JoeyandDavid

Suzila. have a super Time and look forward to hearing about you FUN time at sea! Bon Voyage!!

Welcome and Hello tamis! Any friends of Keith and Rita are friends of ours ..no doubt! Look forward to getting to know you

Hi Rat, Welcome back! Great pics .. thanks for sharing

I never know Miss C..I never know :grin:

oh stuff like that.... i get you .. nah the answer is still no. :grin: sorry miss C guess we are just to ?? whats the term

nah.. I cant think of a thing that we would pack that others wouldnt also have packed. Maybe after some others have responded I may have, but to me nothing unusal.

Hey shiftman1956, Have a great time! Bon Voyage

Take a deep Breath....Relax..... Enjoy!! Bon Voyage Sunshineblue!

Hi capegirl, I personally have not sailed the QM, I bet it would be something else. On another subject Welcome to Cruise Crazies, Look forward to your posts in the future. I hope you will make your self at home.

Hey momabear, Please be Advised that first cruises can be Addictive! Enjoy the experience

Maria and Ken, Congratulations again on your 40 years together! and Bon Voyage, Have a super time!

When we book a cruise, or should I be more succinct, when I book a cruise for us, I go to great lengths to insure that what we expect is first of all is possible, and second of all it is at least the minimal standards of “excellence†Our first Experience with this Brand exceeded our expectations and so we booked again. However our last cruise was in November of 04, after spending six months planning our voyage down to the smallest detail, and was assured that the requests will granted, ( I normally book directly with the line itself)†and “That it was no big deal†only to find out that apparently it WAS a big deal. When we made our way down to the pursers desk to “inform “ them of inadequate inconsistencies, in the perceived level of service that was promised and desired by us, we were met with an attitude of upper management, of “yeah I hear ya but hey we have your money and we really don’t care.†I am not saying that, That was their official stand, its just how the Guest relations Manager made us feel. When we got home I wrote a letter to the President of the line expressing my concern for the attitude of the on board staff, and the fact that it appeared that no one wanted to take responsibility for their actions, just wanted to pass the buck. I received a letter from his office, where he decided to let one of his “administrative assistants†handle my letter, IMHO just another instance of not taking responsibility and passing the buck. We made the decision to no longer support the brand or the corporation for which the brand was under. As consumers that in itself is the best that we can do to protect ourselves against any company, that we feel does not give provide the level of service that THEY say they do. Were my complaints valid? Were my concerns justified? Is that really important or is it more important to treat guests, as guests, making sure that their experience is all it can be. I am quite aware that there are some that go on vacations and look for negative things, just so they can complain, and I sincerely hope that I haven ’t gotten that jaded, however after planning a vacation for months and not receiving, what was promised or implied. I do feel like I should say something. It maybe true our expectations may not exist in 2005, and if that’s true, then so be it. I can accept that. I just don’t want a Cruise Line telling me its raining while P*****g on my leg Sure my standards are high, why shouldn’t they be? Who deserves it more than us, unless its you! <]

Hi ABoatNerd, Thanks for your most recent post. I for one understand where your posts are coming from. The desire for your elitist status while on vacation should be as hopefully it will always be, your decision. Whether or not you are inside or outside the bell curve is irrelevant in MHO. The bottom line is your right to associate or not with anyone on board a ship, at a hotel in Arizona , or in the middle of times square. When we first started cruising we were on a popular mass line that gave us no option for a duce. We never sailed them again, but then again that was our choice, Choice is nice, although choice isn’t always guaranteed. So many people love the camaraderie that is developed onboard a cruise ship and that makes or breaks their vacation experience. I am happy to see that you, are still able to take the type of vacations that you desire, and I sincerely hope that you never run out of options on the seas. Although I do not recall reading in any of your posts which cruise line you and your mate prefer to sail on, I would not be surprised to find out it is one that is part of the upscale market. “Another poster noted the tendency for folks from large cities to become "anti-social" - well of course. Folks in smaller communities are more friendly and social and genuine. I am counting the days towards my retirement in the small town I have selected.â€Â<] I just hope that when it comes time for you to “retire†you and your mate wont have forgotten how to interact with people. All the best and please keep going with your insightful posts, as its has been said “ it takes a village to raise a child , just like it takes different opinions to make a person go Hmmmmmm. Thanks, ABoatNerd for my hmmmmmm. And best of luck on your future vacations, may you never be forced to interact with others.

