Island to Alaska with Pictures (part 2)

[camperhawk]

Goiing with I-Pod here!

[margord]

How about a Blackberry device? I can't believe we have been reading this post for a full year. You really have some loyal fans.

 

Marilee

[Mrs. cworld]

Dearest wife, love of my life, cream in my coffee, and all of the other usless sayings, I'm sorry to say this, but you are wrong. Yes, I know it's shocking and it doesn't happen very often (maybe never) but this time you are wrong, wrong wrong.

 

 

But we DID run into them in the dining room on the 2nd formal night. It was her birthday and she had on her new birthday jewelry and a blue/black dress and they stopped by our table to say hello!!!!! :p Which was was earlier than seeing them at the show--which you still haven't told our dear readers about.

[cworld]

DW, while you may not have been wrong on all counts, you were still wrong. And about the jewelry, I didn't remember Mrs. New Jersey having any new jewelry. If you say so you're probably right. Girls tend to notice those kind of things where guys don't.

 

Noticing jewelry isn't a guy thing. It’s kinda like the story our son was telling about his music teacher getting an engagement ring. None of the boys noticed anything, but as soon as a couple of girls show up, the very first thing they notice, and start screaming about, is that the music teacher has an engagement ring on. The boys don’t care, but the girls go nuts.

 

Jewelry is just not that important to us guys, sorry girls, we don’t really notice. I’m sorry if I disappoint you dearest wife, but it’s the naked unvarnished truth. You could be standing in the hall wearing nothing but a million dollar necklace and I wouldn’t notice the necklace. And I’d venture to guess that most guys put in a similar situation wouldn’t notice the necklace either. It’s just not our nature. The point to all of this is that if you say Mrs. New Jersey had some new jewelry, I’ll take your word for it. But I don’t remember.

 

I can just hear all of you ladies out there saying “MEN”. Yep, that’s us. Can’t live with us, can’t live without us. But at least we provide some comic relief.

 

And for all of you guessing "It" things, all of those items, PDA, iPod, Blackberry, etc. could be purchased on Ebay, so nope, wrong again.

[Joy2Day]

Let's go for 'Browse the Internet"

[cworld]

Tonight’s show was titled simply, Piano Man. (Sing us a song you’re the piano man, sing us a song tonight. Well we all in the mood...) On paper, it looked good. How can you go wrong with the sounds of Elton, Billy, and others?

 

We talked to Mr. and Mrs. New Jersey and sipped (really I slogged mine down and had to go for another) our Cokes until it was time for the show to start. While we were waiting the theater filled up. Every couple, every waiter, every person that came in to that theater stopped by our row and looked at me contemptuously, because I dared come to the after formal dinner show with my jeans on. (Maybe not everybody, and maybe it was just my imagination, or maybe I’m making the whole thing up because I felt a little guilty about wearing jeans.) Finally the lights dimmed and the music started. I felt better.

 

This show had a lot of potential, but (aught-oh, how many times have you heard that, “Yes, Mr. C we think you have a lot of potential, but...” you know what’s coming next, don’t you, well I’m not going to disappoint) from what I remember the Piano Man was just pretty average. The singing was good in spots, but when the girl with the weaker voice came out to do Philadelphia Freedom, I tuned out. The show is called Piano MAN. Not Piano girl or Piano lady, it’s Piano Man. I know I sound a little sexist, and I’m feeling a little that way tonight, but there some music is gender specific. I don’t know, what more to say. For me, it didn’t work. I thought the guys did pretty good, and the girls sang OK, but it didn’t seem right.

 

Rating for Piano Man – C, not very good.

 

After the show, Mr. and Mrs. New Jersey had to run off, they were going to Champagne Waterfall Party. She was determined help pour the first bottle. We weren’t real interested, and headed off to the casino, again. Mrs. C got her nickels, and so did I and off to the slot machines we went. This could get addictive.

 

We got through at the casino around 11:00 and saw the champagne glass waterfall in the main atrium and wondered if Mrs. New Jersey got her wish. The pouring was scheduled for 11:15. People were handing out streamers and we decided it might be fun to watch. We ran into Mr. New Jersey and he told us that yes, Mrs. New Jersey was going to pour the first bottle. So we went up to the top deck to watch. We looked down as Mrs. New Jersey poured champagne over the glasses. At the appropriate time we threw our streamers, which got caught in the netting they had over the champagne glasses. It was funny. Unfortunately I didn’t have the wonder camera to take pictures. Sorry. Wasn’t planning on being there. It was kinda fun just watching, but probably would have skipped it if we hadn’t have run into Mr. New Jersey.

