DeckLife

Additional item prices

jacket/blazer - $5

skirt - $4.50

dress - $6.50

dress shirt - $4.50

tuxedo shirt - $5

walking shorts - $3.50

sweatshirt/sweater - $4

pajamas - $4.50

We did 22 days on Noordam April 15-May 8 and did the unlimited laundry. We had spent four days in Rome beforehand.

I happened to save my pink copies of the laundry list. I loved the unlimited package, but I do think the bag-of-laundry pricing is just fine. It is $30 for all you can stuff in the bag. And believe me, you can stuff a lot in that bag.

For example, one day we stuffed in it the following:

1 pair men's jeans -normal price $4

1 pair women's long pants -$4

5 polo/T shirts (both men and women) - $3

6 pairs underpants (men's and women's) - $2

1 handkerchief -$1.30

2 pairs socks -$2

1 men's nightshirt -$5.50

Total, if charged by the piece: $45.80

 

 

Another day, we sent in:

2 pairs pants/jeans -normally $4 each

1 women's blouse -$3.50

3 polo/T shirts -$3

1 undershirt -$2

6 pairs underpants -$2

2 bras - $2

3 handkerchiefs -$1.30

4 pairs socks -$2

1 nightgown -$5.50

Total, if priced by the piece: $55.90

 

The unlimited laundry package for 11 days on Noordam was $99.

 

We LOVED having our laundry done. It was amazing how much stress this took away. And I say this even though some shirts were lost. We were compensated fairly, though. I'd do the laundry service again in a heartbeat.

 

The HAL laundry bag is made of sturdy fabric; be sure to stuff the corners to take advantage of every cubic inch.

 

I did not send in any of my more delicate items, just the daytime wear from excursions.

What they said.

We did 22 days in the Mediterranean on her and would cruise on her again. Crew were unfailingly friendly and helpful. Balconies are roomy, and the beds are quite comfortable.

It is immaterial whether the OP was specifically told there would be doors across from each other. The NCL rep knew the OP wanted adjacent communicating rooms! It is absurd to expect the OP to know more than the NCL rep.

 

The ship was new and I daresay the deck plans were not as clear back then.

 

Also, the letter some keep referring to was only a statement from rank and file at the front desk that the family's cabins could not be changed. This has nothing to do with the OP's reasonable expectation that someone in authority would acknowledge a major mistake and apologize.

 

OP, you need to let this thread die till something more happens that you can report back on. Best of luck!

I just can't believe the number of posters slamming the OP, whose family's cruise was significantly disturbed by the mistake of the NCL person in assigning rooms. Instead of easing the expected cramping in the originally purchased mini-suite by selling the two adjoining cabins the OP asked for, the NCL rep supplied rooms that were really not together at all and thus led the family to squeeze into smaller accommodations. To add insult to injury, he had to pay a fee to have this asinine room change made.

 

If I were in the OP's shoes, I would certainly want some higher-up at NCL -- someone well above the rank and file crew who have been the only people to respond to the OP -- to acknowledge that a mistake was made and that it was serious. Certainly a refund of the change fee is warranted.

 

Because of many of the comments made here, in the OP's shoes, I'd be wondering what sort of passengers NCL attracts. On this board, it seems that the customer is always wrong. And, for Pete's sake, questioning the OP as to why he hasn't contacted the board of directors, puh-lease! Also, here the OP has repeatedly returned to defend himself and to clarify things and add detail, and he then is criticized as obsessed because of the number of posts he's made!

 

What sort of impression about Cruise Critic, the NCL forum and cruising in general does the participation on this thread make on a new cruiser?

 

I hope the OP has success in achieving actual conversation with someone in a responsible position at NCL.

MDR on our Noordam cruise was open at lunch for exactly one hour. I don't recall the hours for breakfast but MDR never worked for early port excursions.

The plates generally available in Lido were salad size. Oval platters were available at the fresh-cooked eggs line and perhaps at lunch in the bistro line. The oval platters were not available to just grab one and go, because I would be happy with that.

 

I am not talking about getting several courses. I am talking about my desire to have my breakfast on one plate and perhaps a small side plate -- a balanced meal that will get me through till after the day's excursion. Or at lunch to have one plate that will hold a salad and maybe a cup of soup. I don't need a salad bowl; a plate would be preferred. When there are lines at every station, even if they are short, having to take one's plate back to the table and then go through other lines for the rest of the components of that same course, means great inefficiency for me and the ship. The time spent in Lido by each person grows and that's why tables are hard to come by.

 

Tables holding small plates of food (waiting for the passenger to return with the rest of the meal) look vacant from a distance but oh, no, once you get there, you find it already taken.

