peaches from georgia

I have witnessed too many pax suffer problems and accidents during tendering that I never get off the ship at a tender port anymore. Not blaming anyone, but no one can control what the sea is going to do every minute.  And when you make the decision that the sea is calm enough for you to tender safely you have no idea what it may be like when you are returning to the ship.  Whether to tender or not everyone has to decide for themselves.

War Eagle!

It’s not a silly thing to worry about at all. The sides of the tub/shower combo are very high and difficult for many pax.  Now that HAL has cabins with a separate stall shower I would never book  a combo tub/shower again.

It appears to many, room service tipping is "required".

We have experienced exactly the opposite on all our HAL cruises. If we don't already have tip $ in our hands before we open the door for room service they are gone before we can give it to them.

Food is fine in the MDR, but it is our least favorite actual dining room setting - something feels cramped and busy about it.

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We feel the same. Maybe because it is cramped and busy (and noisy)? :o

Write down your selections from the posted menu and call during the ordering window. Unless you're in a Neptune Suite or the Pinnacle Suite, all your courses will arrive at once. (They'll be on warmers, so It shouldn't be too big a deal.)

I would much rather have all courses come at one time on warmers than be served each course individually. We like to eat at our own pace and not have a steward coming back into the cabin with each course or even worse waiting in the cabin for us to finish each course. Since we always are in a Neptune I order the meal be served all at one time and we'll handle serving ourselves each course.

21 days! I would never consider switching from the Neptune to a suite half the size. JMHO.

And I still make the French stew, Chicken Provençale, that we did in the class very often! Great recipe. :p

We paid for the hands-on class several years ago when it first began. Worth every penny! So much fun! Class had 12 people, everyone cooked, got instruction from the chef when needed, and had lunch. It was a real highlight of our ship experience! So HAL makes it a 5 star perk, loses the revenue they had been getting and ruins the event itself. Go figure.

I wouldn't do it first of all because I don't want to break any laws of a foreign country I am visiting as a guest. I also never want to miss one of the fun things of traveling- getting a real taste of how the locals live and food is an important part of that. A cruise ship sandwich while in Paris, Bermuda, or San Juan? I don't think so!

We opted for Four Seasons Hotel , also with amazing views We found this Four Seasons to be vey different than others in which we h ave stayed but really enjoyed that . Seattle's Four Seasons strikes perfectly the mood for the city but would not be as effective in an East Coast major city and that is part of what we really liked about it. Certainly, this fine hotel offers all the luxuries, features and amenities one would expect. SERVICE was flawless. :)

Yes, we also have stayed at Four Seasons. Very nice. We just prefer the "waterfront" atmosphere of the Edgewater which makes Seattle so unique.

Our favorite hotel is and always has been the Edgewater. Right on the waterfront! Actually most of the Edgewater rooms are over Elliot Bay water. You can feed the seagulls right from your room’s window and paragliders come right past you to land. Great restaurant, too.

We have relatives who lived in Alaska for over 30 years. They have always told us the months of the year to visit AK with the best chance of good weather are definetely May and June.

Italy also has crunchy granola parents who believe the misinformation about autism and vaccinations.

 

Measles are on the rise across the country as politicians seeking election vow to do away with compulsory immunizations before starting a state school.

Politicians shouldn't be offering medical advice of any kind. They will say or do anything to get elected. Ask your doctor about what immunizations you already have or should have.

We've cruised NYC to Hamilton 3 times and love Bermuda so much we could go every year. However, we have no interest in anchoring at Dockside and love being street side in Hamilton. Seeing what is happening in the city from our balcony and then joining in is what we are there for. Dinner in Hamilton every evening is always delightful and so good. We take bus/ferry to the rest of the island attractions (have to have lunch in St George's at least once) and also go with a taxi driver for a half a day tour. We enjoy the ship while going from and coming back to the US, but we take this cruise for the Bermuda days.

Orange is currently a very popular color- paint, decor, clothing, etc. We just painted our guest bath a shade of orange, very similar to the umbrella orange, and everyone who comes into our new home comments how great it looks. Maybe HAL is now on the cutting edge of fashion for 2018.

I don't care if one calls it a "partial charter" or a "large group", if I find out one is on my cruise I am MOVING to another sailing. Been there and done that!!! The cruise I was on "they" were called a "large group". They took over the lido pool on our only sea day! It was a beautiful day and around 11 am the staff started closing off the lido pool. I can tell you there were lots of complaints including me. Also took over different parts of the ship at different times. And the dining room for a full seating. Forget that! As far as I am concerned if I am paying for it I should be able to use it!

Exactly right!! We feel the same way. When cruislines do this they have sold you a bill of goods they have no intention of delivering. I think that's called fraud.

One or two Bonine (meclazine and non-drowsy) at bedtime starting the night before boarding. Take it every night even if the seas are like glass. Don't miss a night. You must have it in your system at all times in case the seas get rough. I used to get seasick the minute I boarded a cruise, but since taking Bonine every night haven't felt even queasy one time. I bring my own so I don't have to go looking for it while on the ship. Stays on the table next to my bed.

So right Cruisermom, they finally got what they wanted...no smoking on balconies, and now complain about the one place where people can smoke. Non smokers have the entire rest of the ship to enjoy smoke free, now they all want to be on the one side of the aft area where smoking is allowed. It truly is unbelievable.

Actually it's not unbelievable at all. Totally expected this is what would happen.

Waffle House. Yeah it's bad for you but always open and always cooked after you order it. I usually eat healthy stuff on the cruise and after a long day of travel I'm ready for a bacon cheeseburger hot off the flat top.

Best scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, and toast you can find anywhere. We love going to WH and always order breakfast no matter the time of day or evening

We used to keep our pool at about 80 degrees so admittedly like warm water.

LOL. I know what you mean. Our pool is at 86 and the spa area at 100. :)

We have been in the bow just one time, our first cruise. Never again. The size of the cabin wasn't the problem, just the location. If the seas are even the slightest bit choppy it's like sailing through a hurricane hitting those waves from the front of the ship. Up and down, up and down.

There's even a noticeable difference in ambience between the 7 and 10 Day cruises, though both are considered short. Our cruise from he!! was a 14 day b2b- they were 2 separate 7 day cruises the last 2 weeks before Christmas. The 2 cheapest weeks of the year. We were comparitively new cruisers at the time. Live and learn. We just wanted to be home for the holiday itself.

Gifts other than cash are really a bad idea as others have said. We really don't know their personal likes and dislikes, they have so little room in their small shared cabins, and no, they don't want or need a memento from your home town to remember you by (a common suggestion from some). Cash is still the best- they can get what they enjoy and need.

I would let them pick the cruise themselves. They can read brochures and talk to your travel agent. It's their honeymoon, an important event in their life together. If you are financing the trip I would give them some guidelines as to price range and/or also talk with the travel agent with them.