LIVE from the FREEDOM of the SEAS, Sailing 5 Sep 2010

[cinnamon]

Jim, I have just sat and read all 170+ posts on this thread and have had to wipe away the tears. Please know that we are all there with you in spirit, even if the table or the promenade look empty.

 

There are many of us on CC who have enjoyed reading your Live From posts over a long time and really appreciate you sharing this special trip with us. Although we are separated by the big pond, I do hope that one day we will have a chance to meet on a cruise. My thoughts and prayers will be with you for the rest of this voyage.

 

Cinnamon

[tahoemc]

Dear Jim,

 

I just came across this thread this morning and am nothing short of moved. The ceremony had tears welling up in my eyes, which takes a lot for me to do, let alone mention to anyone else.

 

Please enjoy the remainder of you cruise, reflecting on all that Carol and you enjoyed together with the comfort that she is still with you as your march forward. Please take additional comfort in knowing all of your friends here on CC are with you in spirit as well. I have not had the opportunity to read any of your previous threads as others have, but it is truly an honor to have "met" you today.

 

Thank you Jim for sharing your experiences, thoughts, feelings and emotions during this time of healing.

Edited September 8, 2010 by tahoemc

[tahoemc]

Jim, I have just sat and read all 170+ posts on this thread and have had to wipe away the tears. Please know that we are all there with you in spirit, even if the table or the promenade look empty.

 

There are many of us on CC who have enjoyed reading your Live From posts over a long time and really appreciate you sharing this special trip with us. Although we are separated by the big pond, I do hope that one day we will have a chance to meet on a cruise. My thoughts and prayers will be with you for the rest of this voyage.

 

Cinnamon

 

Corinne, how ironic we found this thread, read all of the posts, and commented at the same time. See ya back on the Liberty thread.

[akcruz]

Jim, I have just sat and read all 170+ posts on this thread and have had to wipe away the tears. Please know that we are all there with you in spirit, even if the table or the promenade look empty.

 

There are many of us on CC who have enjoyed reading your Live From posts over a long time and really appreciate you sharing this special trip with us. Although we are separated by the big pond, I do hope that one day we will have a chance to meet on a cruise. My thoughts and prayers will be with you for the rest of this voyage.

 

Cinnamon

 

 

I too just realized this thread was here and sat to read it all. Trainman your love for Carol never ceases to amaze me. I must agree with all the others here on the boards you are a wonderful man. Keep walking around and chatting with your fellow cruisers, pretty soon the whole ship will be under your spell just like we are :eek:.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise, but do take it easy.

[Trainman-2]

I was planning to try lunch in the MDR today but they are closed. I am guessing they only open for lunch on sea days when there are plenty of people on the ship.

 

So I headed to the Windjammer, once again in a cheeseburger mood.

 

Here is my plate when I set it on my table. some assembly still required...:D

 

 

One of the "secrets" to RCI hamburgers is to pick a burger from the very bottom of the tray because they are sitting in the juice and will be very moist.

 

To the burger, I added cheese, mayonnaise, pickles, and tomatoes.

 

I added cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, tomatoes, and pickles to the hot dog.

 

Here they are moments before final assembly.

 

 

Note that I added a bowl of Creamy Broccoli Soup to the table. The soup was excellent, so were my custom made hamburger and hot dog!

[Trainman-2]

I forgot to mention that the Tomato and Sausage Pizza is Dangerous! It had a lot of hot peppers in it! After I picked them out it was pretty good.

[Trainman-2]

The Adventure Ocean group was having a Pizza party!

 

I admire RCI for the excellent Kid's Programs that they have on board.

 

Carol's son loved being part of it.

 

 

[Trainman-2]

I have great respect for RCI's ship board maintenance programs. Other than dirty spots in the carpets where passengers spill coffee and beer faster than they can shampoo the areas, RCI does an excellent job.

 

Today, with most people ashore, was an excellent time to dust the Royal Promenade. A bit more involved than dusting at home for sure.

