Conference abbott::cruise_travel

    
    Does this ship have a movie theater?  There is nothing in the
    brochure map of the ship that says there is one unless they
    use another area for a theater.
    
    Thanks
    

    No movie theatre on the Song of America, but there is a tv 
    your room.  They run movies periodically throughout the day.

    
    Are these current movies that are being shown at local
    theaters or movies that are out on video.  Is there a
    charge for them?
    
    Thanks again
    

    SOA has 3 movies available at no cost at most times (last showing
    begins at/about midnight). These are new flicks, i.e. recent films were
    Dennis the Menace, the Firm and the Fugutive (as best I recall) along
    with some others.
    
    Steve

    In 1987 at least, SOA did have a movie theatre but that may have 
    changed sence then, because in 1987 there were no TVs in cabins.
    Most ships have a theatre and TVs in cabins now a days. I've
    never seen a case of being charged for the movies. They normally
    always have a reasonable selections of fairly recent releases.
    I usually have trouble watching more than one movie per 7 night
    cruise, too many other things to keep you busy.
    
    					Harold
    

    
    I took the Song of America in the summer of 1990. There was a movie
    theatre on the ship in 1990.
    
    Bill

    I will be on the Song of America on March 9th and the information
    packet RCCL sent us lists a movie theater.

    Patty McL


             

    If there is a theater on the SOA, I must have missed it during my
    December cruise...good/new movies were broadcast via the CCTV in the
    cabins.
    
    Steve

    There definitely was one in 87, I saw "Ruthless People" for the
    first time there. It is however a pretty small room nothing like
    a full theater. Probably held about 40 people or something like
    that. I am sure if you look at the deck plan it is probably 
    still there. In 87 there were no TVs in the rooms.
    
    			Harold C.
    

	I just returned from a cruise on the Song of America.  The 
        theatre was located in the Guys and Dolls Lounge.  There 
        were four big screens, one in each corner of the room.
        It was a very nice setup with comfortable seating that
        included sofas and comfy chairs and tables. 
        There were also three channels on the in room televisions
        that ran movies continuously. We saw "Dave", "Robocop 3",
        "The Fugitive", and several others.

        Patty McL

	RCCL Song of America Cruise Report

        On March 9th, we boarded the Song of America in San Juan for an 
        11-night cruise.  Our itinerary included St.Thomas, St.Maarten, 
        Martinique, Trinidad, Dominica, St.Kitts, St.Croix, Nassau, and 
        back into Miami.  

        The Song of America is a beautiful mid-sized ship (705 ft.)
        My husband and I particularly like RCCL's ships' lines, they are 
        reminiscent of the old ocean liners that look like a ship not a 
        floating hotel.  It is not glitzy with all the lights, chrome, and 
        atriums you see on the megaships but the SOA is very attractive.  

        When we first boarded, we dropped off our carry-on luggage in our 
        cabin and went up to the area where we signed up for our "Super-Charge" 
        cards.  We always get this out of the way as soon as possible.
        While we waited our turn, we sipped Pina Coladas.  (If you have to 
        stand in a line, I recommend this!)  

        We immediately explored the ship and loved what we saw.  The Purser's
        Square was an attractive, comfortable area that included the shore 
        excursion desk and the shops are just off of this area.  The dining room
        was just past the square. There are several lounges; Can Can (shows), 
        Schooner (piano bar), Oklahoma (Big Band sounds and Rock and Roll), 
        Guys and Dolls (DJ), 3 pool bars (Island music), and the "Viking Crown" 
        lounge which is the trade mark on all RCCL ships.  Located high above
        the sea, it has spectacular views and when leaving a port or at sunset,
        it's the place to be.  

        There are two pools, side-by-side and lots of places to sun.  We liked
        the deck above the pool area because there were areas with few people.

        We had a standard outside cabin on the Cabaret Deck.  Compared to 
        some ships, the cabins on the SOA are small but very comfortable and 
        well-designed.  We had plenty of closet space, drawers and a big 
        cabinet.  We stored our luggage under the bed.  The cabin television
        ran recent movies 24 hours a day and informational segments by the 
        cruise director, shopping and shore excursion people.  We also 
        received a daily compass with all the activities, dining hours, shows, 
        special activities, excursions, and just everything going on.
        
