Pollyanna.netRegisterSearchFAQMemberlistUsergroupsLog in
The 2005 DLF Cruise Adventures
Goto page 1, 2, 3  Next
 
Reply to topic    Pollyanna.net Forum Index » General View previous topic
View next topic
The 2005 DLF Cruise Adventures
Author Message
sweetdsangel2001



Joined: 04 Apr 2005
Posts: 231
Location: Virginia

Post The 2005 DLF Cruise Adventures Reply with quote
Good Morning Everyone!!!



I know everyone who is planning to go on the DLF cruise this week is getting excited!! Hope you have everything ready to go.



I'm starting this thread now for everyone to share their experiences on the cruise when you get back. Those of us unable to attend are anxiously looking forward to hearing all about it so please be sure to stop in and post your adventures as soon as you can.



Don't forget, the drawing for the DLF 50/50 Raffle will be held on the cruise as well. Erika is going to take everyone's name, put them in a bucket, and let Pollyanna or Howie draw the name. We raised $458 in the raffle so the winner and the DLF will get $229 each!! WAY TO GO LADIES!!!



Also, the ladies from the UK will be holding their drawing for the Santa Bear with the personalized message from Howie. Good luck to everyone who bought tickets!!!



Have fun to everyone who is going on the cruise and Merry Christmas to all!!







Lots of Love,

Sarah D.

Pollyanna's Street Team Leader

iEdited by: sweetdsangel2001 at: 12/13/05 11:07 am
/i

_________________
Sarah Abernathy
Pollyanna's Internet Assistant

Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:51 am View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
ErikaMG



Joined: 12 Dec 2005
Posts: 11

Post Re: The 2005 DLF Cruise Adventures Reply with quote
Don't forget...if you are going on the cruise, I will be selling tickets on board as well!



Don't miss out on your chance to help the DLF and win a bit of money yourself.



Erika

Street Team Leader i/i
Mon Dec 12, 2005 12:42 pm View user's profile Send private message
ErikaMG



Joined: 12 Dec 2005
Posts: 11

Post Re: The 2005 DLF Cruise Adventures Reply with quote
Well...what an amazing 5 days!!!



I just got home after being delayed on the tarmac for almost 2 hours so I'm in the process of typing up a full review but I will just say that it was the most amazing time.



The entire Dorough family is the most gracious group of people I have ever met in my entire life. And, even though she averaged maybe 4 hours of sleep every night, the smile never left Pollyanna's face.



More later,



Erika i/i
Mon Dec 19, 2005 6:51 pm View user's profile Send private message
ErikaMG



Joined: 12 Dec 2005
Posts: 11

Post My Review!!! Reply with quote
We got to the pier around 12:30 and as we were coming in we saw Johnny and Howie. I got a great big bear hug from Johhny before he went off to help his family with their luggage. Howie was sitting filling out some paperwork and Janet and I told him to take off the leather coat, we were in Miami. He said he was cold and threw us a wink as we walked inside.



Checking in was relatively easy and pretty soon, we were on the boat. Having never been on a cruise ship before, I was really taken away with exactly how much stuff they can offer on a boat. It's really a floating resort. If it weren't for the excitiment of exploring different ports of call, you'd never really have to leave at all.



We all got settled in and our room became the designated party room. I splurged on a suite and the more the merrier. We spent the first day of many hanging out and enjoying the balcony. There was a welcome set for all the DLF cruisers so we could get our packages and find out what was going on for the next few days. It was great to see Angie and Cathy again and I was fortunate to be able to talk to both of them for a bit before settling down with the girls to see what kinds of goodies we got this year in our bags. Among the loot was a DLF car magnet, rubber
acelet, a lanyard to wear to identify us as DLF group members (complete with Howie's picture), a cool necklace and some other wonderful treasures.



