HappyInVan

Quite so. According to the Lonely Planet guide to Rome, Romans aren't big tippers. The Service charge (servizo) is often included. Leave just a euro or two at pizzeria and 5-10% in smart restaurants. In the end, the quality of service you receive will depend on the service level of the establishment and the motivation of the staff. In the industry, HAL is respected for its service level. Is a McDonalds level of service acceptable to you? As you pointed out, its HAL's responsibility to ensure that the crew have a minimum wage. They have to top up. My responsibility as a pax is to provide feedback to the staff. Good, or no go. I have provided critical ratings on a room steward. On the next cruise, he was almost tearful as I embarked. There are consequences if we merely use the post-cruise survey to provide feedback.

Why should I keep the automatic gratuity in place if I don't feel gratitude? How many here will add an additional tip to deserving staff on top of the automatic service charge? Why make the gratuity withdrawable if we don't exercise the option? What's wrong if quality rises as fares rises? In the end, service is a personal experience. Between the server and patron.

Actually, in Europe, the restaurant staff expect you to leave 20% etc. There are consequences if you under-tip and return to restaurant. Over there, the restaurant staff are able to live on their total compensation, with whatever pooling system they use. On land, always follow the local custom. Though I tend to over-tip. For the first time, I'll be with-holding the automatic tip on HAL. And distributing the amount to the staff that pleases me. It can be the dining room, or the room service. Or, none if its that kind of experience. We face the dilemma because HAL is asking pax to pay the staff via this pseudo 'tip'. It would be better for the company to charge a higher fare, and pay a higher wage. That way, the pax has the incentive to reward exceptional workers.

I leave the cash discretely in an envelop. That's how its done in European hotels. It's up to the employee to declare the amount. Shame on HAL if they force staff to work 10 hours a day. Every day of the week. And, take their appreciation tips away. Where is the incentive to perform above the minimum?? 🙄

Cash works best! No? I would encourage others to do the same. It was better when the company paid decent wages and for decent hours. 😒

I'm in agreement. I've had enough. Recently, I've been critical in the post-cruise evaluation. Yes, the hotel staff have been squeezed and they are unhappy. But, they must take their issues to management. Don't take it out on the guests. In the end, I must signal my dissatisfaction by withdrawing funds to the crew and the company. Naturally, I will generously tip the staff members that I do appreciate.

Who sent the email? 1) Direct from Holland America? Have you ever sailed with HAL? 2) From a travel site you use? 3) From a site that you have never heard of?

Please let me know if anyone is cancelling a Neptune suite!!!! 😁

That's interesting. Why would I pay big bucks for a suite when I could try for standby? That must be why my next HAL cruise is for a partial ocean view, after suites on three 2023 cruises . Well done HAL! 🤩

Any ship in the Red Sea is a sitting duck. That body of water is just 200 miles at its widest. Narrows dramatically near the southern entrance. Even individual warships are vulnerable. The problem is that naval vessels are designed for combat against other warships. The vessels would have similar advantages (mobility) and limitations (ammo and fuel). Against a land adversary, the dynamic change dramatically. The Houlti/Iranians could have 50 or a 100 drones/missiles within range. A mass attack with a clever tactical plan would be dangerous for a lone USS. In any case, an aerial attack isn't the only danger in the region. https://ca.news.yahoo.com/gunmen-hostages-us-companys-turkish-173423446.html

CCL is rerouting 12 ships (7 brands) away from the Red Sea. https://www.carnivalcorp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/carnival-corporation-plc-provides-update-strong-bookings

Sensible to totally avoid the entire region since no one knows how far it could escalate. The underlying issues are complex and complicated. There are no easy solutions, and no quick fixes. I'm hoping that this is not the prologue to WW3. The stars are in alignment.

That's for sure. From all their recent belligerence, I have to conclude that Iran has nukes. Just waiting to be attacked by a nuclear armed country, in order to roll it out. After that, anything is possible. https://apnews.com/article/iran-satellite-launch-mideast-tensions-israel-palestinians-gaza-b2d8d654c24cf588acaa8228229a0415 Do note that Canadians need an ETA for Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania etc. Lot more work than sailing via Middle East and Mediterranean! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Canadian_citizens What about Americans??

I have to agree. That's why I'm exploring MSC and its Yacht Club. Can it be any worse than an HAL Pinnacle ship?

