bob brown

One minor point..."Full capacity" is not always dictated by all berths being occupied, as in some cases that would exceed lifeboat capacity, which cannot be exceeded according to SOLAS regulation. In many cases, when "full" capacity is approached, the cruise line may limit further bookings to no more than two to a cabin, even if third or more berths are available in those cabins...

Interesting topic... I'm trying to think back about other ship's I have sailed, that allow or even encourage passenger's to play a piano...not certain, but I believe the old retired QE2 allowed it in their "Chart Room" lounge. While a crew might allow, or disregard certain "violation's" to any "rule", to make an exception only for certain people, even if well received by some other's, may offend other's that are excluded from the exception...🤷‍♂️

I was on the Seashore a couple of weeks ago, (not Yacht Club), and I noticed a sign by the dual piano's down in the Times Square lounge that said: For use in performances only", so I guess in the Yacht Club only, passenger's are permitted to play?

Actually, it was them that canceled the cruise. After researching the choices, I decided to take refund, rather than risk rescheduling for something else...

You would think AQV's parent company would help them out. That is, if they themselves are solvent. I don't have the ambition to dig further, as I am not planning to book with them again...

Hi RuthC! I haven't been on HAL since 2010, when the Veendam was pulled from the NY homeport, nor have I been a regular on the HAL board, so good to see you still active here.🙂 I am on the Volendam October 5 sailing this year, and scored inside 2619....is that still a good one?😉

Yes, but on a somewhat limited basis...not all of their levels quite match up, only some. Still it is nice when they do. Even though they are the same ownership, you only gain status on the one you sail on, not both simultaneously. The other multiship lines like Carnival Corp. and NCL Holdings, do not offer anything. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity status I believe is still honored on Celebrity "spin-off" Azamara, even though it is now a separate company. Ironic, because Silversea is part of Royal Caribbean now, but they are not included in the cross honoring, although on Silversea, everything is included, anyway pretty much, so the perks would be meaningless...

Wouldn't it be great if other competing cruise lines also offered this "status match"? If so, once you reached the top level at any one, you could have it at all (who offered it).😎 Not very likely...😉

Enjoying reading both "Live From" threads. I was wondering if you partake in any of the shipboard activities, more specifically the trivia games? I am a trivia fan, and wonder how popular it is on this ship, and what, if any, sort of prizes they give the winners or participants?

Ahhh....I took another look, and I see that you are correct. It was just an optical illusion in one photo where the sofa appeared to be recessed further back then the bed. Thanks for the clarification.🙂

Thanks for taking the time to do this thread. Following along, as I would like to learn about this ship that I will be sailing on, on January 7th. I was sorry to read about you dining alone on an 8 seat table, one night. I would think on such a large ship, MSC could do better for solo traveler's, and have a "solo traveler table". NCL does a much better job in that regard. Another thing that mystifies me, was the photo of your cabin. Unless I am misinterpreting, it seems the bed is in the "narrower" part of the cabin, and the sofa is in the "wider" part. In my experience, when cabins are fitted in this "interlocking" design, they place the bed in the wider part, and the sofa in the narrower part, in an alternating pattern.

Most smart phones also have a GPS receiver that tracks your position. If you have an iPhone 14 or 15, you also have a satellite phone, that can be used only for SOS messaging in an emergency, when you are out of WiFi and cellular range.

And there’s no shortage of friendly folks, fellow passengers or crew, who will be very happy to do so for you…

What I wondered about, on the Insignia on the last ATW, was that the Waves buffet area would be staffed lunchtime, but not at breakfast time. In the morning, it was self-serve for fruits, etc.

Anyone know who the crew will be next summer (12 July to 1 Sep)?

I used my VZW iPhone at sea for WiFi calling with no problem while in airplane mode. The first time I tried, a couple of years ago, I had trouble, because you have to initially set it up while you are still connected on land with the cell signal active. Once you do that, you can enable WiFi calling on and off, any time . As for making calls at sea, when using WiFi, I will sometimes use Apple’s Facetime for video calls, or if calling someone, I know has an android phone, I’ll use Whatsapp.

There are only two stacked washers and dryers in the laundry room, serving over 400 passengers, so there may be quite a wait at popular times…

Thanks, but that is even more confusing, however now a moot point, as I am booked on the Seashore from 7 to 14 January 2024...

When the highest level of a loyalty program numbers reach what percentage of the total, is management prompted to raise the bar, and introduce even higher level(s)? Doesn't really matter to me...just a rhetorical question....🤭

Hmmm...was it Groucho Marx who said: " I refuse to join a club that would have myself as a member"...? 🤣

Hmmm...was it Groucho Marx who said: " I refuse to join a club that would have myself as a member"...? 🤣

Renaissance Cruises bought eight ships they called, R One thru R Eight. When they went defunct, Oceania acquired three of them, and later a fourth from Princess. The first one they bought was the R Two, which Oceania renamed Regatta. Later, they bought R One, which they renamed Insignia. Even though the Regatta wasn't the first one built, since they acquired it first, they named all four of the type, as the Regatta or 'R' class. The other two are the Nautica, and the Sirena...

If you want to have the precise time on your wrist, anywhere you go, I would recommend this one. I've had it on two ATW cruises, and it automatically sets the time zone to wherever you are in the world. It never needs a battery, or a winding, and only needs to be outdoors to acquire its calibration from the GPS satellites, directly. Doesn't need wifi or cellular service. https://www.citizenwatch.com/us/en/collection/satellite-timekeeping/ * As for "ships time"....I would agree with @Flatbush Flyer. The problem with "ships time", is when you are trying to coordinate meeting with a private tour operator in a port of call. They act on local time, which can cause one of you to be late or early....

Thanks for "taking us along"....

Glad to hear that! Hope your return train is on time, as well, but it originates in New York....