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MurdochsAid
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 Just got back from our cruise...
Hi Everyone!
I know this is like four days late, but atleast it's better late than never.
We got home from our one-week vacation cruise onboard Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas, June 22nd. I'm very glad that I adhered to Mary's & Char's advice, by picking me up a pair of those motion-sickness bracelets at Walgreens. They proved their purpose, as I wore them basically at night as our ship rocked 'n' rolled along in the Pacific Ocean. Or otherwise, I'd be as sick as a dog. I now know why ships are referred to by female pronouns. As I laid on my berth/bed, I felt her gently rocking me to sleep as she rolled along in the sea. She felt like a great big floating cradle. Early on during our first night cruise down to San Diego, CA, I could swear that I felt her inadvertently through her motion, tickling my stomach...like a Mommy tickling her baby's tummy. Trying to stiffle my giggling, so as not to wake up my cabinmate.
To begin our vacation, we spent the night onboard the Queen Mary Hotel. Our cabins were on the outside starboard side of the ship and just below the Promanade Deck, but before booking ourselves cabins...
We boarded Russia's Foxtrot-Class Submarine, Code Name: Scorpion (Podvodnaya Lodka) Project 641 Diesel Electric Submarine, that lies off to Queen Marys portside bow. We did a walk-through tour by ourselves, crawling in and out through her small round hatch compartment doors.
Nope, we didn't encounter any ghosts either, although we took the ghostly tour...which ended in a la Titanic experience. We also took two different historical tours around the ship. I really like our 2nd tour guide, as I found him to be most animated and very entertaining.
Our berths/beds and pillows on both ships were delightfully comfortable...andeven more so than our home beds are. Our bathrooms were very nice and clean. I opened our two porthole windows, so we get some air, and could sleep more comfortably. Just before disembarking her to head over to San Pedro to board Monarch, we even showered aboard the Queen, and then had breakfast on her starboard Promande Deck's Cafe. Our breakfast was simply delicious!
In one of her Promanade Deck shops, I bought two Titanic related collectables; The Deathless STORY OF THE TITANIC - Complete Narrative w/many Illustrations, that's issued by "Lloyd's Weekly News", and Cinefex, an ideal companion to my TITANIC: An Illustrated Screenplay by James Cameron. It gives the technical side of the making of the film, as well as containing many awesome stills/scenes. About Queen Mary, I bought a very informative book titled: The Little Book of Facts About the Big Ship - Details about the life and times of RMS Queen Mary by Dr. Scott F. Gray w/his autograph on the front page.
Now on to Monarch, for which we boarded in San Pedro, CA. We departed port at around 5:30 p.m., heading out to the open sea for San Diego. From Deck 12, I saw Carnival Cruise's Pacific Princess off our midship portside, heading out to sea from her L.B. berth aft of Queen Mary's stern, the same time we departed. Later, I saw her east of the Santa Catalina Island land mass, as she sailed southbound towards Baja Califonia.
The next morning, after docking at San Diego, we disembarked from our ship for a walk to this quaint English village shop area. Being thirsty, we bought drinks to quinch our thrist. There, I bought myself a henge porcelain Titanic-shaped box that contains the figures of Rose & Jack inside, you mount on the ship's bow. Remember the Flying Lesson scene? Mary & Char bought earrings in the same shop. Since our lunch is free onboard ship, we headed back for lunch on Deck 11 in the Verandah Cafe. I had a couple slices of pizza and a glass of lemonade.
At around 5:30 p.m., we departed San Diego for Catalina Island, for which we sailed all night. I'm like a yoyo. I like to get up, look out our porthole window to see if our ship is in motion. One can feel if she's moving or not. I'm sensitive that way. I know this, because I can't see her wake from her bow. Also, we've encountered thick soup. Meaning, the sea fog is thick outside. Acouple hours later, I spotted land. Our Captain had to circle our ship before he ordered her anchor to be dropped. We could hear the sound of the anchor being dropped, from our cabin.
