NCTribeFan

I happen to always order my salmon medium rare and it's always been absolutely delicious. The halibut looks very good.

Anyone sailed solo that can answer my question? Can I bring two bottles? Is it 2 per cabin or 1 per person, assuming double occupancy? FAQ does make it sound like it's 2 per cabin but people at the ports don't always get the fine point of the cruise line's policies. I just don't want to haul 2 bottles through check in just to have one taken from me. My carry-on is already going to be heavy (packing for a month with only a 25" case and a carry-on!). Sailors are also welcome to bring two (2) 750mL bottles of wine per cabin in carry-on bags

Not sure I would call anyone's accent "bad" since they're just what they are. Strong, yes, but not bad. Just different. It usually takes your ear/brain a bit of time to get used to it. I'm sure there are plenty of people around the world who can't understand some regional US accents. When my DD was a baby, her paternal grandparents came over from England. We lived in north Georgia. The teenage checkout girl in the grocery store and the English grandpa couldn't understand each other. I had to translate. It was pretty funny if a bit absurd. We all, supposedly, were speaking the same language. 😁 Anyway, I board her in 2 weeks for the trip across the pond. My first time on VV, but have friends who, like me, are in their early 70s and they love it. I hope I do. I'm not much of a partier these days. Hope to be able to find some relatively quiet spaces to enjoy those sea days so I don't have to retreat to my little interior cabin. Think I'll be hitting the Noodle place for lunch a few times. I like the idea of the Galley. Again, we'll see how that goes with so many people on the ship every day during the crossing. I definitely am looking forward to a little different experience from the other mainline cruises. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

This was last Aprili on the Rotterdam 150th Anniversary TA. They loved the cabin and balcony but since it was a north Atlantic crossing, they didn't get as much use of it as they would've liked. We stayed on for following 2 5-night sailings. They moved next door, which also had a larger balcony, only not quite as large. Best part was the connecting cabin door, which made the move very quick and simple.

So, as a solo, I can bring 2 bottles at embarkation? I'm on a TA, then a Med sailing soon. I know that some European ports have duty free shops after security. We were able to purchase wine there and carry it on. Unfortunately, I can't remember which ports those were.

My offers have pretty much vanished. After 26 nights on Rotterdam last spring, I was hoping I'd get some good offers. Not that I'm much of a high roller. But nothing exciting. Basically just my "usual" 20-30% offer, which I'll take. So, I sailed again in January and I've received only ONE offer and it wasn't a freebie (hey, I only get interior cabins at the best of times). So I booked that for November. Booked bare-bones interior cabin. I get drinks while gambling and a whopping $100 in free play. Again, I'll take it. But I'm starting to feel like they've decided that since I seem to always have at least one future cruise booked at all times, they don't need to entice me with offers. This is how I felt about Carnival. I was at over 30 cruises (most with casino discounts) before they FINALLY offered me a free interior cabin. Maybe because I'd stopped booking with them! Anyway, nothing new for me. But if they can't give me some offers, I simply won't spend my money in the casino. And maybe I'll even stop having 2-3 cruises booked each time I sail!

I haven't sailed VV yet. I'm on Scarlet Lady TA on 4/21/24, then 3 days in Barcelona, fly to Athens and board Resilient Lady for 10 nights. But, I saw this and although I'm a CPA and the partners will NOT be happy with me, I booked it. My TA was on Valiant Lady so I sent her a message on Friday. She bought a placeholder and applied it to the booking. I'm in an interior on Scarlet, and an solo interior on Resilient from Athens. Since I'm solo, I typically book interior cabins (I love nice, dark cabins for sleeping), but the price was too good to pass up. Plus, I got next to no perks for my interior on Scarlet. I would've preferred the Scarlet Lady May sailing (because of work) but it was so much more expensive! And I do love San Juan, so looking forward to an evening there pre-cruise. My friends (who are in their early 70s) love VV, so I hope I will, too. I've become a fan on HAL the past few years. I'm not much of a partier these days so I figured having that balcony cabin to retreat to if it's too noisy around the ship would be a good thing to have. But I'll probably just join in the fun!

I had booked a 17-night Hawaii cruise. I was going to book the 7-night cruise prior but then discovered that it was sold as a 24-night "collector" sailing. I cancelled the original and booked the 24 nights. The only spa package showing up for purchase is for 7 nights. I want one (maybe) for the Hawaii portion (because of all the sea days). But, so far, I'm not given that option. It's not until next January, so I'll keep checking. If nothing else shows up in a couple of months, I may just call. Just saw this in the Details... Pass valid for the entire duration of 7-day cruise. Pass for additional segments will need to be purchased on board. Problem with that is it means that those who are booked on just the Hawaii segment can pre-purchase the pass, but I can't. I'll probably just wait and buy a day pass of couple of times.

