Miami, Florida 8/29

Another cruise finished and now to get ready for the next one.  I will be at Sea the first day , then Labadee, Haiti so no Internet for a few days.  See you when I am next in port.  I will leave you with a picture I took on the ship and will fill you in later where it is from................

On our way to Labadee, Haiti

I just could not resist taking another picture of the water alongside the ship as we sail.  Even though it is explained scientifically of how the water moves with the currents I still have deeper questions of how,  Another day.   And next to that I have taken a very good picture of the skyline after sunset.  But I have to say it does look better in person.  But it was beautiful, and the breeze was just warm and very low humidity.  Loved being on deck that night even more than other nights.

Labadee once again.  I have to admit I did not go ashore.  I spent the morning first at a leisure breakfast then a shower and steam and a wonderful, peaceful rest on deck 4 with a good book and stretched out on a chaise lounge chair.  I did have a nice chat with an older lady passenger that was not happy with the cruise, and it was her first with Royal Caribbean.  She told me that the passengers were rude and unruly.  I had to agree that most of them this cruise were.  I was not sure if it was due to the full moon, last cruise of the season and with cheap cruises being sold or both.  I assured her that my experience was good on all the Ships I have sailed with Royal Caribbean.  But I also have to say that I always meet some great passengers on every cruise, and this was no exception.  Oh well you win some and you lose some.  But I had a good day.   Now for a nap and then ready to go and promote the hell out of my last selling day on the cruise.  We are at Sea all day tomorrow and then back to Miami and a new set of passengers. 

San Juan, Puerto Rico on Liberty of the Seas 8/26/2010

I am back in San Juan, Puerto Rico after 15 years has passed.  When I was a shoppie on Princess Cruises I was doing 10 days thru the Panama Canal so this port was our turn around port.  I know the downtown area very well; except I was pleasantly surprised to see how they have beautified it.  It looks great.  It still has that old town charm and very safe, you see armed Police all over.  This is a view from the ship and if you look closely, you can see the old Forte in the background.  I left the ship early and walked a bit of the streets before settling in at Starbucks. 

On the ship we get a flyer before each port that tells of the shopping and points of interest.  This other picture is my view outside of Starbucks.  Through out the cobble stoned streets are small street vendors selling all kinds of things for the passengers of the Ship. 

Here are more pictures of the streets of downtown Puerto Rico.  I stopped into the United States Post Office which is strange to see but what it is hard to remember that San Juan is part of the US.  I had to buy post card stamps and while I was buying them, I was talking to the man at the counter, and he told me that they fought hard to get their own quarter and finally when they got it, they all partied in the streets.  He said that in the States they probably didn't care, and I agreed that I didn't remember hearing about it, and I watch a lot of news.  He also told me that they call the Polar Bear stamps their Puerto Rician Polar Bear, lol.  He was fun to talk to but then people started lining up and he was the only one working.  He told me a few other fun facts about his city, but I don't remember at this time, I will think about it and add it when I do.  They are friendly there except at Starbucks I have to say that they were a bit grumpy.  While I was working on my computer a few of the shoppies came in and joined me at this very small table and we all had laptops.  Funny how they didn't want to get another table and have more room, I choose the corner table in the front to be alone and watch the outside traffic.  Anyway, I finished and left Starbucks to take a few more pictures.

This is a closer picture of the Forte that I took from the ship.  It looks small but old.  The next time I visit I will take a tour of it and pictures of course.

This is a monument in the center of town.  As you can see it is a beautiful day out.

Here is what you can see on almost every corner, and I am not sure if this is every day or just when a ship is in port.  I will have to ask the next time.  But is very assuring to see.

After leaving the Post office I headed back to the ship for an early sailing.  Much to my surprise we had to show a photo ID to be able to enter the pier area.  We did not have to at any of the other ports but maybe because it is the US territory, lucky I had my wallet on me because I left my passport on the ship.

I decided to take a picture of the dock as our ship pulled away.  It is a nice looking pier, it amazes me how this ship can turn on a dime.  After pulling away sideways from the dock the ship turns within minutes and we a full speed ahead to Labadee, Haiti. 

And now for the shoreline of Puerto Rico.  The water is a magnificent blue and the shore is lined with old and more modern buildings.  Some are colorful, which I assume are the older ones and then the more modern a simple white or off white and very tall.  The very old forte like at the end of the point interested me and as we got closer, I see they have made it into a Golf Course, hmmm, too bad, I guess.
It is another day off for me so up to the gym and then to the steam room.

My bed buddy tonight.  Can you guess what it is? 

