Tony and I arrived in Rome Thursday around 11 am and went right to hotel - charming boutique hotel, we had little balcony and I loved the neighborhood. We found out Karen and Mark and Todd and John had already checked in - Mark called our room and asked us to meet them at outdoor restaurant across from hotel - we joined the others and a rude waiter kept giving Tony a menu and then taking it from him (always behind Tony) saying Tony was taking too long to decide on his order- finally annoyed, Tony turned around and realized his waiter was Tom Matassa! We were so surprised and so happy! Marcie told us they'd be in Rome till Monday but we were thrilled to be seeing them for two nights- that night we went out to dinner and during conversation I made some comment about getting something for my cabin and Marcie said "Oh Yes I have that, too, in my cabin" I SAID "WHAT CABIN MARCIE!!!!!???????" That's when we knew they were joining us on 007!!! We had fun dinner and the Mondaes, Mark and Todd and John stayed up way too late on rooftop terrace/bar of hotel but what a fun night! Next day Tom and Marcie Tony and I walked and had a great lunch with good vino - another wonderful dinner Friday night and now we had Olivia and her daughter Joanna - we had small private room in restaurant and had many many laughs - back to rooftop bar for nightcaps with Olivia and Joanna joining us - we were picked up at hotel and taken to ship arriving about 1 PM - our cabins were ready at 1:30 PM how nice - Marcie and Tom co-hosted Todd's cosmo party in their suite - butler brought us yummy treats and the cosmos were perfect - Sue and her dad Bill came, Frank came Carla was napping, Macy came - last night we had 11 at our table - delicious meal I had mussels, pumpkin soup and filet - this morning everyone went to Pompeii but Tom and I stayed on ship - read and relaxed - I am glad I did as they left at 8:15 am for 4 1/2 hr tour and returned at 2:15 PM!! Olivia and group went to Capri - We all had lunch at pool grill (Olivia's son and wife here now) and people have scattered and we'll all hook up before dinner tonight - weather has been perfect - actually very warm in Rome and today is a perfect "10" weatherwise lots of people sunning around pool what a perfect day to relax and look at Sorrento from the ship - - The Oceania is next to us - so Marcie pulled off a perfect surprise and it is such fun being with everyone - she said to say "hi" she was next to me in computer room but left to get her hair done....Todd's friend John is a doll - a super nice guy and I have really enjoyed him - Karen brought 25 pairs of shoes with her - now telling you things as they pop into my head - Tony said this morning "my face hurts from laughing so much last night" - now I'll get on Karen to post - I bought ten hrs of time so you'll hear from me again - great trip, great people - wish you all could be here - Joanna Sunday 4:05 PM

Hi Joanna!

So good to read your Seamail! Glad to hear everyone arrived safely and you are all enjoying eachother's company! Weather looks perfect. Take care. Best to all. Have a marvelous time!

Hey Joanna, The weather in Sorrento looks beautiful today. We've been stalking you on the webcam. What fun to be surprised by Marcie and Tom like that! May you have many more fun surprises on your cruise. Enjoy yourselves and write often.

Joanna, sounds like everyone is having a wonderful time. I sure wish I was there but will have to live through your posts. What a wonderful surprise about Marcie and Tom.

Nancy

How wonderful to hear from you, Joanna. And what a surprise to see Marcie and Tom, that is pretty funny. Say hi from all of us landlubbers.

What a great surprise for Marcie and Tom to be on the trip!

A computer question for Joanna or Marcie . .

Is the charging system the same as it was on the 2005 World Cruise? With the same password system?

Also some staff questions for the 2006 World Cruise: any idea who the Hotel Director will be? What about Elda? Will she be back? And Wayne? And Patrick?

Hope it's OK to come back to you if I think of anything else . . .

Thanks in advance . . .Peggy

Glad to hear from you. So much fun. Yes, we were stalking the ship and could see how great the weather is in Sorrento. Can you put in an order for us to keep it that way since we'll be there in two weeks?

Karen - 25 pr's of shoes? for a week? 4 pair a day?

SOOOO great to hear from you. Never has the phrase been more appropriate "WISH I WAS THERE".

Give everyone a hug for me looking forward to hearing from everyone.

Dinner the last night in Rome

Joanna,

OMG! What a great time you all are having! Wonderful surprise....Marcie & Tom joining your cruise.

Hope you will keep posting for us "wish we were there" folks.

25 pairs of shoes! Oh my!

Betty

WOW Marcie pulled it off!!!! Heehee, I knew about this, just before we got off Voyager in Rome, Steph told me, and then Marcie emailed me (HI Marcie bet you had fun pulling that off)- I've been waiting to hear from you all and hear about your surprise!! Yay!!!! how fun for you all!
Great picture, looks like a good time was being had by all. We had the best three dinners in Rome I've ever had. What hotel were you at? We loved the Bernini Bristol.

The weather looked wonderful in Sorrento. We did that Pompeii tour and it was hectic, luckily we also had a couple of hours in Sorrento to shop and stuff.

Have a great time all -- I too "wish I was there".
Is Lorraine still on or has she left already? If she is tell her Frank and JoAnn said "hi" (it was her first week on)and somebody give Steph a kiss for me - what a neat guy!! Tell Miranda "Hi" from us too (the couple she knew from HAL)

Thanks for posting Joanna, keep us up to date when you can.

This story just keeps getting better and better. I doubt if there is a single LCT member that isn't green with envy.
Now besides Joanna, which of you are are staying on for next week? Another surprise of this magnitude would make this even more wonderful.
Karen's shoe count has already blown my mind. I am still working on wardrobe problems - have yet to give a thought to shoes, but I don't own 24 pair.Wonder how many she will take on MUSH!!!!!! Next summer we should probably start a Karen shoe count lottery! Winner gets all their Cosmos free on the trip.
Love the picture. Keep them coming.

