saltydog

Interested in taking 2 granddaughters to Nassau and would like some info on tours to Atlantis from ship. Any thoughts. Haven't been to Nassau in some time. Thanks

Wow. That should work. Thanks for the useful info. Tim

Carnival Liberty and girls are 12 and 14.

We will be taking 2 grandaughters on a cruise and would like to be able to keep in touch with them. Can someone recommend a good walkie talkie that will work within the steel frame of the ship?

That is indeed great news. I live about 30 mins from the terminal. I enjoy watching it go up and down the Chesapeake Bay weekly. We have cruised from Baltimore 2 times but never on Carnival. I think we shall try it this year.

Jan, I also have done and don't mind ocean view. But I don't do obstructed view. What is the point.

Just wondering what members think about the type of cabin they prefer. I hear many people say they like inside because it is less expensive and they don't stay in there much anyway. Others, like myself, always opt for a veranda. I tend to be slighty claustrophobic. Would like to hear what you all have to say and why.

We are still in the planning stages of a European river cruise sometime this year. However we took a chance ($5.00) on a 5 night Carnival cruise from Charleston SC and guess what, we won. Not bad for $5.00. We leave next week Jan 13th from Charleston to Nassau. Should be fun. Haven't been to Nassau for some years. It is an inside cabin but who cares. The price is perfect. No need to fly since we are fairly close. (Maryland). It is on the Fantasy which is Carnival's oldest ship but it gets great reviews. Will let you know how it goes.

We are not real big fans of buffets anyway. We usually do breakfast there but that is all. No matter what cruise line we are on they never seem to get the flow of people right. The Celebrity 'test' sounds just awful. Hopefully they will discontinue before it goes fleetwide. Glad you enjoyed the rest of your trip. Bermuda is a beautiful island. We may have to cruise there. We sail out of Baltimore since we live closeby.

Wow. Such an interesting question with so many great answers. Our list includes: Been there done that: Grand Canyon Mt. Rushmore Alaska Hawaii Panama Canal Galapagos Islands Rome & Vatican City Iceland Northern Lights Sailing through icebergs in Greenland Caribbean Leaning tower of Pisa Venice Buckingham Palace Having monkeys follow us on Gibraltar Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Barcelona Island of Rhodes in Greece Still waiting to do: European river cruise Machu Picchu Antarctica (maybe) Israel ( depending on conditions)

Thanks much for your insightful notes on European cruises. I am narrowing it down to probably Viking or Avalon. I also liked the description of the 'suites on Avalon. Will let you know what we decide. Cheers Tim and Sally

Thanks, I am looking at uniworld and Amawaterways closely. It is on my wife's bucket list more than mine. I am happy in the Caribbean. However, you know the old saying 'happy wife, happy life".

We are planning a 2015 European river cruise. Never done one so need a little help. There are many different lines and am wondering who has cruised on one of these and which one did you prefer. I am open to any different itinerary am looking for a mid-range price. Any thoughts please would be appreciated. Thanks .

The 70th anniversary of D Day brings to mind a cruise we took 19 years ago. We were on the RCI 'Song of Norway' in the Med. It was a cruise put together by the U.S. Navy Memorial in remembrance of VE day in 1945. It was the 50th anniversary. Our ship hooked up with a Navy Destroyer out at sea and we were allowed to go aboard and take a tour. Wonderful trip. Our thoughts and prayers to all those who gave their lives during the invasion at Normandy and indeed all of WW2.

Have not been to Grand Turk but you dock in Curacao and Aruba.

Your list is right on Jan. If I may I would like to add a couple. They are kind of pet peeves of mine. 1. Why are people in such a hurry to eat. We always eat dinner in the dining room with assigned seating. I have never understood why these folks line up 2o minutes before the dining room opens. Everyone gets fed at the same time. They are not going to run out of food. What is with these people. The buffet during breakfast or lunch on the Lido deck is another story. Rude, pushy and apparently starving people cannot go through the line like civilized humans. 2. I have noticed people leave the shows when they are about to end so they can, you got it, get in line for dinner. The performers work very hard to present a good show for us and these impatient beings just can't wait for the show to end and give the performers a round of applause. Oh well, every once in a while I have to vent. Makes me feel better.

This was the first cruise ship we sailed on. We did a Med cruise in 1994 from Lisbon to Venice. A wonderful ship with classic lines and teak decks. Sorry to hear she is being chopped up.

Thanks Jan. Very well presented. This is our next venture, We are doing a cruise in Europe in the summer. Looking now to see what company works for us. Point of pulling right into town is what we like. Plus casual dress always works.

In 1997 we took a Med cruise from Lisbon Portugal ending in Venice Italy. We stopped in several different ports. I had served in the Navy and made several Med cruises and wanted to see the area again as a civilian. I also wanted my wife to visit some of the places I had been. I am a history buff and Rome has always been my favorite place. We sailed on the, now sadly gone, Song of Norway. This was a Royal Caribbean ship that was a classic vessel.

Wow. This is why I like this site so much. Good information from folks who have 'been there. done that'. Appreciate the replies. Will look into Avalon and Uniworld. Thanks again and hope you have a wonderful river cruise coming up.

Well done Jan. We have only been on RCI two times and that was several years ago. I guess we need to try one of the monster new ships they have introduced. Don't normally go for the big ships but will probably try one out. Thanks for the 'in detail' review. Very informative.

To my surprise the seas were almost calm in the North Atlantic. Having sailed the NA when I was in the Navy it can be brutal out there. This time we mostly had the sailors term of 'fair winds and following seas'. Temps were in the 60's until we got to Iceland and then it dropped into the 40's for the rest of the trip. We also found the Pacific much rougher when we went from Los Angeles to Hawaii a few years ago. I

Thanks for the info. I think that is what we are going to do in 2014. I love the big ships but want to try something different. I like the idea of getting off the boat and being right in the town or city. Cheers

I don;t do well unless I am planning a cruise. So next up is a European river cruise. Have any of you Crazies done one of these. I am checking different lines. Any thoughts on a particular line and what itineray would you suggest. I want to include Amsterdam in the trip. Appreciate any help with this. Thanks. .