Bonnie J.

We too LOVED all the Dolphin ships. It was sad to watch the SeaBreeze actually sink as a local news story. She had been repossesed in the middle of a cruise in Nova Scotia in August. It was in November that she started taking on water, with a crew of 35, on her way to Miami. This was near the VA-NC boarder. TV had a picture of a crew member being lifted to our Coast Guard helicopter by the pool I had swum in the year before. It was something to watch the bow disappear beneath the water!

Dolphin also built the Royal Majesty which was sold to NCL when Dolphin Cruise line went under. She is 1200 passengers and we went on her a few times when Charleston, SC was her home port. This was the only NCL ship we could stand. About two years ago she was sold to Louise Cruises in England.

WE really miss those small ships too!

The Dolphin IV, the 1st ship of Dolphin Cruise lines, was a freighter built in 1948 or 1950 or 1952. (We ate with 3 captians and each had a different year it was built!) then, in the 80's it was turned into a cruise ship for 800 passengers. It really rocked because it had no stabilizers. I don't think the Seabreeze or Oceanbreeze had them either. Today's ships all have stabilizers so you seldom really feel any motion at all.

We LOVED those little ships and really miss that size ship!

Sorry, have no idea. Ask on your roll call. Thiswas our 4th and last princess cruise. We areinout late 60's and felt we were the youngest ***** the ship. Amonh other things, a violyn, chello and piano every night in the atrium, trioleaving for their dinner at &:15 when we wanted to dance. listen to live music before our 8:15 dinner, getting tender ticket #78 at 10am and they were needed until 12:30, last tender back at 2pm - didn't bother to go, etc.

Depending on the cruise line, some will have your luggage delivered to the airport for a fee. If they do this there will be info in your cabin about this. Check on the cruise lines site to see if they do or ask here. Let us know what ship. And, in some ports ships have tours and drop you off at the airport at the end of the tour. Look into that also.

Are you planning to get sick on a cruise and need to fly home???????????

If you're in the early saver program then by all means send it it but maybe call them. If you tell them where you saw it they can look it up to verify.

Hate booking that far ahead but we got $240 OBC once with this program!

Last year we were on the Dawn Princess and felt we were the youngest on board---And we are 68 years old! At night the trio in the lounge left at 7pm for their dinner! we had trouble finding dance music. In the atrium they had a violyn, chello and piano player. How do you dance to them? And when there was music, never saw so many doing the waltz!

We like Carnival because of the nice mix of people. And we HATE the freestyle dinning- they give you a beeper when a table is tready and once we had to wait 40 minutes!

Haven't been on RCCL in a while but don't rule them out.

You do not need a passport in Bermuda or any Caribbean island.

To get off the ship your sign 'n sail card is pushed in a slot to show you got off the ship. When you come back you show a photo ID (driver's license) and your sign 'n sail card which is pushed in again to show you are back on board.

But a passport is very good to have and you NEVER take it off the ship. You can take a COPY of it if you want.

People think of passports being expensive but they are good for TEN years. You now need one if you want to go to Canada or any other country. If you plan to cruise again, think about getting one!

Go to Penn Station and get a train. Trains run back and forth all day. They may not be Amtrac but will still get you there. They are commuter trains.

Boy, did we LOVE the Dolphin! Can't believe it but YESTERDAY in the back of a closet I found a Dolphin sweatshirt! It looks like it was never worn but will be now. I also have a post card of her, mathes with the dophin on them, a shoe horn with dolphin and the

T-****s you got after snorkeling with Dolphin. On our 1st cruise every table, every night, had a bottle of both red & white wine, free!

We booked the Dolphin the day after Christmas, Sunday, for the Milenium Cruise at 10:30AM. At noon, Sunday, we were driving to Port Canveral to get on her as she left that day, Monday. Remember, people thought the world would end and the Dolphin had vacancies.

We had a ball. We were seated in the dining room up a step right next to Poppie, the piano player. His wife was at our table and we had Franchesca, a former crew memeber who was subbing for someone over the holiday. Her boyfriend was the bar manager. When the waiter quarter sang, they came and sang every night at our table to us.

WE spent New Year's Eve tied up at Mallory square for the whole night. (Our 1st Dolphin cruise in 1984 we docked there and walked a dirt path to get into town!) At 5pm a tug came and moved us back to the navy pier until 6:30 when the sun was down. Then we were pushed back.

The entertainer was Ronald McDonald! (Yes that was his name!) He played in the lounge every night. Then he eventually became the cruise director. Then he married a lady from Nassau and became a director at a resort on Paradise Island.

We had dinner 3 times with different captains and that was fun too.

We were on her next to last trip. It was sad to learn she ended up in India!

There are rails on bunk beds to prevent anyone from falling out. Only problem might be getting out of bed to go the the bathroom during the dark night and finding the ladder. With 4 in a cabin 2 pull down bunks provides 4 beds. The beds usually fold into the wall or ceiling during the day. Your steward will put beds up during the day, fold up a roll a way and put the beds down at night. There is not room for 4 beds in one cabin although a roll a way bed may fit somewhere but that would be tight. Convertable beds probably means the two beds can be put together to make one queen size bed.

WE have also used stay1213.com with no problems very good price. Print what they email you and take it with you. The Sheraton wanted to charge more until we showed them our email from 123stay. However they are only in towns with an airport or pier. Found this out when we tried to get a hotel in western NJ.

No number is needed for a meet & greet. There have been only two of us or more then 25.