Hunger set in and we headed up to the Lido deck for some lunch. The food on the ship is amazing! I don't want to look at the scale now that I'm home. After lunch we headed back down to the room to wait for the emergency drill. We all learned how to put on our lifejackets and where to go just in case. Pollyanna was up there with hers on and I wished I had had my camera to get a new picture for the Street Team. She's always smiling, even with this obtrusive ugly orange thing around her head.



We headed back down to the room to watch the ship pull out. We all piled on to the balcony and watched as we sailed away from Miami and towards Key West. we had some time to kill so we headed our separate ways and refreshed from the morning. Some of us took naps, others hit the casino and some slept to gear up for the long night ahead of us (we had no idea at the time just how long that night would be).



Dinner was really good the first night on the ship. OUr table was kind of towards the front of the dining room and as we're sitting there, in walks Howie, Johnny and Adam (with the DLF) and Howie smiles at us and welcomes us aboard. Dinner was over around 10pm and we had an auciton and Meet and Greet scheduled for that night as well. It was supposed to run from 10:30 to 12:30 but we ended up going way over that allotted time.



Instead of taking pics of Howie with us with our own camera, this year you paid and had a picture taken with him which we'll get in the mail. I personally think it's great b/c the money is going to the DLF but I think it actually took longer to accomplish than if we had been allowed to take pics ourselves and just give the DLF a donation instead. I stopped to say hello to Mama and Papa D. on the way in. This was the first time I had met them and they are truly wonderful people. Papa D. looked really good and he said he was feeling 100% better and thanked everyone for their well wishes. I had bought Mama D. a rosary when I was in Madrid this summer and I gave it to her. It was a special one commemorating the exhibit of the Virgin Mary that was going on at the Cathedral. For Papa D, I had a car rosary from Fatima, Portugal. I had previously given one to Angie in September and I wanted the whole family to have them. He loved it and I was really touched when he placed it in his inside jacket pocket and patted it over his heart and said, "Right there where it can keep me safe". I talked for a few more minutes with the both of them and then excused myself to go meet up with the girls while we were waiting for our numbers to be called to get our picture taken.



Pollyanna was handing out little beanie babies and other stuffed animals to each person as they came up and she was acting like a goofball making silly faces with them and making them dance. This woman never tires, she's always on. When I got up there to get my picture taken, I gave Howie the few things I had for him. I gave him a car rosary too and some hot spices and sauces from Portugal. When we had had dinner back in June, he was going on about how he loved hot spicy food so I told him I'd
ing him back some different ones from Portugal and he was pretty excited about it. I've never seen a person get so excited about Piripiri before. I also gave him a T-Shirt (thanks for the link WYnter!!!) that says, "Have you seen my car keys?" He opened it up and was like, "Oh no, you all heard about that?" Um hello, we hear everything Howie!



So, I got my hug and picture with Howie and went to chat with Pollyanna for a bit. I got several hugs from her both to say hello and thanks for the work with the Street Team. I gave her a car rosary as well and just like the rest of her family, absolutely loved it. I spotted Johnny when I got back to my seat and I called him over b/c I had a rosary for him as well. I gave it to him and explained where it was from and he started to tell me about his time in Portugal with Howie during the last days of the European tour. I know I've said it before but it bears repeating. The Doroughs are the sweetest people you will ever meet in your entire life. The graciousness that surrounds this family is just unbelievable.





As we each got called up to get our pic taken, just about everyone had something to give either Pollyanna and/or Howie. The gracious people they are took time to look at what was given to them and were so appreciative of everyone's generosity. Next, it was on to the auction.



Several items were auctioned off including a pair of Tommy Hilfiger overalls from very early BSB days. Howie modeled them and did a little hip wiggle in the process. Rawr! They also had some Build-A-Bears to auction off and some other promotional items from the new album. I was lucky enough to get a promotional album slick signed by all 5 guys. Howie put a little message on it for me since it was already signed. I think it's already been
oadcast that I won the auction to have a couples massage with Howie so I'm not going to say much about that. It was a wonderful experience just to be able to talk one on one with him for an entire hour. The staff of the spa was so excited that he was going to be there. He was so generous with his time afterwards (even though we were late for dinner) and signed autographs for the staff.



