Another from Indiana.... - Cruise Line Fans: Cruise Forum, Reviews and Chat From Real Cruisers

LadyStahr · 02-25-2007, 09:09 PM

Hi everyone,

Just joined, I usually post on another message forum but they are having serious problems.

But...this looks like a great forum!

DH and I have been on two cruises (as you can see from my sig, the now-defunct SS Norway in 2002 and the *never again* Carnival Miracle in 2005). We have just booked our third cruise, the Norwegian Sun from Vancouver to Alaska on 7/1/07, and we can't wait!

Happy to be here!

Lisa

Cruise Princess · 02-25-2007, 09:23 PM

Welcome! Pull up a chair and stay a while!

hanna · 02-25-2007, 10:11 PM

Lisa, welcome aboard. Now that you have found us, you need to share your cruising experiences with us. Please, if you have any questions, just ask. We are the friendliest site on the net

LadyStahr · 02-25-2007, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hanna

Lisa, welcome aboard. Now that you have found us, you need to share your cruising experiences with us. Please, if you have any questions, just ask. We are the friendliest site on the net

I see that this is a wonderful friendly site

Well...I will be happy to post a review of the Sun when I get back in July, but the SS Norway is sitting on a beach in India, rotting...and the Carnival Miracle, while a nice ship, was not the experience that I hoped it would be after someone decided that we shouldn't port another day in Cozumel with Dennis approaching the Gulf. So we pulled out of Cozumel just two hours after our originally scheduled departure, and we skirted the edge of Dennis (read that as 20 FOOT seas) all the way back to Tampa. Add to that the fact that the Tampa Channel was closed due to high seas when we arrived on Sunday, so we sat at anchor - swaying madly - for some 12 hours before we were allowed into the channel. And...sorry, but I just get a bit nervous about ships that rope off the level to the lifeboats because the waves are crashing over that level...we would not have been able to get to a lifeboat if anything had happened.

DH and I both lost our jobs when GM closed our company down earlier this year. I'm working again, DH is not - but being hourly, he gets unemployment and SUB (supplemental unemployment benefits) to make up to about 90% of his pay. GM subsequently settled with the hourly employees and DH will be getting a $70K buyout from them for his 3 years of experience. I told him, I know we have to pay off bills, and such, but just once I want to cruise in style. So we are taking a category AF mini-suite, aft, which offers the (remote) chance of a free upgrade depending on how the ship books out (and it is peak sailing season in July in Alaska). We're hoping that we get upgraded to a Penthouse, aft.

Some info for you NCL lovers: NCL implemented a new program with the Hawai'i ship line introduction (remember, those ships are US-flagged and have to employ a certain percentage of American workers - and they are UNION). If you are a member in good standing of an AFL-CIO affiliated union (and they may extend it to others according to what I've read), you get at least a 5% discount on your cruise as long as you tell them what union you are affiliated with and what your union member number is. Some cruises are offering a 10 or 15% discount for the union membership. And the discount is applicable with other offers. So hopefully I've posted some good information that someone can use.

Anyway...time for me to head for bed, work tomorrow and it's an hour drive from home *sigh* which is in Anderson, Indiana, if anyone's interested....Night!

Lee · 02-26-2007, 02:04 PM

Welcome to CLF and enjoy your stay!

cruisin' chick · 02-26-2007, 06:36 PM

Hope your cruise works out for you this time. We're waiting for my hubby's job crisis (long story) work out before we even think of booking a cruise.

If you look back in Ask a Cruise Question, some pages back, you could find a thread from RWGarvey who was going through training to work on one of the Pride of... ships.