Mary229

I had a sticky spoon in the dining room last cruise. I notified the wait staff and they replaced my entire service just to be sure. It could be an uncleaned utensil or it could have been the person setting the table🤷‍♀️

Prices are only insane if no one is paying them. Leisure industry relies on us being us detached, some are detached from their jobs, their worries, others are detached from their wallets

I agree that it would be unlikely but certain factions already dislike the cruise industry and have and can mount considerable public relations campaigns against them. I never try to gauge political risk, it is the ultimate unknown. I am surprised daily by that sector

It is sad that people are stingy, what can you do. Yes, the rest of us bear the brunt of the misers. 🤷‍♀️

Absolutely. When it became clear in 2020 that travel would suffer huge future price increases I went into action. Normally I had only one cruise booked and wouldn’t book another until I was on the ship. In recent times I have booked as much as I can, locking in today’s price where I can. There will be price inflation . In a year we will be discussing price shocks more than downgrades in services.

There is a third component and that is energy efficiency. Not only is energy efficiency a cost savings it may become a government dictate thereby immediately obsoleting some of the older ships. I really don’t think it will happen but it is always a possibility. In the meantime they can promote themselves as good stewards of the environment, people lap that up

I don’t know, I think I see a possibility for Voluntourism.

They are not compatible. It is worth mentioning on your next survey, it is an improvement that should be made

My preference is driven by itinerary. I only take long cruises with unique itineraries. I will consider all cruise lines but there really are only a handful that are in this niche. Once I get to a price point that I could as easily fly first class I will travel by other means.

FLL has become very expensive. We flew there in 2019 for less than US$200 RT, this past year it was US$250 RT, for 2023 it is close to $200 one way, thankfully I have points

I would think Portland will be on future itineraries.

There we go, we have a winner. Art and cooking. Your wife should work for HAL @ontheweb.

I am a fan of sports bottles as I do a lot of hikes but if it is a town/city day I definitely want to sample the local mineral and spring waters. I also enjoy sampling local teas and coffees. It is truly the most basic of local cuisine.

He also states that it was his first cruise and he just thinks cruising may not be for him but admits it is a bargain. He does not have a basis to judge from

Not mocking the activity simply that HAL puts it on the calendar as an enrichment special. I can see having colors and coloring pages in the library as we have crosswords, jigsaws and other quiet entertainment but as a calendar event - no. Think if you are considering HAL for a cruise and on activities you see coloring. Wow, Royal has a broadway show, Oceania an afternoon tea with a quartet and on HAL I get coloring

Will there be a cap and gown ceremony following your successful completion of finger painting?

There is water offered as you leave the ship that is part of the package. I think it is a flip top can. I get it when leaving for the day.

Try it! Let us know

Here is an interesting read. 2018 CLIA. https://cruising.org/-/media/research-updates/research/consumer-research/2018-clia-travel-report.pdf

Demographics of passengers: age increases with length of cruise and other metrics . Overall industry https://cruising.org/-/media/research-updates/research/clia-one-resource-passenger-reports/clia-global-passenger-report--2020.ashx overall the industry slants to an older demographic https://porteconomicsmanagement.org/pemp/contents/part1/ports-and-cruise-shipping/average-cruise-passenger-age-group/ Average age 57 https://www.frommers.com/macrosite/cruises/holland-america-line

I was being slightly facetious. I bet you can have a drink when coloring. Jigsaw puzzles are just there; not a scheduled activity. I don’t think coloring should be a scheduled activity . Just put the sheets out as they do with crosswords

That is easily done and likely the best way. I often pay our single bill on separate cards.

In addition to the other excellent comments - Energy efficiency, itself, is also a consumer marketing term. There is nothing that says they can’t convert one of those moderate sized, energy efficient ships to an all suite, low passenger density vessel. I think they don’t want to go into the expedition niche - very expensive to execute but there is a need for ships that can navigate smaller ports. I would like them to discuss that niche and whether they are going to compete in that niche

Yes, it is. I think it might be a drinking game. We have a studio in our town for painting while drinking. I remarked that the art teacher wasn’t too good as none of her pupils ever progressed judging by the window display. A friend enlightened me

For all HAL cruises if you hand your luggage to the porters it will soon be at your room. You are welcome to hand carry but the norm is giving it to the porters. Usually you tip the porter, just a little. I remember all of your early research and this never came up. It is something to remember to advise new cruisers. Many people carry it down as well but there is always the option to leave it out the night before to have it carried down for you and there is also a paid option to have it sent to the airport for you