Princess Cruise Lines Finally Gets it Right!

Took 'em long enough. They've hired my son to work on the Caribbean Princess. On September 30th, he flies from Vancouver to Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and begins a six month stay on board.

He'll be sharing a cabin with one other crew member. The boat has several gyms, including one just for crew, as well as pools and very large decks, perfect for those morning jogs!

The down side (strictly from a mother's very selfish point of view) is that as of November 1, I'll be back in my own home, in Port Alberni, on Vancouver Island. For the first time in 7 years, Eric and I will be within a short drive of each other. Well, we SHOULD be within a short drive of each other, as he's now living in Victoria. Unfortunately, his six months onboard does not include going home for Christmas. Sigh.

He was bitten by the travel bug last year, after spending four months in Nice, France, on the Meditteranean coast. The soles of his feet have been itchy ever since. While working for Princess, he'll be able to touch solid ground whenever the ship goes into a port, so he'll be seeing lots of the Caribbean Islands.

I'm expecting some pretty fabulous Christmas and Birthday gifts (ahem, dear son ... and ON TIME, too).

Aw, what the heck. An email occasionally would be nice.

The ships are equipped with webcams, so perhaps I'll even be able to see him strutting around in his Princess Cruise Lines uniform from time to time!

And for me, back to work tomorrow, after two weeks off to recuperate from varicose vein surgery. It's been rather pleasant, actually, other than the minor discomfort of the incisions. Spinal anaesthesia is the only way to go ... no anaesthetic hangover! I was awake through the surgery, into the recovery room shortly after 8 a.m., and went home before 1 p.m. I was relaxing on the couch with the remote control beside me and my knitting in my hands. What a tough day! Oh, and the days since? More of the same, except I'm NOT knitting lace (imagine!). I'll post some pics of that, too.

I have some more pictures to post, too. Dorne with "his" son (the malamute who thinks he's a cat), some cutesy cat pics (when you share a house with FOUR kitties, there are lots of really cute moments), and the Silk Cascading Leaves shawl that won a first prize at our local fair, spread out on the bed for a better view.

Finally, a cool day. It looks and feels and smells like fall out there. Maybe time to start thinking about a birthday cruise ;-) I wonder if there are family discounts for cruise line staff??

Happy Sailing, Eric. I love you, honey.