3rdGenCunarder

One of the fun things about a roll call is finally meeting people you've known for a while only on your computer.

One of the problems with the review boards is that I don't know anything about the reviewer other than age and how many cruises they've taken. I rarely see a review by someone whose screen name I recognize from posting here. When I post here, people can see when I joined and how many posts I've done. And they can see my most recent posts. But none of that is available on the review boards. When people post negative reviews, I often wonder how much they knew before their cruise. Might they have had a better time if they had come to the cruise line boards or port of call boards and asked some questions? As you say, @LAFFNVEGAS has been on this board for a long time. That makes me more inclined to pay attention.

Whats in port is a good way to find out how many (and which) other ships are in port with your ship.

It depends on where your cruise leaves from. In most cases, the time isn't enforced. You check in and then get assigned a boarding number, which is based on when you got through check in, not the time assigned on your boarding pass. Then you wait for your number to be called to board. What's your embarkation port?

I know they stonewall people who booked with a TA, but the PCC is a HAL employee. That's ridiculous.

That's the best review of a cruise I've read. Your pictures have been beautiful. I'm so glad the weather cooperated!

Good for you! My TA tried, but her contact just kept saying no. Since the new booking had pretty good OBC, we let it go. But really, you shouldn't have to go to the top to get decent treatment when the cancellation was THEIR decision, not yours. I suppose charters are a sign that the cruise industry is rebounding. HAL has a history of cancelling cruises for charters, especially 7-day cruises. That's why I avoid the sevens and the 14s that are B2B sevens.

I had the same lack of contact when they cancelled my cruise for winter 2024. I found out because others on the roll call were notified. I never did get the email, nor did my TA. The cruise stayed in "my bookings" for a week or two after the cruise disappeared from the website. I would definitely ask to have the original price honored. That was the deal offered on the cancellation notice people on my cruise received (if the deposit was rolled over to the replacement cruise). Because the cancellation was more than a month ago, they may weasel out of any deal others were offered. That's what happened to me. By the time they posted the replacement cruise, it was after the date when the redeposit would get me any consideration.

Congratulations on getting back into cruising! I love the Vista class ships and Zuidy is my favorite. Canada is a wonderful itinerary. I just looked back at the programs from my 2016 cruise on Zuidy. So much has changed! Entertainment seems to be in flux as HAL drops some contracts and makes new ones, so what's happening now could be different by the time you cruise. Currently, there are no production shows in the World Stage. Some cruises have guest performers there, some don't. A few nights will have dance programs. No more piano bar or Northern Lights disco. BBKing may be leaving some ships. Jazz combo in Ocean bar went away, but now is on some ships, maybe coming to more. Classical may or may not be there. Adagio was replaced by Lincoln Center, but they're gone (except maybe they could be on once in a while), and some ships are getting classical music but I don't know the name of the group. So stay tuned for more updates on entertainment. Libraries went away, and now are coming back. The spa is still delightful. The promenade deck still has deck chairs. Gala nights (which is what they were calling "formal" in 2016) are now "dressy" nights. Not many people dress up much. Certainly not like the days of formal nights. They don't put those silly covers on the chairs any more, but there is a "special menu," which has fewer choices than other nights. Gala was like that, too. Never made sense to me, but what do I know? The cabin stewards have more cabins to take care of than ever, but they still manage to smile and say good morning and take excellent care of their passengers. I think the food is good. Maybe not great, but I can always find something I like. More stations at the Lido are served than they used to be. It slows things down a little, but it's much better healthwise. The bread pudding is still there! Surf and turf is now steak and shrimp. The lack of lobster is a contentious issue (do a search for "lobster" and you'll see what I mean), as is the charge for extra items. I don't remember when the smoking rules changed, but there is no smoking on verandahs. The only smoking area on Zuidy is at the Sea View Bar by the aft pool. There is now an app, the Navigator App, that you can use to check the daily schedule, menus, tours. You will see some threads about it--it can get wonky at times. Internet is hit-and-miss, but HAL is supposed to be getting Starlink, which should be better. There may be other changes, but that's what comes to mind at the moment.

Luggage Direct is the service that takes your bag from the ship to your airline and you collect the bag at your home airport. Luggage Forward is the shipping service (UPS/FEDEX) that takes your bag from home to ship or ship to home. I have used Cunard's service several times and HAL's once, all international, and the tracking was the same as for any package--go to the website, enter your number, and see where your bag is. This was before there were airtags, but I found the tracking sufficient. The first time I used a shipping service, it was Cunard's. I tracked the bag and saw that it sat in UK Customs for a few days. I was concerned, so I called DHL (the carrier Cunard White Star Service used at the time). They were very good about explaining the delay--basically, Customs looked at the date the bag had to be at the ship and if there was extra time, they didn't rush to get around to it. The day after I called, tracking showed the bag in Southampton, waiting for the ship with time to spare.

