Blackduck59

Isn't it a good thing this thread has no topic 😉

Well I'm curious, 2 weeks? You're a star, I got 1 hour less than 5 days for my infraction.

Except in the case of ports, the service is delivered through port infrastructure, they will set the price.

The company will pay what the shore power suppliers charge there will be no locking in a price on some imaginary open market. That's like suggesting you can lock in a low price at the gas pump for your car.

I thought BB Kings was gone? I enjoy live music, overly loud music? Not so much. Many bands will try to disguise lack of talent with volume. I'm all for HAL dropping all the "brand names". Use the money saved to hire better talent in the markets they are sailing in. I think there are plenty of musicians in all these markets who would be happy for the work. As to the subject of this latest in a long long list of threads lamenting the loss of "Lincoln Center Stage" I'm not sure whether there is that huge of a market for classical music. All these threads have the same posters posting the same things. Even though the classical venues seem to be full, let's keep in mind they are actually quite small and represent a very small portion of the guests on board. Also on our cruise on Zaandam with the open to the passageway format, those that dared to pass through that space got the stink eye from the faithful, the "How dare you walk through here". Of course you have to go that way to get to the dining room, because the other side passes through the casino where people are smoking. Like I posted earlier everyone will need to wait and see while HAL works towards a new entertainment package. They have to be aware that they are losing market share because their entertainment is lacking on all fronts.

While the funding has been announced for shore power here in Victoria BC, I don't know if the infrastructure has actually been installed. I'm sure it will be a welcome addition to the port. As I understand it 2 of the 3 births here will have shore power available. As others have mentioned most electricity in BC is generated by hydroelectric power plants.

Unfortunately if HAL waited for feedback from "HAL Mariners" and the lowly guests they would have empty venues with no music for some time. As it is they will have to proceed as best they can and perhaps end up with a live music mix that appeals to the majority of their guests whether it is their first HAL experience or their 40th.

Your comments are interesting. We just came off of Zaandam in early September. We didn't take in any of the classical performances, we did walk by and heard some of them and the venue was full. I'm not sure if they ever had "Lincoln Center Stage" on Zaandam. I find it ironic that you will now shop "other lines" most of which have never had a classical music format like Lincoln Center. I think with time the space formerly known as "Lincoln Center" will be used again for classical music without paying the "Lincoln Center" licensing fee. Entertainment is evolving on HAL and what is now will definitely change through the next few years. We don't have another cruise booked until March 2025, 14 days on Westerdam from Auckland to Sydney. I suspect whatever is happening on Westerdam now as she prepares to transition from the Alaska season to her down under home via Japan and the Pacific Islands. Will be completely different then.

Oops wrong information it's Radiance of the Seas, and apparently Westerdam will be here around 2000 hrs. for one of those appease the law stops. Too bad I would have liked to have seen her at least. Oh well I suspect she will be back next season.

I just drove past Brilliance of the Seas and Disney Wonder. They are both in Victoria North today.

Hi everyone, I'm back. I hope everyone is doing well. I won't elaborate on my absence on this forum, it would probably land me in more dung. Fall has come in with a presence, I guess we should get the winter tires on the Forester and we need to get new tires for the Venza. We met several nice folks on our recent cruise. One was from Oz so we now have another person to visit. She is from Port Campbell and we were already going there anyway. Hopefully she can tell us what hotels or B&Bs to avoid. We had a place booked there on the last plan, we often wonder what we will find when we actually get there if the pictures match reality. Several times they have not, both in Canada and abroad. So I will be around asking questions and soliciting recommendations, the down under adventure is still 18 months away but we will have to start planning the road trip route soon. Hopefully people will be home when we visit.

It is right, apparently you need a better plan, or a bigger wallet.

Kindly inform your TA that he has exactly 10 seconds to find some time for you or you will find a TA that does have time. I would also inform your TAs boss why you are taking your business elsewhere and telling any friends who book with the agency to stop booking there. Clearly he wants the pay but doesn't want to do the work.

Well don't I feel the source of misinformation, in my head it is the 30th of September today. The 30th of September is indeed the National day of truth and reconciliation is the 30th of September but that isn't today.🤔

There in lies the point, you know you have a choice, it just seems you don't like the choices and want a special rate just for your specific needs. with multiple choice there is A, B, C or none of the above which means you stay home.

