mithryl

My GF was diagnosed with breast cancer (everyone get your mammo's) in Aug. She is doing great but we celebrate and spend all our money!:)

 

cheers,

PA

Hey Paddy Anne,

Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your GF. Glad they got it all and no chemo is required. That stuff is really awful. I'm sure your January cruise will be very healing for both of you. It's a good reminder for all of us to celebrate each moment and to appreciate how lucky we all are to be on this planet and enjoy "the good life" of cruising! Good health and happiness to everyone!

Hi all,

 

I really enjoy this board and hearing about everyone else's experiences. Maybe next time, I'll fit into the "couple" part of this board.

 

Keep your pride all,

Cath

Hi Cath,

EVERYONE is welcome on this thread. Sorry if the title makes it sound somewhat "exclusive". My goal in starting the thread was to be clear that I wasn't looking for a partner (I do happen to have a great one already). I'm glad you're posting and your perspective as a solo cruiser is much appreciated.

Glad you had a good time and met some nice people. I know what you mean about the small talk. My last cruise was the first time we've sailed with friends, and it was wonderful. It was also great meeting other CC folks. On our last Hawaii cruise we met a great (straight) couple from CC. In our last communication, the wife asked if we ever sail together again, could they still be "Friends of Friends of Dorothy"! I thought that was really cute.

You'll really like RCCL. I think Princess is a great value for the money, but I think my favorite cruiseline so far, all things considered, is RCCL.

Hope the "girls weekend" cruise is really fun! We'll be on our 2nd Hawaii cruise with Princess at that time, or I'd consider joining you!;)

i know this topic has been discussed before but i wanted to bring it up again. my partner and i will be sailing on carnival next spring. i am unsure what would be a good formal outfit for her. i am a very fem girl and will wear a typical formal gown. she is not as fem as me and would prefer to wear some type of pant outfit. any suggestions for a sexy and formal type suit?? Thanks so much.

Hi Kacie,

I'm not prone to dresses either. I usually wear dress slacks, short heeled shoes and either a glitzy top with jewelry or a tux-type jacket.

Others on this thread have posted some great pictures. You can go back through and find some. Carol & Linda's pics are great, as well as others.

Don't worry. Just dress however you both think you look great and enjoy yourselves. Formal nights are really fun.

I just wanted to stop in and say hello to everyone! My partner and I will be sailing out on 12/17 to celebrate three years. We are very excited!

Welcome Doublegator!

Congrats on your three year mark!:) I'm excited for you. Where are you sailing too? Which cruiseline? We'd love to hear about your plans and your experiences. Is this your first cruise?

Great comments Mithryl! I personally feel Celebrity is my favorite, but the only other lines I've sailed are HAL and NCL. I would love to try Princess sometime. My wife was not impressed with RCCL (she went with her mom) so I don't know that we'll try them.

 

Any idea what the vegetarian options are like on Princess? That's one reason I love Celebrity...they have a different vegetarian menu every night! It's about half the size of the regular menu, only two entrees, two soups, etc. But the food is really good!

 

I'm glad you enjoyed Mercury! I will be going on Summit in February, can't wait!

I remember Princess always having vegetarian choices. It is more limited than the regular menu, but there are always pasta and other vegie choices available.

What RCCL ship was your wife on with her Mom? We loved Enchantment, but thought that Vision was just average (or below). As for Princess, we loved the Island, but thought that the Dawn was less desirable.

I know the mercury is an older ship. I'm sure you'll enjoy the Summit.:)

Hi All,

Just returned from our 4 night cruise on the Mercury! Got to meet Carol & Linda (Wannabcruisin), but didn't get to spend time with them as our schedules didn't match up very well.

The food was fabulous in the dining room and so was the service! The buffet choices were more limited than I've experienced on other cruiselines and they had shorter hours of availability. The food in the buffet was ok, but not outstanding like in the dining room.

I thought the cabins were a bit small (we were in a CC class with balcony). The ships decor was very low key. Everything was clean, but there was no "wow" factor anywhere.

The production number we saw with the singers and dancers was wonderful...very energetic with beautiful costumes.

I'd consider sailing Celebrity again, especially if what I wanted was great food, or a short trip out of Seattle, but dollar for dollar I'd rank it below all of the other lines I've sailed so far (Princess, RCCL and HAL).

