<!--quoteo(post=366081:date=May 18 2009, 09&#58;07 AM:name=Peddler)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Peddler &#064; May 18 2009, 09&#58;07 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&amp;pid=366081">&lt;strong&gt;QUOTE BELOW&lt;/strong&gt;</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><i><b><!--quoteo(post=366069:date=May 18 2009, 10&#58;13 AM:name=RNSANE)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (RNSANE &#064; May 18 2009, 10&#58;13 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&amp;pid=366069">&lt;strong&gt;QUOTE BELOW&lt;/strong&gt;</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Jim,  I love all those forensic novels.  I hope to write one myself one of these days.  Haven&#39;t gotten to the new Scarpetta series yet.  Have you read any of the Jeffrey Deaver books or Kathy Reichs? I am spending too much time on the computer though I am never in the car, even for a minute, without a book on tape&#33;<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--><br /><br /><br />Carmen, I have not read any of the authors that you have mentioned...The Cornwell series was recommended by my DIL who has all... I try to read from the first book in series so finding them is half of the fun. I prefer the likes of Jack DuBrul, Preston and Child etc not saying the P.Cornwell isn&#39;t good, just a bit different and slower to start like some of Steve Berry&#39;s books.<br /><br />Back to the cruise lines...<br />1. They are not going to get rich off of me to start with.<br />2. Having to pay for atmosphere and ambiance doesn&#39;t figure into my budget. I really like the experience onboard, but as stated before, it doesn&#39;t take as much to make me feel pamperd.<br />3. It is the cruise lines that have put themselves in this situation and are now trying to squeeze the passengers that have ( like yourself ) been loyal to a particular line (RCI etc.) that&#39;s really seeing the cuts. <br /><br />It&#39;s really a shame that the Diamond and Diamond Plus on RCI (of which I&#39;ll never be) that have been loyal and really promote the line that is getting the brunt of the cuts...it&#39;s like &quot;you&#39;ve been really good and now we&#39;re taking all this away&quot; because we can. slap, slap...<br /><br />Oh well .. so much for my rant for what it&#39;s worth...I will continue to cruise when I can afford it and will enjoy it to the fullest even without the amminities..a good book, a good drink, and a corner to hide in is all that&#39;s required. <img src="http://www.cruisecrazies.com/community/images/forum/tr-emoticons/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":smile:" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> <br /><br />Later<br />Jim</b></i><br /><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--><br /><br /><br />Now that I&#39;m up to 74 cruises, I&#39;m above most of the cuts....don&#39;t know how I achieved such a status,<br />anyway, as I am truly a pauper.  I stick with Royal Caribbean because I love the crew and that&#39;s<br />why I sail them...I now know so many of them.  In 1997, I spent ten days in India, at the home of a<br />crew member and his wife....and several other crew members I knew were home.  They acted<br />like I was a visiting foreign dignitary and made that visit so unforgettable.  Now they do the same <br />thing for me whenever I am on a ship.