        The Madame Butterfly Dining Room was decorated nicely and we were 
        seated in the Ambassador Wing which is one of two wings off the main 
        dining room.  It was quieter than the main room and the tables were 
        only two deep so wherever you sat, you had a bit of a window view.  
        The food was very good and we enjoyed second seating.  Our waiter and 
        his assistant were both from Turkey and and I enjoyed hearing about 
        their country and their deep love of it, and they asked a lot of 
        questions about the U.S.  It was interesting to hear their thoughts 
        of Americans.

        During the day, the Cafe located near the pools is a good place to 
        get a late breakfast and at lunch, hamburgers, hotdogs, fruit, etc.
        We often slept a little later and then went up for breakfast in the
        sunshine.  Around 4:00 pm, the cafe served snacks and ice cream.
        Everyday from 5 - 7 pm, the Viking Crown served hors d'oeuvres and 
        the pool bar served nachos.  There was definitely no chance to get
        hungry.  They kept telling us we were supposed to gain a pound a day.

        The casino was a lot of fun too and seemed to pay off pretty good 
        the first few days of the cruise.  I think we actually broke even!

        This cruise was to celebrate a "big" birthday for my husband
        and we pampered ourselves with massages and facials in the salon.
        Worth every penny!
                            
        The entertainment was the best I've seen on our cruises.  We tried   
        to get to the shows at least 1/2 hour before they started to get a 
        good table.  The entertainers were all excellent and the shows filled 
        up early.  The seating in the Can Can Lounge was comfortable but was 
        not set up for viewing shows as well as the bigger ships.  We would 
        usually go in after dinner and order a drink and sit and talk for 
        awhile before the shows.  We met a lot of nice people this way.
        The SOA definitely caters to an older age group.  Although there
        were several honeymooners and a few families, the majority of 
        people seemed to be over 50.

        The ship's photographers took a lot of pictures.  They're fun to 
        look at and you're not obligated to buy them.  As we were leaving 
        the dining room one evening, we were surprised at the door by a 
        pirate who put his arm around me and pointed his sword at my husband 
        and the photographer snapped the picture.  The look of surprise on our 
        faces was so funny.  

        Our favorite islands were St.Kitts and St.Croix which were both
        pristine islands and Dominica (pronounced DOM in eeka) for it's 
        unspoiled natural beauty.  The whole island is a rain forest.        

        The shore excursions we chose were all excellent.  In St.Thomas,
        we took the Buck Island Sailing and Snorkling Tour.  My husband
        and I and another couple were the only passengers on a 34 foot 
        sailboat with Captain Z and his wife Ana.  The winds were perfect
        for sailing that day and the cove we stopped at for snorkeling 
        was beautiful.  The Captain went snorkeling with us and pointed
        out sea turtles, a manaray (sp), and even put a sea urchin in
        my hands.  

        Next, we signed up for the America's Cup Regatta in St. Maarten.
        On this excursion, we actually crewed on a 12 meter yacht that 
        was in the America's Cup races in Australia.  The Regatta was a 
        race between the Canada II and the True North.  We crewed on the 
        Canada II and we won!  I was a grinder! and my husband was the
        main sail trimmer.  We love sailing and this was definitely an 
        experience of a lifetime for us.  

        On Dominica, we went down the Indian River in a canoe deeper 
        into the Rain Forest.  At times the trees were canopied over
        the river and it was very beautiful and interesting.

        In St.Kitts we were back to sailing on a 70 foot catamaran,
        named the Spirit of St.Kitts.

        When we arrived home, we found RCCL's Crown and Anchor and 1994
        Itinerary schedule in our mailbox.  One of the cruises offered
        was a trip we have been talking about for some time.  What could 
        we do?  We just booked another cruise!  It is a 13-night holiday
        cruise through the Panama Canal on RCCL's Song of Norway.               

        Bon Voyage,
        Patty McL
                               
        

��        When we arrived home, we found RCCL's Crown and Anchor and 1994
��        Itinerary schedule in our mailbox.  One of the cruises offered
��        was a trip we have been talking about for some time.  What could 
��        we do?  We just booked another cruise!  It is a 13-night holiday
��        cruise through the Panama Canal on RCCL's Song of Norway.               

    I've been on the Song of Norway through the Panama Canal.  

    That was my third (and final) cruise on RCCL.  They have
    no clue how to handle details for a cruise that doesn't
    depart/arrive Miami.  Their customer service is pathetic.

    We cruised from San Juan to Alcapulco. Four days before we
    were to leave, RCCL calls up and says they're having trouble
    get reservations from Alcapulco to Boston, because it's a
    holiday weekend.

    I was shocked.  It hardly surprised me that they had a problem
    four days before departure, what surprised me what that they
    waited so long.

