Cruising......A Life Changing Experience

As I look back over the years since my first cruise I realised that cruising has been an important part of my life. From the moment I made my first deposit on my first cruise. I took the brochures that the travel agent gave me and they became my treasures. We had chosen Carnival's Festivale for our first cruise, February 25,1983. We had made the deposits in April of 1982. For nearly a year I read that brochure from cover to cover. The brochure lived on my bedside table. Every night I would look at it before going to sleep. My imagination would go crazy as I imagined how the cruise would be. Finally the day came and I took my suitcase and departed cold snowy New Hampshire for warm sunny Miami Florida.
Since my return from that first and most wonderful cruise I have lived for the next one. Within a week I was booked on the Mardi Gras. Of course the excitement was there again. For the last 29 years that is how it has been for me. Incredible excitement from the moment the deposit was made. Of course cruising was and still is my main subject of conversation. I was always living for the next one. I was always trying to convince my friends to go on a cruise This was through the 80's and into the early years of the 90's
There were years I was unable to cruise at all due to family commitments. That was okay as I always knew I would cruise again when the time was right. In the meantime I took courses in cruise sales. I went to work as an outside agent for an agency in NH. I was so enthusiastic. I did not sell a lot but I did try and it was always fun trying. The years passed and life went on. Eventually in 2002 came the time when cruising could again be a part of my life. I booked the Carnival Spirit for an 8 day cruise from Miami. After that cruise I was researching the next one when I stumbled across a great website full of information and nice helpful people. I joined the forums on that site and "met" some of the most incredible people ever. I eventually went on a group cruise with them.I used to read about the dinners these people, The Central Florida Cruisers had in Florida. I knew that some day I would live in Florida and join the fun.
It had always been my plan to move to Lakeland, Florida in my future.I had lived there when I was young. When I left to go home to my family in Massachusetts I knew I would be back. I knew that I would know when the time was right. Life went on and I sold cruises from time to time and also worked at my job. Eventually the time was right for me to move back to Florida. I made my plans and finally arrived here in Lakeland in June of 2007. Coincidentally Lakeland was near where the Central Florida Cruises were gathering. I am now retired from my full time job. I work my own hours from home selling cruises and vacations.
The fine folks from that large website are now friends. Because of that site and my love for cruising I have met many wonderful people from many places in the US and other countries. I have a small cruising forum of my own filled with great people. Some of them I have met and they are good friends. In the future I hope to meet more of those people from those websites.
So you see cruising for me was more than just a wonderful vacation it was...... A Life Changing Experience.

Booking A Cruise Is Always Exciting!

When I book a cruise it is always exciting for me. It never gets old or boring. I get just as excited booking a cruise now as I did way back in 1982 when I booked my first one for February of 1983. Back then I used a brochure to choose my cruise from. Now I use the internet. The brochure back then took up residence on my bedside stand. Every night before bed I would look at the brochure and imagine myself on the ship having fun and maybe romance. I always knew how many days until my cruise. Now I have a countdown clock on my signature in various cruise related websites. Now as then I know how many days until my next cruise. Some things never change. When the time comes for the cruise I know I will be at the port way too early just wanting to be there. Just as eager to board as I first was back in 1983. Most important of all I know I will enjoy myself, I always do.

I'm Baaaaaaaaaack!

After a long hiatus I have decided to resume posting the thoughts on cruising from my wandering mind. I have been on two cruises since the last post. One cruise was on Carnival Liberty in September. I booked it to celebrate my retirement. I was going to keep working my full time job for a while and my part time job was in "on call" status but officially I am retired.......sort of! Three weeks later my phone rings. It was the travel agent that booked my cruise. She was calling me to offer me a job in her travel agency. After determining that my only commute would be from my bed to my kitchen to get coffee and then to my desk, I accepted. So for the last year I have been working on cruise sales and loving it. So here I am "retired" so how come I now have 3 jobs? Huh? Eventually I shed the full time job. I am still at the"on call" job and I enjoy that job. The cruising job is fun and since I love to cruise and my earnings will pay for that addiction. Good deal! The Liberty cruise was fun. I was booked with a friend who was a "no show" so I had a room to myself. I found lots to do on that cruise and had a wonderful time. I did not let the fact that I was alone stop me. I was everywhere on that ship and doing lots of fun things.
For November I was booked on the Sensation. My best friend since high school came from Texas to cruise with me. It was a 4 day cruise to the Bahamas. What fun we had. I hope she chooses to cruise again. The time has come when I must go and get a bit of rest. Soon I will be back to give my thoughts on living a fun life for a person alone. Sleep tight cruisers...let the gentle rocking of the ship of life take you off to dreamland.

