Day One: Airports & Embarkation

July 6, 2014 ~ JodiLea

Saturday, June 28th, 0500.
The Hilton’s shuttle was prompt and we got to Sacramento Airport in plenty of time to go through security at 3 different places, and be at our gate with a few minutes to spare. The TSA were efficient, even if your boarding pass was not marked as ‘TSA pre-check’. Being searched was very thorough and so was the inspection of my bag of meds. Hubby stood in pre-check with me, but his boarding pass was not marked, so he had to start over in the long line. Even so, he made it through before I did.
I noticed that the x-ray operators did not like the people who could not be x-rayed. I got snapped at, and evil-eyed at each security point. The ‘friskers’ were not hostile at all and they were professional and speedy. Finally, we found a Princess Cruises rep., and he guided us to where we turned in our luggage to transfer to the ship. The line for the shuttle to Pier 91, had 5 people, including us.

Our bus driver was really fun and she gave us a ‘tour’ of Seattle during our 45-minute ride out to the docks. The building with the colorful flag is the Starbucks Headquarters. She also pointed out Safeco field (home of those #$%&*! Seahawk’s).

After getting to the first cruise check point at the pier, we were guided into a large maze that wound back and forth, countless times. Exactly like cattle. To put it into perspective, Disneyland never has lines.We met some fun people during that 2.5 hour wait. Expecting another thorough pat-down, I was surprised at how brisk the frisk was to get onto the walkways to board the ship. My bag was rifled through, but not totally unpacked and repacked like in the airport. After going through two different winding snake lines to embark the ship, we were once again x-rayed, patted down, and we finally stepped onto our ship, and escorted to our cabin. It was now 1:45pm.

Once the passengers began boarding, our luggage began coming aboard. We did not have to worry about picking it up – it would be delivered to our door. Very nice touch 🙂

After the Golden Princess (our ship) left port, I began to feel hot and nauseous. I took my motion sickness medication, however, they let me down on the high-seas. I’ve been cruise ships, but going towards the equator. The Northern Pacific seas are much rougher.
Now I know why the corridors are so narrow.

Last Cabin Waaay at End — Heading To Last Cabin

So you can walk down them with your arms outstretched and palms flat against the walls preventing a terrible fall. We should have had those kind of corridors in college – but I digress…
In order to get around, you needed to hang on to something. Still, you swayed and stumbled like a drunken sailor.
After such a busy day, our feet were ready to lie down in our cabin and rest. That was not to be. We were ravenous! So all six of us ate at one of the restaurants, while we worked on getting a table for six in the Donatello Room. The maître d’ and his wait staff will do everything they can to grant your wish. I could really get used to this!

It’s sort of like being a princess. Without the tiara.

Until tomorrow…

Why I Should NOT Let Hubby Book Our Vacation

March 25, 2014 ~ JodiLea ~ 5 Comments

What is worse than having your hubby make arrangements for your vacation? Having his brother help him. Two men do not make a right.

After getting our cabin ocean view re-instated (yes, it cost more money to have a view out the window, instead of an obstruction), I realized my mistake.

I should have worked with my sister-in-law and the travel agent when the arrangements were made. I thought it was a wonderful break to not be the one having to deal with the details. And it was – until, of course, things were wrong.

I am not saying that my hubby and his brother are dolts. They are both extremely intelligent men. That being said, they do not know how to communicate very well. It is a family defect that occurs in every male and when 2 (or more) men in the family make plans, arrangements, whatever, this defect grows exponentially.

The poor travel agent probably asked the right questions, was told by each party their version of what we all wanted to book. Her mistake was to believe them and not cross-verify the bookings and the terms with both. She told me she did this. I didn’t argue the point, but I know my hubby, and he would have never agreed to a cabin with a window you couldn’t see out of.

Now, everything is cool, as far as cabin assignments go. Unfortunately, I’m nervous now. Because what if the window thing is an omen? A foreshadowing of more problems to come? I try not to dwell on the negative, yet a bad omen seems more likely than a good one. From past travel experience, I mean.

When I’m feeling positive, I can almost believe that we got the bad stuff out-of-the-way and the rest of our vacation will be perfect.

If this were your vacation, what would you think – bad omen or good times ahead?

There’s No Place Like Home

September 29, 2013 ~ JodiLea ~ 1 Comment

Unlike Dorothy, I needed Delta Airlines to transport me back home. I don’t have a pair of sparkly red shoes, my fault, for not taking my granddaughter’s advice while shopping.

“You gotta get the sparkly shoes too, grandma!” the 9-year old demanded.

“You gotta, gramma!” insisted the 3-year old, while pointing her index finger at me, and her other hand was placed firmly on her hip, which was exactly the way her older sister was standing. Do they practice this, or is it genetic? Their mother did that too, now that I think about it. Never mind – I just answered my question…

Oh dear. I got off on a tangent. [That happens a lot here at Not Pretending – BTW. Just so you know 😉 ]

I’m not sure who started this whole “travel for fun” thing. The explorers and pioneers probably did not have much fun. Unless it was a ‘rush’ to conquer unknown lands and bring back stuff made in China.

I complain about 4-hour flights in “economy class*”. I would not have survived month after month on board a sea-going vessel, or a covered wagon on the Oregon Trail. Not me.

Stories written by travelers make traveling sound exciting and romantic. Often movies portray travel in the same way. There are also some very creative travel blogs, with amazing photos and great tips.

I am not familiar with that kind of travel. The movie that portrays my experience traveling is “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”, with a bit of “Vacation” thrown in to perk things up. If you’re thinking, ‘Oh, she’s exaggerating to be funny’, you would be wrong.

The purpose of going on vacation is to have a fun and relaxing time. But there is no relaxing when you are traveling. Maybe there is to the travelers in First Class, which is why they pay four times the airfare than I do.

Airports used to be exciting. Now they are annoying. Every 5-minutes the dude on the speakers warns you about carrying other people’s bags and that ‘smoking is prohibited’.

Like I don’t have enough trouble carrying my own bags? And why the Hell are you reminding smokers that they can’t smoke? Do they even have a clue how maddening that is – especially to former-smokers (a.k.a., nicotine addicts)? Stop announcing crap unless there’s an emergency!

And then, there are all those other people around. Observing and listening, while you wait in lines and gates. ‘People Watching’ is considered an acceptable activity these days. When I was growing up they called it ‘being nosy’.

And then, there’s the noise factor. The neighbors above and next door to your hotel room never sleep. You hear them stomping around, watching high-~~def~~volume TV. They make sounds that defy your imagination. What can they be doing up there? Moving furniture? Maybe we don’t want to know.

The noises got so bizarre on our last trip that hubby and I would lie in bed giggling and make up stuff about what was going on. When we noticed the water stain on the ceiling above the jacuzzi, we thought maybe it was repairmen. But at two in the morning? It’s going to be one of many mysteries we encounter when we travel.

Things NEVER go as you plan them. And the unknown variables that happen can really mess with your trip. Like hurricanes and their residual storms. It was making me crazy to be in a tropical paradise, with a gorgeous beach and not be able to walk along the surf or lounge under an umbrella reading my book while a waiter fetches me another soda. And forget about booking a tour to visit ancient ruins. Another outside activity canceled due to high winds and heavy rain.

In many ways it really sucked. But we survived. And here we are, back at our favorite place to be – ♥ home ♥

* PC term for "cram as many seats as we can into the plane for the largest profit class"