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76 User Reviews of Carnival Spirit Cruise Ship
This is a review of our positioning cruise on the Carnival Spirit.
It's written from the perspective of a veteran cruiser who has taken 15 cruises on primarily premium and luxury lines such as Cunard, Celebrity, Princess, Holland America and Seabourn, but have also cruised NCL and Premier (we were aboard the Rembrandt when she was seized last September). Like many, I had a clear idea of what Carnival was like but I was quite surprised by what I found -- impressed by some features while puzzled by others.
The cruise was the three day positioning segment from San Francisco and Vancouver with a stop at Victoria BC. My partner and I traveled with a group of about 60 gay guys from San Francisco. The ship is brand new. Its maiden voyage was from Miami and LA, and prior to our boarding, she had hosted a couple of 2 day cruises for the travel industry. The Sprit is the first of its series in the Carnival line and the design has already been seen in the Costa Atlantica. Panamax- sized at 84,000 GRT and carrying 2100 passengers, she's large, but atthe standard size for today's newbuilds.
In general, the ship is superbly designed. The layout is logical and interesting. Passenger flow is excellent. Although the ship was full, it never felt crowded. There are an astonishing number of veranda cabins, and they are almost all in the middle and upper decks with good noise isolation. The cabins are excellent. They are spacious. There is good storage space with three large closets, drawers and under the daybed/sofa storage. The bathrooms are large with ample shelf space at the sink. The veranda was large enough and had good privacy. Personally, the choice of orange and peach is a bit dubious to me -- I'd prefer a more subdued design -- but the cabin functioned well. I had toured the Elation a few years ago, and I found those Fantasy-class cabins large, but stark and uninviting (a friend recently used "dorm room" to describe them). In contrast, the Spirit class cabins are a distinct improvement.
You can't discuss a Carnival ship and not talk about the decor. I had hoped to be thrilled by the vegasy audaciousness and conscious FUN of the design even if it's not my day-to-day environment of choice. I got some of that -- I was unprepared for how time and again, clumsy and awkward design choices inevitably compromised the effect.
Case in point - the Atrium. At the center of the ship, the 11 story atrium is stunning. It is a sharply vertical space which quickly narrows to a rectangular tower through the passenger decks. Along one wall is the inevitable bank of glass elevators with blinking birdcages. (Actually, no complaints from me -- they're fun ...and I've never been on a ship with this many elevators!). Along all the surfaces are art-nouveau styled curved and twined vine-like patterns. Along all beams and between all floors these patterns are rendered in bronze finished panels. They don't say anything particularly nautical -- but that's a different argument.
The lobby bar at the base of the atrium is a great meeting place. It's a very pleasant space with a good bar. The Purser's desk is tucked into a corner and the Excursion disk is opposite.
And then there's the mural.
It showed promise. The tall wall opposite the elevators is a perfect setting for a dramatic mural. The design chosen had great potential. It features soaring figures rising through twisting cloudlike surroundings toward the light at the top (which during the daytime is the red glass of the Nouveau Supper Club dome). There was a lot of latitude of how to render the mural and have it fit the surroundings - - the curves fit the nouveau stylings, but the figures could even be rendered as deco sprites, or they could have emphasized an earlier pre-raphialite approach with rosy colors and mythology ...and remember, the ship's name is the Sprit. It didn't even need to be made of expensive materials -- paint is fine (even printed panels are OK). It coulda' been great. Instead, what they put there looks like what was a brief 10 inch pastel sketch of the concept for the mural, photographically reproduced and blown up to 10 stories. The figures have the expressions, mass, energy and subtle grace I'd associate with a poster drawn by a high-school pep squad! It is hideous.
Time and time again, there was a concept for a room that was destroyed by something that made me wonder "What was Joe Farcus thinking??" (Joe Farcus is Carnival's head designer and the man behind the line's ships' designs)
The Empire Room is the ship's two deck Restaurant. It has a Napoleonic theme. There are circular wreaths galore and Empire-style furniture. The walls are wood paneling and there are green marble- finished columns and details. Located fully aft, it shares some similarity to my favorite room afloat, the Dining Room on the Celebrity Century -- but oh what a difference! First off, there is another case of "bad art" as you enter. There's a gawd-awful sculpture of Napoleon behind the Maitre d' station. If it were done better, or if there was a great place for it, that might have been OK -- instead, it was crowded and compromised itself. Against the aft, the Century has a dramatic beveled glass wall -- the Spirit has nothing like that -- the balcony wraps around all four walls. I know, there's a huge difference in the capacity, and the comparison may not be fair, but there's no excuse for ....the carpet! Ooooh that carpet. It's primary color is avocado-ish jade green. There is no other green remotely like it in the room. There is a lot of green marble and colors closer to malachite. It clashes like hell. On top of that, the carpet has a pattern with large medallions and empire-themed panels. It's far too busy and destroys what could have been a beautful room -- assuming of course that it wasn't that shade GREEN.
Other cases of "what was he thinking?" include the Lido. The Lido is covered with a brash curvy and colorful pattern of primary colors that looks Spanish or Italian. It's a very fun "Pedro Almodovar-meets Joan Miró" contempo look. Behind the booths are bright blue mesh ironwork designs with white lights -- it plays with the ship's nouveau twists and works great. The third element however is the puzzler. Along all the doorways and beams are rust-red painted blocks and arches with mask medallions in the keystones (connected by chaser- lights). As far as I can imagine, The ghost of Gianni Versace came to him in a dream and told him what to do -- but he was too drunk to remember the details and got it all wrong
Oh, and the Louis XVI Casino -- (huh?) I have no idea why he's choose this theme. However, the walls are finished as faux-castle blocks. Unfortunately, the result looks more like cinderblock than chateau. ...and it's home to the most lonely sculpture on the ship -- behind the bar is a bronze-like statue of ol' Louis himself. It looks out of place in the space. (especially with a country-western singer sitting behind him)
On the positive side, all public lobbies and hallways have rich wood- look paneling. The carpets echo the signature nouveau patterns in a dark rust and green and look great. The stairway landings have contemporary art which, although not really my taste, is colorful and interesting and works well in the space. I wish I could say the same about the passenger corridors. The walls have alternating silk- screened panels which are just plain ugly.
Almost without exception, the furniture is a knockout. There are beautiful pieces in most of the lounges. In particular, the Deco Lounge and Club Cool. The Club Cool nightclub is a stunning room - perhaps the nicest on the ship and it's almost hidden behind a staircase with a (at the time non-functional) fountain, It's next to the Shanghai Piano Bar. (Cute room. but the volume on the performer was excruciatingly loud so we had to leave)
Other notable public rooms include the Pharaoh's Palace showroom which is excellent and perhaps the best I've seen. It covers three decks and had good sightlines and stadium-style seating on the two balconies. Beneath it is a problematic space called the Versailles Lounge. Used for cabaret and comedy -- it's out of the way and has a silly decor. Along the walls (note the curve of the hull behind) there are cheezy village scenes with twinkle lights ...but the silliest things are the Liberace-esque mini chandeliers and sconces at the end of the aisles.
The Dancin' disco was excellent. It has a two-deck design with a video wall against the two-story-high lighted dance floor. Best of all is its positioning. Tucked-in next to the lower level of the Restaurant and the Galley, it's accessible yet isolated from disturbing cabins and quiet areas.
The first night we had dinner in the Nouveau Supper Club. This has great potential -- but like everything else aboard, finished short of totally successful. Like most new ships, (but a first for Carnival) the Spirit has an alternative restaurant, the Nouveau Supper Club. The room has an alternate menu with huge prime steaks and authentic Joe's Stone Crab.
There is a $15 surcharge, reservations are required, and jackets are requested. It was initially unclear what the $15 covered -- the food upgrade, tips for the specialized service staff or both. There was no note of additional tip in the pre-cruise documentation, but we were told that tips were not included when I made the reservation. When we received the bill at the end of the night, the line for gratuities was already filled in as "0." I asked the waitress to clarify and was told something like "the computer closes out the bill, but cash is appreciated most anyway." I then ran down to the cabin to dig some money out of our safe. (Our cabin was somewhat nearby.) This whole exchange was unnecessarily awkward. I have no problem adding a tip on top of the bill -- our waitresses were excellent -- it was just a clumsy and crass exchange at the end of a generally wonderful meal. This is Carnival's first experience with alternate dining and I'm certain this will be rectified in the future.
Likewise, I hope that they will straighten-out the wine service. Shortly after we sat down, our sommelier introduced herself, presented the wine list, and expected us to order -- even though we hadn't yet seen the dinner menu and didn't know what we were going to eat. We ordered drinks and waited to order wine. Once we DID order our wine, we never saw the Wine Steward until we sent out a plea for her (and our wine) as our entrees were being delivered. We had no wine for our first two courses. We then were treated to an elaborate decanting procedure complete with candle. When a tablemate tasted the wine and examined the cork, the Sommelier crassly told him that he needed a verbal judgment and never acknowledged his (obvious) nod and a polite assent that the wine was acceptable.
This mixture of upscale pretensions and semi-clueless execution was evident throughout the meal. When it came time to order, we were treated to a show-and-tell with meat. The waitresses rolled-out a display cart with massive hunks of raw meat on it, which they used as props during their descriptions of the entrees (we're talking 20 oz porterhouse steaks.) Somewhat brash -- but I could go there. ...however, what rendered the whole exercise totally clueless was that each piece of meat was carefully wrapped in saran wrap. I don't know if this is the result of some strange CDC rule or what -- however the display pieces obviously would not be served, and if I were the management, I'd forget the whole presentation rather than showcase meat props laminated by kitchen wrap!
