3rdGenCunarder

I'm on the QV Northern Lights departing October 27 (returning to Soton on Nov 8). There are four sea days that are "eligible" to be gala, but only three are. All other nights are "smart." Oct 28 Gala Black & White Oct 31 Gala Masquerade Nov 5 Gala Roaring 20's I have a question for anyone who has been on board for Halloween. Do people dress in costume? (UK "fancy dress") I know that on any other Masquerade night, it's only fancy masks in the Queens Room. But for Halloween...?

In contrast to fellswoop's cruise, I was on Eurodam in the Caribbean at the same time. There were no rumors about covid cases. I was aft and walked to the spa each day, varying the deck so I could look at all the interesting vintage photos. I never saw red dots (don't know if Eurodam does that) and the few times I saw a tray in the hall, it didn't have a blue napkin over it. I rarely heard anyone coughing. Not a lot of people wore masks. I wore a mask in the bus on my excursions, but not at the beach or while we were walking in the rainforest. I did wear a mask when I went to performances, which was mostly LC--small room, chairs close together and full. If I went to the main showroom, I found a seat toward the back where there wouldn't be anyone nearby, and I wore a mask. I didn't go to Billboard or BBKing (no Rolling Stone on Eurodam) except to walk past a few times. I suspect they are likely spreaders because they're crowded, and people have masks off to drink. Anyone who wants to talk has to shout over the volume of the music. The louder you talk, the farther you expel air (and viruses).

I research the ports, too. I tend to book cruises early, and ship's tours aren't available to purchase yet. If I can, I will find a similar cruise on HAL's website to get an idea of some of their tours. I don't do a lot of private tours. For me, it's ship tour if distance/logistics are difficult for independent touring, or just wandering in port on my own. I've booked four tours for my Oct Nothern Lights (Norway) with Cunard. Some of those tours are sold out already.

Sounds like you did the best you could do to avoid catching it. But sometimes COVID happens and you don't really know when/where you caught it. I find it interesting that two people sharing a rather small space can end up with only one getting sick. But there are a lot of those stories, so it shows that different people have different susceptibilities or resistances. I also travel with tests and a med kit for alleviating symptoms. Not as extensive as yours, but enough for my usual "caught a cold" needs. I also travel with saline nasal spray because dry air makes me more susceptible to respiratory infections. I got COVID toward the end of a cruise in September. I wore a mask in elevators, shows, most of the time except meals. But it got me. Slight scratchy throat on a Monday, chills Monday night, was a zombie and slept all day Tuesday, but no other symptoms. I tested Tuesday, and it was negative, so I didn't ask about Paxlovid. And by Wednesday, I was out and about in port. I thought it was the flu because I hadn't got my flu shot yet and I "wasn't sick enough" for it to be COVID. I tested on the Friday, after I got home, mainly out of curiosity, and I was positive although I felt fine. I suspect the sinus infection was the result of flying home. Those changes in air pressure can drive even a light resp infection way into the sinuses, where they're hard to get rid of. I do have a question about the tray pickup. Since you weren't moved, you were in a hallway with nonquarantined passengers. Did they give you any kind of cover to put over the tray? Not that I expect anyone to poke around in someone's leftovers, but if they're quarantining a passenger and not letting your steward take your trays, they should be more attentive to pickups. I also think you should have been given a bottle of water every day.

Maintaining an older ship can be problematic/expensive, but HAL may regret dumping 6 of its 8 small ships. Or maybe Zaandam and Volendam will be enough to handle the restrictive and unusual itineraries.

Welcome back to cruising! Interesting that you think the regular aft cabin is smaller than usual. I had a corner aft on K and thought it was smaller than the corner afts on the vista ships. And for a Neptune suite, the bathroom was very small. (I later had a midship Neptune that had a large bathroom. Maybe they skimped at the back for everyone.) I loved breakfast in CO. It was nice to have a small, peaceful venue to start the day, Waffles and pancakes made to order, not fetched from a warming tray in the main kitchen. I hope you have smooth seas. K'dam bounced and slammed down on waves like you describe. That's why I went midships on my second cruise on that class of ship. Don't miss Tamarind and the Dutch Cafe!

You can bring on alcohol bought in port, but security will direct you to what I call the booze table, where someone will take your purchases for safekeeping until disembarkation. I don't think there's any fee for this.

That's apples and oranges. I don't think the addition of a combo in Ocean bar is meant to replace LC. HAL should have both! Since word got out that LC won't be on all the ships (and I think some ships are losing BB King), HAL needs to say what will be ADDED.

I used to enjoy both the jazz sets and the ballroom sets played by the band in the Ocean Bar. The dance floor isn't huge, and the dancers weren't "Dancing With the Stars" caliber, but they were enjoying themselves. I remember one couple who had just started taking lessons. They would forget where they were in the dance, stop, laugh, count the beat, and start again. Not great dancers (yet) but they were having FUN, and that's the point.

