BonTexasNY Posted September 7, 2023 #102676 Share Posted September 7, 2023 @FromSea2ShiningSea Helen, as always, your pictures are stunning! @Tree_skier You have a great dilemma. I never took a 4 day cruise but given the options, I would stick with HAL. RCI would be my first choice but it seems it isn't an option. Too bad you aren't near Galveston, lots of 4 and 5 night Voyager class cruises. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelGirlinDallas Posted September 7, 2023 #102677 Share Posted September 7, 2023 (edited) 54 minutes ago, Tree_skier said: My question/concerns... I'm concerned that HAL will be way to boring and Carnival not boring enough. I've not been on either line so I have no frame of reference. I've heard those short Carnivals are just booze cruises and absolutely horrible. I've got a close friend who is a princess fanatic who loathes Carnival and he warns against them like the ships descend right into hell itself. I've got a cousin who has done a few HAL's with his parents. He's close to my age and temperament. He has cruised Royal several times and prefers it over any other line. He said HAL was the most boring cruise he has been on. I've cruised both Carnival and HAL. I've done short cruises on Carnival (out of Galveston) and had a great time; never saw any terrible behavior, although I've heard it happens. We sailed HAL a couple of times when we were still in our 30s and loved it. Not bored at all. But we are always happy just to be on a ship with a balcony and enjoying the view. I loved the fresh flowers and the Waterford chandeliers and the food. If I had to choose between Carnival and HAL, I'd choose HAL. But either way, pretty much any day on a ship is better than a day at home. Right? 😄 Edited September 7, 2023 by TravelGirlinDallas 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-leg5 Posted September 7, 2023 #102678 Share Posted September 7, 2023 (edited) 33 minutes ago, grapau27 said: Stick with Royal. Short party cruises can be troublesome and some of the music venues stay open until everyone leaves which can be at least 04.00am so if your cabin is anywhere near you will get no sleep. I thought the whole point was Royal wasn’t available? I haven’t done Carnival but agree it will be a party boat. I did the same itinerary for my first cruise ever on Norwegian 25+ years ago, when cruising was much more traditional, and it was also a party boat! Short weekend cruises tend to be worse than weekday breaks. Edited September 7, 2023 by c-leg5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine3601 Posted September 7, 2023 #102679 Share Posted September 7, 2023 3 hours ago, Tree_skier said: Sharron is the same way. She enjoys cruises but I am the addict. She thinks I'm nuts with all the time I spend on Cruise critic. +1 same in our household😃 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Tree_skier Posted September 7, 2023 #102680 Share Posted September 7, 2023 1 hour ago, Tree_skier said: So I've got a question for everyone... I've had a week open up at the end of October so I quickly looked for a short cruise I could fill in there. I could depart Monday Oct 23 if it was a leaving out of SoCal or the 24th if it was leaving out of anywhere else. The other condition is I must be back in CA by Saturday the 28th. Unsurprisingly there are very options that fit into that narrow equation. Sadly, Navigator is on a 7 day charter that week so no 4 day available. The only options I can find are Carnival Radiance 4 day going to Catalina and Ensenada or the HAL Koningsdam repositioning from Vancouver to San Diego. I probably wouldn't get off the ship for the Carnival Radiance. The HAL Koningsdam has only one port of call Astoria OR which wouldn't be a big thrill either. The overall price would be a little cheaper on Carnival Radiance since there would be no flight to YVR or precruise hotel. My question/concerns... I'm concerned that HAL will be way to boring and Carnival not boring enough. I've not been on either line so I have no frame of reference. I've heard those short Carnivals are just booze cruises and absolutely horrible. I've got a close friend who is a princess fanatic who loathes Carnival and he warns against them like the ships descend right into hell itself. I've got a cousin who has done a few HAL's with his parents. He's close to my age and temperament. He has cruised Royal several times and prefers it over any other line. He said HAL was the most boring cruise he has been on. Does anyone have any thoughts, suggestions or recommendations? Sorry to quote my own post but there is a third option as well... Just book a nice hotel in San Diego or somewhere near there and take a few days by the water. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Tree_skier Posted September 7, 2023 #102681 Share Posted September 7, 2023 46 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said: @FromSea2ShiningSea Helen, as always, your pictures are stunning! @Tree_skier You have a great dilemma. I never took a 4 day cruise but given the options, I would stick with HAL. RCI would be my first choice but it seems it isn't an option. Too bad you aren't near Galveston, lots of 4 and 5 night Voyager class cruises. 1 minute ago, Tree_skier said: Sorry to quote my own post but there is a third option as well... Just book a nice hotel in San Diego or somewhere near there and take a few days by the water. I actually looked at Voyager but the dates don't work... Florida is just to far to fly for a 4 day cruise when I can't fly out until Monday. If there was something leaving on the Tuesday I'd consider it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine3601 Posted September 7, 2023 #102682 Share Posted September 7, 2023 1 hour ago, Tree_skier said: So I've got a question for everyone... I've had a week open up at the end of October so I quickly looked for a short cruise I could fill in there. I could depart Monday Oct 23 if it was a leaving out of SoCal or the 24th if it was leaving out of anywhere else. The other condition is I must be back in CA by Saturday the 28th. Unsurprisingly there are very options that fit into that narrow equation. Sadly, Navigator is on a 7 day charter that week so no 4 day available. The only options I can find are Carnival Radiance 4 day going to Catalina and Ensenada or the HAL Koningsdam repositioning from Vancouver to San Diego. I probably wouldn't get off the ship for the Carnival Radiance. The HAL KoningsdHAL Koningsdamam has only one port of call Astoria OR which wouldn't be a big thrill either. The overall price would be a little cheaper on Carnival Radiance since there would be no flight to YVR or precruise hotel. My question/concerns... I'm concerned that HAL will be way to boring and Carnival not boring enough. I've not been on either line so I have no frame of reference. I've heard those short Carnivals are just booze cruises and absolutely horrible. I've got a close friend who is a princess fanatic who loathes Carnival and he warns against them like the ships descend right into hell itself. I've got a cousin who has done a few HAL's with his parents. He's close to my age and temperament. He has cruised Royal several times and prefers it over any other line. He said HAL was the most boring cruise he has been on. Does anyone have any thoughts, suggestions or recommendations? Maybe check out reviews of the Koningsdam on CC. We have done Hal with my parents a couple of times and always enjoyed. It is definitely a different vibe but we were never bored. We had lots of fun in their late night club and their casinos. I say give it try its only a couple of days. What's the worst that could happen if you were nice and relaxed😃 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George C Posted September 7, 2023 #102683 Share Posted September 7, 2023 (edited) I have done several cruises over the years on Hal . It’s normally a older crowd but they do have some good musical entertainment, plus a piano bar , food is decent. I prefer rccl but would consider Hal . Edited September 7, 2023 by George C 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHProud Posted September 7, 2023 #102684 Share Posted September 7, 2023 1 hour ago, Tree_skier said: So I've got a question for everyone... I've had a week open up at the end of October so I quickly looked for a short cruise I could fill in there. I could depart Monday Oct 23 if it was a leaving out of SoCal or the 24th if it was leaving out of anywhere else. The other condition is I must be back in CA by Saturday the 28th. Unsurprisingly there are very options that fit into that narrow equation. Sadly, Navigator is on a 7 day charter that week so no 4 day available. The only options I can find are Carnival Radiance 4 day going to Catalina and Ensenada or the HAL Koningsdam repositioning from Vancouver to San Diego. I probably wouldn't get off the ship for the Carnival Radiance. The HAL Koningsdam has only one port of call Astoria OR which wouldn't be a big thrill either. The overall price would be a little cheaper on Carnival Radiance since there would be no flight to YVR or precruise hotel. My question/concerns... I'm concerned that HAL will be way to boring and Carnival not boring enough. I've not been on either line so I have no frame of reference. I've heard those short Carnivals are just booze cruises and absolutely horrible. I've got a close friend who is a princess fanatic who loathes Carnival and he warns against them like the ships descend right into hell itself. I've got a cousin who has done a few HAL's with his parents. He's close to my age and temperament. He has cruised Royal several times and prefers it over any other line. He said HAL was the most boring cruise he has been on. Does anyone have any thoughts, suggestions or recommendations? I’ve never sailed on Carnival cruise line before so no comment . Haven’t you done that itinerary just recently with your grandkids? Been there , done that! We sailed on the Koningsdam this past January to Hawaii from and return to San Diego . It’s an older crowd and the advantage is no kids . There is a deck devoted to music venues and we especially liked the Lincoln Center quartet. We tried the B B King music hall . It was too loud . We were not interested in anything else as my husband likes classical music and opera . The food was okay . We signed up for Club Orange and had our own dining room and upgraded cabin . We ate at two premium restaurants and the food was delicious and the presentation was very nice. The shows were not up to RCI standards in variety and quality. There were a few that dealt with Hawaii , of course. Major complaint and it’s big : We contracted Covid the last four days and were forced to sit in a room of over 100 people waiting for wheelchair assist because of my husband’s bum knee . I finally went up to the person charge and complained and we were evacuated immediately. I would cruise with HAL , again. And as my geometry teacher told the class in high school many years ago …. Only boring people are bored . We are sailing the Pacific coastal this month and in Astoria we are opting to tour Tillamook and the Oregon coast. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHProud Posted September 7, 2023 #102685 Share Posted September 7, 2023 20 minutes ago, Tree_skier said: Sorry to quote my own post but there is a third option as well... Just book a nice hotel in San Diego or somewhere near there and take a few days by the water. Or , take the Catalina Express in Long Beach to Avalon . Stay at the Pavilion Hotel or splurge and stay at Mt Ida. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea Viewer Posted September 7, 2023 #102686 Share Posted September 7, 2023 7 minutes ago, NHProud said: Or , take the Catalina Express in Long Beach to Avalon . Stay at the Pavilion Hotel or splurge and stay at Mt Ida. Double like on this! When I lived in LA this was my GETAWAY weekend trip. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akcruz Posted September 7, 2023 #102687 Share Posted September 7, 2023 7 hours ago, jmh2006 said: @FromSea2ShiningSea Helen thanks for sharing your pictures! So enjoying them! Dave and I are in Washington DC this weekend for a wedding! It’s hot 🥵! My granddaughters soccer practice was cancelled yesterday due to the heat, grandsons was on today though. Daughter said it is hot, stay cool, enjoy the wedding. All the talk about boats, we bought our first in 1996, upgraded in 2003, still have that one, a 22 foot bow rider. Doesn't get used as much as it used to but still going strong. Unfortunately we don't have a place to store it for the winter, it is on our dock for the summer, so back it goes to the marina for winter storage each year. Worth the expense when family is in the Poconos. Have looked into getting one here at the beach or moving that one here, just not worth it. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George C Posted September 7, 2023 #102688 Share Posted September 7, 2023 Haven’t posted any pictures of Joebob recently 25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenquixote66 Posted September 7, 2023 #102689 Share Posted September 7, 2023 1 hour ago, Tree_skier said: Sorry to quote my own post but there is a third option as well... Just book a nice hotel in San Diego or somewhere near there and take a few days by the water. We have cruised more on HAL than any other cruise line.Granted we are old but there were no negatives to us. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocean Boy Posted September 8, 2023 #102690 Share Posted September 8, 2023 3 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruiselvr04 Posted September 8, 2023 #102691 Share Posted September 8, 2023 I’d do Catalina or Hal. Our last Carnival we said never again. We didn’t pay a lot but it wasn’t even worth that. We actually want to try Hal as they have some interesting itineraries. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coralc Posted September 8, 2023 #102692 Share Posted September 8, 2023 1 hour ago, George C said: Haven’t posted any pictures of Joebob recently He is so pretty! He is almost too gorgeous to be a Joebob. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine3601 Posted September 8, 2023 #102693 Share Posted September 8, 2023 2 hours ago, George C said: Haven’t posted any pictures of Joebob recently He sure is a beautiful cat...or should I say handsome? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelGirlinDallas Posted September 8, 2023 #102694 Share Posted September 8, 2023 2 hours ago, George C said: Haven’t posted any pictures of Joebob recently What a gorgeous cat! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FromSea2ShiningSea Posted September 8, 2023 #102695 Share Posted September 8, 2023 (edited) More icebergs, interesting mountains, waterfalls and glaciers. But having problems uploading photos. Please stay tuned. Edited September 8, 2023 by FromSea2ShiningSea 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ReneeFLL Posted September 8, 2023 #102696 Share Posted September 8, 2023 1 hour ago, George C said: Haven’t posted any pictures of Joebob recently Love his face. So pretty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ReneeFLL Posted September 8, 2023 #102697 Share Posted September 8, 2023 (edited) 9 hours ago, Jimbo said: …How are the seas today on your sailing back to Canada? Right now they are mild. Just a gentle rocking. 5 hours ago, jagsfan said: @ReneeFLL You did your time in a quarantine cabin. I hate you’re not able to get out and experience everything. I hope you feel better before the cruise is over! I’m self quarantining in our cabin. Luckily we ended up with 1 covid test that I was able to use. We decided not to bring any, but after I got sick I was looking in my luggage for any extra cold medicine. Found a test in a side pocket. It was negative so I didn’t contact medical. When I had covid it wasn’t this bad. I’m just not sure when to start going out again. I think for covid they are saying after 5 days you don’t need to quarantine anymore. I googled for a cold and it said I could be contagious up to two weeks! 😯 I do feel like I’m starting to feel a little bit better, but it could be the medicine. I don’t plan on going into St. John’s tomorrow. I hope when we dock I’ll at least have a decent view from the balcony. 4 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said: @ReneeFLL so sorry you’ve been under the weather. I hope you haven’t missed out on too much and that you feel better very soon. Thanks, so ready to start feeling better. Edited September 8, 2023 by ReneeFLL 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George C Posted September 8, 2023 #102698 Share Posted September 8, 2023 Exciting football game to start the season Detroit Lions 21 KC Chiefs 20 , I sure Seadog isn’t happy , i believe KC would have won in Kelse was in uniform. Too many dropped passes by KC 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Sea Dog Posted September 8, 2023 #102699 Share Posted September 8, 2023 23 minutes ago, George C said: Exciting football game to start the season Detroit Lions 21 KC Chiefs 20 , I sure Seadog isn’t happy , i believe KC would have won in Kelse was in uniform. Too many dropped passes by KC This game ended exactly how I thought it would. The Lions are an incredible team. Chiefs lost it with their wide receivers. Would Kelce and Chris Jones make a difference? Maybe, but this was all about the Lions out playing the Chiefs. Kudos to them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FromSea2ShiningSea Posted September 8, 2023 #102700 Share Posted September 8, 2023 Here we go- icebergs and interesting rock formations Then the rain came Deck 5 bow emptied out except for us diehards, another couple and an activities crew member. We waited because we knew there would be a rainbow it was faint but we were rewarded again with another one 21 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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