jimdee3636

@travelloverontario I think it was Frank Sinatra who said that, when your life is starting to wind down, you regret the things you DIDN'T do more than the things you did. Be brave and go. Jim

The "partial charter" problem extends even to high-price cruise lines. ("Full" charters are mostly irrelevant to the rest of us, because the charter group is taking over the whole ship). I follow the Silversea board (I've been on three of their cruises), and there have been major complaints about groups taking over a third to a half the ship. The biggest offenders are the "incentive" cruise rewards for, say, car salesmen and dealers who exceed their quota for the past year. Because Silversea is an alcohol-included line, most of these people will start drinking from the minute they get up in the morning to the minute they pass out at night, in the meantime taking over every eating and drinking venue with loud, obnoxious people who treat it as a Carnival cruise. Not pleasant for guests who are paying well over $1,000 pp/night for an "elevated" experience. As others have pointed out, the biggest problems, on any line, tend to be on Caribbean-based, 7-night cruises. I avoid them like the Plague. Jim

@secondtime This bothers me. As I pointed out previously on this thread, the law calls these kinds of contracts "contracts of adhesion," i.e., take it or leave it. I can live with such contracts if they're disclosed at the beginning---before you book the cruise. But for HAL to spring this on people shortly before the sail date, which is normally when you do the online check-in, is unconscionable and quite possibly illegal. Jim

I don't like the $2.00 deposit idea at all. What's to stop people with nothing else to do from making numerous "what the hell" bookings, e.g., booking nine or ten cruises for the same time period or destination and waiting until the final payment date to cancel all but one of them? Plenty of sailings will "artificially" sell out, forcing serious customers to either look elsewhere or wait until after the final payment date in hopes that something might open up. It just seems ill-conceived. Jim

@newbie202020 For whatever it's worth, I'm in a Club Balcony cabin on a June QA cruise (past the final payment date), and just yesterday got an upsell offer from Cunard, i.e., an invitation to bid on a PG or QG cabin. I declined to bid, but maybe you should have your travel agent inquire as to whether Cunard is entertaining upsell bids for your cruise. It's possible you may wind up spending less than if you were to cancel and re-book. Jim

@Tattycoram Like you, I'd love to see a H-L forum on this site, and like you I think it's absurd that Pullmantur still has a board (despite being defunct), and that Hebridean Islands Cruises has a board when no one has contributed to it in six months. But I'm afraid, for now at least, we're stuck with this. The good thing, I guess, is that there are English speakers who are interested in the H-L line. If we keep contributing to this "Other Cruise Lines" board maybe someday CC will reward us with a board of our own. Maybe. Jim

@kelliebiz Yes, you learned a good lesson. Tables of eight, even if you know the people already, are inherently problematical. You often can't hear what the people across the table are saying, so you either wind up shouting to them or ignoring them, being forced to speak only to those sitting next to you (who you may or may not enjoy speaking to). And most conversations involving multiple parties inevitably descend to the common denominator. When I cruise solo, If I speak to someone at a bar (or elsewhere on the ship) before dinner, and if I enjoy their conversation, I'll suggest we have dinner together---at a table for two. A two-person conversation (assuming the two people are compatible) are always more interesting than group conversations. You can truly get to know each other and discuss the topics that really interest you. Jim

@MyriamS It seems like you made some good choices. Be sure to let us know how it goes. Jim

@Bell Boy I like your description of Club dining. Although my wife and I enjoyed our late-seating dinners in the Britannia on the QM2 and QE, we opted for Club on our forthcoming QA cruise (Northern Europe and Scandinavia, June 30-July 14). Aside from the other Club benefits, we like the location of the Club dining room on QA---very close to the Chart Room---and what seems to be a bright, airy look to the room. Jim

@The-Inside-Cabin I've been checking out this thread on and off for over three months, and one thing that astounds me is, based on the many pictures of you and your friends, no one seems to have gained any weight since Day One. Most of you could pass for fitness instructors! I realize you all walk a lot but it seems that you don't deny yourselves anything in the food and drink department, either. How do you do it? Jim

I actually would be interested in seeing pictures of the resort you mentioned. Given the ever-increasing cost of cruising (especially for solos), a lot of people are looking seriously at non-cruise vacation options. Although there are obvious differences between cruise ships and all-inclusive resorts, there are also similarities. I'd love to know your impressions of the resort, and how it compares to a typical cruise in terms of ambiance, socializing, and cost-effectiveness. Jim

@rodndonna FYI: The Yacht Club on MSC ships has inside cabins, for considerably less than balconies. (I haven't sailed on MSC but I just checked out the YC pricing on a 7-night cruise out of Miami in November, and YC insides were $1,800 pp less than YC balconies, but with all of the YC perks). So maybe you can splurge while still keeping to a reasonable budget. Jim

@richwmn It's great that you're keeping the same cabin all the way to Montreal, but given all the free (and mostly favorable) publicity you're giving HAL, they ought to comp you the final segment! Jim

I'm a retired lawyer. Regarding the legality of the cruise line's standard contract with passengers, it's what's called a "contract of adhesion," which basically means a contract in which the terms are dictated entirely by one party (in this example, the cruise line), with no right to negotiate by the other party (the passenger). In other words, take it or leave it. Contracts of adhesion are not inherently unenforceable, but in a disputed case they're examined closely by the court, and a judge is not necessarily going to rubber-stamp it just because the passenger "agreed" to it. If a judge believes the contract---or the action taken by the cruise line---was "unconscionable" or "misleading, unfair, or deceptive," the contract can be voided, and monetary damages can be awarded to the passenger. As a practical matter, contract cases don't usually wind up in court unless a lot of money is at stake. But there are "class actions," where similarly-injured plaintiffs can band together, so there may be some hope for passengers financially injured by being involuntarily bumped. Jim

