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@Alberta QuilterI’m sorry I can’t help you with when hotel packages became available, I never use them. Transfer from the airport to hotel and to the ship were easy and inexpensive in Buenos Aires. Our flight in Santiago was not until 11:55 pm so we booked an excellent all day private tour and transfer. Details are in my live thread. Do you have a TA or PCC? They should be able to help you with the hotel packages. I believe @NorbertsNiece and @TravelBluebird may have booked using hotel packages. Both did a live thread. Here’s mine I use Flightease to book international flights but regardless of where you book, I suggest you start looking for flights asap.

@ArchipelagoGenerally, hotel reservations open about a year before the date. (This is also true for flights.) IMO you are early. I was on this cruise in February and did a Live thread; there are several other live threads from the previous cruises. You may want to check them out. I booked our hotels and transfers independently, saved a great deal of money and was extremely happy with the independent experience. This is a trip of a life time. Enjoy!

@YourWorldWithBillI am unable to see most of the pictures you post too.

@NickelpennyThere are many from the Daily on the November 2025 including @kazu @dfish @Sharon in AZ Join the Roll Call! I look forward to meeting you. Tina

I agree. Dylan wrote the song in 1964. King wrote Shawshank Redemption in 1982. Remember, it was Dylan who won the Noble Prize for Literature in 2016.

On most ships it is 3star or higher.

The Super Bowl and Mardi Gras occurred during my cruise. There were large parties for both. Also, it stayed light quite late so there was often "scenic cruising" in the evening.

You may have more luck posting on the Cruise Travel Insurance forum. Although this post specifically references Princess, I think the answers could also be applied to HAL.

Happy Thursday! As a former bartender, a quick comment on the drink of the day. A Long Beach iced tea is different from a Long Island iced tea. Long Beach uses cranberry juice instead of coke. I recommend you only have one. Thank you @summer slope for researching our drink everyday. Thanks to all who make this a special place.

The Nieuw Statendam is a great ship with a nice variety of dining venues. The Music Walk has three venues, I particularly like the BB Kings Blues Club. Your Roll Call may be able to assist with some insight into the itinerary.

@Ready2go11 Thanks again for this wonderful thread. Why was the “Fun Fair” not held on a sea day? 🤔 It would have been more fun. Also, the Cellar Masters dinner would have been more relaxing on a sea day. (Morimoto pop up too.) I’ve haven’t seen any comments on special evening activities in the evening on sea days. Were there any?

We have had two beautiful spring days in MD and I look forward to all the fresh produce in the coming months. I bought rhubarb at the farmer’s market last Saturday. I made a compote that I put on cottage cheese and my DH puts on ice cream. Very simple, slice rhubarb, add some sugar, cook slowly over low heat. As soon as strawberries come in, I’ll use both in my favorite strawberry rhubarb pie. ( For those of you who don’t bake, Marie Callender makes a decent frozen one that I occasionally buy in the winter.) Try it, you might like it. @Mr. BostonI can’t imagine eating raw rhubarb, it’s so tart! That is a beautiful pie, as always, thank you for the recipes. Thinking of everyone struggling and in pain, be it physical or emotional, hoping for the best possible outcome. Cheers to those with something to celebrate.

@Haljo1935Thanks for your Dailys. I don’t know why showtimes on your cruise and the one that followed were so early (6/8). I am hoping that on this cruise they have been adjust to 7/9ish like the rest of the fleet. As far as daytime activities, I look forward to lectures and Hawaiian oriented classes. I’m not interested in “Coloring for Adults”.😊

Hi @cruisn71 thank you for this thread. I will be sailing the Koningsdam to Hawaii in January. Would it be possible for you to post a few Daily’s from your sea days. I’m interested in what activities are available during the day as the cruise returns to San Diego. Also, the times of the Main Theater performances so I can schedule my specialty dining times. TYIA

Perhaps your wish has come true. The Oosterdam’s late show was at 9 in February and is currently at 9 based on the Daily’s posted by someone on the current TA. The Nieuw Statendam’s late show was at 9 when I cruised in March. Based on the Daily’s posted by people currently cruising and doing Live threads, the Volendam & Rotterdam’s late show is at 9 and the Zuiderdam’s is at 9:30.

Call the PCC number, don’t put in your PCC’s extension, ask to speak to a supervisor, ask to be reassigned.

On my SA & Antarctica cruise in February, the second show in the theater started at 9. I would be more concerned about the noise than the steel balcony. We had a deck 8 cabin verandah towards the aft. The only time we felt the motion was going through the Drake passage when the seas were so high all the outside decks were closed. I came prepared with sea bands, Motion Eaze and candied ginger (The medication makes me sleepy and I didn’t want to miss a minute!) we kept green apples in the room. I never used any of it. My husband used it during the passage. It was as a trip of a lifetime. Enjoy.

I attended a Mariner’s lunch on the Rotterdam in October and the Oosterdam In February. We enjoyed both experiences. The menu was almost identical. Sparkling wine on the table when we arrived. Excellent lobster appetizer, you could also have a soup, maybe a salad. Main was filet, fish or vegetarian. Chocolates for desert. I will attend every time it is offered.

I am happy that you have found homes for two of the kittens and am even happier to hear you will be getting Munchkin spayed. Although somewhat controversial, I feel that trap-neuter-return (TNR) is the best method for dealing with feral cats.

Happy Tuesday! April is National Poetry month. Here is a poem by Ian Parks. Thank you Jacqui @kazu for posting our Daily, Roy @rafinmd for the maps and Rich @richwmn for assembling our content. Thank you Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for inspiring us to try new food and beverages. Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for the lists. I’d also like to thank everyone who posts port pictures, my favorite part of the day. Positive thoughts to those who need them. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

Happy Tax Day 😐 The state has returned some of my money but the money I owe the federal government will come out of my account today. i cannot celebrate McDonalds. Consuming a diet that relies on fast food such as McDonald's can significantly increase the risk of chronic health conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes due to the high levels of saturated and trans fats, sodium, added sugars and additives. Instead I will celebrate beet greens. Thank you Debbie @dfish for the salad recipes. They are also excellent cooked. Beet greens contain plenty of nitrates, which help lower blood pressure. Nitrates also improve oxygen levels in the body. Beet greens also help fight inflammation, improve digestive health, support brain health and contain anti-cancer properties. Boston Strong! I love this story about Spencer: the Boston Marathon dogPositive thoughts to those who need them. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

Perhaps Marines lunch is only on longer cruises. I was on a B2B on the NS 3/3-3/17/24 and there were no Mariner lunches. Since I did not receive an invitation prior to the sea days, I asked; no lunch was scheduled. BTW, 3/10-17 was over run with kids with no activities to keep them busy. There were also many more college age passengers who really enjoyed the “bar crawls”. However, next year, most MD spring breaks are from 4/11-22 so you may luck out on your “spring break” cruise.🤞

Pinnacle lunches are listed on the back page off the Daily program, usually on sea days.

I have never seen a Mariner’s lunch in the Daily program. On the Rotterdam TA (15 days) in October and the Oosterdam SA & Antartica (22 days) in February, we received invitations in our mailbox. @POA1Thanks for this thread, especially the pictures of the”pointy” room. Did it feel more spacious?

@singleflyerHere is the Pinnacle Grill lunch menu $19 + 18% gratuity. You can find this information on the Navigator app too