Let me be very clear -- although some of these procedures were questionable, the meal itself was fabulous. I had a wonderfully flavorful double lamb chop on a cassoulet-style bean ragout, a tablemate raved about the stone crab, and his partner said his filet was perfect. Our two waitresses were very professional and handled the tableside service with aplomb. The Supper Club has its own grill - - and each item from the amusee at the start of the meal to the little chocolates at the conclusion -- was excellent. Even with the rough spots described, the meal was superior to the "Le Bistro" experience on our recent cruise on the Norwegian Majesty.
The last part of the experience has to do with the design of the room -- and again, it just didn't work. The Supper Club is located on the top two decks at the pinnacle of the atrium. The ceiling to the space is sloping red glass which is integrated into the base of the signature Carnival funnel. The top deck overlooks the dance floor at the center of the main floor. This is a dramatic space, which cries for a knockout sophisticated drama. Instead, the room is mostly nondescript, with brash bands of primary-colored tiles which take the clue from the Lido below. During dinner, the vocalist and accompanist performed mostly in the dark, preferring to compensate in volume what they lacked in illumination -- a number of diners had difficulty conversing. Finally, this room cries for a snazzy pre-dinner cocktail lounge. There IS a small bar at the back of the room on the starboard side -- but it's somewhat hidden. We dined with another couple and each couple independently thought of grabbing an pre- dinner cocktail, went to the Supper Club, didn't see a bar, and went back down to the lobby lounge.
Lastly, there's the glass staircase. >From the Lido deck, the main stairway to the Nouveau Supper Club above is via a curved glass (yes!) staircase that is suspended 9 decks above the atrium. It's showy, but this IS a showy ship. Luckily, there are metal bars beneath each step which makes it less scary -- and for the nervous, there is elevator and conventional stairway access at the sides. It's a flashy -- but mostly successful -- bit of design.
To adequately review the meals onboard -- I must separate those two words, "food" and "service." In general, the food was good (especially the main courses) but the service staff was obviously overworked. It was a short cruise and we only had three days aboard, so we only had two dinners, one lunch and one breakfast in the Restaurant, the welcome lunch and two breakfasts in the Lido, and dinner in the supper club as just described.
The dinners in the Restaurant were a mixed bag. The entrees were fine. Experience has shown that beef items are usually the most reliable on mainstream ships (I don't care for lobster) -- and the prime rib and the New York strip items were tasty and prepared to the requested degree of doneness (medium-rare). The salads and starters were okay -- the caesar salad was good, but the cucumber and tomato salad suffered from very "durable" cucumber skins which I was still picking out of my teeth four hours later. Freshness didn't appear to be an issue with the salads, but the bread basket appeared to contain mostly dried-out leftovers from the deli counter of the Lido upstairs.
There was no Wine Steward in the Restaurant. The waiters recited the recommended wine of the day, which was usually something from Kendall- Jackson (not a BAD choice, for mainstream, price-conscious tastes but certainly uninspired -- and I wonder what kickback CCL gets for "featuring" their wine). Our waiter was pleasant and eager to help -- but he was obviously overworked and/or undertrained. He seemed to think that the way to provide the best service was to make sure that we had enough to eat and continually offered to bring extra portions. (Although I will occasionally order two entree items or ask that a starter be served as a main course -- we aren't the type of folks who order four servings on "lobster night" or judge a meal by the quantity of food served.)
Both nights our waiter dropped-off the "special" dessert before he ran off for that night's performance. I really don't know exactly when the ability to provide helpful and knowledgeable table service became less important than the dance steps a waiter can execute during a silly after-dinner production -- but I'd sure like to see those priorities re-examined.
The Maitre d' won the smarmy staff member award. Before the waiters came out, he strolled around the Dining Room, microphone in hand, crooning Frank Sinatra tunes. The effect reminded me of Mel Brooks singing "High Anxiety" in the film of the same name. On the final night, he sang "My Way" which seemed to be an unusual choice ...somehow, I thought something more service-oriented or passenger-centric would be more appropriate (The "chewed it up and spit it out" verse was particularly questionable)
In spite of all that hoo-ha -- there was no baked Alaska parade on the final night. Personally, I've seen enough of 'em -- but we were cruising with first-timers, and it has always been part of the experience, so I told them to expect it -- and I think we both felt cheated.
On a positive note, they didn't sing "We Are The Children" or "God Bless America."
The grand buffet was both figuratively and literally cheezy -- set up in the center of the Empire Restaurant. Each buffet station was capped with one of three types of decorative centerpieces -- ice sculpture (there was only one), spray-painted styrofoam, or a bas- relief carved into orange blocks of cheese. The sight of two Corinthian columns of cheddar is not something I'll forget easily (try as I might).
Before this cruise, I had heard passenger complaints of being hounded to buy a drink - especially in the souvenir glass of the day. My experience was quite the opposite. We usually had to go to the bar and order our drinks. There were very few cocktail servers around. This was the case at all hours and in all rooms.
I have no explanation for this. Drink service is obviously a revenue- generator for the line, and let's be frank -- alcohol consumption is a key ingredient in a party or "Fun" occasion -- so perhaps that's why this Fun Ship never got to be too fun!
On a positive note -- there have been complaints about communication difficulties with non-native English speaking staff. There was only one occasion where there was a real problem -- unfortunately that was in the Shanghai Bar where any communication was difficult owing to the amplified volume of the performer. (I bet it was way up to 11)
Again, this trip confounded expectations in one regard, and provided experiences on both ends of the scale. The good news (don't broadcast it, please) -- There were few announcements on the PA during the day. I believe there were morning and afternoon announcements by the Cruise Director and the traditional Captain's daily announcement of position, speed and weather (...love that beaufort scale!) I had expected endless announcements all day long telling us how we were going to have fun, where others were having fun and how to purchase reminders of how much fun we had. This was not the case. This element alone was perhaps most responsible for keeping me away from Carnival in the past; I'm grateful that if it HAD been the case, that the announcement policy is now relatively restrained.
The two production shows were the best and the worst I've seen. The inevitable showtune revue was titled "Standing Room Only" -- it was superb. These shows walk a fine line in their choice of numbers between the familiar and the overdone and this production managed it perfectly. Starting from a "Fosse Fosse Fosse" set and highlighting shows including Kiss Me Kate, Cabaret, Guys and Dolls, Miss Saigon, Lion King and West Side Story - it had great pacing, good segues between the numbers and sets and no hokey storyline. The staging was flashy, and the "naughty bits" were fun and titillating yet creative and professionally-performed.
The final show, "High Spirits" was terrible. The concept of the show was shaky and many of the numbers had potential to insult or alienate any number of passengers including Native Americans, the strictly religious, and non-Christians (and I should warn some of my fellow citizens of SF ...probably Wiccans as well ). Most importantly, it had lousy pacing and just plain didn't work.
A real treat was the "Derek Hines Quintet." Derek Hines is a superb vocalist who sings jazz and standards with his superb combo. I believe he's a member of the famous Hines family. Fantastic. We discovered them late in the cruise -- I'll keep an eye out for them both on further cruises and in town. Unfortunately, the show we attended was disturbed by loud oafs pouring into the Versailles Room awaiting the X-Rated comedian to follow.
The Cruise Staff were fine. Again, I had visions of perpetually perky fun-meisters -- Shawn Bussey the Cruise Director was spunky but not irritatingly so. We have our very own plastic trophy for winning the trivia contest (better than the keychain from the QE2, but not as nice as the coffeepot from Win Ben Stein's Money).
Our group wuz robbed of a second plastic trophy. The first morning featured a "Hairy Chest Contest" ...Let me take a bit of a digression. We were traveling with a group of sixty "bears" -- defined most succinctly as "big hairy gay guys." Among our crowd, beards and hair (front AND back) are good things and are often found on a bear of large size. ...now back to the narrative... The contest was won by a little man who literally shaved his chest. (We talked to friends later) He WAS a member of a large, loud group up front who DID also include the women called up as judges. He won against four bears who sported sizeable hair-mats Bitter? Nooooo ...it was all in good fun ...really it was ...no, really.
An inevitable question was how were we treated as an obvious (I'd assume) gay group. There was no problem. Our fellow cruisers treated us as we treated them. There was no question or attitude from room stewards, photographers, wait staff or any of the cruise staff. I'm not surprised -- that's been our experience on all our previous cruises and it was true here.
During our group's private party, the DSM welcomed the group and stressed that they were happy to have us aboard and the were taking steps to convince groups that may have not considered the line in the past - that "Today's Carnival" is for everyone. I know they worked with a local AIDS charity for 200 cabins, and I suspect that a large group of African Americans from Oakland may have also been part of this initiative.
I appreciate the effort. Frankly, I never expected that the line, itself would be prejudiced, but now if I hear some blowhard making an accusation, I have some actual experience to offer to the discussion.
Yes. However, it's probably low in the priority list.
Each line has its own personality and style. Although my Carnival experience was very different from what I expected -- I still prefer a different focus than the line offers. As is no doubt obvious from this revue, I honestly DO care about decor -- my surroundings are important when I'm on vacation, and Joe Farcus-world is not for me. To a large degree, it's not about the glitz, it's about the bad glitz. ...but even if the glaring problems I noticed were ameliorated, I still prefer a design more oriented to the sea and which recalls a nautical tradition.
Furthermore, when on the lazy-man's vacation that is a cruise, I like excellent service, I want well-prepared food, served by attentive waiters from the European tradition. I like friendly and attentive cocktail staff who remember my drink preferences. This doesn't seem to be a priority for Carnival, so we'll be more disposed to premium lines which offer this.
For those who claim that there is no difference anymore between the lines' products -- I beg to differ. There ARE differences. The ships may be similar, Carnival may be upgrading, and lines like RCI and Celebrity may be slipping -- but although the differences may be minor to you -- there still are real differences in shipboard environment, service, food and attitude which may be significant to others.
I WOULD readily take a cruise again on a variation of this ship when the corporation takes the design to their Holland America subsidiary. The layout of the ship is excellent.