I think the Assigner of Boarding Times is related to the Upgrade Fairy. Nobody knows how they do what they do.

Yes, that's part of my research, too. The travel agency I use works with a company that provides tours, similar to Viator or Tripadvisor, and that's another research tool for me. I have found the vendors by searching for the title of a tour and comparing descriptions. Each time, I found the tour was less expensive booking directly with the vendor. Not as large a gap as your example, but definitely less.

Right. The names are confusing. Luggage Direct takes bags from outside your cabin to your airline and you collect them at the arrival airport. Luggage Forward is a shipping company that will ship bags from your home to the ship or from the ship (actually, the terminal) to your home.

Never say never. It has happened if operational concerns mean the ship HAS TO get out of port on time. That said, now that I'm traveling solo, I am more inclined to do a ship tour if the distance from the ship is long or timing is tight, or I don't know the local language. If it's a city I've been to before or it's a private excursion with a roll call group, then I'm willing to go out on my own or take a tour with an outside vendor.

I prefer to deal directly with vendors, too. I do find some of the middle-man sites useful for reading reviews. But one site in particular has skewed its sorting to show tours that they sell before tours they don't, very annoying.

The travel time is not always accurate. Read reviews to see if there are comments about transit time. The drive to Lunenburg from Halifax was at least a half hour longer than stated, and no visible reason, like traffic. The drive from Puerto Limon to some rainforest center was supposed to be 45 minutes. It was nearly an hour and a half.

It's a good idea to give feedback (good as well as bad) to shorex staff. In the case of the St Kitts train, I don't remember a long ride to or from the train, but it was 6 years ago, so I can't be sure. But waiting 45 minutes for "late arrivals" is unacceptable. Okay, wait a few minutes if some people are missing, but then get going. In my experience, there are very few late arrivals for a HAL tour. Last winter, a tour met at 8:45 for a 9:00 departure. I got there a little before 8:45, and I was the last to arrive! As for the driver, that's definitely something to address asap. No point in putting that in a review because she is probably not the only driver, so it's sort of unfair to ding the tour because of her. I read the reviews on HAL's site, but they aren't always recent, especially with the covid break. I couldn't find a way to leave reviews of the tours from my last cruise. I think HAL sends a link, but I didn't get one. I was disappointed because I had an excellent tour in Costa Rica and wanted to review it. I'm glad I went to the shorex desk to tell them how much I like the tour.

Thanks for posting all those pictures. The menus look great--I will have to do a lot of walking in port to make up for too much food! I guess the people who didn't want to get off took Cleveland's nickname seriously. Back in the late 60s, early 70s (before the EPA), Cleveland had severe pollution issues, which earned it the nickname "Mistake on the Lake." For a long time, comedians looking for a city name as a punchline used Cleveland. (For a state, they use New Jersey, which I resent!) I like the map they gave you. My plan is to start with the gardens and greenhouse, then perhaps a little time downtown, and then the R&R Hall of Fame. I researched the Science Center. It looks like a lot of the exhibits are aimed at kids. If time allows, I might visit the ship that's part of the Science Center. And kudos to AQV for providing practical info on the map--pharmacy and post office. I have often complained on ocean cruises that the port maps don't have any useful information other than places to shop. How often do the buses run? Is admission to the stops on the routes included?

No, it isn't right. But it isn't uncommon, either. @cruising sister and @Florida_gal_50, good for you for speaking up.

My first thought was insurance, and then could she get something shipped to a relative going to the wedding, or to a hotel. I've seen the Amazon lockers, but it didn't occur to me that it's a way to get something delivered while you're traveling. Absolutely brilliant suggestion!!!

That's sad to hear. In the past when a wine in a package was not available, the substitution came from a higher package, not a low-quality wine. These seemingly random shortages do sound more like bad management (or penny-inching) than supply issues. I was lucky in January. The only thing not available that I was aware of was the new HAL tile.

I was surprised and disappointed when I was on K'dam when it was new. A nice shiny-new clean ship should not have had indoor smoking. And the smoke smell did drift down the stairs to the Music Walk.

I print the paper boarding pass because I don't want to be handling (and possibly dropping) my phone when I have my hands full with carry-on, purse, passport.

Of course you do! Just pack plenty of you-know-what. 🍫

Gorgeous pictures! I do think Norway is the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen, even edging out Alaska. Thanks for sharing your trip with us. I hope it continues to go well.