fridayeyes

Love in any language.  😉

Hm, my test airfares were $1,500 - 2,000 from the US West Coast. Spendy, but do-able if the cruise were (mostly) free.

Well, so much for the Elite offer. I just got an "Oops" email saying it should have been a Premier offer, so the website prices are correct.

We were *this* close to booking, too.

Ditto here. I've seen this  before, btw. It usually resolves itself after a few to 24 hours.

I would think that a B2B guest could get tested onboard before switching ships. I'm sure the medical center has the tests.

Bon voyage! I'm counting down the days until it's our turn.

We're going.

We have ample opportunities to get the test before we fly, and while the change in making guidelines registers as an annoyance, it's not enough to make us cancel. Alaska is so beautiful that we'd still go even if we weren't allowed off the ship. Just seeing the trees, mountains, waterfalls, etc. is enough for me.

I realize that some people can't get the test so easily, or aren't comfortable with the new guidelines. Hopefully things will be better next season.

Perfect, isaiahsnana - this is exactly what we'd like to do. :)

We made the reservations today, so woo hoo! We're cruisin'!

Perfect, thank you!

Thank you, cruisinpsychRN. :)

Thanks, SadieN!

For the sofas that don't make a daybed, what is that sofa like? Has anyone seen one of those? Is it short, like a loveseat with fixed arms?

Hi, all!

We need some info about the sofa in category 7A, rooms 5185/87/89 or thereabouts.

Is the sofa the kind where you can take the bolster off and use it as a third single bed? If it's shorter than a regular single, how much shorter, roughly speaking?

All of my experience, including searches of photos & videos of relevant staterooms and categories, suggests yes, but Carnival insists otherwise, that the sofa, if there is one, can't be slept on.

At issue, we're cruising in a group of 5 cabins / 10 people / 2 per cabin with three teens amongst us. We want to know if all three teens could sleep in the same cabin if they wanted.

We have the "teen room" bracketed on either side by the parent / grandparent cabins, so we can ride herd and minimize possible annoyance of other cruisers. ;)

Thanks in advance!

Friday

You will be tendering and there is too a pier right at the end of State St. with restaurants and a smattering of shops plus a maritime museum.

 

Rick

*laughing* Very well - we have no *cruise ship* pier. There is indeed a tourist-type pier which is quite enjoyable. :D

* Walk up and down State St. for the shops and restaurants

* Visit the Zoo (maybe walkable or take a cab)

* Have breakfast at the original Sambo's restaurant

* There is a bird refuge near the Zoo

* Stroll the Sunday Art fair

* If movies are your thing, see if you can catch something at The Arlington for the Mission-meets-Deco ambiance and the village and stars inside the auditorium

* Have a "Farm Cake" (like a black bottom cupcake) at Pierre Lafond

* The best ice cream EVER is at McConnells at 201 W. Mission (cab required)

Oh, and yes - we have no pier so you will be tendering.

Very cool - thank you both. :)

This thread is possibly the best thread EVER on CC. :)

But seeing the original date made me stop and think.... I've been here since 2000. I seem to recall a major forum revamp where we lost all of the old posts plus our post counts (or mine would be a couple of k higher). And I *thought* that would have been in the '05 - '07 range... But if this thread is from '04, the forum revamp had to have already happened.

Have I been smoking the good stuff, or do I misremember? Can a fellow old-time - er - "veteran poster" help me out, here? :D

Cheers,

Friday

This one is such a sticky wicket. For the 15 years I've been cruising, I've wanted to turn up at FOD but never have. I can lay claim to one of the letters but my cruise buddy can't, and she's afraid of being unwelcome. Is she friendly? Quite.

Here's the thing - I suspect we'd fit in far better at FOD than at any other social mixer. When we travel, we're usually mistaken for mother and daughter when we're not mistaken for a lesbian couple.

See, y'all and the AA folks get this nice little moniker to play with - Friends of Dorothy, Friends of Bill, etc. I have yet to see "Friends of the Singletail" listed in a cruise ship bulletin. :D

Glad we could help. HAL is a great line, and you won't be disappointed.

No, As You Wish dining includes ALL dining onboard the ship. This includes the Lido (buffet as you mentioned) along with open and fixed seating in the MDR, room service, any specialty restaurants, the grill by the pool....

 

Do you think ONLY those who eat in the open seating in the MDR are dining 'as they wish'? HAL doesn't.

The poster I am answering wants to know if there is a 'come when you want' buffet. This would be the Lido Buffet.

Yes, HAL presents a variety of options, including the Lido, the MDR, the Pinnacle, burgers at the pool, etc. and presents them as part of the As You Wish concept. However, the big change that came with the introduction of As You Wish was open seating in the MDR - which is commonly referred to as As You Wish onboard. In particular, if you ask someone where to go for As You Wish seating, they direct you to the MDR. Hours and procedures for the other venues remained the same.

The quoted post is coming off as rather snarky to me. Perhaps this was not her intent?

So allow me to re-phrase for the sake of fud 2468:

There is open seating on one level of the main dining room. For buffet dining as you describe, the Lido is what you're looking for.

Hi,

I've waded through part of the dining threads, but do not have a clear picture yet. Prior experience has been only with Princess and Celebrity.

We are elderly and think HAL would suit us well, but would like the option of the type of buffet that Princess has.

My question is, is there a dining option that would allow us to take all meals buffet-style at any time we want?--within reason, that is, i.e. between 8AM and 8PM.

Thank you,

Ray Mac

Yes. The Lido buffet will be open and available for anytime dining, no reservations needed.

As You Wish dining refers to open seating in the main dining room only.

It was the old Norwegian Star in 1995 on Caribbean itinerary out of Texas. Embarkation was a long, hot nightmare, "strawberry trifle' was red jello with specks of white cake and fake whipped cream and we swear one of our tablemates got served Velveeta shells and cheese with sliced hot dogs in it (billed as pasta quatro fromagi with chorizo). And it was fabulous, wonderful, amazing and life changing. We were completely hooked.

Cheers!

Friday

It was the old Norwegian Star in 1995 on Caribbean itinerary out of Texas. Embarkation was a long, hot nightmare, "strawberry trifle' was red jello with specks of white cake and fake whipped cream and we swear one of our tablemates got served Velveeta shells and cheese with sliced hot dogs in it (billed as pasta quatro fromagi with chorizo). And it was fabulous, wonderful, amazing and life changing. We were completely hooked.

Cheers!

Friday