Pam and Rex Our First Retirement Cruise 10-20-12 thru 10-31-12

[Mom33]

When do you get back to NY? Sandy is scheduled to be a problem along the Florida coast between Friday and Saturday. It could be a problem for the NE by Sunday and Monday.

 

By the way, I needed a good laugh today and you delivered! Your posts are very humorous.

[caribill]

Please post what you have heard about the storm. I don't know anything about it. If I have to go back to Halifax, I'll spend more time in the brewery. :D

 

Sandy info may be found at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at3+shtml/204249.shtml?5-daynl#contents

[TracieABD]

Thank you, Pam, for more entertainment!

 

Loving your posts!:)

[TrnrMom]

Please post what you have heard about the storm. I don't know anything about it. If I have to go back to Halifax, I'll spend more time in the brewery. :D

 

Hi... Sandy is a Category 2 hurricane and is hammering Jamaica &Cuba this AM. Florida is on storm watch. Bermuda will be affecte d Saturday & Sunday. Forecast for Monday is 80 degrees, but with 70% chance of rain, & 30 mph winds, so not looking good for docking there.

 

Bigger question is whether Sandy will go out to sea or hit NE hard as a Nor'easter around when we're due to dock.

 

That's all we have so far. Still doesn't help with the packing....heavy duty rain gear weighs a lot!

 

Glad this segment is going well for you!

[pamwinn]

Saint John NB October 23, 2012

 

With great sadness I realized I apparently left my green notebook in the Halifax rental car. The green notebook that had all the contact info for all the tours/rentals/must-dos for all the ports, and the twenty pages of notes I took on the NYC tour. I can’t believe it. There is no way I can recall all that stuff. I have enough email on my computer to reconstruct my list of tours and guides, but I can’t reconstruct the rest. The only solution to this is to do it all over again. Oh well…I suppose I’ll survive that.

 

It was a chilly day but the skies were clear and bright. Upon getting off the ship around 8:30 AM, I called Enterprise to pick us up for our reserved car rental and within 10 minutes they arrived in a somewhat gritty Dodge van. It looked like a gaggle of motherless teenagers had used it for a week at the beach...a muddy beach. While on the way to the rental office I was hoping our reserved SUV would not be so disheveled. I don’t know why folks who rent cars have to make such an arduous task of actually renting a car. It ranks somewhere around 99.7 percentile on the ‘Things Similar to Closing on a House” scale.

 

There are 257 inquiries on the contract that necessitate a signature to indicate agreement or disagreement with such items as their munificent offer to fill the tank after turn-in for a mere $9.35 per cubic millimeter or cubic zirconium or something metric. No, I don’t want to purchase five hours of pretend-insurance for $87. Still, we were anxious to start our Saint John’s excellent day and eventually the paper work was complete. However Mr. Enterprise had a somewhat dissimilar plan. First it was, “Your car will be ready in a few minutes. We had to replace two tires.” Ten minutes later it was, “Your car will be ready in ten minutes. We had to adjust the brakes.” Then, “Your car will be ready in a few minutes, we had to ___________.” You can fill in the blank. “By the way, would you consider accepting an alternative vehicle? The SUV is broken.”

 

While waiting we noticed the Teen-mobile continued to actively schlep car renters to and fro and wondered why most seemed to mindlessly agree to all 257 inquiries on the contract. After more than an hour of this waiting-frustration, the nice man walked over to tell us that our car was ready and would be pulling up in about 15 seconds. Well guess what? Right! It was the Teen-mud-mobile only dripping with muddy water after a real quick attempt to make it look clean.

 

Okay. It’s later in the day than we planned. But, it’s our vacation. Vacations are happy things. Therefore, let’s be happy and head for the sights. So, the four of us loaded ourselves in the Wet-Teen-Mud-Mobile, Rex adjusted the mirrors, started the engine, and said, “Hold on y’all, I’ll be right back.” He got out, went into the rental office and quickly returned. He buckled up, put ‘er in D, and although it was almost 10:00 AM, our day had indeed begun. We first headed to Reverse Falls and on the way I asked Rex what he had said to the nice man at the car place and he said that he just told him that he was not pleased with the Enterprise Car Rental Agency of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, and suggested that he might want to come up with a plan to fix that upon our return…even if he had to use the metric system. I said, “Smells like teen spirit.”

