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Coka
Casual Cruiser
| Joined: | Sun Feb 18th, 2007 |
| Location: | New England |
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Posted: Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 01:48 am | 1st Post |
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A two day cruise to nowhere on the big beautiful Dawn had me perplexed. Would this be a relaxing, peaceful weekend getaway or a two day non-stop party? Could I stay awake for 48 hours so that I could experience as much as possible? As I drove the 300 miles to New York City, I had plenty of time to ponder. The sun was shining, the foliage was peak, and I was heading to an unfamiliar city, to an unfamiliar ship on an unfamiliar 2 day cruise. Part of the fun is that I did not know exactly what to expect.
I left my car at my brother’s friend’s house that lived outside the city. He drove my sister, my niece and me to Pier 92 on 711 12th Avenue on the west side of Manhattan. We were early birds. As a latitudes member, I could have waited upstairs in the latitudes section but the only access is by stairs. My sister is paraplegic so I was not going to leave her and my niece in order to sit in the special section. Once inside, I could see there were many people in wheelchairs. I think I counted over ten. NCL had an employee helping each person in a wheelchair. They even had a special check-in for them and their families. They assisted all of us during embarkation and debarkation.
Everyone was allowed on the ship starting at 1pm. This was later than my previous cruises because the crew had to extra sanitize the ship due to a noro-virus outbreak on the previous sailing. We were informed of this when we entered the terminal and we were given the option to not sail and receive a 100% credit towards a future cruise. Knowing this ahead of time was very helpful. The crowd I spoke to concluded NCL could take as long as they needed…well, as long as it wasn’t 48 hours…
We were onboard by 1:20pm. Passengers could not get to their cabins until 3pm which later changed to 4pm. We had three suitcases, three backpacks, a carry-on, a camera case and three pocketbooks. I suggested we drop everything off in our cabin, get something to eat and then explore the ship. My sister said we could not get the cabin yet. I told her that after 28 cruises, 17 on NCL, I learned a couple of things along the way. She was mystified at my mastery skills as the luggage was secure in our cabin within five minutes.
I knew that we could have eaten an embarkation lunch in the dining room but we opted for the welcome buffet in the Garden Café. There are two sides to the garden café and each section has something different. You will find the same selections on both sides but the NY Deli is only on one side (port?) and the ice-cream bar is further down one side by the outdoor pool area. They also serve hamburgers/fries/dogs and such in one section only. My advice is to take some time to walk around and check it out first. All three of us enjoyed the buffet lunches. I had roast beef, roast chicken and potato salad.
As we explored the ship, my 22 year old niece could not decide what she was more excited about. The awe of being on her first cruise or the awe that she did not have to pay for the lunch she just ate. We walked around inside and enjoyed her glee with every stop we made. The Galleria shops, the Stardust Theater, the movie room, the salon, the sauna, the alternative restaurants, the main restaurants, the bars, the lounges, the casino, the photo area and the cigar lounge. It was time for the lifeboat drill by the time we finished in the cigar lounge so we decided to explore the rest of the ship on Saturday.
