John S McCain

I remember a time (about 1988) where I was sitting in my parents' bedroom on a floral loveseat (that rocked) watching Tom Brokaw on the Nightly News.  He did a story on a former POW from the Vietnam War that had spent almost 6 years in a Hanoi prison.  I remember hearing Tom talk about how he was beaten and had thoughts of suicide.  He showed this photograph and I thought even at that young age, "I could never go through that."  Tom talked of his service, his undying love for his country and it ended there for a while. 

I heard his name over the years because he was a Senator from Arizona, but not much because the news wasn't in those days what it is today.  You didn't get news all the time and there was so much to cover in the short amount of time that the news was on that you didn't get everything from everywhere.  Then in 1998 the news starting buzzing that a certain Senator from AZ was considering running for President.  Instantly I started reading what I could and backing him.  I got my 2-year-old child telling everyone about the hero, John McCain (she even convinced Santa Claus on her dad's news show that he needed to vote for John McCain).   Well,  George W. Bush won on Super Tuesday and he was out, but he had released a book that would change everything for me.  

Faith of My Fathers was released and I devoured it.  I read it twice back to back at first because it told not only the McCain family history but also a tale of America the Beautiful.  I really think all Americans should read a book like this to understand how we have such a great country and how proud we should be that we do.  This war hero became the greatest American of my lifetime at this time.  

The next few years I was able to listen to him more because he released more books, we now had news anytime we wanted it and we had the internet.   I found his email on the internet and emailed asking him to autograph my books.  His secretary and I would go back and forth for the rest of his life (and a bit after) conversing and getting my books signed. 

 In 2007 he said he was running again.  I was all over whatever it took to get the word out to vote for him.   I went to Alaska in June and heard about this Sarah Palin, at this time she was just a Govenor in Alaska and not known anywhere but there.  We went to the Capital there in Juneau and the local guides on our tours told us how wonderful she was for their state. I started studying her "rogue" style and I did indeed like her.   In August McCain picked her for his running mate.  I was excited to have a lady that wasn't fancy dancy on the ticket.  The problem was she kept talking, but I didn't care because my candidate got the nomination!  I did like her attitude, spunk and desire (I may have been a tad jealous that she got on the National stage---even though she wasn't ready and not a good choice for him).  The next little bit of time was fantastic!  He was riding high and doing well.  He was then up against Barack Obama who had more money, charisma, and big backers. His dream was just as big as McCain's.   McCain was trailing but remained classy to the end of the campaign.  I was working the election polls and my husband texted me that it was over.  I was so very sad.  His dream ended that night, but so did mine...I really wanted him to be President.   

Over the next few years, there was plenty of time to see him fight for America from the Senate floor. He wrote more books, showed us his comedy side, fought with Presidents and other Senators....he showed us he was "The Maverick".  

I was very sad when he announced his brain cancer.  There was no known cure and it was super aggressive.  He would be dead in about a year.  Those words are still hard to type out here...dead in about a year.  He made a documentary about his life and titled it after his favorite (and my second favorite) author's books; For Whom the Bell Tolls.   It was a moving documentary and I may have cried a few times.  I do have a few quotes that I had to write down while watching, and I will leave you with those...one is from his chief of staff and the two from Senator McCain himself.  

“If he showed us how to live, he’s also showing us how to die.”  Grant Woods

"We need to give the American people what they deserve. And right now, they're not getting it."

“I greet every day with gratitude. . . . I’m confident and I’m happy. I’m very grateful for the life I’ve been able to lead. And I greet the future with joy.”

Coke it is

I have been a coke user all my life...haha got your attention didn't I?

I am talking about coca cola. I have loved to drink coke since I was a small child. I think it started with those lovely Gibson girls in the ads and then came about the taste. I don't really drink anything else.  Actually, I can't remember the last time I did.

My husband shares this love and we were just talking about how cokes taste different.  Like in Mexico, the syrup is thicker and has a sweeter taste.  In the USA the plastic bottles taste terrible, the can tastes "normal", but the glass bottles are SUPER!!!!!  We have decided we are going to stock up on the bottles you can get at Dollar General, the syrup to water ratio is pretty perfect and we need to buy it before they change it.

That lead the conversation to places NOT putting enough syrup in their fountain drinks.  We have a list of worst and best places to get a coke (or a cherry coke). These are Paducah locations by the way.

Best
1. Steak and Shake
2.  Sonic
3. Hardees
4. Dairy Queen




Worst
1. Pizza by the Pound
2.  Cracker Barrel
3. McDonald's


I would love to know what you think....speak your mind below.

I can't fight this craving any longer

Let me tell you a story. A story of a lady that pulled into a McDonald's on Music Valley Drive in Nashville, TN on August 6, 2011.  She was starving to death and had just made some $$$$ working for a scrapbook vendor.  She ordered a double cheeseburger, fries, coke, and a ROLO McFlurry.  She had to devour the McFlurry quickly because she was driving and did not want to spill any on her lap.  It was YUMMY!!! So YUMMY she wished that she had ordered a large ROLO McFlurry.

She told her husband about the McFlurry and told him of her desire to have another one.  A week or so went by and she was still thinking of that McFlurry.  One day she was going to be driving by McDonald's during lunchtime.  She pulled into the drive through...ordered her #6 with a coke and a small ROLO McFlurry.  She was given a total and she pulled to the window.

Upon her arrival, the girl (with lovely nails) leaned out and said: "Honey, the ice cream machine is broken."  REALLY????   Feeling sad and extremely disappointed she ate her burger while longing for that ROLO McFlurry.

A week or so later her hubby went to McDonald's after football practice.  His mission to feed his son and bring the wifey a McFlurry.  He called a few minutes later, the line was out onto the street, there was NO way she was getting that ROLO on that night.

Days went by and the sweet husband decided to give it one more shot.  He pulled through the drive-through line, ordered and was told: "the credit card machine is broken."  He doesn't carry cash.  What is this a conspiracy?  Was the lovely lady ever going to have the ROLO McFlurry?  Would she be forever to just dream of the taste of the caramel and little chocolate candy pieces?  Would she forever be angry with the Lone Oak Road McDonald's for ruining her McFlurry experience?

No, that lovely little hubby would leave the McDonald's parking lot and go to the ATM, where he was reunited with greenbacks and the wife was very happy that the second ROLO McFlurry was just as good as the first one!

Thank you to McDonald's, John Champion and Abe Lincoln (ATM). 

Crazy 4 Challenges: CR4C87

I was THRILLED that I found another challenge website.  This weeks challenge speaks to my very soul...CHOCOLATE!!! What girl does not love CHOCOLATE?  Ok, I admit about 5 years ago, I did not much care for it, but that is when I really got into scrapbooking and a friend turned me onto DARK chocolate, truffles and Java Chip Frappicino..yeah, I am hooked.

I made this card for someone like me that loves chocolate...it is a bit romantic like the feeling you have when you have some good quality chocolate....oh wait, this comes with a piece of good chocolate too...who would NOT be cheered up by this card?

To get the look:

Pink card stock from my scrap bin
ALL pattern paper is Cut and Paste by K&co
Tulle from Amanda's wedding pew bows

flowers by prima and from an arrangement that I took apart
Chocolate by Ghirardelli
paper ribbon by a gift tag that I received from a preschool friend
quote by Lucy Van Pelt

Must have chocolate

Yes, who can really survive without chocolate? I am thinking of this grand chocolate that I had onboard the Norwegian Pearl. This was a chocolate truffle. A powder sugar coated exterior and under that a bitter layer of dark chocolate power and inside--------decadence!!!!!!!! Without a doubt the greatest chocolate I have ever eaten. I ate about 20 on that day as you know cruise ships rarely serve the same food twice so I ate literally as many as I could. I thought I was going to puke, but I didn't...I kept them all down. whew...

