Mostly Live From August 21-28 Alaska Sailing

[Boytjie]

3 hours ago, roxybear135 said:

We haven’t eaten there but from walking through a few times I don’t think anything is self serve anymore. The drink areas are roped off and appear to be only for the staff to access. 

 

The only things that appeared to be self-serve was the fruit station (between port and starboard sides) and the dessert station (cookies were served).

 

3 hours ago, atexsix said:

Please let us know if drink service in the Lido is prompt, it's been good on past cruises but now they have more people to serve.

As soon as we sat down, someone would be bye to ask about coffee or juice (breakfast) or ice tea or lemonade (other times). It arrived promptly.

 

3 hours ago, 12cruise2 said:

Do you think there is enough crew behind the main line providing pastries and entrees available to serve us in the Lido?  BC, it wasn't always the case.  Now, I'm assuming crew serves everything, so do they have enough staff behind the service line to help?  Thank you for your help.

 

There were never any long lines in the buffet, even the omelet or eggs benedict stations.

 

[Boytjie]

3 hours ago, atexsix said:

Someone mentioned lack of masks in the casino for last week's sailing too, hope ventilation in that area is good, otherwise we might avoid walking through there.

 

Last week some nights were better than other nights regarding masks in the casino. It was never very crowded. With smoking not allowed in the casino it is harder to know if the ventilation is good! But being smokeless is great. 

[roxybear135]

Not sure how many passengers are on board but it seems to be pretty empty compared to the past cruises I’ve done (and I did this exact same cruise 6 years ago on the same ship). We haven’t had a wait anywhere we’ve gone and the pool today around lunchtime was pretty empty which was surprising for prime time during a sea day. On a positive note, we’ve noticed that a lot more people are wearing their masks today everywhere on the ship. It will be interesting to see if this keeps up as the night and drinking goes on and how it will be for the rest of the week. 

[Dunmore2]

Thank you very much for the lido pictures. We’ve cruised other lines, never HAL, and the food selection is impressive. I appreciate your detailed photos. 

[roxybear135]

After breakfast today we went to the casino for a bit and then headed to the spa. We had purchased the thermal spa pass online before the cruise, which I recommend because it was $219 for a pass for a couple for the week online but was $299 if you bought it on the ship. We had stopped by the spa the first day and got a sticker on our room tickets that indicated we bought the pass so today we just had to check in, get locker keys, and were off to enjoy the spa. The spa was busy but it wasn’t hard finding a spot to enjoy whatever you wanted to do. We found it very relaxing and recommend it. 
 

We then had lunch at the dive in which was fine but nothing special. We showered and spent most of the afternoon in the casino. Again we noticed people have been much better today with wearing masks. We are heading to watch the show in a few and then off to gala night for dinner. So far it’s been a great cruise!

[dobiemom]

4 hours ago, roxybear135 said:

On a positive note, we’ve noticed that a lot more people are wearing their masks today everywhere on the ship. 

I hopes this keeps up/improves. Thank you for taking us along on your cruise! 🙂

[roxybear135]

I forgot to mention we also did afternoon tea which I remember really enjoying from my last HAL cruise. Now they bring you a little tower of plates with desserts and some savory sandwiches. All of it was delicious and I recommend going to afternoon tea at some point during your cruise (they have it multiple times during the week) 

[madera1]

I am enjoying your descriptions of life on the NA this week. Your photos of the food are great! 

[Sharon in AZ]

Thanks @roxybear135 for the picture of the afternoon tea.  How fun!  I just showed DH the picture and he actually wants to come with me.

[atexsix]

41 minutes ago, Sharon in AZ said:

Thanks @roxybear135 for the picture of the afternoon tea.  How fun!  I just showed DH the picture and he actually wants to come with me.

I just did the same thing, showed it to DD😃

[atexsix]

1 hour ago, roxybear135 said:

After breakfast today we went to the casino for a bit and then headed to the spa. We had purchased the thermal spa pass online before the cruise, which I recommend because it was $219 for a pass for a couple for the week online but was $299 if you bought it on the ship. We had stopped by the spa the first day and got a sticker on our room tickets that indicated we bought the pass so today we just had to check in, get locker keys, and were off to enjoy the spa. The spa was busy but it wasn’t hard finding a spot to enjoy whatever you wanted to do. We found it very relaxing and recommend it. 
 

