Banditswife

On one of the 1st longer cruises after the restart-21 days, we found MDR a bit too slow for our liking. Not sure if the longer trial cruise was a factor. So we ended up on Lido for dinner on evenings when we had other things we wanted to do. If time was not an issue, we ate in the MDR. I love that HAL's lido buffet workers serve you instead of everyone dishing it out themselves. I found the salad bar on lido an excellent choice. But there was always something that looked appealing.

We like to get every thing paid for as soon as possible, even when not required. Insurance is the key. I will say that in 2020 we had several cruises canceled due to you know what. We just kept moving them forward until we were finally allowed to cruise again. I will say that the Carnival corp, even though in trouble financially, were very good about refunding whatever they could not provide- cruise fare, pre booked tours, etc. The entire cruise industry has taken a hit financially & are just trying to stay afloat. If that means more $ up front, I will happily comply. I just am happy to be back on a ship again.

We've done 3 full transits. 1st-mid ship veranda, 2nd -inside cabin, & 3rd- the absolute most forward balcony on Carnival. Each time we were all over the ship checking out different views. We have never tried an aft cabin, but I am sure it 'd be awesome. The whole Panama experience is awesome no matter where your cabin is.

The way I look at is this: you will have to pay it sooner or later, might as well get it out of the way now. We make sure we have the travel insurance- for those unforseen situations, you just never know what is going to happen between now & April. Have fun enjoy your cruise.

we were required to pay the full amount for a deeply discounted fare. The agent stated timing as the reason. We were several months ahead of the cruise, but it was such a good deal, we pd it.

The HAL website does make it easy to determine if you need to be tested prior to your specific cruise. You just enter your boarding #. I am sure there are still countries that require testing &/or vaccines prior to entering. So kudos to HAL for making it easy to figure out.

Whether the crew consider it a pain or not, I am looking forward to this video behind the scenes to be rolled out fleetwide, every cruise. Previously, those with mobility issues were not allowed on the tour & due to limited capacity only a few could attend. So this video will make it easier for more people to see what actually goes on behind the scenes. Personally, I found the tour fascinating & enjoyable. I especially enjoyed the q&a with the captain.

Will this be offered on all HAL ship eventually? It does sound interesting, especially if there is a Q&A afterward. We did a "behind the scenes" on a Carnival ship several years ago. I can understand them wanting to reduce their liability, we were all over that ship. I can see where it is a pain for the crew working that day.

We will be on N Statendam from Nov 26th-Dec 10 & are scheduled to port in Gr Turk on Nov 29. I wonder if they will have this worked out by then. No biggie if Gr T gets canceled, but have not received any notifications yet.

ok, will do, thanks

Update: We had booked the HIA pkg & booked $99.95 pp tours along with our specialty dining. But our booking continued to show the $100 shore ex credit. When trying to pay for an additional tour, I was told we had that credit. After booking a 2nd tour, our booking then said we had a $50.05 credit. Today I checked our booking again & credit is gone. It says "redeemed." So they must have figured out their mistake. They did not remove any of our pre booked tours from our itinerary, so I guess we ended up with 1 free tour, unless they take that one away.

I can see why cruise lines are eliminating need for testing. Pre cruise testing wasn't truly working. We were on a longer, 17, day cruise where we were required to be vaxed, boosted & pre cruise tested. Then were given a 2nd test in the terminal in addition to the test everyone was required to take prior to embarkation day. We had a really bad outbreak of Covid on that cruise, seemed like there were red bags outside of cabins along every hallway. And rumors were flying about the number of cases onboard. I have also heard/read about other outbreaks even though they were tested & vaxed. My sister's whole family ended up with covid after a cruise- they were all vaxed & tested. So the tests were not really helping to eliminate outbreaks. Using good common sense & protecting yourself is more helpful.

Ok, so I am not so crazy. I met both you & your wife. My hubby was the 1 armed guy who had just won a slot tournament making us late to the M&G. It is wonderful to put a face with your screen name. Thx for clarifying.

We port at HMC 2x on our B2B beginning Nov 26. We have the HIA pkg for both legs of our cruise. I hope to stock up on a couple of bottles of water to take to shore with us. But if that isn't possible, we will just buy once we get there. No way can hubby & I drink $60 worth in a 7hr time frame. My question is can we use OBC to buy individual beverages on HMC? You use your sign & sail card if I remember correctly...

Crew News-- It all looks yummy. I think I might remember when I met you on a ship. But I could still be mistaken. We were on Ms Nieuw Amsterdam in April of 2016 going through Panama Canal. But the ship picked up passengers in San Diego, if I remember correctly, who were going on to Alaska. We disembarked in Seattle. But there was a small M&G for those folks in the overlap. Like I said, I could still be mistaken & have you mixed up with another regular CCer. Again, thank you for all you provide to these boards.

Thank you, Crew News. Your web page is very helpful, especially those of us newer to HAL. It is helpful to know the Dutch cafe food items have no $ attached, I incorrectly assumed they would. Wondering about the open times of Dutch Cafe- it says 11:30 to 8 PM. Does that mean no specialty coffee any earlier? I know I can go to explorations cafe earlier to get my specialty coffee fix, but are there other places on the ships to get a specialty coffee in the morning (7-8AM)? We will be on N Statendam for 2 weeks starting Nov 26, 2022.

Agree with most these posts. Even pre pandemic, roll calls were hit or miss in my experience. A lot of people use other social media sites to interact with fellow cruisers. Since Covid, people are not as willing to mingle as they were before. Personally, we end up finding a particular place to hang out on the ship & socialize with others who also found that same favorite spot. My husband loves the casino, so he ends up socializing w/ other casino players. I used to attend M&Gs, even organized one for an Alaskan cruise that didn't happen due to covid. But since covid is here to stay, we pretty try to keep our distance. As far as roll calls go, I think it is hit or miss- some very active, others dead.

Firsttimer1971- thank you, very interesting & what a great custom. Getting the medal & ribbon would be well deserved honor.

Thanks for the enlightenment. I had no idea what this was. I will look for something orange to pack.

It is a separate dept from the booking dept. Personally, we are looking forward to having the HIA pkg. We have never had it before.

Is wearing some form of orange required, if they do have it?

Carnival does allow use of OBC before sailing. I believe they just recently started allowing this & only on Carnival, not on all their brands (HAL, Princess etc) IMO it does make sense- The things you purchase with OBC are going to be used while on the cruise, whether you buy them beforehand or on the ship. On a recent Carnival cruise, I was allowed to pre purchase shore ex, spa treatments, or specialty dining using OBC. It made planning & budgeting so much easier.

I have to ask: what is orange night?

I am pretty sure you have to call the excursions number listed on their page. At least I couldn't figure out how to do it online. The original rep did make booking it easy & I was able to schedule our premium dining. She also allowed me to book the original shore excursions. Their telephone # is listed on your booking.

Thank you all for your thoughts. Checked credit card account & found no extra charges. I will just enjoy my free tours. If they catch their mistake, we have no problem paying for the less expensive tour.