Another test for Charleston (seaport, not a seaport)?

Some cruise lines are updating their itineraries into 2010, and Celebrity just announced a half dozen 10- and 11-night sailings from Charleston SC on the "Mercury". These cruises will take place in Feb, Mar & Apr 2010. Not 2009, 2010. The good news, for people in the Southeast, is this is a way to get on a Caribbean cruise without having to drive or fly all the way to Florida. With gas prices sitting where they are, that's a bigger deal than in years past. The bad news is because you're having to start the cruise so far North, in the middle of winter, the first couple and last couple of days might be a bit nippy (or below freezing, truth be told), before you get into actual Caribbean sunbathing territory. So yes, there is a trade-off of sorts.

The other question mark is that people who have recently sailed from Charleston have been used to NCL's older ship "Norwegian Majesty". That ship at best can be termed economy-class, with a price tag to match. There may be some sticker-shock for the lower-end clients who have gotten used to cruising on the cheap from Charleston. Norwegian Majesty is being retired, so there won't be any competition for Mercury in Charleston either. Celebrity is a more premium product as well (by a few dozen miles), and these sailings are much longer than the standard 7-nighters they've been used to, so it's certainly reasonable to expect prices to be higher. Think about it - if they tore down a Motel 6 and built a Hyatt Regency on the same site, your odds of finding a $39-a-night rate pretty much just went down the outhouse trail, but by the same token you're getting a dramatically improved product for your family to enjoy.

HERE'S SOME GOOD NEWS: Mann Travels is blocking group space on all these Charleston sailings, so we will be guaranteed to have the lowest price available anywhere, including the internet! Then again, there is almost never a time our pricing isn't below what you find on the internet (always CALL US before booking anywhere, to see what our best price is). We recommend emailing or calling now to book these Celebrity sailings, since supply-and-demand will dictate a quick sell-out on all 6 cruises. Anyone thinking about waiting until later for a better deal or lower price, well, you're just going to be staying home. These particular sailings will be 100% sold out, many many months in advance. Particularly since Charleston is not now, nor ever scheduled to be an actual year-round seaport. You have to travel when there is a ship there, period!

Gallagher once described the opposite of PROgress as CONgress. True words from the watermelon king. As strange as our economic situation has become in the last week or so, it's even stranger to watch Congress posturing and ego-tripping for the cameras. These are the back-slappin' boys (and gals) who allowed us to climb into this dumpster in the first place, and I'd love to make 'em all walk the plank. In the spirit of Gallagher, we ought to take every incumbent member of Congress and vote against them in November, across the board on principle alone -- turn those INcumbents into OUTcumbents!

Speaking of animals, I happen to love animals. Doggies, kitties, horsies, elephanties, pretty much anything. Ask my parrot (who hates being called a parrotie, by the way). Having said that, I'm still a bit of a centrist on pretty much every aspect of life, and I think extremists are a bunch of idiots, regardless of what they're being extreme about. Extreme religion, extreme politics, extreme pet's rights, you name it. But this morning, a headline on CNN just about made me spill my rum all over the deck. PETA (which I believe stands for Pet Extremists Talking Absurdly) has made possibly the most insane statement in their history today. Whether you're "Fur" or "Against" PETA, they've never been known for subtlety, and today is no exception. They sent a formal letter to Jerry Greenfield and Benjamin Cohen, asking them to completely change the formula for their hugely-successful company. Even though generations have grown to love Mr. Greenfield and Mr. Cohen's product, PETA now thinks they have a better idea than a duo that has made hundreds of millions of dollars without them. These extremists probably liked "New Coke" when it came out a few years ago, too (which tasted kind of like a cross between Old Coke and Mrs. Butterworth's syrup, with some saccharin thrown in for aftertaste). Now they think these two well-established gentlemen, Mr. G and Mr. C, are on the wrong track and need PETA's guidance. Oh, I'm sorry - you are asking who in the name of Davey Jones's Locker are Jerry Greenfield and Benjamin Cohen anyway? Maybe this will help.

Cherry Garcia
Coffee Heath Bar Crunch
Chunky Monkey (no implied reference to Mariah Carey)
Phish Food

That's Riiiiiiiiight. We're talking about Ben & Jerry. The ice cream wizards themselves. You can't make this stuff up, folks....PETA has sent a letter to the 2 of them, imploring Mr. Greenfield and Mr. Cohen to remove cow's milk from their ice cream products, as cow's milk is dangerous to their clients' health according to PETA's sideways logic. Huh? And what pray tell is their idea for a proper recipe substitution, if not cow's milk? Are you ready for this? You're probably thinking what I was, soy milk. That would make sense, kind of, if in fact you could make ice cream at the proper consistency from bean juice. No, the PETANS are asking for human breast milk to replace cow's milk! Now, I'm all for the wonders of the human anatomy, but I'll be danged if I want to see a lineup of pregnant Moms-to-be outside the Ben & Jerry's factory every morning, waiting to get hooked up to machines because PETA thinks that brings a higher quality of life to mankind. Of course, Cap'n Bob has his own sideways logic, and it brings up some potentially interesting new flavors:

Baywatch Bosom-Buddies Butterfinger Bliss
Starbucks D-Cup O' Java
Twin Peaks Tangerine Tang
Dolly Parton's Summit Surprise

and my favorite would be a combination banana and chocolate chip mixture.....Yummy!

Lickety Split with Chocolate Nips

As the old saying goes, anything more than a spoonful is a waste.