Petronillus

As W. S. Gilbert was known to say, "If everybody's somebody then nobody's anybody."

Assuming that's a photo of you under your moniker, I surmise that your 50th birthday was 15-20 years in the future when you did the Avalon cruise. I'd appreciate it if you cleared a point of confusion for me (another one!): if you're using the same Buick standard I do, did Avalon exceed it? If so, was it closer to the BMW or the Buick? Do you think your experience with Avalon matched OP's with Scenic, as more fully amplified in her/his later posts? OP had me hooked at complimentary Pringles.

Thank you for your response. I appreciate that my personal frame of reference and standard of comparison (namely, David Dunbar Buick's eponymous automobile) might not work outside the US market. The standard you've described sounds higher than a Cadillac (top of the General Motors lines) and more like a Mercedes Maybach, which I can't afford and, blessedly, don't aspire to. I haven't started checking prices, but I'm bracing for "Too rich for my blood . . ." But for me it's the same for Neptune suites.

This is such a lovely thread! A lot is going on below the surface, and the exchanges are remarkably tender. DW & I have yet to do a river cruise, but it languishes somewhere on our to-do list. I had never before heard of Scenic, but based on this thread I will look at it closely. I have a standard of comparison that I'm not sure will translate effectively to Australia. I consider HAL to be a good solid Buick. It's not a Cadillac, much less a Lexus or BMW. But we are perfectly -- and I mean perfectly -- satisfied with a Buick. By that standard where does Scenic rank? Thanks to all!

I would add that you will be charged the usual daily pp crew appreciation gratuities applicable to suites.

The norms are certainly in flux, and for many of us -- generally, the older end of the spectrum -- the need to adjust is not evident and the actual adjustment is irksome. A friend shared with me that he was trying to talk with his teenage (late teens) son while the son was conducting a separate conversation with his friend via text. My friend objected to his son's rudeness and insisted that he stop texting while they talked. The son acceded to his father's request. Sometime afterward, he took my friend aside and explained, calmly and respectfully, that under the new social patterns, his father was the rude one, because demanding his son's full and undivided attention was selfish: his father was not respecting his son's manifest ability to multi-task. I was flabbergasted.

Wow, I feel like I've melded minds with this person. Further thoughts: 1. I've found that after maybe 5 Caribbean islands, they all sort of blend together. They seem to have similar histories and similar sights to see. Martinique stands out only because our guide was so proud that Martinique is an integral part of France, with its own deputies representing it in the French National Assembly, and so proud to point out how nicely paved their roads are. 2. I will always get off at Half Moon Cay for the sting ray attraction. The folks manning the pen are congenial and the animals are remarkably beautiful, peaceful, and patient. Otherwise, I agree. The best thing is to stay on board, bask at poolside, and enjoy the other amenities.

This is the best news I've heard on this front since they pulled the plug on LCS. When we did our Norway cruise last July aboard Rotterdam the LCS signage was still on display, rubbing salt into the wound. The notion of a high-caliber piano/cello/violin trio having their own free rein over a classical, semi-classical, and fusion repertoire is attractive.

My solution is passive-aggressive. You put down whatever it is you're reading, and then lean over to show that you're actively listening. If that doesn't work, start interjecting your own comments since the offender has plainly turned a private conversation into an open discussion.

It's probably another case of YMMV, but our experience in February aboard Westerdam was just the opposite. The incomparable Krista Meadows invariably put on a high-caliber show with engaging performances, all by her lonesome self. I started a separate thread shortly after to register my approval. Perhaps Krista is indeed incomparable, and others just can't match the secret sauce that makes her special. I hope for HAL's sake, and ours, that's not the case.

Hear, hear! I wonder how many people in the 19th century used to say, "Oh no! Not Beethoven's 9th again!" I'm not saying future generations will remember the Step One Dance Company routines like we revere the Beethoven symphonies. But I do think that their four programs should be viewed and enjoyed as choreographed artworks akin to ballet. On our recent 28-day cruise aboard Westerdam, the Step One dancers performed each of their four programs twice. For us it was our first time with the one called Move. I was astounded at how well the choreography, staging, and effects adapted to suit Westerdam's proscenium stage. We were particularly graced with three top-notch couples who were equally balanced in their virtuosity. That's not always been the case. It SODC has gone the way of LCS, I need to brace myself for another major disappointment. BTW, I am of a wholly different opinion w/r/t BBC Earth. If I never have to see those infernal snakes again, I'll count myself lucky.

I usually order a double, so the limit on my signature package really comes to 7½ drinks. I've yet to bump into the limit. What a temperant boy am I!

I suspect that what you've just detailed explains why my fellow passenger regretted not having booked 3 nights.

DW & I drink enough to at least break even on the beverage package. For me the main thing is feeling carefree. Not for nothing was my Dad born and raised in Scotland.

On our most recent cruise one of my fellow pax said that if he had it to do over he would have booked one of the cruisetours including 3 days in Denali. I didn't press him for details but he said that 2 days just wasn't a long enough time. It made enough of an impression on me that I resolved to choose an itinerary giving us 3 days (when the time came).

