happy2cruise2016

Our flight home from Miami doesn't leave until 9:30pm. We will have a group of 7 people and are looking for options to spend the day. Has anyone used DayPass and what areas would be good to look in for things to do.

We were also on the NS on Christmas Day, traveling with our three grandchildren and were in the World Stage for the Santa arrival event. Prior to Santa's arrival, the Entertainment Director did a great job of keeping the children engaged with games. Hot Chocolate and Christmas cookies were passed out. There were children there from infant to teenagers. Once Santa arrived they asked children to come down by age group to take a picture with Santa and receive a gift. The younger children received a stuffed animal with Holland America branding...I saw several children carrying them around during the rest of the cruise. The older children received an insulated tumbler/water bottle with NS branding. One of my grandchildren chose to sleep in and was sad she decided not to go when she saw what her siblings got! I did see a few parents taking pictures behind the photographer...they were possibly blocked, but no one was telling them they couldn't. They also allowed families to come up at the end for group pictures. I think the thing to remember is that the event is for the children and I think every child there had a good time...even the moody teenagers seemed to enjoy themselves. The only people I saw upset were a few babies who weren't sure about Santa!

In the past year we have been on Nieuw Statendam, Ruby Princess, Koningsdam and Celebrity Eclipse. While none of them were perfect, we found things to enjoy on all of them and we had fewer issues on the HAL ships. Our cabin on Celebrity was forward on deck 7 and there was quite a lot of noise, especially anytime we docked or were tendered. The food was very mediocre and the only dessert worth eating was ice cream. There were several different issues on Princess that took multiple trips and calls to Guest Services to get fixed. The food was better than Celebrity, but Holland food was better than both. The issues we experienced on HAL were minimal and addressed quickly. I know we go on vacations and expect everything to be perfect and it is disappointing when things happen to make our experience less than perfect, however it is key to remember we are on vacation and look for things we can enjoy in the midst of our disappointment...we could be at home having to go to work, cook, clean or do laundry!

You can't get any closer than the Pan Pacific...take the elevator down, walk down a hall and you are there! It is a little pricey, but worth the convenience of not having to worry about getting to the port the day of the cruise. We called for our bags to be taken down and they were there in less than five minutes and the bags were in our room on the ship when we got on. We took an Uber from the airport to the hotel when we arrived as we weren't sure how far we would have to walk from the Sky Train. It is a pretty easy walk and we took the Sky Train back to the airport after the cruise. Lots of choices for food in the area.

We are sailing on Celebrity out of San Pedro and flying into Long Beach Airport the day before our cruise. Would it be better to stay at one of the hotels near the airport or in San Pedro?

Another question along the same line...we have two rooms booked with no special rates involved. My daughter and 14 year old granddaughter are in one room and my husband and I are in the other. My husband doesn't drink due to medication he is taking, but my daughter and I enjoy several drinks a day. Would there be a problem changing me into the same room as my daughter to purchase a beverage package and then book my granddaughter with my husband...then change rooms once onboard. Both rooms will be on the same credit card for onboard expenses.

Our family of 8 is spread out over 3 staterooms and will have the HIA promotion on our upcoming cruise. We want to book dinner reservations at the Pinnacle Grill and want to be at the same table. It appears we have to make a separate reservation for each stateroom to use our dining credit. Is there a way to link these reservations to be able to be at the same table? I believe I have seen some type of form or a number to call on this forum before but can't fine it now. Thanks for any help you can give.

I know that Club Orange includes priority check in...does that mean embarkation? We have Club Orange for an upcoming cruise out of Port Everglades and our boarding pass has our boarding time at 12:00 with group D and it does have Priority Boarding at the top. Will we be able to board earlier than 12:00 or do we need wait to board?

Are shorts allowed for men in Club Orange for breakfast?

Do you remember what size this tree was on the Rotterdam?