antique sailor

AHOY SHIPMATES,

THOSE $30. dive shoes can be purchased at K Mart for $4.99 and on line for even less in several colors or black.

I take two pr on each cruise. My feet tend to swell and I cant get my regular dress shoes on for elegant or formal night, so I wear a pair of black ones with a TUX and nobody notices. Also the silver ones look good with a white dinner jacket. When they start to show some wear I use them for the pool and beach. Packing to come home use a plastic bag in case they are still damp.

DONT forget to remove them from bag at home. They will develop a distinctive aroma.

Always try them on for size. They are usually 2-3 sizes smaller than marked

SEA YA

AHOY SHIPMATES,

DW and I have done 5 complete World cruises and receive the QUESTIONAIRE

(MY COMPUTER CANT SPELL VERY GOOD) EVERY YEAR, but not yet this year.

I I think they do cater to those 50-60 passengers who do it EVERY year .

We book the FFguarantee with all the perks that go with it and as veterans (5 star) we are happy with whatever they offer, or just choose not to go that year.

The amenities have lessened but the prices have stayed pretty much the same for an ocean view cabin since 1996. AND the world is about the same geographically.

OK, We will challenge some of the HAL cheerleaders with a basic question, similar to what has been asked by the OP. In the past 10 years what has changed for the better on HAL?

 

Hank

P.S. We are 4 Star Mainers and have done man HAL days in the past 10 years.

AHOY SHIPMATE,

When reading the comments, it sounds pretty grim. DW and I have close to 1200 days (5 star) on HAL and still consider it our favorite for the price when shopping.

THE HAMBURGERS ARE NOW BETTER ON THE LIDO. ( they age them an average of 30 minutes after being ordered)

The staff is still as friendly but MUCH overworked

SEA YA

If you don't mind me asking, why the disappointment on the 52 day HAL cruise??

AHOY SHIPMATES and AIRFORCE,

52 days is no a long cruise on HAL but it still draws a large crowd of 4 and 5 star mariners who expect to get all the perks etc that they are accustomed to and a meal worth eating on Thanksgiving Day. The price of the cruise was rather high and we expected it to be as nice as we were used too.

The senior staff were indifferent to the passengers and there was no Capt. table. The cocktail parties were a farce, no staff personnel to chat with (usually an enjoyable event)) etc. There is a lot more to be said about some of the very top personnel but not in a public venue .

I am far from being a SNOB, but this collection of staff seemed to be OVERWHELMED the entire cruise.

2 Months later we did the 68 day cruise to Antarctica and the Amazon on the Prinsendam and it was probably the best cruise we have done on HAL.

Maybe it was just me but there were several others who had the same opinion. I know you have cruised a lot so hope you understand what i'm trying to say.

It's gonna be a while before leisure travel can go to Cuba, they're still looking at shipping and business. Leisure travel is last on that chain, especially since Cuba can rely without American travel. This move is only helping them.

 

You can get from Miami to Havana overnight, and go East or West in the Caribbean, or circle around Cuba. So while a longer cruise that included both Cuba and San Juan would be nice, it would be a waste to fly to San Juan for a 7 night cruise to Cuba. Heck, I wouldn't be shocked if the Ecstasy (I read somewhere that the Fantasy class is the only class that can dock in Havana right now until they expand their dock??) replaced Key West with Havana on the 4 night cruise, so it's Miami- Havana- Cozumel- Sea Day- Miami.

 

I will make sure I get to Cuba soon though!!

AHOY SHIPMATE,

i AGREE WITH ALL YOU SAID, WAS JUST LOOKING AT THE BIGGER MARKETING PICTURE WITH A 3DAY STAY IN SJUAN BEFORE OR AFTER CRUISE

WHEN CUBA "OPENS" UP THERE WILL BE A LOT OF TENDERING TO PLACES UNHEARD OF FOR A WHILE LIKE THEY ARE STILL DOING IN MEXICO. I LIVED IN GITMO FOR 3 YEARS AND NEVER WAS ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE BASE SO AM LOOKING FORWARD TO ANYTHING NEW.

Ahoy shipmates

yes , i'm biased. I live in jax, 15min from port and cruise about once or twice every two months.

Never had a bad trip on the fascination, and it almost always leaves port with no empty cabins year round. Jax is a money maker for an older smaller ship in the carnival fleet.

We would love to see a 7 day cruise to ?? Somewhere occasionally.

Sea ya

Ahoy shipmates.

Many theories about future ports and a lot of good points made.

I think most cruise lines are making tentative plans in case things in cuba open up sooner than planned now. ( just a thought)

?? Fly to san juan and take a 7-10 day trip around cuba ??

