RedIguana

23 hours ago, Btimmer said:

For me, the two basic food groups are popcorn and watermelon.

I think you mispelled bacon and wine.

9 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

When did California get the jurisdiction to pass a nationwide law?

It is not that California is passing a nationwide law, but that the cruise lines are voluntarily adjusting their pricing nationwide to avoid having a separate pricing structure just for California. 

15 hours ago, CruseKrazy said:

Pasta day?

It is the one day of the year that you should really wear your formal colander to the MDR and leave your resort casual colander in your cabin. And Tommy Bahama colanders are not considered formal. I know some passengers will claim they always wear their casual or Tommy Bahama colanders on Pasta day, but I have seen the maitre d refuse entrance unless one was wearing a proper formal colander.

48 minutes ago, kevingastreich said:

Be careful with delicate or fragile items.  I never send in those kind of things.  Bring a little soap and wash it yourself in the tub.  They only have one dryer setting...blast furnace!

Just basic men's dress shirt sent out to be pressed, not even laundered. Nothing was delicate about them. Based on the overwhelming positive experiences posted here, am going to give it another shot, and will request wash cold, dry low for everything.

The only time I ever tried ships laundry was on HAL. Sent 3 shirts out to be  pressed. They came back basically ruined, with yellow coloration in a repeating pattern, as if something transferred from a previous pressing. It was progressively less noticeable from shirt 1 through 3. Fairly inexpensive shirts from Khols's, so no big loss. Trying to fly light for an overseas 14 night in a few months, so going to give the ship laundry another try

On 5/20/2024 at 1:27 PM, Cruise Suzy said:

The appetizers are no additional charge, but the beverages are. Some ships will have a "pub crawl" just before the Orange Party begins - it ends at the bar where the party is held.

The "pub crawl" was called "bar hop" on my last (March 2024, NS) HAL cruise. Most of the bars were trying to sign people up in the days leading up to it. It was an absolute blast. Our group was 70-80 strong, ages from fresh 21 to 78.

That old building the original headquarters/hotel for Holland America line?

22 hours ago, Gibbie42 said:

Just never ever connect to Cellular at Sea. No one covers that. 

I think AT&T has a plan that does. I've never used it myself, so no clue how cheap or useful it is (T-Mobile user, love the fact it works in so many places).

The Pan Pacific in 2023 was offering luggage service from room to the cruise port for $10.

2 hours ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

No, pretty sure not because I do not have Club Orange for my August cruise and neither does a friend traveling with us but she also has that on hers. I am wondering if by chance it is because we have Post Transfers by HAL?? I know that on my old luggage tag I found it on I did have a post cruise transfer to airport, I also have one this time. My friend who did not have it on her last cruise but she also did not have a post cruise transfer but the the previous cruises she had that this was on the luggage tag she did have a post cruise transfer. Right now that seems to be the common denominator.  

No post cruise transfer for me on either cruise. I think you were on my March 10-17 out of Port Everglades, although I think you were on a B2B. August cruise is out of Amsterdam.

I did not have the blurb about leaving it on for disembarkation on my March cruise, nor for my upcoming August cruise. I wonder if Club Orange makes a difference.

2 hours ago, ChinaShrek said:

I too am waiting for the 2026 Norway cruises to appear. Do you think the fjords include the Norway Arctic cruises? Do Honningsvag, Tromso, Leknes, and Trandheim have fjords? If so, next year will be the last year to see them on HAL for a while.

As of this point the restrictions are just on the two World Heritage Fjords from what I can tell, so those ports you listed are not affected at this time. I suspect at some time in the future similar restrictions will be embraced for the entire northern and western coasts, but that is just a guess. Tromso and Trondheim at least can be considered as being located on fjords, but would have to verify they are on glacier carved bodies of water vs other formation types. Honningsvag and Leknes are on the outer islands, so no traditional fjords need to be traversed to reach them. I have all of those ports on a HAL cruise later this year, and thanks to your questions I will now be embarking down a deep rabbit hole encompassing the geology of the western and northern Norwegian coast.

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

Actually HAL announced it will be doing a trial of the fuels on the Rotterdam starting very soon 

It is good to see they are starting to test biofuels for large marine diesels. Hopefully the Norwegian government will allow their use for the 2026-2035 transition period, and suitable infrastructure and biofuel production can be in place by 2026 for biofuel use. 

11 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

When do the Norway Fjords 2026 cruises come out?  Also are they missing 2025 Norway cruises?

