Mary229

That can vary widely not only by ship but hour of the day. On HAL they only sell good cosmetics, at a lower price than in the states, so that is a plus.

Not on a cruise but a two week business trip - I forgot the luggage, yep everything but my hanging clothes. No underwear, no toiletries, no extra shoes - left them all at home. I was a Walmart fashion diva for two weeks. So now we always say “don’t worry, there is always Walmart” and yes there is a store everywhere you go including on the ship.

Unfortunately the ship is required to sail with lights and there will be light pollution. As stated above there is sometimes a sky/star deck which is actually just a small space on the upper deck. Occasionally a captain will diminish some lights on that area if there is a celestial event

I have sailed both Princess and Holland to Alaska. They both do an excellent cruise. Princess for more nightlife and Holland for more serenity. Contrary to above opinions I always sail Alaska from an upper deck inside cabin. Yes they can be small but the crow’s nest or the outside observation decks, where the naturalists hang out, are a step away. It is good to view with others as you have multiple eyes for wildlife spotting and with the observation deck/crow’s nest you can enjoy multiple vantage points plus the beverage of your choice.

I had similar problems on the Koningsdam in 2019 and I am sure the new issues have only compounded the issues. Best advice for the Klamath is to have fixed dining. Something needs to be fixed on that ship. as to the entertainment: cruise lines do need to change it up occasionally for various reasons. The whole multimedia talk programs were idiotic in my opinion. I am speaking about the cooking demos which were part tv series viewing with a live host or the port talks and other canned talks the CD gives which are part tv and part lecture. I can stream the video of my choice and now that we are getting Starlink that might be possible. I did like the Captain’s talk with multimedia. HAL has declared they are going to focus on long voyages, let hope that includes live enrichment programs in the theater.

I do like the gallery bar. I just recently became acquainted with it and it is a serene location. In modern cruising serene is no longer fashionable

They sell cigarettes on HAL and it is likely a good profit center too. People smoke more, likely, when gambling and if they don’t have to move for a cigarette break then they gamble more

People in the thermal suite are at maximum relaxation and won’t be enticed more to relax more but smokers and drinkers do gamble more when they are drinking and smoking.

It seems to me with every tweak, change or upcharge there are at least 10% who are never sailing again. This is a moneymaker as are alcohol and tobacco sales. It is what it is.

In Iceland you will find the honor system alive and well. Actually all through Northern Europe I have paid at time of service not prior. I guess it depends on operator. I usually like small group tours hosted by locals

The ship is about a mile or so from the city center. It is a nice walk but the tour operators will meet you right at the dock. Iceland is a sparsely populated, highly developed country. It is best to arrange tours ahead of time. The big sites are not nearby and require transportation. Rental cars are expensive as is the gas.

Not really, I am always having to remind DH to run down to the casino to cash out last minute. Those chips always seem to sneak home😉

The open concept of the Lincoln Stage was never a good concept. They could hold those concerts in the little used Wajang Theater

We had a great private tour. We organized a small group of 12 through our roll call. Our guide was excellent and was savvy enough to find better places off the beaten track for some of our activities. Iceland is small enough if there is a motor vehicle issue it is only a short wait for a rescue vehicle. The second day we simply walked around town. If I am overnight in a port I definitely use the private guide for the first day.

I was seated with another passenger who was gluten free. She gave notice and every evening they gave her the next nights’s menus to choose her options which would then be prepared gluten free

Oh, I had this flying to Alaska last summer. American took the planes out of service configured for PE. It was a 7 1/2 hours of a very cramped economy seat. The plane did t even have business or first class and no food either! Geez, the times are a-changing

Let us know what happens. With airline fares increasing I assume sooner or later those flex fares will be “flexed”

I can only speak to Anchorage. I took the tour which included one night. My agent misread my communication and ended up booking two nights through HAL. I said what the heck it will save me trouble moving. One the con side there are better hotels a stone throw away on the pro side it was booked just before the inflationary environment began and it ended up being a bargain. As to South America I have travelled independently there and have always had a private driver at least for the transfer. All flights are overnight, I am exhausted and don’t want to early check in to the hotel with my very bad Spanish.

That is the official HAL invoice I was referring to. I receive it both from my TA and attached to the welcome back email from HAL

I have only received a general overview. When on the Alaska tour I received a hour by hour agenda only when I arrived at the hotel. I was hoping to get something earlier. I guess I will call. I am sailing from Buenos Aires but doing some overland tours prior to the cruise. The overland was contracted through HAL

HAL sends it

I do the same but I tend to make changes and that original invoice is so important to compare notes. $350 would have been an extreme cost savings for a 7 day Caribbean cruise and it leads me to believe there was a miscommunication not a removal of benefit

Go to the Volendam Grand South America roll call. They just left Peru. People are reporting their daily experiences

The one i get is the dude with a bottle of champagne and there is a pdf attached which details the perks and OBC. I save that PDF under the heading “original invoice”

On the roll call they reported the typical shuttle stop was changed last minute due to some small civil disturbances