richwmn

26 minutes ago, atexsix said:

Well I'm afraid I did not connect with Rich at the casino today, there was some confusion and I probably should have inquired a bit more on whom I was to be looking for. 

Sorry we missed you. We had a group of six sitting near the back of the restaurant. Someone asked @Cruising-along if she was with Cruise Critic. That wasn't by chance you was it?

We had a nice meal and a lot of good conversation.

I think Carolyn will be posting pictures and comments on most of the meals so I will just post mine.

I had a french dip with fries. It was excellent and the service was also very good again.

3 minutes ago, atexsix said:

Thanks for the invite, I will certainly try.  Which Silver Dollar Casino is it? I think there's like 3 or 4.

19222 International Blvd, SeaTac, WA 98188, in the middle of all the airport hotels

5 minutes ago, Laminator said:

There is no doubt in my mind that the POS will be upgraded when Carnival upgrades HMC. But we need to consider the outstanding job HAL's present IT team does with their website and Navigator APP. I am not holding my breath. 

It has been a while since I was ashore at HMC, but as I remember there was no POS on the island. Everything was written on multicopy receipts and then carried to the ship at the end of the visit.

@AV8rix, @atexsix We are meeting at the Silver Dollar Casino around 5:30 if you can come by it would be great.

2 minutes ago, atexsix said:

I know right.  I  think we need to do a cruise critic member rendezvous sometime, we talked about it a few years ago but then the pandemic hit and everybody interested sort of scattered.

Bruno, I haven't met you, but I think I would enjoy your company

2 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

We were in French Polynesia on the GANZ and came close to this port, but I think I remember it was removed from the itinerary. 

I think this was the port dropped when Bora Bora was added back

2 minutes ago, seagarsmoker said:

The nice bonus of being out west today is the noontime games start at 9am out there! 

Part of college game day has always been a drink with the game. 9am is a bit early for that.

The other part is that with the first game starting at 9am more games will be shown before midnight.

8 minutes ago, bronzevernis said:

With airlines it’s no boarding pass, it’s denied boarding. . 
The boarding pass has to be scanned to get through to security. It’s scanned and checked again at the gate. Airport security is extremely tight here in the UK. 
You can get a boarding pass from the agent if you’re checking in luggage with a scheduled airlines.

Sorry, I failed to mention that the person checking you in will print the boarding pass for you. I was just trying to convey the fact that you didn't need it before you got to the airport. In addition, some airlines/airports have a kiosk that will print your boarding pass after scanning your passport or dl.

Just like the airlines, the people checking you in don't really need your boarding pass. They have all your information on their computer and can check you in with just your passport.

For the most part they might glance at your boarding pass to get your name. I have checked in where they take my boarding pass and don't even look at it, getting my name from my passport.

Your boarding pass may be more important to get into the building, but someone will have access to the manifest and be able to get you past that.

08/31/24 Seattle, Washington pre cruise

Good morning. According to Navigator on my phone this morning, our adventure begins at midnight tonight. That would be nice, however tomorrow at noon boarding the ship will be fine. We will be leaving the hotel at 11 and I believe it should take about 30 minutes to get to the pier.

This morning is College Game Day, followed by football from 9:00am to Noon. A friend will be arriving then, followed by dinner with Seattle friends. Maybe a little more college football after eating.

I hope everyone has safe travels today, and no delays arriving in Seattle. See everyone tomorrow!

20 minutes ago, atexsix said:

Dave's was over by the south airport entrance, it permanently closed about 6 or 7 years ago IIRC when the owner retired.

After I wrote the previous entry I did a little checking and found this out and it wasn't the place I was thinking about

08/30/24 Seattle, Washington pre cruise

Another lazy day with a late start. I did manage to sleep until almost 5:30. Maybe tomorrow I’ll make my normal 6am. Breakfast wasn’t as crowded as yesterday, but more than I would have expected.

I headed downstairs about 11am expecting to ask the front desk if the shuttle driver could take me to the train station, as happened when I stayed here a few years ago. I came to the realization that I wasn’t going to the train station. It seems another ship (or more) is leaving here today. There was a massive backup of people to get on the shuttle to in the lobby when I got downstairs.

With that in mind, I took a walk in another direction. A short distance away, next to the 7-11 from yesterday was an Asian restaurant named Teriyaki. Further along is a Taco Bell and a Jack in the Box. I also saw a sign for Dave’s Diner and I walked a bit in the direction the sign said but I didn’t see it and it didn’t show up on Google Maps. It might be the diner I had a good meal at during my first visit to Seattle a long time ago.

I ended up walking back to Teriyaki. This is a very small mostly take out restaurant. It only has two small tables set up as two tops for dining in. The menu is typical for this type of place, a bunch of pictures with prices. I ended up with Teriyaki Chicken which came with rice and cabbage. Drink, Meal, tip and all came out to $20, and portion was generous. The meal was very good, and extremely filling.

Back at the hotel, there are still many people checking out with luggage that suggests going on a cruise.

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the day and the Labor Day holiday weekend.

25 minutes ago, AV8rix said:

Just so's ya know, Rich:  The little Seattle-Vancouver segment is generally a booze cruise for corporate folks.  Because I live here I've done that one a few times as a starter to Hawaii and other cruises.  I generally just stay in my stateroom for that segment -- away from public venues.  One time on Edam or NA I figured that Tamarind would be safe for dinner so I booked it.  When I got there they had pushed some tables together for a group of 12 very loud drunks.  As I was leaving I said to the manager, "They're corporate, aren't they?".  He just rolled his eyes and nodded in the affirmative.

Thanks for the warning, but I expected this. Not necessarily corporate, but considering the timing and distance involved it is an easy thing to imagine.

08/29/24 Seattle, Washington pre cruise

Today has really been a beautiful day in Seattle. The temperature has been nice and it is currently (6:30pm) 77°. I intended today to be a lazy day recovering from crossing from Eastern time to Pacific and that is what I did. I ended up staying awake until about 11pm Pacific time but that really didn’t help. I still woke up at 6am Eastern. I was able to go back to sleep for another two hours, finally waking up at 5am Pacific. Breakfast at the hotel started at 6am and was ready when I went down within a few minutes after that. The breakfast area was pretty crowded but I found what I wanted and was able to sit long enough to eat. The selection was scrambled eggs, sausage links, waffles, and three types of cereal. There might have been a bit more. Also available – apple and orange juice plus two more, and of course coffee. A staff member was there to make sure everything went smoothly.

After breakfast it was back to the room to catch up with social media and email. At 11am I went back to Silver Dollar Casino for lunch. Today I went with the chicken tender plate with french fries. I’m not one to photograph my meals, but I managed to today.

The food was again good. What was interesting was that for some reason I recognized the server from several years ago when I stayed at the same hotel and we talked about it. She has worked there for 13 years. Unfortunately, she is now off for the rest of the week so I won’t see her again.

After I left the Casino, I walked around the area for a little bit and found a 7-11. It is also within short walking distance so I grabbed some snacks and went back to the hotel. Again I have used today to relax and I will see what tomorrow brings.

34 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

Howard and Gill are not joining you, so you need to find another trivia group.

Sorry to hear that, I hope everything is ok. Howard has my email if he would like to get in touch

1 minute ago, Sir PMP said:

You won't see Howard.

Tell me more please

8 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Perhaps you could find a local willing to show you around. A full day opens up many possibilities. Perhaps you can give us some insights from your south seas Grand Voyage last year. We are doing a long cruise from New Zealand back home next year. Let me know.

email is richwmn at gmail dot com, send me a note and we can chat

10 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

@richwmn what have you got planned for Victoria?

To be honest, I don't have any plans at the moment. I generally play most ports 'by ear' and don't plan. Victoria I didn't think about at all because I didn't notice that we had a full day. All of my other Alaska cruises had very short, evening stops there. At this point I'll probably find a cab driver that wants to show off the city

Good morning from Seattle.

Despite staying up late last night, I woke up at 6am Eastern, 3am here. I did manage to go back to sleep for another two hours but I'm wide awake now. Still 20 minutes until the hotel breakfast is available.

In a little bit I will explore this area a little more, it looks to be a nice day today.

Since this is a holiday weekend, many will be traveling starting this afternoon, hope everyone stays safe and has a great holiday.

One place I have never been is Asia, so when I saw the Majestic Japan Cruise on Westerdam I knew I had to book it, particularly since it is a round trip out of Seattle. I added a couple of days in Seattle to the beginning, and here we are.

As always, anyone on the ship is encouraged to add their comments to this thread.

To start, here is the itinerary:

09/01/2024 Seattle, Washington 0700-1700

09/02/2024 Victoria, British Columbia 0700-2100

09/03/2024 Vancouver, Canada 0700-1600

09/04/2024 At Sea Destination Sitka Alaska eta 09-05

09/05/2024 Sitka Alaska 0800-1700

09/06/2024 Haines, Alaska 0600-1700

09/07/2024 Hubbard Glacier, Alaska 1000-1500

09/08/2024 At Sea Destination Dutch Harbor, Alaska eta 09-10

09/09/2024 At Sea Destination Dutch Harbor, Alaska eta 09-10

09/10/2024 Dutch Harbor, Alaska 0800-1700

09/11/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17

09/12/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17

09/13/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17

09/14/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17

09/15/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17

09/16/2024 At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 09-17

09/17/2024 Kushiro, Japan 0800-1700

09/18/2024 Hakodate, Japan 0800-1700

09/19/2024 At Sea Destination Yokohama, Japan eta 09-20

09/20/2024 Yokohama, Japan 0800-ovn-

09/21/2024 Yokohama, Japan -ovn--2100

09/22/2024 Shimizu, Japan 0800-1800

09/23/2024 At Sea, Destination Kobe/Osaka, Japan eta 09-24

09/24/2024 Kobe/Osaka, Japan 0700-1900

09/25/2024 Kochi, Japan 0800-1700

09/26/2024 Hiroshima, Japan 0800-2359

09/27/2024 At Sea Destination Sakaiminato, Japan eta 09-28

09/28/2024 Sakaiminato, Japan 0900-1500

09/29/2024 Toyama, Japan 0800-1700

09/30/2024 Kanazawa, Japan 0800-1700

10/01/2024 At Sea Destination Nagasaki, Japan eta 10-02

10/02/2024 Nagasaki, Japan 0800-1700

10/03/2024 At Sea Destination Ishigaki, Japan eta 10-04

10/04/2024 Ishigaki, Japan 0800-1700

10/05/2024 Naha, Japan 0730-1745

10/06/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/07/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/08/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/09/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/10/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/11/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/12/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/13/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/14/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/15/2024 At Sea Destination Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii eta 10-16

10/16/2024 Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii 0800-ovn-

10/17/2024 Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii -ovn--1700

10/18/2024 Hilo, Hawaii 0700-1500

10/19/2024 At Sea Destination Seattle, Washington eta 10-24

10/20/2024 At Sea Destination Seattle, Washington eta 10-24

10/21/2024 At Sea Destination Seattle, Washington eta 10-24

10/22/2024 At Sea Destination Seattle, Washington eta 10-24

10/23/2024 At Sea Destination Seattle, Washington eta 10-24

10/24/2024 Seattle, Washington 0700-1700

I am boarding in Seattle on September 1^st, after spending a couple of days there. Others are boarding in Vancouver and I supposed there will be some people who are only on the Seattle to Vancouver segment.

So, my trip began on Tuesday afternoon after what turned out to be a full day. Due to a miscommunication with my relief, I had to mind the business until my ride to Atlanta came to get me. Despite the relatively short distance from home to the airport, it always seems prudent to show up there the night before, for the same reason that we don’t show up at the cruise port on embarkation day. I stayed at a hotel I have used before, and had a good, restful evening.

