3rdGenCunarder

Back in the days of QE2, we traveled with friends and had our favorite table in the Chart Room, where we could see the queue of people waiting to get into the Queens Room for a cocktail party. The guys didn't care, but my BF and I had that same eye-roll "did you see that?!?" look. Most of our comments, I'm pleased to say were of the "OMG, I want that dress!" ilk, rather than derogatory.

I suppose, but some hogs are worse than others. The worst hogs come out in early morning and leave things for hours. The "claimers" are the people who feel they need to leave things on chairs because it's the only way to get or keep one. Drop something on a lounger, spend 10-15 minutes in the pool, and go back to the lounger. I don't consider that hogging. On Eurodam in January, I had breakfast by the pool most mornings. I happened to be very early one morning, before 7:00 and there were chairs already claimed. I dawdled over breakfast and not one of the hogs came back. These are the people who claim a lounger because they might want it hours later, not because they're going to sit there soon. There were available loungers when I left after breakfast. So those early hogs didn't need to claim a lounger if they had any intention of using it soon after they claimed it. The sticker system mentioned earlier is a good idea. I travel solo and have nobody to "defend" my place. If I have a lounger and want to eat lunch by the pool, I have to leave something to "hold" the lounger for 5-10 minutes until I can get back with my lunch. It's like leaving something on your table at the buffet when you go back for dessert. So if they sticker my lounger while I'm at the buffet, I'll be back before they return to check the sticker and clear the chair. If I leave my stuff and go off somewhere for an hour, I deserve to have my markers taken away.

One of the later cruises arriving in Toronto says the "official hotel" for the after-cruise package is the Marriott. I'm supposed to be at the Sheraton in Chicago before my cruise in June. I had planned to go a day early and stay at the Sheraton, but I'm now going to be in Michigan until the day before the cruise. So just the one night in whatever hotel they're using for my voyage. I've seen the Sheraton listed as the "official hotel" for after-cruise packages in Chicago. But who knows?

Those large, loud forceful downspouts in the hydropool. People like them as back massages, but I hate how they splash. On some ships, you can turn on the pool bubbles without turning on those showers. I even like walking in the pool with none of the actions turned on. It's quiet and peacful.

Unfortunately, there isn't an appropriate "chamber" on a HAL ship. In the original music walk setup (K'dam), LC had their own space. There was more room and the chairs weren't as crowded together as in the Explorer lounge on other ships. And, to reply to your earlier comment, they could monetize this space because there was a bar nearby. All orders were taken and served before LC played, so there was no disruption. They had to have someone stand out in the walkway to shush people, so there was some noise issue. We still had to get there early to get a seat, which we didn't mind because we could have a drink while we waited. On our second K'dam cruise, because of the walkway noise and the crowd size, HAL had moved LC to share the space BBKing uses. BUT BBK got all the evening times, and LC was given early times, like 5:00, which did not work for a lot of people. The space was good, plenty of room. But the timing was awful and attendance was down. You're right, there's no way a cruise ship is going to have a "proper" concert hall. I loved hearing the music "unplugged" in the LC room, even if seating was cramped. We can hope that someone will choose the sets to fit the venue. LC has some excellent "pop" sets, like Beatles (their Eleanor Rigby is fabulous!) and movie themes. Those would work, even amped, in the mainstage. Put the truly classical sets in LC room, for the intimacy of chamber music.

I have cured mild sciatica walking in the thermal pool. I find it good mild exercise, so I try to go in the morning when I might have the pool to myself without the annoying showers.

For me, this is the most important point. Things can go wrong with any service provider, from cable TV to a cruise line. What happens next is what shows how well the company is run. There should have been more information in the initial contact and better availability of people at Cunard to answer questions. I'm not sure what you mean by double standard? Cunard was busy attending to passengers on board because that's what the ship's staff does. Except for the onboard booking staff, which is generally only 2 people, there isn't anyone onboard who is set up to help in a situation like this. And I'm not sure even they would have been able to make your travel arrangements.

DH called them "warming trays."

If they would stick with this for a while longer, people might get the message. Some people hog the chairs because they're greedy and inconsiderate. Others "claim" a chair to use for a while because they know the hogs will take them all day if they don't. If the greedy ones lose their chairs, then other people may relax about "claiming." I don't sit by the pool often, but once in a while I'd like to read there for an hour or so. The only time I've been able to get a lounger is on a port day.

