LIVE LIVE LIVE from the MARINER with MERION MOM for 53 DAYS!!!

[Merion_Mom]

So, here I am in the cruise terminal in Barbados, using an internet booth.

 

Barbados itself is very nice, but our tour guide was not the best. Perhaps she also suffered by comparison with our last two guides.

 

We (Cindy and I) booked this tour on shoretrips.com

 

It was called Caves and Monkeys and Beaches OH MY.

 

The ship was a little late in being cleared, but we hurried off just as soon as we could.

 

We almost ran to the meeting point, where we immediately discovered that the tour was "us".

 

Andrea escorted us to her waiting car, where we sat in the backseat.

 

Harrison Cave was interesting, and worth seeing. Unfortunately, on the way there, this woman just turned up her radio and didn't give us any information or "tour stuff."

 

After that stop, we ASKED her questions, and got her to tell us about Barbados. It got her to talk, but didn't really open up the floodgates. The burden was still on us to get "the talk".

 

We drove around, and enjoyed the Bajan scenery. We visited the shore at Bathsheba Beach, which was absolutely gorgeous.

 

We had lunch at the Sand Dunes, where we ran into some fellow CC'ers as we were leaving! It was a good lunch of fried fish. They even had Sprite Zero. :)

 

We went to the Wildlife Reserve where, except in the parking lot just as we arrived, we saw NO monkeys. That was a disappointment.

 

We *did* see lots and lots of tortoises, and some deer, and some weird jack rabbit like critters, and HUGE UGLY iguanas and parrots and other jungle birds and a python that was in the midst of a chicken dinner. (UGH!) Half of the body and the feet were still protruding, but the rest was going in..........

 

Then we went and walked in the surf of a beach, although we could have stayed longer.

 

And here I am.

 

Dinner has been good, with it being more common for us to order multiple so-called starters, and one or none of the entreés. Desserts have been good, too, and the curse continues.

 

Every night, Sashi brings out a dish of coffee ice cream.

 

How do I get it to stop??????

[Merion_Mom]

The ventriloquist last night, Mike Harrison, was pretty good. Poor guy, though - Cindy and I can't help but compare him to Jeff Dunham.

 

We both LOVE him, and we do parts of his routine at the drop of an accccccccccchhhhhhhhhhh.......................

 

Silence!

 

I keel you!!!!!!

 

(we crack ourselves up!)

[Merion_Mom]

Well, I better get back on the ship. (all aboard is 5:30)

 

If the connection doesn't improve during these five sea days, I may go stir crazy! Thank goodness I was able to pay my bills in St. Kitts yesterday!!!!!

 

Lotus Lounge is the place to be in the evening.

 

First seating works well: Drinks before dinner, drink after. And the hall monitors leave before we do............. ;)

 

Tomorrow the Cruise Director's Trivia Bowl resumes.........wish us luck!!!!

 

A.............

C.............

Phlegm..................

 

:D

 

:D

 

:D

 

:D

[Merion_Mom]

Have I missed any questions?!?!?!?!??

:confused:

[wrp96]

Have I missed any questions?!?!?!?!??

:confused:

 

Not that I'm aware of but respond to your email before you get back on the ship.

[Willbcruisin]

Have I missed any questions?!?!?!?!??

:confused:

 

 

You are awesome!!

 

Enjoy, Eat, Drink and have a wonderful time!!

 

Thanks for taking us along!!

 

Look forward to your next update!!

[flames]

Thenford Grey showed us everything on St. Kitts, and told us more information that (I would guess) a university professor could have shared.

 

I ADORED our day with him.

 

He even gave me some little presents: A carved wooden cup, and a rock painted with a native design.

 

The security guy on the ship was intensely interested in the rock. He didn't care about my bottles (which happened to have water in them) - he wanted to examine the rock.

 

He lifted the rock.

 

He turned the rock over.

 

He rapped on the rock with his knuckles.

 

He seemed determined to find something nefarious or criminal about the rock.

 

I considered demonstrating a use for the rock.................

 

but decided to just smile and wait for him to end his insane examination.

 

:)

 

Carol, that is just to funny:D

 

I hope you have no trouble posting as you get down south more as I am enjoying going with you on this cruise:cool:

 

Carol:)

[suziehmkr]

Having a great time reading your posts Carol!!! Thanks for keeping up with it!

[Spellbinder]

The ventriloquist last night, Mike Harrison, was pretty good. Poor guy, though - Cindy and I can't help but compare him to Jeff Dunham.

