Mary229

You sure got around for a 24 hour ride. It is worth noting that a flight from Vancouver would have been no less than $200 and the ferry around $125. Cruising sounds like a better option😉

I haven’t tried today but I have noticed that if you click that new popup menu screen it doesn’t work. I always click behind it and the correct page shows up.

It can be used for anything that is listed on the shore excursions page.

I accept that and my point was more to the effort to use appearances to determine wealth. My original comment was more in response to the gentleman who works for a line and whose comments seem to indicate he uses “brand identity” and “new fashion” in efforts to determine level of service. That is ,imho, foolish and hopefully not in accordance with the wishes of management. I really have to believe the dress code we are discussing is at base “clean and neat”

You brought up the sailor bar initially not me

He took offense to my comparison with a private yacht. Your comment about a sailor bar swings to the other extreme. I have been in sailor bars and there is nothing in that experience that has gone forth in the rest of my life. I went, I watched, I took my go cup and I exited quietly and quickly

There are equal and extensive studies on the behavior of the wealthy, the rich and the comfortable. All people in the service industry should read those studies. It is a mistake to judge clients by what they wear.

The whole pretense of what you wear makes the person is absurd is my point. I can act perfectly reasonable or badly in whatever I wear and never for a minute misjudge clothing or behavior with the size of a person’s wealth.

I am not as critical as @Hlitner however I share his view is HAL would not be my choice for the Caribbean. Short, common voyages are not where they shine. Their long, exotic itineraries are their best product. I also agree that they have had some shortfalls in that arena recently. That said I don’t classify myself as a “cruiser”, I strictly see a cruise ship as some way to get from point a to point b, it is a value proposition. In the Caribbean there are many other lines and what you value should be your foremost consideration.

You guys are funny. Oceana as an “upscale” experience. That is funny. Jeff Bezos’ yacht is an upscale experience and he wears lots of tshirts, jeans and cowboy hats.

I like your gifts better than the duffel type bage we received on the Grand South America. Once unzipped all it is good for is hauling dirty linens to the laundry room😂

Part of the issue is where he lives and ease of returning home from certain locations. He could easily recoup the fine if the logistics are right, he could just as well leave in Mexico depending on his home location and comfort with travel . I can’t imagine staying 2 weeks at sea hating it every step of the way.

There is a little used entire casino section on CC. Many of these casino opinions belong there

If you try to purchase the transfer from the HAL website at “manage my cruise” it will state the cutoff time prior to payment

He also had a few Mexican ports to choose debarking. The long haul is through the canal and onto Fort Lauderdale.

People say that but I am not a fan. Gone are the sitting areas to cozy up with a good book. Row of books seem silly to me, I can browse on my iPad. Libraries are, historically, meeting areas, not simply rows of books.

Yes, they really should show all tiers.

I have gotten good and bad service at HAL regardless of the location of the personnel. There are many new agents working now. It may be a good time to find a travel agent for a consistent experience, at least until these new people are fully trained and more experienced. It is not costing you anything to work with an agent. It was predictable that once companies learned remote working works they would seek a lower wage environment to find employees. Many countries have been recreating an education system focusing on careers in remote work. They saw the opportunity.

I arrived at the airport on King’s day 2022 on a regional flight. It was a bit hectic since all of the Dutch were coming and going for holiday. Getting around once on the ground was fine.

Yeah, you won’t see a lot of that onboard HAL - just a lot of people who can afford to cruise year round. I guess we all know how to stretch our social security and long term health insurance benefits 😂

Some of us have been mellow since we hit adulthood and HAL suits us well. It is calm, unpretentious and never stuffy or overbearing. If you want to travel in a serene, pleasant environment it is great. It is even great for families who are trying to seek an enriching travel experience. It is not a party ship

I happily wear second hand or new clothing. On cruises I wear my most comfortable (comforting?) clothing. I only use thrift shops during travel to buy clothing for unexpectedly cool or warm weather and it is my first go-to if needed. My last stand for clothing is the garden not on travels. Perhaps this is really an issue of how long some of us tolerate clothing. I can’t imagine wearing my last stand clothes being used outside of the home and garden. Clothing I donate are clothes that “just didn’t work out” and I try to donate prior to cast off stage. all of that said I do ditch my tennis shoes on travels. I walk and hike a lot and require new athletic shoes often. My athletic shoe cast offs are usually in very good condition for street use. I usually leave them in a hotel bin that does not contain any other garbage. I assume the maids can decide if they are usable or not. It truly depends on where you are traveling. In some areas casts offs would be welcome in others not so much.

Generally the account for the room is combined so all expenditures and OBC are merged. You can change that to separated expenditures and separate OBC, I do this when I sail with a sister.

I was there too and didn’t notice a heat wave but after a summer in Texas everything north of hell feels pretty good 😊

I agree. So many people travel oblivious to the fact that they may need to make a snap decision to remove themselves from a bad situation. I guess my many years of wilderness hiking and underground recreational mining make me realize you are “on your own” always. Of all the evacuations I have had I have have watched adults in sheer panic. That panic was simply a lack of consideration and preparedness not skill or strength. a phone allows options - get one even if you only turn it on in an emergency situation. You can program your phone to only sound a call if it is from specific source such as the ship