WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?

[Cruiz'nBaers]

We began cruising in 2003 while we were still working.  We took 7 day cruises to the Caribbean, it was a great way to vacation, we were hooked before our first cruise ended.  In 2013, we took our first 11 day Caribbean cruise, heavenly.  We retired in 2015 and began cruising 2 times a year, and, expanded beyond the Caribbean, going to New England/Canada, Alaska and our longest cruise for 23 days through the Panama Canal.  This May 6, we were flying to Barcelona for a couple of days, then getting on the Infinity for our first 12 day Mediterranean cruise.  We are so disappointed that it’s not going to happen.  I hope that someday things return to normal and we will once again be able to cruise, hopefully, to the Mediterranean and all of the wonderful, magical places in our beautiful world.  In the meantime, I’m so thankful that we have been able to travel to the extent that we have.  While it is much less than many, it is so much more than I ever imagined it would be.  I hope to meet you all at a sail away and we can compare travel stories.  What are you thankful for? 

Edited April 11, 2020 by Cruiz'nBaers

[jelayne]

We started cruising in 2006 after beating lung cancer.  We have done 49 cruises and have seen places we only dreamed about ( Taj Mahal, Great Barrier Reef, Iceland. Blue Grotto, Carnival in Rio, Antarctica, St Petersburg & so much more).  But we are most grateful for the wonderful friends we have made and the great crew members we had the opportunity to get to know.  

We have 7 cruises booked for the next 18 months & hope we see some old friends, meet new friends and reconnect with the great crew members we have gotten to know.

But if we don’t we have so many wonderful friends and memories.  We are blessed.

[mek]

Right now, I'm thankful that my husband and I are able to stay in and be safe.  As far as cruising, I so VERY thankful that we traveled as much as we did when we were able. We are both over 70, so who knows what will happen down the road with cruising.  At some point I hope we will be able to cruise again, but only time will tell about that.

[deliver42]

As of now, my wife and i are still healthy, even though I work for a super market, and am face to face with customers. That's what I'm thankful for.

[Georgia_Peaches]

My husband and I started cruising together just over 15 years ago soon after we got married.  We've seen various parts of the Caribbean, Italy, Spain and Greece in our cruising travels.  The memories we've created and the people we've met along the way have had such a huge impact on our lives.  This morning as I sip my coffee, I gaze at a water color we bought from a side walk artist in Cinque Terre and mourn the fact that we were supposed to embark on a cruise today.  I am grateful for the obvious things like my health and that of my family but if I take it to a more global level, I am so grateful for the work of those on the front lines of this virus, the first responders, the medical teams of doctors and nurses and researchers, the grocers like @deliver42 and those other essential workers who bravely fight this so that the rest of us might someday find a new normal outside of our homes.  

[Pinboy]

Relating to Cruising --- 

Yes, like most on CC , we have been cruising for many years and I can't remember any cruise that we didn't enjoy. 

I suppose it's a matter of attitude , expectations , respect for fellow passengers and most important -- the Staff .

It's so simple-- Treat people the way THEY want to be treated.

Also, I am thankful for Cruise Critics -- At a time like this, it's fun to share opinions and stories , and imagine whom we would like to meet in person , even though there are some trolls ( easy to spot ) that wouldn't be so " tough " face to face. 

 

 

[TeeRick]

1 hour ago, deliver42 said:

As of now, my wife and i are still healthy, even though I work for a super market, and am face to face with customers. That's what I'm thankful for.

deliver42 - I am very sincerely thankful to you and your grocery co-workers who take the risk every day for all of us.  You, along with health care workers and others staring the virus in the face every day in order for the rest of us to be safe, are truly heroes!  

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, Pinboy said:

Relating to Cruising --- 

Yes, like most on CC , we have been cruising for many years and I can't remember any cruise that we didn't enjoy. 

I suppose it's a matter of attitude , expectations , respect for fellow passengers and most important -- the Staff .

It's so simple-- Treat people the way THEY want to be treated.

Also, I am thankful for Cruise Critics -- At a time like this, it's fun to share opinions and stories , and imagine whom we would like to meet in person , even though there are some trolls ( easy to spot ) that wouldn't be so " tough " face to face. 

 

 

Why do you want to turn a good/positive thread, including your own post (until your last sentence) into trash talk! Give it a break.  

[davekathy]

We took our first cruise in 1991 (I agreed to go but reluctantly) and we both have been hooked since. We enjoying traveling. Cruising and land travels. We both are retired and we both have great retirements. We worked hard, now we play hard. We consider ourselves. "RDINKS". 😉

[Pinboy]

Just now, davekathy said:

even though there are some trolls ( easy to spot ) that wouldn't be so " tough " face to face. 

Not meant to be interpreted as trash talk at all-- 

Just meaning that 99.9% of the posters seem very polite and would be pleased to meet them in person, you included.  

[davekathy]

9 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

Not meant to be interpreted as trash talk at all-- 

Just meaning that 99.9% of the posters seem very polite and would be pleased to meet them in person, you included.  

