PathfinderEss

I have no idea why they blow their horns 3 times. I think if it means thanks for your hospitality like Sails said, hey that sounds good to me. All I know is that I love to hear the horns and they can do it as much as they want. :D

My DH and I wondered when this was going to happen. We were on a 30 cruise and they had a very active meet and greet. Mostly about all the private tours they were going to do, how reasonable priced they were, etc. Well I did not get involved. I thought everything I read on Hal site about tours and stuff sounded very much like the same thing and prices were very similar. So what was the big deal. Now I like people and like to meet new people but I'm not going to be tied at the hip for 30 days with people I barely know.

At our first M&G there was a very nice Bar Manager who went beyond the call of duty and got a glass of Champagne for all our members. It was very nice of him to do that. Well our, lets call her 'the leader of the pack', never mention him or Hal for doing any of this. She then went on talking about all the tours and stuff they had planned. What a slap in the face to Hal, I couldn't believed what I was hearing it was so blatant. I was so embarrassed for this young man and myself and Cruise Critic. I have been to many M&G over the years and really thought they were kind of nice, getting to meet all these people that you talked to on the roll call but never did I think they were there to take over the tour business, etc.. Maybe a little naive......on my part, I don't know, but I'm seeing more and more of them being hijacked. I would not blame Hal or the other cruise lines from dropping doing anything for M&G.

Maybe the person that takes on the M&G has something to do with the way it runs. We had a women who really wanted to be 'THE LEADER OF THE PACK'. I know you need someone who can be incharge but....not driven.

Thanks Donna for bringing this very important subject up.

Thanks KK, I'll have to put a little more in my shipboard acc. for these new drinks and a little price change.

Thanks for taking your time to write a review, all your pictures of food made me hungry.

Great review and awesome pictures.

Thank you for the pictures. They were very helpful.

McDaddy was on that Westerdam cruise, he joined us on the Port Everglades thread yesterday before board her, hope he comes back to tell us for sure what was going on. We certainly heard enough comments from the bridge yesterday to know something was happening.

Ports can (and do) sometimes restrict usage. Other times, they require it. New York docking pilots will ask for one long blast (signalling departure) and three short blasts (engines operating astern) when backing into the Hudson. In the days of not that long ago when you could stand on the roof of terminal and be adjacent to the open bridge wing (on smaller, older ships!), I often heard the docking pilot ask the captain for these blasts as they were getting ready to leave. So, sometimes it's captain's preference, sometimes it's regulatory (for or against).

 

During my Veendam cruises to Bermuda, I believe Bermuda requires a blast before passing through Two Rock Passage on the way in to Hamilton Harbour (to warn others a ship is coming through). Also, the Bermuda pilot boat always starts off a nice 3-long blast salute at the pilot station on departure after dropping the pilot (of course, answered by the much deeper voice of whatever ship you happen to be on!)

See this is what I was thinking ShipsAreTheBest, that some of these ports have rules for or agonist blowing their horns.

I know or have heard that when your up in the bays of Alaska, they cannot blow their horns, I think some years back a cruise ship was blowing its horn trying to get the glacier to calve. Big no-no and they got fined and could not cruise the glacier area for a period of time.

This one is even better apparently they've added many songs to the dream :-)

 

Thanks ariawoman, those were really fun, made me smile. I had heard that the Disney ships had the best horns and now I believe it. :D:D:D

I LOVE the foghorn! It is my notification tone on my phone now. We were on the Canada/New England tour last September and we had fog quite often, so we heard the fog horn a lot. it was relaxing to me! Here is a short video with the HAL Eurodam foghorn:

Thanks Indycal, I really enjoyed that. Now all we need to do is get the horn blow record so all of us cazy people can have it as a ring tone.:D:D:D

Beware of what you wish for !

 

On our 2010 VOV cruise on the Maasdam, the ships horn blew every three (3) minutes day & night when there was fog; which occurred almost every sea day heading east. Many passengers in outside balcony cabins toward the front of the ship complained that they could not sleep due to the ship's horn :eek:

Have experienced the fog horn being used on several cruises and really didn't mind it. It is eerily comforting to know we're letting other ships know we are out there when it is foggy. To me, it seems the horn blowing when the ships are leaving a harbor is way different then the sound of the fog horn. Now there is another question - do they have more then one horn?

I have a question for those in the know..........is there any protocol's involved in blowing a ships horn?. Why in some port of call do they and in others they don't? I presume it has to do with what a town or city noise laws are, right? I love to hear the ships horn blow...:D On our last cruise to the South Pacific our ship was the Westerdam, Captain was PJ. We hardly ever blew it, very disappointing for me...:( Do you think the Captains realize how much us passengers love hearing the horns? I always think that it is such a nice thing to do when leaving a port, its kind of like saying "thank you" for your hospitality...:) I love going to the Port Everglades web cam, to watch the ships depart and listen to them blow their horns. I get chills, I will admit I'm a sick women...;)

Hi Melodie,

 

I am looking at a photo of me and my Mom from 1981 on the Western Cruise Lines S.S. Azure Seas. Would that be the same ship?

Your probably right altosax, though I think we took the Azure Seas more in the late 80's and from what another poster said it was under the Admiral Lines then. Thanks for the info.

Hi Melodie,

 

I am looking at a photo of me and my Mom from 1981 on the Western Cruise Lines S.S. Azure Seas. Would that be the same ship?

Your probably right altosax, though I think we took the Azure Seas more in the late 80's and from what another poster said it was under the Admiral Lines then. Thanks for the info.

 

s/s Azure Seas; built as Southern Cross and delivered in 1955. Became Calypso 1973 and Azure Seas in 1980. Renamed Ocean Breeze in 1992 and Imperial Majesty in 1998. Broken up at Chittagong, Bangladesh in 2003

Wow John, that's her, I think our cabin was down along water line somewhere. Tiny cabins, we had to excuse ourselves every time my DH and I passed by each other in the cabin, consequently we spent little time there.

Amazing, where do you find all these old ships pictures? Thanks for taking the time to posted the picture of her.

 

s/s Azure Seas; built as Southern Cross and delivered in 1955. Became Calypso 1973 and Azure Seas in 1980. Renamed Ocean Breeze in 1992 and Imperial Majesty in 1998. Broken up at Chittagong, Bangladesh in 2003

Wow John, that's her, I think our cabin was down along water line somewhere. Tiny cabins, we had to excuse ourselves every time my DH and I passed by each other in the cabin, consequently we spent little time there.

Amazing, where do you find all these old ships pictures? Thanks for taking the time to posted the picture of her.

It was the ship's name. The cruise line was Admiral Cruises.

 

Also happens to be my first, in 1989 (see sig).

Thanks bigwally, I knew someone would know. You've filled in our cruise history, finally. I asked my DH and he couldn't remember. Since then I have kept good records of all our other cruises. I think because that one was not so great I just kind of wanted to forget it.

It was the ship's name. The cruise line was Admiral Cruises.

 

Also happens to be my first, in 1989 (see sig).

Thanks bigwally, I knew someone would know. You've filled in our cruise history, finally. I asked my DH and he couldn't remember. Since then I have kept good records of all our other cruises. I think because that one was not so great I just kind of wanted to forget it.

Wow, this is going to be fun. First cruise ship was the Assure Sea's, have no idea if that was the ships name or the cruise lines name. I'm guessing it was the ship's name. I'm sure someone else will know. It was a three day like yours, down to Ensenada. Was not impressed at all, it was then years later when my DH gave us a Christmas present of a cruise to Alaska during August of 1995 on the Ryndam, it was only 6 months old, in a suite. Well, as they say, the rest is history, 35 cruises, 23 with Hal.

Wow, this is going to be fun. First cruise ship was the Assure Sea's, have no idea if that was the ships name or the cruise lines name. I'm guessing it was the ship's name. I'm sure someone else will know. It was a three day like yours, down to Ensenada. Was not impressed at all, it was then years later when my DH gave us a Christmas present of a cruise to Alaska during August of 1995 on the Ryndam, it was only 6 months old, in a suite. Well, as they say, the rest is history, 35 cruises, 23 with Hal.

We've taken 4 Alaskan cruises, one from Seattle, one from SF and two from Vancouver. They've all been great. Nice smooth, calm seas, though I have heard of some rough water up there once in a while. The bigger the cruiseship, the better they take waves and they'll have less motion. Look at the tonage of the ship you want to take, compared it to others. We have done Hal 3 times and Celebrity once, but like I said all our trips were all greatl.