3rdGenCunarder

MOTOWN! We were in Detroit today. If you have any interest at all in Motown music do this tour! The guide was great. On the way to "Hitsville USA" he pointed out places related to various Motown artists. At the museum, they show a video about Berry Gordy and how he started the studio. Then there are some exhibits--lots of photos, a few costumes, plenty of gold records, and a wall of album covers. Then you walk through the second floor apartment where he lived. Then down to the first floor to see the office and studio. Gordy was a smart man with an eye (or perhaps I should say ear) for talent. He signed these young singers and then they had to go through the "system." Vocal coach, choreography, costumes (and also how to dress like a professional), how to walk onto a stage with confidence, etc. He knew how to polish and present new talent. He had worked at a Ford factory, so he approached this as if it were an assembly line. They went in an unfinished chassis and came out a shiny new car. Then we went back to the pier where a group of 4 musicians (lead vocal, keyboard, bass, drums) performed a bunch of Motown hits.

I am about halfway through my Great Lakes cruise. @uktog did an excellent live from, so I'm not going to repeat that. But I can add a few details and suggestions. I'm enjoying the cruise. Food and service are good, ship is clean. I do feel that I'm being herded like a third grader on a class trip. I guess they think of it as taking care of you so you don't have to think. But I'm an independent traveler and do research on ports so I know what I want to see. They expect everyone to take the HoHo bus, and seem confused when someone wants to deviate from the plan. In Escanaba, I had to explain to three people that I wanted to go for a walk, not ride the bus before a local guide understood and gave me directions and some hints of things to see. I embarked in Chicago. The pre-cruise hotel was the Sheraton Grand, Check-in is done at the hotel. AQV made a simple process complicated with three separate stations. First, handing in the health questionnaire and showing your passport. When I checked in at the hotel, I was given an envelope that contained the blank health form and a set of instructions. I read the instructions. I may have been the only one who did. People showed up at the table without the form and/or without their passports. So while one person went back to the room for the passports, the agent chatted with the person waiting for the spouse to bring his/her passport. It didn't occur to her to ask the next person waiting if they were prepared (I was). The next table was to get a ticket for the transfer to the pier. If you bought the pre-tour, you got that ticket. If you're just boarding the ship, you get a timed ticket. The first time was 3:00. Why this simple task had to be done by someone at a separate table mystifies me, but it is what it is. Third table is credit card and having your picture taken. What was really a simple process seemed to take much longer than necessary. I didn't do the pre-tour, so I was on the 3:00 shuttle. It's a ten minute walk to where the ship docks at Navy Pier. But you have to take the bus. Luggage gets picked up from your room in the hotel and taken to your cabin. Any hand luggage you keep with you can go on the bus with you or in the "hold" under the bus. Because my laptop was in my carryon, I kept that in the hotel until I was ready to go to the ship. The driver put it under the bus. When I got off the bus, my carry-on bag wasn't there, Fortunately, a passenger who had been through this before told me it had been taken to be x-rayed. A security guy decided which pieces of hand luggage had to be x-rayed. Small purses got a pass. My camera bag did not. If I'm protective of my laptop, I'm paranoid about my camera. Anywhere else, I put it on the belt and pick it up again, But he picked it up from the belt, along with someone else's small bag and instead of setting them on the table, he dropped them onto it. Only a few inches, but it's my expensive camera! Another woman had her camera around her neck. When she saw him handle the bag roughly, she said to me, "that's why I kept mine around my neck." We did not have to go through a metal detector, so she was good to go wearing her camera. So they knew my bag contained nothing dangerous, but who knows what I might have had tucked in a pocket? So here's a tip: hang onto valuable/fragile items if you possibly can. Since we were docked at Navy Pier and we weren't supposed to sail for 3 hours, I asked a crew member if I could leave the ship. "No, because we're sailing around 6 o'clock." So don't expect to be able to do a little extra sightseeing. The people on the pre-tour were told they would have time on Navy Pier, but were taken right to the ship with no time at the pier. The HoHo bus starts running about 8:30 in most places. But the places you go to may not be open that early. In Escanaba, I got to the lighthouse at 10:00, but it didn't open until 11:00. The shorex person doesn't have a lot of information. For example, at the evening briefing a day or two ago, someone asked what all aboard time would be the next day and she didn't know. Oddly, there's no sign at the gangway reminding passengers what time to be back. I think this is the first cruise where I haven't seen one. It is in the daily program, so be sure to check there. HoHo bus tickets are timed and set out in a rack in the purser's lobby the evening before. If you want to get a particular time, pick up the ticket you want before the evening briefing. If anyone has questions, I'll try to answer.

