rj59

I've been disappointed in buffet desserts for the past year or so, which seems to be mostly just cut-up cakes or pies, the same approach that Celebrity seems to take, which seem to be a way to cope with fuller ships and demand. In the first cruises after restart on Majestic, I remember individual cups of the pistachio creme brulee, and I got to know a Ukrainian pastry chef who obtained a supply of caramel pot de cremes for me every day from the kitchen, which are just amazing to me. I wish they'd do like HAL, and mimic the evening MDR dessert offerings, with small portions, as well as offer some sort of free scoop ice cream option, which Celebrity, HAL, and NCL have.

More issues on board: I got a letter saying my account was frozen because I hadn’t submitted a credit card. I also was asked for am emergency contact. So it seems check-in info didn’t make it to the ship’s system within 2 days. I also got a more formal denial of military/shareholder OBC, saying they are not valid for this promotion. I wouldn’t risk buying HIA before the cruise, though, in case it also fails to show up in the ship’s system. Future guinea pigs can let us know if the cabins turn out to be as nice as the suites for me and the other poster.

Drawbacks of the process: I never received a boarding pass in the app, only a generic one online with no bar code. So when I showed up at noon with no boarding time, I was told I’d have to wait until after 2, which I ignored and snuck through after luggage drop. Then the face scan didn’t work, and so after waiting in another line, they couldn’t print out a bar code to scan. Fortunately, ship security saw me in the system and let me on. The other system failure was that my $200 in military/stockholder credit didn’t appear, and the HAL rep I called said OBC can’t be applied after a cruise has started. So l’m not feeling real good about the standby program or about HAL now. The stress and uncertainty I’ve experienced the past 7 days are fairly strong and unpleasant, so I’m not sure if it’s worth the cost savings.

I just got my room for the Jan 6 sailing on Koningsdam as well, getting a signature suite. It's definitely stressful waiting, though, since I've been constantly checking email and the app all week, hoping to get a room, and was encouraged when I saw rooms in most categories for sale last night, so there was a lot of emotional ups and downs, ready to be resentful if I didn't make it. At the same time, I think it's pretty awesome of HAL to put standby passengers into suites, instead of upgrading other people and putting standby people into the inside/balcony cabins they vacate. I'm especially grateful to get charged only $49/nt as a solo passenger, with no single supplement. I'm also excited to visit La Paz and Loreto, new ports for me and inside the Baja peninsula, where humpback whales give birth and raise their young, so I'll be glued to my balcony and using the provided binoculars to do whale-watching.

Personally I hated Lincoln Center, because every program on every ship was the same, programmed into iPads. Doing Led Zeppelin, Coldplay, and Peanuts was cute the first time, but after that it got old fast. Adding to that the cacophony of the stage on the Koningsdam and newer ships, it just wasn't ideal for anyone who cared about music. The best choice would be to bring back the Idagio duos they had before, usually a couple of bored Ukrainians shuffling through piles of sheet music, having to deal with people talking loudly coming from dinner or their beepers going off. Sometimes it could be nice and inspired, though, and I talked to performers who fed their family in Ukraine for a year on a multi-month contract. I'm all for getting rid of all the corporate entertainment, and bringing back spontaneity, variety, piano players that take requests and interact with the audience, and real production shows. HAL is still the only cruise line that is too cheap to pay for a cast of singers and dancers and production shows.

If the ship isn't showing it, you can sign up for a trial of the NFL app, which will probably have a playoff package also. I like the app because you can replay a game without commercials, or even showing just the plays. Watching playoffs on the big outside screen is pretty enjoyable too. The widest choice of tv games is on HAL now, I found.

Every line has strengths and weaknesses, and food is entirely subjective. My parents think that prime rib and lobster are some rare delight that are only available on cruise ships, and would never even contemplate anything exotic or unusual, and never tried sushi in their lives. I get sick of the same old thing, so I enjoy trying Indian or Asian dishes. Quality can vary by ship and even by time--if a dining room is packed, then the food might not be the best, and food sitting in a buffet for some time can be awful. Making blanket judgements about a line is foolish, unless you've eaten everything. For instance, as another poster said, HAL has a great variety of breakfast MDR options, but they didn't mention there's only one lunch menu for every day of a cruise, with really poor choices, and they've made other cutbacks like eliminating creme brulee from all menus, unless asked for. I can make a case that Carnival actually has the best food at sea, since I consider Guy's burgers and Blue Iguana Mexican food better than any other deck food I've found, and no other line has Indian vegetarian as a nightly menu option. Their MDR breakfast also has a lot of interesting options, like avocado toast and good granola. Personally, I'm kind of bored by the regular MDR Celebrity options, but on one cruise I skipped it and had everything on the menu of the Sushi restaurant, and I'm sure other specialty dining would also be more enticing, which I suspect is a reason to limit options and quality in the MDR. So for any line, there's great food available, you just have to find a line's strengths and weaknesses, and be adventurous enough to look for the best dining experiences, even if it's out of your culinary comfort zone.

