jeh10641

5 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

A family in my bus group lived in that area and mentioned they had toured the Missouri a few times while it was there. While nice for them to see again, they also said the Arizona Memorial was the priority on this trip, but appreciated having had an opportunity to see the Missouri before.

Thanks, Haljo1935. Happy you got home safely. Your commentary has been wonderful to follow. I hope our paths will cross. If you ever get to Seattle, let me know. 

Jim 

12 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

The Polynesian Cultural Center is a great place. Remember it is far from the cruise port and you need the whole day for your visit. I would also suggest that Chief's Luau is a great show if your cruise stop is overnight.

Blackduck59,

My Jan. 2025 cruise on Koningsdam has an overnight stay in Honolulu so there will be time to get to the Polynesian Cultural Center, on my own. I have been there before as well as its gift shop was another of my accounts. Thanks for the reminder.

Jim

Back when I was employed, I used to visit Pearl Harbor three times a year as I used to sell books to the Gift Shop there. I agree that it is worth the effort to get there. I would prefer to do it on my own not with an excursion. Another "Don't Miss" is the Polynesian Cultural Center on the North Shore. That, too, I would do on my own, if time is no issue.

Jim

14 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Many of these have not been cropped - TIA for understanding.

Pictures from the USS Missouri - an emotional, humbling experience. 

Difficult to capture all the flags in a single shot

 

 

 

 

 

 

Captain quarters

 

Surrender Deck - a very moving experience 

 

 

A few of the 9 guns

Heading to the exit

 

 

 

Before moving to Pearl Harbor, the Missouri was berthed for many years in Bremerton WA across Puget Sound from Seattle. I took my son and wife there a couple of times when he was younger (now 52+_). I miss being able to visit this historic ship so conveniently.

Jim

21 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

I planned on sharing what I was told by the crew members in my wrap up of the dog topic, but since you asked and I'm unsure if your questions are rhetorical in nature or if you're looking for answers from me, I'll offer this...

I will never know what was actually done and if the passengers were placed on a "no sail" list. At this time, I also don't know if the Captain got involved. I only know what I was told and by whom, including what action they took that involved me and what action they told me they intended to take.

Certainly the cabin stewards, which were the same ones I had until I was moved, knew there were barking dogs in one of the cabins they serviced. Heck, they could have been occupying 2 cabins, I don't know, did not ask and don't know if that would have been disclosed to me. I don't know if they made their supervisor, or anyone in their department, aware as I didn't ask; I eventually learned they'd been contacted by GS. I did not talk with the cabin stewards - ever - about the dogs; I kept my conversations to the Hotel Gen Mgr, Rene Tuinman, and GS Mgr, John. I suppose, had I been trying to build a case, I could have talked to the cabin stewards and other crew members, but my intent for engaging the hotel mngmt dept was to have the barking stop and keep the dogs out of my cabin. The purpose of my second contact was to have them keep animals away from food service areas.

The Hotel Gen Mgr is a senior level position, listed on the "get to know  the officers" section of the "service & information " tab on the TV. 

I believe he was the appropriate person to handle the situation, so that is who I requested to meet with. During our meeting, he mentioned John, GS Mgr, and that is who I spoke with the next time and who came to my cabin.

So, here is what I was told by these two men and what happened next:

As previously reported, Rene told me I was not the 1st passenger to mention the dogs, but I was the 1st to present documentation. Rene said he was in a sticky situation - that he could not disembark "them" (dogs or passengers?), but that he would have a stern conversation about the seriousness of the matter. He offered to move me to create distance from the dogs because my cabin was very close to theirs. That is when he mentioned John's name. Rene told me he would be reviewing the travel documents the passengers had submitted as well as submitting a report to Corporate (did not ask if that was HAL, CCL or both) recommending the animals not be allowed on future sailings. He also told me he would be looping John in on our conversation and I was welcome to talk to him any time.

I did not see or hear the dogs in the hallway after I changed cabins; I was still on same deck and same side, but was now 1 elevator and a couple turns apart. I assume they used the aft elevator that is closest to their cabin (my new cabin was near mid elevator) so the move was a success regarding the noise (barking & loud instructions to the dogs). Check ✔ that one off.