Boy, glad the big secret has finally been revealed. Marcie made me go through the whole "stick a needle in my eye" rhyme before she trusted me with it a few months ago. I was charged with wheedling info about shore excursions and flight times from everyone...

And, boy, do I ever wish I was there!!! Don't forget you are drinking for those left behind!

How cool is that to have the gang back together on Voyager? Hope you are all having a fantastic time (how could you not??) and keep sharing the fun with those of us back on this side of the Atlantic. Cheers, Anne

Wow, what a fantastic surprise, Marcie and Tom! Love the photo -- everyone looks so happy.

I'm with Betty -- is anyone staying on board for a second week besides Joanna and Tony? If so, and I hope so, we'll see you on Saturday in Monte Carlo!!! :D

Thanks for posting, Joanna. I've been thinking of you and anticipating ....

How fantastic! Thinking of all of you and the wonderful times you're having. Send more photos - we love to see them.

What a great surprise!! I kept wondering where Marcie was that she had to borrow strangers' laptops in Starbucks! Ooooooh, now I'm even more envious of the 007 crowd and wish I could have made it. That dinner in Rome looked fantastic - we want more seamail!!

Masaki

What a great picture ! It says it all! Please save the names of the restaurants if you liked them for future reference.

It's a bit after midnight, I just walked past the lounge and saw Marcie doing what appeared to be the froog (sp?) I promised Mark I would come and check on the Steeler game score but I stopped in here first.

That picture that Tood (as the check-in girl called him, so now we are calling him that) posted was from the restaurant where we had the private room and the Italian restaurant owner that stands at your table and talks to you like you are family. He asked if he could order for us and we didn't quite understand what he said and we said yes. After about 3 starters, pasta and various other courses, we were all stuffed and this was BEFORE they brought the main course so we told Gigi that we were very full so he cancelled the main entre. Thank goodness!! After 10 bottles of wine, we had no room for any more food. Well, with the exception of me and a few others, we found room for desert.

Tonight was dinner with Captain Knute (I think Miss Ngare had something to do with that!) and we had a very nice time. He is quite charming with a jolly good sense of humor. Of course, he knew about LCT but I don't think he knew that I get a crush on every RSSC Captain that I come in contact with ;) After dinner, we started doing shots of the Captains favorite liquer, Aquavit (I am sure I just butchered the spelling on that) and I am pretty sure that was my first time doing shooters with a Captain. It really was a fun dinner with great conversation!

Today we went to Pompeii with a tour but our tour quide wasn't holding our flea size attentions so we snuck off on our own and caused havoc in the ruins :) We were looking for a certain area of the ruins and Marcie asked one of the employees if he could tell us where it was and he barked this at her, "If you would pay for a guide like everyone else, you would know where it was" Well, we DID pay for a guide but he was too long winded! So we went on our merry way through the ruins and of course we got silly and had fun. I can't exactly say what we were doing, or I would have to edit my post!

Well, I am being paged so I think I have to go back down to the lounge and see if I can catch Marcie doing the jerk :) I am really having a marvelous time and I think the week is going much too fast!! I will check in again later.

xoxo

PS, tomorrow night is the Brown & Keene/LCT cocktail party, that should be lots of fun!!

Sounds like a wonderful time. This year without cruising and the LCT bunch has been tres boring. Thank goodness 2006 will be here shortly.

Hi to you all...is this tour VOF in reverse? What are the ports?

Karen,

Sounds awesome, Girl! Great cruise....great weather....the greatest company!!! What more could anyone ask? So glad you are having soooo much fun.
Please continue to post. We all want to know everything that's going on.
We miss you!!! Enjoy!!!!

Betty


Oh yeah, and we want to know if and when you wear all the shoes. heehee

Karen, Sounds like a great first day filled with fun and giggles. Be careful doing shots with the captain!!! You might miss a port..... the town not the bottle of..... :pass: :pass:

Have a ball and keep us LCTers at home posted of all your fun and games.

When you see Marcie duck walk out of the lounge, you know she has been overserved!!!!!!!!

What fun! Marcie, you pulled off a great surprise. I kept wondering where you were going for your "birthday weekend".

I can't wait for more reports. Would love to be on one of these cruises someday. Everyone has so much fun!

Karen, 25 pairs of shoes? I wish I could find that many shoes that would actually fit. The only part of me that's skinny...my feet!!

Have a great time guys and please send us email. It's so much fun to read. Keeps me smiling all day.

Karen, thanks for checking in! We miss you terribly but of course we are glad you are having fun. Try not to get arrested. xoxox

Todd and John sipping Cosmos on Formal Night:

Joanna and Frank:

Hi guys! Yep, we're having the time of our lives. Last night we had fun dinner with Joanna, Tony, Todd and John then hit the Voyager Lounge (gee what a surprise!) Rolled into bed at 2:30am but had so much fun. Olivia (and her 3 kids who are GREAT!), Frank & Carla, Sue and her siblings, Mark & Karen (but she left the earliest...probably the only smart one) all had lots of fun and laughs. We danced a LOT with all our group and I even danced with Lars (lots of the officers were in Voyager lounge too). Our group alone took up the entire back section, and the entire Voyager lounge was packed! Tom had a very good night at the Craps table then joined us in the lounge and danced his tootsies off. Many photos have been taken but I'm afraid many will NOT be suitable for posting here! :D

Wednesday night 14 of us have reservations at Signatures (2 tables). This morning I had a facial and this afternoon Tom has a massage planned (after last night night our bodies were screaming "surrender....no more Sambuca!"). For the 2nd night in a row we were doing Kamakazi (sp) shooters as well. Maybe tonight we'll repent! It has been really fun getting to know Frank, Carla and Sue this trip and Todd's friend John is just great too (and a really good dancer)

Joanne, I posted on a previous posting that I was able to spend half hour with Steph before he got off on Saturday (his vacation was moved up).
Peggy, sounds like the same people who were with us on 2005 WC....Capt. Dag, Lars, Patrick, Jamie and Dana. Hopefully Elda too!

