Heartgrove

With our Legend cruise just 25 days away, I am concerned as we also have one of the Greenland cruises booked as well. After reading other comments that it sailed to Alaska in summer (although nothing like a true winter sailing) with heat, it sounds as if there is something not working to produce heat for certain staterooms. The right thing for Carnival to do is admit it, and maybe offer to rebook passengers that are assigned to staterooms that are currently affected. That is, if a fix is not achievable. We still have at least three more months of winter ahead.

Thank you Rich, double-thank you Roy, thank you Debbie, thank you Cat Shepard, and thank you Dixie for your daily contribution! And thank you all for being here! Stay Safe! - Jack

Thank you Rich, double-thank you Roy, thank you Debbie, thank you Cat Shepard, and thank you Dixie for your daily contribution! And thank you all for being here! Stay Safe! - Jack

We were on a HAL cruise immediately before drydock. Around 9:30-10:00 pm a work crew started ripping up the carpeting in the hallways. Noise wasn't the issue but playing a radio was. I had to remind them "politely" to turn it down. So, yes it does impact the whole cruise enjoyment.

Happy Birthday @kochleffel!

Thank you Rich, double-thank you Roy, thank you Debbie, thank you Cat Shepard, and thank you Dixie for your daily contribution! And thank you all for being here! We had rain/freezing rain all day yesterday which really threw Sam for a loop! He was content with the weather but if we left him outside it takes about four-five bath towels to dry him off. He probably asked to go outside eight times yesterday. Today it is dry but very windy with temps dropping to single digits during the day and overnight. Just checked Sam and he is in his glory serveilling his realm! Stay Safe! - Jack

Thank you Rich, thank you Roy, thank you Debbie, thank you Cat Shepard, and thank you Dixie for your daily contribution! And thank you all for being here! @smitty34877 Terry, hope you are feeling better. @rafinmd Roy, the same thing happened to me recently. Three rapid tests that were negative followed by a PCR test that was positive. Symptoms were no more than a slight head cold. We took Sam for his twice-a-year Senior exam yesterday. As you may remember I have a passion for adopting senior dogs that no one cares to adopt - simply because someone needs to. Sam has probably been in the worse physical condition, although healthy, of the three Alaskan Malamutes I have rescued. When we had Juno, we were lucky to find a vet that is just fantastic with older dogs. She has since started her own mobile practice of traveling to the patient as well as doing surgery at the original animal hospital. Her expertise is not only cats and dogs but horses and llamas as well. Sort of a Virginian "Dr. Pol." When we have adopted these dogs, Sue and I realize that we will have a finite time with them due to their age. Oke' s loss came as a surprise when a tumor he had ruptured and was gone in two hours at 12 years of age. With Juno our vet was able to predict a year + how long we still had. Her prediction was correct so over that period of time we started to prepare ourselves. She was just over 13 years.With Sam it is more difficult as he is healthy except for his rear legs. He has just turned 10 last month and I am sure (?) we have more than one year left with him. He is the most vocal with is Mal "talk" and just so affectionate This trip to the vet was probably his last car ride as it was so painful for him to get in the car, even using a ramp. From here on it will be home visits with his vet. Her only comment as to his longevity was depending on this winter's weather. Last winter after our two significant snowfalls, he had trouble moving in the yard as he drags his rear legs as opposed to lifting them. My plans are to attempt to make paths for him (snowblower?) to make it easier for him to walk. Stay Safe! - Jack

For those that don't know the Carnival Legend schedule, it sails weekly from Baltimore so winter weather should not come as a surprise to Carnival. Passengers asking while onboard are getting the runaround on the heat issue. I can understand if there is a mechanical issue. If so, just make the announcement. Next month will be my first Carnival cruise and chose the Legend for being able to just drive to the port. Now I am beginning to question our August cruise on the Legend to Greenland as well. That will be just the opposite of leaving a port that is warm and sailing eight days to a cold port.

We are sailing on the Legend in a month. My DW found on another social media site that the current cruise from Baltimore to Nassau and Grand Turks the passengers are complaining of being without heat and heat not working. Sunday when they return it is to be 28/19. Has this happened before? Anyone with more info?

