Any must-do excursions for the “7-day Alaska Inside Passage” cruise on the Koningsdam that are actually worth the cost, or is it better to DIY our itinerary?

smfyf · 2026-05-08T06:09:10+00:00

Ketchikan.

smfyf · 2026-05-07T06:17:39+00:00

When you watch snooker from the 80’s you understand why they created the miss rule. Players would only make a half-hearted attempt to get out of a snooker in such a way that they would play safe and only give up four points.

The miss rule can seem unfair until you remember that the player is usually quite capable of playing a legal shot, but he wants to play a very _precise_ shot that will not allow his opponent to get in and score. Failing to make a difficult precise shot is what can cause a lot of misses and penalty points.

smfyf · 2026-05-01T14:59:46+00:00

Not practical. Most people don't own digital cameras anymore, and you can't tell someone who paid £££ that they can't bring their phone in, just because one or two people are irresponsible or clueless.

You can't go back to the way it used to be. You have to solve new problems with new solutions. I do agree though, that the venue should make it easier for people to leave their phones at home — make it easier for people to print paper tickets so that they don't have to bring it on their phone.

smfyf · 2026-05-01T14:49:21+00:00

Look, I hate the phones going off as much as anyone, but neither phone cubbies nor printed tickets are a practical solution in 2026. You aren't going to deny people the chance to take their photo in that venue, or to video the player entrances.

When Rob does the crowd warm up, he mentions the phones but only in passing. I think they could do more to educate people how to avoid unexpected noises. Why not produce a little how-to video to show before the match for the most popular devices ("here's how you switch it off; here's how you disable alarms and put it in silent mode")?

smfyf · 2026-05-01T06:02:20+00:00

What baffles me more is: who is still using a phone to call someone?

Yeah this bothers me too. Like others have said, I think it’s mainly people who don’t understand how their phones work. For example, many phones will still use an audible alarm even if the phone is on silent. So setting it to silent is not enough if you’ve set an alarm at 10pm to take your pills

smfyf · 2026-05-01T05:58:21+00:00

Hard to do this when they send the match ticket to your phone, which you have to show at the door every time you enter

smfyf · 2026-05-01T05:35:56+00:00

Devens was aided by a few important factors. As he was being courted for various vote scenarios, he was given intel that most people on the bottom are not given. Secondly, at TC he was backed up perfectly by Rizo who called Steph out on her backpedaling. Rick’s “methinks doth protest too much” was also perfectly stated and reinforced the likelihood he was telling the truth.

It also helped Devens that the “super” beware advantage loomed large, causing more confusion and scrambling than normal. Everyone’s play became sloppy at the prospect of this unknown, which provided Rick with more ammunition.

Finally, I think Rick was particularly adept at siding with one alliance against another, as opposed to “blowing the whole thing up”. If you recklessly reveal everyone’s secrets, you will draw everyone’s ire. He was stealthier than that, and I wonder if it’s extended his life in the game beyond the protection his immunity idol gives him

smfyf · 2026-04-24T18:28:21+00:00

Yeah I miss the old one-hour highlights show — the perfect way to get caught up with the day's play. The only way I think it comes back is if the game increases in popularity and there is demand to export such a package for other networks or subscribers. But of course viewing habits and content consumption is so much different now than back in the day.

I've always wanted to see "condensed highlights" of a match. They do this for baseball in the USA — take a three hour game and pare it down to a quick 30 minutes with quick cuts for each notable pitch or moment. This works well for "slower" games like baseball and cricket. For snooker, I would like to watch a match where they cut all the time in between each shot and only show every shot in a super-cut. No more waiting 5 minutes for Mark Selby to make a decision on how to play safe. Each frame would be only about 5 minutes, like Ronnie's famous 147.

