NCTribeFan

Thanks. I know packing a couple dozen bags would hardly take up space or put my luggage over the limit, but if I don't need to pack any, I won't.

I am just not a fan of the whole piano bar scene. They're obligated to play The Hits, which often don't fit their vocal range. And just because it was a hit doesn't mean it was any good. I'm continually amazed at some of the inferior songs that became big hits. People just have no ear, I suppose. Yeah, I'm a music snob. And I absolutely cannot listen to people sing who are off key, which often happens when they have to sing songs not in their range! Anyway, back to the Rotterdam... Can anyone confirm that they have PG Tips tea bags on the buffet? I know it's not a big deal, but I'm always So Happy when I see them there. Best tea ever. FTR, the bags have no tag, so if you don't know what they look like, you wouldn't know the brand. The bags are a pyramid shape and are usually in a glass jar next to the other tea selections.

I don't really wear a lot of clothing that I trust in those gigantic industrial washers and dryers. I have free laundry on Carnival, and I think I sent out 2 bags on my 32 nights last fall (mostly just undies). Have 26 nights coming up on Rotterdam in a couple of weeks and will need to pack some cold-weather items since it's the 150th Anniversary TA. I imagine we could have rather cool days crossing the north Atlantic in early April. Then staying on for Oslo, Copenhagen and Scotland. I guess I'll have to use up some OBC and send out a bag of laundry at least once.

I think it was November 2017. Maybe the first sailing after arriving from Europe.

Thanks for the responses re Canaletto and the drink prices. I think BB Kings has been the best live bands of any I've been on. Just so much better. Looking forward to the rock band. When I was on Koningsdam, she didn't have that venue. Now, if they'd just ditch the piano bar. At least it's not right across from the casino. 😉

Curious about the "new" Canaletto menu and food, if anyone would like to chime in here. Also unsure what HAL is doing re Signature drinks when one purchases something above that cost limit. Are they just charging the difference or the full price? Three more weeks for me!

I have a bit of OBC for my upcoming Rotterdam TA. Since I have HIA, and the NR OBC can't be used in the casino, spending it may be a problem (nice to have, but still, don't want it to go to waste). On Carnival, they sell their gift cards in the candy store on board. On our recent B2B2B this past fall, friends who had leftover OBC on each leg went to the candy store and purchased gift cards. Since they have multiple upcoming cruises, those GCs can be used to either pay the balance due or used once onboard. Does HAL sell their GCs anywhere on the ship? If not, I'll use some in the spa and some extra specialty dining. I'll be onboard for the next 2x5 night sailings. Those 2 were casino offers where I have drinks in the casino, but no HIA since they're short cruises. I suppose I could purchase a wine package at the end of the TA and take the bottles to the cabin. I'm assuming if I then take the bottles to dinner that there will not be a corkage fee, right?

My cruise friends used CO to book V6143 for our upcoming 16 night TA on Rotterdam (leaving 4/3). I'm sure they won't mind me coming down the hall from my interior cabin to hang out on their large balcony. After all, I was the one who found these "special" cabins and that 6143 was the only one available, so I should get some use of the balcony. Right? 😁

No new offers for me. But I did just get a bunch from MSC (1st time for that; have only sailed them 4 times, last was last April). Can't take advance of any upcoming freebies anyway since I leave in just over 3 weeks for 26 nights on Rotterdam. Have 18 nights to Hawaii for November and I typically don't sail in the summer. Given how many sea days we have on the TA, I'll probably be spending a lot of time in the casino. Hopefully, I won't be bankrupt by the time I disembark. The 2 5-nights I added to the end of the TA are freebies, so that was nice!

I check my onboard account regularly on every cruise, no matter what line I'm sailing. They all make mistakes. Some are more easily cleared up than others. On Carnival, my cruise buddy has to input MY birthday to get her card to work in the casino. They keep saying it's been corrected, and it may be for a day or two, and then it's back to being my DOB. Ridiculous! Too bad I don't get credit for her play, since she regularly gets better casino offers than me! 😄

4 weeks from today, I'll fly to FLL to board on 4/3 for 26 nights. Can't wait! Hope you have a wonderful voyage!

