Sarge6870

For me it's actually two things...The anticipation and boarding a ship we hadn't sailed on before.

Thanks Jan. We most definitely need this. Our last cruise in 2010 was on the Carnival Dream with my brother (who had sailed with us on just about every cruise we had done since 1990). He passed away that following December. Then we lost the house in Deltona so we had to move. When we moved, Chrissy had a job but I didn't. Then her mom passed away this past December. Now, I'm working but she was let go. Were wipped. For the past 3 or so years we didn't celebrate ANY birthdays or holidays due to financial constraints. I felt it was time for US!! Jewel got great write ups. I'll be posting a review when we return.

With our 23rd anniversary approaching on May 6, and with all the stress we have been through over the last 3 years since our cruise on the Carnival Dream and no vacations since, I felt we deserved this. It was a spontaneous booking I'll admit but got a great last minute deal on an Deluxe Balcony cabin on deck 7. My cruise agent is planning an anniversary package for us. Guess we'll be cruising twice this year

Good post Jan!! My wife say's I am OCD because from the time we book our cruise, I have already started a small briefcase/multi-binder with all the info in it in separate sections. I add to it as the cruise date approaches with any speciality restaurant confirmations, excursions etc. I carry it with me onboard and we have never had an issue. Unlike your old Chevy, my planning does have seatbelts!!! :D

Please see the copy of the letter I emailed to the Senator in the "Let's Talk Cruise" section regarding this issue.....

Here is a copy of the letter I have just emailed to the Senator............... Dear Sir, As an Avid cruiser since 1990, with five of my last eight cruises being on Carnival Cruise Lines, I feel it necessary to contact you regarding your continued attack on the cruise industry. Some of the stories I am reading indicate you are pursuing recovery of the monies from Carnival spent for the assistance provided by the U.S. Coast Guard and other entities. First off Senator, we as cruisers pay taxes on our trips so with the lack of incidents such as on the Carnival Triumph in the past many years, all the taxes paid prior to that incident paid for the assistance provided by my Government operations in advance. There are more stories of cruise vessels providing assistance to disabled vessels at sea then there are incidents requiring assistance from the Coast Guard. NONE of those cruise lines ever pursued financial recovery for their acts of heroism to rescue those needing assistance. When was the last time my Government pursued financial recovery from a train, bus or airplane incident where Government assistance was provided? Granted, the passengers on the Carnival Triumph experienced a very uncomfortable situation. But that is what the court system is for. They are free to file a suit against the cruise line and from what I have been reading, there are more than enough lawyers willing to take them on. I sir do NOT wish for you to approach a situation that will swallow up more of my tax dollars by going forward towards a congressional hearing. Our Country has squandered enough taxpayer dollars on unneeded expenses. Our Government has already cut services to airports and now the passenger terminals where it has been reported that there are two or three I.C.E. agents to offload a ship with 4000 plus passengers turning what was a one or two hour debarkation into four plus hours. How about a hearing on that? I ask sir that you discontinue your unneeded attack on the cruise industry. Approach the U.S. Coast Guard for insight and recommendations. Please concentrate on what is starving our economy and fix that. Surely with using the anger you have towards the cruise industry, you should be able to help more in that approach.

The most unfortunate thing is that the longer this vessel sits, the more it will cost to bring her up to maritime code to transport passengers or to even use her as a moored hotel. And that is not even considering the physical aspects of the ship. I hate to say it but I agree with Paul, it doesn't look good! :(

OK eph, adding to the question I posted on another subject, since you had mentioned that there are some crew members that are married onboard, how does the line work out the sleeping arrangements for them?

I'm sure over time, the debarkation process will be fined tuned. Maybe the ships will arrive in the debarkation port earlier as to not to affect the embarkation process of the new passengers. But let's keep in mind, no matter HOW you vacation, you will incur some type of inconvenience . Be it at the airport or on the road, you can expect some type of "line". For me, I'm in no rush to get off the ship! If I'm flying home from the port, I'll just make sure I book my flight home a bit later. All in all, I would rather have a line getting on or off the ship than any other travel mode!!

Sorry pal, my timing is impeccable !!! I plan on being in the chatroom every time I'm online so I can guarantee you'll catch me!!

Cruisecrazies has implemented the new CHAT feature into the site. I see at the time of this post there are 6 members online but no one in the chatroom. Come on in folks. Let's talk. Lets meet each other. It's a great way to interact with other members and do what we do best...TALK CRUISE!!! I had been the moderator of another website not associated with cruising but their chat room afforded me the opportunity to meet new friends that shared the same interest. In our case here on the M/S CRAZIES...it's talking about something we love to do!!! Did you know you can open the chat room, then open the Cruisecrazies site under another tab so you can read the latest on the site AND keep the chatroom open so you can switch back and forth? It's easy to access the chatroom. Just highlight the "Connect" tab on any of the Cruisecrazies pages and then click on the chatroom option. Here's your ticket......Welcome aboard!!!

I have always bought insurance for my cruise. Thankfully I have never had to rely on it but my reasoning is "hey, you never know"!! Life throws many curves at us and in the event I have to cancel my cruise for any covered reason, it's calming to know that I won't loose out on that money.