 

And the evening and the morning was the sixth day. I wonder if Carl is going to rest on the seventh day?

[cworld]

PS. Joy, you're getting warmer, but no it wasn't Browse the Internet.

[JanaJohn]

Could "IT" possible be looking up the weather forecast back home via the Internet? :confused:

[margord]

Gee, running out of guesses for "it."

[Sea Fan]

Okay Carl, enough resting! Back away from the Baseball and talk to us.:D

 

Dianne

[cworld]

Sorry for the delay, but the Old Men Slow Speed Grass Hockey Championships are here in Edmond this week, and I had tickets for yesterday. I love slow speed grass hockey and really enjoyed seeing all my favorites of years past.

 

One last clue on the "IT" thing, if no one gets it after this, I'll declare a mistrial and post the results.

 

New Clue: "It" is like Underdog, "it's" here, "it's" there, "it's" almost everywhere, but unlike Underdog, you can't see "it".

[cworld]

Beep, beep, beep... Beep, beep, beep... Beep, beep, beep...

 

Somebody shut that thing up. Oh, yeah, that somebody would be me. Hmm why did we set an alarm for today? Oh, yeah we have to go to the disembarkation talk at 9:00. Wouldn’t want to miss that, and besides it’s like 2:00 in the afternoon Oklahoma time, my body says it’s time to get up and enjoy our final (sob) day on the magnificent Island Princess.

 

Did he say FINAL day. Yep, that’s what I said. We’re winding down. All we have to do today is go to breakfast, lunch, dinner, pack, see College Fjord, pack, go to the ice carving show, pack, try to the sushi bar, pack, go to the art auction, pack, go to the casino, pack, go to see Tribute (if they get the stage fixed, Dave the cruise director promised that the show would go on tonight), pack, and anything else we could find to do. All in all looks like another boring sea day on the wondrous Island Princess.

 

We got up, showered, and went to breakfast. Nothing fancy or different for breakfast for me today. For me it was ham and cheese omelet, bacon, maybe a little potato thingy, french toast, and a slab of pineapple, which was very good today. Same old dull boring thing I’d had all week. What can I say, I’m a boring guy. If I remember correctly Mrs. C was a little more adventurous picking breakfast, but I don’t remember what she had, except there was a lot of different cheeses involved.

 

After breakfast we went back to the cabin and prepared for the disembarkation talk. I packed the hidden recorders, and put the hidden camera into Mrs. C’s lapel pin. We (really it was just me) wanted to make sure we/I had the exact words of this historic occasion recorded for posterity.

 

I don’t know why, but we both had an absolute yearning (it was calling to us, Mr. and Mrs. C, come see us... Mr. and Mrs. C...) to go to the disembarkation talk We couldn’t wait. I sat on the bed and counted down the minutes until it was time to go. 10 minutes until Wapn... no that’s 10 minutes until disembarkation talk, 9 minutes until Wapn... you get the picture. My reason for being so drawn to the disembarkation talk may have stemmed from the idea that the same officer that gave the in case of rapid unscheduled disembarkation the first day of the cruise might give the disembarkation talk. It made sense in my little messed up mind. I’m not sure what Mrs. C’s motive was. (Probably to make sure I didn’t have us show up somewhere an hour late. I don’t know where she gets these silly ideas. I’m always on time. Usually. There was only that one time when...)

[Mrs. cworld]

By the way, I didn't go to the disembarkation talk. I don't remember what i did but I didn't go. Maybe I started packing?????

[margord]

Oh my, I can't believe we are actually up to the last day. What will I do to kill time when you are finally finished?

 

Marilee

[cworld]

Yeah, dear I remember now, you were packing and I went to the disembarkation talk alone. Yeah...

 

And Marliee I'm working hard to figure out something that will take the place of this little amusement. I hope when and if I ever finish this I'll have the new project ready to roll out. It's starting to take shape, but there are still a lot of rough edges.

[cworld]

After I counted (you know the game you play with kids, count to some great big number and then it will be time to go. Sometimes Mrs. C has to play that game with me. I guess I can get a little annoying) to a million or something like that it was time to go. Oh, yeah, I didn’t tell you where we were going, in case you can’t look up at the previous post and see (especially you people in Arkansas) I (just me and not Mrs. C) was going to the disembarkation talk. I still had the image of that... (better stop right there or I might get in bigger trouble that I already am) Note to self. In the future, keep your little internet doodling hidden from... (there I go again... I better just stop right there. I haven’t had to sleep on the couch over the last year and I’d like to keep it that way.)

