isosika

I recently started having trouble with HAL and it got so that I could not log in anymore. I was using the Safari browser because I have an iMAC. I switched to Google Chrome and my problems went away. However, Google Chrome had a note that I needed to upgrade my computer to keep working in the future. My computer was old enough that Apple would no longer update the operating system, so no upgrades to Safari either. Once I was off the HAL site I went back to Safari. Over a period of weeks I began having difficulties with other websites. Things also quit downloading and apps refused to work at all. I broke down and last week I bought a new iMAC. I haven't had a single problem since. My problems started slow, first HAL, then the VA Healthcare site, then Delta Airlines, then Orbitz, etc. If your difficulties worsen, first try a different browser but beware if other difficulties emerge.

In late January we got off a 21-day Caribbean on HAL. We had the unlimited package and thought that it was well worth it. We never had to worry about the cost, how many items may/may not fit in a bag, or how many times we sent out laundry. Our next cruise is a 43-day and we plan on purchasing the unlimited package for that one too.

I've successfully brought on (on Princess) my Micro Leatherman, that has a blade about 1.5" long. I bring it in my luggage. I've even carried it ashore and brought it back on the ship when re-boarding (albeit with questions from onshore security but not on-ship security). It has never been confiscated. Multi-tools always come in handy.

Princess is our preferred cruise line but in January we took a 21-day cruise on Holland America (our first), who uses a cruise card. It's amazing what you miss once you no longer have it. I really wanted my medallion back. The card is a PITA compared to the medallion.

On the Eurodam it was $178 for a 21 day cruise.

We are on that cruise as well and after our experience on the Eurodam we will definitely be buying the laundry package for this cruise.

We got off the Eurodam about 10 days ago and it was our first HAL cruise, 21-days in the Caribbean. We bought the Unlimited laundry package. We are Elite in Princess and get free laundry. There is no comparison. HAL is far superior. On Princess we generally get a 2-day turn around on the laundry. On HAL it was same day. Leave the laundry out for the room steward in the morning and it was in your cabin the evening of the same day. Leave the laundry out in the evening and it was in your cabin after breakfast the following day. We were impressed and have already planned on buying the unlimited packaged for our upcoming 43-day HAL cruise.

We got off the Eurodam about 10 days ago and it was our first HAL cruise, 21-days in the Caribbean. We bought the Unlimited laundry package. We are Elite in Princess and get free laundry. There is no comparison. HAL is far superior. On Princess we generally get a 2-day turn around on the laundry. On HAL it was same day. Leave the laundry out for the room steward in the morning and it was in your cabin the evening of the same day. Leave the laundry out in the evening and it was in your cabin after breakfast the following day. We were impressed and have already planned on buying the unlimited packaged for our upcoming 43-day HAL cruise.

We are doing January 3 and 13 on the Eurodam. We did B2B Southern Caribbean last year on Princess. Only about 10 days away now. It's our first HAL cruise so looking forward to it.

As someone who has lost about 60% of my hearing I sympathize with you. I wear small foam ear plugs that you roll between your fingers to reduce the size then insert them into the ear canal. They will expand and fill the canal to block out excessive noise but you will be able to still hear the music. Unless someone looks into your ear canal they likely won't see them. These foam ear plugs are used by many who use firearms because they are efficient at reducing firearm noise to an acceptable level. They are available at most sporting goods stores and the cost is very minimal. On Amazon you can get 100 pairs of these for less then $10 - and they are reusable.

Thank you for the great review. I've been looking for something like this for a while now as we are doing an Eastern/Western B2B in less than 2 weeks. We are Elite on Princess but have never sailed HAL before so this review helps a lot.

I've been having a lot of trouble logging-in when using Safari as my search engine. I switched to Google Chrome and HAL works flawlessly. I have two sites that I use frequently that I must use Chrome because Safari won't work. My computer is over 10 years old and Safari and the operating system can no longer be upgraded. I believe that is the source of my problems. However, other than those 2 websites the computer works perfectly so I doubt that I've going to by a new computer for 2 websites.

