Joanandjoe

Welcome to this Crazy board. We're glad to see that you're already posting on the cruise boards.

Welcome aboard, Gupta. I'm unfamiliar with RCCL, and it may be more relaxed than the lines I've been on--Holland America, Celebrity, Regal, Radisson, and Windstar. On any of those lines, a person wearing thongs or tight Speedos - especially the thongs - would soon find himself or herself the subject of stares, and postings on cruise boards about inappropriate dress. On RCCL, I don't know. I'd suggest bringing the fashionably scanty swim suits, but also bringing cover ups and conservative swim suits. If others are wearing Speedos and thongs on the ship, or if you don't mind being stared at, wear them; otherwise, wear the conservative swim suits on board, and the fashionable ones on the beach (under your other clothing in getting to the beach).

We'll probably both participate on our 11/25 Noordam cruise. _________________________________________________ Anyone who's ever participated in one of the myriad -- and quite successful -- "Race for the Cure" fundraising events on behalf of the Susan G. Komen Foundation can now take their support to the high seas. Holland America announces today that it will launch, in conjunction with "Race's" Susan G. Komen Foundation, an onboard 5K fitness walk on its ships. Money raised from those who participate in this non-competitive activity will be donated to the organization, which is one of America's leading foundations fighting against breast cancer. Holland America, in its statement, anticipates it will raise some $250,000 a year. It works like this: Passengers will receive an in-room invitation to the event. Those who opt to join in, by making a $15 donation, will walk around the ship's deck for five kilometers (or, depending on the vessel, may walk 12 laps for five kilos). Holland America says it will then donate $11.75 of that to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Participants get an On Deck for the Cure t-shirt and a "Sharing the Promise" pink ribbon wristband and are also invited to a pink lemonade reception following the walk. In a statement, Holland America president Stein Kruse noted that "'On Deck for the Cure' is a simple, yet creative way to encourage our guests to contribute to a great cause, while participating in a fun and rewarding onboard activity" and he's got a good point there if the foundation's byproduct -- raising community spirit -- is as true at sea as it has been on land. Kruse anticipates that 500 walks will take place aboard the fleet's 13 ships this year. "On Deck for the Cure," which was tested out onboard in February, will begin to roll out on Holland America ships beginning on April 1.

Skaolboy, we go to N-o-t-l about every two years, see the Shaw festival, go to the falls, and go see our relatives in TO. As for the jet boat, we're not adrenoline seekers, and you couldn't pay us to take the jet boat. Maid of the Mist, Under the Falls, and the Spanish Aerocar are good enough for us!

Welcome to x, Delbankin. We've been on one Celebrity cruise, but not on the other lines, so we can't compare. On our cruise on the Celebrity Horizon were some Brits, the Wilsons, who have been on every line imaginable. If they're willing to do so, they can not only tell you about the ships: they can do it from a U.K. perspective. Would you like to have us try to contact them? Joey of JoeyandDavid is a Celebrity expert, and there are others here as well. Maybe they can make the comparisons you desire.

The thread about whether a day trip on a cruise ship counts as a cruise got us thinking about some of the "almost cruises" we've been on. We'd be interested in "almost cruises" that Crazies have taken. Ours include: Ferries: Staten Island (many times), Bermuda, Boston Harbor, Washington State to Victoria, Vancouver Island to Vancouver, Halifax, Portland (ME), Denmark to Sweden, Calais-Dover, probably many others. Day boats: Circle Line, Hudson River Day Line, Lake Skaneateles Mail Boat, Lake Champlain, Statue of Liberty, Lake George, Lake Geneva, Copenhagen--again, probably many others. Sailboats - Joan's family owned one when she was a kid. Cruise ship boat excursions - Alaska, the Med., Panama Canal Tenders from cruise ships - lots. Glass bottom boats or boats for snorkeling - several. Motor boats - Joan has been on them a lot, Joe a few times. Joan's BIL (sister's DH) owns one. Maid of the Mist - in a category all it's own. We love Niagara Falls! Other special categories - Bateaux Mouches (Joe, in Paris), Gondola and Vaporetti (Joe in Venice). Ships and boats are a lot of fun, even when they're not cruise ships. What "non-cruises" have you been on?

