~OFFICIAL~ "SPIRIT"ing to the Majestic Land of the Midnight Sun! * May 11, 2010*~

[royd1968]

Grrr... about the rain. Sunny and in the mid 90s here, again, for the 208th day in a row. I'm exaggerating, of course, but we haven't had a good rainstorm since we moved down to El Paso a year and a half ago. Hopefully it doesn't rain for that cookout though, purple. I'll do my rain dance here and maybe we can steal yours.

 

Tennessee is a beautiful state to drive through. Tn and Va are so beautiful and it's such a peaceful drive. At least it was until we got to Memphis, that city was the worst! Dallas kinda stunk, too, but Memphis was worse. Can't wait to make that drive again!!!! Going the other way next time... start out in the crumby desert and end up in the beautiful countryside! Can you tell I'm excited to go home?

 

 

Yeah, Annette, doing good. Kinda depressed though, went to the Oral Surgeon yesterday and gotta get the wisdom teeth out in 2 weeks. :mad: I'm dreading it!!! I'm such a wimp when it comes to medical stuff.

 

I deliver to the krogers wherehouse in memphis and sometimes pickup tires right down the street....that entire area makes me so nervous...its literally a couple miles from graceland....if elvis was still alive, I would recomend he fire his real estate agent

[anamanxs]

I deliver to the krogers wherehouse in memphis and sometimes pickup tires right down the street....that entire area makes me so nervous...its literally a couple miles from graceland....if elvis was still alive, I would recomend he fire his real estate agent

Never been to Memphis. Love the beauty of the Pidgeon Forge area. My son is actually in Wartsburg which is outside Knoxsville. I have been to Knoxsville for UT games but that is about it. I am hoping there is some way to avoid Knoxsville. I am not fond of driving in big cities. I have a friend that went to UT so we usually go to a game once a year.

 

Wow, Roy you definetly get around the US. How long to do have in between runs?

 

Some of us have booked the Quality Inn Suites on John St, do you know anything about it? We got a really good rate.

[happylady]

Hi, everyone. We've also been hit hard with rain today. It was storming so bad this afternoon that we hardly had any customer in the bank. We had a pool as to the number of customer that would come in between 5pm to 6pm. I said 10 and lost. One of my coworkers said 4 and won!!! The prize was a soda ("pop" for you northerners) out of the break room machine. :eek:

 

Kathi, Did your son make it home at all between terms? Or did you at least get to go see him?

When he finished the spring session (beginning of May) he had to move out of his dorm. He wasn't able to move into the summer dorm for a week, so he came home to visit (with his car packed to the gills!!) The dorms close for a week between summer A and summer B, so we'll get to see him in a couple weeks. He still wants to go on the cruise with us, but has to wait to hear the dates of an internship next summer. His spring classes are over the first week of next May, so hopefully he'll have a couple weeks and be able to join us.

[anamanxs]

Hi, everyone. We've also been hit hard with rain today. It was storming so bad this afternoon that we hardly had any customer in the bank. We had a pool as to the number of customer that would come in between 5pm to 6pm. I said 10 and lost. One of my coworkers said 4 and won!!! The prize was a soda ("pop" for you northerners) out of the break room machine. :eek:

 

When he finished the spring session (beginning of May) he had to move out of his dorm. He wasn't able to move into the summer dorm for a week, so he came home to visit (with his car packed to the gills!!) The dorms close for a week between summer A and summer B, so we'll get to see him in a couple weeks. He still wants to go on the cruise with us, but has to wait to hear the dates of an internship next summer. His spring classes are over the first week of next May, so hopefully he'll have a couple weeks and be able to join us.

That's cool Kathi, I know you will be glad to see him. I am working on a slide production for a co-workers who's son is graduating from HS this week. She is a nervous wreck. I don't know if she will make it. Several of my co-workers have son's graduating this year, it is kind of weird in the office right now, plus costly! Too many cards and money!

[anamanxs]

June 9, is only a few days from now. Don't be left out from all the FUN! We are going to ALASKA! We are the SPIRIT's, love to have you SPIRIT away with us!

 

I wrote Johna about an extension, but didn't hear anything....anyone lurking. This may be the last call for the reduced deposit!

[Purplehaze21]

Good morning. Have to get ready for work in a minute. I have a LONG day again. I have the noon til 9:00pm shift. Then 2-11 the next 2 days after. That will be 6 days in a row. I am tired! :( I am there alot for a part time job!

Looks like another day of rain. It started off sunny but the clouds are coming in fast. It was so wet last night a car hit a pole and the power went off at work. I was sitting in a room with 2 girls that shoplifted. Just as the police walked in, the power went off. Creepy LOL.

I decided after looking at some of these Alaska cruise pictures, I need a really good camera. My daughter took mine to Disney in March and what a surprise, she broke it. She said she don't know how. Maybe an omen to get a new one :D Everyone have a great Saturday!