 

I should point out that I often carried two small plates/bowls at once. It is a hardship, unless the table is close by. I have limited carrying capability, and no, I don't want to have to get help and have people wondering what's wrong with me when I look perfectly fine.

 

Getting beverages was a problem too. Get water and coffee first, claim a table, then fetch food. Return to find coffee too cold, or to find someone else at your table. Get water and coffee second, return to table with your previously collected food to find that cold.

 

We had a very port-intensive cruise, and had to be in the Vista Lounge by 7:50 or earlier for excursions. Room service was the only answer. The load on room service was so high that at one point the ship decided to open Lido at 6 rather than 6:30 to encourage people back to Lido. Also, the room service menu was reduced, presumably to help the load. Room service breakfast was delicious and delivered in the time specified, so I don't have any complaints there. I would have been happier with Lido, with more choices available.

I do recall Disney Wonder had trays last September. They were small with nipped off top corners and held a round plate, a small side plate or bowl (pastry, oatmeal), a glass of juice and maybe coffee. The breakfast line had everything that makes up an old-fashioned breakfast, and the food was still hot when my husband and I sat down together. There was a separate station for cold cereals; there might have been one for omelets but I didn't have any.

 

I recognize that washing, stacking, collecting and otherwise managing trays take energy and manpower. However, I'm sure that whatever savings was realized has been eaten up by the handling of numerous plates one must have to do a meal. The load on room service has surely increased. I'd bet that extra manhours are spent by crew gathering multiple sets of utensils and napkins from the same passenger as that passenger eats and goes to get the other parts of the meal.

 

Since no trays is the norm, more thought needs to be given to how the food is arranged. When I ate in Lido for breakfast, I would get fried eggs and bacon and then go fetch the fruit and any bread I wanted. The eggs would cool off, but I got the eggs first so that I could have the big plate. The plate was usually hot to handle. Why couldn't I have the big plate available at the start of the station, get fruit etc. and then have the eggs and bacon plopped on it?

 

I liked the round waffles but that station didn't have a posted start and end. The crew member manning it was nearly always in back when I'd go there and by the time he came out other passengers would pretend they'd been there first. Yes, that was rude, but it would happen far less if there were start and finish signs the way there were at other stations. And again the little plates made it hard for me to have my breakfast hot with other food at the same time.

 

Since the tray platforms all around are cleaned continuously, I doubt there are any more issues from private tray germs than there are from people's hands, arms, and other stuff that goes on those platforms. I wonder if there are sanitary issues with people carrying napkin-wrapped utensil sets around in their pockets. (Utensil sets were on tables but if Lido was busy, which it usually was, we'd often grab a table that had just been vacated, scoot the dirties off to the side and then dig in using the utensil sets we had picked up.)

 

I feel sure that improvements can be made that achieve both economic and passenger satisfaction goals. (More frequent passes by the water/tea/coffee person would be welcome. Lighter dishes would be nice, too.) In the meantime, I plan to bring a tray or charger plate and sanitize it with Germ-X or Purell between uses.

The linens I was in contact with weren't threadbare. At least not so far as I noticed.

We just returned from a wonderful Mediterranean cruise on Noordam. I am curious as to whether having no trays in the Lido buffet is the norm for HAL, and has . We found that gathering our meals was very time-consuming. With no trays and small plates, multiple trips to various stations were required to put together a meal. Food got cold. This situation extended people's use of table space and thus tables were always hard to come by. Leaving drinks on a table while we got our food didn't always work to hold the table for us.

We opted for breakfast room service on every excursion day so we wouldn't have to deal with this. Room service use was very high on our cruise.

I don't recall Lido food gathering being such a pain on any of our five other cruises. Disney Wonder had trays, but I don't recall the situation on the other cruises. Maybe the others had big plates and that saved the day.

We are planning to buy some trays to take on our October HAL trip.

HAL really needs to rethink this.

Wow, thanks for the advice. What is the reason for having a dry cleaner bag *under* (i.e. inside) the poncho?

Yes, it is a bit heavy, but when I saw it online I had to have it! And I have no place to wear such a thing except for a cruise.

I have a lime green peplum jacket that I might try with the black dress. It's a find from a consignment store!

I bought this poncho --www.chicos.com/store/browse/product.jsp?maxRec=2&pageId=1&productId=570092812&viewAll=&prd=Taylor+Poncho&subCatId=&color=982&fromSearch=true&inSeam=&posId=2&catId=&cat=&onSale=&colorFamily=&maxPg=1&size=

 

I was going to keep it on a hanger and pack with my hanging clothes with a dry cleaner bag over it. But maybe it would be better off folded up (with dry cleaner bag), with tissue paper or other clothes. Which way do you think would be best?

 

When I tried this and other sequined things on, I kept finding sequins on the floor later on.