Julie - Thanks! See you in January. (I'll be an old married woman by then.......instead of just, old! :rolleyes: )

 

Carol (and Linda)

Carol & Linda,

I doubt very much that you'll be checking this thread today (maybe not for a week or so), but by now you two should be officially married! CONGRATULATIONS!!:D

See you Monday around lunch time on the Mercury!

 

I would continue to offer my opinions of Olivia just as everyone else does of their crusies/ ports of call etc. That's what this forum is for isn't it?

I'm glad I "found my way" here because I find it very informative &, generally, friendly.

Right On Pussycat!

I think this thread, and CC in general is a wonderful venue to learn about others experiences and to share our own. Having a personal opinion to share is terrific (positive or negative). Bashing the choices and opinions of others is not at all neccesary. It makes me feel sad when anyone is attacted for the choices they make.:(

Reminds me of how I feel when I'm being put down by someone just for being a lesbian.:eek:

Rain bowbrite,

Love your tickers, where'd you get them? Also, I see you've toured several ships that you haven't sailed on...are you a TA or is there another way to get tours of different ships? Thanks for all the pics.

We keep our fingers crossed that sanity wins out on this one. If it is proved that these ex employees deserve some kind of monetary settlement, let's hope they just accept that & let Olivia move on with their very successful & much appreciated business of providing high class travel for us!

If anyone hears anything new on this, please be sure and let us know. I don't think it will make it into the newspapers here in Idaho!

Has anyone looked into the gay/lesbian retirement communities? I haven't seen much from Olivia on this, but it sounds interesting. I'm not sure you could pry me away from the magic on the mountains in Northern Idaho, but I'm always opening to looking!:)

Our next cruise is the same as Mithryl's. Four-night Celebrity Mercury leaving Seattle on October 15 just to Nanaimo, BC and Victoria BC and back to Seattle. Then, January 26, 2008 Olivia to Eastern Caribbean. After that we don't have another planned until April 2009 on Dawn Princess from Sydney, Australia to San Francisco via New Zealand and the South Pacific islands.

 

Carol and Linda.

Hi Carol & Linda,

We'll be seeing you in12 days!

Hey has anyone been keeping up with the troubled waters of Olivia? Looks like the folks Judy hired to help handle the business and then fired are going after her, and potnetially the company. Hopefully everything will be resolved outside of court...but there is the possibility that the company could be required to disband to satisfy the lawsuit.

Any thoughts?

Anyone heard any updates about this?

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for everyone that has already booked a future cruise with Olivia, as well as for the company as a whole. I'd hate to see this ICON of our community go down in smoke.

Maybe we all need to band together and buy it out!

So who's going on the next cruise from our Thread?? We don't have anything planned for 2008 yet. Hope everyone has a great week!

 

Shan9700:)

We leave on October 15th on a 4 nighter out of Seattle (Celebrity Mercury).:) That's only 13 days away...anyone sailing out anywhere before us?

Our next after this will be 3/2/08 on the Diamond Princess, RT LA to Hawaii.;)

So I took my gf on the SOS to nassau and..., my first straight cruise. It was fun to see so many "family" members in the crew. Never felt free enough to hold hands or whatever but that was fine. She did okay once she got past the gangplank but who knows when she

ll be brave enough to go again. For me ,I am taking the kids (five of them) on MOS for the same intinerary. Cococay then Nassau and back to Miami. Not ready to commit to bigger cruises yet, though I did the Norwegian Dawn with R Cruises. It is tempting to listen to all your planned adventures. So Mithryl you were right, more cruises matters more than being with like kind all the time. Looking forward to updates from all, tj

tj,

Glad you had such a good experience on your cruise. RCCL is a good cruiseline.:) Did your DP have any issues with sea sickness? I'm curious why you say you don't know if/when she'd want to do it again. Once you venture into longer cruises, it could be hard to go back to the short ones. We're going in a few weeks on a 4 nighter and it seems like we'll barely get settled in before the cruise will be over. Glad we've got a 16 day coming up early next year!;)

Mythrl,

 

The swap meet is good. I would suggest doing Pearl Harbor 1st, and then the swap meet if you get an early start. Just in case you buy 20 t-shirts and a ukulele, flowers, pineapple, papaya, bananas, passion fruit, coconut candy, jewels, shells, postcards, pretty little dresses, polarized sunglasses, binoculars, sunscreen, a new bathing suit...hmmmmmmm

 

Anyway, have a great time. Don't forget...tons of water.