We're just pulling into Portafino.
It's really been so fun with everyone here and we truly do wish you all were with us!!!

Marcie,

Sounds like too much fun! Glad to hear that you guys are keeping the Voyager lounge hopping. :) As for the Sambuca & Kamakazis ....repent or repeat.......whatever! Just continue to have fun, and continue to post!

Todd, I'm lovin' your photos. Thanks for posting them!

Betty

Wow!! A cruise with too many hugs and laughs and cosmos and wine and shoes and friends.....what could be better!!!! :D :D :D :D

Thanks for reporting! Let the good times continue to roll!

If Elda is on board, please send our very best to her and tell her we missed sailing her when we cruised to the Baltics in August.

Denise & Alan

You are guys are just having toooooooo muchhhhh funnnnn! STOP!! haha! just kidding -- hope you continue to have a great time! Portofino, my favorite port of our cruise hands down!!

Marcie I don't know if Frank and I will be able to keep up with you guys on MUSH - we love to party, but I don't know you guys really know how to party - ok we'll start practising up now!!!
I can't find your post about Steph - where is it?

JoAnn, I think it's on the thread 007 with music (?)

I was mistaken about Karen going to bed early. She was up until 1:00 am and this is her new record!! Also I forgot to mention that the theme party in the Voyager Lounge last night was 007 and James Bond! Wasn't that perfect!

We just returned from Portofino where 10 of us ate a great pizza lunch. It is such a nice town!! Now I'm going to go lay up on the pool deck with a good book.

Just returned from Portofino at 3 PM - Tony, Frank and Carla stayed there majority of us came back to ship to rest - most of us are anxious to have some R&R around the pool - last night was fun but oh so late getting to bed!! The food has been outstanding, weather is perfect, and many nice people on this cruise - I think Tony and I are only ones staying on next week - it will be sad to see so many great LCT people leave HOWEVER we look forward to seeing Betty and Priscilla - I am headed to the pool to read and think we are eating in LaVeranda tonight - cute girl delivered b'fast this morning and we recognized each other immediately from the WC - she is waitress in LaVeranda and I had left my shoe bag for her when I got off ship - told her she can have this one too! Fun to see many of the nice kids who work for Radisson - we all agreed no posting of any pictures taken after 10 PM!!!!

Hi Marcie,

Thanks! Glad to know that some things will be the same on the 2006 cruise . . .

I don't have to tell you to enjoy your trip - clearly you - and everyone else - is!

Have fun . . .Peggy

You guys are having so much fun! Ok, I'm naive, what are Kamakazee shooters? What party experts you all are, don't think I could keep up with you. But, I sure would have fun trying.

The pictures are wonderful. Post more. Enjoy the facials, massages, reading by the pool. Rest up for more fun!

Wow, what fun you are all having. Sounds like a great time and such a great group of people. Keep have the times of your life!!!

Nancy

Ohhhhh...I just read about Marcie and Tom's surprise!!!! How COOL!!!!!!! :app:

OH, I too wish that I could be with you all! What fantastic pictures!

Don't forget what Suzanne said...you are drinking (and eating) for all of us left behind!! <img border="0" alt="[naughty]" title="" src="graemlins/naughty.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[beer]" title="" src="graemlins/beer.gif" />

Sheri

p.s. please relay to Karen and Mark that there is a bounty out on Tommy Maddox's head for the HORRIBLE game he played on Sunday! UGH!!!! <img border="0" alt="[bang]" title="" src="graemlins/banghead.gif" />

Sounds like a great time - amazing that you were able to keep your booking a secret, Marcie!

While you're having fun in the Voyager lounge, try a Midori Margarita. Denise introduced us to that one on BRAVO. I just had one last night at a restaurant in Santa Fe and it didn't hold a candle to the ones they make onboard.

---
Leslie

Marcie - I can't find it, but not to worry.

Glad you all are getting in some pool time - its hard to do on those port intensive itineraries, and you need to rest up for the evenings. Sounds like a really fun group. We are sailing along with you with our memories of our Monte Carlo to Rome trip.

Joanna - how fun to run into your waitress friend from the WC. Enjoy La Verandah - loved the eggplant parmigian (sp? killed that didn't I).

More pictures please - especially the dancing ones. We already know you know how to drink. And now we know that John drinks. What a surprise John! Looking forward to meeting you, along with the others Saturday morning for the Casino stop and hug!

Have safe flights 007ers! I know what fun you will have. Unfortunately, I received an email from Steph and he is very sorry he won't see you all as his vacation got moved up one week and he departs Voyager on Oct. 15. He says that Lars and Patrick will be on board and will make sure you're well taken care of!

Joann, I found it!

You guys are the best.. thanks for keeping us updated on never ending cocktail hour ..ha ha
green with envy !

Regarding..Karen and shoes.. LOVE IT!

You think the ship will need to restock after this group is finished. For certain they will need Grey Goose and Sambuca! Have one for us!

Boy do we really miss you guys and the wonderful time it sounds like you are having. Glad the weather, the friends, and the cruise are going well. Keep the SeaMail coming!!

Anthony

uh, oh, I hope that B&K cocktail party isn't tonight...if so, I missed it! Because my kids were out so late last night (Joanna, Brice, Jen, John and Mark closed up the Voyager Lounge), we went back to bed after breakfast, and slept later than I will admit, and so we were late getting off the ship. Positano retains its magic; my son was bowled over by the atmosphere and the architecture. We had a nice big lunch at one of the cafes that ring the harbor, then climbed the hill to the church and castle before doing some window shopping.

What a great group of people aboard! They have all made my kids feel like their own, and like Tony says, your face can hurt from all the laughing. There was a picture last night of Todd standing with arms outstretched, somehow holding all these women's shoes in his hands. I can attest that John and Mark are wonderful dance partners!