Sea ya in gitmo ??

AHOY SHIPMATES,

"ON ANY GIVEN DAY'' or cruise it can be BAD or GREAT. As you can see from my "resume" I've done some cruising and had some wonderful times(B2B) on CARNIVAL and a Pretty disappointing 52 day cruise on Holland America a few years ago.

Now I limit my cruising to long cruises on HAL (I prefer the older smaller ships) and the shorter 5 day (B2B) on CARNIVAL from jacksonville ( I live 15 min from port)

They are totally different personalities but VERY friendly with equal quality food .

MHO Sea ya at sea

AHOY SHIPMATES,

23 years in USN my hand is somewhat disfigured so that it holds a 2cup coffee mug perfectly. The coffee on most cruise lines is SO BAD that I put a cup of hot chocolate in mug ,then fill it to the top with the (battery acid) coffee.

DW labels the mug with my name and cabin number using one of those little stick-on label makers on each cruise. Several times I've misplaced the mug and it is either returned to my cabin or given to me the next am by the LIDO supervisor. We do cruise a lot and are friends with most of the crew in the LIDO area. LIFE IS GREAT

SEA YA.

AHOY SHIPMATE,

i'm cost conscious when planning. When spending the $$ to get to ALASKA

YOU might as well see it ALL.

By all means take the narrow gauge railway to DAWSON , spend a couple days in DENALI, take the paddleboat cruise down the river etc. and then do the last week on the cruise ship south.

When you get home the memories will be complete, with no "I wish I had's" in your discussions about the trip JMHO

AHOY SHIPMATES;

TRY TO FLY NORTH and do inland first. It is very tiring with suitcases every night(excess luggage will be stored for you and at ship later)

After inland you go aboard ship and relax going south.

MID MAY. thru early June is best for seeing animals just out of hibernation and foraging for food and mates. Also staff is freshly trained for the season and not tired yet. The restaurants in DENALI are open and the food is edible.

MID JUNE THRU LABOR DAY 6-10 SHIPS IN PORT at a time AND ALLYOU SEE ARE

THOUSANDS OF TOURISTS, some animals and decent weather (some rain)

AFTER LABOR DAY rainy season starts, shore staff is tired and short handed,restaurants are running out of choices, cooks and staff have left for college etc. Animals are back in their caves and you dont see as much as in the spring

We have done 4 trips and used the word AWESOME frequently.

I much prefer ANTARCTICA BUT Alaska is a" MUST SEE" first

Just my opinions but most will agree with me that EARLY is best and a little cheaper too. T Shirts are nice but there are a few things that are unique ie

some gold flakes that you pan for at the old mines, the ULUU knife that the natives use to clean fish, and the 1 and 1/2 inch pen knife/scalpel that is used to castrate the mosquitoes.

HAVE FUN sea you all soon.

AHOY SHIPMATES,

I read the threads daily and digest the prices paid and just as important....how they we're obtained.

I cruise about once a month and like to save as much as possible. I don't read the persons name because I will probably never meet them anyway. When I go grocery shopping I compare prices at different markets in order to get the best deal.....like buying a new car.

IF the info I get helps me obtain a better deal my happy....That doesn't make me any better than the next person, maybe just a little luckier this trip.

PLEASE continue to post and dont worry about "bragging" or being NOSEY if it helps the next guy save a little to spend on a "NEXT" cruise

SEA YOU SOON

After searching I found "Bright Star" is a death or serious medical emergency. I like the term "Rising Star" because it just seems respectful for someone who past away but I couldn't find it.

AHOY SHIPMATES

BRIGHT STAR is simply an UPGRADE from'' TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR''

used on all cruise lines except DISNEY

AHOY SHIPMATES

My guess is that upgrades are distributed in one of the following fashions:

1) The guy who does this is named GARY. So, first, he upgrades everyone named GARY. His wife is named JEANNE, so, next, all the JEANNE'S get upgraded...and so on...

2) They put all of the booking numbers on dog biscuits and scatter them around the room...then they unleash several Maltese puppies and whichever biscuits they go to first get the upgrades.

3) They bring all of the bookings to Madame Olga's Psychic Readings on PORT Street in SEATTLE and she summons the spirit of the Captain of the Titanic and he tells her who the upgrades should go to.

4) The HAL JANITOR in charge of Marketing brings the list of bookings home and his 5 year old daughter goes "Eeny...Meeny...Miney...Mo" until all the upgrades AND upsell targets have been picked...

