TylerRose

TY so much Kazu & to all at CC for helping me prepare for another cruise. Sharing the planning excitement, learning the current do's & don'ts... counting down. This week, I even found a vintage tea length dress to renew our wedding vows! I'll share some specifics on our experience with HALs Signature Experience when we return and review for all. Bon Voyage...:D

Has anyone returned yet from a Signature Experience? I am in the final stages of packing & need to decide if I should bring anything "special" for "the experience".

As Part of the Rome package their description reads:

"a magical evening in the Casa dei Cavalieri di Rodi (House of the Knights of Rhodes) on a terrace overlooking the Roman Forum. Dine on hearty appetizers as you drink in the spectacular view—and your choice of Prosecco, white or red wine—before departing for an exclusive, after-hours tour of the Coliseum given by one its most elite guides."

Ordinarily, I would pamper for a cocktail party... but for an evening of coliseum touring about, I am thinking- perhaps not? Any recommendations?

I am allergic to shellfish and always anxiously fill out the allergy forms and have never had a problem. On the first night I am sure to speak with my head waiter, and his crew...

During a behind the scenes tour on one of the HAL ships I discovered "THE WALL".

All "our" special diet boarding pics- table numbers (if assigned seating)- and allergies posted as a reminder to crew. I commented on it. She promptly said... its only the backup. All our ID boarding pics ALSO identified our allergies and keep special needs records that follow with us to reservations in restaurants... and while I know that info offers little relief for lido, I hope it does offer some insight in behind the scenes main dining. For a child- I would also consider an allergy bracelet or necklace as an additional precaution.

Thanks for the information. I learned about the Signature Experience from a thread oaths Board. We are also in a Neptune Suite so we thought it would be a nice start to the trip. We have been in Suites on other cruise lines and never had this opportunity. HAL is doing a nice perk.

I am sorry you were not aware of the signature experience before finalizing your travel arrangements. This is the first time I have ever seen this perk offered... so I honestly don't know what to expect or its value vs. those airline rebook fees. I hope everything works out for you & you have a wonderful cruise whatever travels follow.

I do not know if many (if anyone) on CC have participated as of yet. We are counting down and I promise to review "package" as soon as we return. Included with a Neptune Suite- it is a very exciting perk. But as a purchase- I think it comes down to the value of the bonus "event" or excursion they can create for us. We needed to add an additional nights stay in Rome. I learned our Rome stay would be at the Hotel Mediterraneo. HAL was unable to book the added night, so I did it direct. In doing so- I was told our HAL booking included the standard luxury accommodations with breakfast- and offered the option to purchase upgrade.

I would figure out your investment in accommodations and what the excursion is worth to you to help make your decision.

Less than a month to go! We are confirmed for our precruise stay at HOTEL MEDITERRANEO in ROMA for 2 days prior as per signature package- and we paid to add one additional evening & suite upgrade... I arranged the additional evening & upgrade myself- NOT THROUGH HAL. This hotel does include breakfast (a concern in previous postings)

Hoping that the hotel in Rome will be the Mediterraneo. It’s a great property with excellent rooms/ location compared to the Beverly Hills Rome.

I spoke with my HAL PCC last night. We cruise in April, she confirmed our hotel is indeed the Mediterraneo. Happy to see a positive post about it...

Hi Kazu,

I was out voted by the rest of my family and canceled the cruise I had booked for next Christmas. (12/23 aboard NS)

Instead, I rebooked my husband and I on NS 6/9/19 on the Voyage of the Midnight Sun... (I decided an extended family holiday cruise would have been fun... but a longer cruise for hubby & I... even better!) Thanks in advance for update.

Was that you that made this John Heald's problem? There was a nasty post on his book of faces page with this very story. Lessons learned, I suppose. Do you think you'll get your family passports after this?

I traveled on this carnival cruise as part of a family reunion. I only visited Carnivals fb site after comments on CC about Fays posting. No... I am not Fay, but to those on CC who have decided I am blaming carnival for my error- that won't matter. Somewheres a long the way... some members of CC have grown more defensive of their own travel & less so of sharing insight & advice.

My immediate family members all have passports. They have never been left behind before. I was fortunate to have a family member to retrieve documents and send them. And another in our extended group was able to hire someone to obtain his documents.

The purpose of my original post was to warn others to have correct travel documents... and how not having them was dealt with on the day we traveled on our specific voyage.

I will not be posting again on any CC board on this subject.

Did you really go to Facebook and blame John Heald for not warning you about needing proper identification to get on the ship? I'm hoping someone just stole your story from here and wrote to him about it.

 

How in the world is anyone else to blame but the people who didn't follow the MANY warnings Carnival gives via email, cruise contract, and FAQs on their website about proper identification?

After your prompting, I visited Mr. Heald's FB page. No, I did not write to him. I was not alone on "the side" of that check in area. And NO, I have not asked anything of Carnival...

I rushed out & left our passports home & I am relieved we eventually obtained documents & were able to board.