 

Reversing Falls, less than a mile from downtown Saint John, is created by the confluence of the St. John River and the tidewaters of the Bay of Fundy. It’s a head-on collision that takes place between one of Canada’s biggest rivers and the world’s highest and most powerful tides. At high tide, waves and rapids as big as a house roar through the forge. At slack tide, for 30 minutes or so every six hours, the current is calm and tranquil. One hundred billion tons of water pours into the Bay of Fundy from the Atlantic every 12 hours, and in a 24-hour period, an amount equal in volume to all the water that flows in every river on Earth. This is a pretty big deal place where nature commands complete respect.

 

We drove to Fallsview Park, high above the action, where the view is not only beautiful it’s also interesting and intriguing. We discovered that the Teen-Mobile’s reverse gear, unlike the tide, is not so reliable and parking would have to be done accordingly which of course was not interesting and intriguing. But, being ever-resolute souls, we are committed to enjoying the day! Leaving the park, we found a giant mud puddle and drove right through it…unavoidable really.

 

St. Martins is a small very pretty village nestled up against the Bay of Fundy (small villages tend to nestle, especially if they’re pretty) located an hour’s drive from Saint John. We dawdled along the way and enjoyed the scenery. We missed peak leaf season by only a few days according to the locals. The caves, the covered bridges, a dozen or so old boats, and the houses are straight from central casting. We stayed about an hour, stopped by a little roadside shack and enjoyed a lobster roll and mug of clam chowder. While we waited for our order the nice man brought out a huge basket of piping hot freshly fried real French fries that we devoured.

 

We headed back to Saint John, parked downtown, and made a quick walk through City Market which is a place for locals to market their produce, prepared food, gadgets, handicrafts, and what-have-you. The building is beautiful and Rex always enjoys even a quick stop to admire the open timber frame construction.

It was time to return the Teen-Stink-Mobile. After parking the car at the rental place Rex walked into the office with the key and was greeted at the door by Mr. Enterprise who quickly announced that due to the issues that morning there would be no charge for the rental! Rex thanked him for the kind gesture and told him that we would indeed remain customers of the Enterprise Car Rental Agency of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada!

 

Back at the ship, the four of us laughed our way through a decidedly decadent repast that included a slice or two of pizza, and desert. Then we strolled though the atrium and laughed at our posed-with-the-stuffed-Mountie-pictures. I’ve never heard Mom and AF laugh more. We all declared the day a raging success, parted with I-love-you’s, and headed for our cabin…after stopping for just one more pepperoni lover’s slice (Rex had two…that I know of).

[pamwinn]

If you hear where we are headed on the Bermuda segment to avoid the storm, please let us know. The staff is tight-lipped about it.

[RNGALNG]

I have been reading all the lines about the storm and people who will also be on your 4 day trip. Nothing that I see has come up. With the way the storm seems to be traveling, some think you might just stay docked in NY, might go to Halifax, just have a cruise to nowhere. . .Take your pick!

 

I am enjoying your reports on this leg of your cruise. Love, love, love your sense of humor and your upbeat look at life. Keep on having fun, as I am sure you will do. . .

[TrnrMom]

If you hear where we are headed on the Bermuda segment to avoid the storm, please let us know. The staff is tight-lipped about it.

Hi, Pam,

Go, Enterprise! We've been impressed with the Canadian operations. In Quebec the manager of the airport branch drove us to another location after being given the wrong info, as to there being free pick up.

 

Sent you a PM re what's going on.

[pamwinn]

Hi, Pam,

Go, Enterprise! We've been impressed with the Canadian operations. In Quebec the manager of the airport branch drove us to another location after being given the wrong info, as to there being free pick up.

 

Sent you a PM re what's going on.

 

I don't know how to get a PM:o Yes, Enterprise really came through. They must have been overwhelmed at the last minute. They were very nice.