The 2025 cruises are available. If you want to cruise the Fjords on HAL I would suggest booking for 2025. I do not believe HAL has any ships that are currently capable of meeting the alternate fuel requirements that are set to go in effect for 2026 for the Fjords that visit Flam and Geiranger. I also do not know if other Fjords have been added to the restricted list, or how far in before the restrictions take place, or if the coastal ports face restrictions. i believe more will be known about 2026 and beyond restrictions late in 2024. But if you want to cruise the actual Fjords and not just the coastal ports, I would plan on it by 2025 at the latest, even if you have to book a line other than HAL. I was on a 9 night in 2022 (RCI) that visited the 3 major Fjords (Flam, Geiranger, and Olden ports).

On 4/30/2024 at 4:49 PM, ricka47 said:

It's OK either way. We've been there a number of times and wouldn't mind an extra sea day if necessary. Thanks

Nieuw  Amsterdam is scheduled for pier B arriving Saturday, November 30, at 8 am from the Dominican Republic, and departing 4 pm for Port Everglades. Pier B is the dock the city does not control.

On 4/28/2024 at 5:24 PM, nannygoatjunction said:

I understand it is a steakhouse. I didnt say i didn't enjoy the food. 😬 and, yes, it was part of the hia package.  It is promoted as fine dining, which I guess I think of as something that takes skill to prepare, not something my kids can cook up and we eat every week.  I will eat mash taties till the cows come home.  If its offered, I can't help myself!  Hence, why I chose it.  I know many are happy, I had hoped for a little bit of exceptional. 😆 

From what I have seen post restart, the mass market lines have dropped prime cuts for choice, unless an upcharge is involved. So not on the same level as an upscale steakhouse. The Tamarind on the Pinnacle class ships may fit the "exceptional" you are looking for, as I have not seen many analogs on land, at least in my part of Florida.

2 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Don't count on KW staying on your itinerary. Many threads here about the local issues.

From what I understand, the "local issues" stabilized a few years ago (I have made both of my scheduled stops). The 2 docks the city controls basically don't allow ships, the one they don't control does. If your ship is on the schedule at Caribe  Nautical, local issues should not affect your stop, but high winds may.

In three weeks we will find out @HUNKY is booked on Carnival.....

🤪

13 hours ago, dfish said:

You're probably right.  Perhaps with our complaints we should submit the names of high school kids who could figure it out.

This sounds like a pretty complicated problem. You can give the high school kids a crack at it, but it might be better to just start with the real experts, the junior high and middle schoolers.

😈

14 minutes ago, Sea-n-Ease said:

Is there any reason to wait until closer to sail date before completing the online check-in tasks?

No. I complete whatever I can shortly after booking.

1 hour ago, CruiseMob said:

Is this new? I haven't cruised HAL since 2019, but if I'm remembering correctly we used to be given our key card on checkin pre-boarding.

It's been that way a few years at least, if not since the restart. RCL group has been doing it that way a few years before covid.

13 hours ago, maggiev said:

What is a Pinnacle ship? Please use ship names - not all of us know ship classes 

Using the class vs the ship name enables cruisers who have been on that class but not the actual ship to answer general questions pertaining to that class. 

13 hours ago, Crusin-Suzan said:

Booked 8190 on this class!   It’s below lido!   We always get aft but never on the 8th!   Smoking is just above!   Can you smell the smoke?   Is it noisy!   Thanks 

I was in 7190, so a deck below you, in march. No issues with smoke.

4 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Not sure where you get $15 pp per day? Our upcoming 11 day Volendam cruise in August CO was $25pp per day. 

13 nights and under CO is $25 pp/pd. 14 nights and longer it is $15 pp/pd.

21 minutes ago, Heartgrove said:

You should not be allowed into the Four and Five Star Priority line if you are Club Orange. Let there be a separate line below them as we have paid more than $15 a day for the privilege.

The four and five star priority means you have accumulated enough points to be a four or five star. Should those that earned their four or five star sailing in insides not be granted priority because they "paid" a third less than those that earned theirs sailing in balconies?

On 4/1/2024 at 8:38 PM, BeasleysMom66 said:

 

I don't know about the nunchucks but when it comes to the handcuffs some of those "pineapple" people (and non-pineapple) are into some weird stuff.  😈😈  Just sayin......

When did handcuffs become considered weird? Are riding crops considered weird now too?