Mary229

Was it a 7 day cruise? What rate per day, did you book an upper class suite? Did yo7 read my entire post?

I understand your point and when I cruised a lot in the Caribbean I never gave it a thought.

Gary mentioned that 300 passengers did not have passports and only by corporate seeking a waiver did one materialized quickly. If one were to break a leg or become ill you may have no waiver. Anyway, I always travel with a passport , it was simply an angle I had never considered

If the cruise lines cannot find a way to raise prices and continue to deteriorate their product then they will certainly be in trouble. I never we questioned their need to take on massive debt, I do question their unwillingness to tackle tricky political situations and their lackluster goals. Their only goal now seems to be fill the ships regardless. They will need to be a bit more discerning.

Gary Bembridge did a video this week and made the valid point that if you are evacuated from the ship for any reason that you will need a passport to fly home. It is something I never considered. This was an issue with the Norwegian Escape last year.

Yes, I am unsure of the hours on port days but they are open

And here is the crux of the issue. These 7 day cruises are offered at pre-inflation bargain prices and that simply cannot continue without major degradation to the product. I fail to understand how someone thinks they will get a great meal and spectacular entertainment for the price of a road side motel. I am serious. These cruises are being offered for $100 a day and that is what a roadside motel costs these days. My advice in this current circumstance is buy the lowest end of the rooms, there is no point buying the suite and getting steerage class service . At $700 it is a decent bargain holiday but at $2200/ 7 days it is not. HAL. Needs to think carefully before launching their new long, exotic itinerary model. It is one thing to suffer cutbacks for 7 days but could be mutinous for 30 days.

That is too close for my comfort. I assume this is a flight for months from now so I would first see if I could revisit the schedule and rebook something better. Usually airlines allow a free change if they changed the schedule. Secondly I wouldn’t be too worried as it will likely change again

Thank you

Can you have both OBCs, shareholder and first responder? Thank you

With egg prices I wonder if they might start up charging. 😊

Here is a travel weather site showing Sicily. Sicily is likely one of your most southern ports https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/italy/sicily I live in North Texas, that is not sundress weather for me

I have a friend whose business includes permanent makeup. It is a tattoo but am told it does fade after a few years - not completely though. She has offered many times but I am far too squeamish to do something permanent.

Since retirement DH wears the silk blend tropical shirts. His are more in the Mexican wedding shirt variety - same fit, fewer flowers. He gets many compliments.

I did that specific cruise last April. I enjoyed many hot tub hours. Others enjoyed the pool. I don’t recall a day I didn’t visit the pools.

HAL used to have very good enrichment just a few short years ago. When they do their grand voyages with a full enrichment program it is absolutely delightful. My cruises since the pandemic have been ok but none of them were to the standard I hoped for. Now that HAL is indicating that is is going to focus on longer voyages and is revamping their entertainment package my hope is that they will be upping their enrichment programs including lectures, topical movies, local cuisines and local performers. Stay tuned and I will be sure to report.

That assumes they maintain the current passenger cabin configurations. If their bet on long, exotic, more expensive per diem voyages pans out they can afford to convert those rooms to more spacious suites.

There is no room for a chair. The little stool, if not pushed under the vanity is in the way.

We all have preferences and experience. I have not been impressed at all with Lincoln Center. I am not going to argue anymore about it except to say - good riddance LCS

To be clear I like live music. I have enjoyed excellent performances in the theater by headliner artists. I don’t think Lincoln Center delivers, it is clearly a canned, branded overly commercialized product meant to appeal to a mass market. I see no reason for HAL to waste money on licensing fees on top of compensation for that quality.

Most are tiny and do not have anything besides a bed, a small vanity and a small stool. Search carefully for the few larger insides, they are very few

It is clear from this thread that there is a divide and a different reaction to change. If this is simply a change in programming I think many who are complaining might react differently, it is the unknown or the fear that this will not be replaced with something. I have never liked the branded, canned products of recent years. I think people fail to realize/recall that these products are recent. One can have classical music on a cruise ship but does it have to be this particular product? I think often people are swayed by the branding.

Look at Argentina

I have heard excellent performers in the theatre. These are usually special acts or soloist hired for a single or a series of concerts and are usually virtuosos. The house bands used on the music walk are not, they are interchangeable and quoting a former poster - “commoditized” versions of branded music. I am fine with BB Kings, Billboards and Rolling Stones as lounge music suitable for dancing, socializing or partying. Classical music doesn’t have that middle ground in my mind. It should either be performed well or not at all.

That may be luck of the draw. I have mainly reached people living in Los Angeles. Flight Ease will talk to you but if you are using an agent I see no reason to deal with their mistakes, let your agent do it. I use Flight Ease with American often. It has always worked out for us.