It was an enjoyable cruise. There were parts that were wonderful -- and certainly these complaints were pretty trivial compared to the whole experience. I'm glad I took the cruise -- it was a great mini- vacation, Victoria was delightful... and I know of no experience which continues to stir me my primal roots, than simply standing on deck and watching the sea. Always magnificent!Ain't We Got Fun? - My First Carnival Cruise
Our cruise was the Hawaiian islands and then back to Mexico. Cruising the islands is a great way to see them all. The ship experience was fine. Our steward was wonderful. He was always available and gave us great service. The food was average. We weren't given enough info about the main dining room until half way through the cruise so we didn't use it until then.
The shore excursions were WAY over priced and not that great except for the Hilo Bus Tour and the Capt Cook Bay snorkel trip. Both guides provided very interesting stories.
The debarking in Mexico was a nightmare. The charter buses were not allowed to cross the border and our luggage was held up for hours. Many people missed their connecting flights.
Next time I think I would fly to Honolulu and then fly back.
Just would like to warn travellers Carnival Spirit encourages passengers to do the tour of Yejele Beach ($20 per Adult and $16 child) yet they take no responsibility for the safety of their passengers. There must have been over 1500 passengers that got shuttled out to the Beach, which was beautiful, but the severe currents are so strong even a strong swimmer can get into trouble. My grand daughter, her father and her uncle went out snorkelling but got caught in a rip. The uncle made it back to the beach to raise the alarm asking the carnival staff member in the red top who looked like the only official person they had to send out help as the other two were in trouble and couldn't get back to shore. The staff member stayed quite calm and advised they had no boats or lifeguards but he advised he did call an ambulance. I became frantic and I asked again why they couldn't get a boat or raft out to assist them to which he replied there was none. I reminded him it was a 14-year-old girl in trouble and weneed to have a boat or something to help bring them back before they get taken out. It was then when then two locals swam out and assisted in their return to shore.
My grand daughter was so distraught when she got back to shore and her father was exhausted coughing up water etc. Shame on Carnival for sending so many people out to a location that has no safety rescue in place.
When I got back to the ship I called guest services to express my concerns to which they replied its not Carnival responsibility once passengers leave the ship. This may be the case but wouldn't you like to think they care enough for their passengers especially when they are encouraging the tour. Surly if they can transport all food and drinks to sell on shore to make even more money it wouldn't take much more of an effort to put in place some form of safety rescue. The facilities could easily be left with the locals to look after. My granddaughter was extremely upset by the whole experience and was lucky to come out of it with good results but I encourage Carnival to please look into this before someone loses their life. PS... I was told guest services would get back to me but still waiting............
After several Caribbean cruises, decided on Alaska. Best food we have had on a Carnival ship. Good service from friendly and attentive staff. Ship is very easy to navigate. So NO problems there.
Main reason for review is BEWARE of excursions. Train ride in Skagway is expensive. Scenery if beautiful but train speed makes it difficult to take good pictures if that's "your thing." Trip is basically up the mountain, flip your seats at the top of the mountain, and back down again. In Juneau, the "Dog sled/Musher Camp" has to be the worst!! A five minute ride on a cart which has NO resemblance to a dog sled is the highlight. People know about the dogs and mushing but.... well over $ 100 per person!! YUK!
Did the Rainforest in Ketchikan. Interesting, but... we did see bald eagles in the wild, evidence of bears but no sightings; had hoped for that. Expensive but probably worth the $$ if you enjoy nature. -- In Victoria, people "hawking" the bicycle tours are "pushy." It's also expensive, $120 for two for two hours. Long walk into Victoria but shuttle is available. Since you arein Victoria at night, limits what you can actually see.
Enjoyed the cruise but won't go there again
This was my 2nd cruise on Carnival and 12th cruise overall. This cruise was an 8-day Mexico Riviera cruise round trip out of San Diego, CA. I cruised solo on this cruise, as part of a travel agent FAM trip.
I flew into San Diego the morning of the cruise. I normally fly in to the departure city the day before, but since I was solo and the weather not usually an issue at this time of the year, I chanced it and just flew in on departure day. No problems as I arrived at around 10:30 am and took a very short taxi ride to the pier. Getting onto the ship was a bit of an adventure. Because my taxi dropped me off outside the pier, I had a 15 minute wait in line to show my ID and Carnival boarding pass just to get on the pier. After getting through the initial security, I had to wait in line again to drop off my bags to a luggage porter. I then had to wait in line again and show my ID and Carnival boarding pass just to getinto the building to check-in. After this security line, as soon as I got into the building, there was a holding area and another line AGAIN for an ID and boarding pass check just to get access to the metal detectors and security which was yet another line! I have now passed through 5 lines, including 3 to check my ID and boarding pass. I have now stood in line for over an hour and I haven't even made it to the check-in line yet! After my check-in, I had to wait for my "boarding zone" to be called. It turned out to be 6 lines, 2 holding areas and an hour and a half from when I arrived at the pier at about 11 am to my stepping onto the ship.
The Ship
The Carnival Spirit was launched in 2001. The Spirit is a very nice and elegant ship. She's kind of a dark ship with mostly dark brown and wood paneling like walls with not a lot of interior lighting. The main decks are #2, #3 and #9, they run the length of the ship and most every public area you will want are on these 3 decks. The main dining room is in the aft portion of decks 2 & 3, so unlike some other Carnival ships where the main dining room is in the middle of the ship, you can move easily around the ship without needing to go up or down decks to get from one end to the other. There are 3 major pools with hot tubs nearby on deck 9. A nice sports area complete with jogging track, mini-golf course, and an enclosed basketball court. The crew is very good at cleaning and maintaining the ship. Everything was kept clean and well maintained on the ship.
The Cabin
I had a roomy ocean view stateroom on deck 1. My cabin had a nice picture window, a comfy queen sized bed, and adequate closet space. The bathroom was a typical shower only with a shower curtain, not doors.
The Staff
The staff was the highlight of the cruise with their service. Our room steward and wait staff were great, and all the crew and staff did a good job. I was very pleased with the staff onboard.
While I enjoyed the food, the one complaint I have is way too much sea food on the menu, and very little basic meat and potatoes or simple pasta dishes. I used the lido buffet for breakfast and lunch, and enjoyed the service and food.
This was a not a port intensive cruise. This was an 8 day cruise with only 3 ports. All 3 ports are being dropped from future Carnival itineraries for the time being. The 1st stop was Acapulco, Mexico. I took a short, half-day tour called "City Tour". I got to see the famous cliff divers, then we were shown around the city with stops for shopping and picture taking. The 2nd stop was in Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa. Here I had secured a day pass for the Club Med in Ixtapa and spent the day enjoying the pool, drink and food of the resort. The last stop was in Manzanillo, Mexico. I exited the ship and just walked around the shopping district for an hour or so. All 3 ports have rated so low by past Carnival passengers, that Carnival is dropping all 3 in favor of future stops in Cabo, La Paz, and Puerto Vallarta.
I absolutely loved the entertainment venues on the ship. I only took in 1 production show, and enjoyed it very much. However, the best was the Punchliner Comedy Club. Carnival has a dedicated comedy club and changed out the comedians during the port stops to keep the shows fresh. The other entertainment venues were also very good, but I spent a vast majority of my entertainment time in the comedy club.
I decided to use the self-disembarkation for this cruise since I only had 1 piece of luggage and I had an early flight out of San Diego. It was very easy; I ate breakfast in the lido buffet, and then left the cabin at 8:30 am with my luggage. We were delayed in being allowed to disembark due to some non-US passengers that failed to report to the main theater with their passports to clear immigration. US passengers were cleared quickly electronically, so we did not have to stand in any lines and go through immigration. After about a 45 minute delay, the final non-US passenger was cleared and we were finally allowed to disembark. I walked off the ship and after turning in my US Customs form to the US Customs inspector, I grabbed a taxi at the pier and went to the airport for the flight home.
I would rate this cruise a 7.5 out of 10. I really enjoyed the ship, the entertainment, the food and staff was great, however the 3 ports-of-call were not that great and I can see why Carnival is dropping them. My only other complaint is the fact that Carnival fails to enforce the dress code onboard. I saw passengers come into the dining room wearing sleeveless tank top t-shirts, cut off shorts, baseball caps and so on. I even saw one man come in the dining room wearing a bathrobe with no shirt and just shorts underneath one day at lunch! In the buffet, I saw numerous people just wearing swim suits. Many times I saw men walking around with no shirt on inside the ship, I mean really, inside the promenade, the lounges and casino, put a shirt on! I was really disappointed. I thought the Carnival Spirit was a beautiful ship with a fantastic crew and staff, but it really cries out for a better clientele in my opinion. That reason alone will probably mean this was my last cruise on Carnival, which is sad because I really loved the ship.
Not really that exciting to be on the ship and all of the port of call are tourist trap design for the cruise ship. In some way, I feel you must be at least 55+ years old or 300+ lbs to feel fit in on the ship. That's really what happen, there are fat and old people all over the ship who has to use the elevator to go up just 1 deck! I don't think I will ever go on a cruise ship again.
Carnival Transfer Since I flew in the day before, I took the hotel shuttle to Vancouver Airport and arrived at 10:45 AM to take Carnival's transfer to pier. Boarded bus quickly and it left airport at 11:00 AM. It was suppose to be a 35 to 40 minute ride, but took about 70 minutes because the bus driver decided to give us a "tour" of Vancouver. He kept making stops and getting up and talking about Vancouver this and that. It was a horrible ride for me because I just wanted to get to the pier to board the ship. Then the driver told us to tell anyone who asks that there was a lot of traffic. He seemed to have done this for an extra trip. This waste of my time (Since I had no interest in this deviation) made me decide not to give him a tip at all.
