Allow me to introduce myself. I've been on four cruises. We went on a Royal Caribbean Eastern Caribbean cruise from San juan about 20 years ago - a last minute suggestion from our travel agent - at a discount price. We enjoyed waking up every morning at a different island, disliked the wierd people we were seated with at the early dinners, and weren't impressed with the food. We travel a lot [I've been to 64 countries], but it has mostly been air to a big city and ground exploration from there.

Friends suggested a Renaissance cruise four years ago, from Barcelona to Dover. This was so much nicer than the RC that we changed our mind about cruising. The food was good - but not fabulous, the cabin was comfortable, the itinerary was good and the ease of travel, compared to bag shlepping, made it very nice. Three years ago we took the Yangtze cruise, before the dam was finished and the three gorges flooded - had a lot of fun. Last year we went with a group of eight to Alaska, and my reading of the guide books said Radisson had the best food. That convinced me, and the boat was about the same size as the R7.

The Mariner surpassed all of my expectations, but I knew immediately I was hooked on the 'inclusive' nature of the cruise. There were four people who knew, the minute I entered their jurisdiction, that a Diet Coke was in order. The food was as good as the $75/person NY restaurant, ocassionally better - the cold blueberry soup at lunch one day, for example. I've been trying to duplicate that since I got home. The cabin was outstanding - even on the lowest deck, and the scenery from our balcony spectacular.

Since then I've been reading the Radisson brochures religiously, and we're headed to Tahiti on August 13th on the PG. I love to travel, pride myself in saying thank you in the correct language whenever possible. That was a challenge on the Mariner, but I was up to it.

By way of introduction, I'm a 61 year old transportation planner [transit, airports, highways, etc. - I've worked in China, India, Turkey, the Philippines, Jamaica and Nigeria, as well as all over the US. My wife of 39 years is a Professor of American Studies at Ramapo College, so we live in North Jersey - 25 miles from Midtown Manhattan. We have two sons and two grandchildren, in Boulder, CO. I spent the summer between college and grad school working in London, and the travel bug bit me hard then.

Glad to join you

David