THIS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE OR A LOVED ONES

Stroke + Heart Attack LIFESAVER Actions

This might be a lifesaver if we can remember the three
questions!

Is It a Stroke?

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.
Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke
victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize
the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize
a stroke by asking three simple questions:

Ask the individual to smile.

Ask him or her to raise both arms.

Ask the person to speak a simple sentence.

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1
immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could
identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems,
researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions.
They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke
Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this
test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke
and prevent brain damage.

Heart Attack Self Help

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to
10 people, you can bet that at least one life will be saved.
Read this ... it could save your life!!

Let's say it's 6:15 p.m. and you're driving home (alone, of
course) after an unusually hard day on the job. You're really
tired, upset and frustrated. Suddenly you start experiencing
severe pain in your chest that starts to radiate out into your arm
and up into your jaw. You are only about five miles from the
hospital nearest your home. Unfortunately, you don't know if you'll
be able to make it that far. You have been trained in CPR, but the
guy that taught the course did not tell you how to perform it on
yourself.

HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE
Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, without
help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to
feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.
However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly
and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each
cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when
producing sputum from deep inside the chest. A breath and a
cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until
help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally
again. Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements
squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing
pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this
way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital.

BE A FRIEND AND SEND THIS ARTICLE TO AS MANY FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE.

Fellow Cruisers Might Like This Review

Here’s a excellent report from Cheryl. Cheryl and husband Doug were on the Barbados Bus trip in November. They live in Michigan. They recently returned from a 7 day cruise on the Norwegian Dream

Cheryl,
Hope you had a wonderful trip.
Tell me, how did the Norwegian Dream compare with the Sun Princesss? Service, cabins, food, etc. I have been holding off until I heard from you. May I post your observations on my blog?
Waiting to hear
Tim

Tim
Here ya go:
My observations of the Norwegian Dream.

Since our Sun Princess cruise was just 2 months ago and still fresh in my mind, many of the observations are in comparisons to that boat, fair or not.

While the Dream is an ok ship, the Sun Princess and other ships we have been on were nicer in some minor or subtle ways:

The layout of the Dream is very "odd". This ship was lengthened a few years back and that affects the layout. For instance, one of the dining rooms is in the middle of the ship, Deck 9. Our room was on the very front of the ship, Deck 9. To get from the middle or back section of Deck 9 to our room, we had to either go up or down one floor to get around the dining room, or go through it. Most people go through it. Kinda odd to be parading around in your pool attire while people are trying to enjoy lunch.

The buffet was the biggest aggravation. The Sports Bar IS the buffet. There is only seating for around 150 people in the area (with several TVs, which is what makes it the Sports Bar). Not nearly big enough for a boat that holds 1700 passengers. On days we were arriving in port at 7 or 8 AM, most people preferred the buffet to a more time-consuming breakfast in the restaurant, so the buffet lines were long with A LOT of people standing around waiting for a table to open up. You can take your food to tables outside, but 2 mornings it was either too windy or rainy to enjoy eating outside. I saw 2 teenage girls eating on the steps by the elevators one morning. It was a disaster!

On personal note, another major inconvenience to having the buffet in the Sports Bar: we sailed on the day of the 2 football playoff games. They broadcast the first game in the Sports Bar and in the staterooms, even though Fox is not one of the normally carried channels. However, the second game which featured Indianapolis (where my sister-in-law lives) was not broadcast at all. She was not a happy camper, and she wasn't alone. There were A LOT of really pissed off people. Our assumption is they didn't want the sports fans taking up all the tables in the buffet area for three hours right in the middle of dinner time.

Another of the little things that was disappointing about this ship -- the buffets (main one, BBQ on deck, etc) didn't have trays. It is difficult to carry a plate of food, silverware and napkin, dessert, and glass or 2 of beverages without a tray. Not a big deal, but a bit of an annoyance to have to fight the traffic at the buffets to go back 2 or 3 times to get everything you want. I honestly don't remember if all of other ships have had trays or not. I know the Sun did.