Ok, rewind back to the first night on the ship. The auction was a huge sucess and lasted pretty late (or early depending on your perception) and after it was over, we hung out for a bit. It was off to bed after that.



The next morning we docked in Key West and spent the day exploring the island. It is such a beautiful place and I can't wait to go back sometime soon. No Howie sightings from me on Key West but I really wasn't looking for him. We (the gang!) did stop at Sloppy Joe's for drinks at oh, 10am?! LOL Hey, it was 5pm somewhere right?



After we got back to the ship we had to get ready for dinner and the concert since it was Formal Night. Most of us dressed up in our formal clothes for the concert since there was so little time in between the two events. Everyone looked fantastic! The concert was amazing. I had goosebumps the entire time. Pollyanna was so emotional when speaking of Caroline and reminding all of us exactly why we were on this cruise. Before she came on to sing, Adam came up to announce that the cruise had successfully raised $65,000 -- the highest total of any cruise ever before!!



Pollyanna sang three songs, "We Will Meet Again", "Free from Within", and "Hand in Hand". It was a real treat to be able to hear her perform live. She has an amazing voice and when she sings, you can feel it all the way down to your soul. She proudly introduced "Howard" after her set was over and he took us on a trip down memory lane. He announced he'd be doing a "Then and Now" theme and sang 5 songs, one from each album released by BSB. He started with "All I Have to Give", followed by "I Want it That Way", "How Did I Fall in Love with You", "Drowning" and then finished with "Incomplete". His voice was amazing, he needs more leads and I told him so. He was able to sing every part perfectly. Pollyanna rejoined Howie and the two of them sang "Fly to Heaven and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and again, the goosebumps came out. Their harmonies are like nothing I have heard since the Carpenters sang together.



Howie and Pollyanna graciously posed for pictures afterwards for a bit and I was able to get a really good shot of the two of them together as well as one of me and Pollyanna and one of Pollyanna and the girls. Dinner was next and tonight it was Lobster Tail, yum! The winners of the auction to have dinner with the Dorough family had a wonderful time as well. After dinner, we got changed into party clothes and hit the karaoke bar! That was a hoot! I sang a song, Chloe sang too and then we all did "I Want it That Way". We got it on tape, it's pretty hysterical. After karaoke ended, we hit the casino.



I was lucky enough to play some Black Jack with HOwie and Johnny (Kim --- I LOVE YOU!) and I was even luckier to
eak even. Sure, a win would have been nice but I'll take
eaking even over losing. Howie played at the table for about 45 minutes and then excused himself to play Craps with Angie. All casinoed out, we hit the disco. Howie was there getting his groove on, dancing with everyone. Of course, there were some more overzealous than others but for the most part, he was left to do his own thing. Pollyanna was there as well and she was dancing her heart out. I don't know how she keeps going and going! The Energizer Bunny gene must run in the family. Angie and Cathy Best were there too but I didn't have any luck getting ANgie out on the dancefloor that night. I'm not sure what time we ended up going to be that night (or early the next morning) but it was pretty late.



The next morning we docked in Calica and the gang headed for a beach
eak while the Dorough family headed with the lucky winners from the auction for an ATV excursion. The beach was wonderful aside from the unpleasant sighting that I won't go into detail about b/c it's just too horrible to talk about. Lori and I took out a waverunner which was a lot of fun! I had only ever done that on still water here on the bays in NJ but the ocean was a whole different monster. We hit air a couple of times but we didn't tip over and we had a blast! Sun, drinks, fun all with the girls -- it was a really great day.



Upon returning to the boat, we ran into the girls from Pollyanna's Mexican Street Team. They had driven 25 hours to meet up with Pollyanna and Howie to wish them well. If that's not fan dedication, I don't know what is. I spoke with them for a bit and got some pictures but headed back to the boat to get some sunset pictures. Some other girls from our group stayed behind and made sure that Howie got the chance to meet with them when he got back to the boat.



