RICHARD@SEA

I'm hoping the beloved ROSCOE will be posting soon about his upcoming voyage in 2024 & what he'll be wearing (I know the designer were sworn to secrecy)????

The ship was beautiful...your father is gorgeous!!!

Anyone that sailed on a cruise during that period would gladly give up today's floating malls for that ship. Remember the Oceanic, FRANCE, Michaelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci..... the best!!!

Great look all around - you certainly have PANACHE & STYLE!!!! I have an assortment of cruise clothing that I only wear at sea - love linen and usually wear a sports jacket - to ward off the AC and the pockets are handy. There is a man named ROSCOE over on the Cunard board that does WC & others - he is a star among the fashion plates...check out his posts & blogs. I live in NYC & people tend to be very stylish - outside that I am pretty appalled at what some people consider appropriate !!! Really guys - enough w the baseball caps..

since the 1960's there were plenty of winter sailings out of NYC - Home Lines, the Italian Line, the Greek Line, Cunard all offered all type of carib & Bahama sailings of various lengths. We usually sailed Home Line & the Italian Line on 9+ day sailings - the first & last sea days were chilly but after that it was warmer than in Florida. The passengers on this sailing went at rock bottom prices(between Thanksgiving & pre Christmas) and the cruise line has the right to change the itinerary as needed. One of the best reasons to sail out of NY is that - for us there is no need to fly!!! PS - I sailed Mera a couple of years ago & recently sailed HAL Rotterdam - I'd pick MSC over HAL any day!!!!

Its all about quality over quantity...this ROTTERDAM cruise was a waste of money all around - I went for R&R, fresh air on my balcony, peace & quiet at sea - none of which I got - this is the only time I ever wanted to disembark a ship early - i actually looked into flights out of Curacao back to FT Lauderdale. After 6 days of not sleeping , bad food & no response/action from management I had enough!!!

I returned from a cruise on Rotterdam on 3 December 2023 - it is my last w HAL after 130+ days. I have not sailed on Celebrity since the early 2000's I'll be looking at more lines like Explora & Silversea. I did hear several different passengers comparing Celeb to HAL....most preferred Celebrity. As far as my experience - HAL food was pretty tasteless cafeteria food that was consistently cold(I also had food poising from a dinner in the Pinnacle Grill). The evening entertainment was similar to a bad assisted living / over 65 home. There were other MAJOR problems encountered.

Right now I am looking at EXPLORA Cruises - as the ships are smaller & suppose to be a more luxury choice. I have sailed on MSC & like the Euro flavor onboard - hopefully Explora will be more to my tastes. BTW - I love the pizza & gelato on MSC - when the Hotel Manager on HAL touted how great the pizza & Gelato were onboard ( we both had Pistachio) - i just told her HAL should get MSC recipes for both.....

On the 3rd nite(10;30 pm ) the nasty Assistant Mgr said they would move me to deck 8 below the lido the next day - the next day the Hotel Managaer said there were no available cabins..... the ship wasn't that shifty compared to the management - by this time I had had enough.

I was in cabin 4012 - Port side forward - 2 decks above the showroom STAGE. (one above the balcony of the showroom) Outside the cabin going aft the vibration & sound could be felt/ heard back to above BB KINGS(as confirmed by an officer, my Steward & the Hotel MGR) Obviously HAL did not have the shipbuilder install enough insulation between decks. I always book an midship balcony cabin - yes & avoiding all problems w lido's & showrooms & public spaces - this is the first time I ever encountered this situation.

Thank you for posting this info. If you see this & want to tell your friends - they should "insist on meeting w the HOTEL MANAGER" It took me 4 days to meet w her due to the Guest Relations & then the issue was addressed.(and I'm still dealing w HAL headquarters w my TA encouragement - one question I was asked is "how much is 9 nites of not sleeping worth???"

One of the hallmarks of quality is history - the New Crystal is only a few months old & the award was for service - not overall line. a little premature. Perhaps when the new ships come out & are sailing for a while this "award" will be reevaluated. Service should be excellent on a "luxury "line, but until the new ships do have a break in period I see no reason to sail NC on OC ships.

I recently returned from a 9 Nite cruise onboard ROTTERDAM V11 - the decor of the ship is quite nice, but the rest of the cruise was a disaster (this is a drama free post). Everything from cold food(including food poisoning from Pinnacle Grill) dirty glasses & tables in the LIDO(not enough staff) amateur entertainment(more of a bad wedding band) & general overall cost cutting by HAL & its parent company. The most important issue was my balcony cabin on DECK 4. There was a constant banging inside the cabin & outside in the corridor from midships forward. Sometimes it would start at 3pm & every nite it would go on til 10:30 - 11:00 pm. It was like living / trying to sleep while someone pounded on a drum for hours. I spoke to the steward, an officer that happened by one day, then guest services (which was another HELL all its own & finally to the HOTEL MANAGER. The Hotel Manager did come back the next day & told me the pounding was from a sound / Bass system=m from the showroom that was attached to a steel beam that ran under my cabin - the pounding further midship was from the sound system in BB KING for the same reason. I'm a 3 star mariner w HAL(going back to 1976) this was also my last HAL cruise. The overall quality is pretty poor. For the first time I wanted to disembark early. I am in contact w HAL Corporate(as I told the Hotel Manager I would) and my TA sent me the info regarding who to contact & assured me there was no reasonable explanation for any of this. I'll follow-up when I get results from HAL

I just returned from a 9 day cruise on HAL ROTTERDAM..... I travelled solo & among 2600+ passengers I "saw" very few male couples...maybe 3.... there was a LG gathering posted in the daily on the first sea - I just think no one showed up. What this tells me is that people are more likely to blend in & exist - for those that want a gay meet & greet all you have to do is ask guest services. I'm very independent & I don't think I ever went to a Meet & greet but should someone interesting sit next to me or nearby & we start a conversation that I enjoy. I did meet an officer onboard & we exchanged contact info. One point of the gay movement was acceptance...tho not perfect, today(for the most part) I/ we can participate in mainstream life. There will always be the CRAZIES everywhere...just keep walking [past them & live!!!

