Blackduck59

Steady now I haven't watched the race yet.

Ask for the sauce on the side then throw a shot of rum or bourbon in it, or throw the shot on the pudding before the sauce. Perhaps @POA1 could take on this vital research and submit a report on his findings. I would take it on myself but alas I won't be on Westerdam until March next year and this requires a quicker answer. Of course I wouldn't be able to do a good job on the bourbon variant because I have never enjoyed that spirit; Rum on the other hand is more to my liking. That being said I like vanilla sauce on bread pudding so my report would be skewed towards a vanilla sauce.

We have purchased future cruises on board. On Celebrity before the shut down, the future cruise consultant was very helpful pointing out how to get the most rewards for our booking. We didn't feel the consultant was as helpful as she could have been. Of course she knew the booking was going to our local TA so that may be part of it. In the end we booked onboard but perhaps didn't get the best value. After a few months we decided to extend the cruise in a big way and our local TA took care of the details. We did lose some OBC because of a cabin change and had to put forward a substantial deposit (refundable before final payment) to secure the new booking. Go prepared with the cruises you are interested in, where you want your cabin, what type of cabin and can you use Club Orange to your advantage (knowing you will have to pay the Club Orange fee at time of booking)

You need a cruise.😇

Good thing you aren't in Victoria (or more accurately Brentwood Bay for Butchart Gardens). It's pouring here today. We were only out in it for a few minutes and my Tilley hat was soaked and my Gore-Tex jacket was working to the max to keep me dry. Isn't weather a wonderful thing? 😉

Thanks for your eye witness report. I'm not sure it is fair to compare to what was, that is a recipe for disappointment. I think everyone needs to turn the page on "What was" and enter with an open mind. Was it a good show as a stand alone performance? Not compared to (insert previous show here). If you didn't like it, fair enough. I think you would find that a Paul McCartney show now isn't like it was 25 years ago. Give the new offerings a chance without comparing it to what was. One thing is for sure, what was isn't coming back, we can only hope that what is will continue to improve. I have to adopt this spirit of hope because we will be on Westerdam for 6 weeks around this time next year.

I'm hopeful that the new "entertainment" program works out. Many people lament what was lost, but at the same time complained that they had seen the same shows many many times. I remember back before the shut down where people who had been on the same ship for a few different voyages were wondering, When they were finally going to change out the productions how. Those same shows people now complain aren't being done. We don't cruise often so aren't concerned about repetition, we just want some enjoyable presentations. I don't think they should pass of a 3 year old movie for an evening presentation at the world stage counts as a proper presentation.

No problem, like I said I really don't know the rules. Before 911 Canadians could freely cross the border into the US and vice versa with no passport. Then the United States made new rules and that was stopped. Now almost 23 years later passports seem to be the norm. Enjoy your cruise, just make sure you have the right paperwork. It would suck to show up at the port and get turned away. A 10 minute stop in Victoria to satisfy the PVSA is a little different than a cruise with 3 Canadian port stops.

@ChinaShrek like I said the very name of the place suggests it rains there. I live in a rainy place and am aware that "rainforests" have rain. It sounds to me like a cruise to the Rainforest, be it here in British Columbia or the Amazon maybe isn't a good choice for you.

@rbelshaw, there are 3 Canadian ports on this cruise. I'm not sure of the rules but I think Canadian border services is going to want to see a passport. Best of luck for an enjoyable voyage but maybe make sure you have the correct paperwork, you are crossing international borders.

I was reading this thread and found it interesting that some people seemed to be aghast that there may be rain on a cruise to "The Great Bear Rainforest". If rain is a problem don't visit the rainforest. Plan for rain, layer with wool, it will still keep you warm even when wet, and a light weight rain shell will keep out the wind and wet. I'm not sure I would take this cruise, but I'm sure many would find the scenery breathtaking. Victoria is my home town, Nanaimo is a short drive north from here, I have no burning desire to visit Ketchikan again, which leaves Prince Rupert. I hope those who book this cruise have pleasant weather and many wildlife sightings.

Our cruise for March 2025 is showing the New Zealand excursions now.

You are joking? Those things are not "easily" added, and many many people cruise HAL because they don't have those things. Just in case you weren't joking.

See post #61, it shows the legend for the symbols on the deck plan. It is also on the deck plans themselves.

Then it is not a booked cabin it is a "guarantee". Don't sell the Cadillac and charge for it, only to deliver a Chevrolet because someone else wanted your Cadillac.

What you consider an "upgrade" may not be for someone else. Some choose cabins because of location, others for a bigger balcony. Perhaps the location is chosen to put distance between them and the stinky smoking casino (a whole different debate). The point is we put some thought into choosing and paid extra for the privilege. So basically the thought process at head office is everyone is in a guarantee category, and we'll just keep the premium paid by these guests and put them wherever we want, so we can give their cabin to a family where the kids are travelling for free. Not so much. If you're trying to build brand loyalty don't screw over the guests who pay full fare for the cabin they chose.

I have to say this is a very poorly thought out policy. Like many we book well in advance, well over a year. We don't book guarantees and so far we haven't used Club Orange for an upgrade. Due to another strange convoluted process within the booking system trying to get the same cabin on both legs of a B2B even though the cabins shoe as available for both legs, if you book one leg or the other but not both. If we are paying a premium, full fare, to choose our cabin it better be the cabin we are in. Like @3rdGenCunarder I would expect some meaningful compensation.

It doesn't hurt to ask at customers service, after the first leg is over.

I don't think you will get a table for 12, 2 tables for 6 side by side more likely.

Yes that is my maker's mark, I put it on my personal projects (often in places where it is never seen, only the owner knows it's there). Those particular flowers were for a project I abandoned more than 40 years ago. I still had them. Originally I was going to make the box out of Cherry but I saw that board and it literally said "use me". I don't particularly like carving white oak so a different technique was required; so rather than carve the mark in I laid the flowers on. They are made from Western Maple and the centers are Walnut.

With respect, comparing HAL to Oceania is like comparing apples to pumpkins. I suspect when you pay 3 times the fare the cruise line can shell out for the 10 person entertainment troupe, and the 7 piece band. I'm sorry that the entertainment isn't what it used to be, but if it was I suspect HAL would be charging Oceania prices and those who are complaining about the "entertainment" would be howling loudly that the cruise fare was so high. Those who can afford the high end lines, enjoy them, but don't use them as a comparison, there isn't one.

It wasn't serious, I'm sorry you don't know me well enough. I do have a sense of humor. The soldiers in the photos are part of the Royal 22nd Regiment, the storied Van Doos who's place in Canadian history is cemented with sacrifice and honour. We don't really joke about them. Feel free to joke about me or our Government or many other things, I'll probably laugh with you.

There will be in less than an hour. Then we will keep them at home until we take them to Vancouver in April.

It's not nice to make fun of Canadians 🤔

Thank you for your enthusiastic report. I'm sure there are many who will be happy to read it. Hopefully the "talent" coordinators will be able to find more like Krista Meadows for the whole fleet. If so it would be a good first step to rebuilding the entertainment offerings on HAL ships.