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

[DEBCAT65]

Me too, Wrona! Who says that it never rains in California? :(

 

 

As one who grew up in So Cal, It's not rain.......It's liquid sunshine...:D:D

[whirlybird3]

I just checked the webcam. The Mariner is on her way to her new home in LA! :D

 

Yippee! (Happy Dance :D)

[BoyntonBeth]

Carol,

 

Thanks for inspiring me. I'm about to do the 35 OZ/NZ Circumnavigation on Rhapsody. You have convinced me to keep in touch. I'm doing an almost live thread plus I've set up a blog in case CruiseCritic is not available, so maybe I'll have a back up plan.

 

Carol, after sailing with you these many days, won't you join me?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=927926

 

http://boyntonbeth.blogspot.com/

 

Right now I've posted twice to both. Unlike you, I won't spend much time reading the conversations that follow. Instead, I have 2 lovely friends who will email me any salient comments that I should address.

 

Welcome home (almost).

 

Beth

[robmharper]

I just read through this thread and it was so awesome to live this cruise through you. Upon your return, I was hoping that you might find a moment to answer this thread of mine. No hurry at all. Have a great trip into L.A. and

WELCOME MARINER!!!!

 

Thanks, Rob

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=930309

[Merion_Mom]

Carol, I know this may not be exciting for you (you always go to sleep so darn late), but ask Captain Johnny if, indeed, the ship will be coming into Port AFT first. Yup, AFT first. I heard this from Captain Per in November, and would like to know if this is still the plan. :) What a site it would be to see this from the dock. It will be in the wee hours of the morning though.:eek:

 

Current info is that Mariner will reach San Pedro ~~~ 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, and she is DEFINITELY going in backwards.

[Merion_Mom]

Carol, I have been following your trip since the beginning. Thank you for taking me along with you. It has been fantastic!! I am also a teacher. How did you get the time off? Please let me know at pross318@yahoo.com, I know you from CJ.

 

I am on a "year's leave of absence". :rolleyes::)

[Merion_Mom]

Carol,

 

I will be rather sad to see this trip end as I have followed it since day one. Look forward to seeming more photos when they are available.

 

BTW: "what a thankless job, particular on THIS cruise, with THESE passengers!!!!)". I don't get it. Isn't any day on a cruise better than one in cold, grey wherever (Indiana in my case)?

 

Sheila

 

Sheila, I was referring to how difficult it is to be a Loyalty Ambassador these days. Some (way too many) of these people are downright rude and abusive to Melissa. I have heard language that would make a sailor blush.

[Merion_Mom]

It's probably going to be a little bumpy on the way from Cabo. We had a hell of a storm yesterday, but it's almost all gone. It should be nice for the two pre-inaugural sailings and sailaway on Sunday.

 

Carol (and everybody else who contributed), thanks for keeping us in the know for the past almost two months. Have a great last sea day!

 

 

Sadly, the rain washed it all away. Now it's just another white sedan...:rolleyes::D

 

Captain Johnny has assured us that the storm will barely affect us.

 

He expects swells of 9 to 11 feet, with some rocking and rolling. I actually find it quite pleasant.

[Merion_Mom]

So how many people do you think are trying to get Captain Johnny to turn the ship back around and head away from California?;)

 

A mutiny is rumored to be in the works..........................

[Merion_Mom]

i dunno??? 3100 or so?????

 

we tried to get capt ryan to stop someplace on the way home on Ex last week..we couldn't collect enough money!!:p

 

Meg, honey, we don't have anywhere near 3100 passengers on board!

 

Revenue-wise, this cruise has been a major money-loser for RCI.

 

But we had a blast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

(The Concierge Lounge privileges alone have probably ruined RC's bottom line for the year. Thursday's "priority disembarkation" is likely to be a joke - 90% of the passengers must be eligible for it!!!!! :eek: ;))

[Merion_Mom]

I just read through this thread and it was so awesome to live this cruise through you. Upon your return, I was hoping that you might find a moment to answer this thread of mine. No hurry at all. Have a great trip into L.A. and

WELCOME MARINER!!!!

 

Thanks, Rob

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=930309

 

I already did! :)

[Merion_Mom]

I have bad news from home.

 

My friend who is watching my house for me discovered 6 inches of water in my basement and a broken pipe. I think that it turned out to be several broken pipes and at least one broken radiator. There is major water damage to my house, although I am hoping that it is mostly confined to the basement.

 

Just before I left home for Port Canaveral, I had finished cleaning out my parents' house and moving ALL of their furniture and hundreds of boxes into my house. I do not know what has been damaged by the water.

 

I have managed to change my flight home (yea, Southwest!) from Friday to Thursday, and will head straight home from the pier, instead of relaxing and flying out the next day.

 

Fortunately, wonderful friends at home are taking care of repairs and cleanup. They tell me not to worry, but how can I not??????????

[Merion_Mom]

Cabo is a beautiful port, completely re-done and refreshed. If you have been here before, you will barely recognize it. I can't wait to come back in April and spend more time here!

