dockman

Obviously there will be no Lahaina port calls for long long time and not even sure ships will dock at kahului for at least several months if that quickly....it will be a very very long time to return to some semblence of the beautiful island... Please consider a small donation to help maui people if you can. It is really really bad. The local tv stations kgmb khon and kitv all have online ways to donate that have been checked out as legit as no doubt some evil scammers will try and take advantage of the misery.

Just wonderful...what a shame that most of the new builds either have no prom deck or so narrow that hardly room for a stool much less a nice lounger chair....so sad that the bean counters have taken over to the point where such wonderful prom decks where people can leisurely spend time very close to the ocean and look at it up close without looking through some dirty plexiglass 15 levels above the water line.... not to mention how wonderful the decks are for walking and getting some exercise in an open air pleasant mostly shielded from the weather space rather than in some glass enclosed gym....i guess it is inevitable that more and more of these decks disappear as apparently they can make the space inside and fill them up with more shops selling a bunch of overpriced stuff....it has always amazed me how many people go on cruises and seem to barely ever go outside but would rather sit in big plazas or bars indoors...to each his own but for me being near the ocean outside for a few hours is a better experience than sitting inside at some bar that could just as well be in a mall in anytown usa....a cruise offers you a chance to sit and look at the ocean, the birds, the sound of the wind/waves etc that many people never get to experience...sad to me that the new builds are much more like floating shopping malls but i guess that is the new reality.. .maybe i am lucky to be old enough that i got to experience so many ships when at least one of the very top attractions was being near and observing the marvels that are the ocean...i have spent untold hours sitting in a nice deck chair, often with a book, but mostly just looking at the vast expanse of the ocean and trying to imagine what is going on beneath me as well as the sensation of trying to picture the thousands of ships and people and cargo that have sailed these seas over the centuries.... some of you will know what i mean by that sensation while i suppose others could not care less...i guess to many i am just an old guy who is against change....the old part is true but i do not at all mind change as long as it is for the better...i personally do not think turning the cruise experience into more of an indoor shopping bar hoping bingo casino experience is a good trend....to each his own i guess.

21 days in june...not a hint of engine problems....overall ship is in good shape and service was good for me....i spent a LOT of time by the outrigger pool at the back of the ship which was rarely crowded and had great views and overall peace and quiet...never ceases to amaze me how many people seem to spend so much time on an alaska cruise sitting inside in bars etc rather than outside looking at the scenery...but good for me that they do as it means less hassle for those who prefer the outside....the overall scenery while cruising alaska can be really special....just sit and try and imagine what is a few miles or a few hundred miles on the other side of the mountains where there are no roads, no people, just nature....i love it.

1. Full prom deck for walking on most HAL ships that you can also actually sit in a lounger and watch the sea.. 2. Overall a relatively quiet peaceful atmosphere rather than constant announcements etc 3. Good food in LIDO and elsewhere. 4. Good itineraries 5...and of course...the friendly smiling wait staff 6. Covered pool 7. Bring back proper libraries and decent lecturers and i am a happy camper.

Yep sounds about right. New elite perk: For small extra fee the stewards will clean your room. Don't laugh as lot of hotels are now trying it out that you pay extra for maid service.

About the only elite perk worth anything is free laundry so i hope the bean counters don't set their sights on cutting that out or decide to add some delivery charge....

so 45 drinks a day for 3 people and only 2 drink? that is a lot of drinks....

I figured that out long long ago but it may not be the same for everyone. As a solo i try my best to not take a table that seats 4 or more even when all the tables are full as I really prefer to eat alone. More often than not if i do sit at a table for 4 alone i end up having people join me...almost always they at least ask though i have had a few times when i come back to find my table with a book on it occupied by two or three others. I would never think of just plopping down at an obviously occupied table without even asking but it does indeed happen. The best answer i have found is to just flat out avoid peak hours by adjusting my eating times.

How does that work if you are travelling solo?

All of the cute waitresses in the LIDO who insist I try the chocolate cake or go for seconds because i am "on vacation" that result in me gaining too much weight...it is all their fault. But i forgive them as they really are charming.

go to one of the major online cruise sellers and you can often see which rooms are still open and available for sale....

For those on princess Alaska cruises Libby is a regular speaker....if you get the chance to hear and see her presentation I recommend it....she could teach a few of the professors how to do an interesting speech. https://alifeofdogs.com/libby-riddles-first-woman-to-win-the-iditarod/

I agree that "it takes more than knowledge of your subject to make an interesting speaker." I have been on many many cruises on Holland and Princess and I really don't get it as to who if anyone vets a lot of the speakers....yes many of them are professors of major universities and I have no doubt they are experts full of knowledge on their subjects....but over and over I has sat through some of these presentations and frankly these professors are a boring as watching paint dry...they have close to zero skill at making their subject interesting/exciting...many of them basically read from a script...often their visuals shown on the screen are simply awful. I assume they use some sort of service to provide these speakers. Over the years I have had several wonderful speakers who would pack the theatre with every lecture and often get standing ovations as they were not only knowledgeable but fantastic speakers that made their subject come alive. It used to be that speakers were given a free cruise (and maybe some amount of $$?) but had to provide their own air to ship. I do not know if this has all changed but for whatever reason the quality of speakers presentation skills IMO has gone way down over the last decade. Sad as there are no doubt many many talented experts who would be available especially on closer to home cruises. I wish HAL would at least require a video of the expert doing a lecture and somebody would vet his presentation and personality skills.