Lillian, while we were ashore at Catalina, Monarch did something that kept drawing my attention to her. Her stern, you see--was facing north, while her bow faced south. Throughout the day, I watched as her stern turned a 15 degrees in the direction of Avalon Harbor...and 15 degrees more just before we were returned to her via a couple tenders. I was told that that kind of thing is normal for a ship to move like that when anchored off shore. It is either the current or the wind that blows their bulks around. We reboarded her from her starboard side. No sooner was I aboard her and was inside my cabin, when she moved again, but this time--I couldn't see the island.
Ensenada, Baja California, was our next stop. We ate our formal dinner in the Vencent's Room, as our ship rocked heavily from starboard to portside. In the Sound of Music theatre, I started to turn green, as a fever began to grip me. I got out my trusty seasick bracelets and put them on. Soon, I began feeling better as my fever began to subside. I kept those bracelets on for the rest of the cruise.
I did not disembark from our ship at Ensenada, but opted to stay onboard. Carla, my cabinmate, and I got a lot of exercise climbing our ship's inside staircase to Deck 12. Then we went outside and walked about her topside decks. On Deck 14, as we rounded the foreside from the portside to the starboard side. Monarch let out a very loud blast from her horn, nearly startling the bajesus outta us.smile2
Days earlier, aboard the Queen Mary, she did that very same thing to me. I had left her bridge, and was down on her Sports Deck, just below her foreward funnel, as she blasted her twin horns from her forewrad funnel. I practically jumped right out of my skin, and I laughingly said to her--"Darn you, Queen Mary!" But you know what? That's such an awesome sound! It reminded me of Titanic, as she was dockside at Southampton.
Anyway, the reason why we chose not to go ashore at Ensenada, because the place looked terribly fillthy and the air totally stunk! Why, even the harbor waters looked as dirty as our mighty Mississippi River, the last time I was on that river back in the late 1960s, aboard a steamboat. And frankly, I didn't really miss anything. We had so much more fun aboard our ship. We saw that many of our fellow passengers chose not disembark from our ship either, for we had plenty of company.
After Ensenada, we headed back up to our home port of San Pedro. Our last night aboard our ship, we did indeed have a very rocky 'n' rollie bow-to-stern motion. What a night!?
Last edited by MurdochsAid, Jun/27/2007, 10:58 pm
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For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. ~ Romans 1:16
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Jun/27/2007, 7:23 pm
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loraineA
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Re: Just got back from our cruise...
hi,
Sounds like you had a wonderful experiance MA!,how is your finger now?
I myself don't go on or near  as much as I can,very fearful of them...
bye,lolly,
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''I kiss you 10000000 times,but I can't count it myself!''-Tatiana Romanov.
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Sep/8/2007, 6:31 pm
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MurdochsAid
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Re: Just got back from our cruise...
quote:
loraineA wrote:
hi,
Sounds like you had a wonderful experiance MA!,how is your finger now?
I myself don't go on or near as much as I can,very fearful of them...
bye,lolly,
It's been almost four months since I visited Queen Mary, for which we stayed overnight in First Class cabins onboard her, and...my right ring finger still is sore to this very day. How I wish that I could literally live onboard her, b/c she is certainly my rhelm. I'm crazy about that beautiful ship!!! I really am!!! <sigh>
I had a fabulous time onboard both ships!!! Infact, ever since our spring cruise, I can't keep my mind off of Monarch of the Seas. Every Monday, I know that she departs San Pedro at around 5:30 p.m. (PDT), and sails south towards San Diego; then departing from SD at same time and heads NW towards Catalina Island; then she heads south in open waters towards Ensenada, Baja CA; and finally on Thursday night she returns to her home port.
I also am constantly thinking about our lifeboat drill we did before leaving our homeport, for which we were told to don our lifejackets, and to report to our assigned life on our prospective boat deck side. I was thinking about Titanic, and how her crew should've done that same thing with her passengers, before leaving Southampton. Had they done that, things wouldn't have been so chaotic that horrible night of April 14, 1912.
MA
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All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. ~ 2 Tim. 3:16-17
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Sep/8/2007, 8:39 pm
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loraineA
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Re: Just got back from our cruise...
hi,
sounds like you had a good trip!
