zelker

Our first HAL cruise was in 2004. We have sailed on 13 HAL cruises (avg. length 19 days) and just reached 5* this summer after #13. We always book suites so that gives us double points which add up quickly. Add in points for onboard spending and, well, here we are.....

Currently in 518 but prefer more midship. 536 and 533 are both available but I'm a bit concerned about potential for crew noise as they go in/out of or up/down within either of those areas for 47 days (am noise-sensitive so pretty specific where I will or won't book on any ship).

What are the white spaces shown below, just aft of and directly adjacent to 533 and 536? And are those stairs for crew only? Thx.

We received notification that our December 20th departure from Port Everglades has also been moved up an hour, from 4pm to 3pm. My first thought was that it was due to several ships being in that day but everything I can find shows we're the only one that day so no idea why they changed it. No other changes to the 16 day itinerary.

Ohhhhhh..... you just reminded me! I fell in love with a Mary Frances small crossbody/phone bag with ladybugs on it on Nieuw Statendam in July but didn't buy it (and they told me they aren't allowed to discount them). Maybe I'll get lucky and Zaandam will have it in December and I'll buy it with the insane amount of non-refundable OBC we'll have!

John has a Citizen Eco-Drive and really likes it.

Yep, my bad. It's $34/day in a suite. I forgot. And as I wrote above, I was only asking about adding more to certain crew members above the standard gratuities. We have never asked for gratuities to be removed on any cruise or cruise line in the 17 years we've been cruising.

You misunderstood what I wrote. We always leave the standard gratuities on and tip additional to certain crew at the end.

We originally were going to book that but then decided to do these two instead since it's been forever since we've sailed in the Caribbean other than a port here or there passing through on other cruises. Congrats on getting to 4*!

The first segment is a 16 day RT out of FLL over Christmas/New Years with some new (for us) Caribbean ports we've never been to, then we stay on for another 16 nights and sail from FLL through the Canal to end in San Diego. John has a really nice watch which he rarely wears anymore (except when we travel) - between being retired and using his phone, he never wears it at home anymore.

We've already got more free alcohol than either of us can drink with the HIA package, plus 2 free specialty dinners from HIA and another 2 free from being 5*. We've also get $200 each for shorex's. First World problems, I guess. We, like you, only tip certain crew at the end so am not really interested in doing a blanket tip above the $33/day for a suite.

Have never had this particular "problem" before. 😉 We're going to have a LOT ($$$$) of OBC on each 16 night segment of our B2B in December/January on Zaandam ... this on top of the HIA package (w/gratuities) AND the few complimentary things we get for being 5* Mariners. Am afraid we won't be able to spend all that OBC but of course don't want to leave any of it on the table. So my question is, can we use any of it as additional gratuities for our stateroom attendants, Neptune Concierge(s), etc.? Thx.

My bad. I missed that she mentioned the Amazon. Oops! Then no, there isn't a true Amazon Explorer being offered after the one towards the end of this year, at least so far. Looks like it's only being offered as part of the World Cruise (in January 2024) and also the Grand SoAm cruise you're booked on in 2023.

Hey, stranger!! How goes it? 🙂 Hope you're both doing well and staying healthy. So, which tour did you do with Karambole? We'll be there on December 29th and looking for something to do. Barb

Assuming you're talking about the Grand Africa voyage, it's being offered in 2023 but will be on Zuiderdam (embarks FLL 10-10-23).

Not sure which ship you experienced that on but I can tell you that we were on NS on the 18 day cruise that ended in Boston on August 3rd, in a Neptune, and we did NOT get seated any quicker NOR did we get priority seating near the glass. It was first-come first-served and they did not hold tables for anyone.

If you like the combo of sweet and salty treats, make a point of stopping for some freshly made chocolate-covered potato chips (called COW Chips) at the Anne of Green Gables chocolate shop - COW Chips – ANNE of Green Gables Chocolates (annechocolates.com). To DIE for!! 😋

Now that you mention all of that, I do seem to remember reading something about that as well. Fingers crossed that it happens in the next few months. Thx.

By any chance, do you remember where you saw that?

Not familiar with him. Any chance you can find out who will replace him and if that person will stay on after the Africa Grand Voyage (i.e., through the holidays and on into January)? 🙏

@Copper10-8 Forgot to ask - who's the current CD and do you know how long they are scheduled to be onboard? Thx.

Assume you meant "unfortunately"?

@Copper10-8 Happy Anniversary, "Kids"! Wishing you many more. 🥂 We'll be cruising on Zaandam for a month (two 16-night B2B's) starting December 20th and are looking forward to sailing on one of the smaller ships again. We opted not to spend the money for a Neptune on the first segment since it's very port intensive (and VERY expensive since it's over the holidays) so are in a Deck 6 Vista suite for the FLL-FLL segment but will then move up to 7031 for the FLL-SAN segment. We especially love those oversize verandahs on this size ship but disappointed to see they still have the small TV on the desk rather than the large flat-screen over the couch. 😞 Does that mean it's still not an interactive system? Enjoy your cruise and as always, thanks for taking us along! Barb

We just disembarked the day you embarked. It was a great cruise although disembarkation was a mess, just like what you saw for embarkation. Boston sucks! Anyway, hope this doesn't impact your visit to Iceland ... Reykjanes Volcano In Iceland Erupts Near Island’s International Airport (forbes.com)

It’s $6.95 /day if you buy it ahead of time ... compare that to the per day price for any of the three tiers in the chart (post 6) and you’ll see it’s a deal.