lidojohnny

Went on the Prin. world in 2010. Small enough that after awhile

passengers became family to crew. Enjoyed things that they

no long do, i.e cooking in MDR by asst MDS, strolling strings

in MDR, great variety of food. Went on HAL world 2014, not

the same. Of course it depends on itinerary, but liked the small

feel and at that time the small price. Would go again but grandkids would put up a stink.

On same cruise. Never Costa again. should have been called

Costya. Food Industrial. No pizza slices on an Italian ship, what! Dining room, went in 6:15...saw waiter 6:45, saw first

food 7:20.. Said Lido for us....a bad move also. Getting on

your right...nightmare. Took it as a lark after Holland and Princess. Should have known better. Ciao Bella

To say the least I will never go through Van Couver again!

Three ships in port and it is a nightmare. Do not take cruise

shuttle to airport. There are ships lines crisscrossing all over

the place, those getting off and those getting on. It is like the

Disneyland lines with everyone asking what line is which. I

asked several of these (helpers) and they say "Look over

there". Take a cab to airport, as it is two lane going and nothing

but red lights. The helpers tell you please be patient, as we

have three ships in port. Well, we use Fort Lauderdale with

eight ships in season does not run like this. We came back

on the Island three weeks ago. Seattle is the one in my

Alaska future.

Was on the train from Whittier to Denali on May 13. Took about

nine hours. Platform is good for photos. Had champagne

and snacks before we got there. Seats great, on second level.

Also brought back pack only. Should have used the option

of forwarding other luggage to Denali, misread it. Would not take train again. Bus much shorter.

Just off...LaLa land. Movies under the stars? The darn thing

is going all the time! Too noisy for me. Have to go to the Lido

from deck 12 to elevator to avoid that bizarre noise machine.

Just spent 21 days on Coral to Van Couver, seven days

on the Star to Denali, and back to Van on the Island. We have the Black card. Laundry was two days for return through the

whole cruise. Must be better cabin stewards. As for clothes, had

sunshine all the way to Denali and back to Anchorage, then

the Gods got angry and cold and rain until Van. Still two days

back with the clothes. Plenty of Black cards on board. Go figure.

Just off the Star and Island in Alaska. Had obstructed, no problem could see everything. That is my choice in the future.

Cheaper and mid ships close to everything.

Just off the coral, went from Lauderdale thru the Canal to

Van Couver. Was in midship and never felt a thing except loss

in the casino

I see you and your husband are foodies. Food on these ships

Princess, Holland, Royal etc. are most of the time Chevrolet.

As a foodie myself, so several times I went to the Chev. ships.

Then we went to the Cadillacs, Oceania, Crystal, Azmara,

now there is food. Of course it costs more, but if you like food

to be Cadillac when you pay Chevrolet price fugget abot it.

And another bunch of pizza and beer bites the dust.

we have been on two, the Pacific Princess and Hal Amsterdam. It is nice

seeing many parts of the world. However, Visa's, tours, and yes sea days

can be a hassle. The biggest thing to us was.......after the euphoria is

over...........is that big hole in your back account:eek: But, you only live

once....go for it ......so you won't regret it.

I'm waiting for the plastic knives and spoons in the MDR. Of course, we

cannot allow tux's anymore, as it is offensive to passengers who do not

have them. Well that's the way it is going. We were recently on the Queen

Mary, at the Captain cocktail party. The Captain, gets up and tells us

where we are going. He mentions a place in Norway, then says "of course

the Trump people cannot pronounce it, they also do not know where it

is", to much laughter from the crowd, so much for Cunard.

I don't think a HAL Captain would be that ridiculous, but things are

a-changing, darn shame.

No matter what you do now, one cannot go back to what it was. Cruising of old

Will never come back. This is a substitute for the real thing. After several

World cruises, all the Grand voyages on HAL, and many others, we have

Decided to move on, and leave the waves to the newbies, and those who

Keep trying. Globus, and others awaits. Good luck.

Stay home! Let the child grow up a little.

Bill: I may be wrong, but I thought you had a conversation with a new

Hotman , named Craig or Curtis, who mentioned some changes in the industry.

I would be interested in knowing what they might be.....if not confidential.

