dockman

The question was asked by a reporter at a news conference last night and was worded something like are tourists still welcome in maui...the mayor said rather strongly that YES eventually but he did point out that a day or two ago when they opened part of the road for people to at least see from a distance if their house was still standing but DO NOT go into restricted areas that are still being searched for bodies etc....apparently a few tourists disregarded the clear instructions and went right into the restricted area tromping around taking pics...the mayor then graphically explained that this area still had not been searched and that many of them contained bone fragments which needed to be recovered and sent for dna testing so they can identify victims and that the fire was so hot it had melted metal and many of the bone fragments were almost reduced to dust and sure did not need people tramping around as disrespectfull to the dead and made recovery even harder......the mayor of course was pretty harsh on this calling it rude, as they had to close the road again due to bad behavior people (also a few locals disobeyed)..you could tell he was pretty pissed and emotional over this as most would be. .the mayor then did go on to say that tourism is important to the peope of maui and specifically mentioned kihei area would eventually want to welcome tourists again but not right now and that basically lahaina would be off limits for a long long time..and that he would ask future tourist to show respect to the maui people that had lost friends and realtives not to mention their homes etc when the tourists do return....the news conference was on KITV and very informative and probably can watch it all on KITV web site i guess.

No doubt money is the best way to donate...but loads of local hawaii people have already responded with tons of food and clothing etc and i suspect that over time hawaiian and southwest air and maybe a shipping company will get it all to maui where i am sure it will be very welcomed by the maui people...imagine fleeing your home with a pair of shorts a tee shirt and a pair of flip flops is all you have....the people on nearby molokai went to stores (and it is expensive there) and bought all kinds of stuff and used their own boats to transport it to maui... The mayor of maui also wanted to remind potential tourists that south maui, kihei etc is still open for biz and they do need tourist to still come to maui eventually but just be respectful and recognize that lahania is not a place for photo opps as it will be a construction zone for a long time. I would guess that the kaanapali hotels, nearest to lahaina, will be the ones most appropriate to use as housing displaced locals and constrution workers so probably better if tourists do not use those hotels..

was on emerald two years ago...four friends in single rooms...3 of us got covid...1 did not...the did not never got into the elevator ever...walked stairs for exercise and apparently also provided him with some protection...we were all vaxxed and only mild symptons but 3 of us ended up on the isolation floor for several days...no fun at all

to me near stairs and elevators is a premium location as i like to be able to get around quickly without having to walk down long hallways...never had any problems with noise around stairs or elevators...

#512 Posted 1 minute ago I live in honolulu so have seen lots and lots of video and stories from Maui...bottom line is :Lahaina is simply GONE...over 2000 buildings burned and so far 93 dead but search of ashes is only less than 5% complete as they are having to bring in a lot more cadaver dogs from mainland...in short it is HORRIBLE.. My condo and i am sure many others in Honolulu asked people to go through their pantry and closet and donate non perishable food/clothing etc by putting it in lobby area two days ago...great idea and the lobby was pretty well full of canned foods/clothes/diapers/paper towels etc...not sure how it all gets shipped to maui but lot of maui folks lost EVERYTHING and had only what the were wearing when they fled for their lives.. They now estimate 5.5 billion to rebuild and years before it will get done..My guess is it will be a lot more $$ and at least 3 or 4 years...one huge problem is housing for all the construction workers that will be needed....maui already had a severe housing shortage which of course now is even worse....the gov is talking to the hotels to try and work out getting the hotels to house people for as long as it takes....many of these hotels have been making record profits for years with room rates of $500 or more...i hope that now the big hotels will step up and not try and gouge from this disaster...many of the people who lost everthing are the very maids, bellboys etc that worked at the hotels...and of course the number of construction workers that will need a place to stay for years is huge. Already donations are pouring into maui from all over the world as many truly love the people and place of lahaina and have many great memories from what once was. IF you would like to and can spare please consider a donation...below is a list of vetted places to donate provided by local tv station.. https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/08/09/want-help-those-devastated-by-maui-wildfires-heres-how/