 

 

[HB Cruiser]

Trainman your food photos are getting to me, so bad so that I am starting a diet tomorrow I have added so many pounds since Sunday and looking at the pics. ;)

 

You gotta lofve those little deserts that have the strawberries and kiwi. Yummy!

 

Tim

[karrie0208]

Thanks Trainman for sharing. I hope this brings some comfort to you as you remember Carol.

 

What moves through us is a silence, a quiet sadness, a longing for one more day, one more word, one more touch, we may not understand why you left this earth so soon, or why you left before we were ready to say good-bye, but little by little, we begin to remember not just that you died, but that you lived. And that your life gave us memories too beautiful to forget. May the peace which comes from the memories of love shared, comfort you now and in the days ahead.

[time4me2fly]

Trainman - I'm enjoying your cruise photos and info. Can you please share the name of the Scooter company? That's a great price to rent a scooter for a 7-night cruise.

 

Just a thought: For your Allure cruise, it's probably a great idea to rent a scooter and use it only for your long journey's through the ship. You can always switch off with scooter and walker. There's nothing wrong with giving your legs a rest and riding a scooter for the long journeys.

 

Have fun watching the guests arriving back to the ship around 4:30.:D

[Buffett fan]

Thanks Trainman for sharing. I hope this brings some comfort to you as you remember Carol.

 

What moves through us is a silence, a quiet sadness, a longing for one more day, one more word, one more touch, we may not understand why you left this earth so soon, or why you left before we were ready to say good-bye, but little by little, we begin to remember not just that you died, but that you lived. And that your life gave us memories too beautiful to forget. May the peace which comes from the memories of love shared, comfort you now and in the days ahead.

 

This was a beautiful sentiment, and so true. I remember this well when I lost my grandmother (she was my best friend). Although I still miss her every day, I know I was blessed to have her in my life for the time I did.

[enidcruiser]

I was planning to try lunch in the MDR today but they are closed. I am guessing they only open for lunch on sea days when there are plenty of people on the ship.

 

So I headed to the Windjammer, once again in a cheeseburger mood.

 

Here is my plate when I set it on my table. some assembly still required...:D

 

 

One of the "secrets" to RCI hamburgers is to pick a burger from the very bottom of the tray because they are sitting in the juice and will be very moist.

 

To the burger, I added cheese, mayonnaise, pickles, and tomatoes.

 

I added cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, tomatoes, and pickles to the hot dog.

 

Here they are moments before final assembly.

 

 

Note that I added a bowl of Creamy Broccoli Soup to the table. The soup was excellent, so were my custom made hamburger and hot dog!

 

This is so funny. I will never forget the assembly of the breakfast sandwich that you took multiple pictures of on your Oasis cruise earlier this year. You do this so well. Makes us all hungry and ready to be there for whatever meal you are eating at the time. Keep those pictures coming.

Thanks,

Julia

[LBumb]

i feel like i am having another great day on the freedom.

[pkexton]

When we were on the Oasis there was an old guy on a scooter who would drive up the the elevator and back up to the doors. Then they opened, he would call out "Backin' Up! Watch Out!" and then he was comin' back and it was up to the rest of the world to get out of his way.

 

Or as you are coming up to the elevator you can scream "no brakes" and maybe they will scatter :o

 

Pat

[pkexton]

This is so funny. I will never forget the assembly of the breakfast sandwich that you took multiple pictures of on your Oasis cruise earlier this year. You do this so well. Makes us all hungry and ready to be there for whatever meal you are eating at the time. Keep those pictures coming.

Thanks,

Julia

 

Geez and all I had for lunch was some leftover spaghetti, roll and a Luigi's water ice:confused:

 

Pat

[Trainman-2]

Trainman - I'm enjoying your cruise photos and info. Can you please share the name of the Scooter company? That's a great price to rent a scooter for a 7-night cruise.

 

S

pecial Needs at Sea Helps Disabled Americans Enjoy the Full Benefits of a Cruise

 

The special needs of cruise passengers who happen to be either disabled or infirm, are not the kind of topic you'd normally find in a travel blog. But it is increasingly recognized that a large number of Americans (perhaps as many as 53 million persons) have a need for special equipment for their physical needs if they are to enjoy a cruise. And a company called Special Needs at Sea has grown so adept at responding to those needs that it is now officially recognized by several large cruiselines and able to rent arrangements and equipment -- mainly wheelchairs, scooters, and oxygen canisters -- in some 53 ports around the world.

