How do we liven up this board?

[LynnAB]

Lynn, 5 nights is good, too - especially if you only pay for 5 nights. You'll be on a cruise, so what's not to like?

 

Beth

 

 

Wow, Beth! I see you've done a Transatlantic. That's my DREAM. How was it???

[ILoveScotland]

Wow, Beth! I see you've done a Transatlantic. That's my DREAM. How was it???

 

The TA is where Carol (Corkey) and I met. We had been on a very active roll call and then met in person on the ship. I really hope to another but don't know when - perhaps in 2014.

[ILoveScotland]

Meant to say that the Presidential Suite Women are now officially booked for the Freedom of the Seas the first week of December 2013. Nine of us have put down our deposits, and we think there will be 1 more. We realized that we didn't even pay much attention to the itinerary, but it's Eastern Caribbean which is good.

We're already talking about making this an annual event if we get along as well as we think we will. That's where the 2014 transatlantic comes in. We'll just have to find one with a huge suite available for us to share.

Beth

Edited August 25, 2012 by ILoveScotland

[Cruisercl]

I am sitting here laughing out loud. You're toooooooo cute. Are you any jealous since my 7-night cruise has become a 5-night cruise? lol

 

Still jealous..... Any day on a curise is way better that a day at work. ;)

[LynnAB]

Still jealous..... Any day on a curise is way better that a day at work. ;)

 

 

 

I have to agree with you :) Since my son's birthday is MONDAY, we're just going to have to pretend it's really Tuesday and celebrate like heck when we get on Allure. This is the craziest birthday ever. We went out to dinner TODAY (because we're not sure what the weather will be like tomorrow and Monday). We got an ice cream cake (because we're not sure whether the store will be open tomorrow or Monday). BUT.....WHAT excuse can I use for the fact that we already started eating the cake today? Weak? Sad about the cruise situation? Approaching storm? No! Just wanted the cake!!!

 

Lynn

[VABeachPeach]

I am originally from Kansas City KS. There is Jack stack in Kansas City Mo. I worked downtown KCMO for years. Did you go into Crown Center in KCMO? My brother now owns a burger joint in Crown Center, if you've been there in the past 10 years you may recognize the name. Fritz's the place where you can get your burger delivered by a train. We are travel aholics too. We love seeing the country in our RV, cruising is another favorite form of travel. With cruising dh doesn't have to drive. It is great to hear from another midwesterner. Happy sailing.

 

Small world...hubby grew up in KCK and we took our kids to Fritz's all the time!

[cctn]

Beth - hope you are enjoying your fresh seafood - fresh is always the best! We grilled and also steamed the oysters... very good both ways - i even ate a lot of mine plain, without the cocktail sauce or squirt of lemon juice, tobasco, etc... cuz they were so naturally sweet... i think I prefer steamed -- put a little water just to cover the bottom of the pot, not too much - and steam away!

Went to a classic car show Sunday - enjoyed seeing all the oldie/moldie cars that were BRAND new when I was young!! ha!ha! those days I thought they were just OLD, yuk... I want a new one I used to say - now they "classics" not old... and just beautiful to look at!

Lynn - enjoy your cruise!

Cruisercl - glad you had a nice birthday -

Hello to everyone - Corkey Carol

[ILoveScotland]

Thanks Carol. The seafood guy said on Saturday that oysters will be coming in sometime in September.

I love raw oysters on the half shell but have decided not to eat them raw any more after a woman who's part of the "Presidential Suite Women" is a widow because her husband ate raw oysters, got sick and died within days. I've always seen those warnings but ignored them. I won't anymore.

Carol, sounds like you had a great weekend. I love classic cars, too.

Hope everyone else is doing well tonight.

Beth

[cctn]

Thanks Carol. The seafood guy said on Saturday that oysters will be coming in sometime in September.

 

I love raw oysters on the half shell but have decided not to eat them raw any more after a woman who's part of the "Presidential Suite Women" is a widow because her husband ate raw oysters, got sick and died within days. I've always seen those warnings but ignored them. I won't anymore.

 

Carol, sounds like you had a great weekend. I love classic cars, too.

 

Hope everyone else is doing well tonight.

 

Beth

I see the raw oysters all the time especially at the seafood buffets but Narce always tells me NOT to eat them - I also love the mussels that they serve, which I know are not raw -

Since there was an oyster scare at the bay weeks ago and the farm we usually go to was closed down cuz of a health warning, 3 people got food poisoning from their batch of oysters, we went to a different oyster farm - they reassured us that all their oysters were just fine - guess so, none of us got sick - !!

Narce says from now on he will steam the oysters, he likes it better than grilled, I am fine either way.

