TiogaCruiser

I think it’s a bit tacky that the parents weren’t allowed to take their own pictures. It’s not like it was a private studio.

Just curious- how are you expecting to receive your Brazil Visa? Is it a soft copy that will be emailed? Have you set up a way to forward a hard copy?

Rather familiar words around here- my Golden Retriever sings that regularly.

Is that a commentary on local driving customs?

Adding- last spring DH and I did the canal and ended in San Diego. I didn’t want to deal with the wait for a train (( decreased options), and I think we still would have needed to purchase tickets in advance and check in 24 hours in advance, and the other post-covid social sequelae), so we rented a car one way. We ubered to the airport, picked up a car, drove home leisurely and returned the car to the vendor around the corner from home. The cost ( excluding the Uber) was less than $100. Just read your previous post- that Ventura section is especially vulnerable to washouts/ slides and very slow speeds during rain.

I’ve taken Amtrak to SD for a cruise twice-both in 2015. I boarded in Orange County. I was solo and handling my own luggage. My tongue in cheek description was that had I tripped stepping off the train I would have rolled to the pier. It took me 8 minutes to walk from the station to the pier. (That was after deboarding, using the facilities and getting a soda in the station: so total time about a half hour.) Other train options include taking (Metrolinktrains.com) from LA or several towns along the way or in LACo) to Oceanside, where they interchange with the Coaster. ( I have not done that one, but it was a back up plan.) Do check the Amtrak website as there has been reduced service for maintenance and addressing erosion damage along the way. Also, if it’s raining, there can be delays due to speed limit changes. And be aware if you take a train where you don’t or can’t check your luggage that there are size restrictions AND you will be expected to tote whatever you bring aboard UP the stairs and into a rack up on the second floor* (unless you have a special ticket or handicap). You might also have to handle your luggage as the train moves should you get off at a station along the way that has a brief stop. Been there, done that. Surfliner and Starlight may have different carry on size limits.

Happy New Year everyone! My office mate was one of something like 15 kids. She said her mother used to tell her and her siblings that if they got the Baby, they were to swallow it! (and, yes- I AM human!) I got it too.

Thank you for taking us along- again.

Yikes- I’d be so uncomfortable with a butler. No thanks.

When we were in Antarctica on Veendam there were a few days (during the Antarctic portion) that laundry was not done due to water use restrictions.

Looking forward to this- and thanks for taking us along again! So what’s this WC’s special souvenir going to be? ( My DH knows you as the “magic carpet blogger”.)😁

You have had some amazing weather. Thanks for sharing. When I went in January 2013 we had heavy fog every morning and heavy clouds when it all lifted. But our wildlife sightings were off the charts: hundreds of whales, thousands of penguins. A colleague went 6 years and a month later and saw a handful of whales and penguins.

It was a Mariner private sale. I think HAL occasionally targets specific demographics that they think might help them in the long term. My guess is that DH got the offer because he had not booked a cruise ( under his name) in many years ( I normally book us, and I’ve done some solos) and he reached a particular milestone age that makes it likely he’ll have or has more free time on his hands ( and perhaps more likely to book more cruises).😉

On the Pacific side of SA you will spend the majority of your time in the Inside Passage- so BOTH sides experience really close up land. (Take a look on a good map of South America and see how huge their archipelago is. It makes Alaska’s seem like a small backyard.) On the Atlantic side you will be far enough from land that at best it will be on the horizon. Once you get to Antarctica your Plan A route will quickly become Plan L, or later. So select your cabin based on your favorite amenities.

I think they were white pumpkins or squash.

It sounds like this program is a good match for you. (It’s also something I would consider. ) Perhaps it’s not the best fit for OP and others.

Thanks for the clarification. Having never been to The Retreat I pictured the work being done on folding table set up under a tent. I didn’t realize there was a food prep area.

Totally agree.

That’s a strange place to do food prep. I wonder if that is approved by Public Health. Are there appropriate hand washing stations nearby?

My husband received my copper on my behalf when he answered the knock on the door and our steward handed him the box and said it was for me. That was April on a 17 day Panama Canal on Volendam. We were not invited to any Mariner lunch either, but there was at least one towards the beginning of the trip. Adding- DH is now interested in when I will get my 4th star: he has taken a liking to the laundry.😜

Safe travels to you and thank you for taking us along.

My DH got one also and when I logged in using his credentials the cost showed as $100pp. At the bottom of the invoice it showed $200 OBC- which I assumed was a mistake. A few days into the cruise we both received $100 OBC. It was not a “casino” offer but internally it was coded as such. DH has never been in a HAL casino, and the last one on land was in the 90s. DH has gotten these a few times. Me- never. But then, I’ve sailed more frequently than he has- as a solo. And I normally book us under my name- so it was a good 10 years since he had a cruise booked under HIS name.

Tulip vase as in meant to specifically hold tulips?

I usually do that also. But this time, other than various iterations of potatoes, parsnips (😜) or candied carrots- there were none on other dishes.

Thank you both. I’m filing those bits of information away for our next cruise. We were both very disappointed that there were almost no vegetables on the menu on our Panama Canal cruise. And the night they had peas the serving was about a dozen of them. We periodically saw a veggie sautéd in lots of oil or smothered in a sauce in the lido. (Poor veggie.)