March 24, 2020



The Long Road Home – Part 4



After walking all over Terminal C at DFW, I decided to have Chick-fil-a for lunch.  I ate over by the charging station so I had a flat place to put my food and could charge my iPad at the same time - all of the seating in the restaurants was closed.  A TSA agent was sitting across from me and she started a conversation about the virus and how parents will now have a much better idea about how their children really behave.



There were machines where you could make changes to your reservations so I traded my mid-row seat for an aisle. 



Boarding was supposed to begin at 5:55 but just a couple of minutes before that an announcement was made that there was no First Officer.  A few minutes later they announced they were looking for a replacement First Officer and hopefully would know something within 30 minutes.  At about 6:30 the announcement came that there was a First Officer and boarding would start soon.



Boarding did not take long since there were less than 40 people on the flight (plane holds 170).  When I got to check-in my seat had been changed from 29C to 19C (no idea why).  Most everyone had a row to themselves except in First Class where all (16) seats were full.



We had a drink and snacks soon after we took off and after that I slept for about an hour and a half.  I woke up when we started our descent.  We came in only about 15 minutes late.  We were virtually the only people in the airport besides those meeting people from the flight.



My daughter and granddaughter met me and my two bags came out quickly (not much luggage with only 40 people).  I was home by 11:15 pm.  I watched TV for a bit and went to bed about 1:15 am and slept for 13 hours. 



I called my favorite restaurant and ordered take-out for dinner so I have still not had to cook.  My daughter bought me bread and peanut butter and jelly, so that may be dinner tomorrow.



I have emptied the suitcase and duffel I brought home with me and washed, dried, and put the clothes back into the cruise closet for next time.



My next cruise is supposed to be 31 days in Europe starting in late August.  I am fairly certain that this cruise is unlikely but it has not been officially cancelled yet and final payment is not until sometime in May, so we will see.



I thoroughly enjoyed my 2/3 of a world cruise (even with the two interminable days of flying and killing time in airports) and am already planning for the 2022 Grand World Voyage.



Thanks for following along.

Some pictures from the way home

Perth airport

 interesting ATM that dispenses four different currencies

delicious pizza and local beer for dinner 

Sydney Airport

 Down under M&Ms

 this McDonald's has the food prep on the upper floor - watch the video below

An empty DFW

Smooth sailing until next time!

March 23, 2020

The Long Road Home Part 3

It seems like a month since my last post rather than about 20 hours.  I had a sandwich and a Coke before the flight and then walked around one last time.

The plane was almost full with only a handful of empty seats in Economy.  First and business were upstairs so I don’t know about those.  Besides a lot of people from the ship, there were a few from the other two ships, quite a few students studying in Australia as well as some vacationers on the plane.

We were a bit late leaving because we waited for some people who were transferring from the domestic terminal (this included Judy (Lee) and her husband Rich whose flight from Perth did not arrive until 12:40 and we were scheduled to leave at 1:40.  We actually left about 2:15.

I fell asleep for about an hour after we took off but woke up when they delivered the meal.  I ended up watching five movies (more than I have seen in total in the last two years.  I napped in between movies but did not get more than about four hours total.  

We made up time and had a really smooth flight (the seatbelt sign did not come on once) which arrived on time.  Having Global Entry made going through immigration a snap.  Luggage was off loaded quickly and there were lots of free carts.  Dropped my two checked bags and then tried to find my gate for the flight home.  I finally found out I had to take the Skylink train to get to Terminal 3.

The airport is very quiet with some of the shops closed and the restaurants only having take away.  My flight does not board until 5:55 so I will get a late lunch to while away the time.

Smooth sailing until next time! 

March 22-23, 2020

The Long Road Home - Part 2

The afternoon stretched on forever.  A group of us continued to sit at the Hudson coffee place.  About 2:30 an announcement was made that check-in for late evening flights would begin at 3 pm but only 10 people were allowed in line at a time.  I stayed where I was until about 3:30 and let those who always want/need to be first go through.

Once I got in line, it took only a few minutes to get my bags checked in (through to Dallas where I have to go through customs) and I was off to the departure gates upstairs.  There were 10 or so shops and restaurants and I looked through them.  I had a delicious raspberry and white chocolate muffin.  I read, walked, knitted, looked around again in the stores, walked to the attached international terminal, watched the planes, and played games on my iPad until it was 7:00.  Janet and I ate dinner together - she had a burger and I had a delicious pizza and we both had a local beer.

