Brilliance Review - the List Cruise - Dec 5 10 - Better Late than Never

[dirtgirl]

This was all posted in a very length thread, too, and I don’t want to bore anybody, although you might already be! So if you're bored, STOP reading this! :p

 

 

We left the plane into mass chaos. People and bags were everywhere. We weren’t the first flight, or the last, to be cancelled. You couldn’t move in there. No one knew what to do or where to go. I stuck with Bonnie and George, and we found a spot to camp on the floor. Our phones didn’t work, my laptop had limited juice, and the line-ups were astronomical to speak to a British Airways rep. I’m emailed back to my office back home, where my boss worked hard to help on her end. We downloaded Boingo, and Truphone so we could phone like it was a local call. The insurance company got us a hotel – this took some hours, though. We were on the floor at Heathrow for HOURS. There was nothing to eat or to drink. We were all ordered out of the terminal without our luggage. We had to hunt a luggage claim form down, as they were hard to find in the chaos. Honestly, those hours in Heathrow were some of the worst hours of my life.

 

Luckily, I always have a carry-on with changes of clothes, workout gear (ya think?), toiletries, etc. Bonnie and George had the clothes on their backs. So out we went into temps below freezing. We weren’t quite dressed for that, though I did have a fleece, a rain jacket, and mitts. It was close to an hour’s wait outside for a cab. By now it was almost midnight, and we’d been up since 5:30 am. We hadn’t eaten since 1:00 pm. By the time we got a taxi, we were shivering uncontrollably. The cabbie quoted us 70 pounds, and by this time we would have paid anything. I think he knew that. It was a 15-20 minute drive.:eek: In contrast, the return trip was $25 pounds charged by Windsor Taxi.:rolleyes:

 

We ended up at the Beaumont Estates in Old Windsor, a convention type hotel in the middle of nowhere. The place was enormous and a total maze. It was like an old country style manor. We got there around 1:00 am, and they were so kind to us. We asked if there was anything to eat, and even though room service was closed, they scrounged up some sandwiches and sent them to our rooms, free of charge. The rooms were lovely and large, and I had one all to myself. They also had an adaptor I could use for my laptop, which was completely drained. I had to check in back home, and called my insurance company (and lucky me - they phoned back at 4:00 am, lol).

Edited January 27, 2011 by dirtgirl

[dirtgirl]

Dec 18

 

It was snowing when we woke up the next day. We tried to call British Airways, but the calls kept dropping. On the news, we saw that Heathrow was closed, and the whole country seemed to be paralyzed. We looked at the couple of inches of snow, and wondered, “Huh??” The news also said no one was getting though to BA this day. They were completely overwhelmed. The largest international airport in the world shut down for a few inches of snow…. :rolleyes: Considering that we are from Canada (OK, Vancouver, which really hardly gets snow:p), we found this to be ridiculous. Eastern Canada and the NE/Mid-Western US get FAR more snow than we ever get, and they still manage to function.

 

We needed clothing and other supplies badly. We were about 10 minutes outside of the town of Windsor. The taxis there are the cab driver’s personal cars, so we had no idea that the car outside was actually our cab!! We were driven all over in Mercedes, BMW’s, Audis, etc – totally different from Vancouver!!!

Our driver had 2 snow tires on, and that was more than 99.9999999999999% of the other drivers on the road…. :rolleyes:It was a white-knuckled drive into town.

 

Windsor itself is SO quaint. I loved it. It was ‘classic’ England as you would think it. We shopped till we dropped. We needed boots desperately (my runners were wet within 5 minutes from the snow), clothing, and toiletries. My friends also bought a carry-on suitcase to transport all the new stuff home.

 

While having dinner, we thought to call the taxi company to pick us up. They had stopped running because 6 of their cabs had been in accidents! No one has snow tires there… So now we were stranded again, away from our hotel. :eek: We eventually had someone call our hotel for us (hated not having a working phone), and the hotel managed to send a cab for us. Saved again. Loved that hotel.

[startwin]

This was all posted in a very length thread, too, and I don’t want to bore anybody, although you might already be! So if you're bored, STOP reading this! :p

 

 

We left the plane into mass chaos. People and bags were everywhere. We weren’t the first flight, or the last, to be cancelled. You couldn’t move in there. No one knew what to do or where to go. I stuck with Bonnie and George, and we found a spot to camp on the floor. Our phones didn’t work, my laptop had limited juice, and the line-ups were astronomical to speak to a British Airways rep. I’m emailed back to my office back home, where my boss worked hard to help on her end. We downloaded Boingo, and Truphone so we could phone like it was a local call. The insurance company got us a hotel – this took some hours, though. We were on the floor at Heathrow for HOURS. There was nothing to eat or to drink. We were all ordered out of the terminal without our luggage. We had to hunt a luggage claim form down, as they were hard to find in the chaos. Honestly, those hours in Heathrow were some of the worst hours of my life.

 

Great review. And this sounds so much like our arrival into Heathrow terminal 5 on it's opening day a couple of years ago. Complete and utter chaos, everyone packed in the baggage hall like sardines, baggage nowhere to be found (later located on a soccer field in Spain(huh?):confused: No help from BA or the airport authority, no baggage claim forms, and everyone eventually thrown out, LOL! It was the top of the news for 2 straight weeks.

[sg1phileshipper]

Honestly, those hours in Heathrow were some of the worst hours of my life.

 

Carol, coming from you, I believe that without a doubt. And yes, as some have said before, you should start writing a novel about that trip (don't stop wait until you're not a TA anymore). I would buy it without a doubt. I'm really sucked into this story. Keep writing:D. Take care everyone

 

 

Cindy

[MAZANDSTEVE]

Dec 18

 

It was snowing when we woke up the next day. We tried to call British Airways, but the calls kept dropping. On the news, we saw that Heathrow was closed, and the whole country seemed to be paralyzed. We looked at the couple of inches of snow, and wondered, “Huh??” The news also said no one was getting though to BA this day. They were completely overwhelmed. The largest international airport in the world shut down for a few inches of snow…. :rolleyes: Considering that we are from Canada (OK, Vancouver, which really hardly gets snow:p), we found this to be ridiculous. Eastern Canada and the NE/Mid-Western US get FAR more snow than we ever get, and they still manage to function.

 

We needed clothing and other supplies badly. We were about 10 minutes outside of the town of Windsor. The taxis there are the cab driver’s personal cars, so we had no idea that the car outside was actually our cab!! We were driven all over in Mercedes, BMW’s, Audis, etc – totally different from Vancouver!!!

Our driver had 2 snow tires on, and that was more than 99.9999999999999% of the other drivers on the road…. :rolleyes:It was a white-knuckled drive into town.

 

Windsor itself is SO quaint. I loved it. It was ‘classic’ England as you would think it. We shopped till we dropped. We needed boots desperately (my runners were wet within 5 minutes from the snow), clothing, and toiletries. My friends also bought a carry-on suitcase to transport all the new stuff home.

 

While having dinner, we thought to call the taxi company to pick us up. They had stopped running because 6 of their cabs had been in accidents! No one has snow tires there… So now we were stranded again, away from our hotel. :eek: We eventually had someone call our hotel for us (hated not having a working phone), and the hotel managed to send a cab for us. Saved again. Loved that hotel.

 

 

Well the problem being, England is not equiped for snow, we hardly get any, December's snowfall was heavier than usual and a surprise. And the coldest for a long time, it froze the snow up causing all sorts of problems everywhere, a lot of people didnt get a vacation at all.They wont invest in vehicles snow ploughs etc, they would normally not need them too much. On the news there were families hoping to get away for Christmas and not being able to go away, it was such a shame for them after saving all year.

