Love your writing style! Thanks for the fun trip report!!
Printable View
Love your writing style! Thanks for the fun trip report!!
So good to hear this. We decided to do St. John for our February cruise because we have like 10 hours in port.Quote:
Originally Posted by zeus
This has been such a great read Chris and as others have said, I love your writing style...makes it so enjoyable to read!
I haven't been on a cruise in over ten years so it is especially interesting to read all your helpful info regarding the NCL Getaway. My family and I were supposed to go on a Norwegian cruise this past summer to the Bahamas, but with Keith not fully recovered yet, we thought it best to put it off till next summer when he should hopefully be feeling more like his old self by then. So it's been especially enjoyable for me to read all about your cruise vacation...you give such awesome and specific details about everything.
And I love how you vacation...lots of relaxing, eating and drinking, lol. That's my kind of vacation :)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Great cruise report! Looks like you guys had a wonderful time and had lots of things to do. Your casino wins were awesome! Can you in the casino? Is there a smoking section on the ship? I think the only way I could get Troy to go on a cruise if there is a smoking section. We should consider having Joker's Cruisin M&G.
What a great, fun-filled trip! Loved all the pictures, Chris. Congrats on your casino wins!
This was an excellent report Chris!:first:
Reading this has got me in the cruising mood again!:eagerness:
I've been on over 40 cruises but my last was back in 2009, an 11 day Panama Canal cruise on HAL. Always enjoyed sipping cocktails on our Veranda each night and looking at the stars and the waves. :)
Lots of smoking sections, but no longer on your balcony or in your room. I've read on Cruise Critic that people still sneak them on their balconies though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jen Jen
The smoking bans were already starting on some cruise lines back in 2009. That's why we chose Holland America. They have nothing but old people on their cruise ships and most of them smoke lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gypsy
As Gina said, no more smoking in the staterooms or on the balconies. There is something that says $250(ish?) fine if you are caught although we smelled cigarettes a couple times. The casino is almost half smoking, so you can smoke there, and there is an area on the Waterfront on Deck 8 for smoking including the Sunset Bar, and up on Deck 16 in H20 there is a smoking section and bar. Also, adjacent to the smoking area on Deck 8 is an indoor Cigar Lounge but we never had to use it as the weather was pretty cooperative.
Carol is a serious smoker, so she selected a stateroom on Deck 8 very close to the Waterfront smoking area. I didn't see it, but she swears she went out there in her jammies a couple times - HHH.
Loved your TR Chris! We are getting tons of pictures in of the Escape and I'm getting so excited!
Saturday came and it was time for our final breakfast club meeting, and the sad task of saying our goodbyes. The Michiganders had early flights, so they did easy walk off, meaning they kept their luggage and walked it off the ship. They made their flights with time to spare. Frank and I were staying in Fort Lauderdale because the one flight back t Worcester leaves at 9am and there is no way to make that on disembarkation day. Carol & Scott were flying out of FLL in the afternoon.
We had priority tags, so we put our luggage outside the stateroom Friday night and just had carryons to carry off. When we decided it was time to go, we just called the concierge and she met us and walked us off. It was a piece of cake. We had our luggage and got through customs in about 15 minutes. We took the Alamo shuttle to the Cra Rental facility at Miami airport and picked up the rental. We were bringing Carol & Lammie to the airport, so it looked like a tight squeeze until they brought over a Ford Escape. Everything fit perfectly and we were off. We took the scenic route to FLL and stopped at the Flashback Diner right across from Gulfstream racetrack. I was really bummed that the ponies weren't running, so we just had a long leisurely lunch before we dropped them off at their terminals. Then we found our hotel and checked in.
I had gotten a decent rate at the Hyatt House near the FLL airport after almost being scared off by the crazy prices everywhere! It turned out to be ideal. It had a small full kitchen, a living area and bedroom. It was clean and comfortable and we promptly fell asleep - HHH! When we woke from our stupors, we debated whether or not to hit up the Hard Rock, but I was fairly satisfied with the way things went on the ship, and with Coushatta right around the corner I decided to leave well enough alone. So we took a ride and found a beachfront bar along the boardwalk in Hollywood Beach. http://jweforum.com/attachment.php?a...tid=4250&stc=1http://jweforum.com/attachment.php?a...tid=4251&stc=1he food was mediocre (or worse) but the beer was cold and the people watching was most excellent.
