| Author | Post |
|---|
debnwin
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
| Joined: | Sun Jan 21st, 2007 |
| Location: | Easton, PA |
| Posts: | 4721 |
| Status: |
Online
|
back to top
|
Posted: Sun Feb 17th, 2008 11:58 pm | 1st Post |
|
I don't know if I can do this as well as Greg, but I'll try to add some stories from our experiences. Win and I just spent 15 minutes trying our best to recreate the trip and I'm not 100% sure that I have the things on the correct days/nights, but its close. Here goes:
The first day for us was a memorable one. After an easy limo ride to the pier we met up with Dave and Sharon around 10:15 and went through a rather confusing 45 minutes while none of the staff was exactly sure what to do with the wedding guests. We were finally taken through security and checked in and seated in a separate section of chairs reserved for wedding guests. Soon the balance of Greenie and Joe's family and friends arrived (none of whom would be sailing with us unfortunately) and then the Bride and Groom arrived and we spent a little time all visiting with one another before they finally let us board. Since it was a little later than scheduled for boarding, the wedding was pushed back to 1:00 p.m. so that Greenie would have time to get all dolled up! Win and I and Dave and Sharon joined a few others for a quick lunch at the Garden Cafe and tossed our carryon in our cabin before joining everyone in the chapel for the wedding. It was a lovely, yet amusing ceremony. I enjoyed the part where the Chaplain told Joe among all the other things (sickness and health, etc), he'd also be giving Greenie his wallet.  And the very best was when Pattie was supposed to say Love and Devotion and she slipped and said Love and DEMOTION....and then started laughing and said it was a Freudian slip! It was great!
We then all went up to the Star Bar for about an almost two hour reception. Since it was open bar, we did our best to get Pattie and Joe's money's worth!!  Nice snacks, pretty cake, great company. All in all, a great wedding!!
The other guests had to leave the ship at that point and we went down to our cabin to get our life jackets for the lifeboat drill. When it was done, we quickly unpacked and while still rather woozy from the reception, we joined the OGGs for a toast to the Bride and Groom and a call and toast to our missing leader, Shoreguy! 
Off to dinner with Dave and Sharon and Greenie and Joe at Tequila's, which was throughly enjoyed by all. A little time in the casino and then bedtime. A great first day!
It ended up being a very rough night. We'd left the balcony door open because the cabin was warm and about 3:00 a.m. Win had to get up and shut it because it was raining into the room! Eeek! And we had a hull balcony, which gives you an idea of how hard it was raining and how windy it was!
The next morning was very rough. We've been on lots of rough seas before but this was a little different because besides the normal up and down of rough seas, you had a lot of side to side motion because of the very rough winds. They were supposed to be 30 mph but according to the Captain's report, they were 60 mph!! Which made for a rather wild ride at times. We took our dramamine and felt fine. But after going to trivia and a few other odds and ends, we went back to the cabin to relax for a couple of hours because my legs were exhausted from trying to maintain my balance. By lunchtime it was getting smoother and by later in the afternoon it was pretty much back to normal. We went to the afternoon trivia and then did Win Lose and Draw with a few of the OGGs...which we won! woohoo! Win and I had to slip out early however with Dave and Sharon to meet up with Leslie and Vicky for the Margarita Clinic. Unfortunately they put the Margarita Clinic and the Martini Clinic 1/2 hour apart so we had to pick one or the other. It was a nice and informative clinic and we had a great time. Particularly Dave. 
Dinner that night was Cagney's with Sharon and Dave and it was slightly disappointing. Our lobster was small and nothing special and the service was definitely subpar. This is because they were undergoing some staff changes, I guess. Then off to the casino for a bit.
Later that evening Dave and Sharon and Chris and Jimmy and Win and I went to Spinnakers for a "New Year's Eve" celebration. Lots of dancing and drinking with Modal Magic. When the band left, the 6 of us sat there singing by ourselves for a while....gives you an idea of what kind of shape we were in! Great evening!!
Our second sea day was a rather quiet one for us. A couple of trivia contests (which we did win occasionally), some time spent in the casino, and just generally wandering around. Dinner was at La Cuccina with the 19 members of the OGG! A group picture was taken which was great. A toast from Shoreguy through Jimmy's voice and a toast of Dom Perigon to the bride and groom. A lovely meal. Unfortunately they couldn't fit all of us at one table so we were split up into tables of 13 and 6 but near each other.
That evening after making our casino contribution was another late late night at Spinnakers for the Sock Hop. My legs were getting tired from all of the dancing!! And a tour guide from Copenhagan named Tomas who we had met the previous evening got up and joined Modal Magic for a song with his harmonica...which was awesome.
Now....if I can remember the ports.....
