New Jersey Pat

If you think some bird poop had fallen on you, do not accept help from anyone. We accepted help from a "kind stranger" and were pickpocketed €50.

My first cruise was on the Homeric, round trip New York, 13 days with five Caribbean stops in the early 1960's. Wish I knew what it cost.

Since we think all the coffee is awful, we bring StarbucksVia French or Italian.

We were in Malaga two years ago on a Sunday. While walking up the main pedestrian street, we heard some music and found a municipal band playing in a square just off the street. It was wonderful as we sat at a cafe having a beer and listening to the music. I think we may have been the only tourists in the audience. Do you know if this would be happening on Sunday, October 29? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

We avoid the buffet and only use the bathroom in our cabin to cut down our exposure.

I recently used a Shold-it scarf. There are several styles and colors and it has a zippered section which can hold several items. Obviously not good in hot weather

Thanks Capt_BJ for all the good info. Do you know the cost of a taxi from the port to the Kennedy Space Center?

We recently cruised with ports in the Med and always bought wine in port and brought it back to the ship. At some ports we were able to bring the wine on board without paying the corkage at the gangway. Other times, we were told to stop at the table and have the corkage charged to our room. We were given a pink slip to take to the dining room to show that the corkage had been paid.

Being able to buy some good wines (usually at a supermarket) that are not available in our area for around 10euros was a treat. Even with paying the $18 corkage fee we were able to enjoy some better wines at a reasonable price. A much better option than the wine list. If you are not familiar with the wines of the particular country you are visiting, do a little research on the internet and you will be able to try something new. If you stop in Spain or Portugal, try their sparking wines (they do have some very dry ones). They are a great value

Duh! I've become so dependent on Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor I forget about going right to the source for an answer. Thanks so much for the info.

We will arrive by cruise ship and are looking at Happy Tours. Since we only have one day, we are wondering whether to chose west, east, north or south tour. Would appreciate any advice

I do not enjoy the coffee on any cruise line that we have sailed. Always bring Starbucks French or Italian Via to have at breakfast and dinner.

Bonine has worked for me in very heavy seas while on s freighter. I know not everyone may have the same outcome, but I do not cruise without it. Also take some ginger tablets with me.

Have not found good coffee on any cruise line. We always bring Starbucks Via French or Italian roast, regular and decaf.

We used Bilbao Greeters in May and had a wonderful experience. Our guide spoke very good English and we enjoyed spending time with him. It was just my husband, me and our guide Jokin for several hours. What a joy not to be in a group of 40 trying to hear a guide talk about the city. The food we tried with Jokin's guidance was fabulous. I would not hesitate to recommend Bilbao Greeters.

Aft being aft side or true aft facing?

There are a couple of side all the way aft cabins that may have a steel railing. The majority are glass.

It is true aft--B754. Thanks for the info.

Can someone fill me in on a baja aft balcony. Is is covered, half covered and is the "railing" clear or solid.

Thanks so much

We are big on bringing Starbuck's Via with us. Usually, the Italian or French Roast (caffeinated) for breakfast and the Italian Decaf for after dinner.

I use the Purex 3-in-l, which is a sheet containing detergent, softener and dryer sheet. Can no longer buy them at Walmart, so I purchased from Amazon. Easy to use and easy to pack.

How does HAL go from the most liberal wine policy to the most restrictive with no advanced notice.

Their wine policy has been one of the things that we liked about HAL. We always brought wine on board, NEVER brought a glass of our own wine to a lounge or MDR, always paid a corkage fee in the MDR and also bought from their wine list in bars and MDR.

Their wine list is awful with very high mark-ups and, recently, poor service. We especially liked bringing wine back from ports in South America and Europe. What a waste, to be near great wines and then be subjected to HAL overpriced wine list.

HAL will no longer be our first choice.

First cruise was on the Homeric in the mid 1960's. Thirteen day round trip from New York to the Carribean with five ports. My friend and I (both single gals in our early 20's) just loved having the all Italian crew.

Sailed on the 1/26 Noordam cruise. Were not able to get fixed seating and were willing to try the open seating. Found it to be totally disorganized. We do not go on a cruise to stand in a long line in order to get a beeper and then wait for a table. Eventually we were able to get fixed, but with a great deal of difficulty.

If HAL wants this to be successful, anyone who wants fixed should be able to have it and those who want open should have that available to them. It seemed that many passengers wanted fixed, but were not able to get a table even though there were empty seats for the first few evenings in the upper diningroom.