Lisa63

Unfortunately, that pretty much sums up our New England weather... year-round, actually. I am sorry you did not have better weather. This was a particularly odd autumn. I recall exactly the week you visited. Even we New Englanders brought out our gloves and scarves. While I love my New England cruises, I really don't like the way many of them are marketed. In many cases, pax will not see the brilliant fall foliage shown in the brochures. Sure, there will be some beautiful colors, but the best of the leaf peeping is done inland, not within a few miles of the coast. And, the timing of when the leaves are at peak color changes from year to year. I wish more of the brochures would highlight the history of these ports, as they are remarkable. OK... off my soapbox now. Thank you for the review... and I loved the part about the lack of Rs in Bostonians' speech. I've been here 20 years and I still can't understand everyone.

As an ocean liner fanatic, I am appalled by this idea. A cruise that honors the memories of those who perished is one thing. Promoting it as a re-creation, implying a form of entertainment, is quite another, IMO.

Great thread. I am one who actually loses a couple of pounds on cruises, which is interesting as I struggle with my weight in "real" life. I do this by taking most meals in the dining room (portion control), making my choices at the buffet carefully, walking the promenade deck for a mile or two every morning, and going to the gym a couple of times. (It's so close... no excuses, lol.) Then again, I do indulge a bit here and there -- those of you who have been on HAL will likely understand about the bread pudding with vanilla sauce. Now, if only I could write off my cruises as medically necessary. :)

We pose for many, yet the only ones we consistently purchase are the embarkation photos. (We have all 24 of them!)

ss NORWAY. The beauty, the history, the attentive crew, and the pride one had looking at the ship from shore and saying, "that one's mine."

Great questions. To get caught up: (1) What is your favorite onboard entertainment? I love anything musical. My favorites are the classical pianists. (2) Is two fold ..one is there one destination you would rather NEVER visit again? ..two is there one destination you ALWAYS love to visit? I'll answer the second one first. I never tire of Halifax. Other favorites are Quebec City and Bermuda, which we've visited several times each, and just about any port in eastern and northern Norway. I wouldn't be upset if we never visited the Caribbean again, other than Cozumel. (3) Based on a sailing time of 5pm... What time do you prefer get to the pier to begin the boarding process? By noon, if possible. I want to get the most time onboard as I can. (4) Thinking back to your first cruise, What do you remember most? This may sound a bit odd, yet we still recall hearing a maitre d' tell a waiter to return a plate of pasta to the kitchen as the ends were frayed. We knew then that this was going to be a special vacation.

Oops... I didn't catch that, either. I was hoping you were planning another booking.

Hi Joey. We were on Century in 2007, and I do recall that there were several music choices through the TV. I don't remember much about them though, nor how limited they were. Enjoy!

Congratulations, Keith and Rita. What a super itinerary. I wish we could join you to ring in 2009!

What a great idea for a thread! I'm glad it was brought back to the top. We're cruising on HAL Ryndam in mid-August, Inside Passage round trip from Vancouver. We've planned on the following: Juneau: Mendenhall Glacier & Salmon Bake Skagway: Ultimate Yukon & White Pass Railroad (with coach transportation to Carcross) Ketchikan: Misty Fjords & Wilderness Explorer boat excursion We're also in Vancouver for two nights pre-cruise, and haven't made any plans for activities. Our son loves zoos, so maybe we'll find one. Like LaurieM, we have cruised many times before but this will be our first visit to Alaska.

Joey, I would love to book yet can't due to the time of year. (Husband is a teacher, kid is in school). I'm sure you'll all have a GREAT time!

Congratulations on the booking. It sounds like a wonderful cruise...one that is certainly on our wish list. We enjoy Celebrity, as well.

We've booked insides in the past, and would do so again as long as the square footage was big enough for our family of three. I remember that Splendor and Rhapsody of the Seas had marvelous, large inside cabins with a sofa for our son and plenty of storage.

SS Norway (which is actually her second name, may she rest in peace ) Among ships currently sailing, Norwegian Majesty (also her second name).

Thank you for the great review, Ray! We'd love to do this cruise someday.

Now that you mention it, I would select shore excursions also. My original answer was going to be the gift shop.

Enjoy your new luggage, Joey! We bought several new pieces last year -- among them a 19-inch rollaboard carryon, 25-inch wheeled case, and large tote from TravelPro, and a 20-inch rollaboard carryon and rolling garment bag from Atlantic. The TravelPro luggage was for me, while the Atlantic luggage was for our son. I travel for business, and I loved the organization of the TravelPro 19-inch bag. So far, so good as far as sturdiness, but I've checked it only once. I also learned that it is waterproof, as advertised. (The carpet became saturated in the cabin on our last cruise...long story but no harm done.)

I don't mind the amenities so much as, as others have mentioned, it's up to me whether or not to use them. And, the more people using the rock wall, the more room there is for me to read my book on an outdoor promenade deck. I do long for the smaller ships, however. Something in the 30K-50K range would suit me just fine. I've also found that it's getting harder to tell one line from another, especially in the Caribbean. When we were in St. Maarten a couple of years ago, we shared the dock with three other ships. I heard the announcements from one of these neighboring ships, and thought it was from our ship...

We're cruising to Alaska in August, and will also have a two-night pre-cruise stay in Vancouver. All of these spots will be new to us. We're also taking a 2-night cruise to nowhere in May.

Breakfast. It's my favorite meal at home, too. Yet, unlike at home, when on a cruise I enjoy the atmosphere of a leisurely breakfast in the dining room and the attentive service.

I would be interested as I'd love to meet you! Unfortunately, my husband can't get away during the school year. I hope your plans materialize as it sounds like a great time!

It's so sad to read of the health reasons that forced cancellation. We've cancelled two cruises. One was due to health reasons of a traveling companion/close friend, and the other was because we changed our minds because of the falling dollar vs. the pound. Interestingly, both cancellations involved the same ship!

We just booked Norwegian Dream for a cruise to nowhere leaving Boston on May 9. I had no idea she was going to do a weekend cruise prior to her Bermuda season, yet came across it by accident. We were last on the ship (as well as her sister, ex-Windward) before the stretch in the late '90s, so we are curious to see the changes. I know she hasn't gotten good reviews lately -- but a cruise is a cruise! If any other Crazies book this weekend getaway, I'm happy to plan a meeting onboard.

This was a wonderful issue. I also enjoyed the article on the liner posters. It seems that Cruise Travel is devoting space in each issue to the classic ships, while still keeping current with the changes in the industry.

We made a westbound transatlantic crossing on QE2 in 2003. There are so many memories, such as: Falling asleep on a deck chair one morning, and waking up to discover the steward had covered me with a warm wool blanket. Everyone dressed so well on the four formal nights...and the little girls looked like princesses. One of them took a liking to our son, then 9 years old, and asked him to dance. The two looked so sweet doing a slow dance on the dance floor, and the adults enjoying real dancing didn't seem to mind. Meeting so many people from different walks of life. One gentleman was in his 70s and was making his first trip ever out of his native Canada. (Before our crossing, QE2 made some cruises within Europe.) Enjoying a variety of shows, usually more than one per evening. We enjoyed jazz concerts, classical concerts, and live production shows. Listening to (and even meeting) my favorite author, renowned maritime historian John Maxtone-Graham. His lectures were informative and entertaining, and he was very pleasant in person. These are just a few of many. While we were onboard just that one week, I will miss her.