lcand1923

During my Work Life, we would frequently have employees from out of the area in town for about a week. They would ask for Restaurant recommendations for dinner. Our office location was in Baltimore, MD and we had a list of “only in Baltimore” places divided by cuisine. Thinking about that list when I saw “Iconic American Restaurants” made me sad. Only one of them remains. Have a Beautiful Day, Everyone!

I’ve done Alaska cruises on both lines. In my opinion, the food is comparable. HAL has the better cabins and tends to get the better berths. Princess has more onboard activities than HAL. Shore excursions are comparable. I would look at the itineraries and see which cruise takes me to places that interest my family.

Is he willing to bring a blazer? Alaska cruises are quite casual, but my curmudgeon Father WAS willing to do a blazer and he admitted afterwards that he felt better wearing that rather than no jacket. (Dad always tried to be appropriate.) If the answer is no, a nice dress shirt and a nice pair of slacks should suffice. After that first cruise, Dad was hooked. We did quite a few other cruises together until the last one when he spent most of his time in Sick Bay. Hopefully, this will not be your Dad’s last big trip.

Some days, Yes. Some day, No. If I have a Specialty Restaurant dinner reservation, I’ll skip lunch.

Want to again say “Thank You” to everyone who posts here. For those of us who read the Daily and don’t post, it means so much to catch up on the news, see the pictures, read the recipes and find out about life in different parts of the world. Not to mention the pleasure we derive from cruising vicariously as we follow journeys old and new. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

in my pre-COVID cruise days, I found that the ability to book varied quite a bit. For one cruise, I was able to book six months prior to sail date. For another, I had to wait until three months prior to sail date. For the most recent cruise, I was never able to book pre-cruise. I had to book once onboard. I developed the habit of logging on to hollandamerica.com every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and checking to see if I could book Dining. (Shore Excursion seemed to open much earlier than dining.)

I did not grow up with lasagna. I kept hearing what a great dish it was, so I decided to try to make it. I did my normal research, studying recipes in cook books and writing down everything.. I even went to the library (this was pre-computers) and copied several recipes. I worked up the courage to give it a try. I went to a little Italian grocery store to buy the proper ingredients. A lovely woman was behind the counter and asked what I needed. I read from my list. She said, “What are your trying to make, Dear.”. I told her. She said, “Your trying to make it from the head. Lasagna only works when you make it from the heart. Here is what you need.”. She sold me different ingredients, loaned me a pencil and paper to write down the recipe and wished me luck. HER recipe became a family favorite!

I’ve been sailing solo for about 10 years now. HAL’s single-supplement has quite a few variables — cabin location, cruise location, sail date. I’m willing to pay what HAL wants because I like the cruise line. HOWEVER, I do wish HAL would give a little bit in regards to how it counts the cruise in it’s loyalty program. I’ve gotten extra points when sailing on other lines. (Sorry, I can’t remember which right now.). Of course, those extra points don’t mean much because I always come back to HAL.

The Panama Rolls on a Panama Canal Cruise are something I really enjoy. Have not found them on any other cruise line doing a Panama Canal Cruise. I also love the Raisin Buns in the Lido at breakfast. I’ve found Raisin Buns on other cruise lines but none are as good as the ones that HAL serves in the Lido.

Thank you, Rich, for keeping all of us informed! Hope everyone is safe after the fierce storms last night that came through MD. Have a Beautiful Day, Everyone!

I sometimes think Rich is psychic when he does The Daily. I’ve been craving an Italian Sub for months, but have never been to a place where I could buy one. Last night, I was and I did. AND, it was delicious!! Thank you, Rich and Roy and everyone else who contributes to The Daily. Have a Wonderful Weekend and Stay Safe!!

