Petronillus

At the moment Chicago is in the cruel grip of a prolonged stretch of subzero (Fahrenheit!) temps coupled with driving winds. I stare longingly at your snaps of the frolicking around the aft pool.

You've inspired me to jot my thoughts down right away and not wait to let them "marinate." That strategy invariably falls prey to my procrastination. Your core dump (so to speak!) was spot on, particularly as representing the perspective of a HAL newbie. You are refreshingly open to new and different experiences, coupled with your objectivity. I admire that you didn't let your familiarity with X and its ways spoil your ability to appreciate and enjoy HAL.

The cone of shame!

Our daughter came home from a wonder-filled semester in Australia, New Zealand, and the Great Barrier Reef. I think she wanted to adopt the Australian way of life -- talking about having a "cuppa" and drinking "bee-ah" (in lieu of another hour of work). She was practically speaking Strine!

News flash! Somebody still drinks BudLite!

If you're referring to the 2023 Super Bowl, we were on the same 18-day Hawaii cruise. I never like the acoustics in the Lido pool area but the Jumbotron did the job well. People should be warned that NONE of the regular Super Bowl ads were run; it apparently has something to do with the licensing. Instead, they filled the commercial break time with the same three crappy ads that ran over and over. One was for some women's wrestling championship that was going to be televised in Australia & New Zealand only! A lady sitting behind us said, "These are the worst Super Bowl ads ever!"

What was the problem with the tendering? How did they get everybody back? Didn't those pax scatter once they got ashore? You don't sound particularly miffed about it. Maybe the expectations were low? Is Easter Island on the itinerary too? (My word-processing program was running a special on question marks. Sorry.)

Did you consider taking an elevator on its way up from Deck 4 and riding it down to Deck 2 at the first opportunity of a turnaround?

You may find a particular bar/lounge especially conducive to chatting up strangers. For me it's the Billboard Lounge, which I came to know and love because it was the principal venue for trivia games. DW & I usually lunch in the Lido Market, and we almost always join a table of four or take a table of four and welcome another couple to join us. We've had some delightful conversations that way.

Your city is my favorite/favourite in all of N. America. We love to take the family on a cold-weather long weekend (usually, US Thanksgiving) in the Hotel Bonaventure, high atop the Place Bonaventure convention center/centre, where the open-air swimming pool is in use 365 days a year. This year we caught an amazing spectacle son et lumière inside Notre-Dame basilica.

Judging from other comments on this board, the quality, care, and speed of HAL's laundry services are one area where HAL is head and shoulders above the competition.

I realize that your focus is principally on Iceland but you do mention Norway as well. DW & I spent 14 days in July r/t Amsterdam on what was billed as a Midnight Sun cruise. The western coast of Norway is spectacular. I didn't realize how deeply some of the fjords cut into the interior of the country. And the profusion of waterfalls. It was a treat to cross the Arctic Circle. For three days the captain included in his noontime remarks, "Tonight there will be no sunset and tomorrow no sunrise!" It was like perpetually between 2 and 3 o'clock in the afternoon. A fairly late addition to the itinerary was the Shetland Islands of Scotland. Two Scottish border agents came on board to check and sticker our passports. Trees are few and far between on the Shetlands, making for a bleak landscape. The Shetlands do not identify so much with the Celtic or Gaelic Scots as with the Scandinavians. They have their own flag, using the same colors as the Saltire (X-shaped cross of St. Andrew) but with perpendicular cross-bars just like Norway, Sweden, Denmark (and even Finland).

Thank you for the passing on the word on Amon Ra, and especially for the photos. Sounds like what one hopes an excursion will be.

I agree with Sir PMP that the Billboard Bar is top-notch, but in my experience the Crow's Nest bar gives them a run for their money.

More's the pity!

To me it looks more like mac & cheese. Maybe there's some lobster in there, but if so my eyes can't make it out. This has been very much a worthwhile thread. It's helped me develop an appreciation for what the PG is supposed to be and some useful tips for what to do when the PG falls short of its standards.

OP has a legitimate grievance and a compelling argument in her favor. As she stated in her original posting, she received a written confirmation of having booked a retreat cabana and relied on that confirmation, to her detriment. in choosing this specific cruise and the specific cabin she selected. An on-board credit is not a true refund, and she deserves at the very minimum a "clean" refund. In addition, she should be entitled to a cabin upgrade at no additional charge. If the ship is fully booked to the gunwales, then should be given a generous credit toward a future cruise. She and HAL are negotiating and HAL has made an opening gambit. I have no doubt there are a number of remedies HAL is holding in reserve. I earnestly hope that OP will keep us apprised of future steps and let HAL know that she is chronicling the negotiation here on CC. HAL must put its personnel under strict orders never to admit that anybody in management keeps abreast of what goes on on this board or that anyone with authority to act on HAL's behalf is kept so abreast. The silence is deafening.

In a separate thread on this forum, in response to one writer's complaint, another mentioned how the quality of "shore services" has declined since they were outsourced. That was news to me. I tried searching for any prior thread on this topic, without success. Is this true? And, if so, what comprises shore services? Do shore services include our Personal Cruise Consultants? I've always taken it for granted that my PCC is a HAL employee.

I think it's a principle of enterprise organization that every organization has its own "special sauce." It's not always obvious what the special sauce is, even (or maybe even especially) for the insiders. But you mess with the special sauce at your peril. I think a huge element of HAL's special sauce is the cheerfulness of the customer-facing crew. It must be drummed into them during their training, and in my experience they are the most gracious bunch of folks. And their cheerfulness seems utterly genuine and seems to penetrate well below the surface. I've sometimes wondered how exhausting it must be, especially for the introverts among them.

Bill, thank you for posting the picture. What a priceless memento!

The various troupes I've seen under the banner Step One Dance Company have been professional-grade. On our last two cruises their scheduled performances had to be shuffled on account of rolling seas, but when they did get to perform, I think they put on good, enjoyable programs. On our last cruise in July, they performed three times and introduced a new (for me) themed show. Just as I will gladly hear some symphonies and other classical compositions over and over again, it doesn't bother me that Step One performed the same ballets. I am of a quite different opinion about the BBC Earth film. It was not inflicted upon us on the last cruise and if I never again see those snakes in pursuit of the lizard hatchlings, or field mouse versus owl, I'll be content. Come to think of it, perhaps HAL shelved the BBC Earth schtick because with the loss of LCS, they couldn't field a live orchestra for the sound accompaniment.

From your lips to God's ear!

In our day-to-day "real" world I'm a mallwalker. Management holds off on the Xmas decorations until shortly after Halloween, and Santa takes his throne just a little after that. The three people serving as Santa's helpers are chiefly focused on the picture-taking and vehemently prohibit parents from taking their own snapshots. Right around the corner is a Victoria's Secret. A red tshirt in the display window caught my eye, on which was emblazoned "Santa, I can explain . . ." BTW: the photo shop racks up the most $$$$ on the three days when customers are invited to bring their pets in for a picture with Santa.

I recently saw the following in a church basement: "Save the earth. It's the only planet with chocolate."

We've never done a B2B, although our upcoming 28-day Asia cruise has pax coming and going at various stages. I'm curious: what is the "In Transit Procedure"?