 

Waikiki Beach is one of the most wonderful beaches on the islands, forsure. Many people, but that is OK every now and then. Lots of history there, and so much to see.

Thanks...forgot about carrying around all the "treasures" we find at the swap meet. We had dinner at Duke's on Waikiki beach this past trip and loved it. Watched the sunset from a beachside table! Also did a little shopping down there before returning to the ship.

Any suggestions for Maui, or the Big Island? (I'm pretty set on the Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour of Kauai).

Hey there,

 

Mythrl.....any advice I can give you about the islands? What days are you going to be on Maui?

Mo & CJ,

Great pictures from Alaska.:) I'm pretty sure we'll be in Maui on March 7th, 2008. If the itenerary stays the same, it should be our first port on this trip and we leave LA on March 2nd.

We'll be in Honolulu on a Sunday. I've heard that the swap meet at the Aloha Bowl is a fun and inexpensive place to shop for gifts. (Although I thought shopping in Maui was great!) We thought we might try to take The Bus to the swap meet and then go to Pearl Harbor (we didn't go this year as we did a natural highlights of Oahu tour). Do you think it's worth our time? Oahu is our longest port, but some things aren't available on Sunday's. We shopped at the Aloha Tower and it was ok, but we're looking for something different.

scz533,

I see you're from San Antonio...great town! I lived in Dallas for a few years (business) and then transferred back out. Of all the places I visited in Texas, San Antonio was my favorite. I can see why you sailed out of Galveston...home port for you. Can't wait to hear about your experiences in Europe. I've never been. Bonnie (my partner) went to Europe shortly after graduation from high school and had a great time (a lot of years ago!). I'd love to do a similar cruise to the one you've booked. I'll put it on my wish list for the future.

Kristen,

Do you remember the name of the women's book store you visited in Victoria? I'll be going there in another three weeks.

We're also planning Alaska for 2008, but I'm pretty sure we'll be doing HAL on 7/20/07 (Westerdam). Mendenhall Glacier is amazing and from what I remember, accessible. We also did a seaplane excursions. It was the first time I ever landed on water...quite an experience! I know you'll love the cruise.

My partner and I recently went on our first cruise with her parents for their 50th wedding anniversary. I didn't expect to really like it much but we had a great time. We did the Mexican Riviera on RCCL - Rhapsody of the Seas out of Galveston. We enjoyed it so much that I (being the designated VP) have now booked us on the June 7, '08 cruise on Regent Seven Seas Navigator going from Athens to Monte Carlo. Anyone else going on that cruise. We would love to find some friends on board! We will be celebrating Beth's 40th birthday and a belated 9th anniversary.:)

Welcome scz533!

We have other 2008 plans (Hawaii and Alaska), but I'd love to hear about your experience on the Navigator. RSS is a great line. How did you like the Rhapsody? What was your favorite part of cruising?

I know I was very hesitant too, and on my first cruise (Olivia - HAL - Alaska - 2001), I was hooked!

We've done the Mexican Riveria twice (Princess and RCCL). I'd love to hear what impressed you the most about your experience.

Looking forward to a report from you on your experience on the "Explorer". It's only about 500 passengers short of the Freedom Class, so you should still get a really good feel for the "Big Ship" experience.

 

Juneau, was pretty fun. We rented a car from "rent a wreck" and I highly recommend it. We got a car for the day for $57 and they picked us up at the port. We drove ourselves to Mendenhall Glacier where we saw a mama bear and her two cubs and of course the glacier (free) and then went to the Alaskan Brewery (very good and free!) and then the Salmon hatchery (also free) and then to the salmon bake (again free for cruise ship patrons) We didn't have to stand in any lines and were able to see more than anyone else on the ship in one trip for only $57.00.

