Rolll Call -- Norwegian Dawn 11/20/05

[Dodsworth]

My bf and I are going on our first cruise together (and my first ever). Any tips or suggestions? Anyone else going? Thanks. :)

[Dodsworth]

I'm in my 30s, my bf is in his 40s. In July we will have been together for 15 years. I work for a newspaper (on the business side) and my bf is a journalist (for another paper). We love to travel. This year we've been to Argetntina and Uruguay in the spring (their fall) and over the last Christmas/New Year's holdiays we went to Austria, Hungary and Poland. We've never been on a cruise together, in fact my bf went on his first cruise (Celebrity out of NYC to Bermuda) with friends (alas, I couldn't take the time off work) Oct 2004. He liked it so much we decided to give it a try. I hope to meet some interesting people on board.

 

Thanks.

[Dodsworth]

Looks like Wilma was following the same path are cruise will take. Fortuantely, aside from Cozumel, it seems to have spared most of our ports of call.

 

Have any of you cruised through really rough weather? What was it like?

[Dodsworth]

Just moving this to the top.

 

Have any of you seen the movie Dodsworth? It's a great 1936 film with Mary Astor, Ruth Chatterton and Walther Huston. It was based on the Sinclair Lewis novel. I love classic films that involve ocean voyages. 1932's One Way Passage with Kay Francis is a good one, too.

 

Please feel free to add any thoughts you have on this subject. :)

[Nyx]

Hi,

 

My partner and I will be on this sailing as well. I look forward to a relaxing time at sea!

 

On the whole, I enjoy sea days more than the time spent in port so any itinerary change due to hurricane damage to Cozumel will not disappoint me too much.

[Dodsworth]

I hope will get a chance to meet up on board. The past few months have at work have been busy and I too am looking forward to simply relaxing.

 

Attached is a copy of my partner's most recent column. Enjoy.

 

http://www.gaycitynews.com/gcn_443/rediscoveredgeniuses.html

[Dodsworth]

http://gaycitynews.com/gcn_444/pioneeringwomen.html

[Nyx]

Thanks, we've been enjoying the articles. My partner is quite the music fan, especially opera.

 

We hope to meet up with you onboard as well. Only two more weeks…

 

Dale and Eric

[Nyx]

Well… today I completed one more step in preparation of our cruise. I called NCL’s Passenger Courtesy Department to order bar setup for our cabin. It is nice to have a drink in the cabin sometimes. As you might know, NCL doesn’t “allow” you to bring your own liquor onboard the ship. But at least you can order bottles of liquor in advance of your cruise by calling this department and it will be delivered to your cabin and waiting for you. I don’t think this service is available once you are aboard ship.

[Dodsworth]

Thanks for the tip. I'll do that. We're in 8139. Hope to see you there.

 

Edward and David

[Nyx]

Here are the prices that I was given over the phone for the Scotch and Vodka they currently carry. Of course they carry other types of liquor but these are the only two types we want to keep on hand in our cabin. I believe they come in liter size bottles. There is a $3 per order (not per bottle) service charge. I was told the total charge for the order will hit my credit card a couple days before our departure date.

 

NCL Passenger Courtesy Department phone number: 1-866-625-1159

 

Scotch

 

$55 - Johnnie Walker Black

$55 - Glenfiddich

$55 - Chivas Regal

$55 - Glenlivet Single Malt

 

$40 - Johnnie Walker Red

$40 - Dewars White Label

$40 - J&B Rare

$40 - Cutty Sark

 

Vodka

 

$55 - Stolichnaya

 

$40 - Smirnoff

$40 - Finlandia

$40 - Absolut

[Nyx]

Thanks for the tip. I'll do that. We're in 8139. Hope to see you there.

 

Edward and David

 

 

Eric and I will also be toward the back of the ship only 2 decks away. Our cabin is 10706. We hope to see you as well.

 

Dale

[Nyx]

I wonder if there will be FOD meetings?

[dantobey]

My partner Peter and I along with three friends will be on this saling. We sailed on the Dawn three years ago when she was brand new. We should plan to all meet.

[Nyx]

My partner Peter and I along with three friends will be on this saling. We sailed on the Dawn three years ago when she was brand new. We should plan to all meet.

 

I agree, we should meet up onboard.

 

I see you are from Philadelphia. My partner and I lived in Center City Philly for 9 years before moving up here to Jersey City 18 months ago. How is Philly doing these days?

[Dodsworth]

I wonder if there will be FOD meetings?

 

David is writing about the trip for his paper. He's going to ask the press office about FODs today. I'll keep you posted. It is nice that so many of us are going. On other threads I've read about cruises that had FODs but no one showed up.

 

http://www.gaycitynews.com/gcn_445/dotheyenjoybeing.html

[Nyx]

.....On other threads I've read about cruises that had FODs but no one showed up.

 

http://www.gaycitynews.com/gcn_445/dotheyenjoybeing.html

 

I have read that as well. On some curises the “Friends of Dorothy” meetings are sparsely attended while on others they are well attended. We were on the QM2 last December and the two FOD get-togethers we attended drew an attendance of about 12-14 people each.

[Dodsworth]

Oops.

 

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

 

Looks like another storm's on the way. Fortuantely it looks as though it should be gone by the time we make it down. Have any of you ever travelled on the Dawn before?

[Nyx]

....Have any of you ever travelled on the Dawn before?

 

Even though this is our first time on NCL’s Dawn we have cruised on a similar ship (the Norwegian Star) on a Hawaiian cruise.

 

This will be our 5th cruise, 3 times on Cunard, and now this will be our 2nd time with Norwegian. These two cruise lines undeniably differ in the type of clientele they tend to attract to their ships. As an example, on Cunard a tuxedo is “a must” for formal nights while on our Norwegian cruise I would have felt out-of-place if I wore a tux. So….on this trip no tuxedo will be packed but I guess Eric will make me bring along a dark suit for the dresser occasions. :cool:

[Dodsworth]

It's getting close now and I can't wait. I've been very busy and work and so am looking forward to doing nothing. David has been dashing about Manhattan so he'll have enough for two columns before he leaves. We've been to the movie Rent, Brokeback Mountain, saw Michelle Lee in a cabaret performance and are seeing Woman in White. What time do you usually board? I want to get there early and start exploring the ship (even if it is still in port). What are your thoughts?

[Nyx]

....We've been to the movie Rent, Brokeback Mountain, saw Michelle Lee in a cabaret performance and are seeing Woman in White. What time do you usually board? I want to get there early and start exploring the ship....

 

Being a fan of Jake Gyllenhaal I’m curious what your opinion of Brokeback Mountain is, as well as, how well the transition of Rent from stage to screen went.

 

But anyway…on to more time relevant matters… We plan on arriving at the dock around 1:00 PM. I too like to wander about the ship and check it out before we sail. This way I am settled in and ready to begin my vacation before we set sail.

[Dodsworth]

I didn't see Brokeback Mountain but I know David didn't care for it. We're looking forward to meeting you soon. Here is his last column before the big day:

 

http://gaycitynews.com/gcn_446/amythicmanhattan.html

[Nyx]

Well, I finished packing last night. Usually I’m a last minute packer but we have a busy day ahead of us today and also tomorrow morning. We are going to a matinee of Sweeney Todd this afternoon then it is off to dinner with friends this evening.

 

Switching topics… I hope Gamma doesn’t cause us any problems.

 

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

 

[Dodsworth]

Oh dear. That doesn't look good. Enjoy Sweeny Todd. I'm off to do some last minute errands and then we are seeing Woman in White tonight.

[Nyx]

Our ship is in, see you on board!