Steirisch

I would never fly from SXM to Miami ever again.  The lines of people trying to clear immigration when entering the country are outrageously long.  It was a nightmare and took well over 2 hours, standing after being tired from having to rise early.  Pick almost any other entry point.

We first sailed on a large ship this year...the Rotterdam.  The amount of time you spend walking to and fro is too much.  We didn't like the big ship.  When we were in Fort Lauderdale on our back to back and had to disembark and embark again, they had us who were on the b2b sitting in the lounge.  We got to talking to other cruisers and one lady mentioned "It's a large ship with a lot of small spaces."  And that hit the nail on the head.  I think we'll go back to the smaller ships.

We ate there every night on our cruise on the Rotterdam.  It's the same food as the dining room with one extra choice. The service was excellent and the host/hostess and waiters know your name.  So it wasn't the most elegantly decorated room on the ship, we still loved it and looked forward to our breakfasts and dinners there.

That is good to hear @Mary229.  I've been concerned about the ventilation system before we booked, but the HAL website said they improved their air filtration, so I didn't feel any qualms about booking.

Glad you found the air quality improved.  

What address do you give to the forwarding service as to the final location of the ship?  We're going on the Rotterdam in January and would love to ship our big bag, but unsure of the address to use.

On another board, someone recommended these for their heavy duty capability.

DIYMAG Magnetic Hooks Heavy Duty, 80 LBS Neodymium Magnet Hooks for Home, Kitchen, Workplace, Office, Garage and Indoor Hanging, Silver, Pack of 6: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

I always liked muster drills.  Somehow it created a camaraderie with your fellow (potential) lifeboat passengers.  Alas, times have changed.

Thank you BetsyS. and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.  (and to everyone else, too)

I had to put in a claim about 5 years ago with Allianz.  I got pneumonia on a cruise and had to be hospitalized for 10 days.  They worked with the hospital and with the airline to rebook us when we were ready to leave.  Everything went smoothly, so we get insurance with them now.  For the upcoming cruise, I paid for the premium using my AMEX and AMEX gave me a $15 credit for purchasing with Allianz--an extra perk I wasn't aware of at the time.

On 11/18/2022 at 12:48 PM, *Miss G* said:

Here is the menu for the Grand Dutch Cafe.  Everything with a charge is covered under your drinks package.  There is no charge for the food.

 

Thanks for posting this menu.  I was so hoping I could get Bitterballen on our cruise.  Love those little meaty balls of tasty-ness.

We're on a Jan 4 sailing on Rotterdam and even though everything is paid for, I did a dummy booking to see what might be available for an upgrade.  The ship looked quite full.  All Ocean View and Veranda cabins were not available.  So I ended up calling our PCC to book Club Orange, not for the upgrade any longer, but for the other perks including the dedicated C.O. dining room and early embarkation.  Since our cruise is 21 days, we paid the $15 per person per day to add Club Orange.

After you log in to your HAL account, go to Manage My Cruise, then click on Cruise Activities, then all the way on the right, click on Beverages.  Scroll all the way down past the wine and on the second row from the bottom you will see the HAL logo and Distilled water.

DH and I like to have a cocktail while we're getting ready for dinner, so I've ordered a bottle of vodka to be delivered to our cabin.  Was just wondering if HAL stocks diet tonic and how do we order that?  from the Room Steward?  I couldn't find just tonic water on the online order form.  I did see a vodka and tonic package, but didn't want that brand of vodka.  Thanks in advance.

Thank you for asking this question, Grumpella.  I had no idea you had to get tender tickets.  I still have a lot to learn about HAL.  Of course, this is IF you don't have a shore excursion booked through HAL, right?

So that's the only fee?  $25 per person and they send all your bags to MIA or FLL and it goes on your flight?  That's one of the best bargains out there.

There is a Canadian couple who did a whole video on the Retreat cabanas.  Here it is and it gives a map, and exactly how to book.  Has more video of the cabanas and is only 8 minutes long.

For our January 2023 cruise, we booked a cabana for the whole cruise.  At least I'll know where my husband will be.  There are only two people allowed in the Retreat cabanas (except for family cabanas, which allow 4 people--but there are only two of those).  I felt this would be a quiet place to read and relax.  This will be our first time in the Retreat, so hope it's relatively quiet.

Would it be possible, maybe, to look at any upcoming Viking Ocean Roll Calls and ask if some kind person woul purchase one for you?

Although, recently there was a busload of zipliners that didn't make it back to the ship, I believe it was a HAL ship in the Caribbean.  The captain was aware that the bus broke down and reluctantly made the decision to leave anyway.  I don't know how the 20 or so passengers made it to the next stop, but it does happen that one might not make it back before departure.  

You can get other items besides seafood at Rudi's Sel de Mer.  Here is a menu:

Rudi's Sel de Mer Menu (rogerjett-photography.com)

I believe someone said in an earlier post that Club Orange is the same menu in the Dining Room but with one extra entree that the DR doesn't have.  

We sailed on her once as Royal Viking Sun and once as the Prinsendam. She was a pleasure to cruise on.

There are a couple of guys I follow on YouTube and they posted that the Starbucks is open just about a week ago.  Not cheap though.  He said a Frappucino was $9.

What is special about the mugs, if you don't mind me asking.

I found this:  Phil Coulter 25th Tranquility Cruise - Travel Concept

The travel agency that's booking this tour has this on the booking form:

In order to attend Tranquility Cruise performances/events, all bookings MUST be made directly through Travel Concepts.

There will be no exceptions.

Thank you for your understanding.

There is a couple on YouTube called the Cruising Canucks.  Mr. Canuck did a whole video on the cabanas, with a map and how to book.  It is a wonderfully informative video.  I followed his instructions and booked our cabana for a January 2023 cruise.  If you have the map, you can request a certain cabana.  Here is the link to the video: