LIVE from the STAR (Aegean/Egyptian) Nov 21-Dec 3

[Rat]

Hi Cass, love the updates.......keep them coming in! Have a great day in Athens!

 

Ray

[dileep]

We left the Star in Venice on Nov 9. Looks like it has a very different itinerary for Nov 21!

 

My notes are at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=665634

[haggis]

Hi Cass, seems like you are having a great time. Enjoy your overnight stay on shore.

You didnt say how you fared in the slots tournament.

Really enjoying the posts,

Jimmy

[BayCalif-Ariz R Us]

Hi Cass - Know you're having waaaaaaaay too much fun - could you let us know what the weather is like, or likely to be next month? Are people wearing shorts and tees on board? Should we pack mostly winter type stuff? Are people using the outdoor pools? Any chance of enjoying our balcony without dressing like the Michelin man? Bye for now. Denise.

[Casshew]

Hi Anne! Hi Haggis :)

 

Here I am, live from Athens... what a GLORIOUS day, the weather was warm and sunny, 18ish (74ish) and now just cooling off at 4pm - maybe 16/65ish and brilliant sunshine.

 

We went on the Acropolis/Plaka sampler... why did we pick this tour, you ask? Simple, it started at 9am instead of 7am LOL

 

What a great day we had, strolling the plaka was so much fun, street venders, entertainers, shops and cafes, we had loads of time to go at our own pace and wherever our curiosity took us. Got a little lost at one point because it's a maze of pedestrian streets, but we found our way out again.

 

What people are wearing... casual clothes, jeans, sweatpants, dockers etc... tee shirts, sweat shirts, leather jackets or wind breakers.. by 1pm today people were stripping down to shirt sleeves. It's coolish inthe morning and evening, but warms up nicely mid day... I would say bring lots to layer with and one for wet weather - just in case.

 

I am off to trivia now... be back later.

 

If I run into a Norm & Linda, I will say hello.

 

Talk to you latah,

\

Cass

[Casshew]

another fabulous day here... not a cloud in the sky, about 60 degrees... of course it was a little cooler this morning for our excursion at 7:00am to Ephesus, Kusadasi Turkey. What a fabulous, fabulous place... did I mention it was fabulous? I took tons of photos, we had the best time and our guide was great. We did the Elite tour, there was aoout 12 of us, the terraced houses were great too.

 

Noel loved the cats all around the ruins, they were so friendly and cute we wanted to smuggle one back to the ship.

 

We are in port with P&O's Oriana and Celebrity's Galaxy - so there are lots of folks milling about the pier.

 

Last night was a quiet night for us, Noel went swimming while I read my book. Dinner was pizza earlier and room service later... we were in our bets by 10pm watching a movie and up at 6:00am for our 7:00am tour.

 

Tomorrow is Istanbul (I think)

 

Talk to you later,

[sailors2]

Hi Cass,

Sounds like you and Noel are having a great time. Istanbul was my favorite port,I know you'll love it. Hi to Tony! We miss your great stories! Do you have a blog somewhere Tony?

It's fun to go along with you in our minds. We loved this cruise. Hope your weather stays good and that you enjoy every minute.

Judy

[sailinsal]

Hi, Denise and Alan.....................I am thinking of you both and so envious of your soon to be cruise. We did Star crossing the pond five years ago, in November..........it was awesome. I am still reliving our Pacific Panama last month. So BON VOYAGE in a few days.............sailinsal

[Marie-Claude]

Hi there Cass!!

 

I've been reading your post and I'm green with envy (I can't wait to get to Istanbul and Kusadesi!) Sounds like you're having a great time and that you picked some really good guides again. And you still have the hand at the casino - good for you!!

 

Say hello to Noel and we'll keep on following your post! Can't wait to hear about your overnight in Egypt!!

 

Ciao!

MC

[Nymue]

Morning Cass! Or maybe it's evening there dear one :p I can't wait to see your pictures! Kusadesi is one of the ports on the Med cruise we are looking at.

I'm dying to hear about your overnight in Egypt :D

We sailed on the Galaxy a few years ago, she's one of my favorite ships.

 

Hugs to you Both,

Anne

[BayCalif-Ariz R Us]

Hi, Denise and Alan.....................I am thinking of you both and so envious of your soon to be cruise. We did Star crossing the pond five years ago, in November..........it was awesome. I am still reliving our Pacific Panama last month. So BON VOYAGE in a few days.............sailinsal

 

Hi back Sally - I think we have a great CC group this time (we're called Azur4Sure and there's about 80 or 90 on the roll call!). We meet at Skywalkers before Muster on Dec. 3. It's so great of Cass to keep this thread moving - obviously she's got quite a fan base. The kind of enthusiasm she brings to the boards just makes us all the more anxious to hit the high seas. Love, Alan & Denise

[Casshew]

Hi Marie-Claude, Hi Anne! Here I am live from Istanbul, and another terrific day.... we went to Topaki Palace and the Grand Bazaar today, Noel bought souveniers for her teacher and class, and a scarf for herself, I bought a scarf for myself and we sat at an outdoor cafe for a cappuccino.

 

LOVED Istanbul, I would definately want to come back here and spend more time, sailing just after the sunset all the music and singing started coming from the mosques.... the sounds joined together until it was echoing about the city, so surreal.

 

The winds are high so the harbour pilot could not disembark and we started carrying him out to sea. The captain had to stop the ship and come around to allow a tug to come alongside, the winds are so strong we started listing a bit... apparently the tug will be here soon and we will be underway again.

