rjrpar

I would have called immediately. It really is a simple solution. This type of problem is not solved here on a chat board.

If possible I would do a cruisetour with at least 1 week on land. Alaska is all about seeing the beautiful sights

There are all over the place if you get to the beaches by 11:00am

Empty after initial morning rush

Got ours today for a 8/26 sailing ..

Can I ask which ship. We are leaving on the land portion of our cruise on 8/26, then on the Volendam on 9/5

Pompeii is amazing. Get a private guide, meet early and be one of the first groups to enter. It gets very crowded and the early groups can avoid the masses of people

Late May/early Sept are the best times in Alaska - the weather can be perfect, and the crowds are smaller.

 

 

 

We don't like them (we want to see where we're going, not where we've been :) ) but many swear by them.

 

 

 

It seems high, but prices are much higher in Alaska (and Hawaii). Still, you'd probably do better on your own.

We don't like aft cabins for the same reason. Found not seeing where we were headed to be frustrating. Also, always have thought meal packages were expensive, but we are not big eaters.

If not hiking, Alaska is no different than any other area when it is raining. What do you wear in the rain in your home city? I've never seen people wear bags to stay dry

Agree with renting a car, lowest cost by far

I also believe the 11:00 opening probably refers to the 'restaurant'.

 

We were there this past February, made reservations from home for chairs etc. for 10:00 am.

 

 

 

- 15-20 min drive from pier

 

- $30 per couple for 2 chairs & 1 umbrella

 

- credit cards accepted

 

- free wi-fi

 

- clean restrooms, freshwater showers and changing rooms

 

- calm water, and no water shoes needed here

 

- rest. is nice but pricy (however portions are large, consider sharing)

 

- lunch served on china and silverware, to your beach chair if wanted

 

- iced bucket of local beers (6 for $15)

 

- Plenty of buses/taxis to take you back to port.

 

 

 

email for reservations: info@carambolabeachclub.com

We were also there last February. Did not have reservations, arrived about 9:30 and had no problems. Agree with all the above comments but don't remember the restaurant being pricy, just that it was nicer than most beach restaurants in the Caribbean. Overall, a real nice day.

Once your dress code is down to "collared shirt" and "long pants", you have told your customers that they should no longer expect anything resembling the ambience of a true formal night.

 

Gala night will now be like any other nice restaurant ashore....there will be 10-20pct coat and tie....a few with jeans and backwards hats....and the occasional tux...with people whispering (they look good)...

 

But when your expectation is long pants and a collared shirt ...your next step is the same as a 7/11...,shirts and shoes required...

 

Fine. I am still booking with HAL with my eyes open.....but I just put down a deposit on my first Cunard cruise for this reason.....not sure if I will like Cunard any better (lots more to cruising than formal night) but I would likely have never given them a shot for not this change.

 

However, I am sure I am in the minority.

 

Happy cruising!

You do realize that formal nights really were not formal. You were obviously pleased with a sports coat, khakis and a tie, which is fine, but not formal. I do get your point that relaxing the dress code further will result in a more casual experience, probably with t-shirts, etc. but that is our changing society. You see shorts and polos in some very fine restaurants, which are more upscale than most cruise lines.

Can you tell me more about this Irie Tour? What did it involve and how much was it per person? At this point, we are probably just planning to walk around this island - but always looking for good suggestions from fellow cruisers! Thanks

We did it two years ago. It is a cheap 3 hour tour. Not bad but they use school busses and carry about 40 people. We ended up waiting for a couple that were late getting back. I would suggest a more private tour, however Irie was not a bad value

Too much for me. Quality in the SRs has declined in the last 5 years; not worth an extra $100 for better, but not great food.

It seems that instead of swapping out the entire menu they should just pick say one third of the menus least popular items and replace them. then there would be variety and still retain the things that most people really love.

You mean like all the good land based restaurants do? Selections that are not popular should not be kept on a menu for years.

