Come Join The Valor Voyagers 6/12/05 Western Caribbean

[gabbygirl123]

Hi Marcy,

Right now I go to Everett Community College. It is a bit north of Seattle. I plan on going here to get my associate's degree. After that I will transfer to the University of Washington. They have a RN-BSN program that lasts for 12 months and it is either one or two days a week. I would love to go straight to the university but the community college is so close to my house and has a really good reputation. Plus it's way cheaper. I'm not eligible for financial aid so I'm hopeing that after I finish at Everett I can find an employer who will help out with the cost of getting my Bachelor's degree. I was very excited to get an interview, that is until I got there. They were group interviews with a total of 5 applicants. I have a 3.77 gpa in my pre-reqs. and a 3.5 in my science courses, so in class I'm usually one of the better students. It probably helps that I don't have kids yet. Anyway, when I got to the interview I felt like all of the applicants were the same. I was no longer the best candidate. The questions that they asked were difficult to answer. They were asking questions mostly about different situations,and how you would handle it, easy enough. But then they wanted a specific example of a time that we had been in the given situation and what the outcome was. You then had about one minute to answer. I felt like I did okay, but I don't feel like I said anything stellar. Then we were given a topic that the five of us had to discuss for about 5 minutes. And then our final question we had to give a writen answer. I think I did pretty good one that one. They told us to put ourselves in a situation where we had been working at a grocery store for 5 years and that we knew the place inside and out. A managemnet position became available that we had applied for. We were not given the position, but someone else with much less experience was. All of our co-workers were coming to us complaining about the new manager and how it wasn't fair that you didn't get the job. How would you handle this? I said that first I would let my co-workers know that management has my 100% support on the decision that they made. We all need to come together and welcome the new manager, and that we all need to work together as a team to help the new manager make the transition into their new position. I would also let my co-workers know that even though I didn't get the promotion I know that I am a hard worker, and a valued employee...perhaps I am so valuable in my current position that they would not be able to replace me. We all need to try to be happy with what we have, and not with what we don't. However things work out it is always best in the long run. What do you think? Hopefully since that answer is on paper it will be the one that sticks with them???? I'm guessing that I will know for sure if I got in or not in the next week. The anticipation is driving me crazy!!! Sorry to babble about non-cruise related stuff.

Gabby

[Snowball]

[u]Gabby[/u] - Carnival's site now lets you register your booking on their website even if you are booked with a group, so you can book your excursions online. You just need to register on their site (if you aren't already registered) then add your booking number to your profile on there. In order to be invited to the past guest party, you need to have Kevin add your past guest numbers to your reservation. If you don't know what your number is, he can call Carnival and get it for you.

Are you flying in early for the cruise? If so, where are you staying? I'm staying in Miami Beach the night before and the night after the cruise. It will be my first time spending any real time in Miami (last time it was right from the airport to the ship) and I am really looking forward to exploring the city and visiting South Beach.

[u]Michelle[/u] - TGIF!!! After giving all of those standardized tests this week, you definitely deserve a break.

[u]Connie[/u] - My daytime cruise clothes are pretty casual - shorts and tees/tanks or swimwear, but at night I dress a bit nicer for dinner and into the night, but still try to keep it comfortable. And sometimes we only do one formal night instead of both - not sure what we're doing this time. I usually pack for both then just play it by ear once we're on the ship. I'm just trying to resist the tempation to get a new formal dress, since I usually only wear them once and I have a few from past cruises that I can wear.

What is everyone doing this weekend? I'm going to the mall tomorrow, so I may start my pre-cruise shopping if I see anything I like.

[gabbygirl123]

Hi Debbie~

We aren't flying in the day before. Our flight leaves Seattle at about 10:30 pm, and after one transfer we get into Miami at 8:30 a.m. Hopefully we can get some sleep on the flight. Once we get into Miami we will probably grab a bite to eat, and maybe go to Walgreens for any last minute stuff. This will be our first cruise out of Miami that we didn't fly in the day before. In the past we have stayed at the Doubletree and also the Holiday Inn. The Doubletree was great. It is mostly condos and then there are some rooms that are hotel rooms. On the first floor by the lobby there are a few restaurants, a liquor store, a convenience store and some gift shop like places. They also have a complimentary limo that you can use to go to dinner in. It won't take you to the peir in the morning, but getting a taxi is no problem. They also give you fresh baked chocolate chip cookies when you check-in. The service there was great. I had some bills to send out and needed to buy some stamps. I stops by the concierge sp.? desk to ask where I could buy some, the lady tells me and I say something to my husband about going up to the room to get my debit card. She then pulls a couple of dollars out of her purse and tells us just to leave a couple of dollars for her when we leave in the morning. Unbelievable service!!! Holiday Inn is okay. It does have a very convenient location though. Right across from Bayside. Bayside is a lot of fun too!