If you add someone later, they're going to price the second person at the current rate, which in this case seems to much higher. The way to avoid that is to book a second person when you book, even if the person has no intention of going, and then simply call them a no-show at the port, and you'll get the second person's taxes/fees back. The fare you originally paid was based on one person, even if was doubled, and was the fare at the time, which they're not going to honor for a booking now. They can also reprice a cabin if two people pay but one cancels, so they can reprice it as a higher solo price at the time. It's unfair, but it's what they do. Even worse now is lines like Celebrity charging 3-4x the double rate for a solo passenger. For future cruises, if you have any possibility of someone else going, just book a second person, because it will end up being the same price, you'll just pay more up front for taxes/fees but will get it refunded when the other person doesn't show.

If you love Cafe Al Bacio, you'll be disappointed on NCL, because they usually only have Starbucks, which isn't covered by their drinks packages. if you book the Haven you might be insulated from a lot of the chaos and kids on ships that are sailing over 100% full, but if you want something comparable to Celebrity, I think you'll be very disappointed. On a sailing on Joy last February, rooms weren't ready until 5 pm on embarkation day, and there were screaming kids everywhere, which you usually don't find on Celebrity, since they don't have go karts or other kid stuff. Also, while NCL has great shows, the theaters aren't large enough to handle all the people, so if you don't make a reservation as soon as you get on the ship, you might not get in to see a show you want, which has never happened on Celebrity. It seems a bit of a strange choice to be disappointed in a drop in Celebrity service or standards and to go for a budget, youth-oriented, nickel-and-diming line that routinely sails over 100% full. Personally, I'd look instead to something like Azamara instead, especially if I were in my 70s.

Indonesian phrases are the easiest for me to learn and use, although the salamat greetings vary by time of day, so can get confusing. Tagalog is too hard for me, although I speak Russian and so could use that when it was acceptable for Ukrainian crew and performers. The biggest change you'll see on all lines now is the growth of crew from Zimbabwe, which I've noticed most on Celebrity, but also Princess and even some on HAL recently. A dining room supervisor on Princess remarked how war and improving economies in Eastern Europe is shifting crew labor from Ukraine/Eastern Europe to Africa now, as well as more Indians, who I noticed on Eurodam in September but had never seen on HAL before. The IMF is calling this the African century, since their population will increase by over a billion in the next 25 years or so, which will be reflected in industries looking for low-cost labor in aging societies.

When I called, I heard the agent saying 'standby' as he searched for it, but after that it was simple, and I'm on standby for Koningsdam on Jan 6, with a refundable flight booked. The most surprising thing is that they only charged me $49/nt, even though I'm going solo, so that would be a wonderful option for a flexible solo cruiser. I'm afraid that by paying half as much as a couple, I'd be at lower priority for when and if they actually have standby spots. The agent rattled off the verbiage about not being able to change your mind if you get a spot, etc, so the procedures and coding are there for agents, but it's unreasonable to expect them to be able to be able to tell you exactly when you might be assigned a cabin or how many people are on a list, just as you never know when you'll actually be assigned a guarantee cabin or upgrade, but it gives the same feeling of excitement. Sticking to 7 days notification would be foolish for them and bad for me, because what if somebody gets sick the day before a cruise and cancels? I'd want to be able to get that cabin, even if it is completely last minute. While I did manage to get shareholder OBC assigned to the standby sailing, there's no option to purchase excursions. With so many of the Mexico cruises already sold out, I'm not holding out hope of getting a spot, and a ship at 100% or higher capacity isn't the best experience, but with the nice solo discount over all other cruises, it's worth a shot and having them hold onto my money for a while.