    Anyway, what they finally set up was Alcapulco to Los
    Angelos, departing at 5:00pm.  (Even though we were off the
    ship at 9:30AM). Los Angelos to Newark, overnight.  Newark to
    Boston the following morning.  It took us 34 hours from the
    time the ship docked until we got back to Boston.  While they
    were screwing around with the ACA-BOS flights, they 'lost'
    the reservations for BOS-SJU.  So, we had to connect through
    Atlanta.  

    My personal resolution is to never put myself in a situation
    where I'm forced to accept an air package from RCCL.

    I thought the Song of Norway was old and run down.  Although
    not as bad as the Sun Viking, which I think was actually the
    infamous Long Island garbage barge that toured the
    Carribean.  

    Our cabin was on the promenade deck, which was the highest
    passenger deck.  Unfortunately, this meant that the cabin
    ceiling was an outside deck.  It was impossible to get the
    cabin temperature below 80� because the heat through the
    ceiling.  RCCL maintenance people came and looked at it,
    and said it was good enough.

    Several cabins on 'A' deck flooded during the cruise. 
    According to the crew, this was a fairly common occurrence.

    Recently, I went through the canal on the Crown Odyssey
    (Royal Cruise Lines).  They were able to obtain fine flights,
    so it's certainly possible, if the cruise line cares to...

    So, whenever I'm watch TV, and I hear:
    	'Day 2, the ship went south...I went north...'

    I know the tag line should be:

    	Bend over, you have some Royal Carribean coming.

What a chuckle!  I just love your tag line!

    
    
    Just thought I would put a quick note in about my recent
    experience on this ship.  I took the Song of America to 
    Bermuda at the end of May.  The food, service and entertainment
    were all excellent.  This was my first cruise so I have 
    nothing to compare it to.  However, I am quite particuliar about
    food and entertainment quality.  I was amazed at how many different
    bands/types of music that were offered as well as the excellent sound
    system in all the lounges.  I was also surprised and pleased
    that the lounges (even the beautiful viking crown) were never 
    crowded so you could always get a great window seat and 
    excellent service.  I also found the drinks to be very good
    for a reasonable price.  If anyone has any questions about the
    ship or this particuliar trip, feel free to send me mail.
    
    
    Donna
    

Well, I just booked our first cruise, and boy am I psyched!  I don't know how
I'm going to sit still for the next two months!  I knew I wanted to go to
Bermuda, and I knew I wanted to go via cruise, so a big part of the elimination
process was already clear. I also wanted to go for my birthday, and preferred
an outside stateroom.

I had seen a cruise on the Royal Majesty out of Boston,advertised for $799, and 
thought that would be perfect.  The $799 was for Oct., I wanted to go in May.
I held a room on for the middle of May, inside stateroom.  When I came in to
work and spoke to my boss about it, he told me I'd be unhappy with it because 
the Royal Majesty docks in St. George in Bermuda, and most of the activity 
there (he said ALL) is in Hamilton.  Fine, call the travel agent and see
what he can find on Song of America leaving out of N.Y. with complimentary
bus service from Worcester.  I went to see him today, and we got the date
we want, an outside stateroom and the ship stops in St. George for a full day,
then goes to Hamilton for 1 1/2 days. Sounds perfect!  I now have to call him to
see if he can make our dinner reservations for one of the wings.  Does anyone
know if there are no smoking sections in the wings?

I'm also wondering if anyone knows about parking facilities in Worcester
at the bus terminal.

Time to go shopping....

Laura

We returned home from our cruise on the RCCL Song of America to Bermuda
on Sunday May 14.  This was the best trip I've ever had.  We were pampered from
the time we woke up until the time we went to bed.  The entertainment was top
notch, even when the staff performed, they were very talented.  There was
an illusionist aboard that did some unbelievable acts, I wish I knew how they
were done.

The food was incredible...lobster tails, filet mignon, prime ribs, veal marsala,
duck, escargot bourgineon (SP?), shrimp cocktail, caviar, gravlax, baked alaska,
cherries jubilee.  I could go on and on.  The couple of times I did not like 
what I ordered, no problem, another dish was brought out immediately.  The wine
steward knew our name and my favorite wine by the second night. Our waiter was 
excellent and entertaining, as was the assistant waiter.  The head waiter always
came around to make sure we were satisfied, and also unshelled the lobster
tails for us.  Two nights the waiters sang and had a small parade, 5 waiters 
danced with flaming deserts on their heads.  When the bartenders and bar waiters
were introduced, one had a tray with 5 flaming stubby candles on his head.  He
got on the floor and rolled over about 5 times in each direction with this tray
on his head, then did 20 pushups with the tray on his head, then did the limbo
with the tray on his head.  Another had a tray with a huge jar of cherries on it
with a martini on top and walked down the aisle spinning a tray in one hand.

