Blackduck59

Thanks so much for your kind words Linda & Mario, I'm so happy you enjoy this thread. We have come to know so many nice people through this thread and we want to meet as many as we can when we finally get there. Best of the season to everyone, Lynn & I are having "Christmas Dinner" on our Christmas Eve so being a day behind we'll be doing it on Aussie time.😉

I really hate to break it to people but "spring water" isn't just pumped into a truck and bottled. It is pumped into a truck where it goes to a purified, sterilized and then bottled. Just to be clear a "spring" is simply a shallow well and I'll take my tap water (which comes from a large reservoir here in Victoria, it is piped into a processing plant where it "ozonated" and chlorinated to keep it safe while it is in the pipes) over most "spring" water every time. I'm afraid I am unable to grasp the idea of being "allergic" to purified water. I'm guessing if the choice was between purified water or no water the requirement that it be "spring" water would probably drop.

As someone else pointed out the PVSA doesn't just affect cruise ships. It's the law that ensures ferries operating in the US are made in the US, are crewed by American crews and are serviced in American ship yards. British Columbia operates one of the largest passenger ferry lines in the world. For a very long time all the ships were built in Canadian shipyards, mostly in BC. then there were several poor business decisions made. Through political interference a class of ship wholly unsuitable for the job were built and they were a dismal failure and the ships were sold at a loss of over $400,000,000.00 CDN, Since that debacle they have had new ships built overseas and those ships just represent many millions of Canadian Dollars going elsewhere instead of giving jobs to British Columbians. Don't be so quick to dismiss the PVSA as detrimental to US interests, it's not.

You are most welcome. If you are going to explore the island give yourself at least a week. Even if you want to visit Butchart Gardens and also see Victoria then you need to do at least 2 days.

I seem to recall during the pandemic a lot of Americans were going "forget Canada, we don't need them" because our closed ports were affecting their Alaska cruise. Of course we have nothing to do with the protectionist PVSA but somehow we were the villains. There was and is of course many stakeholders in Victoria who are concerned about losing some or all of our cruise ship visits. I think there are a few ships that stop for 6 to 10 hrs and those are good visit for both the visitors and our local businesses. The 3 hr stop from 9 to midnight? Just stay away.

The only thing that is certain is that it was a protectionist act. In recent years it has forced some ships on the Alaska routes to stop in Victoria. Some of these stops are less than 3 hours from say 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm not exactly giving any passengers a chance to see any of Victoria. Frankly those stops are insulting to one of the most beautiful little cities in all of Canada.

check out the price of the drinks you like, they may be within the price cap, or less that a buck over. it may be more cost effective to just cover the overage. Perhaps by February the beverage package cap will have been raised to keep your favourite libation under the cap (assuming your drink was under the cap before)

I think it is shameful that HAL won't refund the money. I think the key to success here is to cancel the Montreal to Boston leg. If the San Diego to Fort Lauderdale leg is okay with the PVSA then you're good to go. The Fort Lauderdale to Montreal leg doesn't fall under PVSA because you are starting in the US and ending in Canada. The problem is when you immediately return to a different US port. The vagaries of the PVSA are vast and I'm not sure that even the lawyers know all the rules and exemptions.

It's forecast for rain here too so add a wet coast capital 😁

@kazu I suspect you are correct, and I hope you are. I will up the stakes a bit; if we find ourselves on the same cruise some day, I will stand you a pint (or libation of your choice of similar value). If you are wrong and HAL does the lame thing, I'll take your Duck Buck (I will expect that in coin of the realm 😉)

While some have commented that they wouldn't miss glacier bay because they have been there upteen times. That's all well and good for you, there are thousands of cruisers who have never been to glacier bay and booked the cruise specifically for that feature in the itinerary. I've been to Hubbard glacier and wouldn't go out of my way to go back there, each to there own. We are hoping to do a cruise tour in Alaska after our down under adventure. We will want the itinerary to include glacier bay and we would be mighty p****d if it got cancelled.

