Crew News

Here are some photos of a stroll around the Pinnacle-class ships:

The 3:00 PM afternoon tea time onboard HAL ships has herbal tea. Not sure about the tea availability in the city of Victoria.

Typically, disembarkation in Vancouver spans 7:30 - 9:30 AM and you can choose your time. Sounds like HAL just chose a time in the middle to put on your documents. Normally, the 7:30 to 8:15 AM times are reserved for those who need to catch a flight and will transport all of their own luggage off the ship. The balance of the passengers will be allowed to choose a time before 9:30 AM. The time you choose also determines when your luggage is moved from the ship to the baggage terminal. Clearing Customs in Vancouver is usually a breeze. You can feel safe telling your husband to pick you up around 10:00 AM.

When choosing checked luggage, ponder the possibility that your luggage may be on the bottom of a HAL luggage carrier with a number of 40-50 pound suitcases atop.

The cloth laundry bag with cinch closure will be large enough to hold the clothing for two people and a bit more. Room Stewards will pick up laundry twice per day (dinnertime and breakfast time) when your stateroom is refreshed. There is no need to sign up online. The laundry list and bag will be hanging in your closet. Complete the form and select "Unlimited" on your first submission on Embarkation Day. In the first two days, with submitting two bags per day, all of my clothing will be wrinkle-free for the duration of every cruise.

If you are a Club Orange member you can order the Club Orange special entree in both the MDR and Club Orange.

Include the following in your packing: Lightweight long underwear (Under Armour 1.0) will come in handy for excursions on high-speed boats. Mid-thigh water resistant (Columbia my fave) jacket with removable hood Cardigan sweater that is much easier/quicker to remove than pullover sweaters Poncho to keep your camera dry between photos during rainstorms Small backpack to hold poncho and removed clothing layers as temps rise Water resistant hiking shoes (not boots) or waterproof-sprayed athletic shoes Trogg rain pants in case being seated in the rain

The Tongass Trading Company in Ketchikan with the cheap jackets that are so popular is located on the pier. The downstairs level is filled with souvenirs while the upstairs is where the locals shop for gear.

You are correct. Only the designated Club Orange entree is restricted to Club Orange. Rather than scan the MDR menus, I downloaded them each day as soon as they appeared on my Navigator app. Just for clarification, all ships in the same season/location/duration have the same menus. All 7-Day Alaskan cruises in 2022 have the same daily menus. If you are planning a cruise and can locate the menus posted by a previous traveler, you will know exactly (maybe a few tweaks due to supply issues) what is available. I will be posting the Caribbean 7-Day 2022/2023 season menus in December. Note that 14-Day cruises merely repeat the 7-Day menus with few tweaks.

Here is n MDR menu from the Zuiderdam, 2022, that shows the Club Orange entree in orange print. Since there were only limited preparations of the special entree, I don't think that non-Club Orange guests would be allowed to order it. MDR Menu April 2022 Zuiderdam

Indeed it does.

Glad I could help. You should be getting the above equivalent about midway during your cruise as well as a notice where you can choose your disembarking time. Your chosen disembarkation time and provided luggage tag color/number also determines the sequence that luggage is moved from the ship to the terminal so leaving the ship before your time is announced on the public address system means your luggage may not yet be in the terminal for pickup. Tip: There is a traffic island in front of the cruise terminal exit. The left end of the traffic island is for private pickups and the far right is for taxis.

It has been $70 since at least July 2021. A few years ago it was only $45.

Yes. There has been a caviar supplement for many years.

I wish I knew the exact implementation date rather than just my cruise date. FWIW So far, no changes indicated in Canaletto , Rudi's Sel de Mer, or PG Gala menus.

HAL has three Gala Night menus that are common throughout the fleet with the first being Silver and the last being Gold. For some 10/11-day cruises, there is a blue menu served on the first Gala Night. The menus from April 2022: Silver Gala Night Menu Gold Gala Night Menu

Menus were downloaded from my Navigator app and posted from my 12/28/22 pending Rotterdam Caribbean cruise and supersede the menus dated 2021. These new menus will probably start with the Caribbean season in October Changes to the Tamarind menu include the deletion of both the chicken lollipops and the passion fruit cloud (my fave). The addition of Matcha cake and Japanese ice cream comes to the available desserts.

This announcement on my 2019 cruise might give you an idea of the program. Luggage Direct

Although there is a kiosk on Deck 2 to make Specialty Restaurant reservations on Embarkation Day, the lines can be long. There will also be a temporary podium near the Spa hydrotherapy pool entrance on Deck 9 (by the indoor pool), colocated with a Beverage Package display, where you can make all of your dining reservations. St Johns is my favorite excursion at the St Thomas port. Note that the island was devastated by a hurricane a few years ago and may not yet be back to its previous beauty.

On my last 11-Day that included St Lucia, there were two Gala Nights on the first and last sea days.

Love my crab legs without a supplement!!!!!!

Since all passengers have to be off the ship NLT 10:00 AM, you have plenty of time. Taxis are plentiful but luggage for three might overwhelm the trunk. HAL transfer is a good choice. You will be given a disembarkation window from which you can select a time that works for you. Note that the Fort Lauderdale airport TSA checkpoint is a zoo on cruise days.

Enjoy the Mac n' cheese while you can. New Pinnacle Grill Menu probably starting for the Caribbean season deletes it. I have posted the new PG menu for my December Caribbean cruise that has the following changes of note: DELETED Tomahawk steak. REPLACED Jindori chicken breast with corn-fed chicken breast. REPLACED Mac n' cheese with hashed potatoes w/truffle blue cheese aioli. ADDED gourmet cheesecake lollipops. DELETED $18 supplement for Alaskan King crab legs. ADDED four Chateau Ste Michelle wines by the glass. No surcharges for sides/appetizers. New PG Menu

Not a problem for HAL. Be careful to bring her creamer in sealed containers lest airport TSA inspection may question powders in your luggage.

As an avid photographer, I will only cruise in an aft balcony stateroom except for the Caribbean. Aft staterooms are just a short elevator ride up from the Room Service kitchen which means hot food on every order. The sound of the propeller wake is soothing for a peaceful night's sleep. The Deck 5 stateroom balconies on the Westerdam, and most Vista-class ships, protect you from the weather since they are fully covered. Kudos on your aft stateroom.