Boarding Ship. This was unusually slow. It took about 90 minutes to get to the security check point. We all had to carry our own luggage up to that security check point. That's what the delayed seemed to be.Once I passed that point, the rest was extremely quick. I was on the guaranteed single share program and they told me I was with Cynthia. I was shocked that I was paired with a Female. I've done the share program before and it's always been with another male. Well, I felt a little uncomfortable with the idea, but figure I could probably live with it. We all had to pass through U.S. Immigration before boarding the ship. I was upgraded from Category 1A to Category 4C. I proceeded to my cabin and open my door. Cynthia immediately asked if I had her luggage, I told her that this was my room. She exclaimed "It can't be." I showed her my boarding pass and told my key opened the door. We then decided the best thing to do was to go to the information desk. We explained the situation. They were very nice and friendly. They apologized for the mistake and gave Cynthia another cabin and each of us ended up having our own cabin. It turned out great. by the time that was done, it was 3:00 PM. Went up to have a quick lunch: Burger & Fries with salad on the side. It was delicious.
Meeting with other Cruise Critics We had scheduled a 4:00 PM meeting by Shore Tours Desk. I had forgotten my belt, so I got off in Vancouver to go purchase my belt. I had also plan to check in at the office. The bad thing is that it took my a while to find a belt and the Internet was down for a while. by the time it was up and running, it was too late for me to make it back to the ship by 4:00 PM. So unfortunately, I did not get back in time to meet with the Electronic Friends. This was also due to the new security procedures and extra long bus ride. Had things gone as they used to, I would have been on board by 1:00 PM to 1:30 PM the latest, which would have given me plenty of time to get back by 4:00 PM. Sorry to all cruise critics I didn't meet as scheduled. However, I did ran into Pam at La Playa Grill and then later met Betty and Bobbi at the Repeat Cruisers Party. Also Met Lynn and Bob at the Spirit Atrium. To clear things up, Betty and Lynn called my cabin to arrange to meet. It was great to have met them, but we didn't get a chance to talk much.
First Night I was assigned late sitting (which I had requested) at a table for 4 in the upstairs part of the restaurant. My table mates were Cynthia (my ex-cabin mate) and a couple from Canada on their Honeymoon Anniversary. Very nice people all of them. Had a good dinner. Decided to skip dessert and ran over to the singles party, which was to start at 9:30 PM. I got to Club Cool and it looked more like couples than a single party. There was nothing going on, so I went outside the lounge a little confused. There I met Teresa, she was there for the singles party too. We started talking outside. Inside, the host was asking for singles and there appeared to be only 2 singles inside, and of course, Teresa and me outside. While Teresa and I chatted, Donna (Teresa's friend) came by and I was introduced to her. We all went inside to the "singles party." There was actually no party. I guess the host felt there weren't enough singles to continue with a party, so nothing was done for the singles. While we chatted, Teresa and Donna saw their other friend, Melanie, outside the lounge looking for them. I decided to go and approach her. I went outside and told Melanie that Teresa and Donna were inside. She came in and joined us. And that's how I met the first 3 great new friends.
Dancing Dance was a pretty kool place. The first night it was kind of dead. One wall was covered with TV Monitors that changed from strange figures to camera of the disco to other objects. Also, the other wall was covered with different colored lights. The disco had the usual party lights, including a dance floor that illuminated in different colors. The DJ wasn't good at mixing, but he did play requests (if he had them in the computer). There was absolutely no mixing, just throwing in one song after the other. In fact, the DJ left the booth several times unattended and the computer did the work.
Thursday. Started with breakfast at the La Playa Grill. Loved the made to order omelets and the selection of breakfast food. Throughout the cruise, breakfast in La Playa Grill was the same. But it was good and you can vary from omelets to pancakes, from eggs cooked your way to French toast, from cereal to bagels, from orange juice to coffee or hot chocolate, etc. Spend most of the day relaxing, including some time in the Jacuzzi. Since I had done a lot of walking in Vancouver (like 6 miles), I decided no exercise for that Thursday. During my relaxation, I decided to eat lunch in La Playa Grill, forgot what I ate each day, but it was very good. Also went to dance class and they taught me how to dance "Merenge." It was fun. There I met Judy, Maria and Niki. Plus a few others I didn't catch their names.
We then had the captains welcome aboard party. It was formal night, so shirt & tie, with dress slacks and shoes. That's as formal as I wanted to get. Left my jacket at home because I usually just wore it in and out of the dinning room. It was pretty good. I did manage to have 5 drinks. They do serve you the type of drink you want, not just what's on the tray, but you have to ask for them. Then after the party it was off to dinner in the dinning room.
That night, went to the disco and met Teresa, Anita, and Vicky. Three great girls, it was fun to dance with them and chit chat. Dance almost all night. Towards the end, it was practically crew only. I asked a beautiful crew member to dance, and she accepted. We danced for a while and it was fun. Her name was Monika and she played in a Classical Trio on board the ship.
Friday (Juneau) Skipped breakfast. Then had an early lunch (La Playa Grill). Met Allison and invited her to join a group of use who were going to Mandanhall Glacier via City bus for $1.25 each way. Advised her it included a hike about 1.5 to 2 miles. She and her cabin mate agreed to join us. We agreed to meet outside the ship by the Green little building. It was an extremely long line to get out that took me about 20 minutes to get out. Once I met them, they had decided to do a city tour and Mandanhall Glacier with a Tour Bus for $20.00. Another friend decided to join them, so it was just me and two friends going on the city bus. It was about a 45 minute trip,. It was an easy walk to Mandanhall Glacier. One friend and I decided to go for the 3.5 mile hike for beautiful scenery. We were warned about the bears. We had seen one already, but were advised what to do if we see them on the trail. We are suppose to talk to them until they move away. We are not suppose to show any fear nor run away. In worse case scenario, if the bear attacks anyway, we were instructed to just hit the bear. Those instructions were a bit scary, but we didn't encounter any bears, though I was ready with my camera in case we did spot a bear. It was raining the whole hike and it was uphill, then downhill, muddy and rough terrain with rocks, stairs and logs. It took us over two hours. It was starting to get dark and we seemed to be so far away from the end of the trail. We finally made it. When we got out, the tour buses and cars where all gone. We saw one car passed by and we both were tempted to hitchhike, but we didn't. Then came a tour bus and my friend stopped it. They did give us a ride. Everyone in the bus seemed to laughed at us. It was quite an adventure. I rate this hike only for those in great physical fitness. We could barely walk, but when we got to the ship, I decided to walk around town before getting on board. Walked only a few minutes, then decided the Jacuzzi on board would be ideal right then. So headed for the Jacuzzi. But on board the ship, saw some girls and they asked me if I was going to the disco, and sure enough I responded yes.
After the Jacuzzi, I took a quick shower, then had dinner in the dining room (it was some delicious chicken). My ex-cabin mate told me she arranged for me to have dinner with two girls around my age for Saturday night. After dinner, barely able to walk, I walked around deck and saw Monika drinking something. She was alone, so I joined her and we chatted for a while. What a beautiful young lady. If you see her on board (She plays the violin with the classical trio), tell her Hector says hello. Afterwards, I headed to the disco and danced the night away. What fun it was.
Saturday (Glacier Bay) Oh, what pain. I felt like I was hit by a train then thrown in bed. Could barely walk most of the day. Got up early and had breakfast. Then relaxed most of the day with lunch at the Playa Grill. There were beautiful sites in Glacier Bay. I was out on deck (along with lot's of other people) and just watching the Glaciers. Nice relaxing day. Got to see Eagles, Seals and Killer Whales. Took a dance class (I think it was Waltz this day). Headed to the Jacuzzi right before dinner. Met these two nice young ladies for dinner. It was quiet conversation, but it was nice. We talked about meeting up at the disco. I told them I would be there if they decided to stop by. After dinner, I went to my cabin for a short nap and that was it, I was out for the night. Woke up later and realized I was supposed to be at the disco, but it was already 1:30 AM. Put on my shoes and headed to the disco, it was dead. I was glad because I was tired, so I headed back to the cabin and fell asleep again.
Sunday (Skagway) Got up a little later than usual (at about 8:30 AM). Had breakfast with a few girls. Told them I was going to church at 10:00 AM and was not doing any tours. One of them said she would join me. Met her at pier. We walked into a nice little town. I loved the way the town was. We headed to church and there had been a schedule changed for that Sunday. My friend headed over next door, I decided to stay for some prayer and read the daily scriptures and sang some songs. It was pretty good. Afterwards, I went into a store to buy a key rings. They had such bargains, I came out with a large bag of souvenirs. I then had to worry about packing them later, I already had purchased them and never thought about having to take them home in my limited space luggage. But I did manage ok. They were offering the train ride for only $30 (2 & ½ hours). It was very tempting, but I was still very tired from Juneau and I had walked into town, which was a good walk. So I declined and headed back to the ship. Played some game boy, lunch and Jacuzzi. Decided to try out the treadmill, but I was too tired, so only walked ½ mile because I really wanted to try them out since they were new and looked very state of the art. Great treadmills. This was the second formal night. Dressed up as usual. Nice Dinner at dining room. Then walked around the lounges. Ended up in the disco and danced the night away. It was fun again.
Monday (Ketchikan) Had breakfast on board. Then did a little walking around town. Prices were not as good as in Skagway. Boarded the ship for lunch. Had lunch with two friends. They had some delicious cookies. I got a slice of chocolate cake. I was going to eat this for my friend back home. It was my friend's birthday and I had agreed to eat chocolate cake. Today's chocolate cake wasn't that good. But with Ice cold milk, it was pretty good. I silently sang Happy Birthday to my friend (she was all the way in Chicago and couldn't hear me anyway). Then I decided to go to Walmart. When I got off, I asked for directions and they told me to take the bus, but it would drop me of about ¾ of a mile away from Walmart and would have to walk the rest They also told me about a mall about 1 mile away. Decided to walk to the mall instead and bought a cable I was looking for. Then came back and relaxed in the Jacuzzi, Sauna and steam room. No exercise on board, all the walking was enough. Had dinner and ended up in the Karaoke Party. Nobody seemed to want to sing. One guy was bribed into singing. I decided to help encourage people by passing out the books which listed the songs available. A few did sing, and I was asked a couple of times to sing. I kind of wanted, but never done it before and I wasn't brave enough at first. Finally, I did it and sang "You and I" from Eddie Rabbit and Crystal Gail. It was fun. I then joined this other girl and we sang "Bailamos" together. The host gave me a big medal (they gave one to anyone who sang that night). Then I met up with some of the other friends and ended up at the disco again. I agreed with one of the Teresa's that next night we would sing together at the Karaoke Party.
