PC 462

I noticed Vision of the Seas left Baltimore, met with a pilot boat from Annapolis, and is now anchored east of Annapolis and south of the Bay Bridge. Does anyone know why? It is unusual.

So Greenland looks good. However,

Legend is docked now. Since embarkation is delayed one hour, I suppose departure will also be delayed.

If those storms don't clear out, we're going to need some laughs!

News Around NOAA National Program Fujiwhara Effect Weather.gov > News Around NOAA > Fujiwhara Effect When two hurricanes spinning in the same direction pass close enough to each other, they begin an intense dance around their common center. If one hurricane is a lot stronger than the other, the smaller one will orbit it and eventually come crashing into its vortex to be absorbed. Two storms closer in strength can gravitate towards each other until they reach a common point and merge, or merely spin each other around for a while before shooting off on their own paths. In rare occasions, the effect is additive when the hurricanes come together, resulting in one larger storm instead of two smaller ones.

I've only heard of mosquito netting for beds to prevent malaria, so the hat netting is a new one for me! Are the mosquitoes bad in the town, too?

We are close to booking our first Alaska cruise tour on the Nieuw Amsterdam for May 2024. We are interested in the 14 day tour and cruise with the land portion first. We've narrowed it down to two options- one goes to Alyeska and one goes to Seward. They both sound nice to us. Can anyone help with the pros and cons of each? Thank you!

I call room service when I get aboard, and it is delivered in practically no time at all.

On our April Volendam cruise, a piano and cello due played several times daily.

Saw some being raked up on Saint Martin Orient Beach in early April. Saw great amounts on St. Kitts and Barbados. None on Saint Thomas.

Just back from 7083. Not creaky. Not noisy. But you need to draw the curtain after dark!

I just got back and was in 7083. The back deck is open to passengers. It was hardly ever crowded.

Volendam was beautiful! It was my first cruise on her. I hope not the last. Regarding the photo of the birds, they may also be laughing because they get to stay there after we leave!

I was also there on the 14th. You must have been on Volendam, too. Your section of the beach looks much nicer than where we were. We were about halfway between the chapel and the pirate ship. I've always enjoyed Half Moon Cay, and never had a complaint. I only posted this because my experience was so out of the ordinary for Half Moon Cay. This was not my first time at a beach, or at Half Moon Cay. I have experienced rocks, stones and pebbles before, but NEVER before at Half Moon Cay. It didn't dampen my day either. Most of my times was spent floating in the water! And that is a very nice photo, by the way. The birds may also be laughing because they get to stay there after we leave!

That happened to us a few years ago on Nieuw Amsterdam. High winds made docking at Grand Turk unsafe and then made tendering at Half Moon Cay unsafe. Bad weather followed us and we weren't allowed on deck for a couple of days. It gave us a chance to really enjoy all that the ship had to offer. It turned out to be one of our favorite cruises!

Thanks for helping me keep it in perspective!

I've always enjoyed our many visits to Half Moon Cay- the multi-colored, calm, warm water, the powdery sand. But, last Friday, the beach was strewn with pebbles and rocks large enough to twist an ankle. It made me wish I'd worn my water shoes for protection. Perhaps this was from beach replenishment, but it would have been nice to have raked up so that the soft powder could have been enjoyed. I will include this in my survey from HAL. I'll be going again next month, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Yes, it does. At least it did last March when we last visited!

I think you are right! And I was looking forward to completing it on March 29 at midnight.

It was on the HAL site. I just checked again and the deposit dropped while the fare went up! It’s getting to be like booking airfare.

I had just gotten an email talking about 50% off deposits, so was I ever surprised. Since my cruise would leave on April 1, I thought at first it was a bad April Fool’s joke! I get the good deal aspect, for sure. I’m uneasy about what could happen to cruising between now and then.

I started booking a 14 day cruise leaving on April 1, 2023. The booking required a deposit of $1200 for a fare of $1964. That's 61%! Am I missing something? Is this the new normal? It seems like a big commitment in financially uncertain times. Maybe it's because of financially uncertain times?

This is my first review after my 9th Carnival cruise. Well, really less of a review and more some observations and opinions. The Havana area is well worth the money. There is no way I would go on a crowded ship like Horizon without being in Havana. The pool and hot tubs were great and seldom crowded. The air conditioning definitely needs work. Many areas were warm and humid. Even when my cabin was cool, it was often humid. The Chef's Table was the best I've experienced. It was really in a class by itself. The music from the theater forward to the Havana Bar aft was painfully loud everywhere. This includes the dining room, which certainly spoils the dining experience. The internet was down for a day. Even the casino machines stopped working! The cabin phones went down for almost the entire cruise. Food was uniformly good wherever we ate. Most of the crew was warm and friendly as usual, but many seemed overworked. I can't say enough how unpleasant the boarding experience was in Miami. It was a chaotic bedlam! We were on time for our 12-12:30 time. It was hot and humid inside the terminal, as we waited in the back and forth, long snaking line, elbow to elbow with everyone. The noise and shouting was incredible. What a start! Then, we got on board and found our cabin would not be ready for an hour and a half. So we schlepped our carry-ons around for lunch. Lunch at the Pig and Anchor buffet was great on embarkation day. Our Chef's Table and Steakhouse reservations did not show in the Carnival Hub app and the staff had trouble finding them. The joys of nonfunctioning tech! A word about Horizon. The ship seems designed to focus inward and cut off the passenger from the sea. Most of the outside areas are bounded by 6-8 feet of plexiglass. I missed having a balcony. While our Havana Cabana was spacious, it could have been a patio just about anywhere because of the plexiglass wall. The experience of being close to the sea was just not there. I love cruising on Carnival. This latest experience was a little hit or miss. I'm not sure I will like the future of very large Carnival ships. Thanks for reading!

Actually, no one made me open the bag. They just took the extension cord from the CPAP carry bag and I got it back at the end of the cruise. This actually went against their written policy at the time. However, Carnival did provide an extension cord. My point is that the policy should be clear and consistent. After all, CPAP has been around for years.