CruisingGrandmaW

Hi Rich: Enjoying your Posts - tremendously. Question: Polynesian Ambassadors Are they truly French Polynesian (Tahiti Dance & Song) vs Hawaiian? On all the cruises I've been on -- they ended up being the same ole Hawaiian. Tahitian music, song, dance is so different than Hawaiian. Hope HAL made the change. Would be nice for a talk on how tourism changed the French Polynesian Islands & quality of life for the islanders. I remember the day when BoraBora only had 3 Resorts - all on the island - none on the outer islets. No cars - only scooters & the open air wooden public transportation buses. Native women wore only pareos & topless at the beaches. I miss the ole days!

Pete: One of the many things I enjoy following you ---- YOUR SMILE You remind me of my husband. Always a big smile to brighten one's day. Judy & I are 2 lucky wifes!

TY for taking time to post most nights & mornings. Really enjoying your adventures. Gives me something to look forward to as I both begin my day and end my evenings with. Wishing you continued Good times!

Because we live in San Diego, we've done the SD to Hawaii several times. Usually, by second day it will start to get warmer. And always by the 3rd day - weather has been nice. This is a Great Itinerary. You'll enjoy it!

Excited to follow your GWV 2023 adventures. Love your blog & pictures. Been following you for years. Have a Great Cruise!

@Scrapnana -- My DH was also given an epidural steroid injection - after NOTHING else helped. It was magical & took away his pain also. We are members of Kaiser - so unfortunately - it took almost 3 months of Kaiser wanting to try every other avenue before scheduling him for the epidural. Just FYI - if you want to discuss with your Primary an epidural ASAP in light of your GWV coming up so soon.

Hi Pete: You'll be off on your GWV soon. Thought I'd share what my Primary Dr (I live in San Diego) suggested as he's seen many sick cruise passengers over the years. Note: - My last cruise was fall of 2019. B2B total 79 days. Prior to 2019 - my DH & I would come down with Upper R Infection on cruises we took the prior 3 consecutive years. 2018 being the worse that took 6 weeks upon our return for me to get well. My Primary Dr suggested me purchasing a UV Air Filter from Sharper Image & a small Humidifier to run continuously in our cabin. Reason: Cross-Ventilation System in cabin We purchased these 2 items & had NO illness on our long 2019 cruise. There were many coughing/sick people on our cruise. But we were lucky & remained healthy. We will always cruise with these 2 items. They are both smaller size & take up about 1/2 of a small carry-on. I had also taken a small spray bottle of Alcohol to sanitize "touch" areas in cabin twice a day & some Saran Wrap to encase the TV remote (which I changed daily). Don't know if these last 2 items were an overkill - but we didn't want another "sick" cruise. I believe HAL ships some of your baggage prior to your cruise. If you are interested & want more info on the filter & humidifier I use - email me at: cjbootscoot @ gmail . com

I think it depends on where & for how long you are cruising. It's true that majority of cruises - passengers are going not as dressy anymore on gala nights. However, I find if you are doing a Grand World Voyage OR a Grand Voyage - that more of the passengers do dress up - some men even in Tuxedos - but a sports coat at least. Also if you're taking a Mediterranean Cruise - Europeans do still dress up for Gala/Dressy Night. But bottom-line is how YOU & Hubby will feel. Sounds like you're conscious of dress -- so I would say if doing a Grand Voyage or Mediterranean I would dress up.

Hello @scubacruiserx2 I just came across your many Cruise Reviews - my favorite your SA & Antartica back in 2018/2019. I've not seen any mention of you ever taking a cruise to the French Polynesian Islands. With your love of water & scuba diving I highly recommend you do that. While HAL offers cruises to this area it; they normally are NOT during the best season to go. Best time for French Polynesia is in July/August. Also Bora Bora is limiting the size of ships now that can visit this Port. While we love going there on the WindStar line - you may prefer a little larger ship such as the Paul Gauguin. I believe the "Paul" still sails year round in the French Polynesia. I would recommend trying to piggyback a stay with their annual Heiva Dance Contest on island of Tahiti - it should not be missed...which I believe takes place in July. We would often combine our Tahiti cruise with a land stay for a couple of weeks. Normally breaking up the weeks by staying in Moorea, then flight out to Bora Bora, followed by Rangirora for 3 nights. Last night was on island of Tahiti to catch a flight back to San Diego. There is nothing like the waters & Marine life of the French Polynesian islands. Please put this on your bucket list if you've not been. Be sure to do it while you're young enough!!!

Hi Bill & Mary Ann: Hope you are home by now. Thank you for your "Live" & your blog. Always enjoy following your cruises. Hope your Holidays are wonderful.......and you get some rest before your GWV 2023.