We were done a little after eight and after another walk around, I knitted for about an hour.  Another walk and I cleared out the emails that had come in and talked to a few people.  An announcement was made that boarding would be delayed for 10-15 minutes (it was supposed to start at 10:40 but it was a little after 11 before it did).  So another walk around before finally boarding.

I had an aisle seat but the pitch was terrible.  Even my short little legs were cramped.  I was trying (unsuccessfully) to go to sleep when they came around with food and drink.  The food was gluten free, nut free, egg free, 100% vegetarian, and horrible.  A good reminder why I am not a vegetarian.

The plane landed about on time even though we left late.  We had to take a bus to transfer from the domestic to the international terminal and had to go down an escalator to get to the bus.  Uh, oh!  No way!  I was sent to the area where people were waiting for wheelchair assistance along with my friends Linc and Stephanie.  About 10 minutes later one of the Qantas reps came and took us down an elevator with three other people to the bus which we had to ourselves.

Since we already had our boarding passes, it was a quick trip through security and into the mall, er... I mean terminal.  Just about every high end name has a shop or kiosk.

I wandered around and caught up one last time with Sherita.

It is now 9:45 and we don’t load for another three hours.  I will post this now and the next update will be from Dallas.

Smooth sailing until next time! 

The Long Road Home

Part 1 - Sunday, March 22

I woke up around 7 but forced myself to stay in bed.  I actually fell asleep for a shot while but got up at 8:08 when Hamish announced the first group for disembarkation.  I got up and got ready for the day.  I then realized I could not find my key card.  I thought I might of packed it in my purse I carried to dinner last night but it had gone into the suitcase picked up last night.  I was ready to go to Guest Services to get another when I remembered I had put it in the bathrobe pocket in case I was locked out when putting my bags out.  Sure enough, there it was.

I decided to eat some breakfast (stress eating) and somehow missed when they called “Red 3”.  At about 9:45 I decided it was time to get off.  As usual, there were some crew members to say goodbye.  I got to give Tomas and Billy a last hug.  We had been told to have our immigration card, passport, and flight information ready to show when we got off.  I had met up with Sherita in line and we talked for a last time.  When we got to the end of the line, all they wanted was the card and we were out.  Not even a dog to sniff our things.  

I was sent to the left for people who had their own transportation.  A short while later, Judy and Pete came out.  They had hired a van to take them to the airport and I was invited to ride with them.  They had requested the driver for noon but had been in touch with him and he was coming early.  As we were waiting for the driver, a local Channel 9 TV reporter showed up.  He interviewed Pete for about five minutes.  

The driver arrived about 11 and we had a very enjoyable ride to the airport which took about 45 minutes.   They were able to check in because their flight was at 2:30 since mine is not until 11, I could not.  We said goodbye and I set off to investigate the airport.  Not much on this side of security but I did find a coffee shop where I got juice and a ham and cheese sandwich.  Just about everyone around me is from the ship.  

I have been eavesdropping on conversations.  Just about everyone has a different story about how their flights were arranged/cancelled/rebooked/treated by HAL, etc.  I also heard an interesting story about yesterday’s delay in getting people off the ship.  According to this story, the reason for the delay was the Pacific Princess docked in front of us.  Supposedly, some people thought they were staying on the ship and refused to get off.  Security had to be called from Fremantle.  

It is now only 1:30 pm, I am amazingly bored and it is still nine hours before the first flight.  At least I am better off than the couple sitting near me whose flight is not until 5:30 tomorrow morning!  More updates to follow. 

 Smooth sailing until next time! 

March 21, 2020



Fremantle, Australia



I woke up just after 8 and we were pulling up to the pier.  We managed to make up the time lost with the medical emergency yesterday.  Also in port are two other ships that were doing world cruises – Pacific Princess and Seabourn Sojourn.  Rumor has it that some people are being allowed to sail back to the states on Pacific Princess.



It was a very strange day because there were very few scheduled activities.  A few of us went to the Crow’s Nest and worked on our knitting/crocheting.  Bonnie stopped by to say good-bye because she was getting off – or at least planning to.  The original plan was that people could disembark starting at 11 am.  By the time Sherita and I left for lunch at noon, the time had been pushed back. 



After lunch I worked on throwing some more last minute items into my suitcases.  Anyone ever notice how things seem to materialize out of nowhere when you think you are done packing?  I also wrote thank you notes to some of the wonderful crew that have been so helpful.



