Monday, March 31, 2008

A "Crystal" Memory

Do you have a "perfect" cruise to remember? I do. A few years ago, we were privileged to host a group on a British Isles cruise aboard the Crystal Symphony. The cruise was fabulous. The food and service, as always, superb. The staff by the far the best we have sailed with on the "seven seas"...but what made it a cruise to remember was the Military Tattoo in Edinburgh, Scotland. Picture a Castle on a hill in the middle of Edinburgh. It is night...the stands are filled. The courtyard of the castle has military bands complete with horses and artillery (in some instances) performing from a variety of countries all over the world. The music was superb. The ambience was incredible...and when the fireworks went off above the Castle...it was sheer bliss. Would recommend Crystal any day of the week...but if you get a chance to experience the Military Tattoo, it will be a memory of a lifetime!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

My First Cruise

Well, coming into my 59th year, it seems an eternity since I first set foot on a cruise ship. I was 7 years old, lived in Australia, and my Dad, an American Marine who had met my mother and settled in Australia, decided we should meet our American family...so we took a cruise (about a month crossing the Pacific). For a kid, it was cool. We slept five people in a cabin and I was so disappointed not to get a top bunk. There were two classes on the ship...Tourist and First Class and we were not allowed to mingle. There were NO bathrooms in the cabins...just saltwater showers down the hall along with the toilets. But we had a blast. The crew loved having kids around. We got to enjoy the ship...except for the fact that as kids, we had to eat with the other kids...And it was not the gourmet food we see today. It was typically English fare....nobody was going to gain weight on that cruise. Still, yet when I remember back to that first day on the ship, it seemed so huge and today, now, it would be dwarfed by the megaliners today. How about sharing your first cruise experience?

Welcome To Our Bulletin Board

Welcome. I thought this would be a fun and easy way to share information, memories, and pictures with you and for you to do the same. Let's hope that you find it as interesting and fun to read as I find to write...