Dan

For what it's worth, I would have done the same thing. I've booked my air on 3 cruises and the only time I was burned was because of 9-11. I'll always check the various options and book what I feel is the best deal, based on cost, timetable, and airport. If the best option is with the cruise line, then fine, but I won't feel nervous about booking on my own on the off chance a cruise will get changed.

For what it's worth, I would have done the same thing. I've booked my air on 3 cruises and the only time I was burned was because of 9-11. I'll always check the various options and book what I feel is the best deal, based on cost, timetable, and airport. If the best option is with the cruise line, then fine, but I won't feel nervous about booking on my own on the off chance a cruise will get changed.

Or, one of the heroes that rescued her.

Or, one of the heroes that rescued her.

I'd still like to do a summertime Great Lakes cruise. Start out in Chicago, and end in Montreal. I've said it before. The Welland Canal connecting Lakes Erie and Ontario is much more impressive than the Panama Canal, just not in the exotic location. It can't handle the same size ships though, so something along the lines of the Tahitian Princess would suffice. Get off in Montreal, and board something along the lines of the Grand Princess, for a repositioning cruise to Galveston Texas. Required stops along the way would be Quebec City, Halifax, Boston, New York, Baltimore, Norfolk, Key West, and Aruba, just to mix it up a little LOL

I'd still like to do a summertime Great Lakes cruise. Start out in Chicago, and end in Montreal. I've said it before. The Welland Canal connecting Lakes Erie and Ontario is much more impressive than the Panama Canal, just not in the exotic location. It can't handle the same size ships though, so something along the lines of the Tahitian Princess would suffice. Get off in Montreal, and board something along the lines of the Grand Princess, for a repositioning cruise to Galveston Texas. Required stops along the way would be Quebec City, Halifax, Boston, New York, Baltimore, Norfolk, Key West, and Aruba, just to mix it up a little LOL

The reason they cancelled is because Carnival announced last week that the Jubillee will be sailing from Jacksonville from the middle of May until the end of August. I think that's when the ship gets transferred to P&O Australia. The date of the press release on the Carnival site is Nov 25. Not sure how the equates to when you bought your air tickets, but I'd certainly use that in a discussion with Carnival about some kind of credit. They had to know earlier than the 25th that the cruises were going to be cancelled, and if they had been quicker about notifying travel agents, then fewer passengers would have committed to outside expenses that can't be refunded now.

The reason they cancelled is because Carnival announced last week that the Jubillee will be sailing from Jacksonville from the middle of May until the end of August. I think that's when the ship gets transferred to P&O Australia. The date of the press release on the Carnival site is Nov 25. Not sure how the equates to when you bought your air tickets, but I'd certainly use that in a discussion with Carnival about some kind of credit. They had to know earlier than the 25th that the cruises were going to be cancelled, and if they had been quicker about notifying travel agents, then fewer passengers would have committed to outside expenses that can't be refunded now.

I'd go back to Carnival and see what they'll do for you to get you to re-book with them. You'll likely end up eating the cost of these airline tickets either way, but if you can get some kind of cabin credit from Carnival, it could help soften the blow. I also find it hard to beleive that Spirit won't allow a change (admitedly, with a fee of course), this far out. Even Air Canada (the world's worst airline) lets you re-book with a fee.

I'd go back to Carnival and see what they'll do for you to get you to re-book with them. You'll likely end up eating the cost of these airline tickets either way, but if you can get some kind of cabin credit from Carnival, it could help soften the blow. I also find it hard to beleive that Spirit won't allow a change (admitedly, with a fee of course), this far out. Even Air Canada (the world's worst airline) lets you re-book with a fee.

Half Moon Cay?

Well, I could give some tips, but this board is read by minors. LOL We've had one inside cabin, and don't look back at it as being a lesser experience than the others with windows. You read a lot on various message boards with people saying they just could not enjoy having an inside cabin, especially after having balconies or being in suites. To me, these people don't know how to have fun on a cruise, if the cabin makes a difference to them. Sure, windows or balconies are nice to have, but if finances or availability dictates an inside, then that shouldn't be a drawback.

Not yet, and the only one I can foresee repeating is the Grand Princess. We've only been on 4 though, so we have lots of ships to try before repeating LOL

From yahoo ST. NAZAIRE, France - A gangway collapsed Saturday as dozens of people were crossing it to board the Queen Mary 2, the world's largest passenger ship, killing 12 people and injuring 32 others, fire officials said. The victims were family members visiting workers involved in construction of the nearly finished, 21-story-tall ocean liner, local officials said. The relatives, who had been given permission to visit Saturday, had crowded on to the access gangway from the dock to the ship, said Herve Malherbe, chief aid at the Loire-Atlantic prefecture. It was not immediately known how high up the gangway was or why it collapsed. Ten of the injured were in serious condition, according to the Operational Center Fire and Rescue Center. France-Info radio reported that children were among the victims. The Queen Mary 2 is currently in dry dock at this Atlantic coastal shipyard, where it remains under construction. Once completed, it will feature a planetarium, 22 elevators and the world's largest floating library. The 150,000-ton trans-Atlantic liner recently finished its second test run. The first was in September. Dozens of firefighters and rescue workers rushed to the scene of the accident, setting up medical units to treat the injured. Once completed, the $800 million QM2 ? the world's longest, tallest and most expensive passenger ship ? will join an illustrious list of massive passenger ships. The Queen Elizabeth 2 ? whose trans-Atlantic route will be taken over by the new ship in April ? was built in 1967; the original Queen Mary was launched in 1934 and is now a hotel in Long Beach, California. In sheer size, the QM2 tops them all. It's 377 yards long and 79 yards high ? or about the height of a 21-story building. It will weigh more than twice the QE2's 70,000 tons. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.'s Voyager-class ships, about 138,000 tons, are currently the largest cruise ships in service. The ship is being built by Alstom Marine's Chantiers de l'Atlantique for the British ship operator Cunard Line, which is owned by Carnival Corp. Some 800 companies, mostly French, have been involved in the construction. The QM2 has generated a lot of interest, with Chantiers de l'Atlantique saying it had received at least 150,000 letters from people asking to come aboard for a look.