*Miss G*

You are welcome. It was pretty easily googled with the words “Pinnacle Grill Holland America”. I’d be looking for a new TA.

Sorry… off topic, but… every time I see a pan-handler, I think “I wonder what will happen when no one has cash?” I must admit, I’m curious to know.

Great pictures. I was hoping for one with the oblivious elderly lady. 🤭

Yes. When I asked my PCC to add it to my booking he made sure to let me know that it can only be one per cabin; not one per person.

The program is available on both sides of the border; not just for Canadians. I don’t post about it because I don’t want a price increase.

I find the best deals are the private fares. Other than that, I monitor an online site, fairly regularly, as sometimes you can catch a blip of a great deal, but those are gone just as fast as they are posted. You have to be quick.

We loved Avalon! My sister had done a Globus tour prior to our booking the river cruise and they gave us a loyalty discount.

I think you’ll find this thread has your answers:

Thank you so much! I really appreciate you taking the time to explain.

Wondering if you would be able to share how you achieved the screen mirroring? I will have my iPad so I am hoping you did it from one of those. Otherwise… never mind! Haha

Okay, well, since this thread was resurrected… I’ll bite. My Dad’s first job was in Cunard headquarters in Liverpool. Coincidentally, he mentioned them this morning and he pronounced it Kuh-nard, with the emphasis on the second syllable.

Whoa. 😮 How wonderful you were able to visit the terra cotta warriors. I find them fascinating.

That’s because we’re all in BB King’s and RSRR.

On all the hotel shuttles I have taken to PEV (and, anywhere, really), there is a sign-up sheet with assigned time slots. Once a time slot is full, they move on to the next time slot. You cannot board a shuttle out of turn because they have your name and room # to verify against.

I’ll give you an example. Years ago, I worked my way up to Gold status in Marriott. That was my goal, at the time, because it gave you guaranteed access to the Concierge Lounge, among other benefits. Not long after, they added more tiers and devalued the benefits for the other tiers. I no longer had access to the lounge because that benefit now began at Platinum and would take additional years to achieve. Again. That’s what I mean by devalued points.

I’ll offer a different opinion. From the Renaissance: It was a bit difficult to get an Uber. When one did finally arrive, he told us that he almost cancelled because it was such a hassle to get into the cruise port. Uber/Lyft are required to have a special cruise port pass on their vehicle or they can’t get in. Then they have to line up with the rest of the taxis, cars, and Ubers to go through the kiosks. There, they want to see your passports and boarding passes before they’ll let you in. Make sure they are on your person and not in the trunk of the vehicle. Another time, from the Renaissance, we were waiting for a taxi when the porter suggested the shuttle, instead, as it was getting ready to leave. There was a dedicated lane at the port for shuttle busses only. We breezed right through with no lines and no checking of passports and boarding passes. The driver said it was because the port expects the shuttle driver to verify we are legitimate passengers, freeing up the port agent to wave us through and keep the line moving. I’ve also driven in by car a few times. It takes time. I would take the shuttle.

When corporations start adding new tiers to their rewards programs, the end result is that those in the top tiers get downgraded and upper tiers become difficult to attain. TLDR: Additional tiers devalue points.

Wow. I’m sorry I read that link. It sounds like my idea of a nightmare. 😂

Different ship, maybe?

I should have mentioned that we also had one of those not-service dogs on our Koningsdam sailing. I’d finally had enough of the incessant barking (to the point where we could no longer use our balcony) that I called the NL Concierge to see if they could do something about it. She literally told me that “This always happens”. Huh? “Always?” Really? I think you are right in that the ship has a reputation in the canine sailing community.

I love adult colouring! 😂

Regarding laundry service: HAL does not use scents in any of its laundry or cleaning products. Clothes come back unscented. Sheets, bedding, and towels also unscented. Welcome to Holland America!

Holland America is actually known for a much better exchange rate than the credit cards. Not sure if this applies to other Carnival Corp lines.