For those who don't know me, I'm a 60 year old retired attorney from an Oklahoma City suburb. My wife, Carol, is also retired. We love our dogs (Shih Tzu and Pomeranian) and I love our fine cars (Honda S 2000 and Mercedes Benz C320) ALMOST as much as cruising Radisson. I'm into antique furniture, architecture (designed our home and an addition)and landscaping. Carol shares these, except for landscaping. Instead, she sews, quilts, and embroiders. She has an embroidery maching tht runs on computer programs, and operates on its own when set up.

Before Feb. '02, our cruising had been on RCI, NCL, and the like. We quit cruising because of the lines, crowds, and nickel and diming. Then we found RSSC via the Paul Gauguin in that month. Since then our RSSC experience has been the Navigator to Alaska and Bermuda, Mariner Nice to Rome, PG again back to back, and the Diamond to the Caribbean. Our next cruist is the VTC on 4/13/ 04 on the Voyager. Since our first Radisson cruise, we have cruised no other lines, but would like to try Silversea someday. As some of you know, I love everything about RSSC except for one small detail. I whish there were open bar. Not so I could drink more, but so I could drink when I wished and not do so when I wished. But the LAST THING I want to do here is start up the open bar debate again, as it has been fully "talked out."

The two best things I like about RSSC are the fellow guests and the spaciousness of suites and common areas with lack of lines and crowds. After all, in any form of travel, personal space is at a premium (example, coach vs first class airline seats). Being from Oklahoma where there is much open space, and where homes are generally large, we really felt cramped on the ships we took in our pre-Radisson days.

Future cruise plans include the British Isles, Scandanavia, Eastern Italy and the Greek Isles, and Australia/New Zeland. And perhaps, just perhaps, a return to French Polynesia on the Paul Gauguin.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

Richard: Yippee a new introduction (not that you are new!!) - Joanna

And thanks for posting your intro as well, Richard! Something to use as a reference if I'm ever on a cruise with you!

Masaki

Hi Richard and Carol,
Don't know what happened to the post I tried to send earlier, but it's no where to be found, the board is new to me so I probably did something wrong.
It's great to hear that your going on the Panama Canal Cruise, if memory serves me wasn't your Mom ill, hope all is well. We loved going on the Voyager thru the Canal on New Years, so much we just returned a few days ago with kids and grandkids. Different ship, but the grandkids had a ball, and we really had a good time seeing them having such a great cruise experenice. Their now hooked on cruising.
We're headed back to Tahiti for 3-weeks in Nov., something about that wonderful place justs keeps drawing us back, sisters won't be going this time(although they said they would love to), hubby is going this time. Hope to see you and Carol again on some furture cruise.

RIchard:

It's 5oclock somewhere....my kind of fellow. I do kind of miss that open bar thread...

:)

R

Sandra:

Yes, my mother is ill, and is now in a skilled care nursing home. She has has a mutlitude of problems, but her current one seems to be dementia. She's 88 and Dad's 90, and I'm kind of worried about them.

Robert:

Don't worry, the open bar thread will come back in some form someday ---- just not initiated by me. It got to the point that some thought I had only this one interest and no others, and that's incorrect. But this subject has come up every few months since there have been cruise boards. The one I had on CC did all it could do. In fact, instead of going in the direction of more open bar times, Radisson raised drink prices! I think there may be two better ways for cruisers to express their opinions on this subject (whatever they may be) via letters and emails to Mark Conroy and by expressing one's desires on the comment cards at cruise end.

Thanks
Richard :) :) :)

I just brought up that particular thread because it made me laugh. You laid things out in such a logical and methodological way, yet some people just didn't get it. I could almost see you shaking your head and throwing your hands up.

Raising their drink prices...OY! It just shows to go ya... ;)

Robert:

Thanks for the respectful reply. If I may say so, this may be one reason why I am retired and Mark Conroy is not ?

Thanks,
Richard :) ;) :)

Yes, Richard, I would be inclined to agree...

R

Jan and I had the pleasure of being with Richard and Carol on the PG Feb 2003.
Those of you that will have the opprotunity to cruise with them are very lucky to have a extra special positive addition to your cruise :cool:

Thanks Jim! We enjoyed sailing with you and your party also. Wish we could "go around" again!

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

I think that the rain will stop by the time we get there. It can't rain forever. I predict that the sun will shine upon us.