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Welcome New Members! Hello and thanks for joining our tight-knit cruising family. We encourage you to post your questions, advice, experiences or anything at all about cruising. If you're new to cruising, don't hesitate to ask the questions you may have - All questions are good ones! If you're an experienced cruiser, perhaps you'd like to help answer questions on the forums, post comments to articles, create and manage your own Cruise Blog or Group, offer advice to others, or exchange cruising stories; There is something here for everyone. Again, welcome to CruiseCrazies and we hope to see you posting often.

We have said this many times, but we really, really mean it. We love to cruise! Jerry and I took a long, overdue vacation to visit my family on the east coast. All said and done, we spent more money on this vacation than we have ever spent on a cruise. Between the hotels, car rental, food, and gasoline (not counting airfare because we would have to fly to cruise), ... you get the picture. AND the food was terrible. Okay, maybe not terrible, but for the amount of money that we paid ... shame on the restaurants. $3.50 for a cup of coffee (plain) and it was TERRIBLE coffee. I'm glad we got to see my mom and my siblings I'm glad that the weather was beautiful and we got some magnificent pictures of cherry trees and green yards (brown is the color in Tucson). I'm glad that we got to go to Atlantic City (Lost, Lost, Lost so we won't elaborate). And, I am super glad that we are going on a cruise in September!!! Great to be a fan of cruising.

I know none of the staterooms on a cruise ship are gigantic. Even a suite is smaller then say a suite in a hotel. The storage is actually pretty good and the rooms can be comfortable. Now think about the crew rooms. The smallest passenger room is much larger then a crew cabin. The number of people in a crew cabin depends on your rank. Of course the captain would have the biggest room. The majority of crew members are 4 or 5 to a room. Lower ranked officers have 2 to a room. The general crew will have a couple bunk beds in their room and they will have a stand up locker for their clothes and personal items. There may be a small desk or a table that they all can sit at. There will be a small TV. If all crew members are in the room at the same time the room is totally filled up. There is one small bathroom that they all share and the shower is basicaly about half the size of the shower in the passenger cabins. I was an officer that shared a room There was a bunk bed in the room and I could literally spread my arms and reach both walls side to side in the room. The room was about 10 feet long. The extra space past the bed was taken up by our locker and the bathroom. Now you know why a crew member would rather be working or in the rec room on a ship then spend time in their room.Their room is to sleep in, clean up and change clothes and that is it.

Two minor, yet fun updates to the settings available to all members: 1. A new profile field titled "Cruising Since." As the name implies, it shows the year you took your first cruise. If you had previously entered a full date (year, month, day) of your first cruise within your profile, it has been converted to show the year only. Your "cruising since" date will now be visible next to all of your forum posts along with other helpful, fun information. Update this field and the rest of your profile here. Example: 2. "Like This" daily limits increased. Previously there was a low limit to the number of times you could click the "Like This" button in a day. It didn't make sense to have this limit since clicking the button is a way to help identify helpful, valuable, or fun content and helping identify such content shouldn't be limited. Now each member can hit the "Like This" button many more times per day, helping highlight the best content on the site more than before. Here's what the button looks like, I encourage you to all click it whenever you come across something that deserves it!

We were on the NCL Dawn out of New Orleans and visited the port and new covered dock on Jan, 02, 2017. We were very impressed with this private port of call. Had a great beach, pool, zip lines, bars, restaurants, etc. A host of activities are available. We were told the port will eventually be used by other cruise lines.

Hi Everyone, Excited to announce the immediate release of several new features - All designed to increase activity throughout our community and recognize those adding the most value. Details: 1. Member Referrals - Get credit for referring new members! Share and send your unique signup link to others via email, social media. Receive credit when they use the link to join Access your custom referrer link from the new "Referrer" tab on your profile or Account Settings Don't have the url handy? Give others your Member name and they can enter it on the signup form View all your referred Members on the new "Referrer" tab on your profile 2. Top Content Posters - View who's posting the most! View the ranking of our Members who have posted the most The Top 8 Members are visible by Week/Month/Year The ranking is visible from the right side column of the Forum Index Page 3. Member of the Month - Recognizing our most active Members! To recognize our most active & helpful Members, someone will be selected monthly as the "Member of the Month" The Member of the Month will be promoted across our website, social media, our eNewsletter and more To be eligible: Post/share/comment and refer new Members using your referral url explained above To kick start this new feature, submit your nomination for October. The winner will be announced next month! Thanks for your continuous support in doing your part to keep the conversation going and in promoting our growing community. Any questions, just shout!

