SJSULIBRARIAN

Look at the World Cruise thread by the Inside Cabin - he has info on how to plan a safari.

Made it in time. Now that AZ is 3 hours behind FLL rather than 2 hours, I have to rethink my schedule.

I appreciate Rich's comments on the World Cruise experience. I did not think this World Cruise would make any money for HAL because of all the FCCs out there.

In 2007, we did a very nice 23 day Panamerican Cruise out of San Diego, down the coast of Mexico, into the Panama Canal with an anchorage overnight in Gatun Lake, then back out of Canal with time in Panama City, and down the coast of South America to Guayaquil, Ecuador, then back up with stops at several Central American ports, additional Mexican ports and then to San Diego. it was on the Ryndam and really wonderful. I would like to see that one again.

Pete, Thanks for all your posts especially the ones from Australia, my favorite country after the U.S. Have been there many times and have been to all the ports there you have described. The memories those descriptions bring back, especially Tasmania. The effort you have put into your blog is greatly appreciated. Barbara

I think on longer cruises the penalty dates begin before final payment. I know it does on Grand World Voyages. Maybe a 35 day cruise falls into that category.

You're getting closer to Perth!!!

Glad to see HAL finally notified passengers of tile suspension. Have been on the NA once and Konigsdam twice since the restart and no tiles; seems to be the luck of the draw.

What a gorgeous photo! HAL should pay you to use it in their marketing. Sydney is my favorite city in the world, and I hope to get back there sometime soon.

Kathi, Thank you for posting on your blog. Your CC friends have thought of you every day and I, too continue to send good thoughts and prayers your way. You will beat this thing as you are such a positive person and I know you will be cruising again.

Have been on 3 HAL cruises since the restart - 2 with 60% passenger capacity or less so if there was less crew, it was not noticeable. The 3rd one in December had more passengers than HAL's capacity figure and seemingly less crew. Although I did not notice it. And it didn't bother me. These days when you travel, you have to make the best of it and move on. In October 2021, I took A Tauck Canyonlands Tour of Arizona and Utah and as with Tuck you stay in the best hotels available. The visa problem reared its ugly head and hotels were grossly understaffed. The fine dining restaurants were closed, and we ate out of Styrofoam boxes sometimes. Did those of us on the tour complain? No. We were just glad the National Parks were open, and we all had a good time. You have to go with the flow. I think HAL is not the only cruise line with this problem.

People who haven't cruised always remark to me how great the food must be on cruise ships. And I always reply "it is banquet food" and they seem surprised.

Richwmn, I like your well thought out thorough analysis as a 1st time World Cruiser. Thank you for posting it, especially the last paragraph.

I was on the Konigsdam this past Dec 10-17. I had expected the decorations to be up when I boarded. There were a few trees and wrapped packages here and there. I was disappointed but towards the end of the week more and more things appeared such as the gingerbread village. It may depend on the ship as so many things seem to these days.

I have found when you call when they open, 6 AM Pacific time, there is little if any wait.

Here here for National Puzzle Day. A family tradition as long as I can remember was a jigsaw puzzle at Christmas. Then whenever I visited my father the last 10 years of his life, we did one. And when Covid started, like others I did many jigsaw puzzles. Now I need to find homes for them. On ships, when I walk by one in the Crow's Nest, I always try to add at least one piece.

I agree. I have found since the restart that most Guest Relations staff and Neptune Lounge Concierges have no clue about 5-star benefits. Luckily on my recent Konigsdam cruise, the Concierge was able to get my discounts for me. But it can be a battle which we shouldn't have to endure.

Nice to see the comeback of horse racing on ships. I remember when Princess used to have that activity even on 7-day cruises. Congrats on the "hat" win! Did you make it on the ship, or did you know in advance and made it at home? Inquiring minds want to know.

The 2 complimentary dinners for 5* can be in the PG, Caneletto, or Tamarind. Once those are used, you should be able to get the 50% discount in those restaurants due to being 4*. Accounting might be better on the Grand World Voyage but I have found one has to ask for these discounts if they don't automatically happen.

I like the idea of carrying something from your hometown to give to people you meet.

I like your writing style.

I read Mrs. Queen Takes the Train. A good read IMO. Any more suggestions? Is there a book club on this world cruise?

I love the Belvedere Lookout - but has been a long time since I have been there.

Prices on everything continue to go up so I think cruise lines will be raising their prices too in order to stay in business. I don't think they can continue to count on money from onboard spending as their primary income which I think has been going on since he restart.

I didn't know what Library Shelfie day was, so I googled it and found this. Apparently, it was started by the New York Public Library. Every year on the fourth Wednesday of January, libraries and book lovers across social media share selfies with bookshelves using the perfect hashtag—#LibraryShelfie! This tradition started in 2014, and this year marks the fourth Library Shelfie Day. Celebrating Books with #Lib… nypl.org Their exact definition for a library shelfie is, “A photograph that one has taken of oneself at a library, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam, and shared via social media. Library Shelfie Day is celebrated on the fourth Wednesday of January and began in 2014.” Library Shelfie Day | Holiday … holidaysmart.com