Tom-n-Cheryl

Sounds and scents often bring back memories. I don't mind the smell of cannabis (not that I wish to smell it), as contrasted to cigarettes which cause immediate negative thoughts. Oh, and not to worry, I only catch a whiff of it every few cruises. Tom

The world may never know 🙂 I watched a hypnotist in Vegas years ago - and there, too, were some things which didn't seem to fit. Perhaps there's certain built-in things, limits, I don't know. I've seen some pretty strange stuff - and I guess some are more susceptible than others. Tom

Sorry.. not HAL (nor MSC)... getting my "yet to be experienced, but still booked" cruise lines mixed up. I have my toes in two new ponds. 🙂 Tom

I haven't seen a hypnotist onboard in probably a decade+ (not HAL). When I did, it was painful (painfully funny and shocking) to watch, particularly the adult shows. They were definitely hypnotized, as several of them were doing things which I can pretty much guarantee someone would not do if they were just playing along. I mean, men and women on the stage crawling around on all fours, and "greeting/getting to know other (dogs)" as dogs do... oh my... Moral of this story... why in the HECK would someone volunteer to come up for a comedy skit ?? !!! Tom

Yes - and they had even reached a tad (and, I mean JUST A TAD) higher, then fell short... LINK Tom

It's private - used both without issue/concern (at sea, or course). There's a camera down on the bridge, but I really doubt someone down there would actually turn it up to the suite.

I can see it now... "You're having the time of your life. This is the best cruise ever..." LOL Tom

Pick them up off the floor... if I had them in my pocket and saw dogs ahead... Disclaimer, anything I'm trying to smuggle won't be detected by dogs. This last time it was a corkscrew... two of them in fact (one as a backup) 🙂 Tom

That's my method at present. Just wait until your inbox starts to explode with notifications from this thread, and you know someone is on the scent. 🙂 Tom

So, I just received a "Limited-Time Private Sale" flyer in the mail today. It would appear that the sailing we booked is included in their list of sale cruises. It's interesting in that the sale price (suite) is $360 less than what shows online - though that includes "suites starting from..." rates. I assume it's apples to apples. I'm going to give them a call and test the waters. I assume that I can switch to a new promo rate? That would be even better than the $300 OBC, assuming everything else remains unchanged. ----- update --- just off the phone with him (my newly assigned PCC, as the one I had - and never dealt with - just left the company), and it appears that he's going to be able to reprice my booking at the Private Sale rate. All said and done, I'll be about $450 ahead (even after adding back in the everything included -- or whatever it's called) and on top of that he said he'd be able to get the military OBC applied as well, so that's icing on the cake. 🙂 Tom

I upgrade every other year, on average. Pixel 8 will probably be next. Tom

Wow - that's almost a record! Tom

Like a random mall cop with extra "powers"... Tom

They obviously want us speculating, since they're keeping their cards close to their vest. Tom

That seems strange - is yours an older version of Android? Try uninstalling and reinstalling it (if you haven't already). I guess I can try downloading it now (Pixel 6 Pro) and see what happens ! EDIT/UPDATE --- seems to work!

Well, after they drop the bomb that the next 4 sailings are cancelled too, then they'll have enough time. 😄 Tom

Thanks for the reply 🙂 I think you'll like Celebrity (and their smoke-free casinos). They've tightened up on the Blue Chip Club comps. It used to be that I could get free balcony cabins and 60% off a suite, now it's 10%. Especially for higher tier suites, that's a huge difference - and explains why we don't have any booked at this time. I've wanted to try their Edge class ship (Beyond or newer, owing to minor differences), but we really like the Solstice class ships - specifically the Reflection or Silhouette (they both have the Lawn Club Grill and The Porch - which the other Solstice class ships don't have). Tom

They'd probably consider that a scalding hazard... lol Tom

Nope.. We're Elite+ w/Celebrity, so Diamond with Royal -- and we only get 4 drinks/day (but the suite lounge takes up the slack). Tom

Yes, while that is true (fire is the greatest hazard at sea... along with icebergs and torpedo's, lol), if kettles were truly a hazard, I would not be able to get them on other lines. The only recent fire onboard cruise ships was, from what I can recall, due to a cigarette on a balcony? Previously I read that UK sailings have kettles in the rooms on HAL... or was that on MSC... either way, yes, if that's their "reason", that's that! Thanks 🙂 Tom

THANKS Is there usually a line there, or do they have self-serve hot water dispensers? Tom (again, this is one of those things where it would be nice to be able to reach out pre-cruise... to have a kettle in our cabin)

I just looked up the details on our Seaside YC booking for next month. I booked this in January. In there it says: Premium Extra Drink Package (includes all drinks up to 13 in all ship areas) I have a feeling I'll be in for some interesting bar encounters.

It's not just Carnival (misery loves company). I had to take a trip to the naughty room on the Independence. Apparently they thought my shoe horn was a knife... Tom

In an "ideal" world, a representative of the company would post on this thread to help clear things up. To clarify the situation, and to let us know when things will be smooth sailing (where everyone is on the same page). That would be soooo helpful. Otherwise, the cluster continues, and MSC just gets (MORE) blackeyes. For the record, Kevin Sheehan (NCL) replied to a thread I posted years ago. So, it can be done. Where there's a will, there's a way. I'd AT LEAST like to think that they monitor these boards, unless they just totally don't care (which, unfortunately, I would not put past them). Tom

I just followed your advice (I have a recent booking, and wanted to see about getting some inside assistance). I looked at an email I received last week, sent an email to her, and instantly received an auto-reply (from Mara): Thank you for contacting me. I have made the decision to leave Holland America Line and pursue another opportunity. It has been a pleasure to work with you. Thank you for allowing me to help plan your cruise vacations and build lifetime memories. I had initially searched out an older email from them (last year), and my reply to her bounced back ... no longer with the company. TWO STRIKES... I'm not confident that a randomly assigned (probably newbie) will be a lot of help. Can anyone recommend a good/reliable PCC? THANKS Tom ps... anyone noticing that some threads (this one included) are too wide to be viewed without minimizing the whole page? (using CHROME)