[pamwinn]

This came in an email and a letter to our cabin:

Dear Passenger,

 

Hurricane Sandy is presently tracking up the Atlantic coast and is projected to continue to impact the entire region over the next few days as it moves northward. If we set course for Bermuda, we would be traveling into the worst of the storm both directions. As your safety and security is our primarily concern, we have made the decision now to cancel our call to Bermuda. Based on weather conditions we will advise you at embarkation if an alternate port to the north can be arranged.

 

We hope this information is helpful as you plan for your cruise. Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to welcoming you onboard Caribbean Princess.

 

Notice: This is an automated email, please do not reply as it is undeliverable.

[sallybrown2012]

Wow, that must be incredibly disappointing. Understandable, of course, but disappointing. I wonder if they will take you to a northern port you have already visited or something different. Does a ship this size ever go to one of the lovely islands (Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard) or maybe Newport?

[Coral]

Caribbean Princess

Voyage B237

4-day cruise

Updated as of October 26, 2012 at 10pm PDT

 

We look forward to welcoming our passengers onboard Saturday. As we previously communicated, we made the decision to cancel our call to Bermuda to avoid the worst of the storm with predicted strong winds and high swells. While we make every effort to sail our itineraries as originally planned, the safety and security of our passengers and crew is our highest priority and this decision, while disappointing, is necessary.

 

We currently expect that we will enjoy a call to Boston, Massachusetts during this cruise. The exact timing of our call will be confirmed once passengers are onboard and is dependent upon weather conditions. The Shore Excursions team will have information on tour descriptions, times, and prices available at the Shore Excursions Desk once the timing of the call is determined.

 

For those who purchased Princess Vacation Protection and would like to review their options, please contact your travel agent or Princess for additional information. We have limited availability on other ships and itineraries.

 

For those passengers who are driving to the pier, we have been advised that the parking area at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is prone to flooding. For our passengers who were planning to drive and park at the pier, it is strongly recommended that instead of parking at the pier you make alternative arrangements.

 

We will continue to provide updates on Princess.com as more information becomes available.

[TrnrMom]

I don't know how to get a PM:o Yes, Enterprise really came through. They must have been overwhelmed at the last minute. They were very nice.

 

Hi,

I sent you a PM by usual email. To do that here, you touch the name of the person, which brings up their info. There's a box or line there that says PM so & so. It shows up next to your name at the upper right.

 

To make a long story short, we canceled and are in Half Moon Bay, home of a local pumpkin festival and will head to wine country next. With the suitcase packed and ready to be put in the car, i was on line with my agent while yelling at my husband to wait. We canceled 2 hours before flyng and then sent the reSt of the evening canceling hotel, car service, etc.

 

We are very bummed not to be meeting you,& the others and taking our tour in Bermuda. We wish you a good trip and safe voyage.

[pamwinn]

Hi,

I sent you a PM by usual email. To do that here, you touch the name of the person, which brings up their info. There's a box or line there that says PM so & so. It shows up next to your name at the upper right.

 

To make a long story short, we canceled and are in Half Moon Bay, home of a local pumpkin festival and will head to wine country next. With the suitcase packed and ready to be put in the car, i was on line with my agent while yelling at my husband to wait. We canceled 2 hours before flyng and then sent the reSt of the evening canceling hotel, car service, etc.

 

We are very bummed not to be meeting you,& the others and taking our tour in Bermuda. We wish you a good trip and safe voyage.

 

LOL....I finally figured out you emailed me. I can receive but not send (unless I go through a long process online). I am sorry we will miss you. We have been told that our stop will be in Boston but not when that will occur.

[caribill]

We have been told that our stop will be in Boston but not when that will occur.

 

If it is Monday, here is the weather forecast:

 

High: 62

Rain. Patchy fog. Rain may be heavy at times. Very windy with highs in the lower 60s. Northeast winds 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 80 percent.

[TrnrMom]

If it is Monday, here is the weather forecast:

 

High: 62

Rain. Patchy fog. Rain may be heavy at times. Very windy with highs in the lower 60s. Northeast winds 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 80 percent.

 

It may be difficult to dock on Wednesday....New Jersey is closing the casinos and New York is considering closing the subways and streets near the cruise docks. You may spend extra time at sea if that is the case.

 

Keeping fingers crossed for a good trip for all of you.

[AmberTeka]

There are a few pictures on the blog. We are having a great time.

