Petronillus

I echo the view that for me the thermal spa is for cooler-weather cruises. I enjoyed the warm-water-heated ceramic loungers frequently (and immensely) on an Alaska cruise but hardly at all on the Mexico cruise that followed. If, for instance, I suffered from arthritis, I'd appreciate it for its therapeutic utility but as it is it's a guilt-free form of self-pampering.

On our most recent cruise on the Westerdam, we saw dancing in the evening at the BB Kings lounge. I'm not an aficionado of that style of music and can't tell rock from blues, but it was not ballroom dancing of any sort. The basic swing patterns would likely serve, but don't expect foxtrot or waltz.

I enjoyed them too. They were invariably a gracious bunch of young people who played at a craftsmanlike level. But, honestly, they were nowhere near the caliber of the Lincoln Center Stage artists. Now that LCS are no more, would I be happy to hear the Adagio Strings again? Not deliriously so, but happy enough.

I'm glad to hear positive reviews of the new format purportedly replacing Lincoln Center Stage, but I will remain skeptical until I get to experience it for myself. A 3-piece combo playing classical music (or, more often, transcriptions of pieces originally composed for a larger group) is commonly referred to as a chamber music ensemble. There is reason chamber music is performed in smaller settings and not in symphony halls. The World Stage, at least on the Signature- and Pinnacle-class ships, is akin to a symphony hall. It's a matter of scale. The saddest thing, in my estimation, is that HAL made a sizable investment in building out and dedicating a space to share between BB King's and LCS, which it took great pains to design for optimal acoustics, and even equipped with a Steinway grand piano, and then abandoned. As a passenger I'm disappointed. As a shareholder I'm appalled.

From your lips to God's ear.

Assigning seats seems like the sensible way to avoid the chair hog problem.

Our excellent Rotterdam cruise to Norway last summer included a stop at Lerwick. I don't remember the precise arrangement, just that we queued up in two lines in the World Stage, at each line a delightfully affable UK border control agent checked our passports and sent us on our way, and at the end a colored sticker was affixed to the outside of the passport. Not a big deal. Not much of an inconvenience. As I think back on it, the personalities of the border agents may have made a difference. By the way, based on our how the character Jimmie Perez on "Shetland" on BritBox talked, I expected that Lerwick would be pronounced "LAIR-ick." Our guide definitely said "LER-wick." When asked she said that the actor portraying Jimmie Perez is from the west of Scotland and has an accent to match. It was also pointed out to us that the cultural affinity of the Shetlands is closer to Scandinavia than to Scotland. The Shetlands have their own flag, which uses the blue and white of the Scottish saltire (St. Andrew's cross) but reverses the colors (blue on white instead of white on blue) and sets the arms of the cross at right angles -- just like the flags of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.

That being the case, does one experience something comparable to the poolside chair hogs? Do couples split up so as to each claim a window seat and thereby block another DW & DH from sitting together?

Best wishes for your 2025 6-week cruise. I am green with envy. We recently experienced a Tamarind pop-up on the Westerdam. It was in the Canaletto space and was not equipped with the full range of Tamarind offerings (no sushi) or level of service (no saki vessels). It was more like Tamarind Lite.

I think OP was hoping that in a joint billed as "fine dining," his/her comfort food would be raised to a new level. Getting the same old same old was a letdown. I get it.

I tried it once. My impression (no doubt representing a small minority): the presentation was weird, and the taste was disgusting. Perhaps it just wasn't optimally "candied & crispy."

I just clicked on this site and received the message that FWT has suspended operations and is no longer accepting reservations or scheduling tours on any regular basis.

We've used Viator twice. The first time was an excursion from Montreal to Quebec City. Mediocre in every respect. What soured me the most was that the Montmorency Falls was billed as one of the major attractions. At that point the bus stopped and we all trooped out, only to find that the falls was across the river at a far distance. We recently were part of group that booked a tour with Viator in Manila. There was confusion about the pickup point, as a result of which our start was delayed by tour hours while we shuffled back and forth outside the cruiseport. The Viator contact number was not much use and the guide, once the connection was made, was thoroughly nonchalant and insouciant. My experience so far leaves me less than impressed and less than eager to book with Viator in the future when/where a suitable alternative is available.

Lots of people paid big $$$$ for long-term care insurance and ended up empty-handed when the carriers went belly up thanks to lousy underwriting. That's what's behind a certain prominent insurance company's use of the Rock of Gibraltar as its logo/symbol.

Thank you for this. I was wondering if the best course for DW and me would be to get an annual policy (I was thinking Allianz but I'm glad to hear about GeoBlue) for the medical care/evacuation/repatriation coverage and HAL's lower-level offering for CFAR. HAL certainly emphasizes the cancellation part of its coverage and medical seems of lesser concern.

You and your dad are in our thoughts and prayers. May he rest in peace, and may the loved ones he leaves behind find comfort and solace.

