SKAOLboy

links to the inside edition articals.... part 1: http://www.insideedition.com/ourstories/re...spx?storyid=167 part 2: http://www.insideedition.com/ourstories/re...spx?storyid=170

my TA never said to me anything about it, im 24 and the gf is 23? i might have to stop in and pick her brain.

im a "soon to be cruiser" and if it wasn't for the help here, i'd be totally lost. i used a TA, if you have AAA they do all the work.....without paying anything extra, also they give you free passport pictures. and like the other members said, ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS! don't be afraid..... the more questions you ask, the better informed, the more informed, the more comortable. i first checked out what the internet offers were, and compare... i saved 200 total booking with an agent..... which was a suprise because i thought all the good deals were online. welcome to the addiction, willisonboard.

i would like to thank everyone here, without this fourm i would be ripping out my hair planning this cruise. The advice here is bar-none.

Learn about a unique chapter of American history on this journey through Alaska’s sparkling waterways and charming seaside towns. Here, glacier-carved fjords transport you back to the Ice Age while rows of colorful totems are a testament to the resilient Native peoples who have thrived in this land for centuries. Enjoy unique shore excursions highlighting Alaska’s rich heritage and historical presentations by special guest Steve Thomas SPECIAL FEATURES: *Welcome aboard cocktail party, plus a screening and two other on-board events hosted by Steve Thomas *Unique shore excursions designed especially for viewers of The History Channel * Your 7-night Alaska cruise includes Glacier Bay, where travelers can go back in time to the Ice Age Your Itinerary at a Glance Day 1 Sheraton, Seattle, WA Day 2 - 8 ms Zaandam, Holland America 20 meals: 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 7 dinners Prices starting from $1,799 link: http://www.aetntravel.com/tours/tours_details.asp?Tour_ID=34 i just noticed on the history channels website that they have a few amazing cruise packages, for the history buffs.... i specifically like the normandy cruise & vietnam historical cruise... check the site out it's pretty intresting...

Sorry for the mix uo joey, my apologies. that link i gave you seems not to be working, but i found one that works..... http://waittime.tsa.dhs.gov/index.html

david here is the dept of homeland security customs wait time for international and domestic flights..... its one of those links you'll never throw away. waittime.tsa.dhs.gov/xp/cgov/travel/wait_times/ info is updated every 5 mins.

only if i could "afford" some of those luxury cruises, that hiking expo sounds darn intresting!

whats seems weird to me is why dont the CC companys just let you over draft? i've done it before, on more occastions then i care to annonce... isnt that how they make their money ? then again i can't see anyone going over their limit on a cruise... could this be why there have been so many jumpers lately? as for the cc company calling you when large and unsual perchases are made, i would think is a good thing, i can remember when i bought the gf a laptop and they sent me an email alert, text message and called my cell and my home phone....kinda nice to know someone is watching out for the little guy.

i guess thats not the best way to resolve an argument... i just hope he didnt loose the home morgage in the casino.

Nice review, covered everything well!

it's just not you, i see it too.

just make sure you only leave coupons for the bar....but if you must i'll take some for the casino. i'll be in state room 8550... as they said in college.... " a keg a day, keeps the ugly girl next door away" GO BUFFALO SABRES!

have fun on your cruise, and looking fwd to your review!.... can't wait to sail her in july....2 more mths.....and 7days!

i had a fire in my house a few years back, my mother stored her stuff in those rubbermade bins in the basement.... which were the fire started. it only took 15 minutes to totally distroy the kitchen floor, dining room floor and half the living room floor and to start creeping up the side of the plastic siding. all the fire fighters agreed it spread so fast because of the plastic bins.... needless to say, she stores most stuff in the attic now. not really relivent...except to show that plastic is a nasty fuel to fires.

intresting, stone bridge only cost, for the flight 10 pp, and for the cruise, 30.....but i got it thru AAA. covers everything from job loss, to illness to trip cancellation to lost luggage.

im a first timer, but i read up enough about hurricane season ( only time i could get off/ same with the women) in july, but historically july is usually calm. But i not only insured my cruise, but also the flight..... ironically they are both by the same company, stone bridge. which i found weird, anyone have to deal with this company before?

ORANJESTAD, Aruba - Authorities have made an arrest in the case of a young Alabama woman who disappeared while vacationing in Aruba, an Aruban official said Saturday. Mariaine Croes, a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office, said Aruban authorities were not prepared to disclose why the person was arrested. Croes also would not say how the arrest was linked to the disappearance of Natalee Holloway nearly a year ago, on the final night of her high school graduation trip to the Dutch Caribbean island. Croes would only say that the person who was arrested is 19 and has the initials "G.V.C." In Aruba, when an arrest is announced, officials usually release only a suspect's initials, and not a full name. Holloway, an 18-year-old honors student from Mountain Brook, Ala., was last seen on May 30, 2005, leaving an Aruba bar with Dutch national Joran van der Sloot and Surinamese brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe. The young men were arrested in June but were released after a court ruled there was not enough evidence to hold them. There have been a number of false leads in the investigation, and at least three other people were detained without being charged in the case. In recent weeks, Aruban police have searched sand dunes on the northern coast of the island. Dutch Marines, the FBI and hundreds of volunteers have previously searched for Holloway

i heard europe has some really good low-fair airlines, maybe you can see if you can book on one of those airlines that service only europe ( sort of like southwest, jetblue, airtran in the U.S) it souldn't be too hard considering both have major airports within their city limits i dunno, just an idea.

