Adoptionmsw

I have heard/read no mention of Gerald Bernhoft in a very long time.  The  Director is a fabulous gentleman and I hope all is as well with him as can be  during these difficult times for cruise lines.
 
I no longer receive my Mainers'  gift magazine for being a loyal Mariner.  [emoji846]   Certainly no Mariners magazine in longer than I can remember..
 
Anyone?    get their  food and wine  magazine    or which ever they chose?
 

I’m receiving my magazine. You can sign up for it on the website.


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Not everyone will agree with me but I find the introductory cartoon misogynistic and just plain mean. I’m not amused.


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Why are people continuing to book future cruises that will only be cancelled until there is an effective vaccine? I am mystified. HAL is running a Ponzi scheme and there seem to be hundreds of willing victims out there. We’re four star and we miss cruising but we’re not willing to spend our hard earned money on a fantasy.


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Hmmm we are comparing HAL with Caribbean Princess [emoji846]

Before everything shut down, we were considering Caribbean Princes for fall 2020 for two reasons. It was to leave from NYC while HAL sails from Boston. Last year both Caribbean Princess and our HAL ships (we took one north and another one back) shadowed each other. We are loyal HAL 4 star mariners but NY is closer and we’re not tender fans. We’ll see what is offered in Autumn 2021 and make a decision then.


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Another consideration for this itinerary: it’s become very popular in the last year or two. We were disappointed in September 2019 to find that the larger ships (in our case, Caribbean Princess) got the dock space and we had to tender. This happened in ports we never tendered in the past. So, round trip there were six tender ports rather than the two listed on our booking.



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I communicated with my HAL PCC and she reported that she was not affected by the reorganization. I’m relieved for her.


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We book inside cabins because they have showers, not bath tubs. I understand the newest class of ships has showers in more cabin classes but we need a ship with teak deck chairs as well. We won’t be cruising until the pandemic is over.


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I’ve said this on other CC threads but it bears repeating. It’s the lack of transparency that has people stirred up. If HAL would announce weekly what sailing dates they have processed and refunded in the previous seven days, people would have a handle on where they stand.
I don’t have a dog in this fight. We usually book a cruise around the time of final payment so HAL isn’t holding any of our funds. We spent most of February on the Zuiderdam and feel as if we dodged a bullet. My guess is that HAL does not have the funds and is reluctant to make that public. I have a lot of empathy for those waiting. I’d be pretty upset too.


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One downside to the changeover day on a back to back is certain regular activities are not available. All of the deck chairs are stored in preparation for the life boat drill. There is no afternoon tea and no happy hour. In Fort Lauderdale it’s not really possible to walk into town. The port is huge, always under construction and there are no sidewalks. It is possible to call an Uber. Sometimes a back to back is necessary to put together a long enough cruise to make the trip to the port worthwhile. We usually do three plus weeks in February and that almost always entails a back to back.


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We have sailed from Tampa numerous times. We use the Comfort Inn Airport-Cruise Port. It’s reasonably priced and has shuttles to the airport and the cruise port.


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Long way to go. The USA is the main customer base for the big cruise companies. but ...
 
"Some 35% of all coronavirus tests administered in New York and New Jersey have been positive, indicating a serious outbreak in both states, White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Deborah Birx said Thursday...."
 
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/02/white-house-says-coronavirus-hot-spots-ny-and-nj-see-35percent-of-tests-come-back-positive.html
 
 

I’m surprised the percentage of positive tests is that low in NJ. We are so short of test kits, a person has to be pretty sick and have a doctors prescription to be eligible to get in line at a drive through test center.


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From the article cited, these are chilling words:
 
"There is no other place for us to take the guests and no other means to provide assistance to the Zaandam and our fellow team members on board."

It seems to me the Rotterdam crew was sandbagged. They held a meeting before the mission began and told the crew only half the story. The crew agreed to participate. As far as I can tell, this transfer of guests was a surprise. There is no guarantee the transferred guests are healthy. We know many people do not show symptoms at first but they can infect others. The memo says if they don’t want to participate, they don’t have to. Will there be peer pressure on crew members who would rather not?
My husband and I have more than 300 days on HAL and I have always thought they were an upstanding, ethical company. Now I have my doubts. The room stewards and dining stewards are not highly paid. And now to ask a healthy crew to put their lives on the line? I don’t think it’s an ethical plan.


