Let it snow ... let it snow

It's only been a week and I already want to be back in the Caribbean! I'm sitting in my office, looking out over about 6" of snow that has fallen today; and it is predicted to continue. Cruise memories of sun and sand are fading away and thoughts of a white Christmas are pushing forward.

So let me take some time, while I'm sitting at my computer, to tell you about a hotel tour I had last week. Christi from the Hotel Andaluz in Albuquerque showed me around this wonderful little downtown hotel. The pictures here are from their web site.

From the Hotel's fact sheet:

The historic La Posada de Albuquerque Hotel reopened October 1, 2009 as Hotel Andaluz, following a $30 million renovation. The hotel boasts 107 rooms and suites, with meeting space for a variety of corporate booking needs. The hotel’s décor incorporates Moroccan and Spanish colonial influences reflective of the original design of the lobby, and features a mezzanine-level cultural center honoring New Mexico’s museums, cultural institutions, performing arts groups, and other culturally significant organizations.

We began our tour in the lobby, into which the renovation incorporated "casbah's" ... small, intimate seating areas, which can be curtained off. These areas can be reserved for small get togethers ... think drinks with friends before dinner. Two of them can have the connecting wall removed for slightly larger groups ... like an intimate birthday party or anniversary celebration for about 10-15 folks. Here's a picture

We had a great New Mexican breakfast at their restaurant, Lucia. I can't speak for dinner or lunch menus, but if they have items half as great at the red chili, hash browns, and eggs I had, the dining experience will be wonderful. Christi had huevos rancheros that must have tasted as good as they looked if her expression was any indication! You can check out pictures, and all the menus and other info here.

Next we went on a tour of the rooms. She started me in one of the suites. This one had a king-sized bed in a bedroom that could be closed off from the sitting area. A convertible sofa in the sitting area added to the capacity for the room. Best of all was the bathroom ... totally renovated and modern ... and beautiful! Notice the huge antique tub in this picture:

They took great pains to restore many of the original cast iron soaking tubs, and then housed them in a bathroom with all the modern amenities. The shower just begs you to get in and take your time, while the bathtub is big enough for a really relaxing soak! Because the hotel's owner is very environmentally conscious, all the upscale toiletries are dispensed from wall mounted bottles that are refilled as needed, dramatically cutting down on the waste of all those little plastic bottles!

The next suite I visited was similar, but without the wall dividing the bedroom and sitting room. Even though it was slightly smaller in square footage, it seemed bigger due to the lack of wall. So you can have your choice of privacy with a wall or a more open feeling without. Here's a sample of the open floor plan:

Notice the arch that leads into the entryway. One of the most charming thing about the hotel is the manner in which they renovated, leaving the original architecture as much as possible, while completely updating and modernising the decor.

I HAVE to talk about the desks! I travel some (duh!) and one of my pet peeves is the ridiculous placement of power outlets for computers, cell phone chargers, etc. Andaluz has solved the problem. Every desk, in every room, is equipped with a pop-up power strip. Now, why don't others think of that!?! Built right into the desk! Oh, another pet peeve of mine is that the more upscale the hotel, the more they charge for Internet access ... want free access ... go to a Holiday Inn. Not so the Andaluz! Internet access is complimentary. Hooray!!!

I could go on, but let me point you to the hotel web site instead. There is all the info you will need about this charming hotel in the heart of downtown Albuquerque.

Oh, and stay tuned ... I will be putting together a package with the hotel for the 2012 Balloon Fiesta. Let me know if you are interested!

Last set of tips

Promised you the final set of tips from Budget Travel Magazine ... here are the last two:

11  If you even manage to get a cell signal while at sea, your roaming charges will be outrageous. To communicate with your cabinmates, leave Post-it notes on your door detailing where you'll be throughout the day.

12  If you get lost on a ship, remember that most share a common layout. The lido-deck buffet restaurant, for example, will almost always be in the back to accommodate comfortable outdoor seating in the least windy part of the ship, while the lounge/theater will be in the front because wind is not a factor (there are no windows).

