Tortola and HAL question

[innlady1]

There's got to be something going on behind the scenes that we don't know about when it comes to Tortola. There does seem to be other less desirable islands, and you'd think those would go first, but we love the ship experience...so we'll still be cruising HAL. :)

 

We were on the b2b - the 2/2 cruise after the Good Nuts was our 2nd "leg." Dominica was one of the ports....if we were ever to return there again, we would stay on the ship. :rolleyes::eek::rolleyes:

[twinkletoes4445]

Twinkletoes, that's wonderful that you were able to walk pain free this cruise. Did you have knee replacement?

 

I didn't have knee replacement...What happened was about 10 years ago I tore my meniscus and had to have surgery. It's a common surgery, but after that surgery my life changed. I don't know if it was the surgery had anything to do with it, but my arthritis got worse after the surgery.

 

I used to walk 4 miles a day and was in pretty good shape...and I went from 4 miles a day to eventually not really able to walk. I had some good results with different types of prescription medicine for arthritis, but either the meds made me sick or they just didn't help all that much. When I would travel I had to plan out every step because I just didn't know when I wouldn't be able to walk. I've had to abandon my grocery cart at the store before because I just couldn't walk. In addition to taking medicine for my arthritis, I had to take pain pills if I was going to be doing a lot of walking. There were times I had to use a wheelchair, especially in larger airports....and forget getting in cars on the passenger side...my knee would not bend that much.

 

I was miserable and depressed...

 

About 2 years ago we were going to Dallas for a family get-together and I was dreading this because with this group (we do this each year), they go...go...go...and I would spend my time trying to figure out how in the world I was going to keep up with them, and also not hold them back.

 

I called my doctor and he put me on Naproxon (Aleve)....after trying every prescription med out there...not much else was left. I did 500 mg for 10 days and by day three, I was pretty much pain free. It was so bizarre. I've tried Naproxen in the past, but he'd never put me on that dosage for that length of time...so I was stunned when it worked.

 

Another issue, we have a small business and I was very careful to try and deal with as much as I could myself without documentation in my records. I know this sounds crazy to some, but until you've dealt with individual insurance, you can't believe what it's like.

 

So since that trip to Dallas two years ago, I have been pain free...more or less. When my knee gets stiff, I take 500mg of Naproxen twice a day it's usually gone in a day or two. For our cruise I started taking it 3 days before we left, but stopped on the 2nd day of the cruise. Then if my knee started to get stiff, I would take a one tablet. Weather also is hard on my knee, but the key for me is nipping it in the bud...and it seems to work. :)

 

I could do a commercial for Aleve. I could. I now only take it when I need it, or think I will need it...which is not all that often. I would have never believed in a million years that it would work like it did for me. I have not taken a single pain pill in two years. For me, that's amazing. My knee also bends! Yeah!

 

So in the past year or so, I've lost 65 pounds and I still have more to go, but it's a start. :) I feel like I've gotten a second chance at life and I am not going to miss a thing! I can also walk on the treadmill again... :)

 

Fast forward to our cruise...I was giddy with excitement because I could walk! I had unplanned surgery in November and wasn't sure I was even going to get to cruise. I also finally managed to get into some new clothes that I bought...so if I seemed a little whacky to some, it's because I was SO happy! We had a lot going on in our family, and I was stressed, stressed, stressed, so all I wanted to do was cruise and relax.

 

I am sure this is TMI...as my kids would say! :)

[twinkletoes4445]

Twinkletoes, that's great that you no longer have mobility issues. I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you on the Good Nuts Cruise. I loved your photos and all.

 

How did you overcome those issues?

 

 

I am so lucky that my life has changed...and I am going to make up for the lost time. I just posted how this came about to mamaofami (her post was just above yours:) ). I am so darn lucky it worked and I know it.

 

I wish I would have been able to meet you, but I did meet your husband although just briefly. He wandered down to where we were standing after the group picture at the front of the ship. I'm glad you liked the photos! I had a new little camera and wasn't sure what I was doing, but they turned out pretty good.

 

Hopefully, out paths will cross on another cruise. I'd love to meet you. :)

[twinkletoes4445]

I just found out that they have swapped St. Thomas for Tortola on our Noordam cruise 11/21/09. Really disappointing since it was the primary reason we chose that itinerary. We're doing b2b and were pleased that we wouldn't hit St. Thomas twice.

 

I can understand your disappointment. I called HAL today to ask about Tortola and they told me that things can change, so hopefully, HAL will add Tortola back on your itinerary. :)

[twinkletoes4445]

We were on the b2b - the 2/2 cruise after the Good Nuts was our 2nd "leg." Dominica was one of the ports....if we were ever to return there again, we would stay on the ship. :rolleyes::eek::rolleyes:

 

Yikes...you know, we roll with the punches and love to try new things, but we have said that if we ever return to Jamaica, we'd stay on the ship. Thanks for this information...I file these things away with my future cruise information.

