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January 16th, 2008, 01:14 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Missouri
Posts: 2,918
Great read! Keep on telling it like it is!
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Conquest 2006
Triumph 2006
January 16th, 2008, 03:47 PM
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Toronto
Posts: 53
Keep up the great updates.
We will be on that ship in August and look forward to hearing about it.
Have a great voyage.
January 16th, 2008, 10:04 PM
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 7
Could you please find out what they are doing in dry dock?
The worn chairs and folding chairs look terrible.
I am paying over $2500 a person(for an inside cabin) and I don't want to be on a worn ship.
Please ask someone in charge what is being done in dry dock. I don't want to cancel.
I trust you
January 16th, 2008, 11:35 PM
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Right here :)
Posts: 22,500
Z – Jan. 16 – St Thomas
Throughout this cruise I keep hearing bells ringing. I think it has something to do with the fact our cabin is immediately adjacent to the aft elevators.
Some time ago Mrs. Kuki and I swore to only use the stairs when we're on a ship, to help assist us in limiting our weight gain. But if I had ever used the elevators on this ship I'd have to tell you how old and worn the interiors look. Of course, that wouldn't matter the least to me because we always only use the stairs.
For those other fitness buffs like me
, who only use the stairs, I have discovered a bit of a problem. There's no signage anywhere on the landings telling you what deck you are coming to. And that's true whether you're going upstairs or downstairs – Note: funny joke!
But it is true. When you think you're may be approaching the deck you're looking for, you have to look to the sides to take note of the numbers on the cabin door in the hallway. I think that may be why I always have the feeling my cabin is being watched. It's just people looking to see which floor they are on.
With the new bow to stern Wi-Fi internet availability on the ship, it's made sending in these daily reports so much easier than having to write, then run out to a public room to send them in. I've also been very impressed with the speed of the service. Though I do eat up a fair number of minutes, it's been fast enough to enable me to upload the pictures to the photo galleries… which can be quite time consuming even at home using cable modems. Time packages are available, and are the same price whether using your own laptop or the ship's Internet Café. You can purchase 100 minutes for $55, or 250 minutes for $100 (purchase it the first day of the cruise and you get 270 minutes for the $100). The Internet Café onboard is enormous. I didn't count the number of stations, but it appears to be the largest I've seen on a ship.
Frankly it's been a bit difficult to write, giving a lot details about a ship which we know is scheduled for a major dry dock in a short time. There's much I could talk about and describe during this cruise that simply will no longer be applicable in a few short months.
Is that a very clever means of suggesting I come back onboard after the dry dock to give a complete report on the finished product?
I can tell you that in regard to our cabin… with the exception of the balcony furnishings, I posted pictures of earlier, and a rather old looking sofa/love seat in the sitting area, the cabin looks to be in great shape. The bed is comfortable, and the linens fresh. Though I am certainly hoping nice fluffy duvets will be replacing the sheets and blankets currently used. The towels for the bathroom are in excellent condition, and I love that they are extra large bath size towels.
One key design flaw is the lack of any real drawer space in the cabin. Space for hanging clothing in the closets is adequate, and closet shelf space is adequate, but the only drawers in the cabin are in the bedside night stands, and a couple of drawers at the foot of bed, under the bed. Those under the bed I believe were designed more for storage areas for the cabin stewards, than for use by the guests. It's surprised me just how much I miss having a few drawers.
There is a short stool at the desk/vanity mirror, rather than a desk chair. Some people wouldn't care at all, but for my purposes, when I am working at the desk, a desk chair would be so much more comfortable. I solve the problem by using the arm chair from the sitting area, but am moving the stool out of the way on a daily basis.
The washroom has a bathtub/shower combination. Good thing I'm not a bath kind of guy, because with the size of the tub about the only thing that would fit in the tub sitting down is the thing I sit on. Using it as a shower however is very good, because there are no worries about flooding the bathroom floor, or clinging shower curtains.
We have friends who are in the cabin next door. On day one we had the cabin attendant open the divider between balconies, and combining them has made the balcony feel so much larger. The balconies on this ship are a bit wider than those on other lines, and with the open divider there's plenty of comfortable space for the four of us.
Holland America offers an unlimited laundry package for a cost of $45 for the cruise. This has to be the best bargain at sea. We've sent laundry out every day, and it's back ironed and on hangars the next day... though they state 48 hr turn around.
This morning the entire ship was stirred to consciousness at 7 A.M. with ship wide announcements for everyone to report to U.S. Immigration. They paged guests by deck number to let them when to appear. The process seemed quite orderly, and I was back in my cabin having coffee by 7:30.
We were docked at Crown Bay today, not Havensight; my first time using this pier facility. I had booked a golf excursion for the day, so Mrs. Kuki and a friend were going shopping. They found a taxi to downtown from Crown Bay is $4 per person. A taxi from downtown to Havensight Mall/pier is also $4 per person, and a taxi from Havensight back to Crown Bay is $5 per person. There's an odd anomaly there somewhere.
Golf at Mahogany Run, through the ship was $199, not including club rental, golf shoe rentals, golf club, or balls. Rather expensive, but since Mrs. Kuki bought nothing today, combined it may have been the least expensive day we've ever spent in St. Thomas.
The ship left St. Thomas a bit late today. About a half hour later there were announcements on the ship wide public address system, including inside the cabins (which means they want everyone to hear) looking for the "Moss family�?. I'm not certain, but it is possible the Moss family may now be doing the breast stroke on their way to our next stop at Half Moon Cay. The fact is if this family was touring on their own, independently, and they missed the ship, they would be forced to find their way to Ft. Lauderdale, and at their own expense. I'm actually a big advocate for exploring ports of call independent of ship's shore excursions. But in doing so, you also have to accept the responsibility of returning to the ship before its scheduled departure.
I have a pet peeve I thought I'd share; that's pre-dinner shows for late seating diners. The majority of shows on this ship, for those dining at both 8:00 P.M. and 8:30 P.M., begin at 6:45 P.M. One of the most significant reasons for choosing the later dining times is so one is not rushed to prepare for dinner after busy days, or to enjoy lounging on deck enjoying quiet times in the hot tubs, or watching the sunset. If I've chosen late seating, do I really want to see a show at 6:45? Not me! But it is a problem, because I really would be interested in seeing some of these shows. Oddly it's the shows I personally don't care for so much (the large production song and dance numbers) that are normally held after dinner.
This issue will change again in the near future as HAL begins to offer the alternate of allowing guests to choose when to dine, along with traditional dining times, fleet-wide in the coming months.
Tonight's schedule was an illusionist in the theater at 6:45, a cocktail party at 7:30, dinner at 8:00, the chocolate extravaganza at 10:30, then the adult comedy show in the theater at 11:15. That busy schedule might have been OK for the octogenarians, but we baby boomers need more time to rest.
For the entire cruise we've noticed a group onboard carrying around plans, and measuring tapes, assumingly working on preparations for those changes. Tomorrow is a day at sea, and I'm hopefully going to have the opportunity to meet with Hotel Manager Mark Pells to get the scoop on all the plans for the upgrades and changes planned during the Zuiderdam's spring dry dock.
If there's any specific questions anyone has about that please post them ASAP.
January 16th, 2008, 11:38 PM
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Right here :)
Posts: 22,500
Re: DRY DOCK
Originally Posted by
Could you please find out what they are doing in dry dock?
The worn chairs and folding chairs look terrible.
I am paying over $2500 a person(for an inside cabin) and I don't want to be on a worn ship.
Please ask someone in charge what is being done in dry dock. I don't want to cancel.
I trust you
John... I hope that price isn't for a 7 day cruise
From tonight's report, you'll see that I am hoping to have all sorts of "juicy" details in tomorrows report.
January 17th, 2008, 08:08 AM
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 61
Kuki, I just love your posts and your humor.
Thanks for taking the time to update.
Enjoy your day at sea and the rest of your voyage.
RCCL - Jewel of the Seas - 12/04
Carnival - Valor - 1/05
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January 17th, 2008, 09:27 AM
RTC girl
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 2
Hi Kuki,
In addition to the drawers at the foot of the bed, there are 2 drawers at the front of the sofa bed (same fabric as the sofa so you may not know they are there.) The hassock that is at the desk area also opens at the top for storage. Hope this helps for the remainder of your cruise.
Just want to tell you again that I am reliving my wonderful trip of one week ago on the "Z" thru you. Thanks for the thorough reporting and beautiful pictures.
To Johnken (John): Please do not cancel your trip over a few worn wicker chairs and the use of folding chairs. The staff/crew of the Zuiderdam are fantastic and will make you forget a few minor aesthetics of the ship. But if you do decide to cancel, please let me know. I'll take your place in an instant!!
January 17th, 2008, 09:49 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Texas
Posts: 5,837
Kuki, love your posts!
When we left St. Thomas in December, we left "right on time!" We had just pushed away from the pier when a taxi pulled up with a lady and gentlemen -- in much panic! They were left arguing with the port authority as the ship sailed away. The captain did not delay departure, even 1 minute, waiting for the latecomers.
You mentioned the lack of drawers, what I missed most was any kind of drawer at the dressing table.
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HAL Statendam Alaska Cruise Tour - 09/09/12; Disney Magic - 12/01/12; Allure of the Seas - 05/26/13
January 17th, 2008, 02:22 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Bobcaygeon, Ontario
Posts: 642
Kuki-enjoying your daily posts-very informative and amusing! One question-what's this immigration thing in St. Thomas? Even though I'm a Canuck like you, I realize that St. Thomas is part of the U.S. but we were there 2 years ago and didn't have to do immigration. Is it just for us "foreigners" or for everyone? Enjoy the rest of your cruise-and the upcoming one!
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January 17th, 2008, 04:09 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 1,273
Originally Posted by
Kuki-enjoying your daily posts-very informative and amusing! One question-what's this immigration thing in St. Thomas? Even though I'm a Canuck like you, I realize that St. Thomas is part of the U.S. but we were there 2 years ago and didn't have to do immigration. Is it just for us "foreigners" or for everyone? Enjoy the rest of your cruise-and the upcoming one!
Because the ship went from Tortola BVI, to St. Thomas USVI,
has to go through Immigration, not only us Canucks, but even the Americans. This has been something new for them for a couple of years now. Remember when we were the only ones who had to do it.
You probably didn't have to go through Immigration 2 years ago, because the port before you reached St. Thomas was no doubt a US port......am I right? It's only when they go from a non-US port to a US port that Immigration is required. Stupid, I know, but now that everyone has to do it, I doesn't bother us as much as it used to.
- enjoy your day and the festivities on HMC tomorrow.
January 17th, 2008, 07:49 PM
Angela Z.
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Orlando
Posts: 4,430
Okay, so now I feel a little better about packing Dave's dressy clothes for him....
Angela Z.
on Celebrity Constellation
January 17th, 2008, 11:19 PM
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Right here :)
Posts: 22,500
Z – A Day at Sea – Jan. 17
One of the great pleasures of a day at sea on a cruise ship is hanging out the Do Not Disturb sign. We did just that, and slept in late into the morning. I was up and out on deck enjoying my coffee by about 9:30 A.M. Mrs. Kuki took some extra time to relax in bed, and joined me an hour later.
A nice treat on Holland America is there is no one waking up at 4 A.M. to stake out their spots on loungers at the pools, and go back to bed. There's no need to pack 87 different shoes to lay out to stake a claim for your loungers. Even at 11 A.M. there were lots of pool-side loungers to be had in prime sunny spots.
And, if there's no existing threat that the ship is going to flounder aimlessly for eternity 200 ft. off the shores of Tortola, there doesn't seem to be any long lines to endure at the various buffet stations. You just have to avoid the 4:30 P.M rush of Floridians, who've simply been pre-programmed to show up for the Early Bird Specials. Forgive them. They know not what they do.
Z Story of Z New Z
I wasn't able to get as much intricate detail about the upcoming changes to the Zuiderdam as I'd hoped to. I guess some things are always going to be kept under wraps, so they have something to unwrap. The basic description given me was that after dry dock the ship will be very similar to the Westerdam.
They will say that there will be 35 cabins added on Decks 7 & 8, aft.
All the public rooms will go through significant upgrades, and changes to most of the lounges on the ship. Explorations Café (the ship's Internet Café) will be removed from its current location forward on Deck 3. A new Explorations Café will be built to the starboard side of the Crow's Nest Lounge, on Deck 10. Also on Deck 10, Club HAL, The Loft, and the Video Arcade will be redesigned.
One deck below on Lido Deck, the fitness center, spa, hydro pool, and thermal suites will all be redone, as will the Lido Pool, the Terrace Grill, and the Lido Restaurant. The aft Sea View Pool and Sea View Bar will also see significant changes. They are also going to be installing a dedicated Cinema.
Though we wouldn't release further details to me, I'm certain the guest cabins will also be upgraded in line with all the work being done through the public rooms.
To a layman like me this sounds like a particularly ambitious to get done in the time frame of a 3 week dry dock. That's likely the reason there are crews onboard now measuring and planning, and probably in constant discussions with home office and the shipyard to discuss any issues they may see coming.
No doubt it will be very interesting to see the finished product.
This afternoon I went into full vegetation mode, spending most of my day planted. I laid out in the sun this morning for a considerable amount of time, and then laid out in my bed for a considerable amount of time, then laid out on the balcony for a considerable amount of time. Then I realized that tonight is formal night, and I had to relive the memory of packing the wrong suit. I thought… perhaps I'll leave the zipper in my pants down tonight then people will be so busy they won't notice that my belt has forced my stomach up into my chest.
The four dining times tonight have been changed to only two. This is done to accommodate the traditional Baked Alaska parade. By having both early and both late diners combined they don't have to repeat the parade 4 times.
Tonight's dinner was the first meal we've had in the dining room all week that was rather mediocre from starter through entrée. The pasta appetizer was room temperature, the soups were luke warm, and the entrée I chose, the veal chop was fatty and rather tasteless. It was "lobster night�? and those who chose the lobster had less than stellar things to say about the quality.
Our service team has been excellent throughout the week, along with a nightly visit from our Head Waiter to make sure all is well.
Here's a picture of Mrs. Kuki and I tonight at dinner. You can't see it, but my zipper is open.
After dinner entertainment included a production show in the theater featuring music from the movies. Mrs. Kuki attended and reported the costumes were fabulous, and the talent good. I spent about a half hour in the casino, and called it a night.
The casino designates two nights during the cruise as non-smoking nights in the casino. The first was the evening we were in Tortola. The second is tomorrow evening after Half Moon Cay.
It's an early night for me tonight. Half Moon Cay is our last stop tomorrow, and in my view it's the very best private island in the cruise industry. We have pre-booked one of the private cabanas, so we're in for a treat. And the 10th anniversary celebration of HAL's purchase of the island is sure to make it more enjoyable. Just have to hope when we wake up in the morning, the seas are calm enough for us to drop anchor and tender to the island. If that works out I promise plenty of pictures of the island and the ceremonies tomorrow.
January 18th, 2008, 01:04 AM
Join Date: Aug 2000
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Zuiderdam – review/summary
As this cruise nears its completion it's probably the time to attempt to reflect and summarize my thoughts about the Zuiderdam. I don't believe a full review will be forthcoming because it would lose its relevancy once the refit work of the dry dock is completed.
I will say that the onboard experience was a good one. The Filipino and Indonesian crew are the staples of staffing on Holland America ships, and on the Z they represent that tradition very well. They are friendly, and generally do their very best to assure the guests are happy with their service.
At times, and in certain areas, they did seem to be under staffed. For example, we often took our breakfast outdoors to the aft Sea View Pool area. Many mornings breakfast trays could sit on tables for extended periods of time before being picked up and the tables cleaned and cleared. Even bar service on the pool decks seemed to be slow, and it appeared to be a staff shortage issue. After having been in the bar business for over 30 years it's relatively easy to spot which are personnel problems, and which are lack of personnel problems.
As discussed the ship has some areas where she appears worn and a bit neglected. But she has an excellent layout which results in very good traffic flow. By the nature of the layout, and the size of the ship, you'll find yourself running into people you've met and seen during the cruise quite regularly, without having to arrange meetings. This helps make it quite a social ship.
One area that stands out for its rather ill conceived design is the main showroom. On the lower level there are simply too many poles (support beams) which disturb the site lines for all acts using the stage that aren't standing in one place. Therefore the best site lines are from the seats above on Deck 3, but then the distance to the stage, on Deck 1 is a bit of hindrance.
There a problem that this ship shares with all the ships I have sailed on the last several years; and that is the amount of junk mail being delivered to the cabins daily. It's bad enough these days to battle SPAM emails coming into your home computers. But to face the paper equivalent bombarding you in your cabin is truly bothersome. It seems as though we are getting more advertising delivered than we are information. In the confines of a small space of a cruise ship cabin the problem gets more exasperating.
Tomorrow's report will cover the 10th anniversary celebrations of Half Moon Cay, with HAL CEO Stein Kruse, and the Prime Minister of the Bahamas…. as well a report of the state of the island today.
On Saturday we arrive back in Ft. Lauderdale where this little adventure began, then we'll transport down to Miami to board the Carnival Freedom.
I'll be beginning anew on Saturday night posting a daily blog from that cruise. I hope that all of you will come on over to the Carnival message board to cruise along and follow our antics from that cruise. I think even devoted HAL passengers will find some interesting similarities, differences, and comparisons in those reports.
In the meantime do be sure to come back here to hear all about Half Moon Cay tomorrow!!
January 18th, 2008, 09:16 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Bobcaygeon, Ontario
Posts: 642
probably didn't have to go through Immigration 2 years ago, because the port before you reached St. Thomas was no doubt a US port......am I right? It's only when they go from a non-US port to a US port that Immigration is required. Stupid, I know, but now that everyone has to do it, I doesn't bother us as much as it used to.
- enjoy your day and the festivities on HMC tomorrow.[/quote]You're right, of course! So I'm delighted that on our Feb. 8th cruise on Constellation, our first port of call will be St. Thomas, which means no immigration. Have fun on the "Fun Ship"!
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January 18th, 2008, 02:28 PM
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thanks for the daily reports. Its the next best thing to being there.
I was on her a few years ago, she a great ship. I am looking forward to the day when I can go again and the difference.
