Hlitner

If you are looking for a part of Paris where everything is open on Sunday’s, the area is Marais. Lots of good shopping and places to grab a nice lunch. As to the Le Havre area, if you are simply looking for a town with shopping and cafes, Honfleur is open on Sundays. Hank

We have never had an issue getting times when we use the app. But, with DMW you always have the option to simply show-up without a reservation. For 2 tops you may get a beeper and need to wait (go enjoy a cocktail). For those of us who enjoy sharing tables there is seldom more than a very short wait. On mass market big ships you are going to often have mass market crowding and queues. As one who cruises many different lines (currently on the 450 passenger Seabourn Quest where there are no dinner reservations) one simply needs to adjust to each ship/cruise. On Princess we sometimes use reservations and other times “adjust.” Hank Hank

I would suggest buying direct from the JR train site. When you purchase direct, it is all done online and you pick up your pass at the JR place in airports or train stations. Buying direct from JR let’s you make an immediate online reservation for your first train. Hank

Japan is different from most places. Taxis are generally honest, safe, and clean. You can just grab a taxi from the port or any hotel. It is best to write your destination and show it to the driver. Many do not understand a lot of English but they have can usually read English printing. Hank

In Mexico you can select a cash option for Uber and directly pay the driver (generally in Pesos but they may accept dollars) Hank

To me, the answer is quite simple. Some folks eat to live and they are not “foodies.” Those of us who live to eat…are foodies.

You really do not need a “tour” to go to Honfleur. Taxis, at the port, will take multiple passengers for about 25 Euros. Honfleur is a very walkable town with most having lunch at one of the cafe/restaurants arrayed around the small harbor. Hank

Have never seen an Oyster on this cruise. On that formal night I settled for the lobster (not a big fan of SB lobster prep) which was OK. I should add that we have not experienced anymore issues like that one evening, and food onboard has generally been good. We recently booked a similar SB itinerary for 2025, which reflects our continued enjoyment of SB.

My advice would be to give SB a call and ask? Also consider joining with some others (perhaps on the CC Roll Call board) to organize some private tours. We are on the Quest where we generally do our own thing. SB excursions are quite expensive and seem to be the topic of most complaints on this cruise. Hank

I believe that SB uses mushrooms in their duxelles coating. We have since learned that the galley was somewhat overwhelmed when about 250 came to dinner (around the same time) in The Restaurant.

The stormy seas were with us for most of the 6 day crossing. Seas finally calmed down as we neared Kodiak Island. The Captain explained that we got caught between two major storm systems. The Westy handled the seas quite well, but I suspect there were more than a few unhappy passengers.

There are 399 passengers. Given the number of singles, we are near capacity.

We have been enjoying the Quest until tonight. Went in the Restaurant at 7:40 on a formal night. I ordered Oysters and Beef Wellington, The waiter advised against the beef since there was so little left that it would be mushrooms and pastry.. but little beef. Later told me, sorry, but no more oysters. DWs dessert pecan custard dish was like scrambled eggs. Very sad for a premium line. Most meals have been good, but this was not even up to Carnival standards. Hank

We agree that the YC is an exception. Love the YC and think it is the best value in the cruise industry. Hank

The only way to avoid crowds and queues on cruises is to cruise on small ship luxury lines. The down side is that you will spend a lot more money and not have the kids programs found on massive vessels. Hank

Personal Responsibility is an interesting concept. As frequent travelers/cruisers, we have learned this strange behavior of making our own arrangements and accepting that the best way to accomplish most goals is to do it ourselves. Depending on others will often leave you blaming others, when things go wrong. Hank

We are not going to that Chef’s dinner, so can not be of further help. It is tonight (formal night) and The Restaurant menu is more than adequate for our meager needs. Hank

The thread is somewhat cryptic. When we talk about “controlled drugs” they can be Schedule 2, 3 or 4….each with their own set of Federal and State rules and various rules in other countries. Ambien is a schedule 4 drug while other sleep meds can be schedule 2. While one might be able to get a 90 day supply of schedule 4, they will likely be restricted to a 30 day supply of schedule 2. And some countries, such as Japan, have very tough restrictions on many drugs. Hank

Sporadic but better than we expected. That being said, we did not do any streaming. We also had very bad weather for the entire crossing from Yokohama to Kodiak with 20 - 25 foot seas the norm. Hank

Robert Thompson, MBE. He is the youngest English chef to get a Michelin Star

We are on the Quest where we have a “Guest” British chef who is doing a few events. This includes a $250 pp dinner! That makes Le Dome sound like a bargain🤧 Hank

There is a term “spitting in the wind” which arguably applies to the OPs concern. That being said, after more than 1400 cruise days we have never met an “influencer” on a cruise. Cruise/travel agents may get “fam” cruises, but that is usually very limited. Some agencies do enough bookings to get a rep aboard some cruises (who often host events for their charges.)” Hank

No need to deal with PCCs. If you have already booked one way (using the online system, you will not be able to add another flight with the online system. But you can simply call HAL and ask the reservations folks to add another flight. If they do not know how, you simply request to be transferred to the real Flightease folks who can easily add other flights. There is also a direct number (almost secret) to get to the Flightease folks (I do not have that number on my phone). Am a little surprised that PCCs do not always handle these things, but we have never had any use for PCCs so have not experienced that kind of frustration. Hank

Been to Bucerias, many times, and enjoy walking around, the beach, and a meal. There used to be an excellent rock group that played at a local venue, but they are long gone. Some folks fled to Bucerias to get away from all the development in PV, but now Bucerias is also becoming over developed.

HAL used to have a Grand Med cruise that was round trip from Ft Lauderdale and about 60 days in length. We did it twice, and the joke was that they would back up the vans from the nursing homes at embarkation and be back ti reload at disembarkation. Seriously, the cruise worked well for those who could not or would not fly. They were very enjoyable voyages for those of us who liked many sea days (had 23 on one voyage). Hank