Happy ks

I pack as little as possible and pack so I don't get wrinkles, so I eliminate a lot of what is on many peoples lists. The most important items for me ar:

My passport

Cash/credit card

A good camera with plenty of memory and an extra battery

My most comfortable walking shoes

at minimum 3 bathing suits

OMG, is this something else I have to consider?

No you don't. Just go and relax, don't worry which way the bed is facing. The only part you should be concerned with is that you have your tickets, citizenship documentation (passport or birth cert.) and you get to the ship on time. Everything else will take care of itself and you'll wonder why you were so worried about everything :)

I've not cruised nearly as much as some on these boards, but many times I'm amused by the questions asked. I know it's exciting to wonder about what will happen, but do you really want to know everything in advance? Don't you want a bit of surprise on your first cruise?

Pack your clothes and toiletries, take a good camera and plenty of memory/film, take a lot more cash than you ever think you'll need and have a great cruise!

Plumber's wife--

I found it. Go to travelocity.com and to cruises. Then to RCCL, then to Mariner of the Seas. Go to deck plans. If you point your mouse to the room, it will show a picture!!!!!!!!!! There you go, just as I said, you will have your head up against the ocean and your feet towards the door and hallway!

But, those pics are a generalization and not always representative of your particular cabin! It might not even be a pic of your particular ship!

We've had beds facing forward, aft, up against the window, towards the center of the ship (inside cabin).

Your cabin is actually a balcony cabin, so the bed will be facing forward or aft, not against the window at all.

Don't worry about which way the bed will be facing, it won't have that much bearing on whether or not you are motion sick. Just take precautions and hope for smooth sailing! These ships are so huge, unless the ocean is very rough, you will barely feel motion at all.

Forgot to add, a better websit to view cabins is http://www.cruisedeckplans.com You can find your ship and click on your category of room, there will be pictures of the actual cabins, not just mock-ups from the cruise line.

Great choices here, I'll have to print them out!

Our all time favorite vacation song is by Jimmy Buffet, I think it called "Holiday" or "You Need a Holiday".

You definitely won't be alone! On a Hawaiian cruise, you will see many matching families and husband/wife combos. It will make a fun Christmas picture.

When you get to Honolulu, you will dock right next to the Aloha Tower. We have purchased some fun pareos (sarongs) there in the past. The great part about it is you can get there by just walking off the ship, no special shopping trip necessary. Also, be sure to take the family up the elevator in the Aloha Tower, there are some great views from there.

Shopping while in Hawaii isn't my favorite pastime, hte islands are far too beautiful to be missed. Pretty much everything you can buy there is also online.

I wonder if I've mentioned how jealous I am of you doing this cruise, it's a dream of mine and you're going on a wonderful ship!

If you have a major department store, or a luggage store somewhere close to you, I would suggest you go there to see and feel for yourself. Most of what is being sold these days is a lot lighter wieght than just a couple of years ago.

I'm not currently in the market for luggage (but always looking!), if I were, I would seriously look at the fairly new line of Samsonite "Spinner" pieces. I've never been a big fan of Samsonite, but after wheeling and lifting one of these pieces, I liked it a lot. I was recently looking for suggestions to make to an aunt, her being 70 and travels solo, I think these pieces would be excellent for her (or anyone).

As far as brand, I think Travelpro is a fairly decent brand, I've never had one of their pieces. You can see a lot of their line on www.ebags.com however, I would never buy a piece sight unseen. You can see a lot of different lines there, compare prices, but to be honest with you, you can get pretty much the same price almost anywhere. Unless you can find a free shipping deal, the online luggage sites are no cheaper than department stores.

I always pack my heavy toiletry bottles in my carry on, I'd rather use the weight allowance for my clothes. Plus, I'm always worried about spillage, not only staining of the clothes, but then I'd have to use icky shampoo for the week!

The best ever was an assistant server, Mia and I cannot remember her country:confused: . This was on the old Independence, American Hawaiian Cruises in 2000. She was a mother hen to us and not only at the dinner table. As a matter of fact, I've never been on a ship where the staff and crew were so freindly and family-like.

 

Our waiter last year on Infinity, Elves, was very sweet and, I must say, a bit of eye candy!

 

We've never really had a bad wait staff, some just not as refined as others. On our one Carnival cruise, the guy who waited on us was always in a hurry. One RCI cruise, the guy had B.O., funny how we cannot remember their names.

I have to correct myself, her name was Mila, but I still cannot remember where she was from. I want to say Puerto Rico. Anyway, I wish all servers were as kind and caring as she was, she was one in a million.

The best ever was an assistant server, Mia and I cannot remember her country:confused: . This was on the old Independence, American Hawaiian Cruises in 2000. She was a mother hen to us and not only at the dinner table. As a matter of fact, I've never been on a ship where the staff and crew were so freindly and family-like.

Our waiter last year on Infinity, Elves, was very sweet and, I must say, a bit of eye candy!