January 18th, 2008, 06:06 PM
Join Date: Aug 2000
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Z – Day 7 – Half Moon Cay
Half Moon Cay is Holland America's private piece of paradise, located 100 miles from Nassau, Commonwealth of the Bahamas. 10 years ago Holland America opened this to passengers sailing on their ships as a private port of call.
If the silky white sand beaches weren't enough to remind everyone fortunate enough to visit that there was indeed a small slice of heaven on earth, over the years the cruise line has added all sorts of optional activities. Aside from snorkeling, and water toys, one now has a broad range of excursions to from, from paddle water bikes, to horse riding on the beach.
Today Holland America commemorated the 10th Anniversary of the opening of Half Moon Cay with a ceremony, and presentations to the Prime Minister, and Minister of Tourism of the Bahamas, by Stein Kruse, the CEO of Holland America, who flew by sea plane especially for the ceremonies.
There were other Bahamian dignitaries present, including the Commodore of the Royal Defense Force of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.
During the ceremony it was noted that over 2 Million cruise ship passengers have been blessed to have visited Half Moon Cay in this 10 year span.
Half Moon Cay is operated 100% by Bahamian employees. The Director of Operations at this time is Kevin Cartwright. The Prime Minister noted in his address that in surveys done by the Bahamian Government, Bahamian citizens employed by Holland America rate their employer an 8.5 out of 10 in job satisfaction. The cruise line just surpassed the 100 person mark for Bahamians employed.
The Prime Minister also noted that Half Moon Cay has generated 23 Million Dollars income in "head taxes�? for his country. And that for the past 7 years running Half Moon Cay has been voted the Best Private Island in the industry.
This ceremony was somewhat understated in nature, but the speeches were kept short enough to stay interesting, and rum punch and fruit punch were served to the passengers who gathered at the welcome center to watch as a commemorative flag was raised to mark the occasion.
A lunch for all the dignitaries was held afterwards that we had been invited to attend. However, when I saw how large the entourage accompanying this cruise was, I opted to pass on my regrets, and head back to enjoy the private cabana we'd booked for today.
Not that it wouldn't have been an honor to lunch with the CEO of the cruise line, and the Prime Minister, but… a day on Half Moon Cay, with the use of a cabana, is one of the most decadent days on the beach one can enjoy anywhere!
More on the Cabanas, the Cabana Boys, and Half Moon Cay, in my final report from the Zuiderdam, which I'll write and send later tonight.
I have to go watch Mrs. Kuki pack now. Packing at the end of a cruise is normally a dreaded, but relatively easy task because you're just going home to do laundry.
This time it's a bit different, as Mrs. Kuki is packing for a cruise. We board the Carnival Freedom tomorrow for the John Heald Blogger's Cruise. I will be blogging from the blogger's cruise with daily reports. Hopefully you'll pop on over to the Carnival message board to continue doing these back to back cruises with us!
Even if you've never considered Carnival the right cruise line for you, I suggest you come along. You may feel the same afterwards, or Carnival may have surprises in store for you, and for us.
But...this one isn't over YET! One more installment to come.
January 18th, 2008, 06:34 PM
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Originally Posted by
Zuiderdam – review/summary
I'll be beginning anew on Saturday night posting a daily blog from that cruise. I hope that all of you will come on over to the Carnival message board to cruise along and follow our antics from that cruise. I think even devoted HAL passengers will find some interesting similarities, differences, and comparisons in those reports.
I think I can speak for a few when I say I have enjoyed your reports as a cruiser and not a HAL passenger.
I will also say that quite a few of your comments and observations mirror that of mine on the Ryndam (just a little bit worn, junk mail, great food, great service, etc.)
Maybe you did not see my request before you cruised but can you let me know if they are cleaning the windows in the public areas (i.e. Lido buffet, Explorer's Lounge)?
Peace through superior firepower.
January 18th, 2008, 07:35 PM
Angela Z.
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Orlando
Posts: 4,430
Yikes! Probably too late for this question but maybe somebody knows.....do Mac computers work on the wi fi?
Angela Z.
on Celebrity Constellation
January 18th, 2008, 07:59 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Texas
Posts: 5,837
Kuki, I have thoroughly enjoyed cruising with you, virtually.
I agree about the junk mail, but I did appreciate that there was a paper holder attached to the trash can, to drop the paper in for recycle. That way it didn't fill the trash can each day!
Mariner of the Seas
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January 18th, 2008, 09:18 PM
Senior Member
First Mate
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 258
Originally Posted by
Z – Day 4- Jan. 25 – Tortolla
The guests began acting as though they had been told they'd be spending the remaining days left in their lives drifting aimlessly at sea, and that the ship had run out of shrimp. The mood in the buffet lines turned nasty, as passengers amassed at buffet stations apparently in a quest to hoard anything edible in view, in case the engine problems lasted longer than forever. I thought, if this situation goes on too much longer there are going to be people on this ship attempting to survive on Splenda, and once decorative carvings made from lard.
Being from the southern USA [Nashville, TN], I found this paragraph hilarious. Down here, if you say "snow", it sets off panic and hoarding. One of the jokes is that the south lost the civil war because every time the Union soldiers yelled "snow!" all the Confederate soldiers would abandon their positions and head for Kroger.
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January 18th, 2008, 09:38 PM
Senior Member
First Mate
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 258
Originally Posted by
Z – Day 4- Jan. 25 – Tortolla
Even the most seasoned cruisers amongst us can, at times, still find ways to stumble through the experience. We can become overconfident with our preparation and traveling skills which we've so finely tuned over the years.
Mrs. Kuki is the most skilled practitioner of the art of packing that I have ever encountered. This, of course, is the primary reason we're still married. When clothing is removed from a suitcase she's packed, they come out already on hangers, looking like they've just come from the dry cleaners, with every crease exactly in place, and none where they shouldn't be.
In the beginning, we'd pack a week or more prior to our departure date, but as our experience has grown, that task is left until the night before. My area of responsibility in this process is to choose my clothing, and lay it out for her to pack, and load the car on day of departure.
For this trip, a two week back to back jaunt, changing ships mid-stream, I made the decision to change with the times, and leave my tuxedo, dress vests, etc. at home, and to go with one suit, with various shirts and ties to match.
After our first formal night of this cruise, having spent the evening in a suit that halfway through the evening I realized was a bit overly snug, it dawned on me I had laid out the wrong suit. Many of us have a closet containing an assortment of sizes that we've lived through various stages of our life. And indeed this time the suit I chose for her to pack was from a more svelte stage in the life of my body beautiful.
Upon making this realization I of course blamed Mrs. Kuki for placing an old suit in a prominent position in my closet, knowing full well (because of the inherent psychic ability that women are born with) that this suit would now be a snug fit on the 2008 edition of my body magnificent.
Because of this faux pas, for the next 3 formal nights, I'll suffer the gross indignity of hiding the somewhat unsightly enlarged girth of my midsection hanging over my belt top, while I store my vanity in the inside suit pocket.
This will be the last time, until next time, that I take my responsibilities of choosing my own clothing so lightly. Using this life experience to learn from, some day in the future, in some unknown city, I may even stop and ask for directions; Either that, or I'll just go back to taking along my tuxedo.
Chef Rajeev was back in the Show Kitchen, in the Queen's Lounge, at 9:30 this morning, demonstrating the preparation of Caribbean dishes. However I couldn't smell or sample any of the items being prepared from my location in bed in my cabin.
At 11 A.M. this morning the ship began sailing through the Sir Francis Drake Channel. The Captain opened up a normally closed area on the bow on Deck 4 for passengers to enjoy his passage, and the public address system was used to supply a verbal narration of the history of the Virgin Islands, and the passage. In some areas the view was similar to parts of the day cruising the inside passage in Alaska.
Upon arriving just off the coast of Tortola, with Road Town in sight, the Captain announced that a problem had developed in the engine room that prevented us from pulling along-side the pier. A quick decision had been made to drop anchor and begin tendering passengers as soon as possible, while looking for and repairing the problem.
About an hour later, after the tendering process had begun, it was announced that the problem was found, and was being dealt with, and we hoped to be headed to the pier sometime in the next hour. The officers and crew seemed to be handling the matter professionally, and keeping the guests well informed.
The guests began acting as though they had been told they'd be spending the remaining days left in their lives drifting aimlessly at sea, and that the ship had run out of shrimp. The mood in the buffet lines turned nasty, as passengers amassed at buffet stations apparently in a quest to hoard anything edible in view, in case the engine problems lasted longer than forever. I thought, if this situation goes on too much longer there are going to be people on this ship attempting to survive on Splenda, and once decorative carvings made from lard.
I waited, relaxing on my balcony, a bit apprehensive as to whether the telephone would ring, with the call, asking for my assistance. I sat, with my tool kit in hand (my knife and fork), ready to serve (or eat) should that call come.
Shortly after 4 P.M. whatever issues had occurred were rectified and the Z was tied up at the pier in Tortolla. Mrs. Kuki and I had waited, and we disembarked the vessel to have a stroll around the area. As we did so, it became very obvious who had suffered the most from the ship's few lost hours in port.
I felt just terrible for the lines of safari style taxi drivers waiting at the pier, by now almost begging passengers to go somewhere with them, if even only for an hour. Via the tendering process the ship was able to get guests on the ship's tours off earlier, so those tour operators were not affected. The ship is scheduled to remain in port until 10 P.M., but few passengers are likely to be wandering the town after dark.
