Suzila

Glad to hear you had a nice vacation. Welcome 'home'!

I don't even have to look at the other activities....EATING is my favorite. However, I do have to say that going on the excursions is also one of my favorite things to do. That's not 'onboard' though.

Your review was very interesting. Our next door neighbors are leaving on 12/9 for their second trip aboard the Freedom of the Seas and they are ecstatic. They loved it the first time and can't wait for this trip. I'll pass your review along to them.

I am not a 'horse person'...proven to be not my thing after a bad experience at a dude ranch years ago. Horses and I don't get along. However, there were two ladies we met on a cruise who did a 4 hour horseback excursion in Mexico. They had both been horseback riding before, but it wasn't a usual activity for them. While they loved it, they both said it was too long and they were extremely sore the next day. If it's something you're used to doing, then I say go for it...if not, it may be too much for you.

I wouldn't be going on a cruise alone, unless it was for a business meeting. Hubby and I have discussed this often...taking separate vacations, and we both have no desire to do so. My brother and his wife take separate vacations all the time, then one big one together each year. I feel the same as Mercedes does on this one.

I agree...it's Valentine's Day, with Christmas a very close second. Valentine's Day used to be nothing spectacular. Now, if you don't come across with diamonds or something really expensive, you're Persona non grata. Hubby and I don't give each other big gifts for Valentine's Day. We usually go out to dinner, or something like that, maybe chocolates.

Did Browie have fun, or was he STUFFED in a suitcase?

Have a great time you two! We'll miss you!

My choices would be: 1. Norwegian Sun 2. Fly to Hawaii and take a cruise 3. Pacific Princess The significant birthday can be celebrated the entire cruise. It doesn't necessarily have to be on that day. I would certainly choose the longer cruise, if you have the time available. And definitely choose a larger ship over a smaller one if I was crossing the ocean.

I have to agree with John. I cruised Carnival years ago and didn't like it. Said I'd never cruise with them again, then I won a Carnival cruise. Who's going to turn that down? So, we gave it another try, and loved it. We've since cruised with them another 4 times, by choice. The food is very good, the service, as well. I haven't been on Celebrity, but we've been on Princess, NCL, and Royal Caribbean. While I've enjoyed all the cruises, and all the different lines, I think I'd have to say that Carnival is the most fun to be on. They also seem to have more activities, better entertainment.

Have a wonderful cruise, a wonderful anniversary, and many more happy ones. I wish I was sailing Sunday.

"I noticed that trash cans on Carnival are placed strategically near the bathroom exit. I usually use the paper towel to turn off the tap and also use it to pull the bathroom door open, then I discard it in the conveniently located receptacle. Sometimes there is a box of paper adhered to the door just for use in using the door handle." And, according to health specialists...that's exactly what you SHOULD be doing. I do it too. I was watching a news report on tv and the experts advise that if there ISN'T a trash can close to the door so this can be done, you should just throw the used paper towel on the floor near the door, and they'll get the idea. While I haven't done that yet, I have gone to the manager of a restaurant and told them to get a trash can near the door. The next time I went, it was right there.

Royal Caribbean also had hand sanitizer available as we boarded the ship after an excursion on our Alaskan cruise. I always have some in my purse, and use my own. We flew the day after the last terrorist scare in August, and they had everyone throw all the liquid-type items away. I had heard about it the night before, and re-packed everything into our check-in luggage. But I hated being on the plane with no hand sanitizer.

Just heard about this on our local news: clock Nov 16, 2006 6:56 am US/Pacific 700-Plus Sick On Atlantic Cruise (AP) FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. More than 700 passengers and crew members aboard a trans-Atlantic cruise have fallen ill with flu-like symptoms, cruise line officials said. The outbreak, believed to be norovirus, struck people aboard the Carnival Cruise Lines' Liberty, one of the world's largest cruise ships, according to a statement issued Wednesday by the Miami-based company. The ship left Rome on Nov. 3 with about 2,800 paying passengers and was due to arrive in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday. "Within 24 hours of sailing, they had a lot of people sick. It has tapered off considerably over the past couple days," said David Forney, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. He said three environmental health specialists were expected to board the ship in St. Maarten on Thursday to oversee cleaning and to determine the cause of the outbreak. Noroviruses affect about 23 million Americans annually, according to the CDC. More than a dozen incidents of the illness have been reported on cruise ships this year. (© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

The pictures were wonderful, Joey. You and David look so dapper in your tuxes. And the cream puff in a puddle of chocolate looked like something to-die-for. A Mediterranean cruise is on our list of to-dos someday. Your pictures made me want it more. Thanks!