Carnival doesn't change time in the Caribbean. Of course, they have to on TAs. Both Carnival and NCL (the only 2 lines I've done TAs on other than HAL) changed the time at night, which is why I was a little surprised when HAL changed it midday. I'll find out how Virgin handles it in April. I learned early on to NOT allow my phone to automatically update. That was on a Caribbean sailing on Carnival many years ago. I had an early independent excursion and got my teenage daughter up so we'd have time for breakfast (we were in an interior cabin). She was not happy when we were ready to disembark and realized we hadn't even docked yet. Oops.

Let's see if I understand this. I have some NR OBC. Since I have HIA, I'm not sure how/when I'd use it all (except for some spa time; I don't shop on board). Am I correct that y'all are saying I can book excursions, paying via credit card, and once I board, go to Shore Ex desk, ask to have the payment changed from my CC to my NR OBC. The CC payment will then appear in my folio as a refundable OBC. I then can use that refundable OBC in the casino?. And if I don't use it all (Ha!), it gets refunded to the credit card backing my account. Cruise I'm concerned about isn't until next January. so I'm not sure I want to charge multiple expensive Hawaii excursions this early. But I don't want to wait too long and miss out. I'll use my HIA to book the 3 I really want to do and maybe purchase a couple of extras (although I much prefer independent excursions). If anyone can confirm that this works with spa services/passes, that would be really helpful! Sure would be great if HAL would just let us book things pre-cruise using OBC. Carnival does and it's so easy to do.

On our 26 nights on Rotterdam last spring, I don't know that we ever waited more than a few minutes, and we ate in one section every night except one, because we loved our waiter over there. We always had before-dinner drinks at the Pinnacle bar and walked down the hallway usually some time between 7 and 7:30.

Isn't the Gallery Bar next to the Casino (I'm thinking Eurodam, which I sailed in January). If so, that room is now full of slot machines. Our group plays dominoes. We typically play around 2 or 3 pm. We like the Lido because we can get drinks and (sometimes, depending on the cruise line) food. Some of Carnival's ships have large, oval tables. Deli is open all afternoon, as is pizza, and it's a short walk to Guy's burgers. On Eurodam, there are no large tables in Lido (that I found). We do NOT play during peak meal times. As noted, peak dining times should be for diners only. I'll be on Virgin for 14 nights on a TA in April, then 10 nights RT from Athens a couple of days later. We have at least 6 that play dominoes. It will be nice to have somewhere to play that won't take space away from diners but still has some amenities.

Please add Nieuw Amsterdam - Nov 17, 2024 - 7 day Western Caribbean, birthday cruise! And change January 2025 from the 17 night Koningsdam to Jan 4, 2025 - 24 day Baja Peninsula & Circle Hawaii Collector Thanks!

I'm also on that sailing. Was just on the Hawaii portion but cancelled and rebooked the 24 nights since I've never been to the Mexican ports. I need to have a look at excursions. I have 4 sailings between now and next January and haven't planned anything for any of them. I'm now in the middle of tax season with very little free time and even less brain power. I'll just pick something to lock in using my HIA. I was disappointed to see the short hours at Cabo, since I've never seen it. What I found interesting was on the Rotterdam 150th Anniversary TA last April, we "lost" our hours at noon on our eastbound crossing. It would be 11:59 am and suddenly it was 1:00 pm. I've never experienced changing time in the middle of the day.

Are there dominoes in the game room or do we need to bring a set? Are people saying that stroopwaffles are normally available in the MDR? How did I never know that? If they are, is there a charge, because there is in the Dutch Cafe.

I think I had noro once and pretty sure I picked it up on the travel day prior to sailing. It was not a good time. I've now had Covid twice. Got it while on the Zuiderdam Alaska B2B in June 2022 and got it a month ago while on Eurodam. And I'm as vaccinated/boosted as possible. Symptoms both times were mild and this time, none of my travel companions caught it. I did have to visit the infirmary during the first week for a UTI infection, so my resistance was probably low. Hope I'm done with Covid for a while. At least I don't seem to have the brain fog that really affected me the first time, for several months. That's good since it's tax season and that's tough enough when your brain is fully functional! I may have a look at excursions tomorrow evening (if I don't forget). Really enjoying all the pics. Keep them coming, please!

I think I did that ship excursion in Kauai way back on my first HAL cruise on Zaandam. I guess I should think about excursions for next January but first I have a Virgin TA & Med coming up in April/May, then the Carnival Bahamas, then the Nieuw Amsterdam western Carib and haven't done any real planning for any of those. The challenge will be the Virgin sailings. It wouldn't hurt to go ahead and book some for Mexico/Hawaii using my HIA. I can always change my mind later but it would be smart to lock in what I think I might want. Typically, I'm not a fan of ship excursions but since I have the HIA credit, makes sense to use it. That menu looks pretty interesting. I see a few dishes I'd like to try.

