OlsSalt

Maybe it is their larger ships they have trouble selling .......??? I suspect they generate little loyalty compared to the smaller HAL ships. Long felt it was a strategic error to compete with the mega ship floating hotel cruise ship brands, with HAL's half effort trying while to still have some of the former HAL smaller ship intimacy, but add more gimmicks and entertainment venues. But what do I know?

Easy to pack a Platypus flexible water bottle and then transfer the can of water into the Platypus pouch.

Since this critical for you, Good Housekeeping reviews water filters -some of them could be packable, and they do claim to remove chlorine. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home-products/g39110423/best-water-filter-pitchers/

Just a thought: Since these booking require cash up front, it could be just a ploy to end the current quarter on the positive cash side. Even if they know there will be refunds later. A marketing gimmick perhaps. Much like Oceania would send endless brochures at every appealing rates, until you call them and so sorry, those cabins have already been booked. Perhaps you would like Cabin ++ instead now that we captured your interest. Bait and switch - not unheard of in the cruise industry. So it may not be a statement about HAH actual occupancy, but an end of the quarter accounting ruse. These things happen. Governments do this all the time shifting revenues and expense to various fiscal years, in order to "balance" the end of the year books.

No worry, you can still remove cookies every time you go past the ice cream station.

Domenica- river tubing was one of our best shore excursions in the entire Caribbean. Another good one in Jamaica - river rafting, but that is more passive. The Domenica river-tubing was just active fun in a beautiful, lush setting. Try to get to over St Johns, when you are in St Thomas. (ASAP)

Personally, I would perhaps switch to anytime dining in your situation - traveling with friends and Neptune. Get your Neptune concierge to make dinner reservations for you each day, once you decide on where, when and how you want that evening to work out. Talk to the concierge about your plans and see how flexible you can be or how much time he needs to make things work out. We love late fixed ourselves - seems more "formal" at that time and we love having the same wait staff through out the entire cruise. As well as getting to know people sitting around us, though we always get a table for two.

Canaletto had a fairly nice setting on the Noordam too. Even though it was carved out of the main Lido dining area, it had its own more secluded area. It was very busy.

Canaletto get the most improved player award in the past few cruises.

Cruise crud? Long-standing traveler affliction that was always in discussion in the past. Noticed a lot of coughing in the airport waiting for our flight to our last cruise. Beginning of the annual flu season.

Passenger talent nights were also part of the fun. One of the funnier informal events was also a last day souvenir exchange, when passengers had second thoughts about what they had purchased, or wondered how on earth were they going to fit it in their suitcases. This was on a cruise to Egypt, when those cute leather stuffed camels already were starting to smell funny.

Our De Liberjie was a one and done some years ago. Not a fan of "foamed" anything, beef cheeks nor deconstructed apple pie. Far more culinary gimmicks, than exemplary cuisine at that time. Have they improved - take a look at their own restaurant website to see what they are up to today. Even the Dutch passengers sitting near us in MDR scoffed at its pretentious concepts.

To save everyone grief, each ship should have a supply of working Navigator "devices" ready to be handed out to passengers when they board. A dumb, closed system device that we can't even screw up on our own, to give to for those of us who remain too dumb to actually figure out how to make our own individual devices work with "their" Navigator.

Let's hope the slow roll-out on various ships before the current formal announcement going fleet wide, helped them work out some of the kinks in crowd control and presentation. Having also the little "cakes in a jar" should ease some of the reported concerns of over-crowding and sanitation. If all else fails, there remains the room service chocolate cake - one of the best items on the entire ships menu - the Good Chocolate flavor, rich, moist, just about perfect.

In 2009 Task Force-151 was set upby the USN with the mission to protect global shipping lanes, and is now under the leadership of the Brazilian Navy: From WIKI: On 8 January 2009, at the United States Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, Vice AdmiralWilliam E. Gortney, USN, announced the formation of CTF-151 to combat the piracy threat off Somalia, with Rear Admiral Terence E. McKnight in command.[10] ..... Initially, CTF-151 consisted of the San Antonio, USS Mahan (DDG-72), and HMS Portland (F79), with additional warships expected to join this force.[15] Twenty countries were expected to contribute to the force, including Canada, Denmark, France, Japan, Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand and the United Kingdom, all of which have already pledged participation.[16] On 5 April 2009, United States Rear Admiral Michelle J. Howard, assumed command of CTF-151 and Expeditionary Strike Group 2.[17] On 29 May, the Australian Government pledged its support, re-tasking the frigate HMAS Warramunga (FFH 152) from duties in the Persian Gulf to the task force, as well as Lockheed P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft.[18]

Cargo ship just seized - Red Sea - Yemen terrorists. Are we in for another era of MENA high seas piracy? US Navy at one time kept most of the sea lanes open. Global shipping counted on this "global policeman" presence.

Lines were heavy to get the Navigator working on the first days, but not later from our own experiences. Your Neptune concierge is your first contact for your concerns. This is very much one-off.

Did you leave your cabin and hang out your service request tag, so the stewards had time to do their routine daily cleaning? Neptune Lounge is a easy access place to enjoy, during this necessary time away from your cabin.

How quaint. But no.

Sigh..... Women's clothes have so few pockets .........

Keep your fingers out of you own nose, mouth and eyes after touching the tongs, and break any possible infection chain.

I keep my card on a wrist coil. Flops around a bit, so a flimsy link on the punch hole can break. It is my long-standing habit now - to have my card always on me. I believe I got the tip to use a wrist coil on CC years ago.

Might want to bring along this T&J recipe to help them out: For the Tom & Jerry Batter: 12 large eggs, separated 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 4 ounces (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 ounces dark rum

HAL has already been doing this on some prior cruises. This was only the announcement it was now going fleet wide. Who knows who copied whom?

See link above - the book "The Ship Beneath the Ice" (Bound) - finding the Endurance. The author ties it into Shackleton's own diary for the same locations. One is a high tech adventure today; the other is the most amazing low-tech story of human survival and caring for his crew.