Grandmaanne7

Thank you for your daily updates and so much helpful information.  I will miss following along with you.  Continued safe travels.

The article states that the shows debuted on one ship in February 2024. Looks like nothing will be added to my upcoming Volendam cruise. 

11 of us will be ending our cruise in Boston. Our flights don't leave until 3:30 and 4:00. The ship's excursion is expensive and doesn't sound overly exciting. Are there any recommendations for a reliable, reasonably priced service that could handle 11 people and their luggage and provide an interesting 3 to 4 hour tour with airport drop off? We are a multi generation group with a variety of interests so hopefully not hard to please. 

21 minutes ago, JeLy_Beanz said:

Which pkg do you have? We had the HIA and just got off the NS in February and the milkshakes were included we got ours at the gelato station - gelato was extra though. 

Thanks for this. Yes, we have the HIA package. I've been told that, on the Volendam, they are available at the Dive In and are included. I will have some very happy granddaughters!

1 hour ago, Real NHDOC said:

Usually there are two sea days on a 7 day itinerary and the cake event is on the second sea day. 

I understand that, however, since we only have one sea day on our upcoming cruise, will it be then or not at all?

If there is only one sea day on a 7-day cruise, will cake day likely be on that day or skipped altogether?

9 hours ago, Trapper44 said:

Not sure about ordering onboard Volendam. My suggestion would be to do as we did for our Granddaughter. We pre-purchased a drink card in her name for the cruise. She received a very nice card, with her name on it, to use during the cruise, and it served as a great souvenir of the cruise.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. We already have the HIA package. Hoping it will serve us well. It sounds like it will.

2 hours ago, richwmn said:

Currently on Volendam and would be happy to answer specific questions.

There is now freesytle machine on Volendam, only on the Pinnacle Class Ships (Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam, Rotterdam). Coke, Diet Coke, and Sprite are part of the 'minibar' setup. Other Coke products are available from Bartenders. Please note that the 'minibar' is not part of beverage packages.

 

Thank you for offering to answer specific questions about Volendam. Are you aware if the milkshakes from the DIVE IN are included in the HIA package?

4 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Thank you so much! Obviously my TA doesn't deal with HAL very often. 

P.S. I love your signature! 😊

HAL newbie here. I have read that children eat free in specialty restaurants yet my TA informed me that we will have to pay $54 for my 12 year old granddaughter when we dine at Pinnacle Grill because she is the 3rd person in a cabin with the HIA promo. She will most likely choose the chicken strips off the children's menu so $54 seems a little excessive to me. Can anyone clarify for me? TIA

1 minute ago, crystalspin said:

I just learned that the Dive In (burgers, dogs, and fries on the Lido Pool deck) has shakes that are included in the HIA/SBP!!!

Wonderful! Thank you! Where did you learn this information?

15 minutes ago, RuthC said:

You could maybe try faking one? Get a big glass (perhaps at the bar), put in some soft serve ice cream, add some milk from the coffee creamer area, and have the ice cream server squeeze in a dollop of syrup? 
Then, try to stir it as best you can? Maybe using a knife, as it's longer than a spoon? 

The ingredients for a chocolate shake are there. 

That's a good plan B. It's unfortunate, though, that for the amount paid for HIA, one has to go to these lengths when milkshakes are right there. 

I assume, from your suggestion, that there is self serve soft ice cream. The grand-kids will love that!

13 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

@Grandmaanne7 I just had a thought, I understand it's not the same but what about a "Virgin Cocktail" like a Daquiri or other blended drink? There was a bit of a discussion about milkshakes a while back.

 

Yes, they certainly love their virgin Pina Coladas and chocolate monkeys. We'll make do, I suppose, but I did promise one especially all the milkshakes she wanted. They'll be delighted if they can get them.

24 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

As milkshakes are beverages, the exclusions for purchases on Half Moon Cay, Gelato and Dive In apply.

Can milkshakes be purchased/ordered anywhere else onboard, specifically Volendam?

1 minute ago, Blackduck59 said:

I'm sorry I didn't make the rules. I think that a child would have a soft drink package. I have the premium beverage package as part of my HIA package for our next cruise next year and I'm pretty sure milkshakes are not included. Perhaps someone who is on board any ship will be able to verify. 

My apologies. I did not mean to blame you. I'm just in shock! I had promised my granddaughter all the milkshakes she wants on our next cruise. I'm flabbergasted and less impressed with HAL by the day!

47 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

@Birdhunter67 and @deeeeeeem I think you will find the Milkshakes are NOT included in the drink package. I know it seems strange in that the price of the milkshake is less than $11.00 price cap on drinks. There are other things not included in the drinks packages but are below the price cap. Water in the twist top cans, certain sparkling waters and a few other things it's hard to understand.

Am I reading this correctly? A child with the HIA promo cannot get a milkshake? What's the purpose of having HIA?

8 minutes ago, Cruise Suzy said:

 

I have never seen any other than the Have It All shore excursion credits.

Not the answer I was hoping for but thanks for responding. Hopefully, they're worth it. 

This is our first HAL cruise and I am wondering if HAL ever discounts or offers sales on shore excursions like Celebrity does. Thanks in advance. 

16 hours ago, Crew News said:

Here is a link to a recent Daily Program showing typical entertainment times.   Example Daily Program.

 

Of course each ship may vary.

Thank you.  That was very helpful.

We're very new to HAL.  I have checked the last several pages of this thread and was unable to find the answer to my question. What time is the entertainment on board?  If we were to dine at 8:00, would we be able to see the show prior to or after dinner?  Thanks in advance.

