ldog

1 minute ago, highscar said:

@ldog  I questioned why we were dropped off so far from the  AC check in and apparently that spot, by law, is the only place they are allowed to disembark.  .  

I know they had no choice but it was still a long way.  It was more expensive than a taxi or uber.  We booked the HAL transfer because we thought it would be easier and less hassle with the two ships in port but it wasn't.   It was awful.  I don't use a wheelchair or walker but standing in lines is pretty painful for me.  I was a mess when we finally got home.   Agree with others an extra day is warranted when disembarking in San Diego.

We took the HAL transfer.....never again in San Diego.  It took another long lineup to get on the bus and then they dropped us a long, long way from the check-in counters.  We knew that our plane was already going to be late so it wasn't a time problem. The plane ended up being six hours late so it was a nasty trip home.

9 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

. 

 

Ok -Off soap box. I did put similar comments in my review. Perhaps I’m in the minority, but I have to believe that some people who wanted to attend the Ball (or get chocolate), simply couldn’t because of poor venue scheduling .

 

 

 

I totally agree with you Cheryl.  We didn't go to any of the parties because they were SRO after we came down from late dinner.

the problem with showing movies on the Lido deck was the sound was horrible and badly out of sync.

17 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I would also note there was no soap in the bathroom which, for me, was pretty icky (I didn’t see sanitize anywhere either). Since we were still under Noro protocols, I felt that sanitation for distributing the fruit was way below standards too.

About half way through the cruise I was complaining in the washroom about the soap and a kind woman showed me how the censer on the dispenser worked.  It's hidden on the underside.  Everyone in the washroom was astonished and laughing about it.  Poor design.  I passed the information on to a lot of people.

We are out of noro lockdown as of this afternoon which will be good for the crew. They have been working extra hard to keep things clean. 

I wish they didn’t have those honking big amps on either side of the front of the stage.  Too loud and they block sight lines.

We were able to move our dining time to fixed late. The lineup for anytime after the first show was horrendous.  Last night the service was good.

we gave up on getting dessert downstairs a couple of times.

Last January we flew from Toronto to Tokyo on AC and then Singapore Air to Singapore. It wasn’t as bad as I expected. 

1 hour ago, omago4th said:

thanks,   I have an issue with "ballroom dancing" at dinner time. that's what has been on my last 2

cruises.

 

 gone are the day's of  wonderful ball room, nice music,  songs we knew with words we understood.  showing my age I guess.

Its all to recorded music now. 

14 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Mine may be a minority opinion but -- especially if your daughter did her dissertation on China -- keep your expectations reasonable with regards to Dr. Kam's lectures. His material on Japan was woefully out of date (and pretty simplistic) on our April cruise; maybe he has refreshed it by now.

 

That's what I thought too from last year and it was aggravating that he never concluded a lecture.  Just said that his wife was telling him to stop-  so he did.

We were on the Westerdam last February and March.  The crew are fabulous especially the wonderful ladies at the main desk.  We also had some wonderful Asian entertainers on the main stage.  I hope the Japanese have sorted out their cumbersome entry requirements. 

The problem with Billboard, for me, is that they perform the same set list over and over.  It seems canned and processed.  Even the banter between songs is repeated.  On BTB cruises it's even more obvious.   A single performer can read and adapt to the audience and it's spontaneous and creative and thus, more fun. 

I don't remember what it looked like.  I just know that I've ordered one on almost all of our cruises in the last ten years.  It's strange that it's not offered anymore.

I know I can probably get it onboard.  Just wondering why there is next to nothing available to pre-order.

For previous cruises I have always pre-ordered a bottle of Remy Martin as a treat for DH to our room.

There are none listed on the website now.  Only one vodka, gin, bourbon and scotch. Is this something new?  Will I be able to purchase once we are onboard?

We don't have the HIA package as I don't drink alcohol at all so it's not worth it to us.

We are on the Koningsdam in mid February.

10 minutes ago, horseymike said:

Hello Everyone,

We have an HAL cruise booked in a few months. First one in a few years on HAL.
Does HAL ever offer flash sales / discounts on the various packages, WiFi , beverage, specialty dining etc ?
Thanks in advance for your replies.

You got my hopes up with your topic title.   Short answer is no except for a slight discount if you pay for wifi ahead of the cruise.

We were on the Zaandam on Christmas last year. They had goose on the menu. It was one of the best meals I’ve ever had on a ship. I hope you get a chance to try it. 

We've done it twice and are considering doing it again.  We've had all sorts of weather from sunshine to rain and even snow.  It's awesome!  We love the ports in Chile and Argentina too.  Falkland Islands are great.

27 minutes ago, Banditswife said:

Tell me more about the New Year's Eve party.  Do I need to pack a more dressy attire?  I usually pack a black mid calf length cocktail dress for "dressy" nights, but I do have a long beaded dress I could pack for myself.  But DH doesn't own a suit or tux, just a jacket & tie w/ slacks- will this be dressy enough for him?  Looking forward to the special events.

We were onboard last year. New Year’s Eve party was dressier than others but it was the full gammet from evening gowns to polo shirts. 
 

The dinner menus were varied. I had a delicious roast goose dinner at Christmas. 

I dislike all of those canned, scripted shows. They are badly written and presented. There is little research or fact checking. A sorry excuse for information. 

On 8/8/2023 at 11:13 AM, InTheWASide said:

Mispronounced!
Sorry, had to, the elevators tend to say "Mozzert"

and it says Beeeee thoven .....made me laugh everytime.

I don't know what a suite peeve is but I think it's weird that they cut the blueberries in half.  It isn't even cost-effective.

21 hours ago, USN59-79 said:

That is why I let my TA deal with it.  His website works fine.

Ray

Does he book your excursions?

Well, on my desk monitor it had a certain tinge. But then it’s pretty old (like me)

4 minutes ago, POA1 said:

But it was an improved white screen, right? 😮

for sure.  the best white screen around.