I then walked out onto deck 3 and ran into Sherita and her friend Karen sitting in deck chairs.  I stopped to talk to them and saw Judy (Lee) walking down the Promenade deck.  I hadn’t seen her in two days so we all chatted for some time.  An announcement was made that the Australian authorities were prohibiting people getting off the ship and going to a hotel.  You had to go directly to the airport even if you flight was almost 24 hours away once you got off the ship.



Finally, at around 3:15, it was announced that the authorities were ready to start processing those passengers getting off today.  I went over to the starboard side so I could wave good-bye to Marilyn and Rodney since I had not bumped into them today.  There was yet another holdup and the first passenger did not step off the ship until 3:35.  I was able to speak to Marilyn and Rodney as they were disembarking.  After watching a few more people leave (there were not lots because originally we were not going to arrive until tomorrow so most people did not have flights today).



There was an afternoon trivia so I went to the Crow’s Nest and got a Coke and knitted for a while.  The captain came on again to say that the Australian officials had changed their minds and you could stay in a hotel before your flight.



Debby, Rick, John (from the “We Don’t Need Google” team), and I played together.  We had 14.5 correct out of 18 and the winners had 16.5.



1.What are the names of the King and Queen of the Netherlands?

2.What is the largest animal to build a nest?

3.What part of the plane gives the bumpiest ride?

4.TAP is the national airline of which country?

5.Arachibutyphobia is the fear of – rain, peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth, jay-walking?

6.Which celestial body appeared just in time to be a good luck charm for William the Conqueror?

7.Black swans are native to which continent?

8.How many seconds are there in an NBA shot clock?



Another announcement was made that an evening immigration period was cancelled and if your flight was before 1 pm on Sunday, you had to be off the ship by 6 pm.  (By that point, people were groaning every time an announcement started.)



I went to a last visit to “my deck” after trivia and then returned to my cabin to pack the things that had materialized since I left and did some knitting.



The dining room was ¾ empty.  We talked to Billy who said he was not sure if or when he would be sent home.  The ship will head to Durban, South Africa to get provisions and refuel before heading back to the US.  Depending on when the provisions reach Durban, it may be 30-40 days before the ship gets to the US.



I stopped by the Piano Bar and listened to the piano player (she got on in Sydney and I can’t remember her name).  Her set was over after a couple of songs and I returned to my cabin to get my bags ready to set out before midnight.  Sherita stopped by to say good-bye as I was putting my bags out.



As it stands now, immigration for those with flights tomorrow will be between 8 and 11. 



Trivia

1.Willem-Alexander and Maxima

2.gorilla

3.tail

4.Portugal

5.peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth

6.Halley’s Comet

7.Australia

8.24

 in back of us

in front of us

some views of Fremantle

 ready to disembark

 Rodney and Marilyn leaving the ship and almost home

 Fremantle is not shut down - we saw lots of people enjoying this early autumn day

lots of us getting off tomorrow

Smooth sailing until next time!

March 20, 2020



At Sea



Today was a “feast or famine” day.  At midnight I had no flight home and by 6:30 pm, I had two!  Once again, I woke up early – just after 4 am.  I had left my computer on when I went to bed, so I logged in to see if I had received an e-mail from my travel agent.  Two had come in.  In the first she was still looking and in the second she had a confirmed and paid for flight.  I take the red-eye from Perth to Sydney on Sunday night, then fly to Dallas mid-day on Monday arriving mid-day Monday in Dallas.  Then from Dallas to Richmond arriving just after 10 pm.



I went by Guest Services just after lunch to let them know I had a flight.  However, I did not do it fast enough because when I returned from dinner, HAL had arranged a flight for me.  It was very similar (the Sydney-Dallas and Dallas-Richmond parts were the same but the flight to Sydney was early in the morning with only an hour between arrival and departure in Sydney). 



Once I had confirmation at 4:30 I still could not get back to sleep so I took half an Ambien and slept until just after 9.



We only had a handful for Sit and Stitch. 



In our last morning trivia we had 9 out of 15.  The winners had 11.



1.What creature has its heart in its head?

2.What band had members Roger, Andy, and John Taylor?

3.How many digits in 10 to the 100^th power?

4.Where in Scotland would you find the ship Discovery?

5.Burning potassium produces what color flame?



I did some more packing before lunch.  I went to lunch early because there was no Arts & Crafts today.  Sherita sat with me and later Janet and Judy (Margaret) came by and we talked for a while.  As we were leaving the Lido a medical emergency announcement was made.



