Honolulu Blue

Thanks. Here's a quick update for you and the two others who care (besides me, who I'm really doing this for): All the dead and injured victims are students The shooter's name was revealed No classes at Big U. until Monday Many schools and school districts in the area have closed today

Hi guys... here's a question I forgot to ask earlier... did the Pat Benatar Experience sing "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"? I ask this because there was some media coverage about the REAL P.B. declaring that she would NOT sing this anymore because of all the mass shootings. Thanks for satisfying my curiousity!

I took a cruise to Hawaii in 2018 (not on Celebrity) that was similar to yours. We didn't have a stop in Astoria, but we had a stop in Kona (tender) and we had an overnight in Honolulu before disembarking. As much as Hawaii hotels cost, cruises to/from/within Hawaii aren't exactly cheap either. I thought the little slices of Hawaii I saw were great and I'd like to go back sometime. I think you'll enjoy your cruise too. Have fun!

You've probably heard about the shootings at Big University. If not, you soon will. The very quick summary: Angry not-so-young man (who doesn't seem to be connected to the university in any way) got into two buildings on campus and started shooting. He eventually left campus and took his own life a few miles away. Three victims dead, five in critical condition. All campus activities shut down for today and tomorrow. This is a little too close to home for me, in many ways. Pray for us all. 🙏

It was, but I had also been on the Summit in September '21 and would have said the same thing then - it was in great shape. Of course, that cruise came just after the restart.

Thanks for sharing. I was on the Summit last year (and will be on her next in a couple of weeks) and on the Millie last November. I thought both ships were in near perfect shape. I guess it's true what those old car ads said - your mileage really does vary.

In addition to the above, the British Virgin Islands and the Turks & Caicos have their official currency as the US dollar. I'll bet there's a really interesting story about why these British territories shunned their own currency, but it's not relevant to this thread, so I'll stop here. Also, not anywhere near the Eastern Caribbean, but mentioned elsewhere in this thread, Panama has the US dollar as its native currency.

@twentyknots: Thank you for your review. I'm sorry you had to witness those disturbances in the MDR. Advice noted re: illness.

I'm sorry the bug seems to have found your husband. I hope he gets well soon. The treatment you described is radically different than Celebrity was applying universally just six months ago. Very interesting.

I've been on a few Celebrity cruises in the past. They do have some trivia. My last sailing on the Millennium had a comedian that performed twice on the cruise. There's music scattered about the ship, with some of the shows also involving music. I don't actively look for word games, but I imagine that they exist. I'm surprised at the pushback at the notion that Celebrity is an "entertain yourself" cruise line. Yes, they have lots of activities, but my experience is it's not as busy with activity as the mainstream ships. That's a good thing, right? @Jim_Iaininspired me to look at the app schedule for my next cruise on Celebrity in two weeks (WOOO!). It's a charter and other than the excursions and some reminder messages, there's very little on the schedule. I did find a new reminder message showing, and this is what it had under it: A little disappointing, but not a surprise. The charter company has already provided a tentative schedule online, and it's packed with items related to the charter theme. Things might change and that's what the paper newsletter is for.

I've been in steerage on many of my Carnival cruises and I never found the noise that bad. I can feel and hear the ocean bump along - especially at high speeds and/or in bad weather - but that rarely bothers me. The thrusters bother me a little, but I'm often in the shower or out and about when they're turned on. I can't remember hearing the anchor being thrown and wouldn't know what it sounds like.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the report. I think Celebrity's problem is that they didn't get cute enough with the name. Most people know (or think they know) what P&B is. I think they'd do better if they put some foreign words in the title.

Of all the M&Gs I've attended pre pandemic (none on Celebrity, granted), the conversation has been civil and I didn't witness any confrontations.

TEC has announced their artist hosted events for this year's cruise. They're not ready to be booked yet; they'll do that on the 15th with more details in another e-mail sent on that date. All of these are extra cost. As much for my archives, here are the ones that they listed: March 4 (sea day) - Champagne tasting with Morris Day March 5 (sea day) - Cupcake decorating with Mark Goodman, Tequila tasting with Alan Hunter, Vodka cocktails with Larry the Duck March 6 (Puerto Vallarta) - Wine tasting with Gerald Casale of Devo March 7 (Cabo San Lucas) - no events March 8 (sea day) - Wine tasting with Downtown Julie Brown, Cocktail mixology with Lori Majewski, Bourbon tasting with The Smithereens, Breast Cancer charity breakfast with Kim Wilde March 9 (Ensenada) - Cocktails with Tone Loc I appreciate these opportunities, really I do, but as someone who doesn't drink alcohol, most of these are awkward for me to attend - so I won't. I'm sure they'll be a blast for those that do. The others are either activities that aren't of interest or feature people that aren't of interest.

