Petronillus

Would a Greek taverna be too much to hope for?

With reference to the photo of the lobster tail from PG, on another thread a contributor proclaimed adamantly (and authoritatively, so far as I could tell) that, contrary to its billing, it was in no way a Maine lobster. IIRC, the Maine lobster and the spiny lobster caught in warm-weather locales are not even the same species. Judging from the photographic evidence, the Morimoto lobster is way superior to the PG's.

Your photos are amazing and beautiful. Thanks!

How sad! HAL had a golden opportunity to forge a solid relationship with a relative newcomer -- this was only OP's 2nd HAL cruise -- and to gain some good publicity on this board to boot, and they squandered it utterly. In Stephen Covey terms, it was a huge withdrawal from the emotional bank account with major repercussions in OP's circle of influence. As a CCL shareholder, it disturbs me.

Illinois is the only state where you can pay highway tolls in pennies. Land of Lincoln.

I get the prevailing sentiment, but the basic idea is to show appreciation above and beyond the mandatory or baked-in gratuities. It seems to me that tipping your bar server with an occasional toonie is charming. BTW, I don't understand why we (US) Americans have been so resistant to the dollar coin. And the two-dollar coin is a brilliant innovation I wish we would emulate.

By cruiseline rules, Communion is provided only in the form of bread; only the priest consumes the consecrated wine. The priest makes a rough count of the number of hosts required and any left over are consumed on site. As a result, the Blessed Sacrament is not reserved.

Back in the old days, when HAL used to have the Lincoln Center Stage, in a Q&A session the LCS musicians said that per the contract between HAL and Lincoln Center it was specified that each musician gets his/her own solo cabin. At that time the cellist and the pianist were married to each other, and as a result the cello got a cabin all to itself.

It has been HAL's long-standing practice to provide room and board to Catholic chaplains whose principal duty is to conduct worship services not only on Sunday but on a daily basis. The chaplains receive no further compensation, and they are responsible for their transportation to the port of embarkation and from the port of debarkation. I have sailed with HAL eight times and each cruise included a chaplain. OP's post is the first I've heard that suggests HAL is discontinuing this practice. I too will be disappointed if that is so. I'm particularly surprised the opportunity to attend Sunday Mass was not offered. I've heard that other cruise lines (Celebrity and perhaps others) bring a priest aboard from the local area on Sundays when possible.

We have a winner!

I am so disappointed that they aren't reserved for the Yoopers of Northern Michigan. (UP = upper peninsula.)

The most memorable trivia question I've come across on board is as follows: Who was born on February 29, 10000 BC? To my great astonishment, there is a genuine answer. Assuming the question is still being used from time to time, what's the answer?

I am sympathetic and join in the resentment toward those who blithely take their own sweet time in rejoining the group at the end of a break. I think that was the original thrust of this thread. Shouldn't those folks be made to suffer some consequence. But I also have enough sympathy to feel bad for those who return late for no fault of their own, the dreaded unforeseen event. If such delay has held up the rest of the tour bus, I believe that an apology and some explanation -- some disclosure of the circumstance that caused the unforeseen delay -- are in order. It strikes me as harsh to characterize the latecomers' plight as a mistake; if, for instance, a private tour gets stuck in a traffic jam. the passengers in the bus are not at fault. They have run a risk, have experienced a setback, and have to deal with a consequence. That's one of the reasons why the worrywarts among us (DW is one) are willing to pay a premium for booking a HAL excursion. They manage the risk by buying a sort of insurance, in the form of HAL's assurance that it will hold the ship to accommodate its own excursion customers.

Those who are new to this board may not know that Ruth is our matriarch, and what a treasure she is. She chimes in frequently and ALWAYS has something worthwhile to contribute. Unlike me and my ilk, who like to crack wise, Ruth is a font of wisdom born of long experience.

At the moment Chicago is in the cruel grip of a prolonged stretch of subzero (Fahrenheit!) temps coupled with driving winds. I stare longingly at your snaps of the frolicking around the aft pool.

You've inspired me to jot my thoughts down right away and not wait to let them "marinate." That strategy invariably falls prey to my procrastination. Your core dump (so to speak!) was spot on, particularly as representing the perspective of a HAL newbie. You are refreshingly open to new and different experiences, coupled with your objectivity. I admire that you didn't let your familiarity with X and its ways spoil your ability to appreciate and enjoy HAL.

The cone of shame!

Our daughter came home from a wonder-filled semester in Australia, New Zealand, and the Great Barrier Reef. I think she wanted to adopt the Australian way of life -- talking about having a "cuppa" and drinking "bee-ah" (in lieu of another hour of work). She was practically speaking Strine!

News flash! Somebody still drinks BudLite!

If you're referring to the 2023 Super Bowl, we were on the same 18-day Hawaii cruise. I never like the acoustics in the Lido pool area but the Jumbotron did the job well. People should be warned that NONE of the regular Super Bowl ads were run; it apparently has something to do with the licensing. Instead, they filled the commercial break time with the same three crappy ads that ran over and over. One was for some women's wrestling championship that was going to be televised in Australia & New Zealand only! A lady sitting behind us said, "These are the worst Super Bowl ads ever!"

What was the problem with the tendering? How did they get everybody back? Didn't those pax scatter once they got ashore? You don't sound particularly miffed about it. Maybe the expectations were low? Is Easter Island on the itinerary too? (My word-processing program was running a special on question marks. Sorry.)

Did you consider taking an elevator on its way up from Deck 4 and riding it down to Deck 2 at the first opportunity of a turnaround?

You may find a particular bar/lounge especially conducive to chatting up strangers. For me it's the Billboard Lounge, which I came to know and love because it was the principal venue for trivia games. DW & I usually lunch in the Lido Market, and we almost always join a table of four or take a table of four and welcome another couple to join us. We've had some delightful conversations that way.

Your city is my favorite/favourite in all of N. America. We love to take the family on a cold-weather long weekend (usually, US Thanksgiving) in the Hotel Bonaventure, high atop the Place Bonaventure convention center/centre, where the open-air swimming pool is in use 365 days a year. This year we caught an amazing spectacle son et lumière inside Notre-Dame basilica.

Judging from other comments on this board, the quality, care, and speed of HAL's laundry services are one area where HAL is head and shoulders above the competition.