Thank you Rich, thank you Roy, thank you Debbie, thank you Cat Shepard, and thank you Dixie for your daily contribution! And thank you all for being here! @smitty34877 Terry, praying your surgery goes well. @grapau27 Graham, I hope your incision is healing nicely. Sue and I spent the afternoon watching YouTube videos regarding the Carnival Legend sailing from Baltimore. Sue, DSIL, and I will be onboard in a little over a month. This will sound strange but I'll be glad when it is over as it has actually been rebooked three times plus a different ship. Thanking DSIL for watching Sam while we were in Europe last month. Looking forward to just driving 3-1/2 hours to cruise though. Hopefully we don't have bad weather for the drive? Stay Safe! - Jack

Thank you Rich, thank you Roy, thank you Debbie, thank you Cat Shepard, and thank you Dixie for your daily contribution! And thank you all for being here! Snow predicted for Thursday and a possible White Christmas. Earlier than normal for us so I just brought the snowblower to the house from my shed. No procrastinating this year with prepping! We have been to Adelaide for the day but arrived by air. My friend that lives in Melbourne arranged a daytrip on our trip to Oz/NZ in 2007. I'll look for photos from then on my CF memory cards. Stay Safe! - Jack

One of the advantages I have noticed was for our MSC Splendida cruise in October. It was calling on both Civitavvechia and Genoa. The choice of staterooms in YC was better boarding in Genoa than boarding in Civitavvechia. We boarded in Genoa. According to a crew member, Marseille had the largest number boarding for our cruise.

Thank you for the memories for my second visit in 1996. One of your photos looking across Tumon Bay shows the Hilton that I stayed at for a week. On my original visit in 1972 Guam wasn't quite the tourist attraction that it would become. I remember that the reason it was so popular for the Japanese tourists was that it was only a three hour flight away. - Jack

My first visit to Guam while in the CG was April-May of 1972. Just a few months earlier they had found what they thought was the last remaining Japanese soldier that had been hiding on Guam since the war ended in 1945. I also remember that they warned us about exploring remote areas of Guam as there was still unexploded ordinance in the area. No problem as long as we frequested the EM Club!

Hafa Adai! Thank you Rich, thank you Roy, thank you Debbie, thank you Cat Shepard, and thank you Dixie for your daily contribution! And thank you all for being here! That is the traditional greeting used on Guam. It is Chamorro for "Hello." I have been lucky by visiting the island twice but pre-digital camera days. It is an absolutely stunning island that is only 30 miles long and 8 miles wide. Many of the homes back then were built with concrete blocks to withstand typhoons. "Spam" in the can is a staple in households as it is the perfect "Typhoon" food. It was the first time I heard their reference of an "All-Weather Road" which is actually a paved road but needs to be driven on very carefully as crumbled seashells are added to the mix making it very slippery when wet. A tradition I wish that we could see here in the States is the day after an election, the winning politcian stands on a street corner waving "Thank You" to the people passing. A nice touch of civility. The first time I was there was during the Vietnam War as we were decommissioning the Coast Guard cutter I was on for further use by the Republic of Viet Nam (South Vietnamese Navy.) My parents were concerned as my orders just read that I was going to the South Pacific. I have heard that we were going to Viet Nam, then the Philippines, and then Guam as the War was heating up with Nixon's actions to be able to train the new crew. The USCGC McCulloch was renamed RVNS Ngo Quyen. It was lucky to have escaped to the Philippines when South Viet Nam fell in 1975. We flew back to New Jersey on a MAT flight. I was always amazed with the time changes enroute as we left at 0300 Wednesday from Anderson AFB - and arrived at 0700 Wednesday in NJ at McGuire AFB. This was after a 23-hour flight. My second visit was when I was working for the large telecommunication company that was forced into divesting itself in 1984. The employees on Guam were due for annual training for which I volunteered to travel there to deliver. I was especially pleased as I was able to visit with a friend of my father's for the second time while there. Before retiring, he had been a US Government employee in Japan and then later Guam. I have always wanted to make a third trip there. Stay Safe! - Jack

Tina, thank you for reminding me by including the photo of the Black Scabbard fish! That is what they served on our excursion when we stopped at the restaurant for lunch. Amazing that they are deep sea creatures and live 600 to 5,600 feet below the surface. They come in last place for looks. Extremely popular in Madeira and Portugal, it was delicious! - Jack Two views of the Cachalote Restaurant in Porto Moniz, Madeira.

