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Jan115

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Everything posted by Jan115

  1. Welcome, Aleta! You've come to the right place. The people here are the friendliest you'll ever meet. Happy cruising!
  2. This is perfect for folks in the Northeast who want to get their Disney fix without flying to Orlando.
  3. I've noticed the Princess forum has been a bit quiet, so I thought I'd get some dialogue going. Princess just added a new video to their website showing off more new features of the new Royal. What do you think of the design, and do you have any plans to sail her when she debuts next summer? The maiden voyages are nearly sold out (if not already), but I have staked my place on a 12-day Mediterranean in August. I am very excited about some features, but no so much for others. I am sad to see the removal of the Aft adult pool, for instance, but I am happy that they are improving upon the Piazza, making it larger and grander. What are your thoughts?
  4. I would love to do this .... someday. I have a long way to go to reach 1,000+ posts, but I'm trying.
  5. I would like to suggest also adding below the profile photo, the city and/or state or region in which the cruiser lives, if they so choose to list it. It helps identify with a person who might be from your same general area, without becoming too personal. What do you think?
  6. I booked our first cruise with a large cruise-only agency with a local brick and mortar because I needed some guidance. The agent was not all that helpful, but the price was reasonable and everything turned out fine. Prior to our second cruise I absorbed every piece of cruise info I could, utilizing travel forums to answer all my questions, reading reviews and cruise boks. For my next four cruises, I knew exactly what I wanted and just went and booked on line with the web agency who gave me the best deal and would be readily available if I wanted to make a change or had a question. I have never found the need or desire to book directly with the cruise line, as the cruise lines now make it super easy to control your own booking through their websites, whether or not you booked directly, and I have always found a better deal with an agency which offers gifts, on board credit and other added amenities. As a few cruise lines still allow agents to discount, a better price can often be found with an agent as well. Agents will also block off group space early when the itinerary is announced, offering those cabins at a reduced rate with added amenities.
  7. Congrats on your cruise booking and getting the time off. We are cruising this summer to the British Isles and next summer to the Mediterranean. I feel your excitement!
  8. After 57 cruises, I would probably be tempted to do the same. The Concordia incident, I think, is a reminder to all of us, including the complacent who may have not paid much attention to muster drills because they've been through so many, that we passengers and the crew need to be ready for anything.
  9. Seems to be a new trend. Some cruise lines are trying to come up with ways to attract a younger audience with theme cruises geared to them. I recently read an article on RCCL hosting an upcoming "Barge to Hell" cruise on Majeaty of the Seas - featuring heavy metal. Certainly not something I want to be part of, just as a "metalhead" wouldn't be interested in a "Mozart" cruise. To each their own. As long as the cruise is advertised as such and a person looking for a quiet serene cruise experience doesn't find themselves on such a sailing because no one told them - then I guess it's not a problem. But I agree, this type of theme doesn't fit my idea of a cruise.
  10. Hi WilNic, I just joined a few days ago and getting to know my way around. Are you doing the Boston to Bermuda cruise on Norwegian or Carnival Glory to Canada? We were on the old Norwegian Dream out of Boston to Bermuda in 2008. What a great cruise and so relaxing. It was so convenient to us here in New England to be able to drive. Bermuda is easy to get around, the ship sits in one place the entire week, and you don't have to rush back to the ship at the end of the day. I do miss docking in St. George, though.
  11. Another "reason" for not cruising I've been hearing from the skeptics is noro-virus. It amazes me how many people think it's only found on cruise ships, not realizing that the "stomach virus" going around the local schools, college dorms, hospitals, nursing homes and every other place where large crowds gather is essentially the same virus. Of course, the media makes it look worse than it is.
  12. Glad to hear Nancy is back to regular activity. Just stationary bike and walking for me - I have some arthritis in my knees, but will save that story for another day. For me, the biking keeps the joints limber, in both knees and ankles, and try to get in at least 30 minutes a day. It's tough growing older!