Gabby

[Marcys]

Gabby, boy did they put you through the wringer! It sounds like you gave a good answer to that last question. You showed you understand the importance of being a team player and of supporting management decisions. (I teach this stuff in my senior level leadership course). I also teach in the RN-BSN program, which is completely online. When do you find out??

[gabbygirl123]

Marcy~
I'm not sure when I'll find out. Our applications were due on 02/01/05. At theat time they told us that they like to have everything done in a month. The people that got interviews had them on the 14th. I think that there was in between 50 and 80 people getting interviews. They normally take between 32 and 40 into the program each quarter. I was sure that I'd find something out this week, but then I got a call from a friend that ended up finally getting a call for an interview. Her interview is scheduled for the 8th. It sound like they are interviewing about 10 more people. That makes me nervous. These last 10 that got called for interviews either have a "C" in a class or maybe they had to repeat a course. I just don't understand how they couldn't have filled 32-40 spots with the people they already interviewed. I sure hope I don't get a skinny envelope.
Gabby

[Marcys]

Gabby, the waiting is the worst! Maybe you're reading too much into this last group being called. Anyway...I see you sailed on Voyager and Navigator. I've sailed three times on Explorer of the Seas...so I hope I'll like Carnival. But, it seems like we have a great group going and that's almost more important than the ship.

[Snowball]

Here is a new review of the Valor that I found on another site: [url="http://www.cruisemates.com/articles/feature/CarnivalGrowsUp.cfm"]http://www.cruisemates.com/articles/feature/CarnivalGrowsUp.cfm[/url]

[Snowball]

I just noticed that my clock now says 99 days!!! Woo Hoo!!! :D

[Marcys]

Thanks Debbie, that was a great review!

[parisolivia]

Thanks Debbie, loved the review. I too will be wearing alot of casuals like shorts and tees. I like to wear some wild colors and I too like to wear bright nail polish, but not on the job. I only have one formal dress and it is not real fancy just plain black with a bit of a silver and black jacket. I just ordered a new bathing suit. For the weekend I need to clean and do some resting, I hope mostly resting. How about everyone else. Boy I wished I would have learned of this group before I reserved our cruise.:)

[lhall85917]

Good Morning! I hope everyone will have a relaxing weekend. I've enjoyed reading about everyone's cruisewear - I haven't thought that far ahead, at t We're still lining up a hotel for the night we arrive and transportation. his point I may show up in my pajamas!! :p
Because we arrive in Fort Lauderdale so late, we'll go through Priceline and get something near the airport. I haven't heard from Larry's Limo about a price to the port, so I plan on calling them today.
I was a little worried yesterday because my online credit card balance didn't show the charges for our final payment. I called Kevin to make sure it was done and it was, just hasn't shown up yet.
There is another thread at [url]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=145417[/url] with several more reviews of the Valor. Most comments are positive; however there was one person not terribly happy.
I was also reading another thread about t-shirts for family reunions on cruises and some of their ideas sounded really cute. They had things like "Cruise Critic Western Caribbean Tour" and a list of ports and names of people on the back. They didn't sound too expensive if you know the right person. Does this sound like something people in your families would do?
Have a great weekend.

[Snowball]

Sharon - I'm glad I'm not the only one questioning whether my final payment was processed. I gave Kevin the go-ahead to charge my card yesterday but it isn't showing up yet.

If everyone wants to do group t-shirts that's fine with me, but I doubt that everyone in my group would wear one (in fact it might end up with me being the only one :rolleyes: ). We did group t-shirts last year and got a great price because one of our group members worked at a t-shirt place and made them for us, but it seemed like only the women in the group were willing to wear them - not the hubbies and the kids. And we made sure that the shirts didn't look "girly" so it wasn't that. But whatever everyone else decides is fine with me - I think they make a nice souvenir and it is a great way to recognize everyone in our group on embarkation day.

And remember that if we do decide to do the group t-shirts it will be open for everyone here on the roll call that is sailing with us - not just those that are booked with the cruise critic group. :)

[Marcys]

Good morning everyone! I called Kevin to make sure he put my charge through yesterday and he wasn't available. So while I was waiting for him to call back, I checked my credit card statement online and the charge was put through on Tuesday! A little earlier than I thought, but it's done. So I just e-mailed him back telling him I saw it on my charge and there was no need to call back. Debbie, would they notifiy you if any of us didn't pay?

