Freckles83

Catering to LGBT communities or other religious sects is one thing but to compare that to accommodating someone who chooses to engage in an activity that affects not only their health but the health of people around them in quite something else all together.

I choose to sail with HAL and enjoy our balcony cabin with the risk of being beside a smoker. It surely doesn't make or break my cruise but yes id much rather enjoy the fresh air without the stink of cigarette smoke.

Just because you are outside in the open it doesn't mean people still aren't breathing in the second hand smoke. As of January 1st 2015, smoking was banned on outdoor patios in restaurants and bars *edit in Ontario*. Have to say as someone who works in that industry I'm glad that I'm not subjected to being immersed in that environment for my job. Working on a smoking patio was still gross IMO even with it being an outdoor open air venue.

I have nothing against smokers, I believe in the right to do what you want.. but unfortunately you're putting something into the air that other people dont want to breathe in/be around.

I dont think theres any simple cut and dry answer to this but lets be honest here, no LGBT person or religeous person ever put my personal health at risk due to their lifestyle.

*additional edit - You can't really segregate smoke.. it goes into the air and gets dispersed to other non-smoking areas. I can't even believe they used to have smoking and non-smoking sections in restaurants where it was clearly just one side of the restaurant had smoking allowed and the other side didn't - as if the smoke would not cross the invisible boundary of the two sections.

Again - not against smokers but I do find this "smokers rights" thing a bit ridiculous.

Thanks for the link and additional info from both posters!

Just received an email from NCL with a coupon code for a free Shutterfly photo album (not incl ship/handling) ... Has anyone else received this?

Is it for real or just a scam to enter my info it for something that is not going to be free? :o

Just curious

Thanks for all the advice! I'll just watch from afar and let them enjoy the sail away uninterrupted :p

My husband and I sailed on the Breakaway this past January right after new years and found the the "ride" down there fine and i would consider myself somewhat sensitive and prone to motion sickness.

The weather warmed up during day two and the pools were heated. Actually on the last night heading back to NYC we were swimming in the adults only pool and it was warm! The air was cold and I'm sure everyone thought we were crazy but it was fun.

oh man thank gosh for that..

If i can't bring back a couple chocolate dipped key lime pie slices on a stick then what type of vacation would that be? devastating.

:p

Sort of a silly question but I want to watch one of my friends and her family during the sail away on the Getaway leaving Miami 09/26/15. I believe its supposed to sail at 4:00pm and was just wondering if anyone here knew which side would be visible from the port webcam (http://portmiamiwebcam.com) because I told her to make a sign for me to read to know it was her and her family.

Yes i know it probably sounds kinda childish but I also think it would be fun. If anyone has any idea what part of the ship is most visible during the sail away I would appreciate the info so I can pass it along to my friend and hopefully be able to say "I know that little ant sized person waving at me because of the sign!" :p

Thanks for any help!

* also I won't be able to watch the sail away this saturday (the week before) because of work otherwise I would just try and figure it out myself through watching on the port webcam.

reading that some people got it and others didn't is supremely frustrating.

I just made final payment Sept 1 for upcoming cruise - it was the actual final payment date.

 

today, while browsing through the site, I notice my sailing is under the ONE WEEK SALE - gratuities paid - and to boot, the pricing is exactly the same as it was prior to this (the base cabin rates shown, I did not actually put in a dummy booking for my cabin category).

 

So I emailed my TA - not sure if he can get me this prepaid gratuity deal - the cruise itself would not need to be repriced, I would even accept OBC in lieu...

 

Anyone know what my chances are of success?

 

Carol

your dates sound exactly like the cruise i just booked. our final payment was due sept 1st and we booked thru HAL. when i called they said there was nothing they could do short of us cancelling and rebooking which would cause us to lose $1400.

I mean its worth a try asking but in my opinion the chance of success is quite low. But you never know, TAs can sometimes pull strings or offer something to soften the blow.

HAL certainly wasn't willing to offer me anything.

Oh and the PG at lunch has an amazing burger on their menu, totally worth the uncharge :D

Just my opinion on the atmosphere...

Very relaxed and low key. My husband and I (33yrs and 32 yrs of age currently) have travelled with Holland on our first few cruises together (I got him hooked) and It was great. The service was amazing and we were made to feel like royalty. Never overcrowded or raucous which I appreciate being a more relaxed person myself.

For our honeymoon we decided to try something new at my husbands urging and sailed with NCL out of NYC on the Breakaway ship. It was fun and had all the bells and whistles of a new ship, we had a blast. But for me it was anything but relaxing. Always busy, loud and parties constantly going on, which for some people is something they look for on a cruise.

