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Heidi13

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  • Posts

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About Me

  • Location
    British Columbia
  • Interests
    Travel, Photography, Swimming, Walking Dogs, Football (Glasgow Rangers)
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Viking Ocean
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Panama

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  1. In addition to checking Voltage, with some appliances you also need to check the AC frequency, as UK and Europe is 50 Hz, while N/America is 60 Hz.
  2. Especially when they have an almost endless supply of new ships arriving to fill.
  3. Heidi13

    swimwear

    Affirmative, ship movement or maintenance are the primary reasons for closing and draining (partially or completely) pools these days,
  4. That was one of the questions I asked in my communication with Viking Corporate in Basle. Sadly no interest.
  5. Heidi13

    swimwear

    Back in my cadet days the Captain issued us a challenge to calculate the angle of heel resulting from all pax being on the outer decks, on 1 side of the ship. Memory is a little hazy, but I believe it was about 4 degrees. However, I have never been required to conduct a stability calculation with all pax on the upper decks and have never seen any of the templates provided to the Master showing this scenario. When considering ship stability, as a rule of thumb, weight added above the ship's centre of gravity (CoG) reduces the Metacentric Height (GM), which in laymen's terms reduces stability. Weight added below the CoG increases the GM. The height of any weights added is measured from the Keel and is known as KG. Assuming a ship of about 2,500 pax and 175 lbs per pax, the total weight of pax is about 200 tons. This is a fairly significant weight to add to the upper decks, but in conducting a stability calculation, this is not a new weight, as all 2,500 pax are already onboard. Therefore, any calculation would need to include moving groups from an original KG to a higher KG, with the resultant reduction in GM being less than if you added 200 new tons. Prior to departing on a voyage, the Master must ensure the vessel has an acceptable GM, which allows for the consumption of bunkers, water, victuals, etc and the movement of pax and crew throughout the vessel. Even on longer ocean passages, most ships have sufficient stability to not require dumping of the pools. Back on the steam ships, I have experienced dumping one, or more pools to maintain acceptable stability, but it was due to being low of bunkers and FW, at the end of a long cruise. On the steam ships, at 25+ kts we burned 450 - 500 tons of oil per day, so it quickly reduced the GM, as bunkers were stowed close to the keel.
  6. Don't see any bowls with clotted cream and jam on the table, and where are the fresh scones, which are my favourite part of Afternoon Tea.
  7. I initially advised the L/A Office management clowns over 2 years ago and again last year, regarding the ridiculous statement that Canadians require a US Passport. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it hasn't changed. You can use this website to research the latest requirements for each port - https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories
  8. I believe they are referencing the 2025 HAL Pole to Pole cruise, which is R/T Ft. Lauderdale.
  9. You need to be steaming due East at over 20 kts to need to change the cloxs 1 hr every day. The Azores is only 5 hrs difference from Galveston and Barcelona is 7 hrs difference. Although the OP didn't mention the length of the cruise, I highly doubt they are sailing to Barcelona in 7 days, with 2 stops. When sailing Eastbound, a number of Masters also change the cloxs at Noon/early afternoon, as it is easier to manage the crew hours of rest. Completed many East/West crossing at 20+ kts, with 1 hr cloxs every night and had no issues with the time difference, unlike air travel.
  10. I'll suggest you are thinking of "Afternoon Tea", which is a different meal than "High Tea" and is also served at a different time. High Tea is a full plated hot meal, which is also served with tea and some treats. It is usually served from 17:00. When I was growing up, this was commonly served in the village pub, where we could have a beer or wine. Afternoon Tea is more common on cruise ships and is a lighter fare, served about 15:00 - 16:00. It includes tea and the triple decker plate of finger sarnies, scones and sweet treats.
  11. Best indoor areas would be Viking, with a fwd lounge spanning 2 decks, a covered main pool and the entire buffet area. With considerably less pax, the viewing areas are generally not crowded.
  12. With respect to wind, you need to consider both the relative wind (not the true wind) and the design of the fwd structure. Relative wind is what is experienced over the decks and is the result of the ships vector and the true wind vector. If the wind is from ahead, then yes, it will be extremely windy over the decks, with the ship's speed adding to the true wind speed. However, if the true wind is from astern or abaft the beam, the ship's speed reduces the true wind speed over the decks. If the wind is right astern and the ship's speed and wind speed are the same, you will not have any wind over the decks. Therefore, wind on a fwd balcony can be variable throughout the entire cruise and will change as the ship alters course. Having spent many hours on open Bridge Wings, even in head winds, the fwd structure deflects the wind, so it is actually fairly calm out on the wings. Had a similar cabin on our Viking World cruise and had no wind issues on the balcony. Haven't sailed with HAL yet, so can't comment on how effective the structure is at deflecting the wind away from balconies. Some other issues you may wish to consider. The increased distance from the ship's centre of gravity means more movement in a seaway, fwd cabins get noise/vibration from the thrusters and may also get noise from the anchor chains in a seaway, plus during anchoring operations. Another consideration for fwd cabins is having to keep the curtains closed from sunset to sunrise, as cabin lights shining fwd, negatively impact the night vision of the Bridge watchkeepers.
  13. Heidi13

    Beer

    Viking had a reasonable Norwegian IPA, a Porter and an Amber Ale. On the World Cruise they also brought on some local craft beers.
  14. In the US they may all work on commission, but that is not consistent throughout the World. Our TA works for an agency and is paid an annual base salary.
  15. I hire a TA similar to my process for hiring employees. First task was developing an SoR on what we want from a TA. For interview candidates, I enlist recommendations from friends and also visit a number of local agencies. Process worked well for us, as since we ceased booking with a cruise line's friends & family program where you must book direct, we have used the same TA for 6 yrs.
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