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coolbluegreenseas

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Posts posted by coolbluegreenseas

  1. 33 minutes ago, ChinaShrek said:

    I am suggesting that the passenger demographics are becoming more similar over time. I was on the Carnival Pride last month with only 160 kids on the ship out of of 2600 passengers, This was an 8 night cruise. I had dinner every night with retirees in their 70s and 80s who were great to talk with. Many of them very wealthy (but frugal). I have also been on HAL ships packed with hundreds of kids running around.

    The time of year you sailed is likely why there were 160 children on the Carnival cruise opposed to appealing to a different demographic. Go over spring break and you’ll see many children on any 7 day mass market cruise.

     

    Now, the scooter set and a mosh pit might actually be worth checking out! 🤣

  2. 4 minutes ago, bobomonkeyrage said:

    ask anyone who works in retail or customer service or as server and they will tell that this is absolutely not true. As someone who has worked in customer service and as a server, Boomers (certainly not all, but as a group) are far and away the most entitled and worst tippers.

    We are going to agree to disagree on this subject as your experience and mine are absolutely the opposite. 

    • Like 1
  3. 1 hour ago, retird said:

    The families money is just as appealing to the cruise line as the upper * mariner.     

    That very well maybe true, but families are also notoriously poor tippers. Why, you ask? Well, the family has pretty much blown their budget on everything else which leaves the hospitality crew out to dry. But, CCL/HAL does not care about that as it does not affect shareholder value. It hurts the people who actually work on the ship. 
     

    Best tippers? Boomers followed by GenX.

    • Like 1
  4. 3 hours ago, Eric from San Diego said:

    I have pretty much given up on the Carribbean though not because of the kids on board.   There are so many ships there and they are so big that the ports are inundated.   On CCer reported stopping in San Juan with six ships in port on one day. Her ship docked by the airport with a 30 minute bus ride to Old San Juan.   When the biggest carnival ships are in Amber Cove and Half Moon Cay, the facilities are overwhelmed.  It's like being at Disney World in August.   

    Ah, exactly why I chose the Caribbean for our December cruise: we are only getting off once. I want to enjoy the ship while everyone else is gone. For hubby and I, this is pretty much a cruise to nowhere. Also, we have seen enough of the Caribbean to know we have seen enough of the Caribbean.

     

     

    • Like 3
  5. As previously noted, there are cruise lines that are child free. Also, there are lines such as Windstar that restrict smaller children, but allow older kids with the caveat that parents are responsible for entertaining their child. In general, it keeps most adults with kids, off.

     

    Now, as far as the OP indicated, they went at one of the worse times possible for the kiddos. Schools break between Palm Sunday and Easter increasing the likelihood of a large number of little people on board. But, here is the beautiful thing: traveling a week or 2 before/after will result in reduced fares and smaller crowds. I planned my (almost) birthday cruise around Christmas by selecting the week before winter break which means lower fares and fewer people.

     

    If you are unhappy with HAL, that is fine. Cruise lines are businesses and their first priority is the shareholders with customers a distant second. The best way to get their attention is by hitting them at the bottomline and spending your money with a line that meets your expectations. If there is enough of a downturn in revenue, they’ll pivot.

    • Like 2
  6. Honestly, I do not think CCL has any idea what to do with HAL. The low entry line, Carnival appeals to families and budget minded tourists. The upper end cruise line, Seabourn, captures the attention of more affluent, more luxury minded cruisers. Where does this leave HAL? The business people clearly do not know. Why they don’t pivot to an adult only line that attracts couples or groups who are childfree or not interested in traveling with children is perplexing. DINKs (Dual Income, No Kids) have money and time to travel.

     

    You’re welcome, CCL.

    • Like 9
  7. 25 minutes ago, ChinaShrek said:

    Does Virgin have casinos?