What bothers me about the descriptions of the non-service dog is how obvious they were and that their behaviors were unacceptable in a PET, let alone a working dog. Who lets their pet dog pee or poop on the carpet? And yes, this is not their home carpet, but a properly housetrained dog knows indoors from outdoors. Maybe it's because, from what I've read, the fakes and emotional support dogs are usually small. But that doesn't make bad behavior okay. My family and DH's family always had larger dogs--airedale, standard poodle, St Bernard, great Dane. You cannot have a dog that size without teaching it some manners, so I have always believed that responsible dog ownership includes training the dog.

No. People used to do that, so HAL closed the loophole.

Hmm, now you have me wondering. I may have done my texts ashore and not onboard. My phone does wifi calling through my router when I'm at home, but I haven't tried it on a ship.

Yes, Surf should be sufficient. I travel with a laptop and smartphone and did fine with Surf. I have been able to use the internet for email, with photos attached. If I'm going to be online for any length of time or need to send attachments like Word files, I prefer to use my laptop. But for quick email check or texts (including pictures) I will use my phone. I haven't tried voice on either device, and I know I can't stream on the Surf plan. Note that HAL makes it sound like one device per internet account, but it is really one device AT A TIME. So if I need to do something on my laptop, I log off the phone and log back in on the laptop. Very easy. If I try to log in on a second device, Navigator offers me the choice of buying a second package or disconnecting the other device.

Most plans don't, and if they do, the cruise coverage is expensive.

So glad you got your refund! Ridiculous that you had to wait so long, but better late than never.

I'm not sure I'd call it nuts. Obnoxious, cheap, chintzy, penny-pinching. If they can refund the credit to you, they can give it to the crew, if that's your preference.

Well done! The first "big" solo thing, like this cruise, can be life-affirming. Yes, you CAN do it! And it sounds like you will cruise again, so that's a good thing. Yes, you will continue to have "moments." Five years, and I still do, but I try to see them as remembering, not mourning. I agree, go out, walk around, take a deep breath and keep going.

That is a perfect way to say it! As others have commented, the really good ones don't beg for praise. I wonder if the ones who ask for good reviews are new or have had some negative comments and are looking to bolster their rating. I'm used to the last night "don't forget the survey" from the waitstaff in MDR. I don't mind that unless it gets too emphatic or the speech is too long, but I always consider that a general reminder, like time changes or early port departures. As a throwback to when everyone ate in the MDR, waitstaff were told to give various reminders.

Yes, the only time I have seen HIA with the Elite beverage package and the upgraded wifi is in an early booking promo. Sometimes the early booking HIA includes crew appreciation, which is very nice.

It doesn't look like the one shown in the recent HAL press release. For one thing, I think the menu you saw has more choices on it. At least the infamous "rustic lasagna" isn't there.

I think that's the old menu, although some ships may still have it until the roll-out is complete.

