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Hey Joey! Welcome back. I can't wait to hear alllll about the Med! Maybe you could breifly mention some highlights or favorite moments for us, or let me know if you are posting a trip report somewhere. I'm a little stressed about Costa Rica, to answer your tour question. The reason is that everything seems to be a 2 hour bus ride from the port. I'm a little uneasy with that unless there is a bathroom on the bus. Not to get too graphic, but I tend to drink a lot of water and get dehydration headaches if I don't. Ergo, the need for convenient bathrooms. I haven't been able to learn *for certain* if any of the busses have bathrooms. So, to get to the point, if a group wanted to head out to Manuel Antonio Park, I think that would be a good place to go. With private vehicle, I'm assuming you can make stops if you need to. But, I worry about the private tours, I wouldn't want to stuck and not able to make it back to ship. Also, recalling that group from Mille in So. America who had the bus go over the hill from their own booking is kind of scary. A boon for the organized argument, I suppose. I worry about getting hooked up with someone unreliable and stuck. When we went to the Med last year, we struck out on our own nearly everywhere, as we're fairly comfortable in Europe. BUT, we had a helluva time getting cabs BACK to the ship in Mykonos & Capri. And I heard other people with similar stories from Athens. And I heard a guy telling a story in the gym about how they missed the boat in Naples when they went on their own to Positano and had to fly to the next stop which I think was Mykonos. I haven't had time to do research on finding reliable private transportation.

Any one done this lately? Everything seems like a long bus ride and I'm trying to find out if there are bathrooms on the buses. Thanks if anyone knows!

Hi Avie, We have friends coming also and have booked a large table to meet folks. I like the idea of wine tasting with a group! On my last celebrity trip, our sommelier would save anything we didn't finish for the next night. Ordinarily, at home or restaurant, I don't usually have leftovers. But, with hitting the martini bar first and all, sometimes I like to pace myself. No sense having a hangover everyday! We booked an Aruba snorkel/sail trip. We are undecided about everything else. We are liking the looks of the trip to Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica. But, I'm not so sure about the 2.25 hour bus ride. It appears that you have to travel far from port to see anything decent. I guess what I really want to know is if there are bathrooms on the buses. No one has been able to answer that for me yet.

Hey Avie, We made our final payment also. Well, we gave them a Visa #. Is that the same thing? Hee heee. I have not booked my excursions yet, need to get on that. What type of dining arrangements did you make?

Hi Deb, Welcome!! We need more folks over here. So you mention not sure if you are ready with all that is going on. Do you have a super busy life?? Sounds like you and your sister are in a mad diet competition pre-cruise. I guess I need to think about that, but don't!!! Haaa haaaa. I should. On my last cruise I gained 9 pounds!! But it was all gone in 1-2 weeks. Just a lot of water/salt bloat I think. Keep posting!

Well, Avie, I guess Joey is on his way to Barcelona. It's going to be lonely around here, just the 2 of us. Maybe I can snag a last minute deal for my mom if they don't sell out. Do they ever let cabins go last minute without single supplement?

Oh, sweet of you to ask. Classes are coming along, but 3 of them is a bit much. Not a lot of spare time. I have a mid-term on Monday night, and a paper due. One class is online, and it's more hectic that one might think. OK, I'll wait for the glass/bottle to hear the misfit story! I did see all of the excursions, carefully studied them and picked a few out that interest me. Ole won't do heights. You are brave. We haven't actually committed yet. Just read through them all. I guess its just Panama that you guys keep talking about. I get confused. bye4now.

Avie, Of course it counts as an anniversary! People tend to forgot the "when we met" dates after marriage. I usually remember, but don't necessarily celebrate anything. Congrats!! The misfit comment is funny. So, is the bottom line we can book excursions now? We cannot do heights either (Ole). I don't have a problem with it, he doesn't like it. BTW, as a heads up for your Med trip, Ole was uncomfortable taking the little tram thing up the hill on Santorini. But, since it was that, donkey or hike, he had to get a grasp on his heights fear and take the tram.

AND, do the latest & greatest coaches have bathrooms????? My mom told me that whe she did the PC cruise in 1994, they took a bus on a 2 lane road to their excursion and that there was an accident so they were stuck. In order to not miss the ship, they had to abandon the excursion after they got out of traffic and head back to the ship. The fear in me is that I'd be stuck in a bus for hours with no bathroom! Sorry to be so obessive, but it's a concern.

good, glad to hear they are back on. What happened? Temp insanity or life crisis? Thanks for the DDM news! BTW, if I don't get around to saying it later, I definitely want to wish you a Bon Voyage on Mille. It's an awesome trip! Have you decided anything specific for the med ports?

wooohoo!! had golf and lunch today with our travel partners, John & Lisa, and was saying "can you believe it's only 3 months away"!!

