Woofbite

16 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

The NEXUS pass gives pre-screened travelers expedited processing when crossing a Canadian or US border.  You may know it as Global Entry, which is included as part of the program.

I think NEXUS costs $50 for U.S. citizens. 

16 hours ago, Tyler414 said:

 passengers wanting to depart the ship can now head to the gangway for departure.  The same announcement will happen when docked.  On Celebrity E-class ships, the digital floor selectors in the elevator (lift) have a dedicated button for the gangway.

I say just call it a gangplank and be done with it!

19 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

  In every situation that I can recall, the trip guide would go to the hospital and make continual check-ins until either they were released, a family member could show up (if that serious) or another representative from our company or from a trusted local associate company could be there to continually check on them 

In this case the ship's agent must have delivered the passport to the lady in the hospital and I'm pretty sure he would help contact her relatives  and assure that she was well taken care of.

3 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

So, based on this, you know all of the details of exactly what happened while they were out on their shore excursion, you know exactly why it was late, and you know exactly why they couldn’t make it back to the ship. How nice of you to make blanket condemnation of people that do non-cruise line sponsored shore excursions. 

Sorry, don't know the details and don't really need to know.  I do know that anyone taking an independent tour has to realize that things can always go wrong and they may have to plan for the unexpected.  Traffic accidents being the most common.  Judgment matters in life.  Travelers should be expected to use some.

1 hour ago, dmwnc1959 said:

People do this all the time. Quite literally, all the time. On tons of different itineraries all over the world. People have even died doing non-cruise sponsored excursions.
 

Maybe instead of abandoning his passengers, the captain and the cruise line could’ve fined the passengers, or removed them at the next board of call, or done something other than leaving them behind on an island to then be forced to transit 7 more mid-African countries to catch up with a ship.
 

There absolutely has to be circumstances where the cruise line has to put the safety of those passengers first, regardless. Oh, wait, they had the shareholders to think of. 

Sorry, but I disagree.  You can't cure stupid and adults who can't keep track of time and circumstances probably should just stay sequestered at home and avoid venturing out into the real world.

Ah, but you miss the fun of cracking open the leg and extracting the succulent meat - before throwing away half a pound or more of very expensive shell!🤑

We bought King Crab at Tracy's in Juneau a couple of years ago after the King crab season closed and they charged $75 a leg. Now it is $75 a pound.

10 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Toronto would have won that question also.

Maybe so but almost everything I've seen on Netflix was filmed around Vancouver or New Mexico - which is frequently thought to be a foreign country.

I traveled with a lady who was lactose intolerant and the executive chef met with her each evening to go over the next night's menu. There were usually three or more changes from the one sent from HDQ because he explained he had to balance shipboard supplies.  If passenger demand depleted a certain item, he substituted dishes where he had a surplus of another one.  I think every single lunch and dinner meal on our 46 day African trip had carrots!  I'm surprised there weren't carrot pancakes in the mornings.

8 hours ago, jlawrence01 said:

One of the strengths of the Holland America baked products is that nearly all of it from basic hamburger buns and breads to cakes are made on board.  I think that the only thing that I have seen that is purchased are some gluten free products.

I don't understand why they serve the same boring two or three breads in the MDR each cruise.  At least specialty restaurants get a few different choices.

All I remember getting lately has been a card good for a free drink.

I think their ships usually have an Indian menu available on request for something different.

And I'm betting everything above a baloney, bologna, polony sandwich will be ala carte pricing.

Oops!  2026.

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

 

What is the benefit of quoting  "per person per day" cost including flights? The cost will be impacted by the cruise length (10 days would be significantly more expensive than say 30 days),

 

 Not necessarily. Just got a quote for the 2025 world cruise single, (in a double cabin - all singles already gone), for $109,000.00 with a big discount and air credit.

Not a good value in my book.

We used to use a Big Box company with great sounding discounts and store credit, (paid at the end of the year), but discovered a regular cruise TA that offered lower rates,  more perks and a rebate as soon as the trip ended so we switched. It pays to ask fellow cruisers while on board or quiz local friends who cruise a lot.  They often know great discount TAs. Don't be surprised if they receive a kickback if you follow their recommendation.

19 minutes ago, Navybikermom said:

Boy, I’m glad I ordered hors d’oeuvres and chocolate-covered strawberries on my next cruise to be in my stateroom on embarkation day. 

Which they doubled in price not long ago.

Are you aware they can open those dividers between cabins so you can share two balconies with groups traveling together? Friends and I always ask that they be opened.

When booking you can also choose connecting cabins same as in hotels.

Do they offer them to guarantee people?  I frequently book guarantees and as a 4 star Mariner have never had an upsale offer.

We were on their inaugural trip of the Countess and were really impressed with the ship, not so much the disorganized service in the dining room but that slowly improved with experience.

And they also used to have a cute "washy, washy" girl when you entered the dining room.

We've sailed on her a couple of times and I always feel like we are dining inside a whale in the MDR.

How do they determine who gets an upsale offer? 

We're 4 star and have never received one.

On 2/25/2024 at 7:50 PM, ak1004 said:

 

If I can book SB for $400-500, I just cannot justify paying $600-700 for Crystal. Crystal fans will claim otherwise of course, but to me it's all about itinerary and price. 

I think that is the A & K influence. I did a tour with them to Antarctica years ago and their on-board naturalists were a step above average but the rest of the trip was excellent but similar to other high end companies.

On a trip to the Galápagos Islands we had an A & K tour group on board our ship and they paid about $2,000 more per person than we did for identical service and tour guides.  Not good value in my opinion.

On 2/25/2024 at 4:18 PM, Queen of DaNile said:

Very true. We did see lots more during time there. Just trying to show Elephant Island since that was mentioned. Usually the seas are too rough and haze too thick to to even see it 

True.

We've tried to see it three times and all have ended up being at a distance and looking through fog and rain.