Roz

Now that I'm retired I can arrive 2-3 days in advance, but when I was working that would use up too many vacation days.

HAL contracts with a company to provide bus service between Seatac and Canada Place. You can book it online when you're in your HAL account. They also provide reverse service between Canada Place and Seatac. I've used Quick Shuttle in the past, but their current schedule doesn't work for me.

On my most recent cruise, Vancouver airport wasn't the problem. It was Canada Place. That said, when I priced airfare, it was over $1,000 to fly to YVR vs. $519 on SW to Seattle. Even with the shuttle fee, it was still much less expensive to fly to Seattle.

I was recently on the Noordam - Sept. 17 - Oct. 1, 2023 - for a 14 day Alaskan cruise. One day I attended a morning coffee session with the cruise director and the asst. general hotel manager. Here are some tidbits of information I think my fellow HAL cruisers may find interesting: HAL is listening to its passengers and is reinstalling libraries on its ships. The Noordam's was under construction next to the Explorations Cafe on Deck 3. It was being stocked the day we debarked. HAL is emphasizing career development for its crew with an eye towards retention. It's also expanding the nationalities onboard. The university in Jakarta is fully up and running, and HAL has relationships with universities in Malaysia and Thailand. Crew are being encouraged to expand their skill set and advance their education in order to move up the career ladder. The contract and affiliate fees for Lincoln Center Stage, America's Test Kitchen, Rolling Stone Lounge, etc., along with port fees and taxes, are increasingly expensive. HAL hopes to bring back LCS and ATK in some form, but they will be called something different. Production shows and a ship band (remember the HAL Cats?) will be gradually brought back. One of the obstacles to doing this is that the musicians and performers that appear in the World Stage, Rolling Stone Lounge, and Billboard Onboard onboard can't perform in other venues according to the terms of their contract. In the opinion of the asst. general hotel manager, Vista class is the ideal size of ship, but bigger is the direction the industry is going. Large ships can't sail many of the unique itineraries HAL is known for The Navigator app needs improvement (duh! 😉) and should be able to provide passengers with more info before they board the ship. The goal is to reduce paper costs. The average 7-day cruise uses $65,000 of printing and paper, and most of it goes unread. I wish HAL good luck with this. 😁 My cruise had very elderly passengers, and their lack of basic computer and phone knowledge was noticeable. I tried to help more than one person that was struggling, but there appeared a general reluctance to embrace technology. For instance, I explained to one lady that the reason her Navigator didn't work was that the OS was too old. She replied that her phone was only 7 yrs. old 🙄 and she shouldn't have to buy a new one. I had to buy a new phone when the Navigator app, my banking app, and my Hilton app would no longer work. It was the universe telling me it was time for an update.

The last three times I've flown internationally I've missed connections and/or been delayed for a variety of reasons. Two weeks ago I got into Seattle late due to airline delays and then had to get up early to catch the bus to Vancouver. The cruise lobby at Seatac was poorly marked (not signed at all) and I wandered back and forth with 2 suitcases and a carryon until I found it. Canada Place was a nightmare, and we stood in line and walked thru the terminal for 2 hours. I thought by 1:30 the line would have gone down - not. I didn't board until 3:15 and sail away was at 4. My key card wouldn't work so I had to stand in the long line at Guest Services for it to be reprogrammed. In the meantime I'm being called out because I didn't report to the muster station. Got out of line, went to the muster station, and told them I didn't report because my card wouldn't scan. The lady on duty said it wouldn't be a problem, but it was. Head of security marched me back to Guest Services and to the head of the line to get my key card sorted out so the ship could leave. I was so exhausted by the time I got back to my stateroom that I didn't even unpack, just the toiletries and nightgown I needed for that night. I'm pretty much done with Canada Place and sailing to or from Vancouver. And Seatac isn't much better.

I don't know; they weren't very good. The band in the rolling stone lounge was excellent.

Post mortem - I had a miserable check-in at Canada Place. Got there a little before 1:30 pm. Thought the crush would be over. I was standing or walking for 2 hours. Got onboard at 3:15 pm. Key card wouldn't work. Room steward let me in and sent me to Guest Services. They were waiting for me to report to muster station so we could sail at 4 pm. Got out of line and went to muster station but card wouldn't scan which is what I tried to tell them. Head of security marched me back to Guest Services and dragged me to the front of the line so card could be reprogrammed. Why are things so difficult? Why do some people board easily, have lunch, and enjoy the start of their cruise? I don't think I'll ever sail to or from Vancouver again. It's just too complicated and I've never had a good experience there. Coming back to Seattle, we were told to report to World Stage at 8:15. Didn't board bus until 9:15.

I'm posting from the bus hurtling towards the border. The check in process at SeaTac this morning was confusing and poorly signed. My flight getting into Seattle last night was almost 2 hours late. I'm angry and exhausted. Bracing myself for the chaos at Canada Place. Not a good start to a cruise I was looking forward to.

The lido will serve a lot of the same menu items as the dining room.

It's the weekend. 🤯

When I book flights through river cruise lines I get good deals. When I've tried using Flight Ease for ocean cruises, there's no savings. I can't figure it out.

I've had the same experience. I don't know where people are coming up with these so called good fares.

I get it whether I'm using a phone, tablet, or PC.

Glad you had a great first time river cruise experience. Having sailed on Uniworld and the River Empress in particular, I agree with everything in your review.

I spent my OBC on 2 really nice pairs of handcrafted earrings in the gift shop.

There are no tables for 12. Even if there were, it would be difficult to carry on a conversation with the whole table. Would you consider 2 tables of 6? Are you sure all 12 people in your party want to dine together every night at the same time?

Nice concise review. Glad you were impressed with HAL.

Thank you! I've always listened to the narration outside on the promenade, so never knew where the ranger was physically located.

That NY Steak looks like it needs liposuction. 😁

Where is "the table"?

I'll be cruising back to Alaska on Sept. 17. I have one of those National Park Passport books. The last time I was at Glacier Bay was back in 2019, and I didn't think to ask about a Glacier Bay NP stamp. Does the park ranger bring one onboard, and if so, where is it located?

Those biscuits look pathetic (from someone who lives in the South). 😁

Moi aussi. Very aggravating.

Whatever you choose to bring, it can't be flammable. 🎄

@seacruise9, I did open seating on the Oosterdam for 31 days back in the spring. I generally got to the dining room around 7:30 and either got seated right away or waited only a few minutes. No long lines. You will be fine.