We have an all day driver tomorrow, so I think we must behave tonight.

Hi Olivia,

I'm so glad you're having such a great time with your family and friends. Say hello to your Joanna for me as well as the rest of the gang. Have a Limoncello on me

Such fun to hear from you all and love the pictures!

It's fun to live vicariously through all of you, keep up the seamail.

Wow, what a great surprise...in spirit of 007 Marcie sure pulled off a great "undercover" mission!! :app: :lct:

Another fun day! Since Tom and I had been to Florence on previous trips, we took the train from Livorno to Pisa to see the tower and then from there took the train on to Lucca for lunch Such a deal for 6 Euros! Karen and Mark went on a ship’s tour to Pisa, Olivia and family and Joanna & Tony had a private guide to go into the countryside, Todd went to Pisa, John went to Florence, not sure what Sue and her family or Frank & Carla had planned. It will be fun to all hook up at dinner to compare notes and share stories.

Tonight is the Brown & Keene private cocktail reception in the Horizon Lounge. Karen will be hosting it in Ngaire’s place. We’ve even requested a name tag made that says “Not Quite Ngaire” for her to wear for the evening. There will be Brown & Keene clients there tonight that don’t post on LCT that we’ll be meeting for the first time and we’re expecting quite a large turnout.. We also have some special order meals ordered for the evening. Patrick called Tom and had taken it upon himself to order him a rack of lamb (he was thrilled to hear that!) and Joanna and I have weinerschnizel ordered. We also ordered something like 12 Gran Marnier soufflés ordered for desert.

Tomorrow we’ll be in St. Tropez. I don’t think any of us have anything special planned. Tomorrow night is the Seven Seas Society cocktail party. Thursday we’ll be in Barcelona….busy busy week being in a new port each day. We’ve especially enjoyed this itinerary since for us, it really is about the people we’re with since we’ve been to all the ports before. I like not feeling the need to cram everything into one day but instead just doing leisurely things, enjoy the people watching and hanging out in little sidewalk cafes instead of taking in all the sites.

Last night we actually behaved ourselves (guess it’s all relative) and most of us left the Voyager Lounge around midnight giving our bodies and souls a night off from the previous 2 nights of abuse. We have had such a good time and all of our jaws ache from laughing so much! Whoever coined that phrase “Laughter is good for the Soul” must have had us in mind!!!!

Marcie, thanks for such a great update. so glad to hear everyone behaved themselves last evening. Hope you have lots and lots of laughter and many more great times.

Nancy

Glad you all are having such a great time. Continue to keep us informed!

Anthony

Marcie,
Thanks for posting. I'm so very glad you are all having such a good time!

Todd, More photos, please!!!

Betty

Thanks for reporting in, Marcie. What fun you are all having. Sounds wonderful. Yes, Todd, more photos!

Thanks Marcie for the report.
Us "MINTERS" that were not able to be with you
can really visualize some of the excitement you are having and wish we were there.

Marcie - sounds so fun! I am reliving our 7 night portion thru you'all this week. I loved every single port on that Monte Carlo to Rome segment.....of course we loved it all actually!
I'm sure after a night of rest, you all will live up to your reputation and have the Voyager jumping again tonight.

Oops!

Glad everyone is having such a great time. If I had won the 340 mega million jackpot, I would have chartered planes and flown all LCT members to surprise the 007 group. That might have even topped Marcie's great surprise. Not to change the subject, I would like to know what is Karen's shoe size encase she leaves some on the ship. Continue having a super time and keep in touch with the ones you left behind.

Did everyone notice,.... we've not heard a lot from Karen? I suspect, it's because she is too busy running back to her cabin to change her shoes! :)

Betty

What a great surprise, Marcie! I miss you all so much but delight in the fact that you are having a blast! Keep the seamail coming!

Karen, please tell me how you managed to pack 25 pairs of shoes!!! I have a shoe fettish, don't want to reveal how many pairs I have, but I can't recall ever traveling with more than 6 or 7 pairs!

Nancy

Wow, what a fabulous time you are all having. i too was wondering what kind of a birthday surprise Marcie was having. I mean when you are a world cruiser....what measures up. I just wish i had been on a trip with you all to know what fun really is.......enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. Joanna, I miss your posts and emails!!!! Have a perfect trip.
Cindy

Thanks for checking in and sharing with us, Marcie.

More photos, please, Todd.

Karen, I just can't imagine taking 25 pairs of shoes!

I miss Joanna's posts and emails, too!!!

I think Karen could write a travel book..
25 pairs of shoes for 7 days..

I always thought I won the prize for too many shoes...our gal K wins...
so I got busy in the kitchen and baked her this cake.. and sending it to her from all of us..
we love you Karen..

Claudia, you "take the cake"!

Claudia, what a talented baker you are! I must have your recipe.

It's fun to check in here every evening and catch up with the 007'ers.

Claudia - that cake wins the most creative award!

MarnaLou - yes, I second your sentiment. Lot's of fun to share in the cruise even from home!

It's very reminiscent of MINT ... I'm loving hearing about the detals of the partying. And I want more blackmail photos!

Masaki

Hi everyone! Last night was the Brown & Keene/LCT cocktail party and even though Ngaire wasn't there, we could still feel her presence! Marcie had Patrick make me a nametag that said "Not Quite Ngaire", which got quite a few laughs!! It was really fun meeting the B&K clients that don't post or only read the board. EVERY person there was so wonderful! I hope some of them do start posting as it was such a great group of people.