God bless you for being courageous enough to post this. I, too, travelled with my Dad who had mobility issues. We took “the last land trip” together and discovered cruising. Yes, it was easier than the long drives/bus rides, etc. We had many wonderful cruises together, but started making adjustments regarding cabin locations, dining venues, activities, etc. as his mobility got worse. Your recommendation about a roll-a-tor is spot on. That enabled Dad to take two additional cruises. His “final cruise” was a lovely Panama Canal cruise on Oceania. Unfortunately, he spent most of this cruise in the Medical Center for various and sundry reasons. On the third trip to the Medical Center he said, “This is my last cruise.” I knew how painful this was for him because he was a man who loved being on a boat of any size, shape, style. After this trip I spent time putting together slide shows of the various trips we took together. Dad spent many, many hours watching these slide shows over the years. They would normally spark a conversation about something that happened on the trip. I was fortunate because Dad did not go into dementia, but my life was his for many years.

The comments from everyone are quite accurate. I am a solo female traveller in a group put together by a Travel Agency. We did this trip in late February 2020. I got home the day before the first confirmed COVID case in my state. The tours, accommodations, EVERYTHING by Uniworld was fantastic. The crew onboard couldn’t have been better. Be prepared for a very physical trip. The days are long and the walking is difficult. But, it is well worth it. I would do it again in a heartbeat. One tip — I take a ton of pictures when I travel. I use a camera. Many, many places in Egypt charge a fee for doing so. However, smartphone cameras can be used just about everywhere and don’t require a fee.

Thank you again, Everyone. You’ve given me a lot to think about. I have about six weeks to make up my mind regarding this cruise. I had two other scheduled on other lines prior to the Oceania one. Those I’ve cancelled. The Oceania one is the next one up.

I want to thank everyone who has posted to this thread. I am debating whether or not I should cancel a future Oceania cruise because of the current COVID situation everywhere. I have quite a few friends who have contracted the current strain even though they are fully vaxed and boosted. I wanted to know how Oceania would treat a “test positive” passenger.

The above statement sums up the way that I feel about the Daily Thread. The kindness shown is what has been needed and continues to be needed by all of us. Ages ago, I sailed on another line and used to regularly follow their board and would sometimes post on it. A particular member did not like anyone posting an opinion that did not agree with theirs. The board became quite uncomfortable for me. I’ve recently booked a cruise on this particular line and started looking at the boards. This member is still there. I’ve changed my cruise critic name, but will not post because I do not want to incite this particular member.

Good Afternoon, Dailyites, I haven’t posted for several weeks but have been reading every day. My last post involved the Flea Market that my Retirement Community holds periodically. The last one had been held in February 2020 right before the first cases of COVID were identified in the State of MD. We had the Flea Market and it was a success. We had some rough moments because of quite a few personnel changes, but we worked our way through them. The Community has decided to do another sale in July. I’ve cancelled two cruises. Both were supposed to take place in October of this year. I just don’t feel comfortable traveling right now. Several friends have come down with COVID over the past month. In speaking with them, they cannot figure out where they contracted the disease. I don’t want to risk catching COVID while on a cruise ship and/or on a pre or post-cruise extension. I am so jealous of everyone’s beautiful gardens! I’ve managed to get some tomato plants in the ground, but they are looking rather pitiful. Thank you, Rich and Roy, for your Outstanding Work in keeping the Daily running smoothly. Thank you, too, everyone for your many posts. The Daily is the Bright Spot in my day!! Stay Safe!

I, too, am a Solo Cruiser. Question 1 — This is the easiest way to figure your cost. Once in a while, it may be a bit less. Question 2 - DaveOKC’s advice about monitoring your cruise fare is very good. I, personally, have found it easier to Refare when using the PCC provided by HAL. Having said that, if you have developed a relationship with a TA, they MAY monitor and refare for you without any hassle. Question 3 - FlaMariner has provided a good chart.

Both excursions are good. I, personally, would do the Tracy Arm tour because you have a good chance of seeing whales elsewhere, even from the deck of your cruise ship. You can also see whales in other places - Mexico, Maine, Hawaii. You can’t see glaciers in that many other places.