kurtmi03

We've bought a few wine packages while still docked in FLL and never paid any tax. This may have something to do with the tickets being handwritten and by the time they are entered into the computer you are well past any mileage limit.

I've always called 1-206-626-7381 for upsells as late as the night before embarkation.

I had the same problem on our April Eurodam cruise. Some people here suggested trying a different browser but that never worked for me. YMMV. When I took an upsell, I was able to buy the HIA on the website. On that cruise I ordered a milkshake and had to sign for it, but was never charged so I just assumed it was part of the HIA.

We hadn't cruised since pre-covid and decided to book a 10 day cruise over Christmas 2022. We booked in November and paid in full. I then went on CC and thought we had made a huge mistake reading all of the terrible posts. Since we were only a month away it was too late to cancel. We went on the Volendam and had a great time. The service was outstanding, food was good, and there was enough entertainment to keep us occupied. The only difference we noticed were food portions were a little smaller. We both agreed this was a good thing because I always clean my plate and eat too much and my wife was happy because there would be less waste overall. We came home and booked a 20 day Eurodam cruise which we just returned from 2 weeks ago. This cruise was also excellent. On neither cruise did we order anything that they were out of. Food and service were outstanding on both. The entertainment on both was good, but better on the Eurodam due to BB King's lounge. We have 2 more cruises booked on HAL and are looking forward to them. As far as HAL being expensive, I don't see it. I travel quite a bit for work and hotel room rates are outrageous with less service and amenities, and food prices in restaurants are also outrageous with an understaffed and inefficient workforce. For room, food, and service I believe HAL is a great value.

Same thing happened to us. I called HAL and spoke to someone who said I would have to refair at a much higher rate in order to get HIA. I asked to speak to a supervisor and supposedly did who told me the same thing. Months later I took an upsell and went online and was able to purchase HIA.

I purchased it prior to the cruise online for $299 for 14 days. We were on a 20 day cruise so I stopped in the spa on the first day and they told me it was $336 for the 20 days. They credited me on the spot for $299 and told me they would charge me the $336, so I guess the price per day goes down per day on longer cruises. I just chescked for our 10 day cruise in December and it's $196. The hydro pool is basically a large hot tub with stronger jet and many more bubbles. You can also use the steam rooms and thermal loungers. Here is how HAL describes it: Thermal Suite 10 Day Cruise Pass OVERVIEW An immersive thermal experience. Unwind in an oasis of heated chambers, featuring warm and cool temperatures to cleanse and recharge the body. Elements of mist, rain, steam and warmth are designed to promote deep relaxation and renewal of vital energies. Pass valid for the entire duration of cruise. Heated Loungers, Hydrotherapy Pool, available on select vessels. $196.00

I was the only one who had to quarantine. DW had the run of the ship but always wore a mask unless drinking. Yes there is supposed to be FCC for quarantine days but since we were on a casino rate for the cruise it would be a very small amount. If I get it great, but if not I'm not pursuing it.

The SS was nice. We have had them before. The couch is comfortable but you can't see the TV. I sat in the desk chair, which was comfortable, to watch TV, and DW sat in the makeup mirror chair, which was also comfortable.The balcony also had more room. It was definitely nice having a little more room and the bigger balcony for quarantine.

Thankfully it was not a bad case of covid and I felt fine when the cruise ended.

