Bodger

Every morning when I get in my car the little light comes on and says "CRUISE"! :smiley: Bodger

I agree with Jtutak - Aruba. Planning to be there mid-March. Bodger

I would guess it is some cruise lines private island, but not one I have visited. Bodger

Being a cynic, I fully expect that cruise lines will do almost anything to get their hands in your pocket. (No not for that, :wink: they just want your money!) Technically I am impressed, as these are radio signals and there are immense amounts of signal blocking steel with which to contend. You undoubtedly will need to enter your cabin number or other identifier to gain access, and the time clock will start ticking. The system on the ship will be pretty fast. I wonder if the internet access will be as fast. This is a significant investment in a technology that will likely not last past the first major refurb. Bodger

Another option might be a car rental. They are certainly available at FLL but you would have to find out what your options are at the Miami end for return. I know in FLL that Budget has a return site just outside the Port Everglades entrance and they charge an extra $4.00 on the rental to bus everyone into the pier. Last winter we had a convertible for $35.00 plus taxes and fees. Next March we will have five people plus luggage so we will rent a van. Bodger

We just returned from a two week land cruise through Atlantic Canada and parts of New England. We had a great time. Bermuda would be nice, I am sure, but I would take Atlantic Canada in the summer over Nassau. If you want islands, Cape Breton Island is awesome. Bodger

We have sailed on the Statendam three times. For no reason other than we like HAL and it just worked out she was going where we wanted to go at the time. We always had a good time. Our next cruise will be on the Volendam which is a stretched version of the Statendam class ships. Bodger

El Morro it is. Bodger

Well that didn't take too long, can you be more specific? We are off tomorrow on a road trip, and I was hoping I wouldn't have to leave folks hanging. This is a favourite photo of mine and it is the wall paper on my computer screen. Bodger

Did I miss something or is this just the spinmeisters at work? It strikes me that I did at least 90% of this online a year and a half ago when we sailed on the Zenith. At the port (Jacksonville) all we had to do was fill out a Bahamas immigration form (missing in the mailed package), provide a credit card, turn in our cruise tickets and pickup our boarding cards. The process went fairly quickly. As I recall it was much the same on this years Princess cruise. So apart from adding online credit card registration to the process, I don't think much has changed. Mind you, a good ad man won't miss an opportunity to make something old look like a big new deal. Now if they wouldn't force us to stand in line to have our picture taken, the boarding process would be fairly fast and painless. Bodger

Mrs. Bodger had similar problems last cruise on Princess. Initially there were a couple of vegetarian offerings, but as the cruise progressed she was pretty much down to pasta as well. She has faired better on HAL and Celebrity where they brought a vegetarian menu around the day before so that she could pre-order for the following evening. Bodger

We have not done so either. I can't see the point in spending the extra bucks for my wife the vegetarian. I think it is also not polite to our tablemates. For us it has been an even more expensive proposition as we have to convert from the Canadian looney into greenbacks. The rate is more favouarable now at about a 20% differential, but when our dollar was in the US$.65 range it was horrible. I have been reading 'Cruise Ship Blues' and the author is talking about how the lines are trying to find new ways to part us from our money. Elsewhere I have read where the ship 'pre-authorizes' your credit card for $60 a day plus $10 for tips. We fall below the average if that is what it is. Mostly we are buying shore excursions and a couple of shirts. No big bar tab, gambling tab or art purchases. But we did do some damage in St. Thomas this winter. Now that I think about it, I am surprized they let us on the ship! Bodger

Most likely not. I am a hobbist woodworker/woodturner, and this is a device that allows a forgetful/lazy person to release the tension on the bandsaw blade so that the band does not stretch or take on a funny shape from sitting too long in one position. It was on sale at Woodcraft in Pompano Beach and being a somewhat obscure item is not readily available in Canada, so it made sense for me to purchase it and bring it back home. We flew in to FLL a day early and were coming home right after disembarking, so it traveled with me in my suitcase. The box was about 18"x4"x4" so was manageable. I would have been extremely surprised if anyone else on ship had one! I won't be packing one for the next cruise, but if I find something else on sale you never know. (BTW a 'bodger' was a person that worked in the forests of Britain in centuries past, turning wood items like chair legs and stretchers to sell to chairmakers.) Bodger

Last cruise I had a Carter quick release kit for a 14" Delta bandsaw that was in my luggage. I'll bet I was the only person on the whole ship with one! Bodger

This happenned to us on our first cruise. We asked the Maitre'd if he would ask the couple at a nearby table for four if we might join them. He did and we did. She was nice, he was a bit of a pill, but it was better than having to talk to each other. (I jest.) Bodger

Just walk off the ship and go meet your party. If the ship docked at 8 AM I would probably schedule for 8:30 or 9AM. It is only an issue if you are tendering. Then you have to go to a meeting place and get a tender ticket. It may be new to you but the tour operator has done this many times. Take your queue from them. Don't sweat the little things and have a good time. Oh yes, get back at least 30 minutes before the ship sails. Bodger

Us too. We enjoy meetings people from different places and different backgrounds. My goodness, with a table for two we would have to talk to each other! Bodger

We generally look to be mid-ship and not too high. Of course as you become spoiled with balconies and the like you have to be higher up. We have been forward and you knew if the seas were rough. On the next cruise we are going to be higher and aft. We will see how that works. I have always been concerned that lower and aft would hear too much of the engine noises. Bodger

For the most part I can't complain about our tablemates. We have met some really nice people and have maintained contact with a number of them. We generally ask for a table of six or eight so that we aren't stuck having to talk to each other. :wink: Our worst tablemates were on one cruise where we had a table of six. Two were elderly Polish holocaust survivors and were difficult to understand, and the husband of the other couple was in the early stages of dimensia, and told me the same stories every night. She was fine. In retrospect we should have changed tables, but it was a nice table by the back window in the Statendam with a great view. We survived. :smiley: I wonder what they thought of us twenty or thirty years their juniors (and we're not kids). Bodger

We always buy insurance, but just trip cancellation. The health care portion is covered by my employer (which happens to be me). I have always in the past purchased it from the TA, but discovered that my credit card company has a deal with an insurer that is about two-thirds of the price. The insurance did have to be purchased within 72 hours of booking. Bodger

Two cruises stopping in Costa Rica 2001 and 2004. The shore excursion guides on both played this little quiz. It may not stand up in a court of law, I am passing on what I was told. http://www.intracen.org/tradstat/sitc3-3d/er188.htm seems to support the statement. Bodger

Yes sir. The number one export from Costa Rica is microprocessors. I have seen many Intel Pentium 4 chips from Costa Rica. The tour guides get a kick out of asking this question and getting much the same answers as provided here. Last time we were there I wore a golf shirt with Intel embroidered on the sleeve. When the guide asked the question I pointed to it. He noded and asked for my silence. A wonderful country from the bits I have seen. Bodger

You can get a microphone/headset for some of the units. Consider it training for getting a job at the GAP. (What is so important at the GAP that they need that kind of communication?) Bodger

Both annoying and a good idea. You seem to be concerned about equally important issues, for which you should be commended. Go ahead and use walkie talkies to keep in touch with your kids, as that will make you comfortable. But you can use them in a fashion that does not have to be annoying to others. Just move to an area where you won't be bothering others and talk as long as you want. Problem solved. I hope you all have a great time. Bodger

Shari's DH is on the right track. Chances are you have one.