In addition, let me say.
I know it was nerve racking not knowing whether you'd make the cruise, but at least you did. At least you are here, and able to talk about it. At least your family is not logging onto this site, to discuss how they lost their family member(s), over Christmas, because a Continental captain decided to takeoff, with ice/frost on the wings.
As per some of you mentioning past accidents. A more recent one (1992), was the crash of a USAir 737, at New York's LaGuardia airport.
"On March 22, 1992, USAir Flight 405 bound for Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland, Ohio, crashed on takeoff at LaGuardia due to icing on its wings. Of 51 people aboard, 27 were killed."
As per why the Continental captain didn't go taxi into the sun, and allow the ice to melt, and takeoff, as some other airplane did. Well, in the above accident, of the USAir flight, they had actually been deiced, using equipment, which sprays deicing fluid on the wings, etc. During an extended taxi, to takeoff, ice reformed, on the wings, resulting in the crash. For some pilots, waiting for the sun to fully come up, and the temperature to rise a bit, is what they feel more comfortable doing, rather than risk reformation of ice, while taxiing to takeoff, or taking off.
Personally, although you may not see it this way, I would commend Continental for taking safety first, whether you realize how dangerous ice/frost is, or not. Trust me, it isn't anything to play around with, not when you will have hundreds of lives on the airplane.
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