TheSkipper

I guess I'm one of the wierdos who enjoys the stage production shows. Fortunatly so does the DW. We try and see as much enteretainment as we can, however, we have been known to leave eary if it turns out to be not to our taste.

What better place to be that aboard ship on New Year's Eve?? Glad all is going well. Kick back and enjoy every minute of your cruise.

Way to go James and Donna. Just like money in the bank! Play it cool and take your time deciding on the ship and cruise you want to experience.

You two have a fantastic time. Of all my cruises, I've never done one of New Year's. Gotta add that to my wish list. I'm 30 days out from our next adventure and starting to feel the "tingle." OR, is that the Egg Nog??? KIck back and enjoy and take lots of pictures. I still think about he shot of Howie in rain in CR.

We too have used Phone Cards. They are something that they can always use on a port day. But, be sure and research that you are buying a type of card that can be used in the ships regular ports of call.

Welcome to the wolrd of cruising. After 50 cruises, I'm still always looking for another one! The "Kid" issue is as others have said usually "date related." I screwed up last May and hit Spring Break with out even thinking about it. Ran into pretty much what you did. We were aboard the Glory on that trip. Take it from "The Skipper" you will never forget your first cruise, regardless of how many you take over the coming years. The kid annoyance will fade quickly and you will be left with all the fantastic memories. So, what are you thinking about for your next cruise adventure??

Hi Peddler, Never been to Progreso, but isn'tt Merida awesome? Loved it. Glad you made the best of it and had yourself a good time.

Jackie, That makes two of us who have elected no to bring back booze anymore. You know my fondest dream for many years was to own a liquer store in St. Thomas. Used to watch them load all the booze purchased ashore by forklift on the ships. Makes me wonder what all these restrictions have done to the sales of liquer in places like St. Thomas?? In addition, it may be my faulty memory, but I think booze has gotten more expensive in the islands as well as what they sell on the ships for us to carry off. It appears to me that the fantastic savings between stateside prices and island and shipboard prices have faded.

Thanks John, We are heading out on the Carnival Spirit in a little over a month and could not agree more with your comments concerning Carnival. This will be our tenth cruise with them starting way back in 82. So we have seen the "party ships" back in the day. But, they have come a long, long way since then. Perhaps we will run into each other on board one day.

Great job Rose. Enjoyed all the pictures. We did our full transit of the Canal aboard the Coral Princess also. Howie looked less that thrilled in the Rain in Limon!! Love all the cold soups, but especially the Pina Colada.

Just saw this and thougt I'd pass it along. Navy Saves Gravely Ill Girl on Cruise 2007-12-18 16:34:52 By ALLISON HOFFMAN Associated Press Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) — A teenager whose appendix ruptured at sea, hundreds of miles from help, got safely to shore Tuesday after an unusual rescue in which the Navy airlifted her from a cruise ship for emergency surgery. Laura Montero, 14, fell ill aboard the Dawn Princess cruise ship off the coast of Baja California. The Bahamian-registered ship sent out a distress call Friday that was answered by the USS Ronald Reagan, which was on training maneuvers about 500 miles away. The nuclear carrier was the closest ship with a hospital facility, according to a news release from the Navy. It steamed overnight toward the cruise ship, which was about 250 miles northwest of Cabo San Lucas when the call went out. A helicopter took off from the Reagan around 5 a.m. Saturday to close the final 175-mile gap between the ships. The crew arrived after a 45-minute flight and lowered a medic onto the cruise ship deck in a basket because there wasn't space to land, said Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Leland, the pilot. Montero, who was on an antibiotic drip, was loaded into a litter basket, lifted into the helicopter and flown back to the Reagan for an appendectomy. Her mother stayed aboard the cruise ship. "We practice this all the time, but this is the first time I've pulled a civilian off a cruise ship," Leland said. A spokeswoman for Princess Cruises, which operates the Dawn Princess, said the ship's captain called the Coast Guard for help because he felt that would be faster than diverting to the nearest Mexican port. "Where the ship was, where the land was and the fact that the Ronald Reagan had (a surgical facility) on board were all factors that came into play," said Julie Benson. "The option is to go to the nearest medical facility that can treat the patient." The Dawn Princess returned to its home port of San Diego over the weekend from its regular weeklong run along the Baja California coast to the resorts of Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The Reagan, which carries as many as 6,000 crew members and costs about $2.5 million a day to operate while under way, returned Tuesday morning, its scheduled return from the training tour. Montero, of Albion, Ill., is expected to make a full recovery. ——— On the Net: USS Reagan: www.reagan.navy.mil

Joey, On many if not most cruise lines the insides are exactly the same size as the ocean views.