I had a 1970 Cougar that my Dad bought me brand new -- wish I still had it - had it for 8 yrs than we replaced it with a 1978 Cougar -- loved those Cougars -- now I have a conservative but reliable Nissan Altima, very comfy, good on gas - I think 3 yrs old...

just got back from eating out - Mexican food - my favorite kind of food - I always order their super burrito and will have the other half for my lunch tomorrow -

I hope Lynn is having a good time on her cruise - Everyone else, Wed tomorrow - half of the week is done!!

Corkey Carol

[ILoveScotland]

The oysters I buy next month will be straight from the ocean, and I'll definitely steam them.

I love mussels, too. I steam them with a little onion and white wine in the water. Might try that with the oysters, too.

Beth

[cctn]

i love mussels too - Narce fixed them for me steamed also - white wine, garlic, a little bit of ginger (not much) and black pepper - the onion sounds good too - you don't have to put the ginger cuz I didn't taste it when he did it for me.

carol

[drewlin]

Would just like to hi and say how much I have enjoyed reading this thread. I hope you don't mind a Brit joining in although I'm not sure how much (if anything) I can contribute. I'm Linda (English and 63) and my hubby Drew (Scottish and 56) so if you want to know about UK ask away. We love cruising ever since our first for our honeymoon back in 2005 and try to cruise every year, finances permitting, (how we envy US cruise prices). Our next cruise which is also the longest is a TA to Caribbean and back so no flying and we can't wait.

[Cruisercl]

Good morning All!

 

I am just getting back to my 'normal' after my birthday weekend; I have the last of the celebrations tonight at dinner. I have been very busy!

 

Hope everyone is well. Have a good 'hump' day! :D

[cctn]

Would just like to hi and say how much I have enjoyed reading this thread. I hope you don't mind a Brit joining in although I'm not sure how much (if anything) I can contribute. I'm Linda (English and 63) and my hubby Drew (Scottish and 56) so if you want to know about UK ask away. We love cruising ever since our first for our honeymoon back in 2005 and try to cruise every year, finances permitting, (how we envy US cruise prices). Our next cruise which is also the longest is a TA to Caribbean and back so no flying and we can't wait.

 

 

Welcome to our little group here - glad you found us and are 'talking' to us ... What cruiseline will you be taking for the roundtrip TA ? how many days ? I am Carol (Corkey is my 'cruise' name!! ha!ha!) and hubby is Narce - both from California and married for 36-1/2 yrs - oh! that reminds me, I'd better do a little chart for birthdays and anniversaries cuz I love greeting everyone on their special days -

Hope you come in and chat with us OFTEN!

Corkey Carol

[cctn]

Good morning All!

 

I am just getting back to my 'normal' after my birthday weekend; I have the last of the celebrations tonight at dinner. I have been very busy!

 

Hope everyone is well. Have a good 'hump' day! :D

 

 

Sounds like the birthday gal is having a super great celebration - you deserve it!!

The days seem to fly by quickly = they didn't when I was working!! ha!ha! Corkey Carol

[ILoveScotland]

Hi Drewlin. Glad you found us.

I'm Beth newly retired and now living about 20 miles from the North Carolina coast - lived in the North Carolina mountains until June. Widowed over a year but had lived alone between marriages so not a big issue for me.

I think B2B transatlantics sounds absolutely wonderful. I have a UK friend in Blackpool (only met here on CC) who doesn't fly, and that's what she and her husband do when they come to the US.

[Cruisercl]

Sounds like the birthday gal is having a super great celebration - you deserve it!!

 

The days seem to fly by quickly = they didn't when I was working!! ha!ha! Corkey Carol

 

Now that I am '55' I am an official member of this fun group. I did have a 'super great celebration' of my b-day! Thanks Corkey-I think we all deserve 'super great celebrations'.

Hi Drewlin-welcome-I think your B2B cruises sound awesome. Someday......

We had Asian fusion cooking for dinner last evening;it was great!

Have a great day everyone; hot here today.

:)

[drewlin]

Hi thank you for the warm welcome. Our return cruise from Southampton is on P&O Aurora for 22 nights calling at Ponta Delgada, Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, Tortola, Barbados and Madeira. I'm so glad it's from Southampton as there are 6 formal, 6 semi-formal and 10 casual nights so I need lots of dresses and, therefore, at least 2 suitcases for all my stuff!

On reading this thread, I also envy all the senior discounts that you receive from the various stores and restaurants. Very few places here give a senior discount or offer a senior menu and even if they do, it is usually from 65+ and not 55. I quite like using American TA as I can get 55+ discount on some cruises although I am restricted to a limited number of cruise lines. But must admit here in UK this year there has been some great last minute bargains in the Mediterrean. It must be great to be in striking distance of Florida as our airfares across the Atlantic are getting quite prohibitive now. We have in the past flown to Florida, had a week with Disney and then driven down to Miami or Fort Lauderdale and taken a cruise before returning to Orlando and then home but I think that those days are over due to the price of the airfares.