After another great dinner, it was time for the Silver level cocktail party. It was a nice small gathering and Howie did a wonderful job of working the room to make sure everyone had some time with him and some photo opps as well. Mama D, Pollyanna, Johnny, Adam and Cathy Best were also there. After that, it was Disco Night!



Howie manned the DJ booth for about an hour and started us off with some great BSB music! He came out of the booth during "Everybody" and was quickly pulled by someone so his time on the floor didn't last long. He spun some great music and after his time in the booth ended, he left for a while to hit the casino, I think. I don't know b/c I stayed and danced. Pollyanna, bless her heart, was trying to teach my white self how to Salsa. The woman can dance. We finally got Angie out on the dance floor as well. It was just a great night for having a lot of fun.



The next day was our Fun Day at Sea! We spent most of the day on the sun deck just enjoying the weather and some nice juicy beverages. Yeah, Howie came up to the deck where we were at one point but it was nice to see him being left alone. Nobody was standing there gawking at him, which was nice. He fell asleep at one point, all bundled up in a towel b/c the
eeze picked up. Me and the gals spent some time in the hot tub and then headed to get ready for the Gold level Wine and Cheese party.



There were probably only 15 of us so it was a nice intimate moment. Pollyanna picked the winning ticket for the 50/50 raffle (Su Nippita) and she thanked everyone for their participation. The wine and cheese was very good and it was a nice start to another long evening. After the party, I had my massage with Howie. It was a nice moment with him and that's all I'm going to say about it. I hold the conversation I had with him in the highest regard.



After that, I headed straight to dinner. I had gotten ready beforehand and asked them not to mess up my hair or makeup. When Howie walked by our table coming into the dining room, we presented him with a bottle of Champagne for his table and he thanked us and told us he'd come back later for a group picture. Johnny is a trip, he walked away with the bottle tilted to his lips. True to his word, Howie came back for a group picture with all of us. It was so wild standing next to him and smelling like him from the oils they used on our massages. When else will I ever be able to say that Howie and I smelled the same. Probably never.



Anyway, after dinner, we were going to Karaoke. We told Howie that we'd be there and he stopped by to hear Chloe sing again (she rocked!) and then, we all got up and sang "Incomplete" in front of him. Adam videotaped it for us and Howie was cheering us the entire time. We all got high fives from him when we walked back to our seats and told us how great it was. After that, he left to go do his own thing.



Unfortunately, I was cooked and done for the night. Between the pina coladas that afternoon and the completely relaxing massage, I could no longer function. My ladies went off and had a blast that night and we met up the next morning for our last
eakfast together.



During
eakfast, we saw Pollyanna and Angie and was able to talk with them a little bit while waiting to debark the boat. It was a bittersweet end to an amazing trip.



To my girls:



Arlene

Karen

Melisa

Su

Julia

Kimmah

Kim

Kris

Lori

Michelle

Janet

Chloe



I love each and every one of you! It would not have been the same without you and I have a boatload (LOL) of memories to last me the rest of my life.



I hope we're all able to do it again sometime.



Love,

E i/i
Tue Dec 20, 2005 1:19 pm View user's profile Send private message
julia



Joined: 28 Apr 2005
Posts: 335

Post Re: My Review!!! Reply with quote
WOW.ITS A VERY NICE CRUIZE!!!AM SOO HAPPY FOR YOU!! THANK YOU DEAR ERICA FOR SHARE!!MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOUR FAMILY,AND TO ALL!!AND GOOD HEALTH!!JULIA i/i
Tue Dec 20, 2005 3:34 pm View user's profile Send private message
sweetheart



Joined: 20 Dec 2005
Posts: 3

Post Re: My Review!!! Reply with quote
hey Erika

thanks for sharing your DLF experience. will you post pictures

(please post pictures!) i really want to see how pollyanna and howie look in a regular photo. also how long was your message with howie? i/i
Tue Dec 20, 2005 7:18 pm View user's profile Send private message
sweetheart



Joined: 20 Dec 2005
Posts: 3

Post Re: My Review!!! Reply with quote
sorry cant type,

i meant to type: how was your massage with Howie? i/i
Tue Dec 20, 2005 7:22 pm View user's profile Send private message
ErikaMG



Joined: 12 Dec 2005
Posts: 11

Post Re: My Review!!! Reply with quote
Here are a few pictures...