My thoughts on these tips:
Leaving the post-it notes is a pretty good idea, but I saw some very clever folks on this last cruise. They had purchased small walkie-talkies and were communicating with each other that way. I saw this trick used in Disney World some time ago, but never thought to take these little radios on a cruise ship. Clever! I may try it next time we cruise

Don't worry about getting lost on a cruise ship. Every ship has deck plans posted by the elevators and, for the most part, the public rooms are all collected on a few floors. You'll need to be able to find your cabin ... make a note whether aft, bow, or mid-ship elevators get you there easiest. And staff on cruise ships are ubiquitous and VERY friendly. Just ask! You'll get your directions down pat in no time!

I have returned with about an inch of handouts and paperwork that ended up in our mailbox every day. I'll start sharing those with you in the next posts. If you've never been on a cruise they will give you an idea what to expect. If you're an old hand, then you can compare what HAL gives us to your favorite cruise line's handouts.

Home again ... home again

Our ship docks tomorrow and I will spend most of Monday getting from Ft. Lauderdale to home.

It has been a wonderful cruise. These last two days at sea have reminded me why I cruise. I have spent hours on our balcony ... listening to the ocean, staring at the waves and whitecaps, enjoying the wind, reading. The peace of the ocean lets me relax, rejuvenates me, and gives me space to think. I've already started planning for next year.

I did pick up a few things for gifts while we were docked in Aruba. But I can't tell you what ... then they wouldn't be a surprise, would they?

I learned to play craps last night. More fun than slots, with only slightly different odds. I'm really not any good at card games, where the odds can occasionally be swung in your favor. But I won! Beginners luck? Who knows? We'll decide after I give the table another run tonight.

I will have two final tips for you when I get home and back to my regular computer. Till then ... sail on!

Day 7 & 8 - Curacao and Aruba

Days 7 & 8 – Curacao and Aruba

Dec 8 & 9

Yes, for those of you paying attention, I missed a day! C'mon … I'm on vacation!

Curacao was yesterday. The ports and cities are getting larger as time goes on. Curacao was a beautiful, tropical city, with pastel buildings and beautiful flowers. Right off the dock is the Renaissance Casino. It is a grand building and quite a shopping area has sprung up around it. I went walking among the shops, bars, and tourist attractions for about an hour. There are quaint cobblestone streets and a few local crafts.

Otherwise, yesterday was like the rest of the cruise … relaxing. Knitting, reading, going to the hydrotherapy pool in the spa. We had a great dinner with one of the best waiters we've had so far. He was pleasant, without being intrusive … quite a feat. I asked about some origami I had seen him making and he came by the table to fold us a frog … that hops! When we awoke this morning, it was hanging from our stateroom mailbox!

Today is Aruba. Bigger and more bustling than Curacao. Again, I went wandering among the shops at the pier. This time I actually did some shopping. A few Christmas presents and a new caftan for me.

I am sitting at the writing desk in our cabin as I type, looking out over the aft of the ship … at the Queen Victoria, docked behind us. I thought she would be more impressive. Several folks on her forward deck, in the hot tub and reading. Appears everybody does the same thing on a cruise!

Yesterday and today I have watched innumerable cargo ships come and go. Gives me a small understanding of the amount of commerce that happens on the seas. I see big rig trailers every day and it leads one to believe that truck haul most of our goods. Not so … Cargo ships, piled high with shipping containers.

Since this is two-days worth of postings, you get two tips:

9. Make your cabin homier by packing a small collapsible vase and a bouquet of flowers.


10. If you go directly from the air-conditioned ship out onto the open-air deck (which is usually warmer and more humid in most cruise destinations) your camera's lens is likely to fog up. Warm the camera with your cabin's hair dryer on a low setting or briefly leave it out on your balcony so it can acclimate to the weather.

Hmmm … seems like the writers at Budget Travel Magazine were reaching for these. I have never found the need for flowers in my cabin. Even mass-market lines like Carnival have very nicely decorated staterooms … even the interior ones. I'd save my luggage space.

The camera tip is so true. But the fogging (which happens on my glasses as well) resolves itself very quickly. It's not serious enough to damage any of the few moving parts in today's digital cameras, so I just take a few moments to enjoy the scenery before I start snapping pictures.

