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rapata

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Posts posted by rapata

    Questions on Lanai cabins on Rotterdam

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    We were in Cabin 3344 in January and had a bit of noise early morning, like trolleys above us, but it was not too loud. None of the other issues. I would book that cabin again. One note, there was a speaker for the public announcements right outside our cabin on the promenade deck and it was very loud, so much that we could. Hear the announcements without opening the door. Luckily there were no announcements at night.

     

     

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    service charge question

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    100 perfect agreed, the same people that bitch about the DSC are the same ones who have no problem tipping in a land based restaurant or bar in the USA or other places where tipping is the norm and the waitstaff is making $2.00 an hour plus tips
    Not true in many parts of the world. In some countries service is part of the work ethic. ...

     

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    service charge question

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    Then by all means pay it up front! The math really is not all that hard. Any 4th grader can probably do that for you! :D
    Actually MC I passed math with flying colors. .... you missed the whole point. What I don't like is all the ad on costs over and above the enticing advertised prices, fares should just include the daily service charge. Makes it easier when planning a trip and looking at costs

     

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    service charge question

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    Its a wage subsidy in disguise. Cruise lines do it so they dont have to pay their staff so much. If they did away with it and increased the fares people would object, but I would prefer to pay a truly all in price right up front, rather than have to figure the true cost of my cruise when I add on the DSC.

     

     

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    American Airlines gave our seat assignments away

    in Cruise Air

    Posted

    Yes,happened to us in January. i had booked our flights and chose our seats. We had a notification that the flight was changed, I never thought to check the seating, and arrived at the airport to find they had moved us. If you have ANY change to your flights, check the sets right away.

     

     

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    Questions on Lanai cabins on Rotterdam

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    We booked a Lanai cabin for our 14 day S Caribbean cruise in January and absolutely LOVED it, it was the nicest cabin we have had in our 6 cruises, way better than the balcony we had for our Panama Cruise, as you have a view the full length of the ship right from your deck chair.

    We were both recovering from a severe head cold at the beginning of the cruise so didnt venture far from our cabin, and in the afternoons my DH would have a nap and I could stay close outside reading. We also found that as we got further south and the weather got warmer, we didnt want to spend too much time on the open sunny decks when we had a lovely place to sit. It was a sociable place, we met many of our neighbours and also got to know quite a few of the "walkers" as they would do their laps around the prom deck.

     

    I would put a towel and book or magazine on our chairs in the morning and never had a problem, but there were some issues with other people sitting in the chairs. One afternoon about 4 days out someone occupied our neighbours chair and when she very politely explained that the chairs were reserved he got quite obnoxious. It appears that many passengers are not aware that those chairs are reserved for the lanai cabin occupants and there were no reserved signs. Later that day I did notice some cabins had reserved signs on their chairs and I asked those people if they made their own signs, they said they went to the front desk and asked for the reserved signs. Well that evening we and a few of our neighbours did the same, they put reserved signs on our chairs and after that there was no problem. The front desk told me that they were waiting for new signs after the dry dock, but really, how long do a few reserved signs take! We did find that as the weather got warmer many people would walk by looking for a shady place to sit and one woman even said to me, if there is no sign I can use that chair.

     

    I feel that HAL is at fault in not having reserved signs on all the Lanai cabin chairs, but it seemed that if you didnt complain they left them as 'open seating'. I also noticed that on the morning we docked in Tampa, all the signs that had been put on the chairs had been removed.

     

    As far as being able to see in, during the day you could not see in but in the evening if the lights were on you definitely could, so we kept our drapes closed at night. Someone mentioned that the doors didnt fit well and air came in around the cracks, we never experienced any problems in that regard.

     

    Would I book a Lanai cabin again - absolutely yes, it was worth the extra. I would suggest if there is no reserved sign, right away on Day 1 go to the front desk and have them put the signs on.

    Questions on Lanai cabins on Rotterdam

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    We are sailing on Rotterdam Jan 14th and after much deliberation upgraded to a Lanai cabin., as the only alternative to a cabin with outdoor access was a Vista or Neptune suite. i was concerned about chair squatters but have decided I will be firm in asking people to move if they choose to use our chairs, and will probably put my own towel and book etc on them first thing in the morning. If anyone leaves things on My chair they will have to claim them from lost and found!!!,

     

     

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    Starboard or Port Side

    in Alaska

    Posted

    Going north land will mostly be on starboard side, but so far off you wont see much, and you will go through passages with land both sides. When you are in Glacier Bay you will want to be out and about on the ship seeing it from different places. Depending on time of year, it could be too cold to sit out on the balcony. We did Alaska with an inside cabin and were glad we had not spent money on a view or balcony.

     

     

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    Rotterdam refurbishment

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    On the ship today. The refurbishment looks beautiful. So far so good.

     

     

     

    Hope to hear more from you during or after your cruise. We are on Rotterdam on January 14th and despite so much negative comment recently are going to board with an open mind and try not to sweat the small stuff.

     

     

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    Extra bottle of wine for corkage fee

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    On my recent Alaska cruise, on HAL, departing Vancouver, my friend and I each had 2 bottles of wine in our carry ons and were prepared to pay corkage, however the only security scan was prior to going through Passport control and no one stopped us to pay the corkage!

    Some friends recently departed from Seattle and also reported no "bottle check".

    We are cruising out of Tampa in January (HAL) does anyone know if/where they check how many bottles you have.

     

     

     

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    5 free offers expiry

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    If you see what you think is a good deal book it. I booked a Med cruise for Sept 2018 with some nice perks. I often price check today and the latest offer is Distinctive voyages offering a few more perks. ...250 minutes Internet, phone call package, hotel and air credits and shore excursion credit, all it took was a phone call to get them added to our existing booking. Still kept our UBP and SDP so pretty happy with the deal. Will keep checking and see what offers come up next

     

    Sent from my SM-T330NU using Forums mobile app

    Hal cruises for active seniors

    in Ask a Cruise Question

    Posted

    We did a14 day Alaska last year on the Zaandam and found plenty of life after dark. ....at least for us. We are 68 and 74. Typically we would do anytime dining around 7.30 and have a leisurely dinner then head to the Crows Nest to get a Happy Hour glass of wine..2nd drink for $2 and then to the theatre for the 2nd show which started at 10pm. A lot of people seemed to go to bed after the show but there were usually still a couple of entertainers in the piano lounge and another area. ...forget the name. It was enough for us.

     

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