RevNeal
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Posts posted by RevNeal
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1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:
My wife has absolutely no problem packing for a cruise in one roller carry on and one personal item.
I suspect we could both put all our gear into one roller carry on.
Are you physically small? Thin? Short? All three? I'm tall and fat ... meaning my clothing is more bulky and, hence, takes up more space in a suitcase. Depending upon the cruise, I can usually manage with a single 26" rolling upright (that will have to be checked). I also bring a carry-on for items I don't want handled by luggage crew. To do this, however, I have to wear my jacket and black dress shoes on the plane. I prefer cruises longer than 7 days and I pack for 5 days and use the ship's laundry. If the cruise includes cold environments (i.e. Antarctica) and I have to pack a cold-weather coat, I have to re-think. I don't take anything that I would wear only once or anything just because I can't decide what I'll wear. I usually plot things out by day and night and try to project each thing to be worn at least twice, if not three (or more) times. I did a 33-day Trans-Pacific cruise, not counting the 3-day pre-cruise stay in Hong Kong, with a rolling 29" upright and a large garment bag. I could have taken less (I guess), but there was a significant variety in climate on that cruise that required both tropical and cold-weather wear. And, we had a lot of "Gala nights" on that cruise and I wanted to take my Tuxedo.
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13 hours ago, iancal said:
I really do not get it. Packing seems so straightforward to me. Cannot imagine starting months in advance, weeks in advance or even days in advance. Just fold it, put in in the bag, and you are done. Hardly worth making a career out of it.
Is it the indecision of what to pack or the fear that something may be forgotten? It is only a trip, not as if one is emigrating.
For me, the questions are:
1. Do I have want I want and need for this cruise in terms of clothing? What is it that I want to get that's new? Need time to shop for that, or order that, and always theres the question of "can I afford it?"
2. What is it that I have that I've worn in the past but is either too old, too frayed, out of style, or no longer fits and needs to be replaced? I'll need to shop for those items, too.
3. The luggage: has it been so damaged in previous trips that it's no longer fit for travel? That has happened to me this time. I noticed when I moved to my new house last year that at least one of my rolling uprights no longer rolls. Ooops. Had I waited until a couple of days before the cruise to check my luggage I would be in trouble.
4. I need time to look at the itinerary and consider what I'm going to wear where and relative to what shore excursions. I'm going to do a snorkel dive ... the shore excursion suggests I wear a specific kind of shoes to keep my feed from being cut on the rocks at the beach. Ok, I need to buy those, too. I like to think ahead.
5. To me, getting ready for a cruise is FUN. It helps pass the time and builds the anticipation and enjoyment all around. Part of "getting ready" is preparing to pack.
The above being said ... when it comes to actually packing, it takes me about an hour. I like to make sure things are neat, tight, and ready to go. TSA sometimes screws up my planning and preparation, but I've not (yet) had a real disaster.
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I know I'm weird, but enjoy the packing process. It's part of my anticipating the cruise.
I usually begin by updating my packing list not long after I book a cruise. I give thought to any items that need to be changed, or new selections made. Depending upon the kind of course (warm or cold weather) I'll vary what I bright for daytime and shore excursion wear.
For example, on my January 2020 cruise I'll be in the Caribbean. I no longer have any shorts that I would wear on a cruise, so I'm looking on Amazon.com for a couple pair of shorts I can take with me. Ditto for casual shirts. I've got plenty of good-condition slacks and polos and button-down shirts for evening wear. I'll need to get a new white dress shirt (I never wear them and the one I wore on my last cruise is too yellowed) and I MAY buy a new suit or a slacks/jacket separate for this cruse (I've not bought a new suit in several years). I'm looking at sandals (I don't have any), and perhaps a light weight hat to shield my balding head on shore excurisons.
My list is categorized into sections: (1) Dress-up wear, (2) smart-casual evening wear, (3) daytime wear, (4) shore excursion wear, (5) swim/active wear, (6) worn in-transit and pre/post cruise. I usually plan on wearing in-transit a suit jacket in order to get it to the cruise without having to pack it. Ditto for a pair of jeans (always heavier than slacks). Since I'll be traveling in January, wearing jacket and jeans solves to problem about what to do about cold weather in Dallas (for the very short time I'll be outside).
