dockman

somehow i doubt that they are going to be real happy to have to pay a fine to leave on top of all the other problems and good luck getting princess to reimburse a fine...

Actually according to Caesars your best odds are black jack assuming you play basic strategy and 3 /2 bj house edge can go to .5%....craps house edge is 1.36%....so blackjack played properly is not for suckers but actually the best odd you will get. https://www.caesars.com/casino-gaming-blog/latest-posts/table-games/blackjack-craps-baccarat-game-best-odds#:~:text=If you're willing to,half a penny on average.)

i think people who play 6 /5 bj tables are more likely to be of the 2 week millionaire types who claim they only do "gaming" for fun....maybe true but i think most would agree it is a lot more fun if you win...casinos like getting an extra edge over what seems a minor idea of dealing 6 to 5 instead of 3 to 2....i wonder how many people even notice. I understand they are now also adding a 3rd zero to roulette which already has horrible odds...casinos do like to win and apparently a lot of people don't much care if they lose by making bad odds even worse. There are a lot of factors that determine the final expected return, but in general, the house increases their edge by roughly 400% when dealing the 6:5 variant. In the 3:2 blackjack game, the house edge, for player playing perfect basic strategy, is in the ~0.5% range. That means for every $100 wagered, they take in, on average, $0.50. With 6:5 blackjack, that edge shoots up to almost 2%! So now you can expect to contribute upwards of $2 per $100 wagered to the house coffers.

They are early so you can get back for lunch and an afternoon nap.

They have likely saved me a lot of $$ by adopting the 6/5 blackjack.....they lose with that as i refuse to play that game. So i end up giving them zero and most of the time not playing is the surest way to be a winner. Despite what a lot of people want you to believe you are not mathmatically likely to win and people who play 6/5 are even less likely not to win over time. Of course casinos love it when people are "gaming" and not gambling so it's just for fun...they like it even more when many people don't know or use the most basic strategy at the tables. No offense to those as it is their money to spend as they want whether it is drinking or eating or gaming. Always remember....a guy in reno once told me.....the longer you play the more likely you will lose...it's simple math.

there are two outside decks down near the water line at the back of the ship that are good spots as not many seem to find or want to sit outside...one side is smokers who puff away but other side was generally smoke free....might be too cold for a feb cruise but frankly like OP i was looking for a nice quiet place which was overall not easy to find on majestic...movies by pool too darn loud, lot of the lounges seem to always be playing some kind of recorded music...library is the size of a closet....main plaza seemed always some kind of noise/music/ sombody babbling on and on over a loudspeaker...some seem to thrive on noise..to me not something i enjoy very much

i did it from usa and paid the extra $60 to expedite as my trip was 2 months away and it said 6 to 8 weeks from receipt and i did not want to worry....got passport back in two weeks...i suspect the 6 to 8 weeks is rare but overall it was worth $60 to not be sweating bullets with no passport when came time to leave....but best case is go ahead and renew well in advance with no trip planned and save the $60...

I can sit for hours on a nice outside deck and just look at the ocean and entertain myself with thinking of all the people and ships that have sailed these waters for centuries and try and imagine what that must have been like. I also like to think about what is likely going on in the ocean depths beneath me. I always thought it would be wonderful if they could have a few lectures from some professionals to provide more insight to the waters we are sailing across with a bit of the history of what peoples, trade routes, ship wrecks etc preceeded our luxury voyage. Details as to what kind of ships, how many crew, how long did it take, what was the diet, what was a typical cargo, what was the pay, etc. I would also like to hear more about how deep it is, what creatures are likely living below us.what creatures migrate through these waters and a bit more about the great mysteries of the big blue oceans and seas. Especially on the longer itineraries like trans atlantic, trans pac, etc. I am willing to bet such a series of lectures would draw a big crowd.

i did 21 days back to back mexico on Majestic...while it was overall ok i really did not like the lack of a real promenade deck and did not like the overall design of the outdoor spaces. Like you I would rather be on an older ship with nice wide prom decks with teak chairs where you can sit and look and hear the ocean a few feet away and not from the 15th floor looking through often dirty plexiglass...the two little oustide areas in the very aft seemed to be an afterthought and one side was often wall to wall cig smokers which sometimes puffed away on both side...so much for fresh clean ocean air..also the "library" on the majestic is a total joke..i have more books in the trunk of my car.

As a solo cruise guy most of the time as well as living alone I have found many ways to entertain myself for decades. On a cruise, princess or others, I do a lot of walking/exercise on whatever version of a promenade deck they have. I get a few good books to sit out on a deck and read. I go to some of the shows and events but will leave after 15 mins if i don't like what's on offer. I like a good afternoon nap and a little TV sometimes. I do not take the internet package as frankly i really enjoy getting away from all the problems of the world and constant bickering and bad news stories that are hard to avoid when at home. Sometimes ignorance is truly bliss and ships are generally a good place to be semi oblivious to lots of irritating news. I can sit for hours on a nice outside deck and just look at the ocean and entertain myself with thinking of all the people and ships that have sailed these waters for centuries and try and imagine what that must have been like. I also like to think about what is likely going on in the ocean depths beneath me. I eat mostly in the buffet where i get to know several staff who will come and chat with me everyday especially since i avoid the busiest times. I prefer not eating in dining room as it just is not my cup of chai overall. I get off at most ports and wander around either walk or take some sort of public transport or local tour. I like long cruises of 14 to 30 days. I do research ports before i get there and rarely if ever buy a ship shore excursion as i just prefer less structure and i am a very good solo traveler that has little to no fear of taking off on my own most anywher. Princess overall offers good value, good selection of rooms, good food, good staff...i prefer the older ships because of better walking decks and libraries. Overall i really can take or leave the activities which are sometimes great and sometimes just silly...IMO. Bottom line is i really don't get bored easily, never have and hope i never will regardless of which cruise or wherever i may be. I consider myself a lucky guy

So do the muslim crews get someone to "minister" to them if they want it? What about the Buddhists, Hindus and others? It may have changed but at one time i would venture to guess there were as many indonesians or maybe more than Fillipino crew. I would think that HAL would need to take that into account and maybe they do?

