killsport

@jeromep Ironically, my boss will be on the cruise with me. I'll look into having VNC deployed. Didn't know there was that much difference in data transfer, so thanks for that. Really it is just a weekly financial report I need to send out. Takes 1-2 hours. The rest is a 5 minute email check daily, which my iPad / phone will be fine for. Appreciate the advice! I expect the ship to be in port when I need to do the report, so I'll try to buy eSims to use LTE data that might make it palatable.

Has anyone used remote desktop from a Sky Princess (Caribbean) cruise? I have about an hour or two work and I'd love to use my iPad and RDP instead of bringing my laptop. Let me rephrase... my WIFE would like me to only take my laptop, as she (rightly) thinks I'll spend more time on work and less time with her. Any real-life recent experience is greatly appreciated (either successful or not). Happy Sailing!

You are correct!!!

There’s some unknown space on 19 (above the cabin). It’s the space just “north” of the lift. Not sure what it’s used for and if it generates noise.

After a hectic start, enjoy your cruise! I’m interested on whether 18029 has any noise from above. If you happen to find out, that’d be great. Also, the quality of food is of interest. Safe and happy sailing!

Anyone been in 18029 on either of these ships? Was it quiet?

Wondering if anyone with the WiFi package can talk about recent experiences on Sky Princess in the Caribbean with iMessage/FaceTime and/or Google Voice? Have you been able to text/picture message with either? How about phone or video call? Thanks!

As usual, the disclaimer - these are my opinions, based on my experiences... other people may have (very valid) differing opinions. Not a hugely detailed write-up, but happy to try to answer any questions. My wife and I went by ourselves (and met our 2000 new best friends). 1. Embarkation - VERY easy check-in at about 1030. Then in a holding pattern for 90 minutes until they let people on board. 2. Cabin - we had 8116 and it was okay. Nothing more, nothing less. The room was showing its age (carpet, couch, desk, all had a lot of visible wear). The plumbing (thankfully) was not an issue and neither was the A/C and heat. The bed was fine. The balcony was small and the furniture very worn. The separators were loose so when there was a lot of wind, there was rattle. 3. Cabin Service - daily cleaning and never needed anything. Very efficient. Chocolates only on dressy nights. Yes, I did get my tiles. 4. Ship Service - generally good (as we expected). 5. Bars - the bars were not overly crowded, but nicely busy. Had no problem getting service and never went over the 15 drink limit, including the coffees and other drinks. Many of the higher end liquors were missing, and they substituted lower quality ones. No Don Julio 1942 (wife's luxury). Bulleit, Buffalo Trace, etc all were in limited supply (and ran out) even when listed on that bar's menu or in its drinks. 6. Food - The most disappointing thing on this cruise. The ingredient quality is awful. The menu selection is poor. The presentation was sloppy. The beef tenderloin was, in fact, beef tenderloin. But instead of years past when it was choice (and tender), I believe this to be select. Blood lines in the salmon appetizer. I could go on, but no reason to... it was poor. The buffet wasn't great either. The first "steak" night had a nice gristle line in the MIDDLE of the NY strip. No idea how that can happen. The two dressy nights, however, the menu and food was B+ and the presentation decent. So they KNOW how to do it, they just decide it isn't worth it for all nights. Very different than our pre-pandemic HAL cruise where the food was fantastic night after night. 7. Entertainment - Comedian was good. Shows were basically piano guy??? We didn't go as none sounded interesting to us. The other ship music was nice, but we severely missed the Lincoln Center Stage. All in all, this experience pushed HAL well below Celebrity for us (for Caribbean cruises). We don't really care about the ports (been there, done that). We care about the food and beverage, and the experience. Post-pandemic, HAL clearly has dropped quality more significantly than Celebrity. I won't take comments personally, so feel free to provide your opinion. If you have a question, I'll try to respond.

I would love to hear an update on the ship after drydock. Any changes or fixes to the reported issues (plumbing, air conditioning)? Hope you're enjoying your cruise!

