willoL

Personal experiences will vary, but my teens shared an interior stateroom on Deck 4 (closer to aft) on our recent Nieuw Statendam cruise, and the one who is very prone to motion sickness did just fine for all of our 24 days aboard. We only had a couple of rough days, even though we were in the north Atlantic, and he did take meclizine (Bonine/Dramamine II) when the captain announced the weather issues were coming, but the inside stateroom did not seem to make his situation worse. Of course, my kid spent time in our cabin (with balcony) and on public decks as well as in his own stateroom during the rough seas, so it's hard to say how much viewing the horizon mattered, but I asked how he was faring, and he said it was no problem. This is a kid who was sick enough to vomit on a previous cruise to Alaska as we crossed open water, just so you know his overall level of sensitivity. I always carry a large Tupperware (with lid) on road trips with him because he will throw up more often than not, though that's improved a little now that he's older, mostly because he can tell us sooner that he needs to pull over. We also didn't see bad weather until well into our long voyage, so he'd had some time to acclimate and gain his sea legs. Our family also uses ginger capsules for the first few days we are at sea, at least, figuring it can't hurt and might help. A few people get heartburn from ginger, so test this for yourself before you sail if it's a new supplement for you.

Yes, I'll clarify and confirm once more: our two suite guests got more perks than the two who were booked in the inside cabin. Since one adult had to be officially registered in each cabin, even though my eldest is over 18 and not a minor for most other purposes, my husband was technically one of the two residents of the less-perk-ful room. Luckily, my husband enjoys room service more than dining out while on vacation, so he didn't mind missing out on Club Orange dinners (nor did the Neptune Lounge matter to him. Like me, my youngest enjoyed having keycard access to a special lounge, just because it made him feel special.) 😁 What I did find, though, is that the Neptune Concierge would happily do things for me which applied only to the non-suite cabin. (I was hesitant to ask at first.) So, while DH and the other kid didn't have priority tenders or access to C.O., it was no problem for me to ask the concierge to apply gift cards to the inside cabin, for example, or for me to book specialty dining reservations that included all of us. When I decided to pay for laundry for the inside cabin, the concierge took care of it for me, though it applied to the non-suite cabin. In that way, some of the service perks did spill over a little bit toward the lower tier cabin, in my one experience on Nieuw Statendam. In addition, if my husband called from our suite, the concierge helped him, for example, when he ordered flowers for me after I said how much I liked a particular arrangement elsewhere on the ship. 🥰 And, by the way, the two Neptune Lounge concierges just bent over backward to offer assistance and be of service. I never felt like an imposition, even as I eventually asked for things applying to the other cabin. All the staff on HAL was pretty great, but those two ladies were simply phenomenal in their efforts. They made it seem like I should try to find more for them to do! (I think I'm pretty low maintenance usually.) --willoL

Club Orange for only half our party made sense because only two of us preferred to dress and go to a sit down dinner. Since other two actually prefer buffet, they didn't miss this much, though it would've been nice to dine as a family in C.O. once or twice. I like to sit down to breakfast in a restaurant, so, for me, it was a definite feature. Not all the ships have the Club Orange venue, so the value may be less elsewhere. Not having to wait for tender tickets would have been a bigger issue on our cruise, but we had quite a few tender ports. You can check that in advance to decide if this matters for your group. (Or if you do ship's excursions, the tender ticket is not an issue.) We were firm in our choice of cabin, so the fact that C.O. offers upgrades didn't factor, but might if you hope to get the inside crew upgraded in some way. (I have no experience with upgrades.)

I can't speak to Greece or mainland Europe since pre-pandemic, but my husband did find his Verizon cell phone less useful on our recent North Atlantic sailing than the kids and I did our T-Mobile coverage. In Iceland and Greenland, T-Mobile offered better coverage (in our August 2022 experience.) We also find the plans (i.e., process of informing the carrier of travel and getting coverage) simpler and cheaper with T-Mobile.

