frankc98376

14 minutes ago, Roz said:

How does a roped off area of the MDR turn passengers off?  To me it's no different than a section of the MDR reserved for a group.  

 

Roz

I agree.  This happens all the time.  People who have never seen or experienced something new on a ship take an immediate dislike to it.

 

Roz

Would definitely turn me off if I had to pay $50 per person per night just to eat the MDR menu in a roped off section of the MDR when people two tables away didn't have to pay.

42 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

 

That is long how I have viewed the situation .....  The sad thing is a WANT to love HAL, I WANT to make them my first choice, I WANT to give them extra money and purchase or upgrade beverage packages ....... why do they WANT to make it so difficult to do so??  One of the main reasons I have sailed Celebrity and Princess so much in the last few years is because they have their act together on this offering!  The only reason I am sailing HAL to Alaska this summer and the Panama Canal next winter are because of their far superior itineraries.  I fully EXPECT to be frustrated when using my beverage package (which was a booking perk), which is a sad way to begin a cruise 😠

 

If HAL would mirror the policies and practices of their sister Princess in regards to beverage packages, which is part of the "Holland America  Group" after all, then I would have ZERO complaints!!!!

 

While I recognize that for many here a beverage package does not make sense financially, there are also many of us for whom it does.  By not having a competitive, consistent, offering they are pushing those of us who like the beverage packages away .....

 

OH WAIT - and then there is their "Stellar" website (which is an absolute exercise in dysfuntion!) - again with Princess being part of the Holland America Group how the heck have their IT practices not benefited HAL????????

 

Ok - RANT OVER 😵

I was told by a friend that knew HAL well that their in house IT and web all went to CCL in Florida. Met a tech on one of our cruises and he was from the main office for CCL companies in Miami. Sounded like Carnival centralized all of their IT and web stuff

54 minutes ago, Fredric22 said:

On the NS, we were informed the increase to $11 only applied to wines.  Who knows.........

 Always ask 5 people at HAL and hope that if 3 of the 5 have the same answer it is correct

4 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Cobalt is Co. CO is carbon monoxide! 😱

 

I have no problem with calling it Club Orange, as I understand that it's for the House of Orange, the royal family. For people who don't know that, I suppose it does sound odd. But I wouldn't call it cheesy. And I can't think of an alternate name, except maybe Club Green because HAL hopes they will make money from it.

 

I think I get what you mean by "rinky dink." To me it looks like a hotel coffee shop, more upscale than a diner, but less upscale than a restaurant. I tend to think of Pinnacle as having an upscale look. But then again, some of the Pinnacle chairs (silver-painted rebar) are pretty strange, so there goes that argument. 

 

I believe the 400 pound silver PG chairs are finally all gone- thank goodness.

1 minute ago, slidergirl said:

 

It's not $100/day.  It's $50/day per person.  Are you assuming HAL is like an ark and every one travels in pairs? 😉

 

Most would be paying $100 for 2

4 minutes ago, san diego spartan said:

Yes still walking across the pier and through the tent.  It went pretty smoothly actually.  Only issue was having to take luggage over the pier to the porter and then back across to check in area.

 

So luggage drop off for the ship on the south side is  at the end of the pier by the tent?  We've only been there with one ship and luggage drop off was near the front gate

Prices must be going up again

4 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I don't think they'll remove the CO galley. People who have experienced CO with its own cooking area would NOT be happy to return to K'dam or NS and discovered that a very strong point of the CO experience had been removed.

 

Given how scattered amenities are in HAL's fleet, I'm willing to bet that The Powers That Be decided to do this wonderful thing on the new ships without giving much thought to how they could do something comparable on the existing ships. 

My money is still on if stand alone CO generates enough revenue  to justify a fully staffed stand alone restaurant. How many will pay $100 per day?

Since on the rest of the fleet CO would be part of the MDR and use that galley My guess is that CO on the new ships will have the galley removed in a remodel for more seating and the MDR galley will be used. Either that or the current CO space would be converted to another use and all ships would use part of the MDR for CO

I was told that the PG galley is used for breakfast. The PG Chef came out to say hello during breakfast a few times.

