Windy56

3 hours ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

I note that the article states “Here are 10 of the best.........” the important words are “of the.” The article does not state “Here are the 10 best around the world cruises.” I think everyone is taking this too seriously. Being left off the list does not mean HAL isn’t one of the best. HAL, for whatever reason, just wasn’t covered in the article. 

Ummmm, I’m willing to hazard a guess that while you may not be taking it seriously, HAL is. This kind of exposure and free advertising, in a growing market, is valuable to the cruise line. Their 2020 itinerary was unique enough to result in the GWV being sold out in a really short period of time. However, being left out of the article suggests that they don’t have the “player” status they work so hard to promote to future world cruisers. We have done two full world cruises with HAL and can attest to the rapidly aging and in many cases declining health of their repeat guests. HAL knows the importance of wooing the market of newly retired with disposable income. An omission like this one does not work in their favour.

6 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Am I splitting journalistic hairs here?  I have to wonder about the level of journalism here when they call these "Around the World cruises" and I happen to have bookings on 2 of them.  While I am going around the world (including some rail segments) neither of my cruises goes around the world.

 

Crystal Serenity world cruise goes from Fort Lauderdale to Rome.  A very nice cruise but not around the world.  I'm on the segments from Los Angeles to Sydney.

QM2 world is a big loop from Southampton (or New York) to Sydney and back.  I'm on from Sydney to New York.  A very nice circle around Australia and Africa but ny no means around the world.

 

HAL's world cruise is longer than I can be away from home but it truly goes around the world and to me SHOULD have been mentioned in "Around the World" cruises.

 

Roy

Good point.🤔

8 minutes ago, doublebzz said:

Interesting thought.  How many different production shows do they perform on a 100+ day cruise?

Quite a few very traditional shows of singing and dancing and in our opinion they ranged from painful to barely tolerable. HAL, at least on the WORLD cruises, is doing the same kind of shows they did 20 years ago on their other ships. Four singers. Six dancers. 

Mmmmm, I think HAL has acquired a reputation of building less than exciting ships and sailing with a much older and less physically able demographic. I’m not saying that I necessarily agree with that assessment, but in the realm of world cruising, HAL seems to be losing its  lustre.

No, there appears to be a range including Princess and MSC.

I was surprised to read that HAL was not on the fairly long list on CNN ‘s article titled “The Best Round-the-world Cruises for 2020” published today on their news feed. They seemed to list a range of price points and HAL’s absence from the list was notable to me, at least. 🤔

which cruise line do you favor? Looking for opinions on which cruise line to choose.

Again it always depends on price, itinerary and what the ship has to offer. If I had to pick one line it might be RCCL.

I am one of those ready to cancel my 14 night cruise this fall. I have been an NCL fan. Only cruised them. Platinum guest but now not sure if NCL would ensure my cruise experience in the future. NCL needs to step up to the plate and admit there horrible mistake and compensate the “GUESTS”. We are looking at other cruise lines for a similar cruise. A lot of good deals out there!

My husband and I wouldn’t dream of being loyal to a particular cruise line. It’s too restrictive and the so called perks are a drop in the corporate bucket. We look at the price, the itinerary and what the ship has to offer. That’s it. I hope you have a great time on whatever cruise you choose!

I so agree. I love the onboard experience on NCL and the great crew and have three cruises booked. However, to subject fare paying passengers to those conditions is wrong. It is reckless, careless, and extreme corporate greed. Someone at NCL knew well in advance what work was planned. NCL made a decision to withhold this information until the day of the cruise. So wrong. I will be looking elsewhere for future cruises.

 

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I don’t blame you one little bit! Enjoy your future cruises!

It is called media sensationalism.

No, actually it’s called a cruise line’s worst nightmare and I, for one, am thoroughly enjoying it. To the poor passengers on this trip from hell - you have my full sympathy. However, know this - NCL will take a hit for this one in terms of reputation and I would suspect, future cancelled cruises.

And, again, you are not understanding what is being said. And I have worked with Captains, and seen their reliefs, for over 40 years, and do the same thing in my position. Everything you say is correct, but just as you said, he must meet with the offgoing Captain to get the report of everything that is going on. The poster, way back on page one of this thread, said the Captain did not know about the work to be performed beforehand, meaning before he walked on the ship. So, he expressed surprise to that poster (a passenger onboard) about the scope of work planned, since he did not expect that, and since this was his first tour on the ship had not been part of any previous planning correspondence. The Captain did not say, according to the poster who reported it, that he "didn't know what was going on", he said he didn't know "beforehand" what was going on.

 

And, if you believe that the Captain "knows everything he needs to know" before leaving the dock, you are seriously misinformed. There is no way that "everything" can be discussed in a few hours, let alone have "meetings with department heads" (doesn't happen). Things are discussed between Captains, written handover documents cover the salient points, and the Captain will get up to speed with the minutiae of ship's operation over the next few days.

These kinds of refits circulate among the cruise line’s officers months before the work is done. They are big deals. NCL crosses its fingers and hopes for the best. Deeply discounting the fares for a voyage which would be marred by the kinds of construction we are talking about would never be an option. They throw a 25% future cruise discount at the passengers and think that it will cover them, knowing very few people will choose the path of litigation. What they didn’t count on was the press coverage that this story is getting. I love it.

How wonderful for you! My husband and I will be boarding the Amsterdam on January 4th. It is our first world voyage and we are soooo excited! Warm Christmas wishes from our family to yours.