There is a close second and unfortunately, the person can't make them again. A girl I work with, Jennifer Payne, made a chocolate truffle. It too had a bitter outside and a scrumptious interior. She gave me about 3 that day and I savored each little bite, but alas she has said that she doesn't have the recipe anymore.

Someone out there in chocolate land helps me...bring me back a Norwegian Pearl truffle or send me a very good truffle recipe so that I may make my own. Thank you and good night.

Cheeseburger

I have an addiction to cheeseburgers. Honestly, I think that I could eat them every day. I could eat them with tomatoes, ketchup, and mustard. With guacamole, bacon, and mayo. With onions, pickles, and lettuce. Maybe some mustard, pickles, and cheese. I am getting hungry just typing about this...yummy.

There are many days at work when I crave one so badly that I can't stand it. Yes, that is how bad the addiction is. I will dump out the entire contents of my purse scouring for money to pay for a $1 burger. Yes, it is that bad.

A friend of mine realized that the addiction has gotten out of hand...mainly because I walked around singing "you are his cheeseburger" from veggie tales ALL THE TIME!!! So she went to Clay Chameleon and made me a cheeseburger. A cheeseburger with no fat, no calories and will help me save for a cheeseburger. Oh yes, it is a bank. I am now putting all my change into the cheeseburger so that one day I can shake out all the coin and buy a Red Robin cheeseburger.

Red Robin, YUM!! Thanks Jennifer for the wonderful present!

To the Clouds..

For some reason Paducah, KY has great sunsets, great glimpses of the moon, and strange looking clouds. Here are some of the ones that I have observed from my neck of the woods. They really don't need words. I will just tell you that all photos were shot with a Kodak z981 (26 optical zoom). That's as good as my camera gets.

Ocean boneless

It has got to be the best fish that I have ever put in my mouth. I have only found it at one restaurant, the Country Crossroads in Hardin. I started eating it as a senior in high school and John and I have been there many times as well. There were times that we would come home from Little Rock and that would be one of the first things we did (that and drink a sundrop).


Over the years that fish has been a favorite....there was a bad time when the restaurant closed. I never knew for sure why, but it did. John and I tried many restaurants at the lakes looking for our ocean boneless, but no one had it. It was a thrill to hear it was reopening...our only hope was that they kept the ocean boneless. They had changed some things, do the decor, but it needed that....and they brought you a plate of hush puppies and cheese sauce! That's was new and exciting! Yummy as well! There it was on the menu, OCEAN BONELESS. The cost was more than before, but I promise you, the taste is worth every penny. It says exactly the same. They did improve their dinner salad (it used to be just lettuce) and the white beans hanger always been good. So we are going to the Country Crossroads this weekend...maybe I will take a photo for you. It'd need worth the time, effort and money for you to drive yourself over to Hardin and pig out on this tasty, yummy treat.

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I love you to the moon and back

Well, I aired my bad things, now I will play Oprah and and tell you my happiness things of today....only I am NOT giving you a car or a trip.

McDonalds Double Cheese burger...I don't know why you and I love each other so. We have loved each other since I was in high school and I first consumed those 2 patties on a smallish bun. You are fried and greasy, but I crave you often. You have no tomatoes or lettuce, but I still love you. Those little "onions" make me very very happy. Wish I had one right now.

Coffee...well, I have turned into my mother who turned into my grandmother. Yeah, I drink coffee now. I have to brush my teeth right after, but I love the taste at first. 3 creams and 2 sugars....unless it is flavored cream and I have (GASP) gotten to the point in life where I can go without sugar then. WOW I am old!!!

Music...have to have you in my life everyday. You make me happy, sad, thoughtful, gleeful, humble, spiritual and just generally ECSTATIC!

Politics..you make me happy, you make me sad. I can't get enough of you. Gosh, I watch Meet the Press for fun (heart David Gregory)...oh gosh that brings me to the next topic....

News people...I love the anchors....Brokaw, Gregory, Matthews, HOLT (the best), Champion :)

Heidi Eyer...one of my all time favorite people...she just posted on fb that she was on my bad list, she had no idea she was on the good list too. She is an amazing person. One of my heroes in life. She is loud, crude, giving, loving, smart, obnoxious, caring, and a jerk. I love her dearly!

Rednecks...Jeff Foxworthy gave you to me and I love you all, wait I love Ya'll. Git er' done

preschool mats that had holes in them...can't use them for work, but I brought one home from school for my son. It is nice that he uses it and does not try to sleep in my bed.

Food...yeah I know I mentioned you before, but you get to be mentioned again. I love to eat. Love to photograph the food I eat. Love to scrapbook the food I eat. Yeah, I am strange. I must be hungry, I can't stop thinking of food things.

Computers...I LOVE you very much. You can make me feel smart and you can make me feel dumb. You can let me do research or you can let me stayed connected. You are fun and I am reading even more books now and I read a lot before. Maybe a new record for books read in 2011.

That is all I have for today...Later taters.

Oh how I love thee, but WHY?

There is something about you...yes, on my first visit I could not quite put my finger on what it was, but I have it now! You are rich! Rich in nature! Rich in beauty! Rich in peace! Rich in culture! Rich in shopping! Rich in "gold"! Rich in stories!

There you sit at the head of Lynn Canal, which really is not a canal at all but a natural made fjord. See you start off fooling me from the very beginning. But there you are, I can see you as I approach. There is a distinctive "downtown". Rows of buildings lined up against the street. But still something is different. When I first step onto your land. I look around. There is a mountain will paintings to my right. Paintings of what? Yes, that's it paintings from crew members whose ships docked in your port and advertisements from stores that are probably long gone from your town.

And to the left and straight ahead...there you lie, Skaguay or Skagway as you are called in "modern times". We are here at the mouth of Broadway, walking up your streets heading first to what I see on the left, the Alaska t shirt company. This store, while not rich in Skagway heritage, is rich in savings. I hope to make you my first stop. On the right is the great statue for the Klondikers.

The who? The Klondikers! What's that? They are the people who sought out Alaska during the Gold Rush of the Yukon (1896). The prospective "millionaires" would board a ship and head up Lynn Canal. It was NOT a smooth journey as the canal was full of bergs, fierce winds and they were not really sailing under the best of conditions. The hopefuls landed in Skagway to begin a trek over the mountains. It was to be a 500 mile trek up the mountains into Canada's Yukon territory. While that doesn't sound so bad, it was. The mounted police did not care that you wanted to come to their country to "strike it rich", but they were NOT going to care for you. So each prospector had to carry with him 1,000 pounds of supplies (or a years supply of goods). Yeah, that is typed right ONE THOUSAND POUNDS! "The Golden Staircase" (as it was known) was a constant line of prospectors. If you stepped out of line you would have to wait 15 minutes or so to regain a spot in the trek.

This is art depicting the "Golden Stairs"

This trek proved to be deadly for some (above is pictured Dead Horse Trail) , and not as rewarding for the others. Some decided that there was too much at stake and took up residence in Skagway instead. They sold the supplies needed, opened saloons and brothels, and one guy by the name of Soapy Smith decided to run the place as a mob city. He was crooked, a thief, and just all around NOT a good guy, but a very interesting read...I recommend you read about him.

