10-14-2006 Cruisetoberfest IV

[Viking]

Eric I get tired reading your posts!

Why?Too many posts or too much sports in it?
But I must admit that somehow I hurt my left calf muscle and so I had to switch from running to powerwalking yesterday and thus only managed to do 8 miles in 1:45hrs instead of my usual 10 to 12 miles. The first sport-related injury I had in years - I'm getting old And today it hurts like hell.
Today's dragonboat session may even be cancelled due to adverse weather. It's raining cats and dogs and very cool, around 60°F only, which isn't exactly fun on the water. Additionally there may be lightning and they wouldn't let us onto the water then anyway.
If we stay at the Radisson again we may take you up on your shuttle-offer, danke schön

 

[WDWCrazzyCunninghams]

Eric, pulled muscles are no fun. Take it easy, and it sounds like you'll get to with the weather the way it is.

This morning we woke to VERY dense fog. It will be a while before it burns off...but Daisy and I have already done one mile! Will walk another 1/2 when we get the boys off the bus and another mile this evening. Not seeing a weight loss like I'd hoped, BUT i am getting that....Well, I walked 2.5 miles today, I can have that.... attitude. Not good!

what are all the kids wanting to be for Halloween this year? Colton wants to be Gandloph and Connor wants to be a Clone Trooper. We think we have found the costumes online, so we just need to order them before they are sold out! Eric...isn't Carnival soon too? Do you dress up and participate?

Have a Zippity Do Dah, Zippity Day!

 

[Viking]

Karneval in Germany starts 11/11 at 11:11am and goes til Ash Wednesday, but we H-A-T-E it. Most people participating in it drink too much, which is definitely not our thing. We don't even watch the parades nor the TV-shows.

My calf is much better, but I still feel it, I guess I will restrict myself to the elliptical for the remainder of the week.

Michele,
get yourself one of those heart rate monitors and then use it when walking to always stay in the optimum heart range while working out. And the most important rule is: Workouts under 30 minutes don't burn fat!!! No kidding!! Those TV ads for machines which will make your pounds melt with just 5 minutes a day are a scam.

 

[jeanneg]

Hello everyone, I am back ( but our luggage isn't!)
I read through all the previous posts very quickly so I hope i didn't miss anything important. I hope Ave is well on the road to recovery by now.......I was so sorry to hear of her recent appendectomy. I also hope Eric's leg is feeling better (perhaps he overdoes it just a little bit?) And I'm sorry to hear that Rosemary won't be joining us since I was so anxious to meet her. I hope we can still get together in NYC. Speaking of that, have any plans been finalized regarding what hotel we'll be staying at?
Alaska is absolutely beautiful.....you really have to see it to believe it as words just don't do it justice. Holland America was nice, but it's no Disney cruise for sure. John and I are both in our fifties, but we were so young in comparison to everybidy else we joked that hey were going to make us order from the children's menu. Our tablemates were in their sixties (great people, BTW) and THEY were among the youngest passengers also. It was not the age of the people we had issue with......Lord knows, "mature" folks like Bette and Mum can give us young'uns a run for the money!
What was so depressing and so different from DCL was that the energy level was virtually nonexistent. I really missed the excitement that Disney generates from the moment you arrive until the very minute you depart. The sailaway on HAL was a complete nonevent. And to all those people who say the food on DCL isn't that great, I totally disagree. On Disney I always had a hard time choosing from 2 or 3 items that really sounded like they would be good. On HAL I had to resort to selecting the item I disliked the least. And I missed all those extra desserts that the Disney staff would always bring to the table. On this cruise, if I ever had trouble choosing between 2 desserts, they would always tell me which one they recommended instead of offering to bring them both. It was just a different level of enthusiasm and we both really missed the whole magic of sailing on a DCL vessel.
We did, however, do some fabulous excursions. Number one was definitely our hike on the glaciers in Juneau. We took a helicopter ride up to the top of the glacier and then hiked for 2 1/2 hours over all sorts of terrain. (about 2 miles). We were each outfitted with over $1000 worth of gear (snowsuit, boots, gators, helmets, crampons, harness, pickaxe, emergency supply backpack, etc.) Once we were totally dressed we could barely move so it was interesting getting in and out of the helicopter with all the stuff!
The only thing we didn't use was the rapelling equipment which was reserved for the 4-hour advanced technique hike (not surprisingly, no one from our cruise signed up for it!) Our tour was fairly strenuous, but unbelieveably beautiful. From far away, the glaciers look a little dirty because by this time of year, alot of melting has taken place, and the streams carry alot of black silt with them. Up close they are the most gorgeous shade of blue. We even got to drink pure glaciel water from one of the flowing streams. We took lots of pictures (no professional photographers up there but our tour guides filled in) and I hope they come out nice. If they do, this will be the first time in 26 years we won't have our kids on the Christmas card!
We also did white-water rafting in Denali, a rainforest tour in Sitka and a combo self driven jeep tour and canoe trip in Ketchikan. We wanted to do horseback riding in Denali our first day, but we arrived later than expected and missed our opportunity.
We saw a very faint display of the Northern lights (white, no colors), but we all heard that the night before we arrived in Denali, there was an absolutely stunning display. It's funny because since they can appear anytime during the night, you sign up at the front desk for a nocturnal wake-up call should a display be evident. It's the one time people actually want to be woken up in the middle of the night!
That's it for now. I'm waiting for our luggage to be delivered by Delta so I can get started on the laundry. Still have lots of mail to go through. It's so horrible what happened with Katrina. Being on a cruise, we were somewhat out of the loop, but from time to time, we kept hearing horrible stories and my heart goes out to all those affected. I will get my check to Red Cross in the mail as soon as I sit down to pay my bills. (Thanks, Eric, for your support as a nonresident)

