Constellation 112010

14 nights around the Carib
Cabin 7202, our 1st Family Veranda;
The Master, Captain Gerry Larsson-Feede; Guest Rel. Mgr., Janet David; Hotel Dir., Ryan Kingston; F&B Mgr., Duarte deSilva; Cruise Director, Rich Clesen; Capt Club Host, switched out; Room Steward, Melvin & asst.; Waiter, Hasan; Asst Waiter, Mary; Future Cruises, Wes Savery (not very friendly)

Ports: FLL, St. Martin, Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados, Granada, Curasou, Aruba, Bonaire, which was a new one for us, plus 5 sea days.

Our driver to the PHL airport was 1/2 hour late because of his "dead GPS." He finally got to the house via a "paper" map. He made up the time by flying to the airport.

We even beat Al & Joan, our sailing mates, there.

Southwest is such a pleasure to fly. The crew is great. Flight 1844 left on time at 8 AM and we even got to FLL early.

We decided to ask the driver to stop at Publix for wine, beer and coffee creamers. Unfortunately he decided to go to the farther store and the more expensive $70 ride. We arrived at the ship. just before noon with our goodies in the sack.

Here's where it got a little wacky. We didn't board until after 3pm. It was a little chaotic, waiting, sitting, moving, only to wait and sit more. We heard many stories like the elevators weren't working, to the Coast Guard was doing a full inspection. Either way we finally made it on and went right to our room which was ready.


The family veranda was not a suite, but it could have been.



You walked into a long hallway where we were able to store our bags.



Beyond that was one room with the bed and there was a vanity that ran the full length of the wall.



The next room had 2 fold out couches. Both rooms had flat screen TVs.



Then, you stepped on to probably the longest balcony on the Millennium class, at about 25' long.



Relaxing was the nickname of this cruise as we both slept most days ‘til 9am, a unusual thing for me. We also fit in many afternoon naps, to fully recharge.


We walked around the islands by day. Randi found 2 watches and I got a pocket camera which will probably become standard equipment for future cruises.



Many an evening was spent in Michael's club enjoying the entertainment of Perry Grant. He had a packed room nightly.

We would join our table mates at table 539 for late seating. Joan & Al were there, as was Tom & Bunny from Charleston, Audrey & Dan from New Mexico and Trisha & Larry from AZ.



Hasan, our waiter from India, had to be one of the best, ever! He worked so well with Mary, his assistant.



We also met some friends from a previous cruise. We again very much enjoyed the company of Frank & Gerry from Belaire, FL.


The Captain was one of the most outgoing Masters we have sailed with. From hosting lectures to scooping ice-cream to playing volleyball with the passengers; he was one of the most visible Captain’s yet.


One negative, the food quality seems to be slipping. While portions were scaled down, I would take that as long as the quality would not suffer. We hope it regains its premier status.


See you next time.
If you would like to see all the pictures, click below:
http://picasaweb.google.com/markdegennaro/Connie112010?authkey=Gv1sRgCLKHi_ew3PO6Xg

Summit 041710

8 night Repo SJU to NJ. Cabin 6140, our 1st Royal Suite; The Master, Captain Athanasios Peppas; Guest Rell. Mgr Janet David; Hotel Director, Bernhard Stacher; F&B Mgr. Milivoj Simunec; Cruise Director, Steven Daniels; Capt Club hostess, Tanushka D'souza; Room Steward, Marta & Noel; Waiter, Saraso; Asst. Alexander; Wine Steward, Arnold; Asst. Matre'D Georgezk; Future Cruises, Lisa Bell.

Ports: extra day-SJU, St.TOM, St. MAR, TORTOLA, overnite Kings Warf BERMUDA and 2 sea days.

Our 7:45AM flight from PHL on USAIR was a day earlier then the cruise. We stayed in the Sheraton, old SJU $220. It’s a good hotel to stay in particularly if you are boarding ship in town.
We dropped our bags and like a magnet Randi was pulled to the Dooney & Bourke outlet. She picked up two bags. We also stopped in the grocery store on the square to buy two 6-packs of Miller lite for Al. There is a great new CVS next to the hotel, across from the piers. We got a few things, including 2 bottles of wine for the ship.

That night we decided to taste some authentic Puerto Rican food. The bellhop suggested Raices and the food was good, once you got past the half hour wait that turned into an hour. ……Ahhh, island time!

The next day, we got up at 9am which is later than usual for us, and we decided to eat at the hotel's buffet which was very good. After checking out we taxied over to the Pan American pier, across the bay. The driver told us that in a few years, this pier will only be used for cargo. They were in the process of constructing more berths in old SJU for passenger ships.

Before you realized it we were at the Summit. This sailing completes all the Millennium class ships for us and every other Celebrity ship except Solstice and the Xpedition.
After a 15 minute wait, we embarked at 11:45, enjoyed our Champaign and went to see the Royal Suite. Since this was our first Royal, it was definitely the highlight of the cruise for us.
It was big! At 538 sq' it was 2nd largest stateroom, except for the Penthouse.

You entered into the dining room, which sat 4 comfortably.

Beyond that was the living room, with sofa bed loveseat, oversized table, big screen TV and a computer station.



Next, was the large 195 sq' deck, fitted with an oversized table for four, 2 lounge chairs and a Jacuzzi. From the deck, there was another door to enter the bedroom, which included a king sized bed, vanity make-up area and another large TV.

Adjoining the bedroom was a walk-in closet and after that was the bathroom, with double sinks, a large shower with glass doors and another Jacuzzi.

Beautiful! Although we could easily get spoiled in this suite, this only came about since there had been such drastic price drops on this cruise. We couldn't pass it up.

I almost forgot about our friends, Joan & Al. They boarded around 3 for our 8:30 sail away. Our other tablemates were nice. Crystal & Doug were from Palmer PA. They enjoyed the signs placed mysteriously on their door. And Dave & Denise were from Aberdeen NJ.

We booked no ship excursions but rather, strolled the islands and did some shopping. On Saint Martin, Gulu, had our liquor order ready that I pre-ordered via email, so I paid him and he sent it on to the ship. Randi & Joan struck it rich on a perfume wholesaler that Gulu recommended.

