jaapie

On the Breakaway a few months ago, our steward told us that when cabins were serviced twice a day he had 12 cabins to service, now with once a day he has 18 cabins.

Not just variable from ship to ship but from cruise to cruise. I did two transatlantics on the Jade in the same year, the food on the Spring crossing was great, on the Fall crossing six months later the food was dreadful.

Are binoculars worth buying for a cruise to Greenland/Iceland?

We once had 8582 on the Jade and I wouldn't do one of those in that section again. It was one picture window, with the bed in front of the window, but looked directly onto a lifeboat. It let in light which was good but the only way to see out of the window was to stand on the bed and then see a tiny sliver of the ocean above the lifeboat.

A month ago did Quebec to Boston on a different cruise line. The highlight was Quebec city. Spent two days there prior to the cruise and would have liked more time there. Next favorite port was Bar Harbor as we visited Acadia National Park.

We once had cabin 8060 on the Jade. Having light in the cabin was a plus but the only way to get a glimpse of the ocean was to stand on the bed.

We have sailed 7 different cruise lines for about 40 cruises. In recent years most of our cruises have been on Celebrity, also quite a few NCL. Thirteen years ago (when we were in our late 50s) we sailed once on HAL but decided we were too young for HAL. Now that we are in our 70s, three weeks ago we went on HAL again and enjoyed it much more than when we were younger. The food was definitely better on HAL than the two Celebrity cruises we took earlier this year. So depending on your age you may or may not prefer HAL.

We did the three hour HAL tour to Peggy's Cove three weeks ago. I thought it was worth doing. It takes an hour to get there, you have an hour at Peggy's Cove to walk on the rocks and round the town, then an hour back on the bus.

Last week on the Zuiderdam we each got a refundable credit of $25 and change as an adjustment to port fees/taxes. We did not miss any ports.

On the Reflection in February this year a woman on her own in about her mid 30s sitting at the martini bar was visibly extremely drunk. She then peed on herself and it was dripping down the chair. The bar tenders called security and she was put in a wheelchair and taken away.

Would love it if cruise ships stopped at Hueneme - my son works at NAS Point Magu so I could visit with him.

I wonder if we get the shuttle bus from terminal 22. My hotel is only a third of a mile from terminal 22 so that would be very convenient

Walk to pier 30 or walk to pier 22? It is my understanding (but I could be wrong) that walking to pier 30 is not permitted because it is thru an industrial area.

I am interested in hearing HAL's response to your inquiry because I am also on the September 2 cruise.

Construction has been underway at IAH for the past couple of years for a new terminal, the projected end of construction is a year away. The construction involves lane closures in the airport area. The airport authority advises adding an hour to your travel time. In my experience over the past couple of years an hour is excessive but add at least 20 minutes to your time driving in the airport complex.

Stayed there for a night in February, basic accommodation but adequate for a night. Used the free hotel shuttle from FLL to the hotel. There's nothing of interest in the immediate vicinity but a sports bar and grill across the street from the hotel served reasonable food and drinks.

If you visit South Africa, instead of flying from Johannesburg to Cape Town, for a wonderful experience be sure to take the Blue Train from Pretoria to Cape Town (Pretoria is not far from Johannesburg's international airport). Then when in Cape Town stay at the Mount Nelson Hotel.

When we have the classic package, we just ask for soda water at any bar, and it is served with ice and a slice of lemon if desired. Just the same as Cokes or Sprite with the classic bev pkg.

My suggestion is to go and see the cattle drive at 11:30am tomorrow morning at the Fort Worth stockyards. Fort Worth Herd Twice Daily Cattle Drive | Fort Worth Stockyards

Thank you Cruise Suzy. It has been 12 years since my last HAL cruise so I couldn't remember.

Can OBC be used for the daily service charge of $16 each per day?

I had the beef tournedos on the Reflection last week. I agree it was very good but it was the size of a postage stamp. If I'd known in advance how small it was I would have ordered something to go with it.

My father is one of 10 children (my grandmother had 10 children in 10 years!). My dad told me that when he was growing up SOS at mealtimes meant "Stretch or Starve". As an adult he was in the air force for a few years so maybe his growing up experiences at mealtimes served him well when he was in the military!

On the Reflection last week our waiter asked us to please not give the food quality a low score because even though he is not the chef he gets dinged for food complaints. If this is true, it is totally wrong, he should be dinged for poor service but not food quality or options. Because of this I am not completing the post-cruise survey because I don't want to say anything that would harm the waiter because in all honesty I couldn't give the food a 10. So X is not getting feedback from me even though I would like to tell them the truth.

Got off the Reflection yesterday. Had a great cruise but at the airport yesterday started shivering. Went to bed as soon as I got home last night. This morning tested positive for covid (fully vaxed and boosted twice) 🤕