luv4cruises

Yes, sad news for us true Piano Bar fans, Luckily Jimmy is retiring while we can still remember wonderful nights with him in the true Piano Bar.

IMHO HAL has blown it. The dueling pianos held no appeal for me on the Koningsdam, Before finding out if this new venue works the management decides to incorporate it on all ships being refurbed. Reminds me of Royal Caribbean’s decision to replace the MDR fleetwide with flexible-rotating dining ala Quantum class ships. They soon discovered that it was an unpopular and failed plan and did not go forward with it.

But HAL has taken no time to gather data on the popularity of their changes. RIP Piano Bar, Crow’s Nest, Northern Lights, truly unique NA chandelier!

A shame about the revolving NYC skyline. That was spectacular! [emoji25]

 

 

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I agree ! I thought it was perfect for the NA!

Were the veranda cabins refurbished- new carpeting and furniture? Fingers crossed. Thanks for the review!

Upcoming Cruises:

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9/14/18 Equinox S. Caribbean

11/25/18 Regal Princess B2B Caribbean

1/4/19 Reflection Reflection. S.Caribbean

2/17/19 Allure of the Seas W. Caribbean

10/4/19. Equinox S. Caribbean

1/12/20 Allure of Seas Caribbean

Past Cruises: 7/06 Alaska Oosterdam,

2/07 Westerdam E Caribbean.

7/07 Paul Gauguin Tahiti.

2/08 Oosterdam Mexico

4/08 RCI Liberty W. Caribbean,

7/08 Caribbean Princess E. Caribbean,

2/09 RCI Voyager W. Caribbean,

4/09 Eurodam E. Caribbean,

6/09 Carnival Splendor Mexico,

9/09 Ruby Princess Grand Med,

1/10 Noordam S. Caribbean,

6/10 Golden Princess Alaska,

9/10 Carnival Splendor Mexico,

3/11 Noordam S. Caribbean,

8/11 Carnival Splendor- Mexico,

11/11 Eurodam-E. Caribbean,

1/12 Ocean Princess- Tahiti.

5/12 Carnival Liberty W. Caribbean

10/12 Carnival Splendor Mexico

11/12 Eurodam. E. Caribbean

2/13 Celebrity Eclipse S. Caribbean,

4/13 Emerald Princess S. Caribbean,

8/13 Carnival Breeze W.Caribbean,

8/13 Oasis of the Seas W.Caribbean

12/13 Nieuw Amsterdam W./E.Caribbean

1/14 Sapphire Princess California Coastal

4/14 Celebrity Eclipse S. Caribbean

8/14 Freedom of The Seas W.Caribbean

11/14 Royal Princess S. Caribbean

2/15 Celebrity Eclipse S.Caribbean

5/15 Navigator of The Seas W.Caribbean

9/15 Oasis of the Seas W.Caribbean

11/15 Celebrity Equinox Panama Canal

4/16 Celebrity Eclipse S.Caribbean

5/16 Allure of the Seas W.Caribbean

9/16 Crown Princess Mexico

11/16 Regal E,W Caribbean

3/17 Koningsdam S. Caribbean

5/17 RCI LibertyW. Caribbean

9/17 Equinox S. Caribbean

11/17 Eclipse S. Caribbean

Too many touches with iPad! Can’t seem to delete.

We love the Caribbean because we love to snorkel.

For the past several years Celebrity has been the only mainstream cruiseline to offer a 14 day cruise to the Southern Caribbean - with 8 ports of call, not a B2B. Unfortunately this unique itinerary is being discontinued as a regular offering. We love Celebrity- better all around experience- definitely better entertainment and dancing with much more to do day and night. Yet their are places to just relax and read or dream. Like HAL the guests are mature and sophisticated.

Their perks are much better, their

loyalty program puts HAL to shame.

However, if you want to visit Grand Turk or HMC on a cruise you will most likely have to book a Carnival owned cruise line. We love to snorkel so we will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam in March- with a decent promo.

Lately we have been disappointed in HAL- even the Koningsdam

There is no hub of activities like the Grand Foyee

on Celebrity or the Piazza on Princess, the music lacks variety, Blues or classical, with the removal of the disco and the true piano bar - dancing to a variety of music genres and singing have been eliminated, no adults only smoke -free pool like in the Solarium,

So we are cruising on HAL in March, somewhat reluctantly, but the promo and the opportunity to snorkel in Grand Turk, visit HMC, and walk the beautiful promenade, second to none, have lured us in this time. I know we will have a wonderful cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam. We are lucky to be able to cruise often.

Then back to Celebrity and Princess,

Do you know if the Veranda cabins have been refurbished- new carpeting etc.?

I just spoke with Captain’s club rep, after having spoken with other reps over the past several days.

She affirmed that the only options are the unlimited, the 1 hour for 19.95, and the 24 hour for 24.95.

I asked if I could spread out the hour or the 24 hour over several days. The answer - NO! So in essence a guest is charged for continuous use that is very difficult to use- the middle of the night. Whoever came up with this pricing is clueless regarding the cruise experience. I also asked if I could purchase the “Elite” 90 minutes! NO.