Evenings, prior to dinner, were spent in the martini bar with Milo, the server from South Philly,...the South Philippines, that is. We didn't take advantage of the Capt. Club free cocktails from 4-6. We would have but we had to be dressed for dinner. We were still in lounging mode most afternoons at that time. I did though mention it to Milivoj, the F&B Manager over coffee. He is a really nice guy. I suggested having an early and late event, He said he would mention it to the office. We also talked about a mutual friend of ours, Jeff, who is currently on a world cruise.
Randi won some money in the casino during the cruise but somehow. I don't think it was enough to cover the Dooney Dollars spent.

The Captains Club hostess, Tanushka, contacted us to see if we were available to dine with the Hotel Director but we declined since we were traveling together with our friends, Joan & Al. He looked like a fun guy. Our table, #400 , was just next to the left of the Captains table, so when the time came, I swung my chair and sat at the table quick enough for Joan to snap a picture.

I did get to view the bridge and was treated to seeing Captain Peppas and his baby with him.
The weather wasn't great this whole trip. Only the 1st day, it was 87 and sunny. The rest of the time it was only warm to cool to even chilly and many showers. Bermuda was so cold the 1st day, Randi had to pick up a sweatshirt.

The 2nd day in Bermuda we took the bus to Horse shoe bay beach. We took pictures and walked around.

Then continued on to Hamilton and enjoyed the shops in town. Lastly, we ferried back to Kings Warf, a 2o minute ride.



The last sea day, on Arnold’s recommendation, we went to a Riedel wine demo and saw first hand how glasses make a difference in wine tasting. We bought two sets.
On a cold and rainy Sunday morning, were were back in NJ. And the beauty of it all…we were back at home by 11 am.

Equinox 11.23.09

11 night Central American cruise R/T from FLL.
Cabin 8342 Sunset Veranda; Cruise 36
The Master, Captain Michael Karatzas; Guest Rel Mgr., Ken Ismall / Touch Ung; Hotel Dir., Simon Weir/ Raffaele Bernadini; Cruise Dir., Gary Walker; Capt Club hostess, Ria Erasmus; Room Steward, Anthony; Waiter, Mr. V from India; Asst, Olha; & Asst Matre'D “badda bing,” Dorian.
Ports: FLL, Grand Cayman, Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica, Honouras, Cozumel and 4 sea days.

Our 8AM flight from PHL was our first on Southwest. We give them high marks for on-time service and no baggage fees. We got to the ship about 11:30am. The ship was very BIG.

The embarkation process was easy since we used the same pier facility as the 6000 pax Oasis. There were plenty of agents available.

Once on board, we toured the new ship. It was smartly decorated and lit in neon and LED high tech lighting. It was spacious, wide and inviting.

We then had some lunch in the Oceanview Cafe which was very tasty but I felt I was more in a cafeteria, then a restaurant.

We sadly found out that our friend Touch, the Customer Relations Manager was called away to tend to his sick father. We were relieved to see him once when he returned on the last port of the cruise. He gave us 2 beautiful Equinox inaugural mementos.

We also bumped into Taylan, Chief Housekeeper, who originally was our waiter a few years ago.

Our aft cabin was spacious with a larger then usual couch and a curved footer on the bed. The bathroom was set up nicely, with enough surface space and a comfortable shower head with cylindrical sliding glass doors. The only downside to the room was the lack of drawer space. It did have additional storage space over the bed but that was hard to reach. The balcony was standard size with little sun cover.

The next day, Thanksgiving, we spent at sea. We passed up the Capt. Club party and the Cruise Connection parties in place of some well deserved solitude and relaxation. At dinner, we opted for the turkey and it was excellent.
In Cartagena, we booked an old city walking tour which was interesting and historic. There were many "tourist police" as well as regular police in the area. Our guess was that the great police presence was to make tourists feel safe from previous past disturbances. At no time did we feel threatened. The flip side to the old city was the adjacent new city which was very modern, like the condos of Miami Beach. Many of these units were rentals by out of towners.

For dinner in the Silhouette restaurant, we requested a large table but were surprised to find ourselves at a table for 2. The Matre'D showed us to a large table. When we arrived, we found the table to be full. Next we were taken to a table for 6. When we saw our table mates one asked if we speak Spanish, since that was only what the other couple spoke. We all tried hard to communicate but it became frustrating when only small words were understood. A day or so later, the Argentine folks left for a Spanish speaking table and for the rest of the cruise, we enjoyed Robert and Robert's company at table 234.

After a wonderful sea day, in our 1st port, Grand Cayman we walked around town. I bought Randi an eternity ring at Diamonds International. She later purchased a watch for me on board ship. This was our early Christmas presents. The tender back was the only negative point to this cruise. The usual 10 minute process, turned out to be almost an hour with multiple delays.

That evening, we dined in the Tuscan Grill, billed as an Italian steakhouse. Randi's steak and my spaghetti bolognese were very good. Service was fine. The courses just happened too quickly.

In Cartagena, we booked an old city walking tour which was interesting and historic. There were many "tourist police" as well as regular police in the area. Our guess was that the great police presence was to make tourists feel safe from previous past disturbances. At no time did we feel threatened.







The flip side to the old city was the adjacent new city which was ver modern, like the condos of Miami Beach. Many of these units were rentals by out of towners.





In Colon, we took a Gaton Lake eco cruise from the vantage of the boat. Our guide pointed out various birds, sloths, white-faced monkeys and howler monkeys. The tour also took us to the Gaton Locks; the eastern entrance to the Panama Canal.



In Puerto Limon, we transported to a nature preserve, where we got up close to sloths, "pet raccoons, bats, and various birds including fly catchers, parrots and toucans.

In Roatan, we decided to do a walking tour. Typical souvenir shops lined the main street. We purchased a few items. Many kids asked us to buy their bracelets.






This was also the 2nd formal night which was out of the normal position by one day earlier then usual. We had a wonderful and lively dinner hosted by the Hotel Director, Raffaele Bernadini.



The last port was Cozumel where we took our Christmas card picture with flowers, palm trees and blue water in the background. We didn't go into the main town since we had been there before and decided to explore the newly built shops nearby the ship. Randi got perfume and I got a bottle of tequila.




Meanwhile we were parched so we stopped at Senior Frogs for a cold drink. We sat next to the cruise director and took a few pictures with the clown from the establishment, not the CD.