I mostly sail solo, simply because I've been single for about 35 years. Once my daughter was out of college and working, her schedule no longer fit with mine, so I started going solo. I always join the Roll Calls and like to find independent excursions to take with others. Those smaller-sized groups made it much easier to make new cruise friends. Also always attended the Meet & Greets. One of the best parts of cruising is that you can partake in as many activities as you wish or you can find somewhere quiet to sit and read or just relax. Well, not so much on Carnival! LOL. I've sailed them nearly 40 times and my biggest complaint these days (32 nights last fall, 14 in January) is the lack of anywhere even remotely quiet on their ships. Since I almost always book interior cabins, it pains me to have to retreat there just to get away from the noise and activity. But, sometimes, I want some noise and activity and they do have plenty of options during the day (more than HAL offers). My past 4 sailings (2 HAL, 2 Carnival) have been with friends I made years ago on a Carnival cruise. Often, I'm the 3rd wheel, but they don't seem to mind. Sometimes I'm the 5th, or 7th, or even 9th wheel! The great thing is I can do my own thing during the day, or join up with them, and we always have dinner together. So, I'm solo but I'm not alone. It's great.

I know what PGTips bags look like but expect many folks do not. I don't drink it year round. I "save" mine for tax season when I need a little extra boost. Like this morning! I do hope HAL also still brews it for their afternoon tea. I was So Happy when I discovered that they were using PGTips there (I asked on Eurodam 11/21, NA 12/21 & Zuidy 6/22). Fingers crossed that Rotterdam will be the same (for those days I don't want a do-it-yourself afternoon tea w/bread pudding).

Good to know! I'll be on her for 26 nights beginning April 3. I would've been looking for the bread pudding in the dessert section. I like to do my own "afternoon tea" with a nice, strong cup of PGTips and some bread pudding. Usually holds me over until dinner.

I had a fantastic crab risotto one night. I really, really hope that's still available. As a solo cruiser, I couldn't even manage to eat one app and one entree, let alone a dessert! I think I took a cheese plate back to my cabin for later.

I want the Saturday shrimp special! I've been craving it and planned on booking one of the Saturday nights on my upcoming 26-night sailing. Guess we'll see what's on the new menu. I'm sure I will find something I'll enjoy!

Again, you do not have to remove your card. There's a button on the machine that they push that shows your folio number (not your cabin number - that isn't on your card anyway). On the 14 nights on Spirit a month ago, the servers knew my folio number after a couple of drinks. And my name. Five weeks until I'm on Rotterdam for 26 days (the last 10 days are casino offers). I have HIA for the 16-night TA, so I imagine the casino bar servers will know me fairly early, considering we 2 sea days from Port Everglades to NYC, then have 8 straight sea days on the crossing!

What? No seating on the Promenade deck on Rotterdam? I'll be on her for 26 nights! Well, since we're crossing the Atlantic in early April, chances are it will be too cold to sit out there anyway. Still! 😒

