Hlitner

I do get it! We have two young grandsons (5 and 7) and would not even consider taking them on a luxury ship. The YC would be a good option as would be some of the suite packages on a few other lines. My wife's cousin recently took a Great Lakes cruise on Viking (they love this line) and enjoyed the experience. As to the O Insignia, our own preference is to avoid those "R: ships because of the small cabin bathrooms. That being said, we do think that O offers a decent product. Hank

Consider that possession of Cannabis (in any form) is subject to up to a 5-year prison sentence in Japan. And there are other countries with more stringent laws (up to 10 years in Singapore). My goodness, there are islands in the Caribbean where you can go to jail for just wearing camouflage shorts/slacks, Folks who want to travel outside their own country are well-advised to be very careful about violating laws in places they will visit. Rather than asking about how to sneak things onto ships, folks should be asking what is allowed and not allowed.

The thing is that today we have a lot more choices in terms of the quality of cruise lines and the type of cabin. One can cruise on MSC for less than $100 per person/day, if they book one of the lowest cost cabins/experiences. On the other hand, folks can go on that same ship in a large suite within the Yacht Club and pay more than 5 times that cost. A majority of cruisers, today, have cabins with some kind of balcony. Back in the 70s, nearly everyone had either an inside cabin or outside cabin. Even the suites, on many ships, did not have a balcony. Was service better in the ole days? Sometimes. but not always. The best service we have ever experienced (in over 50 years of extensive cruising) was on our first MSC cruise (Divina) when we were in the Yacht Club. The service was "over the top" with Concierges seemingly everywhere, taking us to shows and the dining room, etc. Even when we disembarked, our Concierge guided us to a reserved elevator, through the hoards, and to the gangway. Even on luxury lines (we have cruised a few) the service has never quite risen to that level. On the other hand, when we first cruised on RCCL (now RCI) back in the late 70s (Sun Viking) we had the usual waiter and assistant waiter at our assigned table. The waiters wore white gloves, and served all the sides from silver containers. When they had lobster night, our waiter (who later became our friend) served all the mains, brought the sides, opened each person's baked potato and spooned in the toppings, and later returned with a large platter full of more than a dozen large lobster tails for anyone who wanted more (he left the platter on the table). And that was just on RCCL! These days, the cruise customers are different. A majority of them want the Mega ships with all the bells and whistles It is a smaller group (like me) who prefer the small ships (I think 600 passengers are too many) without all the bells/whistles. We have done some of the huge ships and enjoyed those cruises, but put me on a 450 passenger Seabourn ship and I am happy as a clam. By the way, it is interesting (at least to me) that all the luxury cruise lines still use smaller ships. Nobody has tried to build a mega luxury ship. Hank

It is not just a "Federal Offense" but is also illegal in most countries. While the chances of being caught are slim, there are countries that will sometimes sweep a ship with drug sniffing dogs. You should understand that many countries do not give folks the same rights they have at home, and getting yourself out of trouble can be quite expensive. And contrary to another post, we have seen sniffer dogs brought on a cruise ship (while in a Caribbean port). Most passengers are ashore during port calls, and have no clue what happens when a ship is docked. I do think that folks might want to consider why its so important to take the chance. If you are taking the risk for some drugs, CBD products, pot, etc. perhaps you need to take a good look inwards. It is one thing to use those products where it is legal, but another thing to gamble all kinds of legal difficulties where the products are not legal. My goodness, just bringing Sudafed into Mexico can get you into a lot of trouble with the authorities. Hank

We could have a lot of fun playing with the numbers. I do go back to the mid 70s, with cruises so do "get it" about what we get today vs what we got in the 70s. It is two different products. In the 70s there was no such thing as atriums, cabin balconies, alternative restaurants, open sitting, etc. In the 70s there were no onboard water parks, bumper cars, magic carpets, etc. Ships were relatively "bare bones" when compared to what exists today. As to suites, back in the 70s most of the main stream lines (NCL, Carnival, RCCL, etc) had very few suites and there were no special amenities (outside the suite itself). It was not until the 90's, that balcony cabins started to become reasonable, and the term "suite" took on a different meaning. To us, the eye opener was the first time we cruised on the new Grand Princess that had over a thousand balcony cabins. And I still remember going on the then, new, Sovereign of the Seas, which was the first ship to have a true atrium (which they called a "Centrum"). A few years later, we met the English marine architect/engineer that designed that Atrium which resulted in him being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. We actually met him on a Renaissance cruise (the first time he had ever been on one of the ships he designed) and he explained that the key to Atriums was hiding vertical supports in the elevator banks. A simple idea, but he was the first to figure it out and make it work. Today, DW and I often cruise on small ship luxury lines. With those small ships, all the cabins are "suites" and the prices somewhat higher than a regular cabin on a mass market line. But even those luxury cruises are far less, in real dollars per day, then an inside cabin would have been back in the 70s. Hank

