AndiD

Not such a long way out....just about a year... what ship will this be on? It sounds fabulous!

Not something I will ever see unless I win the Powerball! ?

Wow! I had no idea.... not being a fan of the YUUUGE ships - I haven't paid much attention to them, but this great blog just may entice me to try Symphony - nicely done!!

Thanks, Jan! We have been waiting for this cruise for almost two years....now if the weather will let us get there....!

Happy Sailing, Motherboarder!!

And I am not a Carnival fan, but I do love Michaels....and I can't pass up the opportunity to win a free cruise!! ?

We are retired as well, but I'm afraid we are spoiled for balconies; I do spend a lot of time on it, though, so consider it worth it. Having said that....if our supplemental income runs out....I would rather book an inside than not cruise at all.

I know - and it has been hard to get further info...hoping they can get back in operation soon.

Kim, I am a Princess fan as well, although you are right about no seating other than the bed and the vanity chair. The cabins are better in the new ships, especially the bathrooms on the Royal class. But what we like about Princess is the consistency of the experience. We can count on nice public lounges and spaces, the quality of bar service and entertainment, etc. We particularly like the International Cafe and the Vines Wine Bar - they are comfortable and friendly spaces for us. And on Royal....Alfredo's for sure!!! And the Ice Cream Parlor, lol! My new favorite ship is the Coral - I think the decor and ambiance in the lounges and theaters is beautiful...the warm, wood tones and cozy feel. That is so cool that you will be working for them!

Welcome Aboard, Kim! Glad to have you here at Cruise Crazies! We DO know how to cruise and determined to do it as often as possible, lol. Have you got any cruises coming up or any destinations you are looking at next? (And we would love to hear about some of your previous cruises as well!)

WHOO HOO - Congratulations, Jackie! Much deserved for your contributions and your welcoming spirit toward new and old alike. I truly value your friendship and hope that we are able to sail together one day!

I certainly agree with you there!

I think for me it would depend on how long is left and what ports are coming up that will accept an offloaded body; not all of them will. If the cruise only had a couple of days left and it was heading back to the US, it would probably be quicker, easier and less costly to do that rather than try to make arrangements from an obscure port. We had a woman die on our 15-day Panama Canal crossing and her and her family were taken off in Guatamala...

Great articles, Jan! We'll have to look into Afternoon Tea at the Chateau!

I can empathize as well! I fell, coincidentally on a Royal Caribbean ship - we were coming into the dance lounge up on the top deck and it was very dark with strobe lighting on the dance floor, which drew my attention, and I missed a step down. The room was dark, the floor was black, the steps were black and I didn't pay close enough attention. I went straight down and immediately about 10 people came rushing to help...each pulling a limb in a different direction, trying to help me up! ? I was more embarrassed than anything, but my knees swelled up like balloons, and we had to scale back some of our plans for the remaining ports. Better lighting to differentiate the two steps down would have helped, and one gentleman said he did the same thing earlier. Attention to safety should be an ongoing review for passengers' sake and for the cruise lines.

I concur that there are many excursions I consider "favorites" but, surprisingly, mine came on a Viking river cruise - the Paris/Normandy itinerary - when we toured Monet's gardens. The gardens were the inspiration for many of his paintings and to see those paintings "come to life" and to be standing "in" his paintings was awe-inspiring!

So my question is....how do they know you are a "banana" until the very end of the cruise? Or do most people tip throughout?

Or the new ships like the Celebrity Edge. All of the wonderful innovations that this ship has are geared for the more sedate among us....more spa options with salt rooms, more regular dining cuisine options, floating pools...larger wine selections....

I"m thinking we would have heard about that by now...no?

Yay Jan!!! Much deserved! ?

I concur - I side with the cruise line. You have to pay attention to all notices...AND - we always double check the return time right as we leave the ship. I have never NOT seen the "all aboard" time posted near the gangway or by the tender pickup point.

I agree they banked on not arousing suspicion as a nice little elderly couple...wonder how long they have been doing this?

EXACTLY - Jackie! Icy Strait Point is my favorite port BECAUSE it is still so "Alaskan"! They have a few shops - one of which is a bookshop run by the local high school students, so the proceeds go back to the school. And the two restaurants had many locals as well as cruise passengers in them for halibut pulled right out of their bay and local beers (among other things.) You can sit out on the boardwalk patio and watch the whales - it's fabulous! And yet....I have read reviews from people who hate it....think it is a waste of time...not anything to do or see! No....no jewelry stores in sight, but plenty of opportunities to see whales, sea lions, bears, eagles....nothing special, right, ha! The people who's livelihood ended when the salmon plant closed down have turned it into a wonderful change of pace from the standard three ports.

For us it varies...for just a nice week in the sun, I pick the week(s) we can go and then start looking for options among the cruise lines I like for best itinerary and price. If we are looking for a specialty cruise, such as Alaska or Europe, I look at itinerary first, then line and price. There are some ships that intrigue me, however, like the new Celebrity Edge - so when we booked that one, it was all about an available week with a decent price; I don't really care where it goes!

I like to prepay - the earlier the better - by the time the cruise comes around I tend to forget I prepaid them, and it is a pleasant surprise when I get the bill, lol! ?