'cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain
La, la ...
Okay, so Saturday morning we headed off to breakfast at Parrot Cay at 8:15 a.m. No one seemed to be in any hurry, so we didn't get off the ship until about 9:30 a.m. Found our luggage really easy, cuz there were only about 100 pieces left in the terminal.
Headed with the porter to the taxi line (about 100 people long). Taxis were pulling in pretty fast, but loading up was taking time. It was while we were in this line that Robert wondered where his wallet was. hm.....I remembered saying last night "Don't put anything in the desk drawer, it is all cleaned out, sit everything on top of the desk). So, off he went back to the Magic to head up to our stateroom. It was about that time Jamie remembered she had put stuff in the drawer (guess they had forgotten all our luggage was gone by 6 p.m. the night before), so she yelled to her dad to check the top left hand drawer for her clothes.
So about 15 minutes later Robert showed up with a laundry bag full of stuff that he and Jamie left behind. Amazing........................
Took a taxi to the car rental place next to the Barcelona Airport. On Delta's recommendation from an email I had received I booked with Sixt Rental Car so I could get 6 times the amount of skymiles since they are a new partner. Picked up a VW luxury car and got directions to get to Madrid which is about 300 miles away.
Off we went. The traffic heading out of Barcelona was packed. Guess everyone was headed out of the city for the weekend. Once we got past the toll booths about 1 hour later, the ride picked up. That is where my theme song of the day comes in. I can describe our journey in two words.....MOJAVE DESERT! If you have ever driven in the Mojave Desert in California, you will know exactly what I mean. There was NOTHING to see, nothing to do and I can't imagine anyone living out in the desert in the heat. There were a few small villages, but besides that NOTHING. The classic song A Horse With No Name by America kept going through my head.
We were driving quickly as our Segway tour was scheduled for 4 p.m. and we had gotten a late start. Got to our designated meeting spot at about 4:04 p.m. and I dropped Robert and Jamie off and had them go ask our guide where I could park. Luckily, it was so hot in Madrid, that everyone had left the city or was inside during the heat of the day. The parking garage was right below Plaza Espana and I had no problem finding a parking spot.
Our segway tour was great. Got a great overview of the city in 3 hours. They have some beautiful fountains and buildings. They have one of the largest palaces in the world. I think our guide said they had over 1,800 bedrooms in the place. Can you imagine? We took our picture in front of the oldest restaurant in the world (even has a Guiness Book of World Records plaque in the window). The restaurant was from the 1700's and is still open to this date and he said they serve excellent food, but you have to have reservations.
Then we stopped for sodas and tapas in the most happening square in Madrid. It was very hot as we sat out on the plaza underneath umbrellas for shade.
After our tour, we got a CD of all the pictures he had taken of our group during the tour. We then headed to our hotel, The Tryp Washington which I found via the Delta website. Drove around the block twice to find the parking garage they told us about. It took me about 10 minutes to park the car is a space so tiny I could barely get the car in to. Another car the same size pulled out and it was the only spot, so I knew I could get it in. Just took awhile.
Headed up to our room and then left our luggage and walked up and down Gran Via where all the action was going on. It was about 9:30 p.m. Headed to TGI Friday's for dinner (Jamie's choice). She wanted KFC and I said definitely no! So we settled for TGI's since we had plenty of Italian and Spanish dishes the last couple of weeks.
By then it was 11 p.m., so we headed up to our room as we have an 11:15 a.m. flight in the morning out of Madrid. We are going to leave at 7:45, as we have a rental car to return and need to get all our luggage checked in. I know we are overweight on the luggage issue.
Okay, another vacation day has slipped away!
I was looking at all the life
There were plants and birds and rocks and things
There was sand and hills and rings
The first thing i met was a fly with a buzz
And the sky with no clouds
The heat was hot and the ground was dry
But the air was full of sound
I've been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can remember your name
'cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain
La, la ...
Okay, so Saturday morning we headed off to breakfast at Parrot Cay at 8:15 a.m. No one seemed to be in any hurry, so we didn't get off the ship until about 9:30 a.m. Found our luggage really easy, cuz there were only about 100 pieces left in the terminal.
Headed with the porter to the taxi line (about 100 people long). Taxis were pulling in pretty fast, but loading up was taking time. It was while we were in this line that Robert wondered where his wallet was. hm.....I remembered saying last night "Don't put anything in the desk drawer, it is all cleaned out, sit everything on top of the desk). So, off he went back to the Magic to head up to our stateroom. It was about that time Jamie remembered she had put stuff in the drawer (guess they had forgotten all our luggage was gone by 6 p.m. the night before), so she yelled to her dad to check the top left hand drawer for her clothes.
So about 15 minutes later Robert showed up with a laundry bag full of stuff that he and Jamie left behind. Amazing........................
Took a taxi to the car rental place next to the Barcelona Airport. On Delta's recommendation from an email I had received I booked with Sixt Rental Car so I could get 6 times the amount of skymiles since they are a new partner. Picked up a VW luxury car and got directions to get to Madrid which is about 300 miles away.
Off we went. The traffic heading out of Barcelona was packed. Guess everyone was headed out of the city for the weekend. Once we got past the toll booths about 1 hour later, the ride picked up. That is where my theme song of the day comes in. I can describe our journey in two words.....MOJAVE DESERT! If you have ever driven in the Mojave Desert in California, you will know exactly what I mean. There was NOTHING to see, nothing to do and I can't imagine anyone living out in the desert in the heat. There were a few small villages, but besides that NOTHING. The classic song A Horse With No Name by America kept going through my head.
We were driving quickly as our Segway tour was scheduled for 4 p.m. and we had gotten a late start. Got to our designated meeting spot at about 4:04 p.m. and I dropped Robert and Jamie off and had them go ask our guide where I could park. Luckily, it was so hot in Madrid, that everyone had left the city or was inside during the heat of the day. The parking garage was right below Plaza Espana and I had no problem finding a parking spot.
Our segway tour was great. Got a great overview of the city in 3 hours. They have some beautiful fountains and buildings. They have one of the largest palaces in the world. I think our guide said they had over 1,800 bedrooms in the place. Can you imagine? We took our picture in front of the oldest restaurant in the world (even has a Guiness Book of World Records plaque in the window). The restaurant was from the 1700's and is still open to this date and he said they serve excellent food, but you have to have reservations.
Then we stopped for sodas and tapas in the most happening square in Madrid. It was very hot as we sat out on the plaza underneath umbrellas for shade.
After our tour, we got a CD of all the pictures he had taken of our group during the tour. We then headed to our hotel, The Tryp Washington which I found via the Delta website. Drove around the block twice to find the parking garage they told us about. It took me about 10 minutes to park the car is a space so tiny I could barely get the car in to. Another car the same size pulled out and it was the only spot, so I knew I could get it in. Just took awhile.
Headed up to our room and then left our luggage and walked up and down Gran Via where all the action was going on. It was about 9:30 p.m. Headed to TGI Friday's for dinner (Jamie's choice). She wanted KFC and I said definitely no! So we settled for TGI's since we had plenty of Italian and Spanish dishes the last couple of weeks.
By then it was 11 p.m., so we headed up to our room as we have an 11:15 a.m. flight in the morning out of Madrid. We are going to leave at 7:45, as we have a rental car to return and need to get all our luggage checked in. I know we are overweight on the luggage issue.
Okay, another vacation day has slipped away!
Remember the Magic (Sea Day) Friday July 27
Can you remember
Back to a Simplier Time
Back to the watercolor days
That still run through your mind
Oh, I remember
just my old friend and me
Running' through an open field
The way it used to be
The feeling that our hears could just take wings
We could live out all our dreams
The journey there was never far away
But like a dream come true
That's still inside of you
The secret of tomorrow is to live your dreams today
Remember the night
Remember the feeling
Remember the magic in our lives
Well.....what can I say. Another cruise is coming to an end and there is not any song that better describes the feeling when I hear this song played in the Walt Disney Theatre and pictures from your cruise are flashing through your mind. Always trying to end it on an emotional note!
I can't believe 10 nights have gone by already. It is 11:30 p.m. and we have just finished in the Pub watching the famous skit "If I Were Not Upon the Seas". (I actually did type this that night, but then it didn't post, so now I am retyping from my notes!)
To kind of recap Thursday night, and then our Friday sea day, here is what has been going on:
Thursday night we have the Welcome to Our Family Celebration during the Pirates of the Caribbean Dinner. We were in Animator's Palatte. We dressed in pirates costumes and had a great time. We hurried to the deck for the pirate party. The show was running late. Have no idea why. Fireworks did not happen until 10:55 p.m. (about 25 minutes late). It is really hard with younger children staying out that late. Half the little ones were asleep in their dad's arms.
After the fireworks, they had the buffet on deck. Robert was looking forward to a turkey drumstick (not like we had just eaten), but was quite disappointed that they were not the "traditional" ones served back in the U.S., but a smaller version with bbq sauce. He said they weren't as good. Guess they couldn't get them in the Med (along with the Krispy Kreme doughnuts and the Fruit Loops).
Then we headed off to the stateroom to do some packing. Jamie headed to the theatre for Pirates: At World's End. She rolled in about 2:50 a.m.
We slept in until 10 a.m. then headed to pajama bingo today at 10:30 then to our character breakfast at 11:10. I like the old format of the character breakfast better than this one. I liked the characters coming around the tables.
By then it was noon, so we headed to the store to buy all our merchandise and to get Captain Tom to sign a couple of things. There was NO LINE (unlike our other Disney Cruises!) After that we headed to Shutters to buy our pictures.
At 2:30 we headed off for our Galley Tour. Tom and T'Leene had never been, so we had got tickets for the four of us. Can't remember if I mentioned it or note before, but there are over 1,500 Castaway Club members on board. Next cruise will have the most (if not the highest ever) at over 1,700. Don't know if I mentioned before, but there are over 1,300 kids on this cruise and over 700 DVC members. (You can really tell the difference between the 300 kids that usually sail when we are on the special itineraries and when school is in, to this cruise.) I definitely like a lot less kids. Some parents just let their kids run wild, and when you have to tell kids to quit kicking a soccer ball into the walls at deck 6 midship, you wonder where their parents are. The teenage boys like to sit behind midship elevators at deck 6 because they can see up the short skirts of girls (I think) on dress up night. One guy told me the teenagers were taking off their swimsuits in the hottub at Goofy's pool. If Robert had been around, he would have just plopped himself right in the middle and forced them to leave because they would have been uncomfortable. I am so thankful that Jamie isn't in to all that attention getting stuff. Since Rome, she has been fully engrossed in her Harry Potter book during her spare time. Hasn't even gone to The Stack.
Shortly after our galley tour, Robert got a phone call from one of the ship's engineers he met the other day and he invited Robert for a private tour of the engine room. Robert headed by Tom's cabin, picked him up and off they headed for their tour. They really enjoyed going into the engine room and seeing the workings of the ship.
By the time Robert got back, it was time to head to Studio Sea to watch Jamie perform for the talent show.
The, it was time for "Til We Meet Again" dinner. We got chocolate souffles for dessert from our dining room manager. Alen came by to say farewell if we didn't see him in the morning.
After dinner, we headed to the pub and enjoyed the final evening with the cruise staff.
Robert is now in the hot tub, I am in Cove Cafe.
So basically, we are ready to get kicked off the ship. Our breakfast is the latest breakfast in the morning, so we get to sleep in. We eat at 8:15 a.m. and then they will be kicking us off the ship. Next time we see the Magic, she will be back home in Port Canaveral.
Have loved this cruise. Missed all our cruise buddies. Enjoyed meeting new friends. The time went too fast.
Saturday morning we will be getting a rental car and driving to Madrid Spain and then we are doing a segway tour and spending the evening in Madrid before heading to New York Sunday morning for our mini-meet with Georgie and Joe and to attend the Final Bow for Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, which Robert and Jamie have no idea we are doing. They think we are going home Sunday.
Okay, that about does it.
Sea U Later!
Linda
Back to a Simplier Time
Back to the watercolor days
That still run through your mind
Oh, I remember
just my old friend and me
Running' through an open field
The way it used to be
The feeling that our hears could just take wings
We could live out all our dreams
The journey there was never far away
But like a dream come true
That's still inside of you
The secret of tomorrow is to live your dreams today
Remember the night
Remember the feeling
Remember the magic in our lives
Well.....what can I say. Another cruise is coming to an end and there is not any song that better describes the feeling when I hear this song played in the Walt Disney Theatre and pictures from your cruise are flashing through your mind. Always trying to end it on an emotional note!
I can't believe 10 nights have gone by already. It is 11:30 p.m. and we have just finished in the Pub watching the famous skit "If I Were Not Upon the Seas". (I actually did type this that night, but then it didn't post, so now I am retyping from my notes!)
To kind of recap Thursday night, and then our Friday sea day, here is what has been going on:
Thursday night we have the Welcome to Our Family Celebration during the Pirates of the Caribbean Dinner. We were in Animator's Palatte. We dressed in pirates costumes and had a great time. We hurried to the deck for the pirate party. The show was running late. Have no idea why. Fireworks did not happen until 10:55 p.m. (about 25 minutes late). It is really hard with younger children staying out that late. Half the little ones were asleep in their dad's arms.
After the fireworks, they had the buffet on deck. Robert was looking forward to a turkey drumstick (not like we had just eaten), but was quite disappointed that they were not the "traditional" ones served back in the U.S., but a smaller version with bbq sauce. He said they weren't as good. Guess they couldn't get them in the Med (along with the Krispy Kreme doughnuts and the Fruit Loops).
Then we headed off to the stateroom to do some packing. Jamie headed to the theatre for Pirates: At World's End. She rolled in about 2:50 a.m.
We slept in until 10 a.m. then headed to pajama bingo today at 10:30 then to our character breakfast at 11:10. I like the old format of the character breakfast better than this one. I liked the characters coming around the tables.
By then it was noon, so we headed to the store to buy all our merchandise and to get Captain Tom to sign a couple of things. There was NO LINE (unlike our other Disney Cruises!) After that we headed to Shutters to buy our pictures.
At 2:30 we headed off for our Galley Tour. Tom and T'Leene had never been, so we had got tickets for the four of us. Can't remember if I mentioned it or note before, but there are over 1,500 Castaway Club members on board. Next cruise will have the most (if not the highest ever) at over 1,700. Don't know if I mentioned before, but there are over 1,300 kids on this cruise and over 700 DVC members. (You can really tell the difference between the 300 kids that usually sail when we are on the special itineraries and when school is in, to this cruise.) I definitely like a lot less kids. Some parents just let their kids run wild, and when you have to tell kids to quit kicking a soccer ball into the walls at deck 6 midship, you wonder where their parents are. The teenage boys like to sit behind midship elevators at deck 6 because they can see up the short skirts of girls (I think) on dress up night. One guy told me the teenagers were taking off their swimsuits in the hottub at Goofy's pool. If Robert had been around, he would have just plopped himself right in the middle and forced them to leave because they would have been uncomfortable. I am so thankful that Jamie isn't in to all that attention getting stuff. Since Rome, she has been fully engrossed in her Harry Potter book during her spare time. Hasn't even gone to The Stack.
Shortly after our galley tour, Robert got a phone call from one of the ship's engineers he met the other day and he invited Robert for a private tour of the engine room. Robert headed by Tom's cabin, picked him up and off they headed for their tour. They really enjoyed going into the engine room and seeing the workings of the ship.
By the time Robert got back, it was time to head to Studio Sea to watch Jamie perform for the talent show.
The, it was time for "Til We Meet Again" dinner. We got chocolate souffles for dessert from our dining room manager. Alen came by to say farewell if we didn't see him in the morning.
After dinner, we headed to the pub and enjoyed the final evening with the cruise staff.
Robert is now in the hot tub, I am in Cove Cafe.
So basically, we are ready to get kicked off the ship. Our breakfast is the latest breakfast in the morning, so we get to sleep in. We eat at 8:15 a.m. and then they will be kicking us off the ship. Next time we see the Magic, she will be back home in Port Canaveral.
Have loved this cruise. Missed all our cruise buddies. Enjoyed meeting new friends. The time went too fast.
Saturday morning we will be getting a rental car and driving to Madrid Spain and then we are doing a segway tour and spending the evening in Madrid before heading to New York Sunday morning for our mini-meet with Georgie and Joe and to attend the Final Bow for Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, which Robert and Jamie have no idea we are doing. They think we are going home Sunday.
Okay, that about does it.
Sea U Later!
Linda
Thursday, July 26, 2007
YO HO....YO HO (Marseille, France)
Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life for Me!
My favorite day of the cruise has arrived. Tonight is pirate night and on the Ariel Vision Screen out on the deck at the Goofy Pool tonight will be one of the Pirate Movies at 11 p.m. and we can stay up late! YIPPEE! I get to sleep in tomorrow morning! NOT! (I know there will be absolutely too much to do on our last sea day.) We have character breakfast tomorrow morning and Jamie wants to go to that, so, so much for sleeping in.
Anyway, today is our last port day: Marseille, France. We got up again at 7 a.m. for our early morning Disney Excursion to the City of Marseille and to the Soap Factory.
We didn't have to tender in today. That saves time. In any case, we were about the 300th guest off the ship. Jumped on the bus and headed through the City of Marseille and up to the Notre-Dame De La Garde. This structure is the highest point in the city of Marseille and has beautiful panoramic views all around. It was build in the 19th century and the cathedral has beautiful mosaics, multicolored marble and a draw bridge. I was amazed the bus made it up the narrow streets to the top of the city. However, we did have to climb 200 steps to the cathedral from where the bus was able to reach. That was a breeze compared to the 294 at the Leaning Tower of Pisa!
Marseille is over 2,600 years old our tour guide told us and was founded by the greeks. We are the only ship in port which has been great because the traffic is so bad here I can only imagine what it was like the last couple of days with the Tour de France here. Our guide told us there is a doping scandal going on right now with the guy who got the yellow jersey. All the downtown area (around the marina where the fisherman sell the rock fish everyday) has all the tour stuff and tends and people still here in the city. Then with all the construction, it is a mess!
Anyway, another interesting thing about the cathedral is on one side there are bomb and bullet holes from where the cathedral was attacked during World War II. There is a little sign up on the one side of the building outside. While we headed down I asked Robert if he had seen it. He said no, so he had to climb up 100 of the stairs a second time so he could go take a quick look at it. Can't believe I saw something like that and he totally missed it. My pictures hopefully came out with the bright, hot sun on the outside.
After our visit to the cathedral, we headed back down into town and to this soap factory where they make all this soap, the old way!. The owner didn't speak alot of english, but enough to explain the process to us on all the old, hand operated machines they use to make the homemade soap with olive oils and glycerin. It was quite impressive. We each got to finish making our own bar of soap and stamp it at the end.
I bought some soap for gifts for when I return home. They had all flavors. Can't wait to try them out.
We then headed down to the marina where the bus left us off and we were able to shop for 45 minutes. Bought Jamie 2 cute skirts, a glass ring (for her finger) and one pair of shorts for only 25 euro. July is the month of sales over here in France. There are some really good clothing buys, so they say. But we haven't had time.
Got back to the ship at 1 p.m. and did some shopping outside at the port where the little shops are (around 6-8 of them). Then had lunch at Lumiere's and now I have spent part of my afternoon in Cove Cafe enjoying the time in peace and quiet and listening to relaxing music.
Jamie went with K'Leigh to Ratatouille and Robert went to take a nap. Robert is probably at the pool about now. I am headed to the pool here in about 5 minutes as soon as I finish this and then get ready for Disney Dreams tonight which is one of our favorite shows.
Tomorrow we are going on a galley tour with T'Leene and Tom as they have not been on one. And I'm sure there will be a whole schedule of things going on tomorrow. Can't believe I am going to have to actually pack up our stuff sometime tomorrow and that the cruise will be ending. Time just goes too fast when on a cruise ship.
However, I have a BIG SUPRISE planned for Sunday on our way home from Madrid Spain that Robert and Jamie have NO IDEA about! I'll have to post more about it later. But.............SEE YOU SOON GEORGIE AND JOE IN NEW YORK CITY! I'm so excited for our "little" BIG thing we are doing. Hope the package arrived safely with the tickets and everything. See you on Sunday!
Okay, off to the pool now!
Sea U Later!
My favorite day of the cruise has arrived. Tonight is pirate night and on the Ariel Vision Screen out on the deck at the Goofy Pool tonight will be one of the Pirate Movies at 11 p.m. and we can stay up late! YIPPEE! I get to sleep in tomorrow morning! NOT! (I know there will be absolutely too much to do on our last sea day.) We have character breakfast tomorrow morning and Jamie wants to go to that, so, so much for sleeping in.
Anyway, today is our last port day: Marseille, France. We got up again at 7 a.m. for our early morning Disney Excursion to the City of Marseille and to the Soap Factory.
We didn't have to tender in today. That saves time. In any case, we were about the 300th guest off the ship. Jumped on the bus and headed through the City of Marseille and up to the Notre-Dame De La Garde. This structure is the highest point in the city of Marseille and has beautiful panoramic views all around. It was build in the 19th century and the cathedral has beautiful mosaics, multicolored marble and a draw bridge. I was amazed the bus made it up the narrow streets to the top of the city. However, we did have to climb 200 steps to the cathedral from where the bus was able to reach. That was a breeze compared to the 294 at the Leaning Tower of Pisa!
Marseille is over 2,600 years old our tour guide told us and was founded by the greeks. We are the only ship in port which has been great because the traffic is so bad here I can only imagine what it was like the last couple of days with the Tour de France here. Our guide told us there is a doping scandal going on right now with the guy who got the yellow jersey. All the downtown area (around the marina where the fisherman sell the rock fish everyday) has all the tour stuff and tends and people still here in the city. Then with all the construction, it is a mess!
Anyway, another interesting thing about the cathedral is on one side there are bomb and bullet holes from where the cathedral was attacked during World War II. There is a little sign up on the one side of the building outside. While we headed down I asked Robert if he had seen it. He said no, so he had to climb up 100 of the stairs a second time so he could go take a quick look at it. Can't believe I saw something like that and he totally missed it. My pictures hopefully came out with the bright, hot sun on the outside.
After our visit to the cathedral, we headed back down into town and to this soap factory where they make all this soap, the old way!. The owner didn't speak alot of english, but enough to explain the process to us on all the old, hand operated machines they use to make the homemade soap with olive oils and glycerin. It was quite impressive. We each got to finish making our own bar of soap and stamp it at the end.
I bought some soap for gifts for when I return home. They had all flavors. Can't wait to try them out.
We then headed down to the marina where the bus left us off and we were able to shop for 45 minutes. Bought Jamie 2 cute skirts, a glass ring (for her finger) and one pair of shorts for only 25 euro. July is the month of sales over here in France. There are some really good clothing buys, so they say. But we haven't had time.
Got back to the ship at 1 p.m. and did some shopping outside at the port where the little shops are (around 6-8 of them). Then had lunch at Lumiere's and now I have spent part of my afternoon in Cove Cafe enjoying the time in peace and quiet and listening to relaxing music.
Jamie went with K'Leigh to Ratatouille and Robert went to take a nap. Robert is probably at the pool about now. I am headed to the pool here in about 5 minutes as soon as I finish this and then get ready for Disney Dreams tonight which is one of our favorite shows.
Tomorrow we are going on a galley tour with T'Leene and Tom as they have not been on one. And I'm sure there will be a whole schedule of things going on tomorrow. Can't believe I am going to have to actually pack up our stuff sometime tomorrow and that the cruise will be ending. Time just goes too fast when on a cruise ship.
However, I have a BIG SUPRISE planned for Sunday on our way home from Madrid Spain that Robert and Jamie have NO IDEA about! I'll have to post more about it later. But.............SEE YOU SOON GEORGIE AND JOE IN NEW YORK CITY! I'm so excited for our "little" BIG thing we are doing. Hope the package arrived safely with the tickets and everything. See you on Sunday!
Okay, off to the pool now!
Sea U Later!
No Plane on Sunday (Jimmy Buffet)
You can throw your luggage down
Lose your cool and stomp around-
But there's nothin, nothin you can do.............
I just had to post these words from the Jimmy Buffet song No Plane on Sunday because I have heard people basically losing their "kewl" (as Scott would say) over their luggage as if it is DCL's fault.
So statistically speaking here. Guess our cruise has been the best of all for the least amount of luggage not showing up when we left Barcelona, Wednesday, July 18th. Guess there were about 100 pieces still missing from those "airlines". Generally seems to happen when people switch from one airline domestically to another airline for their foreign travel. Have heard many stories about it was American Airlines fault according to Iberia Air and then American saying it was Iberia Air that hasn't sent the bags over.
Well 8 days into the cruise and we were on the elevator this morning and one of the cast members from the hotel staff had a piece of luggage with "BCN" on it. I said, oh so another piece from Barcelona showed up? He was so happy, he said "This has been the best cruise yet! We had a 100 bags not make the ship and with this one we are down to 39!" Then he said, last cruise there were 177 pieces of missing luggage.
Just one more reason, why you shouldn't put all your clothes in one bag and take a carry on.
I had one guest tell me as she waited in line to get a picture with Mickey on formal night (1st sea day) that the dress she was wearing (black) was from a cast member for the evening. She had not received any of her luggage and they had arrived in Barcelona Sunday (three days before the cruise). She had been drinking (it was the captain's welcome reception after all) and then she told me that she didn't have any underwear on because she had none (TMI-too much information for me!)
Anyway, don't know if she got her luggage yet, but I haven't seen any panty lines on her, if you know what I mean.
The table next to us at dinner, had a whole group of people come and sing to them last night at dinner. Couldn't figure out what they were singing about, but finally got it "HAPPY LUGGAGE DAY TO YOU, HAPPY LUGGAGE DAY TO YOU"....... Guess their luggage arrived last night in Villefranche. They only waited 7 days for their clothes.
Now.....here's the real question. So your bags finally show up. You have spent $$$$$$ on new clothes for the last eight days of your cruise. You now have to buy another piece of luggage to ship home all the new items you bought that you had not planned on.
Who is paying for the overweight luggage fee on the way home???????
Lose your cool and stomp around-
But there's nothin, nothin you can do.............
I just had to post these words from the Jimmy Buffet song No Plane on Sunday because I have heard people basically losing their "kewl" (as Scott would say) over their luggage as if it is DCL's fault.
So statistically speaking here. Guess our cruise has been the best of all for the least amount of luggage not showing up when we left Barcelona, Wednesday, July 18th. Guess there were about 100 pieces still missing from those "airlines". Generally seems to happen when people switch from one airline domestically to another airline for their foreign travel. Have heard many stories about it was American Airlines fault according to Iberia Air and then American saying it was Iberia Air that hasn't sent the bags over.
Well 8 days into the cruise and we were on the elevator this morning and one of the cast members from the hotel staff had a piece of luggage with "BCN" on it. I said, oh so another piece from Barcelona showed up? He was so happy, he said "This has been the best cruise yet! We had a 100 bags not make the ship and with this one we are down to 39!" Then he said, last cruise there were 177 pieces of missing luggage.
Just one more reason, why you shouldn't put all your clothes in one bag and take a carry on.
I had one guest tell me as she waited in line to get a picture with Mickey on formal night (1st sea day) that the dress she was wearing (black) was from a cast member for the evening. She had not received any of her luggage and they had arrived in Barcelona Sunday (three days before the cruise). She had been drinking (it was the captain's welcome reception after all) and then she told me that she didn't have any underwear on because she had none (TMI-too much information for me!)
Anyway, don't know if she got her luggage yet, but I haven't seen any panty lines on her, if you know what I mean.
The table next to us at dinner, had a whole group of people come and sing to them last night at dinner. Couldn't figure out what they were singing about, but finally got it "HAPPY LUGGAGE DAY TO YOU, HAPPY LUGGAGE DAY TO YOU"....... Guess their luggage arrived last night in Villefranche. They only waited 7 days for their clothes.
Now.....here's the real question. So your bags finally show up. You have spent $$$$$$ on new clothes for the last eight days of your cruise. You now have to buy another piece of luggage to ship home all the new items you bought that you had not planned on.
Who is paying for the overweight luggage fee on the way home???????
All Around the World-Villefranche (Wednesday)
London, Paris, Monte Carlo, Germany and Rome
Different places, different faces
Still it feels like home................
That would be Boyz II Men with All Around the World. Today we are in Monte Carlo, Monaco and Nice (the French Riviera)
Okay, so let's go with our day in Villefranche, France. First I must say, this has been the most beautiful port of all the ports we have visited and of course, the most expensive also! (No wonder I liked it so much!). Everywhere you look people are driving Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari's, etc., etc. Of course, they are living the lifestyle too!
We again were at a port that we would have to tender into. No problem though. We were on the first tender out on the morning as we had a 7:30 excursion meeting time to go into the Marina, Monaco and the Little Train Tour. The water is so clear you can see to the bottom of the sea from the tender boat.
We were the 115, 116 and 117 guests off the ship this morning. We were in the bus by 8 a.m. and on our way! Took a beautiful, narrow drive up the steep cliffs of Villefranche and headed towards the marina to see the beautiful yachts of Monaco which each cost more than my home in Salt Lake City. It was fun to see the "boat" boys polishing and cleaning the yachts so early in the morning for the rich and famous, and rich and not-so-famous residents of Monaco and Monte Carlo. I am not kidding when I say there were hundreds of very large boats to yachts in the harbor. Makes our 25 foot cabin cruiser at home look like the poor sheep of the family.
The whole French Riviera is amazing. After World War II, Villefranche's port served as home to the United States Navy's 6th fleet (for you history buffs out there). Tina Turner has a villa in Villefranche as well as Bono (lead singer for U2). Didn't run into either one of them though. Their villas were incredible overlooking the sea though. Heard this is the most expensive place in the world to own real estate.
We headed up to Monaco after our stop at the Grand Marina. Monaco is the 2nd smallest independent city-state in the world next to the Vatican City. The current prince of Monaco is available for marriage. (Maybe I ought to hook Jamie up with him!) Monaco is also home to hte Formula One Race the Monaco Grand Prix.
We took our bus into the "rock" and then headed up pass the oceangraphic museum where we saw Jacque Costeau's submarine and then walked through Monaco's gardens as we headed up to the Palace. We walked by the cathedral where we were going to go in and see Princess Grace Kelly and Prince Raneir's tombs, but a funeral was starting, so we had to by pass the cathedral.
Got up to the palace and hooked up with the DCL photographers, getting our pictures taken and then watched the guard march back and forth in front of the palace.
We had an 11 a.m. reservation for our tour to take the train around Monac, so we headed down the street and walked passed Princess Caroline's residence. Got on the train and then rode it through Monte Carlo and along the race track where the actual grand prix takes place. The headed past some extremely expensive homes and hotels and fountains in Monte Carlo.
One interesting thing about Monaco is they have very little crime. Found out that everywhere you go you are on camera as they have hidden security cameras everywhere. Hope I didn't do anything too embarrassing! HA!
It is again an extremely hot day, but the train was open aired and had a cover on top, so it was very nice. At the end of the train ride it was 11:50 a.m. and we stopped again in front of the palace. The changing of the guards was going to take place at 11:55 a.m. (not 12 noon mind you, but 11:55 a.m.) and so we all got off the train and stood behind the chained off area and watched the private police force of soldiers that the prince personally pays himself with his own money. They play music and have one drummer, and do the whole historic thing. One thing I have seen all across our journey is they are very steep in their traditions and carry them on even today. There were about 12 guards in the procession. Probably about 3,000 people in front of the palace watching the changing of the guards.
After that, we met up with our tour guide and fortunately the funeral was over, so we were able to go into the incredible cathedral of Monaco and see the tombs of Grace Kelly and Prince Ranier. There is also an exhibit in Monaco for a month or two of Grace Kelly and her life, but we didn't have time to visit.
We then wandered on back to the bus and headed over to Nice to get an overview of that city. Once again, it was huge. The amount of people they pack into small places is just hard to invision without seeing with your own eyes.
After that, we headed back to the port of Villefranche and tendered back to the ship. Enjoyed the afternoon by sleeping out next to the adult pool and then Jamie and I headed to go see the show "When Mickey Dreams". They have made a few little changes since we saw the premiere on the TransAtlantic Cruise. But basically it is a Cirque de Soleil show with Mickey dreaming about what he can be. I still think they shouldn't have used my favorite music from the Epcot Millinieum Celebration. I just can't see words with the words "dream" in them, when they are playing the millinium celebration music.
We then headed to a normal 8:30 p.m. dinner. It was lobster night. Robert and Tom enjoyed a couple of lobster each (at least two) and by the time we got done with dinner it was after 10:30 p.m. so we headed up to deck 9 for the Party Paradiso. It was winding down. Didn't really miss much, since I had seen it before.
We were late departing Villefranche because we were still waiting on the Monte Carlo Casino Excursion to tender back to the ship, so I finally headed to bed at 11:30 p.m. and we were still waiting for the last tender to come in.
Tomorrow (Thursday) is our last port, Marseille, France and then we have a relaxing day at sea before heading into Barcelona Saturday morning.
(Hey Nina-saw your note-glad work is "quiet" and nothing is going on. Hope to see you before you go on vacation!)
Sea U Later!
Different places, different faces
Still it feels like home................
That would be Boyz II Men with All Around the World. Today we are in Monte Carlo, Monaco and Nice (the French Riviera)
Okay, so let's go with our day in Villefranche, France. First I must say, this has been the most beautiful port of all the ports we have visited and of course, the most expensive also! (No wonder I liked it so much!). Everywhere you look people are driving Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari's, etc., etc. Of course, they are living the lifestyle too!
We again were at a port that we would have to tender into. No problem though. We were on the first tender out on the morning as we had a 7:30 excursion meeting time to go into the Marina, Monaco and the Little Train Tour. The water is so clear you can see to the bottom of the sea from the tender boat.
We were the 115, 116 and 117 guests off the ship this morning. We were in the bus by 8 a.m. and on our way! Took a beautiful, narrow drive up the steep cliffs of Villefranche and headed towards the marina to see the beautiful yachts of Monaco which each cost more than my home in Salt Lake City. It was fun to see the "boat" boys polishing and cleaning the yachts so early in the morning for the rich and famous, and rich and not-so-famous residents of Monaco and Monte Carlo. I am not kidding when I say there were hundreds of very large boats to yachts in the harbor. Makes our 25 foot cabin cruiser at home look like the poor sheep of the family.
The whole French Riviera is amazing. After World War II, Villefranche's port served as home to the United States Navy's 6th fleet (for you history buffs out there). Tina Turner has a villa in Villefranche as well as Bono (lead singer for U2). Didn't run into either one of them though. Their villas were incredible overlooking the sea though. Heard this is the most expensive place in the world to own real estate.
We headed up to Monaco after our stop at the Grand Marina. Monaco is the 2nd smallest independent city-state in the world next to the Vatican City. The current prince of Monaco is available for marriage. (Maybe I ought to hook Jamie up with him!) Monaco is also home to hte Formula One Race the Monaco Grand Prix.
We took our bus into the "rock" and then headed up pass the oceangraphic museum where we saw Jacque Costeau's submarine and then walked through Monaco's gardens as we headed up to the Palace. We walked by the cathedral where we were going to go in and see Princess Grace Kelly and Prince Raneir's tombs, but a funeral was starting, so we had to by pass the cathedral.
Got up to the palace and hooked up with the DCL photographers, getting our pictures taken and then watched the guard march back and forth in front of the palace.
We had an 11 a.m. reservation for our tour to take the train around Monac, so we headed down the street and walked passed Princess Caroline's residence. Got on the train and then rode it through Monte Carlo and along the race track where the actual grand prix takes place. The headed past some extremely expensive homes and hotels and fountains in Monte Carlo.
One interesting thing about Monaco is they have very little crime. Found out that everywhere you go you are on camera as they have hidden security cameras everywhere. Hope I didn't do anything too embarrassing! HA!
It is again an extremely hot day, but the train was open aired and had a cover on top, so it was very nice. At the end of the train ride it was 11:50 a.m. and we stopped again in front of the palace. The changing of the guards was going to take place at 11:55 a.m. (not 12 noon mind you, but 11:55 a.m.) and so we all got off the train and stood behind the chained off area and watched the private police force of soldiers that the prince personally pays himself with his own money. They play music and have one drummer, and do the whole historic thing. One thing I have seen all across our journey is they are very steep in their traditions and carry them on even today. There were about 12 guards in the procession. Probably about 3,000 people in front of the palace watching the changing of the guards.
After that, we met up with our tour guide and fortunately the funeral was over, so we were able to go into the incredible cathedral of Monaco and see the tombs of Grace Kelly and Prince Ranier. There is also an exhibit in Monaco for a month or two of Grace Kelly and her life, but we didn't have time to visit.
We then wandered on back to the bus and headed over to Nice to get an overview of that city. Once again, it was huge. The amount of people they pack into small places is just hard to invision without seeing with your own eyes.
After that, we headed back to the port of Villefranche and tendered back to the ship. Enjoyed the afternoon by sleeping out next to the adult pool and then Jamie and I headed to go see the show "When Mickey Dreams". They have made a few little changes since we saw the premiere on the TransAtlantic Cruise. But basically it is a Cirque de Soleil show with Mickey dreaming about what he can be. I still think they shouldn't have used my favorite music from the Epcot Millinieum Celebration. I just can't see words with the words "dream" in them, when they are playing the millinium celebration music.
We then headed to a normal 8:30 p.m. dinner. It was lobster night. Robert and Tom enjoyed a couple of lobster each (at least two) and by the time we got done with dinner it was after 10:30 p.m. so we headed up to deck 9 for the Party Paradiso. It was winding down. Didn't really miss much, since I had seen it before.
We were late departing Villefranche because we were still waiting on the Monte Carlo Casino Excursion to tender back to the ship, so I finally headed to bed at 11:30 p.m. and we were still waiting for the last tender to come in.
Tomorrow (Thursday) is our last port, Marseille, France and then we have a relaxing day at sea before heading into Barcelona Saturday morning.
(Hey Nina-saw your note-glad work is "quiet" and nothing is going on. Hope to see you before you go on vacation!)
Sea U Later!
Lean on Me-LaSpezia, Italy (Florence and the Leaning Tower of Pisa)
Lean on me,
When you're not strong,
I'll be your friend,
I'll help you carry on.....
Our theme for the day. The port of LaSpezia, home to Florence and Pisa, home to the Leaning Tower of Pisa...more on that later.
Today was a tender port. DCL has hired tender boats that haul about 350 people per tender, so it was pretty fast. We needed to get off the ship as early as possible because we had arranged for a private tour for the day as Celeste had recommended and Shari had agreed it was a great way to see the most in the short period of time we were there.
We were up at 7 a.m. and to the Buena Vista Theatre for our tender ticket to get to shore. There were only 8 of us wanting to get off the ship! Guess the rest were sleeping or on ship excursions. We had to wait about 10 minutes to get the okay to go join the tender. We were on the first tender of the day at I was number 311 off the ship.
We left the ship at 7:40 a.m., arriving to land promptly at 8 a.m. (our scheduled tour time). Max was waiting for us and Robert, Jamie and I followed him to his Mercedes Van that was to be our vehicle for the day. Jamie quickly decided the backseat was the place for her where she climbed directly to and went right back to sleep on the journey into Florence.
We had a nice ride and the weather was overcast and a few rain showers here and there. The temperature was perfect. Not too hot and not too cold. Took us about 1 1/2 hours to get to Florence. Max explained alot to us about the countryside on our way in and showed us different sites. Saw huge slabs of granite alongside the roadways at the granite plants that they have hauled off the mountain. The size of the granite was incredible. We drove through Florence pass the city walls and over the Arno River and then up to the top of the city to a beautiful cathedral that looked over the city. This cathedral was only accessible by car. There was no way that the buses could make it up to the top. We took a nice tour through the cathedral and then started down the hill and then Max stopped and there was an overlook where we were able to take pictures and see the whole city of Florence.
We then headed down alongside the Arno River and into the heart of the city. By then it was about 11 a.m. and Max took us to the Plaza S. Croce and gave us one hour to shop and walk to the Ponte Vechhio (where all the gold shops are). The Ponte Vechhio is an ancient Medieval bridge crossing the Arno River. It has been a marketplace for centuries. Many beautiful pieces of gold jewelry were for sale and the prices were way over my budget!
We then walked to the Palazzo Dell Signoria which is the town hall of Florenece. The massive, gothic fortress-palace is impressive overlooking the Plazza della Signoria with its famous statue of David as well as the gallery of statues in the adjacent Loggia del Lanzi. It was packed with tourists. We asked Jamie if she wanted a picture in front of the naked statues........she declined to get a pic in front of the copy of David (later we were going to see the original). We headed back and met Max at noon and he took us to this lovely little restaurant right by the museum where he had made reservations for us ahead of time to see the David at 1 p.m.
We had a great italian lunch (and only spent 45 Euros today) and then headed for our 1 p.m. reservation over at the museum. It started to rain some, but was still pleasant and not hot. The first day where the temperature has been bareable.
We headed right into the museum and saw Michaelangelo's David. It was larger than I would have ever imagined. And the detail was incredible. Robert was able to "sneak" a picture, so hopefully it came out. We spent an hour in the museum. We really enjoyed the exhibit of musical instruments they had on display. Some from the 1300's. The marble keys and details on the instruments were just amazing. Any one thinking of visiting the museum should definitely make reservations prior to. The stand by line was 2 hours long.
We then met Max back at our meeting point promptly at 2 p.m. and headed to Pisa for our scheduled 3:40 climb to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The traffic to Pisa was horrendous, however, we got a little nap in and we were there in no time at all. Max dropped us off right outside the city walls at 3:15 p.m. and then we proceeded walking down towards the leaning tower. Ran into the Disney photographers so we got our picture taken before we climbed up the tower. I had made reservations on line before going and it was a great way to see the tower. We went right in and exchanged our confirmation for our ticket and at 3:40 p.m. headed up the 294 stairs to the top. (If you didn't have a reservation, the earliest you could have gone up when we got there would have been 7:30 p.m. at night).
Thus, the reason for my title for the song of the day-Lean on Me. Walking up the stairs was an interesting journey. At times it seemed strenuous, but at other times it felt like I was going downhill and was leaning into the towers walls. It was a wierd feeling. You would climb about 30 steps before being able to step out on a kind of platform to see your progress.
I learned that during the second world war, the Nazis used the leaning tower as a watchtower. Also, in the early 20th century, Benito Mussolini allegedly ordered the Leaning Tower to be straightened. They poured more concrete into the base of the tower which only made the tower lean more. The bells on the tower are rung daily. 1st at 8 a.m. and then a second time at 9:30 a.m.
The closer you got to the top of the tower, the more narrow the stairs became. They were marble and you can actually see and feel the imprints of the feet of the millions of people who have taken this journey before we did. The very top of the tower there is a winding staircase that is so narrow and winding that I got a little dizzy, but besides that, the journey at the top was well worth the 294 stairs that it took to get there. The view was stunning and you could see thousands of people down on the ground level enjoying the area by sitting on the grass and walking the area.
At 4:15 p.m. we met Max again and once again it was time to head back to the Magic to continue our journey. We arrived back to La Spezia at 5:30 p.m. and then take the tender boat back to the ship. They were running 4 tender boats (holding 350 each) and it went really fast. Max wasn't quite sure why Disney was porting in LaSpezia. He said everyone else ports at the other port which is closer in to town. I figured it had to do with the number of port spots they had for cruise ships and Disney either couldn't fit in at the other port or it cost alot less money to port in LaSpezia.
We were one of the 1st 500 guests back on the ship. The bus excursions are all taking longer than expected due to traffic and congestion.
Once again dinner was delayed 30 minutes for both seatings tonight, so we would not be eating until 9 p.m.
We headed to the stateroom and headed up to the pool for an hour and then I used the spa shower and got ready for dinner. The swimming pool was once again really warm and felt great after another long day.
Many people on the ship are still missing their luggage.
On Wednesday we are visiting Villefranche and then on Thursday we are in Marseille. It was suppose to be the other way around, but there was alot of port traffic in Marseille early in the week due to the Tour de France so DCL switched the port day and we will go to Monte Carlo, Monaco and Nice first.
Tonight before dinner was Twice Charmed (I think, cuz I'm doing this from memory). Robert and Jamie went, but I stayed and enjoyed the pool before dinner.
That about does it for LaSpezia, Italy!
When you're not strong,
I'll be your friend,
I'll help you carry on.....
Our theme for the day. The port of LaSpezia, home to Florence and Pisa, home to the Leaning Tower of Pisa...more on that later.
Today was a tender port. DCL has hired tender boats that haul about 350 people per tender, so it was pretty fast. We needed to get off the ship as early as possible because we had arranged for a private tour for the day as Celeste had recommended and Shari had agreed it was a great way to see the most in the short period of time we were there.
We were up at 7 a.m. and to the Buena Vista Theatre for our tender ticket to get to shore. There were only 8 of us wanting to get off the ship! Guess the rest were sleeping or on ship excursions. We had to wait about 10 minutes to get the okay to go join the tender. We were on the first tender of the day at I was number 311 off the ship.
We left the ship at 7:40 a.m., arriving to land promptly at 8 a.m. (our scheduled tour time). Max was waiting for us and Robert, Jamie and I followed him to his Mercedes Van that was to be our vehicle for the day. Jamie quickly decided the backseat was the place for her where she climbed directly to and went right back to sleep on the journey into Florence.