 

Not all the clients of Special Needs at Sea are disabled. Some are perfectly able to get around at home, but then face special problems navigating the huge distances on many cruiseships. Others are unable to travel with the bulky equipment they need. Still others occasionally face emergencies when their own portable oxygen equipment fails in the course of a cruise, and they need to pick up replacements at the very next port.

 

Our readers will obviously know whether or not they, or someone in their family, may possibly need to rent mobility equipment, oxygen equipment, patient lifts, hospital beds, beach wheelchairs, or any other number of special devices for their physical needs while on a cruise. For more detailed information, or to request a Special Needs at Sea brochure, you have only to phone tel. 800/513-4515, international tel. 954/585-0575; or visit its website at www.specialneedsatsea.com.



 

 

[Trainman-2]

It is about 3:40 ships time and people are starting to stream back to the ship.

 

 

This morning the Captain told everyone going ashore to be sure to take their cameras so that if they were 10-15 minutes late getting back they could take a photo of the Freedom Sailing Away Without Them. :eek:

[Trainman-2]

Here are three shots of the Ocho Rios Harbor...

 

 

 

[Trainman-2]

Camera and/or PC Experts step on in...

 

I am starting to have some technical problems similar to what happened to me on the Oasis. Since then I have replaced the camera and the data card but not the notebook.

 

What is happening is that sometimes when I transfer photos from the memory card to my notebook they get renumbered. Also, Explorer displays all of the photos nicely as thumbnails but when I click on one to see the full size photo I often end up displaying another photo.

 

It seems like I may need to replace the notebook too.

 

So far I am OK as I am uploading the photos I want to post to Photo-bucket and they are fine. It is the extra photos that I am loosing as they are renumbered or overwritten in the notebook.

 

 

Suggestions anyone?

[windjamming]

Trainman, what software are you using to upload your photos? It sounds much more like a software issue than an operating system or hardware issue (ie your notebook should be fine).

[Radio]

Hi Trainman ! I am loving every post that you make :). . . I hope to sail with you one day. The 2 of us have a lot in common. . .;)

 

I take 100's of pics every day, but only post about 20 pics per day to Cruise Critic (for my "LIVE" posts)

 

I try to number (re-name) the pics that I will post and resize them in a folder before upload. The numbering process is easy . If I cruise on a Sunday, then all pics for that day will be S1.JPG, S2.JPG. . . For Monday theuy would be M1.JPG, M2.jpg etc. . . you get the idea.

 

That way, I can be sure of the pics, and I always keep the originals in a separate folder. . . The images can get renumbered to 0001 when delete the memory card (Depending on the setting). This may be why what you originally took is not what you see. . .

 

I guess I'm just thinking out load. . . I certainly am not a professional :(

 

Keep up the good work, and I am looking forward to your reports, and pics for the rest of the cruise !

 

Thanks Trainman. . . I really like your attitude !

 

 

 

Radio

;);)

 

 

 

 

.

[baggal]

it is about 3:40 ships time and people are starting to stream back to the ship.

 

 

this morning the captain told everyone going ashore to be sure to take their cameras so that if they were 10-15 minutes late getting back they could take a photo of the freedom sailing away without them. :eek:

 

lol!!!!!

[Wildcatfish]

That bread pudding with vanilla sauce certainly looks good!!! Thanks for sharing your cruise with us. It's been quite memorable!

 

When you're at dinner please think of the many people here who are sharing the cruise with you. In the meantime, would you please pass the bread.:D ...and some more vanilla sauce, too!

[time4me2fly]

I have heard about Special Needs at Sea, but didn't know their prices were that reasonable. I thought maybe you found a different company. Thank you for posting the information. It's very helpful for many people.

 

Did you get a chance to have an ice cream cone on the pool deck? The chocolate is my favorite.