Dan

Part of their expense in Hawaii right now is that the 2 current ships are being over-staffed to train crew for the third ship. In fact they probably have those crew spread over the entire NCL fleet, but still they are getting paid. Plus, I don't know if they are going to get the higher rates from passengers that they need to pay the higher US payroll. People don't much care that it is a US-flagged vessel, staffed by Americans. If it going to cost more than cruises sold by Carnival, Princess or RCI, then NCLA is going to have problems competing.

Have cruised twice in January so far. Loved it. Weather was great, the prices were a little cheaper, and it gave something to look forward to once Christmas was over. Cruising from Jersey, the first and last sea days will be cold outside, so you'll want to enjoy all that the ship offers indoors. Most ships have a pool with a retractable roof, so you'll be able to swim and lay on deck.

You mean Norwegian Majesty, right? Majesty Of The Seas is an RCI ship.

Welcome to Canada's nightmare over the last 20 yers or so. Of course, now that the dollar is worth 90 cents US instead of the 62 cents it was 3 years ago, that's creating a whole other set of problems, like jobs going back south.

http://www.essorg.de/sp/

That could be a good guess. Wasn't their a pool on the Norway that had windows in it? It looks like there are little portholes in the side of that pool.

It strikes me as a small ship, so I'll guess Norwegian Majesty.

They don't give free flights but they do give travel vouchers for varying amounts. They don't have to give free flights since they can just deny boarding to the people who show up after the flight is full and give them standard compensation. Usually a couple hundred bucks and confirmed on the next flight. Many times they'll take volunteers, and quite often they'll offer a confirmed first class upgrade on the next flight to anyone with frequent flier status. Of course, depending on where you fly, the voucher could make that flight free, (like say Newark to Buffalo LOL)

Obviously it is night, and obviously there is no power in that part of the ship. Might the person been using the lighter to see? This crew member shouldn't have been in the area taking pictures for public release like this, so I'm sure he/she wasn't equipped with flashlights and whatever else to safely do this. I didn't take it as a joke of any kind when I first saw these pics last week.

Answered on your other post, but in case you read here first: Yes you can buy chips on your room account, and they charge a 3% fee. This is charged to your room account the same as buying pictures or drinks, not a cash advance on your credit card.

Great pictures Mr Bond. My in-laws are on the Island right now, and I'm sure they are having a blast on their first Princess cruise.

I forget which Carnival ships are undergoing or just underwent refits after Katrina duty. If I was booked on a ship that was just out of an updating, I might be a little peeved about going on one that has been refurbed recently. Otherwise if it was the same class and nothing really different about the ship, I wouldn't care.

In answer to your question, the Viking Crown Lounge, which is that control tower looking thing on the funnel above the pool, is a staple of all RCI ships, so that's why everyone is guessing an RCI ship. In looking at the RCI website to find out the name of that lounge, the correct answer to this is one of the first 3 guesses LOL. It's not a Vision or Voyager class vessel based on the position of the VC Lounge. But those loungers by the pool with their blue vinyl straps still look cheesy LOL.

I haven't been on RCI, but those loungers look really cheesy. I think this is a former RCI ship, but I can't think of which one.

Well, they had this ridiculous rumour going around that maybe they would still operate the ship until such time as they could schedule repairs that could be done in a short time. The theory being that it doesn't really take a lot of time to do the repairs. It's the getting everything ready in advance, like the new cabins. I mean, look how quickly they did the Enchantment stretch. Then they would just displace those people in the cabins that were destroyed or damaged. But really, I can't think of a bigger downer for a cruise than being in port and seeing that mess on the side of the ship. I think they would have had a real problem getting a large number of people to still sail that ship until everything is repaired.

Did you look into getting business class, or even first class seats? A quick look suggests you are on the flight leaving LAX at 605pm, arriving just after noon the next day right? That's almost 11 hours, and a long time in an economy seat. At the very least, make sure you pick your seats, and grab the window/aisle, and not get stuck in the middle section. American still has their 777's set up as 2-5-2. Being stuck in 24E for that long would be hell LOL.

Jeff (Dacruznut) has sailed this ship several times. When he gets on here, I'm sure he'll have lots of good info for you. I think this is the one he calls one of his favourite ships.

I think you will be fine in a tux. A ship with over 3000 people on board is going to have a large variety of dressy styles. I mean, even on the "casual" nights, you will still see men with jackets and ties. I disagree that one would feel overdressed in a tux on Carnival, judging by the numbers of them we have seen.

Been on the Halifax Harbour ferry too many times to count. Did the car ferry from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland and back when I was a kid. Looking to try this again since I hear they have a casino on them now LOL. Toronto Island ferry when I was younger. An afternoon on my grade 12 math teacher's sailboat on Lake Huron. Maid Of The Mist a few times. Jet boat ride out of Clearwater Beach to see the dolphins.

We used SuperShuttle in LA, and they are located in many cities nationwide, including Miami. Just go outside from baggage claim and look for the Supershuttle rep who will be wearing a light blue jacket with yellow lettering or a yellow shirt with blue lettering. The vans are blue with yellow lettering, so they might be easier to spot.

I'm kind of interested in the west coast Princess repositioning cruises. In the span of about 8 days, I can take 3 different ships. Take one from Vancouver to LA, fly up to Seattle and take another overnight to Vancouver, then a day or 2 later, take another on to LA. My wife thinks thats too much work for what amounts to 7 days. I told her it's the cruising equivalent of an airline frequent flyer milage run. This would still count as 3 Princess cruises, and get us to Platinum status in the Captains Circle. I just wish Princess had these type of cruises on the east coast, but since they have no Canadian base on the east to make short cruises possible, it won't happen.

Have q great trip. My wife's parents are doing this cruise on April 6. It will be their first time on Princess after 5 on RCI/Celebrity.

I liked the auto-tipping on Princess. Funny how previously, these people would show up in the dining room the last couple nights, just to make sure we knew who they were so we could tip them the last night. One thing I've seen people mention on various boards is they prefer the personal touch, by handing the tips over and thanking the staffer personally. Honestly though, I don't think the waiter or steward cares all that much about the personal touch. I mean, they all do so good at making us feel special, but they deal with so many people as the weeks drag on, that I don't think that it really matters to them. We all thank them anyway, but handing that envelope over actually makes things a pain for them. That money isn't all theirs, and now they have to go and submit it to wherever for it to be divided amongst the other crew members who get a cut. If they lose it, they will likely be accused of trying to keep it to themselves. I bet if there were stats released, the highest crime night in the crew areas was the night all the tips were handed out. Out of a thousand or so crew members, there are bound to be a couple bad apples, and with tens of thousands of dollars in cash floating around amongst the various crew, well people are people LOL. Letting it all be done electronically is probably better for all concerned.

Why can't Carnival seem to figure out how to add balcony cabins? This is basically a Caribbean Princess platform. The Caribbean has 900 balconies. This ship will have in the 550 range. I know Carnival generally has larger cabins, but in my experience, the width has been approximately the same, which is what decides how many cabins a deck can hold. Carnival just continues to have a pthetically low amount of balconies compared to the number of people their ships hold.

He just needs to edit and put a space between the URL and the ) at the end.