We had a nice ride and the weather was overcast and a few rain showers here and there. The temperature was perfect. Not too hot and not too cold. Took us about 1 1/2 hours to get to Florence. Max explained alot to us about the countryside on our way in and showed us different sites. Saw huge slabs of granite alongside the roadways at the granite plants that they have hauled off the mountain. The size of the granite was incredible. We drove through Florence pass the city walls and over the Arno River and then up to the top of the city to a beautiful cathedral that looked over the city. This cathedral was only accessible by car. There was no way that the buses could make it up to the top. We took a nice tour through the cathedral and then started down the hill and then Max stopped and there was an overlook where we were able to take pictures and see the whole city of Florence.
We then headed down alongside the Arno River and into the heart of the city. By then it was about 11 a.m. and Max took us to the Plaza S. Croce and gave us one hour to shop and walk to the Ponte Vechhio (where all the gold shops are). The Ponte Vechhio is an ancient Medieval bridge crossing the Arno River. It has been a marketplace for centuries. Many beautiful pieces of gold jewelry were for sale and the prices were way over my budget!
We then walked to the Palazzo Dell Signoria which is the town hall of Florenece. The massive, gothic fortress-palace is impressive overlooking the Plazza della Signoria with its famous statue of David as well as the gallery of statues in the adjacent Loggia del Lanzi. It was packed with tourists. We asked Jamie if she wanted a picture in front of the naked statues........she declined to get a pic in front of the copy of David (later we were going to see the original). We headed back and met Max at noon and he took us to this lovely little restaurant right by the museum where he had made reservations for us ahead of time to see the David at 1 p.m.
We had a great italian lunch (and only spent 45 Euros today) and then headed for our 1 p.m. reservation over at the museum. It started to rain some, but was still pleasant and not hot. The first day where the temperature has been bareable.
We headed right into the museum and saw Michaelangelo's David. It was larger than I would have ever imagined. And the detail was incredible. Robert was able to "sneak" a picture, so hopefully it came out. We spent an hour in the museum. We really enjoyed the exhibit of musical instruments they had on display. Some from the 1300's. The marble keys and details on the instruments were just amazing. Any one thinking of visiting the museum should definitely make reservations prior to. The stand by line was 2 hours long.
We then met Max back at our meeting point promptly at 2 p.m. and headed to Pisa for our scheduled 3:40 climb to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The traffic to Pisa was horrendous, however, we got a little nap in and we were there in no time at all. Max dropped us off right outside the city walls at 3:15 p.m. and then we proceeded walking down towards the leaning tower. Ran into the Disney photographers so we got our picture taken before we climbed up the tower. I had made reservations on line before going and it was a great way to see the tower. We went right in and exchanged our confirmation for our ticket and at 3:40 p.m. headed up the 294 stairs to the top. (If you didn't have a reservation, the earliest you could have gone up when we got there would have been 7:30 p.m. at night).
Thus, the reason for my title for the song of the day-Lean on Me. Walking up the stairs was an interesting journey. At times it seemed strenuous, but at other times it felt like I was going downhill and was leaning into the towers walls. It was a wierd feeling. You would climb about 30 steps before being able to step out on a kind of platform to see your progress.
I learned that during the second world war, the Nazis used the leaning tower as a watchtower. Also, in the early 20th century, Benito Mussolini allegedly ordered the Leaning Tower to be straightened. They poured more concrete into the base of the tower which only made the tower lean more. The bells on the tower are rung daily. 1st at 8 a.m. and then a second time at 9:30 a.m.
The closer you got to the top of the tower, the more narrow the stairs became. They were marble and you can actually see and feel the imprints of the feet of the millions of people who have taken this journey before we did. The very top of the tower there is a winding staircase that is so narrow and winding that I got a little dizzy, but besides that, the journey at the top was well worth the 294 stairs that it took to get there. The view was stunning and you could see thousands of people down on the ground level enjoying the area by sitting on the grass and walking the area.
At 4:15 p.m. we met Max again and once again it was time to head back to the Magic to continue our journey. We arrived back to La Spezia at 5:30 p.m. and then take the tender boat back to the ship. They were running 4 tender boats (holding 350 each) and it went really fast. Max wasn't quite sure why Disney was porting in LaSpezia. He said everyone else ports at the other port which is closer in to town. I figured it had to do with the number of port spots they had for cruise ships and Disney either couldn't fit in at the other port or it cost alot less money to port in LaSpezia.
We were one of the 1st 500 guests back on the ship. The bus excursions are all taking longer than expected due to traffic and congestion.
Once again dinner was delayed 30 minutes for both seatings tonight, so we would not be eating until 9 p.m.
We headed to the stateroom and headed up to the pool for an hour and then I used the spa shower and got ready for dinner. The swimming pool was once again really warm and felt great after another long day.
Many people on the ship are still missing their luggage.
On Wednesday we are visiting Villefranche and then on Thursday we are in Marseille. It was suppose to be the other way around, but there was alot of port traffic in Marseille early in the week due to the Tour de France so DCL switched the port day and we will go to Monte Carlo, Monaco and Nice first.
Tonight before dinner was Twice Charmed (I think, cuz I'm doing this from memory). Robert and Jamie went, but I stayed and enjoyed the pool before dinner.
That about does it for LaSpezia, Italy!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Here Comes the Sun (Civitavecchia-Rome)
Here comes the sun (do, do, do, do)
Here comes the sun
And I say, It's all right
(guitar solo)
Well, the theme continues, sun, sun and more sun.
Monday morning we arrived in Civitavecchia (which is about one hour from Rome). We were up at 7 a.m. Guests were allowed to get off the ship at 7:30 a.m. We got off at 8:05 a.m. with the intent of catching the 8:41 a.m. train into Rome.
We were guests 1316, 1317 and 1318 off the ship. Exactly 1/2 of the 2632 on the ship. So half the ship was off and going within 35 minutes of being cleared. WOW!
We tood Shari and Celeste and Ken's advice and decided to do Rome completely on own. We took the shuttle bus into town and walked for 5-10 minutes to the train station and then headed out to the track to await the arrival of the train. It was very easy to get there. You just followed the hundreds of other guests walking to do the same thing! Met some others who got there for the 8:05 a.m. train which never showed up and were still waiting with us. We bought out tickets, validated them (don't forget to do this in the yellow ticket machine) and waited. The train promptly arrived at 8:41 a.m. and we hurried on and were lucky enough to find 3 separate seats and at least sit down. Most everyone else from the Magic was standing in the aisles the whole way. We arrived at Roma San Pedro about 9:30 a.m. and went straightaway to the Sistine Chapel and Vatican City. We learned that Vatican City is the smallest country in the world (followed by Monaco). That would be in land size. We happened to meet up with Tom, T'lene and girls who had done the Ultimate Rome Tour. They left an hour before us and arrived shortly after us. The said it took 2 hours to get into the city. The train was definitely the way to go. We hung around with the Disney group and learned about the Sistine Chapel and then walked with them to the souvenir/toilet stop. Walked along the original city walls.
After the souvenir stop, they headed back to the bus for their lunch. We walked down the Via Della Concilazioneto and had lunch at a restaurant sitting outside on the street. (Have I said how hot it was yet?) Then we had pizza, and Jamie and I had some spaghetti type dish which had fettucini noodles. It was good. Lunch was 70 Euros (OUCH!).
Then we walked to the Castel Sant Angelo which was closed because museums are closed on Mondays. Then we walked along teh Tevere River to Ponte Cav and crossed the bridge (did I mention how hot it was?) and then walked to the Piazza di Spagna and to the famous spanish steps. There was a wonderful cold fountain where everyone got wet and cooled off from the heat (because it was really hot). The cold water felt wonderful. We got pictures.
Then we walked down Via D Vite and came across an American bookstore, where Jamie promptly on cue said she had to go in and see if they had the new Harry Potter book. Sure enough, there it was. It is smaller in size than the previous American ones we have bought. Paid 30 Euros for it. Would have bought a dozen of them and hauled them back to the ship and sold for a profit (HA) if it wasn't so hot! I'm sure we could have sold them all.
We then went shopping by the Spanish Steps and Jamie bought a shirt. We then walked some more. By then we had walked at least 100 miles in over 100 degrees. But we kept trudging along. Made it down Via del Corso to Palazzo di Montecitoria (parlimentary) and then the Trevi Fountain. Threw in our coins. Too many tourists and too much sun by then! We bought a gelato to get us through the next part of the journey. Then we walked down Via del Crso to Mon Vitt Emanueli II and S. Maria in Aracveli, then to the Roman Forum, the Trojan Markets, the Forum of Augustus and the Temple of Venus and Rome, then the colossieum and then Palatine Hill. By then it was about 200 degrees outside and I was about ready to pass out.
But, we continued on our 500 mile walking journey and did a guided tour of the colisieum and then afterwards headed to the metro and rode it to Termini Station, where we got the 4:38 p.m. train back to the port of Civitavecchia arriving at 5:56 p.m. By then we could barely walk. Rode the shuttle bus to the ship and Donald and Daisy, Daniel, Alen, Brent and crew welcomed us back on board. Got to the ship about 6:15 p.m.
Dinners were scheduled at 6:30 and 9 p.m. So since we had late dinner, we headed to the pool and jacuzzi to work out our sore muscles. The pool had to be about 92 degrees, but boy, it felt good.
No show tonight, just Ratatouille in the Walt Disney Theatre.
By the time we finished at the pool, I snuck off to the spa and took the "waterfall" shower and felt much better.
Then stuffed ourselves, finishing dinner at 11 and promptly heading to bed.
Had a great time in Rome, but did I ever mention how hot it was?
Have been reading everyone's comments they have posted. Thanks for sending notes our way. Miss everyone, I think of everyone often. Especially when they serve "unbrulee" for dinner! Wish you were all here so you could suffer through the heat with us! HA
Okay, I'll try to catch up on more later!
Linda
Here comes the sun
And I say, It's all right
(guitar solo)
Well, the theme continues, sun, sun and more sun.
Monday morning we arrived in Civitavecchia (which is about one hour from Rome). We were up at 7 a.m. Guests were allowed to get off the ship at 7:30 a.m. We got off at 8:05 a.m. with the intent of catching the 8:41 a.m. train into Rome.
We were guests 1316, 1317 and 1318 off the ship. Exactly 1/2 of the 2632 on the ship. So half the ship was off and going within 35 minutes of being cleared. WOW!
We tood Shari and Celeste and Ken's advice and decided to do Rome completely on own. We took the shuttle bus into town and walked for 5-10 minutes to the train station and then headed out to the track to await the arrival of the train. It was very easy to get there. You just followed the hundreds of other guests walking to do the same thing! Met some others who got there for the 8:05 a.m. train which never showed up and were still waiting with us. We bought out tickets, validated them (don't forget to do this in the yellow ticket machine) and waited. The train promptly arrived at 8:41 a.m. and we hurried on and were lucky enough to find 3 separate seats and at least sit down. Most everyone else from the Magic was standing in the aisles the whole way. We arrived at Roma San Pedro about 9:30 a.m. and went straightaway to the Sistine Chapel and Vatican City. We learned that Vatican City is the smallest country in the world (followed by Monaco). That would be in land size. We happened to meet up with Tom, T'lene and girls who had done the Ultimate Rome Tour. They left an hour before us and arrived shortly after us. The said it took 2 hours to get into the city. The train was definitely the way to go. We hung around with the Disney group and learned about the Sistine Chapel and then walked with them to the souvenir/toilet stop. Walked along the original city walls.
After the souvenir stop, they headed back to the bus for their lunch. We walked down the Via Della Concilazioneto and had lunch at a restaurant sitting outside on the street. (Have I said how hot it was yet?) Then we had pizza, and Jamie and I had some spaghetti type dish which had fettucini noodles. It was good. Lunch was 70 Euros (OUCH!).
Then we walked to the Castel Sant Angelo which was closed because museums are closed on Mondays. Then we walked along teh Tevere River to Ponte Cav and crossed the bridge (did I mention how hot it was?) and then walked to the Piazza di Spagna and to the famous spanish steps. There was a wonderful cold fountain where everyone got wet and cooled off from the heat (because it was really hot). The cold water felt wonderful. We got pictures.
Then we walked down Via D Vite and came across an American bookstore, where Jamie promptly on cue said she had to go in and see if they had the new Harry Potter book. Sure enough, there it was. It is smaller in size than the previous American ones we have bought. Paid 30 Euros for it. Would have bought a dozen of them and hauled them back to the ship and sold for a profit (HA) if it wasn't so hot! I'm sure we could have sold them all.
We then went shopping by the Spanish Steps and Jamie bought a shirt. We then walked some more. By then we had walked at least 100 miles in over 100 degrees. But we kept trudging along. Made it down Via del Corso to Palazzo di Montecitoria (parlimentary) and then the Trevi Fountain. Threw in our coins. Too many tourists and too much sun by then! We bought a gelato to get us through the next part of the journey. Then we walked down Via del Crso to Mon Vitt Emanueli II and S. Maria in Aracveli, then to the Roman Forum, the Trojan Markets, the Forum of Augustus and the Temple of Venus and Rome, then the colossieum and then Palatine Hill. By then it was about 200 degrees outside and I was about ready to pass out.
But, we continued on our 500 mile walking journey and did a guided tour of the colisieum and then afterwards headed to the metro and rode it to Termini Station, where we got the 4:38 p.m. train back to the port of Civitavecchia arriving at 5:56 p.m. By then we could barely walk. Rode the shuttle bus to the ship and Donald and Daisy, Daniel, Alen, Brent and crew welcomed us back on board. Got to the ship about 6:15 p.m.
Dinners were scheduled at 6:30 and 9 p.m. So since we had late dinner, we headed to the pool and jacuzzi to work out our sore muscles. The pool had to be about 92 degrees, but boy, it felt good.
No show tonight, just Ratatouille in the Walt Disney Theatre.
By the time we finished at the pool, I snuck off to the spa and took the "waterfall" shower and felt much better.
Then stuffed ourselves, finishing dinner at 11 and promptly heading to bed.
Had a great time in Rome, but did I ever mention how hot it was?
Have been reading everyone's comments they have posted. Thanks for sending notes our way. Miss everyone, I think of everyone often. Especially when they serve "unbrulee" for dinner! Wish you were all here so you could suffer through the heat with us! HA
Okay, I'll try to catch up on more later!
Linda
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Island in the Sun-Olbia, Sardinia
When you're on a holiday
You can't find the words to say
All the things that come to you, and
I'll want to feel it too.
Well, the song of the day for Olbia is Island in the Sun and is sung by "Weezer". I've never heard of them, but Jamie knows who they are, so there you have it!
Got up early this morning and went on the Jeep Safari. There were 5 of us in our Landrover along with a guide and driver. We headed up the back roads into the mountains and there was lots of dirt and sun. Olbia reminds me of being in the middle of the desert (think of Nevada or Arizona) with a hot wind and nothing to see. They say they have every type of climate there-mountains, water, etc. But all I saw was desert and then the beautiful sea! Thus the title of the song of the day "Island in the Sun".
It was windy today and hot again. We went to a "tomb" site and went on a short hike in the "mountain" to see the tomb. It was pretty kewl.