Marcie introduced me with a fantastic poem written by our lovely bard, Tom! Marcie also had brought gifts for me from Ngaire, how they managed this, I will never know!! My gifts included a gold shoe, a lovely engraved pen and a porcelin TEA POT!!!!! It was the cutest thing I have ever seen. Of course, we had to explain to the non posters that we award virtual teapots to each other and I think that they didn't quite understand how "different" we can be!! :eek:

Dinner was great again last night, we had to tables of 6 next to each other in Compass Rose. I had Prime Rib which was very good. Mark and I were both discussing how very wonderful the food has been so far. We ate in La Veranda with Marcie, Tom, Joanna and Tony 2 nights ago and it was SUPERB! We all decided that it was one of our favorite meals of the trip.

Mark, Todd and I went to Pisa yesterday and of course I took the obligatory (sp) picture of Mark holding up the tower :) Then we had a piece of pizza in Pisa!

Today was supposed to be St. Tropez but due to high winds, we are anchored at Sanuray Sur Mer. If it gets a little nicer, we may tender ashore later on. This is the first drop of rain I have seen on this trip. So far, the skys have been blue and the sun has been beaming.

I really miss everyone and I can't wait to catch up on the posts when I get home! I keep feeling like I am missing something.

xoxo

Yesterday we had a driver and toured with Olivia and family - 6 of us and the weather was outstanding - went to little walled village San G (don't remember how to spell it) and ended up in Siena where we had long wonderful lunch - back to ship at 5:30 and just had time to shower and get ready for B&K party - meet some really nice people and Karen and Marcie did a wonderful job of hosting - dinner in Compass Rose we had two tables of 6 adjoining and dinner was wonderful. We had Frank and Carla at our table it was their 2nd anniversary! They are just a fun, interesting, young couple (Carla is lovely looking!!) and they seem to enjoy the "older" folks!! Then into the VL where Carla and Tom Mastassa entertained us with some dirty dancing we have pixs- we slept in till 10:30 this morning - St Tropez was canceled due to weather and we are in a little fishing village in place of St Tropez, again, I don't remember name, but we are tendering in for a couple of hrs to just walk around - tonight dinner in Signatures with the "gang" we have 7:30 reservations - this had been one of those special weeks with wonderful friends, so so many fun nights, and interesting ports. Olivia's children are a joy and they, too, seem to like the older folks - Carla told Frank last night she wanted to stay on for second week - wouldn't I love that!! Having Tom and Marcie has been very special to us and I dread saying good by to everyone - Sue and her family are alot of fun and seem to be having a ball - we have seen Macy here and there and she, too, is so nice - Marcie just walked in and told me we are leaving at 12:30 to catch tender into little town - so I am off and running - it looks overcast and rained last night so glad I brought my rain jacket - I told Tony last night that we are surrounded by young people - Olivia's children, Todd and John, Karen and Mark and Frank and Carla and that has added to much of the merriment - I think they all have enjoyed Tom and Tony's humor and playfulness - not bad for two "older" guys!!! More later

Claudia,

What a sumptuous creation, very "befitting" Karen!

So terrific hearing from you, Karen and Joanna! We love reading the 007 posts, so keep them coming. It's been a while since you guys have posted photos. I'm sure there are many that tell the real tale!

Continue to have a marvelous time!

Joanna,
You and Tony are going to have the pleasure of cruising with Priscilla, John and Betty in a few days. How I wish Alan and I were there to sail with all of you!

Claudia - fab cake, what a talented baker you are!!

Karen, Joanna and all - it sounds like you continue to have a wonderful time and I'm sure the Voyager will miss you'all when you leave. Joanna - you have new LCT'ers coming onboard to keep you and Tony going for your second week.
Keep up the fun guys!

Keep posting I am picturing myself there with every post and look every day for the SEA MAIL. This is a trip I hated to miss so many wonderful LCT people aboard. Our lovely Karen deserves the best and I am glad Tom is not only handsome, a great dancer but also a poet. The mans talents never end!! No wonder Marcie is so happy all the time. Glad everyone is having such a great time. JoAnna you dont get "older" you just get "better" - besides you guys act 18 years old all the time anyway, you are young at heart. No wonder all the young folks enjoy you that is no surprise.

The fun just keeps on going on this cruise. I love reading all about it. The highlight of my morning! Looking forward to more. Also pictures!

Joanna

Have no fear. Another older cruiser is flying out tomorrow morning - me.
Do I need to look for some Geritol this morning, just to keep up with the younger crowd?
See some of you all Saturday - if only for a few minutes. I promise not to be hung over. Will you be able to say the same?
Am loving ever word of your sea mail. More picures please.

We just returned from lunch in this sweet town and Olivia, Todd, Marcie and I are all in computer room right now! Tony in laundry room - I snuck out as soom as he left to do laundry - I am going up to take a power nap this afternoon - cocktails at 6:30, dinner at 7:30 and Barcelona tomorrow so hope we all behave ourselves tonight - for a change! Betty can't wait till you get here - we do have some wonderful pixs of Tom the dancing man and Carla I just don't remember who has them - they'll surface have no fear!! Denise that would be the icing on the cake if you and Alan show up Saturday - SURPRISE!!!!!!! Joanna

Joanna,
Do I need to send any items out for pressing or can I just turn them over to Tony once I am unpacked?
I don't even know where the laundry is located. Wouldn't it be nice to keep it that way!!!!!!!!
And Denise, you & Alan coming would be the best.

We just returned from Sanuray Sur Mer. What a cute French town this is, just beautiful and so quaint. We (Joanna, Tony, Tom and me) had a great lunch and a nice bottle of French wine. Cruise ships don't normally stop here so not sure what they thought of their small town being invaded. Our waiter was so nice and patient with us trying to decipher the menu. The bad weather turned out to be a blessing in disguise with the cancellation of St. Tropez.

The B & K party last night was a big success. Niceness must attract niceness because all the non-posting B&K clients couldn't have been nicer and would ALL be a welcome addition here on LCT should they decide to join us "big mouths".