[mamaofami]

Twinkletoes, that's amazing that aleve perscription worked so well. I'm also having some walking issues due to arthritis and the side effects of all those ncids really scare me.The doctor asked me if I wanted to try Celebrex. It's like trading walking pain for a heart attack or a stroke, so I've been sticking to tylenol which doesn't really work and now a patch for pain which might be working...still seeing if it does the trick. I understand all the planning out of vacations, etc. because I know how much trouble I had last year walking the length of the pier in the different islands. I had already ordered a wheelchair for the airport before we had to cancel the cruise. Pain can be life altering, debilitating , and depressing. Maybe I'll give the aleve a shot.

[twinkletoes4445]

Mama,

 

My arthritis was so completely out of control that it was scary. Like you, I didn't want to be on meds all the time. I actually had pretty good luck with Vioxx and when it was pulled off the market, I was devastated. I tried Celebrex, but it didn't work for me. I've tried a lot of prescription meds and even though they are in the same family of drugs, one might work pretty good and another would not work at all. Strange how that works. I had to dig for the bottle, but the one that really was the worst for me was Nabumetone. It made me so sick.

 

I've tried every over-the-counter form of "arthritis relief medicine" and none of those helped me at all.

 

The only reason I take Naproxen is because I can get it for $4, so it's cheaper than Aleve. If I don't have Naproxen with me, I take two Aleve's twice a day (with food). But now that's under control, I don't take it very often...only when I need it or anticipate walking a lot.

 

I completely understand what you're saying...your life and what you are able to do, or not do, centers around this problem. The pain is all-consuming. It alters everything we do and how we do it. For our first cruise, I searched through Webshots looking for pictures of the piers so I could figure out how long they were and if I could walk them on my own.

 

I was so depressed...and so you can imagine how different I felt on this vacation. Yes, I was a goof at times...Yes, I was over the top at times...lol...but it was the first vacation in a long time that I wasn't on drugs and in pain, and I was having a blast. :)

 

For me, I think it was the dosage and then length of time I took the Naproxen. A normal dosage that's prescribed on the Aleve bottle didn't work (I had done that before).

 

I hope your patch works. And if you give the Aleve a try, maybe you'll see the results I did and not need any medication on a regular basis (like me). I could have written you post...that's how close our symptoms were....Good luck!

[innlady1]

;)

I am so lucky that my life has changed...and I am going to make up for the lost time. I just posted how this came about to mamaofami (her post was just above yours:) ). I am so darn lucky it worked and I know it.

 

I wish I would have been able to meet you, but I did meet your husband although just briefly. He wandered down to where we were standing after the group picture at the front of the ship. I'm glad you liked the photos! I had a new little camera and wasn't sure what I was doing, but they turned out pretty good.

 

Hopefully, out paths will cross on another cruise. I'd love to meet you. :)

 

Amazing story, twinkletoes. I have to say, I'll bet losing 65 pounds had more to do with your success than anything. And that's from someone who could stand to lose 65 pounds! ;) Your story is an inspiration...

[twinkletoes4445]

;)

 

Amazing story, twinkletoes. I have to say, I'll bet losing 65 pounds had more to do with your success than anything. And that's from someone who could stand to lose 65 pounds! ;) Your story is an inspiration...

 

The weight loss did make a huge difference. I'm not known for doing things in moderation, so I hope I can keep it up. I donated all my old clothes, so there's no turning back now. But I've still got a ways to go...Thanks for your kind words. :)

[sail7seas]

We enjoy our time in Tortola. Love to walk down to Pussers...roam around. We enjoy viewing the marinas and generally find Tortola very pleasant place to visit. Sorry if it will be eliminated. We were just there in December and very much enjoyed ourselves.

 

[Koshlong]

I noticed this switch a couple of weeks ago and asked DutchByAssociation if he knew of any reason for the Tortola/St. Thomas switch. Could there be some kind of HAL/Tortola port problem? I remember that we had to tender while much smaller ships were docked, and that they had already switched the days for St. Martin and Tortola. It's really got me curious.

[Susie51]

I've only been to Tortola once, but I enjoyed it a lot. I hope I can go back again some day.

 

I'm glad to hear you are doing so much better Twinkletoes.

[sail7seas]

Twinkletoes..... Thank you for sharing about your condition and the huge improvement. How inspiring. So very happy to hear how well you are now doing.

And, congratulations on your wonderful weight loss. What an achievement!

[RuthC]

Could there be some kind of HAL/Tortola port problem? I remember that we had to tender while much smaller ships were docked,

I found the tendering much easier than docking when we were there. The tender in was an easy walk to tour transportation. When I returned the ship had docked, and the walk back to board was brutal.

My tour was late returning, and everyone passed me as I hobbled back. The officer kept looking out watching my progress (or lack thereof); I felt like I was holding up the sailing. I kept wishing they would send a wheelchair just to speed me up!

