vms

Bon voyage!

I just embarked from San Diego on 11/11/18 and although I didn't use wheelchair assistance, I can also confirm that the distances were quite short compared to a port like Vancouver.

Taxi's/ubers were dropping off in the "front" parking area. Security check for boarding pass/passport was right there. Walking 15-20 steps forward was an attendant to take luggage, and another 20-30 steps was the entrance to the waiting area with seating. HAL personnel were there and assisting those that needed wheelchair assistance. Those in wheelchairs needing assistance were brought around the security lines in the crew line where they went through the metal detector/security screening. They then proceeded to the check-in desks, which is another room with seating to wait for your boarding group to be called following check-in. The security line was reasonably long with no place to sit once you got into it until you passed through to the check-in room as it looped back and forth like a line at Disneyland.

Once called for boarding, there was a short loop around to the photography station, and then the option of stairs or elevator to the second floor to the gangway. There was no seating between the entrance after the boarding group was called and getting on the ship that I was able to see.

The distance from the end of the building where the security line was to the spot where you would enter once your boarding group was called was approximately the distance from the bow of the ship to the mid-ship elevator.

Hope that helps!

On my recent Eurodam cruise, the smoke near the Sea View Bar & Pool seemed to have a life of its own. No matter what direction we were sailing, the wind was pushing it towards New York Pizza and the seating area on the port side.

That is such a great feeling, when the final payment is made! I know it always feels to me like the cruise is really real at that point- up until then, it's just a possibility.

Good luck waiting it out!

Bon Voyage!

Bon Voyage!

Bon Voyage!

I was on the same cruise as School library lady.

I only saw the singers & dancers in the 1000 steps show. It was fine, but you didn't miss anything if you missed it.

The other nights were comedians (mixed- 1 fairly good, the others not so great), a ventriloquist (better than I expected), at least 1 singer who I personally didn't care for, and a piano player who was quite good. The BBC Earth show where the musicians played the score live to the movie was the best of the main stage entertainment, IMO. We enjoyed going to BB Kings for the night more than most of the main stage shows.

I did really enjoy the Filipino crew show.

Whatever you end up doing, I hope you enjoy!

I enjoyed my first HAL cruise enough to book another one, so I'm back to request another Bon Voyage.

vms and majormomma are booked on a mother-daughter trip.

September 3, 2019

Zuiderdam

12 day Colors of Canada & New England, embarking from Boston.

I ate in the Pinnacle on 11/25/18 and was unimpressed. I ordered shrimp cocktail (good), king crab legs (overdone and with no flavor), brussel sprouts (the best thing I ate all night), asparagus (a bit oily), mashed potatoes (fine), and the chocolate lava cake (center was too done for a lava cake, IMO).

At another table, a diner was very upset that they were brought a different dessert than what was ordered. Not sure where the mix-up was and the staff subsequently tried to bring out the ordered dessert to please the guest but the guest refused. 

When I first signed up for the Bon Voyage thread over a year ago, it seemed this day would never come, and now it's less than a week away!
 

Thank you so much to all of you who have answered my questions and shared your love of HAL over the last year. I'm so excited to see everything that HAL has to offer.

A special thank you to Jacqui for maintaining these! What a herculean task, but it makes this trip even more special.

Thank you so much!

What an amazing itinerary! Going on my bucket list for sure. Enjoy every moment.

Bon Voyage!

While I don't spend much time in my cabin except for to sleep, if the price is close, I would absolutely take the balcony. The extra space wins over the possible advantages of the solo lounge in my book. Bring earplugs and download a white noise app to your phone to mitigate any issues with an undesirable location.

There is supposed to be bottled water as a perk of renting a cabana onboard. How many bottles of water can a person get each day? Wondering if I need to supplement with water I bring onboard?

Celebrity's new ship the Edge has solo cabins with balconies.

I haven't priced them recently but when it first came out, the price was almost the same as a double-occupancy balcony cabin for less space, but I'm hoping once the ship isn't so new that prices might come down a bit.

Thanks! You've whet my appetite even more for my upcoming cruise on the Eurodam.

Is there a venue that would make a good gathering spot for a sail-away get-together? Tamarind bar? I thought maybe Sea View bar but expect this will be packed.

I thought it was very nice when flying from North America to Singapore to have check-in day 1 and sail away day 2. Although I flew in a day in advance, with 27 hours of travel time, if something had gone wrong, I knew I could likely still make the ship. So I only needed 1 night in a hotel upon arrival before moving into my already paid for cabin. I saved a bit of money and still had both peace of mind and extra sightseeing time in a new-to-me port.

Thanks Rob! The Cabana retreat area looks like it's in perfect shape for my arrival 11/11. 🙂

Have you considered an inside cabin? I find that I sleep much better in an inside cabin than an outside or balcony- I love the total darkness that an inside cabin provides. With an outside or balcony, I am up with the sunrise, even if I've been out late the night before.

I hope you find a remedy so you can continue to enjoy cruising!

I'm an extroverted introvert. So I love cruising solo because I'm in control of how much social time I have. There's always someone to chat with if I want to, and there's always somewhere to sit quietly and read, craft, or just watch the ocean go by.

I've traveled with too many people who wanted to be together every moment with their travel companion. For me, solo travel is much preferred to that kind of trip because it allows me to recharge my introverted side.

I'll commiserate with you! I'm sailing in just over a month and don't yet have a cabin assignment either. I'm trying not to be too obsessive and only check the website once per day to see if something is there. I'm sure as we get closer I will probably not be able to help myself from checking more frequently.

Last Friday a ton of people on my sailing (including myself) got upsell offers, so they're clearly trying to shift people around. I assume once the dust settles from all of that, then I'll get my cabin assigned. I know I'll be on the ship, which is all that really matters to me at this point. But the suspense is heightening my excitement, that's for sure! :D

Thank you for your comparison! Having exclusively sailed X in the past, I admit to some small amount of nerves in trying a new cruise line for my upcoming cruise. Glad to see that HAL performs so favorably in your eyes!

Happy Anniversary!

This looks like an amazing itinerary. I hope you enjoy every moment.

Just to be clear, purchases made prior to boarding are counted toward Mariner credits.

So if I've prebooked/prepaid for a cabana for the length of the cruise, those amounts will be counted toward Mariner credits?

Is there a dive excursion offered by the ship?

Unfortunately no. There is a snorkel excursion and the Atlantis sub options through the cruise line, which could be less-preferred 2nd choices.

Harris- thank you as always for your willingness to share your knowledge. I will take your advice and see if I can make it work with Big Island Divers.