Wednesday morning I got on a shuttle at about 7:30 and arrived at the airport a little before 8. My first, little, glitch came when I checked in my luggage. It appears that the rules have changed a bit. I knew that batteries were not allowed in checked baggage so I took the battery out of my laptop before packing it. The change is that laptops are not allowed to be in checked baggage, even without a battery. So I took the battery out and checked the bag.

So carrying the laptop and my carry on bag I headed to TSA. As many of you know, I am large so for the comfort of everyone I book first class which gives me ‘Sky Priority’ for boarding. Well, today it also gave me a shorter TSA line. When I tried to enter the normal line the representative saw the ‘Priority’ boarding pass I was directed to the shorter line. This passed quickly and I was at the gate waiting for the plane.

Once on the plane, it was a good flight. The wifi worked well and I was able to check Cruise Critic and Facebook. The flight lasted about 4 ½ hours and seemed shorter. I had order a chicken salad in advance and it and the potato salad were pretty good.

We arrived in Seattle and disembarkation from the plane went well. Luggage was a bit delayed but did show up and I got to the shuttle are area without a problem. The first shuttle arrived and it filled with about six people left out. We waited about a half hour until the next shuttle arrived. We got to the hotel and they were enforcing the 3pm check in time. They did put our luggage in a storage room for us, and I went to a nearby restaurant that I had eaten at before along with two other shuttle passengers. While there I found out that Carnival Luminosa is leaving for a seven day Alaska cruise tomorrow and this hotel is hosting quite a few of them. We got back to the hotel a little after 3 along with another shuttle arriving. Since a long line formed, I sat on the couch and checked on some things online until everyone else was checked in. I then had a very quick check in and was in my room about 4:30. It is now midnight on the east coast, and it is about time to turn in for the night and start to adjust to the change in time zone.

7 minutes ago, Torquer said:

Once we get on the ship, can I take the gift cards to the front desk or shore excursion desk, and use them to pay for the already booked shore excursions and have the money we prepaid refunded to our credit card?

Many people have said that prepaid shore excursions can be moved to OBC by the shore excursion staff.

I would apply the gift cards first so that the credit is available, then have the shore excursions moved. However, be aware that the refund will go to your on board account as refundable credit, not directly to your credit card. At the end of the cruise, any excess credit can then be refunded to your credit card.

using the in flight wifi, it looks like we are somewhere over western Tennessee, on the way to an on time arrival at SeaTac. 

This morning was an easy ride from the hotel to the airport. The only (small) problem was that the driver kept reminding the two passengers to tip, and there was a big sign reminder as well.

I had a small surprise when I checked in my bags. It seems that Delta, and maybe others, has changed the rules (again). In the past I have put my laptop without the battery in my checked bag. I had to remove it and carry it thru TSA today.

TSA today wasn't too bad. I may have missed it before, but there was a separate line for Delta Sky Priority that was pretty short. I got thru quickly and was at the gate by a little after 8am for the 10am flight. We were ready for leaving a bit early except someone was in the bathroom and held us up.

The wifi on the plane is pretty good, so I am catching up on a few things.

Hope everyone has a good day!

48 minutes ago, zelker said:

Hey, Rich!  Speaking of AARP gift cards, if I buy some before the cruise and have them applied to our onboard account, is there a limit to how much cash we can pull out to use for whatever (e.g., extra cash tips to crew, tour guides, etc.)?  If there's no limit, then thinking this is a way for us to avoid carrying a lot of cash while we're traveling to the ship.  Thx!  Barb

Greetings from somewhere in the sky. 

The only time I get cash back is at the end of the trip. I don't know if there is a limit for cash withdrawals earlier or if there is a charge to do so. Sorry

Good morning from Atlanta. I am just a short distance from the airport, which will be covered by a shuttle in about a half hour. Within 10 hours I will be in Seattle relaxing before the cruise starts.

I hope everyone has a great day.

I did this in Quebec City, but it was quite a long time ago. It was about 8 in the evening and everything was closed down. I had to show my boarding pass to a security guard to enter the building. He directed me to the gangplank where I showed by boarding pass again and was directed to the front desk where they did the check in, including taking the picture.