Saturday, April 20, 2013

Our 115 day World Cruise day 105, at sea!

Here we are.....still in San Diego!  It was another  beautiful day and we went to a lot of places.  We met Mary Lou for coffee and it was really nice at Starbucks with all the computer people not there!

After Starbucks we went to Costco to get gas....all of these cars are waiting for gas!  There are about 8 lines of pumps and there were at least 4 cars per line!
                                                                                                                                   


After getting gas we went back to Fashion Mall and it was so nice there

                         These fountains are so pretty and really add to the shopping experience!  lol!
Okay....so I bought another purse...it was on sale...and yes we did have lunch at Rubio's...how did you know!                                                                                              
     Joshua just texted me and it is so noisy here that I am taking this picture and waving hi to him!  lol!                                
                                                                               
Yes, this is my lunch....2 chicken street tacos!

This is wild mustard growing along the road.  It is not real clear as the car is moving but it is all along the freeways at this time of the year.  I think that people take it for granted and don't even see it!


   This is the San Ysidro Americas Mall.  It is very nice and you can see Mexico and the hill that the people sit on before they run the border!  I don't know if they still do that!  We are about 1/4 mile to the border crossing!

These are the nice people who waited on us at the Kipling Store!  They were very helpful putting the purses into the bags!  lol!
It was very crowded at this Starbucks.  We had a hard time getting a table...sound familiar....lol!




Believe it or not....this mall has a Carnival Cruise Line kiosk!


Now, we are True Food having dinner and cocktails with Jerry.  Jerry is leaving on Thursday for a nice trip...so I guess we will go home!  lol!

Now you can see why the sales people were so happy to help us.  Vicki's purchases are on the left and mine are on the right.  We bought the same color in the wallets but mine is smaller...it is because I have less money!  lol!

Now I  need to give you all a Weight Watchers update.
Since April 8th, I have spent $100 on my WW experience.  I paid for 1 month which allows me to  log my food on my cell phone and I bought an Activity link which allows me to track my level of activity.  in 13 days I have lost 4 ounces!  This is $25 per ounce!  Tell me....is there something wrong with this picture?  lol!

Where we did not go today ...but the Amsterdam did!

 At Sea

We had a great day at sea today.  The weather continues to be extremely hot which means a lot of time on the aft deck and in the pool.  As this voyage draws to  a close, I’ve been reflecting a lot on the experiences that we’ve had.  Of course, one of the things that really make a voyage are the people – the staff and crew that work on the ms Amsterdam.  A few years ago, I met a young man who worked on the 2009 voyage on the ms Rotterdam who impressed me so much that I wrote a blog post about how outstanding his performance was day in and day out.  He was the hardest working guy that I had seen on the ship and it was always with a smile.  He could never do enough for the guests on the World Voyage.  That individual was Manny Cabenella who, at that tiime, was the head deck steward.  Manny has since been promoted and is part of the Bar Staff and his performance hasn’t missed a beat.  Day and night Manny is there working hard, always with a smile, and provides the best service – in my opinion – that I have ever seen.  Over the last few years, Manny has been recognized by Holland America Line as the Employee of the Month – an award that Manny could earn each and every month.  It’s people like Manny Cabenella that really make a difference in my choosing HAL as my cruiseline of choice.  He certainly is worthy of Employee of the Month and Employee of the Year if they have such an award.  I just want to say ‘Thanks’ to Manny for representing HAL in such an outstanding fashion.
Posted by 

 Pictures of the day! by Kween Karen!

                                                  
                                   
                                                                            
                                                                 
                                                                              


                                                                                   
                                                                                    


                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
                                                                             
                                                 

Postcards from Paradise!
 at Sea 

It was another lazy, hot, humid day as we sailed closer to South America, and the country of Brazil. We had a few important jobs this morning after breakfast, so we cut our walk short. Truthfully, one of us was really glad to quit the walk since it was so darned sticky and uncomfortable. We could always make up the exercise later in the day.

Thank you notes were in order for the thoughtful card and gift given by the "top four" staffers. We still do not know how these gifts were announced yesterday in the Queens Lounge, but we found it puzzling and amusing how many folks we have never met said happy birthday during our promenade walk earlier. Once the notes were written, we turned them in to the nice gals at the front desk for delivery.

