Katie333

We usually do a combination of DIY and private tours with the odd ship's tour mixed in. For our upcoming cruise, we were getting a freebie tour from our TA, but didn't know until just a week ago which port it would be for. As such, we held off booking the 2 ships tours until then. In hindsight of course, I could have booked and cancelled later, though Princess makes the whole process much easier than HAL and I didn't want to fuss with it.

At any rate, we got the one tour no problem, but the other one has been waitlisted. I put myself on the wishlist for it, and we'll see what happens.

Has anyone experienced this and did you end up getting onto the tour? I'm more curious than anything as I'm sure we'll find something else to do.

I am glad to not have this sensitivity, but have definitely run across scenarios aboard cruise ships (in particular) where an overdose of perfume was evident. To be honest, I prefer fresh scents (citrus based) and many perfumes seemingly prefered by the older generation are much heavier. I include my dear mother in this group unfortunately. My DH and I have literally gone running out of an elevator gasping for air.

My workplace has a scent free policy in some of our locations. It's not company-wide and tends to be based on specific locations where there is at least one employee with sensitivities. My colleagues tend to be fairly polite and understanding about these scenarios, that even without a law, from what I can tell, the rules get followed.

Also it while I'm sure it depends on the degree of the sensitivity in many cases at my workplace, as long as you don't wear perfume or use heavily scented lotions/shampoos, it doesn't cause an issue (meaning clothes washed in scented detergent aren't an issue, nor are mildly scented shampoos etc).

Not quite the same deal, but we had the explore4 added to our existing booking which was already at our TA's discounted rate. As of last look, we were paying about $600 less per person than the posted rates. We kept the OBC, the rate and just have the explore4 now.

Definitely see how this would make your trip extremely unpleasant.

While I agree it's possible there was some vessel-wide root cause they were not properly addressing, the Noordam doesn't have this reputation for faulty plumbing and if it was recurrent, it would definitely be posted about here.

It certainly could have been holdover issues from past passengers as well. While not toilet-related (ahem), we did have an experience on a norovirus-infested cruise. When the code red was issued, all of us in our party of 4 immediately starting taking extra precautions. The captain, sounding angrier each time, re-iterated the importance of following your quarantine if you were afflicted. It was clear that some infected passengers were constantly breaking quarantine, and causing havoc with attempts to clean and bring things under control. It was also really interesting to me that we saw other passengers not doing simple things they could to prevent their own infection (touching every public surface etc). My point is that many many passengers clearly thought the rules didn't apply to them and caused widespread impact to other people as a result. (ps - my room steward told me his section was one of the only ones on the ship without any infected passengers).

We are Princess regulars and I found the selection of complimentary self-serve beverages in the buffet to be much better on HAL. Unlike Princess you can get your own beverage at lunch and dinner, and lemonade was available about half the time. If I recall, it was fruit punch and peach drink the other times.

The coffee, according to my coffee-loving DH, is better on HAL but still not the best he`s ever had.

Doesn't show for me either and I have a cruise currently booked with the explore4 promo on it.

In a search of CC, looks like it might be tied to the Above & Beyond promo. Guess those who are eligible may see the option and the rest of us don't? Seems odd to build it into their website for a limited time promo.

I see more and more extra charges. Your cruise fare will be just that - a fare for the stateroom and passage. Food possibly will be charged a la carte, and just about everything else. Years ago, the nice thing about cruising was that there was one fee paid upfront for everything (yes, even airfare) except for liquor or gambling, which was extra. I see that concept going away almost entirely. In the future, in my crystal ball, I see no difference between a regular land resort (not all-inclusive) and a cruise vacation. It will become a "cruise resort" with fees for everything. The only difference will be that it "floats" to different destinations, and the land resort just stays put......

 

For me, cruising will lose all its appeal at that point - JMHO of course.

I get your point. While I won't say cruising will entirely lose its appeal for me, I do like the fact that I have a pretty good idea upfront about what I'm getting and what I'm not (and what I'm getting = meals, accommodation, entertainment, transportation). If half of that or more is taken away, the cruise experience becomes a bit less special. And while a non-inclusive land resort can't compete with being at sea and being taken to multiple different ports, it would be an overall less enjoyable experience if I was worried about this cost and that cost, and not knowing where my expenses would land.

Unfortunately I agree that with the advent of multiple new streams of 'for-fee' extras onboard, this is a potential eventuality (maybe there will be a complete split between a true all inclusive cruise like the luxury lines and a totally non-inclusive product on the mainstream lines).