With all the new members we've been getting , maybe some of you would like to introduce yourselves. We are a very friendly group and love new members. We have many members who are very experienced cruisers and are glad to answer any and all questions. So, just introduce yourselves and feel free to ask away. I'm Cheryl and I live in So. Florida, about 20 minutes from Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale. We 've been on many cruises, all of them either with Carnival or Royal Caribbean. We are baby boomers and have recently become empty nesters, very happily. We've done a lot of 7 day cruises in the past but now we do the 3 or 4 day cruises. Hoping that some of our new members will become regulars around here. The more the merrier.

Hmmm - July in Greece. Yeah the deck is going to be steamy. OK, am I the only one who thinks that these lawsuits have gotten out of hand? I'll throw him a bone, though. Maybe it was his first cruise and didn't know how hot pool decks can actually get. Either way, I would think that someone who can't feel anything on the bottom of his feet would keep his feet protected no matter what the case. He says he didn't want to go to the hospital so he wouldn't ruin the vacation for his family. If that were my husband with roasted skin dangling off his feet, I would have insisted they get him off the ship ASAP!

Not money but convenience...... Pack some wire (dry cleaner) coat hangers, as there are never enough in the closets. Bring a small night light or, most bathroom doors are not tight at the bottom so leave the light on and it works. If you have a stateroom with a card slot at the door to allow lights to be turned on, use a business card instead of the room key and just leave it in.

Welcome Aboard! As a CruiseCrazies Member it's very easy to exchange cruise information and meet other cruisers. We've got plenty for new and veteran cruisers alike, and lots to enjoy before your cruise, after your cruise and even if you don't have any upcoming cruises. Here are some ways you can get started.... Your Account: Customize your profile, cover photo, settings and notifications: Update Create your Forum signature Cruising: Start a cruise discussion in our most popular forum: Let's Talk Cruise Stay up to date: Cruise News, Articles, and Blogs Access our free Packing List and Tips Submit a cruise review Save Money: Preferred Agents Upload your cruise Photos Connect with Others: Start a Roll Call for your upcoming cruise Create and manage a Group Host your own Blog Introduce yourself: New Member Introductions Join us in Welcoming our Newest Members Questions? Cruise questions, planning, information: Let's Talk Cruise Website questions, issues, feedback: Contact Us

Greetings All, hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. Just wanted to update you on some changes that have been made to help streamline all of our forum activities. These changes have also been made to our site navigation. This is round one of some enhancements coming to CruiseCrazies in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more and if you have any questions please contact me directly so I can assist as quickly as possible. Thanks for all of your continued support everyone!! Forums whose topics have been merged into the "Lets Talk Cruise" forum - - Welcome Back! Post Cruise Discussion - Special Interest Cruising (Single Cruisers, Solo Cruisers, Cruising with Children) - Port of Call - Hotels, Resorts, and Flights Forums relocated into the "Cruise Discussion" Forums Category - - Roll Calls - Bon Voyages Forums Removed - - Testing Forum to be Removed - - Recipes will be removed by end of year so please view/print your favorites by Dec 31 Forums relocated into the "Non-Cruising" Forum Category - - Thank you Site Sponsors --> Non-Cruising

On March 25, I had some serious health issuess while on a sailboat off the Miami coast. There are numerous articles about it - just google - Carnival Breeze Rescue. The articles have a few errors. One, It was my friend Charlie and I on the boat. I was in pretty serious trouble and he was exhausted from trying to help me and single hand the vessel. It all ended ok and I am now safelly ensconced in in my new home in Samana, Dominican Republic. If you take a cruise that stops in our beautiful bay, let me know! The most important thing I want to correct about the articles is that I know, from listenting to the radio chat, while waiting for help, that the Captain of Breeze upon hearing the distress calls, called the coast Guard and OFFERED his assistance. Breeze was soon on the scene and we where transferred to the ship by the Coast Guard. We received the finest care and tended to a if as if we were royalty. I had two doctors and I think about five nurses. Soon after being evaluated by the doctors I was airlifted by the Coast Guard helicopter. The plucked me from the top of the ship in a basket on a cable (whew)/ They took me to Jackson Memorial where I was cared for and released a few days later. Yes I love Carnival Cruises. My first was from Tampa to the Caribbean for 7 days. The second was 5 hours on the Breeze. I will be back and enter through the front door! Thank you Captain and crew. Dave

