Friday, January 13, 2012

Who the heck is Lord Carrington?


As you will see by the sidebar, I am following several other cruising blogs. It’s quite interesting to read what they are going through and how they planned for their cruise. One couple is bringing 11—yes, ELEVEN—suitcases for a 70-some day cruise! And Randy & I are worried about possibly having 4 suitcases. We managed once to fly around the world with just two carry-on bags, but going around the world on a cruise ship is just a teeny bit different. The wife in one couple on an earlier 70-day cruise brought 17 pairs of shoes! SEVENTEEN! Another was noting the poundage of their baggage: over 500 pounds! The mind reels!

I’m definitely getting into the we’re-actually-going-on-this-cruise-so-I’d-better-get-my-act-in-gear mode! I’m making spreadsheets:
  • with the names of the CruiseCritic members who have told me their surnames and cabins for the Meet & Greet on the first sea day;
  • of all the tours I’ve already signed us up for;
  • for the checklists I’m gathering (I’m a pilot’s wife—of course I have checklists; I have checklists of my checklists!);
  • of the tours I’m organizing (so far only one, but I’m working on another out of Le Havre if I can only get Randy to tell me what he wants to do!).

This is a sample of my checklist format. I’ll keep it in the kitchen and Randy & I can check off what we’ve acquired and what we still need to get. Some of the stuff we’ll pick up in Sydney so we don’t have to carry it with us on the plane. Am I too compulsive?

Have

Need

 

Clothing & Accessories



Clothing & Shoes – formal, casual, gym


Lightweight rain ponchos


Sweater &/or jacket


Umbrella


Poncho


Visor/hat


Snorkels & masks (2)

For our anniversary I have organized a stay at an old hotel that I was told about by the CruiseCritic members, the Carrington in Katoomba (check out the location on googlemaps.com, 15-47 Katoomba St, Katoomba Blue Mountains, Australia). It’s an old, historic, majestic hotel in the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney and we’re going to stay in the Lord Carrington Suite for our 50th anniversary. Now I’ll have to find a nice restaurant for dinner! We’ll stay there the 11th and 12th (our actual anniversary) so we’ll have lots of time to wander around the area and see what there is to see. There is lots to see! I’m really looking forward to it! Not as much as the cruise, of course, but our week in Sydney and Katoomba should be a lot of fun, too!

Now, back to those checklists...

4 comments:

  1. I have a vague recollection of taking a bus tour (when Ken, Debbie and I went to AUS in '94) to the Blue Mountains and driving by a building with an old Model A type car on the roof of a building. I wonder if I took a picture of it????? And for some reason I thought it was in Katoomba - though we didn't stop. It's one of those flash memories. Let me know if you see it, would you!

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  2. Can I stow away in one of those suitcases??

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  3. Great posts Pam. I will be following your lists with sisterly interest, because I am also an inveterate & compulsive list-keeper. My favourite book quotation is:
    "What would a woman be without her lists?
    She'd be listless" -- Monica McInerney (Spin The Bottle)
    See you on board - Helen.

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    1. I love the quote! and thanks for following my blog, I hope I
      can live up to any expectations!

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