As we left the security area we passed a fellow yelling to people that he had jeeps and scooters available to rent. He was telling everyone walking towards the center of town... Don't go there, there's nothing there! He's right.. sort of.
We've visited Tortolla before, while on other cruises, and there are several magnificently beautiful beaches to visit; the most popular, with excellent facilities is Cane Garden Bay Beach. For those who are more interested in avoiding the crowds, look to Josiah's Bay.
Prior to the cruise we had pre-booked dinner tonight in the Pinnacle Restaurant ($30 pp surcharge). We chose tonight's date based solely on the fact it was mid cruise. The ship stayed in port late this evening, though I'm not entirely sure why, as it didn't appear to me to hold much attraction to passengers for late evening activities. The ship planned a barbeque deck party for this evening, beginning at 5 P.M and continuing through until past 8 P.M., but our reservation at the Pinnacle was for 7 P.M, so we didn't attend.
The Pinnacle is a beautifully decorated restaurant, using the finest flatware, and tableware. We found the menu format slightly confusing, but the selections seemed broad. Three of us chose the U.S.A. Sterling Beef, Filet Mignon for an entrée, while the other ordered the Boarded Monk Fish with Crabs Legs. The quality of the beef was outstanding, but our friend didn't care for the fish, and reported the Crabs Legs were tasteless.
No one of the group of 4 of us was particularly impressed with the taste of any of our appetizer, soup, or salad choices. And though the presentation of the desserts made them appear to be delicious, the expectations were not met when we tasted them.
The same could be said of the service; on the surface it appeared good, but the expectations weren't met. Though the staff went through the motions, the attentiveness seemed feigned. After finishing our entrees, and ordering desserts and coffees, it took some time to get coffee, and then a considerable amount of lag time before the desserts were served. Coffee refills were never offered, and when I did get someone's attention to request a refill it took quite some time, and another effort on my part to get their attention once more before getting a second cup.
Frankly, and sadly, the Pinnacle experience did not offer full value for the additional cost. Our service team in the dining room has to this point outperformed the service we received tonight in the Pinnacle.
This evening's entertainment schedule was the Newly Wed/Not So Newly Wed passenger participation game, Karaoke, Oscar music trivia in the Piano Bar, and the Indonesian Crew Show. We spent some time in the Piano Bar, which was full tonight, and people seemed to be enjoying themselves. However, we did miss the crew show that I normally do like to see.
Tomorrow morning the ship arrives in St. Thomas, and everyone must clear U.S. Immigration before the ship is cleared. My male friend and I have booked the ship's golf excursion to Mahogany Run Golf Club, while our wives our planning on spending time together looking around (read shopping). Because our tour leaves early, we have to report to immigration early, and have decided to turn in early. (though it's almost midnight as I type).
Those are my principles. If you don't like them, I have others. ---Groucho Marx
Navigator of the Seas 2005, 2006
Holiday 2005, 2006, 2008
Sovereign of the Seas 2007
Carnival Fantasy 2008
Carnival Fascination 9/14/09
Freedom of the Seas 11/28/10
January 18th, 2008, 11:30 PM
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Right here :)
Posts: 22,500
Z End.
Picking up where I left off… We pre-booked online months in advance, and got the Taupe Cabana for our time on Half Moon Cay. The cost of the Cabanas is $299 for 1 -4 people. Included in that cost you have the use of the private cabana, with your choice of sodas and bottled water, and the services of a Cabana Boy. Also included are float mats, and snorkel gear. Those who've booked cabanas also receive priority tender tickets. Our Cabana Boy today was responsible for 4 other cabanas as well.
When you arrive at your cabana, it's already stored with the sodas and water that you pre-select. And there's a large fruit plate and a vegetable tray, as well as nachos and sauces. The open deck portion of the cabana has two sun loungers with misters, as well as a shower. The covered portion has a large table and 4 arm chairs, with a fan overhead, a small air conditioning unit, and a small refrigerator. When the island's staff are setting up the loungers and clamshells on the beach they avoid setting them out on the sand directly in front of the cabanas, so access to the water from the Cabanas is easy.
I don't do many ship's excursions in most Caribbean ports of call anymore, but to my mind, living the high life in a cabana on Half Moon Cay is one that is a special treat.
There's a barbeque buffet lunch served on the island, beginning at 11:30 A.M. We simply asked Pepito, our cabana boy, if he'd mind bringing us a sampling of lunch items. He returned a short while later with a barbeque feast, with plates of burgers, shrimp, chicken, ribs and desserts. The cabana boy will also get any drinks you'd like to order from the bar.
These kids work very hard because all of the set up first has to be brought ashore from the ship, and then they spend the entire day looking after the cabana guests. If you book a cabana, be sure to tip the cabana boys generously. They earn it! We wore ours plum out!!
Now it may seem that I've ignored all the other activities available on Half Moon Cay, of which there are many. But, with our visit to the island being the last day of our cruise, I think that a day doing little other than relaxing in the luxury of a cabana is a near perfect way to end a cruise.
While relaxing on the deck of our cabana today watching as people passed on the beach nearby all day, I confirmed my observation from early in the cruise; there was indeed a wide cross section of age groups on this sailing. It skewed somewhat to the senior's crowd, but certainly not enough to allow me to use all my old stereotypical blue hair jokes.
To my own tastes, tonight's dinner menu offerings may have been one of the best of the entire cruise, and each course was delicious.
As many other cruise lines do, dinner ended this evening with the dining room staff singing a farewell song. What was different tonight on the Zuiderdam was the music is not taped or "canned�?. Here, the staff were singing live and loud, and actually seemed to be enjoying themselves. There was no one begging for excellent ratings on their comment cards, just what felt like quite a sincere thank you to us for allowing them to serve us.
The best line I've heard on the cruise was when one of the waiters was introducing the song. He said... If you know this song, sing along. If not, sing any song you know. That's "Kuki humor�?, and a wonderful way to leave the dining room for the last time.
After dinner I stopped in at the casino to cash in a few remaining chips, remnants of my once vast fortune, and say goodbye to some of the staff whom I've enjoyed gambling with, and chatting to. A very hospitable crew, from management to dealers!
Yet another nice treat awaited us when getting back to the cabin to put our luggage out in the hall for pick up. Even though it's the last night of the cruise, there was a towel animal waiting for us on the bed, along with a room service breakfast menu to fill out if we wanted breakfast in the cabin for the morning. It was so pleasant that tonight was still just another night of the cruise, unlike on many cruise lines, where you get back to the cabin the last night, and everything is locked tight, and made to feel like they're leaving you a note saying thanks for going.
Because we're boarding the Carnival Freedom tomorrow for another cruise, it will be much easier for them to get me off the ship than if I were headed home. I hope you've enjoyed taking this trip with me, and I DO ENCOURAGE you to sail along with us for another week. You don't have to pack, and you don't have to endure flying. You only have to slip on over to the CruiseMates Carnival message board.
And a note to "Rinker�? --- I actually didn't eat inside the Lido Restaurant once, but I checked the windows twice, and both times they looked clean. I'm betting at times with sea spray, rain, or whatever, they occasionally get dirty, but I mostly ate my food from Lido Al Fresco on the aft deck where the windows were always clean.
January 18th, 2008, 11:46 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Northwest
Posts: 2,887
Thanks Kuki!
That was great.
I look forward to each day of "our" next cruise.
Peace through superior firepower.
January 19th, 2008, 12:38 AM
Senior Member
Cruise Maniac
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: DTW
Posts: 176
Dear Kuki:
I have enjoyed your Z blog immensely. I felt like we were on the cruise with you. The photos added so much, too.
We (pheelgood and I) haven't cruised with
yet but we have been to Half Moon Cay and we agree that it is the perfect "out island". The only thing that could make it better is a dock so tendering isn't necessary.
I will follow you over to the
section so that I can continue cruising for another week since our cruise is three weeks from tomorrow.
Thank you for writing.
Carnival Liberty
February 10, 2008
January 19th, 2008, 06:18 PM
Angela Z.
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Orlando
Posts: 4,430
Now we've gotta try HAL and I want a cabana!
Angela Z.
on Celebrity Constellation
January 19th, 2008, 06:53 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Northwest
Posts: 2,887
Originally Posted by
Angela Z.
Now we've gotta try HAL and I want a cabana!
Angela Z.
You nailed it!!
Showed this to my wife and this is next.
Peace through superior firepower.
January 20th, 2008, 11:59 PM
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 2
My wife and I were on the Zuiderdam last week along with Kuki and his group. It was our first cruise, and I wasn't sure what to expect, but we had a great time.
Now that I'm back home and have had a chance to read Kuki's journal, I'm amazed at how closely our opinions match up. I think Kuki's observations of the ship and service are right on target. It's clear that some areas of the ship are ready for some service, but nothing was to the point that it created any problems whatsoever. The level of personal service from the staff was wonderful.
Half Moon Cay was definitely our favorite beach location -- what a beautiful spot. (If you look in Kuki's 4th picture, that is us clear in the back right corner of the pic).
Kuki -- I'm disappointed that we didn't get a chance to talk longer. I'm amazed at how often I would repeatedly run into some people, but never saw you other than the one time (even though our cabins were right around the corner from each other).
I have to say hello to our newest friends Joel and Dawn -- Thanks for all the laughs. We were definitely lucky to have such great table mates.