The muster drill required everyone to line up outside in separate stations on the promenade deck. The clouds, rain and cold weather seemed to not dampen other passenger’s spirits nor ours. I looked at the group we were assigned with and concluded that if we were going to sink, then some of them were not going to feel the pain! I previously told my niece the seriousness of the drill and the importance of paying attention so we know what to do during an emergency. She was frightened at first by the drill. Then, for the first time ever on a cruise ship, I witnessed the ship photographers taking pictures of couples/families in their life jackets while the evacuation directions were announced. I found it odd and decided that if they got to me, I was going to silent scream in bloody terror as they snapped the picture…they never made it to me but I think I ruined the picture for the two gals standing in front…
We had to take elevators everywhere and overall they were not slow. We also were very satisfied with our balcony handicapped cabin. The balcony was larger than the others, the bathroom was handicapped accessible and there was plenty of space for the wheelchair. Sister wanted me to report that the hangers were up too high to reach and that she could not get out onto the balcony by herself…the ramp was bolted on the wrong side…on the side where the doors do not slide. I felt a bit guilty and I admitted I already knew this…that our particular balcony cabin was not balcony accessible for a paraplegic. So, we lifted her out there anyways. We then got cold because the sailaway began and we lifted her back inside. We all felt better that we used the inaccessible handicapped balcony…
Sister and niece went to I think a non-existent sailaway party due to the rain. They found a warm spot to watch the scenery pass by. I had seen it before on my Spirit sailing in April 2006 so I made an appointment in the salon for a haircut. I said she could do whatever she wanted as long as I looked better walking out of there. A shampoo/haircut/style dry was 60 dollars total. Eighteen percent gratuity is automatically added in but I gave an extra 20 dollars for her work. I looked really bad walking in but looked really good walking out. Totally worth it…If you have never been to salon before and decide to go, then be sure to know that they will try to sell you products as you chat. There is nothing wrong with letting them know you are not interested in the products. I told her if the same products could not fix the bags under my eyes a few years ago, then I did not think they would fix them now.
I found my relatives under cover by the outdoor pool. We looked at the Freestyle Daily to see what was going on and to plan what we wanted to do in the evening. They had: Sabbath service, evening pub trivia, singles social, music in grand atrium, NBA game, Music with Fire and Ice in Dazzles, Friends of Dorothy meeting, Bingo, liquor tasting, Movie in cinema, ballroom dancing, Music with 60280 in the Star Bar, Action Comedy of Thien Fu, Music with Dan Hodge in Gatsby’s Lounge, Dance party through the decades in Spinnaker’s, acoustic rock with Angel Majaso, adult karaoke late night in Dazzles, and DJ Fidel in Spinnaker’s for late night party zone.
Earlier in the day they had: cruise consultant desk open, kids center open house, casino at sea club card sign-ups, seminar on secret to a flat stomach, teens and kids crew orientations, relaxing melodies mid-ship…
We decided to get ready for dinner, have dinner in dining room, then go to ballroom dancing, then action comedy, then dance through the decades, then late night party zone with DJ Fidel. While unpacking, I wondered what was in all the luggage brought on a two day cruise to nowhere. The three of us had to pack really for four days and we had no idea what the weather would be like in the city or on the ship.
I was the first one smart-casual dressed and ready to go. I wore an above the knee black skirt, a silver-ish/black/ dress tank, black stretch sweater for warmth, and black nylons with silver-ish sparkles for fun. My shoes were closed toed black dress shoes with silver trim. While waiting for the others, I enjoyed a program on television about the Dawn. They showed the engine room, the water purifying area, where all the human waste goes, the bridge area and finished with what is available in the Galleria stores.
I thought we were ready to go. Another hour went by as sister and niece figured out what shoes to wear, what purse to bring, what tops went best with bottoms, and most importantly, what jewelry to wear. So that is what filled their suitcases. I enjoyed the mother-daughter moment of sharing ideas for outfits, makeup, jewelry, and what they thought would be best for the entire evening. I asked what was in the unopened suitcase and found out they had winter jackets. They certainly were ready for whatever!
Instead of going to the dining room for dinner, we went to the buffet. The ambiance is a bit different at night and it was not very crowded. It was about 8pm and I knew that is usually a busy time for the dining rooms when you have a full ship. We were more interested in the night entertainment and did not want miss it. I had soup and pasta for dinner. In my opinion, the night buffets offerings are similar to some of the evening menus. You will not get the exact variety of food from all their restaurants but you will get some of the same items offered in them.
After dinner we stopped by the casino because that is one of the smoking areas. This was my first NCL cruise since the rules changed. Smokers can only smoke in their cabins, in the casino, in the cigar club, or outside on deck. I thought it would be set up where you could just sit at the bar, have a cocktail, have a cigarette and watch the players. This bar had slot machines at them so there really was not a place to smoke a cigarette there unless playing a machine. So, we went out by the pool area and found a place out of the wind…because with the wind and flying ash I wondered if this was really a better idea? Smokers also tend to be drinkers so I still would like to see one bar where passengers can smoke. From all the talk on the subject, it will be interesting to see if in the future this changes or not.
