Joanandjoe

How brave of Gail, and how horrible for the victim. One on every floor would seem to be minimal; given the size of some ships, maybe there should be several on each floor. Whatever the cost, it's worth it.

If DH is abroad most of the time, he may want to be home, rather than on a ship. If he does want to try a ship, why don't you fly to where he is, and take a cruise from there? Then you could fly home together. Despite the impession that Crazies have of us, we're both shy and introverted, and enjoy cruising very much. Not bad for a half-Canadian (my Mom was from Toronto), eh? If your DH is in Europe, why not try a cruise in the Med. on the 308 passenger Wind Surf? If he is in Asia, there are some great choices.

Nevada, welcome to this crazy board. Post often, and soon you'll go from inside to outside, to balcony room. This isn't the biggest cruise board, but it's the friendliest.

deerinh2o, welcome to this crazy board. Post often, and soon you'll go from inside to outside, to balcony room. This isn't the biggest cruise board, but it's the friendliest.

magmag, welcome to this crazy board. Post often, and soon you'll go from inside to outside, to balcony room. This isn't the biggest cruise board, but it's the friendliest. (Nice cartoon, Mary and Andre!)

moonpie906, welcome to this crazy board. Post often, and soon you'll go from inside to outside, to balcony room. This isn't the biggest cruise board, but it's the friendliest.

Willisonboard, welcome to this crazy board. Post often, and soon you'll go from inside to outside, to balcony room. This isn't the biggest cruise board, but it's the friendliest.

Hey joe couldnt you just say you "forgot " to pack it? :wink: Probably not a good career move.

And we, in turn, would love to be DDM; but we're still 22 weeks (154) days from our Noordam cruise. That's what happens when you book almost 16 months in advance. Congratulations, Rose, and have a great trip. It sounds as if you really need it!

We've passed her seven times from a cruise ship, on 4 different cruises (Montreal to NYC we only passed her once.) Two more "passings" to go, on our November Noordam cruise. We've also seen her from ferries, tourist ships, the ship to the statue, the NY and NJ waterfronts, even from a party boat chartered for a Bar Mitzvah. Always wonderful to see, and a great symbol of our country. Given the current attitude of the U.S. toward France (go, Togo, in today's World Cup match!) and vice versa, it's amzaing to think that the statue was a gift from France to the U.S. The sculptor, Bertholdi, used his Mother as his model. Yes, it's sad to see the gap where the twin towers once stood. Although the buildings were ugly when they were standing, they were a symbol of how open the U.S. was to the rest of the world. Terrorists couldn't stand that: a country that people of all colors, religions, and nationalities loved, and wanted to visit or live in. This was the second attempt to bring the buildings down. Several people were killed in the first attack, when a van filled with explosives was blown up in the basement garage. Even one death at the WTC would have been one too many. 3,000 deaths were an unspeakable act of infamy, which produced incredible acts of bravery on the part of the rescuers who lost their lives when the towers collapsed.

Was it only two astronauts? Yes, we knew about astronaut training. The sun in Icelaad in June is so strong that I (Joe) had to put on sun block to go for a walk at 10 p.m. on a nice day. Yes, we know that Iceland is a summer place, which rules it out for my present (and, hopefully, last before I retire) job.

Snowbird, welcome to this crazy board. Post often, and soon you'll go from inside to outside, to balcony room. This isn't the biggest cruise board, but it's the friendliest.

Congratulations on being an SDM. Your web camera shot shows how anxious you are to be on the ship. Enjoy! Does Princess have a bus from the Philly suburbs to the pier, or do you have to get yourself there?

Actually Joan's post and story. Iceland certainly is a weird and wonderful place. We wish more cruises went there; but the few that do go sail in the summer, when I'm very busy at work. Something to try when I retire. Joe

It's always wonderful to see the Lady. There's nothing quite like sailing past the Statue of Liberty. Awesome! BTW, if the sky looks cloudy and hazy in the picture, that's because it is that way today. The views from the Brooklyn side of the water were one of the things we liked best about living in Brooklyn Heights from 1969 to 1974. If you can get from the piers to the Brooklyn promenade, you'll have a fabulous view of lower Manhattan. Even closer to the piers is an Italian area with wonderful food, much of it cooked in brick ovens fired by coal or wood. Your'e also close to Coney Island and the NY Aquarium. # 1 among the things we liked: the ability to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to our jobs in lower Manhattan, until Joe got a job in midtown in January, 1974. Estimated number of times Joe walked across the bridge: more than 1,000.

As I was driving Joan to the airport this morning, we discussed the merits of flying to Bermuda or taking a ship. Our conclusion: flying was generally better because one had more time in Bermuda, but there was one big minus. On the ship, we had several days when my office couldn't reach me, except at great expense; while they could easily reach me in Bermuda. Cell phones at sea would mean my office could contact me easily at any time. Bummer! Joe

Ah, Joan, we agree on this, as well as most other things. While others were exerting themselves rushing to Granada from Malaga, we had a leisurely walking tour of Malaga, all downhill from the castle at the top, with lots of wine and tapas. Leave the rope climbing or kayaking to someone else: we'll stick to the wine and food tours. Hic! Joe

Bon voyage, JohnG. Have a great cruise, and come home rested and relaxed><]

Bon voyage, snowbird and daughter, and cherish the fact that you're still taking vacations together!

