It’s not over ‘til it’s over and we had an ocean to cross.  On April 29, 2024 I woke up to six days at sea and a travel day home.  I was happy to be this well caught up with my logging and blogging.  It makes it very smooth sailing.  Daniele came by the desk and we took in a lecture at 12:25pm on the secret world of the news anchor.  Danièle and Jean had become friends with the speaker, Derek Tedder, a number of cruises ago, and have been hanging out with him on various Queens, ever since.  It was my first lecture on board and I have been here since January 3.  You can see I am finally relaxing now. 

I actually found time to go to the solo get-together in the champagne bar at 5:30pm for the first time.  There’s a new crop just boarded for the crossing.  There weren’t any appetizing men but there were some interesting women there, and I ordered a glass of champagne for $23, just to get the glass.  I had another use for it. Liz and I were meeting the Schéres.

On the way to dinner Liz and I met the the Indian American family.  They had an idea for the Farewell Party.  They had at least 2 bottles of untouched champagne they were willing to donate, plus maybe some gin and rum.  Liz and I had a half-bottle each, too.  Could we find a venue where we could serve it?

I figured we could likely use the Atlantic room, as long as we understood it could have other world voyagers in it. 

We met the Schéres and their beautiful bottle of Chateau Voselle Lalande de Pomerol, 2014, for dinner in The Chef’s Table.  They had brought me a camembert, too,  and I was sharing it.  You had to see the assortment of glasses we had the nerve to drink this very fine wine from.  Despite mine not being the right shape for a fine Bordeaux, it was delicious.  You’d think I’d have a picture but we were too busy talking and eating. The very resourceful Danièle had another great idea.  She had checked out the King’s Court and they were serving duck.  We ordered pastas with mostly white sauces, added the duck and it made an excellent meal, not forgetting the Camembert, which was a tasty change from the bland cheeses on board. 

Another day and the cruise is winding down smoothly.  I got another log, blog and Newsletter out.  It included the DV feedback cards, which I trust they will fill out and news of how our Farewell Get-together will be free now. 

I submitted my review to the Lisbon tour operator.  It emphasized how well the tour had gone for the all-terrain power chair.  They need to know such things.   When the rest of the people were worrying about how she was keeping up, she was usually ahead of us, up and down hills and all.  I so wish she had come on tour in Singapore. 

One of my people, stopped by the desk to chat, and I told her about the Jivans’ Farewell Party offer, and that I didn’t think we could do it because I wasn’t going to do anything behind the ship’s back that might  get me fired.  She, a diamond Cunard cruiser, with a ton of sea days, assured me that The Atlantic Room was for all world cruisers’ use, and we definitely should be able to use it for our party.  She had a bottle of bubbly to contribute, too.  So…

I talked to my shipboard contact about it.   She took the idea to the powers that be and came back with Q32, a bar that doesn’t open until 9:00pm.  The ship could provide us with glasses, chips and nuts and we could order other bar items, like drinks and soft drinks, in advance, understanding that Q32 wasn’t open and staffed.

That sounded good to me and I modified the newsletter announcing the party with this paragraph:

DV Farewell Get-Together:

It’s interesting what happens when smart people start talking to each other.  Our farewell party now has a HOST TEAM.  It consists of people who never drank the bubbly we all found in our refrigerators when we boarded.  That was a gift from Cunard and we want to share it.  Our Events Manager found us a venue.  It’s G32, a bar that’s closed until 9:00pm.  Cunard will supply us with champagne glasses, ice, chips, and nuts.  The host team will raid the King’s Court for cheese and crackers and bring their chilled bottles of champagne.  We have the equivalent of 4 – 750 ml bottles.  If you want to drink anything other than bubbly, BYOB and/or mixer in a glass.  Talk to me about that, or if you want to join the host team, which, so far, is: The Jivan Family, Sally Foster, Liz Pratte and myself. 

I printed and delivered the letters and had dinner in the dining room with the Schères and it was fun catching up, just us.

The next day, May 1, I called everyone about the party before Office Hour.  Party planners, Liz Pratte and a couple of Jivans, came by the desk to, well, party plan.  Twelve people came to the Farewell Get-Together, and we were awash with booze and snacks liberated from the King’s Court.  There were three half couples so almost every cabin had sent a representative.  A farewell party is important.  At it people share coordinates, thank each other for favors rendered during the cruise and make plans to keep in touch.  Dinner after the party was a non-starter, though, as we had already eaten and drank plenty and people had packing to finish, other friends to say “good-bye” to, etc.  Liz and I ended up at the Chef’s table, our go-to.

Then it was May 2 and it was quiet at the desk except for one person coming by to chat and get an email full of pictures, from my slide show, which I have been providing to anyone who wanted them..  Her trader was a video Champ Jivan had given her for a simple thing to do every day to keep all the organs functioning correctly.   We are a great group.

One of the single men in my group called, very confused as to whether or not he had a flight home.  He told me he hadn’t been out of the room in weeks and had a long beard.  I realized I was going to have to step in and manage him.  He has all the symptoms of Alzheimer’s at a level where he should not be traveling alone.  I explained to him that I was going to check on it and he would be fine, but he had better shave and start dressing and going out, at least to meals.  I swung into action, starting by emailing his travel agent.