8/22 Cruising on Liberty of The Seas

I left my home at 3am on 8/22 to catch my flight on American Airlines from LAX @6am to Miami,Florida to join The Liberty of The Seas that sails at 5:30 pm.  This is the view from my window as we are starting to descend into Miami International Airport.  The weather was cool for this time of year and the humidity was low which was nice for me.  I wasn't dressed for hot weather, so I was ok.  I was met by a chauffeur driving a town car which was arranged by The Blue Shuttle Taxi that was so kind to take me to Melbourne Airport in Port Canaveral.  They didn't have any taxis, so they sent a town car and only charged me the price of a taxi.  Great company owned by two brothers so when in Miami call them, they will take care of you.  It did take longer to get my luggage and jewelry inventory I check so when I made it to the cruise terminal, I hurried up to the Port Coordinate to register for the cruise.  I always walk all my luggage on due to the fact it takes till late night to get my luggage delivered to my cabin and I have to work at night.  I made it down to my cabin around 4pm just as they were getting ready for boat drill.  I missed it in order to shower and ready to go promote my event for the next day on the Promenade.  They frown on not doing drills but since I was once a crew member and have been cruising a lot lately, I was ok.

I was assigned a very nice passenger cabin on Deck 2, still below water level but very acceptable.  I always have the bed separated so I have more room to work.  You also can ask your Cabin Steward to take care of it and it will be done before you return to the cabin.  They also fill you ice bucket and straighten the cabin and each night I love to come in and be greeted with a different bed buddy.

 My first night bed buddy, lol.  It is little touches like this that warms my heart and I have to chuckle at the creativity they put into each one, some are more elaborate than others.

I have joined the Liberty on a full Moon so I thought it was only right to go up on deck 12 and bask in the light of the full moon, I know there is a song there somewhere if not already, lol.  I took the best picture I could but it really does not do it justice.  I was so tired but I had to just stand and take it in.  I love the full moon but it does seem to bring out the worst in some people and it did with some passengers.  I stayed as long as my legs would allow before making it back down to my cabin to my bead.  An early morning tomorrow. 

The 2nd day of the cruise was a Sea day which is when I unveil one of my 3 collections.  This is the setup which takes about 1-2 hrs.  I had anywhere from 3-4 staff members helping which is a great help.  We hold a raffle of a free necklace which brings a large group of passengers to see if they will win, sorry only one winner.  After that the sales begin but today it was slow.

So slow the crazy shoppies modeled the jewelry, who says my jewelry isn't unisex.  I had a good time with the staff while we were slow.  Here are Kirk from Jamaica, Helen from Canada and KK from India.

And here is their fearless leader Daniel Jackson from good old England.  He is a blast as a manager I wish I had him as my manager when I was a shoppie 15 yrs ago.  He treats his staff very well and they return to him the respect a manager needs to run a prosperous department.









The 3rd day of the cruise was also a Sea day so another long day for me with another unveiling of a 2nd collection Gems of the Sea, The first day was Gems of the Caribbean.  I was moved to 4 large tables in front of the Logo shop.  Another raffle was done at 11:30am.  I finished at 8pm with 3 hr breaks and the sales were better this day.  I still have the last Sea day so all is well.  At the end of the night after packing all my collection up.  I dropped it back at my cabin and decided to go back up to deck 12 to see the moon. 

Again the picture does not do it justice but it was so clear from the winds we were having I just had to do it again.  I also took a few of the pools at nite all lite up.

Here are a few shots of the kids pool which is empty because it closes early.

I stay again as long as I could till, I was ready to put my head to my pillow.  And when I opened my cabin door I was pleasantly surprised with a frog on my bed.  Time for a good night sleep.  I always move my bed buddy to the other bed; I just can't bring myself to destroying it.

Tomorrow is our first Port of call, St Maarten.

A Fond Farewell to Royal Caribbean's Freedom of The Seas

I wanted to tell you some of the events that happen on the Promenade here on the Freedom of the Seas.  This is the entire length of the ship so much can be happening at once.  The first view shows you how vast it is and this is in the early morning when most people are either in bed or up on deck 11 having breakfast at the Windjammer buffet.  Some of the other events that take place here are The Captains welcome where he is brought down from the top on a plate form and he then introduces all the heads of departments.  Another is the 70's nite where everyone is dancing to the music from that era.  That is a wild nite and most of the staff working it are also dress in clothes from that era.  There is another big event held on the Promenade which is the last nite of the cruise.  It is a large and magnificent production, a parade.  I tried to get pictures but by the time I got down to the Promenade I could not find a good place to take a picture.  I will on the next ship.  So when you are on the Promenade don't be surprised when a band starts up or a parade is announced or just the Captain just wants to tell you what is happening with the weather, the ship or whats around the ship.  And of course the bars, eatery's and shops.

This picture below is a glimpse of the grand Food Feast that takes place on the Promenade at the end of the cruise.  Lots of food that you normally may not find on the Buffet.  There is also a napkin folding class, A cookbook signing from one of the Chefs on board and a few other tables of non food items.  This happens from noon till 2pm but it is set up hours before so it is quiet an event.  This is the dessert table that always is set up in front of my tables.  Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! 

Among the places to eat and bars to drink at on the Promenade is Vintages, a little Wine cellar like atmosphere where you can taste any of the Wines the ship carries.  They will also have a formal wine tasting with a very knowledgeable server to explain the wines you will be tasting and it is served with a small cheese and fruit platter.  Below are two of the waiters that will serve you while relaxing at Vintages.

