mariner

Plain and simple: Are you cruising today?

Unless you're tied to a government, there is no double-dipping. You're out of luck. And then there is health care. No money for cruises.

Sadly, the statistics show many got short-changed by their companies and couldn't catch up. It's the next reality.

RCL is exactly what he is talking about.

The times are a changing. And HAL can't have it both ways on that run. Likes and dislikes are different.

One of the biggest questions is: Who will have disposable income. For a certain age, pensions have disappeared. And those people didn't plan on it. How can the cruise lines market to those people?

The American middle class will be dead by then unless something changes soon. With it Canada.

HAL, if it's still survives, will be focused on Asia.

Their ships are too small for economies of scale.

They may not survive.

Forget luxury. They haven't been luxury for years.

Seabourn has a huge number of newspapers on board daily. This will save them money. I do enjoy holding it in my hand. But it's nice to have news.

rom my stand point, simple, I pay a lot more than you.

HAL invented the Lido concept. Before HAL, one dined in the dining room for lunch. That meant no shorts or bathing suits. From time to time, there was a buffet on deck.

HAL needs to be inventive again.

You'll see tuxes on optional formal nights. The casual nights are very country club casual. Blazers, sport coats, cocktail dresses.

It is dressy though.

Cat, It would have ben in the 90s and maybe early 2000s. It was called Odyssey on some ships. Italian menu.

Seabourn is not stuffy. Far from it.

Anything to make a buck. Unique selling point.

The other lines have bigger ships. They can discount more. Offer more venues that cost extra. HAL doesn't have that option.

Many HAL pax may not realize, what is now Pinnacle was once a freebie.

The old saying is: You get what you pay for.

In the "old days," HAL always cost just a bit more than the other lines, but you got so much more.

Then HAL decided to be mass-market. To compete with smaller ships, they must cut a corner or four.

Carnival kept them alive. HAL's management decided to play with the other mass-market lines instead of the premiums.

And no, what was taken away will never come back. The expectations of new passengers is much lower than passengers who have sailed far longer.

It's not. And we once had a neighbor who slammed it constantly.

Coming back from a lounge very early one morning, we repaid the favor. Guess what? They never slammed their door ever again.

Might be one way for HAL to boost onboard revenue. Forget the champagne bar.

Yeah, ROTTERDAM

You know what I find funny out of all these posts? No one bitched about smoking.

And that may change

Been my experience that people have no problem with pot. Light a cigarette and all hell breaks loose.

So Seattle-based HAl, should they consider cruises that allow marijuania aboard? It's legal in their homeport. Like to hear some comments.

HAL in Texas equals HAL in Norfolk. Aint gonna work.

I can be in San Juan in little more than 2, counting the tarmac wait.