Kudos to 'Celebrity Millennium'

I simply must write about our cruise ship and crew before day-to-day-life takes over. I do know that each and every time I think, talk or write of this adventure at sea ... I will be able to transport myself back into the 'world' that the Celebrity Millennium crew created for us.

Where do I begin? The entire Cruise Experience was incredible. From beginning to end.

It started the moment that we spotted our first 'Celebrity Cruise' employee before we boarded in the port in Vancouver, B.C. and ended when yet another person on the Celebrity team helped my friend find me in the long line of Celebrity Cruise guests disembarking in Anchorage, Alaska.

I am a novice traveller. Yet the Celebrity Cruise Line Team made each and every step along the way easy-to-follow. Signs when we needed to know where to go. A friendly face to answer the myriad of questions that we had along the way.

Line ups were inevitable, but what I marvelled at was the speed and efficiency as they guided thousands of people through the (many) required steps to get us aboard the Celebrity Millennium on Embarkation Day.

I was impressed before we left solid ground. But the moment I stepped aboard the cruise ship, I was in awe.

Once again, the Celebrity Crew was ready, willing and able to assist at every turn. As I stood in amazement and started to absorb the wonder of our world at sea, I will forever remember the crew that made this voyage a trip to remember. From beginning to end.

There are the behind the scenes people. Those that are almost invisible to the naked eye. Working quietly to keep the ship clean, providing an endless supply of food and beverages and navigating us down the Pacific Ocean coastline.

There are the people that you come to know on first name basis. We were forever running into our Room Steward and his assistant in the corridors. If it weren't for the crisply made beds and the chocolates on the pillows at night, one wouldn't realize that they efficiently tended to our unknown needs in our absence.

Then there were our waiters at supper. A ready smile, eager to know us on a first name basis and oh-so-happy to make the dining experience what it is intended to be on a cruise ship.

There were those that I sought out, found and had the pleasure of dealing with. 'Dee' - my new, favorite hair stylist. She not only tamed my wild locks, she styled my hair in a manner in which I can (finally!!) tend with ease. The acupuncturist who saved the day when an on shore bus trip triggered my motion sickness hours before one of the most anticipated evening's events.

Then there was 'Sandra'. I wandered up to her to ask a question one day and we ended up having a conversation. And she remembered me. Whenever we ran into each other from that point on, she greeted me with enthusiasm and went above and beyond the call of duty when I ran into a problem. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to talk with her one last time during our last day at sea.

I will be forever grateful to 'Marlon' - our assistant waiter who sent My Friend home with a perfectly sliced green apple when I couldn't make it to supper (the motion sickness returned with a vengeance) on our final evening. That green apple was Marlon's personal testament to the fact that he had 'been where I was at'.

'Ian', our cruise director was a delightful part of the entertainment experience. I talked with him very early on in our cruise experience ... and he remembered that conversation.

There were countless crew members that we didn't have the opportunity to talk with. But whenever we did stop and ask one of them about their job or what country they were from, the response was unanimous. They were proud of their home country and grateful for their job. A job that took them away from their country, their family and land for whatever length of time their contract dictated. A job, where time off is counted in hours. Not days. A job, which is vital to the efficient running of the ship ... yet where you see that they are sometimes treated with far less respect than they deserve.

I walked onto the cruise ship and thought to myself - what a wonderful way to earn a living! To work and live on this marvellous vessel at sea. From the outside, looking in ... it appeared to be the perfect job.

After only seven days, I appreciated a completely different side to this 'perfect' occupation. The people who commit themselves to this occupation are my heroes. They are 'on' and working all of the time. When they walk down the corridors, they are working. They smile, they serve, they accommodate, they do numerous thankless little jobs that are invisible to the naked eye. Yet they shine.

The 'Celebrity Millennium' cruise ship is (in my eyes) the 8th Wonder of the World. But it would be nothing but a floating showpiece, if it wasn't for the cast and crew.

Thank you, 'Celebrity'. You made this a vacation to remember ... because of your people (your ship and the incredible entertainment and on-board activities are not too shabby either!).

Priorities

I've been home under 18 1/2 hours, after 12 days absence. What have my priorities been?

#1 - Walk back into my life and enjoy the moments.