  13. Thank you, I was very fortunate to be in good medical hands. Is your wife fully recovered? I feel her pain! I still have plate and screws on one side; the screws were removed from the other. I still have occasional pain and stiffness and will always be paranoid about future missteps but otherwise function pretty well.
  14. Looks like something you'd see in a James Bond movie - very cool!
  15. Christmas ornaments, but mostly refrigerator magnets from every land and sea voyage. I have so many now that I have to rotate them!
  16. Thank you for the warm welcome. I look forward to mingling!
  17. Thanks, but I'm having other issues with IPad and Cruise Crazies. When I finally try to post, the screen freezes or crashes and burns. I think it might be a JavaScript problem. The mobile version on IPhone works perfectly, though, which is what I am using now to post this. Go figure.
  18. How awful! Can you file an insurance claim for the lost bag? Best of luck to you - I hope it returns. This can be a gentle reminder to all of us to always, always pack our valuables in our carry-on bags.
  19. Reminds me of some buffet lines I have seen.
  20. I am not all that surprised. Cruise lines seem to be overly optimistic with the trend to shift their itineraries to Europe for the summer. While there are many U.S. passengers ready to explore the ever-growing European and Mediterranean itineraries, there are still a great number who would prefer to stay closer to home, given the current global environment and the high cost of international air.
  21. Karaoke is always a hoot. Our daughter has a classically trained voice, and usually comes in a winner or nearly so - which is always very special. But special honors should be given to the people who are brave enough to get up there and pretend to be Sinatra for a night - even when they're clearly not! Also, the hypnotists are very entertaining. I don't know what it is about my husband, but show hosts always seem to zero in on him in the audience, and one night my husband, while under a hypnotist's trance, performed as Garth Brooks - even though he doesn't like country music and doesn't even know who the guy is. Very, very amusing. Passengers were talking about it for days!
  22. I have to say that my favorite cruise was when we took our whole immediate family including 3 daughters and son-in-law. It must have worked out, because son-in-law stuck around and eventually married daughter and they've been married over 4 years! That said, there are people I wouldn't want to cruise with - most of my extended family. However, with that said, we are taking my brother and his wife on their very first cruise this summer. I'll let you know how it went. I agree with others here that you really do need to state beforehand that everyone is encouraged to do what they like during the day and then meet up later for dinner or drinks to tell their stories.
  23. It's a personal decision for everyone, depending on you health, the health of your family, and how much money of your vacation you are willing to risk. For us, we never travel without it. You absolutely never know when an emergency situation will arise. An emergency helicopter evac from a ship, alone, can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Another reason for us - I double-fractured my ankle while on a land trip close to home in 2006, and I can only imagine what the experience would have been like on a cruise in a far-away country. Really, when you're spending you hard-earned dollars on a much-needed holiday, it's well worth the few extra bucks for the peace of mind you'll get from it.
  24. For us, it's a combination of both and what cruises are available during the two-week block in August when we can both cruise together. This does limit the choices for us. My dear husband prefers Princess - I will cruise any ship that is available during the time we can travel. Since Princess has no ships in the Caribbean in the summer any longer, we have expanded to Europe. I would love to give Alaska a try, but I'll have to do that one on my own because he has no interest whatsoever in "America's Last Frontier". This summer, we will be doing our first small-ship cruise on the Ocean Princess to Ireland and Scotland. The itinerary took priority here - the Ocean Princess would not have been our first pick of ship, but we do look forward to giving her a try. Next summer 2013 will be the new Royal Princess to the Mediterranean. Here, both ship and itinerary took equal priority - new ship and a new long-wished for destination!
  25. Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. As for using this site on my IPad, I was unable to complete the profile info before the screen went wacky on me. I am posting this, but the text box is tiny - about an inch wide, and I can only see a few words of text. Is this normal? If so, I guess some finger scrolling will be involved.
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