January 21st, 2008, 02:36 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: MONTREAL
Posts: 1,984
Glad you enjoy your cruise. Thanks for the daily reviews,I t
was the next b est thing to being there. I will be reading your next blog
for the freedom. HAPPY SAILING !!!
February 14th, 2008, 06:38 AM
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos
Posts: 7
Kuki, i noticed you made a couple of slight wording errors i your post regarding your visit to GRAND TURK.
The hot spot in town seems to be the Hookie Pookie Pizza Palace.
the place is called "mookie pookie" and pritty much 80% of the residents here dont concider it a "hot spot"
I was only half kidding when I asked the people selling the hop on hope off bus tickets if there was more than 1 stop.
There is in fact 4 stops on that tour. 2 in the town area, one at the lighthouse and one at the salt salinas.
There is a hop on, hop off bus available at the cruise ship center, for a cost of $40 per person. I thought the price was exorbitant
don't forget the islands gas price is pritty much $5.70 per gallon, thus the price is well inline with general island prices. and don't forget the 30% duty paid on any items imported to the island (buses inclused) plus that tour price incluses admitance to the historic jail in town, and enterence to the lighthouse park area.
Interestingly the government of the Turk & Caicos has been in talks with the government of Canada to encourage making these islands a part of Canada;
from an islanders point of view. its the canadians who are in talk with the TCI government. and the TCI government don't really want to have canada take over the place. if thats the right wording to your post.
he place was very busy, and no one seemed to be trying to sneak their own liquor into the bar, even though prices are quite outrageous.
its ilegial to take any liquor out of the duty free store on the island and use for consumption. and again, 30% duty is charged on "any" item brought to the island. thus food and drink prices are all relevent to the cost and marks up required to meet company expectations.
February 14th, 2008, 06:59 AM
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos
Posts: 7
i see an error from your day in grand turk. actually living here i feel inclines to correct it.
The hot spot in town seems to be the Hookie Pookie Pizza Palace.
its actually called "mookie pookie" and it really isnt a hot spot. its barely open. and when it is there only half the menu available. but on a brighter side. it is the ONLY take away food place on the island. [/quote]
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text:
NBA Capsules
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Kobe Bryant scored a season-high 47 points and the Los Angeles Lakers pulled closer to a playoff berth with a 113-106 victory over the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.
The Lakers moved a game up on the Utah Jazz for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Portland, missing the playoffs for the second straight season, has lost nine straight, the most since an 11-game skid in the 2005-06 season. Rookie Damian Lillard led the Blazers with a career-high 38 points.
Pau Gasol had 23 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, while Dwight Howard added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers. Bryant was 18 of 18 from the free throw line.
Ray Allen scored 23 points, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade chilled at the end of the bench, and Miami's B-squad gave the resting A-team the gift of home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, clinching the best record in the NBA.
With James (right hamstring) and Wade (sprained ankle and bruised knee) looking like two guys sitting at a bus stop, and Chris Bosh at home with flu-like symptoms, plus Udonis Haslem getting the night off because of a sore right ankle, the what-was-left-over of the Heat committed 25 turnovers but still managed the win that assured they'll finish better than the Western Conference-leading San Antonio Spurs.
The Heat, who have won four straight, also set a franchise record for victories with 62, moving one ahead of the 1996-97 team. They also improved to 14-1 on the second night of back-to-backs.
A.J. Price tied a career high with 23 points and John Wall had 17 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds for the Wizards, who had won nine straight at home.
DENVER (AP) — Wilson Chandler scored 29 points and Corey Brewer had 28 as Denver overcame a slow start to post its franchise-record 21st straight home win.
The Nuggets (54-24) also tied their franchise record for victories in an NBA season, with four games remaining, including two at home, where they improved to a league-best 36-3.
Andre Iguodala recorded a triple-double with 12 points, 10 assists and 13 rebounds for the Nuggets, who haven't lost at home since Jan. 18 against Washington.
They broke the old mark of 20 straight home wins set by Doug Moe's 1984-85 team.
BOSTON (AP) — Deron Williams had 29 points and 12 assists to lead Brooklyn over Boston.
Brook Lopez scored 21 points and Joe Johnson added 20 for Brooklyn, which won for the 12 time in 18 games overall and beat the Celtics for the third time in four meetings this season.
The Nets moved closer to wrapping up fourth place in the Eastern Conference and clinching home-court advantage in the first round. Brooklyn owns a 3 1/2-game edge over idle Chicago with four games left to play in the regular season.
Paul Pierce led Boston with 23 points, Jeff Green added 11 and Kevin Garnett had 11 points and eight rebounds in his second game back after missing the previous eight with an inflamed left ankle.
DALLAS (AP) — P.J. Tucker scored 17 points, including two key baskets in the closing minutes, and Phoenix helped eliminate Dallas from postseason contention for the first time since 2000.
The Suns blew a 14-point lead in the second quarter and almost did it again in the fourth before hanging on to snap a 10-game losing streak that was their longest in 16 years.
The loss, coupled with the Lakers' victory at Portland later Wednesday, meant a 12-season streak of playoff trips for the Mavericks (38-40) officially ended.
Goran Dragic led the Suns with 21 points and 13 assists, while Luis Scola had 11 points and a season-high 15 rebounds.
Shawn Marion led the Mavericks with 22 points and nine rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points and Vince Carter had 18.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Blake Griffin and Chris Paul led seven players in double figures with 19 points apiece, and Los Angeles beat Minnesota for its franchise-record 31st home win of the season.
Paul added 11 assists, and Willie Green had 15 points in breaking the old mark of 30 wins by the 1974-75 team, when it was known as the Buffalo Braves. The Clippers improved to 31-9 at home, three days after clinching their first Pacific Division title in franchise history.
Nikola Pekovic scored 20 points and Derrick Williams had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who got swept 4-0 by the Clippers for the first time since 1992-93.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Josh Smith had 28 points and 12 rebounds, John Jenkins added 21 points and Atlanta blitzed Philadelphia.
Mike Scott contributed 17, Al Horford had 16 and Jeff Teague 13 for the Hawks, who snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 43-36.
The Hawks pulled into a tie with the Chicago Bulls for fifth place in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. The Hawks recently clinched their sixth straight playoff berth but were coming off losses to the Sixers, New York Knicks and San Antonio.
Thaddeus Young led the reeling Sixers with 28 points, while Nick Young had 19 off the bench.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Nik Vucevic had a career-high 30 points and 20 rebounds, Tobias Harris added 30 points and 19 rebounds, and Orlando rallied for an overtime victory over Milwaukee.
The Magic overcame a five-point deficit in the final minute of regulation, sending it to OT on a 3-pointer by Harris with 1.9 seconds left. Vucevic and Harris combined for nine points in the extra period to help Orlando snap a five-game losing streak.
Monta Ellis led the Bucks with 21 points, and John Henson and Mike Dunleavy each added 17. Henson also had 25 rebounds for Milwaukee, which lost its 14th straight game in Orlando.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Andre Drummond scored a career-high 29 points and Detroit won a second straight game for the first time in two months.
Greg Monroe's basket with 38.8 seconds remaining gave Detroit a 105-103 lead and the Pistons, who hadn't won consecutive games since Feb. 8-9, swept the four-game season series from the Cavaliers. Detroit has beaten Cleveland six straight times.
Drummond also grabbed 11 rebounds, while Monroe scored 23 points and Rodney Stuckey added 18.
Kyrie Irving scored 27 points, including 21 in the second half, but missed a 3-pointer that would have given the Cavaliers the lead with 21 seconds left. The All-Star guard was playing on the second night of back-to-back games for the first time since returning from a shoulder injury.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — John Salmons had 22 points, and Jason Thompson and Marcus Thornton each added 20 to help Sacramento snap a four-game losing streak.
The Kings led by 17 at the half and surpassed the 100-point mark early in the fourth quarter when they stretched the lead to 28 points against the struggling Hornets.
The victory halted a season-high five-game home losing streak for the Kings, who have a 20-20 record at Sleep Train Arena. The Kings haven't had a .500 or better home record since the 2007-08 season, when they went 26-15.
Isaiah Thomas had 15 points and DeMarcus Cousins 11 for the Kings.
Eric Gordon scored 23 points for the Hornets.


text:
New Town Council keeping promises
Well, that didn't take long.
The newly elected Town Council tackled its first full agenda Monday, and – surprise! – controversy over Fort Getty has erupted.
It was during the unfinished business portion of the meeting – where else does discussion on the RV park belong? – where Councilor Mary Meagher brought a detailed proposal to the table. The plan was succinct: reduce the number of campsites, increase the cost of rent.
This should come as no surprise to anyone who followed the election closely – or even from a distance. The Democrats who were ultimately elected weren't vague with their plans for Fort Getty, especially Councilwoman Meagher. In her 500-word essay to the Jamestown Press the week before the general election, she said she wanted to "reduce the 105 RV sites by one-third." She also suggested the town raise rates to make them comparable to Middletown's Sachuest Beach campground. Meagher has stood by her plan since she first tossed her hat in the ring. Now, after securing a spot on the dais, we can't fault her for keeping her word, can we?
During Monday's meeting, the new Town Council took heat for rushing into things. Oddly enough, the previous council was criticized for doing the exact opposite: sitting on the fence – too many workshops, consultants and charrettes.
Residents opposed to Meagher's plan want her to wait. They want to know what the rush is. But the fact of the matter is, the same people against Meagher's plan today won't be thrilled with her plan in six to eight months. It's delaying the inevitable. You ask why rush? Well why wait?
Meagher's plan is essentially the same that former Town Council President Mike Schnack proposed in August. Schnack wanted to remove some sites from the north end of the park, while Meagher prefers to start on the eastern side. Schnack's idea was passed. But when 80 percent of the councilors were turned into lame ducks following September's Democratic primary, Schnack told the town to hold off on his recommendations. He knew the incoming council would have its own ideas concerning the park. He was right. Now, the wait is over. Anyone surprised or caught off guard should have been paying closer attention.
Monday there will be a special meeting on Fort Getty. Since there are different players involved – five new councilors – it's appropriate that taxpayers address the council. We commend Councilman Blake Dickinson for spearheading the idea. But hopefully it's not the first of many. Safe money is that the arguments being made will be from the same residents that have been making those same arguments for years.
No decision will ever be made if we wait for the full consensus. Hopefully the councilors stick to their guns and make a decision, just like they did with their promise that they would change how Town Council meetings are run. That's what they were elected to do. Their plan was never a secret.
— Tim Riel


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We now have new tools to view update statistics and perform object management tasks easily, such as specifying data partitions (either round robin or expression-based) and raw tables. Also, trigger support has been greatly improved to take advantage of the ability in IDS to have before, after, and 'for each' triggers, whereas only 'for each' was supported previously. These capabilities are available at no charge. Guy Bowerman talks a bit more about these features in his blog.
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The download for Data Studio Developer 2.1 should be available soon.
This single package contains both the no-charge, perpetual features available and supported for IDS customers with up-to-date maintenance contracts, but also 30-day trial features of the value-added capabilities of the priced Data Studio Developer product. The trial features are optional during installation, but I think you'll be happy if you give them a test drive.
In the meantime don't hesitate to send me any feedback or suggestions that you may have. Then let me know either here or on the Data Studio Forum what you think of the new release.
-- Sonali Surange


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The dream merchant
He's been staying at the Chennai hotel from the time the Indian Premier League started but has hardly ever been spotted in the lobby or around the restaurants. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has mastered the art of almost staying invisible. Sanjjeev Karan Samyal reports.cricket Updated: Jun 03, 2011 16:33 IST
He's been staying at the Chennai hotel from the time the Indian Premier League started but has hardly ever been spotted in the lobby or around the restaurants. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has mastered the art of almost staying invisible.
It's not by choice. His charisma is such that anytime he steps out, he cannot avoid being mobbed. To survive in his new avatar, he has mastered all the tricks of living the life of a celebrity. A few hours after adding more magnetism to his persona, Dhoni was on the flight to Mumbai, and had the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on, his eyes shut and the cap pulled down over them. No eye contact is the best way to keep admirers at bay.
The fairytale story of MS Dhoni continues. The successful IPL title defence with Chennai Super Kings is the latest feather in his cap. Even by Dhoni's standards, it has been a crazy year. The brilliant fightback to achieve the first-ever drawn Test series in South Africa and the glorious World Cup campaign preceded the great IPL run.
"He makes for an amazing case study..., coming from Jharkhand and the way he has understood the Indian set up," said Kiran More, who as the chief selector gave him his international break.
"He keenly observed the captains he played under, like Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble as well as the legends Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. He picked up the important points but maintained his style.
Fairytale run
"Dhoni is writing his own script. He's not just lucky; he knows what he's doing; it's the hallmark of his captaincy. He knows which player to pick, whom to back, and how best to use him.
"S Badrinath and Albie Morkel are classic cases, both don't figure in international cricket. The best example during this IPL was CSK's qualifier against Royal Challengers Bangalore. It looked like an impossible chase as at one stage they needed 105 to win in 48 balls, but they never panicked.
"Badrinath and Suresh Raina laid the foundation after the early exit of the openers and then Dhoni got his order spot on, timing his and Albie's entry to perfection. That is the stuff legends are made of," said More.
What more?
Having led his team to the No 1 Test rank, won the biggest prize in one-day and twenty20 cricket, what's there for Dhoni to achieve?
"I want him to develop some more cricketers for the Indian team and lead a smooth transition as in the recent future, there's going to be a big void after Tendulkar, Laxman and Dravid hang their boots. After 2012 we may have a totally different team. He now has to build a team for the 2015 World Cup," adds More.
First Published: May 30, 2011 01:01 IST


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With the feast of Christ the King this Sunday, we officially bid farewell to the Year of Faith. The year began Oct. 11, 2012, and along the way marked the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the 20th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Those of us within the Church were encouraged to study and increase our knowledge of the Faith, and the Newsweekly has devoted many articles in the last 13 months to spreading this message. Perhaps most notable was a 12-part series on virtues by Russell Shaw.
This week, we wrap up the Year of Faith with the third installment of our Faces of Faith series (Pages 18-19). The three-part feature was aimed at giving a glimpse into the lives of those who labor — often overlooked — in the vineyard of the Lord. Maryann Gogniat Eidemiller focuses on those who support the Church's teachings on the dignity of life via various pro-life ministries. Previous installments looked at men and women of faith who live and work in rural communities (Nov. 3) and the multitude of ethnic groups that enrich the U.S. Church (Sept. 29).
Accompanying the faith story, a sidebar on Page 18 lists four ways to continue growing in faith as we move forward from the year. One of the suggestions listed is to study and emulate the lives of the saints. I'm happy to announce that OSV Newsweekly made that a little bit easier to do via a special supplement tucked into this week's issue.
The supplement, a small 48-page booklet, looks specifically at "Saints for Our Time." Tom Craughwell, well-known author of several books on the saints, highlights 12 holy men and women (one for each month of the year) who are particularly relevant to the lives of Catholics in modern times.
For example, you'll find a saint for the New Evangelization, for single mothers, for cancer patients and for troubled families. There's also a saint for athletes, for the environment and even for successful real estate transactions.
It's our hope that you will be able to keep this booklet as a prayerful and informative reference throughout the year, and that it will help you continue to grow in your understanding and love of the Faith. After all, just because the Year of Faith has come to its official conclusion doesn't mean the obligation to nurture our faith is complete.
As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote in Porta Fidei ("The Door of Faith") when he first proclaimed the Year of Faith on Oct. 11, 2011:
"The 'door of faith' is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church. It is possible to cross that threshold when the word of God is proclaimed and the heart allows itself to be shaped by transforming grace."
Your feedback is welcome: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Copyright © 1996-2018 Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.


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Except for him, his agent, the Carolina Hurricanes and maybe a couple other NHL executives, there aren't too many other people that believe Tomas Kaberle is worth the $4.25 million-per-year deal he signed with the 'Canes today.
Such is the zany free-agent market in 2011.
But not only does Carolina think Kaberle's worth that type of cash, the 'Canes also think he's an upgrade on Joe Corvo. The Bruins, however, would beg to differ.
After realizing they were going to lose Kaberle, the Bruins traded a fourth-round pick in 2012 to Carolina for Corvo. The veteran defenseman makes a little more than half of what Kaberle stands to take home now, and brings with him a booming right-handed shot that he's not afraid to use.
The Bruins have to like that of Corvo's 11 goals last season, five came on the power play for a Carolina team that ranked 24th on the man-advantage. He led all Carolina defensemen with 191 shots on goal, which was fourth overall on the club. He was also second on the 'Canes in overall average ice time and shorthanded ice time.
If there are knocks on Corvo, one is that he can play soft. While it's not always a tell-tale sign about a guy's toughness, that he doesn't have a single career fighting major shows that he's not exactly sticking his nose into difficult situations. At 34, it's not likely that he's suddenly going to turn tough.
And his last foray into a stretch run and playoffs with a contending team was a disaster, as he put up 2-4-6 totals and a minus-4 rating in 18 games for the 2009-10 Washington Capitals and then added just 1-1-2 totals and minus-2 in a seven-game first-round series. Previously, Corvo's postseason numbers with Ottawa and Carolina were decent — 4-12-16 and minus-3 in 38 games, including the Senators' run to the '07 Stanley Cup Final.
With Corvo making Andrew Ference-type money and signed for just one more year, this move has only slightly more risk attached than the Benoit Pouliot signing the Bruins executed last week. The best-case scenario would be for Corvo to put his shot and skating to good use, add a little edge, and become a second-pair fixture and power-play punch provider. He could settle in on a third pair if he doesn't make the most of his tools.
At worst, he's battling for playing time with the likes of Adam McQuaid and Johnny Boychuk, especially if Steven Kampfer or Matt Bartkowski show up and win a top-six job this fall.
While Corvo could turn out to be a great add to the team, right now the Bruins aren't better — on paper — than the team that won the Cup a few weeks ago. They're not worse either.
Until we see how Corvo handles the adjustment to Boston's system and takes care of his own end, we can only call the swap of him for Kaberle a wash right now. But the Bruins still have the cap room to upgrade over the rest of the summer or during the season. And they definitely like their kids.
So a wash, which saves them money, is really all they need right now.