 

Cindy and Dave did RC's luxury yacht excursion, and adored it. It was a tall ship, but there was no wind, so the ship was under motor power.

 

They served margaritas and snacks non-stop, and snorkeling and kayaking were available. Although it wasn't a "whale-watching tour" per se, they saw LOTS of whales, and Cindy has some AMAZING movies of the whales.

 

We just walked around and did a little shopping. A bunch of the guys went out early and went fishing. Solomon's prepared their catch a bunch of ways, and about two or three dozen Hornblowers feasted on their labors. I was not among them, as I was rather bummed out about my house situation, and suddenly realized that I needed to get presents for these wonderful people who were looking after things in my absence.

 

The Mercado Marina is worth visiting, but brace yourself for stall after stall of similar merchandise. I gave my business to vendors who DIDN"T push or annoy. I wish that they would learn that lesson.

 

The tendering was a breeze, thanks to the new procedure.

 

The port of Cabo San Lucas invested in a custom-made barge thing that attaches to the Mariner. This has ramps and deck surfaces that allow for VERY easy boarding of tenders. Two tenders can be attached to the barge at one time, and another can tie up directly to the Mariner if needed. (like an excursion Catamaran, for example)

 

We could see whales as we sailed away from CSL, and as usual, Captain Johnny was on the loudspeaker, telling us when and where to look.

 

Tonight's show was The Unexpected Boys, a *tribute* Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons group. They were VERY good. I enjoyed their show FAR MORE than the previous night's Marty Allen show, and deeply regretted that we had 60 minutes last night, but only 45 minutes of The Unexpected Boys.

 

They are all adorably good-looking. (we saw them again on the Royal Promenade and in the Dragon's Lair tonight).

 

Tonight was also the final RP parade. It is amazing how after 45 days you recognize every cast member, even in bizarre costumes.

 

Dinner tonight was VERY good. I had lamb chops, which I have never seen on a RC menu before, and were just perfect.

 

Dessert was another new thing - baklava.

 

YUM YUM YUM

 

I will be uploading so many photos on Friday....................

[NorbertsNiece]

Carol..... oh my goodness.... I'm so sorry. Big hugs. Sigh. Fingers crossed that you are imagining the worst and it's not as bad as you think.

[crsrock]

Carol, welcome back, and safe travels on Thursday. I hope all is well at home.

I know you had a wonderful time as we have 'followed' you on this journey. Thanks for all of the diaries and details, the food and the fotos, and of course, the time it took you to write each day. I feel like I was there, too!

Christine

a fellow Sovereign sailor!

[Sarvowinner]

Hi Carol

 

What a bummer about the flooding. The only mitigating factor is that you only heard about it now and haven't had to worry for weeks. I hope you will be able salvage your items with sentimental value.

 

Thank you ever so much for all your help prior and during our cruise, as well as your blogging - especially legs 2 & 3. Just make sure you contact us if you head on down to Sydney.

 

Julie & Tony

[Cruising Aussie Mum]

Wow! Over 173,000 people have read your posts. You are a celebrity, a true cruising legend! Hope this was an experience of a lifetime for you.:)

[Sarvowinner]

Does anyone know if there is a webcam that will show the Mariner docking in San Pedro?

[marci22]

Very sorry about your flood, I have been flooded on several occasions and it is upsetting. I would think that your friends are doing as good a job as you would be doing, so definitely do not worry about it. I know you had a lot of special things in there but in the end, they are really just things & that's what you have to keep remembering.

[HRHPrinceJim]

Hey Carol,

 

I'm sorry to hear about the problem at home. After your 53 nights at sea, it would have been nice to come home and find everything just fine. I hope the damage isn't too bad.

 

Welcome home! I'm sorry I can't be at the pier to welcome you in person!

 

Jim

[jillybabes]

Carol: Thanks again for taking us with you on your wonderful journey and hope that the flood is not too bad...Lucky that you have such nice people who are looking after your place. Enjoy your final day, will look forward to all your pictures:p...Jill

[wolfcathorse]

Carol, so sorry to hear about your water damage, ironic isn't it...you enjoyed 53 days on the water so much that someone thought you might like to have some at home. You have wonderful friends and I hope to be able to sail with you someday.

[wolfcathorse]

Does anyone know if there is a webcam that will show the Mariner docking in San Pedro?

 

Don't I wish! Maybe the port will add one now to show off their new occupant!

[nanfromatlanta]

Hi Carol, so sorry to hear about the flood at home. One of the things I always fear when traveling is coming home to some sort of house problem. :eek:

 

Thanks for allowing us to live vicariously through your experiences. :)

[tinkerme1]

Carol, I'm so sorry to hear about your house flood. It is a shame you won't be able to stick around for extra time, but I'm sure that the house is definitely more important now. I can only hope that much of your stacked boxes in the basement will be okay. This too shall pass.

 

Have a safe flight home and can't wait to see all those pictures!!:D