Princess may, but Carnival doesn't. Most of my 30+ cruises on Carnival have been as a solo. It's 1 point per night sailed, period. No credit for onboard spending, so I'm not going to complain about HAL's program at all. And you get some tangible benefits from HAL (as a 3 star, I'll take my 25% discounts, thanks). I have yet to figure out how my onboard spending points have been calculated. On Eurodam last month (11 nights) I had HIA. I also visited the spa. I got 8 spending points. Yes, I was solo, so that calculation for the signature drinks doesn't get me the max per day.

Just got caught up! I've been lax with my reading. Seems there's typically a mad rush at 5 pm for the MDR and then again after the first show time. I do know that I got terribly spoiled having the CO dining room for our 26 nights on Rotterdam. I cancelled my 1/11/25 Hawaii sailing and rebooked it as the 24-night 1/4 "collectors" sailing. I've never done the Mexican ports and figured that, hey, I'm flying to San Diego! I might as well go a week early and get a nice, long cruise. Booked HIA and added Club Orange. Got some OBC that hadn't come with my original booking. I seriously considered the solo OV but I just don't want to be that far forward since it seems there can be some high seas at this time of year and I just don't want to risk it. For me, the additional cost to get a window and a little more floor space wasn't worth it and I like my dark cabin for sleeping. I did make sure that my PCC flagged my booking to DO NOT UPGRADE after my cabin-switch fiasco on Eurodam last month. When I checked to see the cost to add a spa package, the only option that came up was for 7 nights although my sailing is, technically, 7 + 17. I wouldn't use the spa much, if at all, during the Mexico portion. For the first time in my 40+ cruises, I had dinner in the MDR on Eurodam one night. I was not impressed. I don't think we had any 2 hour MDR meals. The excessively-slow dining was in both Pinnacle and Tamarind. Hoping that won't be the case next January. We play dominoes (Mexican train). My friends usually bring a set, but if there's a set in the game room that we can use, it would be great if they didn't have to pack theirs.

We're not supposed to mention PCCs names, but I used to have Jim. I'd love to get him back. Gal I have is OK but I'd much prefer him. Going to try that this afternoon.

Another K'dam Hawaii thread. 😁 So envious of your itinerary. I'm on the 1/11/2025 sailing but I was just sitting here thinking I should cancel and rebook as the 24-night beginning 1/4 since I haven't done that Mexican portion. Would prefer your itinerary but I have to work by early February. No Gen Xer here. I'm a Boomer and still working (part-time, seasonally during tax season which is now-4/15 and again from early August-Oct 15). Got to pay for my travels somehow! I did a side-to-side on Carnival Magic & Eurodam last month (contracted Covid again (caught it during my Zuiderdam Alaska B2B in June 2022)). Had several issues on Eurodam that tainted the whole trip a bit. Not stopping me from sailing HAL again, though. I'm currently booked in an interior but considering the solo OV. My main concern is the location. I do have some issues with motion although Ginger Root has almost cured me. Still. Not sure I want to be that far forward for 24 nights. Personally, if I don't have a balcony (which I rarely do), I prefer an interior because I love the dark cabin for sleeping. Keeping the price down helps since I need to watch my budget if I want to sail 3-4 times a year! Hadn't decided on where to stay pre-cruise. I'll definitely have a look at the Best Western. Looking forward to following along. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

How does one contact the Office of the President to report problems/issues experienced on a recent cruise? I have several problems on my recent Eurodam sailing, including poor service in bars and ridiculously slow service in both Pinnacle Grill and Tamarind. I managed to be moved to a different cabin (a lower category than I'd booked but I was "upgraded" to a cabin I hated and that was the only option). I talked to the Hotel Manager as well as Guest Services multiple times. I also did the post-cruise survey. I never even once considered removing the gratuities. No compensation was offered, not even a bottle of wine (which I didn't need since I had HIA, but the effort would've been appreciated). So, I'd like to write to Corporate about my experience.

