Hi,

I just joined this forum and saw this "introductions" thread, which appears to have not been used since July! But then I saw the reminder thread which came on yesterday, so what the heck, I'll plunge in.

I just booked my first Radisson cruise, so I'm hoping that I am considered a "luxury cruiser" even though I haven't actually done it yet. :cool: I've been on two other cruises -- Mexico on RCCL with my family, and Alaska on Celebrity with my DH. This time I'm cruising with my mother, so I wanted to try a more "refined" cruise experience. We're booked on Radisson Voyager, for the 11-day May 1 Funchal to Rome itinerary. Honestly, I can't wait! Some of you who also haunt the CruiseCritic boards may have seen me posting dozens of questions over there, as I have much still to figure out, such as land tours etc.

About me -- well lessee, here's a thumbnail sketch. I'm 44, married 20 years (next week!), w/ a 14-yr-old daughter and 13-yr-old son. I live in Thousand Oaks, CA, and recently returned to work as a Project Coordinator with a Biotech firm, after taking 5 years off to stay home with the kids. I'm an avid marathoner and triathlete, so the jogging track onboard is quite important to me! :hyper:

I LOVE to travel (which I'm sure is a common trait in here!). In fact, next week I'm going to be in Copper Canyon, Mexico with my husband to celebrate our anniversary. If you haven't heard of this place, it's this amazing series of 5 canyons in Northern Mexico, each bigger than the Grand Canyon, with a spectacular railroad that goes through them and is considered one of the engineering marvels of the 20th century. It's a rather remote and rugged area, but along the 15-hour route of the train there are villages with beautiful lodges run by families who will totally pamper you. We're very excited to go.

I do still have a bazillion questions about my cruise itinerary, so I'll start asking them in the cruise forum soon. Y'all on this board seem to be a very friendly and informative group!

Meanwhile, can anyone tell me how I get my picture in the avatar like I'm seeing on so many of yours?

Best,

LeeAnne