I don't know the current mix of hal crew but I believe many of them are muslim as they are from Indonesia.. Indonesia is considered a Muslim nation because of its large Muslim population, with 87% of Indonesians identifying as Muslim in 2022.

That is great news...i actually gave up on HAL for several years as 4 star in part because of no library....now if we can get them to not do away with all the wide promenade decks with nice teak loungers. Maybe they do sometimes listen to clients concerns?

I hope the new version of HAL libraries is not like the pic of the Noordam "library" above (dated 5/27?)...that is a display of coffee table books and certainly not what most would call a library with at least a few hundred ++ copies of a variety of fiction, non fiction, etc....I do look forward to the return of real libraries on all HAL ships. Can someone post a pic of what the new libraries look like please. Thanks

If that is somehow supposed to be a library it is truly pathetic.

Agree. Michener's Alaska to me is a very good read that does a good job of relating much of the people and events that helpe mold Alaska for centuries. I have read it several times usually just prior to yet another Alaska cruise.

understood....but frankly the last thing i want when planning an extra nice extra fee dinner on a cruise is to add the potential of a conflict with staff over anything. It would be very difficult for me to not think about and dread something that could take the fun and joy that should be a given. Once upon a time the extra fee restaurants on cruise ships were primarily created for people who were celebrating some event like a birthday or anniversary....that gave them a more intimate special experience....then the execs discovered that hey we can sell this extra fee dining to any and all so the "exclusivity" or use for special occasion got lost in the quest for $$. I do remember that once when you went to the ONE extra fee restaurant that most everyone there was celebrating a birthday or anniversary or divorce or retirement or whatever and the overall vibe was celebration with many birthday cakes and happy people.

Reminds me of sites with FAQ that is theoretically designed to answer the most frequent questions without having to deal with phone calls, waiting on hold, explaining it to staff and hoping that the staff understands and knows the answer.. Why is it that it seems to me that it is rare that my question ever seems to be on the list of frequently asked questions....you know little rarely thought of questions like..."how much does it cost" "what time does it leave" etc etc There are many big name websites that could eliminate a lot of phone calls and staff time by very carefully going over their website and figure out what could be a frequent question on this or that subject and put nice clean simple answers there that can easily be found and understood....it's almost like they want to force you to call and waste everyones time. Maybe ask the staff what are the most frequent questions you are asked? Duh.

Yes we have all seen people do stupid things in the buffet. But i see that a lot on here say that they are above eating in the buffet and that by eating in the dining room everything is fine. Maybe overall it is more hygenic but i have also been seated in the dining room very close to people who are obviously sick with a cough or cold and unlike the buffet it is often very hard to just get up and move to another table....and i have no desire to sit next to them for a long drawn out two hour meal making it almost a sure thing that I will catch whatever they are hacking around. Usually there is an outdoor seating area for the buffet that might offer a bit more space and protection. Overall in spite of a few buffet problems i prefer it to the main dining room. At least i can see the food in front of me and how it is handled and can usually easily move if i end up seated next to typhoid mary.

So you make a reservation at your local Steves steaks in your hometown which is a nice intimate room and get a confirmation saying your Steves steak dinner is confirmed to be served at Joes Happy Hash House... In what world does that make any sense at all? As said I suspect it will all be fine but also wonder if anyone at HAL will bring this to the attention of the website designer and if anyone will bother to fix it so other passengers don't have to go through the same game of calling and going round and round on the phone and then told oh it's all ok but no i can't send that to you in writing....wasting your time as well as a lot of HAL staff on the phone and on the ship having to deal with the same question again? The staff is already overworked and undertrained so why make it worse? If there is some drop down menu that is confusing then fix it so it will be clear.

does anyone know basic time schedule and cost via princess transfer from jfk to brooklyn cruise termial as wll as return from brookly back to jfk? thanks

I think it was princess app that allows drink delivery....used it once and it was ok but bit slow.

As far as i can recall u can order drink off the app to be delivered to you on an outside deck....never tried to order to my room so don't know and don't care as i prefer to sit on outside deck somewhere but not sit in a bar

i like to sit on an outside deck chair at sunset time and drink a few glasses of wine...even with the app and drink package it is a pain to get a tiny glass of wine delivered to you quickly ..by the time i get it delivered i need to order another one as it will be gone before he gets back with another glass.....much easier to do as said and fill up a bottle to take with you and pour your own... those tiny little pours of a glass of wine don't last me very long at all til i need another glass...

Good luck...i never had any problem doing this...sometimes i just go into restroom and pour into flask or water bottle....if u also have one of those tiny funnels it makes it even easier....go to several bars and repeat and next thing u know u have a flask full to use where and when you choose.