That's what I've been on, part of the coast of Alaska. It was terrific! Highly recommend. [Not the ferry, the other one. The ferry cruise was very very different and not a normal thing - still an enjoyable experience but just not in the same ballpark or league or whatever] I've wanted to do a Mississippi river cruise for forever, ideally on a paddlewheel boat. Or, you know, raft because I am impractically romantic like that. As a child in Baton Rouge I saw a play put on by a theater troupe that reportedly was traveling down the river by raft between shows and that made quite an impression.

I've been invited to a "house party with ecstatic dancing."

I am *fascinated*, and you have to give us a full report.

Avoid the serpents.

Is the ecstatic dancing required? That *is* intriguing.

I believe that ecstatic dancing can't really share space with other activities. In the before times, there was a weekly aession at the local theatre. My impression was that it was a lot of close proximity to sweaty bodies. Since we have an over-abundance of hippies, the bodies in question tended to have an un-viking-like relationship to regular hygiene and bathing.

I guess I'm wondering if it is ok to wedge yourself into a corner and not dance if you don't feel moved to

Yeah, I really like to dance, but *ecstatic* dancing? That might be a lot to ask if you're not in the right brainspace.

This made me chuckle. I haven't come across this many examples before.

"I before e," (except when your foreign neighbor Keith received eight counterfeit beige sleighs from feisty caffeinated weightlifters). Weird, right?

I've been a quite a few cruises. Almost all of them working on designing shows and things like that, but still I think around 60 of them total. Mostly all around the Caribbean, but also an Atlantic Crossing, the Mediterranean Sea, Alaska, and the Mexican Riviera. I enjoy them. It's basically a giant floating luxury resort and you wake up in a new city each day. You really only have enough time in each port to get a sampler sized taste of it though. I think that's the biggest drawback. I find cruises are especially nice when you are going with a group of friends since there's lot of ways you can get together, but also do things that suit each individual.

Timelies all!

I’ve been on two cruises in my life. One with my parents when I was in college.(basic Caribbean cruise) The other was a few years ago with Gary and Mr. S, in the western Caribbean.