The term "troll" on CC is consider trash talk. Now back to the intended topic of the thread. 

[Pinboy]

Just now, davekathy said:

The term "troll" on CC is consider trash talk. Now back to the intended topic of the thread. 

Understood--- Thanks , didn't know  that. 

 

[phoenix_dream]

Related to cruising, I am very thankful that I have been able to cruise so much.  I took my first cruise on my honeymoon in 1980 on the Carnival Carnivale.  It was awful!  20-30' seas, rain, a crummy liitle cabin.  I swore I would never cruise again!  Then in the early 90's DH convinced me to try again.  I've been sailing ever since, with close to 60 Celebrity cruises under my belt, as well as a dozen or so on other lines.  I've definitely become a convert!

 

I am very thankful for the staff - they have been wonderful to us and I have made several friends over the years with whom I still keep in touch.  I am grateful for all the places I have been able to visit.  My trips were generally not that 'exotic' but I have seen places I likely would never have traveled on land - Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, many cities on the Mexican coast where I would not want to travel these days, Alaska, Canada, England, and Norway; not to mention just about every Caribbean island with a cruise port.  So very many happy days on cruise ships.  

[wwcruisers]

OP -- Thank you for starting such a positive thread!🤗

 

Obviously, I'm grateful for all of the cruises that my DH and I have (along with assorted friends and family) been able to take -- over the past two decades. But I'm also grateful to have all of the photo album/scrapbooks, and photos stored in digital format, from those cruises  -- to help get us through these tough times! 📷

 

And, no matter what happens, going forward, I will have the great privilege of saying that I was there for the 'Golden Age' of cruising! 😎

[NLH Arizona]

4 hours ago, deliver42 said:

As of now, my wife and i are still healthy, even though I work for a super market, and am face to face with customers. That's what I'm thankful for.

Thank you for all you are doing to make sure folks are able to shop for food.  You are a hero.

[TeaBag]

I am thankful to be home and feeling well.  Looking forward to the end of our quarantine on Tuesday and also the resumption of cruising in the future.

[Mike981]

So thankful for being able to travel. My beautiful wife and I went on our first cruise twenty years ago, it was the honeymoon we never had. It only took us 10 years of marriage to get there. It was on the Celebrity Mercury, we were clueless on what to expect and absolutely loved it. I can still remember our cabin steward's name, Tony. He was a blast.
 

Over the years we have been on many cruises and land trips  to Jamaica, Mexico and Disney just the two of us, or with our two kids. We have made friends from all over the world and I know I'm a better person for knowing them.

[BEAV]

Thankful not only for 700+ days cruising with my wonderful husband of 25 years, but for the life-long friends we made while sailing. Our cruise friends are the best! 

 

My hubby passed away very suddenly/unexpectedly last August. So while my future cruise pace will slow down, I’m glad for him he’s not having to experience the World in its current state. 

 

And so very thankful I wasn’t caught up in the cruising nightmare many here experienced during the month of March. Judy Garland had it right in that famous line “there’s no place like home”!

 

 

[Langley Cruisers]

I am thankful for my gracious Heavenly Father and that I am now in month 39 of a 6 month Stage 4 cancer prognosis! PTL. 🙏 Right now, all of my family is healthy but I am at home as my immune system is compromised. We will continue to be careful and prudent, hoping that we all come through this in a healthy manner. We had two cruises booked and the second one will most likely be cancelled in August, but I am alive and well to see another day.

 

Happy Easter to all. God bless. 😊

[C-Dragons]

I am thankful to my mother who passed away when I was 18. In the short time I had with her, she introduced me to the world through travel. My first cruise was at age 12, my first TA at 16. She also planned a few family vacations across Europe. Through her love of travel I was “bitten” by the bug. After her death, I met my DH, the love of my life, who I am also very thankful for. Together we've enjoyed many cruising adventures and along the way have met and remain friends with so many wonderful people, including crew members on X ships. Life is good. 

[chemmo]

Thankful for wonderful memories of places and people...So pleased we have spent quality time with family and friends. So many people put off nice things until ‘tomorrow’ I am so pleased we didn’t. 

 

Thankful for our wonderful NHS system and people still working to ensure vulnerable people still get the services they need...

 

Thankful for the beautiful cherry blossoms in our garden  reminding us of the beauty of the world, they seem to offer hope for the future...

 

Thankful for this community which  we have received help and support from in the past and even without cruises sailing offers interest, companionship, a good laugh at times and hope for the future.

[upwarduk]

17 hours ago, mek said:

We are both over 70, so who knows what will happen down the road with cruising. 

We have 25 cruises with various companies under our belt.

We have been to Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Russia, the Mediterranean, Canada and the USA, including Hawaii. I have thousands of photos which I can look at, bringing back wonderful memories.

At the moment I am waiting to see what Celebrity decide to do about their ships coming to Europe for the summer season. TA’s have already been cancelled, but what are they going to decide. I have read that a decision will be made on 15th April.

In the meantime, being over 70 and told not to travel, by Gov.UK I will enjoy my garden, which is not putting Spring on hold.