We've sailed on Royal Caribbean once --Navigator of the Seas, next to last trip before her recent dry dock. The Solarium floor appeared dirty the whole trip. A coffee spill I spotted early on was still there at the end of cruise! Maybe the upcoming dry dock led to deferred cleaning, who knows.

 

We did not care for Royal, judging by that trip, because it seemed to us to be indoor cruising. Not enough outdoor space, hardly any at all for eating outdoors.

 

Our experience on Carnival was good the first go-round and merely ok the next. The dining room staff on Carnival always seemed to be enjoying themselves, and we loved that. I thought the food was better than on Royal.

 

We will be on HAL for the first time in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to it!

I have depended on strap wraps of various sorts for years to disperse weight on my shoulders (which are not healthy).

 

Timbuk2.com has a line of wraps in various colors. See http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/products/custom-strap-pad-specialty

 

Also, SFBags has a shoulder strap wrap, black only: http://www.sfbags.com/products/accessories/accessories.php

 

These wraps go around the shoulder strap and secure with velcro.

 

B&H Camera has a wrap by National Geographic: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/731893-REG/National_Geographic_NG_A7300_A7300_Africa_Series_Padded.html/prm/alsVwDtl

You don't have to like it if someone else chooses not to incur the discomfort and additional costs in order to have the same meal that their cruise fare paid for as you did.

 

Those who paid for that same meal knew when they booked the cruise that there were formal nights and that there were alternatives to the MDR. They choose not to dress up. Fine. They can get the meal they paid for elsewhere. Paying the money for that cruise does not equal entitlement to ignore the cruise line's codes.

 

Rest assured, I do not let my irritation bother me for long. I just say to myself, "Oh, yeah, there they are again: the people for whom the rules don't apply. Can't escape them. Back to my wine."

You'd think that everything has been said. But, no, I've got to add my two cents.

First, I'm someone who generally follows the rules/codes/whatever, and to do so, I have to make compromises, which means choices. My choice is to have dressy clothes so that I can eat in the MDR with people waiting on me. My choice is to bring more luggage than I really want to. And pay for that. My choice is to have laundry service, at a cost, to minimize everyday wear to be packed, so that I'll have room for the dressy clothes and shoes and wraps and jewelry. My choice is to have more than one dressy outfit, so that I won't stink from wearing the same dress six times. Having made all these choices and compromises, at a cost, I don't much like it when others get the same benefits without compromise.

It's all about choices. People who don't want to dress up don't have to, but that choice means they don't get to eat in the MDR at dinner on formal nights.

All that said, I'd be just as happy not to have to worry so much about clothing, but I made a choice that dictates doing so. My choice was to sail HAL because the itinerary is rich and because the long length of the cruise means I won't have to book three cruises (and expensive flights each time) when one will do.

:pRant over!

Leaving leftover transit tickets is a great idea!!

Thanks for the advice. It never would have occurred to me to leave tips daily. Now I know.

I didn't mean to imply we don't tip. We just leave a tip for the housekeeper when we are checking out. And the places we have usually stayed at have only one housekeeper.

Thanks, all. This is very helpful. An add-on query: Do Rome restaurants typically take credit cards?

What is customary/expected as far as housekeeper and front door person tips at a Rome hotel? I am counting up Euros in advance of our trip. In the U.S. we don't stay in pricy accommodations so have no idea on this. Thanks!

Thanks so much!

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Forums mobile app

I suggest a pashmina to add a layer if you need to. Don't forget gloves and ear covering. If you can get a jacket with a hood, all the better.

OK, I didn't want to put a link up for fear that the item would sell out. But now I've ordered it (yay!). See http://www.chicos.com/store/browse/product.jsp?maxRec=84&pageId=1&productId=570104905&viewAll=&prd=Travelers+Collection+Wave+Applique+Margo+Jacket&subCatId=&color=&fromSearch=&inSeam=&posId=15&catId=cat40010&cat=Travelers&onSale=&colorFamily=&maxPg=6&size=

 

It will go with this dress: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-CHICOS-NALA-BLACK-MAXI-DRESS-GREAT-RESORT-WEAR-Sz-1-8-10-/390795014562?pt=US_CSA_WC_Dresses&hash=item5afd32b1a2

 

I am 5'1", so the dress is full length on me. In Chico's I wear size 3. Opinions welcome. I can always wear this jacket in other ways, so don't hold back!

I have a long black dress from Chico's that has silver accents. This is my main formalwear item. I have 3 black wraps I can wear with it but I'd like something silvery. I am too busty for a shrug. Is an actual jacket with sheer and opaque design at all appropriate? One I am considering has 3/4-length sleeves and is short, maybe below my waist. (I am short.) It has soft lines and no collar.