Kay S

Ask Liao.

I realized it has been almost a year since our last HAL cruise. If staggered boarding is gone, then good. We almost always sail from San Diego, so the plan is to eat lunch somewhere nice on shore and mosey over to the pier in the afternoon.

I guess the answer is to avoid reading social media sites.

It was never the full menu just the featured snack. Shrimp fountain, Stilton round , salsa etc.

I guarantee there is a catch.

We were told by others that the same bad singer was there every night.

I'm not sure what an actual lounge is, but on my last two cruises, the PES lounge was held in Vista Lounge and they had an entertainer on the stage singing. It completely changed the old atmosphere where people would mingle and talk at the PES. The last time, the singer was so bad, we went once and never went back, (This was Majestic.)

Every cruise line web site I use is defective in some way, but HAL's is especially frustrating.

I think you will be successful with that approach. The DR doesn't fill up that early.

Of course it has been awhile since I did the PES lounge since I have been sailing elsewhere, but I think things went down hill when they moved it to the Club 6 area on the Royals class ships. The atmosphere was never as great as it was in Skywalkers.

Frankly, I'd rather have a lamb chop than a lobster.

Some people really like lobster. When I was a much younger person I equated cruising with non-stop lobster and caviar. Then I went on a cruise. 😂 I think that idea is still out there. A cruise isn’t luxurious without lobster.

Yes, that was me, shooing you out. I told you I was shallow and selfish. 😝 don't mess with my perks.

I really don't get the duck thing.

Skywalkers on all the ships was the greatest for the PES lounge (in the old days). Wonder ful views and plenty of room. I haven't been on that class ship for a long time. I missed Skywalkers.

Because they can?

Same situation here, which is why we chose to go with a lower cabin rather than risk the waitlist. This cruise is the exact itinerary and dates we wanted. We might have gone with another line if they had a cruise that satisfied those requirements. I'm sure my first O cruise is going to be fabulous!

Since MUTS stands for "Movies Under the Stars" the idea was to show movies at night. I think all the extra daytime stuff just naturally followed. The sound systems have never been good. It's hard to hear the dialogue for the nighttime movies, and the daytime stuff is just blasted too loud. MUTS was a big marketing thing in the beginning, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it go away in the future (in favor of who knows what).

The Emerald is the only one of that ship class I haven't sailed on. How is the Skywalkers?

Trading out the minibar for something else has become a problem, too. (Maybe it's just me, but it has taken three phone calls to get that accomplished since covid.) Our bar cabinet at home has cute little bottles lined up behind the glass doors and now I see the minibar as a decorative device. 🙂

Remember when cruise ships had tuxedo rental shops on them?

I don't know if I'd go so far as to call it "permission," but it seems like common courtesy to ask. I have never said "no" to anyone and I've never been told to get lost. The rules in the Lido are different from in the dining rooms where there is staff to seat people.

That's nice to hear. The Emerald doesn't usually get much love.

I guess I'm the exception. I don't have much desire to hang out at GDC, and I'm not crazy about the food offerings (quiche excepted). I get my latte in the Crow's Nest. The line there is never very long.

Yes. The lamb chops are stellar.