LouChamp

Aloha. Absolutely. I always say we are blessed to cruise and while it may sound corny, it is not because we truly are blessed and your kind words go far

Aloha. Thank you for your reporting. Unfortunately it seems the norm that the monster ships are no longer for us as the kids have grown and flown the coop. With beautiful memories of cruising around the world including holidays, it seems the relaxation of a beautiful voyage does bring some headaches. We are blessed to divide our time between NY and Honolulu having been born and raised in Manhattan. That said, since the late 80s our condo has a beautiful gym/pool/hottub on the 47th floor and being on the Board was always told never use a communal hot tub because of the constant proper need for chemicals to be added in a very precise manner. We are on another cruise line ship and low and behold Legionnaires Disease was traced to the hot tub. Not the only instance but I heeded the advice and refrain from using them sad to say.

Aloha. I can log into the website but to the app. I don’t want to mess it up so as long as i have web access i’ll wait till they fix the gremlins

Aloha. Your summary is very similar to my thoughts regarding the various lines. I won’t say I will not sail on a particular line again and realized we have been sailing with Celebrity since its inception and NCL, Princess, HAL, Cunard, Royal since the 1970s. We have sailed with Cunard for decades and the QM2 since its inception in 2004. They all have special somethings and I do enjoy variety and look forward to Oceania and Regent soon. Have two long cruises with HAL scheduled except one involves the Middle East so that will probably be canceled. I thank you for your thoughts and Jim and Iain we thoroughly enjoy your reviews and food pictures. Happy and blessed New Year’s!

Aloha. Beautiful photos and thank you for sharing. Brings back wonderful memories. A happy and healthy and blessed new year!

Aloha. A happy and blessed New Year to you and your family. I subscribe to your newsletter and enjoy your style of writing. As you requested I do have some questions. We have been blessed to travel the world by land and sea and at time on long voyages but not w world cruise and divide our time between NY and Honolulu. Missing the family for four months precludes such a long voyage. How do you handle that? Also, it would seem all is well unless an unexpected medical issue may arise. How do you handle doctors etc? Having been on a few long voyages, I have noticed little factions develop amongst passengers. What has been your experiences and observations? How do you handle the braggadocio wearing their days traveled and status aboard? I hope with all due respect you don’t find these questions too intrusive but rather matters that I do not find discussed online. The logistics about taxes, prescriptions, mail are not my concerns and are regularly discussed. I wish you all good health and loads of fun!

Aloha. Sorry I hit send before I responded to your above inquiry. I personally do not fly out anywhere the day of docking. That said if I were I never book any flight before at least noon or 1pm. NY is a different story altogether and you need to get to Newark via the Lincoln or Holland tunnels. Even though the Lincoln is close to the pier on the West Side anything can happen and I have through the years experienced anything and everything. Then you need the NJ Turnpike or route 9…same concerns. I would rather sit at the airport and be wrong than to be frantic and stressed after a wonderful voyage so in my opinion I would fly out after about 3pm at earliest. Keep in mind that the port workers need to get to work and if there is UN issues, street closures, parades, festivals, protests, manhole explosions, construction accidents (I have experienced it all) they can’t get to work at the pier. Sorry I am so cynical but being prepared helps keep my blood pressure low which is why I located to Hawaii!

Aloha. We divide our time between NY and Honolulu and I was born and raised in Manhattan and still maintain a presence there. There are three cruise ports: Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey. Issues with each of them lol and I have experienced situations where the ship will reschedule to a different port sometimes at a moments notice. That said, September is United Nations month with world leaders including our President descending upon the city generally during the last two weeks of September. You should check the schedule for the meetings and if that coincides with your docking you need to schedule your flights out of JFK or LaGuardia for later in the day as Manhattan mayhem will ensue lol. Also if it is a weekend docking there are streetfares and roads and avenues are closed. Yes…headaches which I have learned to live with for decades but proper planning will result in you having less headaches and a relaxing visit to the city. Please keep us posted and I will be happy to assist with further questions if I can!

Aloha. We have been blessed to sail the Drake Passage, Bay of Biscay, the South Pacific, Transatlantic and even the hydrofoil to Capri lol. There is no rhyme nor reason nor a way to predict the weather and sea conditions. We have been in ships of various sizes and while I am very tolerant of serious rough weather conditions my wife is less so but a real trouper and continues to sail lol. I would not worry and go and enjoy!

