rkacruiser

Adventure of the Seas: My goodness, what a raspy whistle you have! Take 2 aspirins and call your Chief Engineer in the morning.

Be patient. As KK said in a previous e-mail, it does take time--I recall them saying 10 days after the return date--for Mariner accounts to be updated.

Check Captain Albert's blog. He recently updated the assignments before he went on vacation a few days ago.

Is it a tea similar to what one would be served in the Queen's Lounge on Oueen Mary 2? No. A selection of bagged teas is offered with individual pots of hot water. Small, varied sandwiches are offered along with scones, and a nice selection of pastries. (I think I am leaving out one additional offering, but I'm not sure.) Once upon a time, HAL offered a Royal Dutch Tea which offered a wider selection of items and was almost like a small lunch/supper: chicken ala king in a pastry shell and one or two more warm items. Just delicious: I never ate lunch on those days. Now offered? Not in my most recent cruising experience.

knittinggirl, Not being able to purchase a wine package once on board? I have never heard of such. Was there any explanation given as to why you could not?

Have not sailed on Viking Ocean, but have sailed as a solo on the Zaandam during the Christmas and New Year's holidays. I enjoyed the experience. I requested being seated at a large DR table. I met, and was well accepted by other couples as well as by those sailing with their significant others. And, I met some other solo cruisers as well. All were friendly, willing to share a conversation, and enjoy our scenic cruise. The ship's decorations were beautiful. (In my home, I have one tree; the Zaandam had one main tree in the Atrium and several others in various public rooms.) I participated in the varies holiday events: a carol sing when the ships' Christmas Tree was lighted (accompanied by Hot Chocolate, warm Apple Cider, and Christmas cookies), the arrival of Santa on Christmas morning, and the countdown to the New Year on the 31st. Also, the ship's crew was in the holiday spirit as well. Would I have preferred being with my family during these holidays? Surely. But, with half residing in Maryland and half residing in Alaska, that becomes a major impediment. Like you, I have been blessed with opportunities to share the holiday's with close friends. But, I finally realized that the time had come for me to develop my personal holiday "traditions".

That's helpful information, John. I am considering a late season Alaska cruise connected to a trans-Canal cruise and San Francisco is a port stop.

Not Brian, but I recall that it was a small strip shopping center.

Thanks for the information. It has become difficult to follow the itinerary changes for ships of all of the cruise lines when no printed brochures are available. HAL still prints their Cruise Atlas, for which I am grateful, but, I have noticed no offers to have a separate 2019 Alaska brochure to be requested.

It will be a very busy day watching the ships. Sunday appears to be the really serious start of the 2018-2019 Winter Season for Port Everglades. I am curious about the itinerary of Adventure of the Seas with her appearance in Port Everglades. Sailing from Port Canaveral on Saturday, is Fort Lauderdale a port of call and/or a port of embarkation/disembarkation for future sailings?

Even if it is only a $4 winning, I am glad someone did. I'd accept that. I play for fun and any winnings are greatly appreciated.

My Anchorage resident Nephew worked for a tour company this Summer as a driver/guide in Anchorage. His hourly wage was disappointing, but he did enjoy his job. Offering a gratuity to those guides surely are appreciated by them!

Thank you for posting this video. It brought back good memories of my Zaandam cruise this year. You saw some areas that we did not see. We were not able to sail through the Lemaire Channel due to the ice conditions. I enjoyed seeing your pictures of that transit!

This preview of some of the venues only whets my anticipation for my January cruise on Nieuw Statendam. I also would like to learn more details about Club Orange. No Culinary Arts Center? No loss in my opinion and the America's Test Kitchen concept can be trashed as well. The programs are repetitive from one cruise to another. How many times does one need to learn how to "properly" prepare salmon? And, since tastings of the items being prepared are no longer offered, I can find a better use of my cruise time than attending these entertainment programs.

The OP's post sounds very much like what I experienced a few years ago when I arrived at Port Baltimore for my Carnival Pride cruise. I thought it was very organized. Traveling Northbound on I-95 and arriving at the exit ramp for the Port, watch your speed. There was, and I imagine still is, a very steep drop in speed limits on the ramp and street level. A Baltimore Police Car was parked next to the end of the ramp monitoring the traffic coming off Northbound I-95.