i live in honolulu so have seen lots and lots of video and stories from Maui...bottom line is :Lahaina is simply GONE...over 2000 buildings burned and so far 93 dead but search of ashes is only less than 5% complete as they are having to bring in a lot more cadaver dogs from mainland...in short it is HORRIBLE.. .my condo and i am sure many others in Honolulu asked people to go through their pantry and closet and donate non perishable food/clothing etc by putting it in lobby area two days ago...great idea and the lobby was pretty well full of canned foods/clothes/diapers/paper towels etc...not sure how it all gets shipped to maui but lot of maui folks lost EVERYTHING and had only what the were wearing when they fled for their lives.. they now estimate 5.5 billion to rebuild and years before it will get done...one huge problem is housing for all the construction workers that will be needed....maui already had a severe housing shortage which of course now is even worse....the gov is talking to the hotels to try and work out getting the hotels to house people for as long as it takes....many of these hotels have been making record profits for years with room rates of $500 or more...i hope that now the big hotels will step up and not try and gouge from this disaster...many of the people who lost everthing are the very maids, bellboys etc that worked at the hotels...and of course the number of construction workers that will need a place to stay for years is huge. Already donations are pouring into maui from all over the world as many truly love the people and place of lahaina and have many great memories from what once was. IF you would like to and can spare please consider a donation...below is a list of vetted places to donate provided by local tv station.. https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/08/09/want-help-those-devastated-by-maui-wildfires-heres-how/

I would rather have a lesser cabin with a great location than a "better" cabin with a lousy location. I prefer to be near the back of the ship but close to stairways with quick access to outdoor deck space. I book way in advance so i can usually pick the room that i want...put down the deposit and then have a long time to decide if i want to go or not...if price drops i may ask for refare...if i find a cruise i like better i cancel and get back the deposit. All my flights are booked with miles so that is not a problem as they reinstate my miles/taxes no problem....but sort of like cruise cabin i book the award ticket way in advance and generally get a much more attractive flight schedule for fewer miles than waiting when the choices often go down and the miles required go up...not always but usually this works out pretty well for me... up to you

Obviously there will be no Lahaina port calls for long long time and not even sure ships will dock at kahului for at least several months if that quickly....it will be a very very long time to return to some semblence of the beautiful island... Please consider a small donation to help maui people if you can. It is really really bad. The local tv stations kgmb khon and kitv all have online ways to donate that have been checked out as legit as no doubt some evil scammers will try and take advantage of the misery.

Just wonderful...what a shame that most of the new builds either have no prom deck or so narrow that hardly room for a stool much less a nice lounger chair....so sad that the bean counters have taken over to the point where such wonderful prom decks where people can leisurely spend time very close to the ocean and look at it up close without looking through some dirty plexiglass 15 levels above the water line.... not to mention how wonderful the decks are for walking and getting some exercise in an open air pleasant mostly shielded from the weather space rather than in some glass enclosed gym....i guess it is inevitable that more and more of these decks disappear as apparently they can make the space inside and fill them up with more shops selling a bunch of overpriced stuff....it has always amazed me how many people go on cruises and seem to barely ever go outside but would rather sit in big plazas or bars indoors...to each his own but for me being near the ocean outside for a few hours is a better experience than sitting inside at some bar that could just as well be in a mall in anytown usa....a cruise offers you a chance to sit and look at the ocean, the birds, the sound of the wind/waves etc that many people never get to experience...sad to me that the new builds are much more like floating shopping malls but i guess that is the new reality.. .maybe i am lucky to be old enough that i got to experience so many ships when at least one of the very top attractions was being near and observing the marvels that are the ocean...i have spent untold hours sitting in a nice deck chair, often with a book, but mostly just looking at the vast expanse of the ocean and trying to imagine what is going on beneath me as well as the sensation of trying to picture the thousands of ships and people and cargo that have sailed these seas over the centuries.... some of you will know what i mean by that sensation while i suppose others could not care less...i guess to many i am just an old guy who is against change....the old part is true but i do not at all mind change as long as it is for the better...i personally do not think turning the cruise experience into more of an indoor shopping bar hoping bingo casino experience is a good trend....to each his own i guess.

21 days in june...not a hint of engine problems....overall ship is in good shape and service was good for me....i spent a LOT of time by the outrigger pool at the back of the ship which was rarely crowded and had great views and overall peace and quiet...never ceases to amaze me how many people seem to spend so much time on an alaska cruise sitting inside in bars etc rather than outside looking at the scenery...but good for me that they do as it means less hassle for those who prefer the outside....the overall scenery while cruising alaska can be really special....just sit and try and imagine what is a few miles or a few hundred miles on the other side of the mountains where there are no roads, no people, just nature....i love it.

1. Full prom deck for walking on most HAL ships that you can also actually sit in a lounger and watch the sea.. 2. Overall a relatively quiet peaceful atmosphere rather than constant announcements etc 3. Good food in LIDO and elsewhere. 4. Good itineraries 5...and of course...the friendly smiling wait staff 6. Covered pool 7. Bring back proper libraries and decent lecturers and i am a happy camper.

Yep sounds about right. New elite perk: For small extra fee the stewards will clean your room. Don't laugh as lot of hotels are now trying it out that you pay extra for maid service.

About the only elite perk worth anything is free laundry so i hope the bean counters don't set their sights on cutting that out or decide to add some delivery charge....

so 45 drinks a day for 3 people and only 2 drink? that is a lot of drinks....