We are about to pull out of Aruba … our last port. The next two days are at sea as we head back to Ft. Lauderdale. I'll see what goodies I can find to report on for you.

Day 6 - Bonaire

Day 6 – Bonaire

Dec 7

Once again, the ship is in port and we are on the ship. Bonaire looks pretty inviting from our balcony. See picture …

the pastel houses, tropical foliage, and blue, blue water. But we have discovered that, if we stay on the ship on port days while everyone else goes ashore, it's like we have the ship and staff almost entirely to ourselves.

You see, there are certain things cruises are great for, and others … not so much. Cruises are great for travelling in style, not having to unpack, seeing beautiful landscapes and ocean and beaches, and for the occasional scuba or snorkelling outing. Cruises aren't so good for getting to know a port in depth. You are only there for several hours and, unless you are willing to venture out on your own, there's not enough time to escape the tourist shopping venues and pre-packaged “native” shows. Nope … if getting to know about a locale is your purpose for vacationing, then rent a condo and spend a couple of weeks living with the locals. … So Scotty and I rarely get off the ship.

But you win because we stayed on board today. I decided to get pictures of the flower arrangements today. In addition to its magnificent collection of art, HAL employs full time florists … two on the Noordam … to keep flowers fresh and ever changing. Here is a sample of the arrangements to be found on every floor and every dining table.

We had lunch at Pinnacle Grill … now, who would go to a five-star restaurant and order a hamburger?? Me! And it was one of the best hamburgers I've ever had! Then I mentioned to our waiter how much I loved the peach frozen yogurt from the day before and, even though it wasn't on the menu, he found some for me … ah, white glove service!

As I said, it was a lazy day for us, so we headed back to the room to sit on the verandah and just watch the water. I read and knit for quite a while. This is what I consider a vacation!

Dinner found us back in the main dining room. I had a roast duck appetizer (wonderful), a five-onion cream soup (interesting), and leg of lamb (YUM!!!). Finished off with a hot fudge Sundae. Yes, I will be gaining a pound a day unless I don't take another bite from now until we disembark on Monday!

The casino was kinder to me tonight. Won back part of what I lost last night. If I could learn to just walk away when I win, I could stay ahead … but where's the fun in that?

Here's the latest tip from Budget Travel Magazine:

8. If the porters haven't delivered your luggage to your door by the first night of the cruise, check what our experts call the “naughty room”. Security will store any bags containing contraband, (like candles, alcohol, or coffeemakers) in this centralized location until you come to claim it. You'll be able to pick up your bag on the first night but your banned items will not be returned until the end of the trip.

Folks, cruise lines are very serious about this. There is nothing scarier to the crew than a fire. So anything that heats up or has the possibility of a flame is confiscated. Please, please pay attention to these limits. It will make your cruise much more enjoyable and safer!

Day 5 - At Sea

Day 5 – At Sea

Dec 6

Very rollercoaster day today. No, the ship is not rocking … I am … well, me and the slot machines! I am down some, but this morning I won $500 on a random spin! I was on cloud 9 for quite a while. Now, after an evening in the casino … not so much … ah well. I am enough of a statistician to know I am just playing for entertainment and there is little hope of walking away ahead of the house.

I have to talk about the walking. We are really getting our exercise. The Noordam is three football fields in length … 935 feet, to be exact. As I have said, our cabin is at the very aft … looking out over the aft of the ship. The Lido Buffet is directly above us, three decks up. Otherwise, we walk at least half the length of the ship to get anywhere. The Main dining room is completely forward. The casino and lounges are mostly mid-ship. The crow's nest is completely forward. The Neptune Lounge is a little forward of midship. See … we are getting our exercise. Perhaps we won't gain that average of a pound a day that everyone talks about!

For those of you who have asked for more pictures, Holland America Line does it much better than I do. So here's a link to some beautiful pictures of the ship and facilities:

http://experience.hollandamerica.com/ships/noordam/NO_slideshow2/index.html

The first room picture is the type of cabin we are in. The hydrotherapy pool is the one I head to every day. We have eaten in the Lido Buffet and the main dining room. Tomorrow lunch is the Pinnacle Grill. I will take more pictures of things that aren't in this slide show. Especially the art work … amazing!!