 

Noel and I won in Bingo yesterday, and Vicki won too! Also, we won at horseracing and the tee shirt door prize, we won at Scattergories (luggage tags) and trivia today (baseball caps) Looks like I am winning everywhere but the casino.

 

The other day in Athens, an old Greek man put a curse on me when I wouldn't give him money... Noel was laughing at that one. :)

 

The cats at Topaki today were so much fun, they were sitting on our laps cuddling with us until to dumb dogs came running up and chased them up trees LOL it was something to see.

 

Tomorrow we are in Mykonos... until then, good night from the Star!

[kftw]

Have a great trip and say hi to Tony and tell him we miss his travelogue. Can you ask him if he has another website for his blog?

 

I have really missed Tony too.

 

Thanks for your live thread.

 

k

[billisd]

Cass -

 

Thanks so much for taking us all along on your journey. It sounds as though you and Noel are having a wonderful trip.

 

Tony -- I too miss your postings and the unique perspective you had always offered.

[Nymue]

A Curse :eek: Did you tell him he couldn't hold a candle to King Tut, but you would pass along his regards :p

 

Hugs,

Anne

 

The other day in Athens, an old Greek man put a curse on me when I wouldn't give him money... Noel was laughing at that one. :)

 

Tomorrow we are in Mykonos... until then, good night from the Star!

[Marie-Claude]

Hi Cass...

Your description of sailing away from Istanbul makes me want to go now!!!

We should plan an Idols reunion in the Med!!

 

I hope you gave the old man in Athens the evil eye... the curse doesn't seem to have affected your luck at winning... just not in the right place ;)

 

Staying posted to read about Mykonos...

MC

[Sykll]

Hi Cass, sounds like you and Noel are having an adventure! Can't wait to see your pictures. The curse that was placed on you.......humm, maybe that's why you're winning! :p

[Pam in CA]

Your description of sailing away from Istanbul makes me want to go now!!!

Sailing away from Istanbul is one of the all-time great sail-away ports. Istanbul is a visually-impactful city and when you realize that you're seeing two continents at the same time, it's an amazing feeling.

[Toto2Kansas]

Finally found time to check in here, sorry for the delay but it has been sooooooo busy, when there was time, we just colapsed in a chair or went to bed.

Mykonos is cancelled today because of the weather and the problems arising last night of not being able to get through the channel. The captain announced this AM that we had to anchor for around 5 hours waiting for the conditions to improve before we could continue through.

It actually seems strange to not have to get up at 6:00 AM and run run run as we have for most of the days so far.

 

OMG, I so agree with Cass, Istanbul sail-a-way was breathtaking, no words to describe it. The ports have been absolutely fascinating so far. And the best is yet to come, Port Said and our overnite to Cairo.

 

No huge wins for me in the casino YET, just a little here and a little there with the rest considered donations to keep the cost of the cruise down for others. ;)

 

I haven't had time to read all the posts here and need to run for now. I will try to catch up later on.

 

Bye for now!

[BurBunny]

Toto - give them warning onboard - I'm boarding the Star on January 10 :)

 

Have a wonderful time! Looking forward to hearing more about all your adventures.

[Casshew]

Hi everyone, we are disappointed for not getting into Mykonos today. I was prepared for it though, ran into Tony last night who said he didn't think we'd get in and he was correct.

 

Had a fun chat with Toto, Vicki & suffolk in the Casino last night by the wheel of fortune machines :)

 

Noel and I are off to BINGO now... hopefully this curse will kick in and we will take the big bucks.

 

Talk to you all latah,

Cass

[Lynda90]

Cass, thanks for sharing your cruise with us. I just found this thread and so glad I did. I leave next Monday for Hawaii and can't wait. Will be enjoying your "live from" until I leave on Sunday. Keep us updated and "hi" Toto and Tony. :p

[BayCalif-Ariz R Us]

Good luck at bingo Cass and Noel. You may have covered this before but have you been buying many euros? What is the general consensus on the ship as to where the best place to buy them is? Lots of people say just use your credit card when you can and the restaurants and shops will convert at the correct rate, no commission :rolleyes: . The economic news here seems to get worse every night - we are now "officially" into a CORRECTION thanks primarily to the mess with mortgages. Just wondering what is going to happen to the euro even in the next few weeks, let alone next April when I hope to do Europe again:D .

[Mapu]

We are on the Star the end of January. Just wondering who your cruise director is? We have sailed on the Star with John Lawrence as CD. He was the most informative CD ever.

[Loniel]

More bad news for lou, Rita and their compatriots, but hopefully this is not too late for adjustments.

 

"Hi Everyone,

 

It is with much regret that I am writing this to tell you my Parent's (Lin and Nev) have had to cancel their 3 nights in Rome and the cruise due to medical reasons. They are very disappointed to say the least.

 

They have a balcony cabin if anyone is looking for one...

 

I wanted to let you all know that I had reserved them a tour with Webegone to do the Amalfi Coast. It is a faboulous tour and a great day. There is now 2 spots open for that tour. I am pretty sure Webegone is already on the ship but I am sure he is checking the board. If you are interested please let it be known on the boards. I have his e-mail so I will keep checking back and send him a message if needed.

 

We wish you all a wonderful cruise.

 

Vanessa"

 

I can't believe this bad luck. This is the second time and both are in Naples. SHEESH!

 

Daniel