sevenseasnomad

1 hour ago, richwmn said:

This morning on the way to breakfast I had a feeling that we were not going to stop at St Thomas. About 7am the captain announced that we had some cases of Covid, now in quarantine an that we were denied entry into St Thomas. We are now headed for Half Moon Cay.

The activity list will change, so I am not posting it, but here is the menu for tonight.

 

Wow!  Didn't know you were aboard, richwmn.  Yes, as soon as the captain came on, I KNEW we were not stopping in St. Thomas.  Oddly enough, that port was the only one where I hadn't purchased a shore excursion.  I had brought a jacket to return to The Tablecloth Store, but guess that will have to wait until next time I'm in St. Thomas.  Wish I could meet you, but this is the first time I've been online at all.  Will try to check back later in the day to see if you've responded.

COVID, I think, will continue to impact the cruise industry for a long time to come, even after things settle down on land.  Am praying for the day it is mostly behind us, but wonder if that time will ever come.  After all, the 1918 flu, or strains of it, are still around.  Looking forward to a great day aboard because ANY day aboard is better than a day at work!!

Thanks for the review.  We cruised NS when she was only 3 weeks old.  Loved the ship, and your review brought back fond memories of the gracious, wonderful crew.  During this pandemic, I've worried about them, their livelihood, etc.  Of course, all of us have been affected by this event, but some industries have been more impacted than others.  I'm glad cruises are back.  In fact, we board Rotterdam next week.  Woo-who!  

Your boarding time, if it's been assigned, should be on your boarding pass.  As many have noted on this forum, the initial time you're assigned will probably change a number of times, so it's best to keep checking, even as close as three days out from sailing.  Hope this answers your question.

On 12/13/2021 at 11:52 AM, Sharon in AZ said:

Thank you for your comments on the Rotterdam. We board next week for the Holidays and can’t wait. We also are in a Vista and am disappointed to hear about the small bathroom, but I’m sure it’s functional. 
 

I believe San Juan is replacing St Kitts on our itinerary. It isn’t official yet but the Navigator app shows the change. 
 

Enjoy your next cruises you have scheduled!

We'll be boarding with you.  We show no change in itinerary.  In fact, we just booked an excursion in St. Kitts, so if we are indeed going to San Juan instead of St. Kitts, HAL will have to refund.  We've been to San Juan about a dozen times, so really not interested.  St. Kitts only once.  Oh, well.  Just to be back on a ship will be fabulous, so I won't complain.  

The first time we went to HMC we rented one, the pink one way down the beach by the restrooms.  Great choice, as it wasn't crowded at all at that end of the beach.  Back then, I believe the price was around $200.  We loved the convenience of having a shower, air conditioning, water toys, a cooler with soft drinks and water, and a waiter who brought things to us; however, we have never rented one on the dozen subsequent visits.  I can't recall if the butler service was extra or not.  I believe that service is very pricy now. 

Was it worth it that one time?  Yes, but on future visits, we also found that walking around the island is a lot of fun too.  If we want to sit these day, we simply park ourselves on the powdery sand or on one of the free benches, which is a lot friendlier to the budget.

Only you can decide if it's worth the $$$$.  Whether you rent a cabana or not, you will probably love the island.  Personally, I would put the money toward a cabana on the ship, since you can use it every day, and the service is to-die-for.  You will be truly pampered.  We've rented a ship cabana four or five times on those ships where it's available and have never felt we wasted the money.  Hope this answer helps.

Look on the excursions available for Half Moon Cay to get an idea of what to do.  My son loves the horseback riding, which involves guiding the horse on land paths and through the sea.  This excursion has become a tradition that he does each time we go, and we've been to the island probably a dozen times.  The first time we went we rode the horses and rented a cabana.  DH and I had the attitude that we've been there, done that, so we never paid for those things again.

The lunch on the island hasn't changed much over the years.  It's worth a look, but if you find nothing you like, you can go back to the ship were the Lido and Dive-In are open.  The tender runs every few minutes, so you don't have to worry about waiting to return to the island after lunch. 

If you prefer not to pay for an excursion, walking around the island is very enjoyable too, or you can simply sit on the beach and wiggle your toes in the powdery sand or swim.  There is also a bar and restaurant if you want to pay for food/beer/alcohol.

Half Moon Cay is one of our favorite spots, and like the signs say, you may truly wish you could stay forever.  Enjoy your day of a little slice of paradise.

On 12/4/2021 at 1:55 PM, Rick-n-MeMe said:

Hi Seven Seas Nomad, I don’t want to call out the waiter we had by name but once we switched to Sony’s section, we were much happier.  So ask for Sony’s section. His wife, Barbara, known simply as Ara, works in Tamarind and is lovely.  Tamarind was great and we loved her service.

You will love your cruise. The ship is very nice!  Ask anything else you can think of and we will try our best to be fair in any answer we are able to give.

Thank you so much for your wonderful review and fabulous pictures, especially of the cuisine.  You've made me hungry!  Will ask for Sony's section.  Appreciate the recommendation.  

8 minutes ago, kazu said:

Mine is back, now.  Makes you wonder about the stability of HAL site.