 

Yesterday:

 

http://pamwinn.weebly.com/1/post/2012/10/the-big-day-october-20-2012-sail-away.html

 

The Big Day October 20, 2012

 

Finally! That was a long wait. We decided to leave the Hotel around 11:00 AM so we loaded up and made our way to the Shuttle Pick-up point outside. Off we went for the very short drive to the pier. The driver made everyone laugh, some nervously, when instead of slowing down for the delivery truck parked in the middle of the street, he dodged a utility pole and a vehicle parked near it and jumped the curb onto the sidewalk. Aunt Frankie thought he must be from Mississippi, as he drives like most of our relatives, but he didn’t talk like he was from around there.

 

Once at the relatively empty cruise terminal, we made it though check in, all the way to security checkpoint #1 and that’s when the bottom dropped out. It would be very easy for me to make this hilariously funny but it wasn’t…not at all. Mom could not find her passport to make it through the checkpoint. She could not find her credit card or drivers license either. She had a small carry-on, a fanny pack, and her coat. Aunt Frankie and I were already on the other side of the checkpoint waiting. Mom was frantically going through everything over and over. Rex was waiting with her. All except mom remained very calm. I saw how worried and nervous she was becoming. Aunt Frankie went back to help but mom wouldn’t let her. I watched for several more minutes until I had to do something. I went back and grabbed the fanny pack, the carry-on, and the coat and took mom to a chair so she could calm down. I sat her down as I looked through her things and questioned her as to what her passport looked like. What color is your wallet? What items do you have together etc. She has always liked things with numerous (the more the better) pockets, sipped pouches, dividers, and hidden compartments. I looked through all of it and it wasn’t there. “Mom, you are going to have to look in your money-belt.” Mom said, “I can’t do that here.” I said, “Yes, you can. Rex, turn your back and shield mom.” We provided the crowd block (not many people were there anyway) and she removed her money belt. Everything was in it. We were so relieved. I could see mom’s fear and she was about to cry. That would make me cry. I told her that and it worked. She’s a very protective mother so needing to take care of me took care of her.

 

She’s concerned she may have Alzheimer’s disease. She has a very sharp memory… much sharper than mine. I lose my keys and hairbrush every single day because I can’t even remember to put them in the same place. I don’t cry when that happens as I tend more towards multiple expletive rhyming. That way I can giggle. Everything she did that morning was something unfamiliar and I don’t believe it indicates “she’s losing her mind” as she fears. I love my mother.

 

Once on the ship, we checked out our cabins, toured a little, and had lunch in the Horizon court. I don’t know where everyone was, maybe the dining room was packed, but we had free run of the buffet. This cruise has been sold out for sometime but doesn’t look it. I wonder where everyone is. I wanted mom to see the international café since it is opened 24 hours a day and has such interesting fare. She spotted the pastries. She’s been on the Crown Princess but mistakenly thought everything in the atrium was fee based. She had a coconut pie and AF had orange tapioca something. I can’t remember the name of the cartoon dog that would eat something and then make those noises like “yummmmm. Yummmmmmmmmm. Yum, yum, yummmm (at this point he floated in the air).Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.” Anyway, mom was making those noises while eating her coconut pie. At the same time she was eyeing AF’s pudding. So I asked if she would like for me to get pudding for her. She made the cartoon dog yum-sound so I fetched it for her. She ate it. That was one of my happy cruise moments. Mom is tiny, and always has been. She says she weighs 115, but I don’t really believe that. Ninety-nine pounds dripping wet is more like it. So to see her eat that much, right after lunch, and thoroughly enjoy it, does the heart good.

 

The rest of the day is already a blur. The first day really flies. Tomorrow is the cruise critic meet and greet.

 

 

 

WHAT A MOVING POST. My DH is beginning to forget things..as we all do..but his Mom suffered from dementia and had to be institutionalized because she would wonder off when anyone took their eyes off of her for a second...at night..anytime..in her night clothes..So he worries. He is as sharp as a tack..but still agonizes.

Hope you and your Mom have the best time ever. Tell her the warm cookies..the choc. chippers are the BEST.

[Grammyluvs]

I read your blog on your web site and laughed until I cried at the big day at the salon. You have a great gift for writing. I will enjoy following you. Have a great cruise.

