Petunia1950

I wish ALL cruise lines would ban her proactively, and not just Royal Caribbean.  She has plenty of other options for her idiotic tricks.

33 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

I am sure that some people will.  Its hard for people to keep up with all the deals/promotions/sales.  That is, unless they are on CC alot!

I would be clueless without CC!

4 minutes ago, SJSULIBRARIAN said:

 

Same thing happened to me last month on the Zuiderdam. It makes me think Club Orange is being offered randomly without checking to see which cabin is booked. 

I was surprised since Club Orange didn't exist the last time I sailed in a Neptune Suite, so I thought maybe I misunderstood how Club Orange works on Koningsdam.  I hope no one blindly buys the upsell without realizing they don't actually need to ...

Oddly, I just got an offer to buy Club Orange access for $35 a day even though I'm booked in a Neptune Suite on Koningsdam on the October 31 trans-Atlantic from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale.  I'm told it was a mistake.  I can only hope they haven't made a change that no one has been told about ...

They are free.  Enjoy!

1 hour ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

She was a beauty!

20 minutes ago, msmayor said:

 

I can see her stacks every time we drive into Philadelphia, usually headed to either the stadiums or the airport.  I bet she was a beauty in her day...

She was -- and even though we were there as part of a military transfer to Europe, we were treated like royalty.  She was one of the greats.

My first "cruise" was in 1963 -- SS United States, New York to Le Havre.  Military transport because my father was in the Air Force so the Air Force paid.  The United States was then the fastest ocean liner -- five days at sea total.  The entire family (luckily only 4 of us) slept in one two-bunk-bed room with a porthole.  And we were thrilled.  I still have the passenger list booklet and one or two of the menus.  Fast forward to 2008 for my second cruise on board RCL's Liberty of the Seas, then the largest of the RCL ships.  I think we paid about $1800 for a balcony cabin for two.  That one got me hooked, although I dumped RCL for good after they "couldn't find us" during a transatlantic cruise in 2012 so we missed the ship's tour we had booked.  I don't know where they thought we were since we had left Europe behind about 4 days earlier ...

39 minutes ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

I struggle with understanding the refrigerator issue on HAL. We will be trying HAL for the first time in many years when we sail on the Nieuw Statendam next year. I keep seeing posts about HAL charging for refrigerators, but then look at YouTube videos from the Nieuw Statendam and see refrigerators showing in every cabin. Were these paid for in advance? Is that why they are in the cabins when people walk in? I’ve always taken refrigerators in cabins for granted having sailed on Princess for many years. 

I believe the Pinnacle class ships, including Nieuw Statendam, have refrigerators in all staterooms.  I could, of course, be wrong.  But, at least the Koningsdam, which was the first Pinnacle class ship, has them.  From the HAL website:  "Does my stateroom have a mini-fridge? A mini-fridge is included with all staterooms. ".  So I can't imagine that they aren't in all staterooms on Nieuw Statendam.  But the same description goes on to say:  "Guests who need to refrigerate medication should store it in the ship’s infirmary, as mini-fridges aren’t cold enough for that purpose."   

In the past, I've managed to board with no issues with a steamer.  But, that said, I've never actually had to use the steamer.  I've found that hanging any wrinkly fabric items in the bathroom while the shower is running removes the wrinkles.  So I now leave the steamer at home.

3 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

From reading posts here, the Pinnacle Grill is still available for breakfasts on all the ships except the Koningsdam and the Nieuw Statendam.

Unfortunately, I'll be on Koningsdam.  Or fortunately -- I loved having breakfast in the Pinnicle Grill and will hopefully love Club Orange as much!  In any event, I'll be happy just sailing 🙂

Most Cruise Critic members are happy to answer questions, so I hope the condescending tone of the response you got doesn't discourage you from asking for information here.  I've sailed numerous times in Neptune Suites on HAL and I, too, am curious about Club Orange since the Pinnacle Grill is no longer available for breakfasts.  Frankly, searching through the thousands of posts in this forum is not always easy.   Have a good cruise and ask away!

2 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

On K'dam and NS (the two new Pinnacle class ships) Neptune and Pinnacle suite guests have breakfast in the separate Club Orange, as do the people who buy the CO package.

 

Thanks -- I'm still a little bit confused, but I will be on board soon enough and will "struggle" through it ;-)  Being on a ship makes just about anything worthwhile.

