Okay, what I've been up to.....

[DianaB]

I would love to go on a cruise. My Mom and some of her sisters with their husbands went on a cruise a few years ago and they loved it. One of my uncles had been on cruises and he picked which one was best. They left from Florida and each morning, except for the last morning, they woke up to a new port. The sad thing is, I don't think that I will EVER talk Glen into one!! He's just not interested in that kind of thing. I guess that I could go without him.........hmmmmm.......

I'm glad that you're back home all safe and sound!! I'm sure that the break from work was just what you were needing. I would have never known that the patches could make you queasy after taking them off if you hadn't mentioned it. I hope that the dizziness is gone because that's an awful feeling. You know that we love pictures!!! I guess that I live vicariously through others too!!!!

[Marilyn]

The patch didn't make me queezy. It protected me from sea sickness while I was wearing it on the cruise. What happened is that your body gets accustomed to the motion of the ship & when you get off, you can still feel the motion. There is some kind of residual effect in our inner ears. At least for some of us. The sense of motion when there was none is what made me sick. I should have probably had another patch to use for a couple of days after we got home to help combat the effect. I was just totally unaware that something like this could happen, so was unprepared. If we do this again, I will consult with my doctor and see what we can do.

We would like, if the economy improves and we can someday, to do a cruise from Seattle or from Vancouver, BC to Alaska. We also want to do a Mediterannean cruise that loosely follows the apostle Paul's journeys. You begin in Jerusalem and end up in Rome. These are some of our dreams we've been planning and saving for that may not happen if our savings doesn't come back. We both love to travel.

One of the things that I may do in retirement is be a travel agent and plan group trips. The cruise we just went on was a group trip organized by a travel agency that belongs to two retired people who work out of their homes. One of the couples went with us to make sure all went well. They chartered a shuttle to take us from our town right to the boat and back home. We didn't have to deal with luggage or tipping or anything. Their travel was business expense. They can also take research trips that are tax deductable. What a deal!! They are also the ones who planned our Europe trip for us. They have been there so know where to stay and how things work. Kinda like your own personal Rick Steves.

[Tiramisu]

I'm glad you got away and you shouldn't feel guilty, but I do understand.

I worked with a lady who retired and actually started up her own travel agency. She hired some family members in and they all took turns traveling the world.

[gja1000]

Thanks for the great update, Marilyn. I have never heard of anyone having that residual motion sickness after a cruise - I'm glad to know that it can happen. I get very car sick, I have to drive all the time or I am sick. I used scopalamine patch and it worked great for me for the two cruises I have been on. My adult cousin (55 years old) rode a roller coaster a couple of years ago and she had motion sickness for 6 months afterwards. It's that inner ear thing. I knew it could happen, but didn't realize it might happen after a cruise.

My husband and I have been on two cruises (Alaska) - he's been on 3, he went with his sisters to the Carribean (sp?) but I didn't go. We do not care for cruising very much. We took the trip from Vancouver to Alaska and although it is beautiful, you only see a tiny tiny part of Alaska. Also the waters getting from Vancouver to Alaska are VERY rough at times. It happened the second morning out of Vancouver both times we went, half the ship had motion sickness. Gary and I both wear the patch and did fine, but it makes Gary very sleepy, so he misses half of what is happening because he is asleep! LOL!

If you want to see Alaska, fly to Anchorage, and take a Gray Lines tour on land. When you are on a land tour, you can take a day cruise to see the glaciers and sea life which is what you mostly see on a cruise. The second time we went to Alaska, we went with Gary's aunt and uncle and they wanted to do a cruise, so we did a 3-day cruise, started in Vancouver and then got off the ship in Skagway Alaska and took a 10 day land tour by bus and train. Now THAT was FABULOUS!!! And you can do it in reverse, take the land tour first and cruise last.

The third time we went to Alaska, we went two weeks on our own, that is really wonderful!

I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures!

[judy]

Dear Marilyn,

Yes, I am glad to know where you were, and also glad that you guys got to go on what sounds like a very interesting vacation, I can't wait to see pictures.

I would gain at least 10 pounds on a cruise. With food available 24 hours/day, and good food at that, they would be rolling me off the boat. How nice that you didn't have to cook for a week, got to relax and see new places. Sorry it rained though!

I got seasick when I went to see my cousin off on a boat. As soon as I stepped onto the dock, my equilibrium went south. Then I took a windjammer cruise and was determined not to be sick. This was before the patch came out. I was sick the first day, but by the second day, I found my "sea legs," and was fine. I had the same reaction though when we landed. I don't remember how long it lasted, but it is a weird thing if you don't expect it.

[Marilyn]

Originally Posted by judy

I would gain at least 10 pounds on a cruise. With food available 24 hours/day, and good food at that, they would be rolling me off the boat.

I had the same reaction though when we landed. I don't remember how long it lasted, but it is a weird thing if you don't expect it.

Judy, There was way too much food, and yes we did indulge. I hurt myself a couple of times. :-)

It's interesting that you got your sea legs, but then had the same result that I did afterward. I'm so glad it's all over. But it was nice not to have to cook!!

[Marilyn]

Originally Posted by gja1000

The second time we went to Alaska, we went with Gary's aunt and uncle and they wanted to do a cruise, so we did a 3-day cruise, started in Vancouver and then got off the ship in Skagway Alaska and took a 10 day land tour by bus and train. Now THAT was FABULOUS!!! And you can do it in reverse, take the land tour first and cruise last.

Gayle, thank you for the info. This sounds like something we would be very interested in. You get to see it all. We loved traveling by train in Europe. Is there a certain tour company or cruise line that put this trip together?

[gja1000]

Originally Posted by Marilyn

Gayle, thank you for the info. This sounds like something we would be very interested in. You get to see it all. We loved traveling by train in Europe. Is there a certain tour company or cruise line that put this trip together?

Yes, Holland American is the cruise company. They also own Gray Line tours. You can go to the Holland American web site and the combination cruise/land tours are called Cruise Tours. There are all manner of them with varying time on the cruise and on land. With your problem AFTER you got off the ship, I'd do the cruise last, and the land tour first. You learn so much on the land tour because you've got a tour guide who is telling you the history of everything you are seeing.

Here is a slide show of the first train we took on the land tour. We started in Vancouver, cruised to Skagway and then started the land tour on this train. The other trains that we rode on the 10 day tour were regular sized trains with the glass all around so you can see everything. The scenery on this narrow gauge train was definitely the most spectacular. There wasn't any snow when we were on it, except for very high up beyond the tracks.

http://www.pvmolds.com/WhitePassRR.gif

[DianaB]

Gayle, the scenery was just gorgeous!!!! I bet that that was a trip to remember!!!