TheSkipper

Lori, It's a great passagway just off Front Street, lots of neat shops. Next time you get off the water taxi, turn right and keep your eyes open on your right, can't miss it. :wink:

A little fuzzy, but I'll guess St. Croix and that is really a guess! :grin:

Enjoyed the pics. Brought back lots of memories. We sailed on the Empress she was the Caribe I, and we have also sailed on the Jubilee and the SOS and were at the Atlantis last year. Great shots. :wink:

Good News, you will enjoy your cruise. When are you sailing?? As I am sure you know, Cruise Ships are "Class Less" wait till you see the differences in the various classes aboard the Queen Mary. Enjoy your trip. :wink:

Welcome Aboard! Just did the Sun Princess in April. Take a look at our review, it may be of some help to you. :wink:

Rose, Enjoyed your review. Our next cruise is on RCI and it has been quite awhile since we have sailed with them. Although, we too are Diamond members. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences and thoughts. :wink:

Great pics!! Loved the "Guest Assembly Drill" sounds so much better that "Life Boat Drill". :wink:

This one was a snap! Those green doors gave it away in an instant!! :wink:

We have made this cruise many, many times and will be doing it again in September aboard the Legend of the Seas. Always have a great time!! As for Princess, we have done 17 cruises with them and are looking forward to the Diamond Princess (Mexican Riveria) in April of 2005. Understand your feeling about the long flight, we go through it everytime we cruise out of Lauderdale or Miami, but it is simply something you cannot get away from if you want to cruise. My advice, do it! :wink:

Usually no charge aboard ship to cash traveler's checks. We have pretty much stopped using them in favor of credit cards and ATM's which work great!! Of course you always need some cash for out of pocket purchases, haggling, etc.

Jeff, I can't remember ever disagreeing with one of your posts. But, without getting into a big thing I like the art auctions on board and over the years have made some great buys (which means I sold for a tidy profit). Have over 80 pieces hanging in our house, so I enjoy stopping by to see what is new. Personally, I hate bingo on board! But, I also realize that lots of folks really enjoy it so to each his own!! Both are profit centers for the cruise lines which is true of most everything that goes on. Remember what cruise prices were like twenty years ago. Back then we even paid "brochure prices"!! Now with all the ships and the price cutting, the lines have to try to make it up somewhere, or should I say everywhere?? Remember when the Photos taken on board were $4.00 each?? Anyway, count me in for the art auctions.

Kodiak, Alaska

Steiner does a good job on the ships, IF they would just stop pushing products during a massage!! It really bugs me.

Iggy, By all means, let her wear her elegant gown! She will NOT feel out of place! My wife brings an extra bag just for her gowns! She usually brings two and has at times brought three. In fact for our December cruise, she is talking about brings gowns for her two sisters as well. I wear a tux, but your suit will be fine! At least half the guys will be in suits, so no problem at all. :wink:

We just booked our first cruise for 2005. The Diamond Princess out of Long Beach to the Mexican Riveria, a 7 day sailing, departing on April 9th. Roe and I are putting this one together as a fund raiser for our church, so we have to go!! A nasty job, but someone has to do it! We had already deposited on a Diamond Princess sailing on another date, so we just had it transferred to this sailing. This will be cruise number 44 for us. That's a nice "round" number. We are researching a European River Cruise for our "big" cruise for next year, but so far have not made any decisions. I love to be stacked three deep with future cruises, makes the waiting more bearable. :cool:

Darn, I'm just putting a group together to go on the Diamond next April! But, no giant movie screen. Oh well!!

Rogue, Thanks for the post. Very interesting. In our experience most of the upgrades are simply moving up one deck and sometimes can IMHO we a downgrade. If you are midships for example and move up one Cat. you will either be in the Bow or Stern area of the ship. Not any upgrade to me. Also, moving up a deck my put you under something you would rather not be under!! So, unless you upgrade is from inside to outside, or from an obstructed view to and unobstructed one, or into a suite, I'd decline. After over 40 cruises, I always select EXACTLY the stateroom we desire after studying the deck plans and do not accept these so called upgrades. :wink:

Sure does look like St. Martin to me too. :wink:

Have a great one. Been a few years since we were aboard the Jubilee, so will be looking forward to you report. :wink:

Hi Gang, Roe and I have decided to do a European River Cruise in 2005. Have any of you every done one? Suggestions? Looking at Uniwold and Vantage at this point. Last time we did Europe, we rented a car in Frankfort and drove around for three weeks, ending in Prague. Great trip, but a lot of work dragging luggage into and out of hotels etc. Like the idea of unpacking only once! We will welcome any suggestions or comments. :grin:

Jeff is right. The worst thing that could happen in the Casino is you could be asked for ID. :wink:

Yep, all the video arcades I have seen aboard many ships are pay per play. :undecided: With fares as low as they are cruise lines have turned just about everything into a profit center. Most folks would be amazed at just how much they make off of something as simple as bingo! Can't help you with the drink cards on Carnival. But, be aware, on most cruise lines they are only for fountain drinks, not cans or bottles. And, they are typically small glasses, although they can drink as many as they want. As you know sometimes fountain drinks are OK and sometimes pretty poor excuses for the real thing. Hope this helps and Welcome to Cruise Crazies. :cool:

Be warned! Cruising is addictive! We have been to San Juan and St. Thomas dozens of times. As someone else said you are getting to San Juan late. Ship arrives at 3 PM so it will probably be neared to 4 before you get off. Shops close between 5 and 6, so not much time for much serious shopping, although it is close to the dock. Ship excursions are going to be to nightclubs and casinos due to your time of arrival. On St. Thomas, I would plan to one of the beaches in the AM, have a quick lunch back aboard ship and perhaps shower and then head into town for an afternoon of shopping. Tortola shopping is mostly native handicrafts. Some very nice beaches within walking distance of the ships. I would make a point of going to the port lectures aboard ship, but remember, "recommended store" means that the store is paying the cruise line for this "honor." Hope this helps.

We have used them often and never had a problem of any kind. Like Keith and Rita we too have one at home so we are kinda used to using a spa to unwind. :cool:

We always request a large table. We enjoy meeting new folks. With a large table, it seems you always find at least one other couple with whom you have a lot in common. Were seated with six Russians on one cruise, only one spoke English. After he apoligized for the other having no English, I said (in Russian) "It is not difficult to speak in Russian." They almost fell of their chairs. We had a ball, with my fractured Russian and the one gentlemen's fractured English it was a riot. I guess I can thank the US Govt. for my language training. :wink: