albingirl

Who would do that? Nobody I know.

I, too, love this ship. We get involved in some excursions so we don't get that involved in planning for dinner reservations. Go with the flow, that sort of thing. But, you'll love the ship and the MDR is great just so long as you stay away from the loud area out back by the serving station. Go in the middle of the MDR and you'll be fine.

Well, I could be encouaged to continue to sail with HAL, too, with a free cruise. Haha, I'll take that one to the bank.

Anyone know where I can get a free cruise? I'm still waiting.

He said he had the expectation that guests should tip him more. I was offended and remember relaying that information in my survey from the cruiseline after the sailing.

You have misunderstood me. I freely tip over and above, but sometimes there is that feeling that the automatic tips are just a starting point for the staff. When Holland America put those tips in place, it certainly helped to insure that the crew would receive their fair compensation from the guests, but it seems now that more is expected as a matter of course. One bartender told me that after a long cruise that it was expected that guests would give further complensation.

Very nice review, thanks. I love the NS; we've sailed on her twice and will be on again this winter. My experience is different than yours but the ship is truly beautiful and the staff is exceptional. Congrats on the free cruise and no, not everyone thinks and interior cabins are awful. We don't get them but I do get the price difference that you pointed to. Gives you a chance to spend money elsewhere and hey, why not?

As far as the extra charges in Pinnacle, that's ridiculous. In times gone by, many people cruised for the food. And the tipping! When they came out with the automatic tipping, I thought it meant that you no longer have to think about it. Wrong again. I usually tip a few people extra, but I do wonder why sometimes. They have tips in place so I shouldn't feel the obligation that I do. Trust me, I am sure crew works hard for extra tips. It just feels like pressure sometimes.

I find having a HAL PCC does the trick for me. I don't have to sit on the phone with all those pesky holds.

Thanks for the report. I enjoyed meeting you once on a transatlantic and found you fascinating to talk to. I took your advice on always buying future cruise credits before I left the ship. Glad you are finding all to be well. We love the pinnacle class ships. Enjoy!!!

Thanks for your review. Too bad about the rudeness, however. I've seen it too but really been mostly annoyed when passengers speak to the staff as though they don't understand English. You know, like they have to yell out their orders. Makes me cringe. Covid rudeness, sign of the times. Unfortunately.

The wine packages are generally reasonably priced, particularly for 4 and 5 star. Or you can simply purchase the beverage package. I don't begrudge the cruiseline for trying to make a profit here. It's been a hard 2 years for them. I tip much more generously to waitstaff now....they suffered during the lockdowns and shutdowns. It's only fair.

Fond memories of transatlantics on the Maasdam and Veendam lounging on the Promenade deck with a book in hand. We were fond of the lanai cabins so we could just stroll out there easily, particularly when coming into European ports. So exciting, really.

And to add my two cents, why do people deliberately ignore signs? It's constant.

This is such a sad saga. Hope it all works out. It goes on and on.

I love your reports. I'll be following along. With pleasure!

If I don't have it, I don't miss it. Like anything else, we all have favorite clothing that we tend to wear repeatedly. Those are the things I am most likely to wear, so they come with me. I'm a light packer and have learned through the years that I wouldn't be wearing most of the extra clothing that I brought on board in the past. So, I tend to buy really nice clothing that I'm happy to pack but not too much of it since I wouldn't wear all of it anyway.

I used to love the wine tastings. No more.....too much talking and not enough wine. Can I say boring?

I enjoy it all. I'm such a lazy bean that I don't even check when the gala nights are. I just book specialty restaurants based on how busy we are that day in port. If it's a busy day in port, we don't want to be tied down with reservations. We like the MDR then, since we can just show up whenever we want.

That bill was highway robbery. Not unusual, though.

This whole thread is so depressing. People licking their fingers, unsanitary Lido conditions, people coughing and not washing their hands and so on. Quarantine in a foreign country is the worst. It's a dreary situation. I miss the old smoking threads. Now, those were a hoot.

I was interested in your remark about your neighbors and the slamming doors. We seem to always be near people who rise at 5 AM and slam the door on their way out, presumably to Lido. I know the doors are loud if you don't hold them but just to let them swing close causes a very loud noise. Otherwise, love your review....

I am so sorry you are going through this nightmare. I too, fear that other passengers will decline to report covid if they contact it onboard. Especially after reading about it here.

Wonderful review! Thanks for posting!

I still can't figure out what is so bad about the PG. Do you eat better at home? Heck, I'm glad it isn't the Golden Corral or something like that. People always find something to complain about. I avoid them like the plague.