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Thank you, Shari!? Seawalk, fortunately, had enough solid floor surrounding the glass to make it less obvious that there was nothing between us and the ocean.?

Shari - that’s awful, and there is no excuse for the crew’s behavior, especially since you had an assigned seat. Thankfully, the other guy was a gentleman and moved over for you. What a terrible way to treat their customers!?

Joe, thanks for sharing your first cruise with NCL. Being a diehard Princess fan, Norwegian’s Freestyle cruising was a hard sell for my husband and I, but after recently returning from our 8th NCL cruise, I guess I can say the line grew on us - we love them! We are also New Englanders born and bread, and I agree - cruising out of New York is so easy, and Boston, even better!

Hi Joe...what a wonderful blog, and review of "The Norwegian Escape." It sounds like a wonderful ship. Love the pictures! I have only been on Norwegian once, and that was a few years back. I was on the older ship, "The Norway." I believe it used to be "The France." It was a very interesting ship. I really liked it. The entertainment was excellent, but we seemed to be on it at the wrong time. Some protesting with the help and all caused Norwegian to hire some new help. We did still really enjoy it. Would love to try the newer Norwegian ships, especially now after seeing your review. Thanks for the great post, great review, and great pictures! So glad that you, and family, had a great time...except for the Disembarkation.

Forgot to say WELCOME Joe...love your blog and the great pictures! We were on the "Holiday" back in the '80s and it was pretty bad, but decided to go with a group of friends on the "Liberty" in 2009. I was amazed at how much better the ships looked, and the food and entertainment was very good. Although I would love to try other ships, I wouldn't hesitate to sail on the newer Carnival ships again. Loved the melting chocolate cake with a little ice cream on top. Had that almost every night, even though the crème Brule is usually my favorite.

@Shari2 I could not agree more Carnival has come a very long way in a short amount of time! If you enjoyed the Carnival Liberty you would definitely enjoy the Horizon!

Looks like a beautiful ship! Carnival has come a long ways from years back. My last cruise on Carnival was in 2009 on the "Liberty." Although Celebrity is my favorite, I really enjoyed the Carnival Liberty.

This reminded me, when we were brand new cruisers our table mates turned us on to this dining "option". It really elevated our dining experience. Now we have 15+ cruises under our belts and share with other newbies, that we happen to be sitting with, that it's OK to order an extra appetizer or share an extra main course. On one trip our new friends took to this quite well. Each couple ordered an extra entree and we all shared them around the table. The plates were flying all over the place. It looked like a crazy family at Thanksgiving. We all stay in touch after several years.

Sarge, my prayers and thought go to you and your family in the lost of your daughter... there are never words to express at the lost of a child period! Not for you and your family nor for the family of this precious one lost in this pool on board the Carnival ship... Accidents happen... nothing more nothing less... God does always have a plan we may not know it for years to come, but He always knows... it's hardest to trust Him when these situations are fresh in our minds and the pain is fresh in our hearts. The verse that comes to my mine is: Be still and know that I am God... If we as humans can remember and rely on this one statement, we can have hope. God bless you in the loss of your baby and God bless this family in the loss of this precious six year old.. My prayers are with you all...And praying for you and your friends as well, Shon...

Oh Sarge, I am so sorry to hear of your loss, but I pray the same peace that has come over your heart will also invade the lives of all those affected by this tragedy! Thanks for sharing your kind words and thoughts - as always, they're welcomed with smiles and open arms!

Great read!!!! I sail this sat

I hope this catches on, and at an affordable rate. My wife likes to go to N.Y. twice (at least) a year to visit family and friends. I wouldn't mind doing a 3 to 5 day cruise while she's gone!!

Good post Jan. I have seen this too many times in the past on cruises to blow it off!! And, I have posted on it often. The statement "it's my vacation, I paid for it" just shows the self-centered nature of many (not all) parents. You may have paid for your vacation, but you did not pay for mine. Maybe I don't find the games of your kids pressing all the buttons on the lift, sitting and blocking the stairs or running up and down the hallways screaming to be amusing. When we brought our niece (she was 12 at the time) on the Carnival Pride with us, she was so well behaved because we discussed with her pre-cruise the importance of respecting the other passengers right to the vacation THEY paid for. I've actually had little "Rug Rats" curse at me when I asked them to move from blocking access to the stairs!! They were about 12 or 15 years old!!! No parents or adult guardians to be found anywhere. And one more thing to parents bringing their kids on a cruise, the cruise line staff are NOT your personal babysitters. Please don't board the ship on which I PAID for MY cruise and just cut your kids loose as if the ship was their personal playground!!!