Thank you Rich, thank you Roy, thank you Debbie, thank you Cat Shepard, and thank you Dixie for your daily contribution! And thank you all for being here! Madeira was the last port we called on before our Transatlantic aboard the Oosterdam last month. Our first time there, we did the HAL excursion called "The Best of West Madeira" which had us out all day. Madeira is literally a rock as any of the beaches have sand that needed to be imported according to our guide. One of the highlights was the restaurant that we stopped for lunch on the Northside of the island. What a beautiful setting! It was a panoramic tour from the bus so most of my photos are snatch and grab for just our memories. It is a destination that we hope to visit again. I'll have to check Sue's memory card as she probably captured some from a different perspective. Stay Safe! - Jack

Thank you Rich, thank you Roy, thank you Debbie, thank you Cat Shepard, and thank you Dixie for your daily contribution! And thank you all for being here! Stay Safe! - Jack

I am not familiar with the substitutions. It is unfortunate that they have eliminated Bayfield. My DW's son lives nearby in Ashland so we have been there a few times. The Bayfield Peninsula has an artistic community. There is a nice commercial area in town with Madeline Island a short ferry ride nearby. A kayaking excursion to the nearby "Apostle Islands National Lakeshore" would allow kayaking the numerous sea caves. The Bayfield Peninsula has a few attractions for a panoramic drive for the less adventurous including a shipwreck to explore and abundant wildlife. Houghton along with it's sister city Hancock are steeped in copper mining history. The Keweenaw Peninsula receives an extraordinary amount of snow each winter due to it's location. I have only been to Houghton/Hancock once in December. There was three feet of snow on the ground by then and a "yooper" quipped: "Good thing I was up there before it snowed!" I still can't figure out VE's statement about the weather being an issue though.

Thank you Rich, thank you Roy, thank you Debbie, thank you Cat Shepard, and thank you Dixie for your daily contribution! And thank you all for being here! Stay Safe! - Jack

So many times people who contract COVID blame the ship when they most likely carried it onboard. I remember last year when we did our one Viking cruise how they were not only PCR testing daily but also using proximity trackers as well. On most of those cruises, ours included, (described on the VO forum) the 3-4 day PCR test would be when people tested positive. That would have been too soon for contracting onboard the ship. Thankfully it has become a mild infection for most as long as you have been vaccinated and boosted. That was all it was for me this year and a notch above being asymtomatic. Three Rapid tests with negative results but a confirmed infection using a PCR test.

Thank you Rich, thank you Roy, thank you Debbie, thank you Cat Shepard, and thank you Dixie for your daily contribution! And thank you all for being here! Our first Winter event is forecast for Thursday starting Wednesday night. No snow but freezing rain through Thursday afternoon. I thought I was going to CC jail for disagreeing with the VO crowd the past few days. Maybe after this post I will? Stay Safe! - Jack

Is the Safety Management System (SMS) an individual document for each ship? Your use of "we" confuses me. Have you actually read Viking's SMS for this ship? There are four functional components of the SMS: Safety Policy; Safety Risk Management; Safety Assurance; and Safety Promotion. SRM and SA are the key processes of the SMS. The owner of the vessel is responsible for the SMS creation although that can be passed to the master as the master will have more definitive knowledge of information to be contained in it. But with the two ships being relatively new, how would determining probability specific to that vessel be determined? Is the data is borrowed from other vessels crossings for the year, or as you suggest crossing for November over 10 years, are the other ships of the same unique design? Or are generalities used which could (but may not) then also skew the results? These two ships are of a singular design which, I believe, is what VO was searching for and has marketed as such on their website and elsewhere. Including that, wouldn't the Naval Architect responsible for the design be looked at as well? I am sure the inquiry will be a lengthy investigation and until the results are found, then every comment here is conjecture.

First, make certain when your date gets closer which berthing space you are docking at Stazione Marittima. I only say that as a there is space for a ship that is not by the terminal buildng. Not knowing the date, a number of MSC ships will be there in December as well. There is some seating on the upper floor of the terminal that family should be able to wait for you. Maybe others will have a better suggestion.

This is strange and I wonder if that is the actual reason? Silver Islet, ON is already on the itinerary. Bayfield has a somewhat protected landing that accomodates the Apostle Island ferry in summer, and to dock at Houghton the Viking Octanis would transit the Keweenaw Waterway. Has Duluth been eliminated as well? If so, they appear to want to hug the Northern Shore of Lake Superior and avoid the "possibility" of rough water. I have said it before, the Great Lakes are not always placid even in summer.