I don't think solo cruisers have become wealthier as a group, but the fact that cruise fares on an inflation adjusted basis have gone down more or less continuously since the 1970s makes them more able to cruise more often or in more luxury when they do choose to cruise. As for demographics... I'm going to choose my words carefully in order to save our mods some stress. I think the ranks of cruisers has become a lot more diverse in many ways. I think when most people choose to cruise with someone, they're looking for someone that thinks like them, acts like them, likes the same things as they do, and/or looks like them. That's less likely these days and that can cause problems in close quarters.

I know HAL used to do it several years ago, but it seems to have fallen out of fashion with them. An agency that I'm not allowed to name has available matching for its singles cruises. And I've seen it here and there mostly through informal sources. Why is it less popular than it used to be? I think @cruisemom42hinted at it in the last sentence of her post (which I've highlighted above) - most solo cruisers these days would rather grab a single cabin or pay the single tax than deal with the potential awkwardness of a roomie on their vacation.

It seems that The Knack has been dropped from the lineup of The 80s Cruise. No biggie; I wasn't going to see them anyway. Will that be the last change? I hope so. Anyway, it's only 16 days until my adventures start. Can't wait! 😃

Thanks. I forgot about cabin upgrades. True.

I decided to go ahead and book. It's a similar cabin to what I had last year and will have this year - basic interior on deck 7. The price checked out; it's $50 more than this year. $400 deposit that will be delayed until March 5 and the payments start on April 1 and continue until February. Another car payment. 😰 I hope TEC announces some real winners. Obviously I have faith that they will. This will mark the first time I have six cruises on the books. Four are for this year and two are in '24. I may not be done yet, though I think it's more likely I'll take some time to properly digest everything and enjoy the cruises I have coming up.

I wasn't sure where to put this, but there seems to be a bit of crossover between Princess and HAL. Holland America announced some special culinary cruises for 2023. These will feature "coffee chats" with the celebrity chefs, cooking demonstrations (with free recipes provided), and special reservation-only dinners at various of HAL's specialty restaurants. You can read the full details, such that we know, at https://www.cruisehive.com/holland-america-line-extends-culinary-cruise-program/93880 . Here are the foodie cruises: Ethan Sowell, Konigsdam, 35-day Hawaii & South Pacific, February 18-March 25 Andy Matsuda, Nieuw Amsterdam, 14-day Alaska, May 7-21 David Burke, Eurodam, 20-day Panama Canal, April 9-29 Jacques Torres, Zaandam, 11-day Atlantic Coast, April 18-29 Rudi Sodamin, Nieuw Statendam, 14-day Northern Isles, June 18-July 2 If you're a fan of one or more of these chefs, this seems to be a great opportunity to get to know them and their work in much greater detail. Have fun!

Thanks for sharing. I'm curious about what they offered - cash? OBC? FCC? Free drink package/specialty dining?

I got an e-mail with details about booking next year's edition of The 80s Cruise. Since I'm on this year's edition of TEC, I can book starting at 11 AM - about half an hour from now. Some other random details: If I book now or sometime before we return, I'll get a chance to reserve seats to the shows. The sooner I book, the more seats I have the opportunity to choose from Since we're changing ships for 2024, all cabins are available to everyone The single tax is listed as 50% for all room categories except suites. I'm pretty sure solos got a flat $1000 off the double occupancy price last year. This is a little better if I choose a better cabin than the basic interiors. The price for a cabin that's similar to what I have this year would cost about $50 more We get an alcohol package on this cruise, same as the other TECs I've checked out The taxes, fees, and gratuities are all bundled into a package that's conveniently priced at $350. It was $300 for this year's cruise. Apparently the Mariner has studio interiors available. That's a teeny tiny cabin for one that's in steerage. It's a few hundred cheaper than the lowest class interiors. Every little bit helps, and it would be a new adventure. Tempting... No deposit required or accepted until March 5. Then they start charging. Guess where I'll be on March 5? Maybe they'll announce the lineup by then, but maybe not. Anyway, a game plan for me is starting to emerge. Details to be announced.

Someone could, in theory, have brought on a package of Oreos (for example), eaten half of them, and then offered the other half to their favorite cabin steward/bartender/other crew member. This would have been an acceptable gift before; now, they would have to decline it.

Am I a bad person to think of AC/DC when I saw this? 😈

I imagined worse - somebody's homemade something-or-other went bad between the packing and the gifting, or someone deliberately spiked the gift with something that's actually harmful for whatever reason. I wish the world wasn't like this, but the TV and Internet have taught me that there are people out there that would/could/have done such things.