OlsSalt

No "cuppa" is worth putting the rest of the ship at risk of an electrical circuit overload or fire. If the ship says no heating devices, please honor this even if you think you can "hide it". Work with them once on board, if you insist. But please do not play games with the other passengers, even if you "only recommended to use this easily hidden device on land". Hint, hint hint?

We have done both late April and Early May Alaska cruises - loved both of them. Everything was so fresh, green, full of flowers and uncrowded. So many bald eagles as well. Lots of icebergs in the glacier cruising areas. Just did a late September one, and it was less dazzling, but still okay. Hardly any icebergs in Glacier Bay. As they say, there is no bad weather, just the wrong clothes.

I see they are still claiming the cabanas are for "two adults" or "four adults". No children allowed nor over-populating numbers allowed in each cabana. Trust, but verify.

If you have an overnight stop in Moorea, think about leaving the ship and staying in one of the over-the-water bungalow hotels which often also have "shows". We found the most cost-effective closely hotel was the older Moorea Pearl, to finally check this experience off our bucket list. Update - now called the Maneva Beach Resort: https://www.tahiti.com/hotels/moorea-pearl-resort-and-spa-2977

Or at least a tempest ......🫖

A Bionic Barry at the Keyboard will solve the current pressing problem: Bionic Barry will not need either a crew bed, or a passenger cabin. Just a charger cable.

Baking frozen bread dough loaded on board, is not the same as preparing bread from scratch which does require the use of fresh flour itself, which would have been the source of "gluten" cross-contamination issues in the galley. Those with glutin-intolerance increasingly asked for strict preventive against any possible cross-contaminations from happening at every stage from food preparation to delivery, requiring the now totally separate and protected systems and equipment that honor this dietary need. I recall a post declaring there was no way they could avoid gluten flour cross-contamination during fresh bread dough preparation, so they abandoned making bread from scratch. True or not ,or was the switch done for cost and preparation efficiencies regardless of gluten issues which had become very dominant a few years ago. HAL did switch a few years ago from fresh, from scratch bread preparation to frozen dough prepared and baked on board items. The decline in both quality and variety of its formerly fresh prepared and baked breads is one more part of the nostalgic HAL days or yore, that many of us do regret and miss. But also understand HAL must respond to new and changing passenger needs. This swtich was discussed in the past on this forum.

Running both the tea kettle and the hair dryer at the same time may be the concern. Happens in my house too - all is fine until the one extra appliance it plugged in. Plus hot water can be obtained elsewhere on the ship, hair dryers not so much. Solution: bring a good thermos and fill up hot water for your cabin. use

The problem with the Koningsdam (Christmas 2023) at Sel De Mer was not because anyone of going solo, it was perfectly awful for us as a joyfully anticipatory couple on the same cruise, who even dressed up to honor the occasion after hearing so many prior laudatory reviews. It was a huge disappointment at every level, but I also think a ship experience can sometimes be just one off because too many reviews have been so good, with photos that also did not look anything like what we were served that night. Assume, they have moved beyond that 2023 Konigsdam Chirsmas disaster, or else Rudi would have taken his name off that restaurant by now.

Shrimp chips are primarily tapioca, with some dried shrimp or shrimp shell powder. They are bland and more noddle flavored. They have an incredible shelf life, and can easily be substituted for chips when making any sort of dips. We buy them puffed up in a bag at our local Asian market and have their small disks on hand too, but those have to be fried up fresh to make them puff up. Fewer calories than chips, but are satisfying as a crunchy snack.

Sumo raised a legitimate concern - will food allergies for some, ever lead to the loss of routine items for everyone else? There is only so much space available on a ship, and we have seen the addition of whole new sections at the Lido now for an entire range of dietary accommodations that did not exist before, so this can be a sensitive consideration. Please cut Sumo some slack on this one. The degree of mandatory "accommodations" is not a bright line, and there are people who do litigate these issue on land if they feel strict accommodations are not met. This was not the direct issue in this particular case, but is a reasonable general issue and one I assume HAL must struggle with internally as well. Did we in fact lose our previously always freshly prepared bread on board because there was no way they could prevent bread flour/gluten cross-contamination, so they had to switch to frozen bread dough instead? Airlines had to stop serving nuts due to potential cross-contamination in their closed air filtration settings. End of this discussion departures. I just hated seeing Sumo get piled on.

