Keep your finger crossed that the dollar goes up. I just wonder how in the world our government let it get so out of control. I'm not planning on spending too much off the ship, If I do, I won't complain because the cruise is so cheap.

Only 39 days to go


Sonny

Sonny, do you know if we have a reggae pool band.The last time we were in Euorpe they had a 2 person guitar band. definately no Dollar dance or Hot Hot Hot. Maybe we could talk Jimmy Buffett into joining us

I don't have a clue ... this is my first crossing. Jimmy would probably love to join us—problem is, I lost his phone number—I guess you'll have to talk to him. Then again, we could get Esther to perform ...


Sonny

hi sonny, casey&kathy....
i just heard about the great news of the refund of the fuel charge as an "obc". really jazzed about it. was worrying about a 2 week bar tab, but now......not so much! i haven't been on in a while, and just wanted to say hi!....so, hi!!!!
by the way casey&kathy.....i am a HUGE reggae fan. also hoping for some on board. there are supposed to be some great calypso beachside parties in bermuda.
see you in 4 more weekends!
angel

quote:

Originally posted by Casey & Kathy:
Hi Angel & Leonard & Sonny, did either of you happen to buy euros a couple of weeks ago? I'm kicking myself now because I talked to B of A 2 weeks ago and they were 143 to the dollar and now it's over 151. I know I will get a better rate here than on the ship and since were spending a week in Ireland before returning home.I wonder now if I should roll the dice and wait, the Dollar keeps falling

hey, you two......leonard & i are also spending a week in ireland---what a coincidence! we will be staying in dublin, but traveling to counties kerry, and galway....to seek out the "motherland so to speak. REALLY wishing i had invested in euros.....bummer. i don't know if the 4 1/2 weeks will help the dollar or not. now, i can only hope that "plastic" will give me a decent rate! hahahaha
see you on board!
angel

There don't seem to be many signing up for the transatlantic roll calls. No one else has signed on to the NCL Jewel crossing with me. Personally, we love the sea days but are glad to finally hit land again.
For those of you who are crossing the first time, you may find some time adjusting to the 23 hour days. Each night for six days you will turn your clock ahead an hour. If you have a good internal clock it will drive you crazy. By the time you hit Europe it will be 11 o'clock in the morning but feel like 5 am, which it is back in Miami. Bothered us a lot our first time.
Last year we found the trick was to go to bed around the same time every night and get up at the same time. That way your sleep patterns stay the same and it makes a huge difference.
One of these days we are going to do the crossing in the fall so we can get back all the time we have lost.

Yes Angel,we are doing about the same trip in Ireland,staying in Clontarf castle and Ross,this was the only way Kathy would go. The last time we went to Europe we were on the Brilliance and had a scare. Went to bed about 12 after leaving Corfu Greece that day,the weather was great and woke up at about 4 am in the middle of a storm.The ship had Listed.People were running up the stairs with their lifejackets on.We were on deck 8 and the water CLOSE.Our Balcony was full dirt because all the plants on the pool deck blew over.The next day the Captain gave a talk and told everyone we were never in danger and the ship had only tilted 8 degrees because we were hit with 130 knot winds and the ship could withstand a 45 degree tilt.All things said we still had a fantastic trip,but ever since then we have stuck to familiar waters

wow---that is a scare! this is our first ever cruise, and i'm already contemplating nerve pills in case of rough seas. hopefully will be great, though. it's really like 2 separate vacations. the TA, in and of itself is a vacation of a lifetime, but the week in ireland.....now that's a vacation! the pubs are screaming my name! the 1st one i want to hit up is "o'neill's"---just cuz that's our name...the castles look amazing. the really weird part for me, is the packing. cruise clothes, and then warm dry clothes for ireland. sweaters are sooooo bulky. a small price to pay, tho.
you guys are pros....both at cruising, and europe. IMPRESSIVE see ya' on board!
angel & leonard

