halloween cruise/ Magic: October 28th-nov..4th 2006

[kritter]

HAPPY EASTER TO EVERYONE!!!!!!!!


Want to hear about everyones days and what they ate, etc...

Anyone get their new passporter yet????

 

[captaincrash]

Happy Easter folks!

Unfortunately the son of our guests from Hawaii is sort of ill. And it may be that it's started a bit of an illness in my family now with my spouse and I. Our kids are showing no symptoms yet. As such it would probably be inconsiderate of me to attend Easter services if my spouse and I were coming down with a nasty illness that is in a contageous stage... so it looks like we'll stay in tomorrow. Also, our plans for going to Disneyland and other things with our guests is more or less suspended pending recovery of everyone. Oh well... thats' how it goes I guess.

On the upside, we had a nice Easter egg hunt and easter celebration of sorts today at my BILs' church locally. He flys in every Easter to attend services at "his church" out here. Sort of different I'd say - but I respect his choices. He gets points for loyalty and committment.

At any rate, today the kids had the easter egg hunt, pony rides, an easter program put on by kids and enterprising adults, and a nice easter pot luck dinner. Then my spouse and I started coming down with our nephews' symptoms and we left for home.

Hope your weekend is going better then ours....

 

[kritter]

oh crash hope you all are well enough to enjoy your easter....

Sending you well wishes....

Happy Easter to you and your Family!!!!

 

[captaincrash]

Thanks K,

This morning I feel somewhat "wounded" while my spouse sez she's better today. Looks like the symptoms (I'm being intentionally vague so as not to convey the precise nature ... to protect innocent lurkers from those unpleasant "sick sensations").

So - here's a little something I found this morning.....

St.Maarten has more than 37 different beaches and all of them are available to the public. There are several the vactioner would enjoy more than others, however, feel free to explore on your own. We have included a brief description of several of the most popular beaches.

The Caribbean sun is much more intense than what you are used to at home. There may be parts of your body that never have experienced intense sunlight. Many vacations have been ruined by sun poisoning and severe sunburn.

We can't stress enough how important it is to use a sunscreen or block at all times. A 15-25 block is recommended by most doctors to insure proper protection. Also, a cool breeze or a cloudy sky does nothing to inhibit the suns damaging ultra violet rays. Play it safe and avoid the sun between the hours of 11 am and 2 pm.

FRENCH BEACHES

Anse Marcel: (Le Meridian L'Habitation) Even though the only access is through the hotel the beach is open to the public. A beach for families, because you can walk 200 meters into the water before it comes to your shoulders. Calm and shallow waters make it ideal for children. This beach is a must visit and bring your camera!


Baix Aux Prunes: This beach, well known to surfers, is very little visited, and beautiful. It may be accessed by the road of "Falaises des Oieaux" (Bird Cliffs).


Baie de L'Embouchure: Another family beach, ideal for windsurfing.


Baie Lounge: (Long Beach) This is another of the island's great beaches, with long unbroken stretches of white sand and thick foliage. There is considerable privacy here.


Baie Rouge: Generally considered the most beautiful beach on the French side, Baie Rouge has an expansive cove enhanced by rocks and foliage. This intimate hideaway with lots of white powder sand and assorted boulders is particularly breathtaking in the early morning. Swimming is good with crystal clear water. Beach chairs are available. You'll often find makeshift bars, complete with barbecues and cool drinks.


Coconut Grove: Quiet mile long stretch of white powder sand lined with shade trees. Great for kids, snorkelers and board sailors. Available there are top windsurfing rentals and instruction, chairs, floats, refreshments and changing facilities.


Cul de Sac: A fishing village beach where on the shoreline many fishing pots can be seen.


Friar's Bay: This well protected cove requires a short, slightly difficult drive off the main road, but it's worth the effort. located at the inlet of Guichard salt pond, it is a photographer's favorite because of the verdant setting. On any weekend you'll find lots of local color at three beach bars. Volleyball games and family outings add to the excitement. Ask the locals about the next reggae beach party. Particularly good diving spot.


Grand Case Beach: Here you can sample grilled specialties everyday in the "lolos", or roadside shacks on the edge of the beach. Try the local food here. Grilled lobsters and the islands best baby back ribs and chicken are available along with rice, peas & "Johnny cakes". This one mile beach is flanked by some of the islands finest gourmet restaurants. Clear calm water promises super swimming. No change facilities or watersports. Some of the best snorkeling is at Creole rock, at the north end of the beach.


