Our Wander Years

ATW-1 Days 12 & 13: At sea

Posted on October 1, 2025 by Sparky

We don’t get our cabin cleaned every day. In fact, if it were Marlene’s choice we would never get it cleaned at all. The compromise we have reached is cabin cleaning every 6 days, so Day 12 was a cabin cleaning day. We also got our laundry back. One of the perks of our exalted status with Carnival is free laundry service. So we got fresh laundry back, too. A clean cabin with clean towels, clean sheets and clean clothes… what could be better?

Another Day 12 feature was not one but TWO shows – a juggler, Zak McAllister, in the afternoon and “Vintage Pop,” a 30’s musical revue with some modern songs mixed in, in the evening. The ship band played for the evening show and, as always, they were terrific. Marlene got photos with the captain and some of the “Vintage Pop” cast.

Day 13 included two firsts for me for this cruise: a trivia contest and a comedy show. I was mediocre at trivia – 13.5 points when the winning score was 19 – and the comedian, Billy D Washington, wasn’t very funny. Oh, well. I tried.

Much funnier (if you have a sense of humor) was receiving a bill of $2408 when I requested my free 1.5L bottle of water. I have no idea how the bartender could have made that mistake, but I kept the receipt. It was corrected, of course.

Marlene continues to photograph the amazing watermelon art. She also posed with the comedian and her new best friends, Leslie and Ginger.

We played some cards and split, 1-1. The casino continues to be unfriendly to me. Down $700. But Marlene had a very good day, winning the “Super 8 Jackpot” on a slot machine for a cool $1,038 win. She is still down, but I think that brings her back to my level.

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ATW-1 Days 9-11: At sea

Posted on September 28, 2025 by Sparky

After our day in Honolulu, the Carnival Luminosa headed toward the second port of call: Tahiti. And I learned something about the islands of the Pacific: rather than heading west, as I expected, the ship headed south. Actually a bit southeast as Tahiti is east of Hawaii. And in the same time zone. So for the 6 days after Hawaii we will not have to adjust our clocks.

Day 9 was pretty quiet. I did some reading in the afternoon and we did some dancing in the evening. We also played some cards (Marlene won 2 and I won 1). The rest of the time was spent on the two things cruises are famous for: eating and gambling. Our dinner was at a table of 5, with Mike & Jean from Oregon and Bob from Australia.

We played more knock rummy after breakfast on Day 10 with Marlene winning 2 to my 1 (see a pattern here?). After lunch we took a dip in the hot tub followed by a dip in the pool. Dinner was elegant (and we had some photos taken by the ship’s photographers) and we dined at a table for 8 with Walter, Melissa, Brenda, Mary, Randy and Debby. After dinner we danced, skipping the show. The music was provided by the band’s two singers and one guitarist. Apparently the rest of the band was practicing for their big night on Day 11.

On Day 11 we crossed the equator around 3pm. This event is always celebrated in a traditional way – by King Neptune holding court and punishing the offenders (which always includes the captain being tossed in the pool). We didn’t actually see the event as we knew it would be wall-to-wall people. We played cards instead with Marlene winning 4 games to my 3. I guess I am improving as I held her to less than a 2-to-1 ratio. Dinner was a table of 7, including some folks that we have dined with before, plus two women from the UK. After dinner we attended the show – “One Night Only” which featured the ship’s band which is absolutely terrific. Great voices on the two singers, Matt and Zoe.

The casino continues to be unkind to me. I have had 10 consecutive days of losses, but I am pretty good at walking away when I reach my limit. I am down $560. I think Marlene is down more than that, but she has winning days so there is hope for her.

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ATW-1 Day 8: Honolulu HI

Posted on September 28, 2025 by Sparky

I had been to Hawaii before – sort of. I landed there way back in 1975 while on my way to Australia on a work assignment. But I never left the airport terminal. So I really didn’t get to see it back then. I still haven’t seen much of the state, but at least I have seen much of the city of Honolulu.

Honolulu was the first port of call for the Carnival Luminosa. We had a long day docked there – 13 hours. The pier is right in downtown Honolulu, so we could walk just about anywhere in the city as it isn’t sprawling, like Los Angeles. We considered going to Pearl Harbor but were advised that we needed reservations – which are hard to get – for the more interesting portions of that memorial. And some of it was undergoing renovation. So we opted out of Pearl Harbor.

