JohnG

"As usual, great food and entertainment on Carnival." Click here to view the cruise review

Frankly, to avoid Progesso after having been there, we just don't book cruises that go there. We enjoyed the beach and the market and the fish market. But not enough to bother going back.

I don't bother any more. My wife does. And I agree with Janice that two people on the same ship can have opposite views. My sailing in 2006 on Pride of America was wonderful....and I was looking for problems. I saw another review of the same sailing that all complaints.

I have cruised southtern France on Uniworld from Arle to Chalon sur Saone, with stops in places like Avignon, Lyon, Hermitage, and more. My wife prefers red wine, so we sailed an itinerary in the heart of the French Rhone wines and ended up in the heart of Burgundy!. At the end we took a train to Paris for 2 days and stayed in the left bank. I sell lots of river cruises, too, and AMA Waterways is the leader, followed by Avalon and then Vicking. We were tied up right in town, had headsets to hear our guides on the free excursions included, and unlimited wine or beer with dinner. In Lyon we used the bikes onboard to ride around town after a tour. We enjoyed the daytime sailing along the rivers. I have e review of my Uniworld cruise posted here on CruiseCrazies reviews.

Contest Duration: 10/23/13 through 12/15/13 Cruise Type: 7 Night Norwegian Cruise to the Caribbean for two Cabin Type: Oceanview (winner can pay to upgrade) Winner Announcement: The winner will be announced on or about December 16th http://jgawne.cruisesinc.com/travel/cruises/Contest.html?PG=1&SWEEPSTAKE_NAME=3Q05

No casinos in Bermuda but while we were there the Bermuda government announced that in the near future they will be allowing the casinos on the ships to be open while they are in port. No date announced yet, but coming soon.

"A great trip and we'd want to go back!" Click here to view the cruise review

Karen is looking forward to dancing, and out of 47 countries...I've never been to Bermuda. Sailing with 800 other agents and family members for our National Conference.

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Cruise line insurance is not always the best. Many still use Berkeley. You want an insurance company that has 24 hour international access, emergency assistance and followup, including arranging medical evacuation. A number of river cruise companies use Travel Guard, which has just such services.

“Book your next 2013 Celebrity Cruise with me and receive FREE pre-paid gratuities AND double the normal Shipboard Credit!” And Captains Club members get 50% reduced deposit. Booking Dates: 8/19/13 and 8/22/13 This is combinable with Celebrity's "Sunny Beach - Tropical Breezes" promotion that provides double the normal shipboard credit: Amount per Stateroom/ Suite Category Inside & Ocean View Receive $100* Veranda Receive $200* AquaClass® & Concierge Class Receive $300* Suites Receive $400* Christmas & New Year Sailings—DOUBLE these amounts to up to $1,000* _______________________________________________________________________________ And don't forget: “Book your next 2013 Royal Caribbean cruise with me and receive up to $200 to spend onboard the ship!” Booking Dates: 8/20/13 and 8/22/13

“Book your next 2013 Celebrity Cruise with me and receive FREE pre-paid gratuities!” Booking Dates: 8/19/13 and 8/22/13 “Book your next 2013 Royal Caribbean cruise with me and receive up to $200 to spend onboard the ship!” Booking Dates: 8/20/13 and 8/22/13

75 so far, with 3 more booked.

I agree, having sailed on Allure and Oasis, and an S class Celebrity ship. Celebrity wins hands down. More port variety, and not feeling one of a crowd. And personally I think the RCL food is just run of the mill, and I like to be wowed. I have been wowed by Celebrity food.

http://jgawne.cruisesinc.com/travel/cruises/Contest.html?PG=1&SWEEPSTAKE_NAME=3Q05

This past week I saw a large home perched on the hillside, near Ocho Rios, Jamaica, built to look like a ship, bow out. Must be a growing trend!

Norfolk is left with a new (2007) excellent cruise terminal.....and only used now as an occasional port visit on some itineraries, largely repositioning ones. What a shame.

We've started with Norwegian Dream and found we liked Freestyle. Karen can still dress for dinner if she likes and we can eat at whatever time we like between 5:30 and 10pm. We did Norwegian Star to the Mexican Riviera and to Alaska. We enjoyed Norwegian Spirit from New Orleans, and the Star again from Tampa. One year we did the Norwegian Sky 3 and 4 day short ones to the Bahamas twice in three months. We escorted a group from England on the Pride of America in Hawaii, and we all enjoyed the trip, with the ship as our floating hotel as we visited four islands in 7 days, with overnights in two ports, unlike any of the ships that sail to Hawaii from the mainland. More recently we enjoyed the Norwegian Epic in the Caribbean for a national conference, and had another conference aboard the Pearl one year. We were invited to the christening of the Norwegian Jewel, and this year, the Norwegian Breakaway's in New York. Despite all the specialty restaurant choices aboard, we seldom pay for them, as we have always enjoyed the food and ambiance in the main dining rooms, the ones with the aft-facing windows. We have eaten in the French Bistro a few times, and once In the Italian Trattoria. We have certainly seen the evolution of Norwegian, and enjoyed it. our Norwegian customers are often repeat Norwegian customers, too. The key is ensuring that we make sure our customers are informed about how it is with Freestyle aboard Norwegian. Of course, we don't only sail Norwegian, having sailed 75 times so far.

Those articles are both 2 months old. And the source of the first report is an Italian news service, not a cruise line, or CLIA or anything. The cruise line planners keep stirring the pot based on revenue projections. If they are not keeping up with revenue projections on various itineraries, they reduce the number of ships on those itineraries, or here in the US, they discontinue homeporting there.

Celebrity's license has been restored but they had to cancel one more cruise, the June 23 one: "Local authorities issued the 45-day suspension late last month after discovering 12 kilograms of frozen, out-of-season lobster tails onboard the ship. Although it was purchased legally during the season, the dispute between the cruise line and authorities lies in a new rule that requires all lobster to be consumed within five days of the end of the season -- a regulation enacted March 11 but not communicated to cruise ship operators until April 22." http://www./news/news.cfm?ID=5390

April/May is the time many lines open the schedule and pricing. There are even some of their 2014 scheds not out yet, for some lines. And they are reducing the number of ships in the Med due to lack of demand by Europeans still dealing with the economy, so it slows down the publication while they work out the changes in plans.

Enchantment is a class larger than the Majesty. And in 2005, as I recall, it was sent to the shipyard in Europe, cut in half and a section added to lenghten the ship. I sailed on it on the first itinerary back here in the US, a New England/Canada one.

I think it is just less ships available to do Eastern Caribbean itineraries. They have increased the number of ships in the Mediterranean the last 2 years, they are deploying more to Alaska, and sending ships to China and the Far East, and Australia for homeporting. Some of those ships used to call in St Thomas.