 

[Sarah'sMomfrom PA]

Jeanne....we jokingly referred to our cruise to Alaska as the Ben-Gay cruise....we got on the bus at SeaTac and Sam started to sniff and said "what is that smell"...I said "Ben-Gay!! We had people with walkers and oxygen tanks on wheels!! Sarah hated the kids clubs and the old people were annoyed whenever there were kids around....I opened my mouth that we paid for our cruise the same way that they did (although Sarah has total respect for the elderly, there were some kids in her words who were downright rude to the older folks....Sarah would wait for them to get out of the elevator but some of the kids wouldn't even wait...not totally their fault though it is I believe a lack of parenting skills)

I have to agree, it was the most beautiful state that we had ever been too! We contemplated being woke up for the Northern Lights but had a wild life tour in Denali that we had to get up at 4:00 a.m. for so we didn't think that it was such a good idea!! Did you go up into Fairbanks? We did and they said that the Northern Lights are really impressive up there!

 

[jeanneg]

MaryJo: there were only 30 kids on board the entire ship! (probably because it was during school time) I personally only saw about 4 or 5 and they were all quite young (no teens). Poor Sarah, I can fully appreciate how out of place she must have felt. Yes, there were lots of walkers and wheel chairs and although I didn't see any oxygen tanks on our cruise, I figured they were quite common when I noticed that our cruise documents included a whole section about how to rent them for use on the ship!
We did not go to Fairbanks but opted for an additional day at Denali. I know what you mean....we had to get up at 5am for a 6am Wilderness tour! Luckily, they opened up the coffee stand at 5am so we had our jolt of java!

 

[Viking]

Thanks for the trip-report, Jeanne.
Peter will work on the hotel for NYC this week.
No, I'm not overdoing it, it's a problem I have from time to time, especially when it's very hot. Could be a lack of magnesium Have to be careful for a week or two, but will not cut back my program.
Although the landscape of Alaska sounds very tempting I wouldn't like to cruise on a ship with mummies If all senior cruisers were like Bette it would be a different issue, but I'm afraid that she's a rare exception - although I suspect that Doreen may very well be a match for her

 

[jeanneg]

I understand dark chocolate is an excellent source of magnesium! I'll take that over supplements any day!

 

[Viking]

I understand dark chocolate is an excellent source of magnesium! I'll take that over supplements any day!

I just had about 3 ounces of dark chocolate and now I will attack a bag of gummie-Poohs (Special edition gummie-bears)

 

[padisneyfan]

Welcome back Jeanne. Your excursions look really interesting. So if you want to feel young go on an Alaska cruise especially with Holland America. I think I read somewhere that RCCL ships tend to have a younger group go on their Alaska cruises. I know when we have gone to AAA cruise nights the Alaska presentation is filled with older people and also for the Canada cruises. So will put the Alaska cruise on my to do list when I am in my 70's. Glad that you and John had a great time. You must bring your pictures with you to NYC.


Eric--- Someone at work was talking about her parents just returned from a tour of Germany and that what she missed most was not having vegetables and salads while they were there. They said all the meals consisted of meats and either bread or potatoes. Is that normal or do you think it was just because they were with a group?

Nancy

 

[Viking]

Eric--- Someone at work was talking about her parents just returned from a tour of Germany and that what she missed most was not having vegetables and salads while they were there. They said all the meals consisted of meats and either bread or potatoes. Is that normal or do you think it was just because they were with a group?

Nancy

Nancy,
in the traditional German cuisine there's too much meat, but usually in every restaurant a sidesalad is standard or at least optional. This is one of the main reasons for Anja and me not eating German When we go out we usually prefer Asian food (Thai, Malaysian, Chinese), Mexican, Spanish, or Italian. At home we avoid red meat and mainly eat vegetarian dishes or chicken and turkey. I also like fish, but Anja doesn't. Tonight for example we had veggie and chicken patties with a Mexican sauce and freshly baked pretzels (Large ones, not snack-style).
Travel groups going to Germany are usually treated with the full program of German food. My Gramps eats like this, and so do my in-laws. Most of our friends eat like we do.


Folks,
I just uploaded a selection if pics from our trip to Vienna. If anyone else wants to have a link to them, please send a short mail to my AOL (See List) - do NOT send a mail regarding this to the Cruisetoberfest-Account, please.

