BermudaBound2014

It’s likely all the bean counters at HAL have done their homework and offering these low deposits ‘work’. What we don’t know is their definition of ‘work’. I have always suspected these low deposits are a way to inflate future booking numbers so that when CCL reports their quarterlies to the SEC the future looks bright. The last SEC report looked all nice a rosy on the surface but if you dig deeper it’s obvious that debt continues to be a very serious problem. Their revenue maybe showing higher but their expenses are tied to inflation and energy pricing. Not to mention, with long term debt at nearly 30 Billion, the interest only payments are brutal. CCL can’t afford to report lower future bookings to the SEC at the next quarterly. Perhaps the dollar deposits do bring in future passengers (who actually sail), but it doesn’t hurt the company to report that their 2026 bookings are at ‘record levels’.

Aloha SilverSweatheart :). We just spent a day upcountry admiring your gorgeous jacaranda trees in bloom. Such a lovely part of the island you call home. Just a FYI, it looks like Home Made Bakery decided to close after all. There was talk of closing, then not closing, but this article published yesterday states they changed their minds again and will close at the end of this month. https://mauinow.com/2024/04/18/home-maid-bakery-to-close-its-lower-main-street-location-on-april-29-potential-partnership-is-in-the-works/ ,

Thanks Mary~ Did you have issues with uniformity of excellence? I was very pleased with the standard of service onboard. There was a bit of service inconsistencies (most complaints appeared to be in the MDR which I didn’t attend). There were a few misses with room service and I did get a glass of ice dumped on my head while I was sleeping in my playpen, but other than that, I thought service was outstanding :-). About the ice incident. It was a total accident and my guy was literally in shock! That could have happened regardless of training. I took it like a champ, assuring him that I needed to wake up anyway (and have witnesses that I was more concerned about the young mans ego than I was about my abrupt waking @Rhonda and Keith haha). I’m just thankful he didn’t dump a glass of ice on some of the CrankyMcCrankisters I saw around the ship who would have most certainly went after his job, or asked for OBC ;-) But here’s the thing. This young man (who will remain nameless just in case someone wants to be a jerk about the dumping) was going above and beyond in service when he had the little ooopsy. Since I had the same playpen daily he learned that I liked Arnold Palmers. In this instance, he was bringing ice to my Arnold Palmer so that when I woke up the drink would be fresh and cold! How Sweet Is That???? He and I are social media friends now and we will forever laugh about the time he woke me up from a leisure nap by dousing me in an ice bath :). When I compare the service on HAL to the service we received on Carnival and NCL just a month prior, HAL’s service was significantly better. More servers walk around offering drinks (that was non-existent on carnival). Sure there were instances in busy venues that it was difficult to get a drink, but I am more concerned about the amount of watering down that HAL is doing to the drinks than I am about waiting an extra 20 minutes. I’m not a huge drinker. One evening I polished off three gin/tonics pretty quickly. On land I would have been seriously impaired. Onboard, I felt the tiny tiniest of a buzz. It happened several times. I actually stopped consuming alcoholic drinks because I could keep drinking (and drinking) with the only measurable result being the calories were making fat. By the end of the trip it was wine or beer for this girl. Back to service: My cabin stewards serviced the cabin twice daily (no longer the case on carnival or ncl). They were exceptional. I told them they did not have to do towel animals for me nightly and they insisted! I got chocolates on my pillows (was that a function of it being a legendary cruise or are all HAL cruises getting chocolate?) Also, the service in the lido was exceptional for me. I sat on the opposite side of the line that was open and, again, got to know the same person daily. He always had my drink ready and that guy would have gotten me anything from the buffet had I asked. I guess my super long winded point is that with or without the service excellence program, I would rank service on HAL a solid 9/10, especially when compared to NCL and Carnival. I did not see anything service related that I thought needed serious revision. I do believe that they need to bring back the uniformity of excellence training when it comes to programing onboard entertainment. Lack of physically active and fun things to do (especially with those long stretches of sea days) was really the only area I thought in need of significant revision. If HAL wants to grab the attention of the soon to be retired Gen Xers, they need to rid themselves of their reputation as a cruise line for the elderly. And note that, imo, elderly isn’t a number~ it’s a mindset.

Take a look at how these last minute prices compare with the $49 offer HAL recently launched. For those able to travel last minute, it appears that often it’s better to just book direct and pick your cabin and KNOW you are traveling, sometimes weeks in advance.