Back to the future....behind the famous Klondikers is the White Pass and Yukon Railway. This railroad is a narrow gauge train that will parallel the "White Pass Trail" that the Klondikers took. Construction began in 1898 with a goal in mind of making it easier for the prospectors to get into the Yukon territory and up to Dawson City. The WP&YR today is run as a tourist attraction and what an attraction it is. I have been on the railway twice and have learned so much both times. The tour leaves right from the cruise docks. There are many tours that you can choose from. The most popular goes to the summit and back, then there are some that go into Canada and one that will take you into Whitehorse, BC.

The views are spectacular and because you parallel the White Pass trail you will get to see many of the sights seen in Gold Rush days. Like the "trail of 98", "Black Cross Rock", the old depot spots and a bridge that will make you cringe.

This is an amazing trek, the most popular inside passage excursion and well worth the $100 plus you will spend....save your money now!

When you get back to town it is time to explore some more. The Skaguay News depot is a wonderful place to pick up information on the Gold Rush, Klondikers, old newspapers, or even today's paper. There is even a cross stitch store in town! YEAH, I could not believe it either. Check it out! You can get gourmet cupcakes (get them fast when they sell out they close), you can check out Soapy Smith's life, visit tons of jewelry stores....but there are some must dos.

AB Hall---The Arctic Brotherhood Hall. There are over 10,000 pieces of driftwood nailed to the facade of the building and then have been there since gold rush days. This building will grab your attention FAST!! It was a social place for miners in its hey day, now it is a visitors center.

There is a lovely Russian facade on one of the jewelry stores, and wonderful mouth watering fudge at the Alaskan Fudge Company (wish I could have more of the vanilla glacier fudge).

Walk around more and you will see the National Park (please visit here), Skagway river, and walk off Broadway to see how the locals live. You can visit the market...the market is interesting. The food comes in on a barge and the grocery is stocked. Prices are HIGH! As the week progress, prices go lower as the perishables are starting to go bad. Canned good will escalate in price because folks are running out of fresh food and need to eat. Yeah, that's right the food barge comes in once a week! We were told, as the week progresses you take a chance on only eating canned items if you wait. We saw chopped sirloin for $9.00 per pound.

the cementary is near here too!

Well Skagway, I have covered most of your 7 blocks in just a few short minutes. For those of you given the chance explore this quaint little mining town and all she has to offer. I am sure that you will NOT be disappointed.

The travel list

Everyone knows my zest for travel...the more the merrier. And you all know how I love lists...here are 2 lists that involve travel.

The Places I have been that I loved
1. Bathsheba, Barbados
2.. Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
3. Pikes Peak
4. In the waters around Admiralty Island, Alaska
5. El Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico
6. Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas
7. Key West, Florida
8. Phillipsburg, St Maartin
9. Skagway, Alaska
10. Washington, D.C. (everything about it thrilled me)
11. Cumberland Falls
12. El Yunque rain forest
13. Chichen Itza
14. Ketchikan, AK
15. St John
16. Mendenhall Glacier
17. Bill Clinton Library
18. The Royal Gorge
19. Charlottsville, Virginia
20. Victoria, Canada
21. The Hermitage
22. Chicago, Illinois
23. Arlington National Cemetary
24. Coke Museum in Atlanta Georgia

25. The Old Mill
26. Great Smokey Mountains National Park



Where I would like to go:
1. Kilauea
2. Mt Saint Helens
3. The Grand Canyon
4.. Denali National Park-June 2015
5. The Grand Tetons
6. Yosemite National Park
7. Glacier National Park
8. Mt Rainier National Park
9. Forks/La Push
10. Mansfield, MO-July 2012
11. Niagara Falls-July 2018
12. Muir Glacier
13. Olympic National Park
14. Aruba-Sept 2014
15. Statue of Liberty National Monument-Oct 2019
16. England

17. A Corner in Winslow Arizona

18. Havana-Oct 2015

My thoughts on the Twilight movies

So I have watched the movies over and over and over....There are some flaws that I have noticed and if you stay tuned to the end you will see what I think of eclipse.

Twilight:
First of all, its is a sweet little low budget teenage movie. There are some scenes that are simply wonderful such as the lunch with the apple, the wings of the owl making Edward look like an angel, and the scenery (you can see why I fell in love with this part of the country too).

1. The one that bothers me the most is the scene where she is in the hospital. Tubes near eyes, next shot the tubes are out of eyes, next shot they are near the eyes. BIG MISTAKE!!

2. In many of the close up shots of Edward's eyes, you see that he is wearing contacts.

3. Look at Carlise's makeup, especially in the hospital....bad job, they must have had NO budget at all.

4. Vampires should not have "cold breath" so why do you see Edward's breath in some scenes?

5. Did you know that Laurant is wearing contacts? Yep, look closely you will see the rim of the red lenses.

6. The van looks crushed before Edward stops it from hitting her.

7. Bella wears the same gray shirt many times during the movie, over other shirts, under shirts and alone. This gray shirt was everywhere.

New Moon:

1. The biggest problem is with lightness and darkness. The daylight/nighttime time line....it is NOT consistent through the movie at all.

2. The photo that Alice took of Edward and Bella at the party is NOT the same angle or photo as the one Bella printed off.

3. Photos appear and disappear throughout the whole sitting in the window scene for months.

4. She never changes her clothes for all those months either, but the photos on the walls change during this time.

5. Look at the werewolf tattoos, in some scenes you can tell they are fake.

6. Jake is 108 degrees in body temperature, but it is very easy to see that Taylor is freezing in the rain breakup shot. He is shivering and you can see his breath.

7. YOu can see Jane's contacts in the elevator.

8. I think I see wires when Jacob is lifting the bikes out of the truck.


Eclipse:
I have not seen it enough to notice flaws, so I will tell you what I think of it. This is my favorite book in the whole series. It focuses on Jasper and the the vampires and that is the things that I love. I do not like that the movie differed than the book so much. Now I like some of the differences but I am very much in love with this book.

I was very excited to see the Quilette stories on the big screen but very sad that they cut it down. To me this tells alot of the stories of Jacob and his people. Stories that you needed to know. I was also happy to see Jasper's flashbacks to his life. I enjoyed seeing him as the newborn trainer and Maria's mate. I wish that they had shown more about this time because I love it so much (Stephanie you can write a book on Jasper's former life before the Cullens that would be great).

Victoria was simply beautiful. I think the cast change was great. I hated Victoria in the first movie because she was like a white trash nomad. The second one she was glammed up a bit and attractive the hair was kept clean and combed and the clothes were much better. The third one, Bryce Dallas has the skin of a vampire, she was perfect for the role. I am very glad to see the cast change. I especially loved when Edward tore her apart.

I love the newborn fight scene. This played out exactly as I wanted it to. I love seeing everyone fights and how the vampires can be destroyed. I do have a question, if they are "stone" where does the blood they eat go?

Riley was wonderful....I think he was perfectly cast and portrayed. I hope Stephanie writes a book on his short little life. He has all types of stories to tell I am sure. I miss having Fred or Diego in the movie. I was hoping they would have some scenes.

All in all, it was a great movie, and I can't wait to see it again.

Took the words right out of my mouth....

This could have spoilers so please don't read if you don't want to know what happens, I am NOT responsible for you being stupid and reading on..........





My daughter summed it up nicely for me today..."hey it's almost Eclipse day".  That is right folks, just a couple of days left.  I tell you I am so excited to see this movie.  I am trying to imagine just how great the Newborn scene is going to be.  I am excited to see 20 newborns trying to attack and over come the Cullens.  How is it going to play out on the big screen?  I have grand ideas in my head and I only hope that it is true.