I'm not sure what you are asking. Are you asking about a HAL cruise? I'm pretty sure you can book a HAL cruise without "have it all", that being said, for many people (including us) the HIA bundle is an attractive option. I just read the @LAFFNVEGAS post and they pretty much sum up my thoughts, they just posted first. I hope you can find a solution for your issue. I don't think you are being "forced" into having a drink package. They are simply bundled into an attractive package that you can take or not. Just don't expect your not included fare to be discounted by the cost of the individual parts of the package. You can choose your itinerary, your ship and your cabin. Then you can choose the basic fare or the HIA, don't expect to renegotiate the basic fare based on the "per day" value of the individual parts of the HIA bundle.

Well that could be a nice change for the next cruise. Although we did enjoy Eli, we didn't attend all his shows like some did on our cruise. Our edition of the Ocean Bar Band were good musicians the vocals were the weak link. We enjoyed Cat on the keys in Ocean bar before dinner. I still think they should be able to assemble a pretty good cover band from whatever talent pool is available to wherever a ship is deployed. HAL should drop the rest of the "name brands" use the money saved to hire an entertainment coordinator to seek out and hire talent in the zones the ships operate in.

We use a local TA that works under a large international brand name travel company. She works in a local office, we are able to make appointments to talk to her face to face. If we have a question emails are answered quickly and she is the one doing phone calls on our behalf. We have better things to do than wait on hold.

It is our "National Day of Truth and Reconciliation" with regard to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. I'm not sure a military parade is necessarily in keeping with the goal of this day. It is interesting there was a fly over, they don't hand those out on a regular basis. You may see our flags at half mast for a few days, we had another RCMP member fallen in the line of duty yesterday. The incident was here in BC but the RCMP is a National Police agency. So if the flags are at half mast, that is probably why.

I guess you will have to work with your travel agent to find your best solution. Is the OBC you will lose more than the "crew appreciation" which would be included in the new situation? We tend to choose an itinerary, choose a cabin and ask the price. If we feel the price works for us, we book the cruise. We don't look at the deal we missed or what others got. You booked a "guarantee" knowing what that meant, now you want the deal that is being offered to fill unsold inventory. That's like buying a new car at the beginning of the model year and then being upset that your friend bought a better version of the same car for less money at the end of the year sales event.

Enjoy your cruise. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your adventure.

That depends on where your cabin is on the cruise ship, we have yet to cruise for $110.00 (CDN) per person per day. That being said afternoon tea at the Empress must be a cash cow because many people seem to be willing to pay the tariff for the experience (as locals we don't get it). I can spend a fraction of the price and create tea for four and enjoy an afternoon of conversation and good food for ourselves and a couple of guests. I can also set a very nice table with vintage china, silverware and fine crystal.

The whole concept of what most people think of as "Afternoon Tea) is that it should be an "event" with the price some purveyors charge the service should be impeccable. This is what changes a plate of sangys, biscuits and sweets into something grand. They become elegant morsels with flavourful fillings artfully displayed to engage the eyes. The biscuits are now "scones" (hopefully without raisins) freshly baked, soft and buttery melt in your mouth good. Each sweet should be a little creation that looks as good as it tastes. Each person at the table should be offered a selection of teas which should come in a pot and the first cup poured by the server who would leave the pot at the table. These are the things that make a plate of sandwiches "afternoon tea"

@albingirlI'm not sure what you think you said that was offensive, I looked back at your post log and didn't see anything that you need apologize for. If you're having a bad day I hope it is getting better, hopefully you have some cruise therapy booked soon.

We were on Zaandam on the cruise that started on 23 Aug 2023, it was basically the same itinerary except we didn't have any ports changed or have to dodge a "post tropical storm". I think all in all the changes on this cruise that @CruiserBruce and @Ferry_Watcher are on have been better stops and the weather has been better for them. Entertainment has apparently been hit and miss for them, as it was for us. Entertainment, like food is so subjective. It would seem that Bruce's drinking arm is having a problem in that he needs help from a trainer so the beverage plan can help out. Maybe a straw will help.😉