'



Pollyanna making us laugh during the auction





Mama and Papa D.





Johnny...we were taking pics of each other taking pics of each other. LOL





Howie during the concert





Howie and Pollyanna after the concert i/i
Tue Dec 20, 2005 7:48 pm View user's profile Send private message
Fatimah E



Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Posts: 66

Post Re: Reply with quote
WOW! great review and great photos i/i
Tue Dec 20, 2005 8:04 pm View user's profile Send private message
Solcita



Joined: 24 Oct 2001
Posts: 55
Location: Bs. As., Argentina

Post Re: Re: Reply with quote
Erika thank you very much for sharing your story with us and your pics!!!



Sol i/i

_________________
May God grant us the Serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the Courage to change the things we can and the Wisdom to know the difference
Tue Dec 20, 2005 10:25 pm View user's profile Send private message
HeavenlyPurple



Joined: 19 Jul 2002
Posts: 190

Post Re: Re: Reply with quote
It was such a blast! It was so nice to see everyone! i/i

_________________
Jack Sparrow (empties bottle of rum) Why is the rum always gone?
Jack Sparrow: (stands up and staggers drunkenly) Oh... that's why.

Jennifer
Wed Dec 21, 2005 5:31 am View user's profile Send private message
julia



Joined: 28 Apr 2005
Posts: 335

Post Re: Re: Reply with quote
wow nice photos dear erica!!!!julIA i/i
Wed Dec 21, 2005 5:55 am View user's profile Send private message
nursebsb



Joined: 17 Nov 2002
Posts: 17

Post Re: Re: Reply with quote
Love to all who shared this wonderful cruise experience with me. Pollyanna, you are beautiful as ever, your singing is phenominal, and thanx for sharing
eakfast with me twice. It means so much to sit down and share good conversation and food with you. I love you and each of your family members and I wish you a blessed Christmas and much health and happiness in the new year.



love



arlene



p.s. You are an awesome disco dancer too !!!!!! i/i
Wed Dec 21, 2005 11:36 am View user's profile Send private message
IVONNE OBLEA



Joined: 07 Jan 2005
Posts: 183

Post Re: Re: Reply with quote
HI GIRLS!!! AND HI ERIKA!!



IM IVONNE THE MEXICAN GURL! I SAW UR PIKS AND I JUST LOVE IT! IM WORKING ON MINE THE PROBLEM ITS THAT I DONT KNOW HOW CAN I SHARE IT HERE



I HAD A BLAST AT CALICA WITH ALL U GIRLS AND OF COURSE WITH POLLYANNA, LAURA AND ALL THE DOROUGH FAMILY WAS A PLEASURE MEET U GIRLS



I ARRIVE AT HOME THIS MORNING IM REALLY TIRED BUT SO SO HAPPY i/i
Wed Dec 21, 2005 6:02 pm View user's profile Send private message
sweetheart



Joined: 20 Dec 2005
Posts: 3

Post Re: Re: Reply with quote
hey Erika thanks for posting pics they are awesome

Howie and Pollyanna are beautiful, you're so lucky!

To anyone else who went please post a review like Erika with lots of details, i didn't get to go so i want to know how it was. and don't forget to post pics! i/i
Thu Dec 22, 2005 5:35 pm View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:    
Reply to topic    Pollyanna.net Forum Index » General All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2, 3  Next
Page 1 of 3

 
Jump to: 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum