HappyInVan

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.

The video of the burning tanker was the Kokuka Courageous in 2019 in the Gulf of Oman. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2019_Gulf_of_Oman_incident The damage was done by a single limpet mine. By its nature, the amount of HE in a limpet mine is limited since it has to be handled by a swimmer. Few civilians appreciate the effectiveness of specialty munitions. A single limpet mine was enough to force an evacuation of the 27,000 dwt chemical tanker, and the ship had to be repaired.

Silversea's Silver Moon is a newish ship. Just 40k GT and 600 pax. Hope that they slip under the radar. Good luck to them. 👍

Interesting. How about this! I use a laser guided system to punch a hole in the hull with a HE warhead. Wait for the inert gas to dissipate and the fuel to oxygenate. Then, follow up with an incendiary round to get the party going. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon's_breath_(ammunition) Then, you can save the ship by blowing holes in the hull to vent the burning fuel? BTW, back on topic. No, I wouldn't sail in a cruise ship into a war zone.

Yes, but would it still be inert after an antiship missile hits it? https://www.euronews.com/business/2023/12/18/bp-pauses-oil-cargo-on-red-sea-as-missile-attacks-affect-global-trade

What about the petrol and diesel cargo in tankers? As for Egypt, it is not a friend of Iran/Russia. A threat to the Suez might persuade the Egyptians to be friendlier to the Palestinians. Closure of the Suez and the Red Sea (Saudi oil exports) would cripple the world economy. Making Russian fossil fuel more attractive and profitable. There are many opportunities in the end game for Iran, China, Russia and North Korea. The question is how close to the brink they (and the west) are willing to skate?

IMO, these little skirmishes are just a feint. They're just sacrificing a few pawns in the big game. The Iranians behind the Houthi are smart, tactically capable and strategically brilliant. Should they really want to stop shipping in the Red Sea, they wouldn't use militia armed only with small arms. This is just a warning to the West to restrain Israel. They would use advanced MANPAD missiles. Approaching quickly in their small boats, they could fire incendiary missiles into tankers. How do you put out a flash fire in the fuel compartments? Using advanced SAM fired in series to fend off helicopters. The helo would not be able to approach close enough to use their MG and rockets. Have to fire missiles at 5km distance at small fast boats zigging and zagging. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9K34_Strela-3 The real danger to shipping is in the Suez Canal (190km long). Large ships sailing slowly in line along a narrow waterway. Fully exposed in the desert terrain. A two-man team could pop out of a box truck, fire a missile at a ship from 2km distance. Impossible to miss. Then, drive off in 60 seconds. All they need to do is to ground or sink a big ship at each end; trapping all the ships in the canal. Sitting ducks to be dispatched at leisure. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closure_of_the_Suez_Canal_(1967–1975) The question is whether the Iranians and their Russian allies are willing to risk WW3? Do the Iranians have nukes?

Some damage to container ship.... "The U.S. military said Sunday it shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired toward a container ship by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. Hours later, four boats tried to attack the same ship, but U.S. forces opened fire, killing several of the armed crews, the U.S. Central Command said. No one was injured on the ship. The Singapore-flagged MAERSK HANZGHOU reported they had already been hit by a missile Saturday night while transiting the Southern Red Sea and requested assistance, CENTCOM said in a statement. The USS GRAVELY and USS LABOON responded to the call for help, and the Denmark-owned vessel was reportedly seaworthy and no injuries were noted, the statement added.." .https://ca.yahoo.com/news/us-forces-shoot-down-ballistic-100000090.html

IMO, that would be a bad idea. And, I doubt that the navies would accept the task of escorting non-essential cargo. It would be possible to have naval vessels protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea along the Yemen coast. However, Iranian ballistic missiles have a range of 1,500 km(?). That's half way to Bombay from the Yemen/Oman border. Ships would be vulnerable as they approached the region. Ditto for ships exiting the Suez Canal into the Red Sea. Like fish in a barrel. Cruise missiles have a more limited range. But, they can incorporate counter-measures to confuse radar or evade intercepting missiles. Hypersonic missiles travel at >5 MACH. https://www.popsci.com/technology/cruise-missile-defense/ In any case, you don't want to have a cluster of juicy targets. That invites a barrage of missiles. Possibly, one or more could get through. It is the nature of combat to have a progressive series of improvements to defense and offense. Are you ready for the excitement of travelling through a war zone?

