Mary229

It depends on where you are going. My first thought was she sounds like she would enjoy river cruising but that would depend on where you are going

Of course, it is all opinion. I traveled for a living and our failsafe was “there is always Walmart”and yes twice we forgot the luggage so three weeks and the road with a Walmart wardrobe (unfortunately was not tax deductible except for the donation to the goodwill)

I have gotten that message for excursions I never took😁

My first question is where do I want to go and who is really great in that area? Then I narrow it down from those ships

I think many overestimate how much time people put into researching their travel plans. Just this week I helped someone who has sailed the Med, the Caribbean, the Baltics and Hawaii. They called me since they are sailing HAL. I was stunned how little they knew and they had been quite happy on all of their other cruises. The first thing they didn’t know was they could pick their room! Their room was above the galley so I called their agent, a mutual friend, and had her change them to a better location at no cost. That was the start of their lack of information and it went on from there. Now they will have a great experience but they would have had a really good experience without knowing. I have people who I know are status sailors, platinum, 5 star and so on and they usually corner me when they see me and ask me for tips. My tips are nothing that i didn’t learn on cruise critic, nothing special at all

The best case for a passport is if for some unfortunate reason you do not reenter the US on that ship. Perhaps you are hospitalized, maybe you get in drunken brawl and are thrown off😂, whatever happens be sure to have documentation that will get you home by any transportation mode including driving, bussing or flying.

Besides my passport, phone and a few diverse credit cards I carry a fully charged battery pack for said phone. My phone has all of the info I need. I can pretty much go anywhere with those items. I only worry about the bad outcomes, I worry now, figure out a protocol and go have fun

Warning😁 I carry my first night/first day necessities in my carry on in case my luggage goes missing. The canister of Metamucil created a stir. I will leave it in the checked bags from now on and find a drug store if my luggage goes missing.

I use TMobile and usually do have coverage in the towns.

They have changed oils. I use olive oil every day on my salad and it is definitely a large step down as is the bleu cheese. Maybe the butters is a lower grade also

I had quit the escargot about 5 cruises back as it was not good but actually had very good escargot at DH’s insistence on the Koningsdam. Lots of inconsistency on HAL since the startup. I will be sticking with 21+ day voyages where the quality seems to be more consistent

As to towel animals it may be just luck of the draw as to cabin steward. Just like the origami animals in the MdR. There is no requirement for them but if one of the guys gets good at it he will share his talent. (Reminder to self get origami papers as gift for next cruise)

We have highly mineralized water at home and even though we have an extremely healthy diet on ship, even healthier than at home I have issues. As a friend who is a food industry chemist explained : Ship water is devoid of minerals and is not all that hydrating as it has been stripped of all mineralization. First thing upon rising is a cocktail of powdered vitamin/electrolytes and Metamucil. Every morning.

What’s the difference? I think it is the same company, isn’t it? What if they say they used a special shampoo in your hair ? I have always used the salon but the last time there was a lot of pressure to buy, buy, buy.

I would call and work this all out with a representative. If you are more than 3 days out they can take payment and switch your shore excursions to HIA and refund for the internet.

Until then I will not be setting foot in the spa. Sounds scary that they have carte blanche

It is unfortunate that the spa is ramping up their aggressive sales tactics again. For a few years it was a pleasant experience and I was happy to have many of their stylist primp my hair. My last cruise was too much of a struggle and I won’t be going back

I have never made a reservation for lunch and I do like the Pinnacle lunch.

When you book hotels with Cunard do they include airport to hotel transfers and hotel to ship transfers? Thank you for your response

That’s wonderful. After 45 years of marriage to a non-dancer I would love to put my dancing shoes to good use.

I think what they are saying is the excursion will go even if weather is not optimal. HAL ALWAYS refunds if they cancel an excursion

In the description of each excursion you are given the cancellation fees. Mostly you need to cancel a full 48 hours prior for a refund, a full refund. Do check. If you buy beforehand with a credit card and cancel on ship it will be refunded as a refundable OBC. At the end of the cruise any remaining refundable OBC is credited to your card OR you can walk down to guest services and ask for cash. If you cancel up to 3 days before you sail your credit card will be credited

There are some dancers on every cruise but it really is luck of the draw. Most often I have seen dancers at happy hour if there is a live band. But no, I don’t think you will find a venue set aside for ballroom dancing, nor will you likely see it as an announced activity.

That’s fun. I never considered this advantage of dance hosts. I had always considered them for solos but now I know I can dance and leave DH to his peace. Another Cunard bonus.

As to speed HAL has a contractual relationship with Park West and likely, as a business decision and to prevent real legal action, they needed to solve that before dealing with customer non-contractual preferences. I am just glad they heard that HAL customers were not happy with this intrusion.