We decided to go to Waikiki Beach instead. Not to swim, just to look around. It was about 3 miles from the pier and we could have taken the bus for $1.50. But we decided to walk. The entire route was along the shore and flat. We thought it would be an interesting hike. And it was.

Interesting birds, interesting vegetation – including some amazing banyan trees. And lawn bowling. When we reached the beach we were rewarded with a nice view of Diamond Head. And some nice shops around the Hilton Waikiki Resort.

We stopped at a bar for a drink and a bio break. Then on to Goodwill with a stop along the way at a fancy high-end mall. Got to see both ends of the shopping spectrum. We spent an hour in the Goodwill store but got out without buying anything. Good thing as we still have a 50-pound limit for the flight from Sydney to Rome.

We made it back to the ship as the sun was setting. Total steps – about 25,000 (over 10 miles of walking).

While on the ship I spent a lot of time on the computer, taking advantage of my access to the internet. I blogged in the morning and paid bills in the evening.

The long walk took its toll – I went to bed early with a sore back.

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“The Broker” by John Grisham

Posted on September 24, 2025 by Sparky

The eponymous broker in this case is disgraced and convicted Washington lobbyist Joel Backman. He is in prison, having served 6 years of a 20-year sentence (though the nature of his crime is a big vague), when he is suddenly pardoned by the outgoing President. His crime has something to do with some mysterious software that has been brought to him by 3 Pakistani hackers. The software controls an even more mysterious set of 9 spy satellites code-named “Neptune.” No one seems to know who launched these satellites or how they got into orbit without the defense and intelligence communities of the US, the UK and Russia not being aware of the launch. But there are lots of people who are upset that the satellites have been kidnapped by these hackers and, with Joel Backman’s assistance, are being peddled to the highest bidder. That high bid – in the vicinity of $1 billion – is never consummated as the 3 hackers and one of Backman’s associates are murdered before the deal goes down and Backman, in fear for his life, pleads guilty to the charges that have been leveled against him. He figures he is safer in prison than he is on the streets. And the software – on 4 hard disks – has disappeared.

Backman’s pardon was engineered by Teddy Maynard, the long-time head of the CIA, who wants him dead, thinking that the software will die with him. The CIA spirits the bewildered Backman to Italy where he desperately tries to assume the identity of a Canadian tourist. The CIA, which cannot legally assassinate him, wants him in a location where one of the other injured parties – Saudi Arabia (who was in line to pay the $1 billion ransom), Israel (who was determined to prevent Saudi Arabia from acquiring the Neptune satellites), Russia (who didn’t want any other country getting them) and China (who actually launched them and were pretty miffed that they had been stolen from them) – will be able to do the job for them. The CIA carefully controls Backman and, at the right moment – which happens to be when Maynard is fired – leaks his location to everyone. Backman has a very big target on his back.

It won’t surprise you to hear that Backman survives to the end of the book. How he does it is the interesting part of the plot. There is a minor romantic subplot. And the descriptions of the various Italian cities in which Backman lived are also interesting.

Grisham is a talented writer and I always enjoy his books. But this one doesn’t completely resolve Backman’s situation. It ends with Backman still being hunted by China. That was somewhat unsatisfying.

7 out of 10.

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ATW-1 Days 5-7: At sea

Posted on September 24, 2025 by Sparky

Three more days at sea on the Carnival Luminosa. These were relatively uneventful days. The weather wasn’t bad, but it was chilly and cloudy on Day 5. It was also pretty choppy. The weather improved on Day 6 and was positively gorgeous by Day 7.

The highlight of Day 5 was dinner at a table of 8 where we engaged in some spirited conversation with our dinner companions, followed by a very good show in the theater: “Flick,” a revue of movie songs, with some very good singing and dancing. The lighting was pretty good too.

Day 6 featured a lot of time spend reading “The Broker” by John Grisham (a book review to follow) and lunch with an interesting Turkish couple who were living in Sydney. We also spent some time in the hot tub and pool (yes, the weather was that good), played some cards (Marlene continues to win most of the knock rummy games) and another free meal for Diamond-level passengers (where both Marlene and I savored some of the best broiled salmon that we have ever encountered). We did a lot of dancing to Beauty and the Beat to end the day.

Day 7 started with breakfast, a lot of cards (with Marlene again kicking my butt) and a shrimp burrito for lunch. Then I blogged a bit but couldn’t post as I had no internet connection. That will come on Day 8.