G' Night

 

[logan1_2000]

DS plays his first football game tomorrow. 9 years old, this is now his third sport, after baseball and basketball (each of those for about 5 years now, not bad for a 9 yr old). He has been named to his league's all star teams in baseball the past couple years and added a basketball all star appearance last spring. But there will be none of that for football, he's not big enough or fast enough or mean enough.

Yet he has had so much fun he has already announced he will play again next fall. We signed up for the cruisetoberfest cruise on the Magic in April, before DS had announced he was going to play football. Since football is a "miss practice and lose playing time" kind of sport, I now have a very real possibility to have to move the cruise, or just cancel my own voyage, to avoid that conflict.

So, might be bailing--will keep you posted. Looking for the 2007 prices to see about moving the trip to spring break '07--and forking out a lot of extra $ to do so (and here in ATL we have the final four that same week here in ATL, so that might not work either).

 

[VogelFamily]

Hello everyone. Wow, what a thread you have here. Sounds like a great group of people. We just payed deposit for 10-14-06 cruise and DD10 would love to have a Pen pal prior to getting there. We have plenty of time and she is a rather social creature but takes a while to open up and would welcome the opportunity to communicate with someone her age that will be on the ship at the same time. DD6 also will be cruising but he just "jumps right in". Anyone have a child that might be interested? I had made this request on the forum but one of your thread members suggested I make myself known over here. Thanks so much for your time. Have a wonderful night............Heather

 

[papa]

Eric loved the photos of Vienna.

 

[wendym]

Jeanne - loved hearing about the cruise but definitely doesn't sound like DCL! I think my mum does sound like Bette and we never let her act her age. Having to reply before work starts as now not only am I not wireless at home I have lost internet connection on both the laptop and desktop - the joys of technology!
Wendy

 

[Viking]

Hello everyone. Wow, what a thread you have here. Sounds like a great group of people. We just payed deposit for 10-14-06 cruise and DD10 would love to have a Pen pal prior to getting there. We have plenty of time and she is a rather social creature but takes a while to open up and would welcome the opportunity to communicate with someone her age that will be on the ship at the same time. DD6 also will be cruising but he just "jumps right in". Anyone have a child that might be interested? I had made this request on the forum but one of your thread members suggested I make myself known over here. Thanks so much for your time. Have a wonderful night............Heather

Hi Heather,
welcome aboard
if you want to join our merry group of cruisers please send the following info to the address provided in my signature:
-DIS-name
-E-mail
-First names of all persons in your group
-Occupation of all adults
-Stateroom #
-Dining session
-Homestate/town
-Special occasion to be celebrated during cruise (if any)

As soon as I have your info I'll do an update of The List, mail the newest version to you and to everyone in the group and also send you 'The History of Cruisetoberfest' to give you some background info about your new friends.

Do you have German ancestry? 'Vogel' means 'bird' in German and is a quite common name over here.

Looking forward to your mail
Eric aka Viking

 

[wendym]

Welcome to our group Heather!
Well now reconnected to the internet - no idea what I did but thank goodness I am back online - I rely on it too much! Eric, thank you so much for sharing the photos. Mum and I loved viewing them. I think she worried more about the computers not working than me. Not the best way to encourage her to use it!
Wendy

 

[cdnmickeylover]

Welcome Heather!!!

Weekend was ok - saw lots of people that we only see once a year but it was said too as one of our group died over the weekend. He had been suffering from cancer over the last couple of years but was still planning on attending right up until Thursday when he went back into the hospital. He was only 50 and had such a great attitude that it was really, really sad news to hear. One of the other members of our group missed his diaylsis (spelling is probably wrong) to come and I think it lifted his spirits to be there. Weather was nice during the day but cold at night so we drove home and got up at 5am Saturday and Sunday morning.

Jeanne - did you get your luggage back yet?? Great hearing about your trip. Had a friend here who went on an Alaskan cruise and they said too that it was full of older people. It was still great though and I'd love to go at some point.

A disney outlet store is opening here today not that far away from where we live so I'm hoping to get there either tonight or tomorrow to check it out. Might have Greek tonight and then go over to see it.

Dentist tomorrow morning to check out one of my teeth that is bugging me. Don't want it to interfere with the free dining at WDW!!

Logan - sounds like your DS is pretty sports oriented. My DS loves playing basketball but only in pick up games. He did play soccer for a couple of years but really isn't that coordinated. He's tall so I think that's why he likes basketball. Football is not a big sport here like it is in the States. My highschool did not have a football team but did have a rugby team.

Must get back to work I guess although really don't feel like it today.

Fiona

 

[Viking]

Fiona,
doesn't sound like you had a really good weekend

 

[JJsmama]

Eric,

A few weeks ago you gave me an email address to contact someone about the Kids' List. The address came back to me (didn't work.) Has anyone else tried it? I'd love to get onto and see the Kids' List.

Heather,
My boys will be will be 5 and 7 when we cruise. (Within 2 weeks of turning 6 and 8.) That might be a little young for your daughter's interest but your son would probably like to meet them.

jennifer