Being "Elite" on Princess Cruise Line I know exactly what to expect. However, we will be on our first HAL cruise in January. I feel like a newbie cruiser when trying to make sure I have everything done. I repeatedly check the HAL website site to see if there is anything that I have overlooked. This appears to be one of them. The website says that our boarding documents will be available on 11/19 but there wasn't a mention of an assigned boarding time. Apparently, that time will be given to us as HAL sees fit, so I need to keep checking the website so that I don't miss it. It has been so confusing that I'm beginning to wish I had just booked Princess.

Found it. Thanks. Got it ordered for our 21-day in January.

We are new to HAL, but not to cruising. We are going on our first HAL cruise in January. I have been looking at the HAL website almost daily to make sure I have not forgotten anything but I have never seen anything related to distilled water being available to order. Can someone give me an idea of where I can find it? Thank you.

I've been looking at Wi-Fi for our upcoming 21-day. HIA is $2100 for the 2 of us but only includes the Surf W-Fi package. We would like the Premium Wi-Fi package (FaceTime with grandkids). Is there a way to upgrade to the Premium Wi-Fi if we decide on HIA? We are new to HAL but not new to cruising.

21-day Eurodam, Jan 2024, Caribbean. 43-day, Westerdam, Jan 2025, South Pacific, Auckland to Vancouver

We are no strangers to cruising (27) and are Elite level on Princess. However, we are about to embark on HAL with a 21-day and a 43-day, out first cruises on this line. I find everything a lot different with HAL in preparing for the first cruise than it is on Princess. Not bad, just different. So following on the previous "Pet Peeve" post about HAL, to help us out please tell me the one or two things that you really, really like about HAL. It doesn't matter what it is; a helpful hint about about boarding, how to insure we see a show that we might like, your favorite dish, what should we sign up for early, etc, etc. We (currently 73 and 75 years) look forward to your responses and our first cruises on HAL. Thank you.

We are Princess Elite. Our last 3 cruises (Nov. 2022 and January 2023) totaled 56 days. We sailed under the old Plus packages when we were charged only $40 pp/pd. We just booked 2 Holland America cruises (never sailed with them before) totaling 64 days. We booked their special offer called "Have It All" at $50 per day. Here is what we get for $50. These are per cruise: 1.Three (3) nights specialty dining. 2. $300 per person shore excursion credit. 3. Elite Beverage Package. 4. Premium Wi-Fi Package. 5. Pre-paid Crew Appreciation. 6. Low Price Guarantee. (If this price drops for any reason, including after final payment or if we find an identical cruise at a lower price, we get the lower price.) We will have to suffer through not having premium desserts though.

I don't know what SheerID or IDme is. I simply sent a copy of my DD-214 directly to HAL and received approval in minutes.

Thanks for the post. We are Enchanted next week for 10-day B2B.

I think everything went up, including the price of Princess Plus and Premier packages and the cost of specialty dining.

We just did a re-fare for 2 June cruises. We saved about $2000 over our booking fares. However, we use a travel agent who not only did the re-fare without hesitation but said that he would do it again if we found more lower fares.

We just disembarked the Crown Princess out of San Pedro. We flew into Long Beach from Michigan at the recommendation of a friend who advised to avoid LAX at all costs. We stayed at the Crown Plaza in San Pedro. We used a Yellow Taxi to/from LGB to the hotel. The cost going was about $75 including a $15 tip and the return trip to LGB was about $70 including a $15 tip. This was our first trip through LGB and we will never fly through LAX again if it can be avoided. LGB was a breeze. Easy in, easy out.

We too were on the Crown to the South Pacific, disembarking about 10 days ago. Each day the Captain announced our cruising speed and it was usually between 18-19 knots. Nothing unusual about the cruising speed on this ship whatsoever.