Hlitner

I noticed a post that implied that "all cruise lines draw from the same talent pool." That is absolutely incorrect and just another HAL fan excuse. I will give you real examples. On Princess they still have major Production Shows (HAL has none). We have been on many HAL cruises (5* Mariner) and many Princess cruises (long time Elite) and only once or twice do we recall anyone working "cross line." Recently we were on MSC where they had a different Production Show every night (for a week). These are pretty big shows with singers, dancers, and acrobats (think Cirque de Soleil) none of which you would ever see on HAL. There were also 5 other entertainment groups working on that MSC cruise...none of which you will find on HAL. We have also cruised quite a few Seabourn cruises (part of the HAL group). Seabourn sources their singers/dancers (yes, even Seabourn has Production shows) though Belinda Productions which is a high-end British Production company. On our SB cruises we have met (and had dinner with) many of the entertainers only one of which told us she had worked on HAL (for a short time as a dancer). We have also previously posted that of the 16 cruise lines we have cruised, HAL is the ONLY line that passes off Documentary Movies as the main entertainment. Most lines do not even show movies in their main theaters leaving that to outdoor screens and/or TV. Hank

You do have a good point. But it is the rare North American who wants to go on a line were English is not one of the common languages. There are certainly some excellent lines such as Hapag-Lloyd that do not appear in many data bases and lines like Aida are often omitted from North American agency data bases. The OP did not seem to be asking about "how many ships in a port" as much as seeking information on ships, itineraries, and lines. If there is truly a decent comprehensive data base that includes Chinese, Japanese, German, etc. cruise lines we have not found it! And I think most North Americans would not be happy to find themselves on a Chinese-speaking gambling cruise with wall to wall smokers and all announcements in Mandarin. Just recently we were talking to one of our favorite cruise agents (she has only been in the business about 8 years) and asked her about possible deals on Ponant! She immediately asked me about Ponant, which was a line she was not familiar. You will also find many agencies who have little or no experience with Scenic and there are still quite a few data bases that do not show Explora Journeys (a new luxury line owned by MSC). And then there are some decent small vessel companies such as Variety Cruises who is normally not part of most data bases. One can certainly find information on all these lines by using the Internet, but it does require a little work :). Hank

This topic is better on air forums but here goes. Airlines publish Minimum Connection Times (MCTs) for each airport. I think (not 100% positive) that AA is 25-35 min for domestic depending on the flight numbers. At CLT you only have one terminal so the good news is no terminal change. The bad news it can be a long walk to your connecting flight although decent walkers can get to just about any gate in 15 min or less. AA uses 4 concourses (B, C, D, E) at CLT. These days, tight connections are never great. If you miss your connecting flight AA will generally rebook you (automatically) on the next flight with available seats. If they cannot get you on a flight until the following day there are several rules that come into play. But if the airline blames the missed connection on any kind of weather delay they normally will not pay for a hotel (you still might be able to get them to cough up a meal voucher). Last year we missed a Saturday evening AA connection at DFW. AA was not able to get us on another flight until Tuesday night. This kind of thing is not unusual because so many flight are completely booked. I think things have improved (a little) since last winter/spring, but flying is still an "adventure." Hank

There is a lot more to the Spanish daily schedule culture than just a late dinner. Many parts of Spain still shut down for part of the afternoon (this is sometimes called the siesta). As a tourist this means that you may find that most of the tourist related things are closed, often from about 1pm until at least 4. Then things open up again and stay open until at least 7. The opening/closing hours can vary depending on where you are within the country. The Spanish folks use those siesta hours to relax, enjoy a long lunch (which is often their big meal of the day), go home, take a nap, etc. When we do driving trips we will use those afternoon hours for our major driving (as we relocate within the country) or a long relaxing lunch. It is the same in some parts of Italy (with afternoon closings) although the Italians do not generally dine as late as in Spain. We have often posted suggests, for fellow cruisers/travelers, are best ideas of how to deal with closures. For example, many cruisers who get a port day in Messina will take a tour or go off on their own to the delightful town of Taormina. But most of the decent shops/boutiques in Taormina will close before 2pm and stay closed until late in the afternoon. In that town a cruiser is well advised to do their shopping as soon as they arrive and save some of touristy things such as visiting the Amphitheater to the afternoon (that place is (used to be) open all afternoon). Those closed hours are also the perfect time to enjoy a relaxing lunch and perhaps finish it off with a cannoli for which the town is well known. Even in Spain, many museums do stay open all day so this may be a good option (but always check the museum's own web site (in advance) for opening days/times. Hank

Yes, it is a "high end" part of the island with ridiculous rents. But do not confuse that with the misleading, deceptive, and intimidating behavior of DK Oyster Bar. You might want to look at the numerous negative comments about this place that can be found on Tripadvisor (sister site of CC). I do not have an issue with a restaurant/cafe charging ridiculously high prices as long as they fully disclose this fact! What happens at DK is akin to a "con" where numerous customers report having been misled, scammed, physically intimidated, etc. If you got out of DK by ONLY paying 40EUR/beer it would be your lucky day. Hank

Am wondering why you think Athens if frustrating. Have been there many times (including numerous overnight stays) and always enjoyed city. There is much to see and do in Athens and the city has many decent restaurants, clubs, etc. One can also head out to the suburbs to Kifissia (upscale shopping area in a cute suburb), go over the Monastiraki (great flea market on Sundays), browse the stores around Omonia Square, take the funicular up to Mt Lycabettus, and it goes on and on. Hank

HAL used to have real piano bars on their ships, and DW and I were often among those who sat around the piano until close! HAL got rid of nearly all of their piano bars (perhaps all by now) and also got rid of the many of the excellent piano bar players/singers. Billboard is nothing like a real piano bar, but simply another entertainment venue with "sets." If we want a real piano bar now, we must go on Princess where they still have piano bar players/singers although I am not a big fan of their venue which is often part of the Atriums. Hank

What piano bar?

Your post sure sounds like a "whine."

Do not fear. There are enough touristy restaurants who open early primarily to serve tourists. But if you want to go to the better restaurants (the places enjoyed by locals) you will often need to wait until at least 9pm. We once tried to make a 9:30 reservation at a decent restaurant and were advised that "nobody dines before 10). So we arrived at 10 and the restaurant was still pretty empty. By 10:30 the place was filling and we saw folks arriving (with school aged children) after 11pm (and it was a school night). When we have spent time doing driving trips in Spain we managed to adapt to the Spanish dining culture. It meant going our for tapas about 6, heading to dinner after 9 (the time varies depending on where you are within the country) and then relaxing at a bar until past midnight. Then late to sleep, late to wake, have a light breakfast, and a long lunch during "siesta time" when most stores are closed, etc. etc. All part of the fun of immersing oneself in the local culture. But it sure would be a stretch for the cruisers who line up to get into the MDR by 5pm for dinner :). Hank

Well, I guess those "federal rules" only apply to HAL since we have cruised out of both Port Everglades and the Port of Miami (multiple times) with other lines with no boarding restrictions. In fact, that includes two cruise lines (Princess and Seabourn) which are both part of the HAL group. Hank

Ok, so here is the secret (shhh). We actually like Canada, and until your government told us to stay out (due to COVID) we would take an annual trek to Niagara on the Lake for the purpose of spending several days wine tasting in the region. We always have a lot of fun, and find some surprisingly decent wines in Ontario. We usually go home with a couple of cases of mixed bottles and our border/customs folks just wave us through (we declare every bottle). Hank Sorry to continue the hijacked topic 🙂

We do enjoy some Canadian wines but have honesty never thought about Canadian coffee other than the usual (and pretty decent) Tim Hortons. You got my interest and did a little online research. It does not look like anyone in our part of the East Coast, USA carries that brand. But I also noticed it is possible to get it via mail order. I actually buy Lavazza mail order (by the case) so perhaps someday in a weak moment (after a bottle of Canadian wine) ...... :). Hank

I learned to enjoy Americano when traveling in Italy. My home machine does make that brew (and I only feed that machine with Lavazza beans) but a very strong cappucino is my current preference. In a few months I might switch to Americano since variety is fun, be it with coffee, cruise lines, or itineraries. Hank