We then had lunch at the dive in which was fine but nothing special. We showered and spent most of the afternoon in the casino. Again we noticed people have been much better today with wearing masks. We are heading to watch the show in a few and then off to gala night for dinner. So far it’s been a great cruise!

So happy you are having a good time, it's making me really want to get on the ship; also a nice break from all the testing talk.  

[TrulyLoveCruising]

4 hours ago, roxybear135 said:

I forgot to mention we also did afternoon tea which I remember really enjoying from my last HAL cruise. Now they bring you a little tower of plates with desserts and some savory sandwiches. All of it was delicious and I recommend going to afternoon tea at some point during your cruise (they have it multiple times during the week) 

I went every day but one day  of the cruise two weeks ago. Tea time was a huge part of my childhood. Thank you for sharing your time on the cruise look forward to your posts! 

[roxybear135]

The show tonight was called Humanity and it was a dance show that also utilized the screens. It was about 45 minutes long and we enjoyed it. After that we went to the dining room for gala night. There were a fair amount of people who were pretty dressed up but gala night didn’t feel like the formal nights there used to be on ships. The food was fine but nothing remarkable. 
 

After that we checked out the blues club which was packed and standing room only. The performers were good and we enjoyed it. We then watched a bit of the piano players in the billboard online bar. They played different requests that guests put in and some of us had fun singing along. We then spent some more time in the casino before coming back to the room. Overall it’s been a busy but fun day. Definitely looking forward to Juneau tomorrow. 

 

Edit: I tried to add a video of the piano bar players but the internet isn’t great on the ship so not sure it uploaded 

Edited August 23, 2021 by roxybear135

[12cruise2]

Thank you so much for your posts and sharing your cruise.  How has the internet connection been this cruise? 

[zgscl]

18 hours ago, zelker said:

It’s one thing for crew to look the other way when pax ignore dress codes or hog chairs but quite another to ignore people not masking. Not happy to read this at all.  😷

Someone on our cruise departing on the 14th brought this up to one of the top hotel managers and his response was "it is a matter of opinion" and "we make the requirement known but that is all we can do." 

I was definitely disappointed by this response. I understand it is a tough position to be in, but really public health measures are "a matter of opinion" is just a very weak response. 

[zgscl]

On 8/21/2021 at 8:08 PM, Dunmore2 said:

Thanks for sharing your holidays with us. Although past cruisers have posted  food photos for us, I’ve not seen any pictures from the Lido. If you have a chance, I’d like to see how the food is arranged/displayed. Thank you and best wishes for a fun cruise.

 

Totally forgot to take pictures on my cruise but it was basically exactly like it was pre-covid. Everything is plated by a crew member and then handed to you and the stations are the same as they were - Distant Lands, Homestead, etc. and felt very familiar. 

[zgscl]

18 hours ago, kam-ky said:

Are any of the Lido stations self-serve?  Can you get your own coffee or tea?  Thanks!

With the exception of the milk area at one of the last late night buffets there was absolutely no self serving of anything. 

[zgscl]

17 hours ago, atexsix said:

We sail in two weeks, so I very much appreciate the information this close to sailing.  We plan on social distancing and doing less in public areas, we upgraded to a verandah with that in mind.  

 

Someone mentioned lack of masks in the casino for last week's sailing too, hope ventilation in that area is good, otherwise we might avoid walking through there.

I recommend walking deck 2 instead of deck 3 (unless you go on the promenade on deck 3). On deck 3 you have Billboard Onboard and the casino both of which are mostly unmasked. On deck 2 it is a little more closed off, and while you go past BB Kings and the Pinnacle Bar they are more closed off  so we felt safer walking through there. Some of it is probably irrational but at least we felt better about it 

[zgscl]

14 hours ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

@roxybear135 I would love to know the number of passengers on board, it sounds like it could be less than last week which was less than previous weeks. I am not so sure that the most passengers were ther first week of July 24th which HAL had originally stated would have the least. 

