REOVA

27 minutes ago, SuperCurmudgeon said:

On that topic, how much should a cab normally cost to get to FLL? The last time we arrived in port (many years ago), the driver took us all over the place. When we got to the airport, I gave him what I thought it should cost. He didn't make a fuss. He was on his phone the whole time (didn't understand the language) asking for what I thought were directions. I think he and us were seeing the city for the first time.

The sign at the port taxi stop states what the taxi fare is and supposedly they can't charge for certain things (luggage?). I think minimum stated was $13 with cost being a base approximately  $2.50 and $2.50 per fraction of a mile. For "no toll " route it's about 5 miles so you get the minimum. My cabbie just said minimum was $16 when we stopped but I was going to give $20 anyway so it wasn't an issue. 

Attend BB King band at least once. Get there 1/2 hour early (at least) and wear mask. Probably be crowded. 

54 minutes ago, KroozNut said:

Nope.. Even pre-pandemic, the staff served you in the lido. If true, this is something entirely different..

I was always using able to use tongs to get cookies, sandwiches, meats, fruit, etc pre pandemic. The main entree section was served by crew but the Lido sections by the cookies/deserts and far end sandwiches, chips, fruit, bread were self serve. Even back then people picked off food and put back partially eaten plates. Unless Nvirus or flu outbreak happened and HAL pulled in the reins. 

13 minutes ago, RuthC said:

S-class is gone. As noted above: it does not refer to the Signature class ships. 
P-class was the Prinsendam, although normally not referred to as that. It was the complete opposite of the Pinnacle class. 

The Signature and Pinnacle class ships do not use letters to note them. 

Thanks Ruth. I am aware of HAL history (and the last Prinsendam was our favorite even though it wasn't a HAL ship). As I mentioned, I use the "terminology" as short hand to differentiate when I post. Same with RDam and KDam. I have never had anyone get confused on what I type (unless of course I screw up a typo 🤪). 

Unless the Port or airport closes due to a Hurricane(are we done yet), getting a taxi (lined up right outside the terminal) and to the airport (<4 miles) is quick and easy. 

9 minutes ago, Wakepatrol said:

Gross- I see in grocery stores people get a free sample of food when they walk in the door then leave their dirty plate on a grocery shelf

Yes DW used to work for a grocery store and would find all kinds of partially eaten food stuck in shelves. "They" are not just on ships. 

2 hours ago, MISTER 67 said:

Thanks for the review, makes me feel a lot better as we sail on the NA on Dec. 4th, some reviews have been pretty negative. 

NA is a good ship that still gives you the feel of sailing on an ocean liner with a nice prominade deck to walk or sit and read (or visit with new friends), has some more dining and music venues than the "older" ships but doesn't give your the max dining, music and large hoopla of the newer Pinnacle class ships. If your interest is sailing, relaxing and meeting new friends and crew, it's a good ship. Everyone's review is going to be different as many have sailed HAL for decades and want the old back, many like the new, many can make the best of anything and many can't appreciate anything. But sail with no expectations and you'll be pleasantly surprised. 

1 minute ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Thank goodness this isn't happening on the koningsdam yet.  There are enough people that were raised by wolves.  Before someone asks I see dirty dishes everywhere.  I see them in the hallway, plates in the  elevator, on the railing.  Pretty much anywhere you can drop something.  Lazy, lazy people.

Sounds like a Carnival "fun" ship. 

Sounds like we are back to pre pandemic cruising. ☹️ some people have learned lessons, others will be doomed to repeat. Just hope the rest of us are not doomed. 

35 minutes ago, Banditswife said:

I am having trouble getting Hal's web page to show a bar code like the one showing on my phone.  Is it very small at bottom of pg?

When do you board? I believe the final boarding pass with bar code is closer to embarkation. The boarding pass earlier may not have the bar code and also may have a temporary boarding time that could change before the final is ready to print. 

33 minutes ago, AV8rix said:

Umm, terminology check.  R-class and S-class refer to two old classes of ships.  There are no S-class (named after Statendam) ships left.  There are only two R-class (named after Rotterdam -- but not Rotterdam VII) ships remaining -- Volendam and Zaandam.  Rotterdam VII belongs to Pinnacle class, as do Nieuw Statendam and Koningsdam.  The next size down (what you are calling S class) is Signature class -- Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam.  Jus' sayin'.

Correction. I meant something between S (Signature) and P (Pinnacle) class ships.  My terminology (using initials) which most people understand what I was saying. (Even if my R was supposed to be a P). But thank you 😉

We also prefer the other ships over the R class. (And the world stage oversight was a big thing). But R class will do what they were meant to do (more people onboard having a bar to drink at, more dining options to choose from and more music choices, although crammed in 1 area) and definitely brings a different crowd for shorter cruising itinerary than HAL is known for. Hopefully the next class ships will figure a happy median between S and R class. 

On 11/19/2022 at 11:47 AM, SFO PETER said:

Below is my Chat with a HAL representative.  Note that the Promo states Prepaid Crew Appreciation.

 

 

 

I dont see the Promo you reference. When did you book this cruise? We booked a HIA a week before the new  Black Friday promo which does not include Crew Appreciation but gives alot of OBC.  I specifically asked about it and was told not all HIA promos are alike.  I found out on precious booking when I found a cheaper price for a same cabin and a HIA package that did away with one of the usual HIA features (wifi) but was enough savings that I didn't worry about paying for wifi separately. Now it appears my current itinerary is advertised as including Crew Appreciation so I will let you know what they say about adding it. 