Sue and Chris and all, What ever I have or had, still lingers ... I first and foremost let me apologize for the quality of my most recent posts. Please bear with me a few days, even yesterday while I didn’t post I did check in for 10 to 15 seconds at a time in between trying to nap. I felt like your concerns should be answered thus my post this morning about my upset stomach. However I am feeling better and as time passes I am sure that my posts will return to the fashion you have expected from me . Hugs all around joey

Interesting Comments by all. I really enjoyed the civilized discussion. Everybody made good points.

ATA Airlines has added nonstop service to three new Florida cities and more flights to a fourth SunshineState city from Chicago Midway, beginning in October 2005. Introductory fares are each way based on round-trip purchase in coach class and are available on ata.com for as low as $79 with a 14-day advance purchase for travel between October 29, 2005 and Feb. 14, 2006. The introductory fares must be purchased before Midnight (E.D.T.) on Aug.16, 2005. On October 29, ATA will add new daily nonstop service from Chicago-Midway to Miami with two daily round-trip flights and to Sarasota, with a new daily nonstop round-trip flight. ATA is also adding service from Chicago-Midway to Orlando with two daily nonstop round-trip flights and a second Chicago-Midway round-trip flight to Ft.Myers. On Dec. 13, ATA will add a third daily round-trip flight from Chicago-Midway to Miami and a third round-trip nonstop flight from Chicago-Midway to Ft.Myers. ATA on Dec.13, ATA is adding a second Saturday flight from Chicago-Midway to Cancun. ATA Airlines, now in its 32nd year of operation, offers "easy" and affordable travel to 30 cities on its own flights and more than 75 destinations through its code-share partnership with Southwest Airlines. For more information, visit www.ata.com. ATA's increased service from Chicago-Midway to Florida includes the introductory fares, are each way based on a 14-day advance round-trip purchase, coach class only, on www.ata.com. Introductory rates start at $94. <]

Oh My!! K & R... you two are too much lol LOved the get ups! Teacup, you knew it was a set up? what a great sport! I dont know if I could do that .. just to scary for Joey :grin:

I can truly understand ABoatNerd. Do I agree with her? Partially. Do I agree with Miss C and Chris ..Partially. When we go on cruises we do so not to meet others but to enjoy each other's company, to see new places and to add to that experience by occasionally interacting with others, Dinner time is special to us.. and to that extent, we prefer a table for two, before dinner we usually meet friends and or associates for beverages and then again after dinner for shows and dancing, even on excursions we meet and mingle, but its the meal times that we tend to hold sacred and tend to prefer letting that time be dedicated to just us! I believe living in a major metro area like LA or NY(14M is a lot of peoples dont you agree) tend to make ones anti social, I know my attitude about people have change slightly since my move west. Not all folks in this world are as Friendly and Outgoing as the people here on Cruise Crazies. People in the real world, where we live tend to be all about Them Them Them . Yes its nice to come here and reach more of the people that I DO like to associate with, and I would be crushed if you guys thought that we were anti social because we choose to dine alone, Not everything needs to be a group thing, but I do think that by doing “group things you are able to appreciate your mate on a new level. JMHO

I did I used davids email address so I wouldnt get spamed, Plus he works for the RR so i signed up for a couple more too.. Thanks for the Link...Sue ... I owe u one

your funny Jenn :grin:

Ann I dont use the gym on land much less the sea..However we do use the spa facilities, steam and Hydro pools..Those really make it for us..wish we could afford to do owners cabin once and really live high on the swine

to this point we have always had a table for 2 only....now if we all get togther for a voyage that might change............ along with this answer!!!!! :grin:

We prefer so get staterooms as close to the top of the ship as possible we have Sky Deck Suite 1205Century and 1203Mercury on the sports deck booked for 2 of our next 3 and the 3rd is a sky deck aft CC on the Milli the balconies or verandahs are HUGE.. and this is one instance where size does matter..

Hey Chris Even though we cant join you on this one , i wanted you to know that I may be interested in purchasing a memory stick or two if you take some ummmmm lets say ....."interesting" scenery pictures :grin:

Hi Tut (again) So who are you guys sailing ? Royal Caribbean? is this your first visit to New Orleans? I have never been but David has many times when he used to work the train back to LAX when he was an attendant, so glad he is no longer on the road. I can’t wait for him to be able to retire so we can do more traveling, however that’s another thread..LOL