I figured that out long long ago but it may not be the same for everyone. As a solo i try my best to not take a table that seats 4 or more even when all the tables are full as I really prefer to eat alone. More often than not if i do sit at a table for 4 alone i end up having people join me...almost always they at least ask though i have had a few times when i come back to find my table with a book on it occupied by two or three others. I would never think of just plopping down at an obviously occupied table without even asking but it does indeed happen. The best answer i have found is to just flat out avoid peak hours by adjusting my eating times.

How does that work if you are travelling solo?

All of the cute waitresses in the LIDO who insist I try the chocolate cake or go for seconds because i am "on vacation" that result in me gaining too much weight...it is all their fault. But i forgive them as they really are charming.

go to one of the major online cruise sellers and you can often see which rooms are still open and available for sale....

For those on princess Alaska cruises Libby is a regular speaker....if you get the chance to hear and see her presentation I recommend it....she could teach a few of the professors how to do an interesting speech. https://alifeofdogs.com/libby-riddles-first-woman-to-win-the-iditarod/

I agree that "it takes more than knowledge of your subject to make an interesting speaker." I have been on many many cruises on Holland and Princess and I really don't get it as to who if anyone vets a lot of the speakers....yes many of them are professors of major universities and I have no doubt they are experts full of knowledge on their subjects....but over and over I has sat through some of these presentations and frankly these professors are a boring as watching paint dry...they have close to zero skill at making their subject interesting/exciting...many of them basically read from a script...often their visuals shown on the screen are simply awful. I assume they use some sort of service to provide these speakers. Over the years I have had several wonderful speakers who would pack the theatre with every lecture and often get standing ovations as they were not only knowledgeable but fantastic speakers that made their subject come alive. It used to be that speakers were given a free cruise (and maybe some amount of $$?) but had to provide their own air to ship. I do not know if this has all changed but for whatever reason the quality of speakers presentation skills IMO has gone way down over the last decade. Sad as there are no doubt many many talented experts who would be available especially on closer to home cruises. I wish HAL would at least require a video of the expert doing a lecture and somebody would vet his presentation and personality skills.

Not a fun way to fly or start a trip all stressed out over every small delay and detail. Not sure why no choice but I would sure try my best to change that schedule. A flight delay, a wait to get to a gate, a long line at immigration, a traffic delay or any problem at all getting transport to ship, etc etc...as stated pretty much no room for error. At minimum try and get a seat as near to front of plane as possible to get off quickly and hopefully no long line at immigration.

Prinsendam...can't remember year...somewhere in Med. Maasdam...first ever 35 day r/t boston voyage of the vikings..it was not sold out and they gave some nice discounts to fill it up....now i believe it is one of HAL most popular and likely expensive cruises on other HAL ships.

royal carib booze policy: Guests are not allowed to bring beer or hard liquor onboard for consumption or any other use. Alcoholic beverages (beer, seltzer, or hard liquor) seized on embarkation day will be returned at the end of the voyage provided that they are in the original sealed package. Security may inspect containers (water bottles, soda bottles, mouthwash, luggage, etc.) and will dispose of containers holding alcohol. Guests who violate any alcohol policies, (over consume, provide alcohol to people under the legal drinking age, demonstrate irresponsible behavior, or attempt to conceal alcoholic items at security and or luggage check points or any other time), may be disembarked or not allowed to board, at their own expense, in accordance with our Guest Conduct Policy. Guests who are under the permitted drinking age will not have alcohol returned to them. Please Note: All guests must comply with TSA guidelines for transporting liquids. On embarkation day, each guest of drinking age may bring one (1) sealed 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne. Boxed wine and other containers are prohibited. Guests who purchase alcohol bottles onboard, in a port-of-call, or bring more than the one permitted bottle on boarding day, will have their items safely stored by the ship. These bottles will be returned on the last day onboard for enjoyment once home. For consecutive sailings, guests of drinking age are allowed to bring one (1) 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne for each individual sailing. Additional bottles will be stored by the ship and delivered, one bottle at a time, to the stateroom on the first day of each new voyage. Guests bringing more than one bottle at the start of the first sailing should have documentation for any consecutive sailings available to share with

I don't think any of the mass market cruise lines let you bring on more than one bottle without paying fees...not saying that they catch everyone but i have seen wine /booze taken away from people on check in...some lines give it back the last night, some lines "destroy it" (or maybe it ends up in crew quarters?...beats pouring it down the drain.)....

3 weeks crown alaska....my complaint was that i liked the food,,,just about ALL of it... in the buffet tooooo much....and one of the cute waitresses INSISTED that i should try lots of deserts and go back for seconds... so i blame her for my weight gain ...obviously it was not MY fault