dockman

i did 21 days alaska last year on the crown and can also say that overall it is a delightful well run ship with a very friendly and efficient crew

I used to escort full united charter flights to vegas....in my experience it was pretty rare for passengers to go home a winner. Lots of them talked a big game about how they won a big jackpot but when i would ask so how much more are you going home with the answer was usually a sheepish...oh i lost it all back ++more on blackjack etc...the number one rule of casino is if you play long enough you will lose....it's simple math....they don't build all those beautiful casinos because they lose $$. To add to the odds being against all players is the fact that the vast majoirty of players don't even follow basic strategy of play. Many are pitifully ignorant of the basic odds and smart play. I think it is a safe bet that the vast majority of people who get a "free" cabin end up finding out that is was far from free....some enjoy the "gaming" (sounds better than gambling) for the few who might win...good for you....but as said play long enough and you will lose. About 13.5% of gamblers go home from a casino having made any money. This statistic comes from a study of 4,222 gamblers, and only 7 of them won more than $150. Conversely, 217 of them lost over $5000 at casino games. Also, note that those who play more often have lower chances of winning.Nov 13, 2023

cruisedeckplans.com has lot of pics of various views and rooms

If it is only a 7 day cruise and you have a lot of port time filled with shore excursions I frankly doubt if the kids will have time to be bored. I would go with the idea that the cruise should be one that is most likely to be liked by the adults. Kids it seems will be worn out tired after all the port visits and HAL does have enough kid activities to keep them busy. I also think it may be a good learning experience for the kids to be in an environment more centered around the adults and learning to behave and be exposed to a bit more classy situation than rock climbing walls, waterslides, go cart tracks, etc. My two cents worth which may be worth two cents or nothing.

There are different types of cruisers. Some see it as a once in a lifetime experience and will splurge big time. Others see it as several cruises a year and decide they would rather do a couple of cruises a year and the no splurge keeps multiple cruises within their budgets. Are these people denying themselves or are they in their way splurging? Some don't care as they are wealthy and the splurge is peanuts to them. I happen to be among the group that prefers to go on multiple cruises and budget accordingly. Nothing wrong with either decision

Don't like the game then don't play it. Don't like a library then don't go there. So HAL should do away with anything that generates zero? OK....no more shows, more upcharges in buffet, no more free tenders, no more turn down service, no more this and that. Once upon a time a big selling feature of a cruise was that the fare included most everything and a wide variety of services, food, entertainment, nice prom decks, libraries etc. designed to appeal to a variety of tastes and budgets. Leave it to the bean counters and what is happening is more and more former included venues, events, services etc are being replaced with revenue generators.

I have never particulary cared for Heinken but if they were still a quarter i would hold my nose and drink it. Back years ago I think that they had some kind of deal with HAL to feature it but now it is just another beer.

once upon a time they featured heineken specials as being a proud dutch heritage....now just another beer

Does anyone remember long long ago when holland served heineken beer and if i recall about 1971 they were 25 cents a beer?

I am so happy that many cruisers gravitate to the bigger more glitzy newer ships. Hopefully means less demand and better deals on the smaller and older ships for me.

Don't need to "reread"....all i said was customers should be notified at time of booking so they can decide then if acceptable or not and only when given prior knowledge can they vote with their wallet. Hard to vote with your wallet if you are not made aware of changes prior to giving them your money. Never said anything re compensation. Prior notice is/was the point of my post and if prior notice was given then no reason to try to enlist customers to complain as you simply do not buy the product being offered.

If you checked into a hotel and then found that a large group had blocked the pool and gym for their private use during your stay seems that at minimum you should be advised at time of booking that certain facilities would not be available so you can cancel or book elsewhere it you want. Did HAL advise at time of booking about crows nest being closed? If not, then they need to do better as not fair to buy a "six pack of beer" then get home to find two beers missing.

way too much drama all around for my taste.....travel can be stressful even when all is perfectly clear and in order.....seems a lot of extra stress to finance a cruise...guess i am old fashioned that i simply would not book a cruise if i had to finance it.

understood...BUT...lots of people say similar until a problem pops up related to a cancellation or various changes or who knows what and then many expect the agent to solve the problem as once the agent is the booking of record the cruise line is supposed to refer all inquiries back to the agent....however i am sure if you shop around enough you are likely to find an "agent" who will agree to your rebate...most of those agents will also go out of business over time.

If you want fast full service you should not likely expect to have the agent rebate 2/3 or more of their commission. A client that does not take most of the agents pay is likely to be a higher priority for the agent than a cheap charlie.