3rdGenCunarder

I doubt they give casino cabins to new HAL customers. But after Covid, they may be seeing the casino cabins as a way to lure back previous customers who haven't returned to sailing yet.

It probably was verifly. I saw no point in doing it since my cruise didn't require a test or proof of vaccination. After dealing with ArriveCAN several times earlier this year, I didn't want to bother with an app that wasn't necessary. Even so, my check-in was easy. When I got to the pier around 11:15, the lower seating was full of early birds (they were giving out boarding number 19 at that point), but I get priority boarding, so I went upstairs just after they got the assisted passengers onboard and were calling suites and mariners. Less than a half hour from stepping out of the taxi to stepping up to the Seaview bar for a drink while I waited for cabins to be available.

When I sailed out of FLL earlier this month, I had a paper boarding pass and they did ask to see boarding passes at the door. I don't recall any separation of paper/navigator passes. When I got to the little kiosk, there was a problem with my documents. I don't know if the scanner didn't like my passport or my boarding pass, or maybe it was having printing problems, but they sent me to a regular check-in desk and the guy there printed out a paper boarding pass, a little bigger than a typical store check-out receipt. Everyone seemed to be using the little paper pass to board the ship. Later, I looked at the two paper versions, and the bar codes looked the same to me.

They weren't checking "assigned" times in FLL a few weeks ago. Security there is the same line for everyone, and then check-in and boarding have priority.

No, HAL didn't say advance reservations are required, but they sure encouraged it. I booked HIA for my recent cruise maybe 6 months out. I received several emails reminding me I could book my HIA meals, shorex, etc. in advance.

I just talked to my TA the other day. She's hearing customers complain that a 7-day in the Caribbean is much more than they're used to paying for such a cruise. And not just on HAL. Cruise lines have to make up the money they lost (and gave away as extra FCC) somehow.

I had a chance to chat with a housekeeping supervisor on my recent cruise. He saw me going to my room and asked if everything was all right with the room. I said it was all fine and told him how wonderful my steward was. I also said that I knew they have more rooms than ever. He sighed and made a scissors motion with his fingers. So the people on board feel the cuts and are aware that we do, too. Shoreside, it's all about counting the beans.

The only additions I've seen onboard are more time slots if a tour is popular. And sometimes, airport shuttles are only available to book on board.

You're probably right that the arrangements are part of the LC deal. It would be a shame to lose that. Any other classical quartet/trio/duo I've seen have stuck to pretty standard arrangements. LC's arrangements for pop music are amazing, too. Their Eleanor Rigby is far from "funereal!"

Thanks. I'll add that to my list of CC wisdom.

4 and 5 star mariners have spent a lot of money with HAL over the years. HAL offers certain amenities for this loyalty. It isn't "entitlement," it's what people have been told they will get. This isn't a new program, so staff should be aware of the benefits. I did see that Pinnacle was full most nights on my recent cruise. I booked in advance with HIA, so I had no trouble getting the time I wanted. If 5 star mariners have to wait until they're onboard to get their free specialty dinners, then they have to put that on the to-do list for embarkation day and hope good time slots are still available. That doesn't seem like good recognition for a lot of days sailed and money spent onboard. What about the 50% off for 4 stars? Can I book that online in advance, or do I have to wait until I'm onboard if I want to use the discount?

I used it in FLL this past week. Best $25 I spent on the cruise! I was off the ship right after the people who "self disembarked." They said it would be 8:00 for my group and it turned out to be 7:45. As I walked through the terminal, they were still bringing in and arranging luggage in the various areas. So in addition to not having to hunt for your bags, you get off a bit earlier.

Yes, preformed groups may audition. One of the interesting things on my recent Eurodam cruise was a series of "meet the artist" session in which the ED interviewed performers and then they took questions from the audience. The current Eurodam Billboard duo are a couple. They've been dating for 5 years. She said that she went on a short contract with HAL in a jazz band (apparently HAL ups their music choices for long cruises). She liked it and wondered about other opportunities. She talked to the Billboard duo on that trip and liked what she learned from them. When she got home she told her boyfriend about it, and they auditioned together with the hope of getting to work and travel together. They're on their second HAL contract. Yes, sets are pre-ordained. Billboard originally decided what the genres and sets would be. Billboard duos are placed on the ship by an agency. (I forgot the name) The musicians rehearse intensively (practicing all day in the studio) to learn at least 300-400 songs before they go on the ship. I also learned that the entertainers--LC, Billboard, dancers, etc get single cabins. Teeny tiny inside cabins, but they do get to have their own cabins. So this does become a consideration in terms of the number of entertainers HAL can put on a ship. From the way they talked about it, HAL is regarded well by musicians because of the single cabins. So maybe other cruise lines make them share. As for Post-Modern Jukebox and Cantare, I still have not had the good luck to be on a cruise where they were performing. If LC becomes a similarly "once in a while" performance, I'll probably have the same bad luck and be stuck with Step One and BBC Earth AGAIN.