We caught the tail end of the ballroom dancing to the Dawn’s Show-band. About three to four couples were on the dance floor. We were happy we found our perch at the bar and concluded this is where we would stay. Passengers began to enter Spinnaker’s and fill up the seats to see Dancing Through the Decades at][size=[size= with a band called 60280. They sang a variety of dance music. As I look through my receipts, I see that I had two absolut citrons during the entire evening for 5.50 each. I bought sis and niece a cocktail each: 5.75 for a white Russian and 5.50 for a long island iced tea. The following evening I had two glasses of pinot grigio on my bill for 8.25 each. I tip a lot extra to the bartenders for a few drinks because I end up drinking a lot of ice water after that for free. ]]
By about 10:00pm I concluded this was going to be a non-booze cruise for me. The part about a two day dinner/dance cruise that attracted me to booking was the dance part. I love to dance and I can do it sober. It is my form of exercise. Or maybe it what the first guy that came up to the bar to order his I-don’t-know-what-number-rum-and-coke that helped with my decision. According to his story, he is the heir to a famous jewelry store across the nation. Little did he know the LAST thing I was interested in at that moment was discussing jewelry! Even so, I answered his questions about stores, about blood diamonds and such. I was about ready to tell him that I think diamonds are worthless when he called one of the bartenders an idiot. My blood boiled. So I got my heels off the bar stool and looked down upon him. I asked him if he even had a slight idea of who I was. He said no. Mr. Veitch, forgive me, but I told him I was your wife and that I owned the fleet and I did not appreciate him disrespecting my staff and he needs to behave himself. He whimpered away, whispered to his friends, and exited the lounge never to be seen again.
The Spinnaker Lounge bartenders get my employee-of-the-cruise award. Suhartono from the Philippines was one of the best. In general, all the staff busted their butts on this trip. They had to work more so due to all the extra precautions of sanitizing hands and serving people at the buffet and dealing with certain passengers of this nature. There were also many other passengers who were very nice and were enjoying themselves very much. Most everyone seemed happy and overall, I did not hear complaining. Well, it was hard to complain anything else to me because I spent the next four hours on the dance floor.
Dancing was great. DJ Fidel played a variety of music just as they are supposed to do. Spinnaker’s Lounge, bar and dance floor remained full for most of the evening. The cool thing about the lounge is that the DJ booth is in a pit area in front of the bar. You can stand behind the DJ and see how he spins, adjusts sounds and selects music. He also enforced the rule of no-drinks-on-the-dance floor. I helped him out a bit when some dancers were not paying attention to his announcement. I did not want him to stop the music.
Although I dance to a variety of music, my favorite usually comes later into the evening. Electronic/techno either brings everyone out onto the floor or scares everyone away. On this cruise it scared everyone off except me and a couple others. I stayed out there. My sister must have felt bad because she came out and joined me. She can dance in her wheelchair. Before her accident, she was the dancer of our large family. She taught me how to dance when I was little kid. The first song I remember her teaching me to dance to “Tears of a Clown.” She also taught me the love of travel and the warmth of the sun. My first big trip ever was flying to Florida and spending two weeks with her when I was fifteen. She taught me how to bar hop. So, whenever I am with her, I dance twice as long and twice as hard for her…
By the time the fast paced electronic/trance set ended, the music shifted back to rap/hip-hop. I was done. I was soaking wet. I was satisfied that I probably burned double the calories I ate since boarding the ship. I decided to not stay up for 48 hours. I did not feel like I was going “to miss anything” if I left to shower and to go to bed. It was 2:15am and I wanted to get up early to not miss anything the next day.
I did the long solo walk back to the cabin on the opposite end of ship. I thought at 44 years old, I am still proud of my bad self for keeping up. Back in the cabin the first things to come off were my black shoes with silver trim. I looked down and gasped with horror. My panty-hose with silver sparkles had stretched long enough for material to work its way from my toes…out through my shoe…with material bunched up on top of my foot. No…my feet because it happened on both sides. Everything under my skirt was still in place but if you took a napkin…rolled it up and placed it on your foot…that is what my stretched nylons looked like. I laughed out loud at myself. After showering and climbing into bed still laughing, the last thing I remember before falling asleep was that I was a very lucky gal. I could have broken my neck out there!