Sounds like you had a vacation to remember anyway;)

For anyone wanting to cruise in the Med, go in the summer, there is so much to see and do, its amazing, in the winter its cheaper but as this review shows, the weather can disrupt your vacation.

 

Thanks for the review, we loved the Brilliance.:)

[dirtgirl]

Well the problem being, England is not equiped for snow, we hardly get any, December's snowfall was heavier than usual and a surprise. And the coldest for a long time, it froze the snow up causing all sorts of problems everywhere, a lot of people didnt get a vacation at all.They wont invest in vehicles snow ploughs etc, they would normally not need them too much. On the news there were families hoping to get away for Christmas and not being able to go away, it was such a shame for them after saving all year.

Sounds like you had a vacation to remember anyway;)

For anyone wanting to cruise in the Med, go in the summer, there is so much to see and do, its amazing, in the winter its cheaper but as this review shows, the weather can disrupt your vacation.

 

Thanks for the review, we loved the Brilliance.:)

 

I think what got people most upset was that this has happened several times in the last few years (according to the Brits we spoke with), and LHR kept saying that they would make improvements, but didn't. Hopefully no one will have to go with what we all went through again!! ;) I have to say, though, that everyone we met in England was just lovely.:)

 

 

 

Dec 19

 

We spent 3 hours on hold with British Airways (that phone bill was over $200). When we finally got a real person, they said that they couldn’t get us to Vancouver before Christmas. This was the busiest week of the year for them. Their flights had been full. Thousands of travelers had been displaced. Everyone wanted to be somewhere before Christmas. Heathrow was also closed this day. We saw horrid images on the TV of people sleeping in the airport. The best he could do was get us to North America somewhere on Dec. 24th. We had the choice of Boston or Dallas. I said Dallas – much less likely to be impacted by weather. Good choice, as a snowstorm hit the east coast at Christmas!

 

We had been looking online at flights. The costs were unbelievable, and there was no guarantee that they would actually fly, or whether the insurance company would even compensate us. In order to get home, we had to contact BA first. Unfortunately, it took until Sunday to get through. I saw a one-way flight back to Vancouver on the 20th for 4000 GBP!!!! And there was no guarantee it would actually fly. Turns out hardly any flights got out that day.

 

In the end, we made the best decision to stay put. Flights really didn’t start going out until the 21st, and it was hit and miss which ones they were. To check out of our hotel, risk losing our rooms, and join the mass of humanity sleeping on the floor in Heathrow, was not an option for us. We had our flight booked to Dallas on the 24th, so we hunkered down to make the best of it. It was covered by our initial ticket, though now we were on AA. Our insurance company booked us home from Dallas on Christmas Day, and booked us into the Grand Hyatt at DFW for the night of the 24th.

 

We ended up at a typical English pub for dinner that night. The staple on all menus seemed to be Fish and Chips with Mushy Peas. I actually liked the peas, but then, I’m a little weird!!

[alwayshappytocruise]

So NOT boring!!! So many of us were reading your original account of being stranded and were so happy you made it home just in time for Christmas...okay, it was Christmas but you know what I mean!!! Thanks for this, it has been a good read....sorry for all your troubles and hope your neck/back issues are resolving.

Lynda

 

PS I am originally from England and love mushy peas!!!!

Edited January 27, 2011 by alwayshappytocruise

[dirtgirl]

So NOT boring!!! So many of us were reading your original account of being stranded and were so happy you made it home just in time for Christmas...okay, it was Christmas but you know what I mean!!! Thanks for this, it has been a good read....sorry for all your troubles and hope your neck/back issues are resolving.

Lynda

 

PS I am originally from England and love mushy peas!!!!