Just to clarify, the clothes I described weren't for during the day (that's t-shirts, shorts, and bathing suits), what I described was for nights.;)

As far as cruise T-shirts, I'd probably be the only one wearing one. We boarded last year with a group of quincineros (sp), and there must have been 150 people, men, women, and kids all wearing those shirts. It looked neat. Debbie, you also mentioned discounts on the CC cruise T-shirts.

[Corl4]

Good morning everyone!

I have the house to myself this morning so it was nice to be able to catch up on all the posts! SInce we just cruised in January, I think I'm good with cruise clothes...unless I see something I really need to have! Which I probably will! I would like a new bathing suit...just got the Land's End catalog which has some very cute ones. Debbie - I'd love a new formal dress too. I've worn the same one on every cruise we've been on so all my pictures look the same! But it is a great dress..got it at King of Prussia several years ago! I wear my long black one for the first formal night and a short black one for the second night.

Marcy - I'm with you about dressing up...as a teacher I don't get to do it much at home so I love doing it on the cruise. I have several pairs of dressy capri pants that I wear with different tops! During the day, I'm usually in a bathing suit or shorts for excursions.

As far as t-shirts, I'd probably be the only one to wear one. DS (15) won't wear anything that's not from Abercombie, Hollister or American Eagle! AS a result, he realized that he needs to find a job this summer!!!

Gabby and Marcy - SInce my 90 year old grandmother broke her hip and has been in and out of the hospital since August with pneumonia, I have developed a new respect for nurses! I'm amazed by what you do and that you are able to do it with compassion and respect for the patient. It certainly takes a special person to be a nurse...Gabby, good luck with your career choice.

Well, since the house is empty, I should do some cleaning! And since DD is home on spring break I need to stock up on food! Have a good weekend everyone!

Beth

[Snowball]

[quote name='Marcys']Debbie, would they notifiy you if any of us didn't pay?

Debbie, you also mentioned discounts on the CC cruise T-shirts.[/QUOTE]
I would not be notified if anyone didn't pay, but Kevin would try and contact anyone who did not call to make final payment. That's why the final payment due date is earlier for groups - so that the t/a has time to get in touch with anyone who didn't make final payment before their reservation gets cancelled.

Everyone that is booked with a cruise critic group gets a 15% discount on anything purchased from the cruise critic store, but I didn't mention that earlier because those that booked on their own would have to pay full price.

I'm not sure exactly how we go about getting the 15% discount, so if anyone plans on ordering something let me know and I'll contact Laura to see how you get the discount.

And remember that everyone booked with the group will be given a cruise critic lanayrd. I'll be giving them out at our meet & greet, so if you won't be able to make it there please let me know so we can make alternate arrangements. I am not given a list of everyone's cabin numbers, so I can't just drop them off at the cabins. I am hoping that everyone makes it to the meet & greet anyway, just so I can meet everybody. :)

[parisolivia]

:mad: I am still trying to email you guys, I tried the other day and no one has said if they got it. [email="cberrier@localnet.com"]cberrier@localnet.com[/email] . I read on one of the posts that you should not pay the taxi until your return trip back to the ship, is that true? I really enjoyed reading the new reviews on the Valor, gives you lots of things to think about. :rolleyes: It sounds like the ship is really crowded and you have to wait in long lines. Well gotta do some more cleaning and clothes washing. Yuk.:(

[ChadGates]

[b]Afternoon Everbody!:)

Lisa and I are out the door in an hour or so to a Texas Independence Day Celebration/BBQ/Dance.

Hope yall have a great weekend!;) [/b]

[parisolivia]

Thanks Sharon, please email me again to see if you got mine. I hope you all don't think I am being to much of a pest. I wish I could have gotten on board when you all first planned this cruise, but did not know about it. thanks again Sharon.:) :) :)

[lhall85917]

Connie, I got your email, and you are not being a pest! I enjoy hearing from other people and having the chance to see what questions, suggestions, etc. they have. You may bring up something I never thought of!

Chad - have a great weekend! We haven't heard much from you about what cruisewear you'll be bringing. :cool: Do you feel like a bit of a minority on this thread? I hope not. :o

[lhall85917]

Beth, I just called Larry's Limo and they gave me a price of $75 plus 20% tip for the 5 of us from a Fort Lauderdale airport hotel to the port, they won't guarantee a limo - you can request but if its a busy weekend you could get a SUV. I think that would be disappointing. I also called Easy Express and they want $59, but I don't know what kind of vehicle, probably a van. I know we can rent our own van for about that same amount, but it would be so much less hassle to be picked up and dropped off. I'll call around some more to get some options.