And the story of the third wife....I want to see if this is portrayed like a vision with real actors playing the parts of the wolves and the third wife and then flash forwards to the future with Bella and Jacob.  I certainly hope that is the way it plays out.  They did a similar thing when they showed how Edward and Esme were turned in the first Twilight....so I hope that it comes true.

And have  you people have read the book the Short Second Life of Bree Tanner.  Stephanie Meyer wants all to read the book before going to the movies.  I am sure that it has tons to do with the fact that she tells Bree's story and how Jane and the Volturi are involved in the story.  I found the book very violent, but I did however want more.  I have visions of novellas on Riley and definitely on Diego. I found myself craving more info on Diego.  There was something Cullen like to him.  Oh and then there is Fred.  Fred who would fit in great in the coven.  Bring him back, and please tell us what happened to him.  Did Edward contact him because you know he read Bree's thoughts and she had to have been thinking of Diego and Fred in her last moments. Edward might have even told him that yes Jane killed her.

One more good back story, Victoria....how she became what she did, who created her, maybe how she and James found each other.  See Stephanie, you can make this go on and on....I would totally buy the books.  I know for sure that I am not the only one that would buy them.

  I would love to know what you think about it all please share. And in just 1 day we can share what we saw and compare to what you thought and how much we loved it and when we will go see it next.  Whoo HOO!!!

Alaska

Alaska aboard the Sapphire Princess

You should know:
Service- 3
Cleanliness- 5
Options (things to do)- 4
Arts and crafts- 3
Itinerary- 4
Food(taste)- 3
Food (appearance)- 5
Photo prices- 2
Coke card- 5
Bands-????? where were the bands?
Comedy shows- 5
Naturalist- 5
Embarkation-4
Debarkation-5
Shopping mall-4 (could be much better and is, I have shopped in better malls on smaller ships)
More for a newbie than a seasoned cruiser.

Day 1 of the Princess experience:
WE were delayed in boarding the vessel due to an outbreak of the Norwalk virus, the week before. 98 people got sick. Here’s the deal people….Norwalk is a type of flu, you can get it anywhere. The deal comes in that cruise ships are required to notify the health dept, Walmart or you local town is NOT. This is not a reason to not go on a cruise. If that is your reason, you should stay in your house all the time. Just use logic, watch touching “public” items (elevator buttons, railings, door knobs…..) without washing your hands or using hand sanitizer afterwards. LOGIC!!! Most of the ships provide purell, in case you are too lazy to wash your hands or you choose to do both. Most of the ships will no longer allow you to eat without first using the sanitizer, just an FYI.

Once we got on board, we headed to the Lido deck to eat. This was different, the staff served you from the buffet. Now being a person that hates places like Ryan’s and CiCi’s because people use the potty don’t wash, or pick their nose and don’t wash and then use the pizza spatula or salad tongs, grosses me out. I sort of liked this, but it did make for a very slow moving line.

Oh the food…well, I am a food person so I was looking for excitement. There was a seasoned Tilapia, which I was very excited about and a salad bar (yummy) and varying other fun looking things. Ok, the staff filled my plate and I go sit down. NO SILVERWARE! They must bring it to you, you and 45 other people that just sit down. Too LONG!!! When I finally got the silverware, the fish was cold and nasty. I could not eat it. The salad was very good and the homemade dressing was amazing. All my hot stuff was cold and gross. Not a good way to start off Princess.

We got settled and began to explore the boat. It was a very attractive boat in a classic sense. I however, like a little more BLING! I enjoyed the Pearl and the Carnival ships much better because they have FLAIR. I was warned about the colors a very bland, boring, beige scheme. Not exciting, not fun and does not entice you to spend money. Someone should really talk to them about color choices.

The stateroom is very tiny. Once again Carnival has proved that they have the largest and best staterooms on the seas. This room had 2 lower beds and 2 upper beds. 7 drawers 4x8x9, 5 shelves 10x 8x 5 and a very large closet (but it was the same size as every closet I ever see on a ship. The storage space shelf and drawer wise is ridiculous for a room that sleeps 4. Actually, I don’t know about 2 people with that storage for 7 days. Very disappointed in that. The shower was also smaller than Carnival and I did not think that was possible. I was not happy at all with the room.

That evening you were entertained by Shelley Gill and a comedy dude. The dude was great, he was a comic that does observation comedy based on the folks in the audience. I love this because even if there is a repeat performance, there is still new material. He did do 3 shows and one or all of us watched each of his shows.

OH Shelley, I love her. She was the naturalist. She was on board to enhance our Alaskan experience. Her job is to narrate as the ship sails through fjords and up the Marine Highway and to give lectures on Alaska. Her first one was just a little bit of wonderful. A bonus here, she writes children’s books and sold them on board. The books are based on her environmentalist life. She is a whale detective and Iditarod competitor when she is not writing and lecturing. A whale detective is someone who follows the whales through their feeding season, recording the flukes and the sizes of the families/pods. I would LOVE this job!!! It was exciting talking to her, because until I met her, I was the only person that I know who knew a lot about whales. Her knowledge was thrilling and I learned so much more from her. I attended every lecture that she did and every book signing and tried to be around for every narration she gave.

Trivia began tonight and we won the very first one of the cruise. That was a little bit of awesome. I love finding usage for my useless knowledge. 

Day 1 At Sea:
Today was a day of fun and activities. The plan was to hit one of the many pools and hot tubs, eat a lot, take some photos, look for whales, do trivia, attend the card making class, eat some more, explore the Japanese made ship, catch Shelley’s lecture, and shop in the mall. I accomplished all of this. And to top it off, the weather was great!!! Today was the first formal night and we took the formal pictures. Check them out.

Day 2 Ketchikan:
I was so excited to return to this great little town. We had goals! Melanie and I would arise and be in town by 6 am (3 am our time) and begin the shopping and gathering of free items. There was something that I wanted last time but did not buy and was going for it first. I only spend about $15 dollars today. I got stuff at Tongass, which is one of my very favorite stores up here. And I used the coupon book like crazy. After a couple of hours, Hannah and John joined us and the girls kept shopping and John and I began our trek through town. We walked down to the IGA and went inside to snap some photos. Then we went into the marina to look around, we saw a seal, tons of jelly fish, a sea anemone, a crab and NO salmon. UUUHHHH! I wanted to see them, but we were still too early. We went shopping down Creek Street and the girl outside the brothel said “I love your power ranger hat”, that was very strange given the way she was dressed and she was supposed to be from the 1800’s. Crazy. We kept walking heading towards a Wal-mart. We walked and walked and walked. Found us some lunch at McDonalds ($18 for 2 value meals), saw a Godfather’s pizza, a mall (not great), tons of Eagles fighting over fish and took lots of photos of local fare. I LOVE this town!

Once we got back to the ship, it was time to go (we were only on board about 20 minutes before we were too leave). See I can’t even remember dinner tonight, so the food must have been just so so like I said. Dessert though was New York style cheesecake with Carmel sauce, now this was good. I do remember the after dinner show…there were whales everywhere! I had never seen so many whales from the cruise ship before. After dinner we went outside (because it was so warm) to view the whales and saw dolphins and seals as well.


Day 3 Tracy Arm Fjord and Juneau:
Well, I got up early (even though a social director said it was not worth it) and I am glad that I did. The fjord breathtaking as you entered its mouth. The landscape inside was pretty, water falls, glacial ice, trees, mountains, ice bergs, whales and fjord colored waters. I was looking for the Sawyer Twins. I was very disappointed…the twins were at the end of the fjord to the right, and then you could only see one and just a portion of the one. Even though it was pretty, after you have been to Glacier Bay National Park, this is a let down. I was very sad that we did not go back to Glacier Bay. I shall not go back to Tracy Arm and never want to.