Glasses on the buffet were smaller (8oz) like most other ships so you almost always needed more than one for a meal. On the Sun, they were a little larger which I thought was a nice feature.
Food was good and very compatible to Princess. We have sailed with Norwegian 3 other times and all 4 times the food was good. Not gourmet, but I didn't think Princess or Carnival was any better or any worse. All were what we expect for the category of cruising that these lines fall in. If I want gourmet food, I will sail on Crystal. The Italian Trattoria (specialty restaurant without an additional charge) was particularly good. We ate there twice.

We did have to wait at least 30 minutes for the main dining rooms at least twice when we arrived to eat at 7:30 or 8:00 at the main dining rooms. On contrast, we found we were seated immediately if we went anytime before 7, but there was a rush later. Unfortunately they don't provide "flashing beepers" for the waiting crowd, so you couldn't wander too far from the entrance or you risked missing your name being called. Other passengers I talked to that have been on Norwegian's bigger, newer ships say they have more restaurants and choices so the wait at the main restaurants is not a problem. This boat had 2 main dining rooms, the buffet, the Italian restaurant, and one additional-charge French restaurant. So basically only 5 restaurant choices, where the new ships have 8 or 10, I heard. The serving time in all the restaurants was comparable with other lines we have been on -- 60- 90 minutes for dinner. In spite of the wait times, we much prefer the open seating system to an assigned time, though I think Princess hit the jackpot by making both options available to its passengers.

Stateroom was very similar to the room we had on the Princess and other boats (inside standard cabin). Shower was smaller than some, but I don't recall which lines have the larger showers.

Condition of the ship was excellent. While it doesn't have the grand, multi-story atrium like many other ships, thus it doesn't have the "grandiose" feel, it was still very clean, modern, well maintained.

Staff was very personable and knowledgeable, other than when faced with "why aren't you showing the Indy / New England playoff game" question from 100 passengers. They refused to even acknowledge that they had just showen the first game. The reception desk staff kept INSISTING that if the game was on Fox, we didn't see it because they don't get Fox. It was kind of humorous -- "You mean that game we just watched -- you didn't broadcast it?" "No, we don't broadcast Fox" "then what did we just watch?" "I don't know but it wasn't Fox". This went on for about 10 minutes. Kinda like watching a hamster on a wheel....

While who the captain of a ship is doesn't matter one iota to me, I do have to say that this one (don't remember his name) was a real kick. His daily announcements and speeches at the various occasions were very entertaining. The guy had a real sense of humor and personable demeanor -- not at all as formal or stand-offish as some captains can be. Really a nice guy.

Overall, there were things with this boat we didn't like as well, but if the price were right, we would sail on it again. As I said, this was our 4th Norwegian cruise and we have been happy with all of them. As a reference, we have been on 3 Carnival (last one was 1999, so it has been awhile), 4 Norwegian, 1 Princess, and 1 Costa (Mediterranean). All of them have had their pluses and minuses, but we would sail any of them again. I think more has to do with the ship itself than the line. While the Sun Princess and the Dream are similar in size, the Sun is just laid out in a much nicer manner. In ratings, the Princess and Costa are our two favorite cruises, but in each case the people we met and ports of call are what made the difference more than the boat itself. Obviously, the newer the boat, the better the design is going to be as they learn what works as years go by, and can design to match new design "styles" like freestyle. But given the opportunity, I would probably get on just about any ship to sail with folks we had a good history with. Friends can make a trip on a mediocre ship one of your best vacations while a brand new ship can get boring after a week if there is no one to share the fun with or the rest of the passengers are all over 80 (we did one of those, once, too).

Hope this info helps you (yes, you can post it to your blog). Sorry if I got too long winded (family has always said I talk to much -- guess it carries over to my typing, too ).

If you (or anyone else) has anything else I can answer, fire away.

Happy February!
Cheryl

We Mourn The Loss Of A Great Friend

From Left to Right: Ed, Marg, Scott, Wendy and Tim - Condo in Point Edward, Oct, 2004

My first cousin Marg's loving husband Ed of Greer, South Carolina suffered a brain aneurysm Monday and died in hospital on Tuesday. Needless to say we are all in shock at the passing of such a young man. He was a wonderful father to his two children Scott and Kelly. All who knew him will sorely miss his clever wit and generous heart. Our deepest sympathies to Marg, Scott and Kelly. So long my friend!


