Come Join the Fun

Hello!! A beautiful morning has dawned here in Lakeland, Florida. I have a head full of ideas for cruises and getting to know other cruisers. Single cruisers may want to think about this as it is a way of getting to know other cruisers and possibly get together as "roomies" on a cruise to save the dreaded single supplement. As we all know most lines are charging a whopping 200% for this now. Has anyone thought of joining a forum of people who are there because they love to cruise? I have just such a forum now. Most of us have become friends over the years and have met one another on group cruises together. I know that people have gone over to Facebook and that is a good thing in it's own way. Facebook is great for reconnectiong friends from the past. It does lack the quiet place to come in and get to know one another as in a forum. The forums can be dedicated to a certain interest. Would it not be fun to get together and discuss possible plans for group cruises? To get to know one another before the cruise? Look at the possibilities here. Ladies, are you looking for a girl's just wanna have fun" type of getaway? Gents how about you? Singles, a weekend getaway to get to know one another? This could be broken in to singles over 55 and groups of younger singles. After all we all have differing interests. Perhaps we could form a group around our interests. Sports? Oldies music? Jazz? Bingo? Maybe a group to support a cause? The possibilities are endless. If you have an interest come check out my forum Cruise Talk Cafe at www.cruisetalkcafe.forumer.com The forum is small now but together we can make it a fun place full of fun loving folks who love to cruise. How about it? Drop in and say hello.

A Trip Back In Time....................

Hello! Feeling a bit nostalgic this morning. I am taking a break from the subject of cruising. Let's take short trip back in time to a time when the world was a bit more peaceful. When I was growing up in Melrose, a suburb about 10 miles north of Boston the world was a more gentle place. At least my world was. We had a summer home in New Hampshire. Just a simple cabin in the Lakes Region near Newfound Lake. Let's go to the early 60's I was about 14 years old. We would pack up on Friday night and head north to the "camp" as we called it. Arrival at camp meant we got to work unpacking the clothes and supplies we brought for the weekend. Saturday was full of fun and beach time. We always knew that dinner would mean that all the neighbors would be coming to eat. We usually had a potluck those nights. My Mother was well known for her baked beans. In the morning she would fill two bean pots and put them in the oven to cook all day. The air would be full of the delicious smell of those beans baking. The neighbors were arriving, all carrying more delicious homemade meals. I distinctly remember the "galumpka" that Mrs Weincek made. Everyone brought food. A variety of wonderful homemade goodness. Italian, Greek, Polish and of course my mothers very New England beans. Dad would make tables from planks set across saw horses. They would be covered with sheets. The table would fill with the food and a huge stack of paper plates, cups and plastic ware. We would fill our plates and go find a place to eat. The adults always took up the picnic tables and we kids would have blankets on the ground. Dinner would be done and we would clean up and put away the remaining foods. Usually there would be a horseshoe tournament among the men. The ladies would sit and talk. We kids would just enjoy the evening. As I write this I have to wonder where the serenity went to. I can sit here in my home in Florida and imagine that the people up there in NH are still continuing that fun tradition we had, but I doubt it. The world is a different place from way back then. Memories of a more pleasant world are all that remain.

A Journey Into My Mind...

Hello!!! Sometimes I am at a loss as to what to write about. Often, after a while an idea comes to mind. So for today I will go with what is running around in my head this morning. As most of you know I am also a Cruise Specialist working independently for Cruise Brothers. I love what I do and enjoy helping people find ther special vacation. I enjoy doing the research to find someone a vacation to fulfil their wishes. Cruises are not all we do. We also have loads of land based travel to offer . Just ask and we can do it. You can check out my personal Cruise Brothers website at http://oceangoinggal.cruisebrothers.com At this site you can purchase your own cruise or give me a call I am always glad to assist. There are options also for insurance and shore excursions. Again do it yourself or give me a call. You will also see that there are many escorted cruises to choose from. A knowledgeable Cruise Brothers agent will be right there with you for your cruising pleasure. I also have a cruise related forum. It is small but we are all cruisers and all friendly. We welcome new members always. www.cruisetalkcafe.forumer.com Come in for a visit, you might decide you want to stay. I have ideas for this forum to move it into a new phase. I was thinking that we could form a cruise club there and discuss ideas for a group cruise and pick an itinerary to cruise together as a group. Maybe we can do a segment for single cruisers to get to know one another and be able to choose possible roomies from this group. I would welcome any feedback as to this idea. Send suggestions and questions to oceangoinggal@gmail.com So that is what is on my mind. I would love to know what is on yours. So send me an email and I will try to answer your questions.

It Never Ceases To Amaze Me.....

The most amazing feat that never ceases to amaze me is turnaround day. By this I mean the day the cruise ends for some but is an exciting and joyful beginning for a whole new group of passengers. At about 8:00 AM the ship arrives in the port. As the passengers arriving home at the end of their cruise leave the ship with their new memories the crews are hard at work to get the ship ready to go out again. The work begins many hours before the ship arrives in the port. The crew comes in the night to take luggage to be unloaded in the morning at arrival in port. While the passengers are enjoying the last breakfast and cup of coffee the crew is hard at work to make the next cruise happen on time. They are unloading luggage and trash. Stewards are getting the cabins ready for arriving passengers. Supplies are being loaded for the next cruise. Luggage for the arriving passengers is being loaded and distributed to passenger cabins. Food is being prepped for the arrival of the new passengers that will be boarding soon. The ship is being fueled for another long journey to take the newest passengers on their long awaited vacations. I just listed the basics. I am sure there is much much more going on behind the scenes too. It is nearly time to leave and the passengers are completing the required muster drill. At the end of the drill the ships horns announce the impending departure. Passengers are taking their spaces at the rails and on balconies to wave goodbye as they sail past those left behind. It is a joyful new beginning. The bands are playing and the atmosphere is a happy one The doors are closed and the walkways are pulled back from the ship. The ropes holding the ship in place are released and the ship is free. She slides away from the pier and heads out to sea. All of this work goes on on turnaround day. The amazing thing for me is that all of this is done in the space of about 8 hours. Not just once but over and over again every week in all of the cruise ports. An amazing amount of work done in a short time. Kudos to the cruise lines for this accomplishment.

Good Morning from Lakeland Florida! Today is Sunday August 5th 2012. Cruising is on my mind as usual. Sadly I had to cancel my planned cruise on Carnival Dream. I was looking forward to it. My cousin was coming from California to cruise with me. She is 16 years younger than I and we had not seen one another in many years. It was to be a happy reunion of cousins. I am working to find us another cruise to reunite on. What is your favorite cruise activity? Send me an email to oceangoinggal@gmail.com and I will publish your ideas. At the very least we can give others ideas of what may be a fun activity I always seem to lean towards beach and snorkeling activities. I did do river rafting in Costa Rica once and really loved it. Well worth the time and money. So I welcome your ideas. For now I have to go and get this day off the ground. Have a wonderful Sunday.