He is a pirate king . . .

When I started this blog, before our cruise on the Valor,  I gave my love a pseudonym.  Called him "The Pirate King" after the character in "The Pirates of Penzance" because he'd auditioned for a community theater production of the operetta.

But I've decided to change his nickname.  I've been watching too many Disney films, I suppose.  But henceforth my love will be known as Jack Sparrow.

it's a Breeze

Or rather, the Carnival Breeze. We are booking an 8 day cruise for August in lieu of our February cruise.

new cruise

Finally coming to terms with the idea that we have to cancel our February cruise. Our friends who booked with us are going to pull their son out of school and go anyhow, but we can't... ...so we're strating to think about a cruise for next summer.

Another Sandy casualty

My significant other is a high school teacher. Between Sandy and the nor'easter they've lost 2 weeks of school. He just got a robocall announcing that midwinter recess in February has been cancelled so the school can make up some of those days.

We have a cruise scheduled for February break.

Even if he could fudge it and use sick time . . .he's going to use all his sick time recuperating from his upcoming surgery . . .

So our cruise has become another victim of Sandy.

Though part of me is grateful that this is the worst of our Sandy damage, I was really looking forward to this cruise (my birthday dinner in the Liberty steakhouse!) and can't help feeling angry and upset.

housekeeping

purchased travel insurance.  updated our online check in information.  booked a hotel at the airport for the night before the cruise. 

it's starting to come together.  cruising in 124 days.

ch-ch-ch-changes

Out with the old, in with the new. We are still taking a walking tour of San Juan, but now we will include a visit to the Bacardi factory. And we are doung a beach day with shopping in St. Thomas.

The Hudson River, Lower Manhattan and the Disney Magic

Seen 9/12/12

An omen?

Jimmy Buffett at Jones Beach last night.  His final song of the evening?  It's Been A Lovely Cruise.

Liberty steakhouse

That's where I will be for my birthday.

Flights booked!

We fly down Friday 2/15 and stay overnight.  We fly home on Saturday 2/23.

Anxiety relieved.  Now we have to find a hotel for one night.

Anxiety

The time has come to book our flights.  And I am so upset that I an ready to cancel the cruise. 

When we sailed the Valor two years ago, we let Carnival book our flight.  They booked us on a flight that arrived in Miami at 11:30 in the morning.  We thought that would give us plenty of time to get to the ship before our 4:00 sailing. If you read my trip report you know it was easier said than done -- we arrived just before they locked the doors, and just a few minutes before muster drill.  A miserable experience.  True, there was a delay at the airport -- after we found the Carnival rep we had to wait for other passengers before the bus left the airport.  And when we got to the port, the bus stopped at the Glory to drop off passengers before continuing to the Valor.

Well, this time around  we're booking our own flights.  So he proposes to book a flight that lands in Miami at 12:30 and take car service to the port.  We'd be eliminating the ground transportation delays, but we'd be landing a full hour later.

If we miss the boat in Miami we will miss half of the cruise.   The ship sails Saturday.  Sunday is Half Moon Cay, Carnival's private island.  Monday is a day at sea.  Tuesday's port is St. Thomas.  So we'd have to scramble to find a flight to St.  Thomas, which means losing another vacation day to travel.  If we're lucky we fly to St. Thomas Sunday and stay in a hotel until we meet the ship on Tuesday.  If we're semi-lucky we fly to St. Thomas Monday or Tuesday and meet the ship.  But considering Monday is President's Day . . .

I told him we might as well cancel the cruise now and book a hotel in Miami, because that's where we are going to wind up.

Six months before the cruise and I'm already having anxiety . . .

The trouble with working in Jersey City

We are right on the waterfront so we see everything that sails down the Hudson into New York Harbor and everything coming from the harbor to tbe river.

Today as I left work I happened to glance towards Brooklyn.  My view of the Brooklyn waterfront area was obscured by Governor's Island.  How many people would see the structure behind the island and recognize the funnel and upper decks of a cruise ship?

Yep, the Queen Mary II was in port.

Planning, planning

Thank you, Cruise Critic forums, for alerting me to the fact that Carnival changed its rewards program.  Went to the Carnival site, abd couldn't find our Valor cruise.  Problem should be fixed now. 

Hard to focus on the cruise, though.  It's still months away.  And we have a week-long road trip to Virginia next month.

