the2ofus

Only the section of the beach nearest the inlet where the tenders dock is really crowded, even when two ships are in. A trolley that would take people farther along the beach and an additional station to access more clamshells would relieve any potential crowding if more people go ashore. I'd like to see a sketch of the proposal.

Re: escargots. Our Prinsendam cruise over Christmas 2018 had escargot on the main dining room menu. They were also on the menu in Rudi's, but those were served in the shell and were difficult to hold with tongs on the shell and fork to remove the meat. I gratefully accepted the waiter's offer of help. The presentation and the method of cooking/flavor were not as good as in the MDR, in my opinion.

I learned yesterday that four people from our small city were on the ship and reported they were glad to be safe on land once more in Molde according to a report in our local paper. They wore life vests throughout, said the temp in the ship was into the forties. They are related to a friend here so I may hear more about their experience when they return home.

We learned early on to take a small battery operated light to leave on in the bathroom so there was no need for the full fluorescent display at night. Just a small battery operated tea light is reflected enough on tile and mirrors to give all the light you will need.

Nice!

Meaning what, exactly?

Seems to me a simple letter from HAL to the owner of the cruise credits at their most recent address on file would save HAL time and expense. "Dear sir/madam. Our records show you have cruise credits purchased on .....date, which you have not yet used. Please advise us by ,,,,,date whether you wish to apply them to a specific future cruise or whether you wish them returned to your credit card ending #......." All it would cost would be the time to print, the paper and envelope and the postage. As it is, HAL is probably paying a per case basis to some private company to move them to a state Unclaimed Funds account.

This might seem silly to some folks, but if anyone in your group wears hearing aids, be sure to pack extra batteries in your day pack. You might not expect that long travel times and long daylight once in Alaska would make a difference, but you might wear your hearing aids longer than on your average days back home. I ran out while at Denali and nobody at the HAL resort or the local stores carried the size batteries I needed. Fortunately a fellow traveller came to my rescue.

That laundry bag can be packed tight. The clothes will be returned folded or on hangers. Not sure I'd send dressy clothes though.

My first tip would be to encourage you to pack so that each suitcase going to the same stateroom has at least half of the outfits for each person occupying that stateroom. That way, if either suitcase gets lost, everyone has at least a few outfits to wear. Beyond that, don't get too tied up in planning wardrobe. Tweens can wear either slacks or skirts to the MDR, paired with nice tops almost every evening. On gala nights dressier outfits like nice slacks, shirts, ties and jackets for the boys, dressy slacks or skirts and dressy tops or party-type dresses for the girls. Also remember that you don't need an entirely new outfit for every occasion. The other folks have never seen you before, probably will never see you again and won't notice or care if you wear an article of clothing more than once. As far as shoes are concerned, one pair of dress up shoes, sandals, flip-flops, water shoes, athletic shoes with closed toes for shore activities. Shorts, bathing suits and cover-ups, tees. Remember that there will be t-shirts available to buy at every port. Just relax and enjoy planning for the cruise and especially relax and enjoy once on board.

Just 10 - 17 and 17 - 24. Two seven-day cruises. Thank you. I can see now how confusing my post could be.

Please add The 2 of Us on Nieuw Statendam Nov. 10-24, 2019 b-to-b

I can see the benefit for the priority tendering at Half-Moon Cay where a lot of people want to get off the ship as early as possible. At any port, the option to get a priority tender ticket can be a real time-saver. I consider it a paid-for and therefore an earned benefit since it means I've spent quite a lot of money on cruises in order to reach that level of benefits.

The most southern TA route with destination Fort Lauderdale tends to have smoother seas unless the crossing is in the very early part of November after a very active hurricane season.

You don't mention the time of year you will be doing the TA. We did ours, Athens to Ft. Lauderdale, in November. We loved having the port side (south facing) balcony because we could bask in the sun, even though the weather could be cool.