gooch47

Right. I find the odds that I will be strip searched in the middle of the night without cause to be fairly low on my list of concerns when cruising. However, I did take out a sizeable robot attack insurance plan in case of robot attack.

What about zombies?

I think it was scotch, but no idea what brand. We always substituted CC for everything so I'm not even sure what we used to have and what was new.

I know it isn't bourbon but my hubby and I were quite disappointed when we could no longer get Canadian Club with our elite or suite free setups.

I definitely do not miss the filthy hands you got from scooping coins out of the tray. Especially the nickles.

We're in one of these cabins, too. Are there any disadvantages? (Probably too late to worry about it now. LOL )

I am so sorry. Your story was beautifully written.

I've been on enough Princess cruises that I could probably give the spiel myself. They say that they have you meet "in a place of safety, away from the elements." And they also emphasize that having to go to your muster station IS NOT the order to abandon ship.

Take the Star Princess fire for instance. The people were sent to the muster stations in lounges, the theater, etc. and waited there for further instructions. As I understand it, they were there for HOURS. Not in total comfort, but certainly not standing out on the Promenade Deck wearing life jackets. There was no order to abandon ship since the crew and others did manage to put the fire out. Can you imagine the confusion and yes, probably panic, for those whose muster stations were on the side of the ship where the fire was? In that incident, gathering people together inside was in their best interest, I believe. I don't know, however, how it would turn out if the order to abandon ship were given. I'm terribly afraid it would be a mad rush to the lifeboats very similar to the Concordia.

I remember hearing or reading once that on an airplane you should watch the flight attendants. If they seem agitated or in a rush to do things, then maybe things aren't at all well.

You could do the same on a ship. Go down to the atrium. Check out what the crew seems to be doing. If you are in a balcony cabin and it is safe to go out on the balcony, look up at the bridge. Are they all wearing life jackets? (Just kidding ... mostly)

What I'm saying is I'm not going to just roll over and go back to sleep. At an absolute minimum, I'll get up, get dressed and see that my grab bag and flashlight are within reach.

I've read first-hand accounts of passengers who were on the Star Princess during the fire and they all tell of how well the crew performed and how calm the passengers remained. I think the difference here (the Concordia) was that an evacuation was required. And of course, the delay in issuing the evacuation order.

After 51 cruises, we don't intend to stop cruising, but I will NEVER take anyone's word again that I am safe when I don't feel safe. I've been on a ship that had a power blackout. I've been on a ship that was hit by a rogue wave. Each time we were assured everything was OK. I won't believe that again until I prove it to myself.

It took me a while to figure out what you were talking about, but this is a great thing to know about. Thanks for the tip.

Thank you so much for doing this. We hadn't considered the Epic up to now and didn't have any idea these cabins even existed.

But we just got back from the Caesar's casino in Windsor, Ontario, where my hubby got a certificate for a free cruise. If we cruise before this March, we can take the Epic. We can pay for an upgrade from an inside to a balcony and this information is so helpful.

We haven't looked at the Epic before this, so don't know about the different balcony categories. I assume these hull balconies are all in the "Balcony" category and not the Mid-Ship Balcony (obviously) or Large Balcony. Is that correct?

Don't know if it is true or not, but the last time we tried to get a hotel shuttle to the pier they told us they weren't allowed to do that. They did have a shuttle service to the airports, so it wasn't that they didn't have the vehicle to do it.

Probably some deal the city has with the taxi companies.

For us the rule of thumb that seems to have always worked is we get comp'ed a room for about 1/3 of what we lost on the cruise that is being "graded" for the comp (the previous cruise).

Thanks. That is very helpful information.

If this is anything like a land based casino, it isn't based on how much you lost but on how much you risked. Your play is tracked (bet size, time, etc) but the outcome isn't a factor.

Congratulations.

We just booked a free one from the Harrah's (Caesar's now I guess) chain and the cost was just about the same. We chose the Spirit out of NOLA which was the same one we took in March. Between the ship not leaving until 1:30 a.m. and rain and clouds the whole trip we decided to try a do-over.

We just got back from a three week vacation and each of us had a card in our held mail from the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida. That would have been TWO more free NCL cruises. We were actually in Florida the day that we had to be there to pick up the cruises. It would have only been about a 120 mile detour from where we were heading (Captiva Island). We're a little bummed about missing that opportunity.

Personally, I'd appreciate just getting two bar setups (one for each of us) instead of one per cabin.

And I'd love to go to Sabatini's for breakfast. I understand the problem with not being able to accommodate all the suite passengers, but maybe they could limit it to the top, say ... 20 most travelled or something like that. When we got upgraded to our suite last October, there were only like 4-5 couples MAX at Sabatini's at any time. Don't know if people didn't know about it, had other people with them who weren't qualified, or what but we were suprised at how few attended.

