OlsSalt

It should make as much sense for Anchorage to provide shuttles, as it does for HAL - one can still hope the influx of seasonal customers would be mutually welcome. My fuzzy memory of this port was while it looks close on the map, it was uphill from an industrial port to reach the outskirts of the commercial district - not exactly a scenic nor pedestrian friendly route, but doable.

I hope the Smithsonian Institution is taking oral histories of those who grew up and explored the world .......BT - Before Technology and BTV Before TV.

Sounds from the prior description more like ..."Eat All You Can Find" ...🐡

The most frequently asked question on our last cruise that led to very long lines and even extra personnel working the lines, pulling out passengers when they asked the exact same question .......How do I make my Navigator work? (Something about putting it in airline mode)

We almost exclusively take HAL shore excursions and have been very satisfied with them all. Could we do it "cheaper"? Of course, but we pay for the convenience of them and have been uniformly pleased with their variety and quality. Shore excursions are not for everyone. No quibble with that, but I cannot let a blanket statement condemning them all go unanswered. We like them, we know what we are getting and what we are paying for. We remain satisfied customers. We are also unhappy they have gotten much more expensive, but what hasn't? "Covid" was a huge economic re-set and we will be in its sway for many more years to come. Market forces will settle this out on its own.

Here is one example for Hong Kong - Close in Ocean Terminal for smaller ships and the more remote Kai Tak terminal for larger ones. Cruise ship schedule for in-town Ocean Terminal docking: http://www.oceanterminal.com.hk/en/schedule.php?cid=1&y=2023&m=6&f=t#CruiseSchedule Wonderful to get an over-night at this terminal, with the lights of Hong Kong and the harbor traffic right out your window or balcony.

I have my big 80 this year. I am adjusting. So is DH who is 84. Sorry, but playing the age card does not cut it this time. If anything at our ages we know how well we did growing up with a lot less than what is being "taken away" now. And we did live to tell about it. But I do admit, I am no more willing to play the "age card" when it suits my own interests, and I think I can get away with it. with these young whippersnappers who get in my way. No one says we can't complain (to ourselves) and reminisce plenty about the "good old days" but ironically they were quite spartan in most basic ways. We shall endure. And finally see more of the world, than just looking at inherited copies of National Geographic magazines - where I whet my own travel appetite.

When HAL offered the EXC In-Depth Cruises on the old Maasdam a few years back, Club Hal was turned into a prep room for the dazzling array of enrichment speakers, where they could prepare their talks, slides, videos and do any research. I believe it was also used the same during the Zaandam Antarctica cruise 2021 - and used to also write daily penguin jokes.

Good help is hard to find, and the cruise industry competition has greatly increased with the recent introduction new lines and larger ships. Traditional labor sources have also gotten domestically competitive in South East Asia going through their own economic booms. The "covid" hiatus probably did unmeasurable damage to the former status quo, at every single level of the entire maritime industry chain. There simply is no way to turn the key back on, and have it resume what it used to be when it closed down in March 2020. We all must adjust, in big ways and small. Just carry the massive debt the industry was forced to incur, through no fault of their own, means we can never expect to get what we used to get for the same prices. This is a given. This is either our problem; or their problem.

Once in Singapore (another cruise line), we docked in the passenger terminal for a two day visit only to find during the night we had moved to the industrial port the next day. Shuttles were provided. Ship size works both ways -some ports make more money letting the larger ships take the prime docking location and send the smaller ones to less desirable locations, others reject them on sheer size and lack of capacity. Or communities like the smaller ones, but prohibit the larger ones Or bribe demands can even cross hands up front. You can never know for sure. Or with any guarantee of when you will find out for certain.

I understood the numbers of tables filled in speciality was due to staffing availability, not necessarily lack of interest. Unknown. I was also under the impression Canaletto was offered as a lower cost alternative dining spot -so its location and menu were never intended to be competitive with the higher cost specialty dining offerings. This is why it caught us by surprise when Canaletto was the best choice of all the speciality restaurants on the past Holiday Konigsdam voyage. And why we cancelled all later repeat reservations in those other specials restaurants, which were not up to par at all for the price. Canaletto has had a rocky roller coaster ride ever since being introduced. I remember on the Prinsendam - again in an allocated Lido (Sun Garden) section of the ship, putting the waiters in striped gondola style tee-shirts was about as "Italian" as it got. The menu was very ho-hum (2013)

Beware of loss leader pricing - non-availability of cabins when it comes time to book. Oceania was classic using this ploy. So sorry but that special price offer is already booked up, but we can offer you $$$$ instead. HAL has a fairly generous number of cabins in each cabin price point - insides, ocean view, balconies and suites -- while far more limited in the very upper amenety Neptune and Pinnacle suites.

^^^^ All very well-reasoned points ldtr, Thank you for sharing them. The pre-covid HAL was becoming schizophrenic. The new HAL can succeed just as you pointed out. Smaller, leaner, and more experienced than any other competition out there for the mid-price longer, destination cruiser. There will always be a new crop of "older" passengers coming of age every year looking for this quieter brand of destination-emphasis cruising. There is no reason at all HAL must grab younger passengers now with newer larger ships, by being glitzy, noisy, frenetic, and trendy. While alienating their former solid older customer base at the same time. Where else have I recently seen that exact same ploy play out? Badly.