Juneau-----Now this is what I love. Juneau is a wonderful place. We were docked at the last dock and got there early so our tour left a bit early. First stop the Mendenhall Glacier. Now this is wonderful!!!! We were dropped off at the park (which I can’t figure out why it is NOT a National Park) and walked down the path to the glacier. Of course you can see the glacier from the road, but you really need to walk up to it. It is receding at a very quick rate. I was shocked at the difference that I could see in just 2 years. I took tons of photos down by the glacier and then made my way to the visitor center. I was looking for books. I found one for Trevor on glaciers fjords and ice bergs. I did not find an adult one on glaciers, which was the goal, rats. Then it was getting time to go but I had time to go to the picnic pavilion and feel “glacial air conditioning”. It was a very warm day, so the air coming down off the glacier was not only nice, but very welcoming, and the coolest air you can imagine. I loved it.

Next we boarded our bus again and Thomas took us to Auke Bay. The bay looked the same as 2 years ago, so I enjoyed that. We boarded a larger boat than I had last time. Last time we had about 20 guests this time about 50. It was a 3 tiered boat, I was nervous about the viewing but that was to be a short lived nervousness. We headed out and almost immediately saw a whale. Actually, there were whales EVERYWHERE! Everywhere….it was perfect. At one time we had a pod of 8 right off our port side. I got 78 fluke shots with my camera, last time I got 4! What a difference!!! There were whales everywhere! We saw some calves feeding for their first time in Alaska waters and showing off a bit too. This was a great use of $170, especially if you are a whale freak like me. We also saw eagles and seals and sea lions, but that is such a backseat to the whales.

After the excursion, I did some shopping until I just ran out of time. We got on the boat about 20 minutes before sailaway. What a great day!!!

Day 4 Skagway:

John and I had been planning for months to take the train into Canada. We called Larry the Chilkoot tour operator and secured some spots on this mornings tour. Since we had all ready walked into town, Larry came and picked us up and took us to meet Shawn our tour guide. He was a bit of a surfer type, laid back kind of dude that called the town Skagwicga….he was so funny.

The first thing Shawn did was take us to the train. We had taken the train 2 years ago, but you never get to step on the Yukon soil, so that is why we took a different tour. Passports are required for this tour so Melanie and Hannah could not go. There were some photos that I wanted to take on the train this time. I had missed them the last time, and luckily I had most of the trip memorized so it was not hard to remember what I had missed. I had missed the cemetery on the right as you leave town. This is a great little place, and full of history. Then up the mountain, Bridal Veil Falls is a MUST DO on the photo talking list. I missed it last time because of a dead battery. There are rapids under the falls that NO ONE has every conquered because of the roughness and rockiness. Many have died trying. Then there is a rock about 2/3 of the way up. On this rock is a cross. The story goes….this guy was helping to build this railroad. This railroad was needed desperately. Many folks and horses were losing their lives trying to make the trek up this mountain into the Yukon country. In the Yukon there was gold and these folks NEEDED gold. They were so poor. The Canadian government was ok with American’s coming up there, but said that they must bring enough supplies to survive for one year and the Mounties checked to make sure. Now this was over a ton of supplies that each person must bring. And it was per person, so if your wife came, you brought her supplies too. The railway was supposed to help the folks get over to Canada. Well, this guy was blasting the mountain and a rock (boulder) broke loose and crushed him. The other dudes tried and tried to get the boulder off (I don’t know why, he was crushed), but they could not so they put a cross into the rock. I have just shortened the story….you get the gist but you should hear the whole thing. I got photos of the American/Canadian border and then we went to new territory (for us) up into Fraser BC. There are 9 people that live here. We thought when they called it a town there would be shopping or something….nope 9 people and a customs office. We did get our passport stamped though by customs. Shawn meet us with the bus up in Canada and took us back down into Skagway. On the way, he dropped us off at many of the great sites, glacial waterfalls, scenic overlooks, fjords, and the American/Canadian border for photo opps. He was a great guide full of the Skagway stories. Of course, my goal was to find a book of these stories once we got into town. I fell in love with these stories 2 years ago and that was on the agenda, find a book. The first thing John and I did when we got back into town was grab a bit to eat. We ate at a former brothel, the Red Onion. The chicken salad I believe was the most perfect stuff ever. I loved this chicken salad. Our server was good, but the host was rude, not the call girls were sweet, but of course they wanted to take us upstairs to the brothel and we had no desire to do that, we just wanted lunch. After lunch, we started shopping, I hit the bookstore first and got a book on the gold rush. This book does not talk about Soapy Smith so I have to keep looking. Then we found a needlework store. NEEDLEWORK!!! You never see these, do you know how hard it is to find good patterns? That is why I have taken to designing my own so that I can have some. This place was great…I probably spent more money in here then I needed too, but I will use all the charts that I bought, so I am not too concerned. I am even ordering 2 others from the clerk. Then we found a fudge store, yummy, we got some fudge and nut clusters. These were very good. I shopped for more books but did not find what I was looking for…keep looking. I went into the Alaska t shirt co (my fave store in AK) and bought some stuff. Not much only about $20 ($10 of which was a book on Alaska). Then it was time to go, once again we were just making the cut off before the ship left. We enjoyed literally every second of these ports.

Day 5 At sea:
Our second day at sea. I had a lecture, journaling class, shopping at the mall, more dips in the pool and hot tubs, cross word puzzles and reading to do, and formal night. And we had to alter our course due to very rough seas….well it was rough for us too. 15-20 ft swells. This is the stuff I love and you don’t get enough of. It was almost impossible to walk in a straight line….no it was impossible.

Day 6 Victoria:
Once again, I did not get to enjoy much of the city. I won’t bore you with details, but I will say that the government building, the downtown, the port, and the restaurants….well, I think I know a little about them all. We went into I believe every restaurant looking for somewhere to eat. Either the food was not what we wanted or they did not take minors, or they had a 3 hour wait. We settled and a little place called Wicket and Sticks and I had fajitas that were wonderful and hot tea. YUMMY!!!

This is it folks….day 7, you are rushed off the ship as soon as they get into port. I hope you enjoyed my fun.

Packing for your cruise....

The time may be here to pack for your cruise.  There are some things that you might NOT want to leave home without.  After all, you will be living in roughly a 168 square foot box.  Only IF you are lucky you will have a window, but that window wont open...so you need a few things.

1.  A alarm clock.  The room does not come with one of these babies.   If you are in an inside cabin...there is NO light to warn you it's daytime.  If you are in Alaska, the sun really sets for about 2 hours....you will get ALL messed up even if you have outside light.  Make sure it is set to SHIP time.  In some ports this varies from ACTUAL time of the place visited.  Ship time is very important.  A ship will NOT wait for you because you forgot the time.  An excursion wont wait because you had no idea that the sun was up. 

2.   A power strip or extension cord.  There will be one MAYBE two (this one will be in the bathroom) outlets in the room.  This little item can save you lots of grief but take up minimal space in the suitcase.  You will need it for the cell phone cord, the alarm clock, the curling iron.....yep, it is going to serve very useful.

3.  Highlighter.  You might want to do some of the ships activities....bring a highlighter in a different color for everyone traveling with you.  That way each person can have there own color.  They can highlight the things that THEY want to do, and it will stand out on the daily schedule.