From there we drove up to John U Lloyd Beach State Park and walked around for awhile. It was a lovely peaceful spot.
http://jweforum.com/attachment.php?a...tid=4252&stc=1
http://jweforum.com/attachment.php?a...tid=4254&stc=1
Then it was back to the hotel for a movie and a good night's sleep.
Lovely TR, Chris! I get too seasick to go on a cruise so you are making me very jealous.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
We were up and out of the hotel by 7 and got the car dropped off with ease and made it through security in a flash other than me getting felt up thoroughly. We were amused by a group of middle aged wannabe douche bags involved in a serious one upsmanship contest. I kept hearing the song "My dog's better than your dog, my dog's better than yours..." in my mind. God, Massholes can be annoying! But we boarded on time and settled into our extra legroom seats. I love JetBlue's Embrauers as they have the 2 & 2 configuration and good television options. Other than some major jolts on departure the flight was routine. Or so I thought.........
We were descending through the bumps into Worcester, when I watched us climb from 2500 feet up to 4000 feet. I watch the flight channel like a hawk and caught this immediately. I knew something was up, but thought maybe they were doing a runway change due to the winds or had to go around for a general aviation aircraft. But then we just circle a couple of times. Hmmmm.....
After about 15 minutes of wandering aimlessly through the air, the pilot came on and informed us that our flaps were stuck and they were working on figuring out what to do. A couple people prompt puked and now there was a very strange atmosphere onboard as we could hear mumbling (prayers?) and other bizarre sounds. I tried to remember everything I know about no flaps landings, and how long the runway at Worcester was and I didn't really like the answers. So we flew around for awhile longer and the pilot came on and said we were diverting to Boston.
Okay, good plan. I know they have a nice long runway and better facilities. I was still pretty tense. So after a very, very long downwind leg the pilot came on one more time and told us tat we would hear a lot of noise and we would be met by firetrucks because we had to keep our speed much higher than normal (stalling would be BAD!) and our brakes would get very, very hot... Yep, damn lady up front puked again. You know how they say you life sometimes flashes before your eyes? All I could see was my nightstand drawer and how much I didn't want my kids to see it - HHH!
Landing in Boston is an adventure on a good day because you come down right over the water and have to clear the seawall before touching down. I knew that on this day, we needed to touch down as quickly as possible. My face was glued to the window as we hurtled toward the runway. We touched down perfectly and then the plane screamed and groaned and shook and kept speeding down the runway. Then we stopped!! After a moment of silence the passengers burst into applause! I was still tense, because I knew those brakes had to be hot as a mother fucker or worse & I contemplated pulling open the nearby exit and sliding my fat ass right off that plane. Just then the firetrucks pulled up and gave us the all clear. NOW I COULD BREATHE!
http://jweforum.com/attachment.php?a...tid=4255&stc=1http://jweforum.com/attachment.php?a...tid=4256&stc=1
What a wonderful trip!!! You did such a great job too!
I love how you live each trip to the fullest!! Good thing you have a couple of weeks to recover before Coushatta!
Thanks again!
PS - now I understand about the puking on the plane comment you made on another thread.
SCARY!!! Glad you are safe!
SO, now we are in Boston and our car is in Worcester. They briefly considering flying us to Worcester. Um, no thank you. Not in the mood - HHH. Then said maybe a bus. But in the end, they gave us taxi vouchers. SO Frank took a cab to Worcester and I took a cab home with a crazy bastard who must have been an Eastern European race car driver in his previous life. But I made it, and I was shocked to see that it was only about 2 hours later than we would have been had things gone normally. SO I zipped over to Chewies and picked up the pups. That will bring you back to earth in a hurry.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10...4c8a9e01f6.jpg
This is what Frank found when he made it back from Worcester.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
OMG I can't stop laughing, you had to throw in the nightstand comment at the height of the plane story? You really do have a great writing style, so loved your TR, thanks for sharing. So happy you guys were safe. Can't wait to see you in Coushatta!
Bravo!!!! You did one helluva job on this TR! I so thoroughly enjoyed every single bit of it, but the flight and landing had me in tears from laughing. Thanks for taking the time to share with us. Can't wait for the next one!