Some Observations on the new EQUINOX:
* The additional Capt. Club perks were excellently received. Many evenings we spent in the Sky bar sipping on complimentary cocktails and finger food. The other great new benefit was complimentary laundry and dry cleaning for up to 32 items.
* I couldn't help feeling a "crowdedness" from time to time in some of the public areas and especially when cueing for dinner.
* The entertainment on board seemed to have improved. The Equinox, Cirque du Soleil show was very good as was the violinist, guitarist and comedian magician.
* No multi-flavor breadsticks in the dining room, but there was a larger "every night" menu as well as a revamped daily menu to chose from.
* The cafe on deck 14 always had the same food for lunch. No theme days.
* Brunch was again delicious as was all the food in the Silhouette restaurant.
* The person to space ratio seems to be off since this is the 1st time on a Celebrity vessel that crowds developed.
All in all, a fun relaxing cruise on Celebrity's newest ship-Equinox.
To see all the pictures please visit: http://picasaweb.google.com/markdegennaro/Equinox112309

Constellation 03.27.09

10 night SE.Caribbean cruise, R/T from FLL.
Cabin 6132, our 1st Sky Suite;
The Master, Captain Dimitris Manetas; Guest Relations Manager, Touch Ung; Hotel Director, Christian Deniel; Cruise Director, Jeff Potts; Capt Club hostess, Lisa Bell; Butler, Wilson; Room Steward, Wilbert; Waiter, Jerome; Asst, Edwin;

We had a super early flight at 630 am, which was what was available with points that got us to the ship about 10:30 am. We happened to be the 1st ones onboard at 11:15 and were greeted by our crew member friend, Touch.

We couldn't wait to see the sky suite which at 250 sq ', was our largest stateroom yet by 50' sq. This one may have been even a bit larger then normal since it was at the bump out on the ship. The deck was defiantly larger then other Sky Suites with a triangular shape facing forward.

We spent the rest of the first day and almost of the entire cruise relaxing with 2 sea days at the top and bottom of the cruise. In the middle were the ports of St.Thomas, St Kitts, Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Martin.

We only got off only on 3 islands, basically to stretch our legs. Randi wanted to buy perfume for herself and some things for the folks at work. She did happen to pick up a lovely tablecloth for her boss at Mr. Tablecloth in St. Thomas.

Our table mates were very nice and friendly. Leslie and Jim Brown were from Vancouver. Kathy and Bill Bliss came from Houston and Jim and Debbie Mullens resided in Boston. We requested table 426 since it was at the bottom of the stairs, on deck 4.

The Captain's club party was nice. They honored someone with 86 Celebrity cruises. We also saw on this cruise, Andy, one of the cruise critic hosts.

We recognized some of the old crew, Alfredo, a waiter; his assistant, and now a waiter, Sudi and the Chief Housekeeper, who we met on our Azamara cruise.

Touch was very busy temporarily filling in for the Hotel Director in the beginning of the cruise but most every night when we returned to the room, we found presents of Champaign, carry bags, belly bags, pillows and other goodies.

Most evenings we spent in Michael's club, listening to the old fun-songs and games of piano entertainer, Perry Grant. Perry has become a permanent fixture in this room and quite an asset to Celebrity. Many nights standing room only reached outside the door. Many passengers follow him from cruise to cruise as he comedically tries to find out if you live in, "a gated community with a large house."

Elana, the cocktail waitress served up some drinks and "sass" as she became part of the show.

And we also met the Hagasses and Joyce, and Frank and Jerry.

One evening we joined Leslie and Jim for a special fine wine pairing dinner created especially by the executive chef in the Oceanliner Restaurant. While the food and drink were more then excellent, it all seemed to go by too quickly to have spent $250.

The 3rd sea day toward the end of the cruise was packed with fun. Late in the morning, we met with the officers for cocktails and conversation in the Bar at the Edge of the Earth. Next, Touch invited us to have a special lunch with him, other officers and passengers in the Oceanliner Restaurant. It was an extraordinary meal.

That evening we met in the martini bar for cocktails preceding our dinner with the Hotel Director, Christian Deniel. It was a fabulous evening with our host, who was born in NY and bread in France. He was very outgoing and had a great sense of humor. He cracked up when I jumped into the next tables photograph, without their knowledge.

The flight back was delayed about 2 hours due to weather in Newark. We went to eat lunch but had to rush out when we overheard someone say that our flight was almost done boarding- without an announcement and much earlier then expected.
This Constellation cruise was defiantly up to Celebrity's premium standards for us; excellent food and service. It simply could not have been better. Now, we will have to wait for Equinox in the fall....

As Perry would say, "Positions everyone!"

For all the pictures on this trip, try this link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/markdegennaro/Constellation032709

Azamara Journey 11.21.08 - 12 night Western Mediterranean cruise R/T Barcelona, Spain.

Cruise 30 / 31. Cabin 6064.
Master: Captain Theodoros Mitropoulos
Restaurant Manager: Richard
Cruise Director: Sue Denning from Blackpool North West England
Cabin Steward: Luis
Hotel Director: Phillip Herbert from Gloucestershire, England
Bar/Wine Server: Mac

We started off with a wonderful direct flight with Celebrity Air on Continental, which left 710pm and arrived 9am. Shortly thereafter, we meet our cruising buddies, Rob and Michelle Butterworth at the baggage carousel. They just finished a 2 week Perillio land tour of Italy and were joining us.

We hopped on the transfer bus and were on our way to board the Azamara Journey, a new ship for us. The ship, at 30 thousand tons, was smaller then Horizon, but once aboard, the former Renaissance R6 ship, we realized it was very different then Celebrity's 2nd ship. Grand elegance greeted us with dark wood throughout, which gave you that immediate warm and cozy feeling. Wrought iron stairway ornamentation enhanced that rich feeling even more. She holds 700 passengers, 400 crew, and a 1:2 staff to guest ratio. While we were on there were 550 pax.

As we explored, we found similar areas such as Michael's club on deck 10 and the Discoveries Restaurant. Even the lobby on deck 4 was simple but had a classy style. The ship seemed very comfortably small.

Our cabin was also heavily wooded and was conformable with a pleasant amount of space and an average verandah, which we did not use at all due to the chilly weather.

