Tampa Girl

I think that your suspicion that a dock would be of little help with high winds is well taken. We were docked in either a Fiji or a Samoan ports a few years ago. Fifty people had been allowed to disembark to wander around with their cameras poised. Unfortunately, about an hour later the winds caused one of the bow lines to break, and the captain had to leave the dock and anchor out a ways until all the wanderers could be rounded up. It took until noon. It was rather entertaining to watch them, from the safety of the Lido deck, being re-embarked under those circumstances. Fortunately, no mishaps; no injuries.

Thank you, Pete, for a very informative recitation of Gus's presentation. He certainly covered a lot of territory! Re other Grand Voyages, apart from a possible Grand Med, has there been any talk or speculation about when or if another Grand Asia would take place?

Scratch the above. I was thinking of the '25 WC.

Announcement should be made next week, per The Inside Cabin.

Hmm... I wonder if the 2024 WC will be on the Zaandam, of which the "Legendary Voyage" might be a segment? The announcement for the '24 WC should be next week.

I thought that I had seen a "History" section, but the history volumes might have been included in the non-fiction section. DH read a very interesting history of the Vikings, and one World War II book. He reads only non-fiction and was able to find and finish two very interesting volumes. You appear to have been looking for something relevant to your trip, which could narrow your choice a bit. Had you considered loading your Kindle with books relevant to your cruise? I am just delighted to find something which intrigues me. I had loaded our ebooks with sufficient material to carry us through a 30-day cruise. Never touched them during this 10-day cruise. So glad to have a library back!

Wonderful! Thank you for letting us know.

We were on the 3/25/23 Eurodam Sunfarer and share your positive observations. But the best thing: A lovely library has been installed! Whoever designed this room and chose the volumes, should be commended. There were about ten categories with many books having multiple copies. Fiction, non-fiction, historical, romance, short stories (I picked up a recent publication of Daphne DuMaurier's short stories), nature, etc. Everyone I talked to who had been in the library was delighted with it. Hope the next Oosterdam drydock will include one as good.

What led you to worry that the safety of the passengers was not being maintained? It has been my experience that HAL takes very seriously its responsibilities for its passengers.

I am not sure the music would be classified as jazz. However, they play different genres and present their own interpretation.

Third Avenue West was the best entertainment on the Eurodam, from which we just disembarked. It is a trio of pianist, a bass player, and a guitarist. They were wonderful. We enjoyed them every night in the Oceans Bar. The music can be danced to or enjoyed by simply listening.

We just disembarked the Eurodam at Terminal 26

Thank you. Our boarding time was changed to 12:40. Since we are 5* Mariners, it is O.K. to show up at 11:30? Or are we just inviting a long wait even in the 5* line?

Sorry, but, no, that really does not make sense. Each cruise is different, and I assume that the cost of an upgrade is going to depend upon how close one is to embarkation and how many vacant cabins are then available. The latter is known only by HAL. I think that you made a wise decision to pass on that offer.

The charge goes automatically onto the credit card that you used to book the cruise. I do not remember ever having to enter credit card info at the point of booking an excursion. Perhaps if you go your account, you can change the card info.

You are fortunate. See Post #16. It appears that undisciplined children appear in varied locales - on board and on shore.

But which Japanese itineraries besides the one OP was taking?

Does "Hosted Voyage" show up on HAL's website under "Cruses?" I have not noticed that designation.

I would believe the Itinerary page of the cruise, which states that it is a Heritage Cruise, with 8 ports.

What is the nature of the OBC's for the initial cruise? Since you didn't day how the OBC'S were associated to the former cruise, it is difficult to answer your questio

Has anyone used this HAL approved service for delivery of their luggage to the port? It is pricey, but is it worth it? Please don't confuse this with Luggage Direct which transport luggage when disembarking. Thanks for any input that you can provide.

There is some rebranding, but there are a few that are different because they concentrate on a specific area, i.e. the 52-day Japan trip. HAL has always had long, i.e. 25 - 35+ day, non Grand cruises. What, if any, difference there is in these Legendary cruises itself will be interesting to learn.

No1 The beauty of the Grand Voyages, among many other things, is that they are R/T from a U.S. port.

Or Veteran's OBC.