I think it is a bit cheeky for HAL to sell a product (the signature drink package) whether it is part of HIA or on it's own, with a price cap of X dollars. People make the decision to purchase the product working on the price of drinks, then oh oops the libation they prefer is suddenly outside the price cap. At least they only charge the difference plus "gratuity" now rather than full price. Our HIA deal for our next scheduled cruise came with the premium beverage package and gratuities so the drink price hike shouldn't affect us.

I just saw a report on our local news about the extreme flooding in Cairns. The footage was showed quite a lot of damage. I hope the good people affected will have a quick recovery.

Not exactly what I had in mind. More like an old fashioned "malt shop" with an ice cream freezer in the front counter with vanilla, chocolate and strawberry hard ice cream (not the softer "gelato") then there would be a row of classic multi head milkshake mixers on the back counter. It should be close to a bar so a shot can be added (before it is mixed) for those who may like it that way. For those thinking that it would take too long, I don't think it would be any longer than the half caff, double shot extra foam latte would take in explorers lounge or Royal Dutch Cafe. If they are going to make a milkshake, make it right and charge accordingly.

I used "Milkshake" on purpose, a "shake" is something dispensed from a machine, sometimes green, from a purveyor of so called food products famous for arches.😉

I don't understand how a milkshake could be so hard. When I was a child (in the 60s) any number of places made milkshakes and for the most part the multimixer was operated by teenagers scooping hard ice cream into a metal cup, adding syrup and milk a mixing it up. The thick luscious mixture was was poured in a glass, topped with whipped cream and a cherry. the extra in the metal mixer can came on the side. Milkshakes are not rocket science, the key is lots of ice cream and just enough milk to get it to mix. If booze is to be added it should be while it is being made. Make it a feature by the Lido bar, "The Milkshake Shack" complete with vintage Hamilton Beach of Multimixer machines and the metal mixing cups.

I swear I didn't see your post when I was placing my order. Rib eye and Delmonico are the same cut, you are paying $25.00 for the dry aged part.

Let's start with the Ritz cocktail. I'll have the Forrest mushroom soup to start, Lobster bisque for my wife. Boneless Ribeye with the peppercorn sauce, Baked potato, sauteed mushrooms and asparagus with Hollandaise for me, my wife will have the Seared jumbo scallops. The not so classic baked Alaska for me, and the cheese plate for my wife. I'll finish with port decaf coffee with Bailey's for her.

All that information is on the invoice from my TA. The wording for the bed on ours is "beds together". I think for the most part "beds together" is the default. I don't think getting it changed to twin beds, perhaps "bed apart" would be a big deal if the configuration is wrong when you arrive.

No. The laundry price is very reasonable and the service excellent.

I can't remember if it was Norwegian Bliss or Norwegian Joy, but the first time I saw that class alongside at Ogden Point here in Victoria I thought it looked like a prison block sitting on a barge. And so many of the new builds are just plain ugly, I really hate the new trend of the dreadnought style bow.

@sunviking90 I caught the cheeky wordplay right away. We certainly enjoyed Zaandam and we didn't feel "stuck" on her at all. Frankly we have never felt "stuck" on any cruise ship. It would be nice if they could find a way to have "Dutch Cafe" and Tamarind on all ships in the fleet.

It is possible to refit old ships and not all work has to be done in a "Drydock". Cunard took QE2 (the one that is Dubai now) was taken out of service to completely replace her propulsion system during her cruising life. I wonder how much it would cost to take a ship out of service for say 3 months and do a proper refit and interior restyle as opposed to the 480 million euros it cost to build the newest HAL ship MS Rotterdam.

I'll have the sushi and coconut crusted shrimp to start. I think a Riesling with these. The prime rib (medium) and add the beets from the appies section (horse radish thing on the side) Pair a Cab Sav with the main. Ricotta raspberry tart for desert. I think blueberry tea to finish.

Definitely a valid point. So many people chime in about the HAL fleet being "old", the oldest ship in the fleet is 24 years old. They have been refitted with new ships systems and have had several refits through the years to upgrade the passenger spaces. RMS Queen Mary was in service for 31 years and is still an icon today. HMY Britannia was in service for 41 years and is a floating museum today. The entire fleet is well maintained and the "small" size of the ships in the fleet are a draw for many people. You could take a ship out of service and completely redo all the interior compartments, and update mechanicals for a fraction of the cost of a new build.