Review - Celebrity Infinity

Infinity- Alaska- 12 days, round trip, San Francisco- review


After not cruising on Celebrity for 2 years, (busy trying other cruise lines) we were anxious to see if they have changed. to our happy surprise for the most part the answer is no. The service and cleanliness is near perfect and we could not have had a more enjoyable cruise. We did find that the meats are not as tender as before, but on the whole everything was wonderful. The shows each night were fabulous. Especially the singers and dancers. They were the most professional group we have seen on any cruiseline. the embarkation was not good, they were not organized and it seemed that they weren't sure on what they were to do with so many people who came earlier than the 1 pm boarding. But we made it thru the masses and finally were aboard one of our most favorite cruises. Alaska is a place not to miss. Even though my husband is disabled he was able to do enough of the tours to really enjoy it as much as the others who were on them with us. We had a problem which could not be fixed, so we notified our TA when arriving home and he got it straightened out and we should be hearing from Celebrity shortly. The problem was a window washing machine stationed outside of our balcony. It made it hard for taking pictures, and as I have noted my husband is disabled and spends a lot of time on the balcony. it also was a concierge room and we were not told that there would be an obstruction to our views of the Alaskan scenery. Our wait staff was some of the best we have had, and knowing that Celebrity does read the comment cards will move our waiter, Vernon Pilliay, to a higher position. His bright smile, personality and always trying to make it the best he could be. Even when we saw him in the buffet area he was always there to help us out. another thing I must compliment Celebrity on is how helpful they were in the buffet area, always someone there to carry my husband's tray for him. He uses a cane and this is the only company that seems to make it a point to help the disabled with this service. Another person I must mention is the asst. Matre D', Cassandra, she was the most enjoyable and quick to respond to any and all questions or problems. When she was told about how our table of 6 were having a hard time cutting our meats, she had the executive chef cooking our dinner meals for the rest of the cruise. Now that's what I call service! She made it a point to visit with every table in her area, when has that ever happened to us..... never. She is definitely going places in the company. The tours were so much fun and informative, and debarking the ship after the cruise that morning was a sad time for us, but went very well. They had things moving along smoothly and had us in a cab for the airport in no time. I would definitely recommend this cruise to anyone who wants to have a relaxing, enjoyable and informative Alaska cruise, especially if you are disabled. Not having to sit in a bus tour for long hours was a pleasure. We made our own flight reservations, and we also booked the hotel that Celebrity had offered, but did it on our own because the cost was much lower doing it ourselves. Tuscan Inn, a Best Western property, was right near Pier 39, where everything comes together for sight seeing San Francisco. It is a lovely smaller hotel with a nice Italian restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also having a happy hour around the fireplace in the main lobby with free wine, beers, sodas, and orderves. Don't know if this is allowed, but we returned to Scoma's seafood restaurant, a wonderful place to eat on Pier 47. After 5 years they haven't changed one bit, and even the price on the menu was the same. One more thing is to tell you all to join the roll call for your ships, we have met so many wonderful people who have become friends. It just makes the time on the cruise even more enjoyable. Please email me if you want any furture information. Jeanne/Fllady email: fllady13@yahoo.com

Ramblings Of A Cruise Addict

My life has been very busy lately. I have worked a lot of overtime on my jobs. Many people wanted to take time off during the holidays. I was called to fill in for them. It has been great for the cruise fund. I have a cruise coming up in December 2009.

Sadly I had to cancel my Panama Canal Cruise for this March. had wanted to go on that but the economy caught up with me. Another opportunity will present itself in the future I am sure.

I have set my sights on another cruise for December 2009. I will be sailing with my cruise friends from Cruise Talk Cafe on Carnival's brand new Carnival Dream. I look forward to this trip. It is a 7 day cruise from Port Canaveral in Florida. We will be visiting ports in the western Caribbean Cozumel, Mexico ; Roatan Island, Honduras ; Belize ; Costa Maya, Mexico. At present this ship is still in Italy being built. She will be brand new when our group sails.

Cruise Talk Cafe continues to grow slowly but very surely. Our members are very friendly people who care about each other. Some of us have met at various dinners held around Florida. We have also met on cruises. I think the Dream cruise will be a lot of fun. Drop in and check us out at www.cruznutsplace.iforums.us . We love to have company and welcome new members.

Cruise Talk Cafe

Cruise Talk Café

There is a special place I go
It’s a special place to be
All the folks that go there
Love to go to sea

They are very special people
At Cruise Talk Cafe
They care about each other
You see it every day

They are very friendly people
Friends welcome old and new
Come on in to visit
You will be welcome too

They love to go cruising
On ships that sail the sea
They lift a drink at sail away
No place they would rather be

So if you love the big ships
And you love to sail away
Come on in to see us
At Cruise Talk Café
www.cruznutsplace.iforums.us

Laura E Berry

Ramblings Of A Cruise Addict

Hello Cruise Friends!! Lots going on in my life these days. My forum group, Cruise Talk Cafe, www.cruznutsplace.iforums.us is planning to go on a group cruise. It is a long way off in December of 2009. We have chosen to cruise on Carnival Dream from Port Canaveral. We chose the Western Itinerary which sound like an interesting trip. Western Caribbean: Port Canaveral (Orlando), FL ; Fun Day At Sea ; Cozumel, Mexico ; Roatan Island, Honduras ; Belize ; Costa Maya, Mexico ; Fun Day At Sea ; Port Canaveral (Orlando), FL This will be our first group since forming the Forum in April of 2008. The members are looking forward to it. Anyone is welcome to join us on this cruise and I will post the pricing here. You need not be a member of Cruise Talk Cafe but you are certainly welcome to join. We are a very friendly group and we welcome new members. Our forum is new and small but we are growing a little at a time. Most of us there have come together from other websites and still proudly belong to other websites. Most of us have met either on group cruises or at dinners in Florida. We are close and caring of one another.


Cruise Talk Cafe: Our Dream Come True Cruise

Carnival Dream - Port Canaveral

12/12/09 7 Night Western Caribbean

Inside 4B-$629

Balcony cabins:

8B-$929

8C-$939

8D-$949

8E-$959


With 5 cabins booked you also get $100 per cabin shipboard credit.

Fuel surcharge of $63 per person is NOT included in the price.

I can price other categories except for 1A, 4A and 8A in groups. These categories can not be booked in groups.

Ocean view cabins can be added at the prevailing rate at time of booking.
As per Carnivals new group rules.

The agent has informed me she will do a $50 per cabin deposit for guarantees.


Nancy S Bogert, MCC

Cruise Planners

If you think you would like to join Cruise Talk Cafe on our first group cruise please contact Nancy.