Toofarfromthesea

I booked one of the OO cabins, not realizing what it was although I was a solo cruiser, on my upcoming Hawaii cruise. I just thought it was the cheapest Ocean View. But when I bought Club Orange I got upgraded all the way to a D category cabin, which would have cost more than $1,000 more to book initially. Dumb ignorant luck.

Where do you come down on the great debate on whether you put the clotted cream on first and then the jam or first the jam and then the clotted cream?

I researched all of this when we did a pre-cruise stay in London. But I think the use of the terms in less formal settings like a cruise ship or anywhere here in the States is unlikely to follow the real definitions. And if memory serves, isn't there another type of tea called a cream tea? I think I saw that listed on some of the Cotswolds' day trips I researched. But since we were going to do the afternoon tea in town we picked an outing that included a pub lunch. IAC, our afternoon tea at The Ritz London, was a highlight of our stay. Despite the high cost.

Just out of curiosity, what's his objection to a river cruise?

I feel very fortunate that my limited cruising experiences (4 ocean, 2 river since first one in 2017) allows me to enjoy what a cruise has to offer without lamenting how it isn't as good as it used to be because I never experienced how good it used to be.

I knew there were corps that owned multiple lines but I didn't realize Princess & HAL had a common owner. If all or some of them are using the same service provider for their websites then they should do a better job of negotiating performance levels and standards with financial penalties for nonperformance. Or get a better service provider. In today's world your website is the face of your company. One that works properly and efficiently presents a competent face to customers. And probably saves you money on customer service because routine tasks like booking dinners and excursions, buying onboard services, buying upgrades, etc. should be easy to do online. But what we seem to have, in an era of Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Stupidity.

It is interesting that there doesn't seem to be a standard length of time for a courtesy hold. At least i've been unable to find one for HAL.

Why do you call the experiences of people who work or have worked for cruise lines misinformation? And don't specify what it is you are calling misinformation, or which post? Or are we just stirring things up?

There's a difference between someone sharing their thoughts by saying 'this is what I do' and someone sharing their thoughts by saying 'this is what you should do.' "We "watch" the MDR menu on the stateroom TV when getting ready for dinner......Always fun to figure out what we are about to go enjoy....." falls into the former category. "Enjoy the freedom of no phone onboard......It's liberating. Not required nor needed for a fantastic cruise! We have the "shakes" for a day or two and then it passes and we feel fine and function fine. " falls pretty close to the latter category. Just a thought.

To be fair, I was on the Princess forum and people were grousing about their technology failures too. It is too bad that cruise lines don't just outsource their technology to a competent third party company.

It's great that you enjoy freedom away from your phone. Other people don't. It's not a one-size-fits-all world.

I haven't seen anything on HAL's website or any of the various websites that discuss dress codes that suggests that smart casual requires that men wear long sleeve shirts. Do you have a reference for that or is it just your personal interpretation?

I think limiting the number of bookings that can be held long term with a $1 deposit on each is a good idea and one I would like to see HAL adopt. IAC I don't agree with the notion that just because HAL lets you do something, that doing it is not wrong. HAL lets you order multiple entrees in the MDR, but ordering 5 entrees and taking 2 bites of each would still be wrong, I'm my eyes. Even though HAL allows it. As the Good Book says: All things are permitted, but not all things are of benefit.

Not really. If you put a $2 deposit on a variety of cruises, or particular cabins on a cruise, only planning to use only one it blockcs those cruisers and/or cabins from other people who want to book those. It seems a little selfish to me.

This is encouraging to me as I will be sailing solo for the first time since DW passed, and I enjoy meeting people. I hope I have as much success on the CO as you did.

As we used to say when we had an open house for friends and family at Christmas, 'If you go home hungry it's your own d@mned fault'. LOL

And yet you cruise? As the wise man said: I'll believe in climate change when the people preaching about climate change start acting as if they believe in climate change. The same goes for the people who gnash their teeth about, eg, Venice yet still go there. Be the change you want to see.

I have HIA on an upcoming cruise and i'm fine with the Signature drinks package. But what I want to do is upgrade the included Surf internet package too the Stream package. I haven't found a way to do that online. I haven't even been able to find out what it will cost for my 17 day cruise.

It's Schrodinger's OBC.

Your post encouraged me to try that and Eureka! it worked. I was able to do what had previously been impossible, book and pay for 2 specialty dinners on my January 13th cruise. Previously I had been able to get them in the cart but when I tried to check-out and pay, no matter how fast I got the CC info and address info in it would tell me it timed out. So thank you very much.

It's like the human version of the website problems. Maybe tell the agent, "I'm pretty sure it can be done. Can you please go ask your supervisor?" HAL definitely needs some anonymous undercover "shoppers" to test out the various components of their customer communications. Like kings of old disguising themselves and going out among their subjects to find out what is really going on. Does anyone know if the other cruise lines within the Carnival umbrella have similar issues with their systems?

Huh, for some reason I thought that fans were not allowed, but apparently I've been wrong?

Serious question: have studies been done comparing the environmental impact between a ship self-generating electricity in port and tho total environmental impact of generating and transmitting electricity from land to the ship. There would be a lot of variables as different ships and different ports would be at different stages of the modernity of their technology.

Or use a TA.

When does your current AARP membership end?