I don't feel sorry for us missing the port of Istanbul, this year on the world voyage. Who I really feel sorry for are the people of Turkey. A perfect storm is brewing there and I fear that a civil war will erupt in the next five to ten years. The dismal future awaiting the Turkish people is far, far more disturbing than the disappointment travellers will feel about missing out on the opportunity to explore this country. It is very sad. The disruption in travel plans is nothing compared to the hardships that the citizens will most certainly face in the years ahead.

I feel so sorry for all of you missing Istanbul.

But I do understand HAL's reasoning for this.

Such a shame that our world is a mess right now.

I feel much sadder for the people of Turkey than for those of us who will miss the port. I can't imagine what life will be like for them in the decade ahead.

Really? Have you not been following the news? Rather than knee jerk "Islamphobia" how about Erdogan now having the power to suspend HUMAN rights?

 

"Since the July 15 coup attempt, the government has arrested nearly 10,000 people. In addition, over 58,880 civil service employees -- including teachers, university deans and police -- have been dismissed, suspended, forced to resign or had their licenses revoked, accused of being Gulen followers."

 

France is a stable democracy. Turkey is careening toward autocracy and dictatorship.

 

ETA: We have been to numerous ports in Turkey on previous cruises and also have taken dedicated land trips to central Turkey and Cappadocia. We have come to know and befriend many Turkish people. The tragedy that is unfolding now in Turkey is incredibly sad. We worry for our friends and the future of this magnificent country.

Well said. My heart aches for the people of Turkey. I fear it will only get much worse before it gets any better.

Over 160 casualties and people are complaining of missing a few ports? I can not understand all this........

I so agree with you.

Lakesregion, even if you're in a tuxedo I hope you're not at my table.

Couldn't agree with you more. Well said.👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

There are 4 washers and dryers in each laundry room. There are 3 rooms on the ship. Each load costs 2 dollars, soap can be automatically dispensed at no extra charge. Dryers are free. Waiting is rare. Most people use ships laundry.

 

Laundry rooms are located across from 2616, 3336 and 6154

 

There is a taco bar next to the Dive Inn

 

I have put down a deposit for 2018 world.... will definitely do again

 

Entertainment far exceeded expectations...

 

Sri Lanka Port was disappointing - so was Shalala... everything else was great

 

I will be posting more on this later... stay tuned

Thanks, Pete!

My husband and I will be on the 2017 World Voyage and so we are reading, with great interest, your trip report. It's a huge amount of work for you and I know I am not alone in expressing great appreciation for the time you put into it.

At this point, would you do the cruise again? What has exceeded your expectations? Any diasappointment along the way?

We are curious about the pool with the retractable cover. During inclement weather, is it entirely closed in?

I heard that there was a taco stand by the pool. Is that correct? The thought of a refreshing swim and a quick taco for lunch kinda makes me happy.

A few questions about the laundry rooms. How many machines are there and do they sell soap/softener? Also, have you found it to be busy? Do you ever have to wait to get a machine?

i hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise and we will look forward to reading your upcoming reports! Thank you, once again, for sharing your experience in such an informative and entertaining way!

.

Great trip report. Followed it last year, as well.

I am curious about the dining room lunch hours. I, too, love indulging in a long lunch that is not buffet style. If you are lingering over lunch at 2:00 and the hours for lunch are posted as noon to 1:00, are you not concerned that you are infringing on the wait staff's downtime? My experience has been that these crew members are so instructed in indulging the whims of the passengers, that they would not dare say anything. As much as I love a long, relaxing lunch spent catching up with friends, I would be worried that I would be taking advantage of the dining crew, who would be highly unlikely to ask me to be on my merry way.

FYI, Hokey Pokey Ice Cream is plain vanilla ice cream with small solid lumps of honeycomb toffee.

Could the honeycomb toffee be sponge toffee - a crumbly candy that used to be sold in square bars. It would dissolve in your mouth and leave a slight baking soda flavour. It was kind of a yellow resin colour. My mother actually made it once - an edible science experiment!

Books are purchased by Seattle prior to the cruise. Apparently this segments books were delayed and will meet us in Sydney. Once the books arrive, the Librarian will know, but he doesn't know now what the titles will be.

 

Book clubs are scheduled on cruises over 18 days and with at least 4 days. They buy 35 copies of each title. They try not to repeat year over year...

What a great idea. Thank you for checking into this for me.

I so appreciate the fact that you try to answer our questions, Pete. I have to admit though, I feel kinda guilty about giving you these assignments to do! After all, it is your vacation! Please, do not go out of your way to investigate!

I have been wondering about the book club. Do they release the titles prior to sailing or does the onboard librarian purchase multiple copies of the books on the list, in advance of the cruise?

Love the fact that you take advantage of the activities offered each day at sea. Next year ago n the world cruise, we intend to involve ourselves in the sea day activities, as well, and so I find reading about them quite interesting. It looks like great fun and a great way to get to know your fellow passengers. You're just having way too much fun, aren't you?

 

I had to laugh at your description of the crocodile swim. C'mon Gene, would it have killed you to have purchased a collection of assorted inflatable reptiles to be tossed in the pool for a very funny photo op? It's all about the little details that elevate an activity from mildly entertaining to downright amusing.

 

Have you been to the main dining room for lunch, yet? Would you mind posting a lunch menu when and if you do?

 

Once again, thank you so much for diligently posting every day. My husband and I race to our devices each morning to read that day's adventure. What a great blog, Pete and Judy!

Oops...that should read, "Next year when we go on the World cruise..."