 

 

Thanks! Have another med appointment today!:(

 

Dec 20

 

More Windsor, walking to Eton, George getting a disposable phone, and then we went to a medical clinic. I was in agony. I couldn’t sleep, and I was in constant pain. The doctor was useless. Apply heat and take pain killers. Wow. Thank you. I’ve been doing that (I had bought a hot water bottle, and was eating pain killers). That cost 90 GPB. I’m definitely claiming that through insurance…:rolleyes:

 

The hotel had a buffet every night, and though it was quite expensive, they said, “Are you BA people?” “Yes.” “Help yourself.” Yes, I loved this hotel!

 

 

 

Dec 21

 

We took a cab into London. I had never been there. We shopped at Harrods, then took the Underground out to Whitechapel. Silly history-buff me wanted to go to where Jack the Ripper did his dirty deeds. Remember - I like to see dead people. LOL

 

 

 

Well let me tell you – 5 minutes in Whitechapel and we fled back into the Underground. :eek: ‘Nuff said. We then went to the Tower of London, a life-long dream of mine. Right outside the Underground was a sign, “Jack the Ripper Tours meet here every night at 6:30 pm”. I am SO doing that when I go back to London – but not in the winter…:p

 

I love Tudor history. I find it fascinating. The whole Henry VIII, Bloody Mary, Lady Jane Grey, and Queen Elizabeth I periods I can’t get enough of. We did the tour of the Tower (and froze – it’s all outside). We saw where Anne Boleyn got her head chopped off (along with Katherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey), and where they were buried. I was in my element. I was disappointed that Anne Boleyn’s tomb was too far away to even read what was written on it. Oh well. We saw Traitor’s Gate, where the prisoners were taken in, and the torture chamber (couldn’t miss THAT). Didn’t get around to where the two young prince’s murdered bodies were found stuffed behind a staircase… next time. Yes, I love history!:p

 

After a lovely meal in London, off we went back to Windsor. I have to say, I preferred Windsor over London. It was so picturesque where we were. We were hoping to go back to London before we left, but it was not to be. There is so much to see there.

 

This day we also found out that our hotel was closing on Dec. 23rd for Christmas. I had just been down the day before to extend our stay until the 24th, and they never said a word. Now we had to find a hotel for the night of the 23rd. I grabbed my computer, and within a few minutes we were booked into the Hilton London Heathrow at an excellent rate. Bad weather, strikes, listing ships, booted off planes, booted out of hotels….it was never-ending!:eek:

[speakertosuits]

I found your review fascinating and disturbing at the same time. We have about 50 inches of snow so far that has shut down all three airports here (JFK, LGA and EWR) for up to two days with flight disruptions extending for days afterward. Then again that took 20 inches of snow before we ground to a halt.

 

How much of the hotel and other expenses did your insurance cover? What steps did you take when you found out that BA was not operating? I have secured travel insurance for 30 plus cruises and never had to use it. I hope I never do, but it would be extremely helpful to know what to do when.

[dirtgirl]

I found your review fascinating and disturbing at the same time. We have about 50 inches of snow so far that has shut down all three airports here (JFK, LGA and EWR) for up to two days with flight disruptions extending for days afterward. Then again that took 20 inches of snow before we ground to a halt.

 

How much of the hotel and other expenses did your insurance cover? What steps did you take when you found out that BA was not operating? I have secured travel insurance for 30 plus cruises and never had to use it. I hope I never do, but it would be extremely helpful to know what to do when.

 

 

Good question. BA was handing letters out at the airport, but only if you stood in a mile long line-up, and then they kicked us all out of the terminal, so we didn't get one. I did have a colleague scan and email it, however. BA said that they would cover hotel and food. So, I have sent in a claim to them for those. The hotel is the biggie, of course. Eight nights away from home adds up. Insurance companies will only pay if no one else is. So, I need to see what BA is going to cover before I submit the rest to my insurer. The insurer I have (RBC) would not have covered more than $750 for hotel, phone, internet, and food - not nearly enough for 8 days!

 

However, I'll be submitting a medical claim soon. I have basically exhausted my extended health benefits for the chiropractor and the physiotherapist for the year. Again, travel insurance will only cover what you are not covered for. So my receipts going forward will be sent to RBC (my insurer).

