Liz54

Seems like every ship allows this. I wish they wouldn't.

Cruisers should be first in line to care about the state of our oceans. Plastic garbage has now created an Island 20 MILLION Km2

Thats over 7 MILLION square miles.

That is the size of the land of the US and Canada combined.

An Island made up of human plastic waste.

As my young son said "We are replacing the Ocean life with plastic garbage"

Google North Pacific Gyre, then get a thermal mug and drink tap water.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Pacific_Gyre

I would also look at Holland America. Some will say its passengers are too old but others swear by the quiet pools, the cooking and wine events by America's test kitchen, very good food and service, designated movie theatre, classic ocean liner design etc.

Will usually cruise Princess, but are trying HAL for those reasons!

We only did the package once, with Princess, on our first cruise. Very expensive as it was priced through the cruise as per person. Since there is no upcharge for the second person in hotels, it was pricey. As others have pointed out, cabs from airport to cruise port and hotels in that area, are cheap. We will end up spending about $200 for two pre cruise. Hotel and transfers.

12 Days wins my vote!

The placement of smoking areas often seems designed to create conflict! On Princess I have seen them on the Promenade deck among the walkers and runners and at the adult Terrace Pool, a small quiet confined area. Wall astray steps from the pool. This was moved from an isolated area one deck up!! Its not good for ANYONE!

You can see your booking on the HAL website. Just "log in" (at the top).

You need the booking number, which you should have. Your assignment will show up on the luggage tags and on the account. Sometimes HAL will send you an email, too.

 

To be a true HAL GUAR pax, you need to be looking at least 5 times a day once you are a couple of weeks out!!!

Good to know! New to HAL but a bit early for 5 times a day. Will begin with once a day till the 2 week window opens.

When you book a guarantee through a TA how do you learn of your assignment? I cant find anything on the HAL site except that I am booked!On the other hand no need to call the TA every day!

Yes. Tenders run continuously. But the BBQ includes a very nice assortment of salads and fruits so perhaps no need.

There is more. I started to write about the rooms, but am now at jury duty. Once I'm done wielding the iron fist o' justice, I'll continue.

Jury Duty? :eek: I would have thought you would have been excused due to the important research you have just done and the releasing of the results for the good of humanity!

I find the comments here about smokers being in denial just rude. The majority of us are quite happy not to smoke on the balcony and are just trying to clarify

where the smoking area will be and whether it will be sheltered and how crowded it will be. All the cruise lines have all but done away with smoking and most of us can live with the restrictions. It is however frustrating when the smoking area is not big or well enough ventilated and non smokers have such difficulty avoiding that one area.

While I love a free drink when offered I'm not big on champagne. Would the steward in the Cabana's substitute a glass of wine? Failing that how bad is the champagne? First world problems I know!

Very happy you made it to F lorida. THANk you for letting us know. So often, people come here, we stress iwth them and then we never hear how they made out. thought ful of you to think to tell us.

 

Have a GEREAT cruise and safe, stress free fllight home.

I agree! Thanks for the update!

The new HAL policy is lot when smoking was no longer allowed in bars and restaurants. The smokers were sure that the bars and restaurants would go under without them. ----wrong-----

 

The bars/restos are doing better now without the cancerous noxious element. In fact they were booming after the stoppage.

 

HAL is still being quite magnanimous towards smokers allowing them choice spots to smoke on the ship.

 

It is sad that there are still egotistical smokers that think annoying so many other passengers was always their right......

Can you elaborate on these "choice spots".?

What happens to elderly people who CANNOT stand for more than a few minutes? Are their any seats available?

On Princess, where you muster in a public room, many disabled people go a few minutes early to be able to sit.

Its a mystery to me how the following can be true

Fewer and fewer smokers on HAL due to the wealthy and extra intelligent demographic...(see earlier posts) BUT

These minute numbers of smokers were able to upset the 90% of those who do not smoke.

When smoking was permitted on Princess balconies, we always introduced ourselves to our balcony neighbours and indicated that we hoped smoking would not cause them any discomfort. In EVERY case they were mystified by the question and expressed that they were not bothered.

The rude chain smoking cigar smoker on the balcony cannot statistically be located on the next balcony to ALL the non smokers here. Or many more than 15% are smokers and they are all trash? People need to relax.

I discount 100% the complaints I hear from smokers who make their way to the very remote top deck locations where smoking is allowed and walk through with handkerchiefs over their mouths. Always a few every day.

I can and do confine myself to the one or two places smoking is allowed. And I meet great easy going people there, so I am fine. No need to pay extra for a balcony.

The new regs take effect January 1, so I think we will have to wait till people test drive the new arrangements. At this point all answers are guesses.

How do they manage 14 day menus.....Do they repeat?

That is costly for water. Yikes.

 

I won't buy water on board. Forgetting reasons relating to cost/taste/convenience etc, my main concern is the amount of discarded plastic bottles left for the environment to cope with. It worries me. I think it is great that they are available for the odd occasion where you get caught when your reusable water bottle runs out and there is no water fountains to refill with and you need a drink, but as a regular buy a bottle a day thing... yikes.

 

I figure the cruise industry is not best for environment and i do contribute to that, but i like cruising. So i do whatever else i can to minimise my impact.

 

And it saves me $$ to spend at ports.

Agree absolutely. Plastic in Water

Well, I am NOT kidding. I am an avid reader of the Yellow Fish Cruisers who do in excess of 100 days a year, and they do Muster only every few weeks - or possibly longer. They are almost invariably on Princess.

OKay, You can all stand down. Four posts in a row correcting me is enough.

I do however stand by my statement that the situation is different on Princess!

Worth knowing in case someone doing a B2B Not on Celebrity but on Princess is reading the post.

Not my experience and not the experience of many on these boards. Also cruisers who do multiple back to backs like Pescado Amarilo http://pescadoamarillo.blogspot.ca/ Have been quite specific about no doing repeated musters. If on a longer sailing, there is a "best before" on musters, must be done every so often, but it is something like a month or two.

Perhaps it makes a difference if you are booked as one 14 day cruise vs 2 - 7 day cruises, or as someone on CC mentioned, if you change cabins.

My experience is with Princess and HAL

Dont forget that you do NOT need to do Muster on the second leg!

Well, there certainly seem to be a lot of smokers commenting. I surmise that all the smokers on all the cruise ships are members of Cruise Critic! And we are all poor and uneducated. And rude.:D

Even at a small number, some hundreds of people are looking for the smoking area. Providing a nasty communal astray, no chairs and in high traffic locations as is happening on Princess, just irritates everyone. I have seen a smoking area steps from the aft pool and also on the Promenade deck. It seems as if they welcome all the controversy and ill will!!

Hopefully HAL will remove smokers to a sheltered spot far away and on an upper deck where they will be happy and others undisturbed.

Please don't rely on the kind and well meaning people here for advice. Check with the cruise line company and the consulate. They will give you precise info.