Today was pretty calm, other than the casino trips. I spent some time in the Neptune lounge, sending off today's blog, checking e-mail, and knitting. My knitting is drawing some attention, so I have begun carrying around the pattern as well as the WIP. People want to see what the finished product will be like.

We had a nice lunch in the Lido Buffet. Salad, nothing too fancy. After a while you just have to have real food! Then Scotty went off to a movie and I headed to the casino. She enjoyed “Larry Crowne” and I played the slots … 'nuff said.

We spent a little while in the cabin prior to dinner, sitting on the verandah and reading. I admit, I snoozed off a little while in bed! Dinner was at Caneletto. HAL turns part of the Lido Buffet into a very nice, but informal, Italian restaurant at dinner time. We took advantage of it and had a great Italian dinner. My Chicken Marsala was wonderful and her Cod looked pretty good too!

Time for tip # 7

7. If your tablecloth is wet at dinner, you should prepare for rough seas. Restaurant staffers have been known to slightly dampen the tablecloth to keep plates and glasses from sliding.

This is another one that is outside my experience. Given how rough the seas were at the start of this voyage, I would have expected to see it then, but didn't … perhaps this is the sea-going version of an urban legend? Have any of you experienced dampened linens??

Headed off to bed now. We dock in Bonnaire tomorrow. We have lunch scheduled for the Pinnacle Grill, but we will also try to get off the ship and see what we can in town.

Day 4 - Samana - and a new tip

Day 4

Dec 5

Samana is a very small place. We stayed on the ship. Tender trip would have been 30 minutes, then another 20 cab ride into town, according to our dinner-mates.

I was up at 7:30 – no particular reason, just awake! Took my computer down to Lido for coffee and croissants. Had a very pleasant time posting yesterday's blog, checking e-mail and chatting with a couple from Jamaica/Canada. Coincidentally, they have a daughter living in Santa Fe. It is such a small world!

No pictures today, because it was really a lazy day. Went back to the cabin after eating and Internet time and took a quick snooze. Poor cabin steward hardly got a look at our room today, we were so snuggled up. Left Scotty in the room and headed out to browse the ship. Stopped in the Crow's Nest to read some, then down to the Lido for some sushi for lunch. Scotty found me there. She fixed herself up with some asian food and we sat and chatted for a while. Just luxuriating in the peace and watching the sea.

Back downstairs to the cabin … Deni hadn't made it by to make it up yet, so we put him off yet again and took another nap. I awoke after about 2 hours and decided to go sit somewhere beautiful and knit. Found a nice quiet place in the seating area of the ocean bar. Scotty and I browsed the jewelry and gift shop … seemed to be smaller than the last HAL cruise we took, but we are much for shopping anyway. Nick and Mark at the Ocean Bar took good care of us and I got a fair amount of knitting done.

Headed to dinner and ran into Ann and Bill, whom we had eaten with at lunch on the first day. It is amazing that, on a ship with 1800 people, you can run into the same folks over and over. So we shared a table with them for dinner. I had proscuitto salad, cheddar/bacon soup, and flank steak with polenta. All very yummy. Ended the meal with a date bread covered in zabaglione. Also yummy.

Then we parted ways. Scotty went to listen to the chamber string quartet and I headed for the casino again. Walked away with $69 more than I put in, so I consider it a good night.

Just came in from our verandah. I could have slept in the deck chair … ocean sound, rocking ship, sea air … lovely!

For those of you who have been reading along, I promised the answer to the trivia question … who wrote “Twinkle, twinkle little star”. And the answer is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart!

Again, thanks to Budget Travel Magazine for tip # 6

6. Don't assume you can save a spot at the pool with your towel. Cruise lines give you one pool towel at the start of the cruise. If you don't have it (or a cleaned trade-in) at the end, you'll get charged. If you let it out of your sight, you run the risk of losing it or having it stolen by a fellow cruiser.

Not so in my experience. Although Scotty and I aren't ones to lay about by the pool, my daughters are. I have never had the experience where the cruise line only gives you one towel. HAL has towels poolside and hands them out freely. Of course, it is rude to save a seat with your towel and then not use it. Chair hogs are the worst on cruises!! Don't be one!