Glenda, we did this same cruise March of 2005, and did feed the stingrays. That was the coolest thing about the whole cruise (our first). There is so much to see and do at each port, we dont feel as if we will be bored by the same route this year. Think we're gonna do a river rafting in Jamaica, maybe snuba in Grand Cayman. Eva, you will love the Conquest. The ship is beautiful, and the facilities are quite nice. Thats a big group you are traveling with. If it is your first cruise, then I recommend the stingray excursion on Grand Cayman as well. If you are interested, I can find the name of the private operator we used. Much nicer than booking through Carnival. There were only 10-12 of us on the excursion boat, had a wonderful crew who took time with each person individually. Have you been to cruisecritic.com yet? Good info there. Cruising is good for the soul. anette

They had a video camera, with us holding the stingray, the ray giving me a neck massage, underwater photos. They have come down for $40. Grand Cayman

Stingrays can have their barbs removed but it would be inhumane to do so in the wild. They never use their barbs unless in fear for their lives. Skates look very much like stingrays and are probably used sometimes, in tourist attractions. Manta rays are quite different and have become rare. They might be a part of a very large observation tank in aquariums. I lived for about 5 years just one little sand dune from the beach and soon became utterly charmed by the schools of stingrays that would come up to me when I sat in the shallows. They clearly liked being stroked and tickled. When I would stand up (slowly) to shuffle back to the shoreline, the whole mess of them would swim along while I walked. I'll never forget those years.

To expand one I listed into a story: It took four flights and effectively 24 hours to get to Madeira. We went to baggage claim and got my wife's bag, however my bag was not to be found. After a lengthy cab ride and checking in at the hotel, we needed to get out and stretch our legs. We first walked to the center on the main city, Funchal, and there found a gondola/cable car going up, out of the city to a suburb. At the top we found a hotel with scenic grounds with a small rustic stone hut. Inside the hut was a table with several wine glasses, a bottle of Madeira and a sign directing you to put 1 euro in box with a slot for a glass of Madeira. After the hassles and stresses of travel, sitting calmly, alone together, drinking a glass of Madeira was a singular perfect moment. After that we toured through a nearby botanical gardens and after a late lunch in the gardens we took a lengthy hike along a "lavada", which is a narrow trail alongside a small irrigation channel. It passed under a waterfall and went on quite a way, much further than we felt like walking. We turned around and hiked back to where we started, and found that the gondola/cable car had stopped running for the evening. A passing cab stopped for us, he was officially off duty, and was going home for the evening, but consented to drive us back to our hotel, giving us a running commentary on the history of Portugal and Madeira along the way. Then after a later dinner at a place the cab driver had recommended, we got back to our room and found that my bag had been found and delivered to our room. Lastly to top off the day we found out that a massive blizzard had gone through the Northeast states, and that if our tickets were one day later like those of another professor who was attending the same conference, we likely wouldn't have made the trip at all.