Next day, I called GS requesting Rene call me so I could report that at lunchtime I saw the dogs 🐕 at the Grand Dutch Cafe (I didn't tell GS the purpose of my call, only requested Rene call me or that they let me know what time I could meet w/him). I immediately received a call from John letting me know he'd been made aware of my request to speak with Rene and asked what I needed. I informed him about seeing the dogs at GDC and wanted to show him or Rene the pictures. He was knocking on my cabin door in less than 5 min.

John began by apologizing that my cruise was being negatively impacted by negligent (his word) passengers. He said Rene had shared the details of our conversation as well as the pictures, so I didn't feel I needed to rehash any of that. I pointed to the lunch I'd brought back from GDC (which I'd not even had time to eat, that's how quickly all this happened) then showed him the pictures of the dogs I took while I was waiting for my food. He repeatedly apologized and told me 1) he had seen the documents the passengers had submitted for the dogs and they appeared to be legitimate, 2) he was offended on a personal level as he had worked for an organization that helped place service animals and this minimized the animals' value, 3) based on their appearance and behavior he did not consider these to be service animals and 4) he was angry the passengers were not returning his calls. John took pictures of some of the GDC pictures and said he would review security footage as well. He said he had left them several messages to call him and had now asked the cabin stewards to call him when the passengers were in their cabin planning to immediately go to the cabin when the stewards call. John also said that he was preparing a report for "home office" that would include all the pictures they had as well as his feedback. Thank you John; now to enjoy the awesome pea soup.

Final night I got off ship to go into Ensenada. Officers and Sr Crew were waiting to greet passengers.  John stepped out of line to let me know since our conversation they had been contacted by more passengers reporting additional dog sightings. He said he had reviewed the dogs' documents again and had finally been able to talk with the passengers. This time, he said the report he was preparing would recommend the passengers be banned from the entire CCL fleet so they could not sail on any Carnival owned ship and he hoped I would feel confident my next cruise would not be impacted by these dogs.

The next morning outside CO, while heading from MDR to scan off the ship, I saw the passengers san dogs. In fairness, I don't know the process for debarking animals, so it may be that the dogs were removed apart from their humans and would re-join them landside. (?)

I belive in both transparency and confidentiality; sometimes those are at odds and causes us to find ourselves in awkward situations, as I believe Rene was in when he said he was in a sticky situation. He had the additional difficulty of legal constraints. I get it. That's why I don't ask for or expect certain details. I trust that people holding certain positions/titles are there because they're capable of doing the jobs they've been entrusted to do. Hence, I wouldn't ask to speak to Captain about a dog, but trust the person I did talk with would loop him in. I don't ask for or expect to be told details of conversations or communications nor do I expect follow-up on outcome of said communication; I trust the appropriate level of communication necessary to remedy the situation continues until resolution. Naive? Maybe, but I have to trust the process until I have reason not to.

So, as of today, I hope Rene and John have sent a report to HAL and CCL. I hope that report results in both the passengers and dogs 🐕 are on a "no sail" list. I also hope the people who reported on here that they saw the dogs and were going to contact HAL do so. I don't expect to hear from Rene, John or Captain Arnot that they sent a report, what it said or what Corp response was. I do hope that once HAL receives the report, someone will reach out to me.

I am disappointed that neither Rene nor John contacted me as a simple follow up. I think that had I not gotten off the ship in Ensenada causing me to run into John, I would not have heard from him again. 

I will mention the situation in the post-cruise survey (if I get one) and will email both HAL and CCL with the intent of encouraging them to take a hard look at their onboard animal policy.

 

At our final port, both Rene and John were in the receiving line that greeted passengers. Both greeted me and addressed me by name; that told me they remembered our conversations.

Rene was furthest from the ship, closest to the gate.

Guest Service Mgr John was 3rd closest to the ship

Apologies if this didn't address what you wanted to know. Feel free to ask whatever it is you do want to know and I'll try to answer.