[SOMBRERO6]

Drewlin, you are so right about airfares. We are paying more for our airfare to San Juan than airfare for any cruise we have ever taken....including Alaska! But, it's the only way to get from point A to Point B for us......unless they come up with a cruise for us to sail the Great Lakes....we are just a few miles from Lake Erie. It's so nice to read this board to see what everyone is doing!

[cctn]

Because of the airfares, we no longer take 7 day cruises, must be longer to justify what we pay for our plane ride... or we stay longer and do pre or post cruise land trips...

Linda - notice one of your ports is Madeira - loved that island - I hope we can return one day - Beth of ILoveScotland and I were both there at the same time during our mutual TA cruise- except she was able to ride the man-drawn ??? sleigh? forgot what they are called... and we didn't want to wait in line for almost 3 hrs - we did the sky lift and enjoyed the view - sounds like you will have a great TA... Corkey Carol

[ILoveScotland]

Well, no cruising for another couple of months, but I did see the ocean today. I drove over to the beach, had lunch at a local restaurant and then sat on the beach in my new chair with a built in awning. I read for a while, and I walked in the surf a while. I did a lot of looking out to sea. Then I drove home - a 45 minute drive. Public schools have started so the beach had very few people which was wonderful. I need to do this again soon.

Drewlin - I didn't realize when you first posted that you meant the entire cruise was round trip. I thought you were going to cruise over here, stay a few days and then take another cruise home. I love the idea of a RT.

Beth

[cctn]

Well, no cruising for another couple of months, but I did see the ocean today. I drove over to the beach, had lunch at a local restaurant and then sat on the beach in my new chair with a built in awning. I read for a while, and I walked in the surf a while. I did a lot of looking out to sea. Then I drove home - a 45 minute drive. Public schools have started so the beach had very few people which was wonderful. I need to do this again soon.

 

Drewlin - I didn't realize when you first posted that you meant the entire cruise was round trip. I thought you were going to cruise over here, stay a few days and then take another cruise home. I love the idea of a RT.

 

Beth

 

You day at the beach sounds so peaceful and relaxing - I have issues doing things like that alone - I don't know why - Narce encourages me to go to the movies alone or to a restaurant - something I need to work on - it doesn't help that most of my friends have that same problem - some live alone cuz of being widowed or divorced, but they have to be with friends with they go on vacation or just going out locally.

However, I have no problems going to the Mall to shop all by myself! I can spend $$ all by myself without any problems!! corkey Carol

[cctn]

Now that I am '55' I am an official member of this fun group. I did have a 'super great celebration' of my b-day! Thanks Corkey-I think we all deserve 'super great celebrations'.

Hi Drewlin-welcome-I think your B2B cruises sound awesome. Someday......

We had Asian fusion cooking for dinner last evening;it was great!

Have a great day everyone; hot here today.

:)

 

 

Asian fusion sounds good - there I go, thinking about FOOD again!!

carol

[ILoveScotland]

You day at the beach sounds so peaceful and relaxing - I have issues doing things like that alone - I don't know why - Narce encourages me to go to the movies alone or to a restaurant - something I need to work on - it doesn't help that most of my friends have that same problem - some live alone cuz of being widowed or divorced, but they have to be with friends with they go on vacation or just going out locally.

However, I have no problems going to the Mall to shop all by myself! I can spend $$ all by myself without any problems!! corkey Carol

 

Carol, until Harry's health started declining I had trouble doing things like this alone. Like you, I could shop alone and even go to a movie alone, but that was about it. But, when he had long hospital or nursing home stays I decided that if I was going to do some of the things I enjoy I'd have to go by myself. I'd still prefer to have someone with me, but I still enjoy it all even by myself.

I download books on my Android smart phone which makes it easy to read when I'm alone. I have a tablet, but I can hold the phone in one hand and set the font size to whatever I need.

Beth

[cctn]

Little by little I work on my 'issue' altho' I think if I have to, I can - I travelled only three times by myself only to go to my destination and then have relatives meet me - two yrs ago I flew to Hawaii alone to stay with my GodDaughter for 3 days before Narce flew over to meet me - hate it, but I did it ... had the airport shuttle pick me up from my house to SF - but as far as flying somewhere, renting a car, staying at a hotel alone, well, never -- and if I were to go on a cruise alone, I need to be with others whom I know so that I am not totally Solo and then have to meet and make friends onboard -

I love my Kindle also and can't believe I have all those books downloaded... not pile and piles of books like I used to have!

will be gone for 4 days - be back Tues - will be with relatives for this long weekend - Narce will be camping/fishing with his brother/nephew/friends - he'll drive me there, dump me and then pick me up!!

Have a good weekend my friends on this thread - can't wait to hear about lynn's cruise on the Allure!

carol