I heard on another HAL roll call (they're onboard) that HAL is now charging $18 per bottle of wine that you bring on ship. Don't know if they are accurate - but you might want to double check.

@The-Inside-Cabin Hi Pete & Judy. So excited that you're on the RCL Wonder. Pete does a wonderful blog. Am looking forward to your perception of RCL vs HAL. Have a great cruise you two.

@RPDinSLC I Live in San Diego also. Agree with @OneSixtyToOne We've always used Aladdin - yes a little more $$ but nice covered parking lot. The best in San Diego as far as I'm concerned. You won't go wrong with Alladin

ROFLOL 🤣🤣🤣

@Ipeeinthepools HAL only allows smoking on one side of the AFT Seaview Pool Deck. No smoking in cabins or on balconies. While they used have a smoking section in their Casinos - I don't know if they still do. I don't remember smelling smoke walking through the Casinos on my last HAL cruises of 2016 - 2019.

It was in her her Post #27 on Pg 2 that made me REALLY glad I don't cruise Seabourtn. Can't believe her comment - perhaps that's why her CC Name is CatLover54 as comment was really "catty". Makes me cringe that there are people like this in our World. This is what CatLover54 said amongst all the complaints about service etc. "I remember a SB voyage a few years ago Athens to Istanbul where a well-off looking Turk with his quiet black clad wife quietly sitting nearby, blasted a soccer game, in Turkish, during dinner at The Restaurant -- cheering along as needed. Even when I asked staff to say something to them, the staff just smiled uncomfortably and did squat."

I would vote for the HAL cruise you've booked. HAL will have Hawaiian Ambassadors on Board to give cultural talks, entertainment etc. HAL will have PORT talks - giving you history of each island you will visit and the sites you should see. HAL will take you to more islands to visit than just a 5 day stay in Hawaii When in Honolulu - HAL normally brings on a Dance Troup to entertain in their theater. I would research the islands on your HAL itinerary. Decide what you want to see. It is easy to rent a car on the islands - esp if you pre-book them. Then you're free to drive & see more than taking an excursion that may not have all the sites you want to see. Be sure to join a Cruise Critic Roll Call for the specific Cruise you'll be on. The site will give you alot of ideas & you can ask your questions. Many people on your Roll Call will have made many Hawaiin cruises before & will be happy to make suggestions. I like cruising - as I unpack once. Don't have to worry about finding a restaurant to eat at. So nice to come back to the ship & be pampered after a long day of sightseeing.

Possible solution to the long debated CC Wear a Tuxedo vs I want my Freedom of choice not to. The Tuxedo T-Shirt 🤣🤣

Hi All: @The-Inside-Cabin Interesting reading the complaints of passengers currently sailing on the Seabourn. I've also read complaints by passengers sailing on Celebrity, RCL, NCL etc. Puts our complaints/disappointments with HAL into perspective. Reading "Calm Down Dear"'s narrative - makes me REALLY glad I choose HAL.

Hi Bill & Mary: Love following you - both of you very positive people, well-traveled, who can go with the flow. Think there are many HAL cruisers following your "Live" - expressing their unhappiness with HAL I've included above, a link to passengers currently on Seabourn. (Hope link works for all) Funny they have alot of same complaings - warm not hot food...plus some new ones I've not heard before. Hearing the same things with Celebrity, RCL, etc etc. Sharing to us HAL loyalists can step back and realize service/food/etc is no longer what it used to be pre-pandemic Irregardless of cheaper HAL vs more expensive Seabourn.

Think there's an old Tradition that is not listed. Baked Alaska Parade - MDR Anyone remember the day when the Baked Alaska was aflame. The waiters would balance the plate of Flaming Baked Alaska as they Conga Line Danced thru the MDR. All the guests would twirl their dinner napkins in the air. Enjoyed it the first time I ever saw it - but once was enough.

I am following 4 of HAL cruises via Live CC and passenger's Blogs. Konningsdam doing the Hawaii Loop. Zuiderdam (I believe) doing the Tales of the Pacific, Westerdam (?) that started out of Australia heading to Hawaii via So Pacific loop, & the passengers currently Zandamm (?) on the Grand African Voyage. Some Passengers on all of these ships reporting that 1 x service is standard - BUT Cabin stewart asks if they want the 2x service. If yes automatic 2x service. I believe Towel Animals & pillow chocolates only on Gala nights being reported......a few are asking for pillow chocolates every night & they are receiving them via their request.