This will be my 42 cruise, my 7th with Celebrity. and the first time I will be DENIIED an Internet package that offers cruisers reasonable options that meet individual needs.

The mature cruiser loves to be removed from ordinary daily activities, does not need nor want to be continually connected as the younger generation needs to be, but at the same time wants to be in touch with family just to know that everything is okay. We don’t need to be on social media, nor post photos of our every movement, or meal. That can wait til we return home.

Thank you! I will try to access the info you have provided! 😊

I just saw a post saying Sue Denning is transferring to Eclipse today. See post #19 on following thread:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2448754

Hope you are right. Next week will be our third Cruise with her.

Just got off the phone with X and we have been told that Southwest is available as we are on back to backs out of P.O.M. in January. Flights cannot be after 6:00 P.M. You have to depart before then as we are going to do. We fly out of FLL as we can get a Nonstop flight as in Miami we would have a layover which is not to our liking. This is what we were told so we are hoping this is true.

I hope you are correct. Two different X agents told me last week that Luggage Valet would not be offered for SWA passengers, Let you know as we Sail next Sunday,

Next week we will be cruising our favorite Southern Caribbean itinerary on the beautiful Eclipse for the 5th time, and most likely the last as the ship will be heading to South America , and regrettably Celebrity is discontinuing this beautiful, regular 14 day itinerary during the Caribbean season. Instead it will only be offered a few times a season on a different ship.

Each time I have been on the Eclipse I have had to plead and beg for Celebrity to include Southwest as an option for luggage valet. Luckily Damien in Guest Services has come through for me a few times.

I just learned today that Luggage Valet will not be available for passengers of Southwest Airlines when we diisembark from the Eclipse on December 10.

I cannot understand why Celebrity excludes Southwest when Princess, HAL, and RCI include them. Even the biggest RCI ships include Southwest. We have had perfect experiences using luggage valet for Southwest flights on other cruise lines and even when disembarking from the biggest ships, The Allure, and the Oasis.

It is so disappointing to NOT have Luggage Valet available for Southwest passengers when other cruise lines have had no problems accommodating their many guest who fly to Florida on Southwest Airlines.

I sure hope Damien is still working in Guest Relations, because I will be there on day 1 of my cruise, November 26, begging and pleading with the Eclipse staff to include Southwest Airlines in their luggage valet program

Modern Luxury should include Luggage Valet for one of the most traveled airlines to Florida, Southwest!

Staying in touch with my family is very important to me when I cruise. In the past I have been able to buy enough minutes to be able to email, text, or FaceTime with them every few days without breaking the bank.

Celebrity’s new internet package offers unlimited for a 14/day cruise for 287.00, or 19.95 an hour, or 24.95 for 24 hours. None of these options address most cruisers’ needs. Do I want to be on the Internet for an hour straight, or for 24 hours when I’m on vacation? NO!

All I need is 5 -10 minutes a day to be in touch with my family

100-200 minutes would be perfect for me. Instead there is no reasonable choice to meet my needs.

Celebrity needs to go back to minutes for purchase that can be spread out throughout a cruise not compressed into a limited, short time period.

I hope that Princess and HAL have not discontinued blocks of internet minutes for purchase.

Hate to sound like a broken record- but here we go again!

I STILL can't access my November 2017 reservation!

I attempted to check in moments ago,and received the same old - "your account is locked...wait 20 minutes". I've been trying for weeks.

Celebrity- are you reading the boards? In 2017 technology is very advanced. Fire your IT department for NOT doing its job!

I guess I have to revert back to 1990's business by phone mode. Celebrity, at least take the word "Modern" out of your logo.

Celebrity needs to remove the word "Modern" from their logo. Their website takes us back decades as we are forced to use the phone to service our reservations .

Can't they just hire the Princess web designer and IT department. The Princess website has been the best for at least a decade!

And Princess has an onboard app "Princess at Sea " that allows guests to text each other on board, see the daily schedule and more-

Tried again last night to access Cruise Planner! I am still locked out! I will have to contact Celebrity yet again by phone when I have time after working and babysitting my grandchildren!

So hard to believe that in our world of instant feedback and communication one has to rely on a time-consuming telephone call.

I have been trying to access my reservations for 2 days now. Every time I receive an error message! I have tried logging in through direct log-in and through Cruise Planner using the booking number etc. I have tried on different devices, including a desk top computer. I called Celebrity 4 or 5 times yesterday. They were able to access my reservation and assured me I would be able to do so as they had unlocked it! Not so!

I wanted to see the shore excursions for the recent itinerary change to my November Eclipse sailing.

The representative had to read them to me!

This morning I thought I would try again!

Still getting the error message. UGH!

I have cruised on 6 different cruise lines. Celebrity's website has always been the worst. I did not think it could get any worse! But it has!

