ok so by then i will have sold the company and be semi retired
and we decided on the mariner for 4 back to back trips
i have almost totally stopped smoking and cut drinking by 50%

so my postings may not be as interesting

will try and cover all

I am looking forward to the daily reports of your excellent adventure

But chances are you'll be posting for a much longer time- especially for cutting way down on the coffin nails!


Congratulations!

I know you're going to have such a great time...can't wait to hear all about your adventures.

at least this time there is a good chance i may remmeber what i wrote i actually wanted to do the voygeur but it is doing same ports over and over so it was suggested that w e do mariner
actually looked at staying for 4 months to let our hair down
but things came up but we do go back the first week of december to mariner again for 32 days

lets see if my writing gets better

ps karen we have plans to visit texas this year as well

have not been there in over 20 years so about time to
really see what hopsitality really is

the texan way

Where in Texas, Victor??

Victor, there's several of us on the July 3 Black Sea cruise which we're calling "Cossacks" -- do you want to join the roll call? Look forward to meeting you. P.S. we also live in Texas -- yahoo!!!!!

So good to hear from you Victor! We were wondering what happened to you! Looking forward to your posts!

Congrats on the smoking reduction - keep up the good work - we know you can do it!

i had trouble logging on yesterday but yes please add us to
roll calll cabin 978

and yes the smoking has become harder now going back to
drugs to overcome again a small relapse but sure in the end i will win

i am looking forward to this cruise and some new and interesting ports

and of course i may have reduced my drinking but i sure as hell aint dead so will post on occasion after my morning martini left by the bartender for me

so nice i dont have to train them

just wish he left same place all the time

well today we now decided that when we get off the mariner in monte carlo on august 6th that we will then fly to join the voyageur for our wedding anniversary on august 8th and do another 7 days then see maybe if we go home

but i may surprise rosanne and we fly to luxor for a nile cruise

ps for those wondering about stopping smoking

man this is harder than i thought went 3 months then bang!!

so trying to quit all over again!!!

ps karen

it works that way

Victor, I am glad we figured out a way for you to post, I know it can be annoying when you can't stay logged in!

Don't give up!! It took me about a year and I spent a small fortune on patches, but if the slips make you mad then you will win in the end! Looking forward to meeting you on the Mariner.

Victor, Quitting any addiction is not easy. As Kathy said, you seem to really want to quit smoking. Continue with your plan and get lots of support around you. I used the Quit Smart Program 17 years ago and have been smoke-free since then. One tip I can give you is get some straws and cut them to cigarette size. That helped me. Good luck and enjoy your cruise.

We're going on Cossacks on July 3. We’re on the Azamara Quest for a pre-cruise cruise before Cossacks. We began our trip in Iceland a month ago, visited Dr. Claus Lie (Regent ship doctor on discovery & Ring of fire cruises) in Denmark, went to Germany, Czech Republic, Spain and finally to Venice to catch this ship. We have 4 days in Santorini before Cossacks and then the Cappadoccia trip with Ngaire. The We’re impressed with Azamara. The ship is well appointed with a lot of wood paneling, frescos painted on dining room ceilings and it has an old Europe feel to it. The staff is great and the officers are around more than on Regent. So far the food has been excellent and we’ll try both their specialty restaurants later this week. There Prime C is similar to Prime 7. The ship holds a max of 680 passengers so it’s quite similar to the Mariner. The cabins are smaller than on Regent but there is plenty of storage space even in our window cabin. The desk has 4 electric outlets (two 110v) and wi-fi is available throughout. If the rest of the cruise continues to be as enjoyable, we’ll certainly try Azamara again.

well i have air tickets and cruise documents and company will be sold as of 2 pm today
so tonight off to athens tonight to await arrival of the mariner

it is good to have a few days to adjust to the new time

will update once we board on july 3rd

Sounds like you are having a busy day, Victor

Victor, congrats on the arrival of your tix, docs and sale (and soon to sail!). I always enjoy your seamail!! Safe travels.

Victor:

The smoking thing is hard. I, too, quit many years ago after a number, a rather large number, of attempts.
While when I quit, we did not have patches and other aids; we had a host of other tricks. Some worked for some. Some worked for others. Some never worked. Just like today.

