wdw1972

HAL's language/narrative is notoriously bad/confusing. I swear they have some Dutch elementary school child writing all their stuff, then sending it through some translator app to get it into English - it often doesn't make any sense at all, and results in numerous clarifications that also aren't clear 😉 Sue/WDW1972

Wrong - solo passengers using the standby program have no single supplement, and they can be placed in any stateroom on the ship. Ships that don't have the single/solo staterooms found on the 3 pinnacle class ships also participate in the standby program and can be booked by solo travelers for $49/night plus port fees/taxes. Sue/WDW1972

I'd love to see them in a smaller size - wouldn't it be nice to be able to pre-order the right size prior to boarding? The ones in the stateroom can pretty much wrap around me almost twice - it's hard to imagine it being too small on many people, but from the responses here that seems to be the case. That said, I only wear it inside my stateroom so it really doesn't matter how silly it looks. As a person on the smaller end of the spectrum, it can be difficult finding things that fit, and any "one size fits all" will never look like it was intended to look when I wear it! Sue/WDW1972

That's my understanding too. In any event, we've not heard of anyone's cards being taken and used by other passengers, so it's not something that even registers in my mind as possible things to be concerned with. It's been working for 2-3 years now. Sue/WDW1972

This may not be the popular opinion, but in my opinion if you don't have a passport you have no business cruising. Just get the passport and be done with it! Even if it was allowed to cruise without one on your specific cruise, if anything went wrong and you needed to return other than on the ship, you'd be screwed. Don't be stupid - get the passport. Sue/WDW1972

My next cruise is my 48th, and most of those have been on HAL (my preferred line). I book as soon as the next season opens up, so roughly 1-2 years in advance. I'm currently booked through February 2026. I like having the future cruises booked, and since I always want a cabana in HAL's Retreat, booking early ensures I get what I want. I'm not interested in booking last minute to get a "deal" because without the cabana I'm not interested in cruising. I almost always book solo - I cruise with a friend or 2, but we all book our own staterooms, and occasionally I'll book a cruise with my husband and share a stateroom with him. In the ideal world we'd have separate staterooms - but sometimes cruising comes with sacrifices 😉 Sue/WDW1972

I also prefer the Retreat on the Vista & Signature class ships. There are fewer of them, and they're significantly larger - especially the family cabana. When it's just 2 of us, we pay the extra $$ to book the family cabana on Pinnacle ships mainly to have the dining table & chairs in there. It's odd that a cabana intended for 4 adults has 2 loungers and a small table with 2 chairs on this class ship! On our last Rotterdam cruise there were 3 of us (we never have 4 people on a Pinnacle) and were able to rearrange the entire cabana to fit 3 loungers without losing the table with 2 chairs. One of us sat on a lounger by the table while the other 2 used the chairs - and when not eating the chairs were pulled to the side to allow space to move! By contrast, on the Vista/Signature the family cabana is probably twice the size - big table with 4 chairs, 3-4 loungers plus a couple (or more) sitting chairs. Two of us will be sharing a family cabana on Zuiderdam in November - possibly 3 if my husband decides to come along. Sue/WDW1972

Unfortunately I think you're mistaken. Relatively few schools are out over President's Day - mainly the Northeast. When my son was growing up in FL, the spring break was not tied to Easter, since the date for Easter varies so widely. My awful Nieuw Statendam experience that was overrun with hundreds of kids was 3/11/23 for 7 nights. Easter was 4/9/23. Agree between Club Orange and the Retreat you'll miss the worst of it. Walking through the Lido Pool area was something we avoided. We didn't have any issues in specialty dining, which is what we mostly do - other than one night in Canaletto when these absolute horrors (with parents who let them literally RUN wild and stomp like elephants (twins approx 8-10 years old) were running screeching through the Lido Marketplace while mom & dad ignored the behavior. One of my travel companions ran into them a few different times and finally spoke up when they nearly knocked over some of the more traditional elderly HAL passengers, telling the kids to STOP that. It was sad that the parents were so ignorant. From that point we've sworn off the 7-night Caribbean cruises since HAL seems intent on running this kids sail free crap and we've shifted our March cruising to February since March seems to be the peak month for spring breaks. Oh, another lovely experience was waiting for a show in the World Stage. Multi-family group a few rows ahead of us let the kids slam the seat bottoms up & down, hard enough to make noise. The parents just sat there playing on their phones, letting their little darlings behave inappropriately. Good luck! Sue/WDW1972

Does your 12-day end 11/28/25? If so, I'll be boarding the day you depart - and immediately head to family cabana #8. Good luck with the 7-day Nieuw Statendam. It will be overrun with hundreds of kids - I'll never do that again! The Retreat was the only thing that saved me on that cruise! The Lido pool was literally full of young little heads screaming & shrieking with joy - thankfully barely heard up in the Retreat. Sue/WDW1972

Yes. It's shipboard credit given "free" from HAL as part of a promo that you can't use in the casino. If you're buying it, you can use it anywhere. Sue/WDW1972

Have a wonderful cruise! Sue/WDW1972

Please add the following for me. November 28, 2025 Rotterdam 9-day Southern Caribbean ABC Islands February 14, 2026 Koningsdam 11-day Eastern Caribbean Windward & Leeward Islands Thanks! Sue/WDW1972

Very slim chance, especially in a warm-weather climate. Loungers in the middle are for anyone who booked a cabana in the Retreat. Sue/WDW1972

Thanks so much! I remember your comment about sitting on the port side - now I know why, and we'll be sure to do that. Sounds like it'll be a pleasant little outing. Sue/WDW1972

Loving your report/review, as usual. Can you provide any more details/thoughts on your sunset cruise in Aruba? I've got that booked for next cruise, and curious where I should set my expectation level. Sue/WDW1972