I wandered through the afternoon with my Second Son as we caught each other up on our weeks as he ran a few errands and we had coffee as we drove. I was home when My Youngest came home from school. I let the world stop when Mom called. Unfortunately by the time My Oldest called around 9:00 last night, I was up to my elbows in trying to regain lost ground after being away for so long (I had done so well up until that point). But we still caught each other up on the recent events in our lives.

#2 - Take care of the power bill.

I'm on an equalized payment plan and my settle up month is May. I knew before I left on holidays, that I would owe them money. I was right. That was the second order of business. To take care of business.

#3 - Ignore, ignore, ignore the house, the unpacking, the reality.

I did well. I lasted until after supper. I put my blinders on and walked through the house without seeing it for the first six hours I was home. It was fun while it lasted.

#4 - Go to McDonald's for supper!!

I was in my glory. Skinny burgers, salty fries and a large Coke. My stomach was doing happy flips. "It's so good to be home!!" was the message that was being transmitted from my fast-food deprived body, to my brain.

#5 - Reality.

It had to happen sooner or later. I finally started dealing with it.

I am unpacked and I am living out of drawers and closets once again. It has been a very, very long time (3 months) since my suitcase has not been living on my bedroom floor, waiting to be packed for my next out-of-home-experience. It feels quite wonderful to know that I am home to stay. The urge to forge off on another adventure is so far down my list that I can't even see it.

What came into focus once I started seeing my life through a clear, tunnel vision of enjoying being at home?

The bathroom drawer that had started coming apart before I left. I had suitcases to unpack, a laundry hamper full to overflowing, things-to-do on every flat surface I could see. Yet I had to 'fix' that drawer.

Yes, I am home to stay. It is time to get back to taking care of the little things at home. Things that make life run smoothly. Drawers that work, restocking supplies and clearing the way to sit back and revel in all that I know and love ... being home.

The Last Leg

We are sitting at Vancouver Airport. We are minutes away from boarding.

We have checked our last bag. Gone through security for the last time. Found our way to our last gate to board the last plane on our way home.

We have travelled by plane, ship, train, bus, catamaran, raft, automobile and shuttle. We have come a long way, saw a lot of sights, met a lot of people.

It has been a most incredible experience in every sense of the word.

I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

But I'm glad to be heading home ...

Timmy, I'm Home!

Well ... maybe I'm not quite home. But we are back in Canada. And guess where we went for supper??  Tim Hortons.

Be it ever so humble, there is no place like 'home'.

We are spending our last night in Vancouver - an overnight layover and we'll be back home early tomorrow afternoon.

It was my hope to wind up my holiday by meeting my 'first-forever-work-friend' tonight, in Vancouver. We met when she was 17 and I was 18. She started working at the bank and I trained her as a teller. We became best friends.

She moved to Mexico. I moved to Saskatchewan. She moved back to Alberta and eventually settled in B.C.

We have kept in touch throughout the years, the moves and life transitions. It was truly my hope that we would be able to meet up tonight to wind up of a most perfect holiday that has been all about forever-friends.

I called her cell phone number as soon as we checked into our room and was pleasantly surprised when she answered immediately. Unfortunately the reason that she answered so promptly is because she had just walked in her door after work. One wish was not fulfilled.

One unfulfilled wish does not undo the rest. This holiday has surpassed my expectations at every turn. Tonight is no different.

I may not be home. My friend may not have been able to make it. But we found a Tim Hortons just around the corner from our hotel. I feel like I'm home ...


View from our hotel window



A Most Excellent Day!

Today was the day I've been waiting for. Today was the day that I had a chance to sit down and really talk with my-best-friend-in-the-world-when-I-was-12-years-old.

We met for breakfast at 8:30 and we visited for four solid hours. It is impossible to encapsulate the wonder of 'coming home' and picking up our friendship where we last left off

We met when we were about 10 years old and we were best friends for the entire two years that her family lived in Canada.

We looked at life and experienced it very much the same back in those days. We were young, naive girls waking up to the scary world around us. Growing up, being kids, facing the same fears (junior high school and all that entailed) ...

We look at our lives now and the shared compassion we have for our relationships with our family, sisters and our younger brothers. There are so many similarities in our ways of seeing the world despite the vastly different paths that our lives have led us.

Conversation was easy, though we talked about difficult topics. Compassion ran deep and words carried a lot of meaning.

Our friendship extends beyond ourselves. It includes our parents, our siblings and encompasses far beyond that. There is a quiet understanding, caring and sharing that will live on long beyond this visit.

