First, let me apologize to John: John, a thousand pardons for having used the dreadful "b" word. I've never quite understood your cool active avatar and therefore did not appreciate the shaving vs. b***ing distinction. I do indeed beg your forgiveness (and after all, I did point out that irrespective of hair issues, you were a hunk - what more can you want?)

Lawrence - Our point was and remains that regardless of whether a company has paid the fare or the individual passenger has paid the fare, the passengers should be treated equally and well. My company is chartering the entire Mariner for a week next spring for a sales achievers' club event. For many of those people, this will be their first cruise. But it may set them on the road we are all on of loving cruising. (Now, the problem is my convincing our Sales group that the company lawyers should be on this particular achievers' club event, when we usually dodge such events like the plague. Yikes, being trapped in any venue with a few hundred type-A sales execs is pretty scary - but if that venue is the Mariner, it might be worth it.) Cheers, Fred