DH and my youngest are both quite prone to motion sickness, so we really debated the corner aft for the same reason. As it happens, both did really well, though we were truly blessed with great weather given our cruise crossed the north Atlantic (twice!) We carried aboard meclizine (Bonine, aka Dramamine II) and we all used it on the two days we had rougher seas, so we weren't without medication options. Also, all of us use use ginger capsules for the early days of any cruise regardless of weather, seeing those as so low risk (being a food ingredient) as to be worth trying even if it just a placebo. 🙂 On those rough days, it felt to me personally as if higher up on the ship (e.g., Lido) was worse than our deck 4 aft location in terms of the movement. We also worried about vibrations or other funny noises that some report here on Cruise Critic, but I can't report anything unusual that I heard/felt in 4211. The glassware or hangers in the closet jiggled occasionally from the ship's motion, but I think that happens everywhere. Overall, I'm a sensitive person (can be bothered by lights, sounds, strong odors), so factor that in to my judgement, though, of course, different things trigger different people! My husband, who adores outdoor space, just loved the enormous balcony so much, he thinks the corner aft wrap on deck 4 of Nieuw Statendam is perfect. People who like the private Neptune Lounge more often prefer the similar cabins with smaller balconies on higher decks. It is true we had a long way to walk to many amenities, but the deeper balcony on deck 4 compared to the suites in the same position above was a total winner for DH and outweighed all negatives in his opinion. For me, the added space in the suite was lovely, and, if they interiors are bigger elsewhere, it was still quite gracious compared to the outside cabins I've had in the past. (Again, this was my first Neptune Suite.) I hope that helps! I can say for myself, I've never regretted paying more for a business class airline seat or other kinds of extra space in my travels historically, so I was pretty certain I would be glad for more space once the bill was paid and out of my mind. That was totally true; I think booking a suite made every day of our 24 day trip much better and more convenient for many reasons. Maybe HAL doesn't have butlers, but the Neptune Concierge solved little problems, the early access to tenders was great, and Club Orange dining was more appealing to me than I expected. (Just figure out if having some, not all, of your party able to access each kind of suite perk works for you, or if you should add Club Orange to the inside cabin to keep your group together if you go the suite/inside route.)

Just stepped off Nieuw Statendam with my family (2 teens; one college, one in high school) today. My kids really like HAL and have since they were in grade school, but we are a group of people that easily entertains itself. I felt like the ship had more options than I needed to have a good time, but I know I'm low maintenance in this regard. Have you shown the options to your own kids and asked if they have thoughts about which features matter to them? We spent a lot of time in our family Cabana in the Retreat area. Getting food delivered from anywhere on the ship was a perk of that extra charge option that my teens really liked. My husband liked that the hot tub in that area was less crowded than the pool deck ones. My youngest spent some time in the music venues with me, but Zuiderdam has fewer of those than the Nieuw Statendam does. Using the beverage package to get mocktails in every bar might be his favorite aspect of cruising. 😄

I'm not a big spa user, but I just got off Nieuw Statendam and I booked more services than usual because the pandemic left me feeling less pampered than ever before in my life. 1) I learned from Cruise Critic to book the Thermal Spa ahead of the trip for the lowest price. I used it a lot (nearly every day) and was glad I made this choice. 2) Our party of four had two staterooms, and we got a spa discount coupon delivered (like mail) to each room, but there were different offers in the Neptune Suite vs. the Inside cabin. IIRC, the NS got a discount for products (discarded that one so not sure) and an offer for $50 off a spa service. I used that to book a long overdue haircut and color for myself. The Inside instead got two coupons for $70 off spa services (I think); DH booked and enjoyed a massage with one of those coupons. Because I was certain I would use the Thermal Spa, I prebooked that. Because I wanted to use my OBC (on board credit), I waited to book any other services, but I was happy to use a coupon they just happened to send me. I'm unsure whether I got the coupon because I'd already booked the Thermal Spa pass; a more regular HAL cruiser might know the answer to that mystery. On Nieuw Statendam, the locker room is between the Relaxation Room (where spa-service-booked guests wait) and the area where you check in for Spa services; we Thermal Spa users used that same changing room which is also very near the gym. The locker room was not keycard controlled, whereas the Thermal Spa itself was. You had to check in at the spa desk to get a locker key, however, if you wanted to lock your stuff up; not sure if those are free to all as, again, I had the pass my entire trip.

