rj59

I think if you really love Japan and want to experience it well, you'd be better off with the varied itineraries on Diamond Princess, which is based in Japan and designed for the Japanese market. So it visits things like the Nebuta Festival in August, which was one of my favorite memories when I lived there for 2 years. Instead of dealing with cultural resentments that seem to be apparent with traditional Cunard cruisers wanting others to conform to their standards, I think I'd rather be perhaps in the minority and adapt to the majority on a ship designed for Japan and that's likely to be majority Japanese. That means you're likely to get better food, better excursions (since it's their base), and more interesting cultural experiences, particularly tea drinking (just as on Cunard as an American I sat through a tea service and wondered what point of it was).

With ships on most lines full and demand through the roof, you're unlikely to find anything, unless it's an OBC offer to get you to book at higher prices, or a more expensive cabin. That's especially true of Azamara, where it's so easy to sell out a small ship and they don't have to fill a megaship year-round. So I booked a Virgin cruise at a bargain price in August that sold out in a week, I bought an Azamara cruise to Spain a month ago, and most of the prices for that month are much higher. It's like looking for a Black Friday deal on a new car the past couple of years, where demand is so high that they have no incentive to give real discounts or deals, just incentives to get you to book.

What HAL does that's nice is give a ceremony when you reach cruise day milestones, starting at 100 (unless that has gone away too). Free drinks, a medal presented by the captain and hotel director. The old Mariner lunches also made me feel valued, too, with varied drinks, meal, captain's thanks, and tile presented at the end. The receptions now of sitting around and getting a glass of bubbly and a tile left outside your door (if they're not out) just doesn't do anything for me. I prefer the Princess loyalty program, since you can get status based on numbers of cruises, rather than sea days, and solos like me get double credit, so I got to their top status through lots of short coastal cruises, and enjoy things like a free minibar setup. Having a medallion with your loyalty level also gives a little sense of self-importance, and before that they'd put door tags with your name and loyalty color.

I actually met Rudi on an elevator in SF on a Princess ship, where he's advising now. I told him thanks for all the great Holland American meals.

Cruise personnel don't know, and wouldn't tell you if she did, since her job is to get you to sign up for internet, just as the cruise excursion desk isn't going to tell you how to find local tours or free things to do. The way to find out is to turn on iMessage and try it. If it doesn't work, pay or wait for a port. I found out I had it on an NCL ship, and it's definitely nice, because ship messaging apps are awful for talking to others on board, and some lines make you pay for it. The other thing to realize is that you can sign up for individual days or remainder of cruise internet, which is what I do when going to Mexico usually--I simply buy remainder of voyage on the final two sea days.

Skip the transfer and order a Lyft or Uber. It will be cheaper and quicker than a transfer, no waiting to fill a bus, not stuck in a pack of people entering the terminal at once, and no trying to find the cruise reps and get on the right bus. Download and learn how to use the apps locally, and then simply order one when you get there, choosing which one is cheaper. Their driving and attitude are rated, so they have an incentive to be safe and friendly, unlike a taxi driver. The same goes for the return trip, by the time they load everyone and their luggage onto a bus you could be on your way to the airport and get to your flight quicker, with less stress.

You might look at NCL. They've had the Sun or one of their older ships doing trips between Honolulu and Tahiti. Even if you don't like the ship or line, I'd think it would be more interesting than the 6-7 sea days getting to Hawaii. The NCL prices were dirt-cheap also, so one of their Haven suites might be affordable for you.

Thanks for the info, I'll be on Island in a few weeks and was expected la patisserie as a version of international cafe. That's a bummer, because I like to get up early, like 5, and hit the IC for light breakfast and coffee, but I doubt that Good Spirits would be open 24 hours, like the IC. I'll be jet lagged and probably waking up at 3 am anyway, so more of a bummer. I remember on Royal last month they had some canned Lavazza coffee that would be interesting to try, if it's included in Plus.

You don't say what ship you're on and when you want to eat. I cruise off-season usually, and dine at 8 or right at opening, so I'm out of there within an hour, even quicker if I want. If you go at peak dining times, on a full ship, it will be longer. On my last cruise, a Pacific coastal, I had an entire section to myself and got through quickly. As I was finishing dessert, they seated a multigenerational group of 15 high-maintenance people who mostly didn't speak English and who were pushy about seating, demanding they move tables around, demanding lobster at a discounted price, and had strollers and a walker and people wanting to take selfies at the window. So if I'd arrived at the same time, it would have been twice as long to eat, although I probably would have walked out first.

