Hard to believe that it's come and gone already, but the pile of laundry and empty suitcases say it's so. It was lovely to meet those we hadn't met before. We really enjoyed our time with new friends we'd not met on prior cruises.

Our flights were great (I'd do AirFrance Business Class again - WOW!) and the 1st class section on American had some of the best service I'd experienced on a plane. The crew was incredible and obviously liked what they did for a living. I'd have thought I was back on the Voyager! The Captain landed the plane and we were all waiting for that bump - but we never felt the wheels hit the runway.

The service on board was wonderful, the food seemed a bit off to me in some of the venues but was excellent in others, the ship is in good shape. Our last day we had lunch with Lorraine and caught up with one another since our 2004 New England Cruise and then we had dinner with Cornell Rueland, the Executive Chef (and Fred and Pat and Peggy and Gerry). The Cordon Bleu graduation dinner was probably the best meal we'd ever had on board ship - EVER. It was a really nice way to cap off a cruise followed by nightcap in Observation lounge. Then off to say good bye to the nightly group I had fun with at the casino. We had a blackjack table where the same players came out each night and we really had a team play going - a lot of fun for all of us.

My observation is that it's all there if you want to ask and they are just not as generous as they were even in December. Portion sizes are smaller (not a bad thing) and you have to ask for the better brands of liquor now that they are AI. The wines poured at dinner were not as good on the brand side as last year. The variety of entertainment was nice. The Dance Party in the Atrium was nice. Of the shows we saw we really liked Pearl Kaufman. Frankie Holiday was a fun entertainer (My Frank will get a Norelco Shaver for a holiday present ;-0) We only did three ships excursions and they were okay - I like hiring a cab in the various ports often over the ship excursions and better to hire a private guide in most ports when you have friends to share with you. Freddie arranged our private tours and they were all excellent - with the Goats being the obvious thing we will remember. And for my annual holiday party, I will be making Chocolate Lava Cakes courtesy of the Cordon Bleu program. too bad we can't get that good cinnamon ice cream to serve with them!