April 2011 Newsletter

April 1, 2011

Hello Everyone ~

This month, I am going to divert a bit from our cruise to Canada/New England. Instead, I would like to share with you an article that I wrote several years ago about cruising with my parents. I’ve been thinking how much this trip meant to us and thought it would be nice to reminisce with you. This newsletter is dedicated to my parents—Harvey and Frances. I love you Mom and Dad.

Three weeks ago our lives changed dramatically. We think my Dad had a stroke. I say “think” because we do not have that definitive diagnosis yet – but all indications are that is what happened. During these past few weeks as I have sat at the hospital and at the convalescent care facility with my Mom, brother and my husband, I have been reminded how precious our time together is. And, it has reminded me that we never know what tomorrow will bring and to take advantage of every moment that we have together. Today is my birthday; and I got the best present of all – my Dad stood up by himself and took a step! It doesn’t get better than that! We take so much for granted and sometimes it is good to step back and remember.

Barb



Harv and Fran – Then and Now



Don’t Let Your Parents Tell You “No”Have you ever said to yourself that you wished you had asked your parents or grandparents more about what it was like for them growing up?

Several years ago, my husband and I asked my parents to go on a cruise with us. We thought that going on a cruise would be a perfect opportunity to get away for a few days and spend some quality time together. But, we had to sell them on the idea.

I’m a Baby Boomer; and if your parents are like mine, you have probably heard that they feel that they cannot travel anymore. My parents told me that it would be too difficult. My Mom has Parkinson’s disease and my Dad has every kind of arthritis known to mankind. Getting around is not easy for either one of them. But, Mom wanted to see Glacier Bay – and so it was, we booked a cruise to Alaska! Once we boarded the ship and unpacked, our wonderful journey began.

This ended up being one of the best cruises we’ve ever been on. Not because of the itinerary, not because of anything other than it was a chance to spend some quality time with my parents.
My Dad had done some genealogy research and so we had some basic information. We knew that there would be time during the cruise to bring this up in the conversation. And, so it was…Once we sat down and asked them the first few questions, we were greeted with smiles and all sorts of stories. One story would trigger another memory and another and another. They enjoyed sitting in their deck chairs; and I couldn’t write or type fast enough. We talked about their childhood, their memories of growing up during the Depression, and memories they had of their parents or grandparents. The stories we heard were fascinating. After the first time when we sat down they started asking us “What time are we going to do this again?

Think about doing something like this with your parents or grandparents before it’s too late. Don’t let your parents tell you “no”. Plan that family reunion or 90th birthday celebration! Dance one more time with your Mom or Dad or Grandma or Grandpa. Take one more picture. Live, laugh and love each other. Take advantage of your time together and find the time to sit down and ask them those questions that you’ve been telling yourself that you have been meaning to ask. Bring a thick pad of paper and plenty of pens and enjoy what is about to unfold before you.

Post note: In 2011 we started having Sunday is for Family Day. We lost Jim’s Dad last summer. Since then, we have tried to spend our Sundays with Jim’s mother, my parents or our children and grandchildren. We have heard fascinating stories of how our parents grew up during the Depression and World War II. We have celebrated the birth of our newest grandchild, Jacob (born on Super Bowl Sunday!), and we have made a point of being with our family on Sundays. Now, more than ever, we can see how precious our Sundays are. Please don’t wait to do this with your family. Get out your picture albums and laugh and reminisce – and enjoy each other. You never know what tomorrow may bring.

Believe me – you’re gonna love it; and so will they. It will be the memory of a lifetime!

Fundraising on a Cruise!

Fundraising on a cruise! Where does your non-profit group want to cruise to? Increase your donor interest and giving and have more fun! Give your donors something to get excited about! It is possible to earn thousands of dollars for your non-profit organization on a 7-day cruise!

Your "Enthusiastic" Excursionist, Barbara at Carpenter Travel will help you make all the arrangements to offer your guests a great time on a cruise for a great cause. We can start with a Cruise Night to generate interest - then follow it up with a cocktail party and information about your ports of call. We can arrange for a silent auction on board the ship, special awards dinners, etc. - all at no cost to your non-profit organization.

Many cruise lines will match profits! Carnival Cruise Lines will match funds raised by your non-profit organization in the amount of $5 per day per person. If you designate $50 per person and you book 100 people that is $5,000!

Call me and let's discuss the possibilities of fundraising options for your group! Call Barbara, Your "Enthusiastic" Excursionist at (866) 963-0546 toll free today!

You choose which cruise line and which destination you want and leave the rest to me!

