Fortunate 2 travel

We tried to order drinks twice on the Regal last summer. It didn’t work either time. We had a premier package. Everything else on the Regal was wonderful, we had a great cruise.

Thank you for your kind words. We are very excited to try out HAL again.

I read your whole report and enjoyed it very much. You have a great way with words. We already reserved a cabana for the 9 days and were thrilled to be able to add CO. We got a fantastic cabin with the CO upgrade with a huge balcony. This will be our first time back on HAL since ‘92 and are looking forward to sailing on the Rotterdam. We are across alligator alley from Ft Lauderdale. Nice to have a cruise with no flights involved. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Thank you. We are on a pinnacle class. CO wasn’t available when we booked, I kept checking and we were able to add it a couple of days ago. Thank you for sharing your experience.

You are so right. My bad. Moxy. We loved the location.

It was 295 pounds. He was there with our name at the airport. Great guy, shared lots of information with us. He was also right there at the end of the cruise. We wanted to do a Windsor Castle tour with the transfer to Southampton, but it was not open that day. We had 2 days in Southampton, it was a great place to wander with lots of sights to see. The Roxy is a funky place but we would stay there again. It’s a Bonvoy property. They set up the taxi to the pier for us the evening before. Wonderful people working there. We love the Regal, it was a full sailing but never felt crowded. We did splurge on a Reserve Mini Suite - never waited to be seated at dinner. It was a lovely experience.

We sailed the Regal last summer. Fantastic cruise. We used Eddie Manning for transportation to and from Heathrow - Southampton. Stayed at the Roxy which is right next to a big mall with lots of dinning options. Can to the port took less than 10 minutes. Enjoy your 🚢

Thanks for your helpful reply

Sorry if this has been overly discussed. I searched but didn’t find anything. What pearls of wisdom do you have regarding the Club Orange embarkation in Fort Lauderdale? Additionally, what advise for the whole package. We have cruised a lot, but have not sailed with HAL since 1992. Yes, I was a child then 😉. We did pre reserve a cabana for our 9 day holiday cruise. Looking forward to all the music venues.

Unfortunately the chat option is just as bad. After a very long chat with someone who did not understand what I was asking regarding a missing refund I was finally connected to a supervisor. This was after 5 requests to the chat agent. The supervisor was able to handle my issue in just a few minutes. The nice thing with the chat feature is that you can have the full chat emailed to you. The supervisor apologized for all the misinformation I had been given.

You make some very good points. I would like to point out that people who booked an S9 may have saved a lot of money booking a Sanctuary mini suite. Giving up a lounge (and in room coffee maker) would not have been a big deal to us. This is a total cluster. I also wonder if the restaurant on the back that has never opened is going to be re purposed?

It seems Princess had no clear idea on how to launch this new class of ship. Why wasn’t this all laid out before people were able to book? They should rename the Sanctuary because it is no longer the same product as on their other ships. It looks like any other pool deck - minus the shade. We cancelled. Our excitement about this new ship is gone. We would have made it to Elite, but now may never get there. I’m sure there are many people who will be thrilled with the Sun and Star - and that’s a good thing. Just not for us.

In 2019 we sailed from the Brooklyn terminal. Everyone arrived early! It was so packed I can’t even tell you how much seating there was. We had to find the right person to get our earned priority boarding. It was an absolute mess. They sent too many people up the escalator with no where to go (there was a person in a wheel chair being helped). The people working at the Pier were the most unorganized we have ever encountered with Princess. Pack your patience and then enjoy your cruise. Our cruise on the Regal Princess was fantastic!

Not fixated, just curious. We love sailing in the Med, and the water always looks so inviting. Looking forward to our experience on Seabourn.

I really appreciate all the great information being shared. My DH and I are very excited about this cruise. I think we made the right choice.

Wow! I remember Western Airlines. My first flight was on them. (Guess that ages me 🤣)

Wow!! Looks like so much fun. We will keep fingers crossed for our Mediterranean cruise. Thank you for sharing.

Hope your journey home was uneventful. 😆. I truly enjoyed reading about your cruise. You have a wonderful gift. Looking so forward to sailing on the Rotterdam later this year.

For fun, I just checked the Seabourn Source app and it still shows The Grill by Thomas Keller. It will be fun looking for the name change.

How far in advance of the cruise do reservations open? Thank you for your input on the Marina deck.

What kind words! Thank you. We feel very fortunate to be able to take this trip and can’t wait! You really did offer pearls of wisdom and they are much appreciated.

Greetings. My DH and I are sailing Seabourn Ovation next summer (2025) in the Mediterranean. We are doing a 20 day cruise - started with a 10 and decided to jump in with both feet and add the additional 10 days. We have a big anniversary to celebrate - what better way, right? We are curious about the sport platform on Marina deck. There are many tender ports on our itinerary. Are water sports offered? Also, wondering about the Grill by Thomas Keller. We understand that we can have 1 night in this restaurant. Is that 1 time for the whole 20 days or 1 time per each of the 10 day segments. We are not new to cruising, just new to small ship cruising. Any other pearls of wisdom will be appreciated. Many thanks in advance.

Really enjoying your trip from SWFL. We are booked on the Rotterdam for a holiday cruise. Got our cabana booked. First time back on HAL since early ‘90s when we sailed on the Noordam. Your wonderful and colorful information worked to get us very excited. Enjoy your last evening.

First cruise was 1989 on the Fair Princess. First Holland in 1992 on the Noordam. Still sailing😃

Also confirms no shade. Just imagine the Mediterranean in the summer.