Sherita and I then went to see the crew show.  Because of the abbreviated cruise, the Filipino and Indonesian shows were combined.  As usual, the crew did a fantastic job.



Captain Mercer made an announcement that we had changed course because the person with the medical emergency had to be airlifted to a hospital.



Back for more packing and then changed for dinner because I was eating early with my other table.   Then up to the Crow’s Nest for trivia.  We had 18 out of 23 and the winners had 21.

1.What city in the Bible is known as the city of David?

2.What does a lungless salamander keep moist so it can breathe?

3.What company made the first Jeep in 1943?

4.What was the name of Hitler’s dog?

5.What was the first international airline to fly to New Zealand?

We watched for the helicopter in the Crow’s Nest after trivia but it did not come before I had to leave for dinner.



With the help of a dinner companion, we emptied my last bottle of wine in my package.  During dinner there was a nice tribute to Captain Mercer (this is his last cruise before retirement – what a way to go).  One of the passengers, Jeri, put new lyrics to a couple of songs for the captain.  Everyone toasted Captain Mercer with wine provided by the ship (I used my Muscato).



Shortly afterwards the announcement was made that there could be no people out on an open deck, on their balconies, or even in the Crow’s Nest while the helicopter was near the ship.  We saw it fly by a couple of times while in the dining room.



When I returned to my cabin before heading to The Mainstage, I found the information for the second flight.  I took it with me so I could go to Guest Services (along with half the ship) after the show.  Tonight was a variety show with the Shamrock Tenors and Chantelle Delaney.



Sherita had finally gotten her flight but had a problem with it so we stood in line together.  The line went fairly quickly because besides the people behind the desk they also had some of the exc people helping out.  I was able to have my second flight cancelled easily but when I returned to my cabin, I found another letter saying that a room had been reserved for me at a hotel because of the 5 am flight they had booked.  So, back to Guest Services to get that cancelled.



We were supposed to get into Fremantle early tomorrow but not sure if our medical detour may make that a little later.



Morning trivia

1.shrimp

2.Duran Duran (thanks, Betsy!)

3.101

4.Dundee

5.purple



Afternoon trivia

1.Jerusalem

2.its skin

3.Willis

4.Blondie

5.PanAm

Some views of the Crew Show

my other table

water, a mask, and our tile

Smooth sailing until next time!

March 19



At Sea (not Komodo Island where we would have been)



Despite the well wishes from my Cruise Critic friends, I woke up very early and could not get back to sleep (I did get 6 hours of sleep, however).  I did some more packing and emptied out some closets and drawers.



Since I was up, I went to the Coffee Chat with Hamish.  He was interviewing the “Shamrock Tenors”, the Irish group that performed on St. Patrick’s Day.  At 10 I left so I could talk with Wendy and Steve.  They had not heard anything about a flight home for me yet.



We had a small group for Sit and Stitch.  Sherita and I left for trivia about 11:30 and I checked one more time with Wendy and Steve (no luck).



We had 12 out of 15 in morning trivia.  The winners had 14.

1.What Greek letter is used for summation?

2.What is the name of an eagle’s nest?

3.What are Hawaii’s two most valuable crops?

4.What are affected by Phylloxera?

5.What was Billy Joel’s first top 40 hit?



We had another update from the captain.  We have sped up so we can get to Fremantle on Saturday instead of Sunday.  The ship will leave on Monday but we can stay on until the morning of our flight home.  If the flight is after the ship leaves, we can claim the money for a hotel from HAL.



Before I left this morning, I asked my room steward if he would use his vacuum on my large compression bag that had about 20 of my shawls in it.  When I came back, he had done a great job on it so I decided to take everything out of that suitcase and put the bag on the bottom.  Suitcase number 2 is packed and number 3 is about ¾ full.



Today was our final arts and crafts and we made a tropical charm bracelet.



I sat out by the pool and finished a book before dropping my knitting bag in my cabin and going to afternoon trivia.  It had a movie theme and we did much better than any of us expected with 14 out of 20.  The winners had 17.

1.Who played Bonnie & Clyde?

2.Tom Hanks won his first Academy Award nomination for what movie?

3.Who played Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate?

4.Who played Molly Brown in Titanic?

5.Who wrote the scary theme music of Halloween?



My travel agency had its final cocktail party in The Mainstage from 4:30-5:30, so I went there after trivia.  I talked with Sherita and two of her friends until they left for dinner.  I then took my finished book to the book exchange in the library and then sat by the pool and worked on my knitting before returning to my cabin.



Tonight was Indonesian night and it was nice to see the MDR staff dressed in their native garb.  I had a delicious but spicy meal.  I did not go to the show (a repeat performance by the singers and dancers).



Morning trivia

1.Sigma

2.aerie

3.pineapples and sugar cane

4.grapes

5.Piano Man



Afternoon trivia

1.Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway

2.Big

3.Anne Bancroft

4.Kathy Bates

5.John Carpenter

The Shamrock Tenors

Today's charm bracelet

 Indonesian menu

 Rijstaffel

 Pryio and Billy, our waiters

entrance to dining room

Smooth sailing until next time!

March 18, 2020



At Sea



As my mother used to say, “What a mell of a hess!” (she didn’t like to curse in front of me).  Today, many people found out that the flights they thought they had, were no more.  Qantas and Delta cancelled numerous flights between Australia and the US.  HAL finally stepped up and said they would help anyone who did not have a flight.  We received a letter about noon asking if we had a reservation, needed a reservation, or had HAL air and it needed to be returned by 5 pm.

 

The prices of the flights home have skyrocketed and the $1250 HAL is offering will not cover the cost of a seat in many cases.  One of my friends was quoted $6000 for business class.  I hope my travel insurance will cover the cost but that is something to worry about when I get home.



I still do not have a reservation but my travel agent is supposed to be working on it.  I will go see Steve and Wendy (who represent Cruise Specialists) again tomorrow morning to see if they know anything more.



All of us who made Project Linus blankets met at 9:45 for a group picture.  There was a huge number and Captain Mercer joined us.  There should be well over 400 blankets by Friday, the last day to turn them in.  The blankets were all laid out for everyone to come by and see.  I turned in my #8 (making a grand total of 14 with the ones I made at home) and the leftover yarn.



We had our last winding day at Sit and Stitch.  Judy (Lee)’s husband, Rich, help wind yarn for Sherita and Judy (Margaret).



In morning trivia we had 9 out of 15 but the winners had a whopping 14 correct.

1.Which constellation has a hunter with a club and a shield?

2.Jake the Jailbird and Officer Mallory are characters in which popular board game?

3.Toxicodendron Radicans or T-radicans are more commonly known as what?

4.Which opera singer was known as “La Stupenda”?

5.In a professional soccer game, how many referees are there?



Since I have no more Linus blankets to work on, I spent the time after trivia packing.  I am getting worried that all my stuff will fit in my suitcases (I may need to buy a box again).



In Arts and Crafts we made a scissors fob and even got a pair of stork scissors to go with it.



I packed some more before I changed for dinner since I was eating early at my other table tonight.



Afternoon trivia was called “World Wide History” and most of the questions were fairly easy.  We had 17 out of 19 but were edged out by a team with 18.

1.What is the modern name for Van Diemen’s Land?

2.What was the name of the first space shuttle in 1981?

3.Which English Queen reigned for 9 days?

4.How did Alexander the Great solve the puzzle of the Gordian Knot?

5.Which country admitted to blowing up Greenpeace’s “Rainbow Warrior” in 1985?



One of the traditions that had to be scrapped was the Medallion Ceremony.  Normally there is a get-together in The Mainstage and the people receiving 100, 300, 500, or 700-day medallions are called up and can get a picture with the captain.  Instead, this year the medallions were delivered yesterday and you could stop by and get your picture taken before 4 and 8 in the atrium.  I had mine taken (300 days) on the way to dinner.



Dinner was the Orange Dinner Party described as “a great opportunity to wear something abundantly orange and celebrate the Dutch Royal color, then, close the night with a near King’s Day Orange Party in the Crow’s Nest.”  There were a number of Dutch items on the menu.



The show tonight was Chantelle Delaney, a singer, songwriter, and guitarist.  I sat with Sherita downstairs (I almost always sit in the balcony) and the show was very good.  I skipped the party in the Crow’s Nest.



I am hoping for a longer night’s sleep tonight.  The last two mornings I woke up very early and could not get back to sleep because of the stress.  Hopefully, tomorrow I will get a flight.



Morning trivia

1.Orion

2.Monopoly

3.poison ivy

4.Joan Sutherland

5.one



Afternoon trivia

1.Tasmania

2.Columbia

3.Lady Jane Grey

4.cut it with a sword

5.France

my Linus blanket #8

four pictures of the blankets

our pillow gift - it's beautiful but very heavy

 scissor fob from arts and crafts

medallion

Smooth sailing until next time!