Amolin

Thanks to all!

I'll relax now.

We will be on a Caribbean cruise in a few weeks.

Will we be able to make an 11:31 flight home?   Our next choice is not until 4

Will we be able to use the luggage direct?  It says for flights after 11:30.

Any help will be appreciated.

We just got off a cruise on the Edge where we were in a suite.  In the past we have stayed in both suite and AQ cabins, all on S class ships.  In the past in Luminae we were given menus from the MD and if I remember correctly Blu and ordered from all.  On the Edge we were told that since the Luminae kitchen was too far from the others we could only order from Luminae menu.  On the second day we asked to see the dinner menu after breakfast.  As we looked at it my husband said he didn't see anything that appealed to him.  The hostess said no problem - feel free to eat at Blu or MD if you prefer.  We asked if we needed to let them know and were told just show up.  That night we tried Blu.  Arrived about 8:30 and were given a beeper and told it would be a 15 minute wait.  There were several others around with beepers.  We were seated on time and shortly after the room cleared out - I guess people leaving for the late show.  When we left the hostess made a comment about how many suite guests ate at Blu because they liked the food better.

We had several other nights where nothing in Luminae appealed to us and we did other options.  Others have mentioned here that different preparations could be requested.  We have never heard that and would gladly have done that if we had known of the option.

Perhaps the menu in Luminae should be adjusted if this many people are not eating there, or guests should be told of the option to customize their entree.

If I want to use skype to make calls to stay in touch with family would I need the middle level or the highest?

Thanks all!

Didn't even think about spring break, I think this is no.

Looking for an end of winter Caribbean cruise in March. 7 day maximum. We are looking to just relax and decompress. I did not like the 7 day itinerary but did like the 5. Not sure I want that short a cruise but am wondering if it is more of a party atmosphere because it is so short. If you have done one of these please give me your thoughts.

Thanks for all of the answers. We are attending the boat show and figured as long as we were down already we would continue on to a cruise. We have been sailing on HAL for close to 10 years and I do lurk on this board constantly so I felt more at ease asking here than other places.

Only giving X another try as there were no HAL cruises that appealed to us leaving that weekend.

Just a quick question to those familiar with FLL

We will be in FLL for the Boat Show and plan to leave on Saturday for a cruise on X leaving from Miami. (First X cruise in over 10 years. HAL did not have an itinerary that appealed to us - so we are giving X another chance - will write a review when we return)

Anyway - what can we expect traffic-wise due to the boat show ? We planned to use a car service from Embassy Suites to the Miami pier. Can anyone make a recommendation? We hope to arrive in Miami around 11 - what time should we plan to leave FLL?

Thanks in advance for all of the help.

Thanks to all who have replied. Our last HAL cruise was in November. Looking forward to a comparison. Any specific things we should know about Celebrity?

We used to sail Celebrity frequently but due to several cruises with issues our last cruise was 8 years ago. We have done about 10 cruises on HAL since then and are about to give them another try on the Reflection. Since I know many on this board also do Celebrity and have seen many of the same posters over there I would like any info you think would be helpful.

I am really looking for things from a HAL cruisers perspective - so I am posting this here.

Thanks for all the help.

We were on the Westerdam last week. I did not see them placing dinner orders (at least not at the table) but the wine stewards did use them to place drink orders. It seemed to work well - drinks always arrived quickly.

We are currently on the Westerdam docking in St. Thomas tomorrow. Have been advised it will be a render stop. I looked online and it says there will be 6 ships in port.

Thanks for all of the input. I guess the later flight is better, just always like to get going asap.

Trying to book return air for our Caribbean cruise in November. My options for air are 11 or 2. In the past we have used the luggage direct, but if I remember it was only for flights after 11:30? Usually we are able to get a flight around noon, but the times this year seem to have changed. Will 11 be a problem? Should we just take our luggage with us when we disembark? Never had this timing before - just want to know what to expect.

Thanks all!

Thanks to all for the information - it has been very helpful. I will post more questions as they arise.

To bandp407 - on HAL you cannot make reservations between 6:15 - 7:30 or 8

Those times you must just line up to be seated. I also believe the reservations have to be made once you are on the ship - cannot be done ahead of time, but I could be wrong on this. You will love the Eurodam - it is our favorite ship.

After an absence of about 8 years (most of which have been spent cruising on HAL) we are returning to Celebrity on a Summit cruise. We have been sailing in a suite on HAL and have chosen a Sky Suite on the Summit. Here are some of the questions I have so far:

1. How does the select dining work? We usually choose fixed on HAL because their anytime dining usually involves standing on line waiting for a table. (We like to eat between 7 - 8 at a table for 2) If I have to stand in line I would rather have fixed. I know you can make reservations - can this be done ahead of time and for any time? Is it a problem to get what you want? If you don't make a reservation will there be a line at this time?

2. If you are in a suite can you dine at blu? TA said yes based on availability but he didn't seem too sure? How does this work?

3. What are the differences in things the concierge and the butler do? Is there a special lounge for suite passengers?

4. The port is San Juan. Upon return will it be any problem to make a 12:00 flight?

Thanks in advance for any info you can give. Will add more questions as I think if them.

Thanks to everyone for the input. It is great getting opinions from fellow HAL cruisers. At this point we're looking at many different cruises for fall 2015, but these two seem the most likely. (and planning is so much fun) By the time this cruise comes up we will be 4 star or almost 4 star on HAL. Do the mariner points apply to Seabourn?

We are beginning to plan a Med cruise for next fall for a major anniversary. We have cruised HAL, Celebrity and Cunard and find a Neptune Suite on HAL the best fit for us. We are currently looking at Crystal and Seabourn for this cruise and would like opinions on either from other HAL cruisers. Obviously they are a step up, but would like to know what you liked, what you didn't, what are similarities and differences.

Thanks for all you your help.

We usually book our next cruise while on board and transfer it to our TA. But her service has declined, and she mentioned she was retiring. We will be on the Eurodam in January and had planned to book our next cruise. I had decided not to give it to our TA. If we want to work with a PCC do we wait until we get home to book, or can we book on board and have them assign a PCC. Any advantage or disadvantage to doing either? Thanks for the info.

I have been researching groups that will be on our cruise. I know there is a sports medicine group but I have also found the Fredlyn Winery wine tasting group and Sandi Patty - an Evangelical Christian group. Is there any way to find out how big a portion of the ship these groups will be? All of the sites list many private parties and I am wondering if portions of the ship will be closed off?