I thought Grant came from Royal? I swore we talked about rhapsody of the seas. Although come to think of it he did mention Disney wasn’t a good fit for him due to all the kids. I suppose he could come from both Disney and Royal. I have never sailed Disney but the Royal playmakers do an excellent job!! Entertainment is one area where HAL falls way short when compared to other main stream lines. It’s evident entertainment isn’t a priority given the size of grants team (3) is tiny compared to others with activity staffs over 10. Where Hal excels is itinerary at an excellent price point. I know that’s why I sail with them.

Hi Annie!! Thanks for the info. Two questions, who the heck is Emma and how does she still have a job? I vote for everyone getting out of Grants way and letting him run the entertainment!!

All that is very true. Indeed. No argument from me. Lots of people sail HAL for the subdued atmosphere, hence their reputation.

The navigator app never worked off the ship for me, but all the port agent info was supplied in a separate half sheet of paper and left on my bed the night before a port. It was easy enough to tuck in my backpack. I thought this system worked well because it was so easy to carry. One thing I forgot to mention in my survey (kicking myself) is the lack of use of the stateroom TV to broadcast all the happenings of the ship so that I could watch in the evening before bed. Not once did I get to listen to the cruise directors port talks because the world stage would fill LONG before the scheduled event. Not to mention those were held at inconvenient times for me. Why not rebroadcast the port talks so we can tune in whenever? It’s possible the music and step one dance is copyrighted, but all other ship activities are most certainly fair game. The technology exists because they were able to rebroadcast the crew talent show. Every other ship I have been on in the last couple decades has provided this service to their guests. Why K’dam didn’t is beyond me. In the same line of thinking, why not have the photographers walk around the ship filming clips of all the activities and rebroadcast that on the tv? IMO, Hal left lots of money on the table by not videotaping the hula/ukulele concert put on by guests. Slap that on an .89cent flash drive and sell it for $49.99. There would have been takers. Even I may have purchased a flash drive of snippets from the entire cruise including port stops. It’s not like the company isn’t 28 Billion dollars in debt ;-). This is one revenue generator that I think would go over well with guests and I offer the idea free of royalties 🙂

Yep, Grant was a 10+, born to be in front of crowds with a mic. So warm, welcoming, and inclusive. He really had a positive impact on my cruise. I’m still a little miffed that dance class was cut short 2 days early because Grant was needed in the world stage. Sure, the world stage was a great presentation, but couldn’t dance class have been offered sometime in the 9-10 hour block? After Tai Chi but before the “life at sea’ presentation? If you added in the folks participating in the balconies, dance class had to be approaching 100 participants and it was the ONLY activity offered for those of us who want a little more high energy. I get that Grant is only one person and can’t be everywhere, but there has to be a work around besides cutting out an activity that had such high attendance. Again, a scheduling blunder. Regarding movies at the lido. I do agree that during the day would be invasive on all the folks enjoying the pool. But why not throw on some music videos? That large screen showed a drop of water for 35 days (well there was some gold chain thing too for variety). I asked every single day in the app for music to be played in the lido. If only for a couple hours. If not the lido, then the sea view. Offer one pool with a bit livelier atmosphere. I do understand that on this particular cruise that might have been difficult since the majority of passengers likely grew up without MTV, but every generation likes music. Again, not both pools. Leave one for those who want silence. If HAL wants to rid itself of the decade old ugly stereotype of the cruise line for the “newlywed and nearly dead” then they need to pay attention to those of us who are asking for more energy. Somewhere we can find a compromise between radio silence and Guns and Roses. Oh, about the speakers. I did notice one speaker was blown. Easy enough to fix. Nearly every other cruise ship I have been on in the last decade has had movies/music videos at the lido with no sound issues. Since every single movie that was shown at the lido was also available on stateroom TV, the lack of movies wasn’t a copywright issue. I get that movies at the pool require more staff and I am the last person who wants to make more work for the crew, but HAL really should address the lack of space issue that the Kdam design created. Seems easy enough to press play every night; again a scheduling issue. I would like to know who was in charge of scheduling events. Based on the conversation @anniegb had with Kristin, it wasn’t the cruise director. So who was it? Typically it is the cruise director but apparently not on this cruise. I hope they can learn from our surveys because my requests in the app went no where. After ignoring my 22nd request for some light music during the day, I think they would have preferred it if I volunteered to walk the plank. 🙂 Finally, these are certainly first world gripes. I mention them here to help prepare future cruisers for what they might encounter, and I mentioned them in the survey (and app) to help HAL better meet the needs of the up and coming population of cruisers. Make no mistake; the good far outweighed the bad. I had an AMAZING journey on the K’dam. Largely due to all the relationships I was able to form with like minded travelers and the incredible places we visited. Most importantly, I most certainly made life long friends and that trumps listening to Bon Jovi at the lido.

