bcd2010

Actually, I wouldn't have a problem paying $800 if it meant it would be uncrowded.

In case anyone is interested, I did a write-up on how I found out about this.

Thank you for this information. What an interesting thing to do - I don't tweet and know pretty much nothing about it or what is possible. I have bookmarked your site and so hope you keep it up.

While I understand, from a business point of view, why such info is suppressed, it sure makes it difficult for anyone who makes decisions based on information to do so. I can't make a good decision if I don't have the facts and when I have to deal with the consequences of a "bad" decision, I come away with a negative opinion of the experience.

CC provides us with anecdotal information and I appreciate both the good and the bad reports.

I know I should be out enjoying the nightlife and not be confined to the cabin watching TV but I have my reasons (wink wink).

there is a large selection of dvds on the ship that you can watch ( no charge) and you can bring your own dvds to play ( do not bring blue ray ) . TV's could be improved on the ships

Ahem, does the "wink wink" suggest OP would be bringing the kind of movies HAL wouldn't have in its DVD library? Or does the shipboard DVD library have movies like that?

I cannot help you but did want to applaud you for this effort. I know these things are a labor of love. Hopefully, there will be someone here who can provide some info,

All we really care about is having a good cruise. Don't really want any plumbing, HVAC, or engine problems. That is for HAL to worry about as they try to live up to the expectations that they have set. We don't want excuses, whys, or wherefores....we just want a functioning cabin and a functioning ship. That is what we pay for, that is what we expect.

Exactly... I don't even want to think about these things while cruising.

I always try to make the best of any cruise experience; but sometimes there are enough negatives to outweight the positives.

Again: Exactly...

But it was the one that came up when I ran searches. Is this unlimited photo package still available?

We bought it on our March 2012 B2B Panama Canal cruise on the Statendam. It's another not-necessarily-as-advertised item. In the 1st half, we were able to get every picture we were in. On the second half, we could get only one of group photos, e.g., dining companions group, everyone in the pool after the "swim in the canal" event, etc. Had to pay extra ($20-40) for more pix and reason/logic/ethics were useless.

On top of that, we specifically asked the photographer to print 4 copies of the dinner-group photo so each couple could have one. He said yes but didn't print the extra copies - and we ended up with none. So get to the gallery fast to get a copy. (FWIW, I had a feeling he wasn't going to print the extra copies at the time he said he would).

Hi Cherie; they, the sweep teams, look for any passengers onboard the vessel not physically located on boat deck where the drill is taking place. They "sweep" all passenger area's while the room stewards check the interior of their assigned cabins. When/if pax are located, they are directed to the boat deck and the drill. If they refuse, a meeting takes place with the chief officer at the front office, in which they are once again directed to take part in the drill. If they still refuse, they are directed to pack/get their bags and disembark

Okay, I understand "different strokes for different folks" but I can't imagine anyone going through all this without acquiescing and just going to the drill. It's almost as if this/these passenger(s) want to be thrown off the ship.

Once you get to the front desk, you're already most of the way there (to the muster station). And I don't think you're going to get your money refunded - I sure hope not. So what principle, giving the benefit of the doubt that there is a principle involved, would a person be defending? Or is it a sense of entitlement or being above the rules? What kind of thinking (?) goes on in their minds?

When I got the email from Stein Kruse, I wanted to email back and address this very issue - so glad they're doing so without my input ;) but I agree with another poster, too bad it took a tragedy...

Only one I can remember...

I thought of another one: which country produces the most trash/garbage. Everyone said the U.S. The CD said Mexico - he didn't even stop to think about what we were saying in "protest" - you can GUESS the right answer to this one.

When I got home, I looked it up because I was curious about whether Mexico was even on the list of top-trash-producing nations -- they're 6th according to this article, with only about 1/7 of what the U.S. produces.

http://greenanswers.com/q/63410/recycling-waste/garbage/what-countries-produce-most-trash/

Yes, we had right answers that were wrong on the Zaandam in Jan/Feb. Only one I can remember was: how many Scrabble tiles have a value of 9 points. Well, I play computer Scrabble every night before going to bed and I KNOW THIS! The answer is zero - Q and Z are 10 points, J and X are 8 points. But cruise director Anthony read the answer on the paper: 2, J and X. NO! Even though I explained how I KNEW the answer, he looked at me skeptically. The next trivia session, my sons brought the Scrabble game from the library and SHOWED him. He finally conceded, but the moment was lost - and we didn't get our points...

P.S. CD and DJ told us the questions and answers came from a big trivia book Seattle puts out.

Okay, just wanted to make sure you got them!

Hi, Joanie - I sent pix of Zaandam cabin A7036 (Verandah Suite, not Deluxe) on 2/12 - did you get them?

So much negativity!

Enjoy your project Joanie! I look forward to seeing what you set up.

I'll be on the Zaandam in January and will take pictures and send them to you.