DCThunder

Only if they are Richard Simmons style short-shorts and tank top combination. 😉

Deep, man, very deep. Pass the bong, bro.

This was pretty much the case on a Regal TA in November. There was a lot of talk on the Roll Call of sparkly gold outfits or accessories, and matching bow ties for the husbands, but I saw little evidence of it when the actual event rolled around.

100% certain it will be on MUTS. And every other TV on the ship in a public area.

This is very true. I have never seen a Princess bartender give a "country club pour" to anyone. I've watched them measure wine into a 3 or 4 oz (not sure of the volume) glass and then pour that into the wine glass. The best I ever got was the tail end of a bottle of gin which was about .75 oz get dumped into the mixing glass along with a full 1.5 oz measure from the new bottle. If you get to know the bartender you might get a little more, but they are very careful 9 times out of 10.

In other words, clickbait!

Thanks. I booked through a TA. Can I have them do it?

The best feature of the medallion is the unlocking of the cabin door. Coming back to your cabin with hands full, the medallion really beats having to dig out the HAL card to get the door open.

I have a cruise booked for 2024 on Westerdam. That's one of the ships without the separate CO dining room, right? I have a guaranteed VH cabin. If I get CO, will that get me a specific assigned cabin now rather than waiting until just before sailing?

It is getting a bit more complicated: Protesting migrants still won’t budge outside NYC hotel (msn.com) I'd be VERY surprised if this shelter really goes away by April when the first ships need to use the BCT.

Good luck.

Men call them "compression tights" for improving athletic performance. 😉

Your TA should be able to provide you with a form that you need to fill out and return to him/her. They then send it to HAL and the transfer takes place. If you've only talked to HAL about this, talk to your TA. They should know how to do it.

When in Istanbul, you can spend an entire day in the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar. Look at some of the carpets for sale and pretend you're interested in buying. You'll then get the rug merchant giving you the full sales pitch including the green tea and the little sweets. I was in Istanbul on business years ago and loved the city. I was there while the Turkish national futbal team was in the finals of the World Cup and the whole city was focused on its fortunes. BTW, you MUST do he Blue Mosque. Don't miss that even if you aren't interested in mosques/churches. When I was there Hagia Sophia was a museum, but I understand it's gone back to being a mosque. But it's a fascinating building.

Have people seen this article from Seatrade Cruise News? It's from a thread over on the HAL board. Jan Swartz on Holland America Group's restructuring | seatrade-cruise.com A lot of the article is corporate speak and is being somewhat discounted as such by HAL cruisers, but some may find it interesting.

If you're talking about leggings or yoga pants, they are very popular with the ladies, from what I've observed. Some fill them out better than others, of course...😉

What's the latest on the long-time rumor of CCL selling Seabourn to the Saudis?

I thought all the spa people would be too busy selling expensive treatments for the rest of the cruise to have time to do any work on Embarkation Day. 👩‍🦳👵

Part of the warning is for Cancun because of a big beef between the licensed taxi drivers and the unlicensed ride share drivers.

George Thorogood had a song about this: One bourbon, one scotch, one beer No, I ain't seen my baby since the night before last Gotta get a drink, man, I'm gonna get gassed Gonna get high, man, I ain't had enough Need me a triple shot of that stuff Gonna get drunk, won't you listen right here? I want one bourbon, one shot, and one beer One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer

I thought Rafa (Nadal) was Spanish. Why would he need an American passport? :😉

Perhaps they did, but I didn't have Global Entry at the time (I do now) and if it were, it certainly wasn't made known.

Thank you. That is essentially where I'm coming down on the decision, but additional input is always very helpful.

Yes, but they are all Twinings or the like, not good old Luzianne! Ice tea made with Earl Grey or English Breakfast just ain't the same. I can give up not having Duke's Mayo, but not Luzianne tea. 😉

I did three TAs in 2022 and loved them all. One thing you'll either love or hate is that heading eastbound you will lose an hour almost every day of the crossing. Last April on Enchanted they did it at noon, so it suddenly was 1:00 pm. But no jet lag when you finally get to Spain. Weather in early March might be cool so don't count on it being a warm weather cruise. Pack some warm clothes. Otherwise, go to the Roll Call as others have suggested to get some tips and meet some of your fellow cruisers.