Sea42

OK, I'm confused. I thought that the CO priority boarding meant that when we show up at our assigned time we use the priority line. I did not think it meant that we show up whenever we want. Can someone clarify this for me? Thanks!

I agree! The testing costs alone are thousands of dollars, add to that the actual care and treatment, $50,000 won't last 2 days in our hospitals.

There is a ship excursion to Storseter Falls on our upcoming cruise on HAL. Partial description: Your destination is the trailhead at Hole, where your hike begins. Follow your guide along an improved path through a beautiful natural environment to Storseter Falls. Walk behind the waterfall for a breathtaking view of the water hurtling down the mountain. I'd like to do this independently but it appears that bus 211 has a very limited schedule. Going there does not seem to be an issue but google maps does not list a return option except walking back. Can anyone offer an alternative for a Thursday in May? Thanks!

We're leaving on the Nieuw Statendam (Holland America) from Amsterdam on May 14th. We were originally scheduled to depart from Ijmuiden but that was changed several months ago.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. We board in a little over 3 weeks and it will be our first time on a Pinnacle class ship so I enjoyed getting a preview.

For our May14th cruise, I booked shore excursions in early October and dinning reservations in early January.

That's good to know, thank you. We're wait listed for an excursion on our upcoming cruise and would prefer not to clear the wait list until we board so we can use our OBC. We probably won't go on the excursion if we have to pay for it.

I was surprised by that also! We were there for several day last year and thought they had some really fun, quirky architecture. We enjoyed walking around the city very much. We happened to be there on the day of the 80th anniversary of the bombing and visited their small but very interesting museum dedicated to the bombing. It was well worth a visit.

I took advantage of this offer once. One suggestion is to look into booking the lowest category veranda cabin and adding Club Orange. You can then upgrade to the highest veranda cabin of your choice as an included perk of CO. Sometimes it is less expensive than booking that higher cabin outright, sometimes not.

My mom never leaves the ship on a Caribbean cruise. For her it's all about the ship. Being a Florida resident she has had many low cost getaways where she can just enjoy some one else doing all the "housework".

Oh that looks good!

That poor horse, I believe he's dead🫣

You might find this thread helpful. They discuss what they did in Norway using a wheelchair but many of the details would be helpful for someone with limited mobility.

I think you'll be disappointed in the late night offerings on HAL. Entertainment and bars are reported to be done by midnight.

We were able to request a fan from the cruise line before sailing. It was waiting in our cabin all but one time. The steward brought it by later after I asked about it.

Yes, pretty much the same thread on the Ask A Cruise section

Thanks everyone!

When we watch a movie we always use CC so I don't have to memorize the dialog for when my husband asks "What did they say?". Just wondering if CC if available on the cabin TVs. Thanks!

Specialty dinning became available for booking for our May N.S. cruise in the beginning of January.

We have HIA on our booking but we will also purchase a wine package (we have a boatload of OBC) for a drink or two on the balcony. I'm sure my husband at some point will pick up a bucket of beer to stash in the mini fridge.

Correct.

Exactly, we all have different opinions on what constitutes good entertainment. I don't envy HAL trying to find the best answers to keep the most people happy.

I agree. More details would really help people that have specific concerns.

For us, we couldn't care less about these things. Listening to band and dancing for a couple hours is preferable than watching a production show or sitting quietly listening to chamber music for us. If HAL is going to cut things, I'm OK with what they have chosen to eliminate. Of course, others will feel differently.

But that is very subjective. What is easy for some will be strenuous for others. Some are fine with uphill but downhill is difficult or vice versa. Stairs versus an incline, standing for an hour versus walking etc. And you will still have people that underestimate their physical capabilities. There just is no easy answer.