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 1

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE No. 1

SPIRIT OF YORKTOWN

GOLD RUSH INSIDE PASSAGE – JUNEAU TO SEATTLE

August 15, 2010 to August 25, 2010

Pre-cruise in Juneau

We flew from San Diego to Juneau on August 12, 2010 (three days pre-cruise) in hopes of being able to explore Juneau a bit more than we have been able to do on past cruises. Our weather could not have been better. We had clear skies and 75 degree weather. It was spectacular in every sense of the word.

After we dropped off our bags and checked into our room, we headed out for a bite of lunch and then a trek out to Mendenhall Glacier. We enjoyed some halibut fish tacos outside on the deck at The Hangar. The Hangar is a small building that houses several restaurants and boutique shops along with Wings Alaska which is where we took our float plane trip out of last month. Around the corner is Marine Park, dedicated to the gold miners. There is a very large octagonal cover made of huge wooden timbers and concrete bench type seats underneath. It provides much shade and a nice resting place after walking the city.

The city bus system in Juneau only costs $1.50 to ride from downtown Juneau out to the drop off point at Mendenhall Glacier; so we decided to give that a try rather than do an organized tour. The bus is a regular city bus with many stops as you pass through town. After about 30 minutes we were dropped off on Glacier Loop Road where we began our hike into the glacier. On the surface, a mile and a half did not seem that far – but believe me – this was a l-o-n-g hike in to get to the glacier. There is a paved walking path along the road to keep you out of harms’ way of the oncoming cars. We passed thick, dense forest with the ground covered with several different kinds of moss. Not only was it growing out of the dead trees on the ground, but it was also hanging from the trees above.

We trekked over a small bridge with crystal clear mountain water and red salmon spawning and swimming upstream. As we walked on, we came across a small pond of standing water with barren grey tree trunks standing in the water. In the distance, however, was the beautiful Mendenhall Glacier. The water in the small pond was so still that it was mirror-like; and the reflections were unbelievable.

Once we finally arrived at the entrance to Mendenhall Glacier, we found a small nature trail that is built of wooden planks over the babbling brook below. The salmon were swimming upstream, splashing and jumping up through the incline of the stream. The walkway has short wire sides with wooden top rails for your safety. This is bear country. Although there are 17 bears that live in the area when the salmon are spawning, we did not see any of them.

As you walk through this area, there are several places where you have spectacular views of the glacier itself.
Mendenhall Glacier is the only known glacier to be within city limits in the United States. It is part of the Juneau ice field and a very popular destination. There is a beautiful round visitors’ center above that offers several exhibits and a nice movie about the glacier and how it has receded.

We grabbed a taxi back to town and walked around a bit before stopping for a hamburger at The Mesa Grill. The Mesa Grill is a little orange shack on a side street just up from Broadway (the main street in Juneau). The wooden building is painted orange and a Tlingit Indian woman owns it. She told us that she used to have an actual building that was burned down several years ago. She was told she had to build another building to replace it; but she chose to go smaller and build this small shack instead to cut her expenses. She specializes in grilling Angus burgers, reindeer sausage and chicken kabobs. Our burgers were very tasty and quite juicy. We sat outside at a small round table and enjoyed our burger along with a local man who sat there chatting with us for a bit about the area and what there was to see and do. Our friends Mark and Debbie arrived in Juneau that evening and after meeting them in the lobby of the hotel, we all headed off to our rooms with much anticipation of what was before us in the coming days.

During our few days in Juneau we enjoyed a lot of fabulous local food. In addition to The Mesa Grill we had a delightful light lunch at Romo’s Pizza in the Hangar building where we had a piece of pizza, a small salad and a glass of thirst-quenching iced tea. We also ate at The Hangar and enjoyed some halibut fish tacos one afternoon. Another afternoon we had lunch at The Twisted Fish – which was the nicest of all of the restaurants we visited in Juneau. For breakfast we enjoyed bagels at The Silverbow Bakery and pastries one day at The Paradise Café. Dinner one evening was delicious at the Goldbelt Hotel where we stayed. We ate at their restaurant “Zen” and filled our tummies with some delicious Chinese cuisine. Another one of our favorite places to grab a bite to eat in Juneau is at Tracy’s Crab Shack next to the dock in downtown Juneau. She won Third Place for her Seafood Chowder this year on the East Coast. It is delicious!

Day Two - Cruising North to Alaska

TRAVELOGUES – DAY TWO CRUISING
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”

Even though you would think that because we are “on vacation” we would have slept in and taken advantage of one of our days at sea, that was not the case. Nor was it the case for many of the passengers on board the Volendam as we all seemed to appear up in the Lido for breakfast around 7:00 a.m. I don’t know about the reasons why any of them were out and about so early, but for us, we didn’t want to miss a chance to see anything – whatever it was.

We spent most of the daily sailing up the east side of Vancouver Island and out into the Pacific Ocean and Queen Charlotte Sound. Sailing along with barely a ripple on the water was incredible. The waters were not still like a mirror, but they were close. Up above us was brilliant blue sky with what I think was every type of cloud formation there is. Whether it was stratus, cumulous or whatever – it seemed to be there. Some of the clouds appeared as if to have been painted in the sky with a swooping brush stroke and then curled at the end. Others appeared to be more thunder type clouds (those were over the mountains) and yet others appeared to be cotton balls that had fallen out of a bag and were sprinkling the skies. It was a glorious day and actually quite pleasant outside – about 65 degrees or maybe more.

Our “official” day began with a get-together with the group of travel agents we are with. We were both amazed that there were agents from as far away as Malasia and Italy. Unless everyone was not there for that meeting, it will be a rather small group of only about 35 people. After the meeting, we were told to go enjoy ourselves and explore the ship. That was the only official gathering we will have on board the ship until we disembark in Skagway where our “tour director” will meet us and escort us on the rest of our trip.

During the day we enjoyed a wide variety of activities from two cooking demonstrations in the Culinary Arts Center on how to cook a fresh salmon in a white wine marinade and another recipe for crab cakes (yes, I have the recipe). We joined in on a couple of games of trivia – but most of the time we were up in the Crow’s Nest the furthest point forward and the highest where there is a great room with comfy chairs all around huge floor to ceiling picture windows. This is where we could sit and visit with other passengers and watch the world go by.

Off to our West is the Cascade Mountains which stretch from Canada all the way down to Northern California. The lower, front range had no snow capped peaks; but the range directly behind it was covered thick with snow. The jagged peaks of the Cascades up here and have no trees because of the cold weather conditions in the winter. They are stunning to see and very different to the rolling hills we have in California.

Eventually, much later in the day, we maneuvered in closer to land and begin our journey through the Inside Passage where we will also be tomorrow.

The Inside Passage is a narrow passageway that the ships can sail through along with a “pilot”. The pilot is a trained navigator for these specific waters, and guides the Captain where to sail the vessel without any difficulties. There are several lighthouses that are dotted along the coast. Most of them appear to have home quarters on the bottom with the tall spire of the lighthouse on top of that. The settings are stunning – some out on the edge of rocky cliffs on the shore with others set back in meadow like areas and the buildings are spread out. Most of the lighthouses now are all electronically regulated and maintained. What I find fascinating are the stories of the real lighthouse keepers – those men and women who literally risked their lives to keep the light burning under the worst of weather conditions. Though most of the lighthouses are in remote locations and not easily accessible to a town, these men and women had their entire families with them and the children were home schooled by their mothers.

The Captain announced today that because of the tides, we will miss going into Tracy Arm Fjord and the Twin Sawyer Glaciers tomorrow. They are offering an extra shore excursion for those who really wanted to see the glaciers; and so the boat will stop at the mouth of Tracy Arm; and those passengers will transfer to their excursion boat and will meet up with us in Juneau. We did not opt to take that excursion but chose, instead, to remain on board the ship and enjoy sailing the Inside Passage.

Our daylight begins at about 2-2:30 a.m. and it remains light well after 10:30 p.m. This definitely enables us to see much more of the scenery along our route. We have met people from all over the world – Australia, South Africa, Germany, Canada and from all over the U.S.

Tomorrow we will continue through the Inside Passage and into Juneau. Till then…

Travelogue No. 7 - Victoria, BC, Canada

TRAVELOGUE NO. 7
PACIFIC COASTAL CRUISE LOS ANGELES TO VANCOUVER

FRIDAY, May 14, 2010 – Victoria, BC, Canada

It is hard to believe that this is the last day of the cruise portion of our cruise. As with most cruises, they seem to end too soon and leave you wanting “just a few more days”.

Victoria greeted us with blue skies and 65 degree temperature, much as Seattle did yesterday. Victoria is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island and is the largest and most metropolitan city on the island. Our tour guide told us that Victoria is second in Canada only to be outranked by Vancouver City for an average priced home. It has the mildest climate in all of Canada because it sits in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains in Washington State. They only get approximately 20 some inches of rain here. There is no humidity here either – which makes it VERY desirable.

Butchart Gardens is among the most famous and meticulously maintained gardens in the world. Other attractions here that are equally as popular are The Empress Hotel and The British Columbia Museum of Natural History. One of our favorite things to do is to walk through downtown along Government Street and enjoy the little boutiques and souvenir shops along the way.