 

A have to make a baggage delay claim as well for clothes and toiletries purchased. That won't be a problem - I'm under what they allow. And RBC will pay for my flight from Dallas to Vancouver.

 

It's important to keep all receipts. You should see my stack!!! And make copies!

 

You have to phone your insurer right away when these things happen and open up a claim. My boss in Vancouver got the ball rolling for me while I was sitting in Heathrow, and I was in touch with RBC from England. So, keep the emergency phone numbers and your policy number with you at all times. Then again, if your phone doesn't work, that can cause a problem. Calling as soon as you can is important.

Edited January 27, 2011 by dirtgirl

[joandian]

Thanks for the review and I hope you are doing Ok now! I had thought about doing this same cruise next winter until this happened to your cruise. Think I'll stick with Summer cruises now and looking forward to Brilliance in June. I have a question from my husband if you don't mind and if you know the answer. Were water, soda and 'other' drinks allowed on board?

Edited January 28, 2011 by joandian

[Coralc]

What a wonderful read! Please continue Carol......see, this is all so much more detailed than when you were in the thick of it. Fascinating, and you write very well. Thanks! :D

~Patti :)

 

And I thought you had something to do with law enforcement...I didn't know you became a TA.

Edited January 28, 2011 by Coralc

[dirtgirl]

Thanks for the review and I hope you are doing Ok now! I had thought about doing this same cruise next winter until this happened to your cruise. Think I'll stick with Summer cruises now and looking forward to Brilliance in June. I have a question from my husband if you don't mind and if you know the answer. Were water, soda and 'other' drinks allowed on board?

 

I'm sorry, but I don't know the answer to that question, as we didn't bring anything on, and I don't know of anyone who did.

I don't recommend going in the winter!! Rates are cheaper, there are less crowds, and it's not blistering hot, but there's that darn weather....;) Fall or Spring would be a better bet.

 

What a wonderful read! Please continue Carol......see, this is all so much more detailed than when you were in the thick of it. Fascinating, and you write very well. Thanks! :D

~Patti :)

 

And I thought you had something to do with law enforcement...I didn't know you became a TA.

 

I used to be a reserve police officer, and a victim services worker in a local police department. I spent 23 years there, in one form or another, both as a volunteer and a paid part-timer (in Victim Services). I gave that up last year.

 

I also ran a research lab in soil chemistry for 20 years (until they laid me off a few years ago), while I was working at the police station. I decided to take a leap and I dove into the cruise business two years ago, as it's my passion. I have not regretted it. :) I can talk cruising 24/7. :o

[dirtgirl]

Dec 22

 

We took a tour of Windsor Castle. We were hoping to see the Changing of the Guard, but the Guards decided they didn’t like the weather so cancelled it. It was cloudy but not raining, with a couple of inches of old snow on the ground. I was thinking guards might be a little tougher than that!!:rolleyes:

 

Windsor Castle is the oldest castle that is still inhabited. The Castle is definitely worth seeing – just amazing. We took a guided tour of the grounds, and then we were on our own to tour inside some of the buildings.

 

My favourite was St. George’s Chapel, where many famous royal members are buried. The highlight for me was King Henry VIII’s grave, a simple tomb on the floor. He was buried with his third wife, Jane Seymour (his favourite – he didn’t chop off her head, lol). I had to kneel down and touch the stone (under the watchful eye of the person guarding his grave). The chapel also has Queen Elizabeth’s parents and grand-parents buried in there, along with MANY others – saw Charles Brandon’s grave, too. There are so many tombs on the floor that people just walk on them, and the names have worn off. No one walks on Henry VIII’s grave, though. Apparently, he had asked his daughters to build him a more prestigious tomb, but Mary and Elizabeth really didn’t like him very much!! Can’t imagine why….:rolleyes:

 

We had a nice lunch and tea (I was starting to really enjoy tea, and loved how tea and kettles were supplied in each hotel room).