The ports are also much less interesting than Eastern Caribbean ones. When I was in Cozumel on Ruby last year, there were up to 12k passengers in the city at once, and in Cozumel and tiny Roatan we were docked next to the massive Mardi Gras, so the lone beach was swamped by Carnival passengers. Weather was also cold and windy, with freezing rain in Galveston. In Fort Lauderdale you get to the pier in 10 minutes, whereas Galveston is a very long way from IAH and a long way from Hobby, although not bad with Sunday traffic. Further competition now is from the NCL Prima, a really nice ship, new and innovative. Price is based on demand, so the same thing happens in Alaska--the ones from Seattle are sky-high, but the north-south routes are half the price, much cheaper than even Galveston, since they have 3 ships going there and for some reason people must be afraid to fly to Vancouver or Anchorage, since the itinerary is far superior to r/t Seattle, with no useless evening Victoria stop, much longer days in ports, and combining Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay. Price is also relative--two years ago I sailed three times to Mexico on Majestic for around $400, with 30% occupancy, whereas now Mexico is in huge demand. Even last month I sailed for 14 nights on Island for $600 for a solo, but Princess has promised not to do deep discounts, even for non-popular cruises or end-of-season ones, but we'll see how things play out if the current crazy cruise demand ever lessens.

Okay, I ranted about the lack of entertainment on HAL vs world-class entertainment on Edge-class ships. I just found a big potential plus for HAL for certain people, in my case a solo retired cruiser within a drive of Alaska ports and 2-hour flights of San DIego. I signed up for the standby program on Koningsdam for a 7-night cruise in January, which is $49/nt per person, and I expected the usual double amount for a solo, but was amazed to actually not be discriminated against for once. So even if I don't make it on this one, that definitely gives HAL a price advantage over all other lines. That especially is more solo-friendly than Celebrity, which now routinely tries to charge solo cruisers more than twice the price of 2 people cruising. It's possible to get around it, by simply booking another person who doesn't show up, but it leaves a bad taste at having to lie when booking and at the port, of feeling a 'we don't want your kind because you don't spend as much as a couple', and it makes searching by price a pain, because occasionally they do have solo discounts. Of course, the standby program might be just a tease and few people get spots, with high demand making long standby lists, and they could try to change the program or limit future standby sailings, especially when Alaska/Europe season comes, but with current high prices for most lines all over now, it would definitely give HAL my loyalty.

Stuff happens. Being in SF instead of on a ship is a blessing, I'd think, as in Seattle. Miami evidently closed its port entirely this weekend due to storms. My weirdest freak disembarkation delay was due to a HAL ship being surrounded by ecoprotesters in Kiel, Germany in rubber rafts and kayaks, so the ship was delayed for 8 hours or so, until the kids got bored and paddled home. Arrival was delayed by 5 hours or so, so those without HAL flights were on their own.

It's automatic now, and I see it as soon as I book. The ID verification systems can be difficult, but are inescapable now. The same id.me account that I use to verify military status for Apple discounts is the same one I need to view my social security account.

I've never had rum. Instead, I use leftover OBC to buy a bottle or two, since the variety and price seems to be better than for any other liquor.

You don't call for a taxi in SF. You download and learn how to use Uber and Lyft apps. When you're off the ship, before 7:30, you order one and they'll be there in a minute and take you to the airport, for a fraction of the price of a taxi, drivers are screened and rated, and you'll know the price ahead of time, so there's no meter and no price gouging. You can also have them take you to the nearest BART station, at Embarcadero, and you can take the subway directly to the airport, with no traffic hassles, which might be quicker and definitely cheaper. Before the cruise, practice taking Uber and/or Lyft a few times. It will change your cruise life, and you'll stop wasting time and money on taxis and cruise transfers. It can also improve your personal life, since as a part-time Lyft driver I've seen how rideshare allows couples to go out and drink safely and not have to worry about parking, and how older folks can get around to medical appointments or even go out to run errands from assisted living facilities.

One thing I appreciate about Princess and its medallion system is that I don't have to sign for drinks, with a space left for an extra tip. I've gotten attitude from bartenders on other lines when I cross that out, and it's irritating having to deal with slips and signings at a crowded bar. If specialty dining had an automatic tip baked into the price and I wasn't hit up for something more, I'd feel more comfortable about going to specialty dining. I think that happened on Cunard, where I had a free specialty meal, and they never brought me a check, so I didn't have the stressful decision of whether or not to tip on something that was free and for servers who part of the same gratuity pool as MDR staff, I presume.

Be aware, in Galveston you're subject to a state liquor inspection too, and are supposed to declare any liquor you're bringing back.

It used to be Alfredo's pizzerias, when they were free for everyone. The piazzas always feel more special on Princess than regular atriums on other ships, especially with the international cafe--I don't know of any other line that offers round-the-clock coffee and snack variety. Movies under the Stars also makes Princess unique, and although I don't watch the movies and are sick of the daytime concerts by now, I like that it tends to focus people away from staring creepily at whoever's in the main pool and pathetic people hogging deck chairs with their clips and other tricks, so they can spend their vacation doing the creepy, sad staring at others sitting around a pool. Of course, maybe it's actually worse to go on a vacation from spending most of one's home life staring at screens to sit on a Princess ship and stare at at even larger screen, especially if you're watching the same Shania Twain and Michael Buble concert for the eleventh time (on the Shania one I keep hoping that the horse she rides out on will dump or pee all over the stage).