 

Toni

Toni,

Thanks for the information regarding Juneau. We were there in 2001 on an Olivia cruise and did Mendenhall Glacier (had very little time to spend there on the ships tour), but we're planning to go again on 7/20/08 HAL sailing and this sounds like the way to go!

If you ever get back to Vancouver, we found there were many great places to visit there...give it another chance.

I just saw a Travel Channel special on RCL's "Freedom of the Sea". Made me want to return to the Caribbean just to experience a Freedom Class ship (3600+ passengers)! Perhaps we'll give them a try in 2009 since we already have plans for two 2008 cruises.

I was awed at the promenade deck and all of the extra features offered.

Has anyone else sailed one of RCL's Freedom Class ships? What did you think?

Vicki & Bonnie

Kristen,

We did the Needle a few years ago in Seattle for Bonnie's birthday and had dinner up there. It was a bit pricy, but I really thought it was worth it. The food was outstanding, the service excellent and the view...awesome. We went close to sunset and I'd do it again for a special occasion.

I think the price of normal admission is deducted from your dinner tab.

We live in Texas and it is never gonna happen here. Though Dallas is home to the largest Gay church in America, has gays on the city council and the county sheriff is a lesbian :eek: .

Don't be so sure...I lived in North Richland Hills several years ago and I'm aware of the MCC in Dallas. I think Texas is a prime state to adopt gay marriage, even though it's in the middle of the "bible belt", many companies have moved to the area for tax purposes and have brought much more liberal minded employees with them from both the west and east coasts. I think you have a much better chance than we do up here in Northern Idaho where we just got rid of the Ayrian Nation a few years ago!

mithryl - Vicki and Bonnie. Have you pulled out your suitcase yet? I think we should have eloped.... sigh.

 

Carol and Linda.

Hi Carol & Linda,

I never put our bags away from our trip to Seattle two weeks ago! Left them out so we can start packing anytime!

Regarding eloping...could you get married on the ship?

(Just a thought since we'll be in Canadian waters);)

I know it will be fine and we'll be anxious to hear about when we all meet on ship!

Vicki

We typically never know where we are going to go next. Since we don't have kids (7 1/2 years together), we can go whenever there is a great deal to some place we'd like to go.

If you're still checking posts, write back...it would be nice to chat. E

E.,

I'd like to hear more about your experience on the Diamond. We've signed up for anytime dining for the first time. Since the Diamond has several different anytime dining rooms, we thought it would be a good time to check it out. We usually prefer traditional early seating.

We loved our two RCCL cruises. I'm sure you'll enjoy them as well.

What lines have you sailed and to where? We don't have kind either, so we're pretty flexible. I do like to stay away from the Caribbean and East Coast from June through November, so we typically sail during the winter or spring (except for Alaska). Also, it's a great time to get out of Idaho for awhile!:D

Checked on the Sydney to SF '09 cruise that Waunabcruisin booked, but there are already no balconies or suites left!

Hi KL & KR,

Thanks so much for all of the GREAT food recommendations! Eating with the locals sounds WAY more fun than any of those fancy resorts. This information is priceless! I'm printing out to file with all of my trip information!

Wow! If we weren't already scheduled for our RT to Hawaii on 3/2/07, I'd be very tempted to join you. Sounds like a great cruise. The Canal is on our list of "must do's" in the fairly near future.

I was really surprized to see how fast the Spring '09 trip that "Waunabcrusin" (Carol & Linda) have booked, from Sydney to SF has filled up. No balcony cabins or suites left and it's a year and a half away! Guess we'll have to start booking even sooner. We booked our RT to Hawaii about 9 months in advance, but that won't cut it for some of the longer, more limited cruises.

We're now looking at 7/20/08, HAL's Westerdam from Seattle, RT to Alaska, booking through the Abraham Hicks site to be able to take advantage of 14 hours of Seminar time with Ester Hicks and enjoying the beauty of Alaska for our second time.

My ultimate goal is to continue to increase our cruise time to equal Carol & Linda's 30+ days and then move beyond that to 60+ and 100+ as time and money allows. When I can buy a suite on "The World", I'll be a really happy camper/sailor! It must be really something to have your second (or only) home be on a cruise ship that sails the world!

Until then, looking forward to our 4 day 10/15/07 on X and our 16 day 3/2/08 o the Diamond Princess!