It helps to understand the layout of the Barcelona terminals. Assuming that you are at the main cruise area (Moll Adossat) there are 5 separate docking locations and terminals. The more ships, the more the taxis are spread between terminals. When you walk outside of your terminal, there will be an organized taxi queue and you simply get in line. If an entire ship is disembarking, there can be a long queue for those taxis. The larger the ship, the larger the queues. It might take you 5 minutes to get a taxi, or it could take more than an hour! The truth of the matter is that how long you wait will depend on some of these factors (mentioned). Anecdotal examples are simply that...an anecdotal example. My advice is that if you have a tight timeframe (early flight) use express disembarkation (where you carry off all your own luggage) and try to be among the earlier folks off the ship. If your flight is much later in the morning or in the afternoon, you can take it down a notch :). Hank

I think your post is somewhat misleading and often will prove incorrect. If you try to fly home on a flight that begins outside the USA, it is unlikely you will be allowed to board the plane unless you have a valid Passport. While you will eventually get home, it may be many days (including a visit to a Consulate or Embassy) before you can get the necessary emergency Passport, and during that time you will be responsible for all your own expenses (not to mention the airfare). As to traveling from Mexico or Canada, without a valid Passport (or, in some cases an EDL) how are you even going to get in those countries. Trust me, that when we go to Mexico (where we live part of the year) the Mexican authorities demand a valid Passport. As to going to a US Consul or Embassy, the nearest one may be hundreds of miles distant from your location. They do not conduct business on weekends/holidays and obtaining an emergency Passport can take several days. Eventually you will get back into the USA, but the question remains how much in extra expenses and how many days delay. The issue, for those on closed loop cruises is if they must leave their cruise when outside the USA. This can happen for medical or family emergencies. If one has a valid Passport, they simply need to get themselves to an airport on the next available flight. Without a valid Passport, life can be very complicated. Hank Hank

And today, you could cruise on a 7 night cruise with MSC for LESS than $699 per person. Go figure. Hank

We had it on a recent (March-April) TA with Oceania. Our service was very good, throughout the voyage. But keep in mind that having a decent Satellite link is only 1 part of the formula that brings you decent Internet. Much depends on the onboard equipment (switches, routers, boosters, etc) and how the communications folks allocate the available bandwidth, and the actual amount of bandwidth (which is bought by the cruise line). On the Oceania Vista, I recall seeing 6 separate Starlink antennas. In our experience, with many cruise lines, HAL has usually ranked among the slowest for Internet, but we have only cruised on the older (nothing newer than Vista class) HAL vessels. Hank

We noticed your "gap" post and just assumed that the ship was going in for a routine drydock (likely in the Bahamas). Do you think they are simply eliminating Le Dame and perhaps repurposing that venue? Speaking of that subject, with Seabourn we are seeing a lousy trend where the cruise line charters their ships, even after they have accepted lots of bookings. Some of their charters are over 10 days long..so perhaps SS is heading in that same direction. You probably also noticed that the gap is during the Thanksgiving (USA) holiday. Hank

