Suzila

Parrot in Ixtapa, Mexico, April 2008

This is the 'strangest' creature I've ever come upon on a cruise...my hubby, Ray, while on a Rhino Jeep tour. Zihuatenejo, Mexico April 2008

Ahhhh....never been to either of those places. However, Ray and I find ourselves presently planning a cross-country trip to Tennessee. We sold his '51 VW and the doctor who bought it is paying us handsomely to deliver it to him. I'm looking forward to this trip, and the adventure of traveling across the country...have never done that before. So, do you mean to tell me we may find 'good' prices for hotels along the way? Something less than $100/night?

Sunken Garden, Butchart Gardens, Victoria, BC August 2006

Granville Channel, Alaska 2006

Skagway, Alaska, Radiance of the Seas docked 2006

San Pedro, California, Port of Los Angeles, with Vincent Thomas Bridge in background, February 2008

Sailing past Molokai, Hawaii August 2007

That's great news...hope all the cruise lines catch on. Now, WHERE can we find a hotel for $29.95/night? LOL!

Personally, I have not had to use the infirmary, however, I took a girl down there whom I didn't even know. When we went on our Super Bowl cruise last year, we were all waiting outside the theater for the doors to open and to find the best seats to see the game. There was a girl in her 20's standing next to me, and when they opened the doors, she ran in. However, there was a mirrored wall in the theater, and she thought it was the way in to the seats. She banged into the mirror really hard, and almost fainted. She had an immediate bulge on her forehead, and had hit her nose. We all sat down, and everyone in her party was joking, but I turned around to her and asked her if I could take her down to the infirmary. She thanked me, because you could see she wasn't feeling well, and we went. They had her stay down there for awhile, she was shaking by that time, and i stayed with her. She was so grateful, and I felt so bad for her. She was really bruised up, but thankfully hadn't broken anything. Later we were both able to go back to the game.

I like the smell of coffee, but not the taste. I've had one cup of coffee in my lifetime...on a horrendous flight from LA to NY, and got sick from drinking that! Never again. So, I'll add my vote and say 'NONE' too!

Cabin steward for me too. I want things to be 'right'.

Our shortest is the 3 night cruise out of Los Angeles...we've done this often, just for a nice, quick, long weekend, and our longest was 12 days Panama Canal.

We've used the same one for most of our cruises. He used to be local to us, but a number of years ago moved to Miami and opened up a place there. We still keep in touch with him and research our cruises on his website, then call him to make plans. He always gets back to us immediately with the info we need, and many times has been able to upgrade us and get great deals for us. Once when we planned a high school graduation cruise for our kids and their friends, he asked if we could possibly move the date one week, and told us he 'would get us a good deal' if we could do it. We did, and his 'good deal' turned out to be a free cruise for all of us. That's what I call a 'good deal'. When our (two) kids were married, we called him to make arrangements for their honeymoon cruises. He was flabbergasted when we told him they were getting married. he said he remembered when we used to sit in front of him in his office and the boys would be under his desk, playing 'fort'. Both our sons have used him in the three years since their weddings, so it's a 'family tradition' now!

Best value for my dollar. I get to see different places without having to get on a plane, get off a plane, get back on.

Not only that, but what about when you have two different people review the exact same cruise? One has a great time, and the other complains about everything?

Thanks, you two...exactly the info I needed.

I read quite a few 'bad' reviews about NCL Pride of America...mostly about the lousy service, before we went. Our family was intent on taking a Hawaii cruise and there wasn't any other way for us to do it...didn't want to do the longer cruise, to travel cross the ocean, didn't have the time, etc. We decided to form our own opinions, however, we knew going in that we should use the ship as a floating hotel. We had heard that service was poor, food was bad, nothing really good about it. I will continue to read reviews, but what one person likes, another doesn't. Same as when I read the reviews on here about how wonderful beaches are in the Caribbean, how there's so much to do there, etc...I don't enjoy going to beaches, can't step foot on one, and find very little to do the times we've gone on a Caribbean cruise. So, you like one thing, and I like another. Anyway, the NCL Pride of America turned out to be one of my favorite all-time cruises. Like I said, read the reviews if you like, but form your own opinion.

I thought the RCL Vision of the Seas had a very easy layout. But, I think my favorite ship might have been the NCL Pride of America. I loved the idea of having an all-American crew, and the decor was nice too. I'm a red, white and blue type of person...my house is decorated like that, so the ship's decor was perfect for me.

Sadly, I don't have a lot of time to just enjoy talking about cruising...I try, but there's too much going on in my 'regular' life and I don't have time to just hang out here. I join the various cruise forums for information more than anything else.

How much would you estimate port fees to be on a 5 day Royal Caribbean cruise to the Caribbean? A friend has a chance to go on her first cruise for 'free', and just has to pay the port fees, for which they are asking $199 total for two people. Does that sound about right? Does that sound high? What do you think? I don't usually think about port fees...when we book a cruise, they are included in the quote price of the cruise. Thanks in advance....

The shore excursions we choose are never dictated by price. We always save up enough money in advance to be able to do whatever fun things we want when on a cruise. If we've been to a port before, we usually just go and do our own thing, no tour. If we've never been to a location, we take a tour. I don't want any surprises, getting stuck somewhere, etc. I like to know we're 'somewhat' safe, and covered by the cruise line. Usually reviews from past guests do not influence me because most people review the beaches. We are not beach people and prefer city tours, or adventurous things to do. We steer clear of the beaches.

When you buy travel insurance, do they ever check first to find out if you have a PEC? We had travel insurance for a cruise a number of years ago, and my son had had a number of episodes with collapsed lung. Unfortunately, he had another one about 3 days before we were leave on the cruise and we had to cancel. The insurance company never questioned us, we received all the money back we had paid for the trip.

I do the same as Rita. I start filling up a suitcase about a month before a cruise, and keep it in the guest room.

We had e-docs on our last NCL cruise, but they also sent us luggage tags through the mail. On our previous NCL cruise, we just printed off the luggage tags and I laminated them to make them more sturdy. I like the e-docs. I like having the documents almost as soon as I book, and not having to wait for them to arrive.