Then we came back behind this landmark and had goat cheese and some kind of bread which we would call Pita bread in the United States. The goat cheese was excellent.
We went to a small farming village in the mountains and saw a small church which was very small but maintained very well. The people in the area were very excited to see us. They were getting ready for some festival that the village was having. The people are very friendly. Very nice and they are short like me! Thus, everytime I sat down on a bench or at a table it was specifically made for me. Robert thought that the tables and chairs were too small. Imagine that!
Went and saw another village that looked out over the sea and got there right at noon when church was getting out. Walked around some small shops and had about 30 minutes there.
Then we headed down to the sea and saw the beautiful water and all the huge yachts that the rich and famous bring in to hang out in.
Then we headed back to the ship. Arrived back around 1 p.m. Jamie and I went to the pool for the afternoon and Robert took a little hike back into town and wandered around.
The sunset was beautiful as we sailed away from Olbia. It is an early night for everyone as we are in Rome tomorrow (Monday) and it will be a busy day.
You can't find the words to say
All the things that come to you, and
I'll want to feel it too.
Well, the song of the day for Olbia is Island in the Sun and is sung by "Weezer". I've never heard of them, but Jamie knows who they are, so there you have it!
Got up early this morning and went on the Jeep Safari. There were 5 of us in our Landrover along with a guide and driver. We headed up the back roads into the mountains and there was lots of dirt and sun. Olbia reminds me of being in the middle of the desert (think of Nevada or Arizona) with a hot wind and nothing to see. They say they have every type of climate there-mountains, water, etc. But all I saw was desert and then the beautiful sea! Thus the title of the song of the day "Island in the Sun".
It was windy today and hot again. We went to a "tomb" site and went on a short hike in the "mountain" to see the tomb. It was pretty kewl.
Then we came back behind this landmark and had goat cheese and some kind of bread which we would call Pita bread in the United States. The goat cheese was excellent.
We went to a small farming village in the mountains and saw a small church which was very small but maintained very well. The people in the area were very excited to see us. They were getting ready for some festival that the village was having. The people are very friendly. Very nice and they are short like me! Thus, everytime I sat down on a bench or at a table it was specifically made for me. Robert thought that the tables and chairs were too small. Imagine that!
Went and saw another village that looked out over the sea and got there right at noon when church was getting out. Walked around some small shops and had about 30 minutes there.
Then we headed down to the sea and saw the beautiful water and all the huge yachts that the rich and famous bring in to hang out in.
Then we headed back to the ship. Arrived back around 1 p.m. Jamie and I went to the pool for the afternoon and Robert took a little hike back into town and wandered around.
The sunset was beautiful as we sailed away from Olbia. It is an early night for everyone as we are in Rome tomorrow (Monday) and it will be a busy day.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain
When she comes
She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain when she comes
She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain
She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain
She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain When she comes!
That would be ME, on the Mt. Vesuvius Hike this morning in what felt like 200 degrees (but probably more realistically around 95 degrees) hiking up this steep, pebble, rock, uneven surfaced path, to see this volcano that destroyed the whole city of Pompeii and look over the view of Naples and the Mediterranean Sea.
Believe me, I thought about quitting, but NO, I had to prove Robert wrong. If I can do a 1/2 marathon at Disneyworld, this couldn't be any worse...........wrong............
But I did it, but felt like I was just going to keep comin' around that mountain to another mountain to walk.
Anyway, got to the top and bought me a water and what I'll call the "gatekeeper", but then drank it and realized it was sparkling water. YUK! So much for getting hydrated. Robert had my water and he was on the other side of the mountain.
Volcano was there. What more can I say. Hasn't spouted off for years and years. It is past due, but no activity at this point. People must not be too worried about it, they all have houses (million dollar ones) built in the red zone!
After the lovely hike to "LAVA"nous (as Mike Super would say) Mt. Vesivius, we headed to a wonderful lunch at some lovely hotel, but I don't remember the name. The spaghetti, pizza, and something they had that looked like quiche or like a vegetable lasagne (but tasted like neither) was great italian food. It was a buffet, so you could eat as much as you want. Sat with two nice families from New York area. It was just the 2 dads and they each brought one son along. Their wives wanted to go shopping in Naples (great choice, I should have joined them!)
After lunch we went to Pompeii. It was HOT! We spent 1 1/2 hours there with our guide. She gave us "whisper" units. She talked through he microphone and we listened in our headphone and followed her around the ruins. The DCL photographers were there and took pictures with the ruins behind. I'm sure the picture is lousy, because by then we were really dirty from climbing Mt. Vesuvius and from sweating like pigs all over the place. I'm sure the picture will be a "keeper".
The history of Pompeii and the ruins were just incredible. The tour was so worth it with all the history we were able to hear. The ruins are in terrific shape for being over 2000 years old. Our guide said when the earthquake hit in 62 AD (I think) they were rebuilding until 17 years later when the volcano erupted and destroyed the town.
Anyway, by then it must have been 400 degrees standing with all the rock, lava and dirt, sand and no shade. So we headed back to the bus but had 15 minutes of free time. Saw the biggest lemons I have ever seen in my life. Took pictures so I can prove that they are the biggest lemons I have ever seen. Had a lemon frozen drink. Jamie had lemon gelatio and Robert bought a book on Pompeii.
Photo boy (Robert) took lots of pictures. Missed Water Boy on this trip. And where was Cabana boy? I could have used all three this trip.
Okay, so now we are back on Magical ground. I just had strawberries in a chocolate tart here in Cove Cafe while I caught up on my posts. I am now heading out to the Adult Pool and then for one of those showers in the spa before heading out for the evening.
We are not going to the show tonight. It is "On the Nose" and I've seen it 3 times too many and I would rather have some down time before Olbia, Sardinia tomorrow. If I remember right we are on the jeep safari in the morning and then have the afternoon to relax.
Okay, the pool is calling my name!
(By the way, I will say hi to Tomas and Percy for the UK person who posted. I will go back and read your names again. Funny you had the same table 23 as us on the transatlantic but were on the late seating and we were on the main!)
She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain when she comes
She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain
She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain
She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain When she comes!
That would be ME, on the Mt. Vesuvius Hike this morning in what felt like 200 degrees (but probably more realistically around 95 degrees) hiking up this steep, pebble, rock, uneven surfaced path, to see this volcano that destroyed the whole city of Pompeii and look over the view of Naples and the Mediterranean Sea.
Believe me, I thought about quitting, but NO, I had to prove Robert wrong. If I can do a 1/2 marathon at Disneyworld, this couldn't be any worse...........wrong............
But I did it, but felt like I was just going to keep comin' around that mountain to another mountain to walk.
Anyway, got to the top and bought me a water and what I'll call the "gatekeeper", but then drank it and realized it was sparkling water. YUK! So much for getting hydrated. Robert had my water and he was on the other side of the mountain.
Volcano was there. What more can I say. Hasn't spouted off for years and years. It is past due, but no activity at this point. People must not be too worried about it, they all have houses (million dollar ones) built in the red zone!
After the lovely hike to "LAVA"nous (as Mike Super would say) Mt. Vesivius, we headed to a wonderful lunch at some lovely hotel, but I don't remember the name. The spaghetti, pizza, and something they had that looked like quiche or like a vegetable lasagne (but tasted like neither) was great italian food. It was a buffet, so you could eat as much as you want. Sat with two nice families from New York area. It was just the 2 dads and they each brought one son along. Their wives wanted to go shopping in Naples (great choice, I should have joined them!)
After lunch we went to Pompeii. It was HOT! We spent 1 1/2 hours there with our guide. She gave us "whisper" units. She talked through he microphone and we listened in our headphone and followed her around the ruins. The DCL photographers were there and took pictures with the ruins behind. I'm sure the picture is lousy, because by then we were really dirty from climbing Mt. Vesuvius and from sweating like pigs all over the place. I'm sure the picture will be a "keeper".
The history of Pompeii and the ruins were just incredible. The tour was so worth it with all the history we were able to hear. The ruins are in terrific shape for being over 2000 years old. Our guide said when the earthquake hit in 62 AD (I think) they were rebuilding until 17 years later when the volcano erupted and destroyed the town.
Anyway, by then it must have been 400 degrees standing with all the rock, lava and dirt, sand and no shade. So we headed back to the bus but had 15 minutes of free time. Saw the biggest lemons I have ever seen in my life. Took pictures so I can prove that they are the biggest lemons I have ever seen. Had a lemon frozen drink. Jamie had lemon gelatio and Robert bought a book on Pompeii.
Photo boy (Robert) took lots of pictures. Missed Water Boy on this trip. And where was Cabana boy? I could have used all three this trip.
Okay, so now we are back on Magical ground. I just had strawberries in a chocolate tart here in Cove Cafe while I caught up on my posts. I am now heading out to the Adult Pool and then for one of those showers in the spa before heading out for the evening.
We are not going to the show tonight. It is "On the Nose" and I've seen it 3 times too many and I would rather have some down time before Olbia, Sardinia tomorrow. If I remember right we are on the jeep safari in the morning and then have the afternoon to relax.
Okay, the pool is calling my name!
(By the way, I will say hi to Tomas and Percy for the UK person who posted. I will go back and read your names again. Funny you had the same table 23 as us on the transatlantic but were on the late seating and we were on the main!)
I Can See Clearly Now......
the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way..........................
Did I say how hot is has been since we left Ireland? Well, we haven't had any rain and today in Palermo, Jamie said it was too hot. I warned her!
We arrived in Palermo (yesterday, since I am writing a day late), and we were on the Old City and Monreale excursion. Met at 7:30 a.m. First we headed out on the bus through the Old City. It worked out great, cuz no one in Italy seems to be on the streets before 9 a.m., so the bus was able to maneuver down the streets very easily. The old city was beautiful. The buildings were incredible, (or if you have ever seen Mike Super the word would be Lavanous). Anyway, after we toured the old city we headed up to the Cathedral in Monreale. Disney has worked really hard to make adjustments in the tours after they started. I thought ours was excellent. Our guide knew the history so well and was so pleasant. The tour company handed out hand wipes, and gave us snacks and water on the bus. Then when we got to the cathedral we had a very educational tour of the area up in Monreale. We also saw the monastery. It was just as hot up on the mountain as in the city. The view of the city was amazing (thus my title for today's post).
We were then treated to Gelatio (sorry if I am wrong on the spelling). I have to say, I will be eating some every chance I get. After that we got back on the buses and headed back into the city and toured the Cathedral in town. It was very beautiful. The traffic at that point was unbelievable and the way the bus driver makes it down the street is a miracle in itself.
We then headed back to the ship and went into Lumiere's for lunch and lo and behold, who would come visit with us again Daniel and Alen! Life is good on the Disney Magic. Robert is getting worried about me cruising without him because they treat me so well. HA!
Had some penne pasta for lunch and Key Lime pie! Food was 4 stars! Then headed out to the pool and watched Finding Nemo and relaxed until it was over. Tom and T'Leene and girls went to Parrot Cay for lunch and I guess Tomas (our server) had been doing lifeboat drill all morning and he barely made it to work. Problem was he was given a women's medium shirt instead of a men's, so all the servers in the dining room were calling him sexy all during lunch and laughing about it.
Snuck off to the spa and took a shower in my favorite "rainfall" shower and then got ready for the evening.
We sailed right at 5 p.m. because there was a naval graduation with a naval ship coming in to our spot on the port and they told us we had to leave. The sailaway was great and the sea is as smooth as the lake! We are talking about skiing behind the ship.
Saw Mike Super's show (he is getting off the ship in Naples) and then played Bingo (but we didn't win) and then headed to dinner. Robert and Jamie had gone to the restroom and while I was near the front of the line I was tapped on my shoulder. Turned around and there was my Prince Charming...............Daniel...................and he took me by the arm and escorted me to our table. Okay, things couldn't be better!
Robert told Daniel he was going to have to keep a closer eye on him! HA When Tomas showed up we proceeded to call him "SEXY" every time he spoke to us and spent the next 2 1/2 hours eating and laughing. He was a good sport about it. I'm too sexy for my shirt..............I'm too sexy.......... Percy got a kick out of it. I had the Maple Glazed Salmon and Robert and Tom had 2 filet mignon's each along with 2 desserts each. Tom is enjoying his cruise more and more and has just about talked himself into booking the next one.
By then it was after 10:30 p.m., so we all headed to bed because we have early morning and LONG excursions planned for tomorrow.
Did I say how hot is has been since we left Ireland? Well, we haven't had any rain and today in Palermo, Jamie said it was too hot. I warned her!
We arrived in Palermo (yesterday, since I am writing a day late), and we were on the Old City and Monreale excursion. Met at 7:30 a.m. First we headed out on the bus through the Old City. It worked out great, cuz no one in Italy seems to be on the streets before 9 a.m., so the bus was able to maneuver down the streets very easily. The old city was beautiful. The buildings were incredible, (or if you have ever seen Mike Super the word would be Lavanous). Anyway, after we toured the old city we headed up to the Cathedral in Monreale. Disney has worked really hard to make adjustments in the tours after they started. I thought ours was excellent. Our guide knew the history so well and was so pleasant. The tour company handed out hand wipes, and gave us snacks and water on the bus. Then when we got to the cathedral we had a very educational tour of the area up in Monreale. We also saw the monastery. It was just as hot up on the mountain as in the city. The view of the city was amazing (thus my title for today's post).
We were then treated to Gelatio (sorry if I am wrong on the spelling). I have to say, I will be eating some every chance I get. After that we got back on the buses and headed back into the city and toured the Cathedral in town. It was very beautiful. The traffic at that point was unbelievable and the way the bus driver makes it down the street is a miracle in itself.
We then headed back to the ship and went into Lumiere's for lunch and lo and behold, who would come visit with us again Daniel and Alen! Life is good on the Disney Magic. Robert is getting worried about me cruising without him because they treat me so well. HA!
Had some penne pasta for lunch and Key Lime pie! Food was 4 stars! Then headed out to the pool and watched Finding Nemo and relaxed until it was over. Tom and T'Leene and girls went to Parrot Cay for lunch and I guess Tomas (our server) had been doing lifeboat drill all morning and he barely made it to work. Problem was he was given a women's medium shirt instead of a men's, so all the servers in the dining room were calling him sexy all during lunch and laughing about it.
Snuck off to the spa and took a shower in my favorite "rainfall" shower and then got ready for the evening.
We sailed right at 5 p.m. because there was a naval graduation with a naval ship coming in to our spot on the port and they told us we had to leave. The sailaway was great and the sea is as smooth as the lake! We are talking about skiing behind the ship.
Saw Mike Super's show (he is getting off the ship in Naples) and then played Bingo (but we didn't win) and then headed to dinner. Robert and Jamie had gone to the restroom and while I was near the front of the line I was tapped on my shoulder. Turned around and there was my Prince Charming...............Daniel...................and he took me by the arm and escorted me to our table. Okay, things couldn't be better!
Robert told Daniel he was going to have to keep a closer eye on him! HA When Tomas showed up we proceeded to call him "SEXY" every time he spoke to us and spent the next 2 1/2 hours eating and laughing. He was a good sport about it. I'm too sexy for my shirt..............I'm too sexy.......... Percy got a kick out of it. I had the Maple Glazed Salmon and Robert and Tom had 2 filet mignon's each along with 2 desserts each. Tom is enjoying his cruise more and more and has just about talked himself into booking the next one.
