LocoLoco1

That sez it all…. ‘In the BBKing Room…’

I think we ALL know what this is about: CUTBACKS. A musician here, a free cocktail there. Smaller cashews, smaller steaks… No pool party events staff, no librarian, no Cap’t dinner with 5-stars. Not the HAL of yore.

I guess where my musings are taking me is: Perhaps I might have a better on-land experience at some All-inclusive in Hawaii, or Aruba or Switzerland-by-Trainetc. if the nibbling around the edges finally go much further. I sense it already has. Catering to brutal demands of lenders and not the customer doesn’t bode well for any hospitality business. Here’s hoping I make 5-star..

I noticed a HUGE difference aboard a Cunard from Southhampton vs a 3/wk Carribbean on a HAL just recently. Cunard experience was what HAL used to be. Difference between night and day actually.. music, hor d’ouvers, food, bar service, (a REAL library, an actual heated Pool) etc. Here’s hoping a diluting of the experience doesn’t cascade across the whole CCL fleet.

Carnival stock South of $8/shr. today has me wondering if it will noticeably affect onboard experience as their business model adjust to long-term lack of profit.

How odd my HAL PCC person booked it that way, Veranda. No Cabin assigned yet. I NEED a Veranda. I will be on the phone yet again.

With a Veranda stateroom booked and $Paid$ for on the VOLENDAM (I have a printed Confirmation that states VERANDA). My QUESTION: Now what??!!

ANSWER: Yes, I have SCUBA’d on a cruise. Dive boats worldwide typically assume you know what you are doing, ie as you DO have a valid C-card. Cruiseship ports with A+ diving nearby have local dive shops doing the dives regardless of how you got to the island. You might be diving with island hotel guests. If you are a ‘newbie’ tell them so, then perhaps only dive shallow and remain close to others. A generous $tip$ beforehand may get you some needed ‘handholding’ so you enjoy your time.

Thanks for the Daily. Carnitas..my kinda food with DosEquis. My Lumbar Back SurgeryDay #8 re-cupe going well. (I didn’t know EBay has a whole section of USED orthopedic drills/saws etc.. morbidly interesting). Gonna pass on a TransAtlantic in Nov. Rome/FLL. Therefore, wife and her friend must suffer thru it without me.

Half Moon Cay? Grand Turk, Amber Cove? 3 little beaches….Hardly worth the bother, especially considering you have doubts about your physical ability. Ask for a refund and enjoy 3 cocktails back home perhaps?? If it was the island villages London, Madeira or Honolulu I would offer different thoughts

Pepperoni, good stuff. Basil in my Gin? Nope. Recuperation Day #6 for me now after Lower Back surgery. Pain Level down from OMG to OUCH!! I have a great view, which helps.

Appears HAL’s Maasdam has now found an ‘Upscale Home’.

Coupla years ago a young couple brought 2 bicycles aboard the NOORDAM

Certain posters here apparently don’t realize one size doesn’t fit all. Example: VOLENDAM’s Nov. Transatlantic from Italy requires a Neg. test result for those who’ve been in Rome for a while pre-cruise. Cruiser’s schlepping around Rome looking for a pharmacy?? Unless the rules change, probably. IMHO, dumb.

There’s some inaccurate Info here and there about ‘The Rules’ for HAL’s various cruises around the World. You’ve been warned.

Carry your own TEST KITS, folks.

My Email sez, To paraphrase: ‘Good news, you can now use your FCC’s for 2023 cruises, just book it by Dec 31, 2022.’

Yes, Originally I needed to TAKE the cruise by Dec 31, 2022. Now it need only be BOOKED by then.

I just received Email from HAL that my FCC’s will be good for a while longer, well into year 2023. News to me…

Wife and her Gal-pal will be aboard for a TransAtlantic in Nov. Will know MUCH more after that of course… Beyond that, it’s one of HAL’s older vessels.

I’ll save a nice 3/hr. meal with a Barolo wine for my favorite Restaurant in Rome.

If one was to do a ‘Blindfold Test’ of a Lido PrimeRib meal with sides of YOUR choosing vs. a Pinnacle meal of comparable portions, how much more would the Pinnacle’s ambiance, service and quality be worth lately? Five bucks?? Fifty?? I dunno… After dining at each over 3 decades I now prefer sitting with a great view at the Lido and then selecting exactly what I want to eat. I didn’t used to be so inclined.

This sort of nibbling away portends of stormy seas ahead for Carnival. And yet we still cruise.

Thank-you, Bruce, for your often wise observations. Remember the Sundancer?? What a strange and checkered final days.

You just might relinquish control of exactly what flights will be used. You may not like that. And of course, ‘Nothing’s $Free$.