Haljo1935

Not so thrilled to hear the ship was warm. We tend to be warm-to-comfortable wearing s/s t-shirts & sandals on most ships, so that's a bit concerning. Maybe they'll get the HVAC figured out before we board in Sept. 🙄🤔🫠

HAL, part of the CCL family, charges $50 for a name change. Just did one this week. Of course, it cannot be pax 1, as that is who the rate is tied to. And yes, they charge the fee just because they can. Other than the hourly wage paid to the person who physically changes it in the system (3 min or less?) they do not incur an expense they're recouping.

Ships may handle execution a bit differently, but the process is dictated my customs requirements and local authorities. It's really not a big deal, so long as ALL in transit passengers check in as required per the instructions they receive. I like turnaround day - it feels a little different and special. 🤭 Your willingness to be flexible will certainly help make it smoother and less stressful.

For sure offer something to the people who schedule the elevator repair people! May Eurodam 2 mid-ship elevators (1 being starboard glass elevator) were out when we got on and did not work the entire cruise. People on the next 2 weeks reported they did not work, so there's definitely an opportunity with HAL elevator maintenance.

That is great! Would love to see pictures if you take some and are willing to post. That should be a very heart warming, special port day.💜

Interesting. Why would HAL make bookings available to TA over direct agents?

And I would continue to call, lol. Pretty sure they're not going to look at the waitlist (if there is one) and say, "oh sorry, Peter, I see you're on the list, we'll call you if something opens up." I confirmed CO availability on a current booking but didn't add it, next day when I called to add it, it was full, 2 days later called again and was able to add it being told they'd had a cancelation. So definitely worth checking back.

I am aware of 2 types of Casino Offers. One is tied to casino play and will come (usually) with some amount of free play, free drinks while playing and other perks, including ability to upgrade cabin (for a fee). These are called Casino Offers. I have heard of land-based casino offers, but not sure if they're the same as this or if they're a 3rd type of casino offers. Coming from Boyd Gaming, yours fits in here. The other is NOT tied to time or $$ spent in the casino, but are called Casino Rates. They will come w/free inside cabin (occasionally ov), some amount of OBC and ability to upgrade cabin (for a fee). I have NEVER spent a penny in any CCL casino but have received and booked free casino rate cabins on both Carnival and HAL.

Having sailed both Princess and HAL, I would go w/HAL. With that said, I've been on Nieuw Amsterdam but not Sky Princess and I don't travel w/20yo & 17yo, so my perspective is a bit screwed. Really enjoyed Princess when we were sailing her almost exclusively, but they were not the larger ships, which we now realize we don't care for. The young adults going on this cruise may well enjoy the opportunities of the larger Princess ship and the somewhat younger crowd. If they're "plugged in" they would likely enjoy the medallions and interactive maps on Princess - none of that on HAL; the interactive maps at the elevators are pretty cool. Parents may also appreciate the tracking feature of the medallion. If they enjoy nature, they may appreciate the larger balconies on HAL. HAL ships are easy to navigate once you get your bearings and I'm sure they could easily zip around quickly vs Princess. Service on HAL will likely be better, but that may just be me being partial. Oh and who can forget the candied bacon available on HAL!! Plase kindly update us as to your final decision and why as well as how the cruise went - very interested. Safe travels - enjoy your cruise!

Who can focus enough to actually complete a large puzzle? With those amazing views, I would be looking out the window all the time, lol. I seriously lose all track of time in the Crow's Nest taking in the AK beauty; hours go by without me realizing.

That was our experience, too @mcrcruiser in Dec on Koningsdam. We have not been on her since then. Eurodam in May 2023 and Nieuw Amsterdam in Feb were fine - no long lines. Don't know what caused the lines in Dec - if it was the ship or a different internal process, but it was not good.

Thanks @Andi Land for sharing and posting the pictures on HalFacts. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of view you had of the Glacier- very well worth $59 IMO. AK is awesome!!

True, but officer or other ship representative still has to show or all good intentioned planning doesn't matter.

That is indeed good news!! I take my wins where I can find them. 🤭

We're deck 7, 2nd week only Terrazza. We don't go til Sept, so I'll continue to monitor and see how it goes. Will take zip bags so we can get our own ice if necessary. That's just such a strange thing to eliminate and no communication. Level setting expectations goes a long way toward customer satisfaction.

Agree with @terrydtx you should call HAL. While some people do report just "going with it" and letting porter notify them of the cabin when they drop their bags at the pier, better to learn of an issue before you get that far. Especially on a sold out ship. It's a phone call. Proactive is better than reactive. Safe travels - enjoy your cruise!

First - am NOT saying she deserved to get burned, so please everyone no backlash on that... One may not expect coffee to be that hot, but who puts coffee between their legs? Isn't that what cup holders are for? Being in control of a heavy, fast moving vehicle, should require full attention and focus. If Driver is focused on preparing coffee in their lap, how much is left for focusing on controlling the vehicle?

That stuff is just nasty. Sorry to those who enjoy it, but (no pun intended) I just can't stomach it. Heave...🥺

Yuk. Just yuk. Not yuk you, Florida_gal_50, yuk the slimy little creatures.🫣

My sister who is my cabin mate for this cruise, keeps her Yeti mug filled full all day, every day with ice and any room left is Diet Coke. I don't know which is more important - the ice or the soda, lol. We usually get a 2nd bucket and ask for ice 2x day. So I guess we'll be coming to get yours @Purvis1231 🥸 plastic zip bags I think will be a good solution. Now to research if this is a Coke line or Pepsi, she gets grumpy when it's the blue one. And those are not as easy to pack as zip bags.

Or in the hallway, lol. Good idea - we will definitely bring zip bags, they won't take up any room so if we don't need them, no big deal.

It does have 1 port difference than the 6 day, but even the ports that are repeated are gorgeous with plenty to do. I'm sure if she's happy in the Caribbean for 15 days, then you'll be happy, 😆 Of course, if getting ice in the cabin becomes an issue, I may regret it.

DH and I have said numerous times that open balconies on Carnival will be a thing of the past. They'll put plexiglass or something up to seal off every opening so you can still the enjoy the views but can't "fall" off. Talk about cruising in a bubble...

We will be 1 week ahead of you, boarding Sept 16.

Wow - really has changed. We were on Carnival right at Covid restart and I just don't recall things being that different. Of course, there were very few passengers as the ship was less than half full, but the menu charges and availability in Lido didn't seem much different than before. Should be interesting.