AV8rix

I can never finish them either, so I just have them pack them up and take them back to my stateroom fridge...in the unlikely <😉> event that I wake up in the middle of the night with an urge for profiteroles. You can't do that with the crepes, as the ice cream will melt.

I avoid the dangerous db level of the Music (Noise) Walk on the Pinnacle-class ships, but never miss a LCS performance. Not overly fond of the LCS venues on the other classes of ships due to the seating arrangement but still attend performances. As others have correctly noted, chamber music does not lend itself to the large space of the World Stage due to the acoustic characteristics of that space. Chamber music staged correctly is NEVER amplified.

+1

I get my silver on one of these segments, forget which one. Perhaps we'll get them together -- uh, that's if I make it to the Dec 22 segment.

Me too -- interested. I board in two days in San Diego -- or in 9 days if snow keeps me off this segment.

Well OK, you're right. It's just that in my 12-year history with HAL it had never been an issue before so I really didn't pay much attention to the actual signage.

OMG! Then what I heard from the folks on the Thanksgiving voyages was correct!! They're not enforcing the rule to keep the kids out of the Seaview pool area. Bummer! I was going to use that open area to eat on the upcoming crowded Christmas segment because I didn't want to eat in an enclosed venue with hundreds of kids aboard whose vaccination and health status is uncertain. I'd already planned to stay out of the MDR for ANY meal on that segment. Umm, actually the overwhelmed staff may not be enforcing any rules at all.

OMG! That's a hoot! Well, I mean in retrospect. Couldn't have been much fun for the pax when it actually happened. By the way (and this is a TRUE story) after the in-transit problem in San Diego last year I actually ran into the SECO. I told him that I knew who those 9 people were that held up the process. He looked at me startled and asked me how I knew. I said, "Remember when we used to have to muster out on the prom deck? Well, they're the same people who never show up for muster". He cracked up.

Ann, remember the one last year when 9 people refused to disembark Kdam in San Diego? So they couldn't zero-out the ship and we were stuck in "in-transit jail" in the terminal for 2 hours?

This whole app surcharge thing is bothering me. I have frequently gone to dinner at PG when not too hungry and had my favorite meal: Lobster bisque, bacon, and steak tartare. Yeah, that's all!! No "main entree". Just three appetizers. Can't even recall how many times I've done that, most recently on the 150th anniversary cruise on Rotterdam just two months ago.

Here’s something that happened on the recent 150th anniversary cruise on Rotterdam. One evening I went to the NY Pizza and Deli for supper. For those unfamiliar with Pinnacle-class ships that venue is on the upper deck of the open two-deck Lido pool area. About 10-12 drunk and VERY noisy young contract entertainers had commandeered one of the hot tubs -- and the surrounding area. Not bothering me particularly but I observed most guests getting out of the pool, toweling off, and leaving the area. I also observed an officer approaching and speaking to the drunk bunch. Since I was on the deck above I couldn’t hear what he was saying but I surmise that he was asking them to quiet down or leave the area or something. However, their behavior did not change after the officer left. Again, wasn’t bothering me much as I was somewhat removed and only having something to eat – not attempting to enjoy the pool area. Point is, there was no attempt (by Security or other department) to actually remedy the situation. They were still at it when I finished my meal and left.

I assume you were playing slots and not table games? And you charged to your stateroom instead of feeding actual cash into the machine? Then you probably neglected to "cash out" the machine and go to the cage to collect the cash. So they sent you a check for what was remaining in the machine that was charged to your stateroom.

Well, first let me say that you don’t want a hotel “near the cruise terminals” anyway. HAL does not sail out of the downtown piers, where the hotels are. HAL sails out of Pier 91 (Smith Cove) which isn’t downtown, it is up by Queen Anne. Check it out on Google map or any map app. So you might want to just stay at a more reasonable place near the airport, then take a taxi or Lyft or Uber up to Smith Cove. JMO and I live in the Seattle metro area.

Guest lecturers, you say? Well, on the first anniversary cruise on ms Rotterdam last month and we had the BEST!!! Bill Miller (billmilleratsea.com)! ! That cruise from Rotterdam to New York (then Fort Lauderdale) commemorated the sailing of the first Rotterdam, exactly 150 years ago. Bill Miller’s talks alone were worth the price of the cruise!. There will be a repeat anniversary cruise in April in the opposite direction, commemorating the date of the actual start of the Holland America Line. I don’t know if they have engaged Bill Miller again. You might want to check on that if the itinerary interests you. The cruise was generally good. The only problem was service in the MDR. My friends and I quit using it after just a couple of days. Always about 2 hours, so interfered with evening’s entertainment. Otherwise a fine ship and crew.

Deleted. My error.

Zuiderdam? I modified my CC signature in July. Check it out (expand it). 'Nuff said.

Umm, terminology check. R-class and S-class refer to two old classes of ships. There are no S-class (named after Statendam) ships left. There are only two R-class (named after Rotterdam -- but not Rotterdam VII) ships remaining -- Volendam and Zaandam. Rotterdam VII belongs to Pinnacle class, as do Nieuw Statendam and Koningsdam. The next size down (what you are calling S class) is Signature class -- Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam. Jus' sayin'.

No there are three P-class ships. Koningsdam was the first.

As I’ve stated before on another thread, the new policy makes the medallions (except for platinum) meaningless. There is NO OTHER time that we actually wear them, except to the medallion reception. But now no one – except platinum and PC members – is invited to that reception. Someone on the other thread commented that the new policy (instituted after the covid restart) was probably to limit exposure for the HD and captain. That made sense when there was a high probability of exposure. But now when – on most cruises – even the crew don’t wear masks, the exposure theory doesn’t hold up. I believe that it is yet another cost-cutting measure. I’m due to receive another medallion on the NYE segment of my next cruise in December. I intend to mail my medallions and a note to the Mariner Society telling them that I don’t want to just discard them but, since there is no longer an event at which I can wear one, they are useless to me now. JMO, but – of all the cost-cutting measures since the stock implosion – this is the one that I really resent. End of rant.

Cannot speak to the fact of whether or not the mini-bar items are included in the Pinnacle Suite but they DEFINITELY are not included in any other category of stateroom. So the first thing that I always ask my stewards is to remove all of them, and they do this quickly.

Yes, there is a card slot on the Pinnacle-class ships. Well, at least ms Rotterdam and ms Koningsdam. I've never been on ms Nieuw Statendam but assume it is the same. I don't know what she (@Florida_gal_50) is talking about.

Hope your email hasn't changed since 2016. I sent you a message.

I"m compiling a list of our traditional niceties that were taken away by Ashford. The stuff that made HAL unique. I will send it to Mariner Society, which is likely staffed by folks with HAL history. No point in sending it to Antorcha, since he's brand-new to HAL and won't have a clue what I'm talking about. However, a major complaint is not a "nicety", and that's the discontinuation of an IT specialist, the guy that they used to have in the library to help with software issues. Not fair to EVERYONE, both the guests and staff. Now if someone has an issue with Navigator (or ArriveCAN 😣) the only place to go is Guest Services. They are not software specialists and, while they are assisting someone with a software issue, the line for those waiting for service just gets longer and longer.

I'm just off Rotterdam 150th Anniversary. Wasn't hungry one evening so did my usual non-hungry PG order: Lobster bisque, bacon, steak tartare (for entree). That's all. Three appetizers, no real main dish. No extra charge. Last sentence should have been "no extra charge AT THIS TIME ON THIS SHIP". But things on HAL apparently are changing constantly. So that was my experience on a Pinnacle-class ship on a cruise ending yesterday (Oct 30).