albingirl

We never did that because I think it would be confining, unless you have a big balcony. It's a little crowded for all those dishes. But, it could be done I suppose if that's your thing.

They did have a happy hour there, at one time. I remember people in the crow's nest knitting away and reading and acting really annoyed when we showed up for happy hour. I suppose we were laughing and making happy hour noise. We pretty much laughed at the absurdity of that

You make a good point, but I don't think that was the reason most people took books out of the library. I agree that it's a shame when I see it. It's either a flip-flop or a paperback book for the chair hogs.

You know what? You bring up a good point. I really dislike extra pillows on a bed, so when I remove them, it's a great steward who respects that and doesn't jam all those pillows on the bed every day.

Congratulations and all best wishes!!!

I agree with you. I live on an insanely busy beach in Florida and I can say, with no doubt, that 95% of the people sitting in sand chairs are holding either a hard copy of a book or a magazine. Books are not out dated, not in the least. I have a kindle, as well, because of places where there is no access to books. By necessity, and not by choice. You see, books are a big part of the happiness factor in my life and as much as people like to tell me that books are a part of the past, I can attest to the fact that I witness many people in our here and now enjoying them. One of the fun things in my life includes library visits. Doesn't cost a dime and gives me unlimited enjoyment.

They bring their lunch there so they don't lose the spot. Truth.

Back to the Crow's nest. Not only is that ruined, when they destroyed the libraries onboard, well, that was a heartbreaker. I know that they are bringing them back on some ships, slowly, but it was so incrediible that something so easy became something so hard. Libraries were well loved on all my sailings, most especially the long ones.

Agree 100%. I've raved about the Canaletto, but on another sailing, same ship, it was a very different experience.

They zip which is a plus. I do miss the old canvas bags, though. Although I probably have half a dozen floating around somewhere in my house. I still use them.

And I have had several PCCs because of layoffs within the organization. You really need to know what you are doing to protect your interests. It's not as easy as it was.

We do get sidetracked a bit, but sometimes it can be informative.

For some odd reason, we ended up with CO added to our reservation. But, since we never used it for an upgrade, we thought the dining was fabulous, especially since it was a sold out cruise. Seriously, I wish the cruiseline would make it just as easy at all dining options on the ship. There were people there who had 4 and 5 stars complaining about the special treatment here that they felt should be theirs. So noted and I agree.

This subject of bags given out in grocery stores interests me. Years ago, in Portugal, you did have to pay for a bag, small money but enough to make you think about it. Our habits in the US are slow to change, but they are changing. Excessive use of plastics ruining our wildlife was enough of a wake up for me. I am so against excessive and needless laws but this is straight to my heart.

And thank you! Breaking up is hard to do! Sounds like an old song but so true!

And now I am confused by the confusion here.

Plenty of time for that. Full speed ahead lol.

The dining is a difficult issue. Early is too early for me, and late is, well, just too late. We are "in between" diners, so the best option for us was Club Orange. Waiting in line for dinner is a total drag, in my opinion, and we really had minimum wait times with CO.

My two cents on the OV...they're fine. We usually sail in a balcony but on our last cruise on the NS, we had an OV on the deck 4. Well, it was great and had plenty of room. What I really liked was that it had a couch and the ocean was right out the window when looked outside. There is a big price difference, but I saw no difference in the quality of my enjoyment of the cruise.

Agree. They seem to brag, rather loudly, about stiffing the crew. Like it's a badge of honor. It is very sad.

Bon Voyage! I love that ship; have a wonderful time.

I really miss the full promenade on the Pinnacle class. Now, there is where you can find quiet on the loungers placed there. Many people, including me, have a book in hand while they nap. Lol.

You have been pretty clear about the fact that you are no longer sailing with HAL. You've made that point on several occasions. Your assumption, as well, about my sailing experience is irrelevant.

Using rave reviews to make decisions is not particularly analytical. People who write reviews on cruise critic are a small subset of the overall number of people who cruise on HAL. If you don't cruise with HAL, then you are in no position to make comparisons.

I agree with everything you say. The smoking was a fierce topic here for a long time and quite contentious. It's a tough topic for many but I am one who generally doesn't care until its drift into dining areas. But, I live in a state where they allow it in outdoor dining. Usually those are dive bars. Love them or leave them.