I have it in my notes to write about the Koningsdam Ball and Chocolate Surprise. This was held on the last formal night. Be warned, this is going to sound really negative, but I honestly believe this is a place where HAL needs some improvement. My group got to BBkings 2 hours before the Ball started. There was some type of game show (maybe it was trivia?), but we didn’t dare leave to make sure we had seats for the evening festivities. Lots of others did the same. I don’t think there was a single table open an hour before the show. HAL can’t really do much about the Kdams poor design. This ship just doesn’t move crowds well. As I’ve said, we were on a 6,500 And 4,000+ cruise ship a few weeks before I embarked on the Kdam, and both those ships felt FAR less crowded due to their design. Even though the Kdam is a medium sized ship at 2,600 passengers, her space ratio is poor. In other words, she feels more crowded. Often. I’m not sure who designed RSRR, but whoever thought it would be a good idea to put a wall extending half the width of the venue needs to have their design diploma reviewed. I’d guess that about 20% of the seats in this lounge are totally blind to the band. Useless. It’s also a very poor use of space to have BB, RSRR, and BBkings so closely connected. Music bleeds between bbkings and RSRR. I get the theory, put the rooms close together so people don’t need to walk far, but what this does is create terrible traffic jams because everyone is competing for limited space all evening. If you want a good seat- show up early. The Kdam is also lacking a lounge where they can hold a party that everyone can attend. The orange party on the lido was great! Everyone fit. Sure it was super hot because the roof malfunctioned, and the timing was off because we had to get up in the morning for an island, but everyone fit in one venue! This created a unified high energy atmosphere. BBKings just can’t do that. There were many people who could not attend the Ball or the St Patty's day party because all seats were taken hours before the parties started. And in spite of my attempts to get another party held at the lido (I would guess in excess of 50 people asked for another deck party after the orange party), the request fell on deaf ears. That is a shame because the limited space of BBKing does ensure that some are left out. I don’t understand why it’s so difficult to move the parties to the lido. Not every night of course, but the Kdam Ball (or any formal party) would have been perfect for the lido. It was a cool night so heat wouldn’t have been a factor. They could open or close the roof as temperature dictated. There would have been more room to disperse chocolates around. I just don’t understand the hesitation. On a traditional tropic cruise there are three lido deck parties in 7 nights. Certainly the Kdam could have offered three in 35. I can testify that there were chocolates, but the servers brought out trays and handed them to the first tables. That meant 99% of the guests never saw chocolate let alone tasted it. There wasn’t nearly enough chocolates or servers to go around and the venue was so crowded it made it hard for them to serve. And don’t even get me started on how crowded the mosh pit (I mean dance floor) became. I realize that HAL can’t do much to fix the physical design flaws of the Kdam. The theatre, music walk, lido, etc are just too small to accommodate all passengers. BUT- they can improve the scheduling/location of events to compensate. The lido was grossly underutilized in the evening. They weren’t even offering movies each night. The lido is the one venue that can move large crowds and you just can’t get the same unified party vibe when you split people into 3 separate lounges. Ok -Off soap box. I did put similar comments in my review. Perhaps I’m in the minority, but I have to believe that some people who wanted to attend the Ball (or get chocolate), simply couldn’t because of poor venue scheduling .

I sailed on Carnival for the first time since 1996 in January and just got off the 35 day kdam. My thoughts are very similar to yours. Carnival of 2024 is much different than the carnival I remember. The food options were MUCH better on Carnival and the activities blew HAL out of the water. I do believe that HAL had significantly better service. With that, carnival is anything but subdued. It’s a vibrant atmosphere with high energy. Based on the demographics of the Kdam cruise I just finished (which was MUCH older but it also was much a longer cruise), I would not recommend carnival to those who enjoyed the discussions about metaphysics ;). Carnivals theme is FUN and they bring it all day everyday.

Sorry I’m so far behind. I do have many notes I want to contribute to wrap up this live review but this weekend was “Celebration on the Arts” here at the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua. So far I’ve had the honor of participating in the traditional Hawaiian Ceremony of “Hi’uwai” (purification) and “E Ala E” (awakening) held at sunrise to open the weekend festivities. I even learned the proper chant Hawaiians use to call up the sun. I learned how to carve Koa, how to basket weave, sat in on a presentation of natural Hawaiian healing plants, and stamped my own “art” with volcanic ash.The whole weekend has been devoted to learning about and celebrating Hawaiian heritage and I feel so blessed to take part each year. This years theme was Here are some photos (totally unrelated to my cruise review, but I feel like Maui is one big shore excursion lol). Also a couple links for those who maybe interested in learning more. https://www.forbes.com/sites/theresachristine/2019/07/30/what-is-a-hiuwai-ceremony-all-about-this-reenergizing-hawaiian-tradition/?sh=4684351c2f9e https://www.flipsnack.com/98C95F99E8C/celebration-of-the-arts-2024-program/full-view.html