I agree with you that it would have helped with Titanic if they did a lifeboat drill.
bye,lolly,
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''I kiss you 10000000 times,but I can't count it myself!''-Tatiana Romanov.
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Sep/8/2007, 9:55 pm
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MurdochsAid
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Re: Just got back from our cruise...
Yes, it would've with Titanic, when it comes to many more lives being saved...had WSL conducted a lifeboat drill before she left her home port of Southampton.
Also, off the coast of Queenstown (Cobh), Ireland, another important lifeboat drill could've been done with the whole entire crew as well. While we were docked in port at Ensenada, Baja Calfornia, such a lifeboat drill was conducted as well.
I should know, because when my fellow cabin mate & I started to take a stroll around Monarch of the Seas' boat deck, we were told to go back inside/or go up to another deck.
MA
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Jesus is coming back real soon! - Go tell someone!!!
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Oct/1/2007, 12:08 am
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MurdochsAid
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Re: Just got back from our cruise...
Did I tell you about what happened in our (Carla, my cabinmate, & I) cabin's bathroom?
Well if not then, I'll tell you. During the wee hours of the morning, I got up to answer nature's call. When I opened the door to our bathroom, I was totally shocked to see water seeping up from the drain under our sink and flooding the bathroom floor. When I saw that, I expressed my shock to Carla, causing her to also get up too. She too, was shocked to see that, so...
She got on our cabin's phone and called Maintenance. Much to our surprise, they sent someone up right a way to fix the problem. Evidentally, our neighbor in the cabin nextdoor to us was also having the same problem in their bathroom as well too.
What had happened, like our onland bathroom sinks/tubs...something was plugging up the drains that caused the backup in our drains' to flood. What do you call those things that unplug drains? Maintenance used that to stop the flooding, and when he was finished, he promised us that someone would be in to sanitize our bathroom floors.
Then it was smooth sailing after that. Whew!!!
MA
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Jesus is coming back real soon! - Go tell someone!!!
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Oct/12/2007, 12:38 am
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loraineA
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Re: Just got back from our cruise...
hi, MA,
Sounds like an interesting event!  LOL!
bye,lolly,
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''I kiss you 10000000 times,but I can't count it myself!''-Tatiana Romanov.
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Oct/13/2007, 3:47 pm
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MurdochsAid
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Re: Just got back from our cruise...
Thanks, Lolly.
On the 11th of Oct., I got a surprise letter from Adam M. Goldstein, the President of Royal Caribbean International. On behalf of the staff and crew of Monarch of the Seas, he was thanking me for sailing with them.
He also informed me that I'm now an eligible to join at the Gold member level, after completing a first cruise, for which he invited me to join the Crown & Anchor Society, for which he included the website link. Also attached to the bottom of the page of said letter, is a $50 off per Stateroom on cruise onboard their following four cruise ships:
Adventure of the Seas
Empress of the Seas ~ (which was featured on the Travel Channel)
Voyger of the Seas
Mariner of the Seas
All are 7-night cruise vacations to either the Southern Caribbean, Bermuda, Mediterraen, or Western Caribbean destinations...all priced at $599.
But one can only dream about going on these cruises, can't one?
MA
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Jesus is coming back real soon! - Go tell someone!!!
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Oct/14/2007, 8:31 pm
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wills
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Re: Just got back from our cruise...
Hi Ma,
I believe the correct term you are looking for is pipe snake.
As for what happened that does happen.. rarely but it does happen .. mostly because people are careless .. there are certain things that can not be done on a cruise ship like it can at home. also they do have tanks that it is stored in untill they reach port.. uhemmm.. perhaps everyone had tog o at once lol.. 
anyway that was good that they wrote you a thank you letter.
thats cool....
Will
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Suicide is a permenant solution to a temporay problem........
Whatever obstacles control,
Go on, true heart,
thou'lt reach the goal.
http://com4.runboard.com/bthetitanicshack
wills~~~~~
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Oct/27/2007, 10:14 pm
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