TheSkipper

I hear you Byron. I've gotten to the point where if I don't have two cruises booked out front I get very, very nervous. Thinking about doing the tubing thing in Belize on our Glory cruise in March. Although the Youth Minister of our church almost drowned doing it this summer. She did lose her glasses in the river during the trip. Somehow went upside down in the tube. That's got Roe a little scared, but I'm hoping that will pass before our cruise. Anyway congrats on your new booking. Gonna have to sail from Galveston one of these days. The Glory is going out of Port Canaveral which will be a new port for us. Just went out of Brooklyn last month, so we added that one to our list. Still like Lauderdale the best.

Interesting. But, I really want to get away from it all. I loved the days when there was no TV in the staterooms and the internet did not exist. The only thing I had to get away from then was my pager. :grin: I must admit I do use the internet when I'm cruising Princess, mostly because it's free at our Captain's Club level. If I'm on another cruise line I use internet cafes ashore from time to time.

Still prefer UniWorld ourselves. Don't like beds that convert to sofas during the daytime! Or tour group of 100 or so listening to the guide on earphones. Oh well, it takes all kinds.

Now don't you feel better?? It is a pain in the butt at first, but renewal is simple. Print out the form online, get photo and sent all along with your old passport and of course the check for the fee and you are all done. They will return your old passport along with your new one so you can look back at all your travel stamps. All cruisers should be in the process now if they are going to sail early next year. :wink:

Wow, what a bummer. We are scheduled in the Baltic aboard the Star Princess on June 21st next year, so I can really relate to all the anticipation and advance preparation that goes into a cruise of that magnitude. Just hung up the phone from our TA for this trip when I read this post. Had just finialized our arrangements for transfers and insurance. Now going online and search for a hotel in Copenhagen for a couple of nights prior to the sailing so we can shed our "Jet Lag" before sailing.

Well, the Crown Princess cruise is history! Great cruise, fine ship. Will do a review shortly. Spent three days in NYC/NJ post cruise, flew home yesterday (Thursday).

As the comedian said last night, "This ship almost turned upside down in clear weather, do you really want to try and make port in bad weather?" It is now half time in the Steelers game, so dropped by to sign off with you until I return to Las Vegas on Thursday night. Bye,

Hi Gang, High winds today prevented the Crown from docking in Bermuda. No big deal for us, but a lot of dissappointed folks on board. Great cruise, as expected. Princess has done an outstanding job once again. Off to see the Cruise Staff show tonight. You know, "If I were not upon the sea." Ed

Hi All, End of the first full day at sea. Perfect weather, sea like glass and it's gettingf warmer by the hour. Formal night, great dinner, followed by one of the best production shows we have seen to date. Can't compare Crown to Carribean since we've not done the Carribean, but she is very much like the Diamond. Love the International Cafe in the Plaza. The street entertainers who appear in the Plaza are great. Did a little of the Art Auction and then moved on the "High Tea." Our cabin stewardess just added the "egg crate" pad to our bed, so I should be happy camper tonight. Off the the Explorer's Lounge and the comedy show. Bye for now,

Hi Gang, After an all night flight and a van ride of 1:15 minutes, the world's slowest check in we are finally aboard the Crown Princess. I think she was late getting back into port. We arrived at 11:45 and there were huge crowds just getting off the ship. As Elite member we were sent to a private room where we waited about 45 minutes before they let us board. Just had lunch in the Horizon Court while gazing out at the Statue of Liberty. Heading back to the room for a nap now.

Just spoke to Dwight's wife in Atlanta and she says he is undergoing a brain scan right now. The outcome will determine if they can continue their journey to NYC and the Crown Princess. Would you believe some kind folks that were on the plane with them claimed their luggage and delivered it to the hospital to them. Makes my heart feel good that there are still folks who will go out of their way to help a stranger. Keep those prayers coming, gang.

Just hours prior to our departure for the Crown Princess we received a call from Atlanta advising us that our friends from Nevada who are to be cruising with us have had a terrible experience due to his health. Dwight Sper had two siezures (sp) aboard the flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta this morning. He was removed from the plane by ambulance and talken to an Atlanta hospital. Dwight has a recent history of cancer and a brain tumor. Has had brain surgery and tons of radiation treatments both here and in California. Has been in total remission for months and Docs thought this cruise would be fine for him. We are waiting for another call from Bonnie with more news. But, I'm not betting that they will be on board the Crown tomorrow. I know none of you know Dwight, but please include him in your prayers. Thanks, Ed and Roe Wynn

Hi Jackie, Sounds like a great trip. Have sailed the Sun and she is a great ship. Your reports are putting me in the mood for our Crown sailing on Saturday. Cabo is a fun stop. You might want to do the glass bottom boat thing. You can book it right on the pier where the tender drops you. We had not done it for over ten years, but last January did it again and had a ball. Those Princess perks are hard to beat arn't they. We have don 20 cruises with them and enjoy all the little extras like free laundry and dry cleaning and of course the free internet. Perhaps we can talk ship to ship after we are on board the Crown via this board of course.

