Toofarfromthesea

Anyone know if the Pinnacle Grill is open for lunch on embarkation day?

Personally, I got cancel for any reason insurance because I won't cruise if negative tests are required, vaccines are required, or masks are required.

On the one hand I envy those of you who were able to cruise in an era of graciousness. On the other hand I'm glad I never cruised in that era because it lets me cruise and enjoy the now, without pining for things past.

Is sourcing electricity from coal burning shore power plants, as will often be the case, really better for the environment than sourcing it from relatively clean modern ships? Or is this just a feel good kind of thing?

I reluctantly got cancel for any reason insurance, because I won't sail if protocols are instituted for my cruise in Jan.

Excellent, thank you. I think that I can extrapolate from that to it costing under $100 for a 17 day cruise. My main reason for wanting to upgrade to Stream is that I'm a YouTube junkie, and I've seen that YouTube is accessible.

I wish someone would cite their experience for the cost of upgrading the HIA Surf package to the Stream package. Particularly on medium length cruises in the 14-20 day range. And does anyone know why some things can be purchased/upgraded pre-cruise while other things have to be done on board? Like the aforementioned HIA Surf to Stream upgrade?

If it was a nightmare, why would you keep booking with them? I guess I've been lucky because I've used a variety of TAs and none of them has failed to live up to my expectations.

But still be careful about when you cruise and length of cruise. Yacht Club doesn't prohibit kids. And the most toxic kid I ever encountered at sea was in the Yacht Club. She would scream at her grandmother in the Topsail Loungenand the parents did nothing. Pax, including us, requested to be seated nowhere near them in the restaurant. And while Yacht Club has nothing to attract kids, just outside the enclave is a big ship with lots for kids to do.

There is a Samsung TV Remote app in the Google Play store. I wonder if someone with your technical knowledge could use that to awaken some of the disabled features on your cabin TV.

Strangely enough, one of the things I'm looking forward to is unlimited laundry. It has got me looking into minimalist packing so I can do 17 days with just a carry-on and personal item on my flights.

If you go to Cruiseplum.com, a non-TA searchable cruise database and click on detailed search, and then click on the Region filter, 2 of the choices are TransAtlantic and TransPacific.

But does the ship's internet block downloading content as compared to streaming it? I don't know the answer to that. But if it doesn't then you could just download again, or download something else. Other than Netflix, it seems like 30 days is the norm, at least for Hulu, max, peacock, and paramount plus.

The good thing is that for Hulu & Prime Video (and maybe Netflix but I didn't check since I don't have it) is that you can download stuff so you can watch it offline. Similarly with most streaming services.

Cruiseplum.com is a non-TA site that is basically the best search engine for cruises I've found. The prices they show are the cruise line prices, but they also show port fees and crew appreciation, which I find helpful. I'd recommend checking it out. It is free and you don't even have to give an email address unless you want to save a search. The filtering is a little clunky, but it's worth putting up with for the great and extensive info they provide. Once you know the cruise line prices you can tell if your TA's deal is a good one.

In my first career I was an actuary for 20 years, and like most actuaries I am conservative by nature, so I'm relooking at flying in the day before.

I haven't decided for sure yet and want to have a good 'fly in the day before' option for comparison. When I look at the price of gas the cost of parking for 17 days and the wear and tear on me, I'm not sure driving will be the best choice.

I know there is a dedicated west coast port forum, but all the ports are together and the search function is very weak, which makes it hard to find anything useful. So since HAL has several popular cruises that embark out of San Diego I'm hoping I can get some good feedback here on hotels, if I decide to come in early. I know there are 2 or 3 that are so close that a lot of folks just walk to the cruise port. I have mobility issues so that's not for me. OTOH I can't see getting a taxi or Lyft to travel less than half a mile. Also, the ones close in seem to be very pricey, in the 300+ range. So I looked around on Expedia and found The Bay Club Hotel & Marina. It's about 15 minutes from the cruise terminal, about half the price of the hotes close in, and got a very solid 9.0/10 rating. So, does anyone have any feedback on it or can suggest something comparable?

Late to the party, but does anyone have any thoughts on Bay Club Hotel & Marina? It is highly rated on Expedia (9.0), 15 minutes from the cruise port, and pretty reasonable compared to some of the other hotels that have been mentioned. It almost seems too good to be true, so i'm a little concerned that there might be a catch.

I've always followed this practice, but I'm thinking about violating it in an upcoming Jan 13th cruise. I'll be flying from Phoenix to San Diego, the embarcation port, which is less than an hour and a half. It's from one warm weather spot to another. I won't be checking bags. And I will be taking an early morning, 6AM, flight so if something happens and the flight gets cancelled I can hop in my car and drive the 5-1/2 hours to San Diego with a several hours buffer. Am I crazy to think about doing this?

Could you ask your steward to just turn down the covers after making the bed in the morning, rather than having a second servicing?

The problem with not being able to log in or make payments might not have anything to do with booking through a TA. HAL's website is notoriously lousy and bug ridden. I booked through a TA and was able to log in and book an excursion, book specialty restaurants, book the thermal suite, and make payments. Some of these things I did on the app. Some on my Cromebook using Incognito mode. But it wasn't easy. It is a bit of a crapshoot, and something that works one day might not work the next. But I don't think it has anything to do with having booked with a TA. And if you want to do things online I doubt changing to a PCCC will help. You'll have to either fight through the website and app or call your PCCC or TA.

You are also new to cruise critic, so one of the first things you need to know is that it is a big no no to name a Travel Agent here, as you did when you mentioned where you purchased your cruise. As to the rest I don't have much to offer as I've only sailed on HAL once before and it was pre-pandemic, so I imagine a lot has changed. But there are lots of folks here who have sailed HAL lots of times so I'm sure you'll get some good advice. Have a great cruise.

This has got me thinking about doing something similar. On my 17 day cruise unlimited laundry costs $144.50. But then I could probably go strictly with a carry-on bag and personal item, which would save $70 in checked bag fees on my flight. And I'd walk my bag on and off the ship so I'd save the $5 tip for the porter. So the net cost would be just under $70, a real bargain. Thanks for the idea.

I'm going to be packing for the first time for a 17 cruise on HAL. My wife used to do all of the packing but now i'm on my won and have to figure it out. One thing I heard someone talk about on the HAL board is that their onboard laundry is very good, so they pack about 4 days worth of clothes and purchase the unlimited laundry package. If I were to do something similar I think I could get by without checking luggage. The savings on not checking bags, and not having to tip porters, would reduce the effective cost of the unlimited laundry. When it comes to clothes I'm a simple guy. I wear polo shirts, so I'm thinking 4 or 5. I wear lounging pants during the day and Dockers in the evening, so I'm thinking 2 of each I only need 1 pair of shoes and pool slippers. Socks and underwear complete my ensemble. I'll have to check the temp in Honolulu in Jan. because I'll be going on an excursion there. So I may or may not need to bring a jacket. Then all I need is some over the counter things, charging cords and hub, kindle, and Chromebook, which can probably easily fit in my personal item. Am I being overly ambitious? With the unlimited laundry I can literally send out laundry every day. Not having to check bags at the airport, and being able to walk my bags on and off the ship would really simplify things.