Spikesgirl

Gardener718 or can I just call you 718? Or maybe that's too much like The Village in "The Prisoner" Glad to have you on baord. This is a really great bunch of people all united in the name of enjoying cruising. Hope to see you around the boards. Wilkomme, bievenu, welcome! Charlie

Wow, what great stories! Cheryl and Mary Lou, you choked me right up. It is so wonderful that you were able to reach out and touch the lives that you have. Here's to many more success stories in this thread. Thanks again for starting it, Mebert! Charlie

Joey and David - we've been cruising wiht Princess for over ten years and I will also be happy to answer any questions that you might have. I haven't heard anything bad about the ship, in fact, very little at all is posted about her, as opposed to the rotten bedding on the Grand and the swerer smell on the Star/Island. We've always gone with traditional because it suits our needs, but lots of people swear by Anytime. if you find a group of waiters that you like, you can ask to be seated in their section. People have said that they don't think the level of service is as high with Anytime because the constant changing of passengers. As for the specialty restaurants, they really seem to vary per ship. I have talked with people who swear by Sabtini's on one ship, but won't step foot inside the restaurant on another. I have heard a lot of comments that the apps and desserts are really great at Sterlings, but the steaks were better in the main dining room. Room service is available except for some breakfast items, unless you pop for a suite, then it's pretty much anything you want. They even made my DH Eggs Benedict one morning at his request. Room service is free, but most encouraging tipping the waiters. Someone did report a $17 charge for room service, but I'm not sure how that happened. We've always been pretty happy with the Lido for breakfast and lunch, but again, some people won't even step out onto the deck, much less actually eat there. princess has put out dispensers of anti-bacteria lotion and there is someone usually standing there and enforcing its use. So far, we've not been on a ship with a problem with Noro, but I think it's just pretty much the luck of the draw. Our last cruise was in SE Asia, so there was a lot of Asia cuisine (at least one Thai dish at lunch and always either a stri fry or sweet and sour something. The sushi was pretty good, but I still like the Mexican buffet the best. Dining room coffee is better than the Ldio, but the tea is pretty drinkable most of the time. They do have more juices for breakfast than are displayed. You just have to ask for them. Hope this has helped a little. i will stop short of saying I'm a cheerleader, but we are very fond of the cruiseline. Charlie

Wow - you've managed 36 week-long cruises? ! Do you do the Caribbean a lot? We have yet to venture down there. Since we're west coast, it's easier for us to do Hawai'i when we get into the mood for the tropics. We're thinking about doing the Panama Canal, but haven't really firmed anything up yet. It's a few yeers down the line. Good luck with your booking and have a great cruise wherever you head. Charlie

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I'll add my hellos as well. Don't be afraid to just jump righ tin and post. I'm still new and finding my way around, but there is a great group of people here. Wilkomme, bievenu, welcome! Charlie

Sailing Rose, you say you have an open booking on Princess - have you done the SE Asia cruise? Incredible doesn't even start to describe it. And Tahiti is always great - we're heading back there a seocnd time. Or Egypt - the Royal is started to sail there this summer. Charlie

Good morning, Beachfinder! As another newcomer, let me assure you that you have found a great site to tuck in and sit for a spell. Wilkomme, bievenu, welcome, Charlie

Welcome aboard, txcouple! I've only been here a short time, but it's a great site and a fabulous place to talk cruising. Wilkomme, beinvenu, welcome, Charlie

Okay, Mebert, since I got you thinking, I'll add my two cents worth to this. When I was working in the Scene Shop, all the Theater Appreciation students had to put in either 10 hours in the shop or write a paper. Students being what they are, I used to get lots of help. One day, a shy Japanese exchange student came in and asked if he could work. Although I was ready to close up for the day, I found a small task for him to do. He finished it with such style and finese, that I found something else for him to work on. By the time he had put in his ten hours, we had become friends. Two years later, he graduated with honors with a AA in Technical Theater. he then went on to San Francisco State where he earned an BA with honors in theater set design. he started the MFA program there, but was lured away by Boston University and a Fulbright scholarship. Today, he's designing and working on Broadway. In his graduation speech, he credited all his achievements to the support that Chris and I had given him over the year. Oh, he's also our adopted son and we couldn't be more proud of him. Hope that fits your request for a happy ending, Mebert! Charlie

Mebert - frankly I blame it on the fact that Chris dropped her on her head when she was just a month old. She was standing up as he held her hands and he got really excited, "Look she standing!" He then let go and over she went. Didn't cry or anything, just looking at him like he'd lost his mind. Thankfully, her parents were understanding and didn't kick us out of the house. We will ahve to leave the dolphins and whatnot until we hit a tropical port. We're headed to the British Isle with Miss Wendy first - although she has already volunteered to go with us to Tahiti next year. We're trying to convince her folks that they'd enjoy it as well, but Michael isn't into cruise ships (not that he has had any experience, he's just decided that. We're trying to 'undecide' him. The thing htat I'm nost excited about is that she'll be coming out early, fresh from summer camp to stay with us for a week prior to the cruise - her mom asked if we could take her to Stanford as she's going to try for early admission. We're also pushing UoP, which is literally just up the street from us. She wants to be a neuro surgeon. Why? Because they make lots of money so she can travel. Gotta love the kid's logic! Thanks again for the suggestions. Charlie