Kazu, 

This happened to me about a year ago.  Everything under my account was zero, including the cruise history and 4* ranking.  It happened on a weekend.  I called HAL on Monday morning without first checking the website and was told they often do site maintenance on weekends, which accounted for the problem.  Glad you got everything back, but yes, it can be jarring to go from 5 or 4 stars to 0!

Thanks, FlaMariner.  I was writing as several people were posting, so didn't see those responses, all of which answered my questions, until after I hit the submit.

Great review.  Thanks to OP for taking time to write it.  We enjoyed Statendam Christmas/New Year's 2019.  We were the 3rd or 4th cruise for that new ship.  We loved the first two Pinnacle-class ships, except for the narrow Promenade.  I'm sure we'll enjoy the Rotterdam, too, but we're also eager to get back onboard some of the smaller ships as well.  So glad that cruising is back.  

On 12/1/2021 at 2:56 PM, k9hndler said:

Interesting side note, we had room serviced/cleaned twice a day.  Others on ship had to pick ONE, morning or night.  We were on main deck in a family cabin.  

Since our last cruise was Christmas/New Year's 2019, is cleaning the cabin only once a day something new?  Is there no turn-down service at night anymore?  Does it cost extra to have the room serviced twice a day?  Please advise, as we board Rotterdam Dec. 22.  If it makes a difference, we are 4* and CO.  Thanks for the information.

Hi Rick and Me-Me,

Which section of Club Orange had the slow service?  I've read several reviews now that mention slow, inattentive service in CO, but it improves drastically when the posters changed sections.  We board Dec. 22 w/Club Orange, so we're hoping to avoid the "slow" section, unless, of course, the wait staff rotates sections from cruise to cruise.  Then, it will be hit-or-miss for us.  Thanks.

2 hours ago, ger_77 said:

I know if people submit compliments/complaints via the Navigator App that they're often addressed rather quickly.  I wonder if when on a cruise where the music is blaring, a number of cruisers got together and each one submitted a complaint via the app, that the volume might be lowered?   Just a thought.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

Storm the Guest Services desk with complaints!  Would they listen and lower the volume?  DH hated the noise around the main pool, especially when inclement weather forced the employees to close the roof.  We relocated to the Promenade Deck many times and found quiet spots, where the only sound was the wind and the waves.  Heavenly.

NCTribeFan, I so enjoyed your reviews.  I agree that after waiting so long to get on a ship again complaining is the last thing I want to do.  In fact, my friend and I, who will be on Rotterdam for Christmas/New Year's, have agreed not to gripe about anything.  We'll see how long that lasts.  LOL.  I envy your upcoming cruises.  I'm still teaching school to afford the few cruises I take each year, although I saved a bunch of money over the last two years and have money banked with HAL, since my three scheduled cruises were cancelled in 2020.  Now, I'm looking at booking, using those credits before the end of this year; otherwise, I lose that money, which is the last thing I want.

Glad it worked out.  Living on east coast means I always have to subtract the hours, so I call during Seattle's business hours.

2 minutes ago, nocl said:

Have not seen anything in writing anywhere that indicates that HAL is in general offering testing at the pier.  Nor on their web site.  Nor has anyone mentioned that they have been able to do so.  On the other hand there have been posts such as the one in this stream about people being denied boarding.

 

Did the PCC provide that information to you in written form that you could take with you, or just a verbal statement?  Not sure I would trust my cruise to a comment from a PCC without confirmation from another source in the cruise line.

 

Which port are you talking about?

Ft. Lauderdale

5 minutes ago, nocl said:

To put it simply - no.  It is the passengers responsibility to get tested, no results no boarding.

 

If there is testing at the pier it will be a charged for service, such as what Princess offers.  HAL does not say anything in their FAQs about offering an even for pay service at the pier.

This contradicts the information our PCC gave us, which supposedly came from a supervisor in ship's services.  We were told that we would need to have written proof that we'd had the test in order to be tested at the pier.  We sail 12/22, and I am already checking with local pharmacies/labs about getting the rapid test 12/20 before leaving for the airport.  HollDoll, will you arrive in the port city ahead of time to arrange a rapid test at some facility there?  We are also thinking of doing this, just to be sure we have results before getting to the pier.  Hope this helps for what it's worth.

Your descriptions have me hungry to get on any dam ship.  Fortunately, we sail on Dec. 22 on Rotterdam.  Hope our cruise is as lovely (and delicious) as yours sounds.  Thanks for the posts.

Oh, boy.  Can't wait.  Now, if only they'd reintroduce chocolate bread pudding. . .  I can dream, right?

We have sailed with HAL for the past 11 Christmases, except for last year's COVID shut down.  We'll be on Rotterdam Christmas/New Year's in about a month. COVID restrictions may change how the ships celebrate Christmas, but in the past, there was a tree lighting ceremony at the beginning of the cruise.  One night, there was caroling.  Christmas Eve was normally designated as the gala evening with a special performance and midnight services.  Christmas morning, Santa would arrive, normally in the theater, usually around 11 a.m.  

