Hlitner

Sometimes, the best laid plans 🙂 On one our Prinsendam cruises we carefully chose an outside cabin that was directly above the empty area adjacent to one of the ship's Exit/Entry areas. Early in our long cruise, very late at night, DW nudged me and said "do you hear ping pong?" I thought she was crazy but when I listened carefully I could hear what sounded like a ping pong ball being moving back and forth. I thought we were both nutz. The next night we had the same problem but could also hear lots of laughter. So I took a post mid-night stroll to Guest Relations who promised they would investigate. The following day we received a phone call and it was explained that the crew had a portable ping pong table that they set up in that empty area (below our cabin) where they played ping pong much of the night. Arrangements were made to move that ping pong table and we never heard another sound. Hank

Our basic rule is to look on the deck plan to see what is over, under (crew deck is usually fine), and around the cabin. Being under a public room/lounge can be OK (or not) depending on what public space. If it is a space that is going to be used late at night or early in the morning it is usually best to get a different cabin location. Hank

Argh. Not sure if you can get to the HAL web site (they might block it for those on the ship) but here is the cut/paste from the 5* benefits, Perhaps you can show this to Guest Services and they will learn the policies of their own employer. Two complimentary dinners in your choice of Pinnacle Grill, Tamarind or Canaletto (free surcharge only) Hank

I think Edinburgher has given some good advice. While some of us here on CC have lots of travel experience, we cannot "do it all" for other folks. Part of travel is doing your own "homework" and deciding what best meets your own needs/wants. When we go to a new port we will usually read through all the cruise line's excursion offerings since they usually offer some good ideas about what is possible/reasonable to do in that port. But, as independent travelers, we seldom take a cruise line excursion unless it does something, we want to do, that we cannot reasonably do on our own. When it comes to Santorini and Mykonos there is nothing the cruise lines do that we cannot easily do on our own (without having to deal with a large group) with the possible exception of the excursions to Delos. While it is possible to do Delos on your own (you would need to book a local tour/transportation) it is generally not a reasonable option. So, for the OP we would suggest that you read about Delos and see if this is something you want on your Mykonos day. If so, book a cruise line excursion to Delos. Otherwise, everything can be done on your own or with a private tour. Hank

Been following the thread (and your comments) with lots of interest. We are cognizant that many HAL fans can never find any fault with their beloved cruise line and would happily sing "Nearer my God to Thee" as their ship went down :). I will try to put some sanity to all the various posts (here and elsewhere) and quite a few recent reviews. While we normally have 5 or 6 cruises booked, at the current time we only have 1 booking and it is a 42 day Westy cruise. Yesterday, I mentioned to DW that we should be booking some cruises (we have quite a few ideas) and she said, "do not book any more HAL cruises until after we take our Westy cruise (March). We both have lots of concerns but want to see for ourselves. If HAL has truly deteriorated to the extent that some have posted, we would be unlikely to book any future HAL voyages. Although we have long been HAL fans (we are 5*) we are also very happy on many different cruise lines. The question that we must answer is whether the HAL of today meets our needs/wants when compared to their competition. While many HAL fans have an attitude of just accepting whatever HAL does, we are always comparing various cruise lines and looking for the best overall value (value does not necessarily equal price). There is also a new cruise line on the horizon (Explora Journeys) that has our attention. At the moment we love MSC for short cruises in their Yacht Club and are very pleased with Seabourn for longer itineraries. In its best day, HAL is not even in the same ballpark as either of those two cruise lines. But HAL has long had some amazing itineraries at very good prices. But these days there are several other lines with fantastic itineraries (i.e. Seabourn, Oceania, Azamara, Princess, Viking, and the soon to be Explora Journeys) that we wonder if HAL can compete. By the way, we are shocked about the "paint" incident mentioned in a post. We actually had our own "paint incident" while on a back to back Zuiderdam cruise in the Baltic (several years ago) and the situation got so bad that we gave HAL a simple choice...."stop painting near the air inlet that was flooding our section of the ship with dangerous fumes, or we were leaving the ship at the next port." Fortunately, the Hotel Manager did intervene with Engineering and the painting stopped. That particular cruise/incident was the worst onboard situation we have ever had in over forty years of extensive cruising. We simply shook it off as a one-time thing but now we wonder. Hank

Am going to think outloud and how we would handle this situation. I have never seen a debarkation cruise ship excursion from the Port of Miami that ended at FLL. So what to do? The OP might consider renting a car for the day with a pick-up in Miami and drop at FLL. You can than lock your luggage in the trunk (boot if you are a Brit) and do your own thing. Hank

Being nude in the MDR would be an improvement on the dress of some cruisers 🙂

Giggles for you and me :). But many here do take those assigned boarding times very serious and would likely report one to the principal if they dared to report early. Hank

And I assume that everyone had a boarding time before 1? Hank

The answer to the OP's question is that it depends on the phase of the moon. It is so logical I have no idea why any HAL cruiser would have an issue. I still remember one HAL cruise where, upon boarding at embarkation day, we asked a few of the staff if there was lunch in the MDR. Several different staff told us no! So, we walked over to the MDR and yes, it was open for lunch :). Just another day. Hank

Not sure that "industrial" is an issue (anywhere) since tourism areas are generally not industrial. I was stationed at Misawa Air Force Base which was less than an hour drive from Aomori. We used to head over towards Aomori to get he ferry over to Hokkaido (they docked at Hakodate) as, in those days, they did not have a tunnel or any kind of direct connection. The trains, cars, and people all used the ferry (about a 4 hour ride across the strait). We always thought of Hakodate as the place we got off the ferry to grab the train up to Sapporo. There is actually a pretty decent National Park in the Aomori area (Lake Towada) where we used to do a lot of camping. Just an old thought, but in my day it took us about 12 hours on a very uncomfortable train to get from Northern Japan to Tokyo. They had no high-speed trains and flying was not a good option. I do think that one of the highlights of Japan is the winter ice festival in Sapporo, but this happens around February. If you can imagine the Tournament of Roses Parade with the floats all being carved out of ice, you would be picturing what we would see at the ice festival. Hank

I would opt for the 2nd itinerary. Why? Aomori and Hakodate would be among my least favorite ports which probably goes back to when I lived up in Aomori Prefecture for 2 years. Ironically, we are on a cruise this coming Spring that happens to go to those ports. Hank

Cruise ships do not make money (onboard revenue) by staying in ports. But you might want to check with a small boat company (think yacht cruises) called Variety Cruises. They are a Greek company that has been in business for many years and operates a fleet of smaller (often 40 passenger or less) boats. They do have a web site and having done one of these yacht cruises (when it was still Zeus Cruises) in the Ionian Islands it was an absolutely amazing experience. Variety does have cruises to the Greek Islands with some fantastic itineraries. I do not know how late they stay in Santorini, but you can certainly call or send an e-mail to their NYC office. Hank

I will jump in and say that it depends on the airports and cruise. The CCL cruise lines use a 3rd party air booking company and they enter into contracts with various airlines to get some discounted fares. On International flights the choices can be from many different airlines with the best discounts usually happening for Business/First Class and sometimes Premium Economy. On our upcoming HAL cruise where we need to fly to Tokyo we could have chosen from many airlines such as Delta, AA, Unted, Cathy Pacific, JAL, BA, etc. In our case we snagged an amazing Business Class fare using British Air/JAL that is about 1/2 the usual fare. They are also showing a terrific fare on Cathy Pacific (a fantastic airline) but we had no desire to go to JFK to catch those flights. Domestic flights are not particularly great when it comes to economy. However, there can be significant savings on domestic First/Business. Hank