[anamanxs]

Have a good day at XXXX World, probably going to visit there myself shortly! I have to go do Cat boxes no fun either. Then I have to go put bug bombs down in the empy trailor in the woods.....ticks are horrible with all the rain, they are coming inside. There was no rain last year now there is nothing but rain!

 

Our friends from OHIO are coming to visit tomorrow, so we will be having a cookout! They always bring us some Great Amish cheese! They are from Wooster. Ohio.

[anamanxs]

Crusing Tracy Arm: All the posts keep talking about all the fjord and I wondered what there was to say about Trancy Arm - "Tracy Arm, a classic fjord, stands out as a "must see" for any Alaska vacation. Tracy Arm Fjord is perhaps one of the most dramatic locations in all of North America. Completely protected within the Tongass National Forest, this fjord stretches some 25 miles up into the Coastal Range Mountains.

 

Tracy Arm Fjord is home to Sawyer Glacier. Though it's not as well known as Glacier Bay, some naturalists claim Sawyer Glacier is even more spectacular. Framed by 7,000-foot-high snowcapped mountains, which drop immediately to sea level. The area is surrounded by sheer 1,500-to 2,000-foot walls of granite falling into the extremely narrow passage, creating countless waterfalls and strange rock formations covered in forest, and trees hanging on to precipices at impossible angles.

 

Sawyer Glacier boasts an impressive list of wildlife: black and brown bears, deer, wolves and moose. Even mountain goats, which usually keep to higher elevations, have been seen near its base.

[techmom]

Just off the Pride today. All my DH kept talking about was the next cruise needs to be Alaska, want to go to Alaska and on and on so I finally told him we are already booked. There was no way I was going to keep this secret until Christmas so now he can start all his research and planning. I have done the last 4 cruises and this one is for him. Hmmm any places like Half Moon Cay in Alaska........

[Purplehaze21]

LOL Karen. Did he like his early Christmas surprise? I bet he was excited! How was your cruise? I am jealous. I want to go on 1 so bad :cool:

Our vacation this year is a 4 night trip to the beach. Our 26th wedding anniv. is August 21st so we are going Aug. 20 and coming back 24th. I sure hope I can get those days off from work!

Have fun with your friends Annette. I hope the rain stays away for your cookout. We are planning 1 Saturday, after Josephs graduation!

[anamanxs]

Just off the Pride today. All my DH kept talking about was the next cruise needs to be Alaska, want to go to Alaska and on and on so I finally told him we are already booked. There was no way I was going to keep this secret until Christmas so now he can start all his research and planning. I have done the last 4 cruises and this one is for him. Hmmm any places like Half Moon Cay in Alaska........

No, but we can take ove the heated pool area and watch the beauty outside as we sail! Make our own HMC!

[anamanxs]

What do we think of this design?? Click on photos to make them bigger!

[Purplehaze21]

Awesome shirt design Annette! I like the saying and the picture is pretty!

[anamanxs]

Awesome shirt design Annette! I like the saying and the picture is pretty!

 

Yea, Kind of like Dorothy in the Wizard of OZ, surrounded by all the beauty and kind of in awe of it! ALASKA can be our OZ, but we not want to click those ruby slippers to go home! She made great friends, had great adventures......we just won't allow any evil witches or flying monkey'(ies)...but a good witch GLENDA would be GREAT in the casino! :D

[MikeNKim]

Hey gang!!!!!!

 

Nice shirt Annette.

 

OK, my goal is to stay on top of this thread. You are all chatting away and I feel completely out of the loop;)

 

I am totally terrible with names so today I will go through the roll call and get everyones names that are cruising with us so I can chat.....:D

 

Oh BTW, we might have 2 more joinning us.!!!!

[techmom]

LOL Karen. Did he like his early Christmas surprise? I bet he was excited! How was your cruise? I am jealous. I want to go on 1 so bad :cool:

 

He was pretty excited. The whole time on the Pride when we were in port I kept looking to see if I could tell what rooms are the extended balconies. My PVP said ours is 100 sq ft.

 

Our cruise was nice. I have a boss who emailed and called me a lot so I didn't get to totally relax. I am looking for another job so hopefully will find one soon. Grand Turk was no big deal. We aren't in to sitting in the pool drinking the whole time and we were gong to do a bus loop to see the area and that excursion doesn't exist anymore. HMC was the best-we rented a cabana and would do that again. Nassau we walked to the Atlantis-yes walked. It was 3 miles. My son who use to work for Carnival and ported in Nassau informed me we were stupid. But I put money in the casino and hit $120 and we looked at the place and took a taxi back. My friend had her pedometer on and her and I walked 8 miles total for that day which is why I only gained 3 lbs. Back to the special k diet.

[MikeNKim]

Welcome back!!!