The good thing about EZ Air is that you can mix and match airlines, whereas if you try to buy one way on Delta and return on United, or one of their partners, it would be hugely expensive. One drawback of it is that they irritatingly show flights that are convenient, but when you try to book them they say they don't recommend it because of a short layover time, like 1 hour in Frankfurt--why offer me that unworkable option then? I decided I'd rather go on Icelandair, since I leave from Seattle and don't want to transfer on the East coast or sit on a plane for 10 hours to land exhausted in Europe, only to have to wait in an immigration line. The Icelandair flights usually arrive in Reykjavik before midnight my time, and getting through immigration into the Schengen zone is a breeze, and when I get to Europe I don't need to repeat it (except London). It's also easier on the return end, because I've heard that getting to the US-bound terminal and going through extra security in Rome can be arduous, but by going on an intra-Europe flight it saves the hassles. Their overall flights times also are shorter than either flying to an East Coast or Europe hub and then waiting, or on the return trip, leaving at dawn to make the US flight from a Europe hub. Their Saga Class is pricey, but they also have the convenient option of paying to reserve an exit seat, very nice on their small planes, so for $100 or so each way I get lots of legroom. The only drawback I find with them is they don't provide free meals.

Shareholder Credit requests will be integrated into the app, so it can direct you to exciting games of chance to spend your credits on before and during the cruise, with an AI Fortuna Luck urging you on. Or be used to pre-purchase delicious Premium Desserts at a special shareholder price.

If you don't like flavoring, then you can try to articulate to the waitstaff how you would like it improved. "It tastes like it was made by foreigners" probably isn't the best approach. If you want foods made with the expertise of the Indian chefs, you can ask for the Indian menu and try the really excellent Indian foods in the buffet. My mother loved to complain about meat quality on every cruise, which was all we ever heard, not how wonderful the ship or staff or ports or sunsets were, it was only 'my steak was too tough'. My sister and I made fun of her for that, but now she has dementia and will never cruise again, so I promised myself never to complain about any cruise food, especially on here. I'm fairly familiar with most of the Princess menu, so if there's nothing particularly exciting, I might try different things in the buffet, especially on international themed nights, or just focus on appetizers and desserts--I've never felt any lack of taste in a pistachio dome or hazelnut bar. You'll probably find in most American restaurants that the person cooking your meal is not native-born American either, so you can write "My Applebee's steak tastes Mexican!" on some other board.

They look like a Dairy Queen exploded and these were the result. If you order some, you might have some insulin injections in your future.

I go to the buffet, because it's open fairly early. There's actually a better, third option, the International Cafe. I go there if I'm up at 5 or so, get a latte, fruit cup, pastry, and egg muffin sandwich, and sit by a window watching the sea and sunrise. Then I go back a few hours later to the buffet, or to the dining room, if they have a good daily special. Another thing to realize is that the MDR lunch also has breakfast items, like French toast and eggs benedict, so that's another breakfast option.

The only way it matters is you have to spend 5 minutes to pick up your medallion after checking in. The problem I have is that there's no order or lines to it, such as in other ports, based on last name, so it's like ordering at a crowded bar, where you have to grab someone's attention to get served, with everyone else trying to do the same.

I haven't had problems with Discovery mattresses. On the other hand, the floodlights getting up to go to the bathroom in the night makes me feel like I'm on a prison break.

The main sight of PV is free, just strolling the Malecon downtown, with sculptures and Indian pole dancers (not that kind), and shops/restaurants, as well as the town cathedral. Then there's, um, Walmart and a mall across from the port, which has Starbucks, Chilis, and a/c. You can go with others in a taxi, or be adventurous and take the city buses for 25 pesos or so. The Malecon will be more interesting than any place they take you to, like Gringo Gulch, just a shopping river area off the Malecon. Coolest prep for PV is watching "Night of the Iguana", filmed with Burton shacking up with Liz Taylor there, but really interesting to see how the town looked back then. For Mazatlan, any ship bus tour will be less interesting than the ebike tour you can get for $45 through shoreexcursionsgroup, since it goes to the same spots as the bus tours but the leader gets you up close to cliff divers and other sights.

It's not really a big deal. There's salmon, but you can get that every night at dinner.

Yes, I did it on my last cruise, just a 2-night. They asked me how many tokens I wanted, and I kept some for future cruises. It makes perfect sense to them, since the labor involved in washing and delivering individual laundry and risks of loss is much higher than just using a laundromat. If you get any reluctance from the front desk, just say you're out of clean underwear and don't have time to wait for regular laundry delivery.

On my last two Princess cruises I asked my water/Coke to be switched out for Coke Zero, but they only had Diet Coke. They did have Sprite Zero, though. Another approach, which I do, is to buy a 2L bottle at the first port of call in a convenience store, usually in Cabo---'sin azucar'.