Then I went to what was only my second lecture on board.  It was Daniele and Jean’s friend Derek Tepper on Princess Diana’s demise.  I was interested because my Napa friend Moira Johnston had written a book on the subject “The Bodyguard’s Story”.  This lecture was part 1 of 2.  The Schéres and Iwere going to be meeting with Derek later for more French treats. 

It was very foggy, a perfect white-out, with the foghorn sounding every 90 seconds.  You couldn’t hear it everywhere, but it was eerie in the Atlantic room, which is just below the bridge, has lots of windows, and you sure could hear it in there.

When the travel agent had not replied by 5pm, I sent out another email.  There was a Captain’s party for World Cruisers at 5:15pm, but needless to say, the Captain wasn’t there.  You wouldn’t want him to be, when you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.  He needed to be on the Bridge. 

By the time I was back from the party, I had my man’s flight information, not from the TA, who had yet to answer, but from my ship’s contact.  Luckily Cunard had done his flights. I was able to relax a little, but I knew what I would be doing the next couple of days.

Around 6:30pm, I went up to a very quiet neglected corner of the King’s Court, where Danièle was laying out a spread fit for un roi.  Oo-la-la.  We had a nice big foie gras en torchon, an excellent saucisson, which she had carved with my swiss army knife and a few accompaniments scrounged from the buffet.  It was just the three of us and Derek Tedder, who, it turns out, never read Moira’s book, because he had interviewed Trevor Rees-Jones, and he didn’t remember much.  Now I really want to read Moira’s book. 

Dinner conversation was very lively, as it always is with these friends.  We finished it off with sushi and bread pudding.  It was a tad unorthodox, but all delicious stuff.  The ship’s sushi has been much better on the second half of the cruise, for some unknown reason, likely a chef change.  I went to see the Jack Pack and rather wished I hadn’t bothered.

The next morning, May 3 was still foggy but better.  I could actually make out the horizon but the foghorn was still sounding at 9am.  The travel agent had still nt answered me, so I emailed again, thanking her or having booked his flight and transfer through Cunard, and letting her know I would, at least do his boarding pass and manage him off the ship with the right group to catch his transfer. I asked her if he had Luggage Forward, which would further simplify things, as he wouldn’t have to manage his bag home with him, that way.  I took the liberty of suggesting strongly that she not sell him a cruise again, unless he had a traveling companion and thanked her for letting me help.

After my office hour, which was uneventful but did have a couple of goodbyes in it, I went to my man’s room to see how his packing was going and to give him a debark schedule that he could follow, explaining what would happen today, tomorrow and on debark day. It read:

TODAY:

PACK

Expect delivery of envelope from SHIP containing Luggage Tags Red 4 8:20am Sunday May 5

Fill in and attach tags to luggage

Fill in Helen’s report card on Helen’s computer

Give her a 5 for doing this

Saturday, May 4 TOMORROW

FINISH PACKING Have luggage ready to go out by 5:00PM

Helen won’t want to have to come back to nag

5:00PM or thereabouts Be in your room, and expect Helen with your Boarding Pass

Together we will put the luggage out – properly tagged

Order room service for breakfast to come at 6:30AM

Sunday, May 5 DEBARK DAY

6:30AM or earlier Get up, dressed and ready

Wait in room or a public area, if shooed out of room

8:20AM or when called When Red 4 is called, proceed to Gangway with Boarding pass

Pick up luggage in terminal, if necessary –

Obey instructions in the letter that arrived on May 3 or 4.

Get on Bus with rest of Red 4 people

At LGA find gate and proceed close to it

There should be food for purchase near the gate

3:00PM or earlier Watch Boarding Time and Be at Gate well ahead.

4:05PM DL 5785 LGA 05 May at 16:05 – 18:35 05 May . HUQJW4

I trust someone is meeting you in Newark.. 

He was glad to seee me and had made some progress. He was dressed and there were a couple of things in the suitcase.  He had identified a number of things he was willing to leave behind, as he had had a box as well as the suitcase on the way in.  He was very happy that I had made him a schedule to follow.  Luckily, he recognizes his memory limitations, and was happy to have me organize him. 

He wanted to go through a foot high mound of paper and have me throw out that which could be safely pitched.  He was happy to sit on the bed, with his feet up, and give me permission to ditch almost everything.  The pile went down to about an inch and a half. In it I found some pretty official looking Luggage Forward stuff, so I determined to question this with the ship.  They hadn’t volunteered anything but were usually happy to check whatever I asked for.  After about two hours I accompanied my man to the King’s Court, where we both had snacks.  I wanted him to be familiar with where he would be waiting before disembarking.  Then I went off to pack for myself and exhorted him to do the same, saying I would be back to check tomorrow morning before office hour.