1 minute ago, oakridger said:

Neptune and Pinnacle Suite passengers on K and NS can eat in the separate Club Orange dining room.

But not in the Pinnacle Grill?  Does anyone eat breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill?  I'm so confused ... and I'll be in a Neptune Suite in 29 days so I'm also curious ;-)

1 hour ago, RuthC said:

Neptune and Pinnacle Suite passengers may eat breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill on all the ships, except the two newest ships in the Pinnacle class. Those are the Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam. 

Where do the Konigsdam and Nieuw Statendam Neptune suite guests eat breakfast if not in the Pinnacle Grill?

Thanks for both responses -- it's been driving me nuts.   You're the best!

I know you are on holiday ... I mean doing valuable research.  And I hate to interrupt that, but since you seem to know more about the CC website than most, I have a question.  In the old days, there was a way to go to "last unread" entry in a particular thread.  But I haven't been able to find that option on the new website.  I'm really enjoying your cruise notes, but it would be really fabulous if I could go directly to the last unread entry rather than scrolling through everything again.  Is there a way to do that without trying to remember the number of the last post you read?  And now that I've said that, I think there used to be a way to go directly to a post if you knew its number -- is that doable now?

It is not easy to find but at the very bottom of the first page of the Holland America website, there's a link to E-brochures.  Downloading one of the available brochures will give you the complete list of suite amenities, including what's available in the Neptune and Pinnacle Suites.  It's a mystery why HAL decided to hide the information ... 😏

I have not been on all the HAL ships, but of the five or six I have sailed on, there were no ATMs.  So I would imagine that is fleet wide.

You are correct (of course!).  I did mean service charge.  Thanks for the response.  I thought the $9 applied only to the drink, but it would have been a shock to find out otherwise when on board, since we're on a 15 night cruise and finding out after we sailed that we had to upgrade would have been  a lot more dollars.

Thanks again.

I've tried to find the answer to this on my own -- but have struck out.  And I may be worrying about nothing 😉 but would like to know for certain.

The Signature Beverage Package covers alcoholic (and other) beverages up to $9 a drink.  But when you add the 15% tax on to, say, an $8.50 drink (i.e., Grey Goose), the total comes up to $10.84.  

Is the $9 limit applicable ONLY to the actual drink price?  Or would we need to buy the Elite Beverage Package to be covered for the price of the drink, plus the tax?

Thanks in advance for guidance.

Thanks, Riana. This is very helpful. We've cruised on Royal Caribbean (now too big! and too many kids), Princess, and Holland America (our favorite for the reasons you cite -- no huge "bells and whistles", just a nice, simple, relaxing cruise to some nice ports). We're looking forward to trying Costa, which of course is a sister line to both Princess and Holland America.

Enjoy Prague -- it is definitely on my bucket list. And I long for the days when I still had a 0 in my birth date. :) We'll let you know if any additional questions come to mind. I hope to do a cruise review upon return -- I enjoyed reading yours so much and realize how valuable cruise review are to other cruisers!

Sally

Riana,

You were kind enough to respond to an inquiry I made earlier this year about the Costa beverage packages and I'd like to ask a few follow-up questions, with the hope that I'm not "wearing out my welcome". We will be sailing on Mediterranea next month; it will be our first Costa cruise, and although we've sailed on other lines over the years, we know each line is different. Thanks in advance for whatever information you can provide.

1. Since we are coming from the United States, are US electrical outlets available in the suites (we are in GS 7200)? Or will we need a converter for any hairdryers, etc., we bring with us?

2. Do the suites provide complimentary binoculars or umbrellas for use while on board?

3. Is there a place on board to exchange Euro banknotes for Euro coins?

4. I think I've read that Mediterranea sets aside a portion of the main dining room for suite guests. Is that right, or is there a separate dining room?

5. What is the charge for laundry / dry cleaning?

I very much appreciate whatever advice you can provide. We are really looking forward to this cruise and itinerary!

Sally

Bar staff were great - if you just said Gin and tonic you got the cheap stuff, if you ask for a specific brand and it is there - that is what they will pour - generous pours too I might add.

(I gave a tip a few times at the begining of the cruise) - I almost always got my drinks at the pool bar - once they got to know me I got better booze without remembering to ask.

Good to know!

This is great! Thank you again.