Riversedge

We were on a RCCL cruise once when a couple was late. They came running down the dock as we were pulling out. The man dove off the dock and started swimming after the ship. The pilot boat picked him up and his wife and took them to the ship. It made for fun entertainment from the verandah. (It worked if any of you need to try this….) We do a lot of cc independent shore excursions. There’s always a couple or two that will start harassing the tour guide continuously about getting back 2 hours into a 6 hour excursion.

We haven’t sailed NCL in years so can’t do a recent comparison. But if you’re looking for great entertainment then you will be disappointed in HAL I think. We love the staff and the food is good (not excellent in our opinion). But typical entertainment during the day is jewelry presentations, spa sales, jewelry sales, foot analysis and trivia. If you’re lucky (depending on the area of the world you’re sailing) you’ll get a port presentation or lecture. Agree that 28 days might be too long for your first try. We sail HAL for the itineraries and the crew. They are top of the class there.

We stayed at the Wyndham Bayside and loved it. Walkable to the port and restaurants

We have done two South Pacific cruises and got very sick both times with a bad cough that lasted for months. Only area of the world that has happened. It will not be a future itinerary for us.

There was norovirus on the previous cruise. Maybe they had to do an extra deep cleaning?

I would be extremely suspicious of anyone who only had wonderful, glowing things to say. We all know the world is not perfect so I appreciate hearing both the negative and positive things. I’m hoping that your posts will nudge all of us into pushing HAL for better entertainment opportunities. It’s easy to tell that you are “living the life” right now. Enjoy your last couple days. And thank you for keeping us all informed and entertained!

It seems like they’re shooting themselves in the foot on this one. Are they forgetting that they cater to an older clientele? I doubt that many of those are going to fill a cabin for 4 on a long cruise. This seems totally unrealistic on their part. Maybe their first priority should be fixing entertainment, not thinking up silly rules.

Here you go

I am loving your daily posts. You have such wit and humor and tell it like it is in a nice way. It’s fun to see what’s happening on your many sea days as we have booked the 28 day Coral Triangle cruise next January and will have many sea days. It looks as though I’ll have to bring my good humor as well because there’s not a lot to do that doesn’t bring more money into Holland’s coffers. What I am contributing towards the booking of my cruise is enough, thank you. I don’t need more jewelry or watches and my feet don’t need to be evaluated. Drawing from doodles twice today? Is doodling really that popular? I’m glad your cruise is such a great one. We have done these ports before and thank you for taking us down memory lane. I hope we cruise together some day.

It’s working on my iPad and it seems faster. I hope I’m not dreaming that.

You posted this under the Asia board. You might want to ask the same question under the Alaska port of call. You’ll get lots more answers there. Most people going to Alaska are not checking here.

HAL is quite laid back. We like that but get very bored on itineraries that have a lot of sea days. You will find on a typical day: bingo, jewelry presentations, spa offerings, pickle ball, bridge, sometimes a port lecture or a lecture on the area you are cruising, adult coloring, casino, wine tasting, once in awhile flower arranging. Many of their activities bring more money into the ship’s coffers. There used to be lots more but after Covid not so much. They tend to show the same shows year after year in World Stage so if you haven’t sailed before you might enjoy those. My advice is enjoy the ports, the service, takes some books or cards. Music walk is enjoyed by many but an equal part think it’s way too loud. You will enjoy the crew…they’re the best. Stand at the rail and watch the waves go by. There’s not a better feeling than that.

Is it now the norm to have the Orange party on deck? I like this so much better. We only attended once before….too crowded and too loud.

Since I’ve never used Flight Ease I’m trying to understand what the benefit is. Comparing using FE and doing it on my own, the FE cost is only a few dollars less. I understand I could change or cancel my flight up until final payment which is 4 months before my cruise. After that point I can’t get my money back if I want to cancel, correct? If I book a refundable fare myself I can cancel all the way up to the day the flight leaves. Is there something I’m missing? I’m flying in 3 days early so not worried about missing my cruise. Seems like a no-brainer to book it myself.

For my January 1st flight there are already 58 choices.