Grandes Cayes: One main interest ... diving on the corral barrier reef, take care however, the sea can be fairly strong.


Happy Bay: A very calm hotel beach with shelter, peaceful swimming spot.


Ilet Pinel:The beach is located on a barrier reef. Park your car and ask "Uncle" to take you across ($5) to experience a real day at the beach! this beautiful white sandy beach offers underwater snorkel trails and two restaurants where you can enjoy tasty grilled lobster and fabulous brownies. Beach chairs, umbrellas and watersports are available. Some consider this the best snorkeling on the island.


Marigot Bay: Large and very calm beach, ideal for windsurfing. Close to the center of Marigot, capital of the French side.


Nettle Bay: A long strand of beach stretching from Limestone Point at La Belle Creole Hotel, as far as Sandy Ground bridge. The entire beach is lined with hotels. Best bet! Stop in at Layla's Beach Bar for a great breakfast or lunch while you tan.


Orient Bay: This is one of the most distinctive beaches on the island. A huge crescent of sand swings around a turquoise cove, with low vegetation on one side and a terrific view of the sea. The bay is a designated underwater marine reserve whose coral reef provides great snorkeling. Lots of action here! Windsurfing, jet ski rental and the island's greatest array of watersports.


Petites Cayes: Accessible only by a long and pleasant walk or by boat.


Petite Plage: Small and pleasant beach next to Grand Case Beach Club.


Plum Bay: This small strip of sand is bordered on one side by a cliff and on the other by an outstretched piece of land. The beach is quite secluded, and topless bathing is optional, there are no facilities.

DUTCH BEACHES

Cay Bay: Difficult to get to (only on foot) hence very secluded.


Cupecoy: This picture-postcard beach is lined with sandstone cliffs and caves. The surf is sometimes strong, but the wind is blocked by the rocks. The far end is clothing optional. Depending on the tides the beach shrinks at certain times of the year.


Dawn Beach: The road to Dawn Beach is a challenge, but it's well worth the effort. Snorkelers consider it the cremé de la cremé of undersea tropical beauty, and since the reefs are just offshore, they're quite accessible. A beach bar is available with lounge chairs, umbrellas, snorkeling gear and refreshments.


Great Bay: If you're looking for convenience, you can't ask for a better beach. It's just 50 meters from Front Street in downtown Phillipsburg. it stretches for over a mile. The water is clear and calm, and the beach is clean. If the cruise ships are in, try another beach.


Guana Bay: At Guana Bay, you'll find a sheltered beach in a rugged, secluded setting. Generally, the Atlantic surf is heavy in this area, so swimmers are urged to exercise caution. Teens enjoy riding the waves on small surfboards, and a convenient beach bar makes it a great place to spend a quiet day. It's never crowded!


Little Bay: Sporting a white sand beach front, Little Bay offers calm water (barring southeasterly winds). Great for snorkeling. Access to water sports and restaurants at Belair Beach Hotel and Divi Little Bay.


Maho Bay: This small sandy beach, is located at the end of the Juliana Airport runway and is ideal for sunbathing while watching incoming jets glide overhead. Water can be rough at times, so swim with caution. The Sunset Bar is at one end of the beach and attracts a friendly crowd. It's one of the most popular strands on the island. Facilities are available at the adjoining Maho Beach Hotel.


Mullet Bay: This mile long white sandy beach offers terrific swimming, with occasional swells. The beach is well shaded by coconut palms and located along the golf course.


Oyster Pond: Many people consider this the best beach for bodysurfing because the wave roll in long, steady tubes. The surf is usually not heavy and the sand is soft, white and clean.


Simpson Bay: A 2 1/2 mile white sandy beach that you can often stroll, jog, or swim without seeing a soul. Swimming conditions are good with short, choppy shorebreak.

Link to this site ... http://www.odrc.com/beaches/beaches.htm
I edited out comments on clothing optional advice. Our experience is contrary to this in that little bare skin was noticed. Of course we tend to go prefer "family beaches" or thinly populated "beaches for locals". Orient beach might have had some folks exercising more nudity then we are accustomed to. But it was not a big deal. And it was a zero consideration everywhere else we visited. I guess it is possible however on the island compared to the USA where it is decidedly unlikely.