For last week we got different numbers. On the first day we heard 1,370 form all the shoreside people and some of the crew. The captain said 1,700 and the Cruise & Travel Director said 1,500. Not sure which number to believe but the ship felt a lot less crowded than the pre-pandemic cruises we have done. I never waited behind more than 4 or 5 people at the Lido stations even during peak times. The most crowded place was BB King's which didn't have nearly enough seating.. 

[zgscl]

18 hours ago, atexsix said:

Please let us know if drink service in the Lido is prompt, it's been good on past cruises but now they have more people to serve.

Last week it was hit or miss. There were a couple meals we had to flag someone down but overall it was pretty good. 

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, roxybear135 said:

The show tonight was called Humanity and it was a dance show that also utilized the screens. It was about 45 minutes long and we enjoyed it. After that we went to the dining room for gala night. There were a fair amount of people who were pretty dressed up but gala night didn’t feel like the formal nights there used to be on ships. The food was fine but nothing remarkable. 
 

After that we checked out the blues club which was packed and standing room only. The performers were good and we enjoyed it. We then watched a bit of the piano players in the billboard online bar. They played different requests that guests put in and some of us had fun singing along. We then spent some more time in the casino before coming back to the room. Overall it’s been a busy but fun day. Definitely looking forward to Juneau tomorrow. 

 

Edit: I tried to add a video of the piano bar players but the internet isn’t great on the ship so not sure it uploaded 

 

IMG_9009.MOVIMG_9009.MOV

"The blues club was packed." If that is true at a very reduced capacity, you have to wonder what it will be like when capacity gets to 100% or nearly 100%.

[Dunmore2]

2 hours ago, zgscl said:

Totally forgot to take pictures on my cruise but it was basically exactly like it was pre-covid. Everything is plated by a crew member and then handed to you and the stations are the same as they were - Distant Lands, Homestead, etc. and felt very familiar. 

Thanks. I sure enjoyed reading your posts while you were cruising. We’ve never cruised with HAL, and  you've given us much to look forward to.

[Florida_gal_50]

3 hours ago, zgscl said:

Someone on our cruise departing on the 14th brought this up to one of the top hotel managers and his response was "it is a matter of opinion" and "we make the requirement known but that is all we can do." 

I was definitely disappointed by this response. I understand it is a tough position to be in, but really public health measures are "a matter of opinion" is just a very weak response. 

Wow, that is really something.  If they are not able to sail because of excessive covid cases it will be their problem.  I’m amazed that they don’t seem to get that.  Thank you for your post.

[syesmar]

3 hours ago, zgscl said:

Someone on our cruise departing on the 14th brought this up to one of the top hotel managers and his response was "it is a matter of opinion" and "we make the requirement known but that is all we can do." 

Very interesting. Considering the official policy (pasted below), I wonder if they followed through early on if passengers would know they were serious. Having said that, I feel for the crew; no one wants to police behavior and be distracted from their work duties when grown adults should be more responsible. 

 

I recall aboard a sailing, one group of teenagers were climbing in prohibited areas. The captain let the entire ship know what happened and that they were kicked off the ship, along with their families. Had no more issues from then on.

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/worry-free-promise/travel-well/faq-for-cruises-from-usa.html

 

Q. What happens if I don’t follow the health protocols?

 

A. If you or any members of your party refuse to comply with our COVID-19 policies and onboard public health measures you may be disembarked at the first available opportunity or will not be allowed to board the ship. Other consequences could include being denied service, required stateroom isolation and being banned from sailing in the future. If you are non-compliant, you will not be entitled to a refund, credit or compensation of any kind and will be responsible for all costs and fines, including (without limitation) travel expenses. If your travel party is impacted and/or they are required or voluntarily choose to leave with you, the same policies will apply to them.

[syesmar]

@roxybear135 Thank you so much for including us in your adventures! The posts and photos are excellent. Sounds like a wonderful cruise. Have a great time!