Some cruise lines do handle this quite well. In MSC's Yacht Club, there is an indoor/outdoor buffet (with a permanent covered buffet with grill and staff) which also is staffed with plenty of waiters. If one does not want to dine in the dedicated indoor restaurant they can opt to sit at outdoor tables (with large umbrellas) and enjoy the nearby buffet along with table service. Seabourn also has an indoor/outdoor buffet within a few feet of their outdoor hot tubs and pool. One can be outside in their swim wear, go to the buffet (hot and cold) or take advantage of the available table service. They also have an indoor Lido with a larger buffet (and table service) which has another covered outdoor dining area on the aft of the vessel. This gives cruisers many different options to suit their mood and the current weather. On those cruise lines we will sometimes go to the indoor restaurant for a nice breakfast and later, while relaxing in a lounger near the pool, we might grab another light breakfast snack. To us, one of the benefits of cruising are the many options for dining. On most of the lines we cruise there are indoor, outdoor, table service, and buffet options. On many ships there are actually multiple buffet options such as on Celebrity where they have the usual expansive Lido area, but also have a smaller "healthy" buffet at their indoor pool area. The "appeal" as you put it might be a morning when I simply put on a swim suit, head to an outdoor lounger, and grab some breakfast (from the nearby buffet) to enjoy poolside. On other days we might want to have a more formal indoor or outdoor breakfast with a group of friends. I prefer to have the options rather than being forced to fit fewer more stringent options. Hank

Now you are speaking my language when you talk about awful coffee. I like a full flavored stronger coffee and, most mornings at home, I start off with a large mug of a triple shot of expresso turned into cappuccino. Yes, the coffee on HAL is truly awful (like flavored dish water) which always drove me to Explorations for something better. But it is not just on HAL as the coffee is awful on most cruise lines. There are a few exceptions such as on Seabourn where one can request a "French Press" of coffee (often down in their Colonnade lido) which is far superior than the normal coffee. MSC actually has pretty good coffee in their Yacht Club restaurant (we have never dined in their regular MDRs) but this is not surprising when one considers that MSC serves many European customers (even with their Caribbean cruises) who generally prefer a stronger full flavored brew. The worst coffee I have ever had (EVER) was when Princess used some kind of strange coffee syrup to fuel their huge Lido coffee urns. That stuff was truly gross! Eventually, Princess moved to better machines that are fueled by real coffee grounds. But Princess has always made a big deal out of the fact that the coffee at their International Cafe (open 24/7) is "small batch" and among the best coffee at sea. But this coffee does cost extra unless one has a coffee card or drink package. Hank

Each cruise line has their own hiring practices. If you were to cruise on Seabourn you would find that all the cabins are serviced by stewardesses. Hank

DW is a tea drinker and prefers Earl Gray or English Breakfast. After a lot of decades of experience, she has learned to always take some tea bags when we go on a cruise. The issue with your question is that one can say that something is on their particular cruise, but that does not mean it will be on your cruise. We live in strange times. Hank

I could not ignore your wise comments about the cabin A/C controls. Having cruised on over 65 ships (we lost count decades ago) of 16 cruise lines we have never had a truly satisfactory temperature control in any cabin or suite. Nearly all are a single control, most without any reference to specific temperatures. On some ships they actually work and on other ships it does not matter where you set the thing as the cabin is always to warm or too cold. I do understand a little about these systems thanks to a couple of regular CC posters who worked in senior positions on ships. There are limitations to what is practical in a closed A/C system with hundreds or thousands of cabins and public rooms. I do not recall ever having a ship thermostat that gave me options other than warmer or colder (no modes). That makes sense since ship suites/cabins do not have their own A/C systems but only allow some localized control of a regional system. I will confess that DW and I have never been in a cabin that is too cold. We can live with chilly and live it at night. But we have had more than our share of cabins that would not cool below 75F (we have a room thermometer built into one of our travel clocks). The worst temps have happened on a couple of HAL cruises (which were in very warm climates) but the engineering staff usually managed to get the issue corrected. The worst temp problem happened on one of our all time favorite ships, the Prinsendam. We loved that old ship so much that we were able to excuse the temp problems...keeping in mind that it was an old vessel. Hank