So which beach (or beaches) will you plan on visiting when we get there? Or - for those who have been there ... do you see the beach (or beaches) you have visited? We've been to Anse Marcel, Orient Beach, Long Bay/Beach and Beacon Hill to Simpson Bay. Oddly enough, we had a local woman try to sell us some stuff on the beach at Orient in the morning ... and later in the day when we were at the Signal Hill beach she walked by casually, paused and declared she had seen us earlier on the other side of the island! Yup... we had gone around ahead of her half way around the island! We had a van and were sort of sight seeing as we hop scotched around exploring.

This October we might do another van and hit the butterfly farm, and a couple beaches that "get away" from the cruise ship crowd. This also side steps most of the commercialism too. And I guess we're open minded to any new ideas on things to see or visit within our time ashore. If anyone were interested in splitting aq van with us - or tag teaming a 2nd car then we're open to that as well. They have 8-9 passsenger vans and our party consists of 4.

So are you ready to plan your St. Maarten visit?

 

[kritter]

OH capt,

I am hoping that your DW is doing a bit better this evening!!!!

Sounds like she got it bad...Hoping your kids do not get it...Then you will have your hands full!!!!


WOW you sure did a ton of work on the beaches in ST.Marten..Since we have not been there before I think we will pick one beach and settle with that...The kids and DH and I love the beach and as long as there is sand and water then we do not care...Thinking that I will find a beach close to the ship in case the kids need to get back due to being tired etc....

In st. thomas we are going to the resort where we honeymooned twice to see our friend who works there...so we will have to take a taxi there and then free drinks etc...and hang out on their beach it will be soo great....

OK got to run tonight is Sopranos..DH wants to read up on all of your beach info not toooo,.,.

If I eat one more jelly bean I may become sick myself...!!!!

 

[captaincrash]

OK....

This may not be what we were talking about earlier but this may have merit... The Disney on line outlet has a sale on sweatshirts that are customizable with one of 2 dozen Disney art depictions (with Characters) and up to 3 lines of text of 36 characters. The cost for sweatshirts is reduced from 29.99 to only $12.99 and T-shirts are regular priced at $16.99; T-shirts with a colored sleeve and neck trim OR a tapered fit ladies "baby doll" T-shirt are 19.99; and toddler T-shirts for those under age 2 are $14.99 (all regular priced. All sizes are available for basic T-shirts from S-M-L-XL-XXL-XXXL-XXXXL-XXXXXL-Youth XS through Youth XL (ages 2-14) and the discounted sweat shirts are only available in mens' S-M-L. Baby Doll and T-shirts with the colored trim are XS-XL only (no youth options). Also, these shirts have a varying combination of colors available at no further cost.

The beauty in this is according to the rules for customization we can have something say YOUR FAMILY NAME (or simply state... "Sailing" or first names) on the Disney Magic - Halloween October 28 - Nov 4, 2006 - sailing the Eastern Carribean.... or what-ever you like. I think they will not permit us to have DIS in the language. My language suggestions for lines 2 and 3 are under 36 characters. The sweat shirts are white. There are no children's sizes.... so we could still do something for the kids too. And the biggest disadvantage is thr sale is on their sweatshirts ... and we're planning on using these on a Carribean Cruise. Obviously this has more use back home in the cooler seasons... or in the evenings on the ship.

In fact, we are going to probably order a couple of sweat shirts and T shirts regardless for my spouse and I tomorrow as we have a $20 credit coupon that expires tomorrow evening (we got it for preordering on line for the deluxe Narnia DVD from Disney). The designs presented below are roughly in descending order of preference to ME. My spouse has not seen these yet. AND any order of $75 gets free shipping. Under $25 costs $7.95 and $26-74 is $9.95 to ship.

http://disneyshopping.go.com/DSSectionPage.process?Merchant_Id=2&Section_Id=13842&Product_Id=146143

This pattern only available with the T-shirts ( not with the sweat shirts) =>

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For $12.95 sweatshirts I might have the characters autograph our sweatshirts on this Halloween sailing! The simplist thing would be to loosely agree on a design and most of us get that design - or none of us need really agree as I only see a couple Sweat shirt dessigns which are likely to be suitable for the cruise. ONE T-shirt design is perfect with a classic Mickey at the week of a ship (from Steam Boat Willey). Too bad there are NO art illustrations that are precisely cruise related - but the generic ones and Steam Boat Willy seem OK to me.

