cruiseduo

MSC also has a 2 for 1 special of two passengers for the price of one in the same stateroom. We just booked the Lirica for a 12-day Southern Caribbean for a total cost (inside) of $1385 for both of us (cabin was $375 gov't fees and taxes were $271, insurance is additional)

Tim, Thanks. We, too, were on the Lirica last year . . . April 11 to 22 Panama Canal . . . . great ship, great service! We decided to drive to FLL and stay the night before. We've never been there except on the 'cruise bus' so this will give us a chance to see it. Anyone know what hotel has the parking if you stay over the night before? Thanks.

Just booked the MSC Lirica (photo is from April 2005 Panama Canal cruise), 12-day Southern Caribbean, $49.37 per person/per day . . . . total cost $1184 for two of us including fees, taxes, etc.! Leaving December 7th! What a deal! Going to San Juan, St. Maarten, Grenada, Barbados, Antigua, Tortola, and Cayo Leavantado (MSC private island). Going on RCL Mariner of the Seas on October 29th. Now I'm a Double-Double-Digit-Midget

Dan, Thanks . . . we probably will do just that . . . . a three hour drive is much better than a nine-hour wait . . . . We can also stay there for a day or two after and see the sights. Thanks for putting my brain back on track.

Looking to book MSC Lirica for 12 day southern caribbean . . . free bus leaves Daytona Beach at 7:30am . . . . ship departs Ft. Lauderdale at 7:00pm. Anyone know what there is to do for the time we have to wait?

This is the one that works . . . . it bypassed the log on screen and went directly to your album. Great pix!

Dancing with you . . . . . wish we were going with you!

Dancing with you!

More details on Robert's bean seasoning: (We Cowboy fans have to support each other) Pinto Bean Seasoning 1 lb. dry pinto beans 4 oz. ham hock or salt pork 3 tablespoons Bolner's Fiesta Brand® Pinto Bean Seasoning Water to cover beans Pick through and rinse one pound of beans. Put beans in a pot, cover with water and soak in refrigerator overnight. Pour off all the water and fill the pot with enough water to cover the beans by one inch. Add the meat to the beans and bring to a boil. Lower the heat. Add the seasoning and simmer for 2 hours until the beans are tender. Serve as a side dish with any food. As a main dish, garnish with grated yellow cheese and serve with hot cornbread. Makes 12 servings.

Glad to see you just a few digits away from your cruise. Have a great time and don't forget to cheer for those:

Congrats on SDM! Enjoy your cruise.

Age is relative . . . . . I started with the company I retired from in 1973. I remember going to sales meetings and a couple of 'newbies' and I used to comment on the 'old guys' at the meeting. Then shortly before I retired in 2001, the same 'newbie' and I were reminding ourselves that we are the 'old guys' we talked about. Now it's five years later and I'm still . . . . . . . young enough to cruise, have fun, and keep up with the 'newbie' cruisers. We're only as old as we think we are! Please keep paying your FICA taxes, that's what we use for our cruises!<]

Grabbing a lounge chair on the deck (not by the pool) and reading a good book.

Mercedes, Have a wonderful trip to Maui. Enjoy about five boxes of chocolate covered macadamia nuts for me. After all there are only about 14 pieces in each box and they are so small!

Big Bird Is Driving Me Nuts, Can I Come, Too?<]

Rat, WONDERFUL photos. I decided today to go back and count WW points (need to lose 25 pounds before our cruise). Looking at your great food photos is a great alternative to eating.