When my wife and I were married (10 years ago in June) my in-laws happened to have a cruise scheduled one week after our wedding. So they generously purchased a cabin for us for our honeymoon. The embarrassment came when my wife and I landed ourselves on the newlywed game show. From the moment my new wife started planning our audition, I knew that my new in-laws would never look at me the same again. But I figured that if I'm going down it might as well be in a blaze of glory. So the peak of my embarrassment came when the other husbands and I were brought back to the stage to try to match our wives answers and cruise director pressing me for details all the way gets me to explain to the entire ship and my in-laws where the "wildest place my wife and I had ever made whoopee" was. And lets just say it wasn't on the ship during our honeymoon. Worst part is we didn't even win. My embarrassment continued to a lesser degree as I become semi-famous for the rest of the cruise, with people addressing me by nicknames like "hamburger helper" which was how I described my wife's cooking and matched her answer by the way, and "Woody" for "Woody Wood Pecker" the cartoon character she chose to describe me in the morning, we got that one right too. Overall, I embraced it all and had a great time.

Amen on the prayers. While I can totally understand people who are going through tough times like this being upset and angry, I have been there, Faith, and Prayer, will always help us to handle things the best way possible, and give us a calmer heart, and help to forgive. Thanks for your thoughts on this.

Thanks for a great entry. I think we have all been there, done that. Personally I believe the sea air shrinks the clothes in my closet. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Great story ... like a boxing match!

Welcome to the site, Shon, and I love your post. You write beautifully, you really know how to hold the interest. We loved the Imagination also, Then, again, we love every ship. And yeah, the food, isn't it something? Looking forward to your next post. Keep them coming. Your mom did a great job with you, by the way.

Hi CruiseMan ~ I enjoyed your post. Carnival Imagination was our second cruise, in 2003. We brought our kids this time - yes, mom made them do it and they loved every minute!

I love your writing style. I have always wondered about the crew quarters. Thanks for the description and the picture

$25 is so cheap... i bet its more like $100 now a days!!! crazy though!

Danny I luv reading this blog. You give us a look at the inside of whats happening which I find really interesting. I will check u out on FB. I have one question. Are ships nurses considered officers?

This is really cool Danny. I am challenged to think of any other travel site that has this sort of features. Thanks Danny and jason for creating this. Awesome!

I second all of the above! Looking forward to your next post.

Another great installment which leaves us wanting for more. I'm really enjoying your writing Stacey.

Wow! I love this! Thank you for sharing. I feel like I am right there experiencing everything with you.

I did spend a little too much on souvenirs in the past. Had to pay more for my luggage on the plane on the way home. And except for my shot glasses to show in the case, I rarely used anything. Did buy the T-shirts for the kids& grandkids. Did leave behind, once on the ship, a jacket that I really liked and had just bought. The worst I can remember was not getting a flu shot. Everyone at work was sick and I was about to cruise on my vacation to Hawaii. I had dreamed of going to Hawaii all my life. So the very first day we board the ship, after spending two days in Oahu, I start coughing so bad that I thought I had pneumonia...sure enough it was the flu...stayed in my room for a couple of days to not spread it around, but when the coughing quit we did take some tours and I took medicine and tried hard to not get too close to anyone...didn't want to spoil their time in Hawaii. We had two days back in Oahu when we got off the ship...I was better by then, raring to go, but then Marc got sick and spent those two days in bed at the hotel...after that I always got the flu shot.

Awesome post and video Danny! How many sailings have you cruised so far? And your passport must be stamps galore - Have you needed to get the second booklet to make room for stamps yet??

Exactly! Sometimes the "city in a day" tours are just too fast-paced for me nowadays.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos of the memorial!

