Boatdrill

I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean by "that depends on the cruise". I assure you that HAL's travel agent booking portal doesn't charge a fee for specific room assignments, no matter what cruise it is.

Or you can book through a travel agent. HAL's online reservation system doesn't charge a fee for selecting rooms. Rooms which are in the same category (cat .VA for example) all cost the same.

With complete respect for your decision to leave the ship, I truly hope you'll cruise again with Princess and use the compensation they'll give you.

I watched the time lapse video several times. Everything seemed to be going well ...speed, swing, tugs. The speed was slow and consistent, and the maneuvering was under control. UNTIL the ship's stern (port quarter) suddenly accelerated towards the dock, as if pushed by a strong current from the starboard side. For just two or three seconds, the ship appeared to move on its own towards the dock. Even the port side tug quickly reversed and got out of the way. My initial thought was "Oops. It (ship) got away from them". I don't think the thrusters did it. Nor the tugs. Nor the person driving.

Got it. Thank you for the info !

Sorry, I don't understand the purpose of the OP's post. They went on a cruise, brought proof of citizenship documents, and came home. Is the OP responding a question someone asked ?

😮

Is there anything that needs to dry and set ? (I know nothing about welding)

Hmmmm. I'd stay onboard, and do the shorter cruise.

I love the play-by-play coverage. 🙂

"Bar pilot is under investigation " is kind of misleading. It's standard policy to review everyone's conduct on the bridge prior and during the incident, and test the pilot for drugs/alcohol.

Thanks for the detailed report, especially about hotels and rail transfers. Very helpful.

What a great question ! If you haven't asked HAL, try Shore Excursions = 888-425-9376 M-F 7 am - 5 pm (Pacific). They'll refer you to the department that knows.

The Daily Mail reported that after she was rescued she stayed in the ship's medical center and was later transferred to a hospital in Curacao.

To the OP....how does the Koningsdam (Pinnacle class) compare to the Nieuw Amsterdam (Signature class) for Alaska cruises, as far as size, and outdoor deck space ?

Just received the email from HAL. They're "making a change to our deployment" and offering the next cruise (November 17 - Thanksgiving cruise) as a replacement. I'm looking for the link for the Charters/Groups/Dry Dock thread but can't find it. Anyone have it ? Thanks.

I can only imagine what you went through, and it sounds like you handled it the best you could. For a variety of reasons, the captain and senior officers/staff all had their hands very full that night and their focus was where it was needed: the damage/flooding, and managing navigation/engines/power all at the same time, in rough weather. Please don't simplify what I'm saying as "The Captain was too busy to talk to you." That's not what I mean. Safety of life at sea is the #1 priority; all actions revolve around that. The decision was made not to communicate with passengers for several hours. That may not be ideal from the passengers' experience, but it does speak to the seriousness of what crew was dealing with. Maybe you can forgive the captain for his silence ? Again, he returned everyone back to port safely.

From what we know so far, yes. The ship returned intact with all 3000 passengers, plus crew, no muster to lifeboats was needed (weather and seas were too rough anyway) and the ship came home under her own power. Kudos to the Captain and crew for bringing everyone home safely.

I understand the concern about an age gap among your fellow passengers, and the possible lack of a lively bar scene that you're used to. Here's a suggestion that I guarantee will make your cruise even more memorable. After a few days on board, and you've had a chance to see how things work, make an appointment with the Guest Services Manager. Tell her that you're new to HAL, and want to arrange a private no-host cocktail party for passengers only from _________ (city or state where you live) as a way to get acquainted with other passengers, The ship will help you plan the date, time, best location, and even send out the invitations (they'll find the invitees through their pax list) . Make sure the invitations have your name as the people doing the inviting: "Ricky and Lucy from Atlanta invite you to a party for fellow Georgians". This will create camaraderie among people of all ages (couples and singles) who have two things in common - Georgia and the Amazon cruise. This takes the focus away from "no late night bar scene" and replaces it with meeting fascinating people with interesting backgrounds and travel experiences. People will appreciate that someone (you) made the effort to meet them.

Beautiful video ! Do you find HAL's overhead music in the Lido and outdoors irritating in the morning ? It drives me nuts. 🙂

They serve Pellegrino instead.

It depends on how much $$$ peace of mind worth to you.

By any chance have you mentioned your observations to fellow passengers ? Do they share your concerns ?

By comparison, although Disney Cruise Line uses the manning agency for their ships, a Disney representative trains the shoreside staff in home ports before the cruise season begins. Disney is very particular about how staff is to interact with their guests, so training is mandatory.

I understand your frustration. Shoreside operations employees in San Diego don't work directly for HAL. They're employees of a manning company that contracts with different cruise lines to provide shoreside operations (directional, check-in, embark, debark, etc.) around the world. Many years ago, when Stein Kruse was head of HAL, HAL used their own shoreside employees. HAL trained them and signed their paychecks. This lasted a long time, and ensured that the terminal check in experience was similar to the HAL experience onboard. Then, without warning, HAL signed with the manning agency after a cruise season was finished, effectively terminating the shoreside employees who had worked for them. Those former employees could apply with the new company if they wanted. A few did, but most did not. As for the HAL name tags, if the manning agency is working a Carnival ship. the name tags will say Carnival. If they're working a Princess ship, the tags say Princess.