$10

54 minutes ago, Born2go said:

I was booked with the same operator, Madryn Bueco. I had asked them (way back in October, what would happen if we were late? Answer was “no problem, we will put you on the next boat”. Our start time was 8:30am. We elected to take a taxi. We got off the ship at 7:25am…walked the LONG length of the pier (lines for the shuttle), got a taxi who took us way past Sara Beach (yes, we should have just walked) subsequently we were 25 minutes late. We were in contact with the operator this whole time.

Other boats were all full, they sent us over to another operator but they refused to take us because we were over 65. (We are 67].  The other operator said it would be refunded because of “Heath reasons “ Rats, we were looking forward to this and are both certified divers to boot!  
 

Madryn Buceo refused to refund because “we were late”. Despite their assurances to the contrary, they will not put you on the next boat. When Viator got involved, the operator told Viator that WE had refused the other operator so Viator closed the refund request and we are out $200.🙁

 

No wonder people stick to ship’s tours. If you do book, make sure they put you on a later boat as Grandmaanne7 (who was on the 10AM boat) and if you are older than 65, clarify before you give them any money.

BTW,  Anne, you SHOULD have complained about the wet suit. It ballooned because it  was not a proper fit for your body type. 

Debbie

 

 
 

 

Debbie,

I'm so sorry you missed the excursion and the runaround you experienced.  It seems very unfair.   I would have been very upset if that had happened to us, too.  I hope the rest of the cruise was far more enjoyable.

Anne

On 1/7/2023 at 11:57 AM, Grandmaanne7 said:

I think that I will reserve voicing my opinion on this subject until I return next month from my first post covid cruise on Celebrity. I will be able to compare it with my other post covid cruises on Regent and Carnival so it should be somewhere in the middle even though it is far more expensive than either due to the itinerary (Antarctica). I am not liking that Celebrity introduces a new reduction in product almost weekly but I will reserve judgment until the experience is complete. I am hoping that all the negativity hasn't jaded me already and that I can sail with an open mind. 

I definitely fully enjoyed our cruise, however, the cutbacks are certainly evident.  The worst thing to me was watching the crew.  They are completely overworked and exhausted!  They do their best to smile and let on that they are fine but there are days that are harder on them than others.  Our cruise had 8 sea days, which wore them out completely!  Some of them stay on longer just to train the new staff, and there are plenty of new staff so, obviously, Celebrity is trying to remedy the situation but our cruise was oversold so there were incredibly cranky passengers to begin with and these poor new trainees were thrown to the wolves. 

Add to that, fewer dining options on the menu including eliminating prime rib on our 14 day cruise, less items included in the Classic beverage package (we overheard several passengers arguing with the staff that such and such should/used to be included), incredibly useless internet access (on Infinity which was blamed on the outdated infrastructure not the location), downgraded bathroom products, charges for room service and you absolutely feel less and less of the luxury experience that Celebrity is trying to sell.

We hummed and hawed whether to book a future cruise but when we priced out 2 cruises that were of interest to us and they were over double, almost triple, what we would be willing to pay, we chose not to.  I went back a second time, just to be sure that no error had been made and that they had included all the current promotions.  I will not be booking anything at those prices!  If I see a last minute real deal that appeals to us, I would probably go for it because, as I said, we definitely enjoyed our cruise.  I just don't want to pay 3 times what it's worth.  If cruising becomes too expensive, I have no problem doing land vacations.

CABIN #: Infinity 7084

DECK #:7

CLASS: Deluxe Veranda

AREA: Forward Starboard

BED NEAR: Bathroom

QUIET?: Very

BALCONY VIEW: Forward blocked by protruding balcony 2 over, Aft decent view, below somewhat blocked by lifeboats, outward magnificent view, after all you are on the ocean!

BALCONY SIZE: regular, room for 2 chairs and a small table

WIND A PROBLEM?: no

SOOT A PROBLEM?: no

PROBLEMS/COMMENTS: No real complaints.  Will be interesting to see what improvements are made in drydock.  Would like to see shower doors rather than curtains and a leg shaving bar added.  Additional plugs, especially usb ports would be helpful. 

On 12/2/2022 at 1:03 PM, circee said:

The Celebrity Eclipse will make this stop on our cruise in March 2024. Would you please post an update after your trip to let us know how this excursion went? 

I did this excursion and would definitely recommend it even though my experience wasn't the best.  I will try to explain.

The office is a lovely 40 minute walk from the pier along the beach.  They are in Bajada 5.  The staff are incredibly great!  They very patiently get each participant into their wetsuits and explain things fully.  The seals are a short boat ride from the office.  We saw dozens of seals, several of which decided to come swim around us.  It was lovely being so close to these wild animals that were so graceful in the water.  There were also penguins, which I am told are sometimes, but not always there.  The water is cold upon entry but not enough to take away from the experience.  I was not even aware of the temperature of the water until after it was almost over and realized that I was not cold at all.

Unfortunately, I had my first ever panic attack in the water.  The guide was excellent and talked me through it but I was unable to relax in the water.  I could not manouver or make my body go where I wanted it to go so I just clung to the life saver ring that the guide towed around and enjoyed the experience as best as I could.  I am really glad I did it and everyone else seemed to have no issues at all so it must have been me although my husband, who did not get in the water but stayed in the boat, said that as soon as I entered the water, my wetsuit ballooned out much more than anyone else's in the water and perhaps that was why I had no control and couldn't propel myself.  I am not complaining.  I am an experienced snorkeler and am usually very comfortable in water.  I'm attributing the diminished experience to a mouth full of water when I entered which sparked the attack.  I was extremely pleased with how well it was handled and the care I received.