You don't sign up for a Meet & Greet, you just go. But to find out where & when go the the Roll Call here. Click on the cruise line, then ship, then date of your sail. On the ship's

Roll Call you email each other, plan tours together and this is where the Meet & Greet is planned. Signing up for the Roll Call is easy and very safe!

We have been cruising since the mid 80's and cruise even more now that we are both retired. I don't see a reason to put all the ships and dates at the bottom of my answers. We have been on many ships of 5 cruise lines that no longer exist! There is no way I could tell you when each cruise was and, who cares? What is the purpose of doing this? But, for this ppost I will list our cruise lines!

CRUISE LINES WE"VE BEEN ON:

Dolphin

Commodore

Regency

Premier

Cape Canaveral Cruises

Carnival

Royal Caribean

Celebrity

Princess

NCL

Costa

We will be on the Crown Princess at the end of the month. Go to the Roll Call here on cruisecrtitic. Roll Call memebers set up the meet & greets. Go to your cruise line, then ship, then date of cruse.

On my Roll Call there are 46 couples signed up for one meet & greet! We are having one right after muster and the main one next day - at sea. We have invited officers to our meet & greet.

All so set up is a slot pull and a few other activities on board. 24 of us have set up a private tour together on Roatan.

But, we have been on some Roll Calls where no one shows up for the meet & greet.

We stay at the Econo Lodge in Coco, VERY close to the port. Cruisers park their car in the very front of the hotel. The shuttle to and from the port is free. They have a hot breakfast each morning. We have also gotten a coupon for a free drink in their lounge that night. On weekends there is music in the lounge. Price is very reasonable, around $80 a night. And, the rooms are very nice. Let them know when you book you are cruising so they can plan for shuttle space.

We LOVED the Dolphin, our 1st cruise, and the SeaBrteeze and the OceanBreeze. It was sad to watch our local news and see the SeaBreeze sink off the VA, NC coast. But somewhere I found a VERY old luggage tag from the Seabreeze. We were in cabin 6D. This is now my bookmark! Hate all these new ships with MANY more people than our home town!(2,000) Now we are more than 60 cruises, just can't stop cruising!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have seen Cruise Critic Meet & Greets IN daily Carnival Capers - (Now Carnival Fun). Always a sign Private party when they give you a place to meet but often a place is decided and ship is not told about it, you just meet.

What ship is this on? Now they sometimes serve you bacon but and I have gotten it myself and had it served to me. Guess they were throwing away too much bacon! At past guest receptions you can have as many drinks as you want. This is Carnival and Costa. Haven't been on NCL or Princess for a year or so but didn't have what you had on them either!

NO, you do not need any vacinations for cruising here. If you did, the cruise lines would make sure EVERYONE knew that! WE have been on MANY, MANY cruises and the only thing people get sick with might be a norovirus type thing.

CRUISE LINES WE'VE BEEN ON:

Dolphin

Commodore

Regency

Premier

Cape Canaveral Cruises

Carnival

Royal Caribean

Celebrity

NCL

Princess

Costa

The Dolphin was built about 1950! (Dates we were given were 1948,1950 & 1952!, depending on which captain). It had NO stabalizers (SP?)! It was a freighter turned into a cruise ship. It did rock 'n roll when the seas were rough. Once it was so bad there were only 3 tables at the Grand midnight buffet and most of us didn't eat. People took their piillows on to the upper deck to try to sleep in the chaises, Most of the band gort sick so wasn't there for the comic who had to hold on to a poll so he wouldn't topple over during his show - with a very small audience. The captain announced we would be out of it around midnight and we were.

IThis ship was our 1st cruise and EVERY table had a complimentary (free) bottle of both red and white wine in the dining room at night. We loved that little ship and spent the Millenium New Year's on her and had a ball. When Cape Caraveral cruise Line bought her she only did 2 & 4 nights but on this cruise it was 6 nights. We spent New Years night tied up at Key West in Mallory Square!

The engine had been spitting soot for years and it was due to go to dry dock but it was going to cost 1.something million more than they had so it was sadly sent to India. This is where ships are sent for scrap.

We LOVED the size of the ship and the crew and miss those small ships!

We saw Bert Stratton twice on the OceanBreeze. Then we saw him on Princess and he told us he'd gotten married and she worked on the ship! It was great to see him again and every night he played and sang to standing room crowds!

I recently came across an old luggage tag from the Dolphin! We had cabin D-9! It is now my book mark! Really miss that old ship!

We did a B2B a year ago then have cruised, all 7 days, Aug.29th, Sept.19th, Oct.31, Jan.10th and Feb. 10th. Yes we are cruise-a-holics and love cruising! We have a cruise fund for cruising and for the $$$$, cruising can't be beat. WE are self-employed and semiretired so can and do VERY last minute cruises. (We got absolutely last cabin on Feb.6 cruise. Ship had been full for days but I called Costa directly and we got a cabin that had just been turned it, got it late Thursday afternoon, we left at 4:45AM next moring and got on ship the next day.) You never can cruise too much!

CRUISE LINES WE"VE BEEN ON :

Dolphin

Commodore

Regency

Premier

Cape Canaveral Cruises

Carnival

Royal Caribean

Celebrity

NCL

Princess

Costa

When we have been ON Carnival and a port was missed, (Grand Cayman twice & Grand Turk after hurricane), we recieved a letter in our cabin saying our account would be credited with $25 for each missed port.

Once when we were bumped and moved (two cruises turned into one) I had to keep demanding we get the port charges back and finally did. The port charge, I think, is for each passenger on the ship. If you're not on the ship, you shouldn't pay for it.