@ACorgan Boston is a nice city, but both embarkation and disembarking from Boston for our August cruise was AWFUL. (I was on the ship with @Btimmer and @The-Inside-Cabin.) I'm guessing port staffing issues was part of it, but the people employed by the port that I interacted with (eventually) were all good, they were just slammed with work. It was just... too many people, poor line management, no facilities, many less mobile guests requiring assistance yet no wheelchairs available... Ugh! Ick! Yuck! The only advice I could offer to make embarking in Boston in August 2022 better would be: * print all documents * pack less stuff (to lessen what you're wrestling with in the lines); * make all luggage wheeled and have less of it (same as point 1, but maybe one giant suitcase vs. two small?); * don't try to arrive early to beat the crowd, but rather come as late as is feasible or try to wait somewhere nearby with wifi (hotel? cafe?) to see what your RollCall friends from CC are reporting Once we got aboard, it was GREAT! The disembarkation mess almost ruined everything, but the actual trip was so good, today's bad departure from Nieuw Statendam heaven is already starting to fade. (I've been off the ship for approximately eight hours now...)

If you didn't book yet, all I can add is that a NS plus an Inside across the hall is what I just left this morning. We were on Nieuw Statendam with our two teens, both of full adult height. The NS perks were really wonderful. I didn't think I'd enjoy them as much as I did. (It was my first cruise suite experience.) In particular, if you "hang out" in the stateroom, the larger NS makes that SO MUCH more comfortable. We could comfortably play a card game on the coffee table, or all four of us could eat an entire meal together on our balcony with room for all the dishes and such, because the suite had tons more space. I don't like when people sit on my bed in street clothes, so maybe that makes me very biased on this question. The kids would sit on the couch or any of the three comfortable, upholstered chairs while we were together in our larger room. Their feet weren't even on my bed. (Yay!) The kids' inside stateroom was ALL bed. They also slept a ton, probably more than usual because it was pitch black inside. But, if the second room is just for sleeping, who cares? It was probably good for them to catch up on rest. If we were all four hard-core balcony people, or if they'd had to get up early for excursions every day, two side-by-side rooms with windows/balconies might've been better. (But I still don't think so.) Or, my new ideal setup would be our corner aft Neptune Suite (we had 4211) with the room next door (AS4213) for the kids. The two doors share a mini hallway and could be closed off from the main corridor which would've been awesome. They'd have kept their room cleaner if I could peep in any time. (Honestly, though, I wasn't prepared to spend that much. That's a fantasy arrangement at this stage.) 😄

Just off Nieuw Statendam this morning. Our captain made masks mandatory for anyone not eating or drinking on our entire 24 day voyage. While there were some bare faces--most who seemed to have temporarily forgotten, and a few that appeared to be actively rebelling--the majority wore masks in hallways and such. Sitting in dining venues and bars, uncovered faces were MUCH more common. (Not at all surprisingly.) I believe we had two masks per person in each of our two staterooms upon arrival. It was also announced that additional masks could be had by asking at customer service, but I never asked, so not sure if all were the same. I noticed that the crew wore a variety of styles, but all better fitted than a surgical type. HAL/Nieuw Statendam provided white BYD KN95 masks. Each is stamped BG2626-2006 KN95 and they are packaged two to a single cellophane pack. My family carried aboard our own preferred mask styles, so I packed the BYD masks from my cabin to bring home.

I have two kids, one of whom has suffered quite badly from motion sickness even at a very young age. I sympathize, @Dwright826, and it is wise to think this through ahead of your trip! My kid has barfed on planes and trains as well as boats; it runs on my husband's side of the family. Dramamine (original formula) is allowed down to age 2, I believe, but talk to your doctor. A quick search suggests there may be other forms than pills, at least for injections. (Threatening a 3 year old with a shot if s/he won't chew a pill is probably not optimal parenting, however. 😉) Perhaps dimenhydrinate (the active ingredient) can be had by prescription in a liquid, or made at a compounding pharmacy? But you'll need to ask your doctor/pharmacist about that. This is weird and I never saw reports of it happening to other kids, but dramamine caused my kid to wet his pants. Maybe he got too relaxed? This happened a few times when he was little enough that an accident wasn't unusual, but *also* when he was almost in middle school and otherwise utterly and absolutely not having any accidents day or night, so be aware that sedating medication *might* have that effect if your child is potty trained (or working on it.) The first thing our pediatrician had us try was Benadryl. It may have helped a little, but wasn't sufficient for my kid. It definitely comes in a liquid form, however, and I bet it is easy to find locally. https://www.benadryl.com/products/childrens-benadryl-allergy-liquid We ALSO used sea bands (acupressure wristbands) and ginger. Chewable sugary ginger candy might be tolerated by a child (though it's bad for the teeth, but so is vomit.) I always kept gum or mints in my purse, too, because at least "doing something" could help distract a kid who is starting to feel ill. Start teaching your child now that reading a book or focusing on a screen is a bad idea when the yucky feeling starts. My kid caught on to the connection quickly (very young), but it can be hard not to look at a screen when a sibling is, for example. And I always traveled with a barf bag. I literally just found one folded up in my kid's old travel backpack as I packed for an upcoming cruise, and my "little guy" is in high school and taller than I am now. (He now takes meclizine, the drug in Dramamine II/Bonine.) Good luck!