[sail7seas]

They had a little jitney going up and down the dock when we were there in December. Where we docked was too far for some folks to walk. What a shame they didn't send it to pick you up. :(

[RuthC]

Perhaps it was gone for the day? The all-aboard time was 4:30, and it was closer to 4:45 when the tour returned. Then that hike! :eek:

 

The shore excursion representative met the tour to ensure that we arrived, then she stayed with me for the walk back. She was very reassuring that it was all right, and I should just take the time I needed. I appreciated her gesture.

[twinkletoes4445]

Twinkletoes..... Thank you for sharing about your condition and the huge improvement. How inspiring. So very happy to hear how well you are now doing.

And, congratulations on your wonderful weight loss. What an achievement!

 

Thanks! It been a long road, but once I got the pain under control, the rest fell in place. :)

[twinkletoes4445]

I've only been to Tortola once, but I enjoyed it a lot. I hope I can go back again some day.

 

I'm glad to hear you are doing so much better Twinkletoes.

 

Thanks! I made up for lost time on this past cruise. :)

[twinkletoes4445]

I noticed this switch a couple of weeks ago and asked DutchByAssociation if he knew of any reason for the Tortola/St. Thomas switch. Could there be some kind of HAL/Tortola port problem? I remember that we had to tender while much smaller ships were docked, and that they had already switched the days for St. Martin and Tortola. It's really got me curious.

 

There has to be something going on...something behind the scenes that we're not being told about (and it could be something to do with Tortola, rather than HAL pulling out). I also didn't understand why we were the ones that had to tender, while the smaller ships got to dock. But both of the smaller ships were already there when we arrived, so maybe that has something to do with which ship docks and which will have to tender. The fact that I could only find 3 or 4 sailings that visit Tortola (and all of them are longer cruises), makes me wonder what's going on that we don't know about. I'm hoping that 2011 sees Tortola returning to the 10-day cruises...and even better would be Tortola returning in 2010.

[innlady1]

The weight loss did make a huge difference. I'm not known for doing things in moderation, so I hope I can keep it up. I donated all my old clothes, so there's no turning back now. But I've still got a ways to go...Thanks for your kind words. :)

 

HOW did you lose your weight? Weight Watchers? Jenny Craig? Or, on your own...common sense and all that.

 

I'm fascinated because 65 pounds is a huge success. I would love for you to email me as I need to lose 65 or more. theheaps at nantucket.net.

 

Thanks, twinkletoes!

[innlady1]

They had a little jitney going up and down the dock when we were there in December. Where we docked was too far for some folks to walk. What a shame they didn't send it to pick you up. :(

 

When we were in the Caribbean on the Good Nuts cruise, the only port that had the "little jitney" (elongated golf cart) was St. Maarten.

 

Not St. Lucia (actually not need there...not a long walk), Grenada, Martinique, and Tortola. The last three ports were a considerable walk from the ship to the dock. And, on the next cruise, not in St. Thomas, Dominica, or Curacao. Aruba is a short walk.

 

With the HAL demographics, it surprises me taht there aren't better ship to shore accomodations.

[twinkletoes4445]

HOW did you lose your weight? Weight Watchers? Jenny Craig? Or, on your own...common sense and all that.

 

I'm fascinated because 65 pounds is a huge success. I would love for you to email me as I need to lose 65 or more. theheaps at nantucket.net.

 

Thanks, twinkletoes!

 

Believe me, I've tried them all, but what works for me is calorie counting and exercise (neither of which I did on our past cruise!). I pretty much stick to 1200 calories a day, more or less and I walk on our treadmill every day. I also purchased one of those ball things, and I may give that a try soon. I just hope I don't break my neck! I'm not understanding how it works...it looks like I'd roll right off the thing. I basically eat lots of chicken, fruits and vegetables, but I do stray and eat other things, just not too often. And I drink lots of water. :)

 

I'll send you an email. :)

[Koshlong]

Oh, RuthC, I remember that walk now! I'm trying to remember what my sister-in-law did, as I can't see how she could have had her wheelchair on the catamaran! I seem to be forgetting patches of our cruise.........I wonder if it has to do with the patch? Seems to me seasick patches have the same ingredient as was sometimes used to block memories?

[innlady1]

Believe me, I've tried them all, but what works for me is calorie counting and exercise (neither of which I did on our past cruise!). I pretty much stick to 1200 calories a day, more or less and I walk on our treadmill every day. I also purchased one of those ball things, and I may give that a try soon. I just hope I don't break my neck! I'm not understanding how it works...it looks like I'd roll right off the thing. I basically eat lots of chicken, fruits and vegetables, but I do stray and eat other things, just not too often. And I drink lots of water. :)

 

I'll send you an email. :)

 

Thanks, twinkletoes! My email address is theheaps at nantucket.net! :cool:

[twinkletoes4445]

Thanks, twinkletoes! My email address is theheaps at nantucket.net! :cool:

 

Thanks! I'll shoot one off in a minute or two. :)