Hasn't been quite that long for us, but still about 5 years. I hope the experience is still enjoyable. I'm going with friends as well as DW so as long as the food isn't bad and the booze isn't watered down, we'll enjoy ourselves. Some card games, some puzzles, some reading... and not having to worry about shopping, cooking, cleaning, work, etc. will mean a nice vacation. 🤞

On my DESKTOP, I log into Princess. Then: Navigate to My Account > Upcoming Cruises Click Manage My Booking (for the appropriate sailing if you have > 1) Click Onboard Services Scroll down until you see what you purchased. For me, this is what it shows

Does anyone know what (if anything) was done during her short dry dock?

And you can get the tapas even if you order a drink with the Princess Plus package?

Another example of consistent inconsistency... when you look at the details on the purchase page (7 Day Elite Signature Beverage Package | Beverages | Holland America Line) you see the following (bold, underline my emphasis): Our premium, Elite Beverage Package allows you to select from a variety of wine, beer, spirits, cocktails, non-alcoholic beverages, sodas, bottled water (sparkling or still, 400ml or less) & coffee. Only on the ms Koningsdam & ms Nieuw Statendam, the package includes Freestyle Coca-Cola which provides 100+ refreshing Coca-Cola flavors to choose from. Includes any beverage priced at $15.00 or lower (up to 15 beverages per day). I'm perfectly confident I won't go over 15 alcoholic beverages a day, but not if I included non-alcoholic. Significantly reduces the enjoyment of the cruise, since in the back of my mind I have to *think* about each non-alcoholic purchase... and I don't want to have to *think* on my vacation.

@fatcat04 How were the wines on the ship? Did you find a real benefit from upgrading? What was the reason you did it (particular wine, alcohol, etc)?

Appreciate the info @Gblasingame feel better!

Thanks @FlorenceItaly 🙏

My parents are on Noordam and just got COVID 😢 Does anyone know what hotel(s) HAL puts passengers in Vancouver for their quarantine duration?

I'll chime in, but not on the Alaska component (still on my bucket list). My wife and I (50's) have done 12 cruises on Celebrity and 3 on HAL with our next HAL at Christmas (plus some additional cruises on Royal, Princess, and Carnival). We did a HAL 7-day cruise in the Caribbean over Spring Break (wife is a teacher). A number of families, but not a party trip. The 10-day Caribbean was also Spring Break but very few younger people (21 people under 40). The 7-day New England/Canada cruise had a similar clientele to the 7-day in Caribbean. We find the HAL service to be better than Celebrity (especially recent Celebrity cruises). And the standard dining food is significantly better on HAL. I like the beverage package on Celebrity better (unlimited vs 15 drinks on HAL) as it means I don't have to allocate my waters, sodas, vitamin waters, coffees, etc I have had so I preserve drinks for alcohol. And yes, I drink > 15 drinks (of all types) a day when cruising. The HAL ships (newer ones) are great, and the older ones have a different charm. It depends what you're looking for. If you do AquaClass on the Solstice or Reflection, we think that is great. We REALLY like the music on HAL (vs the solo or duets we had on our recent Celebrity sailing) and find it is a (albeit small) step up from Celebrity. Both are nice lines with HAL having more interesting itineraries.

Thanks @KroozNut & @crystalspin

We booked a package that gives us $100/pp excursion credit. Two questions: 1) If we book a $75/pp excursion do we get $25 for an additional excursion or is it one-and-done? 2) If we don't find an excursion, can we use the credit for something else or is it use-it-or-lose-it? And yes, I like my hyphens 😜

What goodies are in this delightful coupon book?

Why no column for the 18 miles of NH coastline and the tens and tens of lobsters caught there 😜😆😆

I've only been able to get promo chips when I use my OBC. Those require you to play them before you cash out (e.g. play $25 blackjack & win, keep a $25 promo chip and get a $25 "normal" chip; play next hand with a $25 promo chip and lose). Not sure if that is still the case, though. Maybe someone on board very recently can chime in...

Thank you @memoak , @wowzzand @skynight for answering the question. While I wish the answer gave a different result, I appreciate the clear responses. @Steelers36 I understand the benefit of doing the upgrade to the full Premier package - but I only really find value in the beverage portion of it. So I'll just pay per drink that is upgraded...