Such a nice trip! The Canary Islands are interesting, and very different from most destinations. We learned alot while visiting them......hoping you have a fabulous cruise!
I always thought it was strange that they leave key cards outside your stateroom door. First of all, that is your key card for drinks and other very important things that matter. Casino isn't open but you could charge a boatload of drinks on that card. Never mind, just thinking of mischief and mayhem.
I've seen plenty of people wear running shoes in the dining room on HAL. I think it has something to do with balance when the ship is rolling. Just my opinion. I don't think anyone on this good earth thinks that running shoes are that attractive, so I doubt it's a rebellion against fashion rules.
It's really very hard for me to imagine a nasty experience on K and Statendam. Sorry, but that seems like a bit of a stretch. It's nice you like the smaller ships, but the Pinnacle ships have their strong points, as well.
I really love sea days and I generally wander around aimlessly. That's a fun thing for me. I never get bored as long as I have enough reading material. The cooking shows in the past were wonderful, but that's the past.
Where I live, in Florida, dogs are not legally allowed on the beach, but people bring them on all the time. As the saying goes, rules for thee and not for me.
Not lately, no. Shorter, yes. Sorry to learn how disappointed you were. I think that at every turn lately, there are cutbacks. The cereal box is half empty when new. No bang for a buck anymore.