OMG! Never thought I see the day when Carnival etc can charge more than HAL! IMO, HAL management needs to get on the ball. Not a surprise that people are perceiving that HAL is a boring version of Carnival, rather than a upmarket alternative to Carnival.

Actually, the regular prices for MSC and RCI inside cabins must be close to $49pp. You wouldn't have to live near FLL or wait for August! Indeed, you would have more fun and adventure! Wheez!!! 😃

That's exactly what I'm worried about. I had a nice Vista suite on the Volendam. The roof panels rattled heavily for a day and night on an Alaska cruise. Stopped once we reached sheltered waters. It would be extremely unacceptable for a TA or TP itinerary. Then, there's the hot water problem I had in a Noordam Signature suite. Completely unacceptable for the price that HAL is trying to charge. For the same $ per day, I have booked a veranda in MSC's Yacht Club.

IMHO, it is inappropriate to compare flight standby with cruise standby. As I understand it, the main reason to standby for a flight is a scheduling problem. I have a booking, but I prefer an earlier flight. So, it's worth the bother to arrive at the airport earlier and stand by. For pax with extreme budget constraints, they can purchase advance fares or last minute deals. Or, turn to budget airlines. As a cruise pax, I carefully choose an itinerary and slot the cruise into my calendar. I would book a specific cabin. I can see no reason why I would want to accept a standby status on 24-hour notice. Why would a cruise line extend an offer for 24-hour standby? Surely they would know the vacancy situation >2 weeks prior to embarkation? Makes no sense to wait for 24-hours. Surely it's a sign of problems with HAL's pricing program. Here's the big question. Is HAL desperate enough to accept backpacker pax? How much would they spend onboard? IMO, not a good potent for HAL's future!

This is insane! 😬

I'll have 4-star Mariner status after the next HAL cruise. Naturally, I was looking forward to long cruises. However, in view of the escalating risk of a global conflict, I have 4 cruises booked for 2024, all around North America. For those with the means, you can visit small ports on small ships. Or, you can try a different class or cruise line. I'll be travelling with Explora and MSC YC. Eying Hurtigruten expeditions etc. Travel safely. Enjoy.

IMO, it would be wise to avoid the entire region entirely. The conflict will become more intense... https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/iran-emerges-shadows-broaden-proxy-143000948.html And, HAL must announce its new itinerary soon. In order to allow pax to cancel if they don't wish to travel around Africa.

Please note that two ships (Gibraltar Eagle and Genco Picardy) have been hit by a missile and a drone respectively in the last 3 days. They were located south of Aden. The Houthi/Iranians have discovered a hole in the coverage of the Allied forces. The Allies just don't have enough ships/planes in the area. In addition, each Allied warship has a limited amount of SAM munitions. We (non-essential traffic) must stay out of the way because our warships must reserve enough munitions to defend themselves. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Diamond_(D34) Thank you for your understanding.

Thanks. That's not available on my dashboard. Just says Return to Ship! Too late. I've booked the flight for noon. Just need to get to the airport.

I'm getting off the ship at San Pedro at @8am. Flying out of LAX at 12:45. Anyone have any experience with disembarkation? I do not see any offerings in the Destination Experience. Only tours around LA that return the pax to the ship. Does Explora offer a shuttle bus to the airport? Are taxis available at that hour? Thank. Enjoy your cruise.

Yes. I've seen the grainy video of the night-time retrieval of the mine. I presume that both ships were holed since as you said both ships caught fire. Therefore, both ships were damaged, and needed repairs in a drydock. "After the incident, Kokuka Courageous was towed to the port of Kalba in the United Arab Emirates. Dutch firm Boskalis was appointed to salvage both Kokuka Courageous and Front Altair.[49]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2019_Gulf_of_Oman_incident#Aftermath Interesting, the inert gas system didn't work in these cases to prevent the fire. What could the crew do to put out the fire? Was that why they abandoned ship? My point was that a small amount of HE could do a lot of damage if aimed at the right spot. IMO, the current Houthi/Iranian operation in the Red Sea is just harassment since no ship has been seriously damaged. Certainly, a warhead with 10x the HE would do a lot of damage to a cruise ship and its pax. Not the same as targeting a stack of containers full of TV sets.