I should tell you now of all the problems in the cabin that we had during the trip. 1) The toilet, in the smaller then average, bathroom decided it would not flush about 7 times, mostly at very inopportune times. Although someone was sent right away and it was fixed quickly, it was still annoying. 2) Twice, we got a personal call from the bridge when our smoke alarm sounded in the cabin. When Randi explained that we don't smoke, they said that the steam from the shower must have caused it to ring. 3) We had many an unusually windy night on this cruise with winds up to 55mph. That caused a whistling sound through our verandah doors which woke us. While that was annoying, it was certainly understandable with the winds bringing about the ship to a 15 degree list, I would estimate. 4) Last but not least was the time the batteries in our door’s lock died, and we couldn’t get in. Security was able to open the door for us.

On the other positive side, we had fun with Laura Shemanski, teasing her many times about how crowed our cabin was, with the “Jacuzzi,” placed right in the middle of the cabin. There was no Jacuzzi, but she was amazed that we might have one. She and Joe were very nice.

If there was one thing outstanding on this cruise it would be the food, with service being a close second. The food in Discoveries Restaurant and the specialty venues was outrageously good and by far it was the best we have ever had on board ship. The beef was so good, so tasty, so mouthwatering wonderful, that we found us ordering beef many more nights on this cruise then us normally would have. Whatever food we ordered, the quality was superb. After a long and good 1st day, we called it a delightful evening.

Marseilles, France
We booked the St. Remy and Flavors of Provence excursion which took us on a 1 hour bus ride to St. Remy. It reminded us a bit like Malta, with its cobblestone winding streets and close buildings and of course a church just off the square. We found a little cafe and tasted the local fare with some cheese and bread and other dishes. When we asked for a carafe of vino we received a jug of water. Ahhh, the French.

Monte Carlo, Monaco
Although we ported here, right next to the seized Shaw of Iran's outrageously large yacht, in this rich, small country, we choose to take the Nice and Eze Celebrity tour after we had lunch on ship. After the picturesque bus ride, to Nice, we walked along the cobble stone streets and through the local market. In Eze we climbed many stairs to the top of the castle to see wondrous views. On the way up, there were many shops built into the mountainside. Once back at the bottom, we stopped at a perfume store but Randi decided the Princess Grace fragrance was too flowery.

Portofino, Italy
This was our only tender port and a rough one it was. I would estimate the tender was rising and falling in the water a good 5 feet to the ship. Stepping off was timed slowly and carefully. Once we got to shore, the views of this Amalfi coast town were right out of painting. We joined the cruise director, Sue, for a short walking tour of the town. We then explored the hills and streets further and climbed along paths to cemeteries, churches, castles and beautiful views.

Prime C Restaurant
Tonight we dined in the ships delicious steak house and we were not disappointed. I had the 'cowboy steak' which was yummy.

Florence, Italy
Laura and Joe booked Tony, our driver for the day for 600 Euros. He picked us up shipside and drove us into town. Randi was having fun buying leather pocketbooks in the market area. Then we went to a wine tasting and lunch. The organic wine was delicious and we ordered a 1/2 case to be shipped home. Lunch was appetizers, bread and lasagna, and of course wine. It was very nice. After that we headed to Ponte Vecchio, strolled and shopped some more. Before heading back to the ship we stopped for some yummy Gelato.

I think that this was also the evening when we had a very nice dinner with Stamtios Mavogiannis, the Chief Engineer.

Civitavecchia, Rome, Italy
This was another independent taxi ride Michelle and I booked for 310 Euros. The long hour ride was boring as we drove through mostly farms. When we got to Rome, we picked up our Pope tickets, and then headed for the Vatican. We had a special audience with the Pope.

When we reached St Peters we stopped at the religious medal store. I bought my father a St. Jude medal to get well. I also bought my mom a St. Elizabeth and a St. Marco for myself, the saint of eyeglasses and shoes. Inside the hall, with a capacity crowd of 7000, we were in the front section to see the Pope. People sang and cheered when he came on the stage. There were many small ceremonies and songs that seemed to break out at any time. The Pope blessed all inside including the metals we carried. The hour plus ceremony, concluded with the infirmed in wheelchairs, being blessed on stage.

We decided to walk across town to the Arch of Constantine, next to the Coliseum, where we would meet our driver. Along the way we saw the Castle of St. Angelo's. We stopped and had a wonderful lunch in a "local, out of the way" place. We saw the Piazza Navona, and remnants of the Pantheon and the Forum.

That evening on the ship Randi wanted to play the slots so I gave her $50 to play deuces wild. Before you knew it she hit for $250. That was nice ! She said it paid out because she was Catholic for a day.

At Sea, Day 7
It seemed much too long till our 1st sea day since the top of the cruise was port-packed. We chilled out and relaxed today. Randi played a little Texas hold ‘em and I played some Roulette but this time, neither of us won. Today was Thanksgiving. We all enjoyed Turkey in the restaurant but in comparison, it may have been the weakest meal on board.

Cartagena, Spain
Again we walked with the CD in this lovely town. When we decided to continue to walk and explore more, we stumbled upon a 12 block long Gypsy Renaissance Festival with people dressed in era garb and booths full of food, spices and goods. Rob and I then split up from the girls and we explored some ruins and the old Amphitheater. The day ended with a late lunch and a dip in the hot tub back on Journey.

Aqualina Restaurant
Tonight we choose to dine at the fish house. The $5 per person gratuity was well worth it. I had lobster themador and everyone else had a full lobster. Everything was superb. It was too bad we had such a late lunch so we were pretty full to totally enjoy it.

Malaga, Spain
We started off on a waling tour with the CD, Sue here too. She took us down the main shopping area where the walking streets were made of marble. We also saw the Cathedral de Malaga and Rob and I saw the Picasso Museo which was quite good. Randi found some nice scarves to buy.

Seville, Spain
We walked with the CD through a town that was basically closed on Sunday. We planned to go to noon Mass at the Cathedral so we headed there. The church was wonderful inside. Soon the Spanish mass began and ran rather long since the Cardinal was installing 3 new priests.

I found out later that it was during this time that my Dad had died back home, quite unexpectedly. He was fine and in good spirits the day we left. How he declined so rapidly will always be a mystery to me. But it was ironic I think, that we happened to be in church at the time of passing.

After church, Rob and I toured the bell tower with some unbelievable scenery. We also explored the archeological exhibit. Soon it was back to the ship for burgers and a hot tub dip.