As seen on the Forum Index page, jacketwatch has been selected as Member of the Month for January. Larry, congratulations and thanks for all of your engagement throughout the community! Screenshot from Forum Index:

Hello all my fellow cruisers, My friend Bill and I just returned from a cruise on the Allure. I just wanted to experience that large ship. It is a mammoth ship, twice as large as most of the mega ships on the sea. My favorite feature was Central Park, such a nice place to go sit and relax and people watch or just hang out. It seemed like there was less people there than anywhere else on the ship. The Boardwalk and the Promnade was also awesome. This ship truly has some unique features you don't see on all the other ships. We found the food to be great, we ate most all our meals either in the Dining room or at the Windjammer on Lido Deck. We choose not to eat at the other optional venues as they were so expensive. All of the entertainment was great except the broadway musical "Chicago" we found it to be disgusting because of all the foul language. Our favorite was the water show "Ocean Aria", next was "Blue Planet and then the Ice Games. All the shore excursions were nice but average. My one bad experience was pre-purchasing the "photo book" I ended up with a book with multiple repeats of pictures. You are suppose to be able to go to the kiosk and choose your pictures for each page but thaey only give you limited pictures to choose from. As a result I ended up replacing half of the pictures when I got home. Embarkation and Debarkation was very organized and went smooth, especially for such a large ship. After returning to Ft.Laudredale we took a shore excursion to see all the Million dollar mansions on the sea channels...that was amazing and I never knew such exisited. I would recommend you try it if you like big ships..it truly was amazing.

Just returned this morning from a 3 day cruise on Majesty of the Seas. It was a very relaxing cruise and a very enjoyable weekend. We were lucky- the weather was absolutely perfect. We were thrilled that for a 3 day cruise, there were 2 port days- Cococay and Nassau. What thrilled us about the port days was that , since we don't get off the ship, we had a nice big little yacht to ourselves. Some of you might think we're crazy, but for us, the ship is the destination. The reason for this weekend cruise was just to relax and that we did plenty of. The food was great, as always. The shows were so- so, entertaining, but they don't , in any way, compare to the glitz and glamor of the Carnival shows. The band that played in Boleros was dynamite. Not only did they do the usual Latin music, but also a mix of 50's, 60's and 70's music. The service in the Windjammer, where we ate all our meals, was outstanding. Whenever our favorite ship, the Liberty of the Seas , is doing the Mediterranean, we sail the Majesty . It was very enjoyable and we'll probably sail her again during the summer, before the Liberty returns. Since I've already done reviews on the Majesty , I won't be doing another review right now, but if anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to post them here.

"Dr. Cass actually took his entire office on a paid vacation, including some of their spouses." If the doctor can afford this, he can afford to lose a few days of the office being closed. He's an eye doctor, not a heart surgeon!! Just sayin'!! Get over it doc........

We are Eric and Bernadette. We live in the Napa Valley and love to cruise. We have done 14 cruises, all with Princess. our next cruise will be in the fall on the new Royal Princess. We can't wait We are new to cruisecrazies.

This is a video interview (uploaded to YouTube) I did with Memo (one of the managers of Paradise Beach) on the day I hosted the Live Chat from Cozumel for the Crazies on 5/4/2013. I am still learning the editing of my new camera and software so in the future I will be uploading a better and more lengthy version.

I can't believe you're going back in November, I'm totally jealous!! I don't get to be back there until February... but I'm counting the days. And just to add to what you said above, with your $2 wristband you also get access to their *amazing* pool! I know it sounds weird to go to a beautiful beach and lie by a pool, but I can't get enough of those lounge chairs half-submerged on that wide deck around the inside edge of the pool. SO relaxing. Oh man, I can't wait to be back there... -gina-

I didn't want to clutter up Eph60's great thread about the views of a storm from a cruise ship he was on, so I thought I'd start a new one. Have some great pics of views from your cruise? Specifically, pictures you have taken from a cruise ship, like the view of a port from the ship, or a storm in the distance, or another ship, or whatever. I know there are some great pics out there! Here's one I took from my balcony on the Disney Magic several years ago, overlooking Charlotte Amalie harbor in St. Thomas. I had gotten up early to enjoy some coffee on the balcony, because this is one of my favorite harbors to just gaze upon. A small shower passed over the harbor, and left the most beautiful rainbow in its wake... Pictures don't do it justice -- it was a breathtaking moment. Your turn! :-) -gina-

The cruise lines get many rediculous complaints and questions. In many cases complaints are made by people who hope they will get something free just because they complained. When complaints are made directly on the ship, if they are obvious complaints to get something free the word travels like wildfire and the service for these people will go downhill fast in hopes that they never return.

