# Missing in Action



## zamora (May 26, 2015)

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will not be logging in until at least May 10th after today and I didn't want to worry anyone. 

Oh yeah, we are going on a cruise! I'll post pictures when I return.

Bon Voyage to me.


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## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

Bon voyage!! Have an awesome time and be safe! Where are you going?


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## havasu (Jun 21, 2012)

I'd also like to know exactly where you are going? Pics are also requested!


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

havasu said:


> I'd also like to know exactly where you are going? Pics are also requested!


Ditto for me!


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## CFAdmin (Dec 16, 2015)

Have a good time!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Well, heck, we'll try to get along without you for a bit. But what I do demand is that you have an absolute blast.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Very nice, have a great time!


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## zamora (May 26, 2015)

We left on May 1 and had two fun days at sea.










"Fun" on the first day consisted of thunderstorms. This is a view from the Lido Deck.

Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico the second night:










Here is my DH and one of our traveling buddies playing a few rounds of mini golf up on deck.










First stop Jamaica:










We couldn't get out of Jamaica fast enough and except for having a few drinks at Margaritaville, we should have stayed on the ship. The place was nasty and garbage was everywhere. I even saw someone going #2 in a drain that drained into the ocean. Yuck and gross.

The shots were pretty good though!










Watch out for alligators in the aisles of the ship!










Next stop, Grand Cayman. I wish we could have had more time there, it was gorgeous although we got rained on...a LOT!










Last stop was Cozumel...this is debarking from the ship:










Cozumel










Last day on the ship, my door decorations...










It was nice to get away but it sure is heaven to be home again! I missed my puppies and chickens!


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

Sounds like you had a great time.Too bad about Jamaica but you took some nice pics.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I keep thinking about the guys playing golf with the seas rolling. Bet that would have been a riot, especially after a Kamikaze or three. 

Having a great time is well . . . great. Being home is the best.


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## havasu (Jun 21, 2012)

Looked great. How much weight did you gain?

I just booked a cruise in October and will head up and down the California coast for a week. I'm excited!


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Thanks for the pictures! Very nice. I am surprised that with all the money Jamaica makes in tourism , they would clean up the tourist areas. That's so unacceptable. The cruise line should tell them if they can't clean it up, there will be one stop less on their cruise.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

That sounds great Havasu. The California coast must be beautiful.

My dream cruise is on the Viking Cruise Lines, going from Budapest to Germany on a river cruise boat. I like smaller numbers and smaller ships. That's my goal.


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## havasu (Jun 21, 2012)

Those river cruises are really expensive!


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## CFAdmin (Dec 16, 2015)

havasu said:


> Those river cruises are really expensive!


Have you taken one? If I ever did it it would be a river cruise. The open ocean scares me to no end.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

I've been to Jamaica a few times. It's a very poor country. They also get hit by hurricanes all the time. Some shipmates and I volunteered to help out at a orphanage in Kingston. It was like a bed and breakfast, and it was falling to pieces. We repaired/replaced floors, plumbing, and a lot of badly needed painting etc. The place shouldve been bulldozed and rebuilt. The children were dressed nice and curious to see us. A representative from the American embassy presented us a case of cold beer at the end of the day. Never thought a cold Red Stripe beer would taste so good! Otherwise try finding a cold beer in Jamaica. 
I've been to Sandals at Montego Bay, super nice place and very clean as long as you dont go outside the Sandals compound (warm beer though.) 
I've been to Ocho Rios, good swimming. You dont want to step on sea urchins!


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## havasu (Jun 21, 2012)

I've been on about a dozen cruises, from the Bahamas, Jamaica, Alaska, California, Florida, Oregon, Washington, Maine, Boston, Nova Scotia, Mexico, Canada, Panama Canal, Columbia, Aruba, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and the Hawaiian Islands. Next year we will hit Italy, and I still want to go to the Galapagos Island area. I also want to do those river cruises, but the ones I've checked out are about triple the cost of an ocean cruise, and THEN you have to include air fare for at least a 10 hour flight that will run about a grand a piece. 

I have always felt extremely safe and comfortable on the ships, but will always splurge for a balcony cabin, which gives you a sense of locations and time of day, not to mention the breathtaking views. I urge everyone to experience this lifestyle. 