Hi, Haljo1935,

You are a trooper and a lot more patient than I.  I would have gone to management a lot earlier. I think you should follow up with both HAL and CCL directly. If you go to their websites, you can find the names you need. Send them copies of the appropriate posts in this stream. I hope you have a GREAT New Year and Happier cruises.

Jim

1 hour ago, packercruising said:

We always bring night lights. I hope the sensors can be turned off. Sure to wake up your spouse.

packercruising,

From what I gather from the You tube Cruise Bloggers, the movement activated night lights are off until you move about. I have carried night lights that plug in and are on until you unplug them. We leave the bathroom door slightly open to light the way. There are also night lights that turn on like a sunrise for inside cabin use.

Everybody have a great New year.

Jim

2 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

Thanks, Jim, for jumping back in & mentioning the bathroom light. I completely forgot to mention it. There wasn't a night light, but it was switched so the automatically light came on when the door was opened and went off when the door was closed. Kinda harsh on your eyes when you make a middle of the night trip, but maybe better than being in the dark.

We worry about tripping over stuff on our way to and fro. I am going to look into motion sensor night lights that a lot of You Tube Cruisers mention. You can reach me at BOOKSFORLESS@prodigy.net Thanks for the great stories.

Jim

5 hours ago, packercruising said:

This is not good news for those with wheel chairs, mobility scooters, etc.

We may stay at the Wyndham Bayside in January 2025.

Jim

8 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Where are the dogs this morning? They are not in the bag, at least it didn't look like they were.

We will be on Koningsdam in January 2025 (the 28th). Originally, I had booked cabin 1140 like my Rotterdam cabin. But a deal came along and changed to 7001, forward facing right under the Bridge.

Jim

15 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Must have extra food to dump to make room for provisions: I ordered half club sandwich - got a whole one. And received both slaw and chips (L🧡VE those chips)

Ordered small cobb 🥗  - got a full large one.

My computer is acting strangely today. I call it A.I. It does what it wants to do not what I want to do. Anyway, about the art auctions, we love them even without the free bubbly.

Jim

23 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

More views from my balcony as we get closer to Ensenada, in no particular order.

 

 

And one looking down instead of out, cuz why not? No inside cabin means I CAN look down (even if there's nothing particularly worth looking at)😉

For some ungodly reason I could not "quote" to your inside cabin report so I was waiting for another shot. We usually book inside cabins. We travel together, my wife and me. On our Rotterdam cruise in 2021 we were in cabin 1146 which is also a "sideways inside cabin". We had the beds separated. No space problem. The two bedside tables were between the beds. We like separate beds because of blanket requirements. My wife likes a lot of them and I do not. We were close to elevators and meeting rooms. Very quiet. Of course, there were only 1600 pax on the ship. My only gripe was the lack of a night light in the bathroom. Our cabin on Anthem OTS had one - as the Brits say "Brilliant!".

On a Panama Canal repositioning cruise on the Westerdam in 2012, we had a large inside cabin and my wife's sister joined us. The only problem was bathroom sharing time. But we were able to cope with that.

Jim

On 1/5/2024 at 11:17 AM, Homer88 said:

I asked when I was on the K-dam in November- waitress said it was for Covid precautions- and not in use anymore.  Don't know why they didn't remove it during dry dock in March 2023.

I am not sure about the answer you received since my Rotterdam cruise was in December 2021 just after the cruise restart. COVID very much a concern then. Masks highly recommended if not required.

Jim

13 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

You are my hero - congrats!!

Hi,  Haljo1935,

There are not enough words in the dictionary to let you know how much I have enjoyed your Koningsdam reports these past couple of weeks. You should write a novella or even a novel. My w... career was spent in publishing. I look forward to reading more of your reports.

Jim

1 hour ago, Haljo1935 said:

My view from the Billboard Onboard couch

Do they serve food at Billboard? Like maybe during happy hour?

 

 

Two years ago on Rotterdam after 4 PM (1600), snacks were served along with a taste of Trivia.

Jim

1 hour ago, Haljo1935 said:

I like it! I'm sure it will look great whichever door it clings to. I'm a tad envious as I'm not retired, so my sign would have an extra activity listed - work. In this case, shorter is better 😉

I have been retired since I turned 70 in 2011. Work is a four letter word I do not use in mixed company.

