AncientWanderer

Heartfelt condolences to you and your family, Terry @smitty34877. I'm glad Lou was at home with loved ones. Maxine

I can't think of a nicer way to recuperate and heal than what you have planned, Roy. I hope you get the steam up to send that bag off. 😊

Sad news indeed about Lou, @smitty34877Terry. Prayers and loving thoughts are with you, Lou, and all of your family. I'm so glad you and Lou have a lot of kind family support there. Maxine

Another thing to try is logging in on a phone. I really wanted to get an excursion booked that can only accommodate a small group. I knew excursions were available, having been able to periodically log in and see them. No luck on Mac or iPad -- just white screen there. Finally logged into the HAL website on my Iphone and was able to book my excursion. I suppose calling would be another option. I hope the website gets sorted out soon.

Good morning. San Pedro is a comfortable port, with good facilities. Sometimes we drive from San Diego to San Pedro for short cruises (one week) on Princess or Celebrity. Parking is easy there for the shorter cruises. Makes for a nice change. Congratulations on 5 star! I have noticed this, too. The problem with moving the posts is that not enough HAL passengers will answer the question, if it's somewhere else. Seems like most are looking for information on how HAL handles various situations. Oh well... Thinking about those on the east coast, with another big hurricane. Stay safe everyone! DGD is back in school already, so things are quieter in our neighborhood. We had a fun Harry Potter themed dinner here to celebrate -- with our very own sorting ceremony. It was a lot of fun and DGD loved it. Even though she's too young to read the books or see the movies. Wishing everyone a pleasant day. Prayers are with those having difficulties.

Gosh those end-of-life visits are hard, Sharon. Kind of like being in an alternate universe for the time. But so glad your mom got to see her sister. Seems like it makes a big difference for everyone to have that last precious time. Thinking of you. Maxine

The stagnant sewer toilet isn't acceptable. And nobody should expect a passenger to be a skilled communicator or negotiator to get that point across and either be moved or refunded their trip. Even timid people shouldn't have to tolerate a situation like this.

Good morning. I'm glad to see that other Dailyites fared well with Storm Hilary. We did, too. Just a lot of rain for us. I've been in close touch with our nephew in Rancho Mirage. He is still sheltering in place, as the desert communities had a lot of flooding -- roads in and out are closed. Flash floods are a known problem in those communities, so hopefully they will get things taken care of quickly. Prayers that the rain goes where it is needed. The destination of the day, Catalina, is also in the news, having been evacuated. It's a great port stop. We used to go there as kids and when I returned via cruise ship, I was very impressed by how lovely it is now, with nice walkways and park areas and inviting restaurants. It's a unique place. Wishing everyone a good Monday -- and pleasant week ahead. ❤️

That is so true, Lenda about the tropical storms. And our area is not built for that kind of water. There are parts of San Diego that flood during regular heavy rain storms. As do the freeways in a very heavy downpour. Also lots of trees with shallow root systems, because we just have never had to worry about tropical storms. I'm praying this storm cools down considerably before it reaches us. We shall see..

Thank you for thinking of us, Lenda. We are prepared here at home in San Diego as best we can be. We are inland and on high ground, so should be fine. I'm worried about our neighbors in Tijuana who are also in direct path of the coming tropical storm. They have a lot of homes on hills that are very susceptible to mudslides. Thinking of all our Dailyites. It's been quite a summer for many of us. I'll report back about our situation when I can. ❤️

I love boarding a HAL ship! Heart skips a beat.

Tampa Girl, it does say there in OP's photo that they were complimentary. We received some like the OP's. I think what you're thinking of is they sold "puffy" fabric ones with the vintage photos, which were a bit sturdier. I ordered some of those and used them on hand luggage for a long time. I also wish HAL would bring them back. Edit to add they may have sold them as well as given some to Mariners.

We are staying at Nanea.

Instant visual migraine this morning when I read the news. It's tragic on so many levels. Do you still have your time at Nanea, Joy? You mentioned thinking of selling it. We are scheduled to visit there in September. After discussing it, we decided that if flights are going, we will keep our reservation. It will be very strange to be there, but we do want to support the economy. So many people have happy Maui memories. All those people losing homes and businesses. Just awful.

We used Lifeline for a long time for my mother, Roy. They were very good. I was notified immediately of any mishaps -- which did happen pretty frequently. Mother took a lot of tumbles and they quickly called emergency services to help her get up and then notified me right away. Also, my mom didn't use any modern devices -- no cell phone, computer, nothing. But she found the Lifeline system to be very easy to use. We did initially set it up for her.

Do you have something like this Mueller back support, Vanessa? I wear it whenever doing heavy work or if I have a long day in the kitchen. It’s good as a preventative, but also helps if bulging disks are acting up. I’ve been known to sleep with it on. Your problem might be something quite different, but thought I’d mention it. https://www.amazon.com/Mueller-Adjustable-Back-Brace-Black/dp/B001OAXE0S/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=336M6MYBQ606O&keywords=mueller+back+brace&qid=1691013872&sprefix=mueller%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-3

A "new look" appeared on the website recently, with bookings opening to shore excursions and quite a few other changes. I've been having trouble with the website ever since this newest iteration. (The links don't work from the home page.) I suppose they'll get the kinks worked out...and then go on to another new design. Sigh

That’s a horrible day. I hope things get better for you and your DH. Tough hurdles. Praying you get over them as swiftly as possible.

In theory I agree with you, but practically speaking, sometimes you just have to read the room. If the line is long, the baristas look stressed, an uncomplicated order might help out.

Kimberly has amazing energy. We really enjoyed being onboard with her.

Duck — that’s what I like best of all. In Tamarind and Sel de Mer and even MDR. It’s hard to find it well-prepared these days in restaurants, so it’s a very special treat. That and the escargot.

The morning coffee chats are a nice way to get to know the personality of the cruise director. We enjoy attending those. Fun to see the cruise director in action and to hear the stories of those interviewed.

Bon Voyage! Have a wonderful time! 🛳️ 🥂 🍾 🍴 ❤️

Your post was much longer, Cruisemom, but addressing just the part quoted, one of my pet peeves with HAL excursions is that they are timed so that it's impossible to do two a day. Princess often has morning tours and afternoon tours -- probably other cruise lines do, too. I think one should be able to, for example, do an overview tour in the morning and then a more defined visit to a place of interest in the afternoon. Or mix if up however one wishes. The HAL way of offering a five- or six-hour excursion during a much longer port day is not satisfying and not effective use of time for the cruise passenger.

I was skimming rapidly through the Daily and thought this post was @Seasick Sailorresponding to @marshhawk asking what kind of dog Oliver is. Answer: A Lovely Joy. (A working breed? lol) He is a lovely joy!