Tuesday Got up the latest today (about 9:30 AM). Got ready and went to arts and craft class. Didn't learn much, but got a nice kit to make a memo pad holder and pen holder. Skipped breakfast and had an early lunch at la playa grill. I was supposed to have met the two nice girls for lunch, but they had changed the time and I already had plans for dance class at 2:00 PM with another friend. It was a nice lunch, a little relaxation with game boy, then to dance class. Didn't like the dance class and my friend didn't show up on time, so I didn't join the class. More relaxation, Jacuzzi, and Sauna. Went to Karaoke and met with Teresa. She couldn't pick out a song, so I suggested "You and I" because now she could do the female part. We did it and off to dinner. Then chatted with some of the girls and went to pack. Then to the disco one last night. Didn't stay to long this time.
REVIEWS La Playa Grill Excellent Food and Service. Much better than any other cruises I've taken. And this was my 18th Carnival Cruise. I rate this: A+.
Dinning Room It was a great Dinning Room Wait Team. To be honest, I think Carnival had much better waiters and busboys than now that they implemented the new Dinning Room Wait Team. I don't think the waiter and waitress we had were bad, but they were more busy. Maybe they had many more people to attend. I can't pinpoint the difference, but it was quite a difference. All the other cruises, I knew my waiter and specially my busboy by name. Service was much more attentive and faster. Nothing to complain about, but it wasn't the same. C-.
Supper Club Didn't try it, but friends said it was great. So no rating on my part, but did looked very nice.
Disco and Lounges They were excellent. I thought the designs were great. Everything was spotless and shinny. Loved it very much. The Disco music was kind of lousy, since it was the same music again and again. I requested "Dancing Queen" for a friend and they played it 4 times in less than an hour. But DJ Ray did take request. I rate these: A.
Jacuzzi's & Pools I think they were great. They could have been warmer. Dome Pool was good, but the outside ones were a bit cold for an Alaskan Cruise. Water Slide was never opened and if it was, I wouldn't have gone on it (too cold). I rate this: B+.
Gymnasium Great new machines. Didn't try to many, but did checked them out. Nice Sauna and Steam Room. I rate this: A+.
Pizzeria Delicious Pizzas, Salads, Garlic Bread and Calzones. I rate this A.
Outdoor decks Very nice and spacious. I prefer the railing then the glass that was used mostly everywhere. I specially enjoyed the outdoor deck on Level 3. I rate these decks: A-.
Information Desk Very friendly and helpful every single time (3 times). I rate this: A+.
Carnival Transfers: What mess. I did it years ago and I will say the same thing. Never again. Long lines to get going and not very convenient. I rate this: F.
Shows I won't go to much in here because I skipped most of them. But the ones I did see were ok. I would rate them: B.
Activities I played Win Loose & Draw, Karaoke Dance Classes, Arts & Crafts and Tea Time. There were plenty more. I would rate them: A.
Movement For the most part, it was very smooth cruising. But the ship does move considerably in rough seas. It did get some people sea-sick, but most of us where just fine.
Climate Control There was a quick cool button that I never quite learned how to use. But found most areas to be very comfortable. Not to cold and not to warm. Keep in mind this was an Alaskan Cruise. They better turn up the A/C for Carribean Cruises. I would rate this: A.
I took my brother on this cruise. We had room 8152 on the Panorama deck with an extended balcony. We enjoyed the extra space. We had cruised on this ship a few years earlier to Alaska. The ship is well worn but served its purpose.
I am hoping someday someone will be daring and decorate a ship tastefully in soothing colors and fabrics instead of making it look like a Las Vegas casino.
This route took us to Acapulco, Ixtapa and Manzanillo. We had been to Acapulco when it was "the place to go" and now it looks tired and worn out.
We hired a cab for $45 for two hours to see Ixtapa and Zihuatenejo. The views are beautiful from the winding roads on the hills. Ixtapa was the best area -- new, cleaner than Zihuatenejo and not many vendors on the beach to bother us. We stopped at a local restaurant right off the ship in the row of shops and had some fish tacos and quesadillas with a few drinks. It was wonderful! Next door was a store with gorgeous weavings from the Zapotec Indians from Oaxaca. The ownersspoke English and they had a weaver there working on a rug.
Manzanillo has nothing to offer unless you go on an excursion. We took a cab to Las Brisas. Ugly and dirty looking ocean because it is too close to the port. We took a cab to Miramar and looked through the junk shops, and then had a few beers at a beach table. Cab from Miramar to the ship was $12.
The food on the ship was average. They have changed the buffet style to 6 stations that you must go to for different types of food. This means walking around and around searching for fruit, salad or breads. They also serve the desserts and certain foods so you don't take too many and end up wasting food. We got tired of walking all over to get things. Also not a great idea for the seniors who had walkers or wheelchairs, or just were a little unsteady on their feet.
We went to the dining room 4 nights. Our table companions and my brother and I all quit ordering beef after two nights of tough leather. Other dishes were okay. The Chocolate Melting Cake was the best dessert.
The service was slow and impersonal. Our waiter never introduced himself and the assistant was slow to fill water or even bring coffee. Two nights we never got it even though we asked for it.
You are given only one small piece of bread at the beginning of the meal. They no longer leave the bread basket on the table.
We ate at La Playa Grille a few nights just so we could get a big salad and avoid making small talk with strangers.
Our room stewardess was wonderful. She was friendly and helpful, but not intrusive.
The entertainment/shows was disappointing. We do not expect much on a cruise ship, but this was just boring compared to other Carnival cruises we have been on. We enjoyed all of the trivia and games there were to do during the sea days. There are plenty of activities if you want to stay busy.
We did not drink on the ship because the drinks were $7.50 each plus the 15% tip. Beer onshore was $1-$2 and Margaritas were all under $4.00. Plus we love to sit at a local restaurant and watch the world go by.
We had fun and enjoyed the cruise. We would go with Carnival again.
I would like to start with the bad about the cruise first; I believe that it is the most important piece of information to share with you. Debarkation was a nightmare. We took a nine day Mexican Riviera cruise out of San Diego on the Carnival spirit. Two nights (I believe) before we were to arrive in San Diego the ship experienced engine problems and we lost three hours. To try and speed up the process the crew offered what was called a self-assist debarkation process in which each guest was allowed to carry off their own luggage if they were able instead of being called by debarkation zones. For those who had an early flight, I being one of those people, there was to be a common meeting area and we where supposed to be escorted off of the ship in an attempt to make our scheduled flights. Several hundred of us gathered at the assigned location and waited for several hours for a Carnival representative to come and tell us it was time for us to go while the ship was being cleared by customs. Not a singleCarnival employee arrived until after they had started letting guests off of the ship. Instead of being one person in a group of a couple of hundred trying to exit the ship I was one in a thousand lined up 4 deep from mid ship to the forward end of the vessel. Debarkation took a total of about four hours when we were led to believe it would be a relatively fast and painless process. During this time not one employee could give you a straight answer and not one employee of the ship had the same answer as the next. Due to this general lack of communication and organization among the ship's staff we missed our flight out of San Diego airport that is about five minutes from the pier at 12:30. We have spoken with Carnival who is paying for our ticket changes but that could have easily been avoided if the staff would have stuck to their plan and communicated a little bit. Debarkation was the only time that there was a carnival atmosphere on the ship.
We booked with Carnival because they were supposed to be the fun party ship line. If that is true I am afraid to book with any other cruise line. I am 28 and my wife is 27, and we were among some of the youngest adults on the ship, but oddly enough I felt our age group was the best behaved. I only encountered a couple of obnoxiously drunk people, each of which was middle-aged women who by all appearances were normally well respected professionals. There was nothing rowdy that we came across, nothing close to a bar atmosphere. More closely akin to going to a nice restaurant and coming across someone who had ordered too many drinks with dinner. Our cruise was in October so there were not many children running around either which was nice. The vast majority of the people on the ship were there to have fun.
The shows were great and had quite a bit of variety. Everything for late night R-rated comedy to karaoke challenges that were all very entertaining. The best thing about the shows is that there was always enough room for the people who came to see them. No excessive lines or a stampede mentality trying to find a seat.
The food was spectacular. The staff in the Empire Room dining area were very friendly and helpful even if the food there was no better than what was served in the La Playa Grill buffet. I was concerned about the seating assignments in the dining room but we had a great table and met two other fun couples that were our same age and we all seemed to have a good time at dinner. If you have the opportunity I recommend the supper club on the ship. They take care of you there; have a full wine list and a fabulous menu. In the supper club on our cruise they also had a small wine tasting and food-pairing event that was fun and informative.
The shore excursions were good but could have been much better. I don't believe that anyone affiliated with Carnival had any idea what each excursion was actually like. The ship had terrible maps of the cities that we visited so if you plan on getting out and doing your own tours of the cities, plan ahead. Nobody on the ship will be able to tell you anything.
We booked a category 11 stateroom that was great. The room had a shower and bathtub combo, a changing room and several closets and ample drawer space. The balcony was spacious and comfortable. Our room steward was very friendly and very attentive. We paged him on a couple of occasions and within a couple of minutes he was at our door.
Not once did we have any issues with any of the service staff. They were always there smiling -- friendly and willing to do what they could for you. The only thing that would steer me away from Carnival was the debarkation mess.