Without fail, I take:
5 pair of underwear (not counting the pair I'm wearing in-transit)
5 pair of socks (not counting the pair I'm wearing in-transit)
2 polo shirts (not counting the one I'm wearing in-transit)
2 smart-casual evening shirts
1 dress shirt, 2 or 3 ties (depending on how many Gala nights ... they don't weigh much)
1 white t-shirt (for wearing under dress shirt)
1 pair of dress slacks
1 pair of casual dockers
1 dress jacket (worn in-transit)
1 pair of jeans (worn in-transit)
1 pair of casual shoes and 1 pair sneakers ( I usually wear my dress shoes in-transit along with my belt.)
Sandals for Half-Moon Cay
swim suit
1 active-wear / lounge-about-the-cabin type shorts
2 casual outer-wear t-shirts
1 or 2 pair nice walking shorts (depending upon weather of cruise)
Toiletries
Charger and usb cables for iPhone and iPad
if it's a cold-weather cruise I would ditch the walking shorts and add another pair of jeans or dockers
For Alaska or the polar regions I'd also add a cold-weather coat and ditch anything to do with swimming or beaches
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Perhaps they're working on it ... I got this notice when I tried to sign in on HAL's site. I managed to get in, but it's slow.
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I've done both fixed dining and Anytime and have found positives and negatives with both. I prefer fixed main (or "late"), but Anytime can be made to function similarly by just going later. And, usually, one has NO wait if one waits until 8pm for yumyums. If I had to chose between Early and Anytime, I'd pick Anytime.
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7 hours ago, RuthC said:
I've been sailing solo for 20 years, and much prefer fixed dining, but would never go to the early sitting. It's just much too early!
I want time to come in from the day and relax a bit, shower and change, and go to a lounge for cocktail time. I need time to switch from day-mode to evening-mode!
But if main sitting was not available, I would take anytime dining. I did have it for a portion of one cruise, and didn't mind sharing a table with different people every night, too much. I prefer to get to know my tablemates more than one night together allows, though.My dear Ruth, those who were blessed to be seated with you during that cruise were VERY fortunate!
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The sad thing is that HAL used to have an excellent site both for research and for booking. It's all glitchy and screwy now, 🤬. The site "upgrades" were an attempt to make it more modern so that it would work with mobile devices, etc., but it wasn't done right.
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Wish I were aboard her. Ugh! Too many day yet to go until I have deck under my feet!
I'm watching!
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22 hours ago, Mosaic said:
Dressing up is always nice though.
I love dressing up. Putting on a Tuxedo or a suite and tie (it's rare treat for me to wear ties) is a treat for me.
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On 7/29/2019 at 11:09 PM, crystalspin said:
I believe it was St.Paul in the New Testament...
Correct. It's a misapplication of 1 Corinthians 11:1-16.
Sadly, most people miss the last verse where Paul says that it's a subject not worth arguing over.
Ditto for these dress code threads.
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Don't things ever change? 😏
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7 minutes ago, Overhead Fred said:
Try the link @crystalspin put in post #4 of this thread and work your way backwards - Roger (@Crew News) has many bar menus posted and keeps them pretty current.
Thanks ...
I figured out how to go from the url and find the website main entrance and the links to the menus from there.
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Does anybody have a link to the current drink menu, with prices, for the Koningsdam?
Thanks!
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The Caribbean cruise in question was a B2B East/West Caribbean aboard the Westerdam out of Fort Lauderdale ... so, yes, the port of embarkation and disembarkation was a US port.
I've also done B2B cruises in Europe -- Copenhagen and Rotterdam -- and on both occasions we didn't have to disembark the ship unless we wanted to in order to go on a shore excursion or (as was my case) to meet up with some friends who had come over from Amsterdam to see me. Likewise, when I did a cruise from Hong Kong to Vancouver with a mid-point (end of one cruise, beginning of another) in Yokohama, Japan, we didn't have to disembark the ship ... except that we did in order to do a day-long tour.