 

We both LOVE him, and we do parts of his routine at the drop of an accccccccccchhhhhhhhhhh.......................

 

Silence!

 

I keel you!!!!!!

 

(we crack ourselves up!)

 

Have you found anyone like Walter? LOL :D

[MrsKnuts2]

Or Bubba J? LOL!

[nlcentralchmps03]

Carol,

 

I am so jealous of you.

[rednancy1]

Carol,

I am loving reading your posts. Keep 'em coming! :):D

[mtcabin2]

Is there any feeling about how many pax will be on leg 2? Carol, have you met any who are leaving in Rio? Some of us are starting out there and it'll be interesting to see if the numbers change very much. I think I'd like empty elevators! Enjoy the sea days.

 

Trish

[MilliesMom]

Have I missed any questions?!?!?!?!??

:confused:

 

Yes, two from the group I'm with ... got parts of our questions answered but not completely, so hope you can help.

 

1. Are the pools heated? (someone here answered the question about the pools being salt water).

 

2. Are they still serving the wonderful raisin bread in the mornings, it is called Austrian Streizel. (someone was great about posting a recipe for it so we have that ... nothing like having someone else make it and serve it each morning tho. Also a few stated it had been served in the past, but is it being served on the ship now.).

 

Thank you. Truly enjoying reading the threads on this cruise. Can't wait to sail on the Mariner in April.

[truffles2]

Is there any feeling about how many pax will be on leg 2? Carol, have you met any who are leaving in Rio? Some of us are starting out there and it'll be interesting to see if the numbers change very much. I think I'd like empty elevators! Enjoy the sea days.

 

Trish

 

I think I will like the part about empty elevators! Having sailed Mariner several times before, one of our biggest complaints was the sequencing of the elevators. It was so bad that you had to get on one going the wrong way--just to get on!

 

The pools are not heated and they are sea water.

[tahoemc]

Thanks again Carol for the updates - this is a blast following both yours and Paul's threads. Since we can't be there ourselves, cyber cruising will have to do. I appreciate the time your taking from your adventures to keep us all up to date. Enjoy the next few days on your way to Brazil, hopefully with some internet access.

[cruzingduo]

Have I missed any questions?!?!?!?!??

:confused:

 

Carol, I have 2 questions..

 

Did you bring a case of water onboard and if yes, did you have any trouble?

 

We are booked with Bernard in March on the IOS. Did you pick the tour sites or did he? Is there something that you really liked and would have spent more time or that you missed? Did you stop at the Sunset Beach bar when you saw the planes?

 

We are really enjoying your posts and looking forward to each one :)

 

We were booked on all 46 nights but decided to cancel. It feels like we're with you!

[glgolfer]

I can answer some questions.

 

Len & letty brought on cases of water, no problem.

 

ignore Merion Mom's complaints about the ice cream. She harrassed the poor guy every day and often until he started bringing it.

[EmpressofPurple]

whew!!! Thanks to DG for posting the link to this amazing thread -- Carol, of course, I am not surprised at your adventures already! It has taken me 4 hours to catch up on this thread (it's been a busy holiday season here) but worth every second, even for all the asides of the loyal followers re: visa travails, obc rule changes and more, all interesting conversations.

 

I am amazed you have been able to post as much as you have without your laptop up and working, Carol, even using port internet cafes -- onboard use is so slow! I used to write up my daily posts, then upload them fast... and next time I will download the "print" links for CC rather than try to read all the posts online, too! (What a great suggestion.)

 

Carol, the kids and I just got back from Orlando (they did a couple of Disney days, but I was Disneyed-out after our fall sojourn, so only joined them at Universal). We are looking forward to our families getting a chance to meet in August, if all schedules allow... Right now I am in DC getting them back to school -- and will return next weekend for inaugural festivities, including GW's inaugural ball!!!

 

I so admire and envy you and the Divas of the Deep for diving into this 53-day adventure! I'm glad your daughter got to share the New Year's trip with you before you began the grand journey. And how amazing that you got upgraded even beyond a full suite to the ROYAL FAMILY SUITE!!! Awesome!! Sounds like your luck has extended to some friendly performers, too, eh??

 

Anyway, I will do my best to keep up regularly though I may not get to post much (DG and others will tell you I haven't been posting ANYWHERE lately). I really enjoy hearing all of your views and experiences, as you know.