Memory hazy, but I am thinking these few roads in Fakarava were a hardened coral material - flat but gritty, if anything. How long between Rotoava Harbor and the restaurant/beach area? Again, can't remember but certainly less than a mile. Here is what the travel site says about island roads: Getting Around Fakarava Transport to and from the airport should be arranged by your Preferred Travel Professional or by your hotel. With only a few miles of road on each atoll, there is little need for public transportation and walking is enjoyable. For venturing around the most populated parts of the atolls, open-air cars and bicycles can be rented. For exploring the lagoon and surrounding motu, motorboat, canoe, and sailboat rentals are available.

Instant dry dock. Just add water. And a pinch of salt.

There is a lot of one prince trying to outdo another prince in the UAE. My project is bigger than your project. My scheme is better than your scheme. I can burn through more money than you can. We visited Dubai on two occasions - several years apart, about 10 years ago. I suspect much of what was new and novel then is now crumbling. When only The Creek was new and flashy, to see the Burg Kalifa reach its final towering peak - but only after extended family rescue financing.

If my memory serves me, most of the "safari" activity is on the east coast of SA, not out of Cape Town. It is a long way across country to get to any of the major safari destinations. Something to check out- don;'t let my own recollection be the final word. There are other excursions of interest out of Cape Town - the Stellenbosch wine country and Cape of Good Hope.

Apparently the entire Alaska crab fishing season was put on restricted status this past year. Sounds like this will be out of HAL's hands.

(Sorry about the duplicate posts - when I try to open a new thread or edit a prior post- this happened. Not sure how to prevent this. The last post has the added links and missing information)

It was hot, but not oppressive.I always bring a metallic reflective shade umbrella when traveling in these climates (See Coolibar website). https://www.coolibar.com/accessories/umbrellas/sanya-compact-umbrella-upf-50.html We welcomed the trees along the walk to a hotel (which is where we got the wonderful fresh ceviche) Not much development on this island - which for us was a welcome treat. I dare say this might be the "only" hotel near the port, so the name escapes me now - catered mainly to French tourists probably on a package. Update: Havaiki Lodge https://www.havaiki.com/nos-services/restaurants/ A palapa type dining area, a beer and some ceviche as well as other modest menu items, and one was living out the tropical island dream (which never quite lives up to any prior fantasies since topical islands are remote and hot, with limited supplies.)

(Wrong edit)

This following insight is hopeful and may already explain HAL's very welcome new roll-out of a far more In-Depth approach to their Alaska cruises. Hopefully more targeted itinerary enhancements will follow - HAL long strength has been its unique and travel oriented cruise offerings; not trying to compete with competitor's larger ships onboard entertainment diversions. "This will enable the brands to operate with greater speed and responsiveness to market demands and opportunities and further position each of our brands to own its space in the vacation market as we rebuild our financial fortress and deliver long-term shareholder value," Weinstein said.

Thanks so much for posting this I will pass this press release on to my roll call for an upcoming Sept - 14 day Alaska cruise on the Noordam. HAL is getting its game back. Interesting to see the revival of EXC - the former HAL enrichment cruises.

Since this is your itinerary - it is very heavy port, port, port, port, I suspect any lack of evening entertainment will not be noticed. I also recommend doing a lot of homework ahead of time learning about this large variety of stops, as there will be little breathing room while on board. Enjoy - you picked an incredible survey of Japan, entry level Philippines and even get Hong Kong thrown in at the end too. Sunday, October 15 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan 7:00pm Monday, October 16 At Sea Tuesday, October 17 Miyako, Japan 8:00am 5:00pm Wednesday, October 18 Hakodate, Japan 8:00am 11:00pm Thursday, October 19 Aomori, Japan 8:00am 8:00pm Friday, October 20 At Sea Saturday, October 21 Sokcho-si, South Korea 8:00am 4:00pm Sunday, October 22 Sakaiminato, Japan 10:00am 6:00pm Monday, October 23 Sasebo, Japan Noon 11:00pm Tuesday, October 24 Nagasaki, Japan 8:00am 5:00pm Wednesday, October 25 Kagoshima, Japan 8:00am 5:00pm Thursday, October 26 Kochi, Japan 10:00am 8:00pm Friday, October 27 At Sea Saturday, October 28 Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan 6:30am 5:00pm Sunday, October 29 Osaka, Japan 4:00pm Monday, October 30 Osaka, Japan 5:00pm Tuesday, October 31 At Sea Wednesday, November 1 Okinawa (Naha), Japan 8:00am 6:00pm Thursday, November 2 Miyako-jima, Japan 8:00am 4:00pm Friday, November 3 Taipei (Keelung), Taiwan 8:00am 5:00pm Saturday, November 4 Kao-hsiung, Taiwan 8:00am 5:00pm Sunday, November 5 At Sea Monday, November 6 Manila, Philippines 8:00am 6:00pm Tuesday, November 7 Boracay, Philippines 8:00am 3:00pm Wednesday, November 8 Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines 8:00am 6:00pm Thursday, November 9 At Sea Friday, November 10 At Sea Saturday, November 11 Hong Kong 6:30am

Searching for the best, fresh coconut milk ceviche made us happy on our cruises through the South Pacific. We found the best on Fakarava. And water was so warm there it was just pleasant to find a shady spot long the beach and relax in the water. I use basically "long underwear" for sun protection coverings as well as slight wetsuit when in the water in these areas - like the "Heattech" sets from Uniqlo - in black, pretty cheap and serviceable.