If anyone has other ideas, we're still looking...

I'm trying to get a Ft. Lauderdale airport hotel through Priceline, but have been turned down at 50 and 52, I'll try again in a few days. If we were getting in earlier, we'd just go to Miami, but an 11:30 pm arrival kind of limits us on what to do. Prices seem to be better in Miami, but I don't really know of good options or what would be best.

These are the joys of planning early!! :p

[parisolivia]

:) I finally made it to your email Sharon. It took awhile. I have been trying to find some things to decorate the door with, any suggestions? I go to this site alot, because it makes me smile and I need all the smiles I can get right now. I have been on this site alot today just to read all the fun things you all are doing. I have printed out some of the pictures for my husband, so he can enjoy this site also. Ron knows nothing about computers, but he does know how to fax, good because I don't. I really enjoy all the sites and really get a good laugh from alot of them. The one that made me laugh the most was the fashion site. I hope I do not run into any of these people because I like to wear things they hate. Everyone to themselves. I like wearing crop pants, gee I hope it does not make my rear end look big, like they said it does, ha ha. I like to wear sparkly things, but they hate them also, because it comes off and gets on the chairs and it might get on their clothes, well maybe they need to sparkly a little. I never get to wear spakly clothes, but I am going to on the cruise. I have a spakly flamingo t shirt and I hope no one runs up to me and tells me to take if off because it might get on their clothes. These are such silly things, that is the least of my worries. Well here it is on a Sat. night and nothing to do but watch tv, nothing much on. My husband is working in his woodshop and that is his love. Well you all, read you soon. :D

[Snowball]

[quote name='parisolivia']I hope I do not run into any of these people because I like to wear things they hate. Everyone to themselves. I like wearing crop pants, gee I hope it does not make my rear end look big, like they said it does, ha ha. I like to wear sparkly things, but they hate them also, because it comes off and gets on the chairs and it might get on their clothes, well maybe they need to sparkly a little. I never get to wear spakly clothes, but I am going to on the cruise. [/QUOTE]
Connie - Don't worry because today I just bought two new pairs of crop pants for the cruise, so you won't be the only one wearing them! I couldn't resist - I tried to buy the same ones last year but they didn't fit me well at all - now with the weight I've lost so far I decided to try them again and they fit great (plus they were on sale)!!! :D And the one formal dress that I know I'm bringing is a bit sparkly too, so you're not alone there either.

[parisolivia]

:) Great, we can crop together and sparkle together. Here a sparkle, there a sparkle everywhere a sparkle sparkle.:D Great job on your weight loss. I am trying to loose some weight also, its so hard. I like my sweets.

[VOLEYMOM]

Hi to everyone including newbies to the site. Hope everyone is having a great day off from work. I have had a busy week. Dear daughter home from college, her birthday on Friday. My dear son finished his first month of being a firefighter/paramedic, and they had a very nice ceremony to have his badge pinned on. My husband pinned and I took pictures of course. The best part is they handed him his paycheck!! Now he can take us out to dinner! Yea!
I like sparkle and I like crop pants also. I would really like a new formal dress for the cruise also. You do hate to spend the money but I use it for all my cruises. I have one I really like but I could use another. Think I will hit the sales and hope for the best. The hardest thing for me to find is dressy shoes with a low heel. I am on the tall side, 5'10", my dh is on the shorter side, so I really don't need an extra 2 to 3 inches. I told my husband I am going to get him some heels!! He doesn't care if I wear them but I really don't like to be 6 fee tall!! My daughter is even taller, don't ask me how my kids came out so tall. Lucky for her, her boyfriend is tall. We all give my husband a bad time but he is a good sport about it.
Looks like if we need a teacher or a nurse on the cruise we're in luck!! What wonderful professions. I admire anyone who can do these jobs. Much needed and never enough recognition.
Well, have a great weekend. Hope you don't dance or eat to much Chad. Sounds like fun! Take care everyone.
Rebecca

[parisolivia]

:) Great morning, the sun is shining and the birds are chirping. I am going shopping today, with my son and wife and 2 grandaughters. I am looking forward to shopping, don't really need anything, just like to look. Maybe I will find some sparkly crop pants;) . How is everyone this morning? My husband is going to stay home and cook a turkey breast, he likes to cook on Sundays,and is looking forward to having the house by himself. Well it is almost time to leave so, I check back in again. Hope everyone is having a good day:D .