Survived The High Seas

Another cruise under our belts.  I think I've now covered more sea miles on cruise ships (4) in the last year than I covered on Coast Guard cutters.  Not that I'm complaining, mind you.  This is way better than the austere Coast Guard style.  :c)

We boarded the Disney Fantasy at Port Canaveral, Florida, ready for a week of fun, food, exotic locales and great shows.  Disney didn't disappoint us, almost.  But more on that later.

Walking through the mouse head entry portal,

 

We were greeted by Minnie.

 

 

She was standing in the amazing atrium, where this magnificent, color changing chandelier hung from the ceiling.

 

 

 

Since it was lunchtime, we headed to the stern of the ship for the buffet, called Cabanas.

Yes they do serve shrimp here, all you can possibly eat!

As well as mussels and crab claws, too.

 

Being we hadn't had lunch, we dug right in, well Marti passed on the seafood because she's allergic to all kinds of fish and shellfish.  But don't worry, she didn't go hungry, there is always plenty of other delicious delights to choose from.

 

 

 

 

After an incredible lunch, we were able to check out our stateroom.  We always get a veranda room, so we can enjoy the views wherever the ship takes us.

 

 

 

Right across the harbor were some of my old friends.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss them, though.

 

 

After a short emergency drill where we were shown how to put on a life jacket, we were ready to get underway.

 

 

I'm not sure if those life jackets would still fit by the end of the cruise...

As we headed out the channel to sea, we passed a nice campground along the way.  Lots of people came out to wave at us.  I included this picture because this is supposed to be an RV blog, after all.
Say, isn't a cruise ship a recreational vehicle (vessel)?

 

We're often asked since the Disney ships are geared towards families, don't all the children bother you?  First of all, it is so nice to see families together having fun, like at the main pool deck,

 

 

but there are plenty of nice, quiet areas just for adults, with their own pools, bars and hot tubs.  Yep, I got quite a few hours spent enjoying the hot tub.

 

We even enjoyed spending time in lounge chairs out on some of the decks reading our kindles, where very few people went.

Under way we went towards the Eastern Caribbean.  First stop, Tortolla, in the British Virgin Islands.

A teaser picture for the next post:

 

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.

 

 

A Vacation From Our "Vacation"

One misconception many people have about fulltime RV travelers is that they are always on "Vacation".  While we are able to set our own agenda and travel where and when we want, it is still life, with many of the same challenges and issues that we experienced during our working days.

We often find we're so busy that we wonder how we were able to fit "life" in while in our careers.  We've enjoyed our retired days traveling and workamping, but sometimes it's good to get away and take a break from it all.

So we're off on another 7 day cruise with our favorite pal, Mickey and the Disney Fantasy into the Caribbean once again.  New islands we've never been to and a chance to sit back and enjoy the ocean breeze.  We booked this trip last year while we were on the Disney Fantasy and got a very nice discount for this trip.  What's not to love?

 

 

We will be hitting the ground running when we get back to the COE, the springtime Water Safety Program is heating up, which we present to over 6000 elementary and middle school kids every year.  It keeps us really busy, so a little fun for ourselves now is just what the doctor ordered.

We'll be back shortly, with a little tan and a whole lot of stories.  Stay tuned!

Throwaway Society

Up in the morning, as I stepped into the Journey's bathroom, my feet squished on the rug.  Not good.  Plus we had no little grandsons visiting, so there was no bad aim to blame.

I got out a flashlight, picked up the rug and saw clear water (phew!) around the base of the toilet.  Looking all around, I couldn't see where the water was coming from, so I had to resort to exploratory surgery.

I keep lots of spare parts on hand and one of those is  a spare gasket for the toilet to floor connection.  I took the toilet off, looked it over and didn't see any source of the water leak.  I also took a picture of the toilet's model and serial number located on the back in case I needed to order parts (good luck with that, wishful thinking).

 Once that was done, I put the new gasket on and reinstalled the toilet.

After I bolted down the toilet, I reconnected the water line and had an "Ah Ha!" moment.  There was a drip coming from the connection where the water line screwed onto the toilet.  So I tightened the connection a little bit.  Still dripped.  Tightened it a little more.  Still dripped.  I was afraid to tighten it any more because the fittings are plastic.

On to plan "B".  Some thread tape.  Pulled off the line, taped up the male threads and reconnected the line.  Still dripped.  Tightened it a little more.  Still dripped.  Not good, so on to plan "C".

Off to Lowe's.  18 miles one way.  Yep, we're out in the boonies where we're camped at the COE Volunteer Village.  I picked up a small can of pipe dope.  18 miles back.

I coated the male threads with the pipe dope, reconnected the water line and no more drip.  I'm happy.

The next morning as I stepped into the Journey's bathroom, my feet squished on the rug.  WHAT!!!

Took my flashlight out, looked at the water line and it was dry as a bone, but there was clear water coming out around the base of the toilet.

Even though our toilet has a china bowl, the internal parts are all plastic.  In the past, I've had bad experiences trying to get parts for RV toilets, in fact, looking on line, a rebuild kit cost more than a new toilet.  So it was clear, the toilet had to be replaced. 

We headed out to the local RV dealer, well, local is a stretch, the "local" dealer is over 20 miles away.  Talking with the parts guy, they didn't have our toilet in stock, but had many other models that would work.  Yeah, they'd work but it would entail making up a new water line, cutting a hole in the bathroom wall and rerouting the line because all the toilets had the water connection on the other side of the toilet. 

A pretty big, time consuming project.  Not one I wanted to get involved in because with my track record, every time I work on things, it usually takes several trips to Lowe's.  Not going to happen because Lowe's, as you know, is 18 miles.  One way.

There is a Camping World 95 miles away.  With the toilet's model and serial number, I called them to see if they had one in stock.  The parts guy at Camping World said they didn't have one in stock.

Now what to do?  Drove back the 20 miles to the campground and I went on line again to see if I could locate a replacement toilet and see if I could get it shipped overnight, I'd bite the bullet on the shipping cost.  Just for grins and giggles, I looked at the Camping World website and there was the exact toilet we needed.  With a Camping World stock number.  Another "Ah Ha!" moment.  I called the store again, this time with their stock number and they had not one toilet, but four in stock. 

Here is where more fun started.  It was 3:15 pm.  They closed at 5.  Off we went to get a new toilet.

We arrived at 4:40 and bought the toilet.  The girl that I had talked to on the phone was impressed that we had gotten there so quickly.  She asked how fast I had driven.  I told her 75-80 mph.  (Disclaimer:  If  you are a police officer reading this, I drove 55mph.  Safely)   ;c)

The story ends happily.  New toilet installed, took the old toilet apart and found the cracked plastic valve inside that was the real source of the leak.  A simple part that could be replaced, if I could have found one.  As hard as it was to find a replacement toilet, I'd be waiting weeks to get the parts that have to be purchased as a kit, that costs more than the toilet.  I don't know about you, but my bladder isn't that strong.

It's sad that manufacturers make things disposable, instead of easily fixable.  For my toilet, it is amazing that the parts are more expensive than the unit itself.  Since the original toilet lasted over eight years, I guess I'll have a dry bathroom rug for at least for the next eight years.  :c)

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.