horseymike

Hi Everyone,

Does HAL hold Black Friday sales for goods and services used during the cruises , examples : drink packages, Wi-Fi , specialty restaurants, laundry packages and so on  ?

Great Photos Roy ! I really appreciate the one's from your meals in Club Orange .

Thanks

Go gown to the dining room in the afternoon and look at the actual menu. Then make your choice.

We did it for years and it worked.

11 minutes ago, mahasamatman said:

Don't let your blood pressure spike over this. They really should just remove the menus (and activity schedules) from the app since they are so often wrong.

Totally agree 

Hi Everyone,

Where and when do you find HAL promo codes ?

18 hours ago, mnocket said:

It's not clear to me what difference an "auxiliary bar" makes when it comes to the GC law.  Maybe you're referring to getting around something else?

Maybe they operate it as an extension of the one bar that is open , almost like adding a card table to the dinner table , serve more people from 1 table.

Tropical Acres Steakhouse on Griffin Road is supposed to be open 1pm - 8 pm.

15 minute cab ride from Hyatt Place.

Good place , long time favorite for many locals.

954 989 2500.

Probably a good idea to get a reservation , Thanksgiving Day tends to be quite busy.

Hope you have a great meal and a great cruise.

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us Roy.

 I am really enjoying following along with you . 👍

43 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

 

The ships filtered water has a lot of salt in it.  This would include any of the drinks that are mixed with water such as the lemonade and fruit drinks in the dispensers.  Be sure to drink only the bottled or canned water.  

Totally agree.

On 6/2/2023 at 10:51 AM, mrgabriel said:

 

A friend lives in GC full time. She has told me that many living there would love to see a permanent ban on cruise ships. 

They can have their wish. The problem with all these places who want to ban cruise ships is they want the $$$$$$ , they just don’t want us ( The people. ) .

 I used to really like GC years ago , it seemed like it really went downhill during the COVID years and has not recovered. The last time I was there 1 year ago it seemed to me that they were really struggling to get the place shaped up again.

Hope you feel better Roy. 

Anyone able to describe the noise level of the ocean view cabins located under the ocean bar and half moon bar on the Rotterdam ?

1 hour ago, RuthC said:

'Largest' is a relative term, as even the largest inside on the Pinnacle ships are still very tiny. 

I am a confirmed inside cabin girl, with very few exceptions over the years. However, on a Pinnacle class ship I won't go below a veranda category cabin. The handicapped veranda cabin I had was quite spacious, but not much larger (and with a balcony, of course) than the insides I have had on the Vista and Signature ships (Main Deck, only). 

Thanks Ruth. I will have to get creative and try for something else other than what I have booked.

Maybe they will offer me a paid upgrade , We already have club orange, so I will investigate.

Always appreciate your advice. 👍

Anyone know where the largest inside cabins are on the Rotterdam ?

We have used magnetic hooks on last several cruises on S class ships with no issues.

We find them quite useful.

5 minutes ago, novaten said:

Hi there-

I'm flying next Tuesday morning to FLL Fort Lauderdale airport- Jet Blue  and my friend is flying in on West Jet- from Toronto- I looked it up and we are in different terminals- 1 and 3 I think- we are staying at the same hotel for the night before we leave the next day on our cruise. Is there  am easy way for one of us to meet the other in baggage claim area-we were wanting to uber together to the hotel. One of us gets in 20 mins or so before the other. 

I looked up the airport website and it didn't give me much info- 

thanks

It is a fairly long walk between terminal 1 and terminal 3 at FLL airport.

If you do decide to meet up at the airport I would recommend after you collect your luggage in baggage claim go back upstairs to departures and meet in front of terminal 2 . There is less congestion and you basically would be meeting in the middle.

If that doesn’t work, you are probably better off making your own way to the hotel and meeting there.

Hope you have a good trip and a great cruise 🚢.

Have a great cruise Roy.

Thanks for sharing with us.

Ultimately, your experience would decide that. If you have not been on an S class ship yet , that may be a great opportunity to try one. 
So far we have been on the M class and the S class , for us the S class is a bit larger with a few more options that are to our liking.

We still enjoy the M class ships too , maybe just a bit more on the S class.

Hope you have a great cruise whatever you decide. 🚢

Thank You Ruth. I enjoy reading the cc boards , many people offer a lot of good information and advice , but you are the Star of the Show !
All the Best Ruth . 👍🍀

Hi Everyone 

The dry cleaning package in the Gifts and Gear section of the cruise planner description says up to 12 items of dry cleaning are are included.

My question is can you turn in the items to be dry cleaned as you go individually or do you have to turn in the items all at the same time ?

21 hours ago, RuthC said:

There are three different plans to get your laundry done on HAL, and they are available at the same rate every day. 

First, you can pay by the piece. This is very expensive, and I have never heard or read of anyone doing it this way. 

Second, you can send out a full bag at a set price, whenever you want. The price has increased from the $20 it used to be, to either $25 or $30 (I don't remember the new price). 
The bags are cloth, so they won't tear when you roll and stuff a lot into them. You really can get a BIG load of laundry into those bags. 

The third plan is unlimited. You can send out as many bags, on as many days, as you wish. Since it is unlimited, those bags don't need to be filled. This is something to consider when you are sailing in a hot climate, like Hawaii. You can come in from the day, get out of your sweaty clothes, toss them in the bag, and leave it on the bed to be taken when your room is tidied. Just shower and dress for dinner, and don't give your clothes a second thought. 
That plan used to be $7 times the number of days in your cruise, but also went up. I believe it is now $9/day. The days you are aboard do count in the price, but you can't send laundry the last couple of days; they need time to get it washed, and back to you so you can pack. 

Clothes come back either on hangers (nice during the cruise), or folded (very nice right before you pack), within two days. (A little secret: the less you send in a bag, the sooner it tends to come back.) 
Clothes that are normally pressed, come back pressed; others are folded and returned in a basket. 

Ruth C always has the accurate information, she is the best . 👍

My wife uses a tempurpedic mattress topper that we bring with us on all of our cruises ?
Needless to say , even rolled up and packed it is quite a large duffel type bag we use to bring it.

Has anyone had any success with a mattress topper provided by the cruise line ?

I believe on the back deck there is a bucket with a long rope on it for those wishing to wash their clothes in cold water. 🤣

10 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

Not everyone lives in USA.🙈

McDonald s are world wide. UK included. Cheers

On 11/4/2023 at 5:14 PM, horseymike said:

 

8 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

Not everyone lives in USA.🙈

Agreed. But you have McDonalds world wide. UK included.🍔