I wish we could be 2 places at once. We were originally having 2 007 tables side by side at Signatures tonight but Tom and I got an invite to eat with Captain Knut Hansson so we will be eating with him tonight instead. He has a fun sense of humor that we enjoy so I'm sure it will be a nice evening. The food on this cruise has been magnificent....better than I ever remember. I guess the quality has to do with the local suppliers where they re-stock. Last night Tom had a special order of rack of lamb. There were actually a couple of them cooked so Frank had one too. Patrick surprised us with lobster as an appetizer so Carla, Joanna and I enjoyed that.

We have really been treated like royalty all week. I just can't say enough about how wonderful the staff has been. I really know we could LIVE on the VOYAGER and be happy ever after! This sure feels like HOME TO US!

Sure wish we could ice your cakes, Joanna and Betty! But, we are there is grand spirit! Have a fantastic time - eat, drink and be merry for Alan and me!

I think some of Todd and Olivia's photos will end up in the "Blackmail" folder, other's are too uncensored to even make that!

Denise, I keep meaning to tell you that unfortunately Elda is no longer on board. She's on vacation before the WC.

Marcie
You will love Knut. He is the only Captain I have ever sailed with. I am starting to think Captain Dag is just some good looking cut out you all like to haul around with you. Just tell him the tall Texan will be joining him next week. He will remember. Mentioned I was sailing with him in 2000 when he had to sail around the Danish islands - totally not planned. You will have a wonderful time at dinner with him.
Is there any Sambucca left on the ship at this point?

To all...thanks for the updates!

Claudia, great picture!

Nancy

Group shot from last night's dinner:

Betty - you hit the nail on the head about Capt. Dag being a cutout - what a hoot you are!

Yes, it would be a lot of fun to join in on this fun party! Thanks for sharing the Adventures of 007 with us.

From the Cocktail Party Last Night in the Horizon Lounge:

My pic of the Leaning Tower:



Actually I had never been to Pisa and was impressed. The church and Baptistry are beautiful with an incredible amount of marble in these beutiful green fields.

Thanks for the great photos, Todd; so glad you're having fun!

Love the photos, Todd. Karen, those sure are cute shoes!

Great photos Todd. Thanks for sharing. But they look pretty tame from what we hear are some that have been taken - come on show us the "good stuff".

Karen - which number pair of shoes are thoses? Agree with Donna, they are cute.

Hopefully we will get lots of photo's from them
on www.Ofoto.com real soon.

Joann, Marcie's wearing cute shoes, too. Do you think she borrowed them from Karen?

WOW - look at all these updates and photos too! Great shots Todd. You continue to have an amazing time. Wonderful!!

Thanks for the super photos, Todd!

Thanks for letting me know about Elda, Marcie.

Very, very cute shoes Karen!

Keep the postings coming absolutely love reading them.

Thanks for making us feel part of this big party!! i love those photos, they look so happy, and yes, their feet are very, very well dressed!
Cindy

Oh...what fun. If wishes could get us there, the ship would be full of LCT friends.

Keep sending the seamail with photos...we'll just drool on our keyboards. Color me green with envy!!!

Love the seamail, guys! Keep posting!

Masaki

Great seamail kiddos.. we are so enjoying your cruise..
how nuts all us gals are.. the first thing we do when we see the cute picture of Karen is think about the shoes..
and yes they are darling..

Todd,

Your camera was crooked in the shot of that building (haha)

Thanks for posting and keeping us in the loop!

Here we are in Barcelona! We're just about to get off the ship and go take in some sites. We've always loved it here so it's great this port was included.
I'm moving especially slow this morning and had to take a couple excedrins to feel human again. Our dinner last night with Capt. Knut Hanssen was very nice (we have sailed with him before and really think he's fun). We had great wine and then did some type of Norweigan shooters. After dinner we went up to Signatures for sambucca and espresso with all the 007 gang. Then on to Voyager Lounge for the usual antics. Lars joined us which is always a treat. I was on the dance floor most of the evening then I realized that everyone in our group had left. Tom and Tony were at the craps table so I had to stay up until the wee hours in the VL as our ONLY 007 representative!

Oh, and last night at the Seven Seas Society cocktail party we won the award for having the most cruise nights on Radisson (392) and received such a beautiful gift! It is a Riedel (duck) wine decanter! It is really gorgeous (eat your heart out Lawrence). We will always treasure that. Apparently Steph is the one who suggested that as a perfect gift for us (boy was he right!!) Tonight we're having dinner with Olivia and family, Joanna & Tony. Tonight I'm going to behave myself!

Anyway, another great day is awaiting us!

Denise - yes I did think Marcie's shoes were cute too - forgot to mention that.

Well you 007'ers just keep the fun going. Sorry you are moving slow today Marcie, been there done that!! Thanks for all the wonderful posts, all of you, it does make us at home feel like we are right there with you - I even have a "sympathy" headache this morning. Just the thought of wine, then Norwegian shooters then Sambuca did me in!! I can drink wine all night, but add the other stuff and I'm done for!!

I'm with you JoAnn. Marcie gets an A+ for being up and about this morning and ready to go into Barcelona! Love the reports. I read them and smile and feel like I'm there (although like Margo I'm green with envy). Can't wait to hear about today's adventures.