Everyone may not get this in today's (Sunday) paper. So here it is. Maybe some good tips for us. Hope you find it helpful. Have a great Sunday. Howard Cruise Ship Confidential Here are secrets only real insiders know. If you thought "The Love Boat" taught you all you need to know about vacations at sea, think again. by Kimberly Lisagor When Allan Jordan saw two of his fellow passengers sidle up to the bar on the Queen Elizabeth 2 luxury cruise liner, he knew drinks were not all they could get. With just a little bit of luck, they also could score an invitation to an exclusive get-together in a part of the ship that few passengers get to see -- the officers' wardroom. It's a little-known fact that you can hitch a ride aboard a luxury vessel in transit for as little as $75. A cruise industry consultant who has logged more than 150,000 miles at sea, Jordan knows that such parties can turn an ordinary voyage into a memorable one -- and the QE2, he says, is famous for its officers' soirees. Although Jordan's job usually earns him an automatic invitation, non-VIP passengers have to seek one out. The travelers happened to sit next to two uniformed engineers and chatted them up over drinks. As the officers were leaving, one asked, "What cabin are you in?" A wardroom party invitation was delivered shortly thereafter, and the pair spent the next evening hobnobbing with the onboard elite. For these travelers, a chance encounter made all the difference -- but don't leave your trip to chance. If you think The Love Boat taught you all you need to know about vacationing at sea, think again. Everything from how you book your berth to how you behave on deck can affect the quality of your trip. The cruise industry has some secrets that Captain Stubing and his crew never divulged, and learning them could make your next vacation the best one yet. The ultimate insiders The best resource for anyone new to cruising is a seasoned veteran. Experienced cruisers know about the myriad options available for cabins, excursions and more, and they can tell you how they navigated the increasingly diverse menu of cruising options. Once you have a sense of what you want, a skilled travel agent can get you perks like a cabin upgrade and even special dinner seating (e.g., a table for two). And if you let your agent know that you are celebrating a special occasion such as a birthday or an anniversary, you just might find yourself with a chair at the captain's table. "Reposition" yourself There is, however, one good reason to skip the intermediary and book directly with the cruise line: It's called a "repositioning cruise." Birds aren't the only creatures that migrate for the winter. Cruise ships do it, too. It's a little-known fact that you can hitch a ride aboard a luxury vessel in transit for as little as $75 per night/per person. "It's one of those things that isn't really advertised," says Bob Jones, travel expert and "chief frugalist" for BookingWiz.com. When a cruise company needs to move its fleet from Alaska to California, for instance, or from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean, "they want their crew to do something while they're working." There are some drawbacks to traveling this way, including fewer ports (most ships stop once or twice, but some don't stop at all) and the fact that it's a one-way trip (you'll have to buy a return flight or get home some other way). But it's quite a bargain if you're looking to spend time at sea, and the service is "generally better because there are fewer people," Jones says. Repositioning cruises can be booked year-round. Home port advantage Another factor to consider before you book is where to start your journey. "A lot of people think cruises just leave out of Florida ports," says David Crooks, vice president of NLG, parent company of CruisesOnly. Before Sept. 11, 2001, that was a reasonable assumption. But afterward, travelers were less willing to fly long distances to access ports. So the cruise industry spread itself out. Major cruise companies now schedule departures from places like San Diego; Galveston, Texas; and Norfolk, Va. "You can sail out of almost any major seaport," Crooks says. "People don't know that you can cruise out of your own backyard." In addition to saving you time, the abundance of ports can save you money -- even if you don't leave from the city that's closest to home. The reason is what insiders call "tactical rates," a discounting strategy that cruise companies use when there are vacant cabins to fill. Cutting prices is a complex endeavor. If a cruise ship drops its rates, it runs the risk of upsetting passengers who booked early or triggering a wave of cancellations and re-bookings. So the companies get creative. "Instead of saying they're dropping the price of the cruise," Crooks says, "they say they're dropping the price of the airfare." You might see a ship that leaves from Los Angeles with $99 airfare from Boston or New York. In doing so, the company increases its bookings by attracting customers from farther away. And, Crooks says, because only 10% of CruiseOnly customers book airfare through the site -- usually opting to book separately at much higher rates -- these packages can mean significant overall savings. The industry also uses what Crooks calls "hidden rates," unadvertised discounts for every demographic, from students and teachers to military members. Ships that need to fill space frequently offer these rates on request. "Ask your travel agent," Crooks says. "If you're flexible, you'll get one." Friends with connections Once you're on board, there are steps you can take to get special treatment. Again, it's mostly about who you get to know. "What the seasoned travelers would do is seek out and identify those crew members who can help them," says Todd Smith, who spent 10 years working as a naturalist aboard small ships throughout Alaska before he started his own company, AdventureSmith. Because small ships usually are geared toward exploring the natural, "off-board" world, establishing an early rapport with the naturalist is a good idea. "Another person savvy travelers tend to befriend is the chef," Smith says. On a large ship, the kitchen staff is rarely accessible. Not so on a small ship or yacht, where some targeted congeniality could land you "an extra scoop of something, an extra dessert after the dining room's cleared out, extra cookies when you're out kayaking -- that kind of thing." Crew members also can be helpful when you're headed for a port. Most cruises offer pricey shore excursions as a hassle-free way to explore a destination in a short period of time, but you often can save money by hopping in a cab and venturing out alone. Asking staffers for their favorite island hangouts and going there on your own could lead to a much more satisfying stopover experience. Just be sure you get back to the dock on time. Upgrades and freebies If you see that the ship isn't too busy, sometimes you can get a better cabin just by making the request. "Some ships have a sign permanently affixed to the front desk that says the ship is full," Jordan says. But these signs are usually meaningless. "It's just to discourage people from coming up and asking." Other times, unfortunately, the only way to score an upgrade is by whining. "I hate to say it, but just be obnoxious and complain," says Mark Landon, a former cruise line employee whose website, shipjobs.com, gives job seekers a behind-the-scenes look at crew life. Ships usually keep extra cabins available to appease unhappy passengers, Landon says. Be warned, however: Behaving badly does not endear you to the crew. "If you get labeled as an obnoxious person, you're not going to get anything above and beyond," Landon says. "If you treat people with respect, you'll get more out of them." This is especially true among the ship's "social staff," employees whose job is to make sure the passengers are having fun. These crew members roam the ship, buying guests drinks and engaging them in small talk. "They're the party people," Landon says. "They want to make friends with you." They're most likely to interact with travelers who treat them as peers, not servants. That said, don't expect your friendliness to get you access to the crew's quarters or the staff-only bar. Unlike the officers' parties, which only a small number of guests are expected to attend, crew gatherings are strictly off-limits to outsiders. "Passengers are not allowed to go into the crew area, period," Landon says. One reason for the restriction is that those parts of the ship might not be covered by the cruise lines' insurance. In any case, the No. 1 reason to get chummy with the staffers has nothing to do with parties. People who live and work aboard ships tend to be worldly individuals whose jobs have taken them to exotic destinations. "Even though someone is making a living taking away your dirty dishes, they're possibly the most well-traveled people you will ever meet," Landon says. "These people have done everything you want to do." Getting to know them and hearing their stories could be the highlight of your trip. Kimberly Lisagor is the author of "Outside Wilderness Lodge Vacations: North America Plus Central America and the Caribbean. Cover photograph by Sylvain Grandadam, age fotostock