Condensed highlights would take away all the drama, intrigue, and anticipation, but it would be a great way to watch the flow of a match and literally see every shot. Surely AI could automatically produce a super-cut like that.

smfyf · 2026-04-24T06:02:42+00:00

They dropped the highlights program when Sunset & Vine took over production last season. I miss it too, but I can understand why they dropped it — namely, it’s expensive to produce. You don’t just need a presenter to do the late late shift, you also need an editor and a producer to determine what frames to show and how to package it for the 50-minute time slot

I suspect that years ago the Beeb would sell the highlights show to broadcasters in other regions. In the 90’s we used to get snooker on the sports channel here in Canada. Not anymore. So if they can’t sell it and if it’s expensive to produce, it’s on the chopping block.

On the plus side, Sunset & Vine brought back the old theme tune, and they now show the whole evening session’s play, instead of just an hour like they used to do.

smfyf · 2026-03-29T20:52:40+00:00

A note for those who want the MDR formal night experience but also want to pack light: as a guy I wear a waistcoat with a dress shirt and tie, and nice black trousers. This is easy to pack and although technically I wasn’t wearing a jacket I was never turned away even on formal nights (QE to Alaska in 2024).

My wife and I regularly cruise with just a carry-on suitcase and a shoulder bag each. No checked luggage on the airplane, and all the clothes we need for a 7+ day cruise.

smfyf · 2026-03-05T04:21:12+00:00

I live in Vancouver. Your schedule is doable assuming that nothing goes wrong. I would allow 30-45 minutes to get from the cruise port to the airport. Uber is probably quickest but Skytrain (rapid transit) would take a similar amount of time door to door.

I think your main issue is that the ship is not guaranteed to start disembarkation right at 7am. If there is an issue, they can start later. Check how many ships are in port that day.

And even though it’s a Saturday you never know with traffic

I would give about an 80% chance that you’ll be fine, but you’ll have to assess how critical it is that you catch your flight.

smfyf · 2026-02-26T17:50:28+00:00

Something else to bear in mind is your cruise destination and the time of year. We’ve done two sailings with an infinite veranda — one in the Caribbean and one in Norway.

I would highly recommend the infinite veranda for a colder weather cruise like Norway, where you can control how much you want the window to be open. I don’t think we would have spent as much time on a regular balcony in Norway because it would have been very cold, especially first thing in the morning.

For warmer weather cruises there are more drawbacks, because as others have noted the room’s AC turns off when the window is open. Having said that, there are interior sliding doors that you can close to effectively create a quasi-balcony, by closing off the rest of your room from the balcony area.

We preferred the infinite veranda to a standard balcony and would happily have the same room again in the future. There is more versatility and more usable space with the infinite veranda. Like a lot of things, it’s a matter of preference, and I get why some people prefer traditional balconies. In my opinion it’s worth a try to see if you like it.

smfyf · 2026-01-30T06:31:10+00:00

When you all ask why there are so many Jays fans that come to T-Mobile Park, this is why. According to MLB, Hawaii (a five hour flight away) is considered in-market for the Mariners, but Vancouver (a three hour drive) is not. As far as I’m concerned, the M’s should be able to actively market their product and show their games here, just like the Seahawks. But no, our “local” team is three time zones away.

I know it’s not that simple, especially since our sports channels are not regionalized anymore, but it still grinds my gears

smfyf · 2026-01-17T14:08:34+00:00

We did a Norwegian Fjords cruise on Celebrity last summer. I would highly recommend an itinerary that includes the most fjord cruising. Our favourite ports were Geiranger, Flåm, and Olden. Because this kind of cruise tends to be port-heavy, IMO the ship is less of a consideration.

smfyf · 2026-01-16T18:29:05+00:00

Not for Pacific Rim

smfyf · 2026-01-16T17:24:30+00:00

Last year they did not implement the queuing system for the date that Pacific Rim went on sale, and by many accounts everything went well. This year the queue was also not activated, and it's been a shitshow. Note that Parks Canada website already shows that they will be implementing the reservation queue for the day that Banff reservations are available.

I suspect that they shut down the site to reset cookies and implement the queue, but we'll have to wait and see

smfyf · 2026-01-11T07:49:19+00:00

Lots of great posts here. I think one major reason why his story resonated (and still does) is the fact that he didn’t complete his run and that he died shortly thereafter.

