Mariner- 05/27/08 Alaska MiniBlog

[KenBT]

Well after days of wondering when someone would post something... I decided to let ya'll know about this trip- I got the ya'll from my new friends from Alabama (Bill and Susan).

 

Right now I am typing this from the lobby area of the computer area- midship- Deck 6- in fact while I was writing this- the Hotel Director- Richard- said Hi- and asked if everything was okay- Honest!

 

We just chatted and laughed for about 10 minutes.

 

During my time on the ship I had to the pleasure to finally meet- Joan and Joe; Jacie and Jean; Taylor; Linda and Rich; Mikenbob- in addition to new acquaintances and old familiar faces from Regent/Radisson.

 

In fact one of the added classes during my Travel Agency Seminar was

an impromptu Whiskey Tasting that I and Bill decided to do- and we have

another class (hehehe) scheduled tonite on Deck 5 next to Compass Rose

for a tasting of whiskey( single malt and blendeds) and bourbon.

 

As Bill will tell you I am not a Whiskey drinker- but I made the unwise decision to do the tasting- I informed the Hotel Director of my plans a few days ago- and he made a quick comical comment about that he would notify the Ships Doctor that his expertise maybe needed- if I became

intoxicated- I told him that this filipino may be drunk and on the floor

during the tasting- and his actual words were- Ken, I have seen many

drunk Filipino's- you falling on the floor will just be funny but nothing new

to me (Richard- Hotel Director)

 

As you can see this is a stressful cruise.

 

Take care all.

[tripandtravel]

Got home today from this CRUISE.

Ken, the airport people were really ROUGH on my LUGGAGE.

Mr. Walker did not SURVIVE. But my clothes smell really good...

I will never be able to wear that Sport Coat to Church again.

Susan and I had a BLAST. We enjoyed meeting everyone, and trust that we made lifelong friends that will keep in touch.

 

Keep this thread going....

[KenBT]

Damn...

 

See if you lived in Los Angeles and were Filipino that would never happen but

you live in Alabama- do I need to say anything more...

 

My father and I arrived in LA this morning via Alaska Airlines non-stop out of

Anchorage.

 

After I type this I am taking a nap... alone- But I before I do that- I have to RSVP for a Porn Party here in LA tomorrow night- Damn the things I have to do for my clients... Oh well!

 

Well Bill - if it "Ain't" booze smell- which my father smelled on more than a few nights- it is- Cigar smell- which again my father smelled on more than a few nights- But now it is- Mr. Walker smell...

 

Let's all have a moment of silence for Mr. Walker- he was a good ole 12 Yr Old... And if memory serves me right that is the bottle I gave ya.

 

Do ya'll (Souther Slang) think that is BAD KARMA- I know me and Bill had

many occassions when that KARMA stuff showed up.

 

Take Care All.

 

I am looking forward to continuing my new friendships for quite a very long time- but now I have to plan my next personal cruise.

 

Ken

[cruisingchef]

Hello to those great folks from CC. Made it home and working,

 

Bill, you didn't just wring out the clothes, probably could have saved at least an ounce or two!!:)

 

Take care all, was great being together.

[AtMaui]

I agree with what everyone said -- we met some really great people on this trip and hope to continue the friendships. I hope if any of you come to Chicago, you'll give me a call.

 

And I'm sure Ken and Bill are missing their scotch tastings!!

 

Jaci

[KenBT]

Okay...

 

Let me correct any ideas that I enjoyed the Scotch Tastings...

 

This was purely for informational purposes- since I am a Travel Professional there are some things that I hate to do- but I must- since some clients may enjoy drinking Scotch...

 

Then I also had to drink a few bottles of beer because of pressure from

Richard (Hotel Director) who forcibly made me drink Alaskan Amber Beer-

you should see the bruises on my arm- from his arm twisting. And as Bill

and Susan will confirm I even had to drink a bottle of the Alaskan Amber

when we had our unscheduled last seminar- since when I entered the

conference room they had cookies, soft drinks, etc.- so since it was

2:00PM I couldn't fathom drinking that stuff- so I headed to get a beer-

and even though I am "shy and quiet"- I had to sit and drink my beer

in the front row with Bill and Susan.

[Joanandjoe]

I want to thank the 300 Australians for making the cruise so much fun. What do you mean - we only had 30 Aussies?. When you combine unlimited booze with the Aussie attitude toward vacations, you get a fun crowd. They didn't come that far to sit on their hands and complain.

 

Our first night champagne lasted until Talkeetna, where the view and the wine provided an evening's entertainment. McKinley Chalet's rooms got bigger as we sipped our complimentary bottle of port and reflected that a tour which enters Denali at 7Am and leaves it at 8PM is a fine view of the size of Alaska. We also sipped the port after Cabin Nite, where they let me tell my plumbing joke. Alaska Amber may be the name of a beer, but it's also the name of the sauciest performer at Cabin Nite. She liked to stroke Joe's head...The sherry survived the trip home. I want to thank all the cruise critic crew for making this cruise the friendliest, most congenial cruise in a long time. We'll write more when we're on Eastern Standard Time. Right now, I see twilight, and that means it's midnight...?

[cruiseczarina]

Hi all. Arrived home safely at 6:00 AM Monday morning. Temperature - 95 degrees and climbing. What a change. It was so wonderful to meet everyone. We really enjoyed this cruise and meeting Cruise Critic people.

[Joanandjoe]

Joan has finished her review of the cruise, and we plan on posting it tonight. It should be viewable in three or four days. Ken, where is the review that you promised, comparing Regent with some other lines?