First let me say that we are a family with a teenage daughter, and have cruised over a dozen times on all cruise lines. So, I feel that this review is fairly accurate, being able to compare this ship to other lines.
We booked an inside room guarentee, and were upgraded to a balcony -- yeah! Our room was totally adequate, a normal balcony stateroom. Our room steward, Joseph, was however the most outstanding employee we have ever met on any cruise line. He never missed a thing, ALWAYS available and always trying to please us. I truly noticed that all room stewards were always working and always in the hall to help with anything. I have been noticing on our past few cruises that we rarely saw or spoke to our room stewards, and if we needed anything, well try and find them. Not on this ship!
The crew on this ship in general truly impressed us. I am not sure why they were all so eager to please. Maybe it is the management on this paticular ship. Whatever the reason, we really felt this crew stood out as amoung thebest we have ever sailed with.
The food, which is what most people seem to be most concerned about, was in fact GREAT. We had planned on eating in the fee restaurant several nights on this cruise, but the food in the Empire dining room was really good. We never had a single complaint. Every night there were plenty of selections; and everything we ordered arrived hot and very tasty.
I had almost given up on the idea of truly being served and pampered on a midpriced cruise line. Carnival Spirit has changed my mind. If I had the time, I would have gone right back out for another glorious 8 days of sunshine and fabulous service.
Be assured, if you book this cruise ship, you can really plan on relaxing and having fun.


text:
Students participated in mock rescues of their peers, and Harris — himself a 25-year veteran lifeguard and former U.S. Marine — presented school principal Glenda Gerde with resourced materials from the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, including reading books about water safety — materials that teachers can now share with their students.
Every day, an average of 10 people die in the United States from unintentional drowning, with 20 percent of them children ages 14 or younger, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nationally, drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury death for children and sixth for people of all ages. In addition, for every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.
"It's a lifeguard's job to see that everyone who visits a pool or a beach goes home safely at the end of the day," said Harris. "It's important for these kids to understand at an early age how to be safe around water."
A new national survey shows that people believe they are better swimmers than they actually are.The survey, conducted for the Red Cross, found that while 80 percent of Americans said they could swim, only 56 percent of the self-described swimmers can perform all five of the basic skills that could save their own lives in the water.
These critical water safety skills, also known as "water competency," are the ability to:
• step or jump into the water over your head;
• return to the surface and float or tread water for one minute;
• turn around in a full circle and find an exit;
• swim 25 yards to the exit; and
• exit from the water.
If in a pool, a swimmer would need to be able to exit without using a ladder.
The San Diego Lifeguard Services Water Safety Days Program is available online at www.sandiego.gov/lifeguards and includes tips on beach, boating and water safety.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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MERRITT ISLAND, Fla., March 22 (UPI) -- The Kennedy Space Center in Florida opened its latest exhibit Friday -- The Angry Birds Space Encounter, which was developed alongside Rovio Entertainment.
Rovio's popular smartphone game is coming to life at the KSC Visitor Complex, with exhibits including the Eggsteroids Slingshot target game, Red Planet Lazer Challenge and Danger Zone, a mirror maze, Florida Today reported Friday.
"Concepts of human space exploration are incorporated into Angry Birds Space Encounter, reflecting Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex's ongoing mission to encourage young people in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields of study," Bill Moore, chief operating officer of the visitor complex, said in a release.
John Stine, the center's director of sales, promotions and events, told NBC News the games educate kids without the children noticing.
"Launching the slingshots, lining things up, figuring angles and trajectories -- it incorporates math, physics, geometry," Stine said.


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Decor Mix: Orange You Happy?
Happy is the room with splashes of orange decor. Less aggressive than its color neighbor red, and with more oomf than its other neighbor yellow, orange has just enough presence and punch to liven up a space. Plus, it does a great job of warming up neutrals like metallic and wood hues.
An added bonus is that two of the featured items are eco-friendly. The coffee table by Lollygagger is made of thick recycled HDPE and can be used both indoors and out. The bed by Viva Terra is finished with a light water-based stain and hard oil wax.
If you have a small space or are keen on home organization, the drum table from World Market doubles as storage. Simply lift the steel lid to store blankets, magazines or toys.
Shown above from left to right:
- Skin Rug from Peach Industry, $3,080.00
- Gustavian Bed from Viva Terra, $1595 - $1995 (Eco-friendly!)
- Lollygagger Coffee Table 34 from Loll Designs, $399.00 (Eco-friendly!)
- Cala Hammered Drum Table from World Market, $89.99
(Images: As credited above.)


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Arrests Possibly Linked To 'Bicycle Bob'
Stay With Eyewitness News Five For Updates
Arrests Possibly Linked To 'Bicycle Bob'
Stay With Eyewitness News Five For Updates
EDMOND, Okla. —
Three people arrested in Edmond may have a connection to the killing of a homeless Edmond man.
Oklahoma County Jail records show Connor Mason, Nikolas Kerr, and Healther Holden are in jail on various charges.
Connor is being held on one complaint of first-degree murder. Kerr and Holden are charged with being an accessory after the fact.
All three are being held without bond.
The alleged connection to the murder of Dwite Morgan is unclear, but authorities are expected to update the case Monday.
Morgan, known around Edmond as 'Bicycle Bob,' was found dead in October. Another homeless man, Travis Jim, allegedly admitted to police that he killed Morgan after the two fought over Morgan's bed.


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5 Simple & Stylish Surface Mount Medicine Cabinets
If your bathroom doesn't have a recessed medicine cabinet already, installing a surface mount cabinet is relatively easy. And there's nothing better than a medicine cabinet for storing everyday essentials like toothbrushes, toothpaste and, well, medicine. The cabinets grouped here vary in size and price but all are for surface mount installation.
• M Series Swing Out Magnifying Bathroom Mirror from AllModern This cabinet holds a practical little surprise on the inside - a magnifying mirror. Measures 8.4"W x 10.7"H x 6.88"D. $57.72
• Madison Avenue Medicine Cabinet from Bellacor At 18 1/4"W x 18.5"H x 5.5"D, this is a great option for a small bathroom. $87.95
• LILLÅNGEN Mirror cabinet from Ikea This tall and wide unit, measuring 23 5/8"W x 25 1/4"H x 8/14"D, has two doors to access all that storage. $70
• Mason Reclaimed Wood Medicine Cabinet from Pottery Barn Measuring 24.5"W x 30"H x 7"D, this cabinet is perfect for the rustic or vintage industrial bathroom. $449
• Stainless Steel Medicine Cabinet from Signature Hardware This pint sized little fellow, just 13 5/8"W x 13 5/8"D x 4 5/8"D is another small space option. Or stack a couple for a more dramatic effect. $99.95
• 10 Medicine Cabinet Essentials
• Suitcase Medicine Cabinets
• Inspiration: 12 Organized Medicine Cabinets
(Images: As credited above.)


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Mais Oui! Bonne Maman and Le Creuset's Mother's Day Brunch — and Giveaway!
Your own bonne maman deserves an extra-special treat this Mother's Day, non? Classic French foodie brands Le Creuset and Bonne Maman think so — that's why they've teamed up to create the ultimate midday celebration, featuring the garden-fresh flavors of Bonne Maman preserves and the timelessly fashionable function of Le Creuset cookware. A peek at the recipes proves it: Between the ham biscuits with creamed collards and (hello!) bacon-berry preserves, the whimsical shrimp lollipops in orange-horseradish glaze and the sweet-tooth-satisfying strawberry orange mini-trifles, this is a year's worth of maternal mercis. (And a dreamy way to channel your inner Julia Child.)
Oh, and did we mention the sweepstakes?
Entering the Le Creuset and Bonne Maman giveaway — here!— couldn't be a simpler call: When you start with such time-honored French brands, you already know brunch is bound to be amazing — add the expertise of Charleston, S.C., Chef Robert Carter, and it only gets better. Watch their culinary creativity come together with delicious results:
Still hungry? Round out the meal with The Kitchn's very own French Toast and Preserves Skillet Casserole. Then head over to Bonne Maman to enter the sweepstakes, featuring mouthwatering prizes like Le Creuset pie birds, Bonne Maman preserves and, for one lucky winner, a culinary getaway to Charleston, S.C. Bon appetit indeed.


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ATLANTA � Kris Medlen is pitching like an ace.
That�s good news for the Atlanta Braves� postseason hopes.
Chris Johnson led off the eighth inning with a homer to spoil an otherwise dominant start by Cliff Lee, Medlen allowed only two hits in eight innings and the Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 1-0 on Friday night.
Medlen and closer Craig Kimbrel combined on the shutout.
Johnson said beating Lee affirms Medlen�s status as a starter who can lead a rotation.
�I feel like he can go toe to toe with anybody,� Johnson said of Medlen. �If you can go toe to toe with that guy (Lee) over there, then you�re an ace and he�s our ace and he�s proved it for a while now.�
Medlen (15-12) strengthened his case to be the Braves� Game 1 starter in the NL division series next week. After not allowing a hit for 5 2-3 innings, he gave up two hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. He will carry a streak of five straight winning decisions into the postseason.
�I had to get ready for the big stage,� Medlen said.
The Braves (95-65) remained tied with St. Louis, which beat Chicago 7-0, for the best record in the NL. The Braves won the regular-season series with the Cardinals and would win home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs if they finish with the same record.
Medlen said the win was especially meaningful because of his respect for Lee and his history of struggles against the Phillies. He was 3-2 with a 5.17 ERA in 17 career games, including six starts, against the Phillies.
Medlen said the Phillies �absolutely owned me.�
�They�re just a team I�ve had so much trouble against,� he said. �For me to have some success against them for even one game felt pretty awesome and I just want to take it to the playoffs.�
The Braves� rotation is arranged for Medlen to start Game 1, but manager Fredi Gonzalez is waiting to make his plans official.
Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth for his 50th save.
Johnson hit a 0-2 slider for the homer to left field. The homer, Johnson�s 12th, snapped a streak of 16 consecutive batters retired by Lee, who allowed only three hits with no walks and 13 strikeouts in eight innings.
�Cliff was outstanding,� Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. �Medlen was equally good.�
Lee (14-8) completed a strong September finish despite the loss. He was 3-2 in five starts in which he had 54 strikeouts with only one walk.
�It basically came down to one pitch: 0-2 to Chris Johnson,� Lee said. �I felt like I made a good pitch, slider down and in. I don�t normally throw sliders to right-handers; I might have done that three times all year. Maybe four or five at the most. But I threw him one earlier today that he pulled way foul and I was trying to bury that one down and in. It was down and in. I think it was a ball, even. He put a good swing on it, hit a home run and that�s the game.
�It�s frustrating but you�ve got to give credit to Medlen. He shut us down.�
Cesar Hernandez beat out a grounder to third base for an infield hit with two outs in the sixth, the first allowed by Medlen. Hernandez was thrown out by Evan Gattis trying to steal second base. Chase Utley, who had Philadelphia�s second hit on a seventh-inning single, was thrown out on a double-play grounder by Carlos Ruiz, leaving Medlen as having faced only one batter above the minimum.
Medlen walked Ruiz to lead off the second before Domonic Brown hit into a double play.
Lee struck out the side in the fourth and fifth innings as part of a stretch in which he retired 16 consecutive batters.
Reed Johnson, making his first start since July 25, made a running catch of Jimmy Rollins� liner in left field in the first inning. Johnson missed 38 days with left Achilles tendinitis and had appeared only as a pinch hitter since coming off the disabled list on Sept. 10.
Dan Uggla struck out looking with runners on first and third to end the second inning. Uggla also took called third strikes from Lee in the fifth and eighth innings, giving the slumping second baseman a franchise-record 170 strikeouts, breaking his own mark. He had 168 strikeouts in 523 at-bats in 2012. The fourth-inning strikeout came in his 445th at-bat.
Uggla, Justin Upton (158) and B.J. Upton (151) rank third through fifth in the National League in strikeouts.
NOTES: The game lasted 2 hours, 7 minutes. � Lee set his career high with 16 strikeouts in a 5-0 loss to the Braves on May 6, 2011. � Braves C Brian McCann, who left Thursday night�s game against the Phillies with an adductor strain, was held out and is not expected to start in the final two regular season games. Gonzalez said McCann is expected to be ready for the postseason. � Gonzalez said he hopes RHP Jordan Walden (shoulder) can throw an inning this weekend. Walden has not pitched since allowing four hits and three runs in one inning against Washington on Sept. 17. � Sandberg said RHP Ethan Martin �most likely� will start on Saturday against Braves LHP Mike Minor.


text: I am updating my script that automatically installs ISPConfig 3 on Debian 6. I am asking the user some questions, and I need those options to be saved so that I can use that to pick the correct installation procedure. I have it all setup, but I can't get it to find the correct options that I have given. Do you have any ideas? My script can be found here. https://github.com/dclardy64/ISPConfig-3-Debian-Installer/blob/master/install.sh


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FOX Sports Detroit is proud to provide exclusive live coverage of batting practice for both teams on select dates during the Detroit Tigers season. The special broadcasts will be available in high-definition on FOX Sports Detroit PLUS and will indulge viewers with a replicated experience of being at the ballpark.
"Fans normally don't see what the Tigers players go through on a daily basis before a game," said Greg Hammaren, senior vice president and general manager of FOX Sports Detroit. "Our show will bring the ballpark to fans with coverage of Tigers players batting practice routines and show the opponent's BP during the show."
FSD broadcasters John Keating and Craig Monroe will provide commentary on the show and answer questions on air from Twitter during BP using the #TigersBP hashtag.
Batting Practice Cam is scheduled to air on the following dates on FOX Sports Detroit PLUS starting at 4:30 p.m. EDT:
· Saturday, July 27, vs. Philadelphia Phillies
· Saturday, Aug. 3, vs. Chicago White Sox
Read more http://www.michronicleonline.com/index.php/sports/196-sports-original/13617-fox-sports-detroit-plus-to-carry-the-batting-cam-show


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(UPI) -- A man who hijacked a plane nearly 30 years ago and flew it to Cuba while he was a member of Black Panthers will be returning to the U.S. on Wednesday.
William Potts took control of a commercial plane that took off from New Jersey with 56 passengers and re-routed it from Florida to Cuba in 1984.
Potts thought the Cuban government would offer him guerrilla training but he was thrown in jail for 13 years for piracy instead. He settled in Havana after his release where he married and had two daughters, but now he's homesick for America.
He wants "closure" but knows that he will have to face the U.S. justice system.
"I'm ready for whatever. My position is, of course, I did the crime and I did the time, and the United States has to recognize that," Potts said. "Having completed my sentence, I feel like I want to put all that stuff behind me. I don't want that linger over or impeding anything I might want to do. Once you've paid your debt to society, you're entitled to a fresh start."
With the help of U.S. diplomats in Havana, Potts has arranged a charter flight to Miami. He is expecting to be picked up by U.S. authorities upon his arrival in Florida.
"What happens after that I couldn't tell you," he said. "Just as soon as I finish taking care of this business in the United States, I certainly have every intention of returning to Cuba to live."


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Bronco wrestling pick up two more team wins
RIGBY- They came, they saw, they conquered. The Blackfoot Broncos traveled north Wednesday night as they competed in a double duel with the Hillcrest Knights, and the Madison Bobcats. Not only did they compete, but they dominated as they swept the duel winning 69-15 against conference foe Hillcrest, and skinning the Bobcats 69-6.
A key match happened when junior Chase James stepped up to fill the spot of varsity grappler Tate Hansen. "I thought that was awesome, we asked our JV wrestler to step up,and once he believed he could do it, he came in with a beautiful double leg and took him right down to his back and got the pin," said Blackfoot head coach Thain Cashmore of James' performance. "It was good to get back to Idaho, and get our feet wet. I feel we did a lot of things great and some things we will work on."
With the sweep of the evening, Blackfoot now stands at a most impressive 9-1 in their first ten duels of the season and they will look to build on that record when they take to the mats at the High Country Conference duels at Bonneville High School on Friday and Saturday.
Blackfoot 69, Hillcrest 15
98- Hyatt Henderson (forfeit)
106- Lane Hunt (forfeit)
113- Kohl Bingham (forfeit)
120- Chase Wasia (forfeit)
126- Ky Webb (pin) Travis Robbins
132- Tate Hansen (7-1 dec) Kade Christensen
138- Brian Goodwin (pin) Zack Packer
145- Tucker Leavitt (pin) Wyatt Wilmot
152- Ruben Pulido (pin) Cade Williams
160- Conner Hendersen (forfeit)
170- Bryant Sargent (forfeit)
182- Shawn Walters (pin) Tanner Tallman
195- Jaxson Landon (9-6 dec) Austin Mathus
220- Michael Monroe (pin) Eric Twitchell
285- Jonathon Littlejohn (pin) Austin Peterson
Blackfoot 69, Madison 6
98- Hyatt Henderson (forfeit)
106- Lane Hunt (pin) Wyatt Pennell
113- Kohl Bingham (6-3 dec) Chad Green
120- Chase Wasia (15-2 dec) Parker Anderson
126- Travis Robbins (forfeit)
132- Chase James (pin) Wyatt Andrus
138- Brian Goodwin (forfeit)
145- Tucker Leavitt (15-0 major dec) Kyrel Andrus
152- Ruben Pulido (forfeit)
160- Conner Hendersen (9-1 dec) Keegan Sutton
170- Bryant Sargent (pin) Trevor Liebert
182- Shawn Walters (forfeit)


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Home These Blurbs Let us know The Measure Of Water That We Eat These-Blurbs-Let-us-know-The-Measure-Of-Water-That-We-Eat
Latest Post
Bullying, Crushes and Kinship, Zakir Khan's 'Kaksha Gyarvi' Will Take You...
Stand-up comic Zakir Khan is back with his most recent comedy series Kaksha Gyarvi.
29 Indian States And Their Dress Codes!
India is an diverse country with so many states and all of them have different cultures. Habits like food clothing language everything changes with the borders. There can be so many colors seen in our country when it comes to culture.


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One year after his arrest on charges of lewd acts with young students in the classroom, former teacher Mark Berndt remains in county jail, still awaiting trial.
LOS ANGELES — One year after his arrest on charges of lewd acts with young students in the classroom, former teacher Mark Berndt remains in county jail, awaiting trial, while the troubled Miramonte Elementary School where he taught works on emotional recovery.
"Slowly but surely we are healing,'' says Marta Contreras, the new principal at the school in a low-income community home to many Latino immigrants.
With details so shocking that the city schools chief temporarily removed all faculty and staff at the school last February,the case is a parent's nightmare. A teacher who for years had been trusted and welcomed into students' homes was accused of feeding semen to blindfolded children in bizarre games that he photographed.
The case has been a nightmare for the nation's second-largest school system, too.
The Los Angeles Unified School District faces legal claims from at least 189 students and parents. Nearly half of them, 92, have filed lawsuits individually or in groups.
In addition, a California State Auditor's review of the school district triggered by the Miramonte scandal found school officials were slow to act on many allegations of employee misconduct and often failed to notify the state teacher credentialing commission as required. The review found that at least 144 cases were submitted more than one year late, and 31 were more than three years late.
Los Angeles' school system has negotiated with lawyers for many of the Miramonte families. David Holmquist, general counsel for the school district, said the claims could cost the district millions of dollars, though insurance may cover part of the payouts.
"We believe we have insurance coverage ... should costs exceed $3 million,'' Holmquist said.