 

Thenford Grey is a delight; he became quite chummy with Sheron and me when we took his tour (there were only 5 of us on the trip and we got very personal attention)... I agree that he is the best guide we have ever had on any island anywhere. High praise indeed.

 

The food sounds delightful; glad to hear you are not wasting calories when it is not "worth it" (though the daily coffee ice cream is indeed a trial -- how could one say no?) -- and it certainly sounds as though you are managing to make the most of the CL drinks, etc. (before AND after dinner, oh my!) -- are you racking up as many free champagne bottles as we did on the Monarch?!?! (I'm still upset we didn't get photos with the captain when we were invited for the bridge tour; what was I thinking?)

 

Missing you, dear, and hoping you are having the time of your life; it certainly sounds like it!!!

 

Much love,

 

-Denise

[HRHPrinceJim]

The security guy on the ship was intensely interested in the rock. He didn't care about my bottles (which happened to have water in them) - he wanted to examine the rock.

 

He lifted the rock.

 

He turned the rock over.

 

He rapped on the rock with his knuckles.

 

He seemed determined to find something nefarious or criminal about the rock.

 

I considered demonstrating a use for the rock.................

 

but decided to just smile and wait for him to end his insane examination.

 

:)

 

Perhaps he thought there was a bottle of brandy hidden inside! :D:D:D

[TravelTammy]

Yes, two from the group I'm with ... got parts of our questions answered but not completely, so hope you can help.

 

1. Are the pools heated? (someone here answered the question about the pools being salt water).

 

2. Are they still serving the wonderful raisin bread in the mornings, it is called Austrian Streizel. (someone was great about posting a recipe for it so we have that ... nothing like having someone else make it and serve it each morning tho. Also a few stated it had been served in the past, but is it being served on the ship now.).

 

Thank you. Truly enjoying reading the threads on this cruise. Can't wait to sail on the Mariner in April.

 

Good Morning!

 

I've been enjoying following along and reading all the posts on this thread since I was originally going to do this 46 night journey. However, the time away just wasn't doable with my two sons being in school, etc. so we will instead be on the Radiance in a week from today! We'll sail around Cape Horn too and end up in Valparaiso, Chile making some incredible stops along the way to Puerto Madryn, Falkland Islands, Punta Arenas, and Puerto Montt. So we're getting very excited.

Of course reading this thread is making me more excited as I pack and finalize all I need to do before being gone for almost 3 weeks.

 

So, thank you for those who are sharing with us all that's happening.

 

Now, could someone please kindly answer MillieMom's questions? As I've been reading through all the pages on a daily basis, I've seen her questions pop up time and time again as she patiently waits for an answer. She's always been polite, etc. but her questions are not being answered while others who post questions have them addressed either by other posters on this thread or those aboard the ship right away. Could someone help out MillieMom? I think I'd feel like I was being ignored.....Thanks

 

Have a wonderful 5 days at sea! By the way, I loved the rock story :D

[Lionesss]

I am trying to stay current on this thread, but, if this is a duplicate question I am sorry.

How are the visa-less, travelers fairing.

Any update.

Thanks.

[TheMiz]

I am trying to stay current on this thread, but, if this is a duplicate question I am sorry.

How are the visa-less, travelers fairing.

Any update.

Thanks.

 

 

Hello also from the Snow Belt in oHIo ( Massillon )

From what I read and this might not be the up to date number something like

65 got their visas and joined the cruise on the first stop, the others elected to go home.

[PAHMEME]

Good Morning!

 

Now, could someone please kindly answer MillieMom's questions? As I've been reading through all the pages on a daily basis, I've seen her questions pop up time and time again as she patiently waits for an answer. She's always been polite, etc. but her questions are not being answered while others who post questions have them addressed either by other posters on this thread or those aboard the ship right away. Could someone help out MillieMom? I think I'd feel like I was being ignored.....Thanks

 

 

I can try and answer the question about the Austrian bread, because in the past three years I have been on Freedom, Liberty, Majesty and Mariner and yes, that awesome bread, which is my FAV is still there. It is the BEST. My sis has even mastered making it, since she has the RC cookbook. I do believe it is only put out for breakfast. I myself have never seen it down in the Royal Promenade cafe, has anyone else ever seen it down there?

Nothing like having it early in the morning with your coffee, while sitting out on your balcony, enjoying the "good life" of cruising. I think so many can relate to those awesome cruise memories.

BTW...I enjoy reading all your posts...hugs...b..:D

ps...last cruise was Liberty...June 08....

[truffles2]

The pools are not heated.