My understanding of the ADA is sketchy at best, but the little I know includes that the law requires the judge/decision-making authority to balance competing interests and burdens. What are the rights of the person who suffers from a deathly phobia of dogs and seeks out cruising as an environment where dogs will not be encountered? What are the rights of the person who suffers an incapacitating allergy to pet dander? I struggle to believe that the equities always fall in favor of the service dog's owner, no matter what.

In support/defense of the Step One Dance Company, I think their shows should be looked at as choreographed performances, ballets in other words. I suppose that if we had subscription tickets to a season of the New York Philharmonic and all they performed all season were the Beethoven symphonies, I'd complain about the lack of variety. But on the 28 days of our last cruise Step One performed each of their four shows twice. We saw all four once and a couple of them twice, and enjoyed them all. We had seen them previously in the ultra-high-tech setting of the pinnacle class World Stages, and were intrigued to see how effectively the shows worked in the smaller, proscenium space of the Westerdam. I don't see myself getting tired of them or their performances anytime soon. It also helped that the six dancers were all of a top-notch caliber. Previously, one couple has stood out as technically and artistically superior to the other two and the consistency of their skill levels and artistry this time did make a difference.

On our last cruise the six dancers of Step One Dance Company, in a chat session, said that HAL is exceptional in giving the performers single cabins -- which they liked a lot. Maybe that's one of the reasons other cruise lines have a fuller/wider range of entertainment.

On our most recent cruise, 28 days on the Westerdam, I wasn't every night for every set but I certainly did become one of the regulars. There is no "Music Walk" per se on Westerdam, and so Billboard Onboard and Rolling Stone are not in direct competition as on the pinnacle class ships. Our pianist at Billboard Onboard (BO???) was the marvelous Krista Meadows. She played three sets per night. The first two were programmed (a cycle of music of the 50s/60s/70s/80s/90s, Beatles, Country & Western, British Invasion, etc.) but it seemed that Krista herself selected the pieces and the order in which she played them. The third set was all requests. Right after the second set Krista distributed request slips and golf pencils, which she collected and formed a playlist out of on the spot. (Amazingly, Krista did not take the time between sets for any me-time; I found her diligence edifying.) Pieces she was unfamiliar with or she felt were not yet ready for prime time she would take back and prepare in anticipation of the next day's requests. I blithely kept requesting MacArthur Park not appreciating how difficult a piece it is. She didn't disappoint (although it took several days of work before she was satisfied with her arrangement). I can only hope that Krista sets the HAL standard for the new one-piano format at Billboard Onboard.

To each his/her own.

In further defense of "It depends . . ." The Spector case is an interesting and relevant precedent, but it does not settle the issue of whether foreign-flag vessels are subject to the Americans With Disabilities Act with respect to service animals. First, the Spector decision was a 6-3 opinion with a confusing welter of splintered plurality opinions and a characteristically penetrating dissent from Justice Scalia that the Chief Justice and Justice O'Connor joined and Justice Thomas joined in part. Second, the case presented the questions of whether, how, and to what degree do the barrier-removal and structural accessibility requirements of the ADA apply to foreign-flag vessels. Third, the bottom line (which is kind of thin and wavering, given the splintered rationales of 5/6 justices and the solid dissent of 3/4 justices) is (1) that the ADA applies to foreign-flag vessels while operating in U.S. territorial waters and (2) that the ADA does not address the "internal order" of a foreign-flag vessel (i.e., the vessel's operational policies, procedures, and practices) except to the extent the internal order impinges directly upon the health and welfare of Americans while in US territorial waters. Assuming (for the sake of argument) that under Spector the ADA requirements concerning service animals are also covered, it is conceivable that a cruise line could require that once the ship has entered into international waters (and the casino is opened!), all service animals be confined to quarters or kenneled (if kennels there be) at the passenger's expense. It would also be permissible that once the ship is in international waters those claiming to need a service animal could be required to prove their bona fides with evidence satisfactory to the captain or her/his designated officer. The cruise lines should not claim, "Our hands are tied by Spector." Given Justice Scalia's dissent, who knows if today's US Supreme Court would be inclined to extend Spector to service animals?

I've heard that dogs have owners and cats have staffs.

Is it lawful for the United States to claim jurisdiction over a foreign-flagged ship? How is it that HAL, whose ships are flagged in the Netherlands, must comply with the ADA (AMERICANS with Disabilities Act)? Is this a point of admiralty law? Is it that Holland America Line and its parent, Carnival Cruise Lines, are headquartered in the US and that CCL is listed on the NYSE?

Thanks for providing a balancing viewpoint. It reaffirms the old adage, that if sounds too good to be true, it likely isn't. I'm the guy who likens HAL to a good solid Buick. What you've described makes me think more of a Cadillac than a Beemer or a Merc.