janmcn

For a Neptune it would be location. Some don’t want to be 2 decks away from the Lounge. Other than that, not a lot of difference.

Did Tallinn on our own…very walkable and allowed us to dilly dally for photos, lunch, etc. Easy town (old town) to do it in. Can’t get lost since it’s walled!

Is Nyron staying on for next voyage?

Take Note!!! Here is what happens per the Crew Manual:!!!

Room service is perfect for this!

That’s why we “downgrade “ ourselves to a Verandah on the new ships…don’t like the room layout with bed by Verandah door.

Zuiderdam and Zaandam to get the first rollout of Starlink service May 1 according to HAL email we got.

Favorite ship…seems to always sail itineraries we want…future cruises planned on her.

Lost me for pools and spas when someone said they watched someone get out of a spa dripping parts of a Depends. Nope! Never again.

When food is included in your tours, how do you handle things like salads that won’t have been cooked and items washed in questionable water?

AK for 2024 is almost totally booked!

Definitely upgrade to the SS Suite…check halfacts.com for plenty of photos to see the difference. Our favorite cabins!

Re:taxes…we have our accountant file an extension for our taxes, so don’t do them until we get home unless he thinks our quarterly payments aren’t enough. We have a neighbor collect our mail and if anything looks of concern, they can open and email a photo of it (scan). Our bills are mostly done automatically, but we can always pay online via our T-Mobile service when in port. Car is driven once after 6-8 weeks by neighbor to rotate tires a bit. Same neighbor will check inside of house, turn water back on (that has been off) and flush toilets, run water etc. We have great neighbors in a culdesac who look out for each other!

Had no problem checking ( and Neptunes were available) going through HAL site.

When they got rid of libraries a few years ago during “upgrades” they got a lot of blowback. They’re adding them back now…great! Zaandam still has the “old style “ library we loved with the Exploration Cafe right there.

Huh? I think you’re thinking of The Dutch Cafe on Pinnacle Class ships. Dive-in is burgers and hotdogs.

Thanks Pete… the info on the tipping/pooling is what I always understood was what happened. Thank you for verifying it because my source at HAL said the same thing but people have said it was wrong. Also like your description of why prices are the way they are…does make sense. Appreciate your comments. May you be quoted?😁

Love the info on bingo…sounds too automatic now…even if you DO win (congratulations!) since you’re at sea and still might have time to ask Henk…1.if people remove the “hotel charge” and then tip individuals, do those individuals have to turn those private tips in to the “pool?” and 2. Why can’t HAL and other companies just increase the cruise costs instead of adding this “hotel charge?” I think there are probably tax reasons but folks always bring that up. Since you’re becoming a huge cruise authority with good reason, perhaps you can get Henk to answer! 👍

Love the info on bingo…sounds too automatic now…even if you DO win (congratulations!) since you’re at sea and still might have time to ask Henk…1.if people remove the “hotel charge” and then tip individuals, do those individuals have to turn those private tips in to the “pool?” and 2. Why can’t HAL and other companies just increase the cruise costs instead of adding this “hotel charge?” I think there are probably tax reasons but folks always bring that up. Since you’re becoming a huge cruise authority with good reason, perhaps you can get Henk to answer! 👍

There are constant comments about WHY HAL ships ( and others) insist on adding “hotel charges” as being considered “tips. Nobody likes this. WHY cannot the salaries be adjusted instead? When people REMOVE the auto tips, we hear the staff must turn in any private tips they receive from passengers. True?

Check 4176 Nieuw Amsterdam on Halfacts for photo of the washer.

It isn’t blocking your view…halfacts has a photo of one of them…Eurodam? Can’t remember…you wouldn’t notice it but it might be noisy if you were on your Verandah…it would be the lowest deck Neptune if I recall.

Corner aft can have the window washing mechanism on it…fyi Check Halfacts.

Thanks for the “timing” comparisons with HAL tours…helps for future plans. Re: the yarn crawls…fun to see those from the ‘18 revisited! I’ve still got some quilting fat quarters but alas had to give away some of my yarns I hadn’t used…can no longer knit due to neuropathy in hands and feet from chemo. We’ll be on 2024 Grand AU so am keeping lots of info you’re doling out! Thanks!

Shorter cruises (<14 days) Pinnacle Class are nice. Longer cruises the older ships have better cabins with more storage. Prefer long cruises, so the smaller, older ships are great…especially with the wide promenades…give me a library with the Exploration Cafe and I’m truly happy.