By then it was after 10:30 p.m., so we all headed to bed because we have early morning and LONG excursions planned for tomorrow.
It's Raining Men!
It's Raining Men......Hallelujah,
It's Raining Men.....Every Specimen......
Okay, that's my song choice for the 1st day at sea on the ship. I have to say (even though I am late posting) that the first day was a blast. First I spent some time talking with Brent, then Andy, then Parag, then Aras, then ran into Captain Thord, who is also on the ship, as he will be taking over for Captain Tom and taking the ship back across the atlantic. Then ran into more and more cast members that I know, Travis, David, well the list goes on and on.
Then after our pool time, headed to The Golden Mickeys and then the Captain's Reception. Had family portraits taken. Then headed to dinner.
No longer had I sat down to dinner, then out walks with Aras with Alen on one side and Daniel on the other. And they both gave me big hugs and kisses. Daniel looks as handsome as ever! And Alen does too. Robert took our pictures and I introduced them to everyone around the table. Daniel still remembers all of our group from the Panama Canal cruise (I mean, how could he forget?), grass skirts, pirate pins, etc., etc. I finally let them get back to work!
Percy and Tomas have been talking about the pins Michael passed around for the TransAtlantic and about the great time they had with their table "23". We are just off table 23 at table 37. It has been 7 of us so it has worked out great.
We had dinner in Lumiere's. Can't remember what everyone ate, but I know I had roasted chicken and Robert had at least two entrees'. The family we are eating with has picked up Robert's eating style and we had a family style dinner going now. Tom (the other dad) is now ordering 2 entrees' per night and has been known to have more than one dessert also!
After dinner, we went to Beat Street and saw Mike Super and then danced during Legends Night and headed to bed. Next stop is Palermo, Italy!
It's Raining Men.....Every Specimen......
Okay, that's my song choice for the 1st day at sea on the ship. I have to say (even though I am late posting) that the first day was a blast. First I spent some time talking with Brent, then Andy, then Parag, then Aras, then ran into Captain Thord, who is also on the ship, as he will be taking over for Captain Tom and taking the ship back across the atlantic. Then ran into more and more cast members that I know, Travis, David, well the list goes on and on.
Then after our pool time, headed to The Golden Mickeys and then the Captain's Reception. Had family portraits taken. Then headed to dinner.
No longer had I sat down to dinner, then out walks with Aras with Alen on one side and Daniel on the other. And they both gave me big hugs and kisses. Daniel looks as handsome as ever! And Alen does too. Robert took our pictures and I introduced them to everyone around the table. Daniel still remembers all of our group from the Panama Canal cruise (I mean, how could he forget?), grass skirts, pirate pins, etc., etc. I finally let them get back to work!
Percy and Tomas have been talking about the pins Michael passed around for the TransAtlantic and about the great time they had with their table "23". We are just off table 23 at table 37. It has been 7 of us so it has worked out great.
We had dinner in Lumiere's. Can't remember what everyone ate, but I know I had roasted chicken and Robert had at least two entrees'. The family we are eating with has picked up Robert's eating style and we had a family style dinner going now. Tom (the other dad) is now ordering 2 entrees' per night and has been known to have more than one dessert also!
After dinner, we went to Beat Street and saw Mike Super and then danced during Legends Night and headed to bed. Next stop is Palermo, Italy!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
"Celebration"
Celebrate good times, come on..................
Okay, that's my favorite sailaway song, but more about that later.
We went to the Chocolate Museum first thing yesterday (Wed) morning and took the metro. Went really well. The museum was very interesting. There were about 5 dozen displays made completely of chocolate. Huge displays. We took lots of pictures. Learned the history of the cacao and how chocolate came about. Of course, there was a chocolate Mickey at the end. And there was a whole chocolate display of Finding Nemo. It was pretty kewl (as Scott would say).
Anyway, metro'd back to the hotel and did my five minute post, then we headed up to our room and got our luggage and took a taxi. 30 Euros later, we arrived at the terminal. It was busy, but we walked right up to the check-in area. Saw Matt (who is in charge of the check in process) and talked to him for awhile. He is enjoying his summer over in Barcelona. He has an apartment here and then manages all the seaside port stuff for check-in. He was helping quite a few people with lost luggage problems. I think that has been their biggest headache thus far.
We got our picture with Minnie and then they had a street performer in a ship and we dropped our coin in the bucket so he would act like the captain out on the water. It was fun. We got some pictures.
Then headed over to the Welcome Aboard area and got pictures and then headed on to the ship. Took the elevator right up to deck 9. Travis was introducing the families, so we talked to him and then he announced us, then we headed towards the Goofy pool where you can then see yourself on Ariel Vision.
We met a family while boarding and they boarded with us. They are Tom. T'leene, and their daughters K'Leigh (15) and Kameron (9). Tom works for Disney in California. Real nice family. We ended up hooking up with them for dinner and Jamie and K'Leigh are hanging out together on the ship. They picked up a third friend Jordan, last night at The Stack.
Robert and I went and got our dining room rotation changed and we had run into Percy (our assistant server from the Transatlantic) and so we asked to be put on Tomas and Percy's tables. They were very accomodating. Table changes were done in Palo's instead of Rockin Bar D'.
Then we headed down to the room and our first luggage had arrived. So we unpacked it. Got it all done and then our second showed up, unpacked it, then the third and then the fourth. It worked out well. I ran 3 doors down and pressed what needed to be done and got all our items done. The laundry room was already packed and every washer was being used.
About 4, I headed out and went to the Dismeet. Smaller group, worked out great. We met in the Promenade Lounge. We did sailaway gifts. I did a door magnet and gave away.
Ran into cast members we know everytime we turn around. I haven't seen Daniel yet (he was the dining room manager on our Panama Canal Cruise), but he is still on board, working as a swing. Alain came back yesterday.
Went out to lifeboat drill. Percy (our asst. server) was in our area. I told him the test to pass was if he could remember what drink I had at dinner. He thought for a second and said "diet coke, no lemon". I was impressed. I said what about Robert? He said, cup full of ice, and a full dish of lemons! That's pretty good, considering it's been a couple of months almost.
Robert went into Barcelona to go to the maritime museum. Jamie and I went to the sailaway show. We saw the dancers from Barcelona, the magic of Mike Super and the normal show that happens at sailaway.
Then headed back to the stateroom to get dressed for dinner. Had "Let the Magic Begin" menu. Food was good, a little slow coming into the dining room.
Got done at 10:30 and we still hadn't sailed, so we headed up to deck 10. About then, the ship pushed out and then turned around to be headed in the right direction and off in the open sea we went.
Went to bed around midnight. Jamie came in at 2 a.m. (her assigned curfew time). She said The Stack was good. When we walked by, the teenagers were all the way down the staircase into the hall. There are plenty of them around. In fact, the cast member from the stack told us there are 1100 kids on board. Quite a change from 300 in May!
There are kids everywhere!
Got up this morning (Thur) and went to breakfast. Sat out on the AFT at Topsiders. It is a beautiful day and is suppose to be about 88 degrees. There is a slight breeze. The seas are calm. At noon, we are having a dismeet lunch in Lumiere's and then at 1 p.m. we are going to the DVC Celebration. There are 700 DVC members on board this cruise! We were in the elevator last night and a guy said "I know you" and it was Will from DVC. He is working the 11 night cruises and then instead of flying back to Florida and back again (since he has 10 days off), he is just staying on board and vacationing in between the two cruises. Sounds like a pretty good summer to me!
Also ran into Amy and Chris (art auctioneers). We talked for quite a while and they have thoroughly enjoyed the ports and their time over here this summer. She is writing down some info for me for our stop in Rome.
Okay, so that about catches everyone up to date. Tonight is the Golden Mickey's and our only formal night.
I am going to make sure to get some pool time in this afternoon.
Sea U Later!
Okay, that's my favorite sailaway song, but more about that later.
We went to the Chocolate Museum first thing yesterday (Wed) morning and took the metro. Went really well. The museum was very interesting. There were about 5 dozen displays made completely of chocolate. Huge displays. We took lots of pictures. Learned the history of the cacao and how chocolate came about. Of course, there was a chocolate Mickey at the end. And there was a whole chocolate display of Finding Nemo. It was pretty kewl (as Scott would say).
Anyway, metro'd back to the hotel and did my five minute post, then we headed up to our room and got our luggage and took a taxi. 30 Euros later, we arrived at the terminal. It was busy, but we walked right up to the check-in area. Saw Matt (who is in charge of the check in process) and talked to him for awhile. He is enjoying his summer over in Barcelona. He has an apartment here and then manages all the seaside port stuff for check-in. He was helping quite a few people with lost luggage problems. I think that has been their biggest headache thus far.
We got our picture with Minnie and then they had a street performer in a ship and we dropped our coin in the bucket so he would act like the captain out on the water. It was fun. We got some pictures.
Then headed over to the Welcome Aboard area and got pictures and then headed on to the ship. Took the elevator right up to deck 9. Travis was introducing the families, so we talked to him and then he announced us, then we headed towards the Goofy pool where you can then see yourself on Ariel Vision.
We met a family while boarding and they boarded with us. They are Tom. T'leene, and their daughters K'Leigh (15) and Kameron (9). Tom works for Disney in California. Real nice family. We ended up hooking up with them for dinner and Jamie and K'Leigh are hanging out together on the ship. They picked up a third friend Jordan, last night at The Stack.
Robert and I went and got our dining room rotation changed and we had run into Percy (our assistant server from the Transatlantic) and so we asked to be put on Tomas and Percy's tables. They were very accomodating. Table changes were done in Palo's instead of Rockin Bar D'.
Then we headed down to the room and our first luggage had arrived. So we unpacked it. Got it all done and then our second showed up, unpacked it, then the third and then the fourth. It worked out well. I ran 3 doors down and pressed what needed to be done and got all our items done. The laundry room was already packed and every washer was being used.
About 4, I headed out and went to the Dismeet. Smaller group, worked out great. We met in the Promenade Lounge. We did sailaway gifts. I did a door magnet and gave away.
Ran into cast members we know everytime we turn around. I haven't seen Daniel yet (he was the dining room manager on our Panama Canal Cruise), but he is still on board, working as a swing. Alain came back yesterday.
Went out to lifeboat drill. Percy (our asst. server) was in our area. I told him the test to pass was if he could remember what drink I had at dinner. He thought for a second and said "diet coke, no lemon". I was impressed. I said what about Robert? He said, cup full of ice, and a full dish of lemons! That's pretty good, considering it's been a couple of months almost.
Robert went into Barcelona to go to the maritime museum. Jamie and I went to the sailaway show. We saw the dancers from Barcelona, the magic of Mike Super and the normal show that happens at sailaway.
Then headed back to the stateroom to get dressed for dinner. Had "Let the Magic Begin" menu. Food was good, a little slow coming into the dining room.
Got done at 10:30 and we still hadn't sailed, so we headed up to deck 10. About then, the ship pushed out and then turned around to be headed in the right direction and off in the open sea we went.
Went to bed around midnight. Jamie came in at 2 a.m. (her assigned curfew time). She said The Stack was good. When we walked by, the teenagers were all the way down the staircase into the hall. There are plenty of them around. In fact, the cast member from the stack told us there are 1100 kids on board. Quite a change from 300 in May!
There are kids everywhere!
Got up this morning (Thur) and went to breakfast. Sat out on the AFT at Topsiders. It is a beautiful day and is suppose to be about 88 degrees. There is a slight breeze. The seas are calm. At noon, we are having a dismeet lunch in Lumiere's and then at 1 p.m. we are going to the DVC Celebration. There are 700 DVC members on board this cruise! We were in the elevator last night and a guy said "I know you" and it was Will from DVC. He is working the 11 night cruises and then instead of flying back to Florida and back again (since he has 10 days off), he is just staying on board and vacationing in between the two cruises. Sounds like a pretty good summer to me!
Also ran into Amy and Chris (art auctioneers). We talked for quite a while and they have thoroughly enjoyed the ports and their time over here this summer. She is writing down some info for me for our stop in Rome.
Okay, so that about catches everyone up to date. Tonight is the Golden Mickey's and our only formal night.
I am going to make sure to get some pool time in this afternoon.
Sea U Later!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Barcelona ¨HOT, HOT, HOT
Jamie says that if one song describes Barcelona, it would be ¨HOT, HOT, HOT¨. We have had a whirlwind visit in this beautiful city.
We arrived yesterday at noon and went straightaway to the Torre Catalunya Grande Hotel which has been absolutely wonderful. The rooms are great, the showers incredible and the view magnificient.
We immediately went on the Barcelona Tourist On-Off Bus and had a great time seeing all the sites in the city. We then went to Las Ramblas and enjoyed the fruit market and street entertainment.
The hotel had a wonderful spa and we used the whirlpool swimming pool which I got some incredible pictures of, but of course, I can´t post them.
This morning we went to the Chocolate Museum and we just got back to the hotel. It is 11:15 and we are now going to the Disney Magic for our 10 night cruise. Wanted to type this real fast at the hotel, as they give 5 minutes of free internet access, before you have to pay, and I know once I get on the ship, my time will be limited.
Okay, I hear the Goofy Pool calling my name!
Sea U Later from the Magic!
We arrived yesterday at noon and went straightaway to the Torre Catalunya Grande Hotel which has been absolutely wonderful. The rooms are great, the showers incredible and the view magnificient.
We immediately went on the Barcelona Tourist On-Off Bus and had a great time seeing all the sites in the city. We then went to Las Ramblas and enjoyed the fruit market and street entertainment.
The hotel had a wonderful spa and we used the whirlpool swimming pool which I got some incredible pictures of, but of course, I can´t post them.
This morning we went to the Chocolate Museum and we just got back to the hotel. It is 11:15 and we are now going to the Disney Magic for our 10 night cruise. Wanted to type this real fast at the hotel, as they give 5 minutes of free internet access, before you have to pay, and I know once I get on the ship, my time will be limited.
Okay, I hear the Goofy Pool calling my name!
Sea U Later from the Magic!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Ireland to Barcelona-Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
So wake up call came at 4:45 a.m. and we didn't get to bed until midnight, so it seems like we have had no sleep at all.
Headed to the airport at 5:15 a.m. and arrived at 5:30. Went through check in and security within about 15 minutes even though the airport is packed.
We are now waiting for our flight on Aer Lingus to Barcelona. We arrive at 10:20 a.m. We are all wearing are heaviest clothes, shoes and sweatshirts on the flight, because I was concerned we were overweight on our 4 pieces of luggage I had to prepay for at 5 £uros each, but we sneaked through. I also had to pay 3 £uros each to pick our seats on the plane. My guess is when we get on the plane, I will have to pay for a Diet Coke too!
Our stop in Ireland has been great, but short. The No Jet Lag must have worked, because I haven't been feeling the effects of jet lag at all. Figure I'll get some sleep on the flight over to Barcelona.
Jamie and Robert are upstairs at the gate, and I am sitting downstairs on the Internet. Cost is 2 Euros for 20 minutes. I've paid for 40 minutes and am down to 8 minutes and 40 seconds and I'm suppose to be back at the gate within 5 minutes before Robert has a meltdown.