Is it the show playing at the Emerson? I was curious about that production, so can't wait to hear if you enjoy it. I've never seen the Zakim Bridge from that angle before. It took me a second to figure out what I was looking at. 🙂

I'm very sorry for your poor health and the frustration this is causing you while your husband is still unwell. You're probably right not to cruise again given all that you've described, certainly not while COVID still kills many thousands per week around the world. While I'm not a fan of insurance for all travel situations (I usually take my chances and go without), the situation you've described would be exactly the kind where travel insurance could have helped a lot. Though I usually skip it, my family has both evacuation insurance (we like MedJet) and a travel medical policy (GeoBlue) for our upcoming trip. Part of my reason for buying this insurance was to have international support in the event of a problem like you encountered. I hope you and your husband feel better soon.

I very specifically packed a sun hat with a cord that goes under my chin for our upcoming voyage that visits Iceland, and a waterproof hat that fits quite snugly, because most of my hats are looser. 👒 We had weather like you describe on our Golden Circle tour years ago, but not when we walked through the gap between the plates. It hit us like that on the stairs at the waterfall. They've MUCH improved those steps since my first slippery visit. Batten down the HATches! (Joke too awful?) 🤣

I am personally aware of this being done in Massachusetts without proof of a positive COVID test. Though the drugs aren't always getting to those most in need due to general healthcare limitations in rural/poor areas, I believe Paxlovid is no longer in short supply compared to the number of Rx being written.

@20165 My kids are quite similar in age to yours, our last HAL trip was on the Maasdam when they were of early school age, and we set sail (knock wood & negative COVID test willing) next Wednesday on Nieuw Statendam! Three of the four of us are introverted types, and the traditional atmosphere on HAL suited the kids and myself quite well before. I'll try to tag you if I comment on CC once we return from our voyage. It's a long trip, so I will very definitely know if my teens enjoy the trip by the time we get home. 😄 Introverted does *NOT* mean not-complaining-to-mom. I also write a personal blog. (Just note it isn't all travel posts, but those that are about travel will be tagged as such.) Here's a link to an old post (2017) I wrote about my experience taking younger kids on the Maasdam from Montreal to Boston: http://reallywonderfulthings.me/2017/05/06/cruise-report-hal-maasdam-from-montreal-to-boston-with-elementary-school-aged-kids/ The blog is where I'm most likely to post updates after our trip, though I'm not usually organized enough to post daily or from the ship itself. I'm too busy having my vacation to write about it in real time. 🙂

@Williamsburg Perhaps the really relevant advice is to talk to your regular doctor BEFORE TRAVEL to find out if you would be a good candidate for Paxlovid or not. Not everyone needs it; not everyone can take it safely. Thus far, I've not heard of any ships carrying that antiviral drug yet. However, I know of two cruisers (read it first on CC somewhere) whose doctor wrote a prophylactic prescription for Paxlovid so that the patient could carry it aboard JUST IN CASE. No one here should be commenting on whether or not anyone else is a good candidate; only your physician has anything useful to tell you about what you should do on this question.

I'm sorry your husband's health has deteriorated, but really glad this accommodation was available at the price you were able to pay. I hope you both have a wonderful trip.