You can do it, it even worked for me after an upgrade bid put me above a lounge with late-night bands playing. The rep couldn't do it herself, but had to send a request to the office that handled it, which makes sense, because often room changes involve fare differentials, an opportunity to sell an upgrade, and if it were super easy, they'd be overwhelmed by such requests.

It's also fairly quick and easy to change the info on a brokerage statement to show current ownership, or to buy and sell 100 shares of a stock in order to get the credit without holding onto the stock. I did the same a couple of weeks ago before a Celebrity cruise (I forgot to sell, though, and by the time I got back to my home computer, my shares had gone up $1500, so it paid for my cruise). It's part of avoiding fraud and ensuring eligibility, just as when I apply for a veteran's discount at Apple or elsewhere I have to verify military service by giving personal info to a verification service, instead of just sending in an easily-falsified form.

They did add 3 new ships of a newer class, Princess is simply delayed in bring in a similar larger ship. They also got rid of several ships during the pandemic, but kept two of the smaller ships around, with 1400 or so pax, quite welcome now in the era of overfull ships and larger and larger ones. When they do get new ships, though, I'd hope they'd go against the larger-ship trend, as NCL has done for Prima/Viva, and bring back wraparound promenade decks without lifeboats blocking views. Oh, and I'd like them to bring back production shows and casts, which every other line but them has. That would be better for me than any new ship, since I thought Koningsdam was a beautiful ship with a beautiful theater that was wasted with garbage entertainment.

I think the rep you spoke with assumed you were going to cancel a person before the cruise, in which case they might reprice for a solo rate. Even if he didn't understand your question, there's no way a customer rep is going to advise you to do that loophole, because they want you to pay an unfair solo rate or to be persuaded to bring a second actual person who will spend more than just you. It's like when I went into future cruises onboard my first X cruise and asked for a rate for a cruise, and got one vastly higher than what I'd seen online. We've all told you, and there are dozens of threads for people doing the same no-show procedure for X and other lines, so there's no reason to fear it, especially since the person checking you in isn't even with Celebrity, and wouldn't have the slightest knowledge of how to refare your cruise at embarkation and assign you some vague penalty. I've no-showed many cruises on my own, because I just didn't feel like going, and nobody cares if it's a real person or one never intended to go. If you can't handle that, then most other lines don't exceed a 200% single supplement, and lines like NCL often reduce the supplement, and other lines have solo cabins. You can also occasionally find Celebrity deals for solos and use a TA to get the lowest possible price, lower than those on Celebrity's website, even pricing for one person. My first 5 Celebrity cruises in 2021-22 were on Solstice and averaged $300 for a 7-night solo, 3 of them with all-included, but those were just incredible TA deals that were a third of the official Celebrity fare, and my Apex one that I booked onboard was also significantly cheaper than what they tried to quote me. Unfortunately, with full ships and a high stock price, solos are going to find it harder to get bargains, but if you keep track of fares and their constant sales, values pop up, like a $400 coastal on Summit (now over $1000), the two transatlantic cruises on Eclipse for under $600 for a solo, and Beyond/Accent for $150 or so for a solo inside.

The good part is that the express lanes go southbound in the morning, meaning there's less traffic going that way. A lot depends on where your flight is departing from, since A terminal can be a long slog, and N gates require a train trip. I got in an altercation disembarking from Reflection on Saturday, from an entitled Karen who was outraged that she had to go to the back of a line after she got off an elevator, so she blocked me and others while she argued, and I was in a rush to also make an early flight, so I let anger at her ruin the final morning of my cruise (and the irritation of having to wait for customs agents, instead of face ID, another issue of disembarking in Seattle). The ship will be packed, as all the ones going out of Seattle are now, so leaving later might give you more of a chance to enjoy a leisurely breakfast and enjoy the beautiful skyline, or check your bags to the airport and instead visit some spot before you head to the airport, and by that time Lyft/Uber will be cheaper and easier to get, and you needn't stress or rush. After all, the purpose of going is to be on vacation and experience different things, including Seattle, which having lived there for over a decade and done dozens of Alaska cruises, I can say has things that are vastly more interesting and memorable than podunk Alaska towns full of souvenir shops. And rushing to leave ideal Seattle summer weather to get back to hellish Tucson weather doesn't seem appealing.