I hope I'm not quibbling but my primary incentive to purchase the Club Orange option is that at the time of booking, with Club Orange you select the lowest-cost cabin available in your category (verandah, ocean view, etc.) and then upgrade to any other available cabin in the same category at no additional charge (i.e., other than the fare for the initial choice and the extra cost of Club Orange). For DW & me, all the other CO perqs are gravy.

We're still basking in the afterglow of 28 days ohboard the Westerdam cruising Asia-Pacific. HIA gave us the signature package, and I had my set of drink preferences (a rather small number and narrow range). I never once found, regardless of venue, that my charges varied. On those rare occasions when I ordered something above the signature-package limit, the server always told me what the upcharge would be.

As of last month Chivas Regal was available at most bars onboard and did not exceed the $11 signature package limit. I think that all the single malts were above our pay grade. At home my favorite tipple is Ardbeg Uigeadail, but on board high-end blends are satisfactory. I wasn't on the lookout for single malts but IIRC the stop shelf had Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie, and the like.

Last month, on Westerdam, we had the Signature package and were barely grazed by the recently increased prices. My bloody Marys were at or below the cutoff, and same for my Bombay Sapphires. Our Chivas Regals were also within the limit. For a couple of days the Crow's Nest was out of Chivas; when we switched to Johnny Walker Black, the upcharge was something like $0.59.

We just spent 28 days in 4179 on Westerdam. The only complaint I have about the cabin is over the dearth of electrical outlets. When we arrived a power strip had already been supplied, and we put it into use immediately. The verandah was deeper than any we've enjoyed previously. Our verandah door was about three feet back from the railing of the 5th-deck cabin above us. We had occasion to shelter under the overhang from time to time. We weren't bothered by either the vibration or the sound of the engines. The view of the wake was delightful. The most pleasant memory was viewing Mt. Fuji in all its splendid glory right smack off our verandah, for the entire time we were berthed.

There's something in OP's original post that has me confused. Is there a Pacific Coast itinerary that reaches both Alaska and Mexico? I couldn't find any on the HAL website, am wondering if it would be two back-to-back bookings we'd have to cobble together ourselves.

On our most recent cruise, on one of the Meet-the-Artist coffee klatches that the CD hosted, one member of the Step One Dance Company mentioned that they do get separate cabins, which they appreciate and which make HAL a preferred employer. It reminded me of another time when the LCS pianist was married to the cello. As a result they shared a cabin and the cello got one all to itelf. BTW, at the same coffee klatch, one of the children asked the Step One troupe is at the end of the cruise they become the Step Two Dance Company. An astute question, I thought: is it perhaps a 12-step program?

Between Krista and the Step One Dance Company we found the entertainment offerings fully satisfactory. I should give honorable mention to the excellent Third Avenue West jazz trio who performed in the Ocean Bar. About half of the bar was plainly jazz afficionados, clapping after solo riffs and the like. The rest were there for a gabfest and for them it was no more than background music. Personally, I thought the chatter was demeaning, and most times it drove me away.

A few years back, shortly before the pandemic, I showed up at the MDR wearing shorts, on a non-gala evening. The maitre d' took me aside and very discreetly asked me to go back to the cabin to change into a pair of long pants. His comment was smoothly delivered with nothing the least bit offensive, and I took no offense. DW and the couple accompanying us were seated without delay and I was immediately escorted to our table upon my return. On our most recent cruise tuxedos were few and far between. I did spot two gentlemen sporting kilts and full highland regalia.

Before DW and I set sail last month on our Asian Collector cruise on board the Westerdam, a thread was spinning about the recent change in format for Billboard OnBoard where the number of pianos was reduced from two to one. It was taken as given that this was another piece of the HAL bean-counters' handiwork, but the main question on this thread was whether two was necessarily better than one. It eventually broke down into an exchange of personal grudges and attacks, but before that there seemed to be a consensus that it all came down to how good the remaining solo pianist was. I'm here only to report that Westerdam can proudly boast of a top-notch talent in Krista Meadows. Krista plays skillfully and with verve, but she is first and foremost a singer. She performed three 45-minute sets a night; the first two were programmed around various time periods and/or genres (e.g., music of the 50s/60s/70s/80/90s etc., British Invasion, Country & Western, the Beatles) and the third set was always reserved for requests. After her second set, she would pass out and collect request slips, which she then organized into a playlist. Those she was unfamiliar with, or she didn't have a satisfactory accompaniment for, she would set aside as "homework"; more often than not, the next time the number was requested, she'd be ready with it. Krista created an intimate atmosphere in the venue. She engaged us as friends, including the waitstaff. Instead of seeking refuge and respite in a (quasi) green room between sets she stuck around and interacted with us. Doing requests she would sometimes find that her arrangement was not yet ready for prime time, she would admit as much and promise to work on it in homework, and so far as I could detect no one thought the less of her for it. If I knew in advance that Krista Meadows was performing on a particular cruise, I would be inclined to book that cruise over others.