I had brought him a revised schedule because I had learned there would be no room service on debark day.  I still had not heard from his travel agent and was worried about what would happen to him when he got off the plane at its destination.  He would still have to get home.  I asked the ship for his emergency contact and put in a Skype call to him, explaining that he couldn’t call me back but would he please email HelenMegan@aol.com.  Around 5pm I finally got something from his TA, the email I had in my manifest.  It was the agency owner, who had been sick in bed for three days and had finally forwarded my emails to the actual agent.  I replied with a short update.  She had not given me the agent’s email, so I was still waiting on info from that source. 

The agency owner had asked why Cunard couldn’t have given him his flight info, etc.  I would have preferred to be thanked for my services instead of being questioned.  Cunard would probably have given him some info, if he had even known what to ask for.  He wasn’t going to be asking them anytime soon, luckily, I was. 

I called Bevs, the Event Manager, to ask her if he had Luggage Forward, which I highly suspected he did, based on a very official looking luggage tag I found in his pile of paperwork.  Sure enough, he did, and should have gone to see the Luggage Forward rep on board, who had been doing his thing, until noon today.  I had Bevs track him down and tell him that my man would have his luggage out by 5pm tomorrow night, all properly tagged and what else did I need to know?  She did track all that stuff down for me.  Good. 

I had dinner in Britannia with Daniele, Jean and two nice French couples they had met at noon.  It was Danièle’s birthday and we had a very nice bottle from their cellar to commemorate it:

Finally, on May 4, the day before we were to disembark, I had a response from the actual travel agent.  She had no clue how bad things were with my man, nor how little the ship would do.  The world has changed.  Passengers are expected to use the Internet themselves for things like boarding passes now.  She didn’t volunteer anything about what would happen at the home end, either, but, at least I had her email and phone number.  I explained my concerns in my reply, attached my latest debark instruction sheet and asked if she had booked a transfer on the home end for him.

I also got email from my man’s emergency contact, which was very welcome, and replied with his flight information and asked if the contact knew how he would be getting home from the airport.  I also suggested he WhatsApp me after five o’clock, when I would give the WiFi to the phone, and we could chat. 

Because I had an early flight, I would be getting of the ship, bag and baggage in hand at seven am, tomorrow and my man was getting off at 8:15 am.  I tried to get the ship to take some responsibility for seeing that he would get off on time.  But they wouldn’t.  They wouldn’t even be calling Red 4 and may or not call him by name if he didn’t show up.  They don’t care like ships used to. 

I modified his DEBARK instructions by hand, crossing out the part about waiting to be called.  He had done pretty well with the packing, and I had learned about Luggage Forward, so we would be putting that tag on his luggage when we put it out at five.  He was dressed, and looked lonesome, so I invited him to come have a drink with Liz and Amanda and me.  We were meeting tonight in the Chart Room to say goodbye.

When I gave the WiFi to the Phone, there was his emergency contact on WhatsApp, so my man was with me when I got the delightful news that the contact, himself, would be picking him up at the Kansas City airport.  My man was delighted, as were we all.   The contact texted that my man is one of the greatest people he has ever known.  It’s so sad.  He reminded me so much of Elvon, another brilliant, capable, super nice person, a victim of the scariest disease, one of the greatest people I have ever known.

After I had had dinner, I got our boarding passes and delivered my man’s to him with final DEBARK instructions, which now included the gate at LaGuardia and his ride’s phone number.  I emailed same to his ride, too.  And so to sleep, fingers crossed.

On May 5, we docked in New York City, and I was up at 5:45am, reading my email from my man’s Travel agent, which was of no use, but maybe I taught her something.  At 6:30am I made his personal wakeup call and he was up and alert.  Good, because I was getting off the ship at 7:00am, bag and baggage.  There was a very long line of us getting ourselves off.  It was 7:50am by the time I was through that line, and customs, and into my taxi.  There was a 5 boros bike event that day and many roads were closed, opened, re-closed, etc.  It was a nightmare for the taxi drivers and mine sure let me know it.  I stifled my inclination to educate him in customer relations.  The customer doesn’t want to hear all these complaints.  It was enough that he was charging me $175 for the ride because of it.  That was about $100 more than my inbound taxi, so I wasn’t all that happy, especially when we sailed through everything and were at EWR at 8:30am.  He was still bitching that he was going to have a terrible time getting back and it wouldn’t be worth it. So, I suggested he just go home.  He might only get one fare today, but it was certainly a lucrative one.  I said all that so sweetly. 

I was home by 2:30pm and called my man’s ride around 3:30PM to touch base and tell him that he had Luggage Forward.  He would have been in LGA boarding then.  I petted and fed Robbie and went out for a Smoked Meat with poutine and a carrot cake at Reubens.  That, with a Coke and tip, came to $92.  OMG

And at 8pm, I was back home and so was my man, thanks to a text from his ride.  I slept like a log.  I am catching up slowly.  I have been unpacking and servicing a few bookings.  I’ll be doing taxes this week.  Sometime in June, the list of 2025 Distinctive Voyages will come out and I’ll be bidding for my assignments.  If any of you want to sail with me, give me a call and we’ll discuss what interests you.  For now, I am happy that I will soon be sailing SiverSea, from Vancouver to Tokyo and I do have friends and clients aboard.   For now, I am enjoying summer in Montreal, Festival City, as I promised myself.

eal, Festival City, as I promised myself.