Sunday November 21, LA

Well we arrived in LA just before 7am , dark, cold and rainy.  Yikes I want to go back.  We proceeded down to immigrations and were in and out within 20 minutes piece of cake.  We then went for a nice leisurely breakfast in the dining room and I decided it was my last chance to have the Swedish pancakes so that is what I had.  Yummy!  After our breakfast we went back to our cabin and gathered up our carry on bags.  How the hell do people have only one small bag we always look like the bag people!  I decided instead of heading down to the Starlite Club to wait for disembarkment we would go to the main lobby where we would get off.  And so we sat, and sat, and sat.  Now they start calling over the loud speaker for Mr. & Mrs. I AM BETTER THAN ALL OF YOU AND I DON'T HAVE TO GO TO IMMIGRATION.  4 TIMES BEFORE THESE VERY INCONSIDERATE PEOPLE SHOW UP.  Now no one is allowed off the ship until every passenger has cleared immigration it is now after 10 and we have a 12:40 flight.  So I go up to the desk and ask What happens if I don't make my flight.  No problem they tell me call this number and they will rearrange it for you but you should make it.  Okay I go back and wait and wait and wait.  It seems there was some kind of a union problem with the porters and they had to get the union bosses in.  Our crew had to off load the luggage and then we still had to wait.  Well actually the first thing they unloaded was the poor women who died on Saturday in her sleep!  Finally they start letting people off and  we go into where our luggage is now we have 4 suitcases and 4 carryons (what are we doing wrong) and no porters and I can't help. Sat in my scooter in tears feeling completely useless.  Finally one of the Crystal Reps finds us a porter and we are on our way to our bus it is now 11:30 and the bus is gone.  I said Oh well I guess we are not going to make this flight and the man in charge asked me what time is you flight when I tell him 12:40 he says get me a handicap van here pronto.  They make me drive up the ramp strap it in and off we go.  If anyone saw the movie way back in the late 70s early 80s called Foul Play with Goldie Hawn there was a scene with a chinese couple in the back of a taxi cab waving American flags and that is what I felt like.  Our driver Mohammad thinks he is Mario Andretti and he takes of around a turn the whole scooter feels like it is going to turn over I am trying to keep it balanced and the suitcases are falling all over me.  Bill is sitting in the front seat and notices none of this.  Well after a frightful ride we arrive at the airport.  Now we have our boarding passes and I had paid for the luggage on line thank God.  We are met by a Crystal Rep who is brand new check in our luggage tags say late check in makes you feel really good.  The Rep is taking us up to security only problem is she is taking us the wrong way I have to tell her we need to go left to the gates.  We get to security and of course I have to again have this new pat down.  Next time I am refusing unless I get someone who looks like Leonardo DiCaprio.  Go through security and get to the gate it is now 12:18 take a deep breath and they board us.  When we get to the door they take my scooter and tell Bill he has to check the carryon we don't understand but not going to argue we don't have the strength.  I announce I am so glad we are in aisle 9 at least we don't have to walk the whole plane.  Wrong again  We get on the United plane and it is one of those commuter planes 12 rows!  The overhead bins can't fit anything bigger than a computer case and I can reach them  Bill has to really duck his head.  But hey 1 hour and 10 minute flight and we even got drinks!
SO THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I LEARNED THIS TRIP.  ACAPULCO, NO ACAPULCO
HUTALCO, NO HUTALCO, PUERTA VALLARTA IN, OUT AND IN AGAIN. 3 PEOPLE TAKEN OFF THE SHIP ILL ONE DEATH.   I LEARNED YOU HAVE TO GO WITH THE FLOW~~~~~~~~
And so we were thrown back into reality yesterday and I must say I don' t like it.  Where is the maid to pick up my towels, where is my creme brulee where are my dirty martinis.  Oh crap I am home if I want any of that there is no one here to say "My pleasure Mrs. Gilbert.  Oh I want to go back, I need to go back.  Oh wait I am going back Jan 5th and the saga will continue!!!!!

here are some pictures of the Gala buffet and Bill with our waiter Zoltan and me with the head waiter IVO

Saturday Nov 20th en route to LA

Well this is our final day and I can't beleive that this is over. 19 days went  so fast.  Not too much going on today.  there was a great lecture by Jim Brochu on Ethel Merman and the they had the most incredible grand gala buffet.  Food Glorious  food.  All kinds all types and all kinds of desserts. Today I must pack and I hate that.  I really want to just stay on here!  We had  a marvelous time and I am sad it is over.
I am having some technical difficulties uploading pictures so I promise when I get home I will definetly upload some pictures!

Friday November 19th Cabo San Lucas

Friday November 19,2010

Happy 60th Birthday Bill for real this time!  We had a nice light breafast and tendered over to Cabo.  Wow what a change since we were here a few years ago.  It is so built up and they are building a convention center.  After trying to find free internet gave up and came back to the ship.  Bill went on his hunt for the cigar store he remembered.  Sat on our veranda and read my 6th book this cruise my I am behind.  Bill returned and we went for lunch then at 1pm we went up to the pool area where there was a champagne sailaway.  The band played as we sailed from Cabos.  Then again Roger got up and sang this time he did both Turn, Turn Turn and Mr. Tambourine man.  It was so much fun.  Bill is now done in the cigar lounge enjoying his cigar and I am once again going to read.  The internet has been down all morning due to maintenance so I am going to finish my 7th book!  tonight is the Captain’s farewell party and gala and tomorrow is a sea day.  I can’t beleive how fast these 19 days went and although I will be sad to depart in LA I know that we will be back on board Jan 5th so that will be good.