____________________
Next: 3/6/09 Explorer of the Seas
|
debnwin
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
| Joined: | Sun Jan 21st, 2007 |
| Location: | Easton, PA |
| Posts: | 4721 |
| Status: |
Online
|
back to top
|
Posted: Mon Feb 18th, 2008 12:21 am | 2nd Post |
|
St. Thomas - We've been there numerous times so we took our time getting off the ship and just wandered around Havensight and did some shopping. We stopped in one of the bars there for a couple of Coronas and watched a crazy woman on her balcony on the Adventure of the Seas. She was dancing and flashing (woohoo) and then sitting on her balcony railing until security took her away. My thought was that if she fell and died, somehow the media would blame the cruiselines.... That night we returned to Cagneys with Dave and Sharon because their good friend Sanja (sp?) had taken over the management and we knew it would be improved. We had a great dinner there that night.
Antigua - There isn't a lot I can add to what Greg has written about the Grand Pineapple Resort. It was a great beach day. The buffet luncheon they served was wonderful. I would've preferred Coronas to the local beer and a bottle instead of plastic cups would've been nice....but after the first two or three or four....they went down pretty easy! It was a beautiful day our and a pretty resort and the best part was being with all of our friends. It was also nice getting to meet Kathy and Frank and Bob and Joanne. (Legalsecy and her hubby and Chesquinn and his wife).
We went to Grand Pacific that night with Peyte and Leslie and had a very nice dinner. That night was 80's night in Spinnaker but only Win and I showed up....and danced for a while. It was funny watching the Asst. Cruise Director Que dressed up like one of the members of Kiss and to see the GoGos and BonJovi competition.
Barbados - was the Malibu Beach Break with Chris and Jimmy, Pete and Leslie and Vicky and Ian. A small pleasant little beach with good friends and some tasty drinks. A wedding was occurring on the beach between a couple from the ship so we got to watch that from our beach chairs. To me, the funniest thing happened at the end of the day. We'd had quite a bit to drink and were a little tipsy going back to the ship. Win and Pete went and took a cab to a cigar factory where they took a short tour and bought some cigars and said they'd meet Leslie and I in the buffet when they returned. Well....Leslie and I and Chris and Jimmy found booth in the little mall by the ship giving free samples of rum. mmmmmmmm  Then there was the store giving samples of rum cakes.....all different flavors. Then down the hall for another sample of some kind of drink like bailey's. Around this point Win and Pete got back and were amazed that we hadn't even gotten on the ship yet!  We had a great time.
That night we went to LeBistro with Dave and Sharon for our romance package dinner. It was very tasty, but they neglected to sing to us or give us our cake....not that it really mattered. haha
After dinner and a little casino time we went to Spinnaker for disco night. I was having a rather difficult evening emotionally since it was my sister's birthday (she would have been 56) and I had just discovered that my mother had fallen and was in the hospital. So Win decided I needed entertainment. We drank quite a bit and when the cruise staff asked Win to participate in the Village People...he agreed. He dressed up like the construction worker and Jimmy was the sailor. Our tour guide friend Tomas was the biker. It was one of the highlights of the cruise for me!! And then I got to see it on the t.v. in the room all week.
St. Maarten - Win and I went to the Divi Little Bay Beach Resort where I enjoyed the sun and a few Amstel Brights....which tasted like Coronas and were included with the tour. Win sat in a tiki hut behind me and drank Coronas. It was a nice day.
That night we went with Chris and Jimmy to Karaoke and Jimmy did I'm Not Crazy by Matchbox 20...and he did a great job too!! We hung around for some music by Modal Magic but it was an early night for us that night.
Last stop was Tortola but since we've been there several times, we chose to stay on the ship that day. Had a leisurely breakfast, went to trivia and just relaxed. Later in the afternoon was the romance package party and most of the OGGs attended and drank some champagne.
Dinner at Magenta was pleasant. Later we went to Bliss with Pete and Leslie and Dave and Sharon where Win and Pete talked to the DJ into playing a lot of heavier rock and heavy metal. They enjoyed themselves. Then Win and I went to Blue Lagoon for a late night snack and the Asst. CD, Que asked to join us and we spent an enjoyable hour talking with him.
____________________
Next: 3/6/09 Explorer of the Seas
|
debnwin
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
| Joined: | Sun Jan 21st, 2007 |
| Location: | Easton, PA |
| Posts: | 4721 |
| Status: |
Online
|
back to top
|
Posted: Mon Feb 18th, 2008 12:36 am | 3rd Post |
|
The last two sea days were a bit of a blur. After attending trivia, we met the whole gang up on the 14th deck to drink the free champagne we had all gotten in our rooms. Dave and Sharon arranged for their butler to bring champagne and wine glasses. We toasted our bride and groom...and Shoreguy and Patty and all of those who couldn't be with us for one reason or another. When we finished 5 of the 7 bottles, we moved downstairs to Spinnaker to finish them off. Bingo was about to start so we stayed for that while we continued drinking. Those bingo attendees won't forget us, I don't think. Jimmy is quite good at barnyard sounds!!