4.  some type of lanyard to carry you ship card.  You MUST have you ship card to purchase ANYTHING onboard.  It also serves as your identification to get on and off the ship.  I wear mine in a tiny lightweight id pouch for airports. I can put my card, my id, and some money for excursions and I have all I need.  You can go to the casino and have them poke a hole in the card so that you can wear it around your neck.  If you do plastic canvas, I have a pattern to make you one just ask me.  I made mine in the Carnival ship logo (cause I love them best).

5.  Downy wrinkle release.  Irons are NOT allowed on board.  They will take them and return at the end of the cruise if they find them in your bags.  They do provide one in the laundry room, but this works GREAT!

6.  tiny basket for bathroom.  They will give you one shelf, but if you have alot of stuff or are cruising with someone, you are going to need the extra space.  Sometimes I just put all my stuff in a ziploc and put it on the shelf and go from there.

7.  Febreeze.  Lets face it some have sticky feet, or pass gas a lot, or sweat.  This will help the room!

8.  tide to go.  You will spill something on your shirt.  This way you can wear it without saying "hey I am messing"

9.  ginger...for those that might get sea sick.  Especially first time cruisers.

10.  small suitcase inside large one....put this inside your large one.  Pack your stuff in the case...then when you get there, you have an extra case for your souvenirs! 

11.  Something to decorate the outside of your door with. That way it stands out in a LONG hallway of doors.  I have seen wreaths, posters, balloons....something that is small to pack.  Might be great if you can throw it away on the day of debarkation.

12.  Hat with a strap....the deck is a place that you want to wear a hat, but the wind will take it right off your head.  Wear a hat with a wide brim and a strap to protect your little face.

13.  hangers....I bring wire hangers that you can leave in the cabin after the trip.  There are NOT enough hangers in the cabin for everything that you will want to hang up.  These will solve that problem and if you leave them, you solve the problem for the next guest.

14.  Post it notes...you can use these to leave notes for your travel mates, your cabin steward, or just to hang on the outside of your door.  FUN!!!

15.  $1 light up sticks...they come in packs of 12.  Break one at night and hang on the bathroom door knob...a nightlight without the bother of a light.

16.  Meds...bring the meds that you use often and maybe heartburn medicine.  You are going to be able to eat 24/7...and will probably overeat.  Be prepared.  The ship will sell this stuff at DOUBLE or TRIPLE the cost on land.

17.  rain poncho...for $1 you can get a poncho at the Dollar Tree NOW, or for $9.99 you can get one on the ship, your choice.

18.  walmart type bags and ziplocs....walmart bags are great for wet or dirty clothes.  Sometimes you need them for the giant sea shell you find on the beach (yes it has happened to me).  The ziplocs are for tiny shells and other items you want to bring home.  These walmart bags also make great trash bags because the cans are NOT big enough.

19.  Book...there will be a library, but it never seems to be open when you need a book.

20.  a smallish rope...you can tie this to the shower rod and across the bathroom on the towel bar.  Hang up wet suits for a while to dry.

21.  Space bags...a MUST do if you want to pack light.  You can pack your clothes....roll up the bag and you have saved 1/2 the space that you would have without the bag.  I LOVE these!  Use them even when not on a cruise.

22.  Travel documents...without these you go NO WHERE!!!

23.  Toilet paper...a roll is great.  You might want to take some with you on an excursion...Some countries do not provide any.  The cabin paper is like a leaf!

24.  Sunscreen...you don't want to get burned.

25.  Bug spray...there are sometimes fleas on beaches and mosquitoes in Alaska...BE PREPARED!!!

Carnival Victory 2004

FOUND IT!!!  My notes on the Carnival Victory....created while on the voyage from Miami to St Maartin in 2004



12Dec 2004

My first glimpse of the ship was from the windows of a Greyhound bus....you know it was just a wonderful looking ship.  You could see the fluke sticking out from the top and it makes you all happy inside.  This ship was going to be fabulous.  It was to be our first balcony cabin....at a price of $2,252.80 for all 4 of us (Grandma, Grandpa, John and me).  Airfare came at a whopping $193 pp from Memphis to Ft Lauderdale.

The Victory is a Triumph class ship....893 feet long and holds 2700 passengers.  She is the perfect size.  Our cabin was perfect as well.  We had of course the standard 4 beds (2 upper and 2 lower  berths), the balcony featured 2 chairs a table and plenty of space to move around.  The door slams every time it closes...BAM!!

This deck was WONDERFUL...a first for me...it featured a tiered look almost like stadium seating.  And the focal point of course is the Carnival water slide.  It is the biggest slide that we have had on a Carnival ship.  It stands at 214 feet long and called the King of the Sea.

There were mosaics throughout the ship...and in walking around I discovered they were made in Italy.  There are crafted in a way that I could only dream of doing.  There was one giant (and I mean giant) mosaic that depicted the Victory ship.  WOW is the only word to describe it.  I think I took about 5 pictures of it the first day that we were onboard.  I even had my photo made next to it.  There were so many mosaics....even the elevators featured them.  The atrium is the most beautiful that I have ever seen too...It is tiffany glass style and just glistens in the lights...it is indeed a marvel.

As soon as the ship left the port and got to a nice cruising speed, I just HAD to go back to the room, lean over the balcony and snap some photos.  I have always wanted to do this.  WE were so close to the water line that I could feel the spray on my face and I could smell the water.  However, this is not always a pleasant odor...so I shall be more careful.  There are tons of dead fish floating around. YUCK!!!

It did not take long to get to San Juan...John and I watched from the balcony...we could see the battlements of El Morro from our cabin.  Now that I enjoyed.  There is a storm brewing which is NOT going to be fun.  I need to call the kids, it is all ready almost dark and this is just going to make it worse.  It looks as though it is a HUGE storm.  Well, we shall soon see, we will be docked within an hour or so.

When we finally got to the terminal there was a RCI ship next to us.  This was the first time that I had seen a RCI ship and my ship was larger than it...ha ha.  This RCI ship was leaving the terminal and heading to the Southern Caribbean...part of me wishes that I could get on that ship.

I am telling you I knew this storm was going to be bad.  As soon as we got off the ship it began to pour and was so black outside.  But I have to call the kids.  Henry and Ina opted not to get off the ship.  I went...I wanted to call and see Old San Juan again.  We saw tons of lightning strikes and we got soaked.  Hey we could see our balcony from the phone booth :)

This was the first time that I had been to San Juan in the evening.  They were decorated for Christmas and I remember the decorations from last time only I did not see them lit up last time.  The large flowers in the park are awesome, but my favorite is the nativity scene made out of rope lights.  There is also the palm tree made out of rope lights, I wish I could take it home. :(

We departed at midnight...there were parties going on all over and San Chrisobel was all lit up and looking beautiful.  When we wake up tomorrow we will be in St Thomas. :)

The 2 ships in port here were the Westerdam (we almost took this ship on this voyage) and the Century (we were on her last October).  This is my favorite port in the Caribbean!  Charlotte Amalie is so lovely the way it sits back in the cove.  We arrived at 8 am and going to depart at 6 pm.  We are going to go to St John.  We have not done that before.  It should be great, but first we do a little shopping.  The giant Longerberger basket still stands in the Havensight shopping district.  Last time we were here there was some hurricane damage, but all looks fine now.   Henry and Ina plan on going into Charlotte Amalie but our tour leaves at 12:15 guess we will catch up later.