Well said! Well done, Jason! Your comments help to lower the level of hysteria that seems to pervade the media every time there is an engineering problem or a few cases of Norovirus on a cruise ship. It's as if the media is drooling to destroy the big, evil cruise companies You are a welcome voice of cool, calm reason!

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Fran Silverman, host of "Ship to Shore Cruise Radio" talk show. It was a great 30 minute discussion which discusses the history of CruiseCrazies, why we are so unique, what we are known for, and a few blurbs on what's in the future plans for CruiseCrazies. This is just one of several media pieces dedicated to CruiseCrazies. As we continue to grow by the day, you can expect to see more coverage in the future. Listen (and view all other media coverage) here: About CruiseCrazies (Scroll towards the bottom) PRESS - CruiseCrazies Founder, Jason Taub, is available for interviews: Contact Form

Announcing the debut of our newest blog..."The Accidental Cruiser." Written by our very own member Stacey Redish (StaRed), this fun blog will kick off with a series of recollections from Stacey's first cruise experience which was totally unplanned and the reason why she has dubbed herself "The Accidental Cruiser." Like many of us, Stacey's first cruise is what ignited her intense passion for cruising and her craving for more cruising knowledge. When she says she's hooked, she truly means it. Once Stacey finishes her blog series detailing her first cruise, she'll then begin blogging about other fun cruise experiences and memories we'll all enjoy reading. A bit more about Stacey: Stacey and her husband are both passionate about traveling and have visited over half of the fifty states including Alaska and Hawaii, along with Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Honduras, and Belize - through both traditional travel and cruising. They have stayed in several luxury resorts in and out of the country, but their preferred method of travel is cruising. Stacey will be blogging at least once a week, so be sure to check back often for updates. And after you read each blog update, she'd love to see your comments below it. Please join me in extending a warm welcome to our very own resident blogger Stacey Redish, aka "The Accidental Cruiser!" Access Stacey's blog here or from the navigation menu at the top of the page by selecting "More" and then "Blogs."

One of the new features to our community is the Reputation system. A user's reputation is displayed on their profile, next to forum posts, and within member search results - It is based on the number of points a user has, which are awarded by other members. The idea is simple - Find a forum post helpful for your next cruise? "Rep It!" A user receives points when others vote on the content they have submitted to the community. Forum posts and photos all have a button that everyone can use to vote on that particular content. The purpose of the Reputation system, is to identify and distinguish helpful and informative content, as well as the authors of the content, as valuable, trusted, and reliable sources of information. Because we are a cruising community focused on cruise information, this new feature will be very helpful to our members and guests! Here are a just a few examples of content which you may find worthy of 'repping,' or awarding points: A useful tip for preparing for an upcoming cruise A recommendation for a particular hotel or shore excursion A helpful piece of advice on travel arrangements A photo that you enjoy Good to Know: Daily Reputation Limit - Each user can give 5 points in a 24 hour period Self Reps - Users cannot vote on their own content Highlighted Content - If a post or photo receives more than 5 "reps" or points, it becomes highlighted Viewing Content Points - The number of points awarded for specific content can always be seen directly below or next to the content Can View Who Gave Reputation * - This is a new benefit to CruiseCrazies Site Sponsors. Complete list of Site Sponsor benefits currently in process of being revised, will be available shortly Coming Soon: In the near future, I'll be releasing the Member Reputation Levels, along with a tool which will allow users to view those with the most reputation points. I look forward to bringing these updates to you soon. Until then, enjoy!!!

Yay Jan!!! Much deserved! ?

Thanks, CruiseCrazies! It's an honor to be selected, and I look forward to sharing more fun cruise stuff in the future with both old and new friends here in the community!?

CONGRATULATIONS, SHARI!!!!! It's an honor well deserved for all you do here to keep us coming back. Plus, you are always happy and cheerful, and you're the CruiseCrazies ray of sunshine! ☀️ Keep up the great work! ?️???

We cruise often and we figured out that we are better off paying for drinks as we order them. We don't drink to excess that way.