Enjoying our beautiful weather, today we took a tour to Craigdurroch Castle and Mt. Toume. Our motor coach drove us through downtown and out to “Mile 0” which is where the Trans-Canadian Highway begins and continues for over 4000 miles out to the Atlantic sea board. We passed the tallest totem pole in Canada which is at the south end of Beach Hill Park and faces mainland Washington State.

When we arrived at Mt. Tuome, the 360 degree views were nothing short of spectacular because of the clear weather. We could see over to Mt. Baker which is north of Seattle; we could see east over to San Juan Island across Haro Strait where we had a waterfront home rented for a week with friends; we could see south across the Strait of Juan de Fuca down to Washington State and magnificently standing proudly in the clear skies beyond were the Olympic Mountain range. It was just simply a glorious view. The landscape was granite with many varieties of wildflowers growing through the cracks. And, one of the most prolific bushes is the Scottish Broom, a bright yellow bush that we were told is actually a weed and taking over the island. But – weed or not, it add a beautiful yellow brightness to the area surrounding you.

From Mt. Tuome, the tour driver drove us down the hill and through the campus of The University of Victoria where they seem to have a rampant infestation of rabbits. The authorities are now in the process of trying to trap them and neuter them.
We wound around the streets and eventually arrived at the Craigdurroch Castle. Robert Dunsmuir found his fortune in coal back in the mid 1800’s. He and his wife had 15 children. When he passed in 1879 and never lived in the castle. It is built of huge stone on the outside and some of the most exquisite and intricate wood working on the interior. After passing hands several times it finally was donated to the City of Victoria. We climbed the wooden banisterred staircase up four flights of stairs – on each floor were more bedrooms. What was so beautiful was that each room was recreated in period décor complete with mannequins dressed in the beautiful long dresses of that time. The pictures on the wall were all historical. One shadow box picture caught my attention and when I asked about it, I was told that the 3 dimensional heart filigree inside was made of human hair. Each of the dining rooms had tables that were set “properly” for a very formal occasion.

It does not take much longer than half an hour to go through the Castle. There is a gift shop when you exit as with most every tourist attraction today. We walked around the grounds and were able to take some great pictures of the exterior of the house. One of the things that you could not help but notice were the blooming rhododendrons that were completely covered in flower blooms of every color from pale pink to bright magenta to a pinkish orange and everything in between. We found these bushes all over the city.

As we left the Castle our tour guide drove us through China Town which in contrast to the city of Victoria that has it’s streets lined with lamp posts with five white globes, in China Town, the lamp posts are on a red post with one Chinese lantern on top. Very fitting for the area.

We were dropped off in downtown Victoria near The Empress Hotel on Douglas Street where we chose to leave the tour and walk around on our own. It was near lunch time and we chose to enjoy some moist and delicate fish and chips at the Bard & Banker Restaurant. The batter of the fish was crunched Ruffles potato chips. I’d never seen anything like this and when we asked the waiter about it, he told us the Chef had come up with the recipe because the potato chips minimizes the shrinkage of the fish and what you are served is plump and juicy. Their tartar sauce was some of the best I’ve ever had; and we asked if they sold it and they unfortunately said no.

We walked up and down Government Street and then down past The Empress Hotel where there was a bride and groom on the front steps having their pictures taken. On the harbor side along the sidewalk, there were several street entertainers performing. We saw Darth Vader playing the violin, a gentleman painting a picture in chalk, and a juggler as well. Along the street we past many musicians playing guitar who were sitting on the ground – but it added a nice ambience to the day as we walked around.
Many of the students in Victoria earn extra money by transporting visitors around in their pedi-cabs. We found Andrea, who is a student of environmental studies and French and she got us settled and we were on our way for a leisurely ride back to the ship. All total, it took about an hour. She peddled through town and over to Beacon Hill Park where the “rhodos” were simply breathtaking with several bushes grouped together and created this burst of bright magenta amongst the green grassy knolls and trees in the park. We passed several peacocks in the park that are allowed to roam free throughout the park. There are several small ponds with fountains and there is a bronzed bust of Queen Elizabeth (or Victoria) with a flower bed of huge pink tulips underneath. Our ride continued along the waterfront and eventually down to the cruise ship terminal where it ended all to soon (as with everything else).

As is tradition on the last night of the cruise, the Princess waiters did the Parade of the Baked Alaska and we were surprised (and disappointed) that Princess no longer lights the Alaska’s but not have battery operated flames. We said good bye to our table mates and everyone went off to finish their packing and make sure our luggage was put outside our stateroom by 10:00 p.m. so the crew could swoop it up and take it into the baggage holding areas down below and it will magically appear when we pass through Customs in Vancouver.

