Apps for the Cruise

I got this link in an email from Frommers who shared a list of cruise apps.
http://www.frommers.com/articles/7228.html

I'd add a good weather app to complete the Frommers' list. Someone
recommended Weatherbug. Here's a list of weather apps.

The same person likes the free Oanda currency converter app. 

There is a free app from Tourism Victoria if you have a Blackberry, iPhone, 

Android phone or iTouch at http://m.tourismvictoria.com/
"Specific features on the app include: activity ideas, interactive and GPS 
enabled maps, a calendar of events, and a direct Twitter link. Attractions, 
accommodations, transportation, outdoor activities, dining, shopping, theatre, 
arts and entertainment, tours, and various visitor services listing are all capable 
of direct connection from the app by phone, email, or website." Described in 
Douglas Magazine  http://www.douglasmagazine.com/

Lonely Planet updated their San Francisco travel guide app in February. 

At this time, it's free for the iPad, iPhone or iTouch. 

http://itunes.apple.com/app/lonely-p...317165182?mt=8
Reviews are mixed.

If you have an iPad,iPhone or iTouch, there's a travel guide app on 
the Inside Passage for $1.99 at iTunes . The author has been recommended
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/alask...376939232?mt=8

The TripAdvisor app for the iPad 2, iPhone, and iPod Touch added a new
feature, introducing a touch of "augmented reality" via the devices' cameras.
Trip Advisor forums are available on Tapatalk, another app. 

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20053818-1.html#ixzz1JY9rLNk5

Harry Having a Cappuccino

We'll be on the same ship in 2011 as we were in 2009. This is Harry
enjoying a cappuccino in the Terrace Restaurant on the back deck of
the Regatta in 2009. While the food and service were excellent in all
of the ship's restaurants, we often returned here. It's one of the most
relaxed restaurants on the ship.

Rock Vomit

In our province, there is potential for serious algae blooms in 2011. We're
not alone in having a problem that can affect wildlife in the area. Sitka,
Alaska, one of the ports we'll be visiting on our summer trip has a problem,
too. Have you ever heard of rock vomit?

MSNBC article on rock vomit
NOAA article on rock vomit
Sea squirts
.
.

Eating in Vancouver

We'll be embarking on our cruise from Vancouver but we'll stay there at least 
once before that journey. Sometimes we'll eat at the homes of family and 
sometimes we'll eat out. You can find good Vancouver restaurant reviews 
at TripAdvisor. Thanks to the Green Man, here's a list of eating places I 
want to visit:

Best of The Best
Vancouver's Best Pizza, Part OneVancouver's Best Pizza, Part Two Vancouver's Best Burger, Part OneVancouver's Best Burger, Part Two Vancouver's Best Burger ReduxVancouver's Best Fish and Chips, Part OneVancouver's Best Fish and Chips, Part TwoVancouver's Best Noodle HouseVancouver's Best Deli Vancouver's Unique Restaurants

Cheap and delicious eateries in Vancouver

• Legendary Noodle House
• On Lok Restaurant
• Hon's Wun Tun
• Moderne Burger
• Elbow Room Cafe
• Memphis Blues Barbeque House

Clothes For An Alaska Cruise

We are already thinking about the clothes we'll need to pack for a cruise to 
Alaska in August. We've decided to prepare for almost any possibility since 
we'll be traveling between North Latitude 60° (Hubbard Glacier) and North 
Latitude 37° (San Francisco).


Looking at the Travel Alaska site it appears that the average temperature in 
the Inside Passage in August is 62°F or 17°C, while in San Francisco in August
it's 67 °F or 20°C.  Our travel agent claims that every time she's been to Juneau 
it's been raining. That means we will be layering, including our outdoor 
clothing that provides warmth and dryness. At the same time, it is summer, 
so we'll pack a few light weight summer clothes.


Oceania's dress code is country club casual for the dining rooms. For a man, 
that means dressing like this, and for a woman, like this.


We will be having space issues so will try mix and match as much as possible.

Music to Get You in The Mood

There are some songs that are perfect for when we daydream about 
being on the water in the summer or winter. Here are some favorites:


It's Five O'clock Somewhere by Alan Jackson
Into the Ocean by Blue October
Sailing by Christopher Cross
Drifting by Andy McKee
If I Had a Boat by Lyle Lovett
Sail Away by Enya
Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin
Voyage of the Moon by Mary Hopkin
Calypso Getaway by Earle Klugh
Wooden Ships by Crosby, Stills, & Nash
Mariner's Revenge by the Decemberists
Come Sail Away by Styxx
Under The Sea by Ariel
The Sea by Morcheeba
The Ocean by Led Zeppelin
Glacier Ride
Summer Breeze by Seals & Croft
Sail Away by David Gray
Sail on Sailor by Sean Lennon

Acronyms on Board

There is a subset of acronyms that is widely used by people who cruise 
and write about it, especially on the travel discussion boards. I think my 
little tweet with some examples demonstrates the growing 
disconnect between the way we write online and the way we talk. 

What do all those letter combinations mean? I did a search for a good 
"decoder" and discovered a possibility at the BabyCentre . While it 
does explain DH, it seems to be more about birth related acronyms 
like HPT (home pregnancy test), MM (mother's milk) and O (ovulation).

The Acronym Finder is a long list of acronyms for desperate people. I can't be 
bothered with it.

And then, yikes, there was the NightlyNet discussion board where participants 
made fresh suggestions for acronyms like these,  "I'd like to see some non-family 
values abbreviations thrown into the mix for the broken homes. Like, "My SWW 
(stupid whore wife) is doing the milkman" "My DDS (drug-dealing son) is in 
jail again", and "My KUD (knocked-up daughter) doesn't know who the father is"."

Back to the cruising boards where the orientation is definitely toward 
happy family talk....these seem to be the acronyms most used on cruise 
discussion boards:
TA -- Travel Agent  or Trans-Atlantic
DS -- Dear Son       DD -- Dear Daughter   
DW-- Dear Wife       MIL -- Mother in law   SIL -- Son in law or Sister in law
DH --Dear Husband    FIL -- Father in law   
DIL -- Daughter in law    BIL -- brother in law
SO -- Significant Other  BF -- Boyfriend  GF -- Girlfriend
GTG - Get-To-Gether     M&G -- Meet & Greet   
OBC -- On Board Credit  PAX -- Passengers  
CD -- Cruise Director      ACD -- Assistant Cruise Director
B2B -- Back to back cruises


TTFN (ta ta for now)