'Ed' Hildebrandt
Edward "Ed" Harry Hildebrandt, 57, of 318 Hunting Hill Circle, Greer SC.
Died Jan. 30, 2007, at St. Francis Hospital. A native of Ontario, Canada, son of the late Henry and Helen Hildebrandt, he was the president of Palmetto Kitchen and Bath and attended Taylors First Baptist Church.
Surviving are his wife, Margaret "Marg" Filsinger Hildebrandt of the home; a daughter, Kelly Hildebrandt; a son, Scott Hildebrandt; and five sisters, Irene Kroeker, Dorothy Banman, Edith Lewis, and Carrie Britten, all of Canada, and Edna Lake of Arizona.
Funeral services will be held 4 p.m. Friday at Wood Mortuary. Burial will follow in Taylors First Baptist Church Cemetery.Visitation will be held 2:30 to 4 p.m. Friday at Wood Mortuary.
The family is at the home.Memorials may be made to Christian Blind Mission International, 450 East Park Ave., Greenville, SC 29601.
Online condolences may be made at http://www.thewoodmortuary.com/
Published in The Greenville News: 02-01-2007

Wendy's Mom Gene Moved in to Waverley Mansion

A stressful day indeed yesterday, as Gene moved in to her new home. She said we were all guilty of "dumping" her there. She is now on her own for the first time in over sixty years so we can understand her fear and nervousness but we know it is the best for her. All day long today other residents were dropping by to welcome her and introduce themselves. I managed to get her old phone number transferred so it will remain the same.
Her short term memory is pretty bad. Her children Wendy and Doug are in her bad books, so I went over to await the telephone and cable installer on Tuesday. She was scolding them for not visiting her for the past week. I of course tried to remind her that she had only been there for exactly one day. Her old friend Doug Smith came by today and now she claims he's more like her son than her real sons. Go figure!

Getting Gene's Room Ready at Waverley

Click here to read about Waverley


Picture below shows "before"
Before we started on Gene's room, although we could see potential, it was quite poorly decorated. A lady 103 years old lived here before and I don't think anything was upgraded for many, many years. The carpet was badly stained, the flooring and walls were in need of replacement/painting. The room lacked freshness both in appearance and fragrance! Part of our agreement included a complete overhaul. New paint, vinyl flooring, wall to wall carpeting and lighting fixtures gave the room new life. Since Gene enjoys showers instead of tub baths, the bathtub was actually altered to be a walk in shower. This room is located in a turret in a 1980's addition to the original 1850's Waverley Mansion. We called on Laurie Battersea, an interior designer to help Wendy pick the colours. My sketch of the room served as the map for the new unit.

A week of Wendy shopping and voila! Like magic the room was transformed into a “model suite”. My picture doesn’t really do justice to the actual scene. New cherry slat window blinds, an electric fireplace (Gene always wanted a fireplace) beautiful end tables and accents with a new sofa, wing back chair and a new bed. And to complete the renovation, pictures from the walls of her former home.

As work progressed, many curious residents stopped by to peek though the open door at the progress of the workers.
Many of them seemed genuinely interested in meeting Gene and all of them could understand her apprehension and fear of the impending transition on Monday. There were certainly lots of wonderful people ready to take her under their wing and make her feel welcome. They all went through this once.

I truly hope Gene will thrive and enjoy all the activities in her wonderful new home at "the Waverley".

If this whole thing doesn't work out, Wendy and I are moving there!!!

There's a Surplus of Cabins This Year!

My niece Sarah sends this clipping from the Globe and Mail.

"... there's probably room to negotiate even better deals. A poll by industry newsletter Cruise Week found that 50 per cent of travel agencies said cruise business was only "fair" this month and another 20 per cent said sales have been poor in what is often one of their busiest times. They pointed to the warm weather and confusion over the requirement that Canadians flying to the United States need to carry passports as of Jan. 23.

However, that survey was done before cold weather and snow pushed into Eastern Canada this week and agents reported a substantial rush of new bookings in the past few days.

But there is a lot of competition among the cruise lines because they have a lot more cabins to fill. Twelve new ships are arriving this year, meaning lines are going to have to find 22,000 extra passengers every week.

And the industry is aiming to fill them because empty cabins mean lost revenue. According to the Cruise Lines International Association, which represents ship owners and cruise agencies, the industry is aiming to grow business by 4 per cent this year, to see 12.6 million passengers sail.

