Blackduck59

@MMDown Under Les was concerned if you are okay. I know you were feeling poorly and had to cancel your adventure to the great white north. We were disappointed you couldn't make it. It would have been good to get together.

I find it interesting when people who have "toured" a bridge many times and have hundreds of cruises in your extensive resume, choose to question the knowledge of someone who has been in command on that bridge you toured. That same person you choose to question, counts their sea time not by cruises as passengers but by years in command. The fact is no passenger has any clue how the "crew appreciation" is divvied out, I don't care who they talked to.

I think I got it Ozzie? although the guitar doesn't fit with him.

Many people seem to go to Alaska more than once. Some will do a return trip out of Vancouver or Seattle first and then go again for a cruise tour or a different itinerary. I haven't heard of ships from any of the lines sailing the Alaska route half empty. Some lines are using their biggest barges on that route. Remember if you want to see glacier Bay it's going to be on a Princess or HAL ship. We will eventually go back and it will include Glacier Bay this time and a land portion that includes The Yukon. I spent 7 weeks there in the summer of 1977 and am interested to see how it has changed. If the itinerary includes Ketchikan I doubt we will get off the ship. I doubt HAL is interested in diverting resources from Alaska for some booze cruises in the Caribbean or Mexico.

I originally thought Brian Johnson but you had the guitar. The denim had me thinking Neil Young but I don't recall him wearing a hat like that very often. Maybe David Crosby?

I'm going with Angus Young.

I think the big tailfin lobby was concerned with horse collars coming back in fashion 😳. Unfortunately for them fashion changed and the fins were swallowed up by more chrome which led to the downward spiral we are now experiencing.

We are sorry to hear you are struggling Les. When the cure is simply making you feel bad all the time I guess it's time to re-evaluate the value of the cure. Be as well as you can mate, live life full. Deepest regards, Lyle & Lynn

I agree whole heartedly, in years gone by you gave tips (to insure proper service) as a bribe as it were before service began with the expectation of getting special treatment. On the other hand a gratuity was given because you were given exemplary service without having to bribe anyone. Now it's expected even if the service is lame. There is even a tip prompt at many take out joints where service is non existent, and other places where "service" isn't part of the transaction at all.

From reading these posts it would seem we should book a Pinnacle lunch as soon as we board. Am I correct in assuming (there's that word again) that pinnacle is only open for lunch on sea days? We have 4 to choose from. Our cruise is the last on Zaandam before the price hike so this lowly polliwog with no status will be paying the current price. The caviar thing is irrelevant for us, we don't enjoy it. I would rather leave the sturgeons alone.

Yes we sail on Zaandam, 23 August. I'm not thinking too much about the price of the lobster, I buy it live here on the wet coast so I'm prepared. Keep in mind it's hard to find a beef burger around here for less than $20.00.

@kazu thank you for your helpful information. I think I would probably be happy to pay the extra for a lunch in Pinnacle. Unfortunately with my non existent and probably never much "status" we would have to pay full price 🥺. How does this burger compare to the "included in your fare" Dive in burger. On our next cruise we won't be ordering lobster on the ship. It's a New England/East Coast Canada itinerary, we'll get our lobster ashore.

I don't think they serve the same lobster you maritimers enjoy; it is more likely spiny lobster from warm water areas brought aboard as frozen tails. We are able to get fresh live lobster here from several retailers. We just pick the ones we want from the live tank and it is indeed expensive. Like I said I don't think they use those lobsters. As for the appetizers, dessert etc. think of those as being covered by the price you already paid for the meal included in your fare that you aren't eating in the MDR. The prices are what they are and we can choose to pay them or not. We chose to pay the extra "Have it All" fare and will enjoy our 2 included in the fare specialty dinners. Pinnacle on my birthday and Canaletto closer to the end of the cruise.

While the Tomahawk may be "for 2" I suggest the "supplement" is per person (although I have no personal knowledge of this). My point is HAL is charging extra to enter the restaurant so most things in that restaurant should be included. If you're charging $46.00 just to walk through the door (Keeping in mind this is on top of the meal the passenger paid for as part of their fare and won't be eating in the MDR) you should be able to cough up a quality steak and lobster or a lobster dinner or lobster mac & Cheese for that matter. Perhaps a "supplement" for the caviar (assuming it is the real thing).