No matter how many times we used our towels during the day, every time we
returned to our cabin we had fresh towels.  The little chocolates on the
pillows were delicious.  I didn't like my pillows and asked my cabin stewart
if he could get me one I could scrunch up; when I went to retire that night a
nice, fluffy feather pillow awaited. I left jewelry and expensive camera 
equipment in the room (which I normally never do), not one thing was touched.
We ordered a special occasion package, which among others extras included a 
bottle of champagen on ice upon arrival.  We didn't get to it until the third
day, but twice a day the ice was refilled.  It was the nice considerations
like this that made the trip so enjoyable.

The cabin was small, and the shower was tiny, but it was very well designed
and even though we overpacked, there was plenty of room for everything.
The Song of America is a mid-size ship, but very nicely appointed, and the crew
could not have done more to assure our happiness.

The two heated swimming pools were very nice and never too crowded.  The only
time we had crowds were the first lunch buffet after boarding, and waiting to 
view the spectacular midnight buffet.  There was always plenty of room in the
lounges, and we always got decent, if not great, seats at the shows.  My only
problem was that there was so much going on I couldn't do it all!  We had
a really nice group of people sitting at our table, and even though there were
about 1400 people aboard, we always found 2-6 of them to sit with at the shows;
if we got there first we made sure we had 4 extra seats and they found us.

When we got to the cruise terminal In New York, there was a long line to get to
the ship, and we were not too happy with that prospect.  The line moved very
quicly, about 20 minutes later we were aboard.  We took the complimentary bus
from Worcester down, but talked to many peole who had flown over - from
England, Washington state, Tennessee, Canada...all had no problem with the 
connections.

There were some big winners in the casino, and on the last day of bingo a
honeymoon couple won $8000 dollars!!  What a way to start off in life together!
We didn't win, but had fun playing a bit.  There were 54 honeymoon couples
aboard, but the Captain assured us he had an even amount put on either side
of the ship so we wouldn't feel the rocking!!

The days at sea were rough, but it didn't bother me.  I was just glad I brought
low heeled dress shoes, because the formal evenings were when we were at sea.
Coming home it was so rough the ship would lift off of the water and then crash
down and I could feel it shuddering.  I then learned why the bar was in the 
shower, not for disabled persons, just to hold on tight to!  I don't know
how the performers danced on high heels when the ship was bobbing and rolling
and dipping and crashing, but they did an excellent job.

Bermuda is a beautiful island, so clean and friendly.  Flowers blooming all
over and pretty pastel houses.  Crystal Caves ere exceptionally beautiful,
and the walk from Horseshoe Bay down to Jobson's cove and a few other coves
along that area were the prettiest beaches I've ever seen, and I've seen
several in the Bahamas, Mexico, Aruba, up and down the east and west coasts
of the U.S.  Can't wait to go back! Oh, taxis are quite expensive.  We got
three day unlimited bus/ferry passes and easily got to wherever we wanted to
go, and also met some more nice people this way!

We've decided we'll cruise at least once every 5 years from now on, if not more!
If anyone has any questions, I'd be more than happy to try to answer them for
you!

Laura

    
                      Song of America Trip report  Southern Carribbean
                                 Jan 20-27 1996
    
    
          We sailed on the Song of America from San Juan to St. Croix, St.
    Kitts, Guadaloupe, St. Maarten and St. Thomas and it was wonderful.
    I went with a group of about 40 people and everyone had a great time.
    
    
        Our trip originated from Colorado Springs to Dallas/Ft. Worth to
    San Juan. There were 8 of us coming from Colorado Springs, the rest
    from Ohio.  When we left Colorado Springs the temperature was 15
    degrees, we arrived at the airport in shorts and t-shirts ready for HOT
    weather. When we boarded the plane in Dallas/Ft. Worth for the 3.5 hour
    trip to San Juan, we found ourselves in first class. Apparently RCCL
    could not get us all seated together in coach. Nice start to our
    cruise. We got to San Juan around 8pm and the ship sailed at 10pm.
    They were having a festival in San Juan and it took our bus 1 1/2 hours
    to get to the ship, it normally is a 15 minute ride. They checked us
    right onto the boat and we checked into our cabins.
         Our seating for dinner was already over but they found room for us
    and we had a great dinner. We set sail for St. Croix that night and
    spent all day Sunday at sea.
    