 

We ordered Dominos pizza in for dinner! Yes, even in England!:D

[Rancher Dave]

Great review.

 

You do make a good point about handling the insurance process...and point out well the limits on how much a policy will pay out for trip delay...varries by policy, but in such an instance as you faced it could add up to well more than policy limits.

[critterchick]

Terrific review, my friend. Keep getting better!

[dirtgirl]

Great review.

 

You do make a good point about handling the insurance process...and point out well the limits on how much a policy will pay out for trip delay...varries by policy, but in such an instance as you faced it could add up to well more than policy limits.

 

It has certainly been an eye opener for me! It is one thing to sell insurance, which I do; it is another to go through the claims process and fill out all the forms. It gives you more of a feel for what clients go through!;)

 

Terrific review, my friend. Keep getting better!

 

 

Thanks - I hope to!! I'm tired of the medical appointments 4 times a week!:(

[dirtgirl]

Dec 23

 

Packed up and off we went to the Hilton London Heathrow. The rooms were decent; nothing special but perfectly fine. They did have an outlet that was 110, though!! George had hurt his ribs on one side during the list, and then had fallen in the bathtub in Windsor and REALLY hurt the other side – in fact he cracked them. :( So between my neck and his ribs, we made a good pair! He was not up to going into London, so we just vegged at the hotel and ate lunch and dinner there. I got on the computer and ended up doing work all afternoon and booked someone’s vacation. With insurance…. :p Now, that was easy!! My neck and arm were hurting so much, though, that it was really hard to sit in front of the computer.

 

Dec 24

 

And off we went to Dallas! It was a 10 hour flight, 8 hours of which we were subjected to a screaming toddler. :eek: Once the cabin attendants found out that I was finally leaving England after a week, they gave me free wine. :D I would have loved to have slept, but no one could sleep because of the toddler. His parents looked exhausted. AA treated us well, and it seemed they were constantly feeding us. As we went through Customs in Dallas, the toddler was still screaming, and they took them to the front of the line. We could still hear him going over in baggage claim, and we were thankful we weren’t heading there, as all we had were our carry-ons. Good-bye screaming toddler!! Ain’t gonna miss ya!!

 

A Customs officer looked at me and said, “You have beautiful eyes.” :o That made us all burst out laughing. We’d been up for 18 hours, combined with a 10 hour flight with a screaming toddler. The last thing I ever would have thought was that my eyes looked beautiful!! It did put smiles on our weary faces, though!

 

We checked in at the Hyatt, and wow, my room was huge. I could have had a party in the bathroom, too. And for those of you that have roomed with me, you KNOW I like my bathroom time!!:o I think the bathroom was larger than our cabin on the ship..

 

 

We had a cheese plate and wine at the lounge to toast to Christmas Eve. Not how I envisioned spending my Christmas Eve, but it was what it was!

Edited January 28, 2011 by dirtgirl

[sg1phileshipper]

Thanks - I hope to!! I'm tired of the medical appointments 4 times a week!:(

 

That's not much fun IMHO. I hope you will feel less pain each day :D. Take care and keep that story coming. I'm sucked right into it.

 

 

Cindy

[speakertosuits]

Good question. BA was handing letters out at the airport, but only if you stood in a mile long line-up, and then they kicked us all out of the terminal, so we didn't get one. I did have a colleague scan and email it, however. BA said that they would cover hotel and food. So, I have sent in a claim to them for those. The hotel is the biggie, of course. Eight nights away from home adds up. Insurance companies will only pay if no one else is. So, I need to see what BA is going to cover before I submit the rest to my insurer. The insurer I have (RBC) would not have covered more than $750 for hotel, phone, internet, and food - not nearly enough for 8 days!

 

However, I'll be submitting a medical claim soon. I have basically exhausted my extended health benefits for the chiropractor and the physiotherapist for the year. Again, travel insurance will only cover what you are not covered for. So my receipts going forward will be sent to RBC (my insurer).