Jim

16 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Not all these pictures are from today; they're misc pictures taken across the time onboard.

If there's something you want to see, just let me know - 3 days left.

 

 

Are we playing Mahjong or "Deal or No Deal?"🙄

The views up here are fabulous  - so is the coffee and, well - everything!

 

 

Hi, Haljo1935,

We love the Crows Nest for its peace and quiet (to read), the view, the food and the drinks. And not to forget, Trivia (on past cruises).

Madie and Jim 

12 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Tomorrow's Daily:

 

Evening line up looks good:

Crow's Nest 5pm, BB King's 7pm, BB King's 9pm

Is there an Orange Party?

Where's The Orange Party?

Did you say there's an Orange Party?

I do not see an Orange Party Bar Crawl (Hop) listed. Last month on NS, there was a crawl - $25/4 bars/4 drinks 🤔

 

In October 2023, we spent a week in Amsterdam. I am so looking forward to our "Orange Party" in January 2025.

Jim

On 12/31/2023 at 9:22 PM, Haljo1935 said:

Thanks so much - and for the great news re Stars!! Ringing out the old and in a new year on a high note.

The ship is looking great for tonight's festivities. I hope to get a picture of the Lido after dinner.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR HALJO1935 and everybody else.

On 12/31/2023 at 10:16 AM, Haljo1935 said:

Yes, it has flown by.😪 I've never been to Ensenada, either. Our time there has been cut from something like 7 hours down to just a few - we arrive 7pm. So, realistically won't see much.🙄 If I could have a yummy meal, I'd be mostly happy.😏

Just wanted to make a comment about your Sacher Torte a couple of posts ago - we absolutely love them. Actually, we went o the Hotel Sacher in Vienna in 2016. Loved theirs so much I ordered two whole tortes for our 50th Anniversary a couple of months later. They were shipped to my home near Seattle from Vienna. About $150 for two delivered. Worth every penny as we shared them with about 30 friends.

On 12/30/2023 at 8:23 PM, BetsyS. said:

Your Cowboys beat the Detroit Lions 20-19!!!!  Congratulations!! 😊🥂

The "Striped Shirts" cost the Lions the win. The Cowboys did not win it.

Jim

On 12/28/2023 at 12:48 PM, Haljo1935 said:

View from Rolling Stone Rock Room.

 

We voted - that is snow❄️! 😉

On many of my annuary/February trips to the "Big Island" there was both water skiing and snow skiing available on the same day.

Jim

36 minutes ago, ottahand7 said:

We are also joining that cruise backing it up with Hawaii South Pacific in February. 

Hi, ottahand7,

Have you joined the Cruise Critic Rioll Call for that cruise? I am on it already. I look forward to meeting you as I have viewed many posts by you in the past. By the way - your name is...?

Jim

2 hours ago, Crew News said:

January 11, 2025.  I will have all of the latest menus and daily programs posted for you.

Awesome. We were on Rotterdam in early December 2021 when it still had that "new ship" smell. HAL is our favorite cruise company.

Jim

On 12/24/2023 at 6:25 PM, ottahand7 said:

I find their chicken and tuna salad for sandwiches are excellent.  I don't eat the bread either so I would ask for it on a plate and would enjoy it on my salad .  

My wife and I also eat "breadless" sandwiches.

On 12/23/2023 at 11:55 AM, Haljo1935 said:

No way they're service dogs - I have not encountered service dogs that bark when people simply pass by like these do. They bark apparently when the cabin steward or whomever visits the cabin (a lot of "sh, be quiet" coming from there). I'm no expert, but my experience is barking is not an alert service dogs do. I will stop there, but just ugh.

I'm hoping they just need a couple days to acclimate and will only say something if they don't. I would like to delete the other pictures I have, rather than using them, and get on with the festivities of this cruise!! 🥳

You may not be able to tell there are 2 dogs - one in red, the other in green. Maybe their holiday colors? That would be cute.

They do not look like service dogs, if they are indeed them.