[dcruisers]

Enjoying your adventure and appreciate your taking time to post.

I do have one question....which ship are you on? Did I miss the name on your posting?

Sorry if I did.

Thanks and I hope Sandy doesn't impact your trip.

[Coral]

Pam - who is the Captain?

[pamwinn]

I am on the Caribbean Princess. I can see the lights of Boston in the distance as I type this. The Captain is Mariano Manfuso.

 

We are expected to arrive in Boston at 11:30 PM. The TV says we are 8 miles away. So we are moving very slowly. It's warmer outside than it's been all for 7 days. We have no idea how long we are going to be here. No mention of departure from Boston has been made thus far. The weather is in complete control of our path. I have been resisting the urge to book the 10 day repo that follows this leg thus far. However, being trapped in New York without power could cost me a lot more than the repo would…in fact the repo prices are too good to be true. I thought yesterday that the granite countertops won out on that but hey… what good are granite countertops on ugly cabinets. Maybe I should book it. What do you think? The internet connection is too iffy for me to try to post to the blog but I am hoping I can post this tidbit to my cruise critic and Facebook friends. The sky is overcast and dreary, it's windy and misty, and there are many foamy white caps. Every so often the sun breaks through the clouds and that is startlingly beautiful. The ship is rocking a little but if I didn't know differently, I'd never think a hurricane is bearing down on the northeastern coast. I inquired as to how many cancelled this cruise and was told there is no firm # (sure there isn't) but that more plan to disembark in Boston. The ship appears very empty to me. There are no crowds anywhere. To those who only know Rex and I via the internet, rest assured we love this sort of thing. It's a great adventure. Maybe we are foolishly fearless, but we are fearless none the less.

[Coral]

However, being trapped in New York without power could cost me a lot more than the repo would…in fact the repo prices are too good to be true. I thought yesterday that the granite countertops won out on that but hey… what good are granite countertops on ugly cabinets. Maybe I should book it. What do you think? .

 

Thanks Pam. BTW - trip insurance may pay your expenses if delayed in NYC (depending on insurance).

 

Good luck in whatever you decide. If I was retired - I would stay on :) I have been stuck in a NYC hotel during really bad rains and it was incredibly boring. Would rather be on a ship.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Pam, we think a lot alike. In our house, cruising has won out over granite in the kitchen for 10 consecutive years. At the end of the day, the best things in life are the people we love, the places we've seen and the memories we've made along the way. Granite just doesn't make the cut.

 

The whole thing would be a grand adventure to me, as it is to you. Book it and don't look back. Just remember to take your CC friends along for the ride.

[Mom33]

I am on the Caribbean Princess. I can see the lights of Boston in the distance as I type this. The Captain is Mariano Manfuso.

 

We are expected to arrive in Boston at 11:30 PM. The TV says we are 8 miles away. So we are moving very slowly. It's warmer outside than it's been all for 7 days. We have no idea how long we are going to be here. No mention of departure from Boston has been made thus far. The weather is in complete control of our path. I have been resisting the urge to book the 10 day repo that follows this leg thus far. However, being trapped in New York without power could cost me a lot more than the repo would…in fact the repo prices are too good to be true. I thought yesterday that the granite countertops won out on that but hey… what good are granite countertops on ugly cabinets. Maybe I should book it. What do you think? The internet connection is too iffy for me to try to post to the blog but I am hoping I can post this tidbit to my cruise critic and Facebook friends. The sky is overcast and dreary, it's windy and misty, and there are many foamy white caps. Every so often the sun breaks through the clouds and that is startlingly beautiful. The ship is rocking a little but if I didn't know differently, I'd never think a hurricane is bearing down on the northeastern coast. I inquired as to how many cancelled this cruise and was told there is no firm # (sure there isn't) but that more plan to disembark in Boston. The ship appears very empty to me. There are no crowds anywhere. To those who only know Rex and I via the internet, rest assured we love this sort of thing. It's a great adventure. Maybe we are foolishly fearless, but we are fearless none the less.

 

Book it and keep the adventure going!:D

[rdsqrl]

Granite countertops? Feh. Book the cruise!

Thanks for your Live, which I'm enjoying immensely.