My guesses:

• More mega-ships
  
• Many 'for fee' extras, like dining venues, cabanas, and other perks you have to pay more for while onboard (maybe packaged together, like 'premium dining package')
  
• More ships built with inside and balconies only, no outside cabins
  
• Technology advances in onboard communications
  
• Ships with more casual ambience and 'splashy' features like on the RCCL mega-ships
  

I've seen lots of coloured diamonds recently onboard and in the ports in the Caribbean, they are for sure the next tanzanite. Should be no problem finding them.

It's definitely a great marketing ploy to use low grade diamonds (and/or irridiate them to create the colours). Chocolate diamond is much nicer sounding than brown diamonds.

With that said, I love coloured gemstones, and have many different semi-precious gems. At the end of the day you should buy what you like, just know what you are getting.

I've not been cruising for 20 years so am likely not qualified to comment. I've not seen a lot really change in the 10 years we have sailed, maybe some degradation of food quality and service (do more with less).

But I can't resist adding .. in all the photos and publicity I saw for cruising in the 80s and 90s, it was touted as a very luxurious, very formal experience. If you've ever been on a ship that was built during this era (and that I have done), you will immediately notice despite efforts to upgrade, that cabins are smaller, balconies are more scarce and the level of variety in amenities and onboard services (for fee or for free) is lower. It's hard to bring these ships into what most consider the 'modern' cruise ship we know today.

We appreciate that we can afford to cruise. I am still enchanted by the sea, and find much enjoyment in the experience of watching the waves from my balcony while sipping a glass of wine. I am also not a formal person, and as I dress up for work, love to dress down when we vacation. While seen as a degradation of the cruise experience by many traditionalists, I love the more casual ambiance of today's ships.

I agree you can cruise on a budget regardless of where!

Make sure you plan for the 'required' expenses like onboard service charges (daily tips), any travel costs to and from the pier when embarking/disembarking etc.

There are sooo many extra ways to spend money while on a cruise, like spa treatments, extra fee dining, souvenirs (onboard and off ship), fees for certain classes onboard, expensive tours etc.

However, speaking from the cruises we have taken, we have never paid extra for a dining venue, we have never spent more than $30 in onboard shops and we have done many ports on our own for little to no extra cost. Our first couple cruises were in oceanview rooms and they were fine. (admittedly we've done balconies or suites ever since, and this is our splurge when cruising). It's so easy to get caught up in the hype, and in where other people choose to spend their money. You can have a fantastic trip without extra indulgences.

The Explore4 card DID have a limit for $7 drinks only. This was for the Statendam in January.

Did you have the $50 total card, or the drink allowance (15 per day)?

Would love to hear from others who had the 'unlimited' package vs. the beverage card. PG experience is about what I would expect given the volume of passengers, though disappointing some folks had to find out their dining time themselves - seems the least they can do is tell you when it is.

In real life, I don't eat past 9pm, but on a cruise that's another story. :o

My DH is up late so he went alone the first night and he was very surprised to find an entirely fresh menu (like the other Lido menus, it is posted near the elevators so you can check it out in advance). He really enjoyed himself and convinced me to come the next night.

They had peanut chicken satay, lots of yummy sidedishes, desserts + other entrees. It was restricted to one section of the buffet, so not a huge amount of stuff, but it was great. I actually ate some of my favourite things in that buffet (yes, I went back).

In comparison to Princess, where it is largely just leftovers. Literally, the same things they served that day at lunch or dinner, with some pizza and hot dogs thrown in. No real complaints as it's good not to waste food, but we found the HAL late night buffet was a real treat.

When I've told people I've been on HAL, they said 'wow, with your grandma?'.

Definitely there is a reputation out there around HAL filled with only 80 year olds. With that said, when I'm 80, if I get there, and I can still cruise, guess where I will be? ;)

I have learned that the length and type of itinerary dictates the average age more than the cruiseline itself. And yes, we are still one of the younger ones aboard, but we aren't alone.

We cruise once or twice a year (generally twice if we are doing the Caribbean routes). We could swing a third if we wanted to, but my DH feels it won't be special if we go too often. I agree with the other posters who indicate it's about choices.

We don't live a fancy lifestyle, and we funnel our extra savings into cruising. We also book our cruises 1-2 years in advance, leverage cheap or prepaid deposits and then save up the funds.

It's also about how much you spend on the cruise itself, I mean while cruising (though getting a good deal on the fares help too!). We cruise balcony and up so our cabin isn't always the cheapest option, but while we are onboard we can generally avoid the same temptations we do on land. We have yet to pay extra for specialty dining, and don't overindulge in other shipboard costs such as spa, alcohol, onboard shops etc. Our last cruise the cruiseline owed us $8 at the end!

Ouch, disappointing to read this about PG. We are cruising to the Med with explore4 in April and will get the 'free' PG dinner. I'm expecting we likely won't be able to use it anyway because of the busy port schedules we have planned and the likelihood we'll get a too-late dining time.

So I wonder if they offer this freebie as incentive to cruise and to enjoy the PG sooo much you will pay for it next time, why offer such a ho-hum experience? Surcharges on top of surcharges also don't impress me.

I dislike this photo line, it clogs up the boarding process and it's always a bit awkward trying to circumvent it.

What I do is wait until we get close to the front (i.e. don't push my way past or forward) and then move behind the screen and keep going. I will always say something along the lines of 'no thank you, don't need a photo'.) The awkward part is finding the right time to move ahead as I don't want to push my way forward in the line in an effort to bypass this quicker, as that seems rude. In addition, some of the staff are pushy about the photo. It makes me wonder if they are somehow rated on the number of shots they take. It's a waste of their money and time as I think we bought one picture in all the cruises we have taken.

But I'm thrilled with the new policy. :)I'm happy to see that the petition wasn't a fool's errand after all and I'd like to personally thank everyone who signed and wrote detailed thoughtful comments. The fact that this issue stayed front and center at CC for as long as it did spoke volumes to Seattle.

IMHO this policy was what HAL intended all along but first needed to soften us all up by having the more more draconian policy published and ready to enforce. If none of us had objected they probably would've implemented it.

But we did voice our concerns. And HAL had a perfectly fine face-saving measure waiting in the wings; they are happy and we are too!

Too bad Amsterdam isn't a hotbed of local wines, but I'm sure I'll find something fun to bring on board in August:D

I'm a (wine) glass half full kind of person, and even I agree this is likely the case. For a cruise line to go from the giant wine free-for-all to 2 bottles, even when sailing in wine-drenched regions for 30 days or more, seemed way too harsh.

With that said, as a wine drinker heading to Europe in April on HAL, I am glad I'll be able to potentially bring back an extra bottle or two.

I'm a bit worried you haven't gotten stitches, hope you will have a doctor look at your leg.

I get that a bad experience (regardless of whose fault it is or isn't) can absolutely dampen your cruise experience, and even your opinion of the cruiseline. I also think the doctor's office should have been more empathetic (if even just because everyone sues for everything these days).

Maybe I'm weird, but I would have never thought to ask my room steward about the plumbing issue. Seems like he helped you out but I think if you go through Guest Services they maintain a log and you can ensure, at minimum there is a proper record of your concerns.

At any rate, best of luck on your next cruise.

Always like this thread and the bon voyages!

We are sailing on April 20th on the N Amsterdam for their Med Tapestry 12 day trip from Barcelona to Venice.

Second HAL cruise and first time to the Med! We will be joined by fellow CC members funcruiserz

Double bag it at a local store before you embark or bring a durable tote bag to pack it up and bring it through the carry-on. The only downside to this (assuming you bring a fair bit) is that you are stuck toting is around until you can get into your room.

I've yet to try to luggage route.

Your best opinions will come from those who have sailed both lines, for sure. I've got all of one cruise with HAL, but will say that the NCL Epic has a reputation for some strange design choices - such as the layout of the cabins and the bathrooms in them.

We found HAL to be very similar to Princess and with more finesse than Carnival, both of which we've cruised multiple times.

The menus have alot of the same items, maybe not everything identical but a lot of the same plus there is a big salad bar where you can make up your own salad.

We've only been on HAL once but eat primarily at the Lido whenever we cruise. In addition to the complete flexibility and more casual nature of this dining, we have never had an issue finding selections to our liking. We especially enjoyed the late night Lido offerings (10:30?) and would often head up there once we discovered this.

The only downside is the sometimes less than hot temperatures. :rolleyes: HAL does a good job of keeping their portions reasonable, but we still had a couple items that were not piping hot. I think this is the case with buffets everywhere you go.

Perhaps I'm over anxious but do we have an explore4 beverage package report from a cruise that ended Saturday??

Reports on the dining bookings were helpful from the holiday cruisers (and pretty much expected) but very curious to see how the beverage package - daily not the $50 total card - is working out?