*Miss G*

I, personally, stay away from any quads or triples, so it’s unlikely I will be warned off or relocated.  So far, I have been lucky with my strategy of avoiding high season crowds, but if I start encountering them in the shoulder season then my cruising days are numbered.

I do not like this style of revenue generation and am curious, now, of the team leading the charge.  Changing the model may increase revenue, but it will have a direct and negative impact for both passengers and crew.  (Unless you are a passenger who is new to cruising, or are used to something less refined… at which point you will be oblivious.)  I would hate to see the HAL cruising experience cheapened. 

We did the Canaries in December, over Christmas.  The Bay of Biscay was a crazy ride!!  It was amazing to sit in the pub and watch the waves go over us!  I think most people were experiencing Mal de Mer so it was pretty quiet around the ship for a few days.  I got some great pictures and videos!  Funchal had a great Christmas market in the town centre.  The weather was beautiful in all ports.  I highly recommend!

It was super easy to download the app, purchase the tickets, and then jump on the ferry.  We could see our ship from Pier 11/Wall Street!  That made it more exciting.  Since we had already purchased our tickets on the app, all we had to do was get in the South Brooklyn (SB) line at the pier.  One, two, three stops and we are at Red Hook!  I would say 15 minutes, tops.  We got off the ferry and the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal was right in front of us.  I wouldn’t hesitate to do this again.

Our ferry.  You can see the “SB” identifier in red.

44 minutes ago, singleflyer said:

I'm curious why Oosterdam is in last.  I have a sailing on the Oosterdam coming up... is it really the worst ship?

You are reading too much into an unofficial survey of only CC’ers and no actual guidelines.  It is an unofficial poll!  We sailed the Oosterdam, recently, and have no complaints.  We totally enjoyed our cruise!  There are just preferences but you will find that every HAL ship is wonderful.  Enjoy your cruise!

Editing to add:  The Vista-Class ships cut through marine conditions like a hot knife through butter.  If you are going to encounter rough water, a Vista-Class ship is a great ship to be on.

Pre-COVID:

Post-COVID, it’s just the first two pics.  (The third pic has the aforementioned bath salts behind the cotton balls.)  Oddly, I don’t have any pics of the amenities post-COVID.  But, I believe, only the cotton balls/q-tips, and loofah pads remain.  And a shower cap.

Speaking of class…. the Pinnacle Class is the overwhelming favourite, so far.  Signature leads the rest of the classes, but not by much.  Interestingly, I would put them in this same order.

18 minutes ago, Scrapnana said:

Which Canadian city is considered the “Hollywood of the north”?

Toronto would have won that question also.

I have to say that I have had a total of one time (one time!) to be seated near a window in the MDR in all the years that I have cruised with HAL.  In every meal in Club Orange I have been able to see the sea.  In fact, we were able to see a number of whales bubbling in Alaska and we didn’t even have to leave our seats!

I forgot about the trivia questions!  Thank you.  I have missed these.

@Scrapnana, I can feel the struggle you are going through, so kudos to you for powering through.  What I am hoping is that you will gain strength on this journey and that you’ll be an old pro by the time the cruise ends.  You can do this!

3 minutes ago, Crew News said:

Yes.  Here is a table of internet costs that I created based on tables that I received from Ship Services:  Internet Pricing Plans 2024

Oh, great!  So a savings of $52 if I buy it now, which breaks down to $15/day for a 14 day cruise.  Thank you, Roger!

My parents love the Lanais, also, for the same reasons as @albingirl.  If we are on a ship with the old teak proms, that’s where I’ll always find her.

So, for clarity, these are the choices when you don’t have the HIA package.  Basically, it’s either Stream or Premium.  Surf is not an option.  

From the posts in this thread, it seems that Premium will suit my needs.  Do the plans actually cost 20% more if you wait until you board?

32 minutes ago, Solent Richard said:

Terrorist precautions?

Hmm.  Possibly a result of 9/11 if, as you say, you sailed from there years ago.  I don’t recall seeing any on my sailings but I will pay attention next trip.

In Kotor, they have a HOHO bus picking up right at the tender dock, but the tickets were all sold out by the time we got there.  We wandered the walled city instead.  I have a feeling the bus tickets were all purchased by the cruise lines, but that’s just a guess on my part.  Kotor was quite busy with two small HAL ships and the Wind Surf in port.  Anyway, that was a long way of saying that if you want to do the bus tour then it’s probably best to purchase it from the ship.  The sail-in and out was gorgeous.

Trieste is a vibrant city full of architectural beauty.  It was clean and uncongested.  I would love to stay a few days here.  

