Hi everyone!

I haven't been in the "cruise" mindset for a while, so I've been pretty much staying off the message boards. But I've got two cruises coming up in the next few months, so I guess I should put my cruising hat back on!

I hope you all are doing well. I'm fine, I've been working a lot on my freelance writing projects. :)

We're leaving in three weeks for a Caribbean cruise on RCI's Navigator of the Seas. This one's really for the kids -- we promised them this cruise if they got decent grades on their final report cards. I know it won't exactly be the RSSC experience, but that's fine -- hey, we got a cabin with a nice big balcony, so who can complain? Also, DH & I just starting our SCUBA certification course this week, and we'll be taking our four open-water dives to finish our certification while on this cruise, in St. Thomas and St. Marteen. I figured it would be much nicer to do those dives in warm Caribbean waters than these cold Southern California waters!

Then we've got the Auckland-LA cruise on Nov. 30 with my Mom. They just opened up the online booking for shore excursions for that one, so Mom and I have been scrolling through them and picking out the ones we want. I'm going to do four different dives at four different islands! I'm pretty excited about that.

I do have one question -- how do you sign up for the Cordon Bleu class, which our cruise is having?

Oh, and get this...when we booked this cruise, it was listed as an 18-nighter. I kept looking at the itinerary feeling a bit confused tho...it listed Sat. Dec. 2 twice, one as "At Sea" and the other as "Crossing the International Dateline". I figured that meant that we get to have Sat. twice -- two full days, both of them Saturday, right? But when I added up the nights, it added up to 19. So...did that mean that it's just LISTING that Saturday twice? Having never crossed the int'l dateline before, I wasnt sure. Well, when I looked at the cruise online today, the itinerary now lists it as a 19-night cruise. So I was right! This might all sound a little dense...oh well, I'm an Int'l dateline virgin, what can I tell ya? I think it's pretty cool that we get one more day onboard than I thought, tho!

Anyway, it's nice to be back on this board! I've missed y'all! :)

Welcome back, LeeAnne! Have no idea about the Cordon Bleu class - but I'm sure that somebody here will!

Masaki

Hi LeeAnne, it's nice to see you posting again! You have some wonderful cruises lined up!

LeeAnne,
For the Cordon Bleu class you need to contact your travel agent to have you enrolled. It is fun and it is a great way to meet others too. They have special events for the attendees with dinners etc. Sign up right away if you wish to get in.

LeeAnne, I can't wait to hear all about your Auckland to LA cruise. There are a few of us booked next year as Ngaire is taking a group. I'm hoping they add a Cordon Bleu class - sounds very interesting.

LeeAnne, you should book it through your TA, and do it as soon as possible, they fill up. You can always cancel it, before a specific cancellation date.

Nice to hear from you, LeeAnne. Do book your CB class right away and please review it for us!

Hi LeeAnne - nice to see you back on the board.

Your cruise sounds awesome, we want to do that one someday. Yes, have your TA call and get you in the class, and if its full already, have he/she waitlist you, your chances are very good you will get in. I had to waitlist for the CB class on our Panama Canal, and when I got onboard, I got a message that I was in, they added another couple of sections. But I wanted to be in the same section with Kathy (chatcat) and so at the orientation cocktail party, I found someone who wanted my section and she had the one I wanted so we just switched! It was lots of fun.

Well, of course you can guess who my TA is...she probably already saw this! If she's not too busy packing for Mush, that is... ;) I'll email her to make sure she catches this.

Thanks for the welcomes -- it's nice to see you guys. Since I've been so busy with my freelance writing work I've been more or less staying away from the computer unless it's work related. I spend so much time on it already. But I forgot how much I love this place, and all the people in it!

Oh, speaking of my writing, some of you might remember that I had my first short story published in an anthology a few months ago -- well, they asked me and the other authors who are in the book to have a book signing at Borders this Tuesday, and to read a couple pages from our stories. Wow! It's going to feel weird actually signing books for people. I guess I'd better practice signing my "autograph"!

I just realized that I probably should have put this over in the "off topic" board...sheesh, I forgot the rules! That's what I get for staying away for so long. I have a bunch of questions about my cruise -- I'll post those in a different thread.

LeeAnne - DUH! what was I thinking?????? <img border="0" alt="[bang]" title="" src="graemlins/banghead.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[bang]" title="" src="graemlins/banghead.gif" /> of course I knew that, just forgot for a moment.

LeeAnne, congratulations, you must be very excited!

Leeann,
My Mom is joining us on the Sydney to LA portion of the cruise. So perhaps we can introduce them!

Jan and Fred

Yes, great idea! There's a roll call thread over on CC that I just found -- have you been there?

I just signed up for all of my excursions. Plus, I just booked our B&B in Rotorua for our three days pre-cruise in NZ. I've got all kinds of plans going on -- we're going to spend a day at the Hells Gate/Wai Ora spa on our first full day in Rotorua, getting massages and mud baths and sulpher spas to shake the jet lag out of us. Then I'm going RIVER RAFTING! I've signed up to do a three-hour river raft trip on the Kaituna river, which is a class 5 with the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world -- 7 meters! Should be an E-ticket. Then we're going to head down to Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland to check out Champagne Lake and the other thermal features.

Oh, and Ngaire signed me up for the Cordon Bleu class! Can't wait!

I am just back from a Royal Carribbean weekend jaunt with the kids. I posted my take on the difference. Hope you enjoy it!

Chatcat -- Where is it posted?...don't see it under reviews.

Larry - I put it in Off Topic....