LETTERS

Cruise Travel, March, 2001

'Tis the Season

I just returned from a 10-day holiday cruise aboard Princess Cruises' Crown Princess. I had a very enjoyable time.

I wanted to commend David Crathorne, entertainer in the Intermezzo Lounge. Through his work and direction, while we were in Costa Rica on Christmas Day, a group of orphans was brought onboard for a party with Santa. What a joy to watch the children and see their smiling faces when each one was given a wrapped present. It really brought the true meaning of Christmas home to me.

Gwen Roach, Pompano Beach, FL

Awesome New Ships

Wow! I was really impressed with the new vessels depicted in M.T. Schwartzman's "New Ship Preview" in the Cruise Travel February 2001 issue. I love the interior design for the Asian restaurant in the cruise ship Norwegian Sun. The beauty and sheer elegance of the Radiance of the Seas left me in awe. I have only gone on one cruise in my lifetime, on Carnival's Holiday to Encenada, Mexico. My wife and I will never forget that fun cruise, and now we are prepared to take a longer cruise somewhere overseas. We use your magazine as a "bible" for good information.

Paul Dale Roberts, Elk Grove, CA

Captain Good Will

"Captain Good Will" is what we call the bearded skipper of Cruise West's Spirit of Columbia. His real name is Dana Lewis.

We addicted small-ship cruise enthusiasts recently returned from an Elderhostel-sponsored trip in British Columbia and the San Juan Islands. Our daughter and her family came onboard to visit us at our first stop in Coupeville, WA, at the invitation of Captain Lewis. After touring the ship and watching otters feeding on eels, our 10- and 13-year-old granddaughters were invited to cruise with us to our next port of La Conner.

Needless to say, the girls had a great time eating lunch and donning life preservers in the emergency drill with the rest of us passengers. They were presented with Cruise West souvenir beanie bears when they left the ship. Captain Good Will Lewis will always be fondly remembered by all of our family for his kind hospitality and gracious nature.

Bill & Cheryl McCullen Montgomery Village, MD

Delighted With Dance Roundup

I just received the February 2001 issue of Cruise Travel, and I would like to commend the magazine and writer Lois Donahue for the finest article I have ever read on dancing and dance host programs on cruise ships.

There are thousands of people who look for ships that will cater to their desire for good dance music and decent-size dance floors. There are almost as many single ladies who would love to have a dance host make their voyage a happy and memorable one. Lois Donahue's wonderful article covers so many of the questions we ask about dancing on cruise ships. I hope we will see more fine articles from her.

Charles Rittenhouse, Brentwood, NY

Dance Discrepancies Detailed

Having recently returned from a 16-night cruise on Renaissance Cruises' R2 from Singapore to Hong Kong, I read with interest the "Guide To Cruise Ship Dance Facilities" in Cruise Travel, February 2001. There are discrepancies between the printed "facts" listed in the chart and the onboard facts as I observed them.

In the Cabaret Lounge (which has the ship's primary dance floor), the orchestra did play nightly before the shows, but usually for only 30 minutes. On the last night, when everybody was busy packing to leave the ship early the next morning, the orchestra played for over 90 minutes (but nobody danced). On this floor, 25 couples could dance if they all did the two-step. Otherwise they would constantly be bumping into each other.

The Club Restaurant dance floor was only utilized once during our whole cruise, while the pool deck floor was used twice (the weather did limit the use of this area). As to the Sports Bar floor, there is no way 15 couples can do ballroom dancing on a floor that size!

Robert Terk, West Haven, CT

As noted in the dancing at sea article, the information in the chart was based on a survey sent to the lines, and things will differ among the various ships and itineraries. But as your letter shows, nothing tops first-hand experience (obviously, we could not sail every ship in the survey). We welcome additional detailed descriptions of dance facilities onboard other ships from our readers.

Forewarned Is Forearmed

Please alert your readers to one extremely important pre-cruise precaution: After you've taken the considerable efforts to choose your cruise/travel agent and decided upon your cruise line, ship, itinerary, and cabin, always pay for your cruise deposit and final payment with a credit card.

My wife and I were among the many others who booked 2001 cruises with a well-established, highly reference-praised cruise-only agency that later went bankrupt in November 2000. When it unexpectedly closed its doors and laid-off every one of its employees, the owner claimed all of its many clients' deposits and final payments were gone, too. Local authorities have seized company records, and confirmed there were no identifiable resources available for reimbursing clients.