jeh10641

I agree in principle but extenuating circumstances sometimes alter reality. I book our cruises 18 months or two years in advance. Once I had to cancel for back surgery. Once I had to cancel because of THE COVID pandemic (not my choice!). Jim

I know the OP and he was on the cruise in question but health issues required a cancelation. Now he is trying to rebook it. Jim

I of course forgot the hallway inside the cabin! Jim

My wife has curly hair. On newer ships like Rotterdam or Anthem OTS, the hairdryers are have been fine. Not hardwired on either ship. Rotterdam was an inside on deck 1, Anthem was a forward facing Oceanview on deck 7. Jim

Aloha, Cliff, Here are my two cents. Ship cabins are built as containers and are installed as a finished unit. Therefore, I do not think doorways can be widened after construction unless the whole cabin is extracted. I am not sure that can be done. Perhaps on new ships, door ways should be made wider. Storing scooters, wheelchairs and walkers in the hallways adds a risk in case of an emergency by limiting access of passengers rushing to their muster stations. It also may limit the crew while doing their routine work of cleaning cabins and the hall carpets. If a mobility device is stored somewhere outside of the cabin (storage room?), in an emergency that device would not be readily available for its owner. I hope you are able to resolve your issue with HAL so you can sail with us in January Jim

Hi, Erika, We are near Seattle in the Northwest part of mainland U.S. We are about 1500 miles north of Los Angeles. It is the home of HAL in the U.S. Our next cruise is on Koningsdam in January 2025 round-trip to Hawaii from San Diego. Jim

Hi, Aew0431, We always keep a copy. I do not remember which color. We have never had a problem but I would rather be safe than sorry. We spent a week in Amsterdam a year ago. Loved the city, the people and the food. Where do you live? Jim

Which form are you talking about? Jim

I, too, just put my card in a shirt pocket. I never buy a shirt without a pocket. I spent most of my working years as a sales rep so needed a place for pens, business cards, etc. Even in retirement I still need a pen for writing and sometimes business cards. Jim

Hello, Crew News, Great tips. My wife and I tag team in the Lido Buffet once we find a table. I am not a coffee drinker (even though I live in Starbucks home area) but the Pinnacle Bar sounds intriguing for my wife. We have dined outside near the Lido, weather permitting. Indoor poolside not so much. Too noisy. Except when dining at NY Pizza/Deli (not really NY pizza or deli). Jim

I know if you purchase a meal in Pinnacle or Canaletto, an extra 18% is included for the gratuity. I do not know how it works if you have a complimentary meal. It is possible, you could be charged extra for the gratuity. Jim

As usual, you cut right to the chase with great information. Jim

I have not sailed on HAL since 2021. What I think they mean, no plastic bottles but it is okay to bring water in cans or paper containers. Never a problem for us since I drink Iced Tea on board. I do not bring water. When I do drink water on board, it is water from the ship in their provided glasses. No containers of water used by us.

Hi, jonyboy, The price I mentioned was the cost per day for the unlimited package for our Koningsdam cruise coming in January 2025. Jim

On past HAL cruises (last 12/21), there were servers in the buffet for drink orders as well as self-service options. Jim

The HAL laundry package amounts to about $8.50/day. You can send out stuff every day. We use it. Pack less. Helps at airports with less weight. Jim

Here is more pennies' worth of my thoughts. Never been on Princess so will not offer any comments other than this. I just spoke to a person at HAL viz-a-viz my upcoming cruise. She had worked for 25 years at Princess in Onboard Events for their corporate office in SoCal. The pandemic cost her her job. When cruising restarted, Princess did not take her back saying she did not have enough experience! Really? 25 years? On the other hand, she said HAL is a much better employer in that they are told that "Yes" is more important than "We cannot do that" (Princess philosophy). She sounded happy. On our last cruise on Anthem OTS in October, our boarding time in Southampton (around 11 AM) was less than 10 minutes from baggage drop to on board. Disembarkation in New Jersey took 2 hours with the line extending all around the ship. There was no reason given. My thought it was either a police or a medical issue. We experienced no lines for any activity onboard. There were over 4,000 passengers on board but because there was SO MUCH to do, I did not get to many of the activities I wanted even though we were onboard for 15 nights. Some activities we did more than once because we enjoyed them so much (mainly music shows). Each to his or her or their own. Jim

I looked at Club Orange as an option (suites are way beyond my budget) and the only benefit I see for me is embarkation and tendering priority. Neither of those are worth the fees. For Club Orange dining on Pinnacle Class ships, there is a private dining room with one or two daily specials not available in the MDR. However, we like to add specialty dining venues to our trips as they are "special". That means paying extra for meals twice as often as I care to do. We are not drinkers and my internet needs are simple. HAL offers us the type of cruising we like, quiet with enough entertainment options. We are in our 80s with no grandkids. Our son has grand pets. If the opposite was true and we were younger, perhaps the bells and whistles of larger ships might be attractive to us. The so-called premium lines also might be more attractive to us if our budget could afford them as well. Jim

Thanks. Jim

My pleasure. I enjoy your posts. Jim

Since you posted this, carnival just announced several new ships in the 8,000-passenger range. That is larger than many small cities/towns. Jim

I, too, have heard that ports are trying to cut back on the number of cruisers. However, it seems to me that the number of cruisers versus the number of total tourists shows that the latter is many times more than the former. Jim

I have heard from multiple sources that one of Family/Kid areas on Sun princess hass not opened and is likely to never open. It may have to be re-purposed. Jim

Unless something has changed recently, I believe that Princess was based in California. HAL and Seabourn are in the same Carnival Cruise Line division. Jim

Oh no! Not the tuxedo! Never again for me. Once was enough. Jim