I don't believe he was awarded the lower amount. It said it was reduced to only the accommodations. It looked like they were trying to get the entire bill back. They paid for the the lower priced cabin. Which they would have been moved to because of the noise. But once upgraded they felt they should not have to be downgraded. If you move back to your original level how are you downgraded? I side with the line. I was on Oasis of the Seas the 2nd year and my room flooded on the 5th night of the cruise. Our hallway looked like a river. Two Junior Suites on the Hump were destroyed by water. An overhead A/C line ruptured at 3 am. We had just returned from the bar at 230 am when we heard pounding on our door. The neighbors had a waterfall coming out of the ceiling. We barely slept that night. The next day we asked for a room for a few hours to catch some sleep while our room dried. It was the coolant smell plus the high humidity in the Bahamas that kept us from sleeping in our room. The staff was great. The went over and above to help us. We received a $300 OBC on our cruise and a 35% off our next cruise. I was good with that. Wanting the entire amount is insane. And it said it was a week into the cruise that those people moved in. 7 from 11 is 4 days. So maybe 30% discount. But not 100 or 150%

I actually went to the gym on my last cruise - not just once, but twice, when my husband dragged me out of bed to go with him. Other days I always made a point of circling the promenade a few times. I tried hard to eat in moderation - as I get older, I can’t eat huge amounts of food, thankfully. I came home with only 2 extra pounds, which was a record for me. ?

I choose the healthy options that they offer. I drink lots of water, and have a Virgin Pina Colada or two during the whole cruise. I don't eat fried or salty foods, but I must eat chocolate desserts on a cruise with every meal. If I eat whole wheat bread for breakfast or at dinner, I don't put any butter on it. When I eat pasta, I eat the ones made with red sauce. I don't like creamy sauces. I also bring my chocolate protein bars with me because I'm up at 5am every morning and breakfast doesn't open up until 7am. I eat what they have available that's healthier, but will not make special requests to the chefs, I think that's going a little too far. I also exercise at the gym everyday, and always use the stairs, never the elevator.

Wow, excellent tips. Didn’t realize cruise ships were so accommodating. I can’t picture myself bring the mayo and snacks . I guess if you’re really determined, it’s possible to keep the pounds off but for me, it’s always been a pound up per day. I really do need to try some of these tips. Great article.

@Jason I have to say the entire Celebrity Edge concept is my favorite thing about the new ships coming out. I like how Celebrity decided to go above and beyond with this ship class. They are taking all innovations that are propelling the entire industry into the future and putting them on a moderately sized ship. This allows celebrity to show that ships can be innovative and still be small enough to go to the most sought after destinations ! I do like how Celebrity made the industry know why it's been nearly 10 years since they have debuted a ship , because they were designing one of the most technological advanced ships of our time !

First Cruise: 2000 Holland America's Ryndam Alaska - to this day my favorite destination ? OK - here we are....what do we do now?! Of course now, after our 26th (28th?....something like that) cruise, we know exactly what to do and that feeling of crossing the gangway onto the ship just keeps getting better and better!

Oh yeah, we need to bring the mega bottle of Tums to handle all that food!?

August 2002, 20th Anniversary Cruise (Wish I had started cruising much sooner!) Grand Princess (Princess remains my favorite cruise line to this day!) Western Caribbean (Cozumel, Grand Cayman, etc.) First Reaction on Boarding:

Hi everyone, Just a quick note to let you know that CruiseCrazies will be getting a significant facelift in the coming months - To ensure our community is as stable as possible, fully accessible across all devices, and loaded with the latest and greatest features available. Beginning this week you'll notice some differences in how the site looks and in some areas, how it functions. You'll also notice new features which are being introduced silently for now. Once all enhancements are completed, all the details will be shared. At that time, you can expect to witness the next generation of CruiseCrazies. Lots of excitement ahead. Stay tuned!

Hi! I work for Hungry Girl and wanted to address these comments. It’s NOT a “weight-loss" cruise per se — it’s a cruise where you’ll learn how to lose weight in the real world. This is a vacation, and we want you to be free to decide if you indulge or not! Healthy food options as well as more decadent choices will be available, so it’s up to you! Get more info at cruise.hungry-girl.com!

Well I'm finally here!! Hello all! Very exciting to be going on this adventure with my best friend of 30 years! Michelle and I are two peas in a pod!

I suppose automatic gratuities take care of the staff behind the scenes who wouldn't necessarily have direct contact with passengers. They would probably be routinely forgotten otherwise. I still think it's nice to tip extra cash directly to those individuals who "make my day," and I will continue to do so.