It has been a gift that has far exceeded what I could have ever hoped for. I was given the opportunity of a lifetime. To meet up with my friend and know that we have a lifetime of friendship ahead of us.

Time and distance are irrelevent. Good friends are forever.

Too Much Static

We set the radio alarm in our room this morning. I couldn't help but laugh to myself when I heard the radio go off and how at least threee (if not more) radio station broadcasts faded in and out.

Each radio bite was clear and easy to understand when it had 'air time' ... but it quickly faded out and into another equally clear radio transmittal before a sentence or thought could be completed.

I laid in bed listening to this mish mash of words and thoughts ... and I thought to myself 'This is exactly what is going on within my own head right now'.

I have so many words wafting through this head. Each uncomplete and worthy of further thought.

This entire vacation experience. The friendship theme that runs so strong. The cruise. What we have seen/felt/experienced. Home ...

Yes. This holiday has been a most incredible experience  But it is in the knowing that I will soon be back home, nestled safely and comfortably within my family, my home, my responsibilities and life-as-I-know- it, that helps me appreciate the vast difference between this fantasy world and the world in which I know and love.

It is a fantastic holiday ... but my life at home is the life I long to live. I long to sit down and focus on one thought, one blessing at a time - and appreciate the wonders of my world without the fear of losing something because there is too much static in the air.

I Lost a Day ... But I'm Making Up Time Now

I have learned a few vital lessons this holiday.

#1 - The anti nausea patch really, really works!
#2 - Acupuncture also works
#3 - Both of the above do work ... but when they wear off? Watch out!!

Our last night at sea was rough.

I went to the 7:00 Grand Finale performance that I had been anticipating, but the waters were getting just a little bit rough. The theatre was at the front of the ship (which takes the brunt of the waves) and I felt my stomach starting to turn. So ... by 7:15 I was back in the room (just in the nick of time).

I missed the show and I missed supper. But when My Friend told our waiter that I was feeling the effects of motion sickness, he sent a sliced up green apple back to our room for me. Let me tell you. If you are feeling nauseous, nothing tastes better than a green apple!

I gobbled up my green apple, but when I tried my legs they still didn't work. So I slept.

I got my sea legs steady enough to get me off the ship the next morning and onto our train for the next leg of our trip. But let me tell you ... a four and a half hour train ride through the mountains wasn't exactly the adventure my stomach was ready for.

I quite literally closed my eyes and endured the trip. I got through picking up luggage and getting to the hotel. But after that point? I couldn't even fake it. The moment we arrived at our hotel room, I knew I had to lay down.

That was around 1:30 in the afternoon. I can quite honestly never in my life remember feeling that ill. I was completely disheartened because I thought 'this can't just be motion sickness ... it feels too awful'. But when I woke up this morning, I felt 100% better (so it must have been).

The thing you don't hear about, after you've been on a ship for a week is the time it takes to regain your land legs. We have run into several of our ship-mates since we've been in Anchorage and we all seem to be suffering from this same epidemic. We all seem to have a little post cruise swagger, as the land does not feel solid underneath our feet.

But it all got better from there. I actually ate breakfast, a snack and supper today. I haven't 'held onto' a meal for quite some time. This was a very good day.

And what made it even better? Sitting down and visiting my long time friend. My "best-friend-in-the-world when I was 12 years old" and I have kept in touch over the course of the 38 years since we were neighbors. Her family moved back to the States and we have remained pen pals (and more recently, email buddies) ever since. Coming to visit her in Anchorage was the sole purpose behind this Alaskan Cruise. And today, I finally, finally got to sit down and visit with her.

First, there was that moment of quick recognition when she met us upon our arrival in Anchorage. Next, it was moments into our conversation when I was reminded of our similar ways of thinking that sparked the memories of our easy friendship as pre-teens. Then, it was the 'remember when ...' moments.

We have barely touched the surface of the friendship that we have shared for the better part of our lives. Yet I believe that we both know that this kinship we share, runs eternal.

If I was to redo this holiday, the only thing that I would change is that I would fly out to Anchorage first. And then take the Alaskan Cruise from North to South .... I lost an entire day that I can't get back due to motion sickness. We will do our best to make up for lost time. But if I had known this could happen, I would have worked hard at preventing it.

Tomorrow is just one day .... but we will make it a day to remember.