I was on the phone Monday talking to someone who asked me if I write about her on Facebook and the blog. I said I didn't and wouldn't in the future. On the rare occasion I do mention someone, other than Wanda, I only use first names. Today I'm going to get more personnel than usual.
Ten years ago September Wanda and I went on our first cruise. At the time I knew nothing so I relied on a local travel agent. We got lucky. We sailed Star Princess, a new ship, in a balcony cabin. We were mesmerized by the beauty of Alaska. The cruise was a seven day round trip out of Seattle. In addition to getting lucky we also got hooked.
I know cruising is not for everyone. The usual reasons people give are, "I get seasick" or "I don't like crowds" or "I don't like them telling me what I have to do and when" or "It's such a short time in the cities." I'm not going to take the time here to explain why all these excuses for not going are bunk. Wanda and I love the cruise vacation. If you've never been and don't want to try, it's your loss.
Within a month of returning home we had another cruise planned for March 2004 with Jennifer, Eric, and Nick. It was an eight day round trip San Francisco to Mexico with Celebrity on the Mercury. Before years end 2003 we also booked a ten day cruise out of San Francisco on the brand new Sapphire Princess. This cruise was scheduled for October 2004 and we would be celebrating our 15th anniversary.
Just before our first cruise I found an on-line cruise community. The people on the message boards were cruise fanatics. I learned every aspect of the cruise lines, the ships, and the cabins. They discussed food and the excursions. I found answers for anything I considered worth knowing. I also discovered the cruise roll calls.
Picture a banquet room in a large hotel filled with people on your adventure. That's what a cruise roll call board is. It's a chance to interact with people on your cruise. You can participate as much or as little as you like. You can post every day or once a month. I got involved in the Sapphire message board in November 2003, eleven months before the cruise.
There is always a get together aboard the ship. Usually at sail-a-way and again within the first few days. People come and go as they please. Some folks post on the roll call every day but don't turn up, while others post very little but are the life of the party. There's no rhyme or reason why people click, it just happens. Over the years cruising Wanda and I are very fortunate. We have met and continued our friendship with some wonderful people.
As I said, we celebrated our 15th anniversary aboard ship and several of the people from the roll call celebrated with us. When we returned home I started a thread on the message boards for those that wanted to continue the friendship. Now, nine years later some of those people still post every day.
The Nevada City gathering began in 2005 as a between cruises get together of Sapphire friends. Wanda and I had been there a few times and we stayed at a unique motel we thought would be perfect, The Outside Inn. While it's always fun to cruise with buddies, and we certainly have over the years, this gave everyone a chance to socialize on solid ground. Last week was the 9th and we're all looking forward to June 2014 for the 10th.
In Nevada City people have come and gone, just like the roll call boards. Most come from northern California but we've had visitors from New Jersey and Alabama. We started with seven adults and have had more than two dozen. This year the group was small which was just fine. Lots of people or just a few, we always have a good time. I can't say enough about the city, the motel, and most importantly, the people.
I live with my best friend, the others are just a mouse click away.
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| 2008 the first year we took a group shot |
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| 2009 |
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| 2010 |
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| 2011 |
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| 2012 |
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| 2013 |
1 comment:
Cool......love the chronological pictures.
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