What do you think? Even at $20 or $30 a piece this seems pretty reasonable - especially considering we get customization AND Disney characters on them!

Link to the T-shirt page.... http://disneyshopping.go.com/DSSect...&Product_Id=146145&CLK=DS__CROSS_IMG&CLKADD=t

EDITED DISCOVERY.... customized T-shirt page with STEAM BOAT WILLY Mickey Mouse at the wheel of a ship .... $16.95 basic T (choice of 5 colors); or T-shirt with trim in different colors (choice of 4 color combinations); or the ladies fitted baby doll T-shirt (3 colors); or toddler sizes for under age 2 sizes (3 color options). http://www.zazzle.com/collections/disneyinkshop/product.asp?from=d&product_id=235815808089334269

Toon Town kids' shirts $14.99 .... here is the link...
http://disneyshopping.go.com/DSSect...18&Product_Id=193694&Searchstr=t-shirt&Page=3

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[kritter]

I have seen these and like this idea...crash....

 

[kritter]

http://www.zippyvideos.com/6071420004547766/photostory8_2/


check this out and tell me if you are all ready to cruise or not????


CRash,
Hey did you notice how many postings I am at now?????

 

[captaincrash]

.

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Hey....

.... congrats K on pushing over the BIG 1-5-0-0th posting!​

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Yeah... I saw it... and I sort of noticed you posted number 1500, 1501 and 1502 onto other threads... so I was not sure whether I should post congrats here or there! I guesss here is convenient!

I have seen these and like this idea...crash....

So, ...

Kristen... which design would you favor as 1st and 2nd choice? And would you go with the $12.99 sweat shirt or $16.99 ~ $19.99 for a T-shirt? There are several colors and styles available. AND, what would you choose for the language option... you firts name(s), your family sur-name, or the generic "no name" nut use of a "Sailing on" in substitution? Making our own individually allows us to customize every order with individual names on every Shirt if we desired. Not bad eh?

AND I JUST FOUND customizable T-shirts! Look at the bottom of the original posting 1606 or here is the link:
T-shirts (plain = $16.99; color trimmed or ladies tapered baby doll = $19.99) http://www.zazzle.com/collections/disneyinkshop/product.asp?from=d&product_id=235815808089334269

toddlers $14.99: http://disneyshopping.go.com/DSSect...18&Product_Id=193694&Searchstr=t-shirt&Page=3

T-shirts with the perfect design for us....http://www.zazzle.com/collections/disneyinkshop/product.asp?from=d&product_id=235815808089334269

Anyone stepping in and reading this 1st should back up to posting number 1606 and take a look.

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[Tluvs2talk]

Hi Everyone,
Hope everyone had a Wonderful Easter. Rick and I went to 8:00 services at Church then to my Sister's to eat. We had a GREAT time. We had a big Easter egg hunt and the Adults had to find the egg with their name on it. There were prizes for Everyone. I hope everyone else had as good of a day as we did.

I am still planning on posting my Myrtle Beach picture's. I have been to busy to do it. We have been doing a lot of yard work and I have been to tired to play online.

Teri

 

[captaincrash]

OK....

We ordered 2 sweatshirts for my spouse and I that have our first names followed by "on the Magic; sailing the Eastern Carribean, Halloween Oct. 28th ~ Nov. 4th". And then we got 2 matching youth sized T-shirts for the kids. We found out that the custom lettering is only SEMI-custom for the T-shirts. You are limited to selecting from a sizable list of names and a shprt list of declarative statements. And there is a provision for up to 4 digits for a year to be printed on the back at extra charge. We decided it would be fun to get a couple of personalized T-shirts with the year 2006 on them. We went with the Steam boat Willy Mickey Mouse at the wheel art work on a field of pink. The lettering was in red for the name and a dark lavendar for the statement and year. I think the cost was something like $17 x2 and $13 x2 with 15% off the sweat shirts. Our total was $85 including the "other stuff" my spouse had to have.... so we got free shipping. Since my spouse is working in Boston in 3 weeks we had the shipment sent there to her brother's place so we saved another 8% on sales tax. Unfortunately, the Upromise link would not work so we lost out on another 4% off.