Gibraltar, United Kingdom
This fantastic town is all about the “rock.” We took the ship's Upper Rock Walking Tour and weren't disappointed. The bus took us to the base of the rock where we boarded a cable car to the top. It was a smooth ride and on the way you can spot the wild monkeys sitting on the ledges. When you got to the top with fantastic views you were greeted by more monkeys. If you left them alone they would leave you alone unless you put your packages or pocketbooks down; then they would steal them.

We then walked the rock's ridge seeing monkeys and scenery along the way. We even saw a RCL ship in dry dock being worked on.

Next we entered St Michaels Cave, filled with lighted caverns, stalactites and stalagmites. They even had an "in-cave" amphitheater, used for performances and parties.

The third leg of the tour, Randi and I didn't make. I needed to go to the Pharmacia for some pain medication for a sinus attack and migraine. The druggist gave me the equivalent of Tylenol with codeine so that helped a lot.

Sea Day, Day 12
This was a packing, relaxing and chill out day, the day before disembarking.

Barcelona, Spain
We wish we had some time to explore this city since it looked really interesting from the bus ride back to the airport, but maybe next time.

Our flights back to EWR were through London on British Air. In Heathrow, which is unbelievably large, we wound up being delayed 3 hours; a total of a 5 hour layover. This was all because the plane had to be towed from the other side of the field, or so they said. We wound up getting home that evening at 11pm rather then at 8.

All in all, it was a nice cruise on a nice intimate ship which we will have to do again in the future.

MILLENNIUM 07.04.07 - 7 night Alaska Southbound with Landtour

MILLENNIUM 07.04.07 - 7 night Alaska Southbound cruise from Seward to Vancouver; proceeded by a 4 night Land tour #6, Southbound from Fairbanks. We opted for an additional pre-day in Fairbanks. We were in familiar aft elevator cabin 7177, category 2B for our29th cruise.
The Master: Captain Michael Karatzas
Madre'D: Ante
Waiter: Arslan, The "Turkish Delight"
Asst: Donny, India
Steward: Caetano
Capt Club Host: Anna Duwel
Chief Housekeeper: Taylan Tanadalan
Tour Guide: Cecelia
Bus Driver: Mike
Group: Originally all the cousins were going but it ended up being Gary, Joanie & Jerry and Myrna Hert and Randi and myself. Jerry was thoughtful enough to get us all canary yellow jackets so we couldn't get lost. Written on it was "Alaska Family Cruise 2008" with all of our names on the back. Everywhere we went, people stopped us to say what a great idea, and it was!


This is the first time I flew 1st class, thanks to points. It was very comfortable. We had a direct flight home, but going out we had on an 8am flight with a 9 hour layover in Seattle.

SEATLE
A 9 hour layover, you say. We made the best of that time by meeting our friends Shahab and Denise Sharifi, who went of their way to show us around town. They also took us on a ferry ride to the market area, and the 1st Starbucks. We had a fabulous brunch in Salty's On Alki on the water, with the Seattle skyline as the backdrop.

After catching up on sightseeing and the missing chapters in our lives, they dropped us back at the airport for the 2nd leg of our flight on Alaska Air to Fairbanks. Fortunately, since we were back early, and since we were international travelers, we were able to take advantage of Continental's President's Club. We had a snack, a drink and a nap.

FAIRBANKS, pre tour
The Fairbanks flight was uneventful and we wound up napping most of the time because it was the middle of night for us. When we arrived at midnight, (4am, NY time) we were simply amazed. The sky was light, in the middle of the night! Midnight there was as light as just after sunset at home! Cars did not need headlights!

We hopped in the Hotel's shuttle van to Sophie Station and surprisingly found a 3 room apartment waiting for us; with a full kitchen, living room, and bedroom. We were able to get out of our clothes and collapse in bed.


FAIRBANKS, Chena Hot Springs
Later that morning a 7:30am, we were picked up for our rental SUV; got a decent, quick, local breakfast and drove about 50 miles, on a not so scenic road, to Chena recreation area to visit the hot springs. I guess the air temp was in the low 50s early that morning but the water was warmer then a hot tub. It was a man made lake, fed by the springs. You couldn't stay in to long and you still felt warm when you got out, so we were able to dry off on a lounge in the sun. The experience was very nice.

As we headed home, we stopped in Walmart. Randi developed a blister from walking around Seattle and I wanted to get her comfortable shoes. We found shoes and souvenirs at a very reasonable price as well as a subway sandwich lunch.

We decided to drop the car early and relax a bit at the hotel. Before we knew it, cousin Gary & Joanie arrived. We met them and our Cruise Tour Guide, Cecilia in the lobby. After getting our documents, the cousins headed to the bar for wine, appetizers and to play catch-up. Dinner was at Zack's, the house restaurant, which was nice but not exceptional. We couldn't stay awake to see Jerry and Myrna arrive, so we decided to call it a night until morning.

FAIRBANKS, paddlewheel
Tuesday opened up with our 1st full day in Fairbanks. We bussed over to the pier and boarded the Paddlewheel Riverboat, "Discovery" and cruised along the Chena River. We saw floatplanes landing and taking off, just for our benefit. We also saw reindeer, mush dogs and a tent smokehouse used for all the salmon they were catching in the salmon trap. The boat ride lasted most of the morning during a overcast day with sprinkles.

The bus dropped us off next in town where we saw some of the most vibrant colorful flowers we have ever seen. In fact all of the flowers in Fairbanks were so colorful, perhaps because of the amount of daylight. We stopped in a nice Italian restaurant, Gamberdella's and had a wonderful lunch. Our server was a local who travels to Brooklyn, NY about 6 times a year for Karate lessons. Good tips, I guess.


FAIRBANKS, El Dorado Gold Mine
Our next stop was the El Dorado Gold Mine where we toured the mine and got a lesson on panning for gold. When we tried our hand on panning, Randi and I came up with about $20 worth of gold combined.

FAIRBANKS, Salmon Bake
Next, was our 1st Celebrity optional excursion, a salmon bake dinner at near buy Pioneer Park. The salmon and fixings were plentiful and good. Cousin Joanie got to ride the giant salmon. All in all it was a fun but long day.

When we got back to the hotel, we picked up snacks at Fred Meyers, a local "everything" store. We ended the day having drinks on the bar's outdoor terrace. This lasted till around half past midnight. No problem though, it was still light out! Even though the sun "sets", it basically just dips below the horizon back up again causing dusk like atmosphere. Nice!