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I am back in San Diego.   Uneventful flights.   Long Flight from SYD to SFO full.  Flight from SFO to SAN - a total of 10 people.  U 
 
Need to get my cars jumped but otherwise OK.
 
 
 
 

Not really on topic but here it is anyway. When we go on a long cruise, we disconnect the car battery. When we get home, we reconnect it. Our mechanic told us the car is using some battery power while it sits idle. After an extended period, it drains totally. Since heeding his advice we haven’t needed AAA.


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We have frequently been waitlisted fo early dining. See the dining room person as soon as you board. He will usually be able to solve the issue. He is usually in the atrium near the front desk. 

We’re on the Zuiderdam right now. There are printed papers available at the front desk. It’s a selection of AP articles. The same content is available on the Navigator app. In the past one could read the entire NY Times on the app, much more than appears in the eight page paper copy. We cruise to relax, rarely do excursions and spend time in deck chairs Each day reading The NY Times. It’s been a big disappointment for us. 

We have had this wait list experience. Sometimes we get our preferred dining assignment before we sail. Other times I’ve gone to the dining room captain on embarkation day and requested fixed dining. Usually he’s available to consult at a spot near the front desk. We’ve always been accommodated. We’re not fans of open dining either.

 

 

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I’m interested in hearing from folks who have used cabanas as well. In photos it looks as if you can open the sides for a view. Can you tell us a little about the pros and cons?

 

 

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Thanks for this info. Perhaps we will splurge on a cabin with a balcony. The other alternative is to spend the $700 + on a private cabana. Or....we could skip the Kdam all together and find a cruise on one of HAL’s older ships. The three week itinerary on the Kdam is so enticing. Decisions, decisions.

 

 

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You could book a cabin with an unobstructed balcony.

 

 

 

We need to have a shower, no bath tub. My experience on other HAL ships is that outside categories all have bath tubs unless you go super deluxe to get a suite with separate shower and tub. We really don’t want to spend that much. I’ll look into this. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

 

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Hi, I’d like some advice from those of you you have cruised on the Koningsdam. My husband and I love to sit on the promenade deck to read and watch the ocean. I understand this is not possible on the Koningsdam. Is there another place one can sit, preferably on a deck chair in the shade without having to listen to piped in music?

I’ve discussed this with our HAL PCC and she thinks the only solution is to rent a personal cabana at a cost of $748 for a three week cruise.

The itinerary on this cruise is particularly interesting but we rarely do excursions and are not beach people so a quiet, shady place is extremely important to us.

I look forward to hearing from Kdam cruisers about this. Thanks.

 

 

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Yes, as well as pre cruise purchased excursions.

 

 

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We stay at the Quality Inn Airport Cruise Port. It’s not fancy but it includes a $10 shuttle to the cruise port, you can leave your car on the property for a fee. You may want to compare their price with the price at the cruise terminal parking garage. The hotel is within walking distance of a large Publix as well as several interesting restaurants. We go to Tampa by air so the parking is not an issue for us. They also have a free airport shuttle. We have found it to be clean and quiet. If I remember correctly, it’s on Dale Mabry.

 

 

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What's the benefit of sitting on that deck? Based on the photo, the view would seem to be fully blocked (and the chairs packed tightly). Are there no better places to sit on that ship (e.g., on an open deck)?

 

 

 

The benefit of sitting outside even with a blocked view is that you get sea air and an escape from the ubiquitous piped in music in all the other public venues. For those of us in inside cabins it’s pleasant enough.

 

 

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Hlitner, it’s interesting that you mention paint fumes. We had never experienced that until this cruise. We awoke one night about 3 AM to very strong fumes. I stepped out into the corridor to see other alarmed passengers, all of us in our jammies. I called the front desk and was told it had already been reported. I found out the next day the crew were painting near an AC duct.

 

 

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No, no explanation was given. The point is they should have been on the ship before it sailed.

 

 

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