Heck, I was mildly flustered with all the squaking from my spouse over her back seat drivin' what she wanted done on everything for this purchase. I think the maximumm savings would have been achieved by NOT buying anything. But on the flip side we got matching personalized sweatshirts, matching Ts for the kids, and some other nifty stuff I AM looking forward to getting. Oh well... my spouse is a through shopper with a great eye for detail is all I can say.

OH... another thing... tonight they concluded a 15% off coupon off on Disney that was good on the custom sweat shirts but NOT good for the custom T shirts. Well... our confirmation email gave us a new coupon good for 10% off til Apirl 30th. If anyone is interested in getting those $12.99 custom sweat shirts for $11.69 ~ then use this discount code as quoted below:

Type the coupon code MICKEY10 into the Special Offers and Discounts text box, then click "Add."

As it stands... we are still game for making custom DIS design shirts too since we as yet do not have a 4 way matched set. And we would be OK to still make and post designs if folks still want to go that route.

------------------

And Terri:

Glad to hear from you about your nice Easter weekend. I'm still mildly messed up (well, then again when was I ever NOT messed up is what my spouse might quip...) from the lingering symptoms of my nephews illness. My spouse seems fully recovered. She and I almost never get sick until we had kids. Now we get a little exhausted from the ocassional long nites and the older one brings home all sorts of "bugs" from P-school. Her teachers were saying that this season's starin of inlfuenza-B is making it's rounds. One teacher was sharing that her husband got wacked pretty hard last nite and is wounded at home with Influenza-B. So I should count myself fortunate that I'm at least ambulatory and mildly productiove.

So - Terri... we're waiting for your pictures the same as everyone is waitin' for my T-shirt designs. And I'm waiting in turn for some feedback on the Disney web site "specials" on customized sweat and T-shirts. We have a little time to still sort through everything... don't we? Of course, I'm one to comment with that statement - seeeing that I just posted a query on who has plans for beach destinations for St Maarteen. LOL!

OK... gotta go....

TTFN!

 

[Princess Olivia]

Crash.........I bet you would be good at making up word problems for math. Percentages were always a killer for me (except for 20% and 50%). Here's something I bet you could answer. After watching Dateline the other night my aunt had some reservations about allowing her teenage daughter to cruise (they reported the number of assaults on cruise ships, especially teens and teen club stuff). I quickly did some math for her about how many people cruise a week and how only something like 168 incidences have been reported. It's hard to explain to someone who has never cruised how the Disney cruise is different from other cruises (like how over half the ship is in bed by 10:00). How many people do you estimate cruise a year (all cruise lines included)?

If we don't do the dolphin excursion in St Maarten we will be at a beach for sure!

 

[kritter]

HI all,

How are you all???

Had a nice day today outside all day...I think I am fighting something off not feeling well and have something wrong with my eye it has had a twitch in it for two weeks???COnfused by this!!!

\Hope everyone here is well....!!!

 

[captaincrash]

Crash.........I bet you would be good at making up word problems for math. Percentages were always a killer for me (except for 20% and 50%). Here's something I bet you could answer. After watching Dateline the other night my aunt had some reservations about allowing her teenage daughter to cruise (they reported the number of assaults on cruise ships, especially teens and teen club stuff). I quickly did some math for her about how many people cruise a week and how only something like 168 incidences have been reported. It's hard to explain to someone who has never cruised how the Disney cruise is different from other cruises (like how over half the ship is in bed by 10:00). How many people do you estimate cruise a year (all cruise lines included)?

If we don't do the dolphin excursion in St Maarten we will be at a beach for sure!

Princess....

Here is one of the first things I dug up... it involves no math on my part but just reading it should help somewhat. NOW... bear in mind that this discussion is from the industry. It's sort of like hearing the tobacco industry claim cigarettes don't hurt or kill people because they might claim the disporportionally qualitative improvemement in happiness from the nicotine off sets death and any potential pain that might be experienced in brief near the end?! (sic) Or - so it is like putting the fox in charge of chicken coop security... ya get it?

ARLINGTON, Va. (March 4, 2006) – The International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) today released information regarding crime on board cruise ships prior to a hearing before the House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations.

The industry data, based on 15 cruise lines’ submissions, totaled 206 complaints from passengers and crew during a three-year timeframe (2003-2005) when more than 31 million people sailed on cruise ships. There were 178 complaints of sexual assault, four robberies and 24 missing persons during the three-year period.
The cruise industry retained nationally-renowned criminologist Professor James Fox, Ph.D., as an independent expert to review the data provided to Congress. Professor Fox is the Lipman Family Professor of Criminal Justice at Northeastern University, visiting fellow with the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics and author of 16 books.

