AncientWanderer

I love staying in a Neptune Suite. That would be my only comment on that.

The suites are an expensive luxury. Part of that luxury is the ability to walk down the hall and quickly grab a glass of wine or a cocktail to enjoy while preparing for the evening. It's quite a dear glass of wine if one pays for it with the price of a suite, plus the HIA, plus the honor bar list price. I hope "consistency" works out for them.

Terribly chintzy. Those who think HAL has a very weak suite program will have a field day with this one.

You'd probably do better posting it on one of the "small ship" threads. They'll tell you about the places they visit. Most here haven't been there.

We were surprised to be sent down the street in Ketchikan, while a humongous RCCL ship had the choice berth in the center of town. Even though we sailed in ahead of them. I'd always heard that HAL has first dibs in Alaska. No big deal, as it is only a short walk anyhow, but still, it was a wake-up call.

Oh, I'm sorry. I misunderstood your post. I tried to answer this part quoted here. I do believe HAL's ships still have some advantages over the megas. As far as ports where big ships can't come in, it's probably like Kazu said, innumerable. And in places like Japan, some parts of Europe, I've noticed that the small ships have totally different itineraries than larger ships. Whether the "small port" places they visit are better or worse than the places reached via industrial ports on larger ships, that probably has to be determined on a case-by-case basis. Complicated!

That's really interesting about Singapore. And all the other potential pitfalls you bring up make a lot of sense. We've spent time looking at various cruise line itineraries and then going to port schedules to see where the ships are slotted in. That a good berth could be switched up to a bad one is pretty discouraging.

We've also assumed that staffing was the issue, since with HIA, one would expect full restaurants. Whether this is purposeful, to spread the HIAs over the course of the cruise, or whether good help is hard to find...who knows?

Some years back, we had dinner in Sabatini on a Princess ship, and it was as good as any Italian food I've had outside of Italy. (I doubt it's the same now either, though.) They could make Canaletto really good if they wanted. Lots of people think the Lido location is lame, but we actually like it for the sea views. I get your point, though. It's nice to have Canaletto be just an affordable day away from the MDR. Doesn't have to be awesome, just a step up. Not sure where it fits on the spectrum now. Guess we'll find out next time we sail.

I did see that HAL announced they will be doing more overnights. This is very good news and definitely something to keep an eye on. Four overnights is awesome.

Just thought of another advantage to these more luxurious lines you are looking at. Often they stay in port for the evening, allowing one to enjoy the magic of nighttime, have a special dinner, should you choose to do so. Something to consider...

Focusing on what I think you asked, there are a couple of other considerations with ship size, and why we are absolutely maxed out with HAL's new-builds. One is the logistical nightmare of processing so many people on and off the ship. It's not too bad with HAL's kinda, sorta smaller ships. Any bigger, it's just lines and more lines. Two, all those extra people are milling about the port area, creating more lines at coffee shops, etc. That diminishes the port stop experience. A smaller ship would always be better. But price always has to be factored in, too. If port and ship size, and price can't meet comfortably, I'd just as soon stay home.

Thanks for reporting about your meal. Good news! While I do expect price increases from time to time, it was jarring this time because the increase coincided with removal of some of the expensive menu items -- lamb chops, steak. So a double hit. Perhaps the daily specials will tend to be luxurious, as your scallops were. Glad you enjoyed your meal!

Had to share this story, as so many stories are sad -- the children who survived a plane crash and the jungle. I have a feeling the eldest child must be quite extraordinary -- keeping them all going. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12179793/Four-children-missing-six-weeks-plane-crashed-Amazon-jungle-ALIVE.html

@cruisemom42, if I may chime in, DD and DSIL are decidedly "foodies." (She worked for a large food magazine, so restaurants usually tried hard.) With limited vacation time, they want to be spoiled and have been happy with Oceania. When probed, I hear that the food is all delicious, but mostly they rhapsodize about the bakery items -- breads, croissants, pastries, etc. They are not people who eat a lot of carbs, but they do on their Oceania cruises.

Sad to read this today, Terry. You did seem very worried about DH's surgery. Wife's intuition? Probably. One foot in front of the other. Lots of prayers are with you and your family.

Oh my. That really is a new menu. It's surprising to see Italian sausages over pasta on a specialty restaurant menu. That's an everyday dish in home kitchens. The Canaletto lasagne was better than that served elsewhere on the ship. Maybe too many people ordering it to go along with other main courses? And no steak? Huh? A lot of good dishes are gone. I had Canaletto booked for my birthday. Gonna have to switch it up. DH's is on the same cruise. He has PG. Guess I'll move over to Tamarind.

Thank you for taking the time to tell us the details of your trip! Still hope to do this someday. (I've had good luck finding older CC posts with our friend Google.)

I've always wanted to do this, too, and remembered this review from back a few years. Here at post #11 @RMLincoln gave a really thorough description of their day. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2716391-copper-canyon-railroad-excursion/

From time to time they offer river rafting through the eagle preserve in Skagway. (Gentle, easy rafting where you don't really get wet.) We often talk about what a fun day that was. Very scenic, with informative, enthusiastic guides.

I would guess that calling guest services from one's room would go more smoothly as well. They answer the special guest services number really quickly with CO. Sometimes the "hold" times are pretty long without it. At least that's been our experience.

We've added it to some cruises on Vista Class ships that have port-intensive itineraries. We want the flexibility to enjoy long port days and then dine conveniently when we want to. So itinerary is another thing to factor in.

It's not just titles off of current bestseller lists. This I can assure you, as I almost never read current bestseller fiction. I discovered a great collection of short stories by Daphne du Maurier. DH found some good nautical history stuff. If I could detect a common thread in the selections, it would be that many of the books connect to places the ships go. Du Maurier country would be an example. That's why I call the library well-curated. It does look more like a bookstore than a library, but some people like bookstores as well as libraries.

Honor system. They say to please take one at a time. We visited often and found that books were reshelved quickly, so someone is monitoring the area. There are a few seats, but the space is definitely not designed as a place to hang out.

Well, now, that's interesting. The arrangement here appears to be different than what Haljo posted and different than what was on Nieuw Amsterdam. NA has more nonfiction for sure. I'm laughing about the giant "Young Adult" section. Great demand for that on HAL. Well, hopefully the libraries will be enhanced and well-maintained. That they carved out a space tor them is very good news.