jagger16

Can you please repost the link to your pictures? Would love to see them and I’m not finding it. Thank you!

Thank you for taking the time to post throughout your cruise. I appreciate hearing about the good and the bad. It’s really interesting how the passenger dynamics vary from cruise to cruise. We’ve been on 25+ cruises on every kind of cruise line and we’ve experienced it all. Things can change from one cruise to the next. We sail on HAL every December and there are things about HAL that we love but consistency (with all cruise lines) is a problem these days. I wouldn’t call HAL a premium cruise line. It’s a mainstream that has a lot of nice touches. Safe travels!

Back in 2014 we took the train from Amsterdam to Rotterdam. It couldn’t have been easier. We got First Class tickets, which were very reasonable, and that gave us assigned seats. We had no trouble storing our luggage in First Class and they gave us a glass of sparkling wine. It was a delightful experience and our only regret is that we wish the ride was longer. We enjoyed it so much!

Hi Jacqui glad you made it home and have time to heal. Thinking about you. Can you please add . . .

August 5, 2023

Celebrity Reflection

9 Night Italian Riviera & France

December 27, 2023

Nieuw Statendam

11 Day Explorer Holiday

Thank you!

Thank you, everyone! We are looking forward to it.

@kazuHow are you doing? Have you healed since your cruise? Hope you are doing well.

My husband occasionally wears nice jeans in the dining room. He wears nice white jeans too. He always travels with at least one pair. 🙂

We were on Nieuw Statendam last December and we have been in a cabana every December since 2010. Each experience is a little different and we don’t ever expect everything on the list. The things that are consistent throughout the years are the strawberries, grapes, sparkling wine, cold towels, water throughout the day and always, always excellent, friendly, attentive service. The attendants will show you the lido menu and you can order whatever you want for lunch. They will get it for you. They will get you drinks as well. We have always had a great experience and wish you the same. Besides outdoor showers, NS also has a small hot tub. We didn’t use it much but it’s better than the giant green bunny on Konnigsdam!

HAL also allows you to bring wine on board. You will pay a $20 corkage fee per bottle but in our experience it’s worth it. If we open a bottle at dinner and don’t finish it, they will hold it for you for the next night. We have purchased wine in Fort Lauderdale at Total Wine but now we have a wine suitcase that we pack at home and take on the plane. Enjoy planning your cruise and the cruise as well!

We just got off Equinox in an Aqua stateroom, starboard side under the Solarium. We had an overhang. We loved the location as we spend most of our time on board on the outside decks. It was so convenient! We were also close to the gym and Persian Gardens which we also liked. The only time I noticed noise above us was one night when they were doing a deep cleaning of the Solarium. But that was when I was getting ready for dinner and it didn’t bother me at all. The overhang was great. We spent most mornings comfortably on our deck in the very hot and humid Caribbean. To me the cabins I would avoid are anything near the Atrium on any level. There is constant music and noise that just shoots right up from deck

three. We often commented on how loud the interior of the ship was. It was so difficult to talk to anyone at Guest Services. But I think I may have become an upper deck convert!

Thank you, everyone! Happy holidays to you all!

Hi Jacqui. I’m sorry I’m a little late but can you please add us to December 26 Nieuw Statendam 7 night Western Caribbean Holiday? Thank you!

We are also booked for 2022 December 23 Nieuw Amsterdam 7 night Eastern Caribbean Holiday if you could please add that too.

Thank you!

8 minutes ago, Comptech said:

I meant that it seems later than normal. My boarding doc said we are in group E @ 130 and not to show up any earlier.

 

We were originally 1 but now an hour earlier at 12. I’m just glad we’ll make it to MDR lunch now assuming they have one!

Thanks, Roger. Good advice on the app.

Can you describe where the comment section for crew is on the app? That’s such a great feature.

1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Hal was sort of right on the discount.  If you want the discount immediately you need to book on board.  You will get it eventually 🙂.

True. Thank you for clarifying. 🙂

Thank you again, Roger for taking so much of your time to observe, seek out and share all of this useful information for us. Congratulations on two successful, safe and healthy cruises. Hope you have a safe journey home.

I just wanted to circle back on a question I had asked (and was answered) about making dinner reservations prior to boarding. Based on your trusted advice, I went ahead and booked our Tamarind dinner. I expect that I will be credited my Mariner discount after we board per your experience.