After all my attempts, here is how I quit. I woke up one morning and decided that I did not want to smoke anymore. I never did.
I know that that sounds silly and a bit Pollyanna, but it is true.
I believe that all the tricks and patches/drugs can only help you get so far. At the end of the day, it is a mind game.
Just decide that not smoking is better than smoking and you will do it. That is not to say that it is easy, but, I believe, that it is the best way.

I wish you all the success I ever wished for myself!

Doug

I totally agree with you Doug..

For years I spent Hundreds of dollars on Patches and Gums for my mother to try and get her to quit and she tried all kinds of other tricks and methods as well and It took one day of waking up and saying NO MORE and thats what did it....

Doug and Frank I agree with you too... you just have to decide to do it. My Mom smoked for 50 years and one day she said no more and never had another one.

Marc quit 10 years ago and while it was difficult he was able to do it too, so it can be done (though Marc swears he just quit temporarily. He says he will start again on his 80th birthday)

Lol, Arlene, one of my partners says he is going to start smoking, drinking hard liquor all day, and eating French fries and bacon for lunch every day when he turns 90. I think I'll forgo the smoking, but the bacon and fries sound good, with chocolate for dessert.

hello from athens greece
all settled into hotel and first day of sighseeing\
temperaature about 95 but actually very comfortable
we were very luck at airport with all our luggage
usually in greence when they see that much the taxi driver runs\but somehow this driver found us and did all he could to get everything into one day a great way to start trip and since he was so good we have hired him for 3 days hi cost from airport was 35 euro and an online company wanted at least 55 euro and if did not fit wanted 155 euro for larger car \highway robbery we are staying at the grande hotel across from parliament and even have a butler very nice hotel but an amercan hamburger is 24 euro ouch!!!!!!

as usual rosanne off and shopping already !! DAMN WORRIED 34 DAYS differenrt ports how much shopping\///???\\\BUT I \

came prepared this time walkie talkies| so we can go and do as we wish

in any case off to dinner we had lunch by the cruise ship terminal and man was that food good

i can see why people gain weight !!!

so tonight our driver is talking us out to dinner so this will be a fun night

no martinis\!!! well for now anyways!!!

we are really getting excited to join the ship in 3 days from now

i think some guest are staying at this hotel as well who knows

and yes free internet in lobby businness lounge\

boy they got it right in this hotel

and as to smoking since you asked\\

i am still having the odd one but the urge is slowly going away

will update tomorrow

Let the fun begin! I really enjoy your updates Victor, they are very unique!

I'm also enjoying the updates. Good luck on the smoking - glad I never started cause it's hard for me to quit anything - and enjoy the semi-retirement and upcoming special occasions! What a wonderful way to celebrate!

So glad to hear you are safely in Athens and off to a good start. And keep up the work on the no smoking!

We're in Santorini for 3 days before joining the Mariner on Tuesday. No grand hotel - just a small place at Perissa Beach and we're enjoying the bars & restaurants all along the beach. Mariner is in Santorini tomorrow so maybe we'll bump into someone we know. It's windy and temps in the low 80s so very pleasant. Outdoor eating is great.
Jim

Jim, maybe we'll see you tomorrow but if not we'll wave to you from the ship. We're having a beautiful day in Crete--nice breeze and moderate temperatures. We took a tour up into the mountains where the weather was kind of cool, but still pleasant. Beautiful scenery along the way!

Sounds like you are all having a great week in Greece. We leave today for the long haul to Athens via Munich. Looking forward to seeing you all on board!!!!

the tempurature in athens has been fantastic mid 30S all the time\\but a nice breeze they say greece is have financials
problems but you could not tell from the people on the street

noe the restaurants by teh sea is different as you can see many have closed\\

same old story the rich get richer and the poor get poorer

we had a few beggars tugging at us and afew gypsies trying to sell but all in all you are not bothered at all

so teh mariner here tomorrow\\

looking forward to getting on board

i knwo some are staying here as there is a rep in house here

but not anyone i know yet


will update once on board

going to walk in the cool sun\11

well now on board the mariner
it was very nice to have the dining room manager and concierge
both waiting to meet us as we got our from our car

they looked after passports etc and got us on ship directly
since we had many bags we sent 4 on the bus from the hotel
as it would not all fit into the car

the ship is beautifull as usual and we know a lot of teh crew which also makes it very very nice


tonight light dinner and early night as only one sea day for next 31 days

will update tomorrow

FINALLY MADE IT TO ATHENS. Delayed flight into Heathrow, a fast connect necessary, security held us up and we missed our flight. One more flight to Athens that day was totally sold out could not get on it. So flew London/Nice then Nice/Athens. All flights incredibly tight connects we KNEW luggge would not be here. Got a bit "cocky" this time it has been so long since we lost luggage and with all Kens cameras and computers there is little room for clothes. We have really nothing but what we wore on the plane and outfit for night. Have our fingers crossed for tomorrow but I a not holding my breath.

