rkacruiser

I considered Civitavecchia before I wrote my post, but, I have embarked a cruise there only once. I don't recall anything particularly scenic when we sailed, but, did enjoy seeing the large variety of ships (Med ferries) of companies that I had heard of, but, never had seen. As a port of call, I have visited San Francisco a few times, but, never embarked a cruise there. For me, and others as well, it's special. Why? The scenic harbor, the city's skyline, and the Golden Gate Bridge!

I think that is very important particularly when there are two or more ships of the same cruise line in port.

DAY to Auckland and DAY to Santiago are my two longest flights in order to embark a cruise. The longest flight to return home was from Singapore to DAY.

Interesting and thanks for the information. Did you ask a bartender for them?

Yes. It's an amazing experience.

Your entire post is excellent!

Blueberry Pie! Yes! If I put a quartered onion on the beans, I ought not to add the minced onions when I make my mixture of ingredients, I suppose. Corn on the Cob: Ohio's sweet corn season is coming and I am looking forward to it.

The length of the pre-hotel package may have something to do with the M&G at the airport and the transfer to the hotel. Usually, sailing day for your ship or another HAL ship, there will be a HAL rep on site and they will help with baggage and getting you to transportation. I have observed Princess reps helping HAL guests when the HAL rep was AWOL. Transportation from airport to hotel has ranged from a taxi that I paid with a voucher to a van to a bus with just me or a bus with other guests. It's impossible to predict what the transportation will be, in my opinion. HAL does an excellent job with regard to their pre-cruise hotel program. That's been my experience and I have used it in several ports (Seattle, Port Everglades, Auckland as examples.)

For me, never bored. But, I understand what you are saying. And, that can be a negative if one's expectations due to prior cruises are not then met. One of my best recent cruise decisions that I have made was to book Yacht Club on MSC Meraviglia. That opened a vista to a cruise experience that I had not experienced.

Sounds like you have a fixed seated dining time in the MDR. If you want more flexibility of dining times, change the fixed to "As You Wish".

It may not be "common knowledge" among many of those outside the cruise industry, but it is my experiences that the discussion about the age of guests on any cruise line is not productive. Do senior citizens sail on Carnival? Do young solos, couples, and families sail on HAL? Do families with school age children sail on a HAL world cruise? They do! End of discussion! Does a cruise line attract one age/type of cruiser? Well, of course. That only makes marketing sense. But, I am fed up with HAL being portrayed as mainly attracting those who have made funeral arrangements and are only waiting. The differences among cruise lines has nothing to do with the demographics of those who sail on their ships. It was everything to do with the experiences that each of the individual cruise lines offer. A Grandma may thoroughly enjoy a water slide on a Carnival ship and find Lincoln Center Stage to be uninteresting on a HAL ship. Yet, that same Grandma may find an afternoon sitting in a HAL's Crow's Nest observing the ship's scenic cruising followed by an hour or two in the Greenhouse Spa's Hydrothermal Pool and Thermal Suite to be just "right". Classification of cruisers is as inaccurate as such that takes place in our society in many situations.

A favorite food is Bitterballen. Difficult to obtain anymore. Best food? I can't identify just one, but, the Creamed Chicken that was served during the Royal Dutch Tea was the best of that item that I have eaten. Not surprisingly, HAL's chefs prepare excellent Indonesian entrees. Nasi Goring being a favorite of mine. Must not forget Dutch Pea Soup! Best drink? A cold mug of Heineken.

What kind of onion did the bartender use? Not a Gibson drinker, I just researched the recipe for a Gibson. Read two of them and both agreed that the onion ought to be a pickled pearl onion. If the bartender used a pearl onion, the Gibson ought to have its distinctive taste as compared to a Martini's taste with an olive or lemon twist.

That is a rather broad brush statement and I didn't read any evidence of that in the part of the article that you quoted. Not just the cruise industry, but for other sectors of our economy as well.