Liberty of the seas is also sailing on the 24 November 2023 from Port Everglades

Mr Roy - I hope to board the Rotterdam V!! next week - I had taken several cruises on ROTTERDAM V back in the late 1970's & early 1980's - FABULOUS OCEANLINER to say the least. The RITZ CARLTON DINING ROOM & THE MAIN DINING ROOM to this day remain some of my all time favorites... thats was cruising at its best & very DUTCH!!! Enjoy teh rest of your cruise - I'm in FT Lauderdale & we were hit w CAT 1 Hurricane rain & winds last nite - so you left at a good time.

The Mexican Drug Cartels do not care where the $$$$$ come from - I'm sure they are quite happy to have Americans & other nationalities spending in Mexico. Cozumel is another town (along w others) that have been mentioned to be aware of. Gay or not the gangs don't care. Its a shame what has happened to Mexico & its charming towns over the last 20 years.... I won't travel to Mexico anymore for many reasons...personal safety is #1

Its ironic - I'm in my mid 60's & have been vacationing aboard ocean liners & cruise ships since the 1970's. Back then & into the 1980's it took a while for the FOD's Party to show up on the daily program - usually in one of the smaller venues as a cocktail party. The hosts were cruise or assistant cruise directors. Usually there would be 10 - 25 men joining in - remember most ships except QE2 & THE FRANCE had less than 1,000 passengers. Those in the know appreciated it & not once were we bothered & the crew really had fun w us. Sometimes an officer would join in & the drinks would go onto dinner. I liked the Italian ships the best...they knew how to enjoy LIFE!! Now with all the fuss w the Alphabet Soup of identities its tiresome. There is a time & place for everything...next thing there will be straight couples having protests.... Conduct yourself w respect for others...have fun and just live!

Parts of Mexico are now on the USA terrorist watch list - drug cartels etc...rapid crime also.

maybe your daughter duped you - she just wants you to pickup some fashion tips from the men in Wilton Manors!!!! Have fun

I've been coming to Ft Lauderdale area for many years...there is a very large LGBTQ community & also a larger MAGA population.... I stay near the beach & have never had a problem being w my partner in any of the hotels & Port of Everglades. The only time I did encounter a problem was once when I needed to use a restroom we stopped at a McDonalds...the men's room had a line while the women's room was vacant. I quickly went into the women's room (it had several stalls). Just as I was washing my hands a security guy banged on the door & said if I didn't come out immediately he would call the police. I would describe myself as a 60 yo straight looking gay male(whatever that means - but women do hit on me from time to time). Florida is a strange place - so right wing & yet Ft Lauderdale/ Ft Liquordale is left leaning and very gay friendly.

Its funny about the pizza & ice cream - on MSC the pizza on Mera was great & available all the time - Italians prefer the margherita & as far as ice cream - MSC had a gelato stand in the indoor promenade that had the best gelato in many flavors .. I had that for desert every nite.... but I was usually the only one there because there was a charge for it - I hope Explora has the gelato onboard. Like the OP I don't care for buffets but again on MSC Mera I would visit the buffet around 4pm for some guac & chips and a glass of wine to hold me til a late dinner. As far as design the Italians have it right - -do I see a hint of Gio Ponte & The Home Lines Oceanic??? LOVE,LOVE, LOVE IT!!! I applaud the Euro influence onboard and hope it continues & I look forward to my first Explora cruise.

On the 2003 World Cruise onboard QE2 the ship did 26.44 knots at one point going from NYC/ Manhattan to Florida. In January the ocean & winds were quite active & on the second day we could feel the ship list & stay that way for a while...as she cut through the sea - it was wonderful to experience QE2 that way!!!

One point may be that after last years somewhat disastrous World Cruise & many long time guests complained about service, food cutbacks & the condition of the ship post covid. HAL has problems with its quality of product & its identity in the cruise line industry. Maybe some of these issues have been recognized & are being addressed... and more importantly CARNIVORE CORP is listening to its paying customers. One experience I had many years ago on QE2 was the difference between a Transatlantic sailing and a World Cruise. while the TA was great in every way the WC portion was SPECTACULAR. The per diem cost was higher on the WC & it showed. Enjoy!!!

Brookly piers have been known to be a hit or miss w passengers both embarking or disembarking - I always preferred the Manhattan piers. OP- as far as the particular date you disembarked - NYC was indeed under a Disaster Alert due to the effects of a passing hurricane - records amount of rain did fall, flooding subways(think waterfalls underground) w roads unpassable & closed. The Brooklyn Terminal was not developed well & the PORT of NY & the cruise lines are responsible for that. As for accommodation once ashore Carnivore Corp dictates procedure...they are responsible for Cunard & its actions.