4.19.2015 Boarding Day!

The Hilton had a pretty expensive breakfast, not very good and horrible coffee!  I went to the pool to drink my coffee, it was very windy out and a table umbrella fell on a lady hitting her in the chest.  My table fell over when I got up to help her.  The hotel had 911 out and she and her husband went off to the hospital.  I believe she was ok though!

We caught a cab to the cruiseport.  Luggage check in was pretty messy, after a time we were lead to a VIP area to check in with our cruise documents and passports.  This was very quick and efficient and the NCL representative was very cheerful.  In the VIP boarding area there were snacks and drinks, which by this time were a welcome treat.

Our butler Maurice came to meet us and and took us to our suite (Family Suite) 9076.  He showed us the features of our suite, and asked if we had any special requests.  I did notice that the bar set up that I had ordered was wrong; the bottle of Absolute was there, but no tomato juice, olives, celery, or cranberry juice.  He rectified this quickly while we ate lunch in LaCucina (which was amazing).

It's very hot and humid in Tampa today.  We were late in leaving port; we left around 6:00PM, not 4:00PM as scheduled.  On the pool deck was the sailaway party and cookout, I love the big grills they put out and a great "snack."  After the party we went back to the room and unpacked; settling in nicely.  This is our 3rd time in this suite so unpacking was a breeze as we knew where to put everything.

It started raining hard in the channel and for some reason we stopped; Holland America "Ryndam" followed us out of port.  We noticed a foul odor; a sewer-like smell, and someone was sent up to check on this for us.  After showers we ran up to the Garden Cafe (affectionately known as the "Hogtrough" in our family) for a quick bite to eat.  I went to have a cigarette and the smoking area on deck 11 was small, there were dirty dishes and dirty ashtrays lying around and I hoped that this was not the "norm" for this area.

I needed something from the onboard shops; a shower "poof" but they didn't carry those.  I went for a play in the casino and played a friendly game of Texas Hold 'Em and a little three card poker.  After returning to my room, a had a screwdriver nightcap.  I put the room service card out for breakfast the next morning; wanting breakfast in the suite on the first full sea day.  It was windy on the balcony this night and cooler, felt very nice!

Here is a link to the video that I made of us getting there and boarding ship.

Flying And Boarding

Here are shots of suite 9076.

Getting There....

4.18.2015

Our great friend Mike drove us to the airport in Milwaukke and a stop to Oskar's for frozen custard was in order along with a butter cheeseburger; a last Wisconsin meal before heading over to Mitchell Airport for the flight to Tampa, FL.  Good fast check in by Southwest Airlines although boarding was a bit chaotic.  The flight was great and landed well in Tampa, a little ahead of schedule.  Off the plane we went, and we had to walk a long way for the Hilton Aiport Westshore shuttle (and wait a little long) but they got the job done!  We got to our hotel just fine, settled in, and headed for the pool (even though it was dark) and ordered a pizza.  Very hungy after a long travel day.  Comfortable bed, room is so-so for a Hilton hotel....Let vacation begin!!!!

Six Days Before Sailing: Packing Advice (And Issues)

Six days out and the world's gone crazy.  I am trying to pack and the housekeepers were here this morning and bless them, they had to work around me, my luggage, and various things that aren't packed yet in the house.  Incidentally, they did a great job as usual.

Greg had purchased a new suitcase for himself and the INSIDE dimensions met the airline's requirements; not the outside dimensions.  He is off at Kohl's right now exchanging his suitcase.

From the airline:

Maximum weight is 50 pounds and maximum size is 62 inches (length + width + height) per check piece of luggage. Effective for tickets purchased on or after December 15, 2012, for travel on or after February 13, 2013, overweight items from 51 to 100 pounds and oversized items in excess of 62 inches but not more than 80 inches will be accepted for an overweight and oversize baggage fee of $75 per item.

Glad he found out today instead of when we got to the airport.  

I did get something nice in the mail from Southwest Rapid Rewards.....Four of these, 3 flights, this I can handle.

This stuff is packed now.  It wasn't earlier this morning.

This is our "family" flag.  It goes on every cruise.  We fly it inside the stateroom, as if other ships actually see this, it could be misinterpreted.  It's fun to have and I end up talking like a pirate 'round ship just to see peoples' reactions.  Priceless.

Below is my bed with my two bags I am going to check.  I thought the best way to pack for a cruise that spans 3 seasons would be to divide it up into "cold" weather and "warm" weather.  So far this is working.  The summer clothing is smaller and rolls up nicely into the purple bag.  The cooler weather clothing is fitting well (so far!) into the large red suitcase.  I will let you know how this all plays out after the cruise is over.

I have yet to pack:  Febreeze, Lysol, my raincoat, a pair of jeans (there is one pair that I am wearing on the plane, one pair packed and one pair on it's way here from Kohl's).  I also need to pack a couple more sweatshirts.