Complained about this many times, even face to face with President Donald

On a world cruise. Fagetabutit.....it ain't going. We have over 1,000 cruise

Days on several of Carnival lines. We told him, that the money comes from

Different lines, but ends up in the same Carnival pocket. I believe it becomes

A matter of perks. If they do this, the quicker they would have to shell

Out more perk money. I, and many others would like to see it. Well, maybe

Down the road for the benefit of you young voyagers. Keep trying though;)

We felt that the captain, or by way of Seattle, took a real slow speed getting

From Durban to C town, in order to give his very big retinue some cruise time

On board, of course cutting our time in C town. I thought that $50,000 was

The general amount bandied about. They sure could of used that to do

Something with the I net, which is still lousy. We did not see him, nor do I think

Many others also. I'm sure Seattle has had many second thoughts about

Doing that little bit of pandering again.

Bill: What are the changes affecting the HAL group, as told by Craig?

I have this image of my old Marine Drill Instructor, going down the line

of bunks, calling out everything that was wrong with our barracks

housekeeping:eek: After graduation he was a pussy cat. I think HAL will

be the same.

Again, a lot depends on your travel style. Keep in mind, that you may have

60 days or better at sea. You might spring for the pinnacle from time to

Time or a daily wine for two, don't forget to go when the wine is second

Drink is a dollar. Perhaps for you, a basic rule for your budget would be on land

$150 pp per day, give or take for 54 days. Some days your under, some days

Over. The countries can be tricky. Australia is super expensive, as is Europe,

Asia not so. We always buy money at B of A for each country we think we

Will spend in. Again, it varies from Egypt to Greece to Cape Town. I hope

This help's some what. If you can, go for it. As they say, "life is short",

And if you spend more than you wanted, you can bypass the next trip

Until you made up the difference:p:p

We have been on two world cruises. One on Princess and one on Hal. I do not

know what your age is, but if it is up there, your insurance is going to hit

you real hard. On both occasions we had ocean view cabin, close to the

center, which is more money. No over land tours, which could be double

if not triple normal costs. I think it best to get into or establish your own

non Hal tours, which are of course cheaper. If you book early, you may

get the gratuities paid, which is a big chunk. We watched the small ports

which we thought were not big enough for a tour there. We just took

a cab or worked around, if its small, like Chuuk or Yap.

You can also save money if you have been to a port before, no need to

double up. A world cruise is somewhat expensive, but it can get into

your blood, and can be dangerous as when you come back their is a big

hole in your bank account, but what a way to go:p

Should be very interesting reading your first timer views vs. The many old

Pros of world cruising on that ship, and there are many, Bill,Jeff,Jean, Rbb

Etc.

AHHH. It appears the envelope pushers have finally won! They have at last

created the death spiral they wanted to any formality or taste. I guess their

next course of action will be shorts and flip flops all the time anytime. I will

be looking forward to the stylish "Eat at Joe's" or "I love the Bowery"

T-shirts in the MDR. Who knows, they may press the Senior staff to do

the same, no uniforms at night would be de rigueur for all. I can now

see a Captain, with a T-Shirt "I love my engines" walking down the promenade, with the lounge chair people saying how hip he looks.:D

Just got off the Baltic run.Before we left, figured $60 bucks a day each (tours

In each port already paid for). Went to bank, and bought this amount in

Each currency. It worked out fine. Came back with $13 worth of Rubles. We

Had extra pounds, because we stayed in hotel precruise So H. Used a lot

Of euros and Krone. Try the per day estimate, with corresponding port

Currency, it worked for us. Had bad experience with C card in Europe, do

Not use them there anymore.

Speaking of points and medallions. I just got off a two week Celebrity cruise

to the Baltic. On board they were talking about interchanging points for

travel on Caribbean or Celebrity. I have felt for some time, that as Carnival

is the ultimate pocket for monies from all their lines, that they should give

days and star points for cruising on all their ships. I am a five star on Hal

and Elite on Princess. We have traveled on most of their lines, but still we

are limited to five star on Holland etc. I can see loyalty to one line, but I can

also see loyalty to one company. With Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and other

lines doing or considering this step would it not seem logical for Carnival Corp.

stars and or medallions. It seems that with Cuba and China, great changes

are going to take place in a very competitive market. To get the edge, I

think Carnival Corp. could offer a good base from which their changes will

increase sailings, instead of looking at other companies that offer this perk.