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Captain Ricky

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  • Posts

    712
  • Joined

About Me

  • Location
    Sitka, Alaska
  • Interests
    Photography, radio, travel.
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Holland America
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Sitka, Alaska
  • If you have a personal or hobby CRUISE or TRAVEL BLOG, include the url here:
    https://rich.mcclear.net/

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Captain Ricky's Achievements

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Cool Cruiser (2/15)

  1. We really enjoyed Mauritius once out of the HDU and given the day furloughs from the hospital. We also had a delightful lunch in French restaurant but ours was on a northern beach. Also enjoyed people watching. I had a nice window by my bed overlooking a park. Thanks for the suggestion on posting.
  2. Oh, absolutely I want to do it again. If I get an OK from the docs I will give it another try. Right now we are booked for the 2024 but are looking seriously at the 2025 Pole to Pole just announced. If we do that we may drop the 2024. On the other hand I am not getting any younger.
  3. How would you recommend that I start it? Under Holland America or as a general forum under Cruise Discussion Topics or Cruise Conversations. I have only started one string before and that was a roll call. I am willing to do it I just want to put it where it will help the most people
  4. If you are caught up in a situation where you are disembarked for health reasons my experience may be helpful for you. Please click on the link to my blog post. https://rich.mcclear.net/2023/04/20/a-coda-of-sorts-lessons-learned/
  5. First of all I want to offer my sincere condolences. I was on the same cruise, had internal bleeding on the Indian Ocean crossing and was put off the ship in Mauritius. The ship's hospital has limited facilities, basically designed to stabilize a patient until they can be off loaded to a bigger facility. I was in the hospital in Mauritius for two weeks. Carefree kept in constant contact and arranged for my medical evacuation when I was "fit to fly." I may have liked to go home earlier but the decision of the doctors and Carefree was to wait until they were sure I would survive the repatriation. They handled the reservations, made sure I had wheelchairs in Dubai and Seattle where I changed planes. I am sorry your experience was far worse. But I trust the medical department of HAL. They did what they could (and kept me alive) until they could get me off the ship. They found a good clinic and both HAL and Carefree were on the phone with me almost immediately. The Embassy should be able to help you get the remains repatriated. But the suggestion that you involve a member of Congress, offered above, is not a bad one. Take Care and be strong. I know the bureaucracy you have to deal with is frustrating.
  6. It might be that HAL owns a lot of the ground infrastructure in Alaska, hotels, restaurants, Westours, rail cars on the Alaska Railroad, White Pass and Yukon Route. They hope to make their money on the tours companies they own and the ground packages they offer when they own the infrastructure.
  7. I have been on only one cruise since the pandemic, a small expedition ship in Alaska (I live here and they have special rates to fill last minute vacancies.) I loved it but am looking forward to being back on HAL for the Grand World in January. I realize that it may not be what I am used to (I am a 5* so have some experience with the line.) But then I am not paying a whole lot because of the "bonus" FCCs I got when the world was interrupted in 2020 and other credits from 4 canceled cruises between then and now as compensation FCCs for the cancelations. (Two were COVID related, one because they sold the ship and one because they used the ship for Ukrainian refugees, no complaints on my part about that. Highest and best use.) HAL will probably not be getting a lot of revenue from this sailing. I expect to notice it. I also expect to enjoy the experience a lot.
  8. I can avoid the casino but can't avoid the drifting smoke on some ships. It would be nice if the casino's either banned smoking, were enclosed or had MUCH better exhaust fans.
  9. Looking to the future a lot is going to have to change because of the industry's pledge to go carbon neutral and because of pollution concerns. For instance. While I love towel animals think of the environmental costs. The ship has to generate the electricity to desalinate the water used to wash the extra towels, power the washers and driers to clean and dry them and then dispose of that much more water with detergent. Lots of little things like that add up when it comes to carbon, fuel costs and discharge into the ocean. My guess is that we will be seeing several changes that will reduce electric consumption, for instance.
  10. I like ice cream on my morning oatmeal. Milk and sugar together!
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