Happy for you . . . . . 47 times!!!!!!

Mary and Andre, Great trip, I'm jealous. By the way, by my estimate you'll be taking at least 4400 photos. How do you store the digital images? Do you take multiple memory cards, your laptop? I'd be interested in how you solve the problem.

We've lived in Dallas with tornadoes, Louisville in golf sized hailstorms that dented our RV, San Francisco with earthquakes and now in Florida with hurricanes. I agree with zebra, hurricanes are the best of the three. Early warnings give us the opportunity to prepare and/or get out of the way. Tornadoes and earthquakes give no warning.

JR, I have similiar experiences . . . . . . work on projects around the house like roofing, plumbing, etc. My demolition comes when I have to destroy the thing that I ruined and hire a professional.

James, Great job 37 years! Congrats! I retired after 30 and don't know if I could have done another seven for the same reasons . . . . . pay, cutbacks, I commend your dedication. Unfortunately when they cut-back and get rid of people they always give you more work (the jobs of those they let go) at the same pay. Then the CEOs, etc. leave with multi-million dollar packages. Enough said!!!!!

Pat's letting me know that your party is over . . . . . .and our's is about to start. Good night all!

I saw only one person in the hot tub and decided to jump right in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SPLASH!<]

Thanks! Now that I've had five hot dogs and ten bahama-mamas, it's time to go to my cabin. Now where's my CruiseCrazie door sign, there are so many!