What we like would not likely suit the OP who seems to be smitten with the larger RCI ships and warm weather cruising. Iceland does have some summer weather while Greenland is not generally warm. Also keep in mind that other than Nuuk, Greenland is about tendering into smaller ports which is not a great option on larger ships. The OP specifically mentions the Anthem of the Seas and I seas and I see no itineraries that are around the British Islands or to Iceland. My message to the OP is that you are focused on the ship and amenities rather than the actual ports. If you want to be on a monster ship than it is best to choose larger port where the ship can dock and there is adequate infrastructure to support the number of passengers. Just consider that the largest city in Iceland has a population of about 18,000. A ship like the Anthem of the Seas would increase that population by about 1/3! Other ports in Iceland have populations that are less than that single ship. We once visited Iceland on a 3000 passenger ship and it took more than 4 hours to get folks tendered ashore in one of the ports that could only handle a single tender (at a time). We have been to Iceland and Greenland on 3 cruises and those places are best done on a relatively small ship (we prefer fewer than 1000 passengers). A cruise around the UK is fine on a larger ship and there are many interesting ports be it Edinburgh, Liverpool, etc. Hank

Lots not to like about Paxlovid, but it does seem to be the best game in town for those of us in higher risk categories. Will something new and better come along? We can all hope. DW and I have been carrying Paxlovid with us (when traveling and cruising) for quite a few months. Fortunately (knock on a bulkhead) we have been fortunate to not have contracted covid, RSV, Influenza, Noro, etc. With the upcoming holidays and family functions what chance do we have? Argh. Hank

We have a suggestion for those in high risk categories. Before you cruise (or travel) ask your own family physician if he/she would advise you to take Paxlovid in the event you tested positive for COVID. If so, simply explain you will be cruising/traveling and request a prescription. We carry our own supply (for 2 persons) of Paxlovid along with several home testing kits. For us, a big advantage of getting Paxlovid at home is that we have a prescription program that pays for the drug. As very frequent international travelers we carry a pretty decent drug supply to handle most common issues. Hank

I would agree with Navybankerteacher, that Cunard has some decent dancing options. The QM2 has a large "ballroom" where there is an expansive real dance floor. On one of our crossings they put the two ship's bands together and had a "Ball" with music provided from a true Big Band (with singer). There were actually dozens of couples who were quite skilled at ballroom dancing that added to the wonderful atmosphere. HAL used to have some decent live music dancing (and even had some dance hosts who would dance with the ladies) but much of that is gone...that line having significantly cut-back on live music. On some ships they still have their "BB King" groups that play dance sets. With those groups we have heard everything from Blues, R&B, Disco, etc. But being HAL, you never know what you will get until you are on the cruise and might find yourself on an evening when the main entertainment is a BBC Documentary on the Animals of the Sahara or something similar. Hank

I want to again reiterate that most lines that offer air options also offer the additional option of letting the cruiser choose their own flights. Sometimes there is an additional fee (such as with Oceania) and other times there are no extra fees (Princess, Seabourn, HAL, etc). During COVID, we had 5 cruises (all expensive voyages to exotic parts of the world) cancelled by the cruise lines! In 4 of those cases, we had booked our air (all Business Class) through the cruise lines. In those 4 cases, when the cruise line cancelled the cruise, they also cancelled the air, and we received a full refund. On the 5th cruise we had booked our own air (using miles) and were on our own to deal with the airline (Delta). Delta actually agreed to refund our miles. But if we had paid for that air, Delta would have only agreed to some kind of voucher. Some airlines would have likely refused to make any changes without charging a hefty change fee (we are talking international business class). I should also mention that if using cruise air through Princess, HAL, Seabourn, (and some others), we are able to access an online booking engine (similar to using any online booking site) where we could view lots of different flight options from/to different airports and with many different airlines. If we did not see any flights that we liked we could have simply booked our own air elsewhere. We were never obligated to use cruise air. To us, it is simply one more option to be evaluated against other options. In the case of Oceania, we thought their air option was awful which is why we ultimately booked directly with Delta. Hank

