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Old 8 Dec 17, 02:27 PM  
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Skittl1321
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Oh, so sorry to hear about R.C. needing surgery- I hoped all was well with him.
I got a text in the middle of an *important work meeting* in NYC last year that said "Don't freak out I'm in the emergency room, got hit by a car". (My husband bikes to work. Of course, I ignored the first part, and did indeed freak out. Not being in the middle of the ocean, I was able to talk to him and he convinced me not to come home early, but I was only a few states away, not a continent away. You must have been terrified to get that news.

As for cruising, we've done a 4 with Carnival, and one with Celebrity (but being their Galapagos cruise not their normal product.) We've decided we are ready to give something other than Carnival a try, as it is kind of like a value resort. Honestly, there is enough to do- we mostly do trivia on sea days and the shows are entertaining but cheesy, but the food isn't the greatest (it's good enough though, we eat plenty- I will say their Chef's Table is one of the best dining experiences we've had) and we are ready to try something else. We started at the bottom of the price heap though, and were able to stay there for awhile. I'm a big fan of ports, and even the cheap ships go to the same ports. (Actually sometimes the smaller ships go to better ports because the big ones can't get in there.)

I'm wondering how much longer we will be able to cruise- the ships are just getting too big for me. I can't handle that many people in one place until I'm confident there is a reliable exit plan. I know there is a theoretical one, but will it work?

I also have the infant now, and while plenty of people cruise with babies, I'm not too sure about it yet.

Sad to hear about all the crowds in Barcelona and Lisbon. We really wanted to go to both. My husband speaks Spanish and French (and obviously we speak English)- where would you recommend if we were to go to Europe?
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Old 8 Dec 17, 02:41 PM  
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MrsSilverStar
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Poor R.C - hope the surgery goes well and all heals nicely. The three of you have really been through it this year, 2018 better behave!

Thank you for the cruise info, and thanks to Skittl too.
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Old 8 Dec 17, 02:53 PM  
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My goodness, you couldn't make this up could you!? You really need your own reality TV show.

I am incredulous over the twist in 'The Tale of the Tiny Fencer', how exciting for them all.

I love the idea of the postcard exchange, definitely more up Poot's street than a Fish Extender.

We had much the same cruise dining experience as you at the 'main' restaurants, we actually did eat at Cabanas one evening just for some peace from our overzealous servers. I wasn't a big fan of the food though, so glad to hear you had a better experience.

'Justin Timberleg' is hilarious, poor Poot.

Who thinks it is okay to laugh at someone who has had a fall!? That is disgraceful! Even if had been merely a comical trip you still shouldn't laugh at someone's misfortune, they'll be embarrassed enough.


A real shame about missing St John's!

I am so sad for Poot over the trading fiasco, they should perhaps offer two different events, one for kids and one for adults, because that's just not right placing a child in that situation.

I do hope poor R.C. is recovering well, what a horrid experience for all of you. I feel for Poot, I'm disappointed about no New York too!
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Old 8 Dec 17, 03:52 PM  
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Originally Posted by Skittl1321 View Post
Oh, so sorry to hear about R.C. needing surgery- I hoped all was well with him.
I got a text in the middle of an *important work meeting* in NYC last year that said "Don't freak out I'm in the emergency room, got hit by a car". (My husband bikes to work. Of course, I ignored the first part, and did indeed freak out. Not being in the middle of the ocean, I was able to talk to him and he convinced me not to come home early, but I was only a few states away, not a continent away. You must have been terrified to get that news.

As for cruising, we've done a 4 with Carnival, and one with Celebrity (but being their Galapagos cruise not their normal product.) We've decided we are ready to give something other than Carnival a try, as it is kind of like a value resort. Honestly, there is enough to do- we mostly do trivia on sea days and the shows are entertaining but cheesy, but the food isn't the greatest (it's good enough though, we eat plenty- I will say their Chef's Table is one of the best dining experiences we've had) and we are ready to try something else. We started at the bottom of the price heap though, and were able to stay there for awhile. I'm a big fan of ports, and even the cheap ships go to the same ports. (Actually sometimes the smaller ships go to better ports because the big ones can't get in there.)

I'm wondering how much longer we will be able to cruise- the ships are just getting too big for me. I can't handle that many people in one place until I'm confident there is a reliable exit plan. I know there is a theoretical one, but will it work?

I also have the infant now, and while plenty of people cruise with babies, I'm not too sure about it yet.

Sad to hear about all the crowds in Barcelona and Lisbon. We really wanted to go to both. My husband speaks Spanish and French (and obviously we speak English)- where would you recommend if we were to go to Europe?
First off - THANK YOU. I *kind of* had that vibe about Carnival, but as you say - if you're in it for the ports, who cares?

I don't get too bothered about restaurants. I make almost all our food from scratch - so when we're on holiday I'm just happy to eat something I didn't have to cook! And on the Magic I would have been content to eat at the buffet way more often than we did - but Poot was in utter ecstasy choosing from all those courses of "posh food" every night.

VERY jealous of your trip to the Galapagos. The three cruises I want to do most are the Galapagos, Easter Island - and Antarctica. But it seems cruel to take such amazing holidays without R.C.!


"Don't freak out, but I'm in the ER..." - yep, sounds like a man. Glad your DH was OK. It figures that these things always happen when wives are far away!

I did have to laugh - R.C. managed to drive all the way from Barcelona to London (alone!) without incident - and then got hit by a car in front of his office!



Don't let me put you off Barcelona or Lisbon. In Barcelona, I had a long chat with a local at our hotel - and it seems a great deal of the frustration is directed at 1) daytrippers and 2) fellow Catalans/Spaniards who buy flats to let on sites like Airbnb - thereby making it nigh on impossible for young locals to rent/buy at anything like reasonable prices.

It was interesting, we were there right before the referendum - and the CATALANS I talked to saw things very differently from the Spaniards living in Barcelona.

As to Lisbon - both Poot and I agreed that we would go back. But in the winter! It's a remarkable place - I do hope that a good balance can be achieved between tourism and liveability.

Have you been to Mont Saint Michel? THAT's the analogy I should have made - swarming with people during the day, but then...crickets...at night.

If you're actually looking for places to go - what about the Azores? We can't wait to book more time there. And if your DH speaks Spanish - you'd be fine, as he could read everything. Plus (casual racism alert) the Portuguese and Azoreans love kids.

With a littlie, though - I'd pick Sicily - or the West of Ireland. But no-one loves kids like the Sicilians!

(end of casual racism)


Oh...and I loved "the infant". Until Poot was something like six months old, R.C. just called him "Child".

"Do we need to bring anything for Child?"




Originally Posted by MrsSilverStar View Post
Poor R.C - hope the surgery goes well and all heals nicely. The three of you have really been through it this year, 2018 better behave!

Thank you for the cruise info, and thanks to Skittl too.

From your lips to God's ears, sister!


...and it's a pleasure.
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Old 8 Dec 17, 04:25 PM  
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Originally Posted by collybird View Post
My goodness, you couldn't make this up could you!? You really need your own reality TV show.

I am incredulous over the twist in 'The Tale of the Tiny Fencer', how exciting for them all.

I love the idea of the postcard exchange, definitely more up Poot's street than a Fish Extender.

We had much the same cruise dining experience as you at the 'main' restaurants, we actually did eat at Cabanas one evening just for some peace from our overzealous servers. I wasn't a big fan of the food though, so glad to hear you had a better experience.

'Justin Timberleg' is hilarious, poor Poot.

Who thinks it is okay to laugh at someone who has had a fall!? That is disgraceful! Even if had been merely a comical trip you still shouldn't laugh at someone's misfortune, they'll be embarrassed enough.


A real shame about missing St John's!

I am so sad for Poot over the trading fiasco, they should perhaps offer two different events, one for kids and one for adults, because that's just not right placing a child in that situation.

I do hope poor R.C. is recovering well, what a horrid experience for all of you. I feel for Poot, I'm disappointed about no New York too!

Re: Tiny Fencer

I KNOW, RIGHT?!

I'm delighted for their family. Plus, I love picking out prezzies for baby girls (one son, seven nephews - I don't have A SINGLE GIRL on my Christmas list).

I do have a s-n-e-a-k-i-n-g suspicion that we are going to be asked to do a bit of TF-hosting again this summer, though. Perhaps I should research English summer camps!


"Overzealous servers!" Glad to see I'm not the only one. At the end of the cruise I just CRINGED to hear my waiter talk about how important it was that we rate him "outstanding" or whatever it was...it all felt a bit crawl-y to me - as I hate things that strip people of their intrinsic dignity. Especially when 95% of the passengers were white Europeans/Americans - and almost all the waitstaff were...not. We call that "Plantation Culture" in our house (SHUDDER).

I did make a point of finding a Justin Timberlake video for Poot to watch - and I asked him if he'd like to check out one of his CDs from the library. He said, "No - I think that's the sort of thing I'll just pretend to like - like how Dad pretends to like Arsenal when he talks to tradesmen."

R.C. was born in Holloway (North London) - but his father was very strict and didn't allow soccer. So I was rather surprised when, not long after we were married, I heard him say to a plumber, "Spurs? No - I'm an Arsenal man myself."

After the plumber left, I said to him, "An Arsenal man, eh? Can you name me ONE chap on the squad?"

"You don't understand these things, darling."



And I DID suggest to the chap in charge of the pin night that a child's event would be welcome (!). He said they'd had that feedback many times - but that there was always an outcry from adults when they tried "just for kids" pin events.


Why do people have to be so small?
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Old 8 Dec 17, 04:35 PM  
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Cazzius
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All I can say to start with is "Gawssh!" in a rather Goofy manner!

The 3 days before the cruise sound incredibly hectic. Better to be safe than sorry and I am glad that Poot is ok but what a stressful start to your holiday. I love the Eurostar, such a shame you had to use it in such a dire, last minute scenario though.

A shame you did not see more of Barcelona, and poor RC waiting until he crossed the border into France to buy himself some breakfast.
27 Euro is an awful lot to charge for a buffet breakfast though, so I am not surprised you decided to see what you could scavenge elsewhere. I've had a 3 course breakfast at a Hilton before because I have been determined to get my money's worth.

The ship looks lovely, and really nicely decorated. Perhaps they are turning Carioca's into a permanent Snuggly Duckling - still pretty manly.

I love Poot's Justin Timberleg joke, and will be telling it to others.

The pin trading thing sounds like a total fiasco. How terrible that adults think they can behave like that towards children. Poor Poot too, knowing his sense of justice and love of pins as we do, it must of been so hard to have to swap all those lovely new official Disney pins for rubbish eBay scrappers :angry: . Did he at least get good 'real' pins as his reward for being a pin official?

A shame none of the kids club activities appealed to Poot, maybe once he is in the next age group and can go marauding around the ship it will be more to his taste? I imagine it is quite hard to think of activities to keep mixed groups occupied while staying in one room.

I have thought about doing a cruise myself, the Disney cruise through the Fjords appealed, and the couple on Disney Tourist Blog really enjoyed theirs... however, I really think I would get cabin fever on the sea days and maybe get fed up at having to adhere to someone else's timetable all the time.

A shame that the port adventure whisked you through places, but I suppose it could be a blessing as you now have your bearings and will be able to plan your own trip using the information and experience you already have.

What a dreadful end to the trip. Hurrah to Jo at Disney for being so wonderfully helpful and getting you what you needed. I now understand why you weren't beating RC up for the fig jam incident - he already was pretty beaten up! I do hope he is better soon and the surgery to repair his shoulder goes smoothly - at least it may force him to stop working over Christmas?

Thank you for writing up your sailing adventures, I do enjoy the way you write and it was so good to read your cruise experiences - both good and bad.
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Old 8 Dec 17, 04:39 PM  
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Cazzius
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Sorry, just saw this...

Originally Posted by GopherLass View Post

And I DID suggest to the chap in charge of the pin night that a child's event would be welcome (!). He said they'd had that feedback many times - but that there was always an outcry from adults when they tried "just for kids" pin events.


Why do people have to be so small?
Why not do the kids pin trading on an afternoon or morning as part of the actual kid's club activities? That way it is part of the kids club and the adults can't really complain?!

I know you can't answer this as you aren't the Disney Cruise Line Pin Ambassador, but that whole pin trading fiasco has bothered me and I wasn't event there!
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Old 8 Dec 17, 05:22 PM  
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Originally Posted by Cazzius View Post
All I can say to start with is "Gawssh!" in a rather Goofy manner!

The 3 days before the cruise sound incredibly hectic. Better to be safe than sorry and I am glad that Poot is ok but what a stressful start to your holiday. I love the Eurostar, such a shame you had to use it in such a dire, last minute scenario though.

A shame you did not see more of Barcelona, and poor RC waiting until he crossed the border into France to buy himself some breakfast.
27 Euro is an awful lot to charge for a buffet breakfast though, so I am not surprised you decided to see what you could scavenge elsewhere. I've had a 3 course breakfast at a Hilton before because I have been determined to get my money's worth.

The ship looks lovely, and really nicely decorated. Perhaps they are turning Carioca's into a permanent Snuggly Duckling - still pretty manly.

I love Poot's Justin Timberleg joke, and will be telling it to others.

The pin trading thing sounds like a total fiasco. How terrible that adults think they can behave like that towards children. Poor Poot too, knowing his sense of justice and love of pins as we do, it must of been so hard to have to swap all those lovely new official Disney pins for rubbish eBay scrappers :angry: . Did he at least get good 'real' pins as his reward for being a pin official?

A shame none of the kids club activities appealed to Poot, maybe once he is in the next age group and can go marauding around the ship it will be more to his taste? I imagine it is quite hard to think of activities to keep mixed groups occupied while staying in one room.