Here is a short review of the Eurodam sailing, April 9th – April 29th, from Ft Lauderdale to Seattle. We booked this cruise since my wife was invited to the slot tournament in the casino. We booked an OV guarantee with a casino rate. I bought Club Orange so we could pick our cabin and got a midship cabin on the main deck. Since we had no balcony, we also rented a Retreat Cabana. Prior to boarding I also purchased Hydro Pool access, but it would only let me book it for 14 days not the entire trip. I figured I could take care of that once we boarded. About 2 weeks prior to boarding, we received an upsell email for SS and NS. It was more than I wanted to spend but I called to see what was available. Maybe an aft wrap that would tempt me. All NS and SS were gone but we could have a veranda for $499 pp. I took it so we would have a balcony and the Retreat. 3 days before we sailed, we received an email that we were now in a SS. Most excellent! We flew into FLL 2 days early and stayed at the Embassy Suites. Not a new hotel, but in pretty good shape. We had 2 days of good weather there before heading to the ship. We left the hotel at 10:45 via Uber and were through check in and in our stateroom by 11:30. They have in down at the port in FLL. We hadn’t been on the Eurodam in several years, so we went to lunch and then wandered the ship getting reacquainted with where things were. We bought a wine package for DW which we requested be delivered to our cabin and the barman who sold it to us told us he would deliver it later in the day. We had it by 5:00. We always loved the Crows Nest so we took a walk up there. One and done at that bar. TV screens blocking some of the view and fewer seats at the bar so they can sell more coffee. Definitely a no go for us. We checked out our cabana and then headed down to the Ocean Bar for a drink. We headed back and our bags had arrived, so we unpacked and our cabin steward brought us a wine bucket filled with ice for the wine and we were set. We had dinner in the Canaletto the first night as the MDR is sometimes a zoo on the first night. Dinner and service were excellent. On this 20 day cruise we ate in the Canaletto 3 times, the Pinnacle Grill 3 times and the Tamarind once. They were all excellent as to food and service. The rest of our dinners were in the MDR or room service. These were also excellent and never took more than an hour. When DW would order a glass of wine in the MDR it always came quickly. I don’t have much to say as to the ports we stopped at as we only planned on getting off in Victoria and Vancouver. The others we have been to or didn’t see anything we needed to do. On previous trips through the Panama Canal, I rushed around trying to take pictures from many vantage points and really missed the actual wonder of the canal. On this trip I took no pictures and just enjoyed watching as we went through. I started off on our balcony as we started through the locks and watched much of it from the cabana. The highlight had to be when we passed the Zaandam coming the opposite way in the canal. Horns were blaring, and people were waving at each other for a good 5 minutes. My days on this cruise were very similar. I’m always up early and this was no different. I was usually awake between 5 and 5:30 and would go down and walk on deck 3 then up to the Lido, usually before they were open, to check email and surf the web. Had breakfast when they opened and took some coffee back to DW and waited for her breakfast to be delivered. Normally about 8:00 or 9:00 I would hit the Hydro pool, then head up to the cabana. DW and I would have lunch there and usually read for much of the afternoon. Some days there was no breeze and it got quite hot. Then it was drinks in the Pinnacle Bar and then dinner. After dinner we would usually go to BB King’s and listen to the fantastic band. That was our routine for the first 13 days of the cruise. About day 4 of the cruise the Captain on his noon address mentioned there was a small number of covid cases on the ship and he kept us updated daily on the number of positive cases. We pretty much kept to ourselves, except when DW was in the casino, so we didn’t worry a great deal about it. Day 13 started with a runny nose and day 14 was a little worse. Day 15 we were supposed to meet friends in San Diego but I felt worse and called and told them we couldn’t make it because I was sick. I self tested and was positive for covid. I called medical and they told me not to leave the room which I wasn’t planning on. Medical called everyday to check on me and there were menus placed in our mailbox in the evening for the next day. If there was something I wanted that was not on the menu but was being served in the MDR I would just write it on the menu, and they would bring it. They always delivered on time or a little early. They really treated me well in quarantine. Two of my quarantine days were sea days were it was cool, overcast, and windy so I probably would have been reading somewhere. Now it just happened to be my cabin. Thanks, HAL, for the upgrade to the SS. I did miss Victoria which was too bad, but that’s the way it goes. I was released from quarantine on the morning of day 19. We were in Vancouver but just stayed on the ship. My wife never tested positive. The bad. We only had two problems on this cruise besides covid. When we boarded and received our keys, they had the blue stripe. We were unaware that we should have had an orange stripe since we were in Club Orange. When we asked at dinner on the second night why we didn’t get Club Orange menus, we were told they didn’t know we were in Club Orange and should have had the orange stripe. A trip to guest services solved that and we received our orange striped keys. Club Orange menus from there on. Our other problem was charge from the spa. My wife had her nails done on about day 6 and was charged accordingly. On day 15 there was a charge for $113 for the spa for my wife. She went to guest services and there was a miscommunication between my wife and the women who did her nails. The person who did her nails tried to sell her so creams or lotions. My wife said she’d think about it as the items wouldn’t be there until we were in San Diego. That was the charge. My wife said she didn’t want them, and the charge was removed. I was also not happy with the redesigned Crows Nest. The TV screens blocking some views and the bar practically turned into a coffee shop was a real turn off. The good. The cabin was great and kept sparkling clean by our 2 cabin stewards. The food on the ship was tasty, hot, and menus varied so you weren’t eating the same thing for 20 days. Our waiters were excellent and after the first night eating in the MDR they kept my water full and made sure we always had enough butter. The bartenders and bar staff were outstanding. When we would walk up to the Pinnacle bar Leo would be pouring my wife’s wine and ask what I wanted since I didn’t always have the same thing. We didn’t go to any shows on the Main Stage but did attend BB King’s nightly for two or all three sets. They were outstanding. The singers had great voices and the band played great together. They usually played until 11:15 or 11:45. After that there was sometimes a DJ afterwards. I don’t know how late that went as I was always in bed by midnight. They definitely didn’t roll up the sidewalks at 10:00 on this voyage. The laundry was good. Everything we sent out was back within 24 hours and sometimes the same day. I could go on and on about how great the service was on this voyage. I think that’s what HAL does best besides unique itineraries. Every worker you encounter has a smile and a kind word. Anything you ask for is done as fast as possible. We never wanted for anything on this cruise and never ran into any items they were out of. All in all, it was a wonderful cruise even though I was down with covid for a bit. We have 2 more cruises booked with HAL. I checked and this was my 16th cruise with HAL and will keep going unless we have a bad experience. I’ve read on other threads about overcharging, and yes it happens as it did to us. It was taken care of promptly. Someone else wrote that they bet all accounting errors were in HAL’s favor. I can tell you this is false. There were 3 things that never showed up on our statement, so not all accounting errors are in HAL’s favor. If anyone has any questions, I will try to answer them.

We just returned from a 20 day Eurodam cruise. About 2 weeks prior to the cruise we received an upsell offer to go from our OV to a SS for $1899 pp or a NS for $3899 pp. I didn't want to spend that much and was only hoping for a veranda but called anyway. They had no SS or NS left but had a veranda for $499 pp. I took that immediately. 3 days before the cruise we received an update to our booking. We thought a port or time changed, but when we read through it we found we had been upgraded to a wonderful SS.

Used a cab, with a meter, from FLL to the Embassy Suites on April 7th. $17.15 so it could as cheap as $15 or as much as $25 depending on traffic. Ours are usually between $15 and $20.

I guess it depends on the ship. We’re on the Eurodam now and there is a Sunday brunch this morning. There is also entertainment which lasts past 11:00 and bars that are open to at least midnight. I can’t comment on after midnight as that’s my bedtime.

Sailed from FLL on April 9th on the Eurodam and was asked if we were vaccinated. We said yes and she told us to keep moving. Didn’t have to fill out a health questionnaire.

Eurodam finally on the move.