We don't book cheap cabins, BTW. We don't go any lower than a balcony and mostly it is a mini-suite.

On the Golden last cruise, the only place my hubby could get wifi in the cabin was sitting in the bathroom. :)

I'm only up to page 37, but I promise to read them all.

On one cruise, we were going down a staircase only to encounter a woman sitting in the middle with art supplies spread out all around her. She was trying to copy the painting on the landing. But the worst part was that right then a group of 5-6 Asian people tried to get by her and were talking quite loudly. She "shhsh'ed" them saying they were interfering with her concentration.

There were six of us sitting at a table for 8 on a Carnival cruise when the last couple showed up. In a loud voice that everyone could hear, the woman said, "You'd think they would seat us suite passengers with better people." We had already asked for a different table for other reasons so we don't know how the rest of that cruise went for them at that table.

On one cruise a couple showed up for portraits on formal night in their bathrobes. They said they did that on every cruise they took.

We ran into someone doing the stuffed toy animal thing. This guy had a stuffed monkey. He was always bothering people asking them to take his photo with the monkey. For some reason his wife wouldn't do it. :rolleyes: This same guy was the one who made an a$$ out of himself on the delayed charter flight from SF to Tahiti. He stood up in his seat after a considerable wait and said, "I'm a police officer from New York City and I demand to know why we haven't taken off yet." As if anybody cared that he was a cop.

We were leaving the dock in Venice, Italy, when a water taxi came screaming up to the dock with two couples who had missed the boat. The captain did not return to the dock. And to add insult to injury, a police boat gave the taxi captain a ticket for speeding.

And finally, we were on the Celebrity Xpedition. We weren't supposed to be aboard, we had signed up for a snorkleing trip but decided not to go. Our cabin stewardess walked in on my hubby right as he was leaving the shower. The only thing within reach to cover up with was a shoe. Where, oh where is your camera when you really need it.

Back when Princess used paper survey/comment forms I blasted them on one cruise because the casino was unbelievably tight. I turned it in, went back to the casino that night and won back all the money I had lost. I sorta felt bad about that. :D

At least for the Princess cruises we take, the reason you have to pay USA taxes is because the parent corporation (Carnival) is incorporated in the USA. Being in international waters doesn't help, unfortunately.

Not on a slot machine, but I won $4000 on one hand of "Let it Ride" poker on the Golden Princess in 2001.

I get most of my music from freeplaymusic.com

 

They have royalty free music for all to use there. You can search by feel,style, or name.

Thanks. Youtube gets on my case about using music I have bought. They don't make me delete the video but put an advertisement on the screen about where you can purchase the music. But it makes me nervous.

Good point. I didn't think about that.

You know, it might be better for everyone on board if they said exactly what it was instead of some mysterious code. Like the OP, you would wonder if it were a fire.

Same thing happened on the Sun Princess on our Aussie Cruise. Middle of the night, I happened to be up going potty and heard a call for an assessment party to report to a certain cabin on our side of the ship. I looked over the balcony, saw what appeared to be smoke but wasn't. Scared the you-know-what out of me.

We went in March, 2006. On the plane home we were discussing when we would be able to go back. There was a lady on the cruise who had been there 21 times.

We were on the Celebrity Xpedition. There were 84 passengers on board. The service was good, but not quite what I expected on a Celebrity cruise. Of course, it was more laid back than a more formal cruise.

The Galapagos were everything we dreamed about. We are wildlife fanatics and had always been disappointed before. Even in Alaska ... twice. The sea lions were so tame you would have to step over the pups laying in the paths. The birds would look at you and you'd swear they were checking YOU out. No touching of course, but you sure could have. The iguanas were numerous and varied.

On the Xpedition there were three levels of tours. We chose the most physical ones the first few days, then I came down with Norovirus. :( It took two days to be well enough to leave the ship. I was pretty weak so we stuck with the least physical the rest of the trip. Those were mostly just Zodiac (inflatable boat) rides around whatever stop we were at. It wasn't as bad as it sounds. We still got to see a lot of wildlife, just not as up close and personal.

Regarding the Norovirus, I'd say at least 75% of the passengers came down with it. The ship's doctor was great. She came to my cabin to treat me, and that night she came back and found me gone. That lady tracked me down on the ship to see how I was doing. They served me bland meals. Others were being treated the same way. Should we have been confined to our cabin? Perhaps. Maybe that is why so many got sick.

We are planning to go back in 2008.

Like some others, by the end of most cruises I'm just plain sick of eating.

But ... I've adopted a low carb lifestyle. It works for me. When I'm on the ship I tend to make not so great choices a lot of the time so it means I'm up a few pounds ... usually about 5 ... when i get back. So the first few days back I really cut back the carbs and to be honest I enjoy the KISS whole foods I eat.