Not sure I qualify as a "HAL regular" since I'm just 3* and have only been on 6 HAL cruises (2 coming up this year). I do have almost 40 on Carnival. I sailed Pride for 32 days B2B2B Rome to Tampa beginning this past October. The Spirit class (of which Pride is one of 4) is definitely my favorite mostly because of the layout. The Spirit class ships were not originally intended for Carnival but for one of the other CCL lines. The layout is most similar to the ships in HAL's Vista class. Yes, the decor is hideous (imho) but many like that over-the-top stuff. I've always said that Joe Farcus designs look like he came up with the ideas while having bad acid flashbacks! 😞 But decor really isn't a deciding factor for me when cruising. I also just did 14 nights on Spirit (the first in that class). The food was better than on Pride as was the service, but Pride wasn't bad, by any means. My "problem" with Carnival (and the main reason I'm moving to HAL and other lines) is that there is simply nowhere on the ship to get away from the noise. There's pop music blasting from speakers in every location at all times. I typically sail in interior cabins and it's really annoying to have to retreat to that cabin just to get a little peace and quiet. My other issue was that there is no seating on the exterior promenade deck. Nothing. That's one of my favorite places to hang out on HAL ships. I tend to like to spend my sea days out there reading, relaxing, and looking at the sea. There's probably more daytime activities on Carnival although that isn't my thing. Music can't compare to BB King's imho. Production shows still have both singing and dancing. I don't go to comedy shows, so can't comment on that. At least the piano bar isn't directly across from the casino, which is where I like to spend my evenings and found myself having to leave the casinos on Eurodam/NA/Zuidy when the Billboard players were performing (if you can call that bellowing din a performance).

I've sailed nearly 40 times on Carnival, almost always in inside cabins. I did this because when I started cruising in 2001, I was sailing with my teenage daughter and the size of their interiors was consistently larger, and the fares less, than on other lines. I just did 32 nights on Carnival Pride last fall, and another 14 nights as couple of weeks ago on her sister, Carnival Spirit. Nice, large interior cabins. I'm "lucky" enough to get casino discounts, even off my "regular" fares on HAL, which Carnival rarely gives me. It's usually in the 30%-off range, which lowers the price enough that I'm booking more and more. Now that I'm semi-retired and have more time to sail, the longer itineraries very much appeal to me. If I don't book a balcony, I prefer an interior. Love it nice and dark while sleeping. I'm often up early enough during the winter that I'm up on Lido when the sun comes up anyway.

This isn't how it's worked for me. It's been the same on HAL as on Carnival and I've taken many, many Carnival sailings where I've had free drinks while gambling. They just look at your card and write down your folio number. If you're at a slot, there's a button on the machine they push that shows your folio number so you never have to remove your card. At the bars, you have to had over your card for them to swipe, but you don't have to do that when you're playing in the casino.

My experience has been that you're limited to the drinks available at the casino bar (the one in the Gallery Bar). Service was fantastic, but I was on the first sailing in the US after she arrived from Europe in November 2021 and we only had about 500 pax. Technically, you DO need to be playing either slots or at a table. Occasionally, you can be standing around and a server will ask for your order, but don't count on it. I don't "bribe" upfront. I add a small tip when the drink is delivered although the regular tip is included in your offer and you don't have to add more.

Did you mean I-7114? Cabin 7112 is an SS on Rotterdam. Not sure what you mean about there being "only one Rotterdam sized ship." The other two in that class have the same cabins, don't they?

Pretty sure the interior cabin on my first RCI cruise was the smallest ever. Like 130 sq ft for me and my teenage DD. Literally had to squeeze between the two twin beds to climb in them. That's the reason that one RCI cruise was my one and only. I'm booked in an I on deck 6 on Rotterdam or 26 nights. I did ask about it before booking. My concern was that it backs up to an elevator and I do not want to hear that noise all night for weeks. I was assured it was a quiet location. I've looked at photos (try cruisedeckplans dot com) and it looks small but not tiny. Of course, my favorite interior cabins on HAL are the Large Inside J cabins on Vista and Signature class ships. Those are fabulous. So spacious.

I'll be on the Rotterdam for almost a month from early April. We call in Oslo. Having never been to Scandinavia, I'm very much looking forward to seeing Oslo and Copenhagen (then on to Scotland). I loved K'dam and Rotterdam looks like a beautiful ship. She isn't too large for my tastes. I think that's just about the right size to have enough amenities yet not feel crowded or too big. Sailing then in November on Volendam to Hawaii. My first HAL cruise was Zaandam to Hawaii, so I'm really looking forward to being on that size ship again as well. I totally understand the backlash against huge hordes of tourists descending on beautiful locations and the environmental impact.