@IrieBajan54 I've never sailed with MSC, but that sounds like a fantastic deal! Jim

You'll never find a bigger martini drinker than me (extra dry Tanqueray, straight up, with a twist, please), but only as a pre-dinner drink. The idea of a martini at teatime is sickening. The flavors just don't harmonize; in fact, they clash horribly. Of course, this is only my opinion. But I'm right! Jim

@travelloverontario Good decision, but which cruise line and ship? I'm assuming it will be sometime this fall, which is when most Canada/ New England cruises take place. It should be nice. Jim

Rather than being "Esteemed Guests," a lot of us have become "Steamed" guests. And rightly so. Jim

@caviargal You've performed a public service by alerting us to Silversea's insulting behavior toward its customers. I used to like the line and I have a $500 future cruise credit with them, but I'm going to let them keep it and take my bookings elsewhere. Royal Caribbean may have "saved" SS, but they've degraded the SS brand in ways big and small. For me, this clinches my decision to go elsewhere. I hope you squeeze every bit of compensation you can from these idiots. You deserve it. Jim

They haven't gotten a lot of publicity, but Holland America's three newest and largest ships (Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam, and Rotterdam) each have twelve single occupancy OV cabins at the very front of Deck One, six on each side. They range from about 127 sq. ft to 170 sq. ft. They're located under the theater, but on HAL most stage performances are over by 10:00PM or so. They seem to be popular. A few weeks back I booked one for a four-night repositioning cruise (Vancouver to San Diego) in October of this year. When I booked, 11 of the 12 cabins were available. As of yesterday they were all sold out. I can't say that the pricing is always good, but I paid $394.00, plus port charges, for my four-night cruise---considerably less than if I had booked an inside cabin for one person. I'm four-star with HAL so I've sailed with them numerous times. They're not necessarily the right line for everyone, but for those who like a (usually) quieter cruise experience, with good food, excellent service, and modern ships, these OV cabins might be worth a look. Jim

@Celandine I can well understand your frustration in dealing with the "non-cruising world," i.e., people like your mother who can't really relate to your enthusiasm. Cruising is one of those things that you either "get" or you don't, and the people who get it really get it---from the very beginning. Recently, I told a friend---someone who travels extensively but never on a cruise ship---that I'm booked on a short solo HAL cruise in late October of this year. She was astounded that I booked a trip so far out! She tends to do everything spontaneously and had no clue that cruise ships often fill up well in advance, or that prices go up, or that you might want to book early to get the exact cabin you want, or simply that you might enjoy the anticipation building up. Here on this board you'll at least have people who get what you're saying, and who may have useful information and advice for you. With the exception of Princess, I haven't been on any of the lines you mentioned, and I'm not into mega-ships like RCI's Oasis, so there's not much I can tell you other than I think you'll have a great time on the Grand. I've been on three solo cruises with Princess and all have been great. I've also been to Alaska in May (on HAL), and I think that's the best time to go. I'm excited for you and I hope you'll remember to share your experiences with us after your cruises are over. Jim

I apologize for going slightly off-topic, but is Schiphol a nightmare even if you're only flying INTO the airport? We're taking a Rotterdam-to-Fort Lauderdale HAL transatlantic in 2025, so we'll be flying to AMS but not going through security lines. However, we'll still have to deal with customs, immigration, baggage claim, and God-knows-what else. Is Schiphol worse than any other big European airport in terms of arrival hassles? Thanks. Jim

When I hear "Jamaica and crime," I'm reminded of a law school classmate who wound up practicing law on St. Thomas, USVI. A big part of his practice has always involved representing accused drug dealers or drug smugglers, and many of his clients have been Jamaican. He used to fly to Jamaica to meet potential clients or witnesses, but not anymore. My friend is a pretty fearless guy in most respects (he was a Navy SEAL before law school and is proficient in firearms), but he came close to being killed on one trip in an ambush by a rival of one of his clients. Jamaica is the only place in the Caribbean he won't travel to. Obviously, my friend deals professionally with a pretty rough crowd, people that typical cruise passengers would not likely encounter. But his experiences would certainly give me pause about going there.

@travelloverontario You've clearly given a lot of thought to this, so I think whatever you decide on will work for you. The key thing for you is to build up your self-confidence. I can tell you that when I go somewhere alone, I don't feel intimidated, I don't feel the need to impress people, I don't feel the need to be anything other than myself and do what I feel like doing. Don't let the (perceived) judgments of other people control you. If they "get" you, fine. If not, it's their loss. You know who you are. Be confident and be strong. Jim

@travelloverontario Like you, I love to cruise, and also like you I'm married but understand the need for alone time. A solo cruise might work for you (I've greatly enjoyed the four I've taken), but keep in mind that cruising is not the only travel option. Maybe you could initially try a relatively short (three or four day) road trip to a destination far enough away to feel like a real change of scenery but close enough to be able to return home fairly quickly if something "bad" happens. If that goes well, you could consider booking a cruise for your next solo trip. No matter what you do, you need to attend to your own needs because if you don't take care of yourself you can't take care of anyone else---at least not for long. Caregiver burnout is real and it's serious. Good luck, and maybe you can let us know what you decide and how it turns out. I'd love to know. Jim