Today, Fed Ex came by to pick up the sixteen (16) items we have been packing over the last five (5) months for our world cruise. This included two (2) wardrobe boxes full of suits, dresses, shirts, shoe boxes, etc., a box containing our huge World Map (with pins to mark each new port), a photo scanner (to upload photos not taken on our own cameras), a box of legal books for study during "down" times, my bowling ball bag, and several large suitcases. (We went bowling last night, since it was our "last chance" for a while ... we're checking into bowling alleys in Rio and Singapore and plan to check out that alley at the hotel in India!)
When the Fed Ex guy showed up around noon, he walked in, took a look at what we were shipping, and promptly walked right back out -- saying he'd be back later with a larger truck! Pretty funny. (Apparently, someone told him we were only shipping one bag. Yeah, right!) It's amazing how empty the room looks now that they're gone ...
There are only eight (8) days to go until we leave:
Wed., 12/28
Thurs., 12/29
Fri., 12/30 - last court hearing (yeah!)
Sat., 12/31 - New Year's Eve (party time)
Sun., 1/1 - a day to sleep
Mon., 1/2 - visit my Aunt who's visiting from Missouri
Tues., 1/3 - dogs to vet; Sondra to dentist
Wed., 1/4 - Sondra to hair lady; then cars to storage; then to Bon Voyage Party
At 6:30 a.m. on Thurs., 1/5, we fly to Ft. Lauderdale, where our Travel Agent has a Welcome Party and dinner planned. How very exciting this all is ... if you're worried that I may never want to return, remember that I live in SAN DIEGO (the greatest place on Earth)!!
If you’ve ever regretted missing your high school prom (as I did), then here is the cure: a world cruise! Beyond the "ordinary" five-course dinners available each evening in the dining room, Holland America has planned eighteen (18) FORMAL NIGHTS for our (112-day) "Grand World Voyage":
1 - January 8th: Captain’s Welcome Reception
2 - January 14th: Black & Silver Ball (the 1st Grand Ball in the Queen’s Lounge)
3 - January 21st: Copacabana Samba
4 - January 26th: Viva Las Vegas
5 - January 31st: Ice Blue Winter Ball (Antarctica’s splendor dance on board)
6 - February 7th: Captain Bligh’s Dinner
7 - February 14th: Valentine’s Day Hearts & Flowers Ball - in the Queen’s Lounge (after a special dinner at Pinnacle Grill, HAL’s upscale restaurant)
8 - February 21st or 23rd: Mardi Gras
9 - February 27th: Many Leagues Under the Sea Ball (seafood delicacies) (we’ll miss this one, as we’re staying in Australia and flying from Sydney to Cairns)
10 - March 7th: Theme unknown
11 - March 9th: Indonesian Formal Night (colonial style formal)
12 - March 17th: St. Patrick’s Day
13 - March 22nd: Oriental Night
14 - March 31st: Maharadja & Maharani Night
15 - April 7th: 1,001 Arabian Nights (we’ll miss this one, too, as we’re staying in Egypt to see the pyramids, etc.)
16 - April 14th: Classic Formal Night (dress in "near-bygone style")
17 - April 22nd: Celebration Night & Dessert Extravaganza (Pastry Chef’s sweetest Grand Buffet imaginable)
18 - April 26th: Black & Gold Masked Ball (our final formal night; a classic Grand Ball in the Queen’s Lounge, with masks)
There is something to enthrall anyone longing to pull out that dusty ball gown or tux ... or to buy a new one! I bought dresses in silver, gold, blue, green and red, but I have no idea what I’ll wear for the Indian, Indonesian, Samba and Oriental nights. Nor do I understand what "near-bygone style" means. But there’s plenty of time to shop along the way .... Bill bought his first-ever tux, despite swearing he would "never" wear a tux. He even picked up silk ties to match my dresses and gowns! See, it’s never too late to celebrate life ...
If that weren't enough, there are numerous other THEME EVENTS, e.g.:
January 11th: South American Dinner (Latin American cuisine) - at Pinnacle Grill for $69/person
January 29th: Sommelier Dinner (gourmet food and wine pairings) - at Pinnacle Grill for $69/person
February 5th: Superbowl XLVI party - in the Queen’s Lounge - as we are cruising through the Chilean Fjords (I got a Denver Broncos jersey for the occasion!)