That means cruise lines and travel agents are aggressively discounting and adding a little sweetener to close the deals. Among perks being advertised are upgrades, "kids sail free" offers for families, extra discounts for early payment and contests to win free cruises."

The Carrolls Are Vacillating

Wendy and I are still having trouble with the 15+ hours in transit to Honolulu. Our saved cabin of last night is posed to expire at 9pm. We intend to watch this cruise for further deals and consider our options. It wouldn't be the first time we booked at the last minute. At last count, the following people have booked 11 Days departing March 24, 2007 on the Norwegian Wind:
Holly and Barry, Pete and Donna, and John and Cheryl. A great gang!

I'm going to investigate a few days in California to break up the trip. Maybe I can put something together. After all it's a couple of months away.

Peter and Carol from Atlanta, and Greg and Sharon from Pittsburg said they won't be going this time. (hopefully fall) David, my old buddy, and Reenie also can't make it because of a prior engagement. Too bad because it was David that originally suggested Hawaii in March. Dave and Elinor from Winnipeg have already gone down to Yuma but want to do something in the fall. My friend Bernie is likely going Holland America's Zaandam 15 days to Hawaii, December 20.

The Ball is Rolling!

This is from vacationstogo.com
11 Days departing March 24, 2007 on Norwegian's Norwegian Wind
Brochure Inside $1,729 Our Inside $714 You Save 59%
Brochure Oceanview $1,879 Our Oceanview $649 You Save 65%
Brochure Balcony $2,599 Our Balcony $2,099 You Save 19%
Brochure Suite $3,999 Our Suite $2,249 You Save 44%

Sat Mar 24Honolulu, Oahu, HI 8:00pm
Sun Mar 25 Hilo, Hawaii, HI 9:30am to 5:00pm
Mon Mar 26 Lahaina, Maui, HI 8:00am to 10:30pm
Tue Mar 27Lahaina, Maui, HI 7:00am to 8:00pm
Wed Mar 28 Nawiliwili, Kauai, HI 8:00am to 5:00pm
Thu Mar 29 At Sea Fri Mar 30 At Sea
Sat Mar 31Fanning Island, Kiribati 8:00am to 4:00pm
Sun Apr 1 At Sea, Mon Apr 2 At Sea
Tue Apr 3 Kona, Hawaii, HI 7:00am to 5:00pm
Wed Apr4 Honolulu, Oahu, HI 7:00am

Well, Holly and Barry, are booked on the $649 special unobstructed. Pete and Donna and John and Cheryl holding two inside cabins. I guess while Holly was speaking to reservations, things started to change quickly. Eric at Cruises n More is holding two outside "guaranteed" for Tim and Wendy, Pete and Carol, which could be anything outside at $669. What do you think? I see cheap tickets.com offers a Delta flight on Wed. the 21st for $534 ($611 with tax) return from Atlanta. American Airlines around $550 out of Detroit etc. Use http://www.kayak.com/ to find the best air and hotel price.Wendy is still apprehensive of the 15+ (two 6's and a layover) hour flight times. We have until tomorow afternoon to decide. It would certainly be nice to get together again. Let me know your thoughts. I see vacations to go is still showing $649 outside.
Email me tcarroll@rogers.com

Here's Holly's email:
Tim:
Price is $669 outside guarantee, $555 inside guarantee, taxes included, NO shipboard credit - credit was on Travelocity @ $649 before taxes. We have booked an outside cabin and Eric is holding 2 inside cabins for J & C, P & D and 2 outside guarantee cabins for T & W and P & C You must all contact Eric tomorrow between 12 & 9 pm to either confirm or cancel. Please forward this to P & C, the other outside cabin guests. Hawaii, here we come!!!!!!!!
Cheers, Holly

Donna and Pete from Orillia:
Pete and I are in with a cabin assignment of 5134. Hurray! I am flat broke with a new kitchen and a trip to Hawaii who cares, you can't take it with ya...
Tim how are you making out.?? It won't be same without you TICK TICK the deal is gonna get away..

Donna

Bernie from Philadelphia writes:

Dear Tim & Wendy:

First of all, I return from my SE Asia cruise on
March 22nd. Secondly NCL is one of the cruise lines
that charge a single the same price (or even more) than
a couple! Thirdly, NCL is not a highly rated cruise line.
And, fourth, it's is probably a 2,000 or more "cattle" ship!

Also, I've read about the long waits in line for their
"free style" dining! The advantage with this cruise is more
time in the Islands, than the Zaandam holiday cruise (12/20)
for 15 days out of San Diego. The nice advantage for you,
(whether that date, or another), is the shorter distance to
SD,and less air cost. Of course, a holiday cruise is more
expensive. I will wait until the prices go down, and right
now, I am planning to book it.

By the way, what is the climate like in Hawaii for this
"bargain" cruise? Is it a rainy season......? Wonder if
any of friends checked that? Overall, I would believe that
it is probably fine for most of the year....

Regards,

Bernie

PS - Hi again!

Just checked out the itinerary for that NCL cruise.
It's only one more day than the Statendam cruise
6 to 5) around the Islands, ..............................
as four days are spent going to and back to a
place called Fanning Island. Believe this has something
to do with a cruise ship stopping at Hawaii, must go
elsewhere to another port.

Also, the ship while only 50,000 + tons, carries a
capacity of over 2,100 passengers! What is the size of
the staterooms?!?

I am not trying to "talk you out" of any decision to go
folks, just giving you the facts. You may decide to go,
and have a great time?!

Bernie

Let Me Know What Trips You're Looking At

Cruising the Niagara River - a less common view of the cataract!

Here’s another interesting cruise in Hawaii. 11 days Norwegian Wind, for just $488. I checked Kayak and if you fly out Wednesday for Saturday embarkation it’s only $639 return from Detroit on Northwest.
It looks like less money to fly out to Hawaii than go by ship. When you fly of course you have more days in the heat too. But it's one heck of a long flight(s) and I've never tried Norwegian.

Norwegian Wind, March 24 $488
Northwest Air from DTW $637 return
$1100 Total (checked on Kayak)
vs.
Island Princess March 27, $1399 plus air to LA

Here’s yet another Norwegian cruise, April 14. (This is the ship, the Norwegian Dream, Doug and Cheryl are going on Jan. 20 to 27) Imagine, $499. for 19 days (only $26. per day). Of course you have to get to Houston (or Miami) and home from England since it's transatlantic! It would be a great way to get overseas to start a tour of Europe in the spring. It arrives May 3rd. If you've got the time it's as cheap as air! (or cheaper)

Email me: tcarroll @ rogers.com (spaces left to foil spammers)

My Birthday Party

A pleasant surprise! John and Linda from Grand Bend happened to be in London on Friday visiting Linda’s mother (who, like Gene is also experiencing mild dementia) living in her own condo over on Riverside Drive. They dropped in to Wistful Vista at around 3:30. We had a great time getting caught up on their vacation which extended from the end of October until mid December in Venice Florida and sharing tall tales of our cruise adventures. With so much verbal diarrhea going on, we decided to continue on to Eastown Bistro in Byron. We went there with them last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.The place reminds me somewhat of Luna's in Venice FL. This year we got our same window seat and enjoyed Italian treats throughout the evening. Eastown Bistro’s parent company Eastown Pizza has won awards for their pizzas.Tony Roma’s was mentioned, but since I was the only one with a discount card, the bistro sounded better.

Chest Pains Are Scary Things!

For three or four days I’ve been bothered by a pain in my chest. The pain seemed to come and go with the evenings and nights being more intense. Of course one tends to think immediately about heart related problems so when the pain, which started in the center of my chest moved to the left side, I figured the worst. There has been a high level of stress around Wistful Vista in the past months with Grandma living here. Surely my old ticker was buckling under the strain. Sorry Grandma, I love you, but I don't want to die for you!

Departing 5 am this Thursday morning with son Tim driving, Wendy and I were off to emerg. at Victoria Hospital a mere 4 or 5 minutes away, driven also by my fear of not making it to my birthday on Friday the 12th. I had my heart set (so to speak) on Tony Roma’s steak, seafood and ribs for which I had received my ad birthday card entitling me to $18.99 off my birthday entrée. (traditionally one of the few times I ever go to Tony Roma’s except maybe with Wendy with her birthday card)

Boy! When you say "chest pains" they don't waste any time getting you in and connected!

After no less than six hours in emerg. with an amazing 26 tests not to mention an EKG, blood pressure readings, dissolved oxygen measurements and a chest x-ray, I was relieved to be told that my situation was not cardiac related. Whew! Just a minor inflammation of the lining surrounding the lungs. A few ibuprophens and all better. I can only speculate that I wrenched something when Wendy and I wrestled our wonderful Christmas tree out of the house on Monday. Anyhow, it looks like I’ll live to file another income tax return and maybe even visit Tony Roma’s. Although now; after my scare, I’m thinking hmmm… maybe too much cholesterol in them thar ribs?

Tree lies rejected outside. Note the distinct lack of snow in the picture.

$39 a Day Cruise

Here's a web site recommended by my good friend Bernie from Philadelphia.

Dear Tim & Wendy:

Got this email this morning, and I pass it on to you for any possible interest. Prices listed are with out taxes (which you get on the details). Of course, you would have to check on air costs.

You should sign up at Online Vacations web site. I receive an email or two almost every day from them. And,

sometimes their prices are better than Best Price Cruises!

Regards,

Bernie

Cruise from less than $39 per day! WOW!
SHIP
ITINERARY
NIGHTS
SAIL DATECLICK FOR DETAILS!
CRUISE FROM
NavigatorOf The Seas
Miami to London
12
April 14, 2007
$499!
Visit Kings Wharf, Bermuda; Cork, Ireland & Brest, France
VoyagerOf The Seas
Miami to Barcelona
12
April 21, 2007
$549!
Visit Kings Wharf, Bermuda; Madeira, Portugal; Gibraltar, UK & Alicante, Spain
Splendour Of The Seas
Galveston to Barcelona
13
April 23, 2007
$499!
Visit Key West, Florida; Ponta Delgada, Azores & Seville, Spain

Bernie,

I heard on the evening news that there could be some incredible deals in the next month if the warm weather keeps up. They said people are trying to cancel trips already booked. Imagine $39. a day! I'll post your email on my blog. Others may be interested.

Tim

Christmas Tree Physically Removed!

All that stands now where our fabulous Christmas tree was positioned is our beautiful Bissell “Liftoff tm” vacuum cleaner. It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone! Wendy says that it was the worst Christmas she’s ever had. I do think the tree was one of our better ones though! Her mother has been a real “blood pressure raiser” and I think I’ve developed chest pains. I don’t want to sound mean but the retirement home is looking more attractive all the time. I'm just not sure of who needs it more - Gram or Wendy and me!

I Got Some Emails About Plans Developing

Sarah, poolside in Zambia.

Here's an email from my niece Sarah in Zambia Africa:

Hi Uncle Tim and Aunt Wendy,

I see on your blog that you are looking into cruises....

May I suggest something more exotic. Perhaps an African Safari (i.e. http://www.safaris.com/itin.asp-TRIPNO-ZAMFLY-SUBTEXT-Zambia). You can take a river boat cruise (don't mind the crocs and hippos).

If your looking for something less African you can try Cape Town. Apparently its BEAUTIFUL and more like europe than Africa.

Sarah

PS I want to go to Hawaii!

One from Graham and Barb:

Happy New Year to all: (Dated Jan 5 07)
Tomorrow morning we leave for 2 weeks in south Padre Island and then around the corner to Galveston for a 7 day rest on the Grand Princess. A little short, we too prefer at least 10 days(spoiled). I booked the cruise thru bestpricecruises.com and after we get the $150.00 onboard credit, cost is $850.00 CDN. Ours leaves Galveston on Jan 27th. Back in a month. All the best on your trips.
Cheers Graham

David, responding to email about Doug and Cheryl:
David floats at Honeymoon Beach, Water Island, St Thomas. Sun Princess Nov. 2006

Tim

Thanks for the attached info re this cruise. - It is an excellent deal and there is good airfare availability during that timeframe on AirTran out of Detroit or Buffalo. I'm sure you could find a good deal on Kayak.com but like you said 7 days does not seem like long enough anymore. We might try getting a 7-day back to back cruise on the same ship with a different itinerary for the second week to give you a 14 day cruise for this price x2 which would be a great deal on a 14 day cruise. -- Keep us posted on any deals you come across'
Keep us posted.