Before I had asked on this thread I had asked our TA to ask HAL the same question and some time later they got back to me with a message saying we had to book on board to get the discount. I figure we’ll sort it all out when we get on board. Just wanted to point out that sometimes information from HAL is not quite right.😏

One other note for those who are following boarding time changes, for the 12/26 sailing we have been bumped up from 1 to 12 pm.

Thank you for all of your information. We’ll be on NS December 23rd so we really appreciate all of the tidbits to help us prepare. Do you know what happens to your Mariner discount on specialty restaurants if you pre-book and pre-pay on the app? Do you get a credit added back while on board? We never booked ahead before so I’m not sure what to expect. We also have one dinner included in our perks so don’t know how that works if you book ahead. Thanks for your reply.

Just throwing it out there that I was once detained when using Luggage Direct. So it does happen. We were traveling with family and I was the only one that this happened to. It did take time and they went through my bags thoroughly. We were OK but if your time to get to your flight is tight, you may want to consider this. 

Hi Jason, Congrats on the Neptune Suite! It’s going to be amazing. Our first was in Norway and we loved our big balcony for scenic cruising. One thing we really enjoyed was having appetizers on our balcony with some wine for happy hour. You can arrange the apps with the Neptune Lounge. In Norway on the Rotterdam we preordered the apps for the whole two weeks for the days we wanted it. Last year on Niuew Amsterdam we had to call each morning. So figure out how to do it and try it out. It will be so pleasant. We also had a sail away party on our balcony with my family and it was really fun.

Of course the free laundry is awesome and fast. And having the two concierges is worth every dollar. You never ever have to go to ship services. The future cruise consultant comes to the lounge too. (HAL has a great program. $100 deposit on any future cruise that you don’t have to specify. Shipboard credit is guaranteed on top of other credits and it gets refunded if you don’t use it in four years.)

Also, my husband and I tried vow renewal twice. Once in Italy and once in Kenya. It became so complicated and more of a to do than we wanted. We ended up doing it on our own without an officiant and it was really nice. We wrote vows and found a really special spot. Either way happy anniversary and birthday and welcome to HAL!

We just got off Koningsdam. After we arrived at our stateroom we asked to have our mini bar emptied. We went to lunch and when we got back it was done. We were able to store several bottles in there.

We're on Koningsdam right now. The cocktail menu has been the same in every bar. There is only a small list of specialty cocktails. All the former drinks are gone.  But they will make anything you want. We haven't tried to order a Wang Wang yet but I think as long as the bartender knows what it is, it can be made. The only exception we have found is Tamarind which still has some of their own cocktails. 

BTW . . . This is the first time we've seen the new shortened room service breakfast menu with additional charge add ons. We've been successful with write in changes to the omelette but haven't gone crazy with any other write in attempts.

The dining room menu also seems smaller but so far we have enjoyed many of our dishes.

We were on Koningsdam back in 2016 and were not impressed but we have seen great improvement in service this time and are really enjoying this cruise.

Thank you to everyone for the well wishes! Happy holidays to all! We are in Miami waiting to embark tomorrow. It’s definitely warmer than New Jersey but super windy! Still having fun because the beginning of vacation, when everything is ahead of you, is the absolute best! Hope everyone has a merry and bright holiday season.😊🚢

Hi, I use cruisecal.com for the schedule and look up my itinerary. I recommend Michael’s Amazing Tours in Athens and have him hire a guide for the Acropolis. We love the Acropolis museum and if you have time go to the terrace on the top for lunch, drinks or coffee. I think it’s totally worth hiring a private guide in Naples, you will get around the crowds more efficiently. In Kusadasi you are there to see Ephesus and to me if you have to mix up private and ship tours, a ship tour there will be ok. This is an awesome itinerary and you will have a great time!

On 10/5/2019 at 4:39 PM, CarolRoy said:

 

How did you reach Rico's.  Do you have their internet address? I don't do facebook. What did your reservation entailed (price, lounges)?  Is this part of Rascals? Thanks for the info.

Look at Post #11 for Rico’s email. He responded pretty quickly to my email sent to that address. I don’t know the cost. I don’t think it’s part of Rascals.

Thank you, Port Royal. We have made contact with Rico and have a reservation. He was quick to respond and very kind.

We like the Pelican Grand and don’t find it to be too far from the port. Everything in Fort Lauderdale is relatively near each other although traffic can impact travel time.