dee2673

I used to live in Binghamton and Vestal and have travelled on the Eurodam twice. Our favorite HAL restaurant is Tamarind on this ship. Not to be missed, IMHO. I've been having a hard time with HALs site. Maybe it would be better to call and book with a Pcc so you can be sure you have the cabin you want..? 

While I wouldn’t call Canaletto top notch, we still enjoy it. We loved the meatballs and the short rib gnocchi. We liked the gnocchi dish so much, we’ve recreated it at home. There was a veal dish we liked too. We didn’t care for the lasagna not the carpaccio. 

Oh yay!! Happy for you. Get ready. It’s a whole new experience. 

The worst thing about it is that it will be hard to go back 

1 hour ago, Snowesha said:

How did you score the Pinnacle Suite? Be interesting to hear your stories!

 

I have a story. We were ticked off at our adult children Christmas of 2017. We went on a cruise in Feb 2018 and decided to book a Christmas cruise because “that’ll teach ‘em”.  We booked a aft Neptune Suite for more money than we wanted to spend but we were spurred  on by our anger. Came home, booked our flight and done. Until I started looking at the HAL site and saw that the PS was available the week before ours for almost the same price as our NS. Due to a schedule change on the airlines part, I changed my flight for free and figured it was meant to be. We booked that baby. LOVED it , probably never will be able to afford it again but glad we did it once. And our kids were much nicer this last Christmas. Alls well

We were in the PS on the Eurodam just this past December. We did get a bridge tour that was really cool. We were kept separate from the rest of the early embarkers and received a personal escort to our room before anyone else got on. All the soft drinks and water in the minifridge were free, in our experience. We paid for liquor and beer we drank from there. Spent more time in our room on that incredible balcony and happy to do so. There were nice little munchies and chocolate on the dining room table when we boarded. We'd do it again in a heartbeat! Enjoy

We are embarking this Sunday and looking forward to the Eurodam. We, too, have noticed more older passengers that are just plain rude. The finger snapping!! Seriously! And the talking down to staff simply because they didn't take the time to LISTEN to what the crew member was telling them. We saw it on excursions, as well. I hope we don't see that on our vacation. I can take some worn carpet..and just Ok food..and many other things that can happen anywhere. But I found myself really upset by the behavior I witnessed..

Just bring whatever you have that confirms your OBC and gift card. If theres a problem, you have your proof with you. With that said, we've done exactly this and never had a problem

On 12/6/2018 at 4:45 PM, SWFLAOK said:

That is a great list that akenned posted, and it's the one that I remember from a year ago when we booked our upcoming cruise. But, that list wasn't included in any of the documentation we received with our reservation. And I can't find any of that information about what's included with our Neptune Suite or in the Neptune Lounge on our cruise 2 weeks from now. In the future, I'll save the info they offered at the time we made out reservation so there won't be any surprises that we can't contest. The changes to the SBP plan, and drink prices currently being discussed by HAL cruisers are particularly annoying.  Our first HAL cruise might be our last.

Included amenities have never been documented on our travel docs and we’ve only ever been in a NS. We know what they are and have never had an issue where we had to demand an included amenity. First thing upon boarding, after dropping our bags in our room,  is go to the NL to meet with the concierge to book our speciality dining and introduce ourselves. If you have any questions about amenities, they will be happy to help you

Typically, in the past, when the price of the drink is raised, so is the dollar limit on the SBP. That’s not happening this time??!

Hubby loves breakfast in the PG, as he likes the relaxed pace and quiet. Is it everyone’s understanding that it is going away, in favor of Club Orange once all the ships are equipped? We are on the Eurodam next week so presuming he’ll still be able to have his quiet breakfast ( while I Have mine on the veranda sipping a mimosa😁)

11 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

The Crime in the Mazatlan area is not just limited to Cartel wars ;but  also kidnaping & human trafficking  .  

Thus ,each pax must  abide by their own decisions  of where to go 

 

 

 

 

I’m sorry but this made me chuckle a little. Human trafficking and kidnapping?? No laughing matter unless you know that I am a 64 yr old short fat lady with gray hair. I will have zero “trappings of wealth” on my person. Inexpensive handbag, no jewelry, no hair dye or fancy nails and wearing a top I bought in PV 2 years ago. If someone were to take me for nefarious purposes, they’d likely be stuck with me..or just do away with me, in which case I will die true to my convictions.