IMHO Princess has had and still has the very best, most user friendly website. Celebrity and Royal should look into hiring the Princess web designer!

Tried correct typos of my post but keyboard locked.

All the cruise lines are changing.

And so is HAL. Depending on the ship you want to sail on, depends on if changes have been made.

Everything started with the Koningsdam. And has spread to the Eurodam and now the Westerdam. Piano Bar gone -- now have dueling Pianos -- no chance to sing along. No Northern Lights. The BB King group in the Queen's Lounge on some ships and Crow's Nest on other ships -- way too loud for us. There is the Lincoln Center and the Billards Room. Slowly the places to dance and listen to music are disappearing.

I agree! After my Koningsdam experience I find myself having to talk myself into a HAL cruise. The venues we liked most are being replaced on older ships. Regrettably they are being "Koningsdam Ed". I hate the dueling pianos and will always miss the real "Piano" bar where guests could sing along til late at night. IMHO HAL had the very best piano bar of the six cruise lines on which we have traveled.

There are few places to dance.p- on HAL ships- no entertainment in the atrium or Piazza. Since I am not a blues fan BB King has no appeal. The production shows are now technology driven- with less time given to live performers. Now- the overall cruise experience I like is usually found on the Celebrity Solstice class ships and the Royal and Regal Princess ships.

I will book HAL from time to time because of an irrestible promo, the true promenade deck on Vista class ships, the stops at Half Moon Cay, and Grand Turk and nostalgically because I fell in love with cruising on my first cruise on a HAL ship.

Let me add that Celebrity allows guest to use OBC to book shore excursions prior to boarding the ship.

I was looking forward to my Nieuw Amsterdam cruise in March- great promos- until I learned that it too will be "Koningsdamed" before I embark .

If u pay for the excursions before the cruise and get the obc paid out at the end, you are essentially repaying yourself for the excursions and using your obc for what you want it for

OBC given in a cruiseline promo is never refunded.

My point was that I just want to use it for purchases related to that particular cruise.

We had a lot of OBC on the Noordam in June. I went to the excursion desk two days prior to a costly excursion that I had prebooked and paid in advance. I told the excursion rep that I had a lot of OBC and I needed to use some of it on an excursion that I had prebooked. The excursion desk credited my excursion to my shipboard account and rebilled the excursion to my OBC. The money that I had prepaid was refunded by HAL at the end of the cruise. I expected to see a separate credit to my credit card but it all washed out through my onboard account. It’s awfully hard to monitor that shipboard account but it came out right in the end.

I will definitely try your plan! Thanks!

Our promo included pre-paid gratuities. I don't want the OBC refunded either. I just want to use it for the excursions we love to do.

I once was an enthusiastic HAL cruiser. This year I have encountered many disappointments.

I just booked shore excursions for my upcoming Nieuw Amsterdam cruise.

Regrettably I was unable to use any of my 600.00 OBC to pay for the excursions.

Celebrity, on the other hand made it so easy to use my OBC to pay for excursions on my 3 future cruises booked with them through 2019.

I will be forced to use my 600.00 HAL OBC for things or activities I do not want. Why not allow guests to use their OBC for HAL excursions?

This coupled with the poor and limited entertainment, reduced on board activities, lack of variety in musical entertainment, lack of opportunities to dance in various venues, elimination of the TRUE Piano bar that we experienced on the Koningsdam make

my once favorite cruise line a distant 3rd choice,

Our March 2017 Koningsdam cruise left us

longing for the Celebrity Soltice class ships or the Royal and Regal Princess ships,

It took HAL years to catch up to all other mainstream cruise lines in eliminating smoking on balconies. I guess it will be the same for honoring their guests with the ability to use their OBC to pay for EXC HAL shore excursions.

Editing one's signature was relatively easy in the past by using the User CP tab.

That tab is no longer obvious. I have had to search the menu. Once I found it I could not remove countdown clocks from my signature.

Anyone know how to do it?

Also please bring back the User CP tab.

Thank you.

Princess has the best website by far! Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, HAL ,Carnival should employ the person who designed the Princess Website- 100 % user friendly.

It seems that RCI-parent company is chip- chip-chipping away at what used to be included in your cruise fare. In May we sailed on Liberty of the Seas only to discover that there was now an $8.00/order charge for room service with the exception of continental breakfast.

Now Royal just announced a non-refundable deposit option on Royal Ships. Those of us who remember the good old days when cruising offered so many perks not avaiable on land-based vacations have good reason to lament and wonder what cut or extra charge is next?

I have often thought that Royal could get away with higher prices, fewer perks and promos, deceptive deals like BOGOHO, 30,30,30 (when analyzed offer no deal at all - just adjusted pricing, because they cater to younger cruisers often with less experience on other cruise lines, who are loyal to Royal so have no idea what they are missing or paying more for. I just pray that Celebrity, Princess and HAL do not follow Royal's lead. HAL and Carnival still offer gourmet burger, hot dog bars for no additional cost. Modern Luxury needs to take a step back and discontinue charging for the all American meal.