Since the story is about sales/marketing we shall keep to that topic. Combining that aspect, and some other aspects (such as purchasing) can be advantageous to the company because of economies of scale. On a HAL cruise, last year, we were chatting with another couple and mentioned how much we liked Seabourn. Their response was "what is Seabourn?" These folks had cruised hundreds of days with both Princess and HAL, but had not even heard of SB. This got me thinking. Why not have marketing materials (like brochures) for SB, at the Future Cruise Office on HAL ships? Most cruisers who book luxury lines, get their cruise start with mass market lines. Moving up to SB, from HAL, makes a lot of sense. Keeping the marketing of the different brands separate, means missing out on a ready market of likely cruisers. We recently saw a similar situation with the new luxury brand, Explora Journeys. This line is wholly owned by MSC, but when they started the new small ship luxury line (EJ) they kept it completely separate from MSC. On MSC ships they have the "Yacht Club" which is a ship within a ship luxury product. The folks who cruise in the YC are likely customers for any luxury line, but the MSC folks were so darn brand conscious that they truly missed the boat by not marketing to their YC customers. After nearly a year of operations, MSC got rid of EJ's sales manager and brought in more MSC folks. An early move of the new marketing folks has been to reach out to previous YC customers. We also see this combining of resources and joint brand marketing with Silversea. Just recently, the RCI folks decided to give past cruise loyalty credit, across their brands. So now, somebody who has never been on Silversea, who has status with RCI or Celebrity, can immediately qualify for some of the amenities given to past loyalty customers. It would be like HAL giving cross-brand status to Princess cruisers. It is a good marketing ploy and one that is now spreading through the industry. For those that would complain that this just "waters down" the benefits of the Mariners Club levels, the reality is that Club Orange has already achieved much of that gain. Marketing is not always something that will get the approval of "loyal" customers, But the goal is to attract new customers. If HAL were to give free laundry to anyone who has achieved Elite Status with Princess, it would likely bring in more new customers. Those who already have 4-5* Star status with HAL would just have to lick their wounds (some folks would feel "its not fair") but they are not going elsewhere because other folks have gained an amenity. Just consider that HAL replaced the Guest Services priority line, that used to exist for 4-5*, with a priority line for those who pay for Club Orange. Now, a first-time HAL cruiser, who books Club Orange, gets more priority than a 5* Mariner (or even President's Club). Hank

We are on the Shadow for a 14 day Caribbean cruise in early December, Yesterday, the booking window (for restaurant reservations) opened at the 120 day mark. But looking on the web site, it shows Le Dame "Unavailable" for the entire cruise. Is that normal? Hank

Perhaps they get lucky and perhaps they don"t :).

My question to the OP is "why just use the HAL web site?" Many of the decent cruise agency sites do show you prices, and our favorite sites show comparisons of all the various fares (such as with and without HIA) in a comparison that is displayed on a single screen. I cannot mention specific sites since that would violate CC posting rules, but there are quite a few decent sites. Keep in mind that the decent cruise agencies have their online system linked to HAL's (and most other cruise lines) system, so they display real time info such as which cabins, in each category, are available. Hank

My answer will surprise some, but we think the best way is to simply socialize on cruise ships and ask folks how they book their cruises. I used to joke that liking to share larger tables has probably saved us over $100,000. What we learn from fellow cruisers, over more than 50 years of extensive cruising, has saved us a lot of money. The bonus is that it also enhances our knowledge about which cruises. ships, and cruise lines to book and avoid. Also keep in mind that one person's good TA may not work for others. For example, we need no "hand holding" from our cruise agents, so our priorities for cruise agents are good service and the best overall deals. The deal thing is quite interesting because it is possible to save 7-10% + on many bookings by simply shopping around for the right agencies. On some of our longer cruises, the savings by using the right cruise agency can mean saving thousands of dollars (on a single booking) versus booking directly with a cruise line. We sometimes remind our favorite cruise agents (we currently have two) that our loyalty is only as good as the last deal. Hank

LOL, it depends on how much luggage one has. When I had 150 pounds, it seemed like at least 6 blocks. With no luggage,2 blocks :).

Your post is a somewhat confusing. The Alhambra is located in Granada, which is about 90 miles from the port and Malaga. Taking a taxi would cost many hundreds of Euros as you would need to hire the taxi for the entire day. If you are talking about going between the Port of Malaga and downtown Malaga, one can do that with a taxi, bus, or even a long walk (our favorite way). Hank

All the cruise lines contract with land-based tour companies, to provide their excursions. The cruise lines do impose certain requirements on these shore-based companies including that they have an adequate level of insurance. Many insurance policies, that apply to excursions, include age requirements as part of the policy Hence, there are age requirements (especially for things like snorkeling, sailing, etc). What you choose to do on your own, be it booking your own tours with land-based companies or just going on your own, is not necessarily subject to the same requirements Hank

I can just tell you how it has worked on other cruise lines. Since you are not disembarking, in San Juan, you would not normally need to deal with any "customs" formalities. You will need to clear immigration (essentially a Passport/document check). Whether you physically need to deal with the CBP folks, or whether the EJ Pursers staff will handle it, we are not sure. But either way, it should not be a big hassle. Hank

We had a similar kind of e-mail a little more than a year ago (after a 6 week Westerdam voyage). Like most e-mails we get from HAL, it was immediately deleted without much thought.