I think that they are skating a fine line with charging extra for most things in specialty dining. Every passenger has already paid for their meal included in the fare. That passenger has now chosen to dine in "Specialty Dining" and is willing to pay the cover charge. Most things including the Delmonico Steak should be included in that up charge (keeping in mind the passenger has already paid for a meal in another venue included in the cost of the cruise). The price of the Tomahawk steak is ridiculous, $46.00 just to enter Pinnacle Grill plus $45.00 for the steak? I admit I haven't been to a high end steak house like Peter Lugar but $91.00 for a steak on top of the meal included in the fare? I suspect that steak in the Pinnacle Grill isn't the same 28 day dry aged prime beef you will find at the premium steak house either.

I assume that is for those who are not on the "Have it All" fare as there is some specialty dining. included in that fare. That would also include those with the "Have it All" that book more specialty dining not included in their fare.

These are NOT free meals, they are included in the increased fare that those who choose "Have it All" pay for the "Have it All" promotion. You too could choose to pay the higher "Have it All" fare and have some specialty dining meals included in that higher fare.

I think you will find it harder and harder to find raw beef dishes like carpaccio and tartar. There are many dangers of contamination. Enjoy tge dish while you can.

My mom and dad both hooked on to "Interac" which is what the debit card system is known by here right from the start. Mom would have turned 91 this year and dad would have been 98. Sadly they have both passed. They would use their debit cards for purchases and to make withdrawals from their accounts at the ATM. However they still made deposits at the teller and they never did anything on line, they didn't do computers. My employer switched to direct deposit a few years ago, before then he would come around with the pay envelopes and say thank you. I sort of miss that, it was a moment of mutual respect. I would then take the cheque to my local branch and deposit it with a teller. I would do any bill payments or money transfers on line.

We each have a personal account and we also have a joint account. Each are partitioned into several sub accounts, all have a "Chequing" account. We found the cheque book for the joint account the other day, the cheques don't even have the correct address; we've been at our current address for almost 18 years. Neither of us has any clue where the cheque books are for our personal accounts.

I just looked on the navigator and no joy. Personally I'm not that fussed about any given meal. We have made our HIA specialty reservations, one is my birthday the other is on a sea day. If either happens to be on a "Prime Rib night" or any other "night" oh well.

Then you would be Oscar 😁😉

I'm afraid that bigger is better...isn't. As ships get bigger their itineraries are limited by their shear size. Many ship are already restricted by size for going under bridges. The NCL Behemoth and Behemoth II can only get under the Lions Gate bridge at low tide, and while there is no bridge to worry about they are so long that they stick out almost past the breakwater. There is a market for smaller ships 1,100 to 1,800 passengers. I think there should be no smoking anywhere indoors on the ship. Nor should the smoking pit be situated where it will deter the enjoyment of those trying to enjoy a meal or a drink in the adjacent area. Give them an enclosed smoking lounge on the top deck with filtered exhaust, they get to enjoy their smokes without encroaching on the majority who don't smoke. Let's make sure that there are great entertainment venues that have great entertainers, forget the brand names. Who cares what the club is called as long as the music is good and the drinks well mixed. Some people will want "classical" music which could be performed in any venue at various times perhaps a smaller theater that can also be used for movies and guest speakers the key here is good acoustics. There should be a forward view lounge with comfortable seating, a bar (including specialty coffee), perhaps with a nautical theme. For those who say HAL is for old folks and they are all dying, why should they be catered to? I have an answer, funny thing as old folks dye their is a new batch filling the void. I came of age in the 70s, I still enjoy lots of things from then but also my tastes have changed. There is an ever changing batch of customers who will enjoy the product HAL is known for. Don't go messing up the product on the misguided thought that the customers who want it are dying off.

It's not about "touring" It's about not making iffy flight connections. Make flight arrangements that give you time to make the flight. I understand one of your flights was changed unexpectedly and this is causing stress. You don't have to explain yourself to me or anyone for that matter. I'm just saying tight schedules make for unnecessary stress when things don't fall into place perfectly.

That's all part of planning the vacation. You work within the days you have and plan accordingly. Many people (me included) don't have unlimited time or an unlimited budget. You work within them. We always plan to arrive at the embarkation port the day before sail away. If your ship is scheduled to disembark at 0800 hrs. then you don't schedule to fly out before 1600 hrs. that gives you time to get to the airport (which could be some distance from the port) allow for traffic, line ups at check in and security. If that means you're sitting in a waiting area at the gate oh well at least you aren't missing your flight. All that being said I think our OP is dealing with a cancelled or changed flight which will screw up even the best of plans.