I woke up the next morning feeling great and totally rested. I was ready to meet the morning passengers and explore the Dawn’s outside decks. I turned on light and read in the Freestyle Daily that I had the option to go to aerobics, yoga, country line dancing, weight seminar, arts and crafts, bridge, jackpot bingo, or an introduction to acupuncture and herbs all before 11:00am! I checked to see how much time I had before country line dancing began. The only clock we had with us was the timer on the phone. I had only been in bed 30 minutes. I put my head back on the pillow and wondered if I was just so darn excited to be on a cruise or if this was what pre-menopause was all about…
I woke up again five hours later and was getting up no matter what time it really was. Before I headed out my sister awoke and said to wait, she was coming with me if I was going to breakfast. As she dressed she told me they got in about an hour ago. They closed down the disco and they closed down the casino. The 24 hour Blue Lagoon restaurant was closed during the hour they went there. I told her how I thought I was going to stay awake but that the last techno set did me in. She held her arm out to me, opened her hand, and challenged me to grab the pebble as she called me grasshopper.
There were not many passengers up for breakfast in the Garden Café. We were first in line for the omelette man. Within ½ hour, most of the Garden Café was full. Another woman in a wheelchair and her daughter joined us at our table. We met them the first day and helped them on and off the elevator with their luggage as we shared our secret how ours was in our cabin. They reported that everything was confusing to them so far. They missed the last night’s shows, their reservation for Le Bistro was not there when they arrived, but they were seated anyways. I asked if they knew the time because none of us had a watch. They gave me the time off their cell phone but that was the time we left cabin for breakfast. I asked the table behind for the time and theirs too was from a cell phone and theirs too was one hour ago. We found out that something happened to cell phones (Verizon). The time was off by one hour. We had a good laugh and things were not so confusing anymore for them.
Sis and I had a date at 11:00am[size= at the Star Bar with the cruisecritics and cruisetraveltalkers. JimSwims was gracious to set up a meet and greet through the ship’s coordinator. NCL set up muffins, coffee, and juice. They even had a server present so that we would not handle the food ourselves. About 15 showed up and we spent between 60 to 90 minutes together. The Assistant Food and Beverage Director and the Assistant Hotel Director showed up and spoke to our crowd. We had the opportunity to ask questions and they knew the answers to most of them. I stumped them because they did not know where the 20,000 no-longer-used trays were stored. Towards the end, the we discovered that many of us were in the same profession. So we shared war stories and enjoyed the comradery.
We left for the Galleria so that I could buy a watch. The Galleria has very nice jewelry, rum cakes, clothing, purses, liquor and cigarettes. A lot of passengers stood in line with their bargain bottles. You will not get the booze until the last morning and you have to pick them up yourselves. On longer cruises, they will deliver to your cabin on the last night. If you purchase a carton of cigarettes, you will pay about 22 dollars. ]]If you purchase a second carton, you will pay only 18 dollars. NCL really does take passenger suggestions seriously because they finally carried my brand! I also found a unique 75 dollar Ann Klein silver watch at the bargain area outside the store where they also had the dollar an inch gold and silver.
Back at the cabin we took a nap. Woke up and went to buffet lunch in the Garden Café. NCL has the best soups and we had yummy desserts. The only line I found myself in on the ship was the ice-cream line and it had about 8 people in it. By the time I finished, it had about 22. We went back to cabin and took another nap. Our beds were very comfortable and we liked the pillows.
The afternoon activities on board included similar events as the morning. Examples included the weakest link, scavenger hunt, newlywed game, comedy workshop, more bingo, sports tournaments, win/lose/draw, exercise classes and martini, wine or margarita clinics. The casino was also open of course. We attended none. We were going nowhere in the middle of the Atlantic. We were happy in the cabin. The weather was misty , the ocean was wavy, niece still had a pulse, we had nothing planned, and we had nowhere we wanted to go. It was the perfect relaxing part of the getaway weekend.