While I probebly wouldn't take an excursion involving hours of mountain-climbing or other exertion, it's good to know the cruise lines offer more choices. In Iceland, we simply walked around the geysers. You'd be standing close to a hole, and suddenly - WOOSH. Nobody gave us fireproof clothing or even told us not to stand close to the geysers. The guide assumed we wouldn't sit down on any holes, or even go too close. I wonder about safety and insurance for these "more dangerous and demanding" excursions. My favorite demanding excursion was a three-tapas-bar tour of malaga. Three drinks, three snacks, and the city never looked better.

Here is Carnival's press release on this subject. I think CC has already had a forum as to whether this is a good or bad thing. Since we haven't sailed on Carnival, we won't look up the pricing. If someone does look it up, other Crazies might find the information useful. Wireless Customers Can Now Use Their Personal Cell Phones Aboard Carnival 'Fun Ships' <] 06/22/2006 MIAMI and ATLANTA, June 22, 2006 – Cruising is oft-cited as the idyllic vacation choice for complete relaxation and escape. The lifestyle of today’s consumer, however, often means that to truly relax and enjoy, people want an easy and convenient way to keep in touch with family, friends, or the office. What could be easier than using your own cell phone aboard ship the same as you can at home? Through an exclusive agreement between Carnival Cruise Lines and Wireless Maritime Services (WMS), a joint venture of Cingular Wireless and Maritime Telecommunications Network, Carnival guests sailing aboard the “Fun Ships†can now enjoy a new communications option that allows them to stay in touch with people back home using their personal cell phones while in port or at sea. “Consumers view cell phones as a necessity in today’s world. We’ve been exploring cellular phone service for some time and have developed a capability that provides unparalleled connectivity and convenience to allow guests to keep in touch with friends, family members and business associates back home,†said Bob Dickinson, Carnival president and CEO. “WMS is excited to offer Carnival guests the opportunity to stay connected while cruising worldwide,†said Leighton Carroll, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Wireless Maritime Services. “Whether making a voice call, responding to email, sending a picture message, or accessing the Internet to check on local happenings back home, what a great convenience for Carnival guests to enjoy the same features of their wireless service at sea as they would roaming on land.†Utilizing WMS’ state-of-the-art high-bandwidth technology, the new fleetwide service is compatible with any cellular phone and enables guests sailing on Carnival to make and receive calls anywhere in the world from any cruising region. The technology is currently available aboard the Carnival Triumph, with the balance of the line’s 21-vessel fleet scheduled to be completed by early next year. The new fleetwide cellular phone service requires no additional software or special dialing procedures – guests simply make and receive calls as well as transmit text and multimedia messages as they would on land using their personal cell phone. International roaming fees apply to all shipboard cell phone calls. Consumer benefits to having wireless service while at sea: • Connectivity – keep in touch with family, friends and business associates through voice calls, email or text messages. Guests can also share travel highlights while at sea through photo messaging. • Convenience – no need to rent a local phone while at port; guests can be reached by the wireless number their friends and colleagues know. In addition to being able to use their phones on Carnival “Fun Ships,†Cingular customers can also enjoy competitive international roaming rates as well as a greater selection of quad-band devices than any other carrier. For additional information on pricing, please visit www.cingular.com/cingularworld or www.cellularatsea.com. About Carnival Cruise Lines Carnival Cruise Lines, a unit of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is the largest and most popular cruise line in the world, with 21 "Fun Ships" operating voyages ranging from three to 16 days in length to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, New England, Canada, Bermuda, Europe and the Greek Isles. The line currently has three new ships on order – the 110,000-ton Carnival Freedom, scheduled for delivery in February 2007, the 112,000-ton Carnival Splendor, slated to enter service in fall 2008, and an as-yet-unnamed 130,000-ton SuperLiner – to be the largest "Fun Ship" ever constructed – set to debut in fall 2009. For additional information on Carnival’s “Fun Ship†vacations, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com. About Wireless Maritime Services Wireless Maritime Services, LLC, (WMS) a joint venture of New Cingular Wireless Services, Inc. and Maritime Telecommunications Network, Inc. is the largest maritime cellular service provider in the world. WMS currently provides service for 8 cruise lines including Carnival Cruise Lines. WMS has roaming agreements in place with over 300 carriers in over 180 countries internationally, and delivers both GSM and CDMA roaming capability to the cruise industry. For more information on WMS and its services, please visit the www.cellularatsea.com website.

romadrian, welcome to this crazy board. Post often, and soon you'll go from inside to outside, to balcony room. This isn't the biggest cruise board, but it's the friendliest.

OK, for 3 days, $100 is a big difference: for 7 or more, not much of a diff. If this is your Royal Carib. cruise, bear in mind that a 3 day cruise is so short that it's probably not a fair test of a new cruise line. Enjoy your cruise!

Congrats, Cheryl, we're dancing with you. Are you taking your kids? We're glad to see you breaking out a a rut and trying something else. I guess we're the opposite of you regarding trying different lines: 8 cruises on 5 different lines.

Bon voyage, we2cruise. Enjoy the Rotterdam VI, the best "mass market" cruise ship on which we've sailed.<]