Shon - I am so sorry to hear we won't be blessed with your quick wit and uplifting stories. You are a joy to read, and the site just won't be the same. Favorite stories? Wow - that's a tough one. The piece about the father and son bonding cruise was very touching. Your being mistaken for Eddie Murphy was hilarious. But my most memorable was the heart wrenching memories of your dog, Zoe. I probably wasn't the only one to shed a tear. Hope to see you around the boards, and maybe we'll even cruise together one day. Till then ... boy voyage!

Funny story.

Thank you for the websites for checking what ships are in port. Greatly appreciated! :)

Shon - I never met a cruise ship I didn't like. But if I had to choose, I'd choose the Emerald Princess, for many reasons - the food, fresh water pools, International Cafe, and a true promenade deck!

Shon...saying prayers for the family. This is a terrible tragedy. .My heart goes out to them. Sarge I'm so sorry for your loss. I also lost a little girl at birth...life is not always easy, but with God's help we make it through the tough times.

Jan...congrats on all the great cruises! I have so many that I would love to do...just need to keep saving and get in better shape...LOL Still need to convince hubby that seeing Alaska is not "just the same as Minnesota in winter." LOL

Wonderful story, Marci, and so glad everything worked out so well! Our first cruise was to Alaska and boy did I have to do some talking to get my husband to agree! But it was for our 25th wedding anniversary so he acquiesed, swearing that he was going to wear a tank top over his sweatshirt (he would have much rather been somewhere warm.) By the time we got home he was asking when and where our next cruise would be. I said Hawaii and he said "why would we ever want to go to Hawaii?" OMG! Needless to say, 15 or so cruises later he has quit doubting me and eagerly awaits our next adventure. And I will eagerly await your next installment!

Great story!

I am saving for some newbies I am trying to get to convert to cruising

Woohoo! I'm dancing with ya, Jan! You know I'm on Grand Princess for Hawaii and Mexico this Christmas/New Year's! Oh yeah, a brotha will be following along to hear of how she treated ya in Alaska! I'm getting pumped for YOUR cruise! Yay! P.S. I hope they give me a greeting like that! Now THAT's truly worthy of the pre-cruise dance! Dance on, girl! :)

Oh yeah man, I'm always gonna sail Carnival and I'm glad you will too! Plus, why would I trade my Platinum status (working on that Diamond)! I agree, I've cherished some great high seas vacations with Carnival, too - they've got my support for life! Thanks for sharing your insight, man... I LOVE IT! Keep the comments coming!

Good post Shon but there are another group of cruisers that complain WITHOUT anything to compare their cruise to...NEW cruisers!! Many of these folks have watched too many reruns of "Love Boat" and think that their cruise and EVERY cruise is the way it is portrayed on the T.V.!! I have heard people pick everything about their cruise apart like they were taking a puzzle apart. When I cruise, I may "compare" the cruise to past cruises but for me, as I always say, the only bad cruise is the one where the ship sinks!!!

Exactly! And this is especially true for families and kids with cell phones, and I mention this from experience. I monitored my own phone and data usage, but forgot to educate my daughter in the art of cell phone usage on a cruise ship, and was hit with an enormous phone bill. You live and learn!

Looking forward to it. Have a great cruise!

Or that new liquid Crystal light!! Even easier, needs no refrideration, and great flavors!!

For all of the wonderful people in the world, we definitely run into a few of the "bad" ones once in awhile. Hopefully, the good ones on the ships are polite and thankful for the great service and the great blessings of being able to cruise. Very sad, though, that Carnival is blaming the passengers of the Concordia. Many were first time cruisers and had no idea what to do without the help of the crew and captain. Thanks for your thoughts.

Have a great cruise. Hope your run in to Tim and Melony!

Congratulations on your new blog, Sarge! As you know, I am sailing on the same ship in October and look forward to reading about your experience. In the meantime, it'll be very interesting for our readers to compare our notes as we blog our individual takes on the ship, don't you think? A Battle of the Brilliance Blogs, I call it - LOL!

Good survival story. Reminded me of "Unbroken", the book about Olympic runner Louie Zamparini and his ordeal as a WWII POW and his survival in a life raft at sea. It's amazing what the human body can endure in life and death circumstances.

Stacy - Great intro to cruising. Can't wait to read more.