Not yet started is my carry-on luggage.  I am taking with me three cameras:  A Canon 6D, a Nikon point and shoot, and a GoPro Hero 4+ Silver edition.  I also need to pack multiple medications.  This is a trick for being gone just over a month; I had my doctor change my prescriptions to a 90 day supply so when I filled them, I'm good to go.  You have to think ahead with these things!

Things not to forget!

1. Your PASSPORT AND STATE ISSUED ID.  You will not get anywhere without either of these.
2. Your medications IN the bottles that they are prescribed in.
3. Sunscreen.  I don't care if you tan.  The sun is much hotter (and closer) in the Caribbean/South America.  You will burn.  Bring it.  And aloe vera just in case.
4. Your cruise documents and any print outs of shore excursions that you may have purchased prior to sailing.  Also, if you have pre-paid anything (such as gratuities) print this out and bring it along also.
5. Check in 24 hours before you fly to your departure port if you are flying and print your boarding documents if necessary.

Things that are really nice to have along!

1. Ziplock bags of all sizes.  These are for anything that might leak all over the inside of your luggage.  No one wants to open their suitcase and have their clothes, etc. covered in even the best of mens' or womens' colonge.  Or toothpaste.  I have first-hand experience with the toothpaste.
2. A small bottle of clothes detergent.
3. A 15 gallon trash bag for dirty clothes.  Often they run specials on doing your laundry onboard ship; you need to have somewhere to put funky clothes until you can get them laundered on a long cruise.
4. Packaged snacks, such as granola bars, protein bars.  If you are off ship for an excursion, food may not be readily available so if you get hungry, this kind of stuff will tide you over until you get back to the ship.
5. First aid kit.  I made my own with various things (band aides, antibiotic ointment, hydrocortisone (anti-itch) cream, etc.).  Over the counter pain relievers are a must also.  I'm not prone to seasickness, but I do pack a bottle of meclizine just in case.  The medical center is expensive even with cruise insurance.
6. MP3 player and headphones.  Nice for hanging out on deck or out on your balcony if you have one.
7. A tablet. Get an anti-glare screen protector, it's easier to see.  Download some books so you can read off-line, games, etc. to keep you busy on the plane or again, for just relaxing on deck.  You can also use your tablet to connect to the internet onboard, but it is pretty expensive (at present with NCL it is $125 for 250 minutes, and the connection is very slow).
8. A large travel mug for coffee.  The buffets give out little cups and you have to make multiple trips back and forth to keep refilling.
9. Your cell phone,  Be sure to have it in airplane mode from the time you get on that ship until your cruise is over.  Why?  Roaming is expensive; also your phone will "try" to connect to the ship's internet the entire time.  You will need your phone when you are at the airport, pre and post cruise hotels.

I may add to this list later on, so check back ;)

That is all for now.  The next entry will be from our port of departure, Tampa, FL.

Getting Ready.....

Less than two weeks out and some things are organized, nothing is packed....

Thirty one days from Wisconsin to Florida, to Alaska and Canada (twice).  Flying back to Wisconsin from Seattle, WA.

There is a lot to do yet.
The cruise documents are printed.
My cameras and lenses are ready (with the exception of fully charged batteries, that will come closer to the day of departure).  I have winter, spring and summer clothes ready to go for the most part.....I'm taking a large suitcase, a carry-on bag that barely meets the airline's requirements for carry-on luggage, a computer bag, my camera bag and a large purse, with a small one tucked inside of it for the cruise itself.

Thirty one days is a long time to pack for, spanning various climates; it is a challenge.

Thanking my friends in advance for caring for the house and animals while away!!

So in the meantime, part of my home office looks like this,

A little about me.  I'm a 53 (will turn 54 on the cruise) year old somewhat adventurous kind of person.  I'm a photographer by trade (I photograph musicians for the most part) however, I am for the most part, retired.  I am well traveled, having started traveling with my Dad for his job at Kimberly-Clark Corporation at a young age.  I spent time in Europe and throughout the United States both for his job and at leisure with both of my parents.  Thus instilled in me is a inherent need to see new things and explore more areas of the world that I have not seen.  My Dad is responsible for my love of photography.

Below is a photo of the cruise itinerary.  The ship is the Norwegian Sun and you can read about her here.  This will be my fourth sailing aboard this vessel.  She is my favorite ship in the fleet.  

I have already visited all of these destinations up to and including San Francisco, CA.  The last ten days of the cruise are all new territory for me and I'm excited to see this part of Canada and a small part of Alaska.

This is all I will write for now; as the cruise draws closer I will write more.  This is my first blog, so please be patient with me, I will try not to be too "wordy" as they say :)