For those questioning luggage carry-on: at passenger/luggage drop off at Port Canaveral you must show travel ID. It was not until that moment I realized I did not have our passports. (The airport only required our drivers license.)

As for the other member of our group with his drivers license & global entry... he insists he followed on-line requirements & that it is an EDL.

The discussion on FB is quite heated... so I know he was not alone in requirement confusion or finding inconsistency. I do not know who Fay is... or what she may or may not feel entitled to- but I understand her frustration!

Once again- I offered this posting only for others to learn from our mishap!

I took time to write this post on CC to warn others- based on OUR experience. There were many seated beside us with similar issues holding up their boarding- and if my posting helps even one person... it served its purpose.

But I wish I had not bothered and could remove my posts! It is not worth the condemnation.:mad:

I took time to write this post on CC to warn others- based on OUR experience. There were many seated beside us with similar issues holding up their boarding- and if my posting helps even one person... it served its purpose.

But I wish I had not bothered and could remove my posts! It is not worth the condemnation. :mad:

Not judging, just want to ask a question, as an EDL is in fact a WHTI compliant document for a closed loop cruise. Was everyone in your party from Texas? I believe you or they may be confusing "Real ID" driver's licenses with "Enhanced Driver's License". The only states that I know of that are issuing EDL's are: Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, Vermont, and New York. All other states are issuing "Real ID" licenses which are not WHTI compliant, and would not be acceptable for a cruise.

 

As for Global Entry, this only expedites the customs clearance, you must still present a passport at the GE kiosk. The Global Entry card can only be used at SENTRI and NEXUS lanes for land crossings, and no port has these.

Texas had a rare ice & snow storm. The airline called after canceling our flight the next day locally & offered us a flight that evening if we could drive through the storm to DFW within 4 hours. In the rush, I left my carry on behind. So, I accept full responsibility for the passport mishap.

The other was a Florida resident and says he has an EDL. He was denied ship access with his EDL & GEC. He had read it was acceptable repeatedly and was adamant it should be. But in the end- Carnival had the final say and said they would not accept it.

EDL's are valid for closed loop cruises, however, licenses that are RealID compliant are not.

 

Very few states offer EDL's.

 

The OP leaves out a lot of details that would make it easier to understand what exactly was happening.

We were boarding a 3 day cruise from Port Canaveral (Orlando) with a single port stop in Nassau, Bahamas aboard the Carnival Liberty. Family members residing within the state of Florida were sure their EDL & GEC would be fully accepted & they were not.

I was forced to depart Texas a day early due to an ice storm and forgot our passports at home after departing abruptly.

I have shared this information of our dilemma only as an assistance to others. I am hoping I won't (once again) come to regret sharing my experience on CC.

We have just returned from a family reunion cruise that was nearly destroyed by an embarkation fiasco.

2 cruisers left passports behind, and 2 were sure their Enhanced Driver's Licence (EDL) & Global Entry Cards (GEC) would be sufficient identification.

Please do not judge... but read this posting as a reminder and advice to not make our mistakes.

You MUST have a passport or a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID for embarkation on any cruise ship that will leave the United States. This includes closed-loop cruises beginning & ending in the same port.

EDL & GEC ARE NOT VALID for International Travel.

We were separated from our "carded" family & seated off to the left side of the ships terminal… (I shall call it from here on: “the wall of shame”)

We then participated in a time sensitive attempt to obtain a copy of birth certificates to be emailed to the person in charge.

A photo sent of a passport or passport cards are not acceptable- their photos can be altered?

Next, the emailed documents must print out. The print out must read clearly- only then can the copy of the birth certificate be considered for acceptance or denial.

We were fortunate to have a family member able to get to our home, obtain birth certificates, & get them sent off.

Another in our group hired a lawyer to obtain his documents. (I have no idea what he could have done had it been on the weekend or a holiday.)

We were attempting to board a Carnival Cruise Ship sailing out of Orlando where their Internet was very poor. Limited internet access added to the stress of emails…

2 more hours passed before the files were repeatedly printed & finally accepted.

We sat on “the wall of shame" from 10:45- 3:58!

My husband pacing frantically- making phone calls… sending email after email… checking for updates at the securities desk.

We were the very last to board.

We carried all our own luggage on board…& on to lifeboat drill currently in progress.

Thankfully... it was smoother sailing from there...

We have just returned from a family reunion cruise aboard Liberty that was nearly destroyed by an embarkation fiasco.

2 cruisers left passports behind, and 2 were sure their Enhanced Driver's Licence (EDL) & Global Entry Cards (GEC) would be sufficient identification.

Please do not judge... but read this posting as a reminder and advice to not make our mistakes.

You MUST have a passport or a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID for embarkation on any cruise ship that will leave the United States. This includes closed-loop cruises beginning & ending in the same port.

EDL & GEC ARE NOT VALID for International Travel.