The Piazza Unità d’Italia is an open square of government buildings and monuments looking out over the Adriatic seafront.  It was a stone’s throw from where we docked.

Literally…. A stone’s throw:

Walk towards the red-roofed building with the green clock tower and keep left.  See if this fountain is working as you go by:

After exiting the piazza (passing the fountain and keeping left), you enter the shopping district with more great architecture and even a pretty carousel!

Any idea why there would have been an LRAD on a TransAtlantic?

On 3/15/2024 at 7:21 AM, Ladyshopper23 said:

On the last day, can you stay on the boat until your transfer to the airport comes? We've booked a package including airport transfers and flights. Our flight isn't until nearly 7pm on the last day, so hoping we can make use of the boat until transfer time.

If Avalon has given you a later transfer time to the airport then the ship will be available to you until then.  Here was our embarkation (disembarkation for those leaving the ship) lunch menu.  If you can read the fine print, “d” marks the items which have gluten in them.  You will see those symbols for each dish so you can make informed choices.

The observant will notice the sign.  The others won’t notice or won’t care.

There hasn’t been a Mariner’s lunch on any of the cruises I have been on since the restart.  I did receive a medallion (well, it was left on my sister’s bed back in 2022) but there was no ceremony then, either.  Hopefully I will get to experience one in the future.  If I live that long.

@Blackduck59, yes, I guess I did miss your point!

I can’t say I have noticed that anyone is quoting mariner status to be lofty.  Well, with the exception of one poster, but I stopped reading those.  I think, where warranted, quoting status can be helpful to clarify a point.

I do see what you are saying with regard to embarkation day lunch, though.

Editing to add:  I wasn’t even aware the MDR was open on embarkation day until I happened to read it on CC a year or so ago.  That’s why I think it’s more to do with HAL not letting on than it has to do with tier status.

1 minute ago, Blackduck59 said:

I think that the MDR should be open on embarkation day...or not. The idea of it being a "Mariner's" lunch is just off. I understand there is a "Mariner's Lunch" later in the voyage. As many people who have read my posts know, I don't get the whole quote my "status" mindset. There are many people who post on these boards (on all lines) who clearly have many sea days and they don't feel the need to mention status. Their opinions hold value to me. On that point my wife and I are 2* mariners, we have been on one 11 day cruise with HAL. Do I get into the "Mariner's Lunch"? Probably not. Will we go when we reach the lofty status required for an invite? Probably not. We will however happily take the free laundry if we ever get to 4*.

I do get that that brand loyalty, to the exclusion of some, might cause offense, even if it’s not something you will make use of.  What I don’t get is that it drops into the “not offensive” category when it’s something you desire (free laundry).

I participate in a number of rewards programs.  Some I make use of more than others.  I don’t begrudge someone who enjoys the benefits that I don’t, as they have spent more than I to get there.  If I want it, I can do the same.  It’s just not that important to me to be in a state of envy against those who have what I can’t.  Would I like it?  Sure.  Do I need it?  No.  I am just happy to be on a cruise.

I actually like the idea of making the MDR exclusive to whichever Mariner tier the ship feels they can accommodate on the day of embarkation.  It would be a nice way to say “thank you for your loyalty” with little-to-no impact on cost or staff.  

I still think HAL offers value and quality at a great price-point.  It will be a sad day if they depreciate themselves into an inferior product.  I don’t think that is their intent, though.  All businesses must look at ways to cut costs to maintain quality.  Some changes work, while others don’t.  The only way to know for sure is to test the waters.

Just now, SilvertoGold said:

As Canadians we are a bit surprised to see at least for Alaska the pricing on our account in CND is much the same as the USD standby pricing plus the exchange rate. Can't imagine going standby and not saving a bundle, let alone coming out more or less even!

I saw my sailing on the standby list.  It’s currently sold out for all categories except the Insides.  It’s $27 cheaper to book an Inside than to go through the torture of wondering whether you’ll make the sailing or not.  I suppose you could roll the dice and wait to see whether someone in a better category room will cancel last-minute.  But if you’ve already accepted that you’ll get an Inside, then it’s a no-brainer.

24 minutes ago, Sea Hag said:

Plastic palm tree? Beach umbrella? Umbrella would be totally unneeded, since you're under the overhang. But if you have the inflatable cube, cooler, and plastic palm tree then you'd need the beach umbrella to complete the look. 😂

And maybe a pink flamingo.  🦩

I like their little hats!

On 3/14/2024 at 8:32 AM, The-Inside-Cabin said:

 

 

 

Ooooh, shiny!  How can you not have a smile on your face when there’s a guy in glitter by your side?  I love this!!