HIA and the CO supplement are about the only things that solos don't pay double for. Check prices when you're booking. Usually the HIA fare is $50 per day above the "advantage fare." That's the fare that has a refundable deposit and does not come up in a search on the website--TAs can get it and tell you. That's how it worked out for the two cruises I have booked. For the cruise I took last winter, I added HIA after booking, and it was $50 per day. I always book advantage fare to have the refundable deposit. I don't know what the per day is if you add HIA to the lowest fare ("best price"?) with the nonrefundable deposit. But it shouldn't be double. I don't know the costs of the components, but if you intend to buy internet, you need to have just a few drinks (including special coffees, canned water, etc) and use the dining and excursion credits to break even. If you aren't going to use internet, HIA isn't worth it IMO.

Yes! Give yourself a treat!!! You deserve it for all of your trip planning efforts. And another packing suggestion. Buy a blank book and keep a journal. I've done travel journals for years and love to take one out and reminisce. I like spiral ones because I can rip out a page if I need a piece of paper. You don't have to write a lot (mine do tend to become sagas 😱), just some memories. Maybe let your husband and kids contribute, too. Glue in postcards (I carry a glue stick for this), or peel off a tour sticker and add that to a page,

Not at sea, and probably not on a balcony, but it could happen in port in a larger space. On embarkation day in Vancouver on QE, I saw someone leave the remains of their lunch on a table by the pool, and a gull was there in less than a minute to see what was left.

I doubt there's a lot of difference. Based on my experience in an aft verandah on Eurodam, the cabin is likely to be longer than the cabins on the sides. If you look on the deck plans at the slight curve across the back, it looks like the ones at the center are the longest of the aft cabins. That said, all you get it a little more floor space. In my Eurodam cabin, there was some extra space between the nightstand and the bathroom wall, and some extra space between the other nightstand and the sofa. If you're planning to use the sofa bed (if the cabin is a triple), it would be important. Otherwise, it doesn't make much difference.

Many years ago, on QE2, they gave up on "experts" placed by an agency, like speakers and performers and got a staff member to run the computer room. On a cruise where the internet was difficult and she was very helpful, DH and I filled out "You have been a star!" cards for her. The next day she saw me and thanked me, so I knew they were letting crew know. QE2 also did "employee of the month" awards for various departments and pictures would be posted somewhere. I don't know if Cunard still does that. One time, they had a little reception and invited the Diamond world club members to the reception to see crew members recognized for their good works. The captain said we were invited because "you're family, too."

The answer to almost everything these days is "there's an app for that." I like that compliments get relayed to the staff member so quickly. I wonder if Navigator compliments get more attention than the ones people write on their surveys because they're immediate.

Part of the confusion is because posters sometimes refer to the HIA shorex and dining credits as OBC. They are not the same as OBC. For those who don't understand the difference, If you book HIA, those credits appear on the "home page" for your cruise booking as PROMOTIONAL CREDITS and under that there are links to dining and excursions. These credits are not "fungible," (I love that word!), meaning they cannot be used for anything other than the designated purpose. In the case of my next HAL cruise, I see "2 dining credits" and "$200 available" for shorex. HIA Promo credits can be used before you cruise. As others have said, it's a good idea to do that so you get the tours/dining times you want. The value of the HIA Promo credits is not refundable, so you may as well use it while you can. Anything called ONBOARD CREDIT is literally that. Credit to be used on board. Except for casino exclusions in some cases, you can pretty much use it as you see fit.

Perhaps they're busy updating their OS to Windows 8.

I have never seen one of those. It's great for keeping things from rolling off in rough seas, but it does sound awkward for eating, having to reach down into the top. Very odd choice.

I can't picture what you're describing. On K'dam, we had an oval glass-topped table that couldn't be raised (Neptune suite, maybe that's the difference) and turning it on its side wouldn't' give us any surface. Did your coffee table have solid sides?

If I tip the MDR waiters, I give them the envelopes directly on the last night. Cabin stewards are so busy on turnover day that if I don't happen to see mine, I leave the envelope on the desk, with the steward's name and "thank you" on it. Last time, I saw my wonderful steward as I was walking toward the elevator. I thanked him for taking good care of me and told him I'd left something for him on the desk. And in addition to gratuities, remember names and mention them in the post-cruise survey.