Not a fun way to fly or start a trip all stressed out over every small delay and detail. Not sure why no choice but I would sure try my best to change that schedule. A flight delay, a wait to get to a gate, a long line at immigration, a traffic delay or any problem at all getting transport to ship, etc etc...as stated pretty much no room for error. At minimum try and get a seat as near to front of plane as possible to get off quickly and hopefully no long line at immigration.

Prinsendam...can't remember year...somewhere in Med. Maasdam...first ever 35 day r/t boston voyage of the vikings..it was not sold out and they gave some nice discounts to fill it up....now i believe it is one of HAL most popular and likely expensive cruises on other HAL ships.

royal carib booze policy: Guests are not allowed to bring beer or hard liquor onboard for consumption or any other use. Alcoholic beverages (beer, seltzer, or hard liquor) seized on embarkation day will be returned at the end of the voyage provided that they are in the original sealed package. Security may inspect containers (water bottles, soda bottles, mouthwash, luggage, etc.) and will dispose of containers holding alcohol. Guests who violate any alcohol policies, (over consume, provide alcohol to people under the legal drinking age, demonstrate irresponsible behavior, or attempt to conceal alcoholic items at security and or luggage check points or any other time), may be disembarked or not allowed to board, at their own expense, in accordance with our Guest Conduct Policy. Guests who are under the permitted drinking age will not have alcohol returned to them. Please Note: All guests must comply with TSA guidelines for transporting liquids. On embarkation day, each guest of drinking age may bring one (1) sealed 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne. Boxed wine and other containers are prohibited. Guests who purchase alcohol bottles onboard, in a port-of-call, or bring more than the one permitted bottle on boarding day, will have their items safely stored by the ship. These bottles will be returned on the last day onboard for enjoyment once home. For consecutive sailings, guests of drinking age are allowed to bring one (1) 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne for each individual sailing. Additional bottles will be stored by the ship and delivered, one bottle at a time, to the stateroom on the first day of each new voyage. Guests bringing more than one bottle at the start of the first sailing should have documentation for any consecutive sailings available to share with

I don't think any of the mass market cruise lines let you bring on more than one bottle without paying fees...not saying that they catch everyone but i have seen wine /booze taken away from people on check in...some lines give it back the last night, some lines "destroy it" (or maybe it ends up in crew quarters?...beats pouring it down the drain.)....

3 weeks crown alaska....my complaint was that i liked the food,,,just about ALL of it... in the buffet tooooo much....and one of the cute waitresses INSISTED that i should try lots of deserts and go back for seconds... so i blame her for my weight gain ...obviously it was not MY fault

May 23 boarding of crown in yvr was the worst congestion i can remember and i have done a LOT of cruises out of yvr...the biggest hold up seemed to be the US immigration part which is now all machines. Not sure why or what slowed it all down but it was a LONG wait in line to get through all that which was to check u out of Canada and soon enter into usa i guess. Big deal but of course after the cruise when you reenter Canada no big deal at all. I did have elite boarding so got to skip that part which also looked like long lines.

I could be wrong but it sure seems that there are/were more ships in alaska this season than ever before? My guess is lot of decisions had to be made couple years ago during covid as to where best to place the ships considering various restrictions in europe/asia etc so they put them in alaska? Some of the best deals EVER right now especially for the ships that are a bit older and for non balcony rooms....i doubt we will see prices this low again for a long long time if ever...so if u have always wanted to do alaska and are on a budget now is the time to get off butt and book it.

That medical emergency delay while sad for the passenger really was quite pleasant as the ship just sat there on far side of lions gate bridge at anchor for couple of hours and the scenery was spectacular in the late afternoon....lots of people out on the decks enjoying the views. I did crown back to back may 23 and then again june 2....may 23 was lots of rain and fog most every day...jun 2 was not a drop of rain and great weather with lots of sunshine...luck of the draw.

I was on same cruise emerald deck 730 and my mattress was just fine

casinos love people who play for "fun" and go with "hunches" and still play even when casinos come up with 6/5 blackjack rather than follow basic strategy....those players have paid for some beautiful casinos as there millions upon millions of them....blackjack is all about math like all other casino games.

never see $6 table offer 3/2 blackjack...i do not play 6/5 blackjack and neither does any serious player that i am aware of...doesn't sound like a big deal but increases house edge substantially over 3/2

endless winning? i won't hold my breath for that.. .i do know that with 3/2 bj and perfect basic strategy i can cut the house down to around .5% which i can live with if it results in some free/reduced cruise offers..of course basic strategy does not preclude you from going on short streaks and get up or down several hundred...would be sweet to play enough to get cruise offers and also WIN at the tables...again...i know if u play long enough you will LOSE unless you can beat math which millions have tried and none have done (or you are a very good card counter which i think all the cruises use continuous shuffle machines so good luck counting)