keysey222

Stayed in a Sky Suite on the Solstice under the buffet. Those rolling carts woke me up at all hours of the night. It sounded like a thunderstorm above my room. I got little sleep that cruise, even with a sound machine I brought from home. Learned my lesson and will only book rooms that have guest rooms above me. Don't do it, OP.

It's not necessarily the rising prices that piss me off. It's that it's combined with cuts to service and declining food quality. We've never balked at paying for suites in the past. While it was pricey, we have limited vacation time so we strive to enjoy what we have. Now, it's getting to the point where the value isn't there. I'm not receiving the services (butler, solid food options) that I thought I was paying for when I booked 2024 sailings 1-2 years ago. I can sail in a suite in Azamara for a similar price as a Sky Suite or I can pay far less and get a suite with the all-inclusive package on HAL. I'm willing to give MSC Yacht Club a try as well. We have three future cruises scheduled with Celebrity and those will decide if we believe their suite product is remotely worth what we are shelling out to sail.

I'm surprised by the comments making it seem like it's not that bad. I'd be livid if I spent all the money for a Neptune Suite and encountered both of these issues. First, I wouldn't feel comfortable allowing my child to play on the balcony with all that rust. Second, I can't imagine the smell inside the cabin. I've been on HAL ships (Nieuw Amsterdam, in this case) in which the room (Neptune) smelled like cruise toilet/sewage the entire voyage. We've all smelled the smell and it's not limited to HAL. But this time, it permeated the whole cabin and we had to endure a faint sewage smell the whole time. My father-in-law had the cabin next door and his didn't smell any better. Thankfully, it was only 7 days. That was awful enough, so I can't imagine enduring other guests waste sitting in the toilet and having to smell it. I'd expect more than $600 FCC per person for that.

We go back and forth between Celebrity and HAL. Not that HAL isn't doing much of the same cost-cutting shenanigans as Celebrity, but they are a solid alternative. They just posted their 2025 Europe cruises and I was pleasantly surprised by their itineraries. We're booked with Celebrity for 2024 and returning to HAL for all 2025 cruises due to better itineraries for us. They only thing we'll miss is the Retreat sundeck.

Thanks for sharing. Celebrity wooed me with their itineraries for 2024 and HAL wooed me back for 2025. Booked the one with the overnights in Cairo and Istanbul already. I'm surprised how quickly the well-located Neptunes on Deck 7 are going. Good on you, HAL. I like the direction HAL is going with more overnights and some interesting Europe itineraries.

Wow. That's bad. Why would anyone even bother? You're better off staying in a hotel for a couple of days to experience Mardi Gras than doing the second cruise.

Reggae bands and Buffet style singers? Sign me up. I'm 41, but I'm a huge parrothead and would love this kind of entertainment over the lousy top 40 songs blaring at the pool.

Many cruise itineraries used to embark/disembark from Amsterdam. We did one last year and spent time in Amsterdam both pre-cruise and post-cruise - staying in hotels, dining out, visiting museums, shopping, etc. (Our cruise was moved to Rotterdam at last minute, so we just used uber to go back and forth.) For many cruisers, I have to think a stay in Amsterdam before or after the cruise is a big draw. It was for us and we spent a pretty penny while there. Oh well.

French onion soup, bourbon and peaches drink in Luminae and the Retreat sundeck.

It extends to Club Orange/suites as well. Club Orange gets one extra entree option each night and that's it. HAL has been doing the upcharge thing for awhile now across all dining rooms. Part of the reason we started to prefer Celebrity was we didn't like feeling nickel and dimed by HAL. Now it's getting to be a toss-up.

This feels petty. I don't really mind going to another deck, purchasing beverages at the bar (for me and the husband) and bringing them back to my room. We have a young child, so sitting at bars isn't something we do right now. For what suite guests pay, I don't see what is so hard about offering alcoholic beverages to HIA guests in the Neptune Lounge. It'd be a welcome perk for those in rooms near the lounge. We usually buy the HIA package and it would be convenient for us to just walk a few rooms down to the Neptune Lounge to get drinks instead.

The first time I went to Canaletto (probably 12 years ago), I ordered the Bolognese. They served me the exact same sauce and pasta that was on the buffet every day.

