Ipeeinthepools

I’m a DIY kinda guy, I investigate all of the details and enjoy doing things myself. Like many on CC I book through a TA to get some sort of OBC or gift card. However one of my frustrations is not talking directly with HAL. Sometimes when I have specific questions or concern, the TA isn’t very knowledgeable in a certain area and I’m never quite sure if they are communicating my concerns or requests to HAL. Is it possible to call HAL directly book a cruise with the phone agent and then transfer the reservation to another TA? I’m never sure if the phone representative is a HAL employee or if that person really works for a third party TA that works for HAL. If it’s a third party TA I’m concerned that there might be an issue transferring the reservation. I have dealt with another cruise line that distinguished between online and phone reservations and had different people handling follow up questions. TIA

Perhaps it’s obvious but don’t purchase this insurance until you make final payment because it’s not refundable if you cancel prior to final payment.

Great. It’s good that you have a TA you can trust and works well with you and hopefully provides a competitive obc

It’s time to start the watch party for this month's power up points added to your Captain’s Club account. When will it start and who will be first? I hope everyone gets their points.

I use a big box TA that also has some great deals on pizza and toilet paper. If you are comfortable being a DIY trip planner I suspect that you’ll continue to do well with the big box TA. But you will need to call and talk with them. Lately it seems that a lot of the cruises or deals I’m interested in are not listed on their website. However, I just call and explain what I’m looking for and I can always get the same deal as shown on the HAL website. You may need to do a little teaching of the agent but that usually isn’t a problem. It’s gets to be a little more difficult when the TA contacts the HAL agent and the HAL agent needs some education. But as long as you are an experienced cruiser and know what you want, you’ll do fine. I like the fact that I can always call during normal business hours and handle any issue that I have and I’m never waiting for a return call.

Were there any cabins available in the category you wanted for the combined voyage? I’ve run into this situation a couple of times and I understand that HAL may cap the number of cabins it wants to sell for a combined voyage. I can understand that limitation.

A lot of the discussion has been about suites, what about the average cruiser? I did a couple of mock bookings for a 7 day Caribbean cruise for the first week in March 2025. I compared Celebrity to Holland America, two similar cruise lines. These comparisons are for a standard veranda cabin with drinks, WiFi and a refundable deposit. Tips are not included. Fees and taxes are included. I also compared a new ship and an old ship Celebrity Ascent March 9th. $4915 Celebrity Equinox March 8th. $4230 Holland America Nieuw Standendam March 8th. $3878 Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam (older ship) March 9th. $3658 The Holland America cruises also include a free dinner at a specialty restaurant, $100 credit for shore excursions and $200 OBC with the current promotion. At least for this situation Celebrity is a lot more expensive but I have found similar comparisons for a lot of other cruises I’ve considered.

That’s not good.

James was an ok singer and piano player. I believe he will be leaving after the current cruise.

You know what they say about assuming something. I’m sure that’s the plan but it doesn’t work very well on the Rotterdam.

If they stop, I’ll bet they make money.

Celebrity will make money no matter what they port they stop at.

When was the last time your government helped you? I’ll go with Celebrity.

I’m glad it was packed for music trivia🤷🏻‍♂️. I don’t know about the first set but the second set had very light attendance with many seats next to the piano. Not a crowd favorite. Even James the piano player wants the second piano player to return. That should tell you something.

Thanks for the info

Thanks, I was afraid that was the situation.

Can someone tell me about the smoking area on the Noordam by the rear pool? Does the smoke get blown out and affect a much larger area?

Call it whatever you like, the crowds loved the performances of the two piano players and Billboard was always packed. It’s a shame HAL eliminated it for cost cutting.

The single piano concept is certainly not a fan favorite this week on the Rotterdam last night. I never saw a crowd this small for any dueling piano performance. A very small crowd and frankly a lot less entertaining than the dueling pianos. I really don’t care for the standard what state or country you are from interaction or if it warmer in the Caribbean than your home town. Listening to the guy next to me try to sing “Uptown Girl” was painful to hear. It’s just sad to see this. I hope HAL find the funds for an additional piano player.

Me too

Wow I thought I was the customer and I thought the cruise line was working to exceed my expectations. Yes, they should be staffed to handled it, anything else is just crazy. It's all hands on deck for the peak periods.

I think it's a little different onboard a cruise ship. There really aren't a lot of other options unless the ship is in port. The cruise line knows that most everyone onboard is coming to the MDR between 6:30 and 7:30 and they should be staffed and ready to handle it. Maybe your schedule will vary from day to day but on average the MDR will be packed in the peak hours. Anything else is just irresponsible.

I'm glad you and your DH are able to find ways to continue to enjoy life. Speaking for myself and I don't remember anyone in this thread complaining because someone is slow. If I happen to encounter you in an area that is only wide enough for one person at a time, I'll gladly wait until you pass. Just as any other walker on the track, I would hope that you stay over to one side so people can pass you safely where space is available.

I'm not a cheerleader for Delta, but it sounds like Air France was really the source of your problems. I really can't fault Delta for experiencing weather cancellations or the fact that their flights are full.

If second-hand smoke bothers you, you may want to avoid balcony cabins on the port side of the Silhouette. Celebrity allows smoking on the Promenade deck on the port side and the secondhand smoke can affect the balconies on the port side.