Don’t fret – the Travelogues are not over yet! We will be staying two days in Vancouver, so there’s still more to come!

Hope you are all well and we sure wish we were sharing this with you all! What a fun time that would be! Safe Travels!

Travelogue No. 6 - Seattle, Washington

TRAVELOGUE NO. 6
PACIFIC COASTAL CRUISE LOS ANGELES TO VANCOUVER

THURSDAY, May 12, 2010 – Seattle, Washington

It generally rains 226 days in Seattle. The “rain” is actually more of a mist that a downpour of rain – but it is wet nonetheless. Fortunately, we arrived in Seattle on one of those rate 139 days that grace the city with not a cloud in the sky. It was about 65 degrees and absolutely glorious. We could not have had better weather. Because we have been to Seattle several times, we decided to just play tourist today and so we signed up for the “Grand City Tour of Seattle”. The tour consisted of three parts – a tour of downtown Seattle and Pike’s Place Market on motor coach – a harbor tour on The Argosy tour boat from Lake Union to the Port of Seattle – and, a visit to the Space Needle.

Pike’s Place Market is a public market down on the waterfront in Seattle. It consists of various food stands and vendors all hoping that they have the exact thing that you are looking for. It is very well known as the place where “they throw the fish” over your head at the seafood counters. It is also the home of the best tea that I’ve ever had, Market Spice Tea. Many years ago, when my parents lived here in the Seattle area, they introduced me to this fabulous cinnamon-orange spice tea. It is best if you steep it in boiling water for at least five minutes. The aromas that come out of one little tea bag are incredible. You take in a deep breath and smell the richness of the spices…and once you take one sip, if you are a tea lover, I guarantee you’ll think this is some of the best tea you’ve ever had. So, naturally, we had to go there and pick up several boxes of this fabulous tea to take home. It is especially delicious on a rainy day when you are staying inside, have a fire going in the fireplace and are enjoying a good book. Here is the website if you want to savor a little for yourself. www.marketspice.com
We enjoyed walking leisurely through the Public Market and just people watching. The produce and the seafood counters were gorgeous, full of fresh fruits, vegetables and fish caught in the morning and brought to the Market to put on display. There are small flower carts in several areas, along with this other famous Seattle drink – Starbuck’s. There are close to 600 Starbuck’s stores in the greater Seattle area. The original location is across the street from Pike’s Market.

Our tour continued as our driver took us through Pioneer Square downtown and then out to Lake Union where we boarded our tour boat, the Argosy. As we pulled away from the small pier, they announced that they had some clam chowder for purchase, so Jim went and got each of us a cup. We sat at one of the picnic type tables on the second deck right next to a window, so we had a perfect view of everything the narrator was talking about. After we finished our soup, we went out on deck. Lake Union is home for over 10 of the boats seen in the TV series The Deadliest Catch – a show about the perils of being on a fishing boat in the northwest and Alaska. It is also home to the famous houseboat used in the film “Sleepless in Seattle”.

Interestingly, that houseboat was just sold to a couple who had just seen the movie and fell in love with the movie and the houseboat so much so that they got married inside their new “home”. The houseboat sold for a mere “several” million dollars!
As we continued on our tour of Lake Union, we passed under two draw bridges and on out to the locks – where we entered and secured, then the water level began to drop and we miraculously traveled DOWN 18 feet to sea level, where the locks were opened and we continued on out into Elliott Bay and on into the Puget Sound to downtown Seattle. The small lighthouse there is in the process of being restored and, unfortunately, was all covered in white plastic. Our tour continued along the waterfront and eventually took us right past the Sapphire Princess which was proudly docked at Pier 66 downtown and almost directly below the Space Needle.

Next, we boarded the motor coach again and were taken past Safeco Field, the home of the Seattle Mariners and Qwest Field, which is home to the Seattle Seahawks. After leaving there, our next stop was the Space Needle. This was built for the Exposition in 1962 and the World’s Fair. It only takes 42 seconds to travel from ground level up to the observation deck where you will enjoy a 360 degree view of Seattle.