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Feb. 23, 2014
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The No. 30-ranked Florida State women's tennis team (7-3, 2-0 ACC) didn't let a little rain dampen their competitive spirit as their match against Maryland was moved indoors. The Seminoles were sharp and focused from the moment they stepped on court to take a 7-0 victory over Maryland at the Indoor Tennis Facility on February 23.
"We are coming along yet are right where we want to be right now," said head coach Jennifer Hyde. "It was a very busy week we had posting two solid ACC wins after traveling to Florida, but it was also a very good week for us. There are some things we are working on individually that are starting to be executed during the matches."
The Seminoles took the doubles point with convincing wins on courts one and two. At No. 1, Kerrie Cartwright and Daneika Borthwick took down Kristina Hovsepyan and Welma Luus, 8-1, while Mia Vriens and Daniela Schippers paired up for their fourth doubles victory of the year, including a 3-1 record on court two.
Singles were led by Cartwright's quick 6-1, 6-0 victory on court one. It was the first time in her career that the Bahamas native had played at number one, yet she appeared right at home.
"I felt really good and really confident today. I was happy my team was there to support me, said Cartwright. "Winning both matches this weekend gave us a lot of confidence to move forward through the season."
Florida State clinched the match with wins on courts three and two as Vriens (6-3, 6-0) and Borthwick (6-3, 6-2) made quick work of their opponents. Senior Kristina Schleich appeared in complete control of her match against Olga Gaistruck on court five and cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 straight-set victory.
On court six, Duda Santos was locked in a tight battle against Maryland's Olga Bredikhina. Santos would take set one, 6-3, yet drop the second set by the same score. The tiebreaker went back and forth but the freshman was able to create some nice shots and put the match away with a 10-8 tiebreaker win.
Completing the sweep was Schippers on court four. After trailing 4-5 in the first set, Schippers fought back and took the next three games to win set one, 7-5. Maryland's Nataliya Bredikhina would force a tiebreaker after a 6-2 win in the second. Bredikhina got out to an early 5-3 lead in the third set tiebreak, but Schippers settled in and made several difficult shots to take control. The freshman from Guatemala went on to win seven of the final eight points of the match to win 10-6.
It marked the first time FSU has posted a 7-0 victory over a conference foe since defeating Virginia Tech on April 13, 2012.
"The team is competing very well right now. Any time you can come out 2-0 on back-to-back ACC matches is a very solid and successful weekend. I am proud of the girls and the efforts they put into the last week of preparation and it definitely showed today in our ability to close out some matches and take care of things at a very high level."
The No. 30 Seminoles next take to the court as they welcome Georgia Tech on Fri., Feb. 28 at 3:00 p.m. FSU will also play Boston College on Sun., March 2 at 12:00 p.m. Both matches will be played at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center.
For more on FSU women's tennis, check us out at Seminoles.com, as well as on Facebook (facebook.com/FSU.WTennis) and Twitter (@FSU_WTennis).
Sunday, February 23, 2014 – No. 30 Florida State 7, Maryland 0
Singles competition
1. Kerrie Cartwright (FS) def. Hovsepyan,Kristina (MD) 6-1, 6-0
2. Daneika Borthwick (FS) def. Stanova,Alexandra (MD) 6-3, 6-2
3. Mia Vriens (FS) def. Luus,Welma (MD) 6-3, 6-0
4. Daniela Schippers (FS) def. Bredikhina,Nataliya (MD) 7-5, 2-6, 1-0 (10-6)
5. Kristina Schleich (FS) def. Gaistruck,Olga (MD) 6-2, 6-1
6. Duda Santos (FS) def. Bredikhina,Olga (MD) 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10-8)
Doubles competition
1. Kerrie Cartwright/Daneika Borthwick (FS) def. Hovsepyan,Kristina/Luus,Welma (MD) 8-1
2. Mia Vriens/Daniela Schippers (FS) def. Stanova,Alexandra/Gaudreault,Olivia (MD) 8-5
3. Majlena Pedersen/Duda Santos (FS) vs. Bredikhina,Olga/Bredikhina,Nataliya (MD) unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2*); Singles (1,3,2*,5,6,4)


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Born in Oceanside, Long Island, New York. Lived in Valley Stream, Elmont, Smithtown, Coram, Hauppauge and back to Smithtown – all on Long Island. Then lived in Pickerington, Ohio for the past 14 years.
Current location?
Beautiful Peachtree City, Georgia. It has over 98 miles of paved bike/golf cart/running paths in the community. Nice!
What do you do for/with/to bicycles?
I am the North America Sales and Marketing Director – Bicycle Division for Vee Rubber America.
What's the best thing about your job?
I get to work and do things that I love – all with bicycles. I have ridden a bike in about 30 states in the USA and I have also ridden in Canada, Germany, France, Italy, The Canary Islands, Taiwan, China, and other countries.
What's the toughest part of your job?
I like to see things get done right and quickly, the expression 'In a New York minute' comes to mind. But I have to have patience as I am dealing with a different culture of people and workers and not everybody is on my schedule.
What was the path that led you to work with bicycles?
In 1970, I was 15 years old and the 10 speed bike (remember those?) boom was in full bloom. I was hooked as soon as I pedaled a lightweight bike 50 miles on Long Island. And back then we had the first 'Earth Day' and I support that theme.
Tell us about a career highlight of yours…
I began in retail in Smithtown, then into wholesale and I worked for a great company called Service Cycle Supply Company in Commack and then the Hauppauge area of Long Island. Service bought Mongoose Bicycles and I met all the greatest riders, John Tomac, Max Jones, Brian Lopes, Leigh Donovan, Eric Carter and more at Mongoose over the years. I went to many races and events and had a great time. I was at Service for 13 and a half years and enjoyed just about every minute of it. I grew and understood more about the industry during that time. Service changed owners and the mission statement of the company changed- and it was time for me to also change.
I went to Kenda USA in Ohio and was there for almost 15 years. I developed a program, designed some tires, started to grow the brand. I hired Tomac to endorse Kenda tires. I developed the Legends of the Sport Program with Tomac, Hans Rey, Eric Carter, Tinker Juarez and Brian Lopes. From there it grew and grew. Kenda was on a roll and I was proud to see it become a top mountain bike tire brand and a top player in the market. Lots of weekends at events and races and I became known as 'the face of Kenda' for my hard work to support the sport.
In 2010, I was recognized as the 'Hardest Working Man in the Bike Industry'- (an name given to me by Richard Fries, an event promoter) and I received the ultimate honor of being inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall Of Fame at Interbike. The MBHOF trophy is in my office and I am proud to have my name in the hall along with the heroes and icons of the sport. Truly and great honor to be recognized by your peers and other people in the industry for your work. Thanks to all, again.
I joined Vee Rubber in Atlanta, Georgia this past March. I have designed 13 exciting patterns and hope to put Vee Rubber America on the map soon. Right now we have a long way to go but we will be there in a few years.
What was your first bicycle?
OK I had – believe it or not a Rudge 3 speed English Racer when I was 6 years old. Bike was a compact frame but it was still too big for me. Then I had a Kent Polo bike (20 inch wheels- banana seat and high rise handlebars) for a few years and then some clunkers. My first real bike was when I was 16 years old and bought a Raleigh Super Course 10 Speed and I still have it. So it is 40 years old. Yes I have many other bikes – about 35 all together.
What bike do you currently ride the most?
I have a Santa Cruz Superlight that I ride with 26 x 1.5 street tires on the paved but bumpy bike trails; I have a Pivot Mach 429 for the off road stuff, and I have my 1988 Tesch S-22 for the road rides. I split it among those 3 great bikes.
Where is your favorite place to ride?
I have told people I have a list and it is Mammoth Mountain, Ca.; Whistler, Canada; Jim Thorpe, Pa.; Moab, Utah; and the Parallel Greenbelt Trail and Bethpage Trails – both on Long Island.
What music goes through your head while you ride?
I don't wear buds or actually listen to any music. But depending on the trail I am on and the ride I am doing, I sometimes think about different tunes. I am a dedicated Rocker: Steve Vai, Aerosmith, Whitesnake, Foreigner, U2, Eric Clapton, Deep Purple, Def Leppard to name a few. For the mellow rides, I have other bands that I think about.
But the real music is hearing the tires go over some roots or rocks, or the spokes occasionally binging from a stick, the gears shifting or the brakes engaging- and all the other sounds from the ride including the water running off the rocks, and the wildlife making their sounds. That is the real music!
What's your favorite post-ride refreshment/snack?
A cold Diet Coke and a Snickers bar.
Who in the industry inspires you?
Great question. To answer it, honestly, anyone that is a wrench, mechanic, team manager, racer, event promoter, event worker, vehicle driver, warehouse picker and packer, all the people inside the offices/ warehouses and in the factories, the numerous magazines staff, the company owners and investors as without them, we don't have an 'industry'. To pick a specific person and say that they inspire me, I know so many people it is hard to pick someone. They all inspire me and they all deserve recognition.
What are your interests aside from bicycles?
Bicycles have been my life. But I do enjoy watching car racing, or MX racing a few times. I also like HO trains and train shows.
If you weren't working around bicycles, what do you think you'd be doing?
Driving a race car or owning one. Or working on a large ship. I was in the Navy and made an Atlantic crossing and it was a rough one but we made it.
Please share one of your favorite stories you've seen or been a part of while involved with the bicycle industry…
One year at Interbike, I was at the Out Door Demo event. I had to take the Interbike Shuttle bus back to the convention center to set up the booth in the hall. But before the bus arrived, I went into the porta-potty. As I was standing in it doing my business, the whole thing starts to tip over with me in it.
Seems a local worker forgot that the event was happening and tried to back up his pick-up truck and hit the row of porta-potties. Mine tipped but did not go over completely. It righted itself and I was scarred and also messy looking. Luckily, I had put the seat down but the splash of blue water and other material that came out covered my legs and shorts. Needless to say the bus ride back to the Sands Convention Center had a certain smell to it and that smell was coming from my legs and other parts. I sat with a Newspaper covering my wet shorts. I found a deserted men's bathroom in the lower level of the convention center and decided to take a complete 'bird bath' there.
Who would you choose for the next subject for the Bicycle Industry Insider Profile Series?
Joel Smith or Chris Cocalis
Joel, he was with Answer/Manitou for many years, has the Tomac brand license, and now is with X-Fusion Suspension and I think he can take the brand upward.
Chris was at Titus and then started Pivot/BH and has a real great line of bikes and history of suspension ideas.
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By Adam Reilly
Mar. 6, 2012
BOSTON — It's an aviation milestone for Boston: Japan Airlines is about to begin nonstop service from Logan to Tokyo featuring the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Because the plane is made of carbon, it's 20 percent more fuel-efficient, making direct flights from Boston to Japan feasible for the first time.
Bob Weiss, the former editor of "Boston Airport Journal," predicts the high-tech plane will give Boston's tourism industry a major boost. The estimates put the number of Asian visitors to Boston at 50,000 annually.
Asians love to travel, Weiss said. "So what I think is going to happen is a lot of people are going to come to Boston — they know a lot about Harvard and MIT and business here and everything — and then I think they're going to go on to New York and then come back. I think it's going to expand the entire travel business here in Boston."
(And just think if it had been around when the Sox first acquired Daisuke Matsuzaka.)
The Dreamliner starts flying the Boston-to-Tokyo route on April 22.
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Posted November 17, 2005 by publisher in Cuban American Culture
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Rebecca M. Cuevas De Caissie | BellaOnline's Hispanic Culture Editor
Growing up Hispanic in the United States is unique compared to any other experience through out the Latin American world. It is a complex yet full experience in that you find yourself learning and respecting your roots and identity with the freedom to participate in the many different celebrations through out the other communities. Though for the most part we do not adopt these holidays as our own, we do share in some of the festivities. Thanksgiving, though not a traditionally celebrated holiday in Latin America is sometimes celebrated by Hispanics living in the United States for several generations.
For the most part immigrants as a whole do not celebrate Thanksgiving, partly I believe as they do not quite understand what the Holiday is about and partly because they are still holding onto their own individual customs from the homeland. Once time has passed and the migrant learns more about what the holiday signifies, they seem more open to celebrating it in a very unique and ethnic way.
When I was growing up, as my family does have some relatives whom are Euro-American, we did celebrate Thanksgiving. In my family, we used to call it "La Dia de dar Gracias". Now, I do not know if that is even politically correct but what I can tell you is that we celebrated Thanksgiving with food that mirrored what is served in the traditional meal but with a very flavorful twist. The celebration also had a strangely Hispanic flavor to it also with the meringue and salsa playing in the background and everyone dancing, laughing and having a good time. Unlike the Euro version of Thanksgiving, when Hispanics celebrate Thanksgiving, some differences are heard and smelled if you were not lucky enough to procure an invitation to come.
It is important to understand that for the most part Hispanics usually celebrate Thanksgiving because we like to eat, get together with family and have fun. We within our tradition have many days in which we give thanks for our good lives as well as the fact that traditionally it is not a part of our culture nor is it our heritage. It is in the Euro settlers' history and it is in their tradition, yet, as any good Hispanic will tell you, any party is a good party as long as we are invited to celebrate. I feel that as time goes by and Hispanics become more accepted into the mainstream on a personal level, they will adopt this holiday and make it a new tradition.
So how do Hispanics celebrate Thanksgiving? That has several different answers. Some are just happy to have the day off and with pay, even better. Those who do not recognize the holiday Thanksgiving are still quick to be thankful for a day off to share with family. Others follow the traditional Thanksgiving meal and serve the dinner following recipes so it becomes for the Hispanic Family a cultural experience. Then there are those who come from a blended family, who share the meal with shared traditions and recipes. That was how my family was.
My family came to this country and made it truly their homeland. The Hispanics in my family also married Euro-Americans. Consequently, our lifestyles were blended and so were our holidays. Thanksgiving took on a completely new light in our family. There was the Thanksgiving turkey with stuffing, but the stuffing was seasoned with green pepper, adobo, chorizo and sometimes made of cornbread and tortillas. They turkey was marinated in sour oranges and garlic some years and butter basted the next. Why you never knew what kind of turkey was going to come out of that oven when the ladies of so many nations got together at our house. The odd year we did not have a turkey at all, but they would decide to cook seafood like paella or they would prepare a roast pig. There were mashed potatoes but they were seasoned differently with garlic and green onions and sometimes served like mangu, boiled, mashed and then drizzled with olive oil and adobo. The variety of breads was amazing. There was corn bread in several presentations, pan cubano, biscuits and dinner rolls. Salads were also so varied it would be a long list indeed.
The idea is that when you have two nations of people who fall in love with each other, as my family did with each other, you do not wish to take away from them their traditions, but you do love sharing in their joy. You learn to appreciate them and what they have to offer and as a family you blend and the focus comes off the holiday and right where it belongs. On giving thanks for all that we have in this new country.
So is this holiday Thanksgiving a holiday that does not belong to Hispanics? I think not. I believe this holiday was set aside to give thanks with those who helped the original settlers to survive their first year in this vast wilderness. That was the First Nations People, Native Americans who out of the generosity and kindness took in the new comers and made life possible. As they sat at that table, many years ago, the Euro-Americans were the immigrants to this Land. Therefore, this year with yet another Thanksgiving just around the corner, we can realize and give thanks for all those who have helped Hispanic Immigrants to come here. There may be many who oppose the Hispanic Migration but there are more that support out of kindness and generosity towards helping the new comers find a home in this new country. The same can be said of Canada as well.
Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks for surving another year and to recognize the generosity we have shared one with each other throughout the year. For those who are citizens of these great countries, a time to give back to humanity what their ancestors received from the First Nations People. For those who were the givers by heritage to be thanked by those whose forefathers were newcomers and for those who are the newcomers, if only in acknowledgement of their continued generosity and struggles. It is a time for those of us who are new comers to show our gratitude to those who have made it possible to come to a new country and begin a fruitful new life with those we love. For all the money and time donated by people who simple care enough to show it, we can stop on this day, fix a meal that we enjoy and share it with family and friends. As the candles are lit, or music is playing and we are all laughing and celebrating, look around you and see how good life is compared to the many who have less than we. On that first Thanksgiving day, surely the Euro settlers had less to be thankful for than we do today. Our lives are blessed with countries that are great enough to still care about the few stragglers who enter our borders without means. We by tradition are still great enough to show compassion, generosity and true affection to those who would otherwise perish in the cold days of immigration. For that greatness, our true heritage on this day, let us each one celebrate and embrace each other, not by learning recipes but by learning ingredients.
thats great you all celebrated thanksgiving
because here in Augusta Georgia we all ways celebrate THANKSGIVING


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NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partners. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Women's Health
How Can I Decrease My Breast Size?
How can I decrease my breast size? Is there is any exercise which I would perform? I`m young (my age is 24). Actually my upper body is much heavier then the lower body and my breast size is a concern for me. Please tell me the treatment plan?
Thanking you in advance!!
The overall size of your breasts is mostly fat tissue. Most of us have about the same amount of actual functional breast tissue (the glands that make milk when we're nursing) and is about the same size for everyone. So, then we come to the question of how to reduce that fat tissue. Exercise mostly helps to tone the pectoral muscles but doesn't have much if any effect on the overall size of the breasts. So, some weight loss would be helpful- a balanced diet with a decrease in fast foods, complex carbohydrates and lots of fresh vegetables will help.
Most of the time, for substantial breast reduction, surgery is the most effective approach. Here are some criteria that a reputable surgeon will consider before agreeing to do the surgery: Are you substantially overweight? Do you have consistent back pain because of the weight of your breasts? Do you have difficulty getting bras that effectively support the breast? Do you have difficulty getting blouses or tops that fit? Is your body proportional? Surgery is a serious business. Sometimes the consequence of having the surgery is that you would lose the ability to breast feed in the future.
When one is overweight and has excess fat, the incidence of increased scarring, infection and marked scarring (like keloids) and chronic discomfort in the incisional area are always possible. So, if you do decide on surgery, first lose as much weight as you can to get close to your ideal body weight (and do that safely) Then be sure you go to a surgeon who does this surgery frequently and has a reliable record. It the surgeon doesn't ask questions and ask what you've tried to do to reduce the size of your breast's fatty tissue, go to someone else. Sorry there's not an easier answer- Hope this helps. All the best.
Elizabeth R Barker, APRN, BC, FNP, FAANP, CHE, PhD
Professor of Clinical Nursing
College of Nursing
The Ohio State University