Kay S

Nobody waited. We got to the ship on time.

I don't cruise for the entertainment, so a substandard show won't bother me, I don't think. Have you been to the high tea?

I think I would be tempted to invite him down to steerage to see the system we have worked out for sharing the same roll of toilet paper. 😝

We were on an excursion in Ireland when a woman didn't return to the bus on time. Her husband was frantic. He found he stuck inside an elevator with doors that would not open. Security got her out. It was a long drive back to the pier (a couple of hours) but we did make it on time. She said she was yelling for help and beating on the doors for over 10 minutes.

Husband did the USS United States in 1965. That wasn't cruising. It was transportation to and from Europe. (He was in steerage, of course!)

I like Carnival myself, but my husband isn't sold. I can talk him into it once a year or so. I really like the deli. HAL is the current family favorite, however.

Hahahahaha! That was me. So this is the great sandal debate? 🤣

So has it been confirmed or not that this was a ship-sponsored excursion?

Thank goodness you keep stuff! Thanks!

The Music Walk originally included Lincoln Center. It wasn't just a "background music" lounge. The people who attended the performances (and it was always packed) were there to listen to the music, not chat. In fact, if anyone so much as whispered during a performance, he was met with dirty looks. With all the changes in the entertainment venues, I wonder if HAL will continue to promote the deck as the Music Walk.

I wondered if port-intensive cruises have more or fewer lectures?

How is the bridge on shorter cruises? No instructors? Social play? Only on seas days?

So what exactly is the great sandals debate? 😄

I'm confused about that, too. I don't know if OP will explain.

Well, my next cruise is European, so I will see. Any return of classical music would be welcome. I don't care what they call it.

Saw it once and walked out and I haven't been back.

Good news about the WiFi.

Everyone? 🙂

We have been gone from HAL for awhile but just booked a TA for next year. I was looking at the website and the entertainment pages where I saw a category called "Strings." I know Lincoln Center is gone (a huge bummer) but have they replaced it with some generic classical thing they are calling "Strings"?

I have loyalty benefits on three lines, and all of them have been cutting back on perks. As a marketing tool to attract new customers, these programs become useless when only the old-timers book a cruise. I am of the opinion that by cutting perks, the lines are actively trying to run off their older clientele.

I hadn't thought of it that way, but it makes logical sense.

Exactly. I may be in the minority about this, but the size of the bathroom is the last thing I worry about when choosing a cruise (or a ship.) I live in a 100 year old house with small bathrooms, and neither my husband nor I are especially large people, so I can make do with a small cruise bathroom where I won't be spending all my time anyway. Tastes vary.

Didn't we just have this conversation about Mexican food? 😄

I missed that before. Thanks! What a great link!

I will often order the vegetarian option in the dining room because it tends to be more "exotic" than the everyday same old same old. I'm a regular carnivore, but cruising is a time to experiment with food. Looking forward to the options on O. Anyone have pictures?