What is Your Favorite 2007 RCI Cruise Memory?

[RevSmith]

opps I didn't read the 2007 part...sorry.

[JudyM]

Being up early one morning on Explorer last January and heading up to the Viking Crown Lounge to enjoy the sunrise through the wrap-around windows (with the fun plinking and chiming from the golf-ball sculpture in the background). Since I was by myself, it was like this fantastic light show was all being staged just for my private delight.

 

What a fun topic! Reading this is like being at a Meet & Mingle party: the same enthusiasm, interesting new stories, friendly people, and of course the shared love of RC cruising. Thanks for such a great start to the week.

[Arizona Laura]

Best one for me would be stepping out on Voyager's top deck last January for sail away. That was my first cruise and sail away got entertaining when Voyager and the other RCI ship (Navigator I think) started making an incredible noise with their horns.

 

The two ships pulled off the "shave-and-a-haircut" routine with those monster horns. Very funny!:)

 

Honorable mention:

Getting brave enough to do karaoke on Enchantment.

Anytime I'm out on the lower outside deck watching the sea and understanding why my grandfather was in the Merchant Marine for over 30 years.

 

When I was young in the 60s my uncle had an entire room in his basement with trains. It was awesome.

Great hobby. Thanks for the slideshow.

Laura

[emmy]

Can't do just one.

 

Being invited to the Liberty pre-inaugural along with the other Cruise Critic folks. What a great time with great people. Thanks again RCI.

 

 

 

Absolutely for me too Paul :) and reading and re reading the email from LauraS saying we would get that call from Robert... now waiting for that was fun and exciting.

:D

Second was watching Radiance pull into port from my hotel in San Diego as we were waiting to embark on my Diamond cruise to Hawaii.

[cruisinisforme]

In august, watching my friends dress the cruise director on the mariner up as a girl during the quest!

[carmelninetysix]

and I just loved sailing under the Verrazano Bridge! Being in Boston, Bermuda and NYC for the very first time was AWESOME! Happy Sailings and Bon Voyage!!! Melissa

[captjaneway]

My FIRST RCCL cruise and the Mariner with Friends and family.

 

Looking forward to the second one next year :D

[vickiw0318]

All of my week long cruise with my daughter on the Rhapsody including sunning on our wonderful corner aft balcony, our tablemates, the Canopy Tour in Jamaica, feeding the sting rays and snorkeling with CC friends Bill and Linda, shopping in Cozumel and finally even enjoying the sunrise as we sailed back into Galveston. She's almost totally out of the house and these are memories I will treasure forever.

 

I'll add a second too. My table full of CC's on our Splendour cruise.

[dramaqueen4lyfe]

I can't think of just one, that's impossible.

1. Our first Transatlantic on Brilliance. Miami to Barcelona with all the sea days and wonderful adventures in Europe, as well as the wonderful CC friends we made on board.

2. The Member Cruise on Radiance to Alaska. Great gifts and wonderful treatment by Rachel Hancock and her staff. The lifelong friendships made among all the CC "Special Polar Bears" on that cruise. Spending the day in San Francisco in glorious weather. Bear watching in Icy Straight Point.

3. The incredible welcome from the people of Mayaguez P.R. when Empress docked there as the first large cruise ship to do so and the unforgetable sail-away with hundreds of people lining the shore, bands playing, dancing and fireworks.

[dachshunddoglover]

Wonderful topic for a thread. I've been searching my mind but am finding it too hard to come up with one or two. I have so many fantastic memories. It makes me smile every time the RCI theme music comes on the TV for a commercial. :D

 

I guess my favorite would be taking my mom on her first cruise at the age of 70, just us girls. She thought she wouldn't like it but after we got off and were driving home, she told me she liked it tons more than she thought she would. She's going with me again in 08.

 

E-Beth

[karena1]

Very nice topic Patrick. :)

 

My favorite memory of this year was being invited on board the Liberty Pre-Inaugural in May by Royal Caribbean. RCI threated all of us with outstanding hospitality and a time that will not be forgotten. I have other favorites but this one stands out a little more.:)

 

I will have to Ditto this one. We were shocked and oh so thrilled when we got an invite to the Liberty Pre-Inaugural. Had planned to sail her in April 2008 anyway, but to get on the Pre-Inaugural with everything brand new was incredible. Staff went out of their way to welcome us. We had a Promenade room on Deck 8 and got to view our "hump" cabin that we booked for next April. Got to tour the huge suite with all the rooms! We had the best time. Just made us that much more excited to be going in April!

 

Besides that - just love all of them and count ourselves so lucky that we live in Florida and can get on the little weekend getaways at least a couple times a year in addition to one big one each year.

[YeaYeaYea]

My best memory of cruising 2007 was standing on the front deck of the Zuiderdam at Havensight drinking the bottle of champagne I was allowed to bring aboard because Holland America lets you bring aboard your own wine and champagne, as we were pulling out of port looking at the freedom of the seas wondering what their bar bills were gonna look like.

[Jimmers]

Too many to list but if I had to pick just one:

 

Seeing the joy on the faces of my two grown children during their first cruise in August on the LOS. Probably our best ever family vacation.