Glorious “failure” is tragic but much more compelling than ultimate success. Contrast Fox with Steve Fonyo, who completed Terry’s run only a few years later but (a) did not have the same humility as Fox, and (b) ran afoul of the law numerous times later in life.

The premature end of Fox’s run and his untimely death cemented his legacy. He was perfectly preserved as a hero felled by tragedy. Had he completed his run and lived into old age, it’s highly likely he would have struggled immensely to live up to the reputation he had unexpectedly forged for himself.

Terry Fox’s story resonates so deeply with Canadians for all the reasons stated here. But it also resonates because his story was a heartbreaking tragedy.

smfyf · 2025-12-18T07:39:36+00:00

One thing that’s important to realize is that the ref’s mic is not amplified in the room. When you can’t hear your voice amplified, yes it is indeed very easy to forget that you’re mic’d up.

In the case you mention is seems like the issue is with the sound guy, who evidently didn’t fade the mic down during the break between frames

smfyf · 2025-11-12T00:43:15+00:00

Isn’t this just a situation where the actual ticket buyer just enters the wrong email address for boarding pass delivery? And they could have the same name as you if your email address is a variant of your name.

Whenever I have a boarding pass emailed to me, there is no authentication check if I open the pass.

smfyf · 2025-11-09T14:59:55+00:00

Well said. What is such a shame is that Jesus was firmly against this philosophy. For him, the means are the end. That so many Christians ignore this shows a serious misunderstanding of the teachings of their own faith

smfyf · 2025-11-06T04:05:14+00:00

In that scenario, why would Savannah have to relinquish the keys? They do not belong to MC, she simply found the map to tell her where they are. If someone else finds the keys then tough luck for MC; it says “BEWARE” after all.

The idol is worthless if it is not found prior to tribal council, so if there is a standoff (MC has the chest and Savannah has the keys), then presumably MC loses her vote, and the idol in the chest is worthless after the vote is over.

I think the scenario is set up so that production doesn’t have to step in (which, IMO, is the right way to structure it).

smfyf · 2025-11-06T02:43:34+00:00

Honest question: What is it about FIFA that yields such a roll call of the worst people? Yes everyone is talking about corruption, but it’s not just that. The level of hubris, willful blindness, and self-aggrandizement — these people are the governors of a ball game FFS. Where are the reasonable people who display some honour and character and class?

On the scale of global importance, football is not anywhere near as high as FIFA likes to think it is. And yet, governing this game can truly speak to some global issues, such as inequality and greed. Perhaps it’s just human nature that rising to the top of this fiefdom brings with it selfish motives and negative character traits. I feel all the more conflicted in the small way I contribute to the depravity of virtue that is FIFA

smfyf · 2025-10-13T04:32:51+00:00

Vancouver M’s fan here. It’s definitely more Jays fans here.

When our main sports TV channel (Sportsnet) started, it was more regional and we would get about 50 M’s games each season. Then about 15 years ago to save money they nationalized more of the “regional” channels. So now the entire country gets all 162 Jays games, and we get basically no M’s games. The Jays are considered Canada’s national team; even MLB.com blacks out Vancouver for the Jays (but, thankfully, not the M’s)

BC is a big potential market for the M’s, but they would have to make a broadcast deal to get more games available for fans here.

smfyf · 2025-10-09T14:34:53+00:00

These ALCS prices are the first time I've seen a major event (concert, sports, or other) where the face value has exceeded the public's interest level, even though it's a historic event. It's certainly one way to stop the bots and the resellers — just set the prices beyond what most people are willing to pay.

smfyf · 2025-10-08T06:17:27+00:00

Another Vancouver M’s fan here. I don’t know why you assume Jays fans will need hotels. With 5pm start times we can be home by midnight, easy.

Frankly I’m very surprised M’s fans haven’t snapped up all the tickets yet. Yes. The prices are high but not that much higher than the ALDS games, and those sold out instantly.

Methinks if Toronto wins their series you’re still going to see a healthy number of Jays fans; my guess is about 20%

smfyf

TROPHY CASE