I lounged around waiting for the evening activities to begin and went through the which-jewelry-to-wear-with-what outfit with my sister and niece. On this night I was wearing black satin pants and a green sweater-top ‘sans’ nylons. We went to the Jean Ann Ryan show “Band on the Run.” They showcased a range of music from the seventies and danced and did some acrobatics. The second major show was comedy impressions of Jeff Dehart in Spinnakers. His impressions were good but his jokes were not. I do however give high marks to NCL for providing a wide range of entertainment at various times. There were options for everyone all throughout the two days.
We heard earlier in the day that the not-to-miss show was a duo called Fire and Ice. We stopped by Dazzles, my favorite lounge for class, décor and atmosphere on the entire ship, although I spent most of my time in Spinnakers. This gal could sing! She was absolutely fantastic and if you sail the Dawn, I highly recommend you stop by and spend a few hours there. It is rare to have a cruise singer’s voice give me goose bumps. A few couples danced to the songs and I thought the little old lady who was jamming on the dance floor was a hoot. She got out and danced like nobody was watching.
All the other lounges had entertainment going on from about 7:30-9:00pm. They also had the world series in Pearly King’s Pub (the sports bar). Late night activities included a 70’s Groove dance party, a Halloween costume party/contest, karaoke, Quest, and late night party zone with DJ Fidel.
By 9:00pm we decided to eat at the Venetian dining room. You might think you can not get there in a wheelchair because of the stair entry, but if you face the elevators, the third from the left is the only one that goes down to deck 6 with a separate entrance to restaurant. The remaining elevators in the area only go to deck 7.
I had the sliced fruit cut fancy, spinach and goat-cheese salad (NCL makes it the best), codfish served with fresh veggies and lentils. The others enjoyed their beef stir-fry over rice. I am not really a big dessert eater, but after seeing my niece eat three chocolate lava cakes, we ordered more of the same. Our servers were efficient, friendly and brought the courses right after we finished each. They also did not mind wrapping the desserts and bread we hoarded for later.
After dinner we decided to return to our perch in Spinnaker’s in order to get a spot to sit for the Quest show one hour later. Prior to that, I changed into a pair of jeans and a cheap animal print top...one you could not see hanging if you saw my gemitgirl video entry. I knew how I was going to end my weekend getaway and I did not want to ruin my good clothes with perspiration. In case you are wondering what most others wore, I concluded most wore casual or smart casual during the day and smart casual or cocktail outfits during the evening.
A lot of other people must have had the same idea because Spinnaker’s was packed for the comedy guy. A lot of people were standing up and filled the space in the bar area. My sister has her seat everywhere she goes and my niece found one. A young gentleman offered me his chair. I give kudos to him and to his parents who raised him.
I felt horrible for the events that took place next. First, the comedian was not funny. He kept going on but only a few people chuckled. At one point, it was only the comedian laughing at his own jokes. I began to feel bad for him. I wondered why nobody got up to leave and figured many were there for Quest, as were we.
It began slowly, but turned embarrassingly loud and highly noticeable as many of the bar people standing in the back conversed with each other. This lasted what felt like forever. Many passengers seated in the back kept turning and looking and shoosh-ing to no avail. My sister whispered that the guy was bad but it was far worse that she could not hear just how bad he was. I was fixated on the comedian who kept going and going and going. I thought he would say something to the rowdies in the back. I wanted to say something to the rowdies in the back.
Suddenly, I hear behind me a “A-sheee-ba-ber…Al-ar-u-sha-ba.” It was the highly intoxicated guy you sometimes see on a cruise. The one who is always drunk whether it is morning, or night and you can never understand a word he says as saliva druels from his corner mouth. He was leaning into my sister trying to talk to her as she sat motionless, unresponsive, and staring dead ahead. For the remainder of the show I laughed my head off.