No one is going to change anyone’s mind here. If you are afraid to leave the ship , then don’t leave the ship. As the alert stands, it doesn’t make me afraid to visit the areas my government has advised its employees they are allowed to travel within. If the alert changes, I would likely reconsider. 

I wish everyone a fun cruise however you choose to do it. 

Gosh, I hope not the following week when we’re onboard. We aren’t leaving the ship on our Cabo day as it felt like a tourist trap and we found it a little generic. 

My hubby is a beer drinker. We go to a happy hour bar and buy 5 at whatever they cost ($5.75?), get the next 5 for 2.00 each.  And clear out the mini bar and fill it with beer. I believe the mini bar and the price of beer and soda are the same as at a bar..I think.

43 minutes ago, cbr663 said:

Your choosing to assume the risk of traveling to an area of violent widespread crime is certainly your choice.  It was incorrect though to state as you did previously that the advisory stated that Zona Dorado Center Historico are OK.  I think it is important to provide clarity around this for others who are reading this thread.

With all due respect, I am not choosing to travel to an area of "violent widespread crime." I'm going to The Zona Dorado and the Centro Historicio which the state department allows it's employees to travel within. I'm good with that

5 minutes ago, cbr663 said:

The advisory does not state that at all.  The advisory states that government employees are to "limit" their travel to those areas and must use "direct" routes - most likely government provided transportation or government approved suppliers.

 That’s how I choose to take it. I refuse to live in fear. I will travel by direct route. I will stay in the areas my government says it allows its employees to be in. I won’t be foolhardy but I also won’t be scared away . My choice

We will be on the Dec16 cruise and are not altering our plans at all. The advisory says Zona Dorado Center Historico are OK. Most of us don’t really go anywhere else, do we? We’re taking a pulmonia to Plaza Machado, having some lunch, walking around, and may walk back to the ship. We may also take a pulmonia to Zona Dorado as I have a specific thing I’m looking for. We aren’t going to any sketchy areas. We Never wear jewelry or flash money all over. And it’s daytime! I am not one bit concerned and certainly not about to be scared away. I’m not buying any drugs or looking for any criminal activity. I think we’ll be fine. Actually, I think we’ll all be fine. 

This may have been answered but I can't figure out how to search this forum now. We are cruising in about 3 weeks and want to put down a future cruise deposit for a cruise we'd take in 2020 to New England. It would be up to us to pay attention, so to speak, to when those schudules are relseased, correct? No way to have a PCC alert us when it comes out? And, is there any advantage to an FCD ,other than the $200 deposit ? Thanks for any answers, espcially if this has been done to death. Wish they'd bring back the searchg the forum function

Could not presume to know

We’ve stayed at The Fairmont and just made sure we had a Muni pass for the Cable Car and bus to get up and down the hill

As I understand it, upgrading to the Elite package is hit or miss. You’d do it at one of the bars once you board. From what I’ve read not everyone is successful. I’ve never done it , just read about it. Some bartenders won’t. I don’t know if there’s an official stance 

Op, check out the drinks menu. Almost everything is under 9.00 unless you’re an uncompromising high end drinker. It has been our experience that if the prices of drinks go up before your cruise, so will the dollar limit so that most of your drinking would still be covered. It is also our experience that your TA is incorrect. You don’t pay the difference if your drink is not covered, you pay for all of it. You COULD attempt to upgrade your drink package to an Elite one , once you get on board but those attempts are not always successful. The SBP also includes after dinner coffees and fancier coffee drinks too. You can bring as much water onboard as you can carry but it is also covered under your package 

It’s applied to everything we’ve ever ordered..beer wine and mixed drinks, even fancy mixed drinks

Thank you for posting. Great reminders there. And I am very sorry this happened to you, all

of it , regardless of anything else. 

We booked through that store and our cruise is mid December. We’ve never had OBC left to be refunded but if we happen to this time, I’ll report back on how we get our refund

We are traveling in our first PS in December. We were originally booked on a Christmas cruise but changed our minds when we saw the PS ( both of them) was available the week before. We looked at he big box store based in Seattle and on HAL and saw availability. And the price was only a little more than we were already paying for a NS. I didn’t  have any difficulty seeing it was available on either site. Yeah you have to click on Suites and then it shows you what’s available

To the OP: we book our Neptune Suites through rhatbsame big box store and have always received the proper double suite credits. In addition, we have booked excursions and dining pre board and have always gotten that added to our onboard spending as well. If they haven’t given it to you, it’s not because of where you booked