I will be looking forward to learning your experiences. As an American, Saga was a company that regularly sent me advertisements/brochures, pre-Covid. I was interested and could be again.

I have patronized Glacier Brewhouse a few times and have always enjoyed it. (Reservations recommended). 49th State: I have not patronized it in Anchorage, but I have done so in Healy, Alaska, which is a small community just North of Denali. The ambiance of 49th State was different than Glacier Brewhouse. Assuming the Anchorage location would be the same, Glacier is more of a restaurant casual type ambiance while 49th State was more of a brewhouse type ambiance. Food was excellent at both. I think you would enjoy either of them. Since you are staying at the Captain Cook, the Snow City Cafe is a local favorite for Breakfast and Lunch. It is near your hotel.

Yes

I have sailed in mid to late July for many of my Alaskan cruises. Having some clothing for both cool and rainy weather as well as for warm, sunny weather is what I always pack. I do lean more on the "cool/rainy" side than the "warm/sunny" side, however. During my most recent Alaska visit (pre-Covid), I took only one pair of shorts and that was all of that type of clothing that I needed. (That covered two 7 day cruises and a week+ visiting my Nephew and his family in Anchorage.) Rain gear is a must along with a good pair of walking shoes.

I agree, But, with the traffic congestion at the terminals that already exists, having a designated area just for valet parking at each terminal would only increase the lack of space for guests to unload/load luggage and for taxis to arrive/depart.

Have never embarked a cruise in Venice, but, I have sailed to/from the Port during a port visit. It is a port that is very scenic. In my opinion, Venice joins ports like Sydney and Hong Kong that are unique.

There is something to be said for the hub and spoke arrangement (as has been noted in prior posts), but, in the days of regulated airlines, there was something to be said in support of aspects of that system. At least for my local airport. DAY has been a hub of the hub and spoke system. We are now a spoke of that system. But, in the days of regulation, we had flights that were non-stop flights that required no connections: i.e. LAX-DAY and DAY-with a stop at IND-LAX. This was a TWA L-1011 flight. As an international airport with excellent facilities, DAY is underutilized.

Sailed on traditional "crossing" on Queen Elizabeth 2 in 1980 from Bremerhaven-Southampton-New York in Tourist Class. (My traveling companion was paying more per day than we paid for our just priot cruises on Royal Viking Sky.) It was a time of labor unrest on the ship and it was less than a Cunard White Star Line experience. Tea in the Queen's Room provided cracked tea pots and cups, no spoons. One wash cloth for the two of us from Southampton to New York. First lunch aboard I ordered Entrecote which was on the menu. I was served liver; complaining to the Steward, I was told "liver is what Entrecote is" However, there was an older gentleman who was the Deck Steward for Tourist Class who set up a padded deck chair for me on a windy aft deck, wrapped me with deck blankets. I asked for a Bloody Mary. As he was about to serve me, a wind caught his tray and my drink ended up on him. He apologized. Left, wearing a clean uniform, and served me my Bloody Mary. It was a really mixed bag of a sailing. The difficulties that my traveling companion and I experienced was all due to the labor situation. We had friends on that sailing in First Class and they were as displeased at times as we were. I have sailed several trans-Atlantic crossings since then, but as a cruise guest. Not as a crossing type of sailing.

.....easy. Only embarked there once and it was an easy embarkation then. But, that was when I embarked the Maasdam, so that gives you some historical context for my experience. What may have changed since then?

Both cruise lines have naturalists as well as NPS Rangers to provide commentary in Glacier Bay. Both offer their own specific Alaska on-board cruise programs for their guests. But, at least in my most recent experience with two Alaska cruises, one on Westerdam and one on Coral Princess, Princess edges HAL in that competition.

When I awoke on MSC Meraviglia, arriving in Miami, the ship was in the turning basin. Exact time, I don't remember, but, it was earlier than I preferred when I decided I had better get myself "up and about" without undue stress.