The reason we have decided to sail HAL again is for -

1. The service staff are unbelievably good at their jobs, they make you feel like a celebrity and that your presence is appreciated (in my experience)

2. The ships are elegant and the balconies are spacious. I always remember chuckling with my husband at the PAX on other ships on their balconies crammed in like sardines while we lounged on our roomy private outdoor space on HAL ships (sorry if that sounds snobby)

3. The Spa :) :) :) For me one of the highlights of my vacation is sitting in those thermal chairs with a good book and just gazing out at the sea. Its for sure one of my favourite parts of my entire year lol. I was sorely disappointed on NCL at their spa space which made me feel like i was hanging out at the YMCA public pool. Holland knows how to do the serene spa experience just right.

4. The itinerary! HAL always seems to go to my favourite ports of call and in my opinion for the price point i really feel like I'm getting an amazing value / experience for the cost of the trip.

So just a few things that I thought id share from my experience regarding the atmosphere. Ive sailed on several other lines as well but always am drawn back to HAL.

If you want a fun, party stay up all night and mingle with other guests kinda cruise perhaps this line isn't for you. But if you want a relaxing, service oriented sublime vacation i completely recommend HAL.

Im so looking forward to my upcoming trip with HAL i find myself squeeling in delight much to the chagrin of my husband ;)

-end note- i just read this over and I probably sound like i work for HAL hahah, but seriously I just love the few weeks a year I get to spend having this cruise line take care of me. Hopefully this info helps.

yes i also noticed these changes from the last time i did a check in with HAL. Part of the reason I have been double and triple checking about visas for our upcoming caribbean cruise.

I know in the past I have never needed visas for the countries we are visiting but after seeing that prompt on the check in for the visas requirements it got me thinking and being paranoid... which is why i posted that visa requirement thread.

I imagine like the users above me posted that it is more or less a warning to prevent unnecessary denied boardings due to improper documentation.

Thank you everyone for the reassurance! My biggest fear is getting to the pier and being turned away over something like that. It would be beyond devastating. Id be on the ground rolling around pulling my hair out and balling like a baby .. no one needs to see that. :D

Yes, thank you for that! As soon as i posted this I just double checked on that website and it had a lot of helpful info.

There were a few other visa requirement websites i checked as well as so far as i can tell there aren't any additional visa requirements but I just thought id pick the brains of the very knowledgeable cruisers on here.

Thanks for the responses :)

Excited to try out the NA, we've sailed a similar itinerary two years ago on the Eurodam and had the time of our lives so I'm super pumped to take this trip.

My husband and I are booked on an upcoming B2B cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam commencing on November 15th 2015. The itinerary hits the following ports ...

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

George Town, Cayman Islands

Cozumel, Mexico

Key West, Florida

Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

San Juan, Puerto Rico

St. Thomas, U.S.V.I

My question is, aside from a passport, government photo issue ID, and boarding passes are there any other types of documentation required? We are both Canadian citizens.

Are there any other Canadians out there that have taken this same (or a similar) type of itinerary and would know first hand from recent experience?

Ive been to most of these ports in the last few years except for Cozumel but I just thought id pose the question to the knowledgeable people on CC for some help.

I appreciate your help :)

nevermind, i seem to be confused

sorry to dredge this up again, but just to add to it with another question -

do the spa balcony's carry the elemis products? or is it the same soap/shamp/cond as the regular balcony staterooms.

yes we pre paid our 12$pp/pd already which i really like having the option to do that. I was just curious if there would be an additional charge if we were to upgrade in regards to the DSC. Thanks for your answer :)

Is everyone always charged $12 per person / per day no matter what stateroom category you are in? Or does the price go up if you are in a suite? What about a spa balcony? Just wondering because we are considering upgrading to a different category. Thanks in advance for any answers.

Not sure if it matters but its on the Breakaway.

just out of curiosity to the OP,

did you submerge your head in the water? or just from hanging out in the spa you developed that? did the person who responded to you with the eye infection dunk his head underwater too? I'm sorry to hear that as they are extremely painful. hopefully you are feeling better. i love the thermal spa and have taken advantage of them on every cruise I've done, thankfully with no repercussions (touch wood)

i just went to print mine today and this exact same thing happened to me. what i did was print page 1 first and then re-insert the same piece of paper but upside down and then print page 2 and it should all line up properly. hopefully this works for you too.

chocolate buffet

does NCL still do chocolate buffet night?

i feel like most cruise ships seem to be veering away from those.

is there a discount for specialty restaurants on the first night as well?

(except he Epic, of course, where you poop in your room).

um... what?! :eek:

How was the move from Halifax?

LMAO

i totally noticed this the other day after both user names posting threads about DSC

must been craving that nice dry heat in Texas that Halifax just won't give you