“While virtually no place - on land or sea - is totally free of risk, the number of reported incidents of serious crime from cruise lines is extremely low, no matter what benchmark or standard is used,” said Fox.

“Cruising is one of the safest vacations available (I believe that) with an outstanding record that demonstrates the industry’s commitment to safety and security,” said Michael Crye, president of the ICCL. “The cruise lines cooperated with Congress in gathering these statistics to further demonstrate that cruising is an exceptionally safe vacation.”

Crye further explained, “Certainly, these are not just numbers; they represent people that have gone through personal tragedies. We do not intend to minimize or brush aside their grievances nor shirk responsibility. The cruise industry is constantly reviewing its practices and procedures to make sure incidents, no matter how rare, are handled responsibly and with compassion.”

Cruise lines operate within a legal framework under which international, federal and state authorities investigate crimes on board cruise ships. (This is BS IMHO - they have little interest in really resolving or prosecuting crimes - as I think they just fire the suspected employee and cut their losses right there!) All allegations of crimes involving U.S. citizens are reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and alleged crimes against Americans can be investigated and prosecuted under U.S. federal statutes even if they arise on cruise ships outside of U.S. waters.

ICCL member cruise lines maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy for crime that was adopted in 1999. In the event of an incident, the cruise industry takes all allegations and incidents seriously, reports them to the proper authorities and fully cooperates in any investigation. In many instances, cruise lines do not publicly disclose detailed information to comply with directions from law enforcement and out of respect for the families involved.

Hope this was what you were looking for Princess.....
And just because you have me hunting around for statistics and numbers - here is a link to an article from National Geographic discussing post 9-11 Terror threats and Infectious disease out breaks on cruise ships. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/1211_021211_travcruise.html

And here is another stat on total numbers for the industry. This cannot be referenced in conjunction with the stats from only 15 cruise lines. AND I read that robbery is being counted as instances where $5,000 or more was reported as stolen. HECK! $5,000 is quite abit and that alone would mak the total numbers seem small. I think if we had numbers for reported theft of $1000 or more this would be more reasdonable. I think my spouse and I barely bring aboard $5,000 in total of tangible goods.

http://www.iccl.org/pressroom/pressrelease.cfm?whichrel=97



Anyway, here is the quote from an impartial source on numbers - but NO CRIME numbers.... :

by William Ebersold, Director Office of Statistical and Economic Analysis, Maritime Administration, US Department of Transportation..... As of 1 January 2004, there were 339 active ocean-going cruise vessels operated by cruise lines around the world. This global fleet amounted to a total of 10.9 million gross tons, with 296,000 lower berths. One-third of the global fleet had a lower-berth capacity of less then 500 passengers. These smallwer vessels had an average size of 224 passengers and an average age of 22 years, but only accounted for onlyh 12% of the global lower berth capacity. Of the 339 cruise ships in the global fleet, 141 (7.6 million gross tons), with 193,000 lower berths (65% of the total), served the US at some time during 2003.

....CLIA reported 9.5 million passengers carried world wide in 2003 with an estimated 10.6 million world wide in 2004.... (and).... reported 8.3 million passsengers carried on 3,840 North American cruises in 2003.... the number of passenger days .... (were)... 52.9 million in 2003.

This fascinating discussion can be found at : http://www.touchbriefings.com/pdf/858/ebersold.pdf

SO.... my simple minded thumbnial estimates based on "INDUSTRY COOKED NUMBERS" says that the odds of being sexually assaulted (and reporting it and having it recorded as such) is 1 in 174,157. And the odds of disappearing" and being reported as missing are 1 in 1,291,666.