I will add my hellos as well. it is truly exciting to find such a fun group of people. i hope you will feel comfortable and jump in with both feet. Wilkommem bievenu, welcome! Charlie

I'm thinking that daily posts will not be a problem for me - getting rid of me - that might be harder... I really enjoy the less judgemental and more genteel atmosphere here. Charlie

Mebert - what a great story! Hope that Wendy comes away with similar feelings. her parents tells us that she's closer to us than any of their other friends, which is odd since we only see them about once every three years. I just want this to be the best experience in her life. One glimmer of hope, she's already 'volunteered' to go with us to Tahiti next year. Cheryl - I'm sorry, Wendy is 14 now, but going on 30 according to her mom. She still doesn't like boys (thank the gods for that) and prefers to be with adults to young people her own age. Thanks again for all the feedback, Charlie

Want to add my welcome as well - I just joined and have never felt so welcomed so quickly in my life. Hope to see you on the boards. Willkomme, bievenu, welcome, Charlie

I will add my welcomes as well, sayahh(great name, by the by). I only recently joined myself and what a great group of people I've met here. These guys really make you feel like you've found a home. Willkomme, bievenu, Welcome! Charlie

SMB - the crazy uncles were always my favorite people to hang with. Normal is so-o-o over-rated... Charlie

Robert - her response so far has been - "Whatever you want to do is fine with me." She did express interest in visiting the Lourve and Stonehenge, but that's been it. She lives in Florida, so there's a distance problem as well. I will definitely have her check out the gym - that's good call. Wow - four daughters? You must have the patience of Job. Thanks for the input! Charlie

Our first cruise was with Princess and we enjoyed it very much. Perhaps that is why we have stayed with her for most of our cruises. For us, the most important thing is Ports of Call. We tend to decide an itinerary, then look to see what is offered. We have cruised with Carnival and enjoyed the ship quite a bit, but really did not like the intinerary (we didn't pick it out, some friends urged us to join them and that was a mistake. Instead of choosing our own, we piggy backed on theirs and it turned out less than wonderful. We then look at the window - we almost always cruise during July/August. Until recently, I was employed as a theatrical scene shop foreperson and my windows of opportunity were very narrow. Became disabled (long story) and ended up unemployable, but the habit to cruise then had already been established. We have already discussed trying a different line once we have exhausted what Princess has to offers, but for now we are happy with their offereings. I'm not sure if that qualifies as brand loyality, but we're happy. Charlie

Thanks for the hint, teacp. I will check it out. Mercedes - we have been very fortunate. We only cruise once a year, as a rule, so we like to make it a whiz banger! My husband refers to them as banked memories and says that it's more important to have the memories of travel than the wish that you had done more of it. WE plan to travel as long as we can and then sit back and remember all the 'good old days'. Charlie

We are crusing with our god daughter this summer and it will be a new experience for us. We don't have any children and have grown up pretty naive about how to keep a teenager happy. Any hints as to things we might want to encourage her to try. She's very introverted and prefers the company of adults to kids her own age. She doesn't like to shop, but she is a third degree black belt. Any ideas or suggestions, parents ot there? Charlie

Wow, what a warm and fuzzy puppies welcome. The other board seems to have fixed itself, but I am really impressed with the outgoing and friendly response here. I think I'll stay until you guys get tired of me! Mebert, you asked about our cruise experiences. We started cruising in the mid 90's out of SF because of the convenient location. We loved the cruise, wasn't impressed with Alaska - I know, I know, I have been severely flamed for that opinion. Anyhow, we decided after that to try New Zeland and Australia - this time didn't care much for the food (yes, we are foodies), but loved the ports of call. After that, it was to Tahiti and the Cook Islands, then off to the Mexican Riviera (our only Carnival experience - enjoyed the ship, but our traveling companions weren't exactly a match for us. no more cruises with them). Then we decided to blow the bank and did a month long cruise/land tour to SE Asia. That was really incredible. If anyone is thinking about going there, I highly recommedn it. We did the Princess cruise, then a river cruise aboard Victoria Lines. It was a little downscale from Viking, but still delightful. Now we're getting ready to head for the British Isles. After that, we have a return cruise to Tahiti, then it's off to Egypt/Aegean Sea and the Panama Canal after that (we're long range planners) Looking forward to lots of chats with everyone! Charlie

Just checking to see if there is anyone sailing on this cruise. Charlie

After getting tired of waiting on the boards at another cruise site, I thought I'd dig around and found this site. My husband and I enjoy cruiseing, usually with Princess, but we have also tried Carnival and some river cruises. Don't have anything of great importance to say, just wanted to say hey. Charlie