Still . . . When I go through my closet these summer mornings, I can't help but think about which items would travel well to the Caribbean. .  . .

The Disney Magic

So I was sitting at my desk when I heard it.  The first few notes of "When You Wish Upon A Star" played for all of New York Harbor to hear.  And there it was, the Disney Magic, sailing into the mouth of the Hudson River.

Love this poem

Sea Fever By John Masefield I must go down to the seas again to the lonely sea and sky And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking And a gray mist on the sea’s face, and a gray dawn breaking. I must go down to the seas again for the call of the running tide Is a wild call and a clear call That may not be denied And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying And the flung spray and the blown spume and the sea-gulls crying. I must go down to the seas again to the vagrant gypsy life To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.

Tall ships!

Never mind our 21st century cruise ships.   The real romance of the sea is found in the tall ships of the 18th and 19th centuries.

It's Fleet Week here in NYC.  That means we get our annual visit from the US Navy.  And my office is on the Jersey City waterfront.   So we get to see what sails from NY Harbor up the Hudson.

Today we saw tall ships to honor the bicentennial of the War of 1812.

All I need is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.

Picture isn't great but you can just make out the ship.

how quickly they forget

If you go back and read my posts about our 2/2010 cruise on the Valor you will see me compkain vociferously about Carnival's Fly Aweigh program. We booked through Carnival on the advice of our travel agent. Once booked, our flight plan was written in stone. Carnival woukd not allow us to change to an earlier flight. We arrived at the ship so late that they were rolling up the gangway behind us. The photographer who takes the "Welcome aboard" photos was nowhere to be found. They wre announcing " muster drill in five minutes" as we were coming aboard, and we had to race to our cabin to dump our carryon bags before reporying to our muster station. Not a good way to start a cruise. Then there was the afternoon we killed trying to straighten out the boarding pass mess. And finalky there were the other Carnival passengers we met on the flight home, who missed their ship even though they were sitting on a Carnival bus from the airport. They spent two days in Miami and were flown to their first port of call. Pirate King just suggested we book Fly Aweigh for our upcoming cruise to save money. I told him it's non negotiable. I would rather cancel my cruise than put myself through that again.

It's a miracle

Or rather, the Miracle. I work in Jersey City, my office has a view of the Hudson and New York Harbor. Just before 5 my coworkers and I saw the Carnival Miracle sail down the river and into the harbor. And oh how I wanted to be on board!

puerto rico!

Booked our first excursion, a walking tour of Old San Juan. It's starting to feel real.

planning, planning, planning

I am so not used to planning this far in advance! The cruise isn't until February. I am not really focused on the Caribbean right now. Still have a whole summer of fun ahead of us, inckuding a vacation to Colonial Williamsburgh. That trip doesn't require the extensive pkanning I do for a cruise . . . But still . . .

little eye roll here

Pirate king is in a bit of a panic over excursions. When we saided the Valor two years ago, we booked the trip in October and sailed in February, and had no problem booking the excursions we wanted. Well, we booked the Liberty for February of next year. And Carnival sent an email telling us to book excursions early. The website shows only one excursion in Puerto Rico. I told him "Others will be aded wgen we get closer to sailing." And he said "You hope."

feeling strange

When we cruised the Valor two years ago, we booked the trip in October and sailed in February.


This time around, we booked the cruise 11 months in advance. we sail in February.


We also have a road trip planned for July.  We're going to spend a week in Williamsburg.   We're both history nuts, and we can't wait to spend a week exploring our colonial past.


feels weird planning two vacations at the same time.

cruising again!

So we are booked on the Carnival Liberty. It's my understanding that the Liberty is the same class as the Valor, with the same deck plans. But with different decor of course. And upgrades that haven't been made to the Valor yet. We loved the Valor when we saiked two years ago. We are really looking forward to our cruise bext February.

and we are booked!

Carnival Liberty. Ports of call Miami, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Grand Turk and Carnival's private island, Half Moon Cay.

and it's official

We are headed to the Carribean again. Carnival, of course. Mid February 2013. It won't just be the two of us this time. We plan to go with another couple. Details to follow.

in the works

Possible Carribean cruise next February with another couple and their son. Met with them tonight to discuss and plan.

so the Mediterranean didn't happen

But now we are talking about another Caribbean cruise. Next winter. With another couple. Stay tuned . . .