Did you know you can contact Guest Services ahead of the cruise to ask for these dietary accommodations? That way they know upfront and can prepare for this better - have special foods available. Every single first night in the main dining room we always get asked now ..do you have any special dietary considerations? It is routine now. But agree, the freestyle Lido is more problematic. Assuming your grandson now has a pretty good idea what to avoid and what can work more safely by now. It is where things might be hidden that will require contact with the Lido manager ..and don't forget the Dive In for lunch too - not much there that should have nuts or the Taco Bar. So those might feel like safer options overall.

Thee Lido manager will help you out, so check in with him/her as soon as you arrive at the Lido - and probably will provide menu item lists to avoid. HAL has been accommodating various dietary demands now for years. But the ultimate responsibility still rests with the passenger, and appropriate back-up mitigations remain necessary.

Speed, quality, variety, hours of operation, upcharge items .......???? When in doubt, go for the club sandwich and the chocolate cake.

We did several Greek cruises, so hard to sort now which ports were on each one. Some were stand alone Greece, some were Turkey/Greece, some were Black Sea Greece and Turkey, and one was an Adriatic. One was also a London to Singapore via Suez- HAL's Grand Indonesia cruise. Phew, now that I count them out ....... goodness sakes. Let alone two much earlier Greek cruises back in the 1970's.

We just got a port change on HAL another cruise and it says (Skagway) for our Haines Alaska stop too - a bit deceptive since it too is several hours away by shore excursion. But then Hanoi, Saigon, Tokyo, Bangkok and Beijing are also now many hours way by bus/train too. How great they provide and overnight- that can make it the best of both worlds now.

Why go on a ship, when you just want land-based entertainment. Circus Circus in Las Vegas should fill the bill, without all that unnecessary ocean pollution.

This is definitely not a glass bottom boat cruise across the Great Barrier Reef. You will need to take snorkeling shore excursions at various port stops to see anything under water. Wearing "stinger suits". Or arrange for a fly over tour.

After always stuffing myself on the appetizers, believe it or not the tofu main entree is a nice, lighter respite before dessert. Waitress always asks, you know this is tofu, right? Right, its blandness can be spot on.

Hydra is a close by island, still with low-key charm considering how close it is to Athens. If you just want the feel for a small Greek island and not delve further into their more far flung historical sites, Hydra is a good choice. Agree, 3-4 days ahead would get you to some of the basics while in your jet-lagged state. Best to come back for a Greek cruise on its own to more leisurely explore, and feel, the variety of the many eras of its historic sites. Ancient Greece, Mycenae, Minoan, Venetian, Byzantine, Early Greek Orthodox, WWII - Agristoli......... We managed to pack a private drive out to Corinth (Ancient Greece - Early Christian - Modern era industrial marvel digging the canal) on one prior port stop, and time to also visit the main Athens Museum. So there is just one day.

Last Medallion ceremony on the Noordam (2023) also recognized those with high Mariner points too - over 1000+ points, since there is no Mariner recognition beyond five star Mariner status. So this was a hybrid recognition ceremony. Both Medallions and very high Mariners points. But the medallions were limited to silver and above, plus recognition of those who had already achieved their higher medallion status in the past. It was nice to spend time with others who do love HAL and demonstrate it by their repeat business. Lots of good HAL travel tales to share.

I guess HAL is picking up some extra cash, offering to be a tender for the Icon.

I thought that was a picture of some shore-side condos, next to the Zaandam.

Our Japan cruise is later in the year. Learned I can do a foreign exchange transfer at Chase Back to at least get some walking around Yen. And will deal with the smart card once we get there.

Great glass case display of all the various types of penguins at the prison.