Welcome home, Rose. We're glad you enjoyed the cruise. It was great of you to get the tee shirt.

Welcome to this board of people who are Crazy about Cruising. We hope to see your posts often. We responded to your initial post about comparisons between Celebrity and other lines, but probably weren't much help. Hopefully people who have cruised Celebrity more often than our once can help you.

We agree with your wife. One cruises to relax (and to avoid having to pack and unpack). That sounds like work, not relaxation, especially if you live on the East coast and have to fly to the West. Not for us!

Jeff, it "counts" as a cruise if it's overnight, not if it's just a day trip. In 1973 we had a one night cruise, from Miami to Freeport, on the M.SW. Freeport. That, rather than our Alaska cruise in 1998, was our first cruise. Will you be cruising overnight or just day tripping? In either case, enjoy!

Thanks for the pictures, gymbrat. A funnel in front of a building is certifiably weird!

Enjoy your Hawaii cruise, jbond. We saw lots of whales in Alaska, since some whales winter near Hawaii and summer near Alaska. They are truly magnificent creatures, and are probably more interesting than one additional day on shore.

It's sad to see ships being scrapped, but what's the alternative? NCL took over the France and renamed it the Noway; but it has been scrapped after the tragic fire. NCL also owns the hulks of the United States and another old U.S. Lines ship (the Constitution?), but found it too costly to refurbish them. Of the really old (more than 30 years) ocean liners, only the Regal Empress seems to be sailing into the future.

Nice, short review, popsec. We look forward to sailing on the Zenith and adding our review. Thanks.

Bon voyage. Will you have a full transit of the canal, a partial transit, or merely a trip to Colon (which you then can use for excursions to the canal). Whichever you have, the canal is a wonder! Enjoy.

Mazel tov! An upgrade from inside to outside is not unusual, but it's unusual to go from an inside to a balcony. I didn't know that there were ships with balconies that sailed to Bermuda.

If you're introducing your folks to cruising, we may soon have some more Cruise Crazies. Enjoy your trip!

Bodger, have a great cruise on that "Dam" ship. We've had two HAL cruises, and are booked for a third on the new Noordam.

After the first cruise, most people either say "never again", or become Crazy about cruising. We're glad to see you've become one of the Crazies. Our next cruise will be on the Zenith, 5/13, to Bermuda. Do tell us about your Zenith cruise! If you have spare time in the NY area before your 4/19 Connie cruise from Bayonne (if it is from Bayonne), let us know. Maybe local Crazies, such as Mebert and us, can get together with you.

Have a great cruise. We hope they arrange some 4th of July fireworks for you.

Have a great trip (and don't forget the t-shirt for Joyce's daughter).

Have a great trip, crazy4disney. Since you'll be sailing on Princess rather than Disney, will you be changing your board name to "crazy4princess"?

Yes, it's pretty amazing. How much effort would it have been for BW to send out cancellation notices to everyone whose name was in the reservations computer? Customer relations--what's that? I suggest a letter to BW management asking for either a make good of your $45, or for reservations at another BW hotel with the same or a higher rating, and at the price of your reservation. If your reservation was though a discount hotel search engine, they're really to blame, not BW.

We'll join the chorus in agreeing with Jeff. Something similar happened when our older son was seeking scholarship aid for college. We had saved for his education, so we were denied any scholarships even though Joe was unemployed<] when we filled out the financial forms. The non-savers got scholarships. Life is not always fair.

We have, on occasion, had to cancel a vacation due to work demands, and it's a real bummer. We hope that your employer will pay for any lost deposits, and ewill enable you to take a replacement vacation.