Aloha. Have a wonderful New Year and blessings for a safe and enjoyable voyage. We have been blessed to visit Brazil several times and of course most of the places you are and love the Zuiderdam as well. It seems the Visa situation and political situations around the world are becoming more complicated and for us personally not worth the trouble as we divide our time now between NY and Honolulu. Also we reserved a few Grand World Voyages because I do not want to be away from the kids for over 4 months. How do you handle that?

Aloha. Know Weston well. We had a condo in Tamarac before I learned better and moved to Honolulu lol. Not an insult to Florida it’s just that I wanted something really different.

Aloha. Have been blessed to cruise since the 1970s on many lines and many ships of all categories. The food has certainly changed from gourmet to mass market catering. Born and raised in Manhattan the restaurants are incomparable although France and Italy certainly are up there. When I cruise nowadays I have a high tolerance level for the food. For my purposes as I get older the huge ships just don’t cut it anymore. Been there done that so we are gravitating towards the smaller luxury lines and even they are not truly gourmet. I no longer compare the different lines and ships etc and go with an open mind and hungry stomach lol!

Aloha. Have been blessed to cruise to the Bahamas and also fly there since the 1970s. A lot has changed and now personally many of the Caribbean islands including Bermuda although technically not Caribbean I have lost my love for. Nowadays generally stay on the ship and really don’t care where she sails to. That is just my opinion. Atlantis is massive and if I want crazy I have it all in NY lol.

Aloha. Have a wonderful vacation and a happy and blessed New Year. We have been blessed to travel for the New Year including a South America odyssey celebrating New Year in the Drake Passage. So much fun and great memories. Enjoy!

Aloha. You echo my thoughts exactly. Have been blessed to sail on many lines around the world and are top tier with many. I am not tied to any line or hotel or airline except Hawaiian and now their purchase by Alaska makes me wonder that loyalty also. That said, we love Cunard having sailed since 1970s and most often Grill Class. Wishing you all the best!

Aloha. Always enjoy your reports and photos. Your festive spirit transcends the voyage. We have been blessed to travel the world and visit the places you are sailing either by land or sea. Having children we are very close with and family as well as my mother precludes a world voyage at this time but enjoy your reports and experiences. Wishing you good health and happiness.

Aloha. They are beautiful memories. My wife is not a fan of Carnival so my brother in law and I would sail for a well deserved holiday and I always enjoyed the time with him and yes…I liked the food too! Thank you for sharing

Aloha. Nothing compares to Christmas Mass at Sea. Have a blessed Christmas

Aloha. Have been blessed to cruise since 1971. Having also traveled around the world and have stayed at 5 star hotels I have encountered chair hogs everywhere. It is shameful but unfortunately that is the sad reality. Years ago you would reserve a specific chair just as you would a specific table in the dining room. While certain staterooms do provide this amenity perhaps allowing one to reserve and pay for a chair would be an additional revenue stream for some nickle and diming lol but also provide some relief from this perpetual headache.

Aloha. Once again I look forward to your reports and photos. As you may recall my parents were avid Crystal cruisers since its inception and sailed countless times beginning with the Harmony. As my father is no longer with us and mom unfortunately has dementia at age 90 your love for Crystal and the enjoyment it brings to you and your wife puts a smile on my face and I know my father is reading your posts from heave! I pray that you and the Mrs have many years of health and happiness as you sail the seas.

Aloha. Enjoying your reports. Have been blessed sail the region so for me the photos are wonderful memories and I thank you. That said, I can never get enough of food pictures and menus lol!

Aloha. We live parallel lives lol and I totally agree with your points.

Aloha. We have been blessed to sail Tahiti and the South Pacific and have also stayed on the islands. The Intercontinental Papeete is a wonderful hotel with magnificent overwater bungalows. We regularly fly Hawaiian between Honolulu and NYC but have flown Air Tahiti Nui nonstop Papeete to NYC nonstop which they no longer do. That said, I would definitely fly them for the experience if even to LA and then transfer. Enjoy!

Aloha. All blessings for a wonderful voyage. You certainly have been planning and reporting for some time and deserve the most marvelous of vacations!

Aloha. Have been blessed to sail Tahiti and the South Pacific. Posts such as yours on the PG are rare so I greatly appreciate it. As far as flying, we regularly fly the Hawaiian route Honolulu to NYC which is about 11 hours but thoroughly enjoyed Air Tahiti Nui nonstop Papeete to NYC which was 14 hours which they no longer have. A wonderful experience. Enjoy and all the best!