My DH would never, never, never, do that. He won't even play the ordinary trivia type games. I had to draaaaaggggg him kicking & screaming to the "classic rock" trivia game on Mille last year. I got him there because that his his speciality. And sure enough, we smoked the competition!!

thanks everyone for all of your responses.

Thanks, everyone. Lots of food for thought and tips.

Hi all, My husband and I are taking Summit from FLL to LAX thru PC on 1/20/07. I'd kind of like to have my mom come along, but paying the single supplement is just too expensive. And we don't want to get a suite, that's too much togetherness. Anyone out there interested in going but in the same dilemma? She is 75 and unattached. She has no clue I'm doing this, might kill me!! LOL.

Thanks, Avie. I'll try to check it out. I do not subscribe to that mag, I wonder if it's online. Meanwhile, I have a question for all (I guess that's the 2 of you, Avie & Joey). Does anyone know of anyone who might need a roommate on this cruise? I would like to take my mom along, but the single supplement is just too much to bear paying for. I know it's weird, rooming with a stranger for 2 weeks. She's 75 and single. Or, is there anywhere that you know of to connect with people for stuff like that?

We did a 10 person table on our Mille cruise last year. So, it was Ole and I plus our friends John & Lisa. On top of that we had 3 or 4 women from the East Coast traveling together and a couple from Australia. Jolly good fun! I hope to have that type of interraction this time.

Hi all, Just back from my land vac to Maui! Lovely, of course. Too bad Jean had to cancel. (She's the one from Myrtle Beach or someplace like that, right)?? So, I gues that the small group of us will have a lot of space to roam around on that big ship since no one else is on this site, eh? Hardee har har. Off to another wine event Sunday. After that, I might be going underground until Christmas as I'll be resume school (taking 3 graduate level courses) plus working 4 days/week. Won't have much time for crazy talk! I've had a break for about 6 weeks so lots more time on my hands. Take care,

Hey all, Our cruise partners, John & Lisa, and me & Ole, went to a Napa winery event tonight. With lots of glasses of wine, we got tot discussing cruise stuff, and I told them abouy 'yall. Since they are clueless about these boards. I told them about the FLL get-together idea and they think it sounds swell. So, let's just say that we'd like to be in if it's OK. So, anyway, we went to the Harvest event at Rubicon winery, formerly known as Neibaum Coppola, which is the winery owned by Francis Ford Coppola. They had a spectacular event! We had free flowing wine, good food, 7 piece band with big dance floor, very nice. We totally love living up here in No. CA and being involved in wine clubs. OK, enough bragging. Now, just humor me one more time, 6 MORE DAYS until my land vac to Maui!!!!!!!! Yeeeeehaaaaa I mean, Aloooo-HA! I'll tell you more about Hawaii vs. cruising when I met y'all later.

Hey, I'm jumping into a cruise I'm not on, but just want to comment since I've been to Europe many times including on Mille Med Cruise last Sept. '05, we *always* get Euros (or whatever currency), lke a hundrend dollars worth, at our local bank before departure. That way, even for the smallest thing like a bottle of water, I'm prepared when I step off the plane.

Hi Joey & all, What a lovely offer! While it does sound enticing, I'm a little reluctant to commit at this stage. We are only flying in the evening before the cruise and won't have much time. Also, I have **never** been to Florida (believe it or not), and was hoping to see some sites - whatever they might be. I would, however, be open to planning something on board, such as gathering one evening in the martini bar or other location. Thanks for thinking of us, and as we get closer, maybe I will have an update? Don't mean to sound flighty, just trying not to over-commit.

Thanks for input so far, everyone. Still looking for someone who's been to Manuel Antonio. It does look wonderful, doesn't it!

What is SDM??????????

Only going on my 2nd cruise and I bought insurance the first time and this time. Mainly because my parents are elderly and I've gone through their strokes and broken hips over the last couple of years. If anything happens to them last minute, I probably would not be able to leave on a cruise, so it's a little piece of mind to know I wouldn't be throwing away 6k or whatever it is I spend on a 2 week cruise. I generally don't buy insurance for land vacs, because cancelling air & hotel is not as complex or as big of a financial hit. We have friends who had medical emergency on a cruise without insurance. They were offloaded from the ship and off to a hospital on the first night and lost all of their money they paid for the cruise.

We will be on the pacific side. Specifically hoping for feedback on Manuel Antonio National Park excursion for Celebrity if anyone has done that. Gracias!