 

My favorite Meatloaf song just jumped into my head. Stop right there, before you go any further do you love me, will you never leave me, do you love me... (Sing along with me...) Will you love me ‘till the end of time? Let me sleep on it, baby, baby let me sleep on it... They just don’t make music like that these days.

[Shirleya53]

Since you started posting, Carl, I have been on my Princess Alaska Cruise and just got back from an Eastern Mediterranean cruise. I may still be reading this thread when we get back from Italy next year.:D

[camperhawk]

Carl and Mrs. C...Just finished watching the travel channel repeat show on the Radiance to Alaska. Good show...but... not even close to be as entertaining as this thread has been!!:D :D

[camperhawk]

Oh and I forgot, still thinking about "IT".....a real stumper.. it better be good!

[Sandi in Seattle]

Is "IT" fresh air?

[margord]

What will we do with ourselves shen you finish this review?

 

Marilee

[marcruiser]

I started reading this last spring before we took our Alaska Cruise. Decided I would stop so things would be a surprise when we got there and then I could read this to reminisce. We left for our cruise in July of 2005...I have been putting all these together to read together. So far it's outgrown a manila envelope and is on it's way to outgrowing the ziploc I put them in. I can't tell you how much I want to read them, but I've waited this long, I guess I can wait till you get home (the end of this story, but who knows what the future will bring from you) Do we all get autographed copies of your first publication?

 

By the way is IT the wonderful feeling you get being on an Alaskan Cruise?

[cworld]

Shirley, congratulations, will you adopt me?

 

Camperhawk, Hmm... better be good huh... not promising anything. And thanks.

 

Sandi, no not "fresh air", but you are as close as anyone has been. Thanks for playing.

 

Marilee, don't know, but I'll try to help.

 

marcruiser, I hope to end this by the end of the summer. And yes, I'll be happy to autograph anything that actually gets published (like that will ever happen). As to the future, stay tuned.

[cworld]

...and so I’m praying for the end of time, to hurry up and arrive. Cause if I gotta spend another minute with you...

 

No dear, that wasn’t about you. I was still singing that wonderful Meatloaf song. You know the one with the baseball game in the middle. Yeah, that’s the one.

 

Sorry for the delay folks. Little humor there. I thought if I stopped in the middle you might get a kick out of it. What? Nobody noticed? Sorry.

 

OK, then I’ll get going again.

 

The disembarkation talk was being presented in the Universal Theater which was just outside our cabin, down one flight of stairs. How are they gonna pack everyone on the ship in to the Universal Theater? It only seats about 500 and there’s gotta be at least 2,000 passengers on this ship. Are they gonna have 4 showings or something? Whatever. I was going to be there. I left the cabin at about 15 till 9 in the blessed am, and proceeded down the stairs. I arrived in the Universal Theater and pretty much had my pick of chairs, except for the first row. It was already pretty full. I plopped down on a chair near the back. I decided I wouldn’t make my intentions so obvious by sitting down front like we had for the unscheduled rapid disembarkation talk. People might get the wrong idea. It was a good thing I brought the wonder camera with the long lens.

 

It had been over 30 minutes since breakfast and I needed a drink. Not knowing how long this disembarkation talk would last, I had brought my Coke decanter and I took it to the nearest bar to get it filled. Do you know how hard it can be to find a bar open at 9:00 am? When I got back it was 9:00 and there were about 50 people in the Universal Theater. As I walked in Dave, the cruise director guy, got up and start talking, and kept talking and talking... My heart sank. My hopes were dashed. I had so wanted to see the officer with that wonderful accent that gave the unscheduled rapid disembarkation talk again that, well it was all I could do to stay awake whilst Dave, the cruise director guy, droned on about the particulars of disembarkation.

 

Tags on suitcases, in the hall by 8:00, wait in common areas starting at 6:00 am........

[JanaJohn]

Sorry for the delay folks. Little humor there. I thought if I stopped in the middle you might get a kick out of it. What? Nobody noticed? Sorry.

Carl,

 

It's not that we didn't notice your absence. It's just that you've been an excellent instructor and at this point in your story we've learned a lot of Patience!