You can compare that against the NATIONAL stats that say the number of sexual assaults in the USA from 2003-2004 were 204,370!!!! And that is with the rate of sexual assault having FALLEN by 64% since 1993! Frankly, this is disgusting and quite astonishing - but I can believe it as I know several people who have spoken of being sexually assaulted. I suspect some of this data is "extrapolated" as opposed to "reported" since the page cites that 58% of sexual assult is claimed as unreported. AND I CAN BELIEVE that it goes unreported as all the victims I know of did not report it. 10% of sexual assault victims are men (who would have figured?). My statistics were drawn from this web page: http://www.rainn.org/statistics/index.html

So the odds of sexual assault as a female in the USA is 1 in 788 (derrived by taking 204,000 x 0.90 [female assult victimes] divided into the total female population of roughly 145,000,000). And the odds of being sexually assaulted as a male in the USA is 1 in 7,500 derrived by taking 153,000,000 divided into 204,000 x 0.10). These are really SIMPLISTIC INTERPRETATIONS on my part using dissimilar sources. I imagine they could be way off or they might actually give constructive insight! Either way - I would say the cruise figures are WAY TOO LOW for me to believe them... except the environment is very unusual and controlled on a cruise ship. SO I tend to believe it is far safer on a ship as it is very hard to hide if one commits a crime. The routine is so structured and regimented it is really hard to be a criminal IMHO on a cruise ship. It's not like a bad person is gonna make a get away on a speed boat after they swipe something or do a bad thing!

Many folks we have met overseas (Europe in particular) have commented on how they look on us as having extreme violence and crime in our country. Of course, I don't usually point out that we do well compared to the 20th century history of 92,000,000 deaths due to communisim or the estimated 11,700,000 deaths due to AIDs from 1981 - 1998. Of course, this same source cites some sobering homicide stats for the USA versus the world. We show that 12.5% of global homicides occur in the USA with 1,056,296 being accounted for from 1900 - 1996. This source does not have strong credentials - but it was interesting....
http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat8.htm
http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat8.htm#Murders

My population stats were drawn from the CIA world fact book for 2003-4 at this web site: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html#People

And finally... did you know the odds of being a fatal stat in a transportation accident as a pedestrian was 1 in 47,273? So the odds of dying on foot from a vehicular accident is 3 times as likely as being sexually assaulted on a cruise ship?! OR in theory it can be said that it is 59 times more likely a female will be sexually assaulted in the USA than hit and killed by a vehicle in the USA in any given year... or rather in this case the stats were drawn from 2002. http://www.nsc.org/lrs/statinfo/odds.htm

Hope this was what you were looking for Princess.....

 

[Princess Olivia]

Crash....Thank you for the superb stats and information. I've put some of it together to give to my aunt. It is intersting how the U.S. is considered so violent considering the past and present history of our world.

Still planning on visiting Vegas in May?

Kristin, that eye twitch is lasting far too long. I thought it was stress or exaustion but now I'm not so sure. Call the doctor. I'll call you later.

We're taking Cameron to the Boston Museum of Science with three friends tomorrow for his birthday. The Star Wars exhibit is there right now. We're scheduled to "ride" the Millenium Falcon at 3:30!! Should be fun.

 

[captaincrash]

'ello...

Just got back with my older daughter from having a $1600 visit with the dentist this morning. $1100 for the anestesiologist; $517 for the dentist as our share for filling 8 cavities and pulling a tooth. We are all nominally in recovery over the thing - physical shock for the daughter as well as cost wise for the parents. LOL.... little did we know all that candy actually cost triple what we paid after factoring what the dental tab would amount to. WEll... may be it was not all attributable to candy consumption.

At any rate, Olivia:

Glad the data was of some use. I ended up copying most of it to use in a new thread I started asking the DIS cruisers what they thought about cruising safety and my observations in general. Plus I added a poll to gather more precise idea of the DIS crowds' feelings on the matter. Check it out and add to the poll tally with your votes!

On the Vegas thing.... we are sort of in the middle of all sorts of travel plans right now. So the thinking and execution of Vegas plans are secondary for the moment. We're still wrangling the next 2 days to get with our visiting BIL who has everyone ill with a stomach flu. My spouse and I had been planning on spending all of the next two days with them but that is in flux as we resolve what can be done together - if anything.

Add to that plans for 3 flights that we were trying to settle on plus thinking on another cruise for 2007, plus we have 2 weeks that are set for travel in May without Vegas - and I think we are actually fading away from going now. It's just looking to be a little too much running around for May - plus it's too much planning effort for this moment in time.

Anyways - I recall you were staying at the MGM.... we'll have to have you do a symbolic nickle pull for us on a machine of your choice!

Cheers!

 

[kritter]

HI all,,

Hope things are going well...Jen sounds like fun for cameron's b-day....Thinking my DH would love that can you take soem pictures for Bruce to see you know he is the star wars freak!!!!!