The policy is on the luggage tags, presumably so people can't miss it (or claim that they didn't know). This is the new policy (Jan 2023): All checked and carry-on luggage will be scanned and any prohibited items, including alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, will be removed, confiscated, and discarded. Please refer to your cruise contract for more information. This is the old policy (Feb 2020): Bringing Alcohol Onboard? Please remember our alcohol policy: • One 750ml bottle of wine or champagne per adult in carry-on luggage, which will not be subject to a corkage fee if consumed in the stateroom. • Additional wine or champagne bottles (no larger than 750ml) in carry-on luggage are welcome, but will incur a $18 corkage fee per bottle, irrespective of where they are intended to be consumed. • Other liquors, spirits or beers are prohibited. Luggage is subject to search.

It's a running joke on the Cunard board that those of us not in the Grills cabins/suites are "rowers."

Same pattern when I was on Eurodam in January. 5 PM on sea days. It does seem like an odd time. Perhaps they look on it as "filler" at a time when the schedule is light. Or perhaps they're throwing it under the entertainment bus by putting it at an inconvenient time so they can say that nobody wants ballroom dancing. Have you walked by to see how many people show up for it? Now that I think about it, they could offer ballroom dancing in the Ocean Bar at a better time. That has an unused dance floor. They use recorded music, so they could offer it anywhere.

On Eurodam last month, Explorations Cafe opened at 6 AM and the Pinnacle Bar was open for coffee at 7 AM.

I agree, too. I forgot about the creme brulee. That was always a good choice. Fruit crisps are gone, too. I know I had dessert every night, but I don't remember what I had, and I've only been home a week, so they can't have been outstanding. Sure, some things could be better. And sometimes, I get grumpy about the front desk or the shorex people. But I took this picture to remind myself that "a bad day at sea is better than a good day at work." THIS is why I cruise.

I think there were some apps available to order in the Tamarind bar, but I'm not sure what they were. I enjoyed Tamarind very much, but I didn't go for the spicy items. Best duck I've had in ages. I think HAL does assume that their demographic is not into spicy food. I tend to order mild or medium salsa or guacamole, depending on if I know the restaurant's scale of heat. But the salsa and guac at the taco station were too mild for me. (I usually got just guac and chips to go with a salad) The only thing spicy there was the ground beef, so if I had a taco, the milder accompaniments worked well for me.

😱

I didn't like the coffee from the in-room coffee maker. But the Neptune Lounge coffee machine was good. I wish they'd put in electric kettles so I could make tea. Or even instant coffee--I can hear the groans, but I'm not fussy about coffee. Tea, OTOH, matters greatly to me.

Holiday cruises are always crowded. If kids are off from school and HAL is doing "kids sail free," the increased numbers can burden the staff to the point that service becomes poor.

PEG799_Port_Facilties_MAP_11x17_02.indd (simpleviewinc.com) Port map

You can find out from the Port Everglades website, but only about a week out. Typically, HAL uses 19, 21, and/or 26. Port of Everglades - Public View (broward.org)

I have an oversized bag from Christmas Tree Shop. The kind they sell at the register. It has a cute pattern of flip-flops on it, so it looks like a "beach bag." It's large enough to hold my towel, snorkel if I'm taking that, water shoes, a water bottle or two of HAL's cans. I put the HAL bag inside that, with the smaller items like my camera in it. That big bag has been to many beaches and has outlived some of my HAL bags.

I haven't heard GIGO in a long time, but it's still true! I didn't get the survey, but I know what you mean. There's one that shows up on Cunard's survey often. It's a in list of agree/disagree statements. "I don't like to dress up; I like to be comfortable." I don't see those two things as mutually exclusive. I like to dress up and I have learned how to choose comfortable formal wear. So do I agree or disagree with this statement???? Did the survey have places to add info the way the post-cruise survey does?

Yes, the specialty coffees are included in the Signature package. I agree that the wines included at the price cap are limited. I did go over by a dollar or two sometimes on a glass of wine, but if the upsell to the Elite package is $17, I never went over the Signature package by that much on any given day. I can understand HAL not allowing people on HIA to upgrade the beverage package. Look back at the math posted earlier in this thread. If you look at the separate costs of internet plus the excursions plus the specialty dinners, what you're paying for the beverage package is around $14 per day. If you add the upgrade fee, you're getting the Elite package for much less than if you'd bought it on its own. On a side note, I thought the rule was that you can buy only one drink at a time with the package. On Eurodam, they were allowing two. I saw a couple buy two mimosas each at the pool bar. After they signed the bills, the woman asked "Okay, now can I buy two more?" The bartender said they had to wait a while. As the couple walked away, I heard one of them say "Where were they sitting?" Sounds like they were trying to share the package. The only time I bought two of anything at one time was cans of water to take ashore on a tour.

I agree about whale watching. If there's one splurge to do on an Alaska cruise, I think whale watching is it. I have done 4 Alaska cruises, and I don't recall ever seeing whales from the ship. You can get good information about whale watching on the port of call boards. I wouldn't count on finding something less expensive on the day. If there are multiple ships in Juneau, everyone is booked up. I also agree about Skagway and Ketchikan. If you're concerned about the cost of excursions, those are ports where you can wander around town. Sometimes there's good eagle spotting in the trees around Ketchikan. The train in Skagway is a great trip, but if I had to choose between the train and the whales, I'd definitely choose whales.

Look at your itinerary and, unless you have a lot of OBC you want to spend on board, consider booking tours and specialty meals in advance. With so many people getting the Have It All promo, tours and good time slots at Pinnacle are selling out before the cruise.