Quest began immediately after the show. Passengers had a great time participating and it is definitely is a highlight activity to see. Prior to this, I have seen quest a few times on another cruise line. The NCL cruise staff had a lot more “searches” than the other line. For the remainder of the cruise I considered walking around to shout, “take your pants off” to guys just to see how fast and readily they would do it.
After Quest I repeated the previous night. I danced for 3.5 hours. This night had a bit of a younger crowd on the dance floor but it remained full throughout the evening, er, morning. Some teenagers were hidden way behind most of the dancers so security could not really tell they were out there. I did not mind because I figured that was the safest place for them. Besides, they asked me to teach them how to dance. I was thinking I was so cool showing them the YMCA and surprising them with a few moves until I realized that for them, I was the little old lady who was a hoot…In turn, they taught me a little hip-hop.
I found my sister and niece upon leaving the dance floor and told them this grasshopper was going to bed. I returned to my cabin, knee-highs still at my knees and snug at my toes. Showered, packed, checked my bill and called hubby as the ship approached the bridge and Lady Liberty. He said my brother made his flight and would meet us outside the pier. We flew him down Friday night and he hung out with his best friend (the one who dropped us off at the start) in the city for the weekend.
Breakfast buffet was again very good and getting off the ship was easy. No customs or immigration to go through. No forms to fill out either on a cruise to nowhere. At the pier we took an elevator to a lower level, walked outside, crossed the street and my brother was ready and waiting with my car to drive us home.
For me, this weekend getaway was relaxing, peaceful, and a non-stop party combined. I concluded that for every passenger, the cruise was what they wanted it to be. NCL provided all sorts of activities, venues, and room for all sorts of attitudes, styles and wants. A cruise to nowhere is perfect for a couple looking to spend quality time together, perfect for a group of gals celebrating milestones, perfect for 40 firemen looking to cut loose, perfect for people who want to see if they enjoy cruising and can do so in an inexpensive manner, perfect for seasoned cruisers who need a quick cruise fix, and perfect for the 8 year old girl who said the best part of her weekend was swimming in the heated pools.
Coka
Last edited on Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 02:06 am by Coka
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Coka
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Posted: Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 02:10 am | 2nd Post |
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I think a monkey could have copied and pasted this review better! 
Coka
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whatawonderfulworld
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Posted: Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 02:37 am | 3rd Post |
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A cruise to nowhere is perfect for a couple looking to spend quality time together, perfect for a group of gals celebrating milestones, perfect for 40 firemen looking to cut loose, perfect for people who want to see if they enjoy cruising and can do so in an inexpensive manner, perfect for seasoned cruisers who need a quick cruise fix, and perfect for the 8 year old girl who said the best part of her weekend was swimming in the heated pools.
Coka, I loved reading your review...I was with you every step of the way grasshopper. And your ending, cut and pasted above, is perfect. You hit the nail on the head.
Happy to hear you and Sis and your niece had a great time. Half the battle in anything is attitude...you got it going on kiddo!
Ciao,
WaWW
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“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” Mark Twain
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hstrybuf
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Posted: Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 03:49 am | 4th Post |
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Ahhhh, Coka! It's so good to read one of your reviews again. The fashion part took me back a few years.  Soooo, what did your niece think of her first cruise?
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Deb
"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My pics: http://community.webshots.com/user/hstrycrsr
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Coka
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Posted: Sat Nov 3rd, 2007 01:42 am | 5th Post |
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My niece enjoyed herself. She found people to hang with and we danced a few songs together! She could imagine how even better a cruise can be in the hot sun and great ports!
Coka
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sauvichick
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Posted: Sat Nov 3rd, 2007 05:13 am | 6th Post |
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Hi Coka!!! Thanks for the great review. I'll be writing mine this weekend but it won't be as long as yours & I thought I was detailed. I had written it on Sunday but my computer ate it. The pantyhose story still makes me laugh. It was even funnier when you told us in person. Thanks for the gifts from home. By the way where is your video-I can't find it
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http://www.iberostar.info/ticker/image.php?code=0XT13268bdXk7Xs23XEurodam cruise to nowhere
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