FAIRBANKS/DENALI, Wilderness Express Train.
Wednesday morning was an early one. We boarded a bus for a few miles ride down the road to the local train depot for the Wilderness Express train to Denali Park. As the train rolled along, we had some incredible views of the countryside. About an hour into the 4 hour ride, we were called upstairs to have a very yummy, exceptional, 1st class, choice breakfast.

We continued on with views and expanses that would make a National Geographic photographer envious. Shortly after noon, we arrived at Denali Park.


DENALI, Tundra Wilderness Tour
Denali's highlight was a 9 hour, 92 mile, school bus ride into the park, run by the National Park Service called the Tundra Wilderness tour. You reached a relatively close point to the base of Mt. McKinley (Denali to the locals) and back out again. What we were hoping to also see was wildlife and we were not disappointed. We saw bears, Moose, Caribou, Dahl Sheep, Rabbits and Eagles. At one point, for a good 20 minutes, we parked and watched a mother bear and her cubs romping around in their natural habitat. Simply awesome! While on board we received a box lunch consisting of a roll, a piece of cheese and a packet of reindeer sausage. The sausage was good. We whipped out our garbage bag full with snacks and our cooler of icy bottles of water. We seemed to feed half the bus!

But this was another long day. Before you knew it we were back at our nice accommodations, the McKinley Village Lodge and into the bar ordering drinks and the entire appetizer page of the menu.

DENALI/ TALKEENTNA
We decided on taking Thursday morning off to relax- basically our only free time on the trip. After a leisurely relaxing breakfast and sitting on the porch for a while, it got to be noontime. We boarded a bus to Talkeetna where we would have our 1st small plane experience.


TALKEENTNA
We pulled into the Talkeentna Alaskan Lodge in the afternoon and were immediately impressed looking through the giant picture window at Denali and the expanse of the Alaskan Range. It overtook our entire field of vision. We had a look at our room. It had the same Mountain View. We then headed to the lobby to meet our shuttle to plane.

TALKEENTNA, glacier landing.
The plane had 10 seats and a comfortable flight. We booked the flight to try to land on a glacier but with weather approaching, the last flight was not able to land. We took off knowing that landing was only a possibility.

The sights from above were unbelievable even though it was cloudy; snowcapped mountains, trees as green as they possibly could be and some other small planes were visible in the sky.

All of a sudden the snowy floor of the mountain was converging on us. Next, you can hear a constant swishing sound. We had landed! It was one of the smoothest landings ever.

I won't be able to put into words our next feelings as we exited the plane onto the glacier. It was still... quiet... immensely expansive and for that moment you realized how inconsequential you are when all you can see around you is a panorama of tremendous snowy mountains and ice. You feel like a speck of dirt in an ocean of white.

After an unbelievable 10 minutes in "another world," we trudged back onto the plane and took off as smoothly as we had landed.

On the trip home we saw some wildlife. The pilot thought he was doing a good thing when he flew into a tight circle to get a glimpse at a bear. Well, that did a few people in on the plane, including Randi, and almost Gary who couldn’t wait to get off the plane.

Most chose to eat a light dinner that evening. We ate in the Lodge's dining room with that breathtaking view staring at us.

TALKEENTNA/ANCHORAGE/SEWARD
The next morning, Friday, was our big travel day. First, we motor coached to Anchorage, then onward to Seward, where we would pick up Millennium.

ANCHORAGE
Anchorage was a big Alaska town with a small feel if you know what I mean. We purposely waited to have breakfast here and found a nice coffee shop to park in for a while.

Before you knew it the girls were done and in the shops buying stuff. Since we only had a short stay here, I grabbed Jerry and headed over to the closest wine shop which was about 8 blocks way. This would be the better place then Seward to buy a bottle of wine for "verandah use" on the ship. When we got there at 10:50am, we found the store didn't open until 11, and he waited exactly until 11 even though there was a line of cruisers outside. We each got 2 bottles and I picked up 2 more for Gary. We dashed back to the Motor coach and were back with 10 minutes to spare.

On the way to Seward, I have only two small incidents to report. First, we were traveling down the road, quietly enjoying the scenery, and all of a sudden, we hear the engine of a small plane approaching. It appears to be very low and dropping out of the sky, paralleling the bus. Before you know it, the plane is LANDING ON THE HIGHWAY, directly in front of our bus! According to the bus driver, this is not common, but it is always a possibility in Alaska. The roads and overhead wires are specifically "marked" for this purpose. The bush pilot apparently needed supplies, because he pulled into a general store down the road.

Secondly, the bus driver, embarrassingly forgot to fill his bus up with gas in Anchorage so about midway, he realized he was almost empty. Fortunately, when he pulled over to call his superior, we were near a gas station. I don't recall too many other stations, the whole 110 miles or so from Anchorage to Seward.



SEWARD, embarkation
I guess we arrived in Seward about 3 pm for a 9pm sailing, with an easy embarkation thanks to the Captains Club. The gang enjoyed not having to wait in line. All things considered, the land portion was a wonderful option. We were s glad we planned it. Anticipation was high for the next 7 days at sea.



MILLENNIUM, first hours
Randi and I were wearing our red, white and blue neckerchiefs in honor of Independence Day when we boarded the ship. We dropped our carry-ons in our room and made our way to the Lido buffet. Ahh, Celebrity cuisine again!

We originally expected to get off and see the town of Seward, and it's over swelled population for the holiday, but I think everyone was a little bushed and we decided to explore the ship before the muster drill.

One place that was a hit was the Persian Gardens in the spa. It had a Turkish bath, sauna and warm bench. We signed up for a day-pass on the last sea day. After exploring more we ended up in the martini bar and enjoyed martini tasting. Some in the group found some new favorites.

After the muster drill, it was open seating dinner. One thing I was very worried about was the food quality. Our last cruise suffered so much because of a dip in the quality; we felt then, that we had to address the Food and Beverage Manager to our concerns. This time, there were no complaints. Food again reprised to its old high caliber and top quality. In addition, the menus were totally revamped. You can now choose from 4 entrées, rather then 5. NY strip steak and shrimp cocktail was no longer on the everyday menu. That may seem negative, but since quality was back up, that was easily overlooked.

As we retired for the evening, the group laughed when they approached their cabins and saw what has become a tradition for us- the funny door signs.