The OP talks about a starting point at Rome Termini (which is the main train station). If you are already at the station, it does make sense to take the train. One can take a one way regional train for about 4.60 Euros per person (one way). These trains do not have reservations and run about every hour. If going mid-day, and starting from Termini (where these trains originate) you would usually have no problem grabbing seats. No need to pay the bigger bucks for a slightly faster train. But there is a downside. The tracks used for the regional trains (to Civitavecchia) are at the far end of Termini, so its a hike within the station (it feels like about 2 city blocks). But if you can handle your luggage, not a problem. Once at Civitavecchia you can use shuttle buses or simply grab a taxi (which can take you directly to your pier). It does bear repeating that one must always keep luggage security in mind. We carry a luggage cable lock (like a lightweight bicycle cable lock) that we use if we need to leave luggage at the ned of the car. You simply secure your luggage to each other and to something solid on the train. This makes it very difficult for a thief to simply grab your luggage and hop off the train at an intervening stop. Hank

Keep in mind that it is sometimes possible to book, onboard, even if it does show "sold out" here in our accounts. When we previously booked the Retreat, we did it onboard. One simply stops at the Seabourn Square and asks the customer service folks if there is any availability. We actually waited until there was a favorable weather forecast, and booked late in the day before we went to the Retreat.

Good question. We have been on many different cruise lines (including hundreds of days on HAL) and the rule of thumb is that the crew (on HAL and other lines) try to avoid any confrontation with passengers. Nobody is going to "card" a 14 year old and kick them out of a hot tub, unless they are really acting out. And even then, it is more than likely that somebody might tell them to calm down...rather than kick them out of the hot tub. Hank

When I go into my account and look under "Gift and Extras" where it lists the Retreat it says, "2 Spots Left." Under "sea day" it tells me "sold out" and under "port day" is says "limited capacity." I will assume, from prior cruises, if it says nothing that would mean there is plenty of availability. You raise another issue which is about the lack of decent padded loungers on Seabourn (except in the Retreat). I have previously posted that we also find this terrible faux pas for what is billed as a luxury cruise line. I could compare that to our recent Oceania Vista cruise where every lounger is nicely padded. Explora Journeys also has some of the most comfy passed loungers in the business. Why a luxury line (Seabourn) does not have luxury loungers is a mystery. It is something easily corrected. At this level (Luxury) of quality, it is the little things that matter. Hank

Folks have two choices, when traveling to Japan (especially if you fly-in or disembark in Japan). Choice 1 is to simply ignore (at your own peril) the Japanese Law/Regulations and carry your drugs (prescription and OTC) as usual. You are simply taking your chances that nobody will care, nobody will search your luggage, and all will be well. Choice 2 is to fully comply with the Japanese Law, which is quite strict. Rather than depend on others here on CC, we suggest that folks go to the appropriate Japanese web site Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: Information for those who are bringing medicines for personal use into Japan (mhlw.go.jp) where you can read the actual regulations. If you do technically need to apply for the import certificate (which is how the Japanese government views the process) than it is somewhat time consuming. Also keep in mind you will need to submit (it can be done via e-mail) a physician signed copy of your prescriptions. When we have gone through the process, we simply asked our physicians office for a signed print-out of all our "scripts" which we scanned and sent to Japan along with the application. In the past 6 years we have applied, twice, because we entered Japan with more than a 30 day drug supply. On one occasion we received our approval within a few days. On the other occassion, the Japanese authorities came back and requested that we provide the drug manufacturer and country of manufacture for each drug (this is on the forms and we had originally said "various." Once we provided that info, we had our approval within 3 days. On our flights into Japan, nobody asked to see our approval or even asked about our drugs. One of my scripts, for a popular blood pressure med, is actually on the semi-restricted Japanese list. Even this was approved, without a problem. Ironically, there was one time when we were flying back to the USA and had to change planes at Narita. Even though we were "in transit" and not staying in Japan, their immigration/customs agents decided to completely search our carry-on bags, which had plenty of drugs (script and OTC). They had a lot of interest in each of those drugs, asked us some questions, but did quickly say "Ok." However, we did not have any narcotics or mood-altering drugs (such as Ambien) which might have caused us lots of grief. Once upon a time I lived in Japan (for two years) and became very comfortable with their culture. The Japanese authorities do not give much (or any) leeway when it comes to enforcing their written rules. "Respect" is an important part of the Japanese culture, and not to comply with the rules (if you get caught) will often be viewed as disrespectful and likely cause you some grief...even if they ultimately let you off the hook. But if you get caught with prohibited items, you can expect (at the very least) that they will seize those items! Hank