Mary229

I like your gifts better than the duffel type bage we received on the Grand South America. Once unzipped all it is good for is hauling dirty linens to the laundry room😂

Part of the issue is where he lives and ease of returning home from certain locations. He could easily recoup the fine if the logistics are right, he could just as well leave in Mexico depending on his home location and comfort with travel . I can’t imagine staying 2 weeks at sea hating it every step of the way.

There is a little used entire casino section on CC. Many of these casino opinions belong there

If you try to purchase the transfer from the HAL website at “manage my cruise” it will state the cutoff time prior to payment

He also had a few Mexican ports to choose debarking. The long haul is through the canal and onto Fort Lauderdale.

People say that but I am not a fan. Gone are the sitting areas to cozy up with a good book. Row of books seem silly to me, I can browse on my iPad. Libraries are, historically, meeting areas, not simply rows of books.

Yes, they really should show all tiers.

I have gotten good and bad service at HAL regardless of the location of the personnel. There are many new agents working now. It may be a good time to find a travel agent for a consistent experience, at least until these new people are fully trained and more experienced. It is not costing you anything to work with an agent. It was predictable that once companies learned remote working works they would seek a lower wage environment to find employees. Many countries have been recreating an education system focusing on careers in remote work. They saw the opportunity.

I arrived at the airport on King’s day 2022 on a regional flight. It was a bit hectic since all of the Dutch were coming and going for holiday. Getting around once on the ground was fine.

Yeah, you won’t see a lot of that onboard HAL - just a lot of people who can afford to cruise year round. I guess we all know how to stretch our social security and long term health insurance benefits 😂

Some of us have been mellow since we hit adulthood and HAL suits us well. It is calm, unpretentious and never stuffy or overbearing. If you want to travel in a serene, pleasant environment it is great. It is even great for families who are trying to seek an enriching travel experience. It is not a party ship

I happily wear second hand or new clothing. On cruises I wear my most comfortable (comforting?) clothing. I only use thrift shops during travel to buy clothing for unexpectedly cool or warm weather and it is my first go-to if needed. My last stand for clothing is the garden not on travels. Perhaps this is really an issue of how long some of us tolerate clothing. I can’t imagine wearing my last stand clothes being used outside of the home and garden. Clothing I donate are clothes that “just didn’t work out” and I try to donate prior to cast off stage. all of that said I do ditch my tennis shoes on travels. I walk and hike a lot and require new athletic shoes often. My athletic shoe cast offs are usually in very good condition for street use. I usually leave them in a hotel bin that does not contain any other garbage. I assume the maids can decide if they are usable or not. It truly depends on where you are traveling. In some areas casts offs would be welcome in others not so much.

Generally the account for the room is combined so all expenditures and OBC are merged. You can change that to separated expenditures and separate OBC, I do this when I sail with a sister.

I was there too and didn’t notice a heat wave but after a summer in Texas everything north of hell feels pretty good 😊

I agree. So many people travel oblivious to the fact that they may need to make a snap decision to remove themselves from a bad situation. I guess my many years of wilderness hiking and underground recreational mining make me realize you are “on your own” always. Of all the evacuations I have had I have have watched adults in sheer panic. That panic was simply a lack of consideration and preparedness not skill or strength. a phone allows options - get one even if you only turn it on in an emergency situation. You can program your phone to only sound a call if it is from specific source such as the ship

I will be calling my agent a Monday to see if I can get the air promo added to my booking. Will report back when I get a response . If fares are equal she usually can get some form of compensation equivalency.

True but I know Apple stands by their products. Anyway because of this thread I recently was onboard and lo and behold there was this product. The store clerk quietly warned me away from buying it - I was just inspecting the signage to be sure it was clear it was not apple.

It might be sales tax if you ordered a beverage while in port. I would send them an email to get clarification, I am like you - I don’t like little stray charges

I do recall them saying they were soon going to mothball the Grand South America for a while. Perhaps that will allow for more varied shorter cruises

I just sailed from Vancouver to San Diego so it does work the OP clearly is not enjoying the experience. Why try to convince him to stay? He seems to know what he likes and dislikes so he needs to find the best method to bail out. This reminds me of a thread where the first cruise was transatlantic and after one day they discovered they hated being on a ship - that could drive someone crazy. Better to end it as soon as possible

The multi device is now 4 devices. We used it for an iPhone and iPad each.

Valparaiso is still used even though they list it as Santiago.

Usually yes but there can be exceptions. I call HAL for clarification.

I have left tours before. It is from that experience that I always have the expectation that my best laid plans may be thwarted. I find it is best to leave it behind and get on with life. Returning home from Mexico will save you at least 10 days