Good luck with the exam...the same thing has TOTALLY happened to me before too - I had spent the day studying with intermittent procrastination breaks on GW...when I finally went to bed at 3am, I had vivid dreams in which I was this overlord person, controlling a billion different culture requirements for the orchids at this computer, adjusting light, humidity, temperature, etc..and all these judges named after GW aliases were observing me and making sure I was doing everything perfectly. When I was younger, I would have this reoccuring dream after helping my mom buy bulbs in the fall...I would be at this amusement park playing games and winning tokens, which I would use at this huge vending machine that had every possible bulb you could think of...there were billions of buttons, each with it's own neat little picture of the bulb, the flower, the name and the cost. Things like crocuses would be really cheap, but things like amaryllis would cost a whole bunch of tokens...and I would always win the jackpot so I could choose any bulb I wanted.

Corgimum, the service was fantastic! Unfortunately husband ended up in the ER there shortly after we arrived due to his ticker. However, for the first time ever they brought him back in rhythm with some sort of Mexican ckt drug. We had such good care! Never ever has drugs worked in the states to bring him back around he always needs a cardio version (sp?). We carefully enjoyed the rest of our vacation and husband was so happy not to make any decisions. He has since had an operation to fix his problem and so far so good. We did take out the extra insurance before that trip and was reimbursed. That worked so well I will never travel to another country again without it. Joanie, just do it! Life is short! When my kids were young we could only afford one big trip the whole time to France and England and some mid trips to the Carolinas and mid west. The trips they enjoyed the most though were trips to the Florida Keys on the Gulf side. Those trips were just a few hours south for us though. And I have to say that they were not as much fun for husband who worked so much and had to do the long drive and then go to a NON all inclusive where decisions on where to eat and how to amuse the children were nonstop. Once the kids were grownâ¦we have been doing some traveling as itâÂÂs a piece of cake with two.

hilltop - So glad to hear it is a small ship cruise. No worries with regard to "Titanic-like" concerns. These lines have ice-breaker hulls that are specifically built to go to places like Antarctica as well as up to the High Arctic. So many of your concerns mirror mine at the time of our trip to the High Arctic. I traveled with my DH's family (MIL & FIL), DH's sibs & their spouses, etc. It really worked out fine and they are a tough group, lol. We were all really only together each evening cocktail hour, wrap up of the day by the various experts who travel with the ship to teach/talk to passengers about the trip, what you can see, etc., prior to dining (French service) each evening. The breakfast and lunch service took place in the dining room for a more formal meal, or a buffet in another large gathering room (cocktail hour/films/group discussion area) on the ship. Yes, we were together at times on the zodiac trips, but many of the on shore trips were hikes and the like, and those are broken into groups by ability levels and/or what you were feeling like doing of what was offered off of the ship on any particular day. Since I traveled with my DD, I chose things that were comparable with her interest/ability, etc. There were things that others in our group wanted to do in an advanced group, so they did as they wished. These small ship "expedition-type" trips are fashioned to give every level of ability something to do through the entire voyage. There is also plenty of "alone" time built in should you wish to do that. The ship had a library on board, as well as other places on the ship where you could curl up with reading material, or just sit on the deck and watch the beautiful scenery. EVERYONE, including a couple in their 90's had a wonderful time. You will be spending time at sea for sure, and there will be areas where you will definitely encounter rough seas. We did as well. No one in our group had much trouble. I visited our PCP prior to the trip for scripts for the ear patch solution to sea-sickness for all 3 of us. We never applied them. DD had an issue one full day at sea, but she stayed in her bunk in our stateroom. Since we were at sea, she really didn't miss much, and the concierge (sp?) was very accomodating in coordinating with me in order that she would be able to eat anything she wished, at any time. Our ship offered 3 meals per day. When we would come back from a hike or whatnot, there would be hot chocolate and warm cookies awaiting our return. The biggest misconception some people have is that if they're nauseous or feeling at all seasick, they think they shouldn't eat. It is the complete opposite. Eat when you start to feel a bit seasick, and it will help immensely. Our ship also provided Dramamine for anyone who needed it. DD used that a few days when she was not feeling great and it worked well. Between eating and using a small amount of Dramamine, she accompanied me on all on shore excursions. The rough day at sea, DD slept thru, but didn't miss anything as we were just moving from one place to the next. There will be days on your trip when your ship won't stop to allow passengers to go out on the zodiacs because there isn't anyplace to go enroute, or if conditions aren't completely safe, the ship will not allow the zodiacs to be put into the water. However, when you can get out, your excursions will blow you away. Your gear is essential. That would be one discussion I wish I had prior to the trip. Don't get me wrong, the travel company provided us with a load of material on what to bring and so on. However, when you are traveling in August to a place that is below 32 degrees most of the time, you need to pack wisely. Layering is key, and since that trip, I've never been cold again. Of course, I over-packed, and would suggest not doing so as it was unnecessary as our ship had laundry service, and anything that was wet (gear-wise) was hung in a drying room in order to be ready whenever the next opportunity to go off of the ship arose. These off ship excursions are planned on a daily itinerary which you're given each evening after dinner for the following day. However, when the weather is right in these areas, you have to get while the getting is good. The announcement would be made that the zodiacs could go and we would have approx. 15-30 minutes to gear up if we wanted to go. It was really fun and exciting to fly by the seat of my pants so to say as I am usually a very "by the plan" type person. It was a trip of a lifetime and given the opportunity to do it all again, I would not hesitate for even a second. I don't have my email linked to GW. In the event you do, and would like to talk off forum about the small ship cruises to destinations such as the Arctic or Antarctica, please let me know and I will send you an email. Alternatively, you can email me at xworkinprogressx@gmail.com if that would work better for you. I happen to sincerely agree with your DS, don't miss this one!

Alright, this last visit I followed some of your suggestions (and we saved up $$to have for spending on this trip). I packed a bag of groceries to bring along and bought more while there with the other woman. I made dinner once while she was at work. We got chicken and potatoes to toss on the grill another night. She asked her husband to grill the chicken and I found him googling "how to grill chicken." I didn't say anything then but my husband and I giggled about it in bed that night. I also offered to make scalloped potatoes and ham another night and the husband said he would rather get pizza (again) because he "had to eat that nasty stuff when he was growing up." More giggles from DH and I. DH loves my scalloped potatoes and ham! So it worked out ok. Some meals out, some meals in.