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Will be taking first HAL cruise on Eurodam Jan 28, 2018. Because of previous cruises on Carnival and Princess, I have been given one star Mariner status. According to a review of posts, I will be able to attend Mariner embarkation lunch. Will I be able to get a tile at the luncheon or do I have to wait until I have points on my account (after first cruise with HAL)?

I don't think I was clear enough. We have no intention of sticking with 1 ship. Thought if we got some recommendations from highly experienced cruisers, we could pick 4 or 5 and try them all.

Moderator, please help.. I meant to post this on a general forum vice HAL. Can you move?

Here is one for the truly experienced. Many members have more than 50 cruises so I would consider them experts.

We are both retired now and have only cruised 6 times. Number 7 will be on Eurodam Jan 28-Feb 4, 1018. Now that we are retired, we'D like to cruise 3 times a year.

My question for the mega experienced is what was your favorite cruise ship that is still operating and why. Please base on ship and not ports. Ports are only what you make of them. In fact, we'D love a 10 day cruise to nowhere.

We will be taking our handicapped son on the Eurodam Jan 28-Feb 4, 2018. We wanted to try Anytime Dining for the first time. I know we can request a private table or to be seated with others. Our prior 6 cruises (minus our son) have been set times with late seating. We enjoy meeting people and think anytime dining with others will give us the chance to meet even more people.

The sticking point is how long it takes our son to review the menu and make choices. We are used to it but it could be very frustrating to others.

My question is when you are seated with others, do they wait until the table is filled before taking orders? I assume so as it is more efficient and less hectic for the wait staff.

Of course, I can get copies of the menu ahead of time but that doesn't always work. When at home, I print copies of the menu from the web and have him make choices before we arrive at the restaurant. Sometimes, he just starts over when we arrive at the restaurant.

Just looking for info. We will flex as needed.

Request - I travel to Holland every other year to visit friends in Gouda. Been weighed to ensure I wasn't a Warlock, ate raw herring (with onion), etc. Other than seeing my friends, the best thing about my visits is eating kibbeling. "Kibbeling is a Dutchsnack consisting of battered chunks of fish, commonly served with a mayonnaise-based garlic sauce or tartar sauce." It is as common as hamburgers are in U.S. if anyone from HAL reads this, why not give it a try on your ships. After all, you are a Dutch line.

Observation - DW spends about 3 hours a day on Facebook and I tease her about it as I am not even a member. She busted me yesterday about the amount of time I have been spending on CC recently. I hate when that happens:D Like FB, it is addictive, but we all rationalize our quirks.

We are taking our first Hal cruise Jan 28, 2018 on the Eurodam. Three of us will be driving from Denver. DW and son will fly to Panama after the cruise to visit family. I will be driving to N.C. and Virginia to visit family and friends before returning to Denver. We'll need laundry done after car trip and again before disembarkation.

Read about unlimited laundry on CC. Seemed perfect for our circumstances. I called Ships Services and in less than a minute it was done. $7.00 per day and they charge your card immediately vice putting on your Sign and Sail account. First impression very positive.

The phone number I called is 1-800-541-1576

We are avid international travelers and only cruise every 5 years or so. This will be our 7th cruise with the last being in 2010. Our prior cruises have been on Carnival, Princess and Celebrity. We wanted something different this time. We ruled out the following mass market lines.

RCI- Just not interested in a floating shopping mall with an internal promenade. We like to see the ocean. (We know there are many loyal fans of RCI and that is good. Just not our thing).

NCL - Strong negative feelings on this one. They introduced alternative dining which (according to many posts on CC) has resulted in deterioration of food quality in the MDR and Lido. A big money maker for them. A reduced cruise experience for many. Probably will never go with this line.

MSC - Strongly considered this line (MSC Divina). From our other travels, we have become fond of a mix of international travelers. Between DW and myself, we speak 4 languages, so no problem. The smoking policy is a bit of a negative for us. However, we may give them a try in the future.

It just came down that the best fit for us seems to be HAL. Seems like it will be a more sedate cruise with time to relax with a drink and a book. Understand it is too relaxed for some but we are very good entertaining ourselves. Looking forward to BB King Lounge (wish more real blues) and Lincoln Center performances. Therefore, we are sailing on the Eurodam from Ft. Lauderdale Jan 28, 2018.

Just a quick note to Flamers who may be offended by my comments. 1. That was not my purpose. 2. Difference of opinion is the last untouched diversity. As the Eagles would say "Get Over It"