Security has never been a problem for us on HAL, but we did once have a bag and cashmere sweater stolen on another (highly regarded) cruise line. On the same cruise line a fellow passenger?s passport was stolen from a shelf in her cabin. She and her infant daughter spent three extra days in London getting a new one. Another passenger?s (one of that cruise line?s gentleman hosts) wallet was stolen from his bedside table.

The moral is keep your passport and all other valuables in your room safe all of the time. Take your driver?s license ashore for those ports which require a photo id (most say they do, but we rarely needed more than our cruise key card for identification).
Health concerns have gotten a lot of press recently, ever since the Norwalk virus and other nasty critters started cruising. Most disease outbreaks are due to fomites (commonly touched items such as door-knobs, buffet serving tongs, friendly handshakes especially in reception lines) rather than aerosols (sneezes, air-conditioning). Few people wash their hands immediately before eating on cruises, but restrooms are almost always nearby. This is especially important when in self-service buffets. The risk of illness from touching one person is minimal compared with the risk of serving tongs that may have been touched by hundreds before you.

HAL has been very conscientious in having most food served by crew wearing disposable gloves and by keeping silverware individually wrapped at the tables rather than in the usual self-serve racks, but communal serving tongs will never be completely eliminated on any cruise ship.

Similarly, HAL serves cocktail nuts in narrow neck flasks and has "Yum-yum Guys" dispense after-dinner mints so that no one?s hands dip into communal serving dishes. They also provide mini-towels to dry hands and open the restroom door when finished (just toss it back into the used towel hamper as you exit).

If you think about it, the close quarters of cruise ships increase the risk of disease spread, but countering this is the fact that scant public hardware (door knobs, railings, elevator buttons, etc.) are as thoroughly cleaned as on cruise ships. If hand washing is too much bother, at least buy and use a bottle of the alcohol-based disinfectant hand gels which are now widely available for travelers. You, and your fellow passengers, will be glad you did.

Tipping is always problematic on HAL cruises, since they currently have a tipping-not-required policy. Personally, I think this policy is unfair to the cruise staff and confusing for the cruise passengers. I hear that HAL may change this policy and conform with other cruise lines, on which tipping is not mandatory but is expected, and tipping guidelines are freely given. A few cruise lines automatically charge standard tips (about $10 to $15 per passenger per day) to shipboard accounts. I think this is acceptable only if clearly stated before the cruise is booked, and should be reversible if the passenger prefers to tip directly. Ship crews work so hard and depend so much on tips that spending money on bingo, casino games, liquor, souvenirs, or whatever and then stiffing the crew is inexcusable.

Finally, the subject every reviewer seems to avoid ? cruise prices. During the pre-Christmas lull, cruise prices can be the greatest bargain in travel. Through the kind services of Pat Webb (whose Galaxsea agency is one of the largest and who has a useful e-mail newsletter of cruise bargains), we were able to obtain a balcony cabin on this cruise for less than $700 per person for the week, including port charges, taxes, and a shipboard credit. An inside cabin would have been proportionally less.

Who could ask for a better, more enjoyable travel value?

Happy cruising!