SusieKIslandGirl

It's also happened that they've used a photo already in the system if you had cruised within 2 or 3 years. My DH could tell by how his beard was shaped.

@StLouisCruisersThank you for the update on sad situation near you. But relieved that the person was found. I did check to see if Hampton was anywhere near my son's place in Newnan. @RedneckBobAnother vote for rum raisin and add Umpqua's spumoni Hoping this next week cools off, the rains transfer to where needed and everyone has a great week.

We’ve found that crew are not available at muster stations to scan our cards until about 2:30.

I should have been a little clearer on our weather. It does cool off when the sun goes down and generally need a sweater. And of course, as soon as I made the report, the weather prediction changed and it will cool off below 80 degrees as a high soon-thank goodness.

I can't believe how crazy the weather has been lately. "Rainy Seattle" is not living up to its name. Last July, August, and September recorded a total of .48" of rain. This year, May had just under an inch, June had 1.22 but nothing since June 20. And it's been way too hot for this wimp. I just spoke with my son who is near Atlanta. We had the same temp. but at least our humidity was only 38%. And according to one weather forecast I saw, we won't have a day under 80 degrees until September. Hopefully when I'm in Michigan next month, we might see some rain. Take care everyone!

If you go midsummer, be sure to pack a pair of shorts. It was 92 degrees in Fairbanks when we were there. The hotels did provide fans but no A/C. Luckily, my SIL warned me about the possibility of it being quite warm and she was right!

It’s funny how sometimes your brain reads what the sentence should be saying, not what’s actually written. I didn’t notice strip vs stripe.🙂

Grand Dutch Cafe 6 am to 11 pm Explorations Central 7 am to 11 pm We were on the Nieuw Statendam in May if that makes any difference.

We always use a black and white printer so I'm not sure the color makes a difference. It must mean something though. I think ours was orange on our May cruise when I saw it on the computer.

There were several small signs in various spots. Definitely ask at the spot where you make specialty dining reservations when you board. DH had it on both the Noordam and the Nieuw Statendam.

Our Vista on the Nieuw Statendam had the desk and sofa near the bathroom and the bed was near the balcony door.

Did you max out your Onboard Spending Bonus? You can only earn 1 per day no matter how much you spend.

The meal came in a metal pot and the lid was used for shells. There was 1/2 a Dungeness crab, some clams, shrimp, a piece of salmon, mussels, corn and once with and once without scallops. A piece of garlic bread and dessert were included. Next time DH is going to ask for the crab to be served separately. Once the sauce was added to the pot it made the crab rather messy and hard to remove from the shell. But it was good.

Sort of off topic but still food......DH has done the Seafood Boil twice now and has really enjoyed it. It's usually just one night and held in a sectioned off part of the Lido. I don't care for seafood but I was able to find what I wanted in the Lido and join him at the table. Bibs were provided along with butcher paper covering the tables. It was well done.

We generally just book Verandah cabins but this last cruise, we were able to upgrade to a Vista at no additional cost. It did add a bit of extra room and storage. In fact, we ended up changing our cabin for the November, 2024 cruise to that exact cabin.

Yep, we’re there. Sure hope someone can set up a spreadsheet. Love the ones Jacqui (Kazu) does for her cruises.

I was wasting time, reading online articles, and one of them reminded me of Lemonade Pie. I need to dig out that recipe-especially now that it's gotten so warm!

Me too. You weren’t the only one confused.

I haven't stayed at the Charter Hotel but the location looks great! The other option is to stay at the airport, either the Hilton or the DoubleTree and then take the light rail from the airport to downtown.

Just checked the big box warehouse online and a rental car on May 3, 2024 from 10 am and drop off downtown Seattle by 5 pm is approx. $220 US ($283 Canadian). Booking.com has hotels for $150 to $200 and Amtrak (which says connecting bus) leaves at 9 am, arriving at 12:45 pm or 11:30 am, arriving at 3:30 pm for $100 per person. Flights are about $140 per person. (Can you tell who doesn't want to do the dinner dishes?)

@RozDH and I will be on the Jan. 5, 2025 cruise too. I'm always looking for someone to play trivia with since DH avoids it. Hope we can meet up. --Susie

If you take the train, it would be a bit of back and forth, but the Light Rail goes to SEATAC and lots of decent hotels. Then Light Rail back to downtown and a quick cab to the port. I think I'd rent a car though. DH had to do that when we stayed the night before a cruise in Vancouver. We left one bag on the porch so he rented the car, drove back to Seattle, grabbed the bag and headed back to Vancouver. The border officer did question his quick turnaround in a rental car 🤪.

Have you tried to do a "live chat" or calling either HAL or your TA to see if they can book the spa for the entire cruise?

And it depends on if the bar nearby has that particular liquor.

I love the new electronic digital door lock DH installed a year or 2 ago (can’t remember exactly when 😛), especially since DGD could never remember her key. It’s nice that a temporary code can be used for a visitor or delivery.