Sailed her in August to Alaska. The interior was in good shape. New upholstery. There were the European touches of elegance. Unfortunately, to my eyes, the interior decor lacked coherence. Looked like several rounds of refurbishment that didn't match. Food and service was okay. Entertainment was humdrum after my 4 HAL cruises in the last year. I was in Vista suite 6123. The room was okay, though the bathroom had not been modernized. No problems with AC or plumbing. I was very annoyed by the creaking roof panels when we entered open waters north of Vancouver Island. Summary: Liked the ship. Spacious. Many seats scattered about the ship. Unfortunately, the ship is showing its age. This is Capt Ryan Whittaker...

WE need to be realistic. Cruise ships have no place anywhere near where combatants have modern weapons. A warhead is designed to kill a warship. A hit on a cruise ship would be a titanic disaster. The pax are crammed into the superstructure. The ship has a lot of fuel onboard. How well shielded are the fuel tanks? How adequate are the fire suppression systems after an explosion? The Americans have very strong surveillance abilities. Satellites can detect missile launches in Yemen. Air surveillance aircraft have ground radar. But, slow aircraft are very vulnerable to hyper-sonic missiles. This is no longer a one-sided contested against a third world country. Iran is part of a powerful coalition.

We mustn't underestimate the likelihood or consequences of escalation. Two days ago, ballistic missiles were fired from Yemen. Iran's medium range missiles would cover most of the Red Sea; all the way to Luxor. Without a peace agreement, the region remains hot. The militants on all sides want a showdown. At this time, Iran is playing for time. They're refining uranium of 60% purity at 9kg/month. Apparently, they will need 42kg to make an A bomb. Without a peace agreement, a general conflict will eventually happen.

Best bow POV from Noordam...

Here's the moment of truth... https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-shipping-yemen-rebels-8dffea6229669e2cb3150b5aa14a3d90 Will the Iranians put up or shut up... https://ca.news.yahoo.com/iran-navy-adds-sophisticated-cruise-104810935.html They have attacked shipping off the coast of India, and have threatened... https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/iran-threatens-mediterranean-closure-over-095221527.html

Sorry! You get the privilege of paying C$1k/day.

Speculative!. Have you any idea what the decor of an AIDA ship look like? It would require a drydock of many months to convert to HAL colors and usage. Anyway, the bean counters might just simplify the fleet and abandon some ports. Don't overthink the situation. Its very simple. The ergonomics of the old ships are outdated. The economics of the old ships are poor. Like me, you can look elsewhere. There's Ponant (beautiful new small ships) and Hurtigruten (for the serious adventurer). There's Explora for a little more cash than a SS suite. For exclusivity, MSC YC is serious value for your money. Enjoy your life. Don't waste hours defending the obsolete.

It is entirely possible that HAL will not see new ships till 2029 if new orders only start in 2026. That means that the R ships will be really old. The Volendam will be 30 years old. IMO, there's nothing wrong with retiring one ship per year from 2025. This will tighten up the occupancy for the rest of the fleet; resulting in the higher yields that HAL needs. It is also possible that HAL will not be building any mid-size ships. So, that will be a game changer. Can the S ships sail into the Amazon River? The future is uncertain. Better not count your chickens before they hatch.

Sure. Some of the unique cruises command a higher price. But, there's only enough cruise days for just one of the smaller ships. The WC is only 4 months. In any case, all of the older ships have problems that require modernization, not just a decor refresh. IMO, its still better for HAL is have at least one new mid-size flagship. I remember Henk Drapper, captain of K'dam, saying that the K'dam was so much more fuel efficient then the old Rotterdam. So, on the Panama and Alaska cruises, the old ships cost much more to operate while yielding the same fare. And, generating more complaints about facilities, HVAC, plumbing etc.