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Date: January 2, 2020
Ship: Koningsdam
Cruise: 10 Days - Southern Caribbean Seafarer
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I've done a B2B out of San Diego only once. I got off the ship and walked over to tour the Aircraft Carrier docked close by. It was GREAT, and well worth the time. Boarding was easy, and we didn't have to wait with new passengers.
The last time I did a B2B in the Caribbean all of the in-transit passengers were required to disembark the ship and wait in the boarding lounge until all other passengers were off. I think we were supposed to be off by 9:30 am, or something like that, but of course it didn't work that way. A lot of people had gotten off to take shore excursions; others came off the ship and settled down with me in the chairs of that second-floor boarding lounge to wait. However, it appeared that some people hadn't been too cooperative and had to be rustled out of bed, because maybe a dozen or so came down the passenger tube dressed in pajamas or other forms of sleeping attire (including bathrobes) and looking like they hadn't had time to do their morning "ablutions." Once all those who were in-transit had been checked off the ship, they announced that we were free to board at our leisure. I think it took about 45 minutes. I spent the time checking emails on my phone.
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With the connecting doors closed I've only been able to hear a few things ... usually things that one would hear if there hadn't been connecting doors at all (like yelling, TV volume at the max, etc.). I wouldn't worry about it.
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I've done Alaska cruises in inside, outside ocean view, and balcony cabins. Any of them are FAR better than not going on the cruise at all. And, for me and my money, I generally like going more so I usually tend to go more cheaply so I can afford to go more often (or, at least, for longer).
That being said, Alaska is one of those places where a balcony is a WONDERFUL luxury, and if you can afford it you should do it. A Balcony isn't necessary to enjoy the cruise, but it's sure nice.
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I've been on cruises when the group I've been with has decided we wanted to try an entree (or 2) that we've never had before, sharing it around the table. On one cruise it became a nightly sampling, and our stewards became used to it and even made suggestions for the more "weird ones" for our table to try.
Such a policy would have scuttled the whole idea.
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6 minutes ago, RuthC said:
HMC now has a few 2-level cabanas with restrooms, and room for more people. Probably not something you want to book, but you may not know they are there.
There is also a "Pirate Bar" with loud music playing. You may want to keep that in mind when determining where you want to have your cabana.Thanks, Ruth!
I'm aware of both. I was last on HMC in January 2017 and the Pirate Bar was there and LOUD. The "villas" were also there ... and while they're tempting due to the bathrooms and the hot tub, they're NOT tempting enough for that outrageous price. The Cabanas are expensive enough.
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I've gotten 2 of these refunds in the not too distant past.
One came to me in the form of a credit back to my Amex card from HAL.
Another came to me in the form of a check for $200.
I guess there's a time limit on unused cruise deposits?
My mother also got one. I didn't realize she had one sitting out there, too.
It's sad that I'd not used those. Life got in the way of play. 😔
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18 minutes ago, Mr and Mrs CIQ said:
Again, thanks. However, this is the one from 2013 ... I've been there since. I was wondering if there was a more recent map and/or if the Cabana's are color-coded in the same locations, or have they been changed?
Again, thanks for the help!
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16 minutes ago, Mr and Mrs CIQ said:
Thanks! I ran a search of the board but, for some reason, this didn't show up for me. it may be that I wasn't using the search function right. Again, MANY thanks!
Anybody have any updates on how HMC is doing? Has it suffered storm damage recently?
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Does anybody have a copy of, or a link to, the latest map to the locations of each of the Cabanas at HMC?
I'm looking to book one for my January cruise and would like to get one close to the "I wish I could stay here forever" bar.
I've searched CC and couldn't find one. On the internet the most recent I was able to find was many years old.
Thanks!
How do you take the tedium out of packing?
in Holland America Line
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LOL ... sounds like we could almost swap clothing.
I suppose it all depends upon what one considers "essentials." I like dressing up ... it's part of the fun of a cruise for me. So, going on a cruise without the kind of clothing I like to wear would not be fun for me ... not if the cruise has those kinds of venues.
As for cold weather wear ... well ... in Alaska and Northern Europe I would tend to agree. Antarctica was another matter (my sweat froze to my skin and beard ... and, oh my, that wind was cold).