Tonight was a formal night and they had another cocktail party so I had my grey goose dirty martini and then we had a bottle of champagne at dinner for Dad’s birthday I drank half of it we had beef wellington and baked alaska for dessert.  They had a carrot cake for bill and on it they wrote Happy 20th + 40th birthday and they all sang to him.  After dinner was the show Curtain call and it was great.  Then we hit the casino for a few minutes as we lost our money and I came up to relax and read and bill went for a cigar.

November 18, 2010 Puerta Vallarta Mexico

November 18, 2010 Puerta Vallarta Mexico

We arrived in Puerta Vallarta early this am.  We took the shopping directors advice and took a cab to a beach and restaurant called Daquiri Dicks. On the trip through the town I remembered that I really liked it here when we were here a few years ago with Judy and Eddie and I still like it here.  We had the beach to ourselves most of the time.  It was nice they charge you $10 for two lounge chairs an umbrella and to use the bathroom. we had frozen strawberry daquiris and Bill had a virgin pina colada with the best tortilla chips.  Then we had another round of drinks with nacho’s.  MMMM.  all this for less than $40 lounges included.  We then took a cab back to the ship and I laid by the pool while Bill went for his cigar at 3:45pm they started the sail away party.  Margaritas and rum punches galore with mexican appetizers while the band played Mexican music.  After a little while the dancers were up there and dancing and having everyone up on the feet doing YMCA.  Then they started to play some serious music and again Roger McGuinn got up and sang Turn Turn turn to a loud appreciative audience.  Now I am sitting here waiting for Bill to finish his shower so I can take mine and he looks out and sees that we are near Puerta Vallarta again.  The captain comes on and immediately says there is a medical emergency they have to evac someone so we are now 2 hours behind on our trip to Cabos........ This is the second old person to be taken off the ship this cruise and one went down in Prego the other night .... Yikes these old people need to stay home~~ seriously I hope that they both are doing well.

November 17, 2010 at sea en route to Puerta Vallarta

Yesterday afternoon Bill went for a pedicure this is what happens when you forget to bring your nail clippers and he loved it not good!   I went for a facial I must say I haven’t had a facial in about 5 years but it was great!

What a great way to start the day Bill and I both had hot stone massages this morning and it was great.  We then went for a light breakfast as this afternoon is the  Mozart Tea and we want to be able to eat.  After a brief visit to the casino brief as we made some money and gave it all back we went to a lecture by our friend Jim Brochu on “Loving Lucy”  he was a close friend of Lucy’s and played backgammon with her almost daily.   It was another great lecture by Jim and he has one more on Ethel Merman and we are looking forward to that one as well.

We are now getting ready to go up to Palm Court to read and then have the tea.

Oh I am so relaxed it is wonderful.  Today was the Mozart tea and they have two very special drinks one is the hot chocolate amadeus it is hot chocolate wth rum and whipped cream ah my favorite!!!!!!!!!!!!! the other is iced coffee with vanilla ice cream. Pictures to follow.  Tonight we had a great meal and our head waiter Ivo had a special dessert prepared for us   it was raspberry sherbet with a raspberry sauce and merinque excellent Sulzburger Nockln it was fabulous so light.... After dinner we headed to the Starlite Club for the game show and the band was playing while people were dancing.  The next to last number Roger McQuinn (Lead singer, gutarist and founder of the Byrds) happened to be passing through and got up on stage and sang Turn, Turn, Turn.  It was awesome!

Tonight after dinner they had a game show called The Liar’s club it was hysterical they had 4 of the entertainers  and they all had to give a definition of a word and they were really hard never heard before words.  They were hysterical  we laughed so hard.  One of the panelists was Ron Lucas he is  a ventrilquist and he had his dummy who kept saying bad words it was so funny!!!!!!!!!!! anyway it is off to bed for the night we will be in Puerta Vallarta tomorrow maybe!

Pictures will be posted at a later date running out of internet minutes

Tuesday Nov. 16th continued

Tuesday Nov. 16, 2010

Today we were suppose to be in Hutalco Mexico this was  a subsitute for Acapulco because of the violence there.  Well we could not dock since there were2 ships in port already so we were to tender.   All was well and the water calm until we dropped anchor and then the ship started to list from side to side.  Really good for my vertigo I must say.   But thank goodness I slept in and wasn’t upstairs in the Lido for breakfast.  I am told dishes and glasses went this way and that.  in the spa they had to run from room to room and try to catch all the products fallng out of the cabinets. Then when they opened the doors for the tenders water started to come in so they decided to cancel the port.  Here Bill and I not hearing any of this go down stairs in our bathing suits and coverups for a day at the beach.  Oh well up to the pool but wait all the old people who go to bed at 8 are already up there in the shade and I refuse to sit in the sun so down to our veranda to read.  The captain just made an announcement that we are headed for Puerto Vallerta so we will be at sea today and tomorrow and them Puerto Vallerata and the next day Cabo San Lucas.  one thing you learn when you cruise is that you must be flexible.  

Yesterday Bill and I put a deposit on the 2012 world cruise.  yes this was Bill’s idea.  He loves the fact that it goes from LA to LA and is 94 days as opposed to 110.  

Tuesday November 16,2010 No Hutalco

We didn't tender in Hutalco too many swells making it impossible for the tenders to run.  Off on the high seas again....... destination ??????

Since I am not getting any comments on here or by email I figure no one is reading this so