February 6th: Murder Mystery Dinner I - at Pinnacle Grill for $69/person
February 16th: French Dinner - at Pinnacle Grill for $69/person
March 4th: Chef’s Dinner - in the La Fontaine Dining Room
March 7th or 8th: Indonesian Dinner (Kuta’s high-end Warung Indonesia on board) - at Pinnacle Grill for $69/person
March 8th: King Neptune Ceremony (event to commemorate a sailor’s first crossing of the equator)
March 13th: Murder Mystery Dinner II - at Pinnacle Grill for $69/person
March 15th: Lumpia Dinner and Sateh BBQ (Vietnamese spread) - on Lido Deck
March 30th: Indian Dinner (dahl, roti, rice, naan, etc.) - at Pinnacle Grill for $69/person
April 17th: Murder Mystery Dinner III - at Pinnacle Grill for $69/person
April 18th: Paella Fiesta (Spanish specialty turned into a dinner event) - on Lido Deck
April 19th: Bill’s birthday dinner - at Pinnacle Grill
In addition to all of this, for $129/person, we can join four other guests to participate in a "Chef’s Table" gourmet tasting dinner with the Executive Chef. It starts with French Champagne (isn’t that redundant?), followed by a tour of the ship’s galley during dinner operations, and a select six-course menu paired with premium wine for each course.
Well, that’s about "it". So you see, it’s never too late for the prom!
Remember "The Love Boat"? In this quintessential "American" television series – which aired from 1977 to 1986 – the lead actors held the roles of ship’s captain, doctor, bartender, purser, "cruise director" and photographer. Who else do we need on a floating city, after all?
As it turns out, an actual cruise ship has a slightly different list of key officers and crew:
Captain - Jonathan Mercer
"Hotel" Manager - Henk J. Mensink
Chief Engineer - Hans Bloks/Ian Taylor
Chief Officers - Frisco Kramer/Gerd Teensma
Cruise Director - Bruce Allen Scudder
Guest Relations Manager - Christel A. Mensink
Purser - Peter C. Wallis
Chief Housekeeper - Chiv Charan
Culinary Operations Manager - Bart Groeneveld
Executive Chef - Bernie Rius
Dining Room Manager - Tom Grindlay
Beverage Manager - Willy Tubog
LifeStylists - Danube Jacobs & a "stylist to be named later"
Shore Excursions Manager - Irene Gruenwald
Travel Guide - Barbara Heanni
Hostess - Adele Scholtz
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| The Love Boat Crew |
So who’s the doctor? Bartender? Photographer? What, an engineer is more important than the guy making my Mai Tai’s and creating my lifetime photographic memories? Hem. Apparently, our priorities have now shifted to staying afloat and enjoying great food, great shore excursions and a clean room. Who can argue with that, really? I have no idea what the "lifestylists" will do for us, but if they were hair stylists, I'd be all for that (you make me look good; I'll take it from there)!
Still, I willingly place my safety and my happiness in the hands of these individuals -- at least for the next four (4) months. Let's hope we never need the ship’s doctor or engineer!
To contact us between January 5, 2012 and April 28, 2012, here’s what you do:
E-MAIL: We’ll still have access to our regular e-mail accounts and will check in from time to time (don’t count on an immediate response).
Bill: attparks@aol.com
Sondra: sondra@ssslegal.com
As a back-up only, because there is a charge to us for this service, Holland America has set up our own CruisE-mail address for us to use. This is intended for people without an e-mail provider (not us). Our CruisE-mail addresses are:
Bill: bparks6219@amsterdam.cruisemail.net
Sondra: ssutherland6219@amsterdam.cruisemail.net
FACEBOOK/BLOG: We can also connect to the internet, hopefully on our phones and computers and, if not, through the ship’s Internet Café. So feel free to send us posts or messages on Facebook, or this blog.
TELEPHONE/TEXT: We will both have our cell phones with us, but only Sondra's Droid Global phone has international calling capability: (760) 520-5711. Sondra has also purchased phone cards, so she can return calls from the ship for app. $1.67/minute (just leave a message, and we'll call back).
If you can’t get through to any of these numbers and must reach us on board the ship, you can call (shore to ship) by dialing (866) 425-7447 – but it costs $16 per minute (a satellite tariff)! You’ll need (1) a credit card, (2) the ship’s name [ms Amsterdam], (3) our name, and (4) our stateroom number (6219). You can also call the ms Amsterdam directly by dialing 011-870-324-437-011. Holland America also has these emergency phone numbers: (800) 628-4771 or (206) 286-3294.
SKYPE: Sondra can also be reached on Skype; my Skype address is "ssslegal".
FAX/MAIL: We can fax or mail from the ship, but you cannot send mail or faxes to us. We will communicate primarily by e-mail.
BACK HOME: Blizzard, Snowy and Frosty will be staying with, and cared for by, George (Moy) at my prior residence in Escondido. We ask anyone who can to stop by and look in on them, and/or to at least give George a call from time to time to make sure everybody's okay (760/803-4254)!