But several lawyers for Miramonte families have dropped out of the talks, which are overseen by a former state Supreme Court justice, or refused to enter them. They have accused the school district of failing to negotiate fairly, offer adequate settlements or release internal documents about allegations of abuse by employees.
"The mediation process was a sham. ... It was just a delay tactic on their part,'' says attorney Brian Claypool, who has sued on behalf of 12 children and 19 parents. Those suits allege that the school system allowed children to be victimized repeatedly despite complaints and red flags raised about Berndt over two decades.
Luis Carrillo, who represents another 23 students who have filed suit, said he dropped out of the talks after attorneys for the school district made offers to only two of the children.
"Miserable, insulting offers,'' Carrillo said. "They have been deceptive, dishonest with the kids.''
As the civil actions build, the criminal cases have languished.
Berndt, 61, was arrested Jan. 30, 2012, and charged with 23 counts of lewd acts with a child, the state's child molestation statute. He has pleaded not guilty and has been held since then in a high-security section of the county's Central Men's Jail, unable to meet the $23 million bail set for his release.
A second former teacher was charged as a result of investigations at Miramonte. Martin Springeris free on $300,000 bail as he faces three counts of child molestation for allegedly inappropriately touching a student.
After a series of courtroom continuances sought by his public defender, Berndt in December hired a private lawyer, Manny Medrano, a former federal prosecutor and television news reporter.
Medrano said he will ask the state court to reduce bail, arguing that the initial amount is punitive and far above that set in other high-profile crime cases here, such as Michael Jackson's $3 million bail before he was acquitted of child molestation charges in 2005.
Berndt was in Los Angeles Superior Court in mid-December for approval of the new counsel, appearing gray and gaunt in orange jail clothing. Medrano said Berndt will contest the charges.
"He's holding up as well as he can under the circumstances,'' Medrano said. "But when you're incarcerated in that sort of situation ... it's debilitating physically and emotionally.''
Berndt was removed from the classroom in early 2011, two months after investigators were given the first questionable photographs of Miramonte children in late 2010. Berndt initially contested his suspension but in July 2011 accepted a $40,000 settlement from the school district and agreed to retire.
Holmquist, the school general counsel, said Berndt remains eligible for retirement benefits even if convicted.
After his arrest, investigators said they had found hundreds of photos of children taken by Berndt, some with cockroaches on their faces, biting into cookies laced with a milky-white substance and being spoon-fed a similar liquid. Investigators said the substance appeared to be Berndt's semen.
Both teachers "were well loved'' in the community and often were invited by parents to the homes of students, said Pia Escudero, director of school mental health services for the district. Many of the families in the South Los Angeles community of Florence, speak only Spanish.
"Everybody in that school community was in shock,'' she said.
The school system has provided psychiatric counseling to students and employees, Escudero said. Most of the teachers and staff who were removed from the school by Superintendent John Deasy after the allegations became public returned to Miramonte in the fall, she said, and most students have returned, too.
One of the suing parents, Maria Garcia, said she has removed her daughter, 11, from Miramonte and is home-schooling her as the girl deals with the emotional trauma. Garcia, speaking in Spanish through a translator, said she is "very angry with the school'' and feels authorities tried to keep her in the dark about the allegations. Choking up as she spoke, Garcia said her daughter is now introverted and no longer the "very happy child'' of before.
Her daughter and other students are not being named because of their age.
Claypool, the attorney representing Garcia, said he plans to file an additional lawsuit seeking punitive damages against the school system, alleging the district concealed abuse "for many, many years.'' He said the auditor's report and other documents show the district had a policy of not documenting reports of child abuse in teacher personnel files.
"This has become a huge monster,'' Claypool said of the case. "This is not going away, because it is one of the worst instances of child abuse at a single school in our country.''
Although Berndt was suspended in early 2011, parents of his students were not informed of the investigation for almost a year, when Berndt was charged and the case became public. Garcia contends that school officials discouraged her questions and were "just trying to cover up.''
Martha Escutia, a lawyer who once represented the community in the state Senate, said some of the affected children have become angry as they come to understand what they were subjected to. She is representing more than two dozen alleged victims in suits and claims against the district, and she said all of them are in therapy, as are many of their parents, some of whom have worries over immigration status.
"They feel incredible guilt,'' she said of the parents. "These are very working-class immigrant parents. They're working two jobs a day. ... It's a very, very hard life. They feel marginalized because of the immigration system or just aren't aware how to manage the system."
"The one place they thought was a safe place is no longer safe.''


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Difference between revisions of "Talk:Bandelier National Monument"
Revision as of 11:47, 6 October 2011
As requested, here's a few quick comments about this article, with the caveat that I haven't read through the whole thing yet. That said, for a first article this is a tremendous job. You've got more than enough to give a visitor a sense of what the park is all about. Some possible suggestions might be to add information about nearby lodging under a "Lodging" sub-heading under "Sleep" - many people don't want to camp, so it's helpful to them to know how far away the nearest hotels are. Additionally, the wilderness camping section can be put under its own sub-heading of "Backcountry" (see the Wikitravel:Park template).
As to pictures (and other data), nps.gov is public domain unless otherwise noted, and they have a few pictures online. I didn't see anything there that blew me away, but I just kind of glanced through. The only other feedback I can see at this point is more of a subjective thing: I like to break up activities like "hiking", "photography", etc under their own headings (see Yosemite National Park), while others don't. My personal opinion is that it's nice to look at an article and know immediately what there is to do, but it's a matter of opinion. If you prefer paragraphs that's perfectly fine - I may sneak in one day when you're not looking and break things up, but I'll try to restrain myself ;)
Summary: great first article, and I hope to see more! -- Wrh2 01:42, 26 Aug 2005 (EDT)
A few updates today, based on this weekend's hiking there. None of the changes are terribly significant; the main thing is that backcountry camping is somewhat more restricted than I remembered it. This is an incredible fall for wildflowers! -- Bill-on-the-Hill 18:55, 18 Sep 2005 (EDT)
Okay, I changed the picture. I purposefully went and took one that looked like the one that was already there. I liked the fact that ruins could be seen as well as the Frey trail and the whole canyon wall. It gives the reader an idea of what ruins may look like, the kind of hiking that can be found and an impression of the majestic views it has to offer. I was mostly displeased with the quality of the image that was there before. It was very grainy, but not (at least to me) in a particularly good way. I have a less cropped version of the image that's up right now.
I'm not sure which is best. I'm not completely pleased with the shot in general either. I tried to get the Frey trail from the other side where it's visible, but half of the canyon was dark. I think it's unevitable around this time of year. Comments and suggestions welcome. If you're familiar with the area, feel free to suggest better or other shots. I'm there often and like to take pictures. :) Charles 01:33, 14 November 2006 (EST)
Reopened after Las Conchas wildfire
I have made a quick and sloppy update to the red warning box at the top of this article, noting that it is now partially open after the 2011 Las Conchas wildfire. The red box previously said it was fully closed. The update is not properly formatted nor properly referenced. It is a copy/paste from the official website in quote marks. I am brand new to wiki updating, so please accept my apologies. This was not meant as graffiti or nonsense. I was just trying to make the update quickly without taking hours to learn how to wiki-update. Please feel free to revise my update. The source of the quote is from the nps main page on Oct 6, 2011 - http://www.nps.gov/band/index.htm. 126.96.36.199 07:43, 6 October 2011 (EDT)


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Tzan wrote:I'm expecting a video of that soon.
The Shadowscythe wrote:Magic and penises bitches, magic and penises.
Tzan wrote:Baldur's Gate
Is about magic.
Secret of the magic crystal.
Is about ponies
Tzan wrote:
( I didnt even edit that )
The Shadowscythe wrote:No penises tonight, too fucked off.
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Another chapter has been written in Illinois' long, sordid history of political corruption.
Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., a Chicago Democrat, was charged Friday with one count of conspiracy. Federal prosecutors say Jackson conspired to convert $750,000 in campaign funds to his personal use.
Caught up in the scheme was Jackson's wife, Sandra, who was charged with one count of filing false joint federal income tax returns from 2006 to 2011. Prosecutors say Mrs. Jackson knowingly understated the couple's income.
The Jacksons agreed to plead guilty. Both face the possibility of prison time. Both have quit their elective positions – Jackson as an 18-year member of the House, and Mrs. Jackson as a Chicago alderwoman.
Thus, the once-promising political career of the son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson has come to an ignominious end.
Details of former Rep. Jackson's problems border on the bizarre. Prosecutors say he spent money on a $43,350 gold-plated Rolex men's watch and furs for his wife, but also on memorabilia from celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Bruce Lee, Jimi Hendrix, and the Rev. Martin Luther King.
Jackson's health problems – he's being treated for bipolar disorder and other issues – may have led him to make poor choices.
But Illinois' culture of political corruption likely played a role.
Illinois is a breeding ground for politicians who simply don't believe the rules apply to them.
Laws exist that ban the conversion of campaign money to personal use. Jackson knowingly disobeyed them.
He joins a rogues gallery of other disgraced Illinois political lawbreakers, including four ex-governors – Rod Blagojevich, George Ryan, Dan Walker and Otto Kerner – who also didn't think the rules applied to them.
When will it all end?
When will crooked politicians no longer plague our state?
When will Illinoisans no longer be a national laughingstock?
Clearly, stronger laws governing ethics and transparency are needed. Those reforms are up to the Legislature and Congress.
Just as important, the fear of certain prosecution when laws are broken must be spread far and wide among government officials.
Some politicians apparently still believe that, even if investigated and charged, they can bargain their way out of the serious consequences of political corruption.
With their investigation of the Jacksons, federal prosecutors have disproved that belief once again.
So, corruption-minded politicians have a choice. They can change their ways voluntarily, or they can do so involuntarily – behind bars.
If judges throw the book at enough crooked politicians, maybe more will play by the book, and the book can finally be closed on a shameful era.