Stellios met us and whisked us to the ship in no time. Love that guy!!

We literally stepped on the ship at 7.00 pm and had Prime 7 reservations. We made it to Prime 7 at 7.15 pm. We are not really tired been a stressful day but the GOOD news is that we ARE ON BOARD so life is good

Did not see hardly anyone tonight but a tour tomorrow a lot of us are on. Ken will go but i have to handle some things on the ship as the changed the daily program so what was planned wont work now.

Hopefully I wil post tomorrw - bags arrived - schedule set and LIFE IS EVEN BETTER.

Off to bed now.

Hope luggage shows up soon Ngaire, but at least, YOU made it. What a mess!

It's nice to be back on the Mariner, but one thing Azamara does better is having 4 electric outlets at the desk for computer and other chargers. It's been nice seeing many familiar faces including Felice, Cimmi, Faye, Jamie & Dana and Barry among others.

Had a nice dinner with Alan, Kathy and Kathy;s mom Midge and with Jim and Pat last night. YES I did order the rack of lamb with a Brassfield Cabernet - very nice.

Lovely day at sea today the seas are so calm, the sun is shining and we are having a July 4th type barbeque on the deck.

Played hearts this morning but this cruise is going to be so busy this may be the only day we play. Plan on playing at 2.00 pm as well. We pass Istanbul around 3.30 pm and everyone will want to see that. Particularly today in the brilliant sunshine.

Feels like old home week with Captain Felice's voice, Michael the GM's smiling face everywhere and the wonderful Chimi now the Restaurant Manager.

Hopefully we will have bags tomorrow. I only have one pair of pants so too scared of losing them to send them to the laundry or even put them in a dryer on the ship. So I wash them out at night and hang them up and they are dry in the morning. But they are getting really loose they need in a dryer to get the shape back. Trying to tell myself I lost weight but I know that is not true. They are like lycra warm up pants I wore on the plane, no zippers, belts just the pull on type so no way to "tighten" them up.

Off to lunch back later.

Oh, dear, Ngaire, you may have to break down and buy some other pants in the gift shop.

Some good news first of all

My bags arrived. We can manage and have many times but it is such a thrill when your STUFF arrives.

For those that were on Canada October 2012 – remember Eric. Our bartender in the Stars Lounge that made our circles for us each night and remembered all our drinks. That was quite a feat there were a LOT of us. He has such a great smile. He came over with my diet gingerale he remembered! We are going to take a picture of him tonight and then post it.

Today we are in Sinop it is bright sunshine and just a gentle breeze. This is a very tiny town and only one tour was offered that visited the three highlights. There was a recreation of a Turkish house complete with furniture and wax figures representing the Turkish life style, a mosque and an archeological museum. You could really just walk into town and do this yourself. The house was the best and very well done.

We decided to do a little more shopping as although we expected our bags we were not sure they would come. When we were in Kusadsi we really could not find much and after the tour, lunch and getting some other things done we only had about an hour. So while we were at the museum we went into a local store and bought three shirts and at the mosque I bought two pair of shoes. The shoes are great and after we got back we figured out they were only $7.00 a pair. The shopkeepers could not speak much English and were all excited to have us in their stores it was a lot of fun.

Tonight Prime 7 to celebrate Peggy’s birthday! The ship is running very well, I LOVE the senior staff on this ship and it seems I know every waiter. So many good crew here.

How fun that Eric is on Mariner. Hopefully he will be there for Gran Prix.

Glad your bags arrived Ngaire, did Ken's? You two are probably experts at cross packing so hopefully you both have some things.

Sounds like a great time is being had by everyone.

Eric is such a sweetheart I hope he is is on for Grand Prix too it would be great to see him again.

So glad the luggage arrived Ngaire. You are so right, you can't let missing bags spoil your trip but it is wonderful when they arrive!

We got to celebrate Jerry's birthday in Prime 7 last year, sure wish we were there to celebrate Peggy's. Please give her a hug for me and tell her Happy Birthday