I still think we are going to sail together one day, but I totally understand that this itinerary isn’t for everyone. I’m glad my review may have helped shed some light. I believe that this itinerary lends itself to those that want to spent their time IN the water. The snorkeling is some of the best I’ve encountered. Of course, just looking at the water gorgeous too, but getting in it and experiencing coral reefs that are still alive is just indescribable. The cultural land trips in FP are hot. I do recommend air conditioning transportation if you are going to spend time on land. Next year I plans to skip the land trips entirely and spend everyday in FP submersed in salt water.

I did! you pick up a ticket in the office right outside the gangway. $25 round trip. Water taxi Comes often. It’s primitive, showers didn’t work and you bring your own toilet paper. Beach was great. Snorkeling from beach was decent at the far end. Lots of locals. I will likely do this again next year. I’d be more than happy to show you where to get the tickets but it’s super easy. You can see the motu from the ship.

Thank you for following along. I agree that boththe memories and friendships I made are going to last a lifetime. I do hope to sail with you as well! My Gratitude continues as Maui greeted me with this amazing sunset from my Lanai last night. I’ve been watching a group of whales with my binoculars all morning just off of Napili bay. As much as I loved the cruise, there is something very special about my time here. Healing. Centering. Hard to explain, but I just resonate differently. I can think of no better explanation mark on a cruise of a lifetime than to spend time reflecting in paradise. My cup is overflowing….

I’m on Maui right now, I’ll wave to you 🙂

Now you know that had we danced my review may have been way BETTER! 🙂

Just goes to show that all experiences are different. There are two (or three) Ohana boats. Our crew wasn’t ‘great’ and on the other boat a CC member has photos of the crew sitting in the back on their cell phones as passengers helped each other up the ladder. I would also note there was no soap in the bathroom which, for me, was pretty icky (I didn’t see sanitize anywhere either). Since we were still under Noro protocols, I felt that sanitation for distributing the fruit was way below standards too. Apparently not all Ohana boats are created equal. I am glad you had a better experience onboard and it sounds like you went to the same snorkeling spot (inside the reef but certainly no lagoon as we would describe it). For those that want to snorkel, IMO Papeete isn’t the best choice.

Sorry we missed you Peter.

Aloha and thank you for following along. I met folks in their 80s who were doing just fine on the excursions, but only you know your physical limitations. Some of my best buds were in their 70’s and running circles around the younger folks. Based on this year’s demographics, you would be in the median age range. Plenty of ports without tenders to explore and the only two that are a bit sketchy are Fakarava and Nuka Hiva. If you do decide to go, I would be more than happy to help you both if you needed it, and if you get hooked up with the amazing CC family I’m sure there are others. I never once felt alone and knew that if something happened where I found myself in need, the community would come thru. While you can always find mean spirited people online, I have found that overwhelmingly people on CC lead with kindness.

I know the question about my disappointment with HAL tours has been asked a few times so let me tackle that question. Of course this is only my experience. Ymmv The HAL Hollywood in Kailua was ok. I paid $179. HAL raised the price to $279 for those on next years cruise. It’s a rip for $279 but they do take you to lots of pretty spots. Our tour guide wasn’t the best but I was on the bus with a great group of friends that made the time go by nicely. It was my favorite of the three Hal tours I did. I can not recommend the next two HAL excursions. The first was Ohana Catamaran from Papette (note, they also have Ohana catamaran from Moorea which will likely be much better because the water in Moorea is much better for snorkeling. The description says you snorkel in a lagoon. Be aware that in FP, a lagoon is everything inside the coral reef. Basically we anchored in a boating lane in water that was about 25-30 feet deep. There was minimal coral and fish. The hygiene standards on the catamaran weren’t great either. People with me on the tour got $25 rebated. I did leave a note in navigator and asked them to call me. They never did. I could have followed up too, but for a measly $25 I didn’t want the negative energy. The tour is not as described. I’d give that one hard pass if you want snorkeling. It’s a nice boat ride. I should also mention that I do not recommend any snorkeling in Papeete for the very same reason (you don’t snorkel in a lagoon, you snorkel in a boating lane). Tahati by boat went to a very similar area. I know people pleased with tahati by boat but there were also those who were not pleased. The waters off Papeete are not in the same league as our other stops. There were turtles, but there are turtles everywhere. There are also dolphins at the entrance way to the lagoon, but you can see these from the ship at sail in. iMo the best thing to do when in Papette is a land tour because the water here just isn’t as nice. I used Eden tours (pdf information file is in this years roll call and I’ll repost when I get home). I do recommend Eden tours for a lovely circle island tour. Next year I hope to skip Papeete entirely and head to Moorea for a few extra nights. More on that in another post. The last tour I did with HaL was the photography tour in Mooraea. I had improper expectations for this tour as I was hoping for info on aperture and focal length. A more in depth class like other photo tours. Instead, the host concentrated solely on composition. She showed a couple cool tricks but it just wasn’t my vibe. All in all I was very disappointed in HAL tours and was reminded why it’s been many years since I purchased a cruise line shore excursion. I do acknowledge that ship tours are much easier and if you don’t make it to an island you are refunded. Given the medical emergency we had that prevented us from Fanning island, and the weather that prevented the cruise before ours from docking in Maui, it’s important to read all terms and conditions of any non-ship tour you may book as port stops just aren’t guaranteed.

