Both Pat and Denise have done a great job of summarizing much of CROSS -- in addition to those who posted seamail during the cruise -- so perhaps there is not much to be added. Still, because we found so many good aspects to this cruise, I wanted to jump in with some of my personal impressions too.

Never have I been more happy to see a ship than to see the Voyager in Barcelona. As some of you may have read from my seamail, our overseas flight had a mechanical problem that caused us to miss our connection to Nice, so we flew directly to Barcelona and joined the ship there on the second day. We went straight to reception and checked in, then on to the cabin -- iced champagne waiting (and which we never got around to drinking) -- and on to our first tour. Our check-in was competent but not particularly warm -- although the receptionist did say that our friends had been checking on us repeatedly, so it was personalized in that way -- which made it interesting to hear your take, Pat, on check-in on embarkation day. In later dealings with reception, such as for money exchange and questions, both John and I had a couple of very good and a couple of so-so experiences, depending on who was at the desk.

Our cabin (726) was lovely and well-located for us near the forward elevators. I had a little concern over whether I would be bothered by the lifeboat directly below, but it was absolutely a non-issue. I would book in that location again in a nanosecond. We hadn't been on the Voyager in more than two years, and the bedding has changed in that time, I believe, and I really like the look and feel of the linens. Very classy. And I must say that is one of the most comfortable beds I ever have slept in. I'm almost thinking we need a new mattress at home now!

Before this trip, I had mixed feelings about the Voyager. We are part of that cadre of Song of Flower devotees, with our introduction to cruising being the warmth and friendliness of the crew of that ship. With that pedestal unable to be toppled since it exists only in our memories, we came away from our first two cruises on the Voyager feeling less like "guests" and more like simple paying passengers (which, of course, is exactly what we are, but the illusion of the former is wonderful). For that reason, our experience on CROSS delighted. With only minor and rare exceptions, the crew members were friendly and welcoming, with almost always a smile and comment in the hallway whether you knew that crew member or not and big greetings from several who remembered us from prior cruises. It approached the feelings of our prior cruises on the SoF and even the Navigator.

I agree 100% with Pat's comments about Capt. Knut. He greeted us warmly on our first evening and was involved and friendly with everyone each and every time we saw him around the ship. A real pleasure. The same for Terry Kushner, the social director, which whom we have cruised several times and find to be a particularly warm and special person. It was great to see Patrick when we entered the Compass Rose the first week, and also a couple of the drink servers around the ship. Same for Lorraine, the cruise director.

Meals in the Compass Rose were exceptional, we thought, better than our previous cruises. As Denise stated, only the last night's meal disappointed, and perhaps that reflected the difficulties of provisioning a ship for an eight-day crossing plus an off description or two in the menu. No matter, by that time we had eaten ourselves silly. We still had a wonderful final dinner with friends and a great serving team.

Our first week's dinner in Latitudes was one of our favorites of the cruise, with fantastic service, but the menu change for the second week left me flat, definitely a disappointment. We had one evening meal in La Verandah during the first week, which was a Spanish theme, and the meal was good but not equal to the CR. My only dining regret is that we never made it back to La Verandah for an Italian dinner during the second week; we heard from several people that it was delicious. Lunches on the pool deck or in La Verandah were consistently excellent, with lots of variety -- grilled seafood one day, international grill another, paella while in Spain, and on and on. One day we felt like a quieter time and had lunch in the CR, which was okay but nothing memorable. John probably ordered best there with the "simplicity" menu hamburger.

I'm rambling on and may add more later but need to stop for now, but not without one additional comment. The LCTers we met on this cruise were absolutely delightful, to a person. Whether dining or partying or at teatime or trivia, we had fun together but felt free to do our own things separately also. No pressure, just a totally great time all around. The good memories will stay with us a long time.