This is the entrance to Vintages, even if you are not a Wine drinker just step in and take a look.  You will feel like you are at an actual Vineyard in France or Northern California.

This is another Bar on the Promenade that is set in as an actual Pub atmosphere with live music every night and the dark loud sounds you may here when walking into a Pub on land
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This last picture is the Cafe Promenade where you can find something to eat from 7am till 3am the next morning.  Always serving coffee, water and hot water for tea you can sit and watch what goes on down the Promenade.  This is where I usually have a lite breakfast of 2 mini croissants a cup of decaf coffee and water.

On each cruise I am on I always meet a lot of passengers but there is only one person or couple that stand out among the rest and for this cruise I have to say it was the Nicely's who I was so fortunate to meet while we were in Labadee.  I noticed they were taking a picture and asked them if they wanted a picture of both in it so I took a picture of the two of them on their camera.  We then walked into Labadee and since I had been there before I gave a little direction but I think they had been before.  So Dwayne and Tara Nicely are my favorite couple for this cruise.  And their name suits they they are as nice as can be.  They had just gotten married 9 days before the cruise and this was their honeymoon.  It was truly a pleasure to meet them and hope to see them on another cruise.  Thanks Dwayne and Tara!!!  I wish you all the happiness and health in your marriage. 

A Fond Farewell to the Shop Staff on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of The Seas

When I ended my 3 week (3 cruise) Trunk Show on The Freedom I said good bye to a great group of kids from the Shop Staff.  In this picture Is Tanya who was my next door neighbor from Jamaica.  And next to her is Tyrone from Trinidad, show was my Internet connection.  Tyrone can tell you where the best places to get the Internet in any port he has traveled too.

And here are the two Inch of Gold Shoppies.  They were right next to my table when I would be on the Promenade the night before my event to promote it.  Owen is from Jamaica and is a sweet guy who helped me with a lot of things, Thanks Owen!  And Nora is I think from Spain, also sweet and fun to talk with.  They both can make a mean bracelet or necklace, lol.

Here are Tanya and Jia in front of the Fine Jewelry store.  Tanya(the girl next door) is a sucker for a picture, lol.  Jia is from China and so cute I would tell her she is so cute I just want to make her small and put her in my pocket.  She is always smiling and happy.  It is very interesting to have a conversation in English with her accent.  But she is a good sport about it.  Say Emerald Jia, lol.  Sweet, sweet girl.




And here is a very special young lady from Portugal, I believe.  She spent so much time helping me sell and when it was slow I got to know her very well.  She is married to a nice guy that works in the Casino and is also on the same ship.  I think that is nice for a married couple to be on the same ship.

Aron is a funny guy that works mostly in the Liquor Store when you go into the store ask him to give you a taste of the black and white Irish liquor, it's delicious.

Owen and Daniel, from India, up to no good with their favorite bottles of alcohol.  Daniel stay well

Home Sweet Home in California..............

My time has come to an end on the Royal Caribbeans Freedom of the Seas.  I disembarked the ship on Sunday August 15th around 8:30am Florida time.  I was suppose to take my merchandise with me but due to Customs I can not carry it off myself.  So I waited dock side for a shop Staff to bring it down.  To make a long story short, while I was waiting the Ship's Fire Alarm went off before all the passengers had left the ship.  Soooooo when that happens everything, everywhere comes to a complete stop and so did my merchandise.  My box was held up for around 3 hrs.  My taxi driver named Lenora from Super Blue Shuttle & Taxi was kind enough to go out of her way to help by waiting and taking me with her in an A/C car to drop off a fare and come back to the Terminal to finally pick up my box when everything was cleared by Customs and Fire Marshal.  After she dropped me off at Melbourne Airport I went in to check my luggage.  A nice older lady helped me and another long story short, she patiently helped me to make my luggage and merchandise light enough that I paid $25.00 as apposed to $160.00.  I then went into the little Cafe there and decided to have something to eat before my flight.  The Lady that served me was more then nice and then going thru Security screening even more nice people.  I was tired and not thinking straight so I was very scattered and all these people were so kind I thought I was in the Twilight Zone, lol.  So when I finally fly out of Melbourne Airport what I said in the beginning that this was the wrong airport to fly into because there was no shuttle to the ship and it cost me $50.00 to get to the ship, turned out that it was the right airport all along.  I meet a lot of Angels that day.
I had a lay over in Atlanta and it was like night and Day.  Liking Atlanta Airport, not so much.  No pictures of Sunday but now I wish I had with what happened.  My little sister picked me up at 10:30pm from John Wayne Airport and I was never so glad to be home and see my 2 kitties.  The weather has been very nice since I have been home and no humidity

This is Sorella, which means Sister in Italian and she is the sister to my little black one below.  His name is Fratello, meaning brother in Italian.  Since Italy was the last foreign place I lived I decided to name my cats with an Italian name.  I miss them so much when I am away and they always give ma a warm hello when I return.Sweet Fratello............