Did you mean March 22? I’m part of a group that collects data on the numbers. It’s no longer whale soup as expected but there are plenty left according to my data sources.

I’m currently half way across the pacific on my way to Maui and getting bored so I’ll take a stab at this one now :). Truth be told I don’t snorkel much on the south side since the condo is on the west in Kapalua with some of the best snorkeling on island nearby. however; I do not recommend you cross the Pali to snorkel on the west side. I didn’t recommend that for a one day cruise stop prior to the fires and it’s worse now due to tremendous traffic on the only road into/out of the Lahaina as the clean up efforts commence. That leaves you snorkeling around Kihei. Any of the Kams are popular but my favorite spot on that side is Ulua. Some nice coral last time I was there and it’s an easy beach to enter the water at. Of course you could look up Trilogy from Ma’alaea and see if you can make an excursion to Molokini based on your timeframe. If things work out like this year I’ll be on island in April again since I plan to head to Maui after the 2025 Tahiti cruise too. If I’m on island, and not entertaining that day, I maybe able to come pick you up :). Last year I was seeing whales right up until the last week of April (although not as abundant). Based on reports I’m getting they are still around right now. I’m heading out next week and hope to get to encounter some fun comp pods. End of season comp pods are a blast!

Sadly, smash and grabs are not isolated to California :(. Somehow we have lost our way. I will continue to sail out of San Diego as long as there are itineraries I want to sail on. One day of disorganization was insignificant in the grand scheme of things. San Diego as a city offers a lot. We walked our tails off in the tourist areas the last 4 days and never once felt unsafe.

I just said goodbye to my dear friend as she must make the long trek back to Northern California to report to work in the morning. It’s been a whirlwind few days. Have I mentioned how much I love retirement? Retiring in my early 50s was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Highly recommend. We stayed at the Hyatt Manchester. Literally attached to seaport village. They do an amazing breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the club suite rooms- I highly recommend the upgrade for both the chow and views. Sunday was rainy and downright cold. Monday and today have brought bright blue skies but temps in the mid 60s. Light jacket weather for sure and it’s a good thing the pool is heated. We were going to do the Hop on hop off trolley, but everything in San Diego is pretty close and I really wanted to walk since I’ve been eating so much. 30k steps later we explored little Italy. We also walked to the gas lamp district for drinks and taco Tuesday :). We managed a harbor tour too. Time literally flew by!! I did witness my very first smash and grab. Technically it was just a grab but pretty surreal for this midwesterner. The guy was quite polite explaining that he wasn’t planning to pay (he had a variety of grocery items from the CVS on Broadway and 4th street). The worker just let him pass. Someone asked if she was going to call the police and she explained that they don’t report if the person was non violent. She also explained that it happens daily and that she is instructed not to intervene. At the risk of sounding political, wth is happening to our big cities? San Diego is a lovely town, but I’m afraid visitors maybe quite shocked at the amount of homelessness and general disarray. In spite of that little reality check, I enjoyed my time here very much and think San Diego has much to offer the cruise community. As with all large city’s it is best to always be aware, but I’ll be back next year. Unafraid and absolutely unwilling to let a few jerks dull my sparkle :). With that, just a quick 6 hour flight and I’ll be in my happy place (Kapalua, Maui) tomorrow. All of Maui is nice, but for me Kapalua is home. There is a resounding level of spiritual energy in the Aina’, and I look forward to laying my head down there tomorrow night. I can think of no better way to end this epic adventure than spending another 6 weeks on Maui. I promise that I have not forgotten your questions. Hubby arrives on Saturday so I should have several days to wrap up this review. In the meantime, here are some photos from San Diego…