TheSkipper

Have a great cruise, Carmen. Have fun with Crazie.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!! With all these well wishes, how could we not have go good cruise? We are down the final few hours now and the excitment is building. Waiting for our house sitter to come by for last minute instructions, then we are going to run out for some dinner (don't want to dirty dishes now). Roe is finally in the Master Bedroom packing at last. Have not heard any screaming, so it must be going well. I've had that question every guy hates twice so far: "Honey, does this dress make me look fat?" Now how in the heck do you answer that one??? Will check in one final time before I crash tonight. Have to be up a 4AM.

I'd give it a try. Talked to some folks in Venice last Spring who were aboard "The World" which is ship with a similar setup of ownership. They seemed to love. They were in Venice for five days so they were not hurrying off somewhere like most of us on cruise ships. BTW, on most of these ships, you may own your unit, but you pay for your food when you are aboard. Just thought I'd throw that into the mix.

Joey, We are doing South America in Dec. 08. But, will be watching to see with what you all come up with. Always up for a cruise.

When I'm considering a new ship or even one I've been on a long time ago the very first thing I do is head for the reviews. I've gotten lots of valuable info that way. And, if al those folks took the time to post so I could have a better cruise, I think the least I can do is return the favor. Sailing free reminds me when we were on the Silver Wind a few years ago we were at a table one evening comprised of the Priest, the Rabbi and his wife, the Bridge Instructor and his wife. I had to comment, "and I'm the only dummy who paid for this cruise."

I agree with Carmen. It all depends on who is posting the review and their cruise experience and what line they have sailed in the past. In other words, their basis for comparison. Like Joey a bad review would likely get me into more in depth research, but not cause me to change my plans until I thought I had a pretty good picture on what to expect. And, all reviews are subjective and need to read that way. How many times have you read reviews of the same sailing by two different folks and thought they had to on different ships??

Great job on your review Rose. Had seen your pictures before, so kind of knew what to expect and you did not dissapoint. I've gotta check out these "hump" balconies. Thanks again for taking the time to post your review.

Carmen, Sounds like a plan to me. I have the bus arriving at 9:15 AM and as I recall they have a special parking area for buses. The bus company is Triple J and there will be a sign in the window for Mountain View Presbyterian Church. It will take us awhile to get all these folks on board. Give me her name and number and I'll call her as be begin disembarking. My name, so she knows who will be calling is Ed Wynn. Later,

Carmen, She is getting off the Spirit in San Diego on Saturday, February 2nd. If she goes back to Vegas on our bus the earliest she could be sent out would be on Monday which is the 4th. Only way would be is someone met us at disembarkation in San Diego and I think you are both in the LA area.

Jenn: Which bar on the Spirit is it that I'm to keep Crazie out of???? Keith: That's what the Rabbi said when he had that knife in his hand: "it wont be long now"

Can't believe I forgot to notice that I'm a SDM. Been so involved in getting my "small herd" together for this Group Cruise that it sneaked right by me. Can't wait to get rid of all the T-Shirts, name tags, etc. tonight at our final meeting. Got to make sure they all have their passports where they can get at them and that they understand that our bus in leaving at 6:30 AM Sharp!! The last part will probably not be a problem. As a group Seniors are pretty early risers, except for me! I hate the idea of being there at 6 AM to meet the bus driver, but what the heck, it is all about a cruise! Now I'm just standing by for the arrival of Crazie next week. She's out there cruising now and won't even have time to pick up clean underwear. Oh well, we have free laundry service aboard Carnival so I'm sure we can fix her up. Of course the last time she was aboard the Spirit with Jenn she did not even wear any.

Rose, I know behind that sober facade there is a Happy Howie waiting to get out. Great pics, thanks for posting.

I've had one since 1955, so over 50 years. I do miss my Diplomatic Passport though. When I had that I could bypass customs inspections in all countries and dodge all the lines. Roe has had hers about 30 years. I too have a hard time understanding what's the big deal about getting one. Helped our neighbors get theirs last fall for our upcoming cruise on the Spirit and it was not a hassle at all.

The future cruises we book while on board seem to be the ones we cancel to book something else. Never been forced to just flat out cancel a cruise. I'm kinda like Howard, always looking.

Deb, Been to both islands. St. Martin about six or seven times. Curacao only twice. I think JohnG has the right idea about the rental car in St. Martin and do be sure and see both sides of the island. Curacao is quite quaint downtown with lots of Kodak Moments. You'll love it.

Jackie, Only done NCL once, aboard the "Sky." In a nutshell we found our so called "Mini Suite" about the smallest stateroom we have ever sailed in with the hardest beds and least storage we have ever had as well. We had to leave things in our suitcases and use them as additional "drawer" under the bed. And, this was for only a one week cruise. I thought the ship was attractive, but the food was only average IMHO. Not saying we would never sail with them again, but they are not on our short list for our next cruises. When we disembarked this ship and boarded the Carnival Paradise where we had an inside stateroom for the next week. We were much happier and comfortable in this room that in the Sky Mini Suite. And, the food was better, so go figure.

Jenn, What you have heard is pretty much correct. The boardwalk area, where the casinos are located can be quite nice. The rest of the city is a little on the seedy side, not a place I would wander at night or very far into even in daylight. The casinos will be a little disappointment to you as frequent visitors to Las Vegas. They are kind of poor cousins, IMHO. That is not to say they are bad, just a little dissapointing. We spent a week there about two years ago while I was giving a Seminar. While it was pleasant, we missed the Las Vegas excitment and real glitz. We found ourselves spending time in other South Jersey Shore areas. You will find the Casinos filled with a large percentage of "day trippers" down from the greater NYC area.

Well the Docs for the Spririt Cruise arrived this morning. We have been ordered to proceed directly to the VIP Check-In because we have reache "Platinum" status. Hey, Hey, we've now reached the top of the ladder with Celebrity, Princess and now Carnival. Status comes with free laundry service. Boy, I love to cruise with clean underwear!! TA also sent lanyards for all 70 folks in our Group. T-Shirts, name badges, door signs, luggage tags, etc are scheduled for delivery today via FedEx. BTW, docs include the new cheap luggage tags mentioned earlier by another Crazy. Having a get together on the 16th for all our shipmates to go over all the last minute logistics for the bus trip, luggage handling, boarding etc. and to answer any questions anyone may have. Now, time to get back to our dancing

Atta Boy, Joey!! Time to think about packing. We are still about 20 days out. Expecting a FedEx delivery today of the group T-Shirts, bag tags, door signs, name badges and lanyards and last but not least our docs. BTW, just read that Cock Fighting has been curtailed in San Juan due to Bird Flu in Dominican Republic. Just wanted to keep you updated on San Juan. I'm sure the above news will not spoil your visit.

Atta Boy, Joey!! Time to think about packing. We are still about 20 days out. Expecting a FedEx delivery today of the group T-Shirts, bag tags, door signs, name badges and lanyards and last but not least our docs. BTW, just read that Cock Fighting has been curtailed in San Juan due to Bird Flu in Dominican Republic. Just wanted to keep you updated on San Juan. I'm sure the above news will not spoil your visit.

Hi Joey, We've embarked from San Juan twice and did not find it bad at all. However, luggage claim and getting a porter at the airport was a pain. And both times the cab ride to the pier was a hair raising experience. Pedal to the Metal and here we go!! Just my observations for what they are worth.

Miami is a Port that would be among my most undesirable, followed by Brooklyn. Simply because they are quite aways from the Airport, congested and sometimes difficult to reach due to traffic. In Florida I'd prefer either Tampa or Ft. Lauderdale, not in any special order. I'm trying to stick with the actual boarding experiences, not if I can drive to the ship or not. West Coast ports are within driving distance but are not in my top three or four ports.

Great news. We are heading out the day before you on the Spirit. Just received an email from our TA that our docs will be mailed out Priority Mail tomorrow. It won't be long now.

I do all three. Internet, library and talk to friends. Probably in that order. Love it, Love it, Love it.

After all of our cruises, if we don't know what to pack now, there is no hape at all. I do research ports of call if they are knew and perhaps book no ship excurstions or tours. Other that than, let the good times roll.