We were separated from our "carded" family & seated off to the left side of the ships terminal… (I shall call it from here on: “the wall of shame”)

We then participated in a time sensitive attempt to obtain a copy of birth certificates to be emailed to the person in charge.

A photo sent of a passport or passport cards are not acceptable- their photos can be altered?

Next, the emailed documents must print out. The print out must read clearly- only then can the copy of the birth certificate be considered for acceptance or denial.

We were fortunate to have a family member able to get to our home, obtain birth certificates, & get them sent off.

Another in our group hired a lawyer to obtain his documents. (I have no idea what he could have done had it been on the weekend or a holiday.)

We were attempting to board a Carnival Liberty sailing out of Orlando where their Internet was very poor. Limited internet access added to the stress of emails…

2 more hours passed before the files were repeatedly printed & finally accepted.

We sat on “the wall of shame" from 10:45- 3:58!

My husband pacing frantically- making phone calls… sending email after email… checking for updates at the securities desk.

We were the very last to board.

We carried all our own luggage on board…& on to lifeboat drill currently in progress.

Thankfully... it was smoother sailing from there...

We have just returned from a family reunion cruise that was nearly destroyed by an embarkation fiasco.

2 cruisers left passports behind, and 2 were sure their Enhanced Driver's Licence (EDL) & Global Entry Cards (GEC) would be sufficient identification.

Please do not judge... but read this posting as a reminder and advice to not make our mistakes.

You MUST have a passport or a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID for embarkation on any cruise ship that will leave the United States. This includes closed-loop cruises beginning & ending in the same port.

EDL & GEC ARE NOT VALID for International Travel.

We were separated from our "carded" family & seated off to the left side of the ships terminal… (I shall call it from here on: “the wall of shame”)

We then participated in a time sensitive attempt to obtain a copy of birth certificates to be emailed to the person in charge.

A photo sent of a passport or passport cards are not acceptable- their photos can be altered?

Next, the emailed documents must print out. The print out must read clearly- only then can the copy of the birth certificate be considered for acceptance or denial.

We were fortunate to have a family member able to get to our home, obtain birth certificates, & get them sent off.

Another in our group hired a lawyer to obtain his documents. (I have no idea what he could have done had it been on the weekend or a holiday.)

We were attempting to board a Carnival Cruise Ship sailing out of Orlando where their Internet was very poor. Limited internet access added to the stress of emails…

2 more hours passed before the files were repeatedly printed & finally accepted.

We sat on “the wall of shame" from 10:45- 3:58!

My husband pacing frantically- making phone calls… sending email after email… checking for updates at the securities desk.

We were the very last to board.

We carried all our own luggage on board…& on to lifeboat drill currently in progress.

Thankfully... it was smoother sailing from there...

We stayed at the Rome Savoy early Oct. 2017 prior to the Koningsdam Trans Atlantic.

We choose to contact the hotel's Reservation Desk thirty days in advance of our stay and upgraded to a superior room. All daily loaded items in the fridge were free.

The HoHo bus stop was 300 yds. away. Spanish Steps were 20-30 min. walk to the right of the front door. Just follow the hordes.

Be advised if you are on the HAL pick up at the airport and subsequent delivery to the ship you won't get picked up til 11:45 at the Savoy and dropped off at your ship at approx. 2 PM.

You have to stop off at a Hilton to pick up more HAL passengers.

The terminal building at the ship was devoid of anyone when we were dropped off. Be prepared to line up for the 1 elevator left for new passengers as the rest are on baggage duty.

Enjoy

Bob

TY Bob for sharing your personal experience... if we do end up at the Rome Savoy... we will consider a cab to dock.

Does HAL notify you of "room status" to encourage paying for room upgrade if preferred?

TY so much for share. Hopefully others will post as they learn of their hotel placements in varied destination cities.

I have not stayed at the Savoy in Rome... but it looks to be located well. I am so looking forward to this cruise!

Has anyone heard yet on hotel accommodations for HALs Signature Experiences? We sail from Rome in April...

Ty for taking time to post... getting ready to sail on her with 17 soon

TY so much for your wonderfully detailed review. I don't visit CC all that often... but when I do- I love reading reviews offering both likes-dislikes & reasons why.

TY so much for taking us along! We sail on Liberty in January... enjoyed your pics

I am happy this post was reenergized. I have beed considering a ROV for our 30th in April... (now I just have to figure out a way to talk my DH in to it...) ;)

We are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary aboard the ms Koningsdam this April. I had planned to book dinner that evening at the Pinnacle Grill... But, it is scheduled that evening as TASTE OF DE LIBRIJE. (Cost is $69pp)

Sample menu posted on the HAL website- highlights meal opener as north sea scallops for all... followed by wines & a few selections per course.

I have a SHELLFISH allergy and would appreciate thoughts on this dinner.

Were the scallops & other shellfish options the highlight?

I know ms Koningsdam offers other special dining options (& food is subjective...)

But, I have not cruised in a few years and would appreciate recent feedback on those PG dinners... &/or other special dining options.

Thanks in advance,