Couldn't agree more, Tim, and I say that as a parent. Some people seem to check their common sense, manners, and what little parenting skills they have at the gangway on embarkation day, I think! My son and I have been sailing since he was just turning 6, and he's 17 now. From the very beginning, I made a "cruise rules" list, and made him read it and sign it (which I think helps kids feel and become more accountable.) Over the years the list has been tweaked to reflect new privileges with age and maturity, but the gist of it is the same. Here is the list from our most recent cruise: CRUISE RULES None of these are optional You are not to enter any cabin other than ours without me. Ever. No one is to enter our cabin except you, me, or the staff. If you are in our cabin alone, hang the "DO NOT DISTURB" sign on the door. Remember to remove it when you leave. You are not to drink any beverage unless it is handed to you by one of us or a staff member. You are not to drink anything that you have let out of your sight. If you change locations from where you last said you were going to be, you need to either swing by the stateroom and write it on the white board (including the time), or use a house phone somewhere and leave a message in our stateroom voicemail box. Do not hang out, horse around, or run in the stairwells, hallways, or elevators. Your curfew will be decided on each day. It will vary depending on the teen activities that are planned, and what time we need to start the next day. Your SeaPass card is tied to my credit card even though you have your own funds on there. It is up to you to check your balance daily. If you lose your SeaPass card, notify Guest Services immediately. Towels for the pool have to be checked out with your SeaPass card. It is *your* responsibility to turn your towel back in. They charge $25 for each towel not checked back in, and that will come out of your funds. Our dining time for dinner is 7pm, so you will need to make sure you allow yourself enough time to finish whatever you’re doing and head back to the cabin with enough time to get yourself ready and either leave with me at 6:45 or meet me at the dining room entrance by 6:45 (or earlier if we’re taking pictures, which I will let you know about ahead of time.) If you order room service, don’t forget to tip them. You know where the tip money is. Also don’t forget to gather up any dishes/silverware/napkins/etc as neatly as possible for the room steward. If we arrange a check-in time and you miss it by more than 15 minutes, you get one "I-fell-asleep-at-the-pool" free pass. After that then you will spend the rest of that day with me or in the cabin. I expect you to be the Southern gentleman you have been raised to be, using please, thank you, and excuse me at all times. Hold the doors for people, allow people to get off of the elevator before you step on. Being on vacation is never an excuse for leaving manners at home. Handwashing is a must!! If unable to wash your hands with soap and water, you will always have hand sanitizer available. USE IT! No going to the outside areas of the upper deck at night. Do not leave the stateroom a mess. The room steward has enough to do! Keep all of your valuables in the cabin safe. Always, always treat the ship crew members with respect, every last one of them. You know how they always go out of their way to make our cruises special and happy – go out of your way to smile and say "hello".　 All those people on the Roll Call list? They’ve all seen your picture and know you’re my son. If you’re acting like an idiot somewhere onboard, I WILL find out about it. :-p 　 I, XXXX, agree to follow these rules. _____________________________ So far so good, haven't had any discipline issues yet! -gina- 　

Two great reasons for cruising in the fall! There’s not a single cruise in this article that we don’t want to go on! So many cruises, so little time!

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Cruising around the British Isles.

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.

First off, I would like to welcome all the new members we have aboard the M/S Cruisecrazies . Regardless of whether you are new to cruising or if you are considering your next cruise, the members here have all of the answers to your questions! No matter how many cruises you have been on, you will find that cruising is always an exciting and learning experience. No two ships (even within the same cruise line) are the same. We are here to make the planning of your next or first cruise vacation as stress-less and smooth as possible. It is so easy to ask your questions and there actually two ways to do so! You can either click the tab "Forums" to the upper left, then click the "Let's Talk Cruise" button to post a question, or you can actually send a question directly to a member that may have mentioned a topic you have a question about (such as a ship you have been thinking of sailing on) by clicking on their username and sending them a personal message!!! It can't get an easier than that!!! So ask away!!! Were here to help. "Sea" you onboard!!!

Yes. We're sailing the Caribbean out of Fort Lauderdale on the Celebrity Eclipse (2 weeks) at the end of this month. St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba. Looking forward to seeing Bonaire. Neither my hubby or I have ever been there.

Welcome, Shon! I enjoyed your first blog post, and look forward to reading more!

Well, I've never known a civil attorney who didn't believe he knew engineering better than engineers, architecture better than architects, medicine better than doctors and (Lord knows) music better than musicians.