Bye for now --------------------- David

And in response to this transatlantic to Rome:

AIR INCLUDED This is a pretty good deal especially if they would extend
the return flight a couple weeks to allow us to tour in Italy.

http://cruises.travelzoo.com/european-cruises/276155

Tim

I got these:

Donna relaxes on the Volendam March 2006

Can't do it!!! Pete and I are going to Greece in Sept. that will be our big trip this year, plus we are doing some home renos because we are going to sell our house before I lose my job.
Cheers Donna

Wendy poses with Bernie in Katakalon Greece. Westerdam May, 2004

And this one from Bernie:
No such luck Tim... but you may as well ask... who knows?

Did a similar crossing on the new Noordam in April from NYC. The two stops at ports in the Azores were beautiful.

Bernie

And this one from Kevin and Jay:

Kevin and Jay in Barbados, Sun Princess, Nov. 2006

Happy New Year to everyone. Thanks for the CD of the Southern Caribbean. We're off to Europe the last week of June and into July. Not cruising (unfortunately)...
Kevin and Jadwiga...

Back to Looking for a Winter/Spring Cruise?

Above: Cheryl and Doug "We are always looking for suggestions on how to entertain ourselves without doing over-priced ship excursions!"

I got an email from Doug and Cheryl from Michigan. They have booked Norwegian Dream Jan. 20 to 27, 7 days, 3 stops: Progresso, Belize, and Cozumel. They got it for US$750 complete per couple for inside cabin (airfare not included). They used skyauction.com's buy it now feature."Whether you can join us or not, if you have any advise / suggestions / tips / experiences / info to share about any of the ports, please feel free to throw them our way." "We are always looking for suggestions on how to entertain ourselves without doing over-priced ship excursions!" To see their cruise go vacationstogo.com register free and enter "fastdeal" #17946.

I think Wendy and I will continue looking at other trips as we usually like to get away at least 10 days once we've made the air flight down. I hear from David Hamilton (Holly Norris' brother) that Norwegian has been working hard to improve their 3.5 star rating found on many of their ships, so it will be interesting to hear how Doug and Cheryl make out on the Norwegian Dream. David's brother-in-law, Gerry and his wife Virginia are also going Norwegian in January to Hawaii and hopefully we can compare notes. Anyone else sailed Norwegian? Let me know.

David was interested in a 14 or 15 day cruise out of LA or San Diego to Hawaii in March. I'm kind of leaning that way if a good price evolves. We've never been there before and I've heard it's beautiful.

We have been to Cozumel Mexico (one of the ports the Dream will visit) by air years ago and enjoyed it thoroughly. If the water is not stirred up by windy weather, the snorkeling is world renown with 100 to 200 foot visibility. The down side is you have to take mask, fins and snorkel with you if you're on your own. Check out cruise critic for a $30 snorkel trip out to the reef that includes gear (see "Beach Bound") I would email ahead. "Cris Glez" The town, San Miguel has lots of shopping and of course the ubiquitous Sr. Frog and Carlos´n Charlie's for cerveza or tequila.

IMPORTANT TIP: Mexican Cabs - As I recall they may have meters but always agree on a ballpark price first with the cabbie and don't expect him to have any change. I always take dozens of 1 dollar bills to Mexico for tips etc, but I remember, especially in Cozumel, cab drivers were experts at rounding up the fare to an even number because they NEVER EVER have any change. They are fluent in English (when it's to their advantage) and all of them will quote US Dollars. We rented a Volkswagen dune buggy when we were there and traveled the only highway in a large loop around the island. The opposite side of the island from the city and the cruise ships is windward and has rugged rocky beaches, beautiful in their own way.

SEARCH TIP: Everyone should check http://www.vacationstogo.com/ for availability of cruises. Once you've zeroed in on a cruise, you can shop it elsewhere like http://www.cruises-n-more.com/ etc. for the best possible price.

I found a great spot for air fares. Kayak.com is a relatively new company that is emerging as the best place to shop thousands of flights at once. This can save countless hours of looking. It works much like Google but it seems best for flights. It was started by a group of people from Expedia, Orbitz and Travelweb. Very slick with several ways to search.

Please let me know if you have any travel plans and I'll post them here if you want. Maybe some of us can re-connect this year.