Have a great time Jeff!

I also took the Sarchi tour when we were on the cruise in 1999. We were on a Princess ship. Yes, they had bathrooms on the bus, and they stopped at many places for us to shop...and hit the restrooms.

I can't pin it down to a favorite. Every cruise we've taken has been a favorite. We've been on Carnival RCI Princess Norwegian Norwegian had the best food, but the ship was older, and we were going to Mexico, which is not our favorite destination. Princess was a step above, and we've been on that for Alaska and for the Panama Canal. RCI, we've gone to Mexico and to Alaska. It also, seems to be a step above Carnival, and while their staterooms are nice, they don't offer enough storage space. Carnival has the largest staterooms so far, and we've done Mexico and the Caribbean...neither of which is our favorite destination. Carnival is a lot of fun, with more activities than the other ships offer, and a younger clientele.

We've been on both equally. I agree with Cheryl...the room on Royal Caribbean was nice, but the storage space was awful. I think Royal Caribbean is a little classier cruise. I think the food is comparable. I think there are more activities on Carnival. I would not hesitate to cruise on either of them again. And again. And again.

Me too...that's terrible. I've booked directly through the cruise line and also through our TA. I've never booked with anyone else who just emails me with their 'specials'.

Hi Vicky, welcome to the board. I get carsick and seasick...but seasick only on small boats. I can't go the 26 miles from Long Beach to Catalina Island on the commuter boat without turning green! I can't even get into a rowboat. If I sit in the back seat of a car, it's curtains. However, I've never been seasick on a ship. I do carry Bonine with me. Bonine doesn't make me drowsy, while Dramamine does. When our kids were little, I asked the pediatician about it and he told me a half of a Bonine would be okay...never more. But do ask the pediatrician before you do that. My kids are grown now, so that may have changed, or maybe he could suggest something better for your child. I'm not sure about using a patch on a child. While it worked for me on our very first cruise, when I took it off I couldn't see for 24 hours. I don't think I'd want to do that to a baby.

We've had a free cruise twice. I won a Baja cruise for 4 in 2003 through a local supermarket, and then back in 1998 hubby and I wanted to send our youngest son and his friend on a Baja cruise for their high school graduation, like we did for our oldest and his friend the year before. But the rules had changed that year and you couldn't travel on a cruise unchaperoned unless you were 25 years or older. So, hubby and I decided to go too. We booked the cruise, and a few weeks before we were set to sail our travel agent called and said they were over-booked, could we possibly move out trip to another week, because he'd get us a 'good deal' if we 'could help him out'. We changed the week to one in July instead of the original June, and the travel agent came back and said, the cruise is free, and here's a voucher for excursions too! Those were two fun cruises.

At first glance, it may look like someone is selling cruises for $1.00, but if you delve further into it, what you are bidding on is a cruise report, telling you how to get cruises wholesale, or there's one that's listed as a cruise, and what you are actually bidding on is a postcard!

So what this teaches us is that you MUST have insurance to cover yourself. It's no longer a 'maybe I should buy insurance'...now it's a necessity. On the other hand, the woman did get her cruise fare back, plus the option of 25% off another cruise (which I'm sure she'd never use!), and she was able to use the airline tickets to see her Mother. But, what if you can't use the airline tickets? What if, when we had gone on our Panama Canal cruise, they had bumped us? I would have been stuck with non-refundable airline tickets from L.A. to Ft. Lauderdale, and from Acapulco to L.A. That's absolutely ridiculous. What I would like to see is some sort of ruling that in order to charter a ship for a business convention, etc., it has to be done at least a year in advance. If a family is booked on a ship, usually a year in advance, they haven't bought their airline tickets yet, haven't paid their cruise fare in full yet, etc. Do you actually believe they booked a charter ship two months before it was to take place? Pretty poor business practices.

Have a fun, safe trip. I don't need you to have a drink for me...but I do need you to have a dessert for me! AND, I want DETAILS of what it was, how it tasted, everything...maybe a picture! (I'm not asking for much, right?) Have a super time...we'll miss you!