HUBBARD GLACIER
Saturday, our 1st day at sea, we relaxed poolside and around the ship. It wasn't until around 2pm we finally sighted the glacier; a big chunk of white and blue ice at the end of a field of small icebergs floating in the water. We were out on our balconies, some in coats, some covered in pool blankets, enjoying the gorgeous landscape and the wine that we brought aboard. The captain masterfully wiggled the ship though the blocks of ice to get incredibly close to the face of the glacier.

Enormous thunderous sounds bellowed and boomed each time the glacier calved sheets and sections of ice into the water below. And again, unless you are there to see and hear it, the sight really is indescribable.

Meanwhile, during the officer’s party which Randi and I attended, we found a former waiter of ours, Taylan Tanadalan from Turkey, who was now Chief Housekeeper It was a pleasure to see him again in his elevated position. His girlfriend was Capt Club Host, Anna Duwel, from Germany. At a get together over coffee later in the trip, we found that they planned to be married last year, again this year and now it is on for next year. Third time is the charm. All dates were postponed due to ship life. We wish them luck.

That night we met our wait staff at formal night dinner for the 1st time. They were very pleasant and accommodating. Another first for us- we turned down the Captain's dinner invitation to be with our cousins for dinner, rather then leaving them alone. I am sure he understood.


JUEANU, Taku Lodge Float Plane Flight and salmon bake.
Juneau turned out to be a crammed day of tours. After breakfast, we walked a bit off the ship and got some local flavor with the overcast skies. The Mount Roberts tram was out because it was clouded over. But before you knew it, we met our representative for our independently booked "Taku Lodge Float Plane Flight and salmon bake" on wingsairways.com. 907.586.6275 (4H @ $274)

It was great. The flight was smooth and picturesque and the lodge was expectedly rustic. When we got there you could see a small bear up a tree, a large glacier across the lake and salmon fillets cooking on the grill. Lunch was delish although they sure pack the people into this little one room structure. All of a sudden you would hear gasps because someone saw a bear on the grounds, just outside the lodge. Jerry actually was outside and got great shots of the bear about 12 feet away. They will stay if you don't move. Once you do, they spook and run for the forest.

We got back a little earlier then expected so we waited for our next excursion while having a beer in the Red Dog Saloon, where the honky-tonk piano player, plays ragtime and insults the crowd

JUNEAU, Whale watch
Next, we were looking for whales on another independent excursion, harvandmarvs.com. 907-209-7288 (3.75H @ $123)

This was my biggest fear for Randi getting sick. Six of us were on a 20' boat heading out for whales. Seas were about 4-5 foot high with a good chop. Captain was doing his best to keep it smooth. On the way out we saw one whale but he knew where the pack was, so he asked if we wanted to go for the gold and we did.

About 18 miles later, there they were; a bunch, couple, herd. They were spouting and blowing, diving and surfacing. Really neat! But this is what I was dreading. The boat had to stop the engines to see the whales. When it stops, it rolls. It didn't take long for Randi to start feeding the fish in the Pacific. She was a trooper though and everyone told her so. Captain even offered her a free hat but she declined. Cousin Gary got the hat instead.

On the way in, we saw seals sunbathing on a buoy, and bald eagles in the tree tops. All things considered it was another good excursion.

SKAGWAY, White Pass Railway
Monday we docked in Skagway. We booked Celebrity's SK49 White Pass Railway & Historic City Highlights 4.5H @ $139. We began by traveling by bus. It took us through town and then stopped at a theater, to see a movie about town's history. Then we re-boarded the bus and traveled though the interior of Alaska.

We made a few stops to view the scenery while we somewhat paralleled the railroad. Some of the scenery was quite breathtaking. We finally arrived at the US/Canadian boarder in Frasier, British Columbia and went through Canadian customs. As soon as we did, we turned off the road to the railroad depot to board the train, for the return trip home.

On the way home I stood between train cars, to get some nice shots of the train making it's way over the trestle bridges, though gorges and past cascading mountain sides. Some on board, found an opportunity to snooze.

When we got back to town, the girls wanted Starbucks while I got some corn chowder. We explored some stores along the way. Most facades were done up in old frontier style and one building included a replica of an old time saloon, with dressed mannequin characters.

While we strolling through the stores, eagle eye Joanie, spotted Calista Flockheart, with her boy toy Harrison Ford, and kids. People gave them their space but some gawked from afar and some others tried to snap photos of the celebrity couple.

When we got to the end of the street, we decided to take the “easy shuttle” back to the ship for a $1.50. Easy, huh? At least 3 shuttles passed by which were not stopping at Millennium's dock, so we decided to give up. Just then, a shuttle approached and it was going our way.

As we boarded we realized that this was going to be the long scenic ride because someone requested a stop outside of town. Uggggh!

It is always satisfying to finally get back aboard ship. You are finally home and this time was no exception.

Maybe it was this night in the casino where I found out that Celebrity changed its policy about talking cash out via your Celebrity card. In the past, I had taken $1000 or more out for playing or for spending. This time they chose to charge a 3% fee without explaining that beforehand. I could have gone to the ATM and got the cash less expensively.

Well to make a long story short, after disagreeing with 2 managers that this was not right, they voided my transaction and all money was restored after I played roulette for about 45 minutes and broke even. Out of the entire very positive vacation, this was the only time I left feeling very negative about the situation. It was a poor decision on Celebrity’s part.


ICY STRAIGHT POINT
Tuesday, we tendered into Icy Straight Point; a locally owned but a partnership with Royal Celebrity. I assume that Royal had some contribution here, particularly with the dockside buildings, since they were so "cruiser friendly." This was the only stop on the trip that Millennium was the only ship in port. It made for some great pictures.

We were also excited because this was the home of Celebrity's, IC21 Brown Bear tour 2.5h $104. Myrna originally wasn't going because she did not want to encounter a bear, but she decided to go anyway. Maybe now we know why she decided to go- there were no bears to be seen. It turned out to be a nice nature walk in the river's valley, to 3 dock-like viewing platforms where you would see bear. As much as we strained, we didn't catch a glimpse. They said the salmon had not come down river yet. In another week or two, there would be a feast for the bears. That didn't do us any good, but we all were good sports about it. I wonder if Randi ever found that salmon I strategically placed in her pockets. I’m only kidding.

The other thing to mention here was the giant zip line ride, where in a seat harness; you would descend from the top of the mountain and out of the clouds, to the coral down below by the water. The current price was $92 for a 90 second ride.