Here I sit on Trunk Bay.  We took a ferry over here and saw Michael Jordan's house, Madonna's house, and Alan Alda's home all of  which were  HUGE!  John is doing some snorkeling right now, and I am working on some sketches.  The whole island is a national park thanks to Lawrence Rockefeller, and because of this it is against the law to remove any objects (even a shell) from the park.  Did you know that there is NO running water here? Rain is collected in cisterns and made into drinking water.  The students in middle and high school take a ferry to St Thomas every day to go to school.

We passed a giant termite nest on the way to this beach, you could hear the buzz of the termites...GROSS

When we were on the ferry we passed the point where the Atlantic and the Caribbean meet.  It was very neat.

St Maartin:
First trip...we were told it would be very easy to get to the beach on your own so we gave it a whirl.  When we got off the ship..there were lots of signs to different destinations.  We chose the Orient Beach one.  Henry and Ina could not decide where to go and were going to go with us, but at last minute they headed to town.  Jerry was our guide and took us up the winding streets of St Maartin.  We passed Marigot and entered the french side of the island and there was our beach.  As soon as we got off the ship it began to rain.  We have been plagued with rain this trip.  We found a shelter and I found a palm tree and took a frond off of it.  The ocean was a green with streaks of blue.  The waves were mild and folks were everywhere.  There was a sign on the private side of the beach that said "clothing optional".   Thank goodness most folks kept their clothes on.  Actually I only saw 3 folks that did not.  One guy in the ocean, one guy on a chair and one guy....I call him "ugly naked guy"  that paraded up and down the beach all day.  He was about 80 (no lie) and wore nothing but a bucket hat.  I guess that we were lucky that there were not more because this beach was full, but I was grateful that the times that it rained that none of the naked people tried to get into my shelter.  I am telling you, it rained on and off most of the day. :(

When we got back to Phillipsburg, I headed to do some shopping....shopping here is the best that I have ever seen.  I thought Charlotte Amalie was good....nope I was wrong.  This was the last land we were to see until we hit Miami beach in 2 days.  This is the part I hate.

On the ship:
I now had 2 days left to inspect the ship.  I found a bar that featured Czar Nicholas II and Alexandria in a giant mural.  It was the Caspian Wine and Spirit Bar.  It was always empty and a great place to draw or write.

My favorite hang out was the piano sing along bar.  I could have gone here every night just to hear this guy sing.  His name was Kevin and he was from Texas.  There was standing room only every night.  The women were CRAZY for him...because he was funny, talented, and very entertaining.  The women had a contest, "who could stuff the most dollars in his tip jar".  He loved this game too I am sure.

We found a hot tub that children could NOT get into YES!!! Those kids kept diving in the ones on deck...so we hopped up to the spa and found a hot one there.  Hey, Grandma and Grandpa starting hanging out with us there too.  Grandma would not get in though.  She just sit there.

We took a galley tour and this was the worst that I had ever done.  The matre D' did not explain anything...he just walked us through and walked us out...took about 3 minutes.

This is the last night of the cruise.  I am sitting on the balcony and everyone else is asleep.  I can see the lights of Miami up ahead and I am very sad that I shall be leaving this wonderful room soon.

Here we are in Miami...I took one last walk out onto the balcony before we exited the room, and all I saw was the terminal....whoo hoo.  This was the last chance to get Ina out onto the balcony...can you believe that we have been here a week and she has not been out ONCE?  We are upstairs for one last omelet.  How many have I had this week?  5-6?  probably.  We are on ship transfers so I bet we will be one of the last because they take you by flights and our flight is a long time away (tomorrow). 


We spent $432 on board...what did I buy?  $98 in shore excursions....internet cafe stuff...transfers....and tips seems to be the most that I spent on stuff.  Pretty good, I would say.

We checked into our hotel and walked over to Bennigan's to eat a little lunch.  Our room was nasty...NASTY.....NNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAASSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTYYYYYYYYY!  There were little bugs everywhere.  I did NOT want to stay here!  John knew this and took me for a walk.  We walked around Miami found an office depot, a chicken joint, a dog track (the one that was featured in the opening credits of Miami Vice), an abandoned flight school (Baker), an airport, and a bill board for a tournament on 4 Jan 2005 for the FedEx Orange Bowl.

It was a wonderful cruise.


Copied from my 2004 notebook on 26 Feb 2010

OH MY, we go on our cruise TODAY!

What do I need to expect?  What is it going to be like?  Oh my I feel overwhelmed!  HELP!!!!


First of all, calm down today is going to busy and fun!  First of all, make sure that you have all of your documentation together.  I carry a pouch around my neck with everything because it streamlines  everything for you...it's all where you need it.

Now, if you are driving to the pier it will be NUTS!  There are about 2000 other guests trying to get on this ship, so expect it.  I have only driven to 2 ports, one was very easy and smooth and the other was the exact opposite.  Be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.  Parking is high so get ready to pay for it. Expect about what you would at an airport.  Most places will have you pull up and they will take your luggage (I hope you remembered to attach your tags before you left home).  If they do this make sure you keep anything you may need.  As I stated before, you may not get these bags until after dinner!  I keep the same kind of stuff that you would if you were flying....include a change of clothes and maybe a swimsuit.  After you get the car parked you will make your way to the terminal.  In some ports the lines are terrible again expect the worst.  I would not keep too much with you carry on wise because if there are long lines, you get to carry it all the whole time...whoo hoo.  At our last port we stood in line for over 2 hours...that was extreme, and I had too much stuff because I had never waited that long before...next time I will not carry so much just in case.

If you are flying to the port, I recommend that you arrange your transfers from airport to pier prior to leaving home.  Read the airport website on cruise terminals transfers.  They may say "taxis are waiting outside" and if that is the case find out where you will find them at the airport, you might can arrange to have one ready if that makes you feel better, but I usually just grab one.  Now, if your pier is a long way away from your plane, I would prebook these arrangements.  One instance is Ft Lauderdale and Miami...lets say the ship is in Miami ok?  Well, these two cities are close, but not close enough to get a cab.  I would prebook via the cruiseline, unless you are very familiar with the other companies, but the cruise line will make sure the ship does not leave without you if you book with them.  They will not wait for you if you book on your own.  Also, if you use the cruiseline they will take your luggage off the bus and to the ship and you don't have to touch it again until it is delivered to your stateroom.  Tip your porters!!!

 You will still have to wait in the embarkation line if you book transfers with the cruise lines, just an fyi.

EMBARKATION:
If you are not using a passport, have your id and birth certificate ready.  Hopefully, you prearranged your credit card for your onboard ship account, if you have not this is one last chance to do it before you get on the ship.  Really, do it from home, then you can prebook shore excursions and you don't have to think about it.  Doing it here only slows you down...it is that much longer until you are on the ship.  The clerk will give you your room key, which doubles as your onboard ship account card.  Hang onto this!!!

Next is the photo opt...I bypass this because I have done this so many times, but if this is your first cruise or you think you might buy it have your photo taken.

Getting excited aren't you?  You are minutes away from the ship.  This is the area where some lines have a table where you can sign your kids up for the kids clubs.  If not you may go right into the identification area.  Here you will give an attendant your card and they will put it into a machine and then take your photo.  Quite like Sam's only your photo won't be on the card.  When you finish this you are boarding the ship.  You using board midship, so if you have studied your map before you may know which way to go to get to your room.  If you have not or have just gotten your room assignment, someone will be there to direct you.  Some lines will give you champagne or orange juice as you board, others will just give you a warm welcome.  Look around, these folks are using the ones that will be your entertainment staff, you might spend lots of time together during your stay.

As you get to your room marvel at how small it is!  Carnival seems to have the largest rooms afloat and they are tiny folks.  But they have learned how to cram all kinds of great things into this little cube.  You might get lucky and the suitcases are outside the door, but don't count on it.  If they are not there, refresh yourself a tad and head to look around.  Me?  I head for the food.  There is always a nice lunch.  There should be many choices, usually there is a burger/fry line, maybe a deli sandwich type place/pizza/salad bar/oriental....there is simply no telling.  TRY the desserts!  YUMMY!  Especially if you are on Carnival or Norwegian.  Carnival, if there are eclairs or truffles snatch them up.  Remember you can eat as much as you want!

Then walk around and burn the calories you just consumed.  Look at the shops, chapel, casino, library, pools, hot tubs (maybe put on your suit and get in them), spa, gym, lounges, etc...this is where I begin to scout out that spot that will be mine for the duration of the voyage.  I like to find a bar that is vacant during the day or an area where no ones goes...here I draw, write, scrapbook, read, paint, listen to the Beatles...it's lovely!

Approximately 30 minutes before sailing you will HAVE to do a lifeboat drill.  Only once in all my cruises have we been allowed to do this without wearing those vests, so expect that you will have to and tell me if you did not.  You will have to go to your muster station and learn how to use the vest, how to board the vessels, and how you will know you need to evacuate.  It does take about 20-30 minutes.

Then head to the top of the ship (grab a jacket)...it is time to go.  Folks on land will wave to you, and everyone on board is excited...Bon Voyage!  The port of Miami is my favorite to leave from, go there and you will see why!  Seattle is my second favorite.  Take lots of photos!

After this thrill, go back to the room and check, you may be very please that the luggage is there and chances are good that you need to go to dinner (early sittings).  If you have not done your onboard account, you HAVE to go stand in line and do it now.  You may not buy ANYTHING until you do!  Everyone has to have an account because your tips will come out of this account on the last night, and you will buy something.

Walk around and explore if you want, go to dinner, scout out what will be served at dinner, read your daily newspaper.  This will be your friend...it will tell you what things the ship has planed to entertain you.  Some ships announce what is coming up, and others do not, so if you see something you want to do, don't rely on an announcement to remind you of it.  I bring a highlighter so I can highlight the things that I want to do and then carry the schedule part in my pocket.  Remember that you do not have to do these things...do what you like, it is your vacation! 

Dinner will be casual this evening because most folks won't have their luggage.  Wear your jeans if you want...keep in mind if you are going to the dining room shorts are frowned upon unless it is lunch time.  Now remember these dining rooms feature 3-5 course meals so they expect a little more upscaleness out of you.  You will not get kicked out if you wear shorts but you will be talked about!

You can eat dinner through the buffet line, they generally serve some of the same items, but I find that it is not usually as fresh here as in the dining rooms, and sometimes it is hard finding a table.  In the dining rooms you have a table for you.  Exceptions are the freestlye crusing, where you do not have assigned dining times. I don't really like this because you have to go from restaurant to restaurant trying to get in.  On Norwegian we mainly eat upstairs.  

There are also some restaurants that have upcharges.  While I have found great meals in here, keep in mind the additional charge will be on your acct at the end of the week.  The meals that are included with your cruise ticket include things like lobster tails, beef wellington, all types of seafood, Chateaubriand, fancy desserts....I am telling you, if you are budgeting DON'T go to the fancy up charged restaurants.  Save your money for something else. 

After dinner there may be a show,  check it out the shows are usually good.  Norwegian had amazing shows, they had artists do the silks everynight!  It was like a cirque de so lei  everyday.  Try to figure out how these dancers/acrobats keep their balance on this moving ship.

Around dinner time the shops, casino, maybe library will be open and the bars will start hopping soon after.  There always seems to be a bar where there is really no one but there is loud music so if you like that scout it out.  And you walk by some and they are bursting at the seems.  Most likely there will be a teen club, stay out if you are an adult, those kids want to be away from you!  If you are a drinker (either coke or alcohol) they are expensive.  If you have to have a coke everyday consider getting a soda card.  We sometimes do this it will save you a lot of money.  You can purchase one at any of the bars or from the staff person walking around selling drinks can direct you where to go.  There will be a 15% tip charged on every drink that you buy, another reason the soda card is worth it.

When you return to your room you might have a towel animal on your bed, your bed will be turned down and probably you will have chocolates too.  Enjoy your first great night!  I sleep so wonderfully on the first night.

So I booked now what?

Congratulations!  You are about to undertake the greatest vacation (at least in my opinion)...but you have a few more details to cover.
Now you need to see if your cruise line requires a passport/passport card.  Most lines will abide by the law which states, if you leave from a US port and come back to a US port you can sail with a driver's license and a birth certificate.  There are some exceptions but that is for Canada and since we are talking about 3,4, and 5 day Western/Eastern Caribbean that does not apply to us.  Your birth certificate must have the raised seal on it and I am telling you that your driver's license expiration date should not be anywhere near your sailing date or they will give you issues.  You can trust me on this one because it has happened to us.

Depending on how long it is until your sail date, you will start getting correspondence from the line.  I can tell you with confidence that all of the lines are moving to a paperless delivery of the documents that they will send just an FYI.

The line will first send you something via email to verify each passengers information, special requests, birthday/anniversary requests, shipboard account info and offer you shore excursions.

PORTS OF CALL--- The website will give you exact days and times of the ports of call so that you can study what things are in each port and plan accordingly.  Sometimes I book my own excursions and when I do I make sure to research beforehand. 

SHORE EXCURSIONS--I am a big believer in booking the excursions online if you are going through the line.  WHY?  Because the lines at the shore excursion desk are horrible and I avoid them like the plague.

SHIPBOARD ACCOUNT-- Remember that the ships are a cashless society.  It is marvelous because your room key is your credit card and your identification to get on and off the ship.  The cruise line will ask you if you would like to set up your account now.  I recommend you do it now.  On embarkation day, your objective is to get on the ship as soon as possible and you do not want to wait in a huge line once you get on the ship to activate this card...you can buy nothing without this card.  I don't recommend using a debit card because some banks hold out $250 like an insurance thing.  A major card is better, cash is not because the deposit is so large and you will have to go and settle the account on the last night and there will be lots of others that have to do this...avoid it and enjoy the time on the ship.  Keep this card safe at all times!  And consider having your children's charging privileges taken away.  You are responsible for all money spent on the cards.

LUGGAGE TAGS---Closer to sailing date, you will need to go to the website and print your luggage tags.  The crew folks will take your luggage from you as you enter the ship and will deliver is to your state room sometime that evening.  Always carry a change of clothes with you as you board because you may not get your luggage until AFTER dinner.  These luggage tags will tell the crew where to take your bags.  If you got a guaranteed cabin, you will need to fill in the cabin number before you hand over your bags.

DECK PLANS---  The website will also give you detailed deck plans...I like to study them so at least I have an idea of where things are.  Now, I do get turned around alot once I get there.  That is one reason I like Norwegian, they have fish on the floors that swim towards the bow (front of ship) so you can tell where you are.

As you start printing off the itinerary and the confirmations numbers and cruise tickets, you will be collecting a ton of stuff that will need to be kept up with.  I get me a folder with pockets and put everything in this (including pre cruise air confirmations and hotels).  That way it is all in one place and you don't forget anything.  Also in this folder is my documentation (birth certificates/passport). This folder is easy to pull out in an airport terminal, in the embarkation line and serves as a holder for the daily newspapers and scrapbook items that I wish to keep.