From what I've seen from posts in the roll calls is they usually can be filled by others if done sooner than later but it depends on the tour guide and deposit/payment requirements. I usually try to organize excursions that can take a range of people for a set price that way you can juggle the numbers up or down without affecting price. We've also done excursions where each person was responsible for their own deposit, which doesn't affect the group as much. I have seen tours that the total price is based on fixed number of people so if one backs out, the individual costs increase (disclosed beforehand to group). I've also lost deposits from cruise being cancelled so not all tours are able to accomodate change. During these dynamic times we have to allow for various situations. 

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

There have been some CC posts in the last couple of weeks that HAL is dropping fixed dining options and going all anytime.  One post I remember was from someone on the Rotterdam.

If they do, I'm sure there will be alot of upset passengers and they will have to allow folks to reserve times throughout the ship. Fixed dining is easier for the crew and we used to do it years ago but found we didn't always make it to dinner each night at the same time and didn't like leaving table mates eating by themselves. 

57 minutes ago, sandiego1 said:

We are going to bring wine on the World Cruise and buy at least 1 package. 

I did that as DW doesn't drink. Also was able to find different wines around the World to try and buy and bring onboard. 

We print everything I to a hardcopy folder just in case. You can pull up the boarding pass and "screenshot" it in your phone photos in case your phone gets wonky with service in the terminal. They need a clear scan of the bar code on the pass, so if your phone has smudges, scratches, or cracks, it may not work efficiently. I also have my light level low on the phone so that causes issues with scanning. We do the same with excursion tickets from Nav App because we've had some guides require the bar code on the excursion ticket instead of the cabin keycard (it's easier and faster for them). We always print our luggage tags at home and bring them. We don't put them on until just before leaving for the poet (we borrow a stapler from hotel). 

Great review. We just did Neptune Suite on Rotterdam so "revisiting" was nice (except they put the library back on the Rotterdam in place of one of the rooms near World Stage. We do agree that the venues in the music walk are very close together and when the band overlaps, you do get multiple songs going, which wasn't enjoyable trying to listen to BB King band in one ear and hearing Rolling Stone Rock band in the other 😆. We were also tracking TS/Hurricane Nicole and the weather Channel was put on one of the "special" channels, either of channel 100 or 200. The captain also did a couple of nice video presentations of where the storm was, where our route changed and why and what effect the location and winds would have. This was put in the ship information channel. Glad you enjoyed the ship. 

2 hours ago, shipfriend_max said:

Great @MVPinBoynton

keen to read your review as I am booked on the ROTTERDM in June 2023!

Did Billboard still serve snacks or fingerfood from the small buffet, and did you get served some figerfood as sailaway snacks? 🙂 

Rotterdam had snacks in Billboard, although it's over near the far wall, so if you weren't looking for it, you wouldn't know it was there. 

7 minutes ago, vino100 said:

So on the konsingdam there is no special dining for suite passengers? 
pits been awhile since I’ve been on HAL. 

For Neptune/Pinnacle suite, Club Orange is included complementary and on KDam (P class) it's where you eat breakfast, not in Pinnacle Grill like on other R or S class ships. 

34 minutes ago, Jeremiah On a Cruise said:

 

Thanks for the info.  How does seating the Club Orange section work on P ships?  Are there reserved times like in the MDR?  Or, is it open without reservations like Blu on Celebrity or Club Class on Princess?

Its open the same time as MDR hours for breakfast and dinner only.  We usually walked in each night at different times without reservations. On Rotterdam it was never full when we ate breakfast or dinner (dinner 6-6:30 ish) but breakfast on disembarkment day was crowded. Very relaxed on P ships. 

We've seen spotty service in dining room for the past 4 years (even pre covid) but there are many crew who go out of their way to make it better (or try). I do notice the bigger the ship, the more hurried the crew (staffing issues?) And more issues pop up. There appears to be many new crew faces nowadays and since we try to converse with them and get to know them, it's easier to try and help them learn and rectify. We always talk with asst maitre d' about happenings (or other supervisors we meet) just to let them know what we see, not actually complaining to them, but helping. Many times things can be fixed if someone who knows the big picture (from kitchen, bar to table) can work the kinks out. Helps in their planning and training. I love having great service, but also love to help them modify for the better in their process (if they are willing). Post covid I'm sure we've all seen more spotty service both on the ships and in our hometown. 

Its an extra per diem cost depending on ship and days which allows expedited embarkation/disembarkment (simolar to Neptune/4*/5* guest), a separate line at customer service and excursion desks onboard and some minor gifts.  I've heard that you get a cabin upgrade within a category and some have liked the upgrade and some have stuck with original selection. What we Iiked about Club Orange is the ability on the Pinnacle class ships to eat in the CO restaurant which is quieter and more efficient than the large MDR of those bigger ships. On non P ships you eat in the MDR, usually in a better table (by a window) and you can order the 1 different entree on the menu for CO members. That wouldn't be as appealing to me on other ships but we like it on the P ships. 

But if you prepay excursions or expenses with credit card prior to boarding, you can ask once onboard to use OBC and return money to credit card account which is refundable at end of cruise. 

The R class ships do not have the rooms for BB King. They do have a band in Ocean Bar which some of them (as well as pianist) may participate in a show on World Stage, but the R class are not set up for music like Music Walk on P ships. And unfortunately One Step Dancers, Canteres and BBC shows on World Stage are redundant. If they brought back the singers, stage band and dancers from the previous talent agency, it would bring better entertainment to the R class.  But we still like sailing the R and S class ships better than P class.