PACD_JG

Unpopular opinion in 3...2...1 Instead of HAL's nickel and diming, just charge for room service. Bonus points because it would free the passageways from all the clutter.

Welp. There goes my suggestion...

Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said..."it's not the destination, it's the journey." Dude obviously died before the airplane was invented...

Every kid is different, but I would think an average 18 or 19 year old would be mortified to enter the place. My 15 and 14 year old girls went last summer on the Koningsdam and only enjoyed it because it wasn't crowded. At Thanksgiving on the Nieuw Statendam there were so many kids on board that they had to turn the majority of them away, so my kids didn't bother.

Okay, now I have to take this entire review with a grain of salt. $6000 for a 7-night cruise in a Verandah, where the inside room was "free? HAL isn't a luxury cruise! For reference, I was on this exact cruise over Thanksgiving. Cost was $4030. For a Vista Suite. For 2 adults, 2 teens. Included HIA and crew appreciation for the adults. Even if I was pound foolish and paid for Club Orange, it would have been over $1200 less than what the OP paid. And I didn't have a casino offer. Sigh.

Captain Noel has certainly kissed the Blarney Stone! As far as the rest of the OP's review...really not a lot to disagree with.

The Captain is Irish...and since the majority of Irish can't speak Irish (Gaelic), it's a fair assumption that English is his first language.

HAL's Pinnacle Grill policy is the marital equivalent of making your fiancé(e) sign a prenup. Or the sports equivalent of franchising your quarterback instead of offering him a long-term contract. In other words...the optics absolutely suck, and nobody ends up happy.

I'm more surprised that the OP is surprised.

Wishful thinking. I'll put a $5 spot that HAL sells a ship or two before they ever build a new one.

And you don't think Turks and Caicos only has this policy because the US still requires all non-U.S. citizens, non-U.S. immigrants traveling to the United States by air to show proof of being fully vaccinated against Covid? A tit-for-tat? So in other words, yes (IMHO)...it does have something to do with "Biden or US policy."

So you're saying it's not all just for appearances?

I went to Grand Turk in November. Didn't use Verifly. Filled out the questionnaire on the HAL website before sailing attesting to being vaxxed. At Port Everglades they asked me if I was vaxxed, I said yes - no proof provided. Got off the ship in Grand Turk without issue. In other words, theatre still exists...I assume until May. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/30/us/politics/biden-covid-public-health-emergency.html

Cowards if they didn't go overboard.

It's called conditioning.

I've only been on two ships (both Pinnacle class), but the biggest underused use of space I've seen is the World Stage Theater. From their website: World Stage, the largest theater on board is home to a variety of performances day and night. Our exclusive EXC® Talk lecture series features captivating regional stories told by local experts and narrated by your Cruise & Travel Director. In the evenings, Step One Dance Company, vocal sensation Cantaré, BBC Earth in Concert and more take the stage. Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam bring the World Stage experience to the next level by surrounding you in spectacular sight and sound with a two-story, panoramic LED screen. I've seen too many 1/4 - 1/2 filled shows in this venue - mostly because the events they list aren't must-sees, even on a sea day. In other words, wasted space.

If you've already sailed with Princess and liked it...why would you assume the grass is greener on the other side?

So the Target of cruising...

Thanks Hank for pointing this out. At worst, these statements are racist. At best, these statements are elitist. Regardless, comments like that prove HAL cruisers deserve the stereotypes about them.

How about making HAL the first mainstream (or if you prefer premium) cruiseline that is adults only? Clientele is 180 from Virgin, so no competing, and it would draw more families to Princess and Carnival, making them more successful. I'm sure boomers and gen X would love a kids-free cruise that is more affordable than the luxury brands and not as risque as Virgin.

Unlike some HAL fans, I don't carry a tape measure with me, but I'd guess it's about 3 1/2 - 4 feet. My wife and other daughter are both 5'2", and the thought of lying on the sofa never crossed their minds.

My family of four has stayed in two Vista Cabins, one on the Koningsdam and one on the Nieuw Statendam. My 5'6" daughter sleeps on the sofa. As the photo above indicates, it folds out, not across. And no, you can't move the couch. With the bed down, you have to shimmy your way to pass, as the clearance is less than 12 inches. And since my daughter seems to enjoy sleeping with her feet hanging off the bed, every.single.time that nature called in the middle of the night, I would have to move her feet out of the way to pass.

You sure ask a lot of questions as if you've never cruised with HAL. So have you? And if not, why are you recommending HAL? Gus?

What's even more suspicious. There are only two ships docked in Skagway on May 10 (which I assume was the day you were supposed to be there). May 5 and 9 have 3 ships...so there goes that argument. https://claalaska.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/SKG-Skagway-2023.pdf