Yeah,........ I'm absolutely sure it's one of those .methods..........................IF Daughter is on a date....

..I have it on good authority that they use turtles. They put the cabin numbers on the backs of the turtles, then run races. Those turtles who cross the finish line get the cabins upgraded. That's why it sometimes takes so long to find out if you have an upgrade...some turtles are really slow.

Press 1 for a n explanation in DUTCH

AHOY SHIPMATES

DW and I have been in all those cabins They are located on UPPER and EMPRESS decks. Never had any problems of any kind (once you learn not to bump your head on the form for the upper bunks that can be folded down for 3rd and 4th person)

We prefer Empress because of the almost hidden stairs to serenity deck and LIDO. There is a staff/crew conference room in that area but you will never know it's there unless you go exploring.

The cabin is standard size but outside space is nice because a lounge chair fits nicely and is great for the afternoon nap.

These cabins usually sell early and are then targeted for upsells to the suites on the Veranda deck 11 fwd.

Ahoy shipmates,

your age problem is solved. I'm 75 and will gladly give you a few years of mine to help you out.

Let me know how it works out

AHOY SHIPMATES

The only thing in life I want to be late for is MY FUNERAL.

AHOY SHIPMATES,

IT IS NOT VERY COMPLICATED AT ALL. Have done it many times and only once had a "snafu" and that was due to bad fog and a couple hours delay in arriving in port in Tampa and then it was the port people who caused the mess.

FLL is much more experienced.

I can only speak for Carnival and HAL. tho

Dont be afraid to try it, but remember to keep smiling. BON VOYAGE

AHOY SHIPMATES,

21 Days on HAL Ryndam.....ESCARGO twice .....on formal nights only

AHOY SHIPMATES,

When the CD market crashed, I bought CUK and RCL shares as they matured (200 ea ) The CUK for the OBC and the RCL because of the growth. Best investment I ever made. I aint rich, but will never be hungry (I hope)

AHOY AGAIN,

I ALWAYS IDENTIFY MYSELF and get (UP SELL) calls on every cruise I book. They offer me sensible offers and I take advantage of about 90% of them.

I was told they keep a profile on me and know my preferences before they call, many nice people when treated nice.

I just put in a fake name etc, after all I am just checking prices and that way I don't get hassled. It is a nuisance though, not nearly as easy as the old method.

 

However after being on the Celebrity website for our last and upcoming cruises, I can tell you HAL's web site is a breeze.

AHOY SHIPMATES, I live in Jax Fl and do 5 day cruises between the long ones on HAL so I check the $$ on every cruise leaving from here (FASCINATION).

Have always wondered why HAL cant use the same format . It's a breeze , even a non literate person (on computer) like myself can get all the info I need in a timely understandable manner. HAL does have more knowledgeable people answering their phones tho. I'm a shareholder but dont have any pull in the planning dept.

AHOY SHIPMATES,

i CRUISE ON cARNIVAL fASCINATION once a month and they have snails on every 4, a 5 day cruise.

It's good to hear your experience has been positive with ViP. Ours have been progressively bad, ending with last August. New ownership maybe? Surly, unorganized and horribly slow. Waiting on their dilapidated shuttle in the sun with a restless, ugly crowd was not how we like to end a cruise. Our experience, but there were many more that vowed never again. Maybe new ownership?

YOU SOLVED THE PROBLEM when you said 'DILAPIDATED' old bus. The good lot is the one next to that one. You were at EZ Park. They use an old trailor/office and have what looks like an old prison bus w no air condition.

V.I.P has new busses and 9 person vans and are always organized. (we used the other one once when we were just starting to cruise on the Fascination.

Our neighbor and us swop rides to port unless busy on that day.

It is 9.6 miles from my house to ship and TAXI is $39.00 each way...no thanks.

AHOY SHIPMATES,

PARKING is like the crap table, I dont doubt anything you have said but I have used V.I.P. parking 7 times in the past 10 months and have never had any problems. Once we had a 20 min wait to get to the pier because WE arrived too early. Getting back to our car has always been expeditious. Maybe pure luck, but for the $40.00 savings each time , I consider it a good deal.

It's one of those choices we all have to make and I hope my luck continues to be GOOD. Am leaving Sunday for a 21 day caribbean cruise from TAMPA on HAL. We use a one day rental each way with great service to n from pier by the rental Co. That is definitely a much better deal that pier parking.

Have a great holiday and wonderful cruise......I know the chocolate melting cake is very popular but suggest you try the BLACK FORREST GATEAU on the first night in the MDR. Also the KEY LIME cake/pie the next day at noon in the LIDO

gary