Wow! And I thought the ones who fastened their towels to the chairs with clamps were bad.

Thank you for posting this. So much good news!! I hope HAL can negotiate a good deal with LC. They're a highlight of my cruise. I don't care if ATK comes back, as long as there's some kind of cooking class or demo. I'd actually prefer to see demos by the ship's chefs. Cunard does that, and some of their chefs are very funny as well as informative.

When LC was brand new, I met the mother of one of the LC group. She said when he was a student, he worried about finding employment as a classical musician. There are only so many symphonies, after all. He was thrilled to have this as a starter job and loved being at sea. Have you read the bios of any of the LC players? Most have had varied and "serious" careers before sailing on HAL with LC.

I have asked myself that same question. Going back to when LC was new on K'dam and had their own space (now Rolling Stone) to more recently on the smaller ships where LC was in what had been the Explorer lounge, I always saw a good crowd for LC. It wasn't broke, why did they "fix" it?????

Don't tempt fate with comments like that!!! My itinerary is now different from what appears to be the standard order from Chicago--scenic sailing, Escanaba, Mackinac Island, Sault Ste Marie, scenic sailing and the rest. That's what is shown on the map and is a logical sequence in terms of geography. Now my cruise is scenic sailing, Escanaba, Soo locks (but no stop in Sault Ste Marie), then we backtrack to Mackinac Island (which explains why we won't have time to stop in Sault Ste Marie), then scenic sailing and the rest. I intend to print out every tour confirmation and bring it with me. I'm not doing the long Niagara falls tour. I may not bother with the standard one, either. It might be nice to just wander around Port Colborne, have lunch ashore (I found what looks like a good brewpub), and watch the ships on the Welland Canal.

I looked at other itineraries and, although it isn't on mine, some of the other Great Lakes cruises have an interesting boat ride (yes, I know we are already ON a boat ride!) for the Escanaba stop. It's a ride along the "pictured rocks" shoreline of Lake Superior. It's expensive, but I would do it if it were on my cruise. Looks like some great photo ops.

And another tour change for my cruise. I check about once a week to see if new tours appear--I was told some "really great" premium tours would be added for Escanaba, but so far they aren't showing for my cruise. As I scrolled down the list, I discovered that a tour has disappeared, along with the port stop. Sault Ste Marie is the port after Mackinac Island (Chicago to Toronto). They had been offering a HoHo bus on the US side. But now there's no tour and it says "scenic sailing." I looked at a few other cruises, and those still have the port stop and HoHo bus. It does not take all day to go through the Sault Locks, so what's going on???????

That sounds a little vigilante, but I'd join! Seriously, there really isn't anything you can do. There are signs asking people not to reserve or hold chairs, but the crew do nothing about it. I can't really blame them. I wouldn't want to get yelled at by an angry chair hog. And as much as I would like to collect all the hats and sunglasses and books and just dump them all together on one chair, I would be the one to get in trouble.

So was I. Well, the part about scolding you, anyway...

I did see that. I think they aren't promoting it in the US because it would mean last-minute airfare for a relatively short cruise. Plus, Cunard doesn't need us. I expect this to sell quickly.

I agree. If the cost difference isn't terrible, stay at the Westin and enjoy the plans you made for that area. You will have to check out of your room at the Westin before it's time for the transfer from the Hilton to the ship, but the Westin can store your luggage until you're ready to go over to the Hilton.

When I follow this link, it takes me to a page that asks me to choose US or UK site. If I choose US, I get an error message. So perhaps this isn't being offered in the US? I hope they give people on the cancelled voyages first chance to book this. If I were in the UK, I would absolutely want to do it.

It's sad to hear this. When surveys ask "would you recommend this cruise to friends?" I always think, well, depends on which friends are asking. But for the first time, I cannot imagine recommending HAL to anyone. What would I say? The plus factors are that they aren't megaships with 6,000 passengers and the itineraries are good. I have two HAL cruises booked, both on the remaining R ships. I booked them for the itineraries, both port intensive. I will go knowing that I may spend a lot of my onboard time reading. If the entertainment is good, that will be a bonus.

It's deep enough to stand in front of the side jets. It's great for walking to relax tired muscles after a long day in port.

NO! You shouldn't throw anything overboard. But you could hide things, like maybe leave them in a corner somewhere. Small things could go into the "used towel" bin.

Just when you think they can't screw up another part of the trip, they find a way!! 🤬