We had dinner at a table for 8 and enjoyed our company very much. We also enjoyed the magician who showed us a card trick that leaves me absolutely baffled. It wasn’t a trick deck as it was provided by one of our dinner companions. He shuffled the cards so that half were facing up and half were facing down. Later, after correctly guessing the card picked by another guest he showed the deck again and all cards were facing up. I have no idea how he did it. Very impressive.

The Day 7 show was “Family Feud.” We opted for the late show which promised to be “spicier” than the early show. But it wasn’t very spicy.

We finished Day 7 with some dancing and some late night pizza.

The casino has not been kind to me. I have not yet had a winning day. Down $350.

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ATW-1 Days 3 & 4: At sea

Posted on September 21, 2025 by Sparky

The Carnival Luminosa portion of the ATW-1 begins with 5 days at sea. This means we spent a lot of time eating and playing slots in the casino these first 2 days on board. And meeting our fellow cruisers. At breakfast on Day 3 we met Tony, from Cincinatti.

At breakfast we noticed the very cool watermelon sculpture. Someone on board is really skilled with watermelons.

We played some cards before lunch and Marlene won 2 games of knock rummy to my 1. We had lunch in the buffet, then spent some time – and money – in the casino. I lost $125 (down $175). I can’t afford those kinds of losses on a 22-night cruise – I would be spending more in the casino than the rest of the ATW combined.

After dinner we went to the show, which was “magic and comedy” by Glen Foster. Pretty good.

On Day 4 we had breakfast alone (just Marlene and me), then played some knock rummy. I won 2 games to none for Marlene. That really annoyed her.

We were invited to an exclusive luncheon for Diamond-level passengers – the highest status available on Carnival. Marlene achieved Diamond status on this cruise. I am still a lowly Platinum guest. But they let me attend as Marlene’s “plus one.” The meal was disappointing – the toughest filet mignon ever – but the drinks were free. We met Dwight and Terry from Huntington Beach CA and John and Sandy from St Louis MO.

The officers were introduced at the luncheon.

Marlene won a few bucks at the casino but I continued to lose. But only a little – $25 (down $200).

Dinner was an “elegant night” and Marlene dressed to the nine. I guess I looked pretty good in my Italian sports coat too. I had prime rib and it was very good.

We skipped the show in favor of dancing. The 9-piece dance band on this cruise – “Beauty and the Beat” – is very good, as we hoped they would be (gotta have a good dance band on a long cruise). The lead singers – Phat Matt and Zoe – are both very good vocalists. I think we will be spending a lot of time dancing.

Which is good because the more time we spend dancing the less time we will spend in the casino.

The weather these first 2 days has been chillier than I expected – highs around 70. And the seas on Day 4 were pretty rough – like 6-foot swells. But not terrible. Better weather ahead.

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ATW-1 Day 2: Carnival Luminosa embarkation

Posted on September 21, 2025 by Sparky

We took an Uber from the hotel in Tukwila to Pier 91 in Seattle, with a brief stop to purchase 2 12-packs of cola. We thought we were going to Pier 66 (because Google told us that was the Carnival pier), but we were mistaken – another ship was docked there. Pier 91 was 2 miles further north.

The check-in process was tedious, but uneventful. We had all the necessary paperwork, including the travel insurance that was required on this cruise by one of the ports of call – a first in all of our years of cruising. We also had our Australian visas, on my phone, which was fine. We also had our Luminosa boarding passes in PDF form, on my phone, but that wasn’t fine – we had to have a paper boarding pass issued. I guess the cruise industry isn’t quite as advanced as the airline industry in that respect.

Once in the cabin we unpacked, then went to the buffet for a bite to eat. We got to the muster station on time and then rested in the cabin a bit. At dinner we chatted with Ervin and Cathy from Phoenix. We had to wait 3 hours for the casino to open (Puget Sound is BIG). Usually the first night is good, but not this time. We both lost. I lost $50.

We wandered a bit, getting reacquainted with the ship. Some updates had been made in the 2 years since our first Luminosa cruise but they are relatively minor cosmetic changes.

We went to bed early.

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ATW-1 Day 1: RSW to SEA

Posted on September 18, 2025 by Sparky

We planned to get up at 5am to do the final preparations for the big trip, but we just couldn’t wait – we got up at 4am. We got the final packing done, ate some cereal and did some final work to get Marlene’s house ready for our extended absence. She didn’t clean out the refrigerator as much as I would have liked, so I will have some dread to open that door when we return.