After the tour, we went back to the ship and cleaned up and then were off for one of the highlights of our entire trip. We met Michele, my Strategic Sale Coach from my host agency. Michele has been coaching me the past few months, and has guided me along my path as a travel agent. We had agreed to meet at Ivar’s Seafood Restaurant near Pier 57 on the waterfront. Jim and I arrived first and were standing in front of the restaurant when we noticed a gal walking briskly towards us. She had straight, long hair and was wearing sunglasses that quickly were raised above her eyes when she spotted us. I immediately raised my sunglasses as well and when she reach us, we both laughed and agreed how nice it was to meet each other after only talking on the telephone on Wednesday mornings at 9:00 a.m. for the past few months.
We were taken to a table in the middle of the restaurant where we had a beautiful view of the water and were only one dock away from the terminal for the Washington State Ferries. So, while we sat and chatted and got to know each other in person, we enjoyed all of the activity on the water as well. Jim had a pound of Alaskan king crab legs, while Michele enjoyed the halibut and I enjoyed my salmon. The clam chowder at Ivar’s is some of the best that we’ve ever had, so Jim and I both got a cup of that along with a small dinner salad with their house “Louis” (thousand island) dressing. After dinner, we all had dessert – again, each of us enjoyed something different – Jim had bread pudding, Michele had the apple/rhubarb crisp and I had crème bruleé. Unfortunately, we had to get back to the ship by 9:30 p.m., so we eventually had the say our goodbyes and go on our separate ways. But, I have to say that being able to meet someone who you have only talked to on the telephone for several months was absolutely incredible and really meant a lot to me.

We sailed out of Seattle at 10:00 p.m. It was still twilight outside, and so I stood on our balcony and took some beautiful pictures of the Space Needle as we left port. Our final stop will be in Victoria, BC tomorrow. It is only a short distance from Seattle, and so the Captain announced he would only be cruising at about 10 mph.
Thank you Seattle for such a glorious beautiful day ~ and thank you Michele for taking the time to come enjoy dinner with us. You truly made my day! Talk to you soon!

Travelogue No. 4 - Day at sea and the Ultimate Ship Tour

TRAVELOGUE NO. 4
PACIFIC COASTAL CRUISE LOS ANGELES TO VANCOUVER

TUESDAY, May 11, 2010 – Day at Sea and the “Ultimate Ship Tour”
Today was a special day because we signed up for the “Ultimate Ship Tour” – something that has not been offered since 9/11. One of Cruise Director’s Staff escorted a small group of 12 of us for this tour. The cost of the tour is $150 and worth every last penny; because we actually got down into the belly behind the scenes of the ship. It was fascinating!

Our first stop was in the Princess Theater where we got to actually go up on stage and look above us five floors where lights, sets, and costumes where suspended and would be pulled down when needed. As you can imagine, the floor is wooden and also has an elevator lift that takes dancers and singers down underneath if the production number requires it right from the center of the stage. We then proceeded back into one of the several dressing rooms where we met two of the dancers. Each dancer has their own make-up station and a large number of attendants who help them dress, buckle their shoes, touch-up their make up and fix their hair. There is a cleaner rack with the push button mechanism in there that they will push and recall whatever costume they need for the next dancer. Just like getting your clothes from the dry-cleaners.

From the stage we went down to the Medical Department and met the Doctor who has a staff of three nurses. There are three exam rooms and they have a full pharmacy if needed to dispense prescriptions to the staff and the passengers. They have the ability to do small surgeries such as fix a broken arm but most major surgeries would have to be done on land and so the passenger would have to be air-lifted off the ship and taken to the nearest hospital. The Doctor could not emphasize enough the importance of purchasing travel insurance for this very reason. She said that the cost of the air-flight helicopter is a whopping $50,000!

We went to the galley next where we actually got to go through one of three galleys on the ship. The chef’s were all busy preparing soup in huge 10 gallon drums. Looked like tomato bisque to me! There were some prep chefs dicing and cutting vegetables. The galley has “stores” where the different types of food are kept. We went to the “produce store” the “fruit store” and we actually even got to go inside the freezer where the meat is in one section, the chicken in another and the fish in another. I have to tell you that I truly felt like Lucille Ball when she got locked in the meat locker on I Love Lucy! It’s cold in there! Then we went over to the “Bread/Bakery” Department I found the perfect machine that anyone who entertains must have! Of course, it would not look very nice in your kitchen, but what a great thing to have! Once your dough is made and raised, it is put through this machine on a plastic paddle that looks much like an oversized deviled egg tray. You turn the machine on – it jiggles around and Whalla! Out pop 24 perfect dinner rolls! There’s no rolling, kneading, patting, or weighing to make the perfect size – the machine does it all for you! After that we were treated to some 2” size chocolate covered strawberries and small decadent butter cookies along with punch in a tall; fluted glass complete with umbrella, orange slice and cherry on top!

The Print Shop was our next stop. Here they print everything for the ship from the daily restaurant menus, to the Princess Patter (our daily newsletter) along with information about the ports we are going to visit, shore excursion information and also the daily sales from the ship’s stores. We were each given a 5 X 7 pad of paper that said Ultimate Ship Tour and had each of our names on top.