When returning from each port, the specialty restaurants will sometimes have a small table set up just past security and will offer 20-50% discounts.

We were scheduled to depart from the cruise pier at 8:55. We arrived in the designated spot at 8:35. The security said that Bounty Adventures would be wearing a blue shirt with white writing. At 9:20 a taxi guy came up to us and asked if we were waiting for Bounty Adventures. He said he was there to pick us up. I inquired about his affiliation with the tour because he was not wearing the blue shirt and was just a regular cab driver. His reply was that Bounty Adventures had already come by to get us and we weren't there so they sent him to pick us up. Lie,lie,lie!!! I did not want to get In a car with an unknown driver to be taken to who knows where. He said if we didn't get in then we would miss our trip. Reluctantly we got in. I was extremely nervous but as it turned out he did in fact take us to our excursion. It didn't change the fact that they lied . My haughty are that they forgot about us and then sent a cab for us because when we arrived at the excursion there was already a group waiting on us. This was a prepaid excursion for $95 each.

Maybe they just missed you. Sounds like they did the right thing and I hope you enjoyed the tour

Ah yes, the Dinner Jacket with shawl collar being essentially a variant of a smoking jacket, which is a nice way of saying "bathrobe."

Funny Carnival passengers often consider their stateroom supplied bathrobes as acceptable wear to move about the ship.

*Heavens*

We have cruised on many different cruise lines, mostly Celebrity, but a couple trips on Carnival. I don't understand why people on the HAL board constantly criticize Carnival. I sometimes think this criticism makes them feel like they are sailing on a much more luxurious cruise line. Actually, Carnival has nicer ships, better entertainment, comparable food, and a much more active clientele than HAL. I have no dog in this fight but the attitude of some is not positive

That's an interesting opinion. So you feel that the customer has some kind of obligation to inform the company that they are not doing a good job. I'm not sure that a company can stay in business if they are relying on that to occur.

Yes, if you want a quick solution.

So, I see that an aqua class guarantee has opened up on our upcoming cruise, which is already paid in full. I called captains club and unfortunately, after 20+ minutes between hold and the call, I had to hang up for a meeting (doing all of this at work ;)). I ask the captains club rep for a more direct route for my return call and after my meeting, call that #. I also called the captains club number from my cell ... two simultaneous calls. Call #1 picks up after 26 minutes holding. I get a rep who tells me that she has to transfer me because I booked the cruise on board a ship with a CVP! So, back to square one - 33 minutes and holding. Why, why, why???!

Don't call when you are time constrained

We use them all the time. Big savings

There are many tour operators at the port, most are very good

Maybe the Bistro on 5 needs a change, besides higher prices. I would love to see a Cajun focused place onboard. Po Boys for lunch, and jambalaya, etouffe (?), and cornbread etc. for dinner.

Agree as long as it's quality food

They do sell it where I live but I've been told the authentic stuff tastes so much better!

Thanks everyone for your input! :D

It's the same stuff.

First let me say I have no horse in this race. I'm not sorry to see 'Formal' night relaxed, but by the same token, I'd like to think people will dress appropriately for the new guidelines.

 

That said, just because something is stupid expensive does not make it dressy. I could go out and buy an $11,000 pair of Air Jordans from Nike -- but that doesn't make them a suitable accompaniment to a formal gown or tux. ;)

 

http://www.sneakerfreaker.com/articles/10-of-the-most-stupidly-expensive-sneakers-ever/air-jordan-11-black-out/

You are correct but a $100 golf shirt and a nice pair of slacks look a lot nicer than a $60 10 year old sports coat from Sears that I've seen on many cruises which meets the formal requirements of some posters. In all honesty, formal night on cruises for the last 10 years has been anything but formal.

Agree with previous posters. I would not pay much more for Aqua; sometimes the difference would cover every night in a specialty restaurant and then some. Blu is overrated by some on this board and is definitely not the same quality food as the SR's