That evening we all met in the Olympic dining room for our specialty dinner. We had done this before and considered it "done," however again, the food and service highly impressed us. The atmosphere was also lovely with the wood paneling from Titanic's sister ship, Olympic. Joanie commented, "What a lovely room." Also we happened to be sitting with great company, the Herts.


KETCHIKAN
On Wednesday, we docked in Ketchikan and tendered into town.

KETCHIKAN, Indian Village
We won't have to tender back since Millennium will be switching berths with Infinity. Some wanted to shop and stay local so I grabbed a $17 taxi and headed to the Saxman Native Indian Cultural Center where they had many totem poles and native crafts. There was a demo of how they make the totem poles in the barn where they actually do the work. The village was a little week and less then I expected.

KETCHIKAN, Creek Street
I found a city bus that for a dollar, got me back to town; a real bargain, I decided to jump off the bus early and walk back to the ship. On my way, I stumbled on Creek Street instead, which is a quirky bunch of stores build on stilts above top of the river. It’s very picturesque.

I passed the Cable car to Cape Fox and continued walking back to the ship and offered to take someone's picture at the eagle carving. They then asked me if I had a family and would I like MY picture taken. I did.

KETCHIKAN, Misty Fords
Finally, I met up with the rest of the gang and we headed over to the KE21 Misty Fords flight see 2h $219, INDP booked at www.taquanair.com 800 770 8800. It proved to be a nice flight; pretty much the same look in the air as the other flights but it was all worth it when we landed on the pristine lake at Misty Fords.

It was as calm, quiet, beautiful and enormous, just as when we landed on the glacier, but this time the landing was on the water. Then, the pilot let Gary and me out on the pontoon of the plane. It was simply beautiful. Those who didn't get out missed a big treat!

The formal dinner that night showed another new menu item. The lobster tail was smaller then in the past but it was served with shrimp and scallops.


INSIDE PASSAGE
The next and last day, Thursday was the inside passage. We packed a lot into our suitcases early so we could enjoy the view and the rest of the day. The passage was different then I expected. It really was like traveling down a river, with green forest on each side. We took advantage of the lounge chairs by the therapy pool and gazed out at the land which was close by, though the head to floor windows. We also took advantage of the Persian Garden room where you can sit on the warm bench or go into the Turkish bath which was all steam, or the sauna which was dry heat. It was a nice way to relax on the last day.


VANCOUVER
After we said our goodbyes in Vancouver, we took a 25 minute cab ride ($42), with a very talkative Canadian cabdriver. He told us that little houses were selling for more then $600K, if they sold at all. He got us to the airport, YVR, or our 1:05pm direct flight home, but the Customs and security lines were long, winding and time consuming. Because of 1st class, at least we were moved to the front of the security line.

The 1st class meal on the plane was great- warm nuts with your choice of beverage; crabmeat and shrimp cocktail for an appetizer salad and a choice of 4 entrees. Both Randi and picked the chicken which was excellent. We might have to go 1st class every time.

All 4 of ours bags of luggage arrived on the carousel quickly, within the first 25 off the plane, obviously a nice final perk for 1st class and the end of our 1st class trip!

Till next time, on Azamara Journey in November.

connie 11.16.07

Constellation 11.16.07 - 10 night Caribbean cruise R/T from FLL. We were in a CC Aft cabin 7208 for our 27 & 28th cruise. Captain Ioannis Papanikolaou was the Master. He remains one of the most outgoing Captains we've sailed with.


Airfare was inexpensive this time because we used points for the 1st time. We had an 830 flight out and a noon fight home.


We were traveling with our friends, Joan and Al , from south NJ. We met them at the airport in FL.


We boarded the ship around 12:30. This immaculate ship was taking us to Barbados and the "Saint" islands of Lucia, Kitts, Thomas and Martin. St Martin is where we did our most shopping damage. We purchased a camera and earrings, both at Boolchands. We also had four wonderful days at sea on this sailing; two at the head and two at the tail.


We were invited to Captain Papanikolaou's table on the 1st formal night. As you may remember, he remarried us two years ago aboard Constellation for our 25th Anniversary. He is still the same emotional and outgoing man to both his pax and crew. He was the only Captain who invited wait staff on stage with him at the officer's party. When we told him we visited his Metuchen Inn, he smiled all the more. Dinner was wonderful and he invited the table to be on the bridge for sail away at St Thomas. We have been on the bridge many times before but never while docking or leaving port. Dusk provided a wonderful view of the blue lights in the harbor and the lit hills of Charlotte Amalie, was just breathtaking!


That night we dined in the wine cellar of the specialty, Ocean Liners Restaurant with Joan and Al. Dinner and service was top notch. It's nice to do once in a while. After time passed, I felt excluded from the ambiance of the main room of the restaurant.


Our waiter in the San Marco restaurant, Alfredo was good but we felt he was working much harder because his assistant, Peter, was not pulling his weight. Sasha, the matre'D was just average. We never asked for much at the table but he never provided my Greek meal that I requested.


One of the nicest things about the concierge cabins is the extensive breakfast menu with specialty items like the granola berry parfait. Yum. Our steward, Analisa was very good but was upset that she was mistakenly blamed for a problem on our tray. She seemed relived when we straightened it out for her.


Some of our old crew friends were on board. Bar server Wayan, was serving up drinks in the Martini bar. Touch is now Hotel Front Manager. We were able to have drinks with him on the last evening. Sudi who was our assistant waiter in '05 was now promoted to waiter. His old waiter, Nicolas, was on board training personnel for Azamara, but we didn't get to see him. John Howell , from NY, was our cruise director again.


There were many positives on this cruise including much needed relaxation and warm weather. Randi won a couple hundred dollars on joker poker. We had a wonderful view from an aft cabin and we had some good conversation from our table mates Paul and Bea, who had 41 Celebrity Cruises. They were traveling with Marty and Stella. Both couples were from Tamarac, Florida. Our table 436, was a nice location, just at the base of the stairs but 6 people probably would have fit more comfortably. But there were some negatives; our good friends, the Butterworth’s were not there. That is probably why antics on board were kept to a minimum. We missed them a lot. Secondly, the food quality, especially the beef, was not up to past Celebrity standards; a possible result of Michelle Roux’s departure from the Celebrity culinary services.


All in all it was another fine cruise leaving us looking forward to the next one, which will be Alaska next June and July aboard Millenium.