Win and Pete went off to have a cigar and got separated from the rest of us (who went for lunch) so they ended up at a bar for a chunk of the afternoon. I had lunch and then went to trivia again. After a well deserved nap, we went to Dave and Sharon's gorgeous courtyard villa to celebrate Valentine's Day in style. After a lot of searching through the menus we all had a mixture from several different restaurants. And since they had a CD player in their cabin, we got to hear the two CD set of OGG favorite hits that Sharon compiled for us! The whole evening was great. Then off to the casino to spend our money!
Our last day at sea was a mishmash of stuff. Two trivias...and saying goodbye to our trivia friends, Lana, Joan and Noreen. Picking up our photographs. Getting our free stuff from participating in trivia (t-shirt, bag, sunglasses). Then off to the beer tasting, which was interesting. I like my beer...but those stouts were nasty! yuck. But the lagers and ale were fine and the company (Greg, Jimmy, Pete, Dave) was good. The rest of the ladies were next door drinking martinis! Back to our cabin to get ready for dinner and then up to Chris and Jimmy's cabin for chocolate martinis before heading off to Tepanyaki. That's the first time I've done that and it was great. 15 of the OGG attended and we all had a good time. Spencer was such a good sport about the chef trying to shoot meat into his mouth!! 
After dinner was some casino time and then more drinks with the gang before saying sad goodbyes and going to bed.
Debarkation was uneventful although customs has gotten more confusing and we were home by 12:30.
All in all....this was probably our best cruise (out of 18) ever....primarily because of the wonderful group of people we were with. The Gem is a lovely ship but I think it could use a little work in the service department to catch up with the Dawn. But its early days yet. I miss the old Blue Lagoon but like the fact that you can have breakfast at this one!!! The buffet is set up nicely and is quite an improvement I think, but I really didn't care for the new seating arrangements....too crowded and difficult to manuever. La Cuccina is much, much nicer than La Trattoria was. And the Great Outdoors is a nice section. Win and Pete preferred the cigar bar on the Dawn since this one was tucked away in a corner. And I miss Impressions (or the equivalent). Somehow I actually felt the lack of that third restaurant. This was the first time we'd had any of the asian food...both at our Valentines dinner and at Teppanyaki and enjoyed it very much. Bliss is a really interesting bar and a rather neat addition. The casino was still better than other cruise lines, but I didn't care for the slots selection as much as on the Dawn. Maybe I'm just old and dont' like change. But it was a great ship and I'd be happy to go on her again and again. Especially with the OGG....the best group of friends a person could ask for. 
____________________
Next: 3/6/09 Explorer of the Seas
|
GREGandamy
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
| Joined: | Wed Mar 7th, 2007 |
| Location: | New York |
| Posts: | 4462 |
| Status: |
Online
|
back to top
|
Posted: Mon Feb 18th, 2008 12:58 am | 4th Post |
|
| Deb, I think you did a great job with your review. You mixed in stuff I forgot and didn't know, like Jimmy doing karaoke. I'll finish mine later tonight.
____________________
Next up:
Grand Princess TA 04/09
|
hstrybuf
Founders
| Joined: | Sat Jun 17th, 2006 |
| Location: | Kansas |
| Posts: | 21180 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
back to top
|
Posted: Mon Feb 18th, 2008 01:07 am | 5th Post |
|
| Nicely done Deb! I found myself laughing at several points. There's nothing better than being on a cruise with a group of great friends! Maybe someday I'll have to join you!
____________________
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
|
leslie
Frequent Cruiser
| Joined: | Thu Jan 25th, 2007 |
| Location: | New York |
| Posts: | 780 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
back to top
|
Posted: Mon Feb 18th, 2008 01:11 am | 6th Post |
|
| Very Good Deb. You and Greg are doing a great job. Why am I afraid of the end of Gregs review??????
|
debnwin
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
| Joined: | Sun Jan 21st, 2007 |
| Location: | Easton, PA |
| Posts: | 4721 |
| Status: |
Online
|
back to top
|
Posted: Mon Feb 18th, 2008 01:28 am | 7th Post |
|
hstrybuf wrote: Nicely done Deb! I found myself laughing at several points. There's nothing better than being on a cruise with a group of great friends! Maybe someday I'll have to join you! That would be great Deb...we'd love to have you!
____________________
Next: 3/6/09 Explorer of the Seas
|
dwrist
Extreme Cruiser
back to top
|
Posted: Mon Feb 18th, 2008 01:29 am | 8th Post |
|
Deb, good job and thanks for "remembering what happens in the ship, stays on the ship". 
I'm hoping to get our review up tomorrow with pictures.