Having cruised on 16 different lines (including Princess, NCL and RCI) I do not think it is necessarily a matter of "nicer." The various options and ship within a ship concepts have changed cruising. These days folks can opt to cruise in different classes (or environments) depending on their own wants and budget. So you could go on a budget cruise on NCL by booking the lowest price cabin and eating in the included dining options. or....You could be an expensive Haven Suite, have an upscale all-inclusive experience, and never dine ""with the masses." On Celebrity you also have options such as paying the big bucks for a "Retreat" Suite with its own dining venue, pool deck, lounges, etc. There are also some big differences depending on the actual ship. On the mega ships of NCL and RCI you can get some amazing entertainment! On Princess, you will not get that type of entertainment although they do have production shows and other options. Somebody mentioned MSC and we will admit to being a big fan of their "Yacht Club" which is an upscale ship within a ship. Outside the YC, MSC is somewhat akin to a Carnival or RCI experience without as many structured activities. Hank

We would not be surprised. The HAL Group's CEO comes from Princess where they eliminated all Fixed Dining in favor of a "Dine as you Wish" program. This allows folks to reserve (through an App) a specific time, specific MDR (most Princess ships have 3), and a preferred table size. When we were on the Enchanted Princess, every morning DW and I would look at the daily schedule and make a reservation for that same night. But since the ship was only about 60% of capacity, we have no idea how well that system will work at 100% capacity. For those that want Fixed Dining it was possible to book the same time and MDR for the entire cruise although I do not think the App allowed one to choose a specific table. Hank

Not typically on cruise ships. With the cruise lines we might say that the cruise line underpays their staff and then does their best to convince the customers that it is our obligation to help the crew overcome a very ungrateful company. It is the American way that we are made to feel guilty because the company does not pay a living wage. On the other hand, I do not see folks tipping airline Flight Attendants, Pilots, garbage collectors, etc. Hank

This may well depend on which ship, which day, which hour, etc. In theory you can make reservations but our experience on HAL (and other lines like Princess) is that Anytime reservations are more advisory then real. At times there can be a queue for those with reservations and another queue for those without reservations. When this happens, we have often found that the "without" line moves faster. You will also find delays as the hosts try to deal with folks that "demand a specific table," "demand a specific waiter," "demand a specific size table," etc. etc. The only good solution we have found to this problem is cruising on luxury lines where everyone can easily be accommodated at any time (when the MDR is opened). My sympathy goes out to the MDR hosts who spend much of their working lives dealing with irate passengers who "demand" this and that. Over the years we have made some friends among the hosts because we simply show-up and say, "we will share at any table." The look of relief on the host's face makes our day and I sometimes think they are going to give us a tip (Passenger Appreciation). Hank

Had to smile at the Aussie post about them being confused by the American tipping system. I have lived in the USA for my entire life and am confused by our tipping system, especially when it comes to ships. Americans (and many Canadians) suffer from "tipping guilt" which I think is inherited at birth :). What this means is that cruise lines can add automatic tips (which means it is not really tips) and even call it something ridiculous like "Crew Appreciation" and expect us to obey. They also expect us to feel guilty so that no matter how much we pay through auto tips we will think it is not enough. At some point I imagine that a few folks will suggest taking out a 2nd Mortgage on our first born to pay even more tips on top of auto tips on top of service charges, etc. etc. When we started to travel (internationally) over 50 years ago we quickly learned that this tipping guilt is limited to Americans (and some Canadians). The rest of the world just shakes its head at the silly North Americans with many thinking we are just more Ugly Americans trying to boast to the world by spreading our wealth. So my suggestion to the Aussie poster is that you tip an extra $200 (US) per person/day and then expect somebody to give you an empty envelope with the hint that you tip more. Hank

This is not just true in Mexico, but is the situation in many parts of the world. Folks also need to know their PIN in numbers as many ATMs around the world do not have any letters on the keys. Hank