The best part of Ireland: all the green rolling hills (reminds me of There is a Green Hill Far Away) Sorry, I know only those that are Mormon will understand that reference. If you can't tell already, I like connecting things to songs.
My other thing about Ireland reminds me of the song "Will it Go Round in Circles". Can't remember who sang that in the 70's, but I have never driven so many roundabouts in all my life. With all the driving yesterday, I should have counted, but it feels like I have driven through hundreds of them!
The worst part of Ireland: all the rain. Did I mention all the rain? Wish the weather would have been more cooperative.
Okay, headed up to our flight so Robert can relax. Next stop Barcelona. Today we are going on our segway tour with Edgar through the gothic quarter, the beaches and the Olympic area and the zoo and park (I only know this because Robert and I did this in May and booked to come back with Jamie). And then tomorrow morning before we are getting on the Disney Magic we are going to the Chocolate Factory. Don't know if Willy Wonka will show up, but I can't wait to see all the chocolate and eat some (this is not something Robert chose to do).
Okay, headed to gate A4.
Sea U Later in Barcelona!
Headed to the airport at 5:15 a.m. and arrived at 5:30. Went through check in and security within about 15 minutes even though the airport is packed.
We are now waiting for our flight on Aer Lingus to Barcelona. We arrive at 10:20 a.m. We are all wearing are heaviest clothes, shoes and sweatshirts on the flight, because I was concerned we were overweight on our 4 pieces of luggage I had to prepay for at 5 £uros each, but we sneaked through. I also had to pay 3 £uros each to pick our seats on the plane. My guess is when we get on the plane, I will have to pay for a Diet Coke too!
Our stop in Ireland has been great, but short. The No Jet Lag must have worked, because I haven't been feeling the effects of jet lag at all. Figure I'll get some sleep on the flight over to Barcelona.
Jamie and Robert are upstairs at the gate, and I am sitting downstairs on the Internet. Cost is 2 Euros for 20 minutes. I've paid for 40 minutes and am down to 8 minutes and 40 seconds and I'm suppose to be back at the gate within 5 minutes before Robert has a meltdown.
The best part of Ireland: all the green rolling hills (reminds me of There is a Green Hill Far Away) Sorry, I know only those that are Mormon will understand that reference. If you can't tell already, I like connecting things to songs.
My other thing about Ireland reminds me of the song "Will it Go Round in Circles". Can't remember who sang that in the 70's, but I have never driven so many roundabouts in all my life. With all the driving yesterday, I should have counted, but it feels like I have driven through hundreds of them!
The worst part of Ireland: all the rain. Did I mention all the rain? Wish the weather would have been more cooperative.
Okay, headed up to our flight so Robert can relax. Next stop Barcelona. Today we are going on our segway tour with Edgar through the gothic quarter, the beaches and the Olympic area and the zoo and park (I only know this because Robert and I did this in May and booked to come back with Jamie). And then tomorrow morning before we are getting on the Disney Magic we are going to the Chocolate Factory. Don't know if Willy Wonka will show up, but I can't wait to see all the chocolate and eat some (this is not something Robert chose to do).
Okay, headed to gate A4.
Sea U Later in Barcelona!
Ireland-Raindrops Keep Fallin' on my Head
..and just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed, nothing seems to fit.........................
I now know why Ireland is so green in all the pictures I've seen. IT NEVER STOPS RAINING! Now, every bloak we have met (my Irish is improving!), says it is unseasonable cold and raining and that it never rains 30 days in a row, but we seem to have found the time to come when rain is plentiful. They need to send some to the United States for those of us suffering from the drought.
In any case, here's what we have done in Ireland during our whirlwind 42 hours. We stayed at the Hilton Dublin Ireland Hotel. About 15 minutes from the airport. The traffic from the airport to the hotel was terrible, and it wasn't even during rush hour! We got to the hotel around noon, and had to wait about 30 minutes for our room. Very nice room, marble countertops, comfortable bed and we jumped right in and took a 2 hour nap.
After that we decided to trek through the rain to the city centre, to go to the Hop on/Hop Off bus. We took the city bus (1.60 Euros each), and it took about 30 minutes. It worked out great. We got off and walked around and did a little shopping. It was so cold and Robert didn't bring any warm clothes (well, actually, Linda did all the packing this trip and didn't think of packing him a sweatshirt!), so we went into a souvenir shop and got a great deal on an ugly sweatshirt for 2 Euros! I told him he could throw it away afterwards, but he is still wearing it.
Then we got on the hop on/hop off bus, where the driver told us that traffic would be at a complete standstill in about 10 minutes because the futbol' national game between Dublin and some other team with 85,000 people would be finished in the next 15 minutes and they would all pour out into the downtown streets after the game. Wow, excitement to come.
We took the bus and decided to stay on the whole journey to get an overview of the city, and we sat on top and it was covered in the front to protect us from the rain and wind. It was quite enjoyable. We had wanted to visit some museums on the following day, but learned that they were all closed on Mondays! Hm.....change of plans............
After we got off the bus, we walked through the city, checking out the sites (and mostly pubs). We now know why the Irish drink so much. They have to drink to stay warm! So, pubs do not just stay inside here. After the games, the set up temporary barricades outside the pubs and they corral up all the Irish and they drink in the corrals outside the pubs and have a rip roaring time. It is quite amusing to watch. (Sorry, unable to post pictures from this computer).
We then headed back to the hotel via the city bus which was jammed packed with locals who brought on their own "spirits" to enjoy on the way back to their homes. The bus driver turned off the bus 3 different times and came upstairs to tell everyone a) no smoking b) no drinking and c) no standing. Of course, as soon as he started the bus again, the party started all over again. Our ride back was about an hour due to all the celebrations going on during the journey.
When we arrived back at the hotel, our package included free dinner. We all had Beef Wellington which was excellent (4 stars). I felt like I was back on the ship. However, it took over an hour to get our dinner because the fire alarm went off and the kitchen had to reset all their equipment so we got extra bread and free drinks while we waited. (probably the cheapest drinks they ever provided, 2 diet cokes and 1 7 up.)
For dessert, they had this incredible strawberry thing (which I should have taken a picture of) with 4 different strawberry items on the plate. 4 stars plus! It even outdoes some of the desserts on the Disney Magic. I would be ordering it every night on the ship if it was available.
We decided during dinner, that since it was raining so much, we would get a rental car the next day and tour the countryside. So, on Monday morning, we got up at 7:00 a.m. and headed out after the breakfast buffet to the airport to get our rental car.
Since I was the only one with the international driver's license, I became the designated driver. I am very proud of myself. I didn't hit anything and only stalled the car once or twice and it only took me about 5 minutes to figure out how to put the stick shift in reverse. The hardest part was getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road, sitting on the wrong side of the car, and shifting with my left hand. Besides that, it was a piece of cake!
We went south, since the maps of Ireland said that the southern most part was the warmest and their was a resort with 7 miles of beach that we could enjoy. We even packed our swimsuits. Well, considering the temperature only varied between 15-20 degrees celsius all day, the swimsuits never came out, let alone the walk on the beach. But we did see the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and got some great pictures.
In between the pouring rain, the mildly pouring raining, sprinkles, and short spans of sunlight, we drove 728 KM's on Monday. But at least we were warm. We saw castles, Snow White's house many times (straw roofs) and rode a car ferry across the bay to get closer to Waterford Crystal factory. We took a tour at the Waterford Crystal Factory that was incredible. I didn't realize the amount of time it took to create a piece of crystal. We even got to watch a mastercraftsman at the end of the tour who had been working there for 38 years. To be a mastercraftsman you have to do a 5 year apprenticeship and then work and take tests and if you flunk you are fired, and then another 5 years to become a mastercraftsman. The mastercraftsman we talked with does the NBA Championship trophy each year and the Superbowl Champions trophy. They make 2 of each and ship both and the extra is "just in case". If it doesn't get used, then they ship it back to Waterford for their permanent display. On the trophies they make two lids on the superbowl, one with each teams name, so they can just put on the right one at the end of the game. We also saw the 2nd Millenium Ball made for the drop in the Big Apple that happened in New York on New Year's Eve. It was quite amazing.
After that we drove the countryside through Cork and then headed up to Limerick and saw some castles and took lots of pictures and then got back to the hotel around 11 p.m. We had a wake up call scheduled for 4:45 a.m. Tuesday morning. Our flight to Barcelona leaves at 7:20 a.m. on Aer Lingus.
Okay, I think that about covers it. I've got some great pictures and will have to post at some point.
I now know why Ireland is so green in all the pictures I've seen. IT NEVER STOPS RAINING! Now, every bloak we have met (my Irish is improving!), says it is unseasonable cold and raining and that it never rains 30 days in a row, but we seem to have found the time to come when rain is plentiful. They need to send some to the United States for those of us suffering from the drought.
In any case, here's what we have done in Ireland during our whirlwind 42 hours. We stayed at the Hilton Dublin Ireland Hotel. About 15 minutes from the airport. The traffic from the airport to the hotel was terrible, and it wasn't even during rush hour! We got to the hotel around noon, and had to wait about 30 minutes for our room. Very nice room, marble countertops, comfortable bed and we jumped right in and took a 2 hour nap.
After that we decided to trek through the rain to the city centre, to go to the Hop on/Hop Off bus. We took the city bus (1.60 Euros each), and it took about 30 minutes. It worked out great. We got off and walked around and did a little shopping. It was so cold and Robert didn't bring any warm clothes (well, actually, Linda did all the packing this trip and didn't think of packing him a sweatshirt!), so we went into a souvenir shop and got a great deal on an ugly sweatshirt for 2 Euros! I told him he could throw it away afterwards, but he is still wearing it.
Then we got on the hop on/hop off bus, where the driver told us that traffic would be at a complete standstill in about 10 minutes because the futbol' national game between Dublin and some other team with 85,000 people would be finished in the next 15 minutes and they would all pour out into the downtown streets after the game. Wow, excitement to come.
We took the bus and decided to stay on the whole journey to get an overview of the city, and we sat on top and it was covered in the front to protect us from the rain and wind. It was quite enjoyable. We had wanted to visit some museums on the following day, but learned that they were all closed on Mondays! Hm.....change of plans............
After we got off the bus, we walked through the city, checking out the sites (and mostly pubs). We now know why the Irish drink so much. They have to drink to stay warm! So, pubs do not just stay inside here. After the games, the set up temporary barricades outside the pubs and they corral up all the Irish and they drink in the corrals outside the pubs and have a rip roaring time. It is quite amusing to watch. (Sorry, unable to post pictures from this computer).
We then headed back to the hotel via the city bus which was jammed packed with locals who brought on their own "spirits" to enjoy on the way back to their homes. The bus driver turned off the bus 3 different times and came upstairs to tell everyone a) no smoking b) no drinking and c) no standing. Of course, as soon as he started the bus again, the party started all over again. Our ride back was about an hour due to all the celebrations going on during the journey.
When we arrived back at the hotel, our package included free dinner. We all had Beef Wellington which was excellent (4 stars). I felt like I was back on the ship. However, it took over an hour to get our dinner because the fire alarm went off and the kitchen had to reset all their equipment so we got extra bread and free drinks while we waited. (probably the cheapest drinks they ever provided, 2 diet cokes and 1 7 up.)
For dessert, they had this incredible strawberry thing (which I should have taken a picture of) with 4 different strawberry items on the plate. 4 stars plus! It even outdoes some of the desserts on the Disney Magic. I would be ordering it every night on the ship if it was available.
We decided during dinner, that since it was raining so much, we would get a rental car the next day and tour the countryside. So, on Monday morning, we got up at 7:00 a.m. and headed out after the breakfast buffet to the airport to get our rental car.
Since I was the only one with the international driver's license, I became the designated driver. I am very proud of myself. I didn't hit anything and only stalled the car once or twice and it only took me about 5 minutes to figure out how to put the stick shift in reverse. The hardest part was getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road, sitting on the wrong side of the car, and shifting with my left hand. Besides that, it was a piece of cake!
We went south, since the maps of Ireland said that the southern most part was the warmest and their was a resort with 7 miles of beach that we could enjoy. We even packed our swimsuits. Well, considering the temperature only varied between 15-20 degrees celsius all day, the swimsuits never came out, let alone the walk on the beach. But we did see the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and got some great pictures.
In between the pouring rain, the mildly pouring raining, sprinkles, and short spans of sunlight, we drove 728 KM's on Monday. But at least we were warm. We saw castles, Snow White's house many times (straw roofs) and rode a car ferry across the bay to get closer to Waterford Crystal factory. We took a tour at the Waterford Crystal Factory that was incredible. I didn't realize the amount of time it took to create a piece of crystal. We even got to watch a mastercraftsman at the end of the tour who had been working there for 38 years. To be a mastercraftsman you have to do a 5 year apprenticeship and then work and take tests and if you flunk you are fired, and then another 5 years to become a mastercraftsman. The mastercraftsman we talked with does the NBA Championship trophy each year and the Superbowl Champions trophy. They make 2 of each and ship both and the extra is "just in case". If it doesn't get used, then they ship it back to Waterford for their permanent display. On the trophies they make two lids on the superbowl, one with each teams name, so they can just put on the right one at the end of the game. We also saw the 2nd Millenium Ball made for the drop in the Big Apple that happened in New York on New Year's Eve. It was quite amazing.
After that we drove the countryside through Cork and then headed up to Limerick and saw some castles and took lots of pictures and then got back to the hotel around 11 p.m. We had a wake up call scheduled for 4:45 a.m. Tuesday morning. Our flight to Barcelona leaves at 7:20 a.m. on Aer Lingus.
Okay, I think that about covers it. I've got some great pictures and will have to post at some point.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Leaving on a Jet Plane.......OR NOT!
Well, my bags are packed, and I'm ready to go, I'm standing here................................
Our journey to the Salt Lake airport was uneventful. Got there 2 hours early and our friend 'Joe' the skycap told us that the wait was an hour inside to check-in. He said 'his friend' could do it for us real fast and we wouldn't have to wait in line. I knew he just wanted a tip, and little did he know that I always used skycap, so I said sure. Great thing is the skycap can now take your stuff in with your passport and do all the groundwork for you. We weighed our luggage while waiting. 4 bags weighing 32, 35, 34 and 49. (It's all those shoes Jamie packed!). Pretty good for 16 nights I think. In 10 minutes we had our boarding passes and were ready to go. I was only carrying on a camera bag and my "Disney Menu Bag" HAHAHA (thought Ken and Shari and Adrienne and Tony would enjoy that!) (inside joke).
Our Delta flight to Atlanta went off without a hitch. I had gotten my free upgrade to first class, and Robert and Jamie were sitting in coach. The plane had indivdual screen on each seat. Jamie's didn't work, so I think she listened to the Ipod the whole way. I got the Delta 4 star lunch, which consisteted of Chicken something. The apple cheesecake was the best part of the meal. Watched 2 movies-Premonition with Sandra Bullock and Blades of Glory with Will Ferrell. Blades was the stupidest, funniest movie I had seen in awhile. It was so over the top, you had to laugh. Glad I didn't have to pay for it!
