Haljo1935

Having some time before you cruise, perhaps go through your TA/PVP...

@IntrepidFromDC what would your recommendation to eat/not eat in Il Viaggio be for someone who does not eat seafood, but would instead be going for the more basic Italian food aspect?

You absolutely can. 🙃

@croozen you can't use OBC to prepay for excursions, but you can get payment moved over to OBC once onboard. See my previous responses. It does work as recently as May 2023 on Eurodam. Aligned with everyone that having published policies followed would ease frustrations and minimize these threads, but since we know it's not, just need to help each other be educated on how to work with what we have to get desired results.

Correct - which is why if you want to secure excursions, for example, just book online and prepay, then once onboard go to Shore Excursions (NOT Guest Services) and have them moved to OBC. You'll get the credit back on CC at end of cruise. To be clear - the credit will go to the CC you provide for your stateroom account, which may or may not be the one you originally used to pay for the excursions (you know what that is, so just be mindful when you're looking to confirm you received the credit).

Correct. No action needed on your part, it's automatic.

Hi - you can book the excursion and prepay to get your spot, then once onboard immediately go to Shore Excursions and have them move it from your CC to OBC. This has to be done by Shore Excursions, not Guest Services; while GS is open 24/7, SE is not so you'll need to check their hours. Don't try to cancel & rebook yourself through the app & TV (especially if the excursion has sold out (as you risk losing your spot and incurring penalty charges, if applicable), just tell Shore Excursions you want to move it/them from CC to OBC. They do it quickly w/o pushback.

@RahiHere's a pretty good picture of the overhang you're asking about. Click on the picture to really see the size of the overhang. This is of the actual ship taken this week.

I did see reference to the mask on another post; it'son formal night - hope you're able to get what you're looking for. Sounds fun for your niece.

That lineup is very similar to HAL. Maybe CCL has negotiated a new contract and is aligning across the family...

Meant to upload this before, so here it is now. The windows are coated, so daytime is fine, but be sure to close the curtains at night. 🙃 Enjoy your trip!

We had one of the inside cabins (10043) w/the window on Nieuw Amsterdam - it was probably as good as it gets w/out an actual Oceanview. Having natural light was awesome and we were able to have a peek-a-boo view both Aft and Starboard. There was a double vanity in the bathroom, so lots of space. The cabin was tight for 2 people but doable. Air worked great, not really much noise from the door going to the deck except for a stormy night when they ended up closing it off. Proximity to Crows Nest, deck 12 and spa was great; trip to dining was a little long but good for staying active. Great location, would do it again in a heartbeat.

Yes. And usually if you buy one then decide to do the week, they'll charge you the difference to upgrade.

So did you sit thru a full demo/drill?

@TravelBluebird first, excited to hear how embarkation went - hoping it was smooth for you. 2nd, when you get out exploring, any pictures and/or info you can give regarding deck 2 aft - the strange dark rectangular shapes outside of 2476 & 2497 is appreciated. We haven't been able to get any info from Carnival when we called in. What type of railing do those balconies have? Thanks!!

@jules815 I don't believe any Signature Suites have obstructed views; on Nieuw Statendam the ones on deck 7 look down onto the lifeboats on deck 4. We were in one of those on another ship on deck 6 so, a little closer, and it didn't bother us at all. Just look at the deck plan for the SS cabins and you should get a pretty good idea of how close they would be and if there are any obstructions. Promenade Deck 3 has the deck that goes around the ship. I believe 3 laps is a mile. And the jogging track on 11, 12 laps is a mile. You may want to confirm those numbers as those are something I read, not from HAL. hal-ns-deck-plan-010822_230418_000234.pdf

Feb 2023 on Nieuw Amsterdam our Spa cabin on deck 10 did NOT come w/most of the items listed for spa cabins even though they werexall still shown on website. We did get the water, wooden mat, different colored pillows & bedrunner. Truly wanted the fruit, but brought some back from Lido and had it delivered from room service. Also missed the special menu. Sister's spa cabin few doors down did have the Boss. As others mentioned, it does not include Thermalspa pass, just easy 1-flight access.

Correct, Signature Suites are larger w/o the full suite perks and have nicer bathrooms than Verandahs. There are no SS true aft, so the decision is space vs view. Note that SS balcony is wider because of size of the cabin, but are generally not as deep. DH says he's spoiled on SS but for Alaskan itineraries wants true aft for the views.

"True aft" are on decks 4-8; also known as the "fantail;" they face out the back of the ship, over the wake. Do a mock booking to see available cabins, selecting "aft" returns cabins Port and Starboard toward the rear of the ship (such as VB4176 and VB4203 on attached screenshot). These are aft cabins, but not "true aft" as they have a side view, not a wake view. We avoid deck 8 unless that's all that's left because it's under the smoking area. We prefer deck 4 so we can just walk down 2 flights to eat and have not noticed noise from the MDR below on 3. Deck 4 is also convenient on port days for walking to gangway. hal-ns-deck-plan-010822_230418_000234.pdf

@Sherbertscamper you are correct - pastries in Explorations Cafe are no charge, coffees are not. As others mentioned, Grand Dutch Cafe is most similar to Princess International Cafe, but Eurodam does not have GDC.

Congrats on retirement and welcome to HAL!! Haven't done TA, so nothing to contribute specifically to that experience, but happy to provide insight and offer my experience where I can. We LOVE the true aft cabins as we enjoy the wake views and being able to see both Port and Starboard. On itineraries with a lot of wildlife (like AK), we really live on the balconies and enjoy the deeper balconies that most aft balconies provide vs side locations. Sunrises and sunsets are even more fabulous with a wake view. IMHO. We also like being able to just walk up or down the stairs (thus avoiding elevators) to get to dining. Since true aft is more a destination rather than a passage way, there tends to be less congestion. Some people say there is more movement aft; we haven't noticed that to be so, but aren't prone to motion sickness. The sound of the waves seems more noticeable, which we really enjoy; like being at the beach - non-stop.

@islander47 you can see it on an invoice from HAL - have them send you one. If you have a TA, you'll have to get it from them. Once onboard you can see it on the TV statement and Navigator App, but likely too late to get errors corrected, so I get an invoice beforehand.

There are numerous threads on that very topic - with varying responses.

I write a thank you note on the same card that was returned with the clean laundry (the person who did your laundry will include a nice handwritten note in the basket 🧺 when they wrap it up), put some cash with it and put it in the final bag I send out at the end of the cruise. You can also leave it with Guest Services or your Cabin Steward, but I prefer to try to get it as close to their hands as possible. Some people hang the laundry bag on their door, others place it on the bed - either is acceptable. I put mine on the door as sometimes my cabin hasn't been cleaned when I return from breakfast. You can call Guest Services and let them know you have a bag ready for pick-up.

This month on Eurodam daily specials were still only available on their day. As one server said - left side is daily, right side (large) are everyday as are center (smalls).