MANAMA, Bahrain - A cruise boat carrying up to 150 people capsized Thursday night in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Bahrain, and at least 57 bodies were recovered, officials said. American divers and a U.S. helicopter aided the rescue effort. Interior Ministry spokesman Colonel Tarik al-Hassan said at least 67 people were rescued. A passenger on board the boat calling from his cell phone was the first to alert officials that the ship was listing, he said. Survivor Khalil Mirza of Bahrain told The Associated Press that he made that call. He said the listing began while the craft was making a left turn out of the harbor. "People were scared in the water," he said. "They were fighting with each other and screaming." Al-Hassan said not all the 57 dead could be identified because many did not carry identification papers. The official Bahrain News Agency said the al-Dana was on an evening cruise that was to last several hours. It overturned less than a mile off the coast, it said. Television footage showed the boat capsized but not sunk, with rescue workers walking on its brown hull. U.S. helicopters and divers joined the rescue operation launched by Bahrain's coast guard. Bahrain, a tiny island nation on the western side of the Persian Gulf, is home to the Navy's 5th Fleet. Rescue teams brought bodies covered with white sheets to shore, and hospital workers hurried them to waiting ambulances. Scores of officials and relatives waited on the dock watching small rescue boats with flashing blue lights bring more bodies and survivors. Television stations showed what they called a file photo of the al-Dana, which appeared to be 60 to 70 feet long with two decks. There was no indication of what caused the vessel to overturn in what appeared to be ideal weather conditions. The government dismissed terrorism as a cause, and the news agency quoted Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Mohammed Ben Dayna calling it an accident. "It's too early to say what caused the accident," Ben Dayna said. Al-Hassan said an investigation was under way. The boat's owners said overloading could have caused the boat to capsize, according to Bahrain television. The passengers were thought to be a mix of Bahrainis, nationals of other Gulf Arab nations and Westerners. Health Minister Nada Haffadh told al-Arabiya television that survivors who arrived at hospitals included nationals of India, South Africa, Singapore and Britain. Information Minister Mohammed Abul-Ghafar, interviewed on al-Arabiya television, said the passengers included 25 Britons, 20 Filipinos, 10 South Africans and 10 Egyptians. Haffadh said 24 people were hospitalized and that other survivors had been released upon arrival on shore. Television footage showed survivors, appearing to be in shock and their hair still wet, squatting on the floor of a hospital. Many of them covered themselves with blankets. One male survivor was shown being treated for cuts to the head. Survivors, some with blood streaming down their faces, hugged each other. Several wept uncontrollably as friends and relatives tried to calm them. Some survivors needed assistance as they disembarked from a rescue boat that brought them to shore. Interior Minister Sheik Al Kahlifa said most of the passengers were employees of a Bahrain-based company. Coast guard chief Youssef al-Katem said there were 150 guests at a dinner party aboard. The guests, he said, ate dinner while the vessel was still docked and that up to 20 of them disembarked before it sailed. Cmdr. Jeff Breslau, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy, told The Associated Press that the U.S. military aided the rescue effort. The Navy has had a presence in Bahrain for more than 50 years. "We're sending divers, small boats and a helicopter," Breslau said. A pair of helicopters could be seen from the shore flying low over the site of the incident. Rescue teams on small boats could also be seen using flashlights to help them search for survivors. The capsizing of the ship came about two months after an Egyptian ferry sank in the Red Sea, killing about 1,000 people. The vessel was en route from the Saudi port of Dubah to the Egyptian port of Safaga when it went down before dawn about 60 miles off the Egyptian coast. Bahrain is an oil-exporting and refining archipelago of 688,000 off the coast of Saudi Arabia. Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060331/ap_on_...ea/bahrain_ship

i would suggest checking out RCCL's online shore excursion webpage, it helped me out a ton, and usually tells you what times. hope this helps. http://shorex.rccl.com

the way i see it is, whats one federal agent going to do for over 2,000-3,000 people.On a flight that might work because there is only a few hundred people at the most. And on the other hand, why wouldn't a cruise ship be a good place for federal agents? there is about the same number of people on one cruise ship that pairished on sept 11th? my suggestion: station a 10 man swat team on board, just have them tucked away out of site of passangers....say in a room by the engine room.

sailing Sovereign of the seas July 21st - 24th, for my girlfirends college graduation present

thanks for the review, i'll be sailing her July 21st - 24th. Makes me feel a bit better about my choice of ship. Since this is our first cruise and will guage future ones. Im just not comfortable with the date i picked to go (PLEASE GOD no hurricanes in july this year) but thats what happens when your taking your girlfriend on her college graduation trip... you have to deal with the schools time frame.

I booked with a T.A for my first up and comming cruise, i used online stores to find a ballpark price range then i decided to go in an check out what they have to offer. i booked thru AAA, which work offered a discount on since we have a contract with them to do their climate controls. so i figured this would be a good time to use them, Mine actually knew alot about cruises and helped me with questions i had ( of course before i found this wonderful fourm, and i use it for all my questions i had from there on in) she recommended a short cruise to "get the feel of it" and it fit the price range i was looking to spend on a "tester cruise" but i have a feeling we will be booking a longer cruise very shortly after the first one wraps up.