My cruise is Jan 15. Yesterday, Navigator was starting to load content. I sure hope it loads more, because the only evening entertainment was BBK at 10:30 PM. I do, however, know what the on-board shop specials will be for each day. It's all about getting you to part with your $$$. Still don't know which nights are gala, but I could get it to show me my bar code. Not relying on that, I have hard copy.

NA is pretty square at the back, so I think the balconies are similar in depth, unlike the Vista ships (e.g. Zuiderdam), where some decks have deeper balconies than others. Do an online search for photos of NA and look for a profile or aft view, and you'll get a pretty good idea of depth of balconies and the overhang from the deck above.

It isn't normally that bad. They're understaffed compared to what I've seen before. I think we're going to see the effects of understaffing in many businesses, not just cruises, for a while yet.

With cabins set aside for covid, "sold out" doesn't mean the ship is at 100% capacity. It means all the cabins that can be sold have been sold.

Yes, that's it.

The website shows HIA and a lower price with a nonrefundable deposit. My TA booked me at a third price, with a different name and booking code. It's a price without HIA but the deposit is refundable.

Hank, Belinda King would be a great choice. They used to be on Cunard and the shows were excellent. Then they parted ways--I was told that Belinda King had too many clients with the expansion of some other lines, so they had to cut back on contracts. Cunard then got "Broadway Bound," which had terrible shows. I don't think it was the performers, it was bad decisions on show design. I don't know who Cunard has now, but their shows have improved again. Their house bands play for dancing and to back guest performers. Plus, small subsets appear as a jazz combo or solo performances, like the pianist who plays during lunchtime in one of the lounges, or the guitarist who played solo at tea one day--lots of Jobim, which sounds great on solo guitar. I've frequently heard the complaint that the BBKing band doesn't play much BBKing. On one cruise, they did a show in the main showroom. It was like listening to a BBK jam session. The musicians were obviously enjoying doing it. I don't know why they took that show out of rotation when they still have the BBK musicians onboard.

To answer your question at the top of your post, I hope so. I wonder if the info about LC, BBK, etc going away was a leak they didn't anticipate, so they didn't have an announcement ready. IIRC, the LC musicians were vetted by LC or Julliard, at least at first. The first cruise I was on that had LC, there was also a piano player in one of the lounges. This guy was awful, so he couldn't have passed the same audition as the pianist in LC. HAL's desire to shore up their name by attaching themselves to brand names hasn't been limited to music. America's Test Kitchen came on in place of the Culinary Center. A lecture on 800 ways to cook eggs is NOT as good as a proper cooking class. When people complained about the ATK poor choices of content, they were told ATK controlled what was presented. HAL didn't care. Bringing on a canned program was a lot easier than organizing something themselves.

HAL tried to link up with too many names. I always felt they were saying "We're not good enough, but we have all these other people you like, so maybe that will make you like us." I don't care if the classical musicians have the name "Lincoln Center," although I have to say they've been the best classical group I've heard on a ship. So please, HAL, if you're replacing LC, hire good musicians. And a quartet, not a duo. And while I'm wishing, how about a little jazz???

That would be a waste. Nobody would listen. Unless you were right nearby, you wouldn't know they were there because of the din of conversations. Unless it's in a venue where you go specifically to hear music, like a theater setting, people talk over the music. We used to go to Sunday brunch in NYC in small restaurants that had a jazz or blues combo. We loved the music and relaxed atmosphere, but I noticed about 10 years ago, it was getting harder and harder to hear the music because people talked all the time. And they talked LOUDER when the musicians started.

Get used to the idea of it, please. Cunard is a dressier experience. It's part of what makes the ambiance so special.

I sailed with Cunard twice last year. Princess Grill on QE had wonderful food and service. We didn't order off menu, but we did have a lot of the special things that have to be ordered the night before. Britannia (MDR) on QM2 was not as good. The food was okay, but they didn't have the "always available" items. I think they actually did and the waiter either didn't know or lied. The service at our table was poor. It took 20 minutes between being seated and having our orders taken. The assistant waiter was obviously new because he made mistakes. I felt that QM2 had poor service in MDR and buffet because they're understaffed and have a lot of new and poorly trained staff. I think service in PG was better because Cunard has always put the best staff in the higher dining rooms.