Crash,
Wow about your daughter and her dentist visit....this the older or younger one...How is your wife feeling??????

 

[captaincrash]

My spouse was fine since sunday....

... I was the one with the mild symptoms. They seem to be gone now. My BIL and his family are all down with the stomach flu - which is apparently the current variety of influenza B this season. I think my family is now innoculated against it since my spouse and I came down with mild symptoms - but shook it off. The kids were bullet proof to it.

SO - my BIL is taking business meeting tomorrow and we're gonna meet him after that's done - but not to do the D-park or Knots Berry Farm (the alternate activity) since his spouse and son are still ill. They're scheduled to go home on Sat already.

Oh well....

Here's a photo from our first DCL cruise when Julianna was 1.5 and Kalea was "in the oven". Can anyone GUESS what that YELLOW thing is hanging from my neck? I'll hand deliver a Mickey bar to the 1st person who can identify it before the end of May! And the other photo was from last September when Alicia decided to torture me by stretching my ears out into Mickey Style Mouse ears. I had been a little naughty so she thought this was an appropriate measure to counter my mischief. As you can plainly see - Julianna had to cover her eyes and Kalea had the usual look of shock on seeing Mom "tenderizing" her Daddy yet again! And just for fun - can anyone identify the things on my Alicia's wrists? The 1st person who correctly identifies her 3 items will get a 3 second head start on the ice cream eating contest - good enough for a one bite lead! Of course - this question is NOT an easy one IMHO!

 

[kritter]

My spouse was fine since sunday....

... I was the one with the mild symptoms. They seem to be gone now. My BIL and his family are all down with the stomach flu - which is apparently the current variety of influenza B this season. I think my family is now innoculated against it since my spouse and I came down with mild symptoms - but shook it off. The kids were bullet proof to it.

SO - my BIL is taking business meeting tomorrow and we're gonna meet him after that's done - but not to do the D-park or Knots Berry Farm (the alternate activity) since his spouse and son are still ill. They're scheduled to go home on Sat already.

Oh well....



Here's a photo from our first DCL cruise when Julianna was 1.5 and Kalea was "in the oven". Can anyone GUESS what that YELLOW thing is hanging from my neck? I'll hand deliver a Mickey bar to the 1st person who can identify it before the end of May! And the other photo was from last September when Alicia decided to torture me by stretching my ears out into Mickey Style Mouse ears. I had been a little naughty so she thought this was an appropriate measure to counter my mischief. As you can plainly see - Julianna had to cover her eyes and Kalea had the usual look of shock on seeing Mom "tenderizing" her Daddy yet again! And just for fun - can anyone identify the things on my Alicia's wrists? The 1st person who correctly identifies her 3 items will get a 3 second head start on the ice cream eating contest - good enough for a one bite lead! Of course - this question is NOT an easy one IMHO!

OH crash you are too funny...I can only identify the thing on your wifes wrist as one of those sea sickness preventive things....you told us one time that it had to do with magnets...and the thing around your neck it must be something to do with a camera or one of those things to keep your stuff dry while at the beach>???????.

 

[captaincrash]

OH crash you are too funny...I can only identify the thing on your wifes wrist as one of those sea sickness preventive things....you told us one time that it had to do with magnets...and the thing around your neck it must be something to do with a camera or one of those things to keep your stuff dry while at the beach>???????.

Yes and no.... 2 of the wrist bands have to do with sea sicknes but they are not magnets. I require slightly better accuracy in "naming" the 2 sea sickness items AND naming with some accuracy the 3rd item (which is the really hard part!). I'll even volunteer a HUGE clue... the name of the manufacturer of the 3rd item on her wrist begins with the letter "G". And as for the yellow thing on my neck.... "ENNAAAKKKK" it is neither of the items you described (even remotely). Wuithout clues the yellw thing might be harder to identify then the "G" thing on ALicia's wrist. And the 2 sea sickness things should turn up in a google search.

OK, maybe I've given away a lot now.... Anyone else want to volunteer guesses? No puns intended. And remember... my older daughter often refers to me as a ... "rascal!"

AND... here are slightly magnified images to examine in case you're having difficulty identifying the items in question:

​

I'll be gone today to meet my BIL... and possibly all of tomorrow for D-land ... IF we go... I'm reluctant to go IF my BIL and his family are still ill. They seem insistant on going no matter what!?!