navybankerteacher

Every ship I've sailed (including Celebrity's Millenium) has had working temp controls.

I guess it is just one more cost-cutting measure. I first really noticed them about 15 years ago when HAL stopped serving fresh-squeezed OJ (at no charge) for breakfast in the Lido.

Have they cancelled the Bermuda stop? Generally cruises have the ability to make up for a few hours of delay by increasing speed - I suppose it would depend upon how many hours were involved for them to get to Bermuda soon enough to make the effort worth while. Increasing speed by 2 knots on a 36 hour leg could cure a few hours’ delayed sailing.

Well, he is the oldest, by about a decade, to ever be crowned in Britain. The second was William IV, at 64, about two centuries ago. I wish him a long and happy reign (as he bears the name of a couple of my favorite of Britain’s rulers) — still, time does move on.

Actually, Charles III is no spring chicken - there is a fair likelihood of there being another Coronation within a decade or two; or are “most of us” that mature?

It’s not the area cruised which calls for the “distant foreign port” stop - it is if the cruise is not a round trip - returning to port of origin. Halifax (the usual stop for a round trip out of Boston or New York) is not considered “distant” - it is just a “foreign” port. If a line wanted to offer a New England cruise starting in New York and ending in Boston, the “foreign” port would have to be something like Cartagena or Southampton.

Yes - American Cruise Lines.

It seems kind of silly to establish a shelter there than can only be used for about two months (until cruising calls start). Does anyone really think the situation will be resolved that quickly?

Where have you looked? I easily found many which go from Italy to Israel : NCL, Oceania, HAL, Royal Caribbean, Princess. Probably many more if you are open about embarkation port. Do you want to go from one to the other - and what time of year? Any travel agent can help - but the web site I used cannot be mentioned here.

Where would he board?

Right - I just checked - she will be sailing year round - primarily 7 day low cost itineraries - a real breakthrough for that facility.

Yes, Brooklyn is a little-used port. Essentially just QM 2 when she is not on her world itinerary and Caribbean Princess for her late summer/early fall NY season.

On my first deployment to the Caribbean, back when US Navy ships drew in seawater for fire and flushing, and discharged sewage back into the sea, we were at anchor off the south shore of Vieques (just to the east of Puerto Rico) supporting Marines on landing exercises, and when you flushed the toilet at night the entire bowl glowed a pale yellow green from the agitated bioluminescent creatures so thick in the sea water.

We stayed there as well - a short walk up the hill to a bunch of good restaurants - and an inexpensive liquor store on the way back. (Helped when HAL used to let you bring wine on board - not sure now that they have gotten pretty thoroughly Carnivalized.)

The notion of picking an itinerary on the basis of how much you will save due to "loyalty" points strikes me as absurd. Each cruise, or land trip, I take is because it is what I want to do and see at the time I deciding what I want. Of course if two lines provide itineraries which are equally attractive, I am likely to go for the less expensive one.

Sailed HAL from New York to the Caribbean in January a number of years ago (2004-09) - often bitter cold at sail-away with ice floes in the Hudson - but in 70’s by early afternoon first full day as we hit the Gulf Stream - a great transition.

I suppose all dresses can be thought of as frocks, but some frocks are hardly properly referred to as dresses - those long garments worn by monks, or those protective outer garments also sometimes referred to as smocks - which would also include pinafores - which some, I suppose, could wear as dresses.

“Practicable” should involve the concept of being “profitable” as well being simply “possible”. If Cunard thought they could make money on five or six day crossings (which speed would be “possible” on QM2), I believe they would. But I am willing to bet that the fares would be so much higher that combined with the difficulty of finding enough passengers who want such an abbreviated crossing that Cunard knows better than to try it.

Absolutely - of course it depends upon the dress — some are frocks, some are not. Somewhat comparable to the terms “men” and “gentlemen” - some men are gentlemen, some are not.

We’ve sailed about a dozen westbound trans-Atlantics - all in October or November, some 7 day crossings from Southampton to New York, the rest longer ones from Mediterranean ports to Florida - and one to Texas. The Atlantic keeps its summer warmth well into November, so a good part of your itinerary should be in 70+ degree F seawater plus whatever air temps - probably well into the 70’s after the first couple of days. Depends on route - will your ship call at any continental ports before crossing, and will you hit any Atlantic islands (all of which should have warmish weather that time of year)? - you should have “deck-sitting weather” much of the way. Of course, there is the outside chance of a hurricane necessitating course adjustment. If you sail south first, say to Lisbon or Cadiz before heading west you chances of warm weather most of the way increases.

True, but if you are on a ship carrying 4,000 or so passengers, getting to the gangway can be a mob scene if everyone wants off at the same time. Suppose there are two gangways and 3,000 people want off and it takes 3 seconds for each to swipe his sea pass it would take over an hour for all of them to get off. One reason to avoid mega ships.

Getting from amost anywhere in CT to anywhere to the south virtually condemns you to a painful sentence on I-95. Amtrak is definitely preferable.

It is probably easier for an anti-social individual to ignore/reject an approach as it is for the initiator to make it.

I suspect you can -- the only caveat being, once they start calling batches for scheduled debarkation, you are likely to find a slow-moving line ahead of you when you do head for the gangway.

Along with the lump of coal ---- and nothing else.