Other thoughts... Not great bar service at times. Not at all impressed with the vocalists in the Rolling Stones lounge. I really missed having a BB Kings band. Freezing cold in places (including the casino). The piano bar guys weren't awful, like I feel most are, but I just don't like trying to play roulette and having the pounding piano and bellowing vocals right there. Wish they'd at least put up a plexiglass wall along that walkway. Didn't do anything in the casino until the last few attempts. Think I maybe left with a little more than I started but not sure. Missed my port day in St Lucia because I went to the infirmary that morning with a UTI infection. Not fun. Ship excursion in Dominica (it's one of my favorites) was a bit disappointing. The one from St Thomas to St John was good (just an island tour), but I was having a rapid heartbeat with palpitations (probably due to what I'll described in a minute). Absurdly long dinner in both Pinnacle and Tamarind. Food was good but just took way too long. Both places, those who ordered multiple appetizers had them delivered at the same time. Never had that happen before. Doesn't happen in the MDR. Then 2 of us were charged for our Pinnacle meals; 2 were not. We all had HIA. I was also charged for a drink at the Ocean Bar the next night. So, another visit to GS. Debarkation morning, I looked at my statement and discovered that I'd been double-charged for drinks and food on HMC the day before. We were trying to disembark early because we had lots of driving to do. But, hey, let's go do the CS one more time! At least they had it fully-manned and the person I dealt with was efficient, getting both my account and my friend's straightened out quickly. During the night between Sunday and Monday (21st & 22nd), I woke with burning, draining sinuses. Had that all day Monday. Thought it might be allergies since didn't develop any other cold symptoms. After we disembarked on Wednesday, we drove up to W Palm Beach to drop a friend, then we were heading down to Key West. We were having brunch in WPB and I was feeling really rough. Probably feverish, but just not feeling well. Felt so bad I went online and booked a flight home from FLL. We headed south and I started feeling much better and decided to continue on to KW. I'd never been and had tried several times to get there and it just never worked out. After we checked into our AirBnb, I pulled out a home Covid test. Uh oh. It was positive. I felt pretty rough on Thursday, but had nothing but a mild cough on Friday. We were supposed to stay with some Canadian friends near Port Charlotte on Saturday, but didn't want to expose them, so we rented a house in Cape Coral and just relaxed for a couple of day. I flew home from Ft Myers yesterday. Tested again this morning and I'm clear. None of my travel companions, or anyone I interacted with fairly closely, has had any symptoms and those that tested were all negative. I suspect that being on antibiotics for the UTI lowered my resistance. At least the symptoms were mild and it progressed very quickly. Just hoping that when I resume work tomorrow that I won't encounter the brain fog that was the biggest problem when I caught Covid at the end of my Zuiderdam Alaska sailing in June 2022. Despite the illnesses and the unwanted upgrade, it was a good cruise. There were just a lot of little things that weren't typical of my prior HAL sailings. And I think the whole business with the cabin change just made the other little things more noticeable. Going to catch up with the rest of OP's comments now.

I haven't gotten caught up with the entire thread but wanted to post a few of my thoughts about our 1/13 sailing. We disembarked Carnival Magic that morning, retrieved my travel companions' van and drove to Port Everglades. Parked at an off-site lot that was great. Got to the pier fairly early. Went to check-in, and when she took my photo, I noticed my cabin number was NOT what I'd booked! "Wait, that isn't my cabin!" Oh, but it is. I'd been "upgraded" from my wonderful Large interior on Main (that I'd selected when I booked last April while on Rotterdam) to an obstructed OV on Deck 4. I was not happy. Went directly to Guest Services and said I wanted my original cabin. No can do. Sold out! I was sure my account was flagged as Do Not Upgrade since I have every profile on every line that way. I'm very particular about my cabin selection. The cabin itself was fine and I'm sure many people consider it to be an upgrade. I never, ever book OV cabins. On rare occasions, I'll book a balcony. Otherwise, I want an inside. On top of the dismal view of the side of a lifeboat, the curtains weren't true blackout curtains and there are lights along the bottom of the catwalks out there, so I wasn't sleeping well thanks to the big, grey rectangle in the wall all night. Went to the Mariner party a couple of nights later and had a word with the Hotel Manager. I was very pleasant but expressed how disappointing it was to book a specific cabin and then, surprise! You've been moved to a cabin you would never book. Also noted that I had to chase down my suitcase because, of course, you aren't even sent an email recommending that you may need to reprint your luggage tags because, surprise! You've been upgraded! He said he'd see what he could do. Next night I had a VM from Daniel at GS. He said he could move me to a regular interior on 6, but I declined since it was all the way forward and I was concerned with movement. He called back later and said he had one aft on 7, so I agreed to move. So, there I was, at 9:30 at night packing up my stuff. Cabin was fine. Nice and dark. Small, but to be expected. Great cabin stewards. Still, I paid for a Large Interior and ended up in a lower category. Yes, I asked to be moved, but I never wanted the Surprise! Upgrade. Talked to Daniel again and he said my account was not marked for Do Not Upgrade and that I should make sure that I request that for every booking going forward.

LOL. Yes. I board Magic tomorrow then Eurodam next Saturday. I have no idea which ports we're visiting on which cruise. Somewhere I have a spreadsheet with it all. Just get me to Miami today and I'll figure it out then (maybe). 😁