Hardly a pro just love to travel.What airlines are taking to Ireland? I booked Aer Lingus because of price but prior to this I never heard of them.You are absolutely right about packing.I HATE to over pack but we are going on 2 entirely differant vacations.They also have a pub onboard the ship where I have spent many a evening singing old Beatle songs after a couple of Lond Islands....

also aer lingus....the only national airline of ireland, i think. was cheaper, for sure. we were going to return to u.s. on it, but was changed recently to delta....that's what i get for doing it on expedia. but the flight into dublin should be "green"! we like to travel as well.....but can't seem to get past the caribbean. their all inclusives are too awesome to pass up, sometimes. so this trek will be great. leonard and i haven't been to europe since we were children.
happy st. patrick's day early!----angel

Did you get the 11am flight or will you be spending the day in Bacelona.were making a quick dash to the airport .Agree about the all inclusives.We stayed at the Palace in PV and the Melia in Cabo and both were great.Look forward to meeting both of you

spending the night in barcelona, then an 11am flight next morning. decided not to rush, so that i could get some true "tapas" (which are traditionally served in the afternoons)before hitting ireland. this will be my biggest culture-jumping trip-ever. i'm from southern california, but live in memphis, tn....where evrything is DEEP-FRIED! even twinkies! hoping for some non-fried cuisine-except, of course, fish&chips. i lived in the azores as a kid, and from what i remember.....the food in portugal and spain is great!
eat drink and be merry, for in a matter of days.....we will be crossing the atlantic!

hey sonny....do you, by any chance, know where evryone will be meeting? i know i'll be seeing you and esther in the concierge lounge, and at dinner-(you're probably sick of me already )
alot of people on this cruise! i was thinking that it might not be crowded---but it looks sold out now.
i still have some mini-me questions.....here goes.
is it scary at all to be onboard? i love boating, but never been on a ship. do you ever feel like you are stuck? (like island fever)
and one more.....is it at all likely that the weather is good for swimming? or is it cold when you are out to sea?
thanx, angel

Hi! There will be a "Meet and Mingle" party that you can sign up for. If you have another persons cabin number you can call their cabin and make arrangements to meet.

No, it's not scary. You're going to be in AWE when you board the ship. It's like a floating hotel. I have no idea how the weather is going to be when we cross the atlantic. I've heard different things; I hope it's in the 70's.

I put a bid in on priceline.com and got a four star hotel in Miami. Esther and I will be staying at the Hilton Airport Hotel. We'll be taking a shuttle to Port Everglades Saturday morning. You're staying in Fort Lauderdale, right?

Sonny

yep, in ft lauderdale. nice on the 4star in miami! good job. suddenly the trip is so real....and i found myself panicking a bit. do you and esther work? if so, what do you both do? i know for most, it's hard getting this kind of time off work. i've never had a vacation this long before. i'm already packed, and waiting patiently by the door! see you soon. by the way, thanks for your ever prompt responses.

I'm retired and have taken over Esther's home daycare since she had back surgery about two years ago. We only have 4 children so it's not that bad, except for Sponge Bob.

Sonny

only 4? we beat you by one! 5 for us.....but thank goodness, they are all grown now! home day-care.....fantastic businesses run out of the home. the only way to go. hope esther is doing well post-surgically speaking. back surgeries can be so traumatic, often.
i just realized thst you are from racine.....my neighbor's girlfriend is from there....and she has the cutest accent! "don't ya know"...love it.
well, i'm sure next week, i'll have more questions....so, ta-ta for now.

Hey guys have either of you signed up for any Shore Excursions? We have never been to these ports yet nothing RCCL offers seems to interest me.I have friends who returned from Lisbon who told me I could get a all day hop on hop off pass for 10 euros. Seville seems so far away I'm not sure I want to spend 3 hours on a bus.Any Ideas?

Hi! This week I'm going to really look into it. I'm not interested in the ship excursions either. This is our first TS so I don't have a clue. Maybe we ought to put our heads together on this one. I would rather venture out with one or two other couples than just my wife and I alone.

Sonny

i agree....,.excursions seem to blah-zay to us. we like to venture out on our own. i find that local bartenders and cab drivers can give a wealth of info on what to do or where to go.