We always book a NS have dinner exclusively in PG so breakfast in PG is the only piece I'd miss- we really aren't fond of the noise and crowds in the MDR or Lido.  Evidently on the older ships CO will be a part of the MDR.  I can't imagine paying $100 per day to have dinner and breakfast in the MDR even if there was a dinner special just for CO. 

IMO CO will end up being a lot like the Cabanas- another revenue source for HAL.  Wouldn't surprise me to see NS and PS breakfast back in the PG and a special area of the MDR for those that pay for CO.

Princess has done the same thing with their Club Class- with the exception it includes some of the mini suites.  I don't believe that they are selling access.

How was check in and boarding with two ships in?  Are they still walking people across the pier through the tent in groups to board? 

Ralph's is at 2nd and G I believe. From Wyndham walk south  to Broadway, turn left walk about 3 blocks to 2nd head south on 2nd to G street- you will see Ralph's. Maybe a 10 minute walk.

The first I read about this was from an attorney site. My first reaction is the same as when I see commercials on TV saying that they will get you lots of cash from your car accident.

So much press about this- each story I see makes it sound worse. I think that the Westerdam incident was one person's poor judgement. HAL put gas turbine engine on Vista ships for locations like Alaska. I found a cruise log from 2013 Alaska on Oosterdam showing how much jet fuel the ship used on our cruise. Will wait to see what happens in June before I condemn CCL and all of their brands.

Likely not a good time to be in upper management at the CCL companies.  Those at the top of CCL will likely be pointing the proverbial bus toward those below them (at least that is usually what happens)

11 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

I wouldn't mind a cruise from Montreal to Quebec City, Saguenay, Baie-Comeau, Cornerbrook, St. John's and St. Pierre and Miquelon, France and back, but I don't believe a total ban on U.S. ports is going to happen

I agree 100%.  This would be appealed and wouldn't surprise me if new legislation is drafted to lower the requirements as environmental concerns don't seem to be at the top of the current priority list. 

I'm guessing there will be a fine for each incident and that is it.  The economic damage if all of CCL's ships were prevented docking in any US port could be devastating to both ports and local business in the ports.  CCL ships are a huge part of Alaska's summer revenue.  We have at least two HAL ships, one CCL ship, two Princess ships and the occasional Seabourn ship in Seattle every week in the summer. The possibility of several major lines folding from income loss would be real. Would be welcome to Celebrity and NCL- 7 night cruises starting at $2000 pp for inside cabins

Double R is good enough for Williams Sonoma and many great restaurants (including Smith and Wollensky restaurants.

https://www.smithandwollensky.com/smith-wollensky-restaurant-group-collaborates-with-esteemed-double-r-ranch/

Thanks David- always appreciate your insight.  I fondly remember boarding the old Pacific Princess at B Street many times when it was newly refurbished.   

My mom owned the womens' clothing store across the street when it was Holiday Inn and leased from the port. I heard many stories from her about their red tape.

Too bad they can't use both terminals when 2 ships are in.

26 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

They used to have a decent one on top of one of the skyscrapers overlooking the port, but it's high time that PTZ put one of their excellent webcams in SD harbor

San Diego, Seattle, and Vancouver!

Do you know by chance who the PG Manager is on NADM?  We'll be boarding her in 3 weeks in SAN for 2 weeks and every night in PG.  Hoping for some familiar faces

See you there!

Woul be great to have a good webcam in San Diego.  West coast is really weak in that department. Roof of Wyndham would be perfect place.

2 minutes ago, SJSULIBRARIAN said:

Don't know about today but two weeks ago they were both at the main terminal.

I thought that was the norm in San Diego with 2 ships.  Do you recall which one got the tent (south) side?

I know that Nieuw Amsterdam is in San Diego today along with a Disney Ship.  Webcam is very blurry this morning but looks like one of them is at the Broadway Pier- looks too far apart to be at the main terminal.  Anyone know?

I get private sale brochures in the mail occasionally.  Perhaps Mariner number unlocks the private sale fares.

Appears the moving San Diego webcam is stick on the Coast Guard hanger