One year aboard Noordam, we enjoyed caroling in the Artrium with flakes of snow falling from the upper balconies.  There was at least five inches of the fine paper stuff on the floor when the event finished, but the effect of the fluttering "flakes" was astounding.  Of course, all the kids rushed to play in the "snow" at the end.  

In the past, all of the public spaces on the ships were decorated with trees, wreaths, gingerbread villages, and garlands, and the staff constantly handed out cookies.  The Christmas we sailed aboard Prinsendam (no longer part of the HAL fleet), we returned from midnight mass to find a beautifully wrapped present on our bed.  It was a metal ornament of the ship.  We never received gifts on the other ships, however.

As for your soft drinks and other bottled beverages, such as water, I have no idea what the current policy is.  It's probably been six or seven years since we last boarded with several cases of soft drinks.  Now, we buy the nonalcoholic drink package.  You may want to call Seattle and see if anyone can give you updated policies.  Be advised, though, that one person may tell you one thing, while another contradicts that information.  Have a wonderful holiday.

4 hours ago, Rick-n-MeMe said:

MDR was open for lunch. We are on the Rotterdam now and we ate lunch in the main dining room.  It was on the 2nd floor.

 

 We boarded around 1215 and the staff didn’t appear to pay any attention to actual boarding times. Everyone entered from one area and then eventually we were funneled to priority, etc. areas for photo recognition of passport.  After the initial long line to get in the first set of doors, things moved quickly.  Your room cards will be waiting for you in an envelope at your stateroom.  

 

All is good on the ship so far….although Club Orange has some slowwww service. 

Thanks for the information.  We, too, have Club Orange.  Last cruise, 2019 Christmas/New Year's on Nieuw Statendam, service in Club Orange was snail's pace the first night.  After that, it picked up and was the efficient, friendly service we've always enjoyed.  Since we haven't sailed for two years, we've made a pact not to complain about anything, although if we have to sit for half an hour or more waiting for service, we may have to break our agreement!  How long are you having to wait for your order to be taken and for food to be delivered to table?  

Love the dueling horns.  Heck, I love ships' horns period.  Your pictures are lovely and make me want to dive into the middle of one, especially the waters around Half Moon Cay.

Btimmer, Thanks for the wonderful photographs and commentary.  We will board Dec. 22 for 11-day Christmas/New Year's and are, of course, counting the days.  I have a few questions and will thank you in advance for taking time to let us share in your cruise experience.  At what time did embarkation begin?  Was MDR open for lunch that day?  Will there be an Orange Party?  If not, has that event gone by the wayside, or will HAL reinstate it at some point in the future?  I don't want to pack my orange party clothes if there's no Orange Party!  How is the entertainment?

46 minutes ago, Evilmuffin said:

There has been a few threads/discussions regarding assigned Boarding Times in Groups A, B, C, etc.

It has been mentioned that Group A is at 1300 hrs (1 pm).   

I just received a notice that my boarding time is now 1200 hrs. 

On the Eurodam on 5 Dec, in case someone was wondering which ship.

 

Good news for you.  Maybe you'll be on the ship earlier too.  May I ask how HAL informed you?  Via email?  Phone app?  Thanks.

2 hours ago, 12cruise2 said:

We're wondering if the above three ships have the Promenade Deck with Deck Lounge Chairs (the adjustable wooden ones with the cushions like those on the Nieuw Amsterdam and other, older ships)?  I'm thinking they do not have those deck chairs, but would like confirmation.  Thank you all for your help!

NO, unfortunately.  Very narrow Promenade.  In some places, only one person can walk through, plus much of the wonderful ocean view is obstructed.  These three Pinnacle-class ships have some wonderful features, but I truly miss those wide, lovely Promenade Decks, available on other classes of HAL ships.

7 hours ago, shanni-shanni said:

I just spoke to Guest Relations and the lady said the MDR will be open when we board @ 1.20pm on the Rotterdam on Dec. 22, 2021.

 

Tom

Tom, Thanks for your post and for a sliver of hope.  Like you, we love going to the MDR for embarkation day lunch.  When I noticed our 1 P.M. boarding time, I too called Seattle to inquire about the MDR being open.  The person I spoke with said he doubted the MDR would be open, but would not totally commit to it being closed. 

When I asked if he could check with a supervisor or if I could be directed to a department who might have the information, he said he was giving me the best current information.  Should the MDR be open, we'll be happily surprised, but we aren't holding our breaths.  I am unsure where we'll eat because I normally avoid the Lido anyway due to food allergies.  Maybe I should pack a lunch.  LOL. 

20 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Don't say those words ..

Wholeheartedly agree.  Wish my friend had more info.  She said Carnival was giving a "heads up" notice to TAs about future cancellations, which doesn't sound good.  Like many, we have our fingers crossed that we'll be sailing on Dec. 22, but I am not allowing my excitement to run away with me as I normally do.  Goodness, it will be two years this December since we've sailed!  Talk about being in cruise starvation mode. . .  If Rotterdam does sail as scheduled, we won't know how to act, except to say "color us over-the-moon with anticipation/glee."