Landed in Atlanta 10 minutes early. Jamie was starving since the "snack pak" on the plane consisted of nothing she would eat. So she headed straight to McD's to get chicken nuggets. Of course, she no sooner started eating them before she got sweet n' sour sauce on her shirt. Well, at least she has 15 more shirts packed and shoes to go along with them! She can't change, cuz all her luggage is checked in.
Headed for the T terminal. We had landed in B. So it wasn't too far. However, we were in T2, which is at the very end of the international terminal. They are remodeling, so there wasn't alot there. We landed at 4:45 pm and had til 8:30 pm. Robert proceeded to lay down across three chairs and promptly go to sleep. Jamie and I read magazines. Now, when we booked our flight, we could have come in 2 hours later to Atlanta and had about an hour layover, but I was worried that we would land all the way on the other side of the airport. Figured, heck, we will get delayed and then miss our flight. So we took the earlier flight out. Well at 7:30 p.m. at T1, right next door to T2, a flight comes in from Salt Lake City! so much for my pre-planning. We would have only walked about 50 steps to our gate. About the same time our pilot and crew arrived and got on our plane to get it ready for us.
About 8 p.m., when we should have been boarding, the whole crew of gate agents had disappeared. About 10 minutes later, the announcement came across that the "cattle call" was moving to gate T7. Okay, so you would have thought a hurricane was passing through. We started heading to the new gate. My good toe about got run over by a woman with a stroller. Got to the new gate and it now said we were leaving at 9:30 p.m.
Shortly after 8:30 pm, Captain "John" became the gatekeeper and came over the sound system to tell us that there was a problem with our other jet and that the ground crew would be "tugging" a new jet from the hangar to this new gate. But, then he said, that it may take awhile, since they literally pull it over and that 10 pm was more optomistic (if everything went right.) He then told us they had to move over all our luggage, food, etc., etc., and then they would have to clean the new jet. The final "step" he said was that then the airport had to do a complete "security sweep" of the plane before he and his crew were allowed on. Well, we had our fingers crossed that we would pass the test.
At about 9:55 p.m., the Captain was finally let on the plane, and about 10:15 they started boarding the plane, quickly! We actually got pushed from the gate about 30 minutes after we boarded. Robert always has to have the window seat, so I make sure that is taken care of for him. But since they switched jets, he got the one seat that has NO WINDOW. First thing he said was he wasn't going to be able to see anything. I asked him, what was he looking for, the ocean in the dark? Jamie just said "dad, sit down" and she sat down next to him. There were only two end seats, so I sat across the aisle next to the 2 year old who was told "go to sleep". That was great, excepther mom had her head in her lap and I had her feet. She reminded me of when Jamie was little, kicking, tossing and turning all night. Guess that's the price I pay for not sitting up in first class for this leg of the flight! We had some ravioli thing for dinner, ranks 1 1/2 stars in my book. Made me think of the great food aboard the Magic waiting to come. After dinner, they announced they were putting in the movie----Premonition. It was the same the 2nd time around as the 1st time! The ending was the same.
After the movie, we got some sleep and then they woke us up to serve their 4 star breakfast. It consisted of Orange Juice, lukewarm water (no ice) a banana, a granola bar and 1 smashed croissant with strawberry jam. My mind was saying-WHERE IS MY KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUT?
Speaking of food, we didn't even get a chocolate on our pillow on the plane last night.
Jamie was anxiously awaiting our touchdown so she could head to the closest McD's for breakfast. Well, she has a surprise coming. No McD's in the airport in Dublin!
We ended up arriving in Dublin 2 hours late. Captain "John" said it was 50 degrees in Dublin. As we got off the plane, I told him thanks and saw that his real name was Peter. Thanks Captain Peter.
Well, our luggage must have left Atlanta an hour later than we did, because we then stood and waited over an hour for our luggage to show up. Got our passports stamped. They let us in their country and then took the free shuttle to the Hilton Airport Hotel where we are staying.
I have been giving Robert and Jamie the "NO JET LAG" pills every two hours since we left home. They think I'm nuts. We will see if it really works.
Now, I am typing on this computer in the hotel and everything is german (which I don't understand because I am in Ireland), but hopefully this will post in English, since the keys I am using make sense and look like they are typing right. If not, well Shari Prosser knows a website that will translate cuz she sent me a note in spanish that Jamie said didn't make much sense. Hopefully, it translates better from german to english if need be.
Okay, so we are in Dublin, it is cold, and I will post about our day Sunday later.
Sea U Later!
Our journey to the Salt Lake airport was uneventful. Got there 2 hours early and our friend 'Joe' the skycap told us that the wait was an hour inside to check-in. He said 'his friend' could do it for us real fast and we wouldn't have to wait in line. I knew he just wanted a tip, and little did he know that I always used skycap, so I said sure. Great thing is the skycap can now take your stuff in with your passport and do all the groundwork for you. We weighed our luggage while waiting. 4 bags weighing 32, 35, 34 and 49. (It's all those shoes Jamie packed!). Pretty good for 16 nights I think. In 10 minutes we had our boarding passes and were ready to go. I was only carrying on a camera bag and my "Disney Menu Bag" HAHAHA (thought Ken and Shari and Adrienne and Tony would enjoy that!) (inside joke).
Our Delta flight to Atlanta went off without a hitch. I had gotten my free upgrade to first class, and Robert and Jamie were sitting in coach. The plane had indivdual screen on each seat. Jamie's didn't work, so I think she listened to the Ipod the whole way. I got the Delta 4 star lunch, which consisteted of Chicken something. The apple cheesecake was the best part of the meal. Watched 2 movies-Premonition with Sandra Bullock and Blades of Glory with Will Ferrell. Blades was the stupidest, funniest movie I had seen in awhile. It was so over the top, you had to laugh. Glad I didn't have to pay for it!
Landed in Atlanta 10 minutes early. Jamie was starving since the "snack pak" on the plane consisted of nothing she would eat. So she headed straight to McD's to get chicken nuggets. Of course, she no sooner started eating them before she got sweet n' sour sauce on her shirt. Well, at least she has 15 more shirts packed and shoes to go along with them! She can't change, cuz all her luggage is checked in.
Headed for the T terminal. We had landed in B. So it wasn't too far. However, we were in T2, which is at the very end of the international terminal. They are remodeling, so there wasn't alot there. We landed at 4:45 pm and had til 8:30 pm. Robert proceeded to lay down across three chairs and promptly go to sleep. Jamie and I read magazines. Now, when we booked our flight, we could have come in 2 hours later to Atlanta and had about an hour layover, but I was worried that we would land all the way on the other side of the airport. Figured, heck, we will get delayed and then miss our flight. So we took the earlier flight out. Well at 7:30 p.m. at T1, right next door to T2, a flight comes in from Salt Lake City! so much for my pre-planning. We would have only walked about 50 steps to our gate. About the same time our pilot and crew arrived and got on our plane to get it ready for us.
About 8 p.m., when we should have been boarding, the whole crew of gate agents had disappeared. About 10 minutes later, the announcement came across that the "cattle call" was moving to gate T7. Okay, so you would have thought a hurricane was passing through. We started heading to the new gate. My good toe about got run over by a woman with a stroller. Got to the new gate and it now said we were leaving at 9:30 p.m.
Shortly after 8:30 pm, Captain "John" became the gatekeeper and came over the sound system to tell us that there was a problem with our other jet and that the ground crew would be "tugging" a new jet from the hangar to this new gate. But, then he said, that it may take awhile, since they literally pull it over and that 10 pm was more optomistic (if everything went right.) He then told us they had to move over all our luggage, food, etc., etc., and then they would have to clean the new jet. The final "step" he said was that then the airport had to do a complete "security sweep" of the plane before he and his crew were allowed on. Well, we had our fingers crossed that we would pass the test.
At about 9:55 p.m., the Captain was finally let on the plane, and about 10:15 they started boarding the plane, quickly! We actually got pushed from the gate about 30 minutes after we boarded. Robert always has to have the window seat, so I make sure that is taken care of for him. But since they switched jets, he got the one seat that has NO WINDOW. First thing he said was he wasn't going to be able to see anything. I asked him, what was he looking for, the ocean in the dark? Jamie just said "dad, sit down" and she sat down next to him. There were only two end seats, so I sat across the aisle next to the 2 year old who was told "go to sleep". That was great, excepther mom had her head in her lap and I had her feet. She reminded me of when Jamie was little, kicking, tossing and turning all night. Guess that's the price I pay for not sitting up in first class for this leg of the flight! We had some ravioli thing for dinner, ranks 1 1/2 stars in my book. Made me think of the great food aboard the Magic waiting to come. After dinner, they announced they were putting in the movie----Premonition. It was the same the 2nd time around as the 1st time! The ending was the same.
After the movie, we got some sleep and then they woke us up to serve their 4 star breakfast. It consisted of Orange Juice, lukewarm water (no ice) a banana, a granola bar and 1 smashed croissant with strawberry jam. My mind was saying-WHERE IS MY KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUT?
Speaking of food, we didn't even get a chocolate on our pillow on the plane last night.
Jamie was anxiously awaiting our touchdown so she could head to the closest McD's for breakfast. Well, she has a surprise coming. No McD's in the airport in Dublin!
We ended up arriving in Dublin 2 hours late. Captain "John" said it was 50 degrees in Dublin. As we got off the plane, I told him thanks and saw that his real name was Peter. Thanks Captain Peter.
Well, our luggage must have left Atlanta an hour later than we did, because we then stood and waited over an hour for our luggage to show up. Got our passports stamped. They let us in their country and then took the free shuttle to the Hilton Airport Hotel where we are staying.
I have been giving Robert and Jamie the "NO JET LAG" pills every two hours since we left home. They think I'm nuts. We will see if it really works.
Now, I am typing on this computer in the hotel and everything is german (which I don't understand because I am in Ireland), but hopefully this will post in English, since the keys I am using make sense and look like they are typing right. If not, well Shari Prosser knows a website that will translate cuz she sent me a note in spanish that Jamie said didn't make much sense. Hopefully, it translates better from german to english if need be.
Okay, so we are in Dublin, it is cold, and I will post about our day Sunday later.
Sea U Later!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Look Ma! I've got a countertop!
MOM-this is just for you. Miracles do exist. It's amazing that when I am not planning a scrapbook class for 60 on board the Disney Magic that I can actually have a clean countertop in my kitchen!
Luck of the Irish
Best plans always go wrong. So is the case last night. Got everything done, except for last piece of luggage is open on the floor in bedroom when Jamie asks if she can bring down her shoes. Didn't know she meant another 5 pair! (already have packed at least 5 already). Guess she thinks she needs shoes for every occasion. Well, this morning I will fill her in on the shoe limitations of this trip.
During packing I ran into either a) the package from the $100 club with my camera batteries, or b) the edge of my suitcase on the floor and decided to do some Kung Fu Fighting. The luggage or the battery won because a few minutes later my toe was bleeding massively all over the carpet and marble as I walked through the house. Of course, no trip could be started without a catastrophe to deal with. My poor toe, especially after all the painstaking effort I went to to have my toes so nice for this cruise. Well, now with my injured toe, that changes everything. I was planning on wearing my tennis shoes today for good walking shoes through airports, but now I must unpack my sandals and wear those instead.
So, after that fiasco, I finally went to bed at midnight, knowing that Robert would be home around 7 a.m. this morning. Well, about 3:45 a.m., I hear Jamie up and in the kitchen (thinking she is getting in her last minute computer time) and yell from the bedroom "Jamie, what are you doing?" Robert answers, and says he is home from work. Oh.......so he proceeds to come to bed and immediately fall asleep and snoring and I now lay wide awake thinking of all the things I didn't need to do because I had already done them. I actually laid there for over an hour thinking about typing in our family blog, but then I made a bet with myself that if I was still awake at 5 a.m. I would just get up. Well between 4:45 and 5:00, I must have actually fallen back asleep, because it was now 6:15 a.m.
Okay, so now we are all up, having showered, and I am now going to go post on the disboards and send my blog address to some family and friends and then we are off to the airport at 8:30 a.m. so we can head on our first leg of our trip to Atlanta. Tomorrow this time we might even be kissing the Blarney Stone in Ireland.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Friday the 13th-YIKES!
One more day and we are off to Dublin, Ireland for our two day visit before heading to Barcelona and getting on the Disney Magic Wednesday for 10 nights in the Med. This will be my 12th Disney Cruise and it will have been 53 days since I got off the Magic after arriving in Barcelona on May 26th.
Getting ready for this trip has been so much easier than the last. First, I don't have 3 extra suitcases of stuff for the scrapbook class I usually do with my new friends and old friends from the disboards! Second, we are packing smart and packing light! I will be using the laundry service on the Magic for sure!
Jamie is all packed and informed me this morning that she would be in "THE STACK" with all the other teenagers most of the time and NOT to plan on her for dinner most nights. I set her straight and told her she was REQUIRED to eat dinner with us each night and if she wanted to bring along a friend, that was fine, but no skipping dinner meal for socializing! Teenagers...............
She also got her driving permit a couple of months ago and I bribed her early and told her she could only drive my car if she sang one night in Karaoke because I never get to hear her sing anymore. That was an easy one since she wants to drive all the time. Also told her she couldn't complain!
We will be in stateroom 6583 on the Magic. We have an automatic email address on the ship. So I can be emailed at LNEELEY6583@magic.cruisemail.net I can pick up any emails for free, but if I send any from cruisemail.net it cost $3.95. So I'll respond via my compuserve account if family or friends are trying to get ahold of me!
I'll try to post my blog daily on the ship, however, the history shows the internet has been extremely slow. I'm not hauling my laptop across the world, so I'll be using the Internet Cafe and will be limiting my time in there.
Okay, exactly 24 hours from now, our Delta flight should be taxing on the runway in Salt Lake City and headed to Atlanta. From there we go straight to Dublin, arriving Sunday morning at 9:15 a.m.
SEA U LATER!
Linda
Getting ready for this trip has been so much easier than the last. First, I don't have 3 extra suitcases of stuff for the scrapbook class I usually do with my new friends and old friends from the disboards! Second, we are packing smart and packing light! I will be using the laundry service on the Magic for sure!
Jamie is all packed and informed me this morning that she would be in "THE STACK" with all the other teenagers most of the time and NOT to plan on her for dinner most nights. I set her straight and told her she was REQUIRED to eat dinner with us each night and if she wanted to bring along a friend, that was fine, but no skipping dinner meal for socializing! Teenagers...............
She also got her driving permit a couple of months ago and I bribed her early and told her she could only drive my car if she sang one night in Karaoke because I never get to hear her sing anymore. That was an easy one since she wants to drive all the time. Also told her she couldn't complain!
We will be in stateroom 6583 on the Magic. We have an automatic email address on the ship. So I can be emailed at LNEELEY6583@magic.cruisemail.net I can pick up any emails for free, but if I send any from cruisemail.net it cost $3.95. So I'll respond via my compuserve account if family or friends are trying to get ahold of me!
I'll try to post my blog daily on the ship, however, the history shows the internet has been extremely slow. I'm not hauling my laptop across the world, so I'll be using the Internet Cafe and will be limiting my time in there.
Okay, exactly 24 hours from now, our Delta flight should be taxing on the runway in Salt Lake City and headed to Atlanta. From there we go straight to Dublin, arriving Sunday morning at 9:15 a.m.
SEA U LATER!
Linda
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
