3rdGenCunarder

If you look closely, there's probably fine print that says prices are subject to change. It isn't just HAL. I have a trip booked on American Queen, and the content and pricing of the excursions differs greatly from what's shown in the itinerary (the content you see before you book) and what's showing up as excursions now that they're available to book. Sure enough, the teeny tiny print on the itinerary had the "subject to change" disclaimer. I just hope the new internet provider is enough better to justify the increase.

That depends on which item(s) they drop to make room for new ones. I have no special favorites in Canaletto, but I am curious to see what the new offerings will be.

Premium isn't faster. It just has access to more apps. If social and surf are slow, premium will be slow, too. I had the surf package last month, and sometimes it was as fast as at home for checking email and things like that. Other times, nada.

Islands I haven't been to before sold me on this cruise. I will miss the hydropool, but other than that, I'm fine with the smaller ship. The vista "suite" isn't much of a suite, but I think HAL calls the veranda cabins that in order to give double Mariner points and take a bit of the sting out of the price.

Thank you! I didn't know about that fund, but I will check it out. I booked a cruise for next summer on the early booking promo. I have HIA including "crew appreciation" and $400 OBC (plus the shareholder OBC). If drinks, tips, and some excursions are paid for (and I will pre-book and pay for other excursions), I didn't know what I would do with so much OBC. But now I do!

On Eurodam, it was Bigelow. I drink black tea and theirs are dreadful. The Lido did have PG Tips, but they were tagless bags stuffed into a glass container with a lid. Easy to overlook. Some people I saw didn't seem to know what they were. The coffee/bar up in the space-formerly-known-as-the-crow's-nest had Tazo, but that wasn't free. Oh for the days of HAL's own brand Darjeeling.

My Great Lakes cruise ends in Toronto. The ship offers a bus tour/transfer option, but all I want is to go to the airport. Googlemaps tells me it's about an hour by car around the time I would be going, which could be a very expensive taxi/uber ride. The UP express train looks like a faster/better option. I have lots of flight options, so I don't have to rush to make a particular flight. I have a few questions. 1. The cruise will probably dock at the large commercial port. Does anyone have experience with arrivals here? Are taxis likely to be waiting, or would I have to get an Uber? 2. I know Union Station is huge. Does anyone know if there's a direct entrance from Station Street to the UP Express area? I know I would have to go up to the skywalk and down to the platform, but is going through the main station the only option? 3. The UP website says they check on the train that you have paid. So if I tap in with a credit card, how can I prove I paid if train staff ask? TIA!

Bad info from HAL phone reps is not a new thing.

The only "multimedia programs on Eurodam were the history of HAL program and the BBC Earth videos. Because it was a Panama Canal cruise, there were documentaries about the canal shown on a few afternoons. In addition to Ask the Captain, the CD did interviews with performers--Step One dancers, Lincoln Center, Billboard duo, etc. It gave a nice glimpse into life as an entertainer on board. When she asked the dancers what they missed from being at home, one of them said "Just getting in a car and driving around."

Wait for the eggs Benedict. Cunard puts them out to grab and go. Trust me, wait for something freshly made.

Emergency drill has changed to watching the video in your cabin and going to your assembly station to check in with a crew member who will scan your card. Sometimes they do a little talk. Other times they just scan the card. On my cruise last month, the drill was from 1:00-3:00. All aboard was 2:30 (for a 3:00 departure), so even someone on a B2B would be back on board before the check-in time ended.

This makes SO MUCH sense. Which is probably why HAL didn't think of it... My next HAL cruise isn't until next winter, but I'll be watching for more info on Canaletto here. I'd like to see some new options.

Don't count on internet being good 24/7. I've had good luck on crossings on QM2. I'm not online a lot, but I check email and occasionally go online to look something up. Ironically, when we were close to land last fall on a Canada/New England, QM2's internet was so bad that they were refunding when people complained.

Welcome to HAL! I don't know about phone service at sea. Others can answer that. But I can tell you that an internet plan can be shared. The wifi intranet is free. You can use the Navigator app to check the daily program, menus, etc. If you want internet service, you have to pay for it. If you both don't need to be online all the time, you can share a plan. HAL describes the plans for "one device," but it's really one device at a time. You must log out of the internet service before she can log on. It's your first cruise. Try to enjoy the sea and the ship! I know that a lot of people need to stay in touch with work. But you're on vacation. Cut the cord for a few hours a day.

Well, I hope it's more of a library than I saw on K'dam.

There have been reports that flavored water has been confiscated.

It would be nice to see a Dutch cafe on more ships. I don't know if that will happen, but I wouldn't bet on a library. HAL has pretty much given up on that idea.

That does sound late. What time is the ship scheduled to sail? I have only sailed on HAL out of US and Canada ports. People start showing up at 10:00 or 10:30 and nobody checks boarding time. I don't know if Sydney enforces boarding times. You might try the ports of call boards and ask how boarding is typically handled in Sydney.

Why are you set on port side? I'd grab the deck 7 cabin. It's a hike to the lounge, but at least it's on the same deck.

"the unpleasantness" I like your choice of euphemism! I agree that the breakfast and lunch options at the Lido are as good as before. I was on Eurodam, and in addition to the usual things, they had lots of Asian options, and the makings of a proper English "fry up." Waffles, excellent crepes. Breakfast is wonderful. Lunch had many options, too, but I tried to stick to the salad bar to make up for my big breakfast. One correction to your earlier post. The bread pudding isn't "out" where you can see it. They hide it at the back of the dessert station. I suppose that's because it's where the warming spot is, but it always seems like a secret. OP, I haven't been on NCL in a zillion years, but I suspect their buffet is open all day and into the night. One aspect of HAL's buffet that is frequently criticized is that it is NOT open all day. There's a blank spot in the late afternoon, although on most ships you can get burgers or pizza at that time. And dinner is over around 9:00, and nothing until the 10:30 snack. (Those times are estimates, someone will correct me if I'm off on the timing)

The MDR on the K'dam is loud on the lower level, and I would have hoped that HAL might address the issue on the later Pinnacle ships. The second time I sailed on the K'dam. I was at a table on the upper level at the back, almost in the corner. It was amazingly quiet compared to other areas.

Absolutely! The sail to the glaciers is slow, and you don't need to be outside the whole time. If the weather is dreary, it's nice to be able to go out for a while, see the view, then go inside to warm up--especially with room service coffee. I don't much care how big my cabin is--for me it's all about the view from the balcony!

Yikes! I haven't been on an R or S ship in 6 or 7 years, so I'm glad I asked. I didn't expect USBs, but I didn't remember that there were so few outlets. Glad I asked--I'm going to have to do some serious scheduling to charge my phone and my camera batteries. Is HAL okay with a "squid" cord splitter? I don't think they usually come with a surge protector.

The corner afts vary a lot on the Vistas, and deck 6 are the smallest. But I think there is less (but still some) variation in size of aft on the Signatures. Balcony sizes don't have the variation on the Signatures that you see on the Vistas. Try looking at pictures of cabins on halfacts. Signature Class | HAL Cruiser Information (halfacts.com)

That isn't a lot of outlets for this day and age of rechargeable devices. No plug by the bed?