Topic: Do you prepare?

QUOTE:

I just saw this thread - please what do you mean by anorak. The only anorak I know is a wind cheater ! ! !

My husband is an anorak. He prepares, researches , prints and copies for many happy months before departure date. We arrive at airports and docks hours before the stated time . He monitors me every minute of the day to ensure I am ready to leave. Nothing could go wrong .

Except......on taking our seats on a flight from London to Dubai, he realised his money belt full of assorted currencies was left in the hotel room. Cabin staff were alerted, ground crew used their mobiles to telephone the hotel but there were three Holiday Inns in the same area and the time had come for takeoff. Can you imagine how we felt ?

Details were taken to contact us as soon as possible. Two days later at the check in counter at Dubai ready to depart for Brunei, my husband was requested to collect a package which was the money belt . Amazingly complete with cash.

On to Brunei, the last stop on a seven week adventure which included many countries and a Med cruise culminating in several days in Venice. Unpacking for the penultimate time it was discovered the video camera was missing, all those wonderful memories of people and places.

The moral of the story: Make as many lists as you wish but a good memory
is essential !

PS On arrival home the video camera was found at the bottom of the case, which he had checked several times, so a happy ending after all.

I once rescued a fairy who was caught in a web and she gave me a choice of wishes; I could have a superb memory or the girl of my dreams.....I forgotten which one I chose! Ida will remember though. ......Neil

August 09:
Back from Grand Princess Cruise to Med.

September 09:
Plan next years cruise on anything but Grand Princess!
Book Norway & North Cape on Crown Princess (new ship, new destination)

October 09:
Book car parking with C&PS, Southampton.
Realised that cruise departs on a Monday, no I'm not driving on M25 and M3 in the Monday rush hour - I only do that when I am paid to! So book Holiday Inn Express on M271 for the Sunday night using Holiday Inn Priority Card.

November 09:
Log onto Princess website and complete as much of the Cruise Personalizer I can.

December 09:
Renew annual worldwide travel insurance, enter details onto Cruise Personalizer.

March 10:
Pay balance of cruise.

May - June 10:
Surf web on ports of call.
Book car MoT and service for a couple of days after we return.
Get Norwegian Kroner.

Early July 10:Pack
4th: Go
5th: Sail!

Dave

QUOTE:

I once rescued a fairy who was caught in a web and she gave me a choice of wishes; I could have a superb memory or the girl of my dreams.....I forgotten which one I chose! Ida will remember though. ......Neil

What a wonderful choice , Neil. Presumably you and Ida both check the lists and luggage.

I can't understand how there are people who just book a cruise without doing any research first.
You still find people shocked when they see the Automatic Service Charge. Others are dismayed when they don't find food and coffee/tea available 24 x 7 on MSC. Others because there is no tea/coffee makers in the cabins or free water when dining.
These are all things made clear on the web sites.
A case in point - MSC put a eur 1 donation to UNICEFon your invoice. They have UNICEF logo on side of ships, a leaflet on the desk, a paper on your bed, programmes on the TV , it's mentioned on their home page and yet you still find people who remove it because they say they were not advised about it and so it's the principle of the thing. Others say they want to choose which charity their money should go to. Remember it's eur 1 I'm talking about.

QUOTE:

I once rescued a fairy who was caught in a web and she gave me a choice of wishes; I could have a superb memory or the girl of my dreams.....I forgotten which one I chose! Ida will remember though. ......Neil

You old romatic you! That is so lovely. If I was Ida you would now have a MILLION Brownie points..Carol

QUOTE:

I once rescued a fairy who was caught in a web and she gave me a choice of wishes; I could have a superb memory or the girl of my dreams.....I forgotten which one I chose! Ida will remember though. ......Neil

Now what have you done wrong :D

mrs.m

[QUOTE=Christiaan, Ocean Shores;13900]My husband is an anorak. He prepares, researches , prints and copies for many happy months before departure date. We arrive at airports and docks hours before the stated time . He monitors me every minute of the day to ensure I am ready to leave. Nothing could go wrong .

The moral of the story: Make as many lists as you wish but a good memory
is essential !

I'm afraid I'm the anorak in our house. I 'Google' all the ports of call and know exactly what I want to do and where I want to visit. The tickets, passports and currency I leave to my husband, I deal with suncream, the family pharmacy and toiletries. Seems to work, but I have to write down more things than I used to!

[QUOTE=Cooke, Ashby;16271][QUOTE=Christiaan, Ocean Shores;13900]

The moral of the story: Make as many lists as you wish but a good memory
is essential !

QUOTE]

Rubbish ;) Now where did I put my list? :D

QUOTE:

We have lists for what we take with us, but how about a list of what not to bring back (you might spot a little help from Gilbert and Sullivan - "The Mikado")

As some day it may happen that a present must be found
I’ve got a little list, I’ve got a little list
Of all those souvenirs which do in every port abound
And they’d none of them be missed, they’d none of them be missed
There’s the five pound Rolex watches and the ten pound Gucci bags
Which are perfect for the ladies who would like to think they’re Wags
There’s jewellery and sunglasses and locally brewed gin
Which tastes as if too much will send you to the loony bin
All sold to you by traders who insistently persist
And they’d none of ‘em be missed, they’d none of ‘em be missed.

There’s the reindeer hides in Norway and the castanets in Spain
I’ve got them on the list, I don’t think they’d be missed
The stuff you fall in love with but it won’t fit on the ‘plane
It never would be missed, it never would be missed
The hat for Auntie Edna and the scarf for Uncle Jim
The chocolates for your mother (yes I know she ought to slim)
The water-colour paintings showing all the local sights
The postcards with the pictures of the city neon lights
The knick-knacks and the trinkets which you never can resist
I don’t think they’d be missed, I’m sure they’d not be missed.

There’s olive oil in Italy and baklava in Greece
They’re also on the list, they never would be missed
The alcohol you try to smuggle past the ship’s police
That isn’t on the list, Oh boy that would be missed
The Venetian mask you buy but never actually use
The model of the ship which will remind you of the cruise
The bottle of Madeira from the year that you were born
The tiny pink bikini which you know will not be worn
It really doesn’t matter what you put upon the list
For they’d none of ‘em be missed, they’d none of ‘em be missed.

....Carol

A couple of years ago, on the Ventura, they performed a sort of mish-mash of Pirates of Penzance and HMS Pinafore on the Pool Deck. It was not terribly good but they did use Sullivans music and surprisingly one of Gilbert's more difficult patter-songs. It occurred to me then, and has done many times since, that a cut-down but serious version of one of G&G favourites would go down very well in the theatre. It would not be as garish, and probably less expensive than what we put up with at present. Here at Swansea a local Group plays a G&B every year, and has done for decades. Very very good it is too, and always over-booked. It would I'm sure go down well on board. Here's hoping one day ....... Brian