We're on the 2024 sailing of a similar cruise. I've had luck finding private tour guides using a mix of Google, TripAdvisor & Viator. I even contacted one that was recommended by a travel blogger I like in one of their blog posts. They're so inexpensive compared to booking with the ship. Plus, we want to see specific beaches and waterfalls - which Celebrity isn't offering those opportunities. Every tour guide I reached out to via email or WhatsApp was quick to chat and respond. I was unimpressed with the Celebrity offerings.

If you are on a cruise out of Rotterdam or Amsterdam with a sizeable number of Dutch passengers, the Grand Dutch Cafe will be packed. On our Norway cruise, I gave up even trying to go. The line was always too long, no matter the time of day.

We stayed in one of these on the Solstice. It was so noisy. I'd never, ever stay in one of these again. I'm a light sleeper and I really struggled to sleep with the constant cart noise/dishes noise/chair noise. We have an upcoming cruise on the Equinox and wound up booking a much pricier CS because the only Sky Suites available were under the cafe.

I sail HAL with my young child. I see nothing wrong with HAL's response. It's not their job to entertain or babysit my child or any parent's children. It's unfortunate that many crappy parents let their kids run wild and allow their kids to behave disrespectfully on the ship, but that's on the parents. Not HAL.

They will let you check out whatever toys you like. You can keep switching them up!

On our last HAL cruise, we brought our two-year-old to quite a few specialty dining restaurants. We give her headphones, an ipad and put on a Disney movie - and she behaves quite well. She's used to traveling and dining out. We're cruising HAL with her again this summer and we will yet again take her to PG, etc. while on the ship. She'll likely be a good guest, but if not, my husband and I take turns taking her out of the restaurant while the other eats. It happens. I don't believe kids are the issue with fine dining, it's the parents that are inconsiderate. We appreciate the effort HAL is making to be kid-friendly without turning the ship into a chaotic romper room situation full of go-karts and waterslides.

We went in mid-August and temps were definitely not in the 70s. It ranged from high 50's to low 60's. If the sun makes an appearance, it feels warmer. Layers are needed. T-shirt, heavy sweatshirt, waterproof raincoat.

We are sailing there with a toddler next winter. If you look on Viator, there are excursions to an elephant sanctuary in Phuket. In Penang, there's an orangutan sanctuary tour (orangutan island) that includes a city tour. That's what we are looking at!

Sailed this cruise many years ago. The one thing we didn't love was there was no opportunity to sit alone at dinner. My husband and I aren't ones for small talk with strangers and there was no way around it. However, we did book the outside restaurant for a couple of nights just so we could have a table for two. A tip for you - bring your own wetsuit. We went in late November/December and all they had in my size on the boat was one with short sleeves/shorts and I froze in the water. My husband was smart enough to bring his own and he stayed warm. Even if you're not seasick-prone, bring dramamine or bonine. Sometimes the waves are bad and it rocks the little Zodiac boats hard, especially if you're out snorkeling in the middle of the ocean. Edit to add - We sailed the Xpedition, not the Xploration, but I imagine they are similar!

Tried the Mast Grill burger on the Solstice many years ago and recently on the Edge. It was awful and I threw each out after a few bites. Toppings couldn't save it. Luminae burgers are quite good, but their dining room has limited lunch times and I don't believe they are open on port days for lunch, so not often accessible to suite guests. Burgers are one lesson Celebrity can learn from HAL as HAL's Dive-In (poolside grill similar to Mast) are absolutely delicious.

The dressy nights are the nights we try to do specialty dining. We are never impressed by what's on the menu. We aren't alone as on our last cruise, our concierge in the Neptune said that the dressy nights were usually the most heavily booked for specialty dining. Yes, they have surf or turf, but I've never found either to be anything to write home about in the MDR.

If you don't like sitting in a bus, I'd skip anything that says it's a "panoramic" tour. Are you active enough to enjoy bike riding? I can't recall the name of the bike rental company (it's easily googleable), but in Napier we rented bikes from a shop in town, took a gorgeous ride by the water and through the countryside, then did some "winery hopping" by bike. The rental company picked us up at the wineries at the end so no need to bike all the way back. It was simple and one of my favorite excursions I've ever done.

If you don't like sitting in a bus, I'd skip anything that says it's a "panoramic" tour. Are you active enough to enjoy bike riding? I can't recall the name of the bike rental company (it's easily googleable), but in Napier we rented bikes from a shop in town, took a gorgeous ride by the water and through the countryside, then did some "winery hopping" by bike. The rental company picked us up at the wineries at the end so no need to bike all the way back. It was simple and one of my favorite excursions I've ever done.