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Today's sunrise is from my 2018 Crystal World Cruise. April 26 was the second day of a 2-day call at St. Barts: Roy

Today's sunrise is from my 2018 Crystal World Cruise. April 26 was the second day of a 2-day call at St. Barts: Roy

I'm not entirely sure. I think if you have a PCC or Travel Agent they could handle it. If not my best guess would be to either call the Mariner Society at 1‐800‐547‐9139 or email them at mariner_society@hollandamerica.com Roy

Question: When I was last on QM2 (last July) all but 2 of the ship;s many elevators were in service. Unfortunately those 2 were both at the D stairway near the Grill Dining rooms, leaving only 1 in service, and it had apparently been that way for a while. Can someone verify that those elevators are back in service By the way, while most of my time on QM2 is on transatlantics I have about 3 weeks on her as a cruise ship and for me she fills the role quite well. Roy

@marshhawkI don't think HAL gives everybody tiles, but all past cruisers. One of the nice things about HAL is they consider anybody who has sailed with any of the Carnival brands a past cruiser. I will suggest giving HAL your VIFP numbers as soon as possible. Roy

As I indicated earlier my visit to Lanzarote was on the Wind Star. I did a ship's tours to a couple of distant sites. The Island is volcanic with an observatory at a 1000 foot peak and a nice view: We went on to a higher peak with another overlook, this one at 1430 feet, looking down on the island of Graciosa, with a population of 100. Our final stop was down near the water at Jameos del Agua. A very wide lava tube runs beneath the surface; open at each end, and there is lush vegetation. A series of bars and restaurants have been built into the tube, and in the middle there is a salt water lagoon. . A second lagoon and a large underground auditorium are also part of the system. By the way, while Windstar ships have sails, they are not really sailing ships; the sails are probably mostly for show and are computer controlled. On each transatlantic (Surf in 2010, Star in 2014) we briefly shut down the engines and moved slowly along (I think about 5kt) While I rarely find rough seas problematic, even in a calm ocean at that speed I got quite queezy at the motion. Roy

Thank you Rich, Sandi, Eva, Debbie (and Happy Birthday), Ann, and Dixie for the Hump Day report. Virtual hugs to all Australians, I like pretzels, and am greatful that we don't have a lot of need for the Richter Scale here. Container ships have certainly revolutionized shipping. The Lamar quote seems awfully dark. I visited Lanzarote just once in 2014. I was thinking it was on Amsterdam but it was actually on Wind Star. I think I'll pass on the meal. My alternative is Caesar Salad, the Rack of Lamb, and the Forest Berry Tart as served on MS Nieuw Statendam April 26, 2019: I hope I'm not reopening an old wound but special prayers for @kazu as the anniversary of Jose's May 1 death gets close. Roy

Let me try a couple of specifics here. On a cruise ship the theater is generally at the bow and the dining room at the stern. On QM2 both the theater and Illuminations are aft of the A elevators. Britannia dining room is forward of the D elevators as well as Kings Court. While the Grills Dining rooms are aft of the D stairs there is a lot of ship aft of even them. Both the dining room and theater typically run the full width of the ship but since they are so far to the ends of the ship there is no problem with people needing to get around them. To provide access around these 2 areas narrow passageways were created in a space between decks 2 and 3 and between decks 1 and 2. A very quirky design but it allows access around these 2 vital resources. Even though QM2 hull is designed for maximum stability she is still subject to the ravages of the North Atlantic and these quirky accommodations allow the most critical areas to be in the most stable part of the ship, Roy

That was true but changed several years ago. Roy

Bon Voyage! Roy

Bon Voyage! Roy

Today's sunrise is from my 2014 Amsterdam voyage from Cape Town to Fort Lauderdale. On April 25 Amsterdam visited St. Maarten. Roy

Today's sunrise is from my 2014 Amsterdam voyage from Cape Town to Fort Lauderdale. On April 25 Amsterdam visited St. Maarten. Roy

Or that the tip was already in the bag and no need to do any extra. Roy

I believe also at Connexions Deck 2 or 3 forward. Roy

I say if you’re doing this book a large table and let the maitre’d know you won’t be using it so your tablemates won’t be left waiting. If you do have a table and won’t use it some nights let others know as well. Roy

I think Veendam may be the exception. I think they added aft cabins on 6 and 7 so her Stairway Oscar may be a dead end. Roy

Looks to me like either would be a better choice than 3428. 3375 is on the promenade deck while 7086 is close to the aft deck. I don;t know if that area has any seating but at least you could get a nice view of the wake, and you have easy stairway access to the lido. I think that while deck 1 aft is a crew area deck 2 is ok for passengers, and it is possible to use stairs from there all the way up to the lido with aft stairs to deck 3 and then "Stairway Oscar (enclosed but not restricted) past the dining rooms up to deck 6, and aft stairs the rest of the way. Roy

Thank you Rich, Sandi, Eva, Debbie, Dixie, and Ann. Another chilly/cold morning here and I leave pretty early to take my car to the shop. Since those down under are so far ahead of us I hope their ANZAC day was great. Penguins are amazing animals, birds that can't fly, are slow on land but very nimble in the water. DNA study is an amazing tool. East meets West is an interesting sideline in history. On this date 33 years ago the Hubble Space Telescope was first deployed. The quote strikes me as strange. I've made 3 visits to Manta concentrated in a 4 year period, Crystal Symphony in 2016, Zaandam in 2017, and Prinsendam in 2019. No idea what the meal is. My alternative is Apple Salad with Candied Walnuts, Rustic Home Made Lasagna, and Vanilla Ice Cream as served on MS Nieuw Statendam April 25, 2019: Leaving within the hour to take my car to the shop. Roy

Not on HAL but once on Crystal. Checked right up to embarkation day and no allocation. It was an overnight stop and I showed up on the second day so there bag checking at the pier. At the gangway they still had no cabin but they took my bags and sent me to the front desk where I was finally given my assignment. Roy

I definitely agree that they know. On one Zaandam cruise as I was leaving for the final time my steward came up to me and said "Thank you for the Extra". He could not have said that if he wasn't aware that my auto gratuity was in tact. Roy

Today's sunrise is from my 2017 MS Zaandam cruise from Buenos Aires to San Diego, April 24 was a sea day from Quayaquil to Puerto Caldera. Roy

Today's sunrise is from my 2017 MS Zaandam cruise from Buenos Aires to San Diego, April 24 was a sea day from Quayaquil to Puerto Caldera. Roy

I must be the odd man out here. I fell in love with a brand new Symphony in 1996 and did not sail the Harmony until 2004 (a trans-Pacufic). I still was sad to see Harmony go. Roy

Good morning. Thank you Rich, Sandi, Eva, Debbie, Dixie, and Ann. The main agenda for today is a haircut for which I am woefully overdue. I wonder if MIT knew what they were starting in 1962. I wonder if Poundstone could have chosen her own Mother's maiden name as who could contradict her. We should certainly not forget any Genocide (are we getting close now when people can be killed just for turning on the wrong driveway) and want to scream at the constant barrage of deaths. I'd prefer another kind of lasagna and would probably prefer English Pigs in Blankets to ours. My alternative menu suggestion is Chilled Pineapple Pina Colada Soup, Classic Caesar Salad and Grilled Black Angus Filet Mignon as served on MS Amsterdam April 24, 2014. Roy