 

Jimmers:)

[TexCruise371]

Oh WOW, definatly our wonderful cruise on Liberty in October. We met some GREAT folks on CC and we all became fast friends and just had a great time. We met before the M/M, at the M/M and had a cabin crawl to finish up. We have kept our thread alive and plan a reunion cruise on Genesis. What a great bunch of folks. Oh and we WON in the casino :eek:

[tomko2]

Very early morning standing with our coffees on our aft balcony as the Legend docked in Alexandria, Egypt last summer. Our long time dream of seeing the Pyramids was met that day and the memory will stay with us forever.

Kathy:)

[sagiv666]

As the year comes to a close, I thought it might be fun to share best RCI cruise memories for 2007.

 

I'm going to cheat and have 2:

 

> The fun times with Eric and Rusty in the Champagne Bar on Brilliance during my Med cruise. Since I was traveling solo, I really enjoyed the camaraderie and sheer entertainment those 2 provided.

 

> The great company with fellow CCers RTB, Mitaxi and TruthandKeidy on Radiance in Alaska - the best cruise ever.

 

Honorable mention goes to:

 

> Reyno the concierge on Radiance, who played Eartha Kitt tunes in the lounge and put up with us constantly yelling "Enchante!" as we poked fun at another (non-French and slightly pretentious) cruiser. :eek:

 

> Rachel Hancock, Diane and the other great RCI employees who joined us on the June Brilliance member cruise. It was a real pleasure to meet such genuinely nice people.

 

Seriously, I was lucky enough to spend 50 days at sea in 2007, and am very thankful for it. 2008 won't be quite as good (darn job!), but I have great pictures and even better memories...

 

When we cruised to Alaska on the Radiance in September, it was the first time we booked a balcony and now we're hooked. In the past it was always an outside with only a porthole or window.

My greatest excitement was watching us leave Vancouver,or seeing Alaska, Seattle, and San Francisco as the sun began to rise, while standing on our own balcony.

I cannot forget the wonderful people we met on the cruise, particularly those who shared our table at supper.

Last but not least were our waiters and cabin attendant, as well as our Captain and all the crew who helped made our voyage so memorable. The officer who led Yom Kippur serevices had a special place in our hearts.:D

[hunnypot1]

We took our very first cruise in January 2007 on the 4 day Monarch cruise out of Los Angeles. We had a great time.

But, I think my absolute best cruise memory for 2007 was surprising my DH with a corner aft balcony cabin on our 11/26/07 Enchantment cruise. The upgrade was my anniversary present to him. We made it on the ship without him catching on (he thought we were in an oceanview room on deck 3 or 4).

I "explained" that our Crown and Anchor membership entitled us to priority embarking (he did not know the difference between gold, platinum and diamond membership...tee-hee). We ate lunch in the Windjammer and then I told him I wanted to tour the decks a bit while we waited for our cabin to become available. I mentioned that sometimes you can catch a peek at some of the empty suites while they are getting cleaned...

So we were strolling down the corridors of deck 7, heading toward the aft....I kept peeking into open cabins saying things like, "Ooooh, this one is a balcony. That must be so nice", etc. Finally, we arrive at the back of the ship...I turn toward the corner door, slip in my card and open it. His first thoughts were, "Why does her card open this?" It took him a second to really GET IT. Then he was TOTALLY SHOCKED. He could not believe that balcony and junior suite room were really ours!

We ate breakfast on that gorgeous balcony each morning...

We are soooooooooo spoiled now. Room 7666 on the Enchantment will always be very special to us.

[billybabe3883]

Our best memory for 2007....would be booking our first cruise, sailing in Oct 2008.

 

Cant wait :)

[Quampapetet]

Booking my first cruise, which will happen in a couple months. :)

[MtnBikerFallDown]

Getting to book my first cruise in over five years!!! Woohoo! I bet I know what my favorite will be for '08... going on said cruise! :D

[cupofgin]

In Oct on Brillance going into the canal to Venice, and riding the gondola:D

[Onessa]

Watching my DD -- she had such a great time with the friends she met and because of them she had the courage to do things she would not have done had she just been with mom and dad -- Try the rock climbing wall, join a conga line at one of the shows, a group sing karaoke, pool parties, dinner with just the "girls", etc.

[rachelandfamily]

If i wrote them all know i'd be here forerever!!

To summarise-

 

The look on my parents faces when they went on their hump balcony on Jewel this year - they thought they had a standard balcony cabin - a cheese and wine plate too!!

 

My kids going through Ijmuiden Locks in April - they loved it -(like a mini Panama) - until the Captain announced they had discouvered a WW2 bomb and we may have to turn back!! - the look of amazement on their faces!! It was even better when we knew the bomb had gone and we went on to have the best cruise ever.

 

Seeing Voyager of the Seas for the first time in Barcelona - WOW - We waited 18 months for this cruise and it was well worth it - every second.

 

Rachel (AKA thread killer)

[cyscopup]

Our favorite memory for 2007 would have to be making so many new friends on our Panama Canal cruise in OCT/NOV. We met some of the best CC'ers on this cruise and hopefully we will all be reunited for another memorable cruise in 2008.:cool:

[brmoqueen]

It would be the Polar Bears from the Radiance 9/14/07 cruise......Awesome group of people.....many new friendships.....renewing old friendships.....pajama breakfast (the look of the dining room people as we paraded in in our polar bear jammies).....cocktail hour.....the glacier....the whales......cabin crawl.......meet n mingle......

 

Ohhhhh I could on forever!!!!

 

jul :)