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Unlike other guests, my first laundry bag is placed on the bed on Embarkation Day when I go to dinner. Without exception, the laundry is returned the following afternoon (usually a Gala/Dressy night).

Another vote for the Pan Pacific Hotel (cruise terminal is under the hotel). The hotel will deliver your luggage to the cruise terminal drop-off for you. There is an underground mall across the street with dining, coffee, wine, sundries, clothing, and pharmacy shops. To get to the mall, there is an escalator down to a hallway under the street. Another means of access is a crosswalk with stairs down to the food court. For eating, there is a Tim Horton, Starbucks, McDonald, Asian, and Mediterranean counter service. There is even an H&R Block to pay your taxes.

It is my experience that the extreme times, both early and late, have lines. My ideal time was 6:30 PM for arrival but that varies on each ship. As a solo, I enjoyed the "community" table near the door rather than waiting.

Welcome to Cruise Critic. The cruise terminal uses only facial recognition (takes 10 seconds) and then passengers are free to leave the terminal. If facial recognition does not pass or their are other issues, there are a few agents available for processing them. My experience was that Global Entry enrollment is by appointment only and required a fingerprinting capability.

Pinnacle-class CO does not have an appointed time, rather guests come anytime. My Pinnacle-class CO Hosts have always provided beepers to those who did not want to wait in line. It is my experience that lines begin to form around 6:45 PM on Caribbean cruises.

After mistakenly booking a stateroom with a connecting door in 2022, I learned that younger couples tend to be very religious in calling out to God at all hours. I am another many-year white noise machine user.

MDR as a solo: When meeting my MDR waiter for the first time, I let them know that I will leave in 60 minutes whether I have had every course or not. My NA October MDR complete dinner service times were 57, 52, and 49 minutes. On the Eurodam last month, my dining times were 52, 49, and 43 minutes (best time in all of my cruises). Meal courses can be staged at the wait stations and served within minutes of finishing each course. Just ask. A follow-up with a "Let us know" kudo guarantees great service for the duration of your cruise. It is my experience that the cutback on beverage servers and Sommeliers in the MDR can slow service. As posted, "bring your own" saves a lot of time.

Thanks for the update. We all look forward to knowing with whom we will be sailing.

Your Room Steward will also place a notification card on your bed the night before any pending time change.

A polarizing filter is needed when shooting through helicopter, plane, train, and bus windows to cut glare. I have found that nothing can remove the color bands from photos taken through the heavy glass of the domed train cars.

Ask the bartender before you order. If you have a beverage package, here is what drinks are included under the cost limit: Beverage Packages 2024

As posted above, the sled used on dirt trails looks like the frame of a Volkswagen. Temsco is used by the cruise lines for dogsledding in the snow in Skagway. Tour operators act as "middle-men" for them. The helicopter flight and being pulled through the snow is a thrill of a lifetime ($$$$). There is also a chance to pet/scratch some of the friendlier sled dogs as well as a chance to play with new puppies.

After talking with HAL Ship Services, I have created a table of the costs to upgrade HIA Surf Plans to either Premium or Stream Plans: Costs to Update HIA Surf to Premium or Surf Plans It will interesting to see how individual ships actually charge for the upgrade.

After consulting HAL Ship Services, I have created a table that shows the cost (once you board the ship) to upgrade the HIA Package Surf Plan to either the Premium or Stream Plan: HIA Update to Premium or Stream Plans It will be interesting to see if individual ships have update charges that match this table.

Merrell Nova for me.

Pants of any style are acceptable for women (No shorts). Minimum for men is collared shirts and slacks (no shorts). Anything above the minimum is fine. I have seen a full silk Benjamin Franklin outfit with buckle shoes and the owners long white hair tied back. Also, Hawaiian shirts and sweaters are quite popular. The minimum gets you into the MDR. IMHO dining guests should not care what hundreds of their fellow passenger, (who they will never see again) think about their outfits. There is no need to "dress to impress" unless you wish to do so. FWIW my distressed feet encourage me to wear hiking shoes with my sport jacket.

The unlimited Press Only Package can be purchased online for an average $4/day.

All ports on the 7-Day Jewels of the Mediteranean are walkable except Piraeus (Athens). Athens is about a 20 minute taxi ride from the port. Checking in early allows you to avoid the crowds, eat the lunch included in your cruise fare, have a shorter line making Specialty Restaurant reservations, allow time to explore the ship before sailaway, and have your luggage unpacked before dinner. You pay only the difference.

Welcome to Cruise Critic. As a hobby photographer, I have been wearing cargo pants on Gala/Dressy nights for years but I do add a sport jacket. In my experience, half of the Main Dining Room (MDR) men will wear the minimum requirement of the dress code and the other half will be in jackets with or without ties. There will be a few tuxedos and long gowns. Wear what makes you feel comfortable.

Pressing is included in laundry items listed below.

Thanks to you for reporting the link issue. I count on CC members to keep so many links current in my battle with website gremlins.

The amount may be minimal in comparison but each ship may just have an arbitrary number to charge. FWIW the Premium Plan and Surf Plans are the same cost for 42-51 days but the Premium Plan is cheaper than the Surf Plan for cruises longer than 52 days. Refund to update the latter??

My apologies. I had to upload a newer version of the tables but was timed out in changing the earlier post link. Actually, there are three possible links: Home Page Link for Internet Prices HAL Menus and More Internet Prices Internet Price List Page

I have a copy of the surf plan rates for 1-100+ days. From 1-6 days, the difference is $2. For the following days 7-20, rates differ randomly from $2-$13. For days 21-25, rates differ from Premium by $12. Days 26-31 differ by $12. Days 32-41 differ by $1 with days 42-31 being the same rate. What each ship charges for upgrading MAY follow the above. There may also be just a standard rate. I don't know but I will try to find the answer. A quicker answer may be found by posting this question on individual live threads to see a pattern.

Just for clarification. Wifi calls are included in the Premium Plan with the Stream Plan only adding access to streaming video services.