OceanTraveller4ever

Got off the Zdam a few days ago, and saw HAL'S  new wine offerings.

They 4 or 6 or 8 bottles packages, and these can be had at three levels of price/quality.

The six bottles at level one is a tad more than the older 5 bottles package, wich is a better deal.

As a four star mariner I did receive the 50%  discount off the wine package.

Hope this will alleviate some worries on this thread 😊

Just wondering why folks keep to one category, or choose to change around. Cost is always a factor, but so are many other variants.

....

Thank you. Home again diabetes well under control.

 

Interesting enough when the head waiter finally spoke to me at length 7 days into the cruise he said they add practically no salt to food but most probably add sugar for flavor. No hypertension here.

 

As far as the slacks my TA said that this must be a fairly new rule. Booked the cruise 9 months ago.

 

All good HAL is just not for us looking at the MSC Divina next year.

 

 

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OMG.....Alert the MSC Divina :eek: HAL is now off the hook...

first was lunch via my TA

Lunch took a ling 2.5 hours many errors in kitchen

Second was dinner to makeuo forlunch

Lots of folks complained about tough steaks

 

 

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All the lunch times I saw on ships were from 11:30 to 1:00.

How in the world can you be there 2.5 hours.

Did you just stay there all alone in the MDR, and complain to the walls.

Also, including complaints on hearsay is a stretch.

Feel sorry for the crew, handling your stay.

HAL offers drink packages on all cruises. It is about 55 bucks a day. 15 drinks per day.

An ordinary (weak) drink is 9 bucks, then a package is worth it.

On TA cruises, and others, there was an easel with posters and pens available. It was in the library/crows nest area. There you write in any activity youwanted to share with anyone. Card games, fitness activitiies, games of all sorts. Tai Chi was my fav.

Have not been to the PG dinner for a long time, even tho there is a 50 percent discount as 4 stars. I have been spoiled with the olden days of Stirling silver beef, and find the present RR beef subpar.

HAL's cost cutting reflects as quality lessening.

The PG lunches are great value however...

Have been on the Rotterdam last september, and enjoyed it very much. The MDR has great dishes, and service. Would return on her anytime.

On the Rotterdam, the back deck on the lower promenade has stairs that go down to a small area of the stern on the main deck.

My mistake. Cabin is on the main deck 20XX.

Not used to the R/S class ships yet.

Looking forward to the Zaandam 22 day Antartica in a full view Dolphin deck cabin (at the stern where it's quiet).

Was on a LP partial view on the Roterdam, and it was fine. This time I want to gawk at the antartic views and south amrrica as much as I can from every venue possible.

Let'adopt a grassroots movement on this. Everytime we go to the front desk, ask and demand that we want a cruise compilation log. In the participation easels/list in the crows nest, there should be a message to ask fellow shipmates to do the same. The same demamd everytime we speak to any ship officers.

The creaky wheel gets the oil...

No, you are limited to 750 ml bottles. Just as you can't go through airport security with a half squeezed tube of toothpaste.

OMG...What an anal retention answer.

Please think about your comment, and weigh between security concerns, and just commerce.

Loser answer, and relax...

Once was forced into a guarantee SY while booking on board. We wanted a set room but was refused by the agent.

We got saddled with 5002 which is forward, windy, wasteful of space for non-handicap use, and just not regular.

Had to fight vigorously to get a normal SY.

Never again a guarantee booking :(

I have brought in the cardboard one liter format with no comments so far. If one agent gets anal can you just pour out 250mls (or drink it). ;) Obviously not picky on wine, but some cardboard wines are just as good as wines on the navigator list.

Interesting coincidence that we were on the Zdam in March 2015 (got off in Civitavechia), and will be again this October 10th. Was in a Neptune then, but not this time :(

Since the port on the 22nd is FLL, is the work being done there? I thought ship renos were done in Europe.

I''l be on the Zdam for Kday, and will wear a striped orange shirt. If peeps are too cheap to get a significant orange apparel (socks and ties are lame), then fooey on them :).

Do not bother with O, and pass the savings to the ones, that keep coming back.

She has no allure to me, and I would hate to pay extra on my cruise to help fund a billionsire!

Amazing that there is so much concern on this, If one can afford to cruise, then HSC costs should be borne without complaint,

The only thing that should be done, is up front disclosure.

As HAL always indicate the extra fees (port costs, etc) they should indicate HSC (not charging but indicating fees upfront when booking)

So the wang wang is just hoping that the barman will overdo the quarter ounce measures. Nonetheless the mixture of so many disparate liquors would be strange.....Each is own :)

Putting aside the very high priced private HAL excursion offerings 500 to 2000+. There is peace of mind in booking with HAL.

So I paid 89USD with HAL as opposed to 40 with a local taxi. If something goes wrong as in car/bus breakdown. road closures, hold ups of any kind, etc..as.it can happen,.

The HAL excursion will have your back.......anything else....you're on your own....

The system is purposely convoluted so that folks cannot guess anything about upsells. Best bet is to have a very good PCC, and even better luck :)

Agreed that the crew is well worth the increase, However, it would be better business etiquette for HAL to indicate the HSC as they do port charges and fees.

I always though that it was a little catty to not put that charge up front.

But worth it....

It is only fair that folks that already paid into a cruise get the benefits of price drops. It's unfair that late comers enjoy price drops, without any down payments over early bookers (more or less)

It is important to always check your upcoming cruise for price drops.

That is why I have total trust in my HAL PCC in these situations to make it right when prices vary,

Vigilance, and a good PCC are the way to go. (note that a PCC will not alert you to price drops, nor a TA)

Never dealt with a TA, so cannot comment on their efficiency in this situation.

We were just there in early Dec. To beach area (at least that I saw) but a very nice pool/bar area with zip line and some smaller water slides. Maybe 100 yards from the pier. Lots of shops in the area, but not very busy.

 

We took a bus tour into the nearby city - it was a waste of time and money, so I would avoid it.

Agree totally! The shops are not busy, and not making any deals, as if the amber is rare as diamonds :confused:

The nearby town is cute, but homely, and most buildings are in a very dlkapidated state.

THe beaches are not very clean, and not very inviting.

Total waste if time and money.