Buying for OBC--if a person will get back all of their investment within a matter of mere months because they're cruising a few times anyway, and for a person who can afford to invest $1000 and risk its loss--means the new investor earns back the totality of the initial outlay, while ALSO potentially holding a stock that will probably continue to grow over time. I respectfully disagree that immediate cash back in hand (assuming most of us spend more than the total shareholder OBC anyway on a cruise here, admittedly) is a poor reason to invest in the stock. Perhaps I should also add that, like you, I agree with Buffet, and my lark was inspired because I have reasonable faith in the company I was buying. I have not yet sold any of the stocks I initially chose for DRIP investing, though I don't continue to add funds to all of them; I do hold very long term with no plans to change that approach. (My discretionary investing is just a few tens of thousands, unlike our retirement accounts with are many times that.) If OBC is the only reason a person buys his or her first shares of stock, at least they are investing. I think more people of modest means *should* be in the market. The only way to keep up with inflation is the do what the rich and powerful do; their interests will keep being protected. Thoughtful investments, I mean. I recall convincing my manager at a retail job I held in college to take advantage of the company 401k match. She lived paycheck to paycheck, barely finished high school as a teen mom, and couldn't imagine living without that 4% of her salary, but I talked her into giving it just one month to see if she could live without it. She realized she didn't notice the difference and stayed in the program until she left the company. A few years later, that former manager sent me an email out of the blue thanking me and saying she was the first person ever in her family to have a retirement fund. She was amazed to have thousands of dollars of her own. Most people in America get too little financial education. If OBC prompts someone to try investing, it's not such a bad idea. It's a far better option than buying lottery tickets, which many more hourly wage retail employees I knew did on a regular basis...

If you ask your friend for the name of their travel agent (say, because you're looking into a cruise for yourself or are considering using TA services), you could get the contact info for their TA while keeping your gift a surprise. It sounds like a good idea to check in with the friends after their sail date to make sure they receive your gift, though, according to @Brewgirl1's experience.

I believe as long as you own the shares before you sail, you will get the OBC, but this is my first time using the Shareowner Credit, so YMMV. With CCL at $9.22, you'll have to invest $922 to start playing the game. Is it worth it? (How many days is your 7/31 cruise? How much do you get back ASAP in OBC? The immediate payoff is much better if you're sailing 14+ days. Better yet if you believe the long term outlook for CCL is good. I almost never pay short-term capital gains.) I believe there are folks who buy & sell before/after voyages for this very reason! Not my usual modus operandi, so do with that what you will. Mostly, my few individual stocks are DRIP investments; I'll admit it: buying CCL was a lark. I don't gamble in the casino or buy lottery tickets, but this was $500 back within a couple of months on an investment of $1k, so I'll buy and hold and see what happens. 🤷🏼‍♀️

@bearette Is there any chance another loving family member (or members) might enjoy this vacation plan together with you and your uncle? Having someone to give you a break once in a while might make it a much better experience overall, even if you are the primary caregiver and another relative is more of a backup/occasional helper. Being a primary caregiver is easier for me when I know on what schedule I will get a respite to rest and recuperate. Especially because I have my own physical limitations, which developed while I was a stay-at-home mother (and before going through end of life hospice care for my mother, or assisting Dad after knee replacements.) That said, if you're already the primary caregiver to your uncle, taking a cruise might still offer some relief and relaxation. Getting the cooking and cleaning done by someone else is always a welcome change for me. How much so will depend a lot on how your uncle handles major disruptions to his routine. Some people are delighted by novelty; others struggle with transitions into adulthood. (I think this applies both to typical folks and those with special needs; we all have unique personalities.) I hope it works out wonderfully for you!

@Tampa Girl Sorry you're going through hoops to do something nice for someone! Isn't it the worst when you have to pick up the phone for something that feels like an internet task? 🍾 Cheers to you for your trouble. 🙂

I prefer cruise lines drop requirements only in a gradual way, personally. For example, giving booked passengers enough notice so that those who do want to sail with a tested cohort have time to adjust their plans. I'm fine with the testing requirement going away, but I certainly hope HAL doesn't drop it until after I board on August 3rd. My family prefers more stringent requirements, and booked based upon the expectations stated at the time. People should get what they were told to expect when they booked, whenever possible, or have enough time to cancel/reschedule if significant rule adjustments occur.

@RuthC you are a true connoisseur. I, for one, will gladly take either toasted or grilled cheese, assuming someone else is cooking it for me. 😆 And now I really want one, but it's over 90 and my stove is staying off. Just 13 more days before I can test your question on Nieuw Statendam, though! 🥪