I have thought about doing a cruise myself, the Disney cruise through the Fjords appealed, and the couple on Disney Tourist Blog really enjoyed theirs... however, I really think I would get cabin fever on the sea days and maybe get fed up at having to adhere to someone else's timetable all the time.

A shame that the port adventure whisked you through places, but I suppose it could be a blessing as you now have your bearings and will be able to plan your own trip using the information and experience you already have.

What a dreadful end to the trip. Hurrah to Jo at Disney for being so wonderfully helpful and getting you what you needed. I now understand why you weren't beating RC up for the fig jam incident - he already was pretty beaten up! I do hope he is better soon and the surgery to repair his shoulder goes smoothly - at least it may force him to stop working over Christmas?

Thank you for writing up your sailing adventures, I do enjoy the way you write and it was so good to read your cruise experiences - both good and bad.


...indeed.

OK...a permanent Snuggly Duckling is very appealing to me. I am a major sucker for a themed restaurant. When I was a girl, my grandmother used to take me to a lunch place called "The Rain" (where it...rained indoors) - and I've been silly about them ever since. One of the (many) great things about being a parent? Getting to go to places like T-Rex. The food's only average. The noise-level makes Disaster Area sound like Yo-Yo Ma. But there's a meteor shower every thirty minutes! And audio-animatronic dinosaurs!

Poot will be pleased as punch that you're going to tell his joke. He is getting pretty funny (which is a colossal relief for me; I think funny chaps have easier lives).

And YES - he did get some real pins to make up for being mauled by people who clearly weren't hugged enough as children.

He got these:




...and a special DCL "pin trader" pin.


If people want him to take some snaps of his (trading) pin haul, let me know - I'm fairly (DEFINITELY) sure he'd love to show the pins off!


A fjords or Northern Europe cruise appeals to me, too. Despite having a Norwegian mother, I've never been to Norway. DCL does one that goes to a bunch of the Scandinavian capitals - and then St. Petersburg. That is VERY tempting.

I think of myself as rather slothful, so I was actually surprised at how cooped-up I felt after a couple of sea days. I talked to tons of people who just love them, though. Maybe folks who have trouble "turning off" from their work (I do not have this trouble ) - appreciate a bit of mandatory relaxation. Just eat, read, go to the cinema, eat, go to a show...what's not to like about a day spent like that?

Disney was AMAZING when we needed them to be. It's great when a company can empower it's employees to "bend the rules" in an emergency.

As to R.C. not working over Christmas - that's a big, fat NO. He took work on our honeymoon! He's married to feckless, profligate ME - he has to work every hour God sends to keep me in American peanut butter and Disney pins.

Seriously, though - he's always been a workaholic. And that's not going to change. It's a tricky one for men - I think they draw the lion's share (and how!) of their identity from their jobs/work...and to slow down is to somehow...oh, you know what I mean!


And many thanks for the compliment about my writing style. I've given up trying to do anything other than write just how I talk. But at least in writing you don't have to listen to my strange accent.
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Old 8 Dec 17, 05:38 PM  
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Originally Posted by Cazzius View Post
Sorry, just saw this...



Why not do the kids pin trading on an afternoon or morning as part of the actual kid's club activities? That way it is part of the kids club and the adults can't really complain?!

I know you can't answer this as you aren't the Disney Cruise Line Pin Ambassador, but that whole pin trading fiasco has bothered me and I wasn't event there!

That is a BRILLIANT idea! I think Poot and I should write and suggest that to DCL!

It bothered me, too - but I thought to myself, "Well, this is the sort of thing that Poot struggles with - and not everybody does, so..."

It was only when I talked to the chap RUNNING the event - and he said that families complain all the time - that I realised we weren't the only ones.

You're so kind to come back and try to make Poot's life happier. I don't deserve you as a reader - I really don't!
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Old 8 Dec 17, 06:21 PM  
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Where to start April!

First of all, so sorry to hear that RC has to have surgery- how awful it must have been to have been hit when innocently crossing the road. I am just happy that it wasn't worse. You must have been beside yourself with worry.

Secondly, I would have also been furious about the pin trading events. What is it with some adults Poot was rightly upset.

I like Barcelona - but we go out of season as ot is only 4 hours away in the car. O went for a week's Spanish training at Toussaint and really loved it! But you do have to watch yourself - and your bag. I once found someone with his hand in my rucksack that was under my arm. I was quite (ok - very) rude to him. I double and triple zip things in it but F's diabetes stuff was roaming free so it could have been a disaster!

I don't know where I stand on a cruise! J has zero interest and I am not sure that I could stand it either. Perhaps we will try once the kids have flown the nest!

Thanks for the highs and lows so far - I guess there are a few more pages to come
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