A notice was printed in the daily newsletter stating that we were getting an intermittent signal for the internet. The connection would at best be slow or lost unexpectantly. This was not expected to change until we left Brazil. Well, you never know that for a fact, unless we tried to connect. The plan was that if no one was trying, then it would work better for us. And that was what happened, at least today, both in the morning and in the afternoon. Even the Captain had made a special announcement over the PA system repeating the same printed message. Tomorrow, things may be different, but today it worked.

Everyone doing the full cruise received their Fed Ex luggage delivery tags and info letter this morning. To be more specific, those who had unlimited shipping, or four bags allowed for free. If anyone needs to send more than their alloted number of bags, they can do so for a price. Those with inside rooms and all the segment people would have to pay to ship luggage home. Living in Canada, they have to pay more than double. Small suitcases, duffel, and the HAL gifted bag, will cost $65. to ship ($130. for Canadians). A medium suitcase or cardboard box will be $90. (Canadian - $190.) And finally, a large suitcase or trunk will be $125. ($260. for Canadian). There was no mention of weight limits, or even exact measurements of each size. Added insurance is also available to purchase. And finally, those leaving in Florida, have to send it home from there, while those of us getting off in San Diego, Seattle, or Vancouver have to take all of our stuff off when we debark in those cities. No exceptions.

As we had missed our walk this morning, we caught up with it mid day. And for the very first time this trip, we sat on the very comfortable padded teak deck chairs on the promenade deck for an hour or so. No wonder people come out here every single day with their books and newspapers. It's the next best thing next to having your own private veranda, although the lounges on those are not as nice. We have to admit it was nice to take a break from the penetrating rays of the equatorial sun at the aft pool. No sunscreen can protect you for very long no matter what the number is printed on it.

Another way to escape the heat is to go to lectures in the Queens Lounge. Barbara H. talked about Belem, the second port in Brazil. So many folks who required them, had such a terrible time getting their Brazilian visas, that the ports we will be visiting will not be what they may expect. They are not like going to Rio, not by a long shot. However, if they have never visited Brazil before, these cities will give them a flavor of what the big cities have to offer. One of the most memorable experiences we recall, was the samba dinner and show while in Rio last year. Both were over the top.

Two explorations speakers were lecturing today. David Smith demonstrated how to make slide shows, photo book creations, online sharing, and social networking. Howard Walker spoke about international conflict and cooperation that will keep diplomats awake at night. Van has said that he has thoroughly enjoyed Howard's lectures, and is proud of the fact he can make it through the hour without falling asleep. 

We tried something different today...a room service lunch, which was delivered in a timely manner. The club sandwiches with a creamy potato salad were just right, and we could enjoy them while watching a good movie, The Man on a Ledge. It is probably an older movie, but one we have not seen already. One of these days, we should figure out how to use the DVD player in our room too. A booklet we have in our rooms offers pages of movies by categories, and they are complimentary for pick up at the front desk. Nothing is current, but that's OK if they are new to us.

A new celebrity guest chef has joined us by the name of Chris Smith. He is a certified executive chef with over 20 years of experience in the culinary field. Specifically, he is an expert with diabetes type 1, a disease he was diagnosed with at the age of 27. And his choice of food he prepared today in the culinary center sounded good. He prepared chicken tortellini and tomato soup, smoked poblano and roasted vegetables. Mmmm, good. 

The Carnival Night Ball was the theme for the dining room tonight. It was brightly decorated in turquoise, purple, and pink banners with the waiters to match. Feather boas were on each seat for the ladies, or the fellows if they chose to wear one. Whatever. But why would they dress the waiters in lime green and purple velour ruffled shirts in this heat, is a mystery to all of us. Sure the dining room is air-conditioned, but with such hot temps outside, it is not as efficient as it should be. Some of us had the filet mignon entree, and we can report that the beef was tender and delicious. Finally. But the best was the dessert of cappachino bombs, the chocolate coated mocha ice cream ball, that reminded us all of the old-fashioned frozen chocolate-covered fudge bars on a stick.

We'll report tomorrow on the Carnival Ball with live music, dancing, and chances to win champagne prizes. As for us, we had a date with another documentary movie we also have never seen.

Formal night gifts were delivered to each of us that are full cruise guests. They are more napkin rings that match the set we received on the night of the Captain's Dinner months ago. The included card mentioned that since these ceramic items have been customed-made by Royal Goedewaagen, and are given by popular request by the long traveled guests. One good thing is that they are small and easy to pack at this point.

Note to Bill, our eldest son - Happy Birthday!!

Mary Ann & Bill





















Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)