Once we left the print shop we went to the laundry. Every department on the ship works 24/7 with three shifts of 8 hours each to keep everything running smoothly and efficiently. The laundry is no exception. Here I found another couple of machines that I would love to own but would not have the room to put them in my house nor would they be pleasing to the eye – but what a fabulous job that do! One of the greatest was the presser for the napkins and table cloths. The operator will put a slightly damp table cloth into the machine and when it comes out the other side, it is pressed beautifully and folded! They have another machine like this for towels! Fabulous! And, everything comes out perfect! This is also where the crew has their clothes cleaned and the Captain and his staff have their uniforms dry-cleaned.
From there we went down to the engineering control room. There’s four diesel engines and one turbo engine. The big turbo engines on the top of the ship serve no purpose other than they look cool up there.

Going to the Bridge was the highlight for everyone, as you can imagine. We met Captain Dino Sagani who was born in Trieste on the North East Adriatic coast of Italy. He is proud to tell you that he is Captain of the “largest” ship in the Princess Fleet – the Sapphire Princes weighs in at 117,000 tons. Although she does not carry the most passengers, she is 5’ wider than the Grand Princess and the Golden Princess. Captain Sagani showed us the “joy stick” and the steering wheel, which is the size of a steering wheel you would expect to see on a Ferrari. It is not much bigger than about 12 inches at most. There are two officers with binoculars standing at the front of the bridge constantly watching the horizon, and there are three more behind the center console. There is a separate control station on both sides of the bridge out on the wings which go out beyond the side of the ship about 5-6 feet. This gives the Captain the perfect view he needs to pull us perfectly alongside the piers without touching them.

Our Ultimate Ship Tour was ended with a glass of champagne and more chocolate covered strawberries. Pictures were taken of us in each of the departments with the staff. After the tour, we were each handed a folder with copies of all of the photos. Along with our personalized paper pad, it was a very nice gift. But, Princess went above and beyond and gave each of us a beautiful Princess waffle robe and chefs apron on top of everything else. It was really the “ultimate”.

1. Pacific Coastal WineCountry Cruise Sapphire Princess

TRAVELOGUE NO. 1
PACIFIC COASTAL CRUISE LOS ANGELES TO VANCOUVER

SATURDAY, May 8, 2010 – Embarkation and Bon Voyage Experience
Our day began with Jim’s brother Carl and sister-in-law Carol who drove us to the cruise terminal. We arrived at San Pedro and dropped off our luggage and proceeded into the embarkation area where we all showed our ID. Carl and Carol were given special passes to get on board with us. The Bon Voyage Experience is something new that Princess is offering to passengers that has not been offered since 9/11.; Carl and Carol along with about 100 other guests of passengers, were allowed to come on board with us.

We gave Carl and Carol our own tour starting in our stateroom. We have a balcony room on the port side of the ship near very near the aft end. In fact, we are only three cabins from the door that leads out onto the furthest aft deck. There is a small pool here that is about 12’ X 12’ along with several dozen lounge chairs around the wooden deck. On the next level up, there is an outside bar area with some more lounges and chairs under the shaded overhang. After we came back inside, we went back to midship in the Atrium. The Atrium has four elevators that have a filigree fascia which cover the elevator on the first couple of levels until it rises higher in the Atrium. There is a large marble dome in the center of the ceiling above and similar marble inlaid on the floor. The winding staircases will let you walk from floor to floor in the Atrium area.

The Wheelhouse Bar and the Explorers Lounge are the two largest lounge/bars on the ship. Both are tastefully decorated with a nautical theme and lots of beautiful wood. As we walked on the Promenade Deck we walked through the Photo Gallery and then on into a beautiful fine art studio. There are shops on three levels in the Atrium. There is also a coffee café next to the Pursers Desk. There are several areas on either side of the ship around the Atrium where you can sit and enjoy the musicians playing in the evening along with getting an “adult” beverage.

Lunch was served to us in the International Dining Room which is the main dining room for “traditional” dining. We had a delicious four course lunch. Both Jim and Carl had the beef tenderloin and Carl and I had the salmon. We all enjoyed the chocolate soufflé for dessert with its warm rum sauce poured in the middle.

After lunch we walked up to the Lido Deck, up to the very top of the ship where we had a bird’s eye view of the entire ship from aft to stern. It is a l-o-n-g ship! The Sapphire Princess holds 2600 passengers and 1,000 crew members. On the upper deck we saw two more pools, one with a retracting ceiling called the Conservatory. There is a 9-hole miniature golf course (Princess Links) along with a golf simulator. There is also a paddle tennis court way up front along with a 1/10 mile walking track. Yep – ten times around equals one mile.