Thanks for all the good wishes. We are almost ready to go. I'm packed except for those last minute things, like my electric razor, etc. Roe has not started yet. But, she did try on about a dozen formal gowns last night and I think she has decided which ones she is going to take with her. We don't fly out of Las Vegas until midnight tomorrow night (friday), so Roe has all day tomorrow to get her act together. After all these cruises, once she gets started it goes pretty fast. Weather in Brooklyn on Saturday is predicted to be overcast with a high of 65 degrees. It's 95 degree here today, so I guess we will have to take jackets on the plane with us. Checked the webcam aboard the Crown Princess this morning and she is indeed at sea bound for Brooklyn. That's always a good sign. Will check back in before we depart and try and check in from on board.

We're embarking one week from today and I think I'll order some from the Wine Stewart and see if he has a sense of humor. :grin:

Sorry I missed your send off, Rose. I know you are already aboard the Crown. But, then I also know you will be peeking on line during your trip. We will be looking for you on the pier at Red Hook upon your return.

Hey Popsec, We will keep an eye out for you. We to will be floating around the Easter Caribean. We sail from NYC aboard the Crown Princess next Saturday. Here's hoping we both have great weather.

Way to go guys!! Now I'll bet it seems real!

Welcome to the SDM Club!! Our magic number is now 7.

Just thought of one very important exception to my earlier post concerning our lack of interest in balconies. Aboard the Silversea Silver Wind we had a room stewardess who looked like Bret Ecklund. Tall, blond and gorgeous with a very short skirt. Everyday she was on her hand and knees scrubbing our teak balcony and that was the highlight of my day!! :grin: You can talk all you want about the beautiful sunrise, but there is a lot to be said about a "Moon". :wink: Well that having been said time to pack for tomorrow's departure for St. George, Utah.

Hi James, I guess our best cruise was with Silverseas aboard their Silver Wind out of Haifa to Venice. Silversea is a very upscale all suite, all inclusive line so it was a very elegant and different cruise. However, they are so darn expensive we could only do one a year rather than our usual two or three. And, for us more is better! In the real world of cruising I guess our Honeymoon cruise aboard the Majasty of the Seas ranks right up there. We were married in the Florida Keys and then went on the cruise. We love cruising Europe and hope to do the Baltic to St. Petersburg next year. Your question has made me think, James. You know we have never had a bad cruise. It is kinda like sex the worst I ever had was wonderful.

Sailingrose, We kinda agree with Kieth and Rita. We have had a few balconies, but to us they are not that big of a deal. Except, goiing through the Panama Canal in May. We only book Ocean Views when we are traveling to areas where there is really something to see that we have not seen dozens of times before on other cruises. We can be perfectly with an inside stateroom unless there is a really good deal on an Ocean View or Balcony. Our March cruise aboard the Carnival Glory is outside simply because I got a deal on it that was too hard to turn down. We will be inside on our upcoming Crown Princess cruise. We have been to that area at least fifteen times, so looking out a window is simply not worth a couple of hundred additional bucks to us. Rather spend in on some "bling" in St. Thomas or St. Martin!! :grin:

Like JohnG said, usually no problems in that area. Years ago I served on the staff of the Commander in Chief of the Northeast Atlantic and Med Fleet (CINCNELM). With all the ships we had in those areas we kept pretty close tabs on the weather. Trans-Atlantic is usually much rougher than in the Med. Go for it.

Like the Rabbi said "It won't be long now." :grin: We did the canal in the other direction in May aboard the Coral Princess, Ft. Lauderdale to San Fran. Have a fantastic time (I know you will)!! In about five days we will reach our SDM milestone. Bon Voyage,

I'm not worried Sailingrose, I know the Crown will be in good hands. And, I'll be watching for all those "inside tips". All those must see and do things that I know you will be posting. Howard, any particular cookie I should try and am I going to be forced to try them all?? :grin: