Sopwith

@ happy trailer: I am planning a tour of Israel and Jordan next April, which starts in Tel Aviv and ends in Amman. In order to get the best air arrangements I'll need to get back from Amman to Tel Aviv. I can fly direct on Royal Jordanian, which is expensive but doable, or I can do a land transfer, which appears to take about the same time, but looks a bit dicey.

An advice you can provide will be appreciated.

Thanks.

The cab fare from YVR to the Pan Pacific is less than 2x$29, and it's more convenient. You will rarely have to wait more than 10 minutes for a cab at YVR.

On the return, however, the wait can be as much as ~30 minutes at Canada Place, not because of lack of cabs, but because of the poor traffic management in and out. Depends on the number of ships in port that day.

I have also had a couple of responses over the years of the canned variety. I get the impression that HAL (and probably most other cruise lines) have a Department of Canned Responses. I suspect they hire these people from the airlines.

We did a land excursion a few years ago from Gatun Lake, reboarded in Colon, since it was our second transit and wanted to see a bit more. It included a walk in one of the national parks and a stop at the Gatun Locks visitors centre, finished with a bus tour of a seedy area on the way to the Colon pier. All in all, it was disappointing. We wished we had stayed on the ship, which we did the next time.

Last year on the NA I found several times there were no coffee cups at the coffee station. Each morning I had to go searching and finally take one from a table setting (assuming I could find an empty table, which is another story). I spoke to the Head Waiter and asked him to stock cups at the coffee station. It worked for one day, then back to no cups. I spoke to HW again, he said yes, we've had a lot of complaints about that, but head office says cups are to be set at the tables only.

That will tell you how much attention your comments will get: four fifths of none.

Several times when we have been accosted by photographers at the dinner table I have called them over and discretely said, "No photos please. She's not my wife!" That usually takes care of them.

We did this route in reverse a couple of years ago. The sun will be slightly north of straight overhead, but not really enough to matter. Port side will be in the shade, starboard you might get a little sun on the balcony at certain times of the day. Other than that, it doesn't matter which side.

I'm looking at the Sirena for a 16 day transatlantic with 8 sea days. I'm a little concerned that with the small ship the public spaces and facilities may be a bit lacking for this many days at sea. I'd appreciate others' perspective about this. Are pool and hot tub decks adequate? Is there a coffee bar like the Marina and Riviera? Enough outdoor deck space for lounging? How is the spa deck? There appears to be no pool or hot tub on the spa deck, so what's there other than a few loungers?

Thanks

Is it true that Sirena also has no lounge? What do I get if I pay for a Conciege Level suite on Sirena?

Thanks.

We used to cruise mostly with HAL but became disenchanted because of declining service and quality. They began shifting their business model about ten years ago to appeal more to the price sensitive mass market, and it now shows. We then tried a couple of O cruises and were much happier despite the higher price. For us it was worth it. Much better food, better service, smaller and less crowded ships.

Twice in the last five years we decided to give HAL another chance because of the timing and itinerary of particular cruises. We were disappointed both times and probably won't cruise with HAL again.

O is not perfect by any means, but much better than HAL. And pricier if that matters to you.

I think it's fairly obvious that HAL doesn't care about what individual customers say in their surveys, or on this forum, for that matter. If they did, things wouldn't be as they are.

What HAL cares about is how many customers buy the next cruise. They also realize what the airlines realize: the dominant factor for the majority of people in selecting a cruise is the price. Most people want cheap cruises, so this is what HAL tries to provide. It is apparent to long time cruisers that HAL has adjusted their business model to appeal to that price-sensitive segment of the market.

So when it comes to surveys, what matters is the collective response, and how the majority response relates to future buying patterns. In particular, I would guess that HAL attempts to discern from the surveys what they can get away with in terms of cost reduction and what they can't.

In the final analysis, as long as people continue to buy cheap HAL cruises they'll keep doing what they're doing. Just remember that when you fill out a survey they're really trying to figure out which costs they can cut next without affecting their sales too much.

Today was Albert Einstein's 138th birthday. One of his famous quotes is apropos to this thread:

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”

How "A" for effort?

Agreed. Here are the rules:

Reproduction

Out of the gene pool: dead or sterile.

Excellence

Astounding misapplication of judgment.

Self-Selection

Cause one's own demise.

Maturity

Capable of sound judgment.

Veracity

The event must be true.

They score on 2 through 5, near miss on #1.

http://www.darwinawards.com/rules/

Since they are OK, do they still qualify for the Darwin Awards?

No. In order to qualify you must remove yourself from the gene pool either by doing yourself in or by self-sterilization.

Rouge is Air Canada's version of a Low Cost Carrier. Note that "Low Cost" refers to the cost of operating the airline, not necessarily to the cost of buying a ticket. While they originally tried to pass it off as being targeted at routes frequented by price-sensitive leisure travellers, the way it has actually rolled out is that AC will "Rouge" any route they think they can get away with. It really depends on the competition they face on any particular route. Many of the Canada-US routes have been Rouged.

I have flown extensively with AC but only once with O's deviation. It is correct that you won't be able to select a seat until it is ticketed. Then the cost of the seat depends on your fare class (which is low with a cruise line), and which seat you want. Preferred seats, which include bulkhead and exit rows and a few rows near the front are more than standard seats. Longer flights cost more. Typically the first 6-12 rows are blocked out for status customers until check-in opens.

Most important: I would avoid Rouge at all costs. You might be okay on a B763, but definitely avoid the A319/320 aircraft, which have a 29" seat pitch. Horrible!

You don't say what your routing is, but my inclination is to save the deviation fee and book my own flights directly with the airline. The exception is if you need a one way TATL or TPAC flight, since you won't be able to get a decent one way fare on your own unless you go with a discount airline, which puts you back into the Rouge ilk.

We did the canal this past October on the Nieuw Amsterdam, Vancouver to Fort Lauderdale. We have cruised extensively with HAL and a few others, and had avoided HAL for a few years, but decided to try them again because the timing and itinerary worked for us.

The itinerary was good, not great. We were disappointed in the NA, mainly because of the overcrowding in the Lido, some of the entertainment venues and the main outside deck areas on the Lido deck. The food and entertainment were mediocre. It was the first cruise we've done where we skipped or walked out of some of the entertainment events. We tried the anytime dining for the first time and found if we showed up before about 7:45 we had to wait, and if we arrived after about 8:00 the place emptied out and the wait staff tried to hurry us along so they could clean up and go home.

If you value your quiet time and privacy as we do, you might do well to choose a cabin or a suite with a veranda big enough to hang out on. The one we had, Cabin 5046, only had room for chairs on the veranda, not lounges. You may have to get a suite for those. There were usually space and lounges available on the promenade deck. It will be fairly quiet other than the white noise from the ventilation exhaust, but there will be people constantly walking by. The cabanas just forward of the pool on Deck 11 were fairly private and reasonably quiet because they were rarely used. These are probably your best bet. I would stay away from the cabanas on the Lido deck because of the bustle nearby.

If we were to cruise with HAL again (unlikely) we would probably look at one of the smaller ships.

Hope that helps.

Thanks. After giving this a bit more thought and looking at my schedule we decided to let this one go. ( My semi-retirement gig isn't going so well!)

Just tentatively booked an A3 on the Insignia, but I don't see the lounge on the deck plans. Can someone tell me where it is?

Also, can a shipboard credit be used to book shorex in advance?

Thx.

As a Vancouver resident and frequent user of Skytain and the Canada Place cruise terminal I will offer the following advice.

Taxi to/from the airport takes about 35-40 minutes at most times, occasionally 45-50 minutes in rush hour. Cost is ~C$45. There are usually plenty of cabs at both ends, but at the cruise terminal it can be very busy if there are two or three ships in, which is often the case on weekends. The congestion is compounded by the inept traffic management by Canada Place in the loading area. Although there are lots of cabs, getting them in and out can be slow. I have been kept waiting 20-30 minutes for a cab just waiting for the loading zone to clear so they can get in. Once they do, it's usually clear sailing (er, driving).

If you are able to handle your bags, the Skytrain is convenient, cheap and takes you right to the airport. Here's what I recommend: as you exit the cruise terminal take the elevator or walk up the ramp to the street. As you exit the building turn left and follow the sidewalk, it will curve around to the right heading up Howe Street. After about half a block you will see an entrance to the Skytrain station: a blue sign with a white T. Although this will get you to the Canada Line, it is not the easiest way. Instead, walk a few yards past this entrance and turn left at the intersection onto Cordova Street. Go about one and a half blocks to Waterfront Station on the same (left) side. The entrance is just past an A&W restaurant. After you go in and buy your tickets from a machine follow the signs to the Canada Line - down the escalators or elevators to your left as you enter the station. (Do not go straight ahead to the Expo and Millennium Lines.). At the bottom of the escalators you will have to walk through a tunnel about another one block to the platform for the Canada Line. Pay attention to the destination of the train. Every second train goes to the airport. You want the one marked "YVR Airport". If you get on the wrong train ("Richmond - Brighouse") you'll have to switch part way there, so you might as well wait for the right one. Normally they run every 3-4 minutes during the day.

From the airport it is quite easy. Follow the signs to the Canada Line station. Note they whack you an extra $5.00 when you board at the airport. :(

With the above said, I would avoid the HAL transfer unless you need help handling your bags or don't mind paying for the slightly better convenience but probably longer trip.

Good luck.

It's easier than getting into an argument with a government agent.

In my business there's an old saying: "Arguing with an inspector is like wrestling with a pig in the mud. After a while you realize the pig is enjoying it." ;)

Last October we arrived at Fort Lauderdale to find a massive clusterfumble by USCBP. There were huge delays. We ended up disembarking about an hour after our requested time and an hour before our call because we were worried about missing our flight. We then found the queue at least 2.5-3 hours long. After waiting 30-40 minutes they opened the Nexus/GE line and we got through in about 15 minutes and made the flight.

Lesson learned: make sure you carry your card with you. We needed it but only to get access to the Nexus line.

That has not been my experience. Air Canada canceled my flight, and still would not make the change for me directly when I called them. I had to go through my travel agent and she was on vacation! I was unaware of any package when I booked the flight and the cruise.

Bingo! This is exactly what I was warning about. Most airlines will do the same.

Any bottled water will be fine in your CPAP for the short time you're on a cruise.

A few of things I have learned over many years of frequent flying:

1. If you allow a cruise line to book air transport, they will usually do what's best for them, not what's best for you.

2. If an agency books the ticket you usually do not have any control over what fare class they book and you often get booked into a highly restricted class without knowing about it until you need to make a change or select a seat.

3. As a general rule it is unwise to allow any agency to book your air transport. If you need to make any changes, book seats, etc. for any reason before your trip, the airline will not talk to you. You must go through the agency and hope that (a) they're available when you need them, and (b) they have the inclination to do their best to help you. In the case of weather or mechanical disruptions during the trip the airline will rebook you, but the fact that an agency is involved sometimes complicates matters.