    I think so. I don’t use the casinos so it is not something I take into consideration. I will tell you I was looking at Virgin, but I couldn’t get the dates to line up. I had a very specific period in mind that is close to my birthday but still a shoulder season period. Overall, I liked HAL the last time I boarded and I am sure I will this time, too.

  8. On 3/22/2024 at 5:05 PM, oakridger said:

    I sometimes sail in a Signature Suite (on non-Pinnacle ships) as a solo.  I will be pretty ticked off if that is no longer an option!  My next two sailings are in veranda cabins so shouldn't be a problem.  

     

    I've already been looking at smaller ships in general to avoid crowds and have booked on Windstar for 2025.  It will be interesting to see how things play out.

     

    ~Nancy

    I sailed Windstar in the South Pacific during August of 2023. It was one of the sailing vessels and you actually get to know people. Also, you need to be able to entertain yourself (I read 6 books). You know you are on a ship and not a floating hotel. This is why I came back to HAL as the largest vessels are still relatively small in comparison to the RCCL monsters. Full transparency: I looked at Windstar during the period I wanted, but couldn’t get it to line up.

     

    I suspect you’ll like it.

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
  9. On 3/22/2024 at 1:01 PM, ChinaShrek said:

    I realized that my comment was silly after I typed it. I don't like the Mega ships that offer these things but if HAL is serious about attracting younger cliental who knows what they will do.

    Or perhaps, with a little imagination, HAL should go the Virgin route and make their cruises kid free.

     

    I stay away from ships that cater to families as children can negatively impact any given experience or vacation. Right now, HAL markets to older, more affluent adults, but if that changes, so will my choices. 

    • Like 4
  10. Considering the nonsense going on with Air Tahiti Nui, booking the airfare separately makes canceling the flights easier. Right now, I am on TN flights and if I’d booked separately, I’d probably cancel the flights and rebook on AF. Hopefully, the strike is resolved in the next 2 days or so. If not, I am calling Windstar to find out my options.

     

    From now on, I book all air separately.

  11. Thank you for the information. I have found the same news sources as mentioned above. There is something of a communication hole with this strike, but gleaning from the nuggets, it does not look like there is progress towards a resolution.  Since I am still 35 days out, I will see where this stands at the end of the week. If this looks like it is going to drag out, I will work with Windstar to get me on the AF flight from LAX. Or worst comes to worst, I do it myself.

     

  12. Air Tahiti Nui is currently in the middle of a cabin crew strike. Unfortunately, information is sparse but what is out there does indicate this could go on for sometime. I am on the August 17th Tahiti cruise and chose to book the air through Windstar. I know there is still time, but I have found alternate flights using Air France or United out of SFO. If this strike drags out, I will probably look to cancel TN for AF or United. With that being said, does anyone know how Windstar will handle this or will I more or less be on my own? I have trip insurance, so I can always lean on it. Also, any additional info concerning the strike that does not come from Reddit or Air Tahiti Nui would be lovely.

     

    Thanks.

  13. 1 hour ago, mnocket said:

    Interesting.  Why is that?  I understand that light packing is considered a virtue by some, but to me it's not really a concern.  For the most part, my luggage is handled by others.  The only inconvenience is waiting to pick it up at the airport baggage carousel -  a very minor inconvenience as I'm a relaxed traveler who doesn't schedule myself such that I must run from place to place.  An inconvenience to me would be having to worry about laundering clothes in order to dress for dinner, but that's just me.  Everyone is different, so there's really no need to feel sorry for people traveling with giant suitcases.  We get along just fine🙂

     

    Hey, whatever floats your boat (hehehehehe).

    For me, I just hate carting stuff around and it is more likely I’ll lose something. I’ll check the backpack and have a medium-ish tote for the stuff I need want/need with me. I am taking multiple types of transports for this trip (train/plane/sailboat) and like to toss it on my back opposed to dragging it. Anyway, your points are valid about not handling it often for the flights.

     

    And light packing a virtue? Nah, just a way of looking at things. 

    • Like 1
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