So now we veer off into a different topic (HAL's sandwiches). DW and I were big fans of their old sandwich bar where we could get all kinds of sandwiches made to our own specifications. I used to tease the sandwich maker, when ordering a Reuben, to pile on the corn beef like a "NY Deli." But when they switched to the pre-made (and very limited) sandwiches all that changed. The first time we were on a HAL ship with the new pre-mades, I picked-up three of those pre-made sandwiches. Then, at my table, I deconstructed all 3 and created one decent sandwich! The Lido Manager stopped by my table to watch and had a good laugh (along with complementing me on my newly constructed sandwich). He told me that that more than one HAL food supervisor had warned the "suits" that the pre-made idea would result in more waste. Hank

Seabourn does some outdoor buffets on their pool deck and also has their pool area outdoor restaurant which is a combination buffet/cafe for 2 meals a day. Hank

Even if we were to buy the "premium" term (mostly pushed by Flatbush Flyer here on CC) we would have great difficulty applying it to the old Renaissance ships that still make up a majority of "O's" vessels. The bathroom and shower sizes in the normal cabins on those ships are small...even by mass market standards. Good food is fine, but cruising is about more than food. Even a Days Inn can have a decent restaurant, but that does not change the physical limitations of the typical Days Inn room. Viking, on the other hand, designed their ships to be somewhat more spacious than typical mass market vessels. Consider that the Viking ships have a space ratio of about 53 (tons per person) while the old R ships of O have a space ratio of 44. But O also has plenty of 3rd and 4th berths which also negatively impacts the space ratio. Evaluating a cruise line based on cuisine is difficult since food is very subjective. But looking at the actual ship and space ratios does tell us a lot about spaciousness which is not subjective. A tiny bathroom with a tiny shower cannot be spun into anything else. It almost seems like O has become two different lines, the one with the mass market R ships and the line with their newer ships with a 50+ space ratio Getting back to the OPs question, I do not think they will find anything comparable to Viking for less money. Viking lovers would probably argue that there is nothing quite like Viking at any price, given their lack of casinos and no-kid (nobody under 18) policy. Hank

Lots of interesting things happen with GPS whether it is on a phone or a Garman unit. We once were driving around the Burgendy region of France, and using our Garmen Nuvi. We were trying to get to a specific town and the Garmen routed us right through the middle of a large vinyard on a dirt road. The main road was less than a mile distant, but we decided to stick with the Garmen directions. It was a real hoot. I do think that Google or Microsoft maps are an improvement since they are updated on a regular (sometimes real time) basis whereas the old Garman maps were at least a year old. But when driving off the main roads of Europe we often look forward to getting delightfully lost which is when we often have our most fun and make interesting discoveries. Hank

This is not a HAL topic but an any cruise ship issue. We all know that supply problems (logistics) have caused all kinds of problems across the world. It has also hit the cruise industry and those of us who have done a fair amount of cruising and travel have learned to smile and adjust to missing items. When we were on a Princess cruise last year they quickly ran out of many of the bar wines, Baily's, many regular bourbons, etc. We happened to have a chat with the hotel manager who told us that two large containers full of many of these products had not made it to the port on time due to an trucking company problems. On a Seabourn cruise last year, the executive chef came ashore with us on one Greek Island to go shopping because an entire container of fruits/vegies did not show-up in Pireaus. The Chef went to a few local stores and bought out many of the fresh veggies and fruit. So for folks that have certain specific demands, be prepared to use alternatives or go without. One irony is that we have seen lots of empty shelves here in the USA, cruise ships have had problems with their suppliers, but when we spent some time in Europe the supermarkets seemed well stocked. Go figure. Hank

Maybe yes and maybe no. If the ship is cleared within the usual time frame than all should be fine. But there are times when a ship's clearance (by CBP) is delayed for various reasons. Sometimes it can be as simple as CBP being understaffed and other times there might be some issues with paperwork, some crew members, etc. We once were on a Celebrity ship that was not cleared until nearly 9:30 because CBP wanted to talk to one particular crew member who was "missing." That was a nasty morning as hundreds (perhaps more) likely missed their flights. With a 10:30 flight (and we have done it) we agree that one should use Express Disembarkation" where you must carry-off all of your own luggage! We also get our own transportation (either taxi or Uber) since we do not want to waste time sitting on a bu while they load luggage, wait for more passengers, etc. And bus transfers usually go to a single drop point at FLL which may be far from your own airline. With a taxi or Uber/Lyft we get dropped right at the proper door. I should add that it is also helpful to have TSA Precheck and Global Entry can also speed things along at Port Everglades. Hank