Great Job @Nhcris. You have got me wanting to take another cruise. With the winter coming up a trip to the Carribean sounds like a great idea. If I can talk my DW into it. You made us all feel that we were on the cruise ship with you.
I remember hearing about your horrific experience on the flight home but I had no idea just how scary it was until I read all the gory details about it here. Just one of the many reasons why I hate flying.
Gotta agree with Gypsy...leave it to you to throw in a very funny comment about not wanting your kids to see your nightstand drawer! Hardy har fucking Har...you are one funny bitch!!!
So glad you are safe and we will have more comic relief from you in the future!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Chris, I thought the Honduras monkey story was the funniest thing in your TR until I read the nightstand comment, omg! We (yes, I was reading it out loud so Adam could hear about the cruise) were cracking up! Glad you landed safely and had an awesome time, really appreciate you sharing the pics and stories! :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Luckylinda123
You would enjoy cruising Linda! Carol usually doesn't qualify for a comped cruise on her own, but when she combines her play with Lammie they generally do. A couple of times she has been pleasantly surprised that she qualified on her own. But she always gets at least the 20% off. Between introducing her to slots and cruising, I have created quite a monster!!
clemi, I think you would really enjoy cruising. I mean wining & dining, slot machines and fun places to visit. What's not to like?Quote:
Originally Posted by clemi
There seems to be enough interest to get a good group of Jokers together for a cruise one of these days. Let's do it!
Now that you have Keith strong & healthy again you should definitely consider taking a cruise. Either the Getaway or the Breakaway would be great for a family cruise, and the Breakaway sails from NYC so no flying hassles. And I am all about not flying for awhile - HHH!Quote:
Originally Posted by SlotMommy
YES to a Joker's cruise :) It would be amazing!Quote:
Originally Posted by Jen Jen
We need to get your ass back on a ship. I bet Sharon would be up for it!Quote:
Originally Posted by goldengreeke
Thanks Sassy! The cruise was fantastic but the memory of that flight will last awhile. Not looking forward to my next flight even though it is to see my boy and my Jokers!Quote:
Originally Posted by sassycat
Damn funny ending!! Part James bond and part comic relief. Thanks for the laugh!!
I wanted to wait for the whole TR to be done before reading it and OMG Chris it was worth the wait. You seriously crack me up when I read your posts. Not sure I'll ever convince DH to cruise but you make it look amazing. Can't wait to see your crazy ass in 2 weeks!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Chris, thanks for an awesome report. It makes cruising sound so much fun. I have a weak stomach and am afraid of going on a cruise, although I'm told that movement is fairly minimal in those big ships. Your report so made me want to cruise.
You really have a wonderful writing style and had me in stitches with some of your description. Glad you survived that landing, and I want to know what's in that nigh stand. Congratulations on an excellent gambling adventurous trip.
A Jokers cruise would be fun!
Joker Party 2017
OMG NHcris! I would have been puking too! I don't love flying to begin with and hate take off and landing because that is always when you hear of the accidents! Remind me never to book a flight with you! Lucky for you your children won't have to go through the nightstand! HHH!
Loved your cruise report and it made me want to book my next cruise sometime soon!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
@Nhcris. The pictures were gorgeous and have made me that much more excited about my upcoming cruise! Thank you so much for sharing. As for your plane story, first of all, I'm incredibly interested in this nightstand!!! Also, even though you made it safely you still had me holding my breath reading the story making sure everything was OK. I felt like I was on the plane with you when you were describing it. Glad you had an amazing time! Can't wait for your next one.
Wow, just wow!! That was a very entertaining report that had me cracking up. Glad you had tons of fun and made it safely on the ground.
gotta read this tomorrow when I get time
Pretty sure you are the same age as my kids. Therefore you will never know the secret of my nightstand!Quote:
Originally Posted by SoCalRob
I can't wait to hear about YOUR upcoming cruise!
Ahaha! On come on Chris, tell him about the nightstand! But do it in person at Coushatta, I want to see his face.[emoji15]Quote:
Originally Posted by Nhcris
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Yes!!! What she said.Quote:
Originally Posted by tee2green
So much fun to read! Can't wait for Coushatta!!