Phillygirl1807

On 12/4/2019 at 9:15 AM, DaveOKC said:

IMO, HAL meets most of your wish list, with the exception of entertainment.  Also, you will find fewer children on HAL on most cruises (except perhaps Spring break, etc).   

We've cruised on HAL three times, and have booked another HAL cruise to South America and Antarctica for January 2021. We really like the entertainment on HAL ships. They have a terrific blues club, "B.B. King's," with outstanding musicians and singers. They have a Lincoln Center concert series for classical music fans. They have a wonderful piano bar, and the newer ships offer a "Rolling Stones" venue (Probably to compete with NCL's Cavern Club.") The shows are good, too. We liked the food in the main dining room as well is in the specialty restaurants. 

On 1/20/2020 at 3:38 PM, AncientWanderer said:

 

In November 2016,  we did the Bluff Cove Lagoon excursion at Falkland Islands to see the Gentoo penguins.  There were also some King penguins there.  It was a HAL excursion and we enjoyed our day very much.  Highly recommend.  (Some of the other offerings seemed too strenuous for me, as I tend to get car-sick.)

 

We were on Zaandam and are heading back down there on Westerdam in January 2021 to include Antarctica.  South America is very interesting and we were pleased with our HAL cruise on Zaandam.  I think Westerdam will be even better.  A high point was the excursion to Torres del Paine National Park out of Punta Arenas.

 

Good cruise and fascinating part of the world.

We are also booked for the Westerdam cruise to South America and Antarctica in January 2021. Very excited to take this cruise. The HAL shore excursion to see the penguins on the Falklands is sold out for many of the time slots. We reserved a 10:30 am trip, just to make sure. We usually take privately run cruises from local tour operators, but this one seemed a better bet because of tender issues.

I am scheduled to board the Norwegian Joy on January 5 for a cruise to the Mexican Riviera. I just ordered the Germstar Noro Sanitizer recommended by several cruisers. I also have Clorox wipes that I plan to take with me. I admit to being nervous about this cruise and this ship. It's the largest one we've ever sailed on.

I called Norwegian after the first Joy breakout. They wouldn't specify their cleaning methods. Maybe they will be more thorough after this additional breakout. But I also agree that some passengers may come aboard already sick with colds or flu as well as with a stomach virus. I will come prepared with medicine for diarrhea and flu-like symptoms. We are staying on the concierge level, and plan to take advantage of the smaller venue for breakfast and lunch. We have reservations for the speciality restaurants, too. Our cruise port activities are with small, independent companies. Hoping for the best, but concerned about this being a continuous problem for the Joy.