At 3:00 Carol and Carl had to leave the ship and the actual embarkation process for us continued with our Muster Drill (Safety Drill). At 4:00p.m. sharp, the whistle blew and the crew threw the last of the ropes aside and we were on our way out of the Port of San Pedro. We sailed past Ports of Call Village and on to the breakwater and the lighthouse at the end of the small strip of land. The lighthouse had quite a bit of rust around the bottom, but it still blew its horn as we sailed past and out to the Pacific Ocean. We headed north and up towards our first stop, Santa Barbara.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Bon Voyage Experience and really appreciated that Princess allowed us to bring guests on board to share a little bit of our sail-away. Thank you Carl and Carol for driving us to the cruise terminal! Hope you enjoyed your time onboard the ship!

Bon Voyage! Our journey has begun!

Don't Let Your Parents Tell You No!

Have you ever said to yourself that you wished you had asked your parents or grandparents more about what it was like for them growing up?

Several years ago, my husband and I asked my parents to go on a cruise with us. We thought that going on a cruise would be a perfect opportunity to get away for a few days and spend some quality time together. But, we had to sell them on the idea.
I’m a Baby Boomer; and if your parents are like mine, you have probably heard that they feel that they cannot travel anymore. My parents told me that it would be too difficult. My Mom has Parkinson’s disease and my Dad has every kind of arthritis known to mankind. Getting around is not easy for either one of them. But, Mom wanted to see Glacier Bay – and so it was, we booked a cruise to Alaska! Once we boarded the ship and unpacked, our wonderful journey began.

This ended up being one of the best cruises we’ve ever been on. Not because of the itinerary, not because of anything other than it was a chance to spend some quality time with my parents.

My Dad had done some genealogy research and so we had some basic information. We knew that there would be time during the cruise to bring this up in the conversation. And, so it was…Once we sat down and asked them the first few questions, we were greeted with smiles and all sorts of stories. One story would trigger another memory and another and another. They enjoyed sitting in their deck chairs; and I couldn’t write or type fast enough. We talked about their childhood, their memories of growing up during the Depression, and memories they had of their parents or grandparents. The stories we heard were fascinating. After the first time when we sat down they started asking us “What time are we going to do this again?”

During that cruise, I learned my great-grandmother was a widow with five sons. They lived back in Wisconsin. When the wife of one of her former beau’s passed away, she received a letter from him in California. He knew of her husband’s passing and asked for her hand in marriage. She packed up her five sons and her piano and boarded a train in Wisconsin and traveled all the way to Visalia, California. He met them at the train station; and they all walked across the street to the Justice of the Peace who married them on the spot. My Dad’s Dad (my Grandpa) was one of those five boys!

Think about doing something like this with your parents or grandparents before it’s too late. Don’t let your parents tell you “no”. Plan that family reunion or 90th birthday celebration! Dance one more time with your Mom or Dad or Grandma or Grandpa. Take one more picture. Live, laugh and love each other. Take advantage of your time together and find the time to sit down and ask them those questions that you’ve been telling yourself that you have been meaning to ask. Bring a thick pad of paper and plenty of pens and enjoy what is about to unfold before you.
Believe me – you’re gonna love it; and so will they. It will be the memory of a lifetime!

CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS - CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES SPECIAL

CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS! CARNIVAL is offering fabulous fares on a 3 day cruise RT San Diego to Ensenada with inside cabins starting at $110 and outside starting at $160 plus $136.04 tx. Also - March 25 - 4 day RT San Diego to Cabo San Lucas with inside cabins starting at $250 pp and outside at $310 plus $143.04 tx. Car...nival is leaving San Diego in April so this may be your last chance for a long weekend cruise!

World's Largest Cruise Night !

Visit our website at http://wlcn.cruising.org/carpentertravel for great offers during the Cruise Line International World's Largest Cruise Month campaign!

Contact me at Email: carpentertravel51@yahoo.com and ask about these fabulous specials from all of the major cruise lines!

Sailing away again tomorrow!

We are once again heading off to another wonderful cruise. Except this time, it will actually be TWO cruises! We are flying to Seattle and will be on the Pacific Princess, one night to Vancouver, BC. We will stay in Vancouver for two nights, then board the Golden Princess for a repositioning cruise down the West Coast with ports of call at Nanaimo, Victoria, San Francisco, Catalina Island, San Diego and Los Angeles.

I will be posting my Travelogues along the way - so keep in touch with what we're doing and seeing here on my Blog.

And now - back to packing!