Marlene’s neighbor Dave showed up at 6am and drove us to the Fort Myers airport (RSW). The checked baggage weighed in at exactly 100 pounds (50.4 for me and 49.6 for Marlene) – a testament to our ability to use every cubic inch of a suitcase. The flights – from Fort Myers to Chicago and Chicago to Seattle – were flawless.

Then some bad stuff happened.

Marlene’s suitcase, when it came to us on the baggage carousel, was missing a wheel and was pretty banged up. We took it to the American Airlines baggage office and I was in the process of filing a claim for the damaged suitcase when the attendant brought a new suitcase from the back room, saying that if we didn’t file a claim we could have this suitcase gratis. It wasn’t a high-end model and I thought it looked smaller than Marlene’s. But replacing the suitcase on the spot was very appealing.

We took the new suitcase and managed to transfer all of her belongings to the new luggage. Problem solved.

After I checked into the hotel I discovered that I had forgotten an important medication. So we walked to a nearby mall and solved that problem at CVS. We also got a bite to eat at a fast-food Thai place in the food court there (very good!). And Marlene found three items at JC Penney that she just had to have. I reminded her of the 50-pound luggage limit that will apply when we fly to Rome, but… well, she just HAD to have those dresses.

We stayed at the Ramada Inn Southcenter Tukwila, near the Seattle-Tacoma airport. It was quite nice. Comfortable bed, very good breakfast and free coffee. And a nice patio area. The shower had no door or shower curtain, which we found odd. But I guess that is a new thing with hotels. 8 out of 10.

Now we will take an Uber to the cruise terminal and begin the ATW-1 in earnest.

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ATW-1 Day 0: Final preparations

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Sparky

The ATW begins tomorrow with an early morning flight to Seattle. But there is work to be done today, to prepare for the flight and the subsequent 22-night cruise. And to ready Marlene’s house for nearly 10 weeks of vacancy.

Things to be done today:

Check in for the flight and print the boarding passes.
Print the boarding passes for the cruise (we checked in a week ago).
Make arrangements with a neighbor to get us to the airport.
Pack our suitcases.
Mow the lawn (arrangements have been made to have someone mow the lawn twice while we are away).
Clean out the refrigerator.
Unplug the electric water heater and turn off the washer water feeds.
Arrange with a neighbor to periodically check the house and start Marlene’s car (my son will start mine).

Packing is a challenge. We will be away for nearly 10 weeks but can take only one 50-pound suitcase each (plus a backpack and a hand-carry item). We get free laundry aboard the ships, so that solves the laundry problem for half the trip. We will have to find laundromats occasionally while in Europe. Keeping within the 50-pound limit is not a problem for me but it will be a challenge for Marlene. She will be limited to 3 pairs of shoes – 2 pairs in the suitcase and one worn on the flight. Going 70 days with just 3 pairs of shoes (at least until we reach Europe – she could buy more there) will be difficult. And picking the right dresses… also tough.

It is good to be a guy.

All of these tasks are things we would do for shorter trips, except for the mowing arrangements and cleaning out the refrigerator. It is really important this time to remove all perishable items. Anything we leave will be rotten/moldy/stinky when we return. Can’t let that happen.

Anyway, the ATW begins in earnest around 4am tomorrow when we get up.

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And so the ATW begins…

Posted on September 12, 2025 by Sparky

Not the trip per se but the final preparation for the trip. Specifically, Marlene just left to deliver Becky to her brother in Coral Springs. She will return Sunday, we will finish packing Monday and Tuesday and will fly out on Wednesday.

The lead-up to our departure has not been without drama. Marlene’s air conditioning misbehaved – again – on Thursday. We believe it is just a relay and a repair guy will look at it Monday. Shutting the unit down and restarting it seems to have rectified the problem, at least temporarily. But it would be good to have a reliable air conditioner in our absence.

Marlene also discovered, just this morning, that her freezer in the garage was off. We found a popped circuit and reset it. But, again, the questions are (1) what caused the circuit to trip and (2) can we trust it to not trip again while we are away? Our working theory is that the heavy rain yesterday got into the exterior outlet (which is on the same circuit), causing a short. I tied a plastic bag over the outlet to prevent that from happening again, if that is the problem.

She will have her neighbor keep an eye on the house while we are away but she can’t expect him to check everything every day. So we have to keep our fingers crossed…

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