We've never really had a bad wait staff, some just not as refined as others. On our one Carnival cruise, the guy who waited on us was always in a hurry. One RCI cruise, the guy had B.O., funny how we cannot remember their names.

"Skipping Christmas" is not set on a cruise ship, but the planning of a first cruise. While I'm not a big John Grisham fan, this was a fun little book to read. BTW, the book was a whole lot better than the movie.

Visit your local bookstore, there is a whole travel section with many choices regarding European travel at our local Borders.

We have done both and by far enjoy the late seating more. Early seating is just a little too early for all the above reasons. After dinner, within a couple of hours I'm ready to retire. With early seating, we're in bed by 10pm and we always feel like we've missed out on part of the cruise. With late seating, we can relax, take a nap, or spend time up on deck and then get ready at our leisure. We have tried NCL Freestyle and while we loved the concept, the food was not very good. In the future, we look forward to cruising Princess and using the Personal Choice dining.

I "rock" for weeks, especially when I take a shower! I keep taking Bonine at night and will wear my elastic wristbands when it gets real bad. No one else in my family does this, only me.

We were at the "Dueling Pianos" show one night, an elderly couple were having quite a good time. They were dancing, drinking, singing along. One of the piano players asked the guy his name, he told them "Bob-Oh!" So, all evening, there were Bob-Oh jokes from the piano guys. Later, DH and I had taken a walk, we were sitting in the lobby and here comes a bunch of EMT's, pushing a gurney with, you guessed it, Bob-Oh, laying there with an oxygen mask. Bob-Oh gives us the thumbs-up with a big smile on his face, the woman with him was following, still with a drink in her hand.

Some people just know how to party.

I wonder how many of the meals the OP ate in the buffet? I have to agree, most of the food at the buffet is not very good. It tastes just like buffet food. For better food, try eating in the dining room, and yes, I'm aware some of the food is the same. You just have to know what to select.

I wrote a newsletter for my family group earlier this year, in it I stated to keep away from the buffet as much as possible. Also, stay away from the chicken dishes. You can pretty much expect banquet quality on a cruise ship, after all, they are preparing for over 2000 guests.

I was amused by one of our cousins on our cruise. She said she liked eating in the buffet for breakfast and lunch because she is picky about what she eats. That is the exact same reason I choose not to eat at the buffet, unless it is the only choice.

I also do not have any idea what prison food tastes like. Airplane food I try to avoid unless I am starving. I've often wondered about wallpaper paste, I've heard comments for years about stuff tasting like wallpaper paste, among other unmentionable things.

Finally, on our last cruise, Celebrity Infinity, the food was surprisingly good, except for the buffet.

and spend a few hours reading there. There are so many different choices, it would be hard for anyone to choose for you.

It's not really fair of anyone to give you advise on this issue. No one here really knows you, or what you look like, or how you carry yourself. I will only tell you of an experience I had with a very dear friend who was engaged a couple years ago.

She had never been married before, was now into her 40's, had been with the same guy more than 20 years (high school sweetie) and has a wonderful teenage son. After breaking up with whom she thought was her life partner, she met a great guy. She thought she wanted all the bells and whistles wedding, with the gown and all. She gathered several of her friends and we all went on a bridal gown shopping extravaganza. We spent the day with her as the princess, trying on dresses, then all went to dinner.

I thought for sure she would go back the next day and purchase the one everyone thought was perfect. Guess what? She thought about it for a week or so, then decided the shopping day had done it for her!

So, I do not want to tell you what to do, that is your decision. If you want the gown and find the perfect one for you, by all means wear it and enjoy your fantasy. But, it sounds like you have what everyone else is really fantasizing about, a wonderful husband who wants to marry you all over again.

You are making me hungry and I just finished dinner! For breakfast I like to have a bran muffin, some fruit, orange juice and protein, either eggs, bacon or turkey sausage. My kids think I am really weird because I love prunes in the morning. I love prunes and sliced bananas together.

The best breakfast I've ever had on a cruise was on American Hawaiian Independence. They had sweet bananas, papaya with a lime wedge, sliced mangoe and wonderful Eggs Benedict made with a thin slice of (I think) Ahi tuna instead of bacon. We always eat in the dining room, no buffet for us!

Nah, I get the point of the family reunion thing. I just think it is highly embarrasing, especially for the guys. Why not have a pin, or a baseball type cap for guys, sun visors for the ladies? Far less conspicuous.

Kathy

My husband and I have made a promise to each other that we will never dress alike and I will never make him carry my purse.

Compliment each other, yes, but not the same color, yikes. I've seen whole families do this on cruises with Hawaiian shirts, not for us at all.

I've also seen family reunion groups at Disneyland wearing the same t-shirt, usually tie-dyed, obviously at home. Nothing looks more ridiculous than a bunch of grownups in hot pink tie-dyed t-shirts. Please!! Be yourself!!

Kathy