Just a couple of things I want to point out regarding this story. The Triumph breaking away from it's moorings was not a Carnival mistake but a reaction to mother natures winds that were in excess of 70 knots and those excessive winds also blew a security shack into the bay. There were a couple of hundred crew and repair personnel onboard when the mooring lines broke and all have been accounted for and are uninjured. The situation with the Grand Turk port has not been directly associated with the ships visiting the port but with the port center itself. If ANY of these incidents had happened to any other cruise ship or line, good chance it would go unreported. To call these incidents "debacles" to me is an over-dramatic statement!!!

Good for Carnival. Like Carnival stated, they (as well as other cruise lines) have come to the aid of other ships in distress at sea and did not ask for restitution! And when was the last time a Politician wanted to hold an Airline responsible for the recovery aid "WE"(The TAXPAYERS) provided from an airplane crash, or the last time restitution was expected for a bus crash or a train crash??? As I stated in previous replies, our Politicians (AKA our EMPLOYEES) need to concentrate on NOT sending aid to countries that hate the U.S. and reinvest that in our country! Leave the safety of the seas to those that KNOW the sea, like the Coast Guard. Let THEM make recommendations on safety improvements and upgrades to policy. You politicians have much bigger fish to fry. Besides, ALL cruise passengers pay for that Coast Guard aid provided at sea during an emergency in the form of TAXES attached to our cruise fee!!! I guess you can consider it a quasi-insurance policy. Sounds like it's time for me to fire off a letter to Schumer and Rockefeller!!!! I'll let you all know how that turns out!!

Here's a question for you eph....Some years back, we sailed on the Carnival Pride where we had the most delightful couple that served us in the dining room (we had assigned seating). The main waiter for our table was training a female waiter and it was most obvious they had a "thing" going. We saw them in one of the ports hanging out together. What are the "rules" towards dating other crew members onboard? Another question.......Is there a site where we can go to reconnect with past crew members? I had been a member on one years ago but after many re-installs of Windows and computer upgrades, I lost that site.

I love NCL eph!!! We sailed the "Dreamward" (before they cut her open and added 50ft to the mid-section and renamed her the NCL "Dream") to Bermuda in 1995 and had an absolute BLAST!!! Hope your daughter is doing OK today :)

I agree eph....The tours of the older ships (like the one we did on the Celebrity Meridian) were more impressive because it seemed so much more difficult to navigate those vessels. I still find it amazing even with the electronic upgrades to the modern ships for the crew to maneuver a multi-ton vessel with thousands of passengers onboard safely!!

Good info eph!! This is something I discovered years ago when talking to various crew members aboard the ships I've sailed. It is also the reason I look the other way if a member of the crew seems to be having a "Bad Day"!! We all have them. And I can tell you from personal experience (after working 3 months straight of 7 days a week) while training in the kitchen where I work that some days you tend to not be a jovial as others. So if your on your cruise and you find a member or some members of the crew that are not as accommodating as others, just realize your not their first customer!!! So many are quick to run to the hotel manager and complain.

Back when I began cruising in 1990, being able to take a bridge tour was one of the highlights of my cruise. Back then, it was FREE to take these tours. Then due to 9/11, those tours were discontinued for security reasons which is understandable. NOW, post 9/11, many of the cruise lines have re-instituted these tours but for a fee. And it's not cheap at $120 pp to take the tour. I personally feel this $120 charge is WAAAY over the top just to take a tour of certain crew areas on a ship you already paid, in most cases, thousands to sail aboard!! Granted, the tour covers more areas of the ship than the bridge, but $120? REALLY??? Here's the full story........... Add Cunard Line to the list of cruise companies offering behind-the-scenes tours of its ships. The UK-based operator has launched extensive, three-and-a-half hour excursions into the crew areas of its three vessels that include a visit to the bridge, engine control room and galleys. Also on the tours are rooms where provisions are stored, the mooring deck, the medical center, butchers shop, waste handling room and back-stage areas of the theater. The tours are led by senior ship staff, and navigational officers including the captain will greet tourgoers on the bridge. Cunard says highlights of the trip will include hands-on lessons in operating the stage equipment in the theater. At the mooring deck, passengers will learn about anchor winches, windlesses and other critical machinery. The cost for the tours, which will be offered once per cruise, is $120 per person, and space is limited to 16 passengers. Cunard is following in the footsteps of Princess, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and several other major lines that have added behind-the-scenes tours in recent years for extra charges. SOURCE: USAtoday

Oh well, that's leaves ME out!!!!

RIGHT ON THE MONEY!!!! After you identified them as "Dive Boards", I did some further research and found that those hatches (Dive Boards) are used for the Officer to communicate with the mooring/line people. Well done!!! Kudos!!

I hope the young boy is OK. This goes directly at what I have been saying about how so many parents cut their kids loose when they board the ships. So many parents think the ship is a playground and think the crew are responsible for babysitting their kids. Where were the parents while this 4 year old child was even NEAR the pool???

I guess what I really meant was "What are those hatches called"?

Good info Stivo!!!

For years I have always wondered, What are those Hatches on the front of cruise ships? You know, the one's that are opened on each side when the ship enters and leaves port. There are usually crew members standing on them. I have searched for an answer on the internet but no luck!!