Start to gather stuff together in the guest room about a month out. I'll finish about 24 hours prior to departure. DW will wait until the last night before departure. For the return trip we usually pack the last evening on board. Suitcases are stowed under the bed until then. This reminds me, we are 38 days out, time to start thinking about the packing.

King Joey, HRH: We have done several inside cabins over the years. Not a problem for us at all. I like a dark room anyway. We especially book inside when we have been to the same ports several times, like the Mexican Baja. I don't think you will find it a problem. On one cruise we had a mini suite on NCL Sky and after disembarking we went down the pier and boarded the Carnival Paradise where we had booked an inside room. We found the Carnival room to be larger and more comfortable, with better storage than our so called mini suite on NCL. Anything that gets us more cruises, works for me.

I'm allergic to shell fish, so it does not matter to me. However, DW just put RCI on her "no sail" list. We were a bit disappointed in our Legend of the Seas Med trip this year anyway, but this turned her off them completely.

Thanks for posting your most interesting review. I'd love to try and Windjammer type cruise but, Roe, who gets seasick will not even consider it. Glad you had a good trip overall. What a bummer for Joe with surgery the Monday before. Thanks again for your posting.

Pretty much many of the same things most of you bring. Plus my BP meds all three of them. Except for a multi vitamin, I bag the rest of the viatmins and herbal stuff I take at home. I have always carried a small first aid kit, very small and I've been know to need a bandaid now and then.

To Joey, HRH, HRH, stands for His Royal Highness. Now that you have been dubbed King, I want to observe proper protocal. LOL Yes Joey, that's exactly what I was saying in some areas private guides are nice, but I agree with Jackie Venice is not one of those places. BTW: loved your crown! Later,

We have been to Venice several times. Most recently in June of this year. Usually for a couple days on a cruise, but we did spend three days post cruise when we sailed on Silver Seas' Silver Wind. A good map and guide book is all you really need. We like to set our own pace and see what truly interests us and move on when we are ready rather than at the pace of a tour guide. Also, Joey, we like to pick our place to eat while touring. Now, all that having been said I have hired private tour guides in a few spots. In Dublin I hired a stretch limo for a morning overview of the city. Returned to the ship, had lunch and then headed back into town to do some in depth touring, including the Book of Kells. In Falmouth, I hired a very nice lady with a Mercedes Benz van (there were 4 of us) and had a fantastic full day tour. In Lavorno, Italy hired another Mercedes and toured Florence and Pisa for a full day. In Rome this year I hired a private car to pick us up at the airport and take us to our hotel. Am I ever glad I did. When we arrived, the Rome cabs were on strike!! Used the same company the next day to take us to the ship which was about an hour away. All of these guides, cars, limos, etc. I hired over the internet and all of them went flawlessly. If you return to Venice, I'll give you the name of our favorite resturant.

As others have said, do not be concerned. You will simply be at a beautiful beach resort area. Haiti and the other side of the same island, Dominican Republic are poorest of all the islands at which cruise ships call.

We pass up this and the other midnight stuff for all of the reasons already stated.

No, we get off at all the ports even if we have visited them many, many times. Every trip is a different adventure. Never been bothered in any ports of call. Perhaps it's my Special Forces T Shirt that says "Mess with the best, die like the rest" that does it. Just kidding, gang.

When I request a price from any TA or website, I make it clear I want the total bottom line price. I even tell them "surprise me with extra charges on your invoice and I'll surprise you by cancelling my reservation."

That distance would mean Florida for us, so we would fly in the day before and book a hotel. Mainly because our airline of choice: Southwest (where I earn the most free tickets) does not get to Florida in time for any cruise. Same is true for any East Coast departure. For LA or SD we drive over the day of the cruise. Or, once in awhile we will fly, but still the same day as the cruise.

Ours is a BBC. Baily's, Banana, and Cream. Oh Yea.