Hello All Everyone's input & opinions very interesting. While I no longer sail on Celebrity (very good line - did many cruises with Celebrity) I"m now the senior who switched over to HAL. On the cruises I've taken this year - there were still many foreign PORTS that required a negative Covid test; so many days prior to going ashore. HAL warned us pre-cruise that this could happen at anytime on the cruise. A Port not requiring Covid testing when we embarked - but then something changes & we must test. There seemed to be various reasons, in my speculation for this, from cruise to cruise. Length of cruise over 14 days - Upon embarkment - HAL was requiring that we all wear masks until Captain notified us that mask wearing was no longer necessary. They tested ALL passengers on I believe it was Day #3. If passenger Covid Cases were high - they quarantined those passengers & the rest of us had to Wear Masks until we got the "all clear" not needed anymore. (I'm guessing they were basing the "all clear" on the number of new Covid cases presenting themselves) On another cruise - the Day #3 Covid % was low so we were able to unmask on Day 4. But about 2 weeks later - something changed we had to re-mask. We were all re-tested for Covid We were about 4 days out from a Foreign Port - my guess the Ships #of Covid cases had to be reported to the Port prior to allowing passengers into that port. HAL was trying to keep the # of Covid cases low & be able to show the Port that we were all tested & the % of Covid low enough that the majority of passengers could get off at that Port. One of my good friends was on another HAL long cruise. (Again these are cruises of 35+ days) (some on B2B where they are tracking transit passengers differently & following procedures as if that passenger was newly boarding and/or the combined B2B totaled the 35+ Days) She said that there was a spread of Covid after consecutive Port Days on-board; well into half of the cruise. (She thought because passengers had caught it while in a port & brought it onto the ship) That the % of Covid cases disallowed any of the passengers to get off on the next Port they were traveling to. How true that was or if Passenger speculation - I don't know. So testing is going on & may be a "permanent" on longer cruises until they find a miracle Drug that prevents us from catching Covid even though fully vaccinated & boosted.

One more comment. There was a time when your sheets were changed EVERY day. Now it's normally every 3 days, unless you've spilled your morning coffee on bedsheets & ask cabin steward for a change of sheets.😂 Oh did I have a tizzy fit when the Cruise Line Industry cut back on my daily sheet changing. (Yes I'm the one with a fetish of wanting Crisp Fresh Sheets....& if there is a pea or crumb in my bed this Princess can feel it and hates it 🤣) Change & cutbacks throughout the long years of cruising has always been a disappointment, much expression of my disappointment - but I'm still cruising & enjoying it.

@The-Inside-Cabin Hi Pete - Thank you for starting this discussion. Thank GOD we're getting cooler weather here in San Diego! Very interesting to see everyone's comments & input. I am a passenger who wants 2x a day service ---- but I see that is not important to many on this thread. I've cruised over 100 Cruises in my lifetime. From Windstar, Crystal, RCL, Celebrity, HAL, Princess & once NCL & Carnival (when taking our teenage sons) They all offered a different cruising experience. I've been following other people currently sailing on other Cruise Lines from March of this year to current. While not on all cruise lines - there are alot of cruisers complaining about the same thing as all of us here on this Thread. So not happening just on HAL from what I'm seeing. Now that I'm in my 70's 🤐 OMG did I disclose my age!!!! HAL suits, overall, the cruising experience I want. At this time. With the number of cruises we like to take per year - HAL still offers a good base price for us & we enjoy their itineraries. I too was very upset about the having to ask for 2x a day service; and still am very concerned if it completely goes away. (But then I was also greatly disappointed when for safety reasons - Baked Alaska was no longer served with the Grand Flair into the MDR - on flame - balanced on the waiters' heads as they Conga Danced thru the MDR while we all twirled our napkins over our heads) 🤣 Would I want that today? Heck NO! 😂 Is it important anymore? Heck NO! 🤣 I can see why HAL is testing the waters with the cut back of 2x turndown service. There are many who could care less - once a day fine. I want 2x service because on sea days - we'll often come into our room for an afternoon nap & I don't want to have to straighten my bed so it will be nice & crisp at night. 😁 (Yes I'm that picky) I'm one of those who want fresh towels - I don't want to have to use the soiled towels from my morning shower, shower after a sweltering day on shore, then another shower before dinner after a swim on ship. It's not the turn down of bed that I want - it's fresh towels, more ice as I've normally used it all up by end of day, and crisp sheets. But realistic - how often does this happen everyday? 😗 My bottom-line wish would be this for a solution: As long as HAL offers a second "turndown" at a cost per day it is used & I'm still paying less than a Seabourn or Viking Cruise - I would accept that even if I wished it was different. (I get it - there are many fellow passengers on board who don't need 2x) Provided of course that all the other reasons I love HAL is still there. Of course - the 2x service for Free still being offered by request would be wonderful. Ok - not judgement of other's opinions. They are all valid. Just my own personal thought process. Pete - will I always comment about wanting the 2x on a HAL survey - YES. Happy Cruising All