 

A have to make a baggage delay claim as well for clothes and toiletries purchased. That won't be a problem - I'm under what they allow. And RBC will pay for my flight from Dallas to Vancouver.

 

It's important to keep all receipts. You should see my stack!!! And make copies!

 

You have to phone your insurer right away when these things happen and open up a claim. My boss in Vancouver got the ball rolling for me while I was sitting in Heathrow, and I was in touch with RBC from England. So, keep the emergency phone numbers and your policy number with you at all times. Then again, if your phone doesn't work, that can cause a problem. Calling as soon as you can is important.

 

Would this be considered travel interruption or travel delay? I suspect the latter since it would pay less. I never paid much attention to the benefit before so your experience will help inform my future choices for insurance. As I said earlier, I hope never to need it but I will continue to buy insurance.

 

Did you get your luggage after you were ordered out of the terminal? Hope you are feeling better.

[dirtgirl]

Would this be considered travel interruption or travel delay? I suspect the latter since it would pay less. I never paid much attention to the benefit before so your experience will help inform my future choices for insurance. As I said earlier, I hope never to need it but I will continue to buy insurance.

 

Did you get your luggage after you were ordered out of the terminal? Hope you are feeling better.

 

 

With my policy it is trip delay by the strict definition.

I got my luggage when I got back to Vancouver. The luggage made it back home before I did!:rolleyes:

Edited January 28, 2011 by dirtgirl

[BecciBoo]

Oh Carol: You've got me grinning at several places:o...what an escapade! Now that you've made it to Texas...yeeha...I know the story will get better and better...hoping to hear you made it for family Christmas...and I'll be looking for the Dirt Girl Chronicles when they are published someday:p

Hope your neck heals soon. Take a lot of hot baths or sit in the club's jacuzzi. That always helps! Hope to cruise with you again soon. But I'll take the good ole warm Caribe O.K. My friend who was with you on Brilliance always gripes that I never get out of the Caribbean! She always says I need to do the Med. Ha Ha Ha, well maybe not so much after this........

Edited January 28, 2011 by BecciBoo

[dirtgirl]

Oh Carol: You've got me grinning at several places:o...what an escapade! Now that you've made it to Texas...yeeha...I know the story will get better and better...hoping to hear you made it for family Christmas...and I'll be looking for the Dirt Girl Chronicles when they are published someday:p

 

Hope your neck heals soon. Take a lot of hot baths or sit in the club's jacuzzi. That always helps! Hope to cruise with you again soon. But I'll take the good ole warm Caribe O.K. My friend who was with you on Brilliance always gripes that I never get out of the Caribbean! She always says I need to do the Med. Ha Ha Ha, well maybe not so much after this........

 

 

Thanks Becci! I'm on hold with an airline changing flights for clients right now, then I have to dash. I'll continue on later!

 

Oh, I'll be back to the Med - I loved it - just not in winter!:p

[Aubiecruiser]

Having cruised 4 times on the Brilliance it was very disheartening when we saw the news reports about our favorite ship. Not to bug you, but do you recall if

a couple of bartenders (you mentioned you spent a bit of time in them) named Rusty and Eric were still on the ship. On our last Brilliance cruise back in Sept/Oct. 2008 Rusty was still in the Champagne Bar (where he always had been) and Eric had just come back after vacation and was a floater, working in different bars until his permenant position opened up for the following cruise.

It was really great to see those guys and we were surprised that both of them still knew us by names from previous cruises. Rusty even remembered our favorite drinks!

Aubie

[wrp96]

We checked in at the Hyatt, and wow, my room was huge. I could have had a party in the bathroom, too. And for those of you that have roomed with me, you KNOW I like my bathroom time!!:o I think the bathroom was larger than our cabin on the ship..

 

 

I told you you would like the Grand Hyatt.:D