Gelato isn't covered, but it's free in the MDR for lunch. They may call it by other names, but it's the same gelato you'd have to pay for.

the big difference for Endicott/Dawes is that it has a sharp, narrow turn to get to the Glacier, and if there's significant ice in the turn, the captain won't go there, so you'll only get a distant view of the rather small glacier, unless you pay for a boat excursion that leaves from the ship. In summer of 2022 I went on 3 cruises to Dawe's, and Discovery didn't get close, nor did Carnival, but Celebrity Solstice did. Glacier Bay doesn't have that problem, because you end up in a bay at the end and ships can get closer to the glacier that calves and is more attractive. Unfortunately, most of the other glaciers in Glacier Bay are receding, so not very impressive. The most impressive glacier is Hubbard, which is immense and actually growing, and when you see the calving it sounds like a cannon going off.

I'm doing Island Princess 14nt r/t from Rome, on Nov 23 to Greece/Turkey/Italy/Cyprus for $690 inside, with $500 in combined military/shareholder credits. It can also be booked as a 28-night transatlantic from Rome-FLL for $1300. If you want Caribbean, HAL has several at the end of November, from 10-21 nights, for a little over $100, on Eurodam and Rotterdam--they're on cruiseplum Hot Deals (excellent source, since I scored a $800 Azamara Spain 7-nt cruise and a $900 9-nt Virgin from Barcelona-Athens there before they quickly sold out).

Don't do the blow hole, it's a rip off and you'll get surrounded by pesky vendors. The best thing for kids is a water fountain in the park area right next to the port, as well as a playground there and some snack vendors and tables. There's free public wifi in that area too. It's easy to find--just look for the huge Mexican flagpole. The fountain might not work until later in the day, but it plays to music and local kids might be playing there. With school out, a lot of families and kids might be there too. If you walk further along the harbor there should be unusual Christmas displays. There's a little market there too for locals, with cafes, as well as fishermen and a stinky fish market. When you get to the stinky fish market (kids would find it entertainingly gross to see the various kinds of unusual fish), turn right and head into town, across busy streets with crosswalks, and you'll be at the end of the main tourist shopping street. Getting there you'll pass a nice candy store with lots of unique local options in bins, so it would be fun for kids to try different Mexican treats. Then when you get to the main shopping street there will be tons of vendors and souvenirs. There's a McDonald's with restrooms if you buy something. That street is perfectly safe, because the vendors and city depend on tourists. If you keep going several blocks past McDonalds, there are some nice little cafes and restaurants, with fewer souvenir shops. Don't go into a farmacia and buy tablets of any kind, because they have Mexican security at the port who will confiscate them. If you go back by the flagpole, there's a big plaza on the other side with some huge busts of famous people, which makes some good photo ops, as does the fountain with the ship in the background.

Actually, the Ruby is an excellent choice, but mainly because of the itinerary. Most of the larger Princess ships go r/t from Seattle, which means more expensive fares, going up and back to Alaska to the west of Vancouver Island, meaning rougher seas and no scenery, and having to make a useless evening stop in Victoria on the way back. N/S routes mean you have to fly into or out of Anchorage and make the long transfer to the ship. Going R/T from Vancouver is nicer, because you go on the East side of Vancouver Island, Ruby is smaller than all the larger ships, which are less maneuverable in some tight turns in Alaska waters, and are too big to fit under the bridge in Vancouver unless they go at times that fit the tides. Ruby won't have any of those problems, and shouldn't be as crowded as the larger ships sailing out of Seattle--a waiter said Royal was sailing at 4,000 much of the time. The other advantage of Ruby for Alaska is a promenade that goes around the deck close to the water, whereas the newer, larger ships don't have that at all, just a few aft outside viewing areas. The front of the promenade on Ruby is up a deck but open, so when you're in Glacier Bay that's a great spot to watch wildlife on the ice floes or even for glacier viewing, as is the rest of the promenade, since you're close to the water. The only thing I really dislike about Ruby are the cattle pen buffet areas, where you get funneled into an area, but one way to cope with that is to go all the way aft, since there's another buffet section that's just a couple of long, less chaotic lines, that's usually not crowded, but not always open. Another unique place on Ruby, one also great for viewing, is Skywalker's Nightclub, which is aft but should have some good views during the day. Unfortunately, Ruby doesn't have a covered pool area, like some others, but none of the newer ones do either, except for Majestic, so the pool areas can get pretty cold and windy when the ship is moving. But for Alaska it's not so much the ship as the experience and the sights, and I think you get a better experience on a smaller, older ship, especially with ships sailing so full now.