grouchomarx

I did not really enjoy this venue, it felt cold and uncomfortable. Watched a game show type thing there once but did not return.

I don't really need full turn down per se, but I do want my cabin checked while I'm out to dinner and towels refreshed as needed and any trash removed. We are very neat, clean, organized travelers and present little extra work (if any) to a room steward. But I want fresh towels every day and my bed made. I don't want things like they are at home, I'm on vacation to not worry about towels, cleanliness or making the bed. I do that every day and I want a break from it. I don't need chocolates, animals or anything else just my papers for the next day, fresh towels, trash out and any quick cleaning needed.

We had no trouble completing it a few days ago for our 10/21 sailing. It asked for EITHER a vaccination proof or negative test, we are vaccinated so it was very easy. From everything I read it makes boarding a lot faster.

I usually bring my own, as cruise ship dryers are usually not good. Last one on Celebrity Edge was acceptable. I have curly hair and do a full blow out, so it needs to be fairly decent in terms of airflow, heat and ease of use (not attached to anything). Those micro minis just don't work for me. Sailing on NS soon.

Wow this is amazing news! Thanks everyone!

I have 11am boarding on NS, new to HAL. Just wondering what to expect for estimated time rooms open up.

Nieuw Statendam, balcony cabin. Need to know if I should bring my own or if they have liquid hand soap, I don’t do bar soap.

Ok great, I feel relieved! Thanks very much.

Do they take reservations in MDR? I cannot book it online but thought maybe onboard day 1 I could try. I don’t wish to sit with strangers but I want to try the MDR since I heard the food is so good.

First trip on HAL coming up in a few weeks and I have some specific questions about Nieuw Statendam (7 day Caribbean): Will I need to make MDR reservations once onboard or will walking up around 7:30 get me a table for 2 without a long wait? Are tables for 2 hard to get in MDR? Will they try to make you share with strangers? Is MDR open for lunch on embarkation day? How is service in MDR compared to specialty restaurants? In my cruising history it’s never as good, not even close, but perhaps HAL has a higher standard. (I find specialty dining service much like that in a land based restaurant, whereas MDR is more of a machine and you get served drinks and food at the pace that works best for them, which is often not what works best for me. For example, if I order a certain drink to have with a certain course, it often won’t arrive on time to pair with the food.). This is based on Princess, Celebrity, RCI, and NCL cruises. If our booking came with the standard drink package included, is it eligible to upgrade to Elite once onboard? Are the Retreat cabanas hot and stuffy in the Caribbean or do they catch a breeze? And is it possible to snag one for just a day or you must do the whole week to secure a spot? Is it hard to get single day thermal suite pass? Thanks in advance for your helpful advice.

Princess has on some ships a retreat area with a pool and loungers. It is free but the cabanas are for a charge. And they are not worth it as they are right next to the pool and not private at all.

This is very helpful, thank you very much. I think I’ll be ok with my existing package. I’m not used to such low drink prices on a cruise!

How useful is the $11 limit from the signature package? I am going on HAL for the first time in two weeks and got the signature package. I am from NY (just outside NYC) and there is no such thing as a cocktail that costs $11. So I am wondering how we will fare. We drink all day/night and love cocktails and wine. I hope we won’t be shelling out a lot of extra $$ or drinking garbage. I usually order Grey Goose, Belvedere, etc. I am fine with Absolute, Titos’ etc. with a package but I’m hoping at least that will be included and I don’t have to resort to like well quality booze and cheap crap wine.

The problem in the solarium on Edge is there are no tables except in the cafe. I found it frustrating having to put my cocktails on the ground. So if you want to play cards in the solarium there is nowhere else to do it. Not saying it's ok but they should put some tables around outside the cafe, if there is a known demand for it. Or just say no using tables for games during food service hours, which were quite limited. As for the retreat, we never had a problem getting the area we wanted, hogs were no issue on Edge in Feb. We would go up around 10am and pick a spot in the shade and stay there all day. Usually it was the L-shaped couch/chair/coffee table set up we preferred. One day we went to grab a quick bite and left all our stuff there (very well spread out, clothes, hats, glasses, tote bag, water bottles, etc. it was obvious we would be back soon). We returned about 30 minutes later and some random guy was sitting on the end of our couch! It was kinda weird because he didn't leave when we returned and plopped ourselves back down. I didn't say anything. Turns out he was just dog tired from burning in the sun and wanted a seat in the shade for a bit. I didn't mind too much since the couch is gigantic but it was a bit awkward. He left after a little bit. I think they need more shade up there.

I don't tip any extra on a cruise, generally speaking. If someone goes above and beyond the call of duty I will. For example one time I was dining in a steakhouse on a cruise and the waitress decided to bring us every side dish the restaurant offered, without us asking for it. I tipped her $20. If nobody does anything extra like that, I feel that the automatic gratuities are sufficient. I think you should do what you feel is appropriate and there should be no pressure to hand out extra $$ when you've already specifically paid gratuities. If I'm in Mexico, I will tip everyone. The resort is AI and it does state that gratuities are "included" but there is no specific charge for it so I don't know if employees actually get anything above their regular salary and assume they don't.

It really is a shame they have these policies in place. It sends the message that once you reach a certain age, there is little to no chance you might still be physically fit and want to participate in active excursions. It's insulting and discriminatory. The most fit person in my gym is a 74 year old woman. She goes multiple times a day, every day, doing spin classes, HIIT classes, pilate, cardio, and all manor of strength training. There are lots of folks like that. I hope to be one of them some day (only 50 now). They should allow a waiver, wouldn't that cover things? So stupid. It should just allow you to click a button in the booking saying if you're over a certain age, you accept full responsibility if anything happens, etc etc. Just curious, are they actively enforcing this or is it just lip service? I saw on a Celebrity thread that it was greyed out and they were unable to click on it for booking because they were over the age limit. Is Royal the same?

I second Bistro Mezzaluna, we always eat here the night before a cruise!

Mine was confiscated on Feb sailing on Edge. FIrst time ever since I've taken it on all my other cruises. Seems Celebrity scrutinizes more.

In Aqua class you can eat anywhere any day or night. We did all the main dining rooms and Blu. Nothing needs to be arranged you are free to do as you like. I will say service was much nicer in Blu than the other 4 restaurants. It is more like land based restaurant service whereas the other 4 have typical cruise ship MDR style service which means it can feel rushed and/or you may not get drinks delivered to be paired with you food in a timely fashion. Drink packages work at all bars. If the price exceeds the limit you pay the difference. Some of the drinks in Eden are quite pricey and will exceed the limit. I didn't think they were worth the extra cost, they were pretty small and unremarkable although there is one that comes out in mossy wooden box filled with smoke and that was pretty cool.

I did a lot spa services on both my March 22 and October 21 cruises on Edge and did not contract anything. Multiple massages, facials, mani, pedi, haircut. I imagine they prep the rooms impeccably between clients and the therapists wore masks. They take the risk of themselves getting sick quite seriously because of the consequences (had a few conversations about this). So I'm sure the effort they put into keeping themselves safe in turn works out to benefit the customer as well.