 

I also wasn't too impressed with Grand Turk, I think they are just still dealling with so much damage nothing is really "beauiful" like I heard it was. The port area is nice but we took the golf cart around and it was pretty devistated.

[anamanxs]

Welcome back!!!

 

I also wasn't too impressed with Grand Turk, I think they are just still dealling with so much damage nothing is really "beauiful" like I heard it was. The port area is nice but we took the golf cart around and it was pretty devistated.

Tech - Welcome back! I have never been to Grand Turk or anything Eastern! We didn't walk to Altantis but we did manage to get in and walked the entire place from one end to the other. It was impressive but don't know I would pay the price. I only won $10 in the casino and I put it right back in the machine.

 

I do want to go to Half Moon Cay someday, I have heard so much about it.

 

Our friends from Wooster are actually visiting us today. Suppose to meet them for brunch shortly then a cook-out later. You already have your room on the Spirit? Which floor are you on? I am on Upper and a couple of others are on Main. I am not sure which floor the others are on.

 

Kim - GREAT, the more the merrier. I am doing the T-shirts online, since so many are booked on their own. I think it will make it easier for everyone. You can just order your them yourselves and in the color you want. Unless everyone thinks we should have a set color. I am going to make a couple of designs I think. This site also has hats, pins, and bags. Several of the other group cruises use them, that's where I saw them.

[techmom]

 

Our friends from Wooster are actually visiting us today. Suppose to meet them for brunch shortly then a cook-out later. You already have your room on the Spirit? Which floor are you on? I am on Upper and a couple of others are on Main. I am not sure which floor the others are on.

 

We are in 7258. The cabin size is the same but there is something between our room and the next so our balcony is bigger. I splurged this time. On the Pride we were in 6105-inside cabin and it was the same size as our OV on the Paradise. For now on booking inside cabins-we were barely in it.

 

Nice shirts by the way!

[anamanxs]

We are in 7258. The cabin size is the same but there is something between our room and the next so our balcony is bigger. I splurged this time. On the Pride we were in 6105-inside cabin and it was the same size as our OV on the Paradise. For now on booking inside cabins-we were barely in it.

 

Nice shirts by the way!

 

We were barely in it also, but again I just spurged for this trip and will probably go back to inside also. If my daughter needs to put the baby down for a nap she can use our room and be able to still see outside. (Or maybe I will snaek a nap in there with him. Still havn't firgured out how or where he is going to sleep, at 2 3/4 will be too old for crib and too young for the upper bunks. Someone said just pull the upper bunk matteress on the floor. :eek:

[happylady]

Just found this review on another cruise line. She just started and is writing about pre-cruise in Seattle. She used Hotwire and got rooms at Red Lion downtown for $79/night.....king room next week is $264/night.:eek::eek:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=19869337&posted=1#post19869337

[anamanxs]

Good Morning all.

 

Wow, I looked it up and it does seem like a really nice Hotel. It is listing for $169 for next May with a Quessn size AAA discount. It will be interesting to see what Priceline or Hotwire can get for it. There were several Red Lion Hotels in the Seattle area. The review is pretty good reading so far. Thanks Kathi.

[MikeNKim]

Good morning my fellow cruisers!!!!!!

 

I think I am going to stick with Quality Inn, looks close to alot of stuff and with the free breaky the price can't be beat. Everything I was finding was $250 + so very, very happy with $89.10 a night.

 

Can we cruise yet????

[anamanxs]

I hear ya! I am going to keep the QI resversation and then check out Priceline or Hotwire. But it doesn't hurt to have a backup. I don't think they are going to be able to beat the QI price and I have never used Priceline or Hotwire but if a lot of us do it woun't that raise the price? And it says the QI is near the monorail; it seems anywhere near downtown is about 40 minutes to port. Other people in groups talked about getting a Limo to take to port. Since they hold 14 - 16 people. I wonder what the price is? The review Kathi posted is interesting reading, I am waiting for them to post more.....she talkes about the dining in the area and said eveything kind closed around 10:00 pm which I find unusual.

[RVman]

Good Morning Gang, hope everyone had a good weekend. My Sister-in law signed up for the cruise late last week. She’s a lot of fun. I’ll try to get her to post here:)

 

 

 

 

I think I’m going to hold off and just bid on a four star hotel later. I’m not worried about finding a place to stay . I think leaving on a Tuesday will be to our advantage and Seattle has lots of hotels. We are going to get two pre cruise nights and probably one post cruise night since we are having to fly back to Florida. Sounds like Pier 91 is a nightmare to get out of:eek:

 

After reading lots of reviews and Q&A threads it looks as though the Gray line shuttle bus from the Airport hits all of the four star hotels downtown. They only charge something like 12.00 a person and departs the Airport on the hour every hour.

Hope everyone has a great week :)