    Sunday: It was very windy when we got up on Sunday and the boat was
    rocking! We took one of the seasick pills (available at the pursers
    desk) and went on deck, and lounged in the sun. We relaxed all day and
    drank drinks by the deck. That night was the Captains cocktail party,
    we got all dressed up (tuxes and sequin dresses) met the Captain and
    enjoyed free drinks and hor d'ouevres (caviar yuck!). Then we went to
    dinner and dancing afterward. We also played on the slots, black jack
    and Carribbean Stud Poker. My aunt won $625 on a slot machine.
    
    Monday: We docked at St. Croix at 7am and did a little sightseeing in
    the morning and then went on the Buck Island Snorkeling Tour in the
    afternoon. I read lots of good reports about this excursion but it was
    not as great as I had hoped. We were with 3 other boats that all
    dropped anchor within 100 yards of each other and about 100 people
    tried to snorkel in the same area. We were in about 15 feet of water
    and some of the coral was just under the surface of the water. The
    waves were high and lots of beginning snorklers and swimmers (some
    being towed holding onto a life ring by the boat operators), I was
    knocked into the coral several times. Our group broke away a little bit
    and saw some beautiful fish and coral. Dinner was casual and I think
    they had the broadway show that night. It was pretty good.
    
    
    Tuesday: We docked in St. Kitts and did a Rain Forest hike. and yes it
    rained. Actually it poured just before we went into the rain forest.
    When we hiked thru the forest the sun was shining thru the trees and
    it was beautiful. I would definately recommend the hike our guide was
    very knowledgeable about what plants the locals use for home remedies
    and what plants are edible. We saw monkeys and an ox ? and lots of
    birds. We also went to a batik factory. Batik is a process of making
    designs on material using hot wax and dyeing. After the hike we were
    served a coconut pastry that was heavenly and a CSR punch. CSR is the 
    spirit made locally on St. Kitts made from sugar cane and developed by
    Baron de Rothchild (sp?). We went back to the boat and ate, drank,
    danced and gambled again. :>)
    
    Wednesday: We docked at Guadaloupe and did some sightseeing. In the
    afternoon my parents, my friends and my husband and I went to a topless
    beach but we didn't know it till after we were dropped by the taxi. By
    the way the taxis on Guadaloupe were Mercedes Benz's. There were young
    girls (early 20's) selling swimsuits on the beach. They wore a bikini
    bottom and just would try different swim suits on for you to see what
    they looked like. Really cute suits I bought one. We played Bingo that
    afternoon on the boat and my mom won $100. We went back to the boat and
    ate, drank, danced and gambled again. :)
    
    Thursday: We arrived in St. Maarten and had the best excursion of our
    trip. We were the sailing crew for the 1987 Stars and Stripes 12 meter
    America's Cup boat. My husband and I and 4 of our friends were the
    grinders and grindettes for our sailing team. None of us had sailed
    before They taught us what we needed to know to sail in the race. We
    raced against 2 other sailboats in a Regatta. We came in 2nd but it was
    really a good time. We of course, bought the group photo they took of
    us and the tee-shirts and hats. I would do it again and again, it was
    alot of fun. Then we went shopping and went back to the boat. We ate,
    drank, danced and gambled again :^)
    
    Friday: We docked at St. John for an 1/2 hour then sailed to St.
    Thomas. We rented a car and drove to Meghans Bay. We went swimming
    there but no snorkeling. Then we went to the Wyndham resort near Coki
    point and jetskiied and snorkeled. Excellent snorkeling there and the
    waves were high so the jetskiing was great fun. They had the farewell
    dinner and we dressed for it (white dinner jackets and sequined
    dresses)then we ate, drank, danced and gambled again :^)
    
    Saturday: It was time to go home. It was very easy to get our luggage
    and go thru customs and get on the bus to the airport. Once again we
    had seats in first class for our trip home. My brother was supposed to
    meet us at the Colorado Springs airport with our 4 daughters, instead
    we get a message to call home. We called home and the paramedics had
    just left, my 5 year old daughter was dancing in the bathtub and fell
    and cut her chin badly. We meet my brother at the hospital and Cindy
    got 15 stitiches in her chin. :^( Other than that we had a great time.
    
    This is really long winded but I had such a great time, I wanted to
    tell everyone. 
    
                                     Jill