schmoopie17

Agreed. We used to take a couple back to the cabin to play Ring Toss later...

Barcelona is an excellent example of a huge city with tons of places to go and see. They have a port shuttle for 3 euro ($4.50 round trip) that drops off at the Columbus statue at the end of Las Ramblas. From there you can get anywhere else you want to go.

Maxwell Smart had a shoe phone. Oops...there's that age thing again.

Correct. The Jade was our overall best cruising experience. Food, service...pretty much everything was top-notch. It's just old enough (and funky enough) without being run down and musty. Lots of wood everywhere...even in the bathrooms (where they still have ashtrays right by the toilet...for your convenience). They even have signs that say "No smoking in bed". Like I said...funky.

Ever dreamed of going to romantic, scenic places like Florence, Tuscany, Pisa, Siena, etc.? Guess what...the port for all of those beautiful places is Livorno. And Livorno is (gasp) an industrial port. Don't judge a book by its cover...and don't judge a region by its port.

Seriously? I never heard of this awesome-sounding caller ID thing. Thanks for the education. What will they think of next? Maybe a phone you can carry in your pocket. That would be even more awesome.

Ditto.

I'm cuddly until you get to know me. Then I'm nauseating.

Mrs. Schmoopie and I met the old fashioned way...on the internet. In my internet dating profile I included the requirement that any prospective dates be a fan of the "Seinfeld" show. To my surprise, Mrs. Schmoopie (she had a different name at the time) was able to engage in back and forth dialogue from practically every episode. The famous "Schmoopie" episode included the lines. "You're a Schmoopie". "No, YOU'RE a Schmoopie". Somehow, I began calling her Schmoopie. The rest is history.

You're the real McCoy. Oops...now I'm showing my age.

Our PCC knows it's me when I call him. He answers the phone and immediately says. "Hi, Schmoopie"...or words to that effect.

Wait...there's an ABBA museum?? Mama Mia...

After wading through pages of discussion on this thread, it occurred to me that the key piece of information was the woman posting her booking number. If someone she knows has a grudge against her, they obviously know her name and would most likely know her DOB and email address. Having said that...every time I contact NCL about an existing reservation they ask: Name Booking number Ship name Sail dates I don't recall ever being asked DOB or email address. But anyone who knows her and was impersonating her would know those, just in case they were asked.

Not from me. Mrs. Schmoopie does all the grilling. If I ever grilled something, you wouldn't want to eat it.

I once owned a Ford Fiesta. Does that count?

You one has arrived when one is referred to as a verb. Of course, at my age, it's not much of an action verb.

@The Traveling Man I won't quote your response, but thanks for the thoroughness of it. It helped a lot. Yes, it's a bit more legwork when making the reservation, but sounds like it's worth it.

Well, sharing drinks with someone not on a drink package is stealing. Checking in before your "assigned" time is being impatient. I don't see how these things are equivalent. Again, maybe it's just me...it usually is.

Don't forget the old man grunting and groaning. Speaking from experience.

Yea...finally a cutback I can agree with. Liver goop is nasty...but paying an extra $10 for it is even nastier. Although, from recent reports, sounds like they dropped the goop and kept the $10 upcharge. For our convenience...

The most depressing part of any cruise...and you had to do it a few times on this fantastic voyage. Thanks for taking us along. It was a fun ride (and tiring for you and Pookie). Maybe we'll get to cruise with you guys in the future. Sounds like Pookie and Mrs. Schmoopie would hit it off...or at least have fun comparing nicknames.

@The Traveling ManI've had this card for a few years and I only use it for NCL charges to get the 3%. In the past, I've taken the statement credit, never thinking about doing an upgrade. Sounds like opportunity lost. We've typically always just booked balconies right off the bat without playing the upgrade game. But now you have me thinking (dangerous, I know). How exactly do you apply the points to an NCL reservation to get the upgrade? What's the process like? Do you get to pick your cabin? (Location is very important to us)...

Just FYI...I pointed out that she was new in my original post. And I even somehow managed to figure it out without clicking on her username.

(Unfortunately) I decided to skip through your pictures of the Amalfi Coast, since we will be there in three months, making the same stops as you, and I don't want to spoil the surprise (oops...there's that word again). Our group of four has booked a private tour for a total price of $450 euro...not bad for a private tour. We're using a very highly regarded and popular company (known for entertaining their customers on the ride) who has been doing these tours for years without incident. I get that it is a risk, but like you said, if worse comes to worse, our next stop isn't far.

Our 14 days on the Jade in February got us $100. Our 15 day on the Escape next year will get us $250.