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ALASKA Cruise Report
( or Trains , Boats & Planes- not necessarily in that order )
Pensions Increase
Pension Pay Dates
New Look Payslips & P60
Annual General Meeting 2012
Pension Authority Member Representation
Equitable Life Update
Customer Service Excellence Review
New District Offices
Parkinson ’ s UK
Overseas Pension Payments
Electrical Fire Warning
Alaska Cruise Report
2 4 5 6 8 9 10 10 11 13 14
HERE
Competition
Winner 18
Pension
Puzzler 18
We
Are Here To Help 20
John Vaughan , one of our retired members , has very kindly sent in this article to share with you the special memories of his holiday cruising Alaska ( sent in July 2012 ). Thank you John and now over to you
I ’ ve reached retirement age after 49 years working in various industries , the last 13 with South Yorkshire Police as a Dispatcher . My partner Kathleen and I decided as we were both 65 this year it would be nice to have a special holiday . I was thinking on the lines of us taking off on my motorbike for a month or taking our motorhome over to Europe but Kathleen persuaded me that I would like a cruise ! I wasn ’ t really convinced until Alaska was mentioned , as 42 years ago I was offered a job there , but for personal reasons I was unable to take it , so this was my opportunity to see what I had missed .
We first travelled to Chicago where we spent two days . I ’ ve visited lots of interesting places in America , but Chicago knocks all the other cities into a cocked hat . The skyscrapers are magnificent ; they are much more than ordinary skyscrapers they are pieces of architecture to be treasured for years to come . We saw the beautiful statue of Marilyn Monroe and took an open top bus tour of the city ; it ’ s a must if you ’ re a stranger in town . We discovered the Corner Bakery and visited Navy Pier where we had shrimps , scallops , spider crab legs and lobster claws , all in the same pot , delicious . The daytime temperature during our stay in Chicago was between 70f and 80f and we got sunburned , painful , if you ’ ve got follicle deprivation like me .
The next leg of our trip was a two day train ride on the Amtrak Empire Builder across America from Chicago to Seattle . We had looked at the ‘ roomettes ’ online but it did not prepare us for actually living in one for two days ( you have to be close friends !) but we thought ‘ what the hell ’ we are on holiday . The train staff were great , helpful , friendly and hospitable .
Chicago Navy Pier continues on next page >>