I must be the first one back on the ship...computer room empty, with nary a 007'er in sight. Of course, I made the mistake of booking barcelonataxi.com to pick us up at 9 a.m., instead of the Todd-led excursion that was to begin at 10. Our driver Michael was great. First he took us through a little nieghborhood where a lot of the fishermen live, tiny streets with lots of laundry handing out, then on through the area that has the beach to stop for a bit and take in the sights, through the area that housed the Olympic atheletes that used to be an area of lots of factories. Then we went to the huge Cathedral that has been under construction since 1925. What a work in progress. I really liked that our driver pointed out so many things about the building, the old and new parts and how the style is evolving. Then on up the hill to the big Gaudi designed park....so many things going on here...elephants that you don't see until they are pointed out, the way a snake wraps around the park and comes together as two heads meeting each other, the columned area with a flutist playing beautiful music, the method of water collection to provide the water to irrigate the park, and the mushrooms that top the little buildings at the entrance. We came to the conclusion that Gaudi must have been eating mushrooms to come up with most of his stuff. Then on to a couple of other Gaudi buildings with fascinating stories behind them before heading to the Gathic quarter and a walk into the Jewish section of the old city, where a couple of Romanian young girls whom Michael knows as pick pockets stalked us for just a bit. After that, I was uncomfortable, as I was carrying the cash to pay the driver in my purse, and I would have been an easy target. I found photo ops less than ideal in this city, as you are always too close to get the grand scheme of things. Nonetheless, it was a great "first time" visit to a city I have looked forward to touring.

Michael's hope was to also take us to the area up the hill where they have the Olympic stadium, but our time had run out, kids were hungry, and so we called it a day and had lunch at a small place where Brice and Jen had eaten on their honeymoom last year and wanted to revisit.

Last night was a lot of fun at Signatures. After the SSS party, where Marcie and Tom won a beautiful wine cask for 292 days (in only two years!) we had two tables of 6 in signatures. On to VL for dancing and more revelry. As I was leaving, I walked across to the casino, and there was Karen, who had just won $170 on the slot machines! Tony was at the craps table, don't know how he did.

My son has a vibrating noise in his cabin that is annyoing him. But has he reported it? Oh no, and when I suggested he get someone in this afternoon, he said "nap time, can't do it". So let him live with it!

It is already getting toward the end of this cruise, and of course, I don't want to get off the ship. Wish I were staying on with Joanna and Tony and meeting the other lct'ers coming aboard. You are going to have so much fun! Hopefull Marcie, Todd, Karen and Joanna will post soon and tell their adventures of the day. Oh, and please forgive all those little tyupo's above!

Hi Olivia,

Great to hear from you. Sounds like you had a wonderful day touring.

The next best thing to being there is reading the seamail.

Take care and continue to have a terrific time.

Am loving all your Seamail....but getting a little worried cause I'm starting to feel your hangovers! OK, sharing your fun vicariously is terrific...but do I have to experience the morning after too?!?!? :rolleyes: ;) :rolleyes:

Olivia

Thanks for the descriptive post, feel like we're there with you. Glad you're all having a great time - that's what it's all about!

I agree with everyone else here. It has been fantastic hearing from all of you. I was so sad that I couldn't be with you, but some of your reports almost make me feel as if I am! The only real positive aspect being that I don't have to have the "non-human" mornings that Marcie speaks of!! :eek:

Congrats to Marcie and Tom for their award!!

Keep all the reports AND photos coming!! :)

Sheri

Olivia, Marcie, et al

Thank you for keeoing us unfortunate ones stuck at home posted on the happenings of the day. I miss being there, but at the same time remember MINT and how difficult the mornings were. I needed a vacation just to recover from that cruise. I assume this cruise is much the same.

Keep the SeaMail coming!

Anthony

Great Seamail and Congrats Marcie!!

Olivia, et al--glad you're having such a great time. We loved Barcelona when we were there a few years ago--at least we liked it up until the point that my purse was stolen. Purse snatching and pick pocketing are apparently a huge problem in Barcelona. When I went to the Police station to report it, I actually had to stand in a long line of tourists with the same problem. And there were at least 20 people on the ship we were on that had the same problem. Anyway--I'm glad your guide recognized the pick pockets and you didn't have to deal with that. Hope nobody else did either.

Today was our "Tood" tour in Barcelona. (Tood is what the check in girl called Todd when we first arrived and the name has sorta stuck) :)

We walked down Las Ramblas, did the sky cups over the city and then had lunch. Mark and I both agree, this is one fantastic city. If we were to do the Med again, we would like to do an itinerary that started or ended here so we could spend some land time in this beautiful city.

Mark and I had a romantic dinner for two tonight (I guess not toooo romantic as here I am in the computer room!!) We stopped and got some geeky DVDs (Star Trek and some other space movie) and we are going to have an early evening in the room.

Last night at the casino, Tony picke out a machine for me and after a few pulls, I won 250 credits. The next machine I played, I won 600 credits so that was a fun night!

I suppose I should go back to the room and check on my beloved spouse. Tomorrow we are off to Menorca where none of us have any idea as to what we will do but if it is anything like the rest of the week, we will have a blast!!

Betty darlin, I am SOOOO looking forward to seeing you in a few days!!

xoxo

Karen you are too funny. I really wish I were there to meet you and enjoy your wit and charm.

Have a great evening with the 'gee fest movies' (jk) and hope to hear from you tomorrow.

Anthony

what a wonderful gift you are giving us all..........living through your fun, and dreaming of when we too will do a similar trip. marvelous travels to you all.......
please toast us left behinds tonight!

Cindy

Olivia, Karen and the rest of the gang,

I continue to enjoy so much your trip. Thanks for sharing.

After all these raves about Barcelona I feel I have to give it one more chance. I've been there twice and for some reason have never been impressed. Maybe I haven't seen the right things.

Wishing you a continued and uninterrupted great time!

Well I leave tomorrow so this is the last sea mail I will read on 007. Be in transit for a couple of days. I hope my bags make it!! We will see - will post new SEA MAIL from the ship but these wont be as exciting as 007. Not the same people onboard, BUT I need sleep so the first two sea days I may not stray from my cabin other than to eat lamb of course.

The 007 posts are the highlight of my day. Thank you all for being so good about sharing your wonderful trip with those of us who could not join you.

Karen - we all need a break from the festivities occasionally - hope you enjoyed your movies!

Marcie - you get the award for most active/die-hard 007 cruiser! That Riedel decanter must have been something!

Olivia - your Barcelona tour sounded great. I so want to see La Sagrada Familia!

Is this cruise coming to an end already??

Masaki

Just a business thought. I hope that all you 007 people have not forgotten to see the cruise consultant where necessary, with letters in hand and making future bookings. Sometimes too much fun and we forget the boring stuff - until we have to pay more money because we forgot. You have one more day left. Pass the word if you read this. JoAnna and Marcie DONT FORGET.

How lucky we are to have Ngaire...she is ALWAYS thinking of us and taking care of us!
I never feel as if I can thank her enough!! :hug:

LOVE the seamail! Karen, you are a scream!! <img border="0" alt="[vhappy]" title="" src="graemlins/icon_vhappy.gif" />

Ngaire: Marcie and I took care of our "homework" with cruise consultant in the first day or two - yesterday Todd led us on a tour of Barcelona. It is a gorgeous city. Todd, John, Carla, Frank, Tom, Marcie, Tony, Karen, Mark and Joanna - left ship at 10 am, saw the sights, ate a very good lunch at oldest restaurant in Barcelona - they put us in private room I think they size us up and decide better to separate us from other people- Todd used his water bottle held high in the air to round up his little chickies when they would stray - rode the tram over the city loved it - Karen and I opted to head back to ship at 3 pm for nap - the others drifted back - Mark and Tony not till 6:15 pm - Mondaes and Matassas ate with Olivia and family last night table of 8 and then into VL - I headed to my cabin around 11 pm and think many others went to casino - lots of action in casino but I can't stay up till 2 am!! We spoofed on Todd I think Marcie is telling you about it right now as we are both on computer - many laughs had by all and Todd was good sport but he had some nervous moments - Menorca was a wonderful port but we just left at 2 PM wish we had more time to explore - hard to believe tonight is last night for so many - we will miss everyone! The food has been outstanding and the staff so hard working and helpful. Tony and I are not ready to get off so glad we have another week. Being with the Matassas is similar to being with "celebrities" as the staff adore them and remember them from WC- "Oh you are Mrs Matassa's friend how lucky you are etc etc" - the sail away this afternoon was very pretty, weather grogeous, and we all ate at pool grill - now everyone is headed out on the ship to do different things - I caught a glimpse of a couple and I am sure we cruised with them on the Diamond in Sept 2003 so trying to find them to say hello - I wonder if everyone will behave tonight???? Check back and I'll keep you posted - we keep bumping into Sue and family and they are all so nice - her Dad, Bill, is a doll - I haven't seen Macy in past couple of days but ship is full - Joanna

Hello from beautiful Menorca! What a great port this was…just charming. Last night was hilarious. I’ll try my best to begin to describe the joke we played on Todd.

Todd had organized a tour of Barcelona for any of the 007ers since he’s been there several times and knows it well. Last night at dinner Joanna and Tony thought it would be fun to act like Todd was in deep doo doo because of “organizing/conducting a tour without a license”. Olivia’s son Brice is a master of voice disguises so we elected him to call and leave a message in Todd’s room (Todd was at a different table then us at dinner). Brice used a heavy Spanish accent and left a message that he was Mr. so and so (long Spanish name) from immigrations/port authority and it was imperative that Todd contact him immediately about operating illegal tours etc. Of course Todd was sitting at dinner when all this was going on so Joanna walked over to Todd, Frank and Carla’s table acting like she had received a very alarming message about the tour she had done with Todd earlier that day. Joanna did a great job acting very upset about such an alarming message. At first Todd was pretty blasé – “oh I am not worried” – Joanna told him he’d be worried once he heard the message – she hoped he wouldn’t be fined too heavily and, of course, jail was out of the question – she hoped !! He is getting stressed at this point -

Well about 45 minutes later Brice left a 2nd message on Todd’s phone even more stern saying that this incident was of the utmost importance that it needed to be resolved and that this could delay our 11pm departure from Barcelona if it wasn’t resolved. By this time Joanna, Tony, Olivia and her daughter Joanna, Brice and his wife, Tom and me are all in the Voyager lounge. Todd comes in with Frank and Carla and walks up to Joanna whispering (and stressing out) something about the TWO messages he’s now received and what to do blah, blah, blah. We all got involved in the conversation trying to make suggestions such as “just pay the fine if the fine is really outrageous $$$ maybe we can all chip in” etc. The best line of the night was when I said with a straight face “So Todd, you could end up in jail huh???” Todd says back “MARCIE, you are NOT helping!!!” Just then @ 11pm the ship starts sailing. Todd is so excited. He keeps looking out the window over and over saying VERY RELIEVED “We’re moving”. Every 2 seconds he looks out the window again and say’s “We’re moving” Joanna the ship is moving – Joanna said “yes but they could be waiting for you at the next port” - By this time it was all we could do to keep a straight face. Tom then takes it upon himself to tell Todd the truth (we were having such fun we would have kept the joke going a bit longer). We had so much fun with Todd and he was a great sport (probably wanting to kill us!). We were actually considering a 3rd phone call to Todd’s room informing him that Homeland Security had been notified etc. Anyway………it was all so funny! One of those “You had to have been there” nights!

This will be my last seamail! We’ll be departing tomorrow morning (sob sob) and on to Dublin for a few days! We will sure miss everyone! Deciding to come on this cruise was one of the BEST decisions we ever made!

Seamail from Joanna and Marcie, plus my cup of coffee. Great start to the morning again! What will I do when you guys get off? My morning will be so boring!

What a joke you played on Todd. Glad he is a good sport. Loved reading about it.

Marcie, have fun in Dublin and safe travels home.

Joanna, it's up to you to keep this seamail going. I think you will have help from Betty. Enjoy another week on the Voyager.

Thanks, Girls, for the seamail. What a cute joke you all successfully played on poor Todd. Sounds as if the fun continues. I have, so, enjoyed all the reports. What a great time you've all had.
Safe trip home for those leaving, and continue having fun, for those who aren't.

Betty