OnTheJourney

Are there mini-bar / fridges in the (non-suite) rooms? Coffee makers? Been 4 years since we cruised with X so not sure anymore. We're in Aqua and I recall getting iced tea every day but I don't see that mentioned anymore.

Thanks...but someone mentioned that the classic package is canned Rain....

But, again, does the can have a way to close it, or is it like a soda can with a pull top?

So how is the "Rain" water packaged in the Classic Drinks Package. Are these flip top cans and thus not resealable once opened or is there a screw-on lid like a pastic bottle?

I think we'll opt for bringing along our own (empty) plastic bottles and filling them as needed.

Hear, hear! I agree totally....

I think Canada / NE is probably my favorite cruise. Have loved everyone we've done. Overnight in Quebec is awesome.

LOL...some crew member gets the job of holding them over the side during precipitation and filling 'em up....😆 So when you go on an excursion you also get a can of water instead of a bottle?

Unbelievable!! Looks like a tang that he pulled up there. Wonder if he brought along a knife and whatever else to gut it? Maybe a little hot plate too. OR...take it down to the MDR and ask if they'd cook it for him? Hey...it's the party cruise line..

lol....😆 DW and I are pretty much done with some of those parties. Never sailed with Cunard, but Celebrity does their "Captain's Club" events and so forth. One of the last times they boasted about how much food there'd be. We never even got a bite of anything. Wind up sitting there, maybe chatting with another couple, and then basically just waiting for the Captain and senior staff introductions, etc. It's ok, but have gotten to the point where I'd rather just be out walking on the deck. Like you said, pretty much a 'dull' event. Sit around there and smile, pretending to look interested. Before the thing opens, people start gathering in line like 45 minutes ahead of time, and then, as you finally get up close to the doors and they're ready to open, a whole bunch of already half-inebriated folks come charging out of the elevator and butt in line. Saddest thing, though, was one poor old guy that must have had dementia...kept asking his wife in front of us, "what are we doing here"? So she tells him something akin to 'waiting for the party to start'. And then he goes, in quite audible volume...."Awww, forget it!!!"

How very true. My condolences on the death of your friend. 😟

So am I! Thanks. It went on for 18 hours - through the overnight and into the next morning. Those Norwegian CHC pilots must have been exhausted afterwards. Can't imagine trying to hold the choppers steady - over the ship - taking off one or two people at a time, during those strong wind conditions. But then those guys are undoubtedly top drawer and trained for such conditions as mentioned here. http://www.chcheli.com/VikingSkyRescue I cannot be thankful enough for what they did, as well as the crew of the Sky. The final report on the incident is still forthcoming. Here is the initial report - quite interesting: https://www.dsb.no/globalassets/dokumenter/rapporter/assessment_of_the_viking_sky_incident.pdf

Not sure what you mean by "it's already over"? As in...too late to even use them? Barring some catastrophic accident or other situation, I'd think there's plenty of time to load boats with life jackets already on. (Can't envision crew telling people to have a vest with them but then be sure to put them on once you're in the boat!) I suspect it wouldn't be that fast a process anyway. When it came time to start evacuating the Viking Sky, we had our life vests on and stood in the stairwells for hours, slowly making our way up to the top deck for helicopter evac. Those who stayed on board needed to wear them the entire rest of the day and, I think anyway, even overnight till the emergency was pretty much declared over.

Good for you!!! I cringe when I see these guys on bikes wearing shorts, t-shirts, and no helmets.

Sure...and that's understandable in a way. How many people truly would remember exactly what to do in the event of an emergency airline landing? I see people reading on their phones / laptops, reading books, etc. while the emergency presentation is being given. Or...same thing on cruise ships..some may well be watching the muster video in their stateroom while already through their first two alcoholic beverages. How much info will be paid much attention to let alone retained?

Well said. I agree. Exactly...OR...they simply fail to check in at their station! That happened already on at least one of our cruises. Ship was delayed from departing because a few people didn't check in. So some sort of annoncement to that effect was made over the loudspeaker. That wasn't even an option for evacuating the Sky. Conditions were too bad.

We'll be on X in a few weeks - so see how it goes. The drill doesn't bother me so much as hearing the emergency signal. 4 years post-Sky event, DW and I can still be brought to tears everytime they do it. She can barely stand to listen to it.

Thanks for this....Viking does this as well. We were on the Enchantment and Adventure not too long ago. Can't recall if they did this or not. As I said earlier, I have a fairly unique (and sort of unfortunate) perspective on all this so probably best to keep my trap shut going forward 🤔 Maybe best that they DON'T get everyone out there all at once anymore cause when I see people goofing off and not paying attention while in those "cattle call" lines you refer to, I can hardly restrain myself. I saw a crew member who was conducting one of those drills actually take a guy's cell phone that was using it after being told not to! Man, he was tough, and no nonsense....but he got the point across. I assume he gave the phone back after the drill!!

TR...I have no problem whatsoever with your earlier post! Sorry if something appeared to convey otherwise. I'm more concerned about the cruise lines trying to make the drill as easy and convenient as possible since I'm just not sure that doing so has the same sort of impact as actually being out there AT the muster station. Otherwise, realistically, how many people - after viewing the drill either in one's stateroom or some other room on the ship - will actually even take the time to find out where their muster station is? During the Sky event, DW held it together much better than I did. I admittedly had no idea - at least initially - where to go or what to do in the anxiety of the moment, and that was after actually holding the lifevest and having to put it on during the drill - at least I recall it that way. Too many trips since to remember every detail, except for the day of the emergency.

A repetition of an earlier post...I get your point while totally disagreeing with it.

Bravo!! I was on the Viking Sky during the March 23, 2019 event. Everyone here who is downplaying the standard sort of muster drill simply doesn't "get it". Sorry to offend anyone but, unless you've been in some sort of emergency situation onboard a ship, you have no clue what it could be (and is) like. As I said earlier, I totally understand this...'let's get it over with asap" mode of thinking, but I don't view it the same way anymore. Most here probably would feel the same way.

Yours wasn't one of the names that seemed familiar but if you recall a discussion then I'm sure you're right. As I said, I shouldn't put my two cents in on these anymore. Doesn't change what the cruise lines do anyway. It's all good. Most people will likely never experience an evacuation during a cruise anyway.

Dakahuna.....can you enlighten me as to what humors you relative to my thoughts on muster drills? I was just trying to impress upon people to please take the drill seriously. I can guarantee that the possibility of an actual cruise emergency is a situation not to be taken lightly.

But doesn't that ultimately have more impact - having to actually go to one's muster station and stand there for a bit? Don't get me wrong, I never enjoyed it all that much either, and, up until my experience of March '19 I would have agreed - let's somehow simplify all this! But going through the real thing changed my way of thinking. In the anxiety of the moment - knowing you've got to abandon ship - many people are lucky if they even can think of what to do or where to go. Throw in to the equation never even having visited the muster station yet and it sure won't make the evacuation process go any easier. In my particular situation, seeing how to put on the lifevest in person turned out to not be all that critical being that the situation was so dire that we couldn't even launch the boats. But that was (hopefully) a very freak event.

I'm hesitant to even jump in on these threads but can hardly resist. I just have - and will probably always have - a problem with making these muster drills too easy and/or convenient ever since having gone through a real emergency and evacuation from a cruise ship. I'll never think of any muster drill in quite the same way again, let alone the general alarm signal that they play as part of the safety protocol. It goes right through me every time. I'm fairly certain I recognize a few names on this thread that have likely heard me talk about this issue before.