____________________
~~Sharon~~
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become who you are.
|
ristallnight
Super Cruiser
back to top
|
Posted: Mon Feb 18th, 2008 01:30 am | 9th Post |
|
"The last two sea days were a bit of a blur. After attending trivia, we met the whole gang up on the 14th deck to drink the free champagne we had all gotten in our rooms. Dave and Sharon arranged for their butler to bring champagne and wine glasses. We toasted our bride and groom...and Shoreguy and Patty and all of those who couldn't be with us for one reason or another. When we finished 5 of the 7 bottles, we moved downstairs to Spinnaker to finish them off."
What a great post review. Here is a short video of our MIMOSA toasting to all those not present. You can see how toasted Sharon was at the end of this.
Last edited on Mon Feb 18th, 2008 01:38 am by ristallnight
____________________
Dave
The mockingbird can change its tune 37 times in 7 minutes. Politicians regard this ability with awe. (copied)
SPIRIT 1 nighter - Oct 2008
JEWEL - New England - Oct 2008
GEM - Caribbean - Feb 4, 2009
|
ristallnight
Super Cruiser
back to top
|
Posted: Mon Feb 18th, 2008 02:33 am | 10th Post |
|
Here are the wedding pixs.
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2205514730101622462tJGLkL?vhost=good-times
Last edited on Mon Feb 18th, 2008 02:37 am by ristallnight
____________________
Dave
The mockingbird can change its tune 37 times in 7 minutes. Politicians regard this ability with awe. (copied)
SPIRIT 1 nighter - Oct 2008
JEWEL - New England - Oct 2008
GEM - Caribbean - Feb 4, 2009
|
hstrybuf
Founders
| Joined: | Sat Jun 17th, 2006 |
| Location: | Kansas |
| Posts: | 21180 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
back to top
|
Posted: Mon Feb 18th, 2008 03:32 am | 11th Post |
|
ristallnight wrote: Here are the wedding pixs.
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2205514730101622462tJGLkL?vhost=good-times
Awwwwww! Seeing people so happy always brings a tear to my eye. Thanks for sharing the pics!
____________________
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
|
Sea Breeze
Extreme Cruiser
| Joined: | Mon Jan 22nd, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 8309 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
back to top
|
Posted: Mon Feb 18th, 2008 12:42 pm | 12th Post |
|
GREGandamy wrote: Deb, I think you did a great job with your review. You mixed in stuff I forgot and didn't know, like Jimmy doing karaoke. I'll finish mine later tonight.
Also might want to mention the ship turning around due to the Medical Evacuation.Wonder how that fellow made out
|
GREGandamy
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
| Joined: | Wed Mar 7th, 2007 |
| Location: | New York |
| Posts: | 4462 |
| Status: |
Online
|
back to top
|
Posted: Mon Feb 18th, 2008 03:13 pm | 13th Post |
|
Sea Breeze wrote: GREGandamy wrote: Deb, I think you did a great job with your review. You mixed in stuff I forgot and didn't know, like Jimmy doing karaoke. I'll finish mine later tonight.
Also might want to mention the ship turning around due to the Medical Evacuation.Wonder how that fellow made out
Yes, I forgot that, too.
____________________
Next up:
Grand Princess TA 04/09
|
debnwin
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
| Joined: | Sun Jan 21st, 2007 |
| Location: | Easton, PA |
| Posts: | 4721 |
| Status: |
Online
|
back to top
|
Posted: Mon Feb 18th, 2008 04:05 pm | 14th Post |
|
Sea Breeze wrote: GREGandamy wrote: Deb, I think you did a great job with your review. You mixed in stuff I forgot and didn't know, like Jimmy doing karaoke. I'll finish mine later tonight.
Also might want to mention the ship turning around due to the Medical Evacuation.Wonder how that fellow made out
I heard it was a death....but that might have been a rumor.
____________________
Next: 3/6/09 Explorer of the Seas
|
GREGandamy
Habitual Cruiser 2500+
| Joined: | Wed Mar 7th, 2007 |
| Location: | New York |
| Posts: | 4462 |
| Status: |
Online
|
back to top
|
Posted: Tue Feb 19th, 2008 03:26 am | 15th Post |
|
debnwin wrote: Sea Breeze wrote: GREGandamy wrote: Deb, I think you did a great job with your review. You mixed in stuff I forgot and didn't know, like Jimmy doing karaoke. I'll finish mine later tonight.
Also might want to mention the ship turning around due to the Medical Evacuation.Wonder how that fellow made out
I heard it was a death....but that might have been a rumor.
We saw the guy get taken off the ship. He was on a gurney with oxygen and they didn't seem to be in any sort of rush. It appeared two other adults where traveling with him.
____________________
Next up:
Grand Princess TA 04/09
|
Current time is 12:12 am | |
|