You won't regret it!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I'm with Austin on this one. I don't much care not being able to see land either. And I lived on a 45 ft Chris Craft for a year. Just don't let the land disappear and I was fine.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

With those Euro river cruises it depends big time on what time of year you go. I went on a cruise in Germany put together by the Army. I don't remember much about it but we passed Lorelai and some castle in the river. We went to a town called Rudesheim which is literally all Beer pubs, and food, and stuff to buy. You can also take a tram to the top of the hill and overlook the vineyards and drink. I feel like that's all we did is drink, LOL, we were all 16-17 years old. But legal drinking age in Germany was 16 but before 10pm.

I remember we used to hang out weekend nights at a disco named Regina's. Heavy on girls and GI's. Since we were mostly 16, at 10 pm we would leave and go sit on this wall at a bus stop for 1/2 an hour which was raid time. The army police would pull up in a bus and look for underagers. Yes they got quite a few. But never got our group. That was 40 years ago and I still have a few friends that I chat with. We had so much fun.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

A river cruise up the Amazon sounds good to me.I'd rather look at nature than spend time with strangers.Plus,you can see the land but I don't think I'd get in the water.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

havasu said:


> I've been on about a dozen cruises, from the Bahamas, Jamaica, Alaska, California, Florida, Oregon, Washington, Maine, Boston, Nova Scotia, Mexico, Canada, Panama Canal, Columbia, Aruba, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and the Hawaiian Islands. Next year we will hit Italy, and I still want to go to the Galapagos Island area. I also want to do those river cruises, but the ones I've checked out are about triple the cost of an ocean cruise, and THEN you have to include air fare for at least a 10 hour flight that will run about a grand a piece.
> 
> I have always felt extremely safe and comfortable on the ships, but will always splurge for a balcony cabin, which gives you a sense of locations and time of day, not to mention the breathtaking views. I urge everyone to experience this lifestyle.
> 
> You won't regret it!


You'll like Italy. I've been to Imperia, La Spezia, Naples, Capri, Venice and Messina Sicily. If you go to Naples, pickpockets abound.


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## havasu (Jun 21, 2012)

Thanks. I was in Mexico and got pick pocketed for $350 by them small little kids trying to sell me flowers. I had 6 little kids tugging all my pockets demanding money and one slipped in and pulled my money. I pushed them away as best as I could but they really needed to be punched and kicked, but with their dad's watching, I did the best I can. I now solve this problem by avoiding going into Mexico, that corrupt craphole!


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## zamora (May 26, 2015)

@havasu, three of the places you mentioned are on my bucket list. Tell me more about these cruises: Panama Canal, Aruba and Costa Rica.

Of the three, my number one is Costa Rica, I want to go there SO bad but I may just bite the bullet and fly there for a week. So much to see and do and one day in port isn't long enough.


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## havasu (Jun 21, 2012)

Since we have totally derails the OP's thread, we should start a new discussion on the forum.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I don't hear anyone complaining about going off topic...


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

From what I just read it seems Zamora would like the inside skinny on a couple of those places mentioned.


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## zamora (May 26, 2015)

robin416 said:


> From what I just read it seems Zamora would like the inside skinny on a couple of those places mentioned.


BINGO and since it's MY thread, we can 'derail' it all we want to.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Doesn't matter what you want. You know these people, whatever tickles their funny bone is liable to show up just about any where.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

zamora said:


> @havasu, three of the places you mentioned are on my bucket list. Tell me more about these cruises: Panama Canal, Aruba and Costa Rica.
> 
> Of the three, my number one is Costa Rica, I want to go there SO bad but I may just bite the bullet and fly there for a week. So much to see and do and one day in port isn't long enough.


Then you plan your own island hopping. You could just Travel from Mexico south. Bring duct tape and tape your money in baggies to your body. Don't put it all in one place. For fun use fake money in your pockets, LOL

Maybe in a few years I'll do that Viking cruise , go back to south Turkey and revisit the same place 40 years later. It would be great to fly out of Tampa or Miami but not sure it's the extra cost. (direct flight)


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I pretty much know my way around enough to get where I want to go, and would make a list of B&B's. Much of Europe is connected by trains conveniently located within a few blocks of the city centers or the city centers. It's much more convenient that Europe has focused more on good mass transit than just car. When I lived there, I and many never had the need for a car. Even with 10 bags of groceries from the commissary to downtown, people got on the bus, and most were very understanding about the aisle filled with bags on a bus.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I love the fake money idea. Now someone needs to do it and tell us about it afterwards.


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## zamora (May 26, 2015)

I'm going to remember that next time I hit New Orleans. Y'all WILL come visit me in the hospital or the morgue, right?


I have actually looked into just traveling to wherever I want to but dang, it's EXPENSIVE! One of the reasons we cruise is that overall it's quite affordable.


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