I still love to start my day sitting on a balcony in mid-ocean with a pot of coffee, fresh fruit and yogurt watching the flying fish greet the morning sun. I still anticipate exploring a new ship, meeting the staff, sampling the cuisine and making new friends.

I never tire of visiting new ports of call, trying new restaurants and revisiting ports that I have been to many times before.I recently swam with the sting-rays in Grand Cayman for the fourth time. They behaved like big puppies swimming over each other trying to get the squid from my hand their version of doggie biscuits.

I remember how scared I was on my first shore excursion to Sting-Ray City several years ago. All I kept picturing was being attacked and skewered by an aggressive "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" creature. Fortunately, the excursion boat skipper explained these wonderful creatures had gotten a bad rap over the years because people had inadvertently stepped on rays as they rested on the bottom. His advice was simply to shuffle along the bottom when not swimming to avoid catching a ray off guard.

These creatures are not aggressive at all. In fact they will eat right out of your hand. My point is we all need to put things into perspective. The world has become a smaller place and a cruise remains a very safe way to experience it.

Is it safe to fly? The fear factor is up in light of the events of 9/11, but I don't think it is any less safe. Yes, airport security must be overhauled and improved. The truth of the matter is most people just don't like to fly, even though the odds are still in favor of your flight arriving safely.

In a recent television interview, a father explained he felt more secure putting his wife and three small children in the family car for the 1500-mile drive for the holidays, rather than flying as they normally did. Sadly, the fact is 50,000 Americans are killed every year on the road. If 50,000 people were killed in planes every year, with or without terrorists, there would be no airlines.

What hasn't changed is cruising continues to offer the highest satisfaction level of any inclusive holiday. It still offers the best vacation value and there are incredible "come back and sail" specials being offered by most cruise lines that you can still take advantage of. Several cruise lines are adding new departure cities like Mobile, Baltimore and Galveston to make it easier to use surface transportation to get to the "ship of your dreams," should you not quite be ready to board a plane in order to board a ship.

Over the last few weeks I have flown to meet ships in Los Angeles, Singapore, and Ft Lauderdale. The flights were ok and on time, but the cruises were fantastic! Whether you fly or drive, I encourage you not to give up the joys of dining at sea.

Bon Voyage and Bon Appetite,

Arnold Boris, The CruiseGourmet