bajae

My daughter, who lives 1600 miles from me, and I are going on a 16 day cruise together. Her birthday falls about a week after the cruise ends. I would like to get the birthday package for her but not until a few days before the end of the cruise. The only option I’m see on the web is for delivery on the 1st day of the cruise. I know we can order flowers on board. Can I order a birthday package on board? Thanks!

Is this available at another location for the ships without the Dutch cafe?

I’ll be on the Zaandam so Club Orange isn’t as attractive since there isn’t the separate dinning room. But I did the math and the cost of CO was the exact same amount as the difference between a guaranteed inside and the inside cabin I wanted. So I went with the CO. I’m not sure if I’ll get much benefit from CO but as far as I’m concerned my out of pocket was the same with or without CO so might as well go with.

Since I can’t dance in real life or sing, I would love to be singer/dancer. For a crew job, probably being a bartender.

I’m sorry to hear that happened to you and I can see how you’ll be hesitant in the future. My first HAL cruise is still months out so I haven’t used their laundry service yet but I have read much more positive than negative outcomes. I plan to use it, no sink washing for me on vacation 🙂, but I will consider what clothes I pack and limit those with very strict washing instructions. However, I will have many cold wash/cool dry clothing since those make up a large portion of my current wardrobe. No one is perfect and one offs can happen, so if someone slips up and ruins an item, so be it. I have done it myself and ruined an item (or two) by accident. My husband has as well and he is now forbidden from washing any of my clothes. Though my, at the time, 10 year old daughter did love my lovely cashmere sweater that now fit her.

Per a Facebook post from someone on the ship. They are replacing a stern thruster that takes 30 hours to replace, thus an overnight stay.

That is my plan as well for my Hawaiian cruise. Three or four days early and if all is well, I'll enjoy San Diego for these days. If not, I have time to drive there if needed.

I have a few pairs of Rothy’s and I love them. I haven’t taken them on a cruise yet but I plan to on my next one. They say you can add an insole if you need more support but I haven’t tried. I have walked quite the distance wearing them but I do try to avoid that if possible since they aren’t that comfortable for that long of a walk. However, they are the most comfortable pair of flats I have owned. I also love that they are washable. My black pair has probably gone through the washer 20+ times and they still look great. My daughter has wide feet and she finds they don’t work for her.

I read that it was possible to get one star status if you had another cruise under another of the Carnival lines. I thought I would share that I was able to do this. I emailed the Mariner’s society. I provided both our Mariner’s numbers, and the information about our cruise (Carnival Conquest, Western Caribbean, and dates sailed). I heard back in minutes and we had one star status. Obviously no days but at least I should get a tile, fingers crossed.

I found this interesting. Looking at the cabins on the lower promenade, deck 3, of the Zaandam (looks like it is the same with the Volendam). The deck plan provided by HAL has a different ordering of cabin numbers for the interior rooms verses the numbers for actually booking your room. So when looking to book a cabin, the cabins are listed in numerical order: 3340, 3343, 3344, 3347, 3352, 3355, 3356. But the deck plan has them in this order: 3340, 3344, 3343, 3347, 3352, 3356, 3355 I am assuming the deck plan is the correct numbering since the direction the cabin doors open follows the usual numbering that cabins on starboard side are odd numbered and cabins on port side are even. But this should mean that the person who books cabin 3356 thinking it only shares one wall with another cabin will be surprised when they show up and find they are actually nestled between two cabins. One would think this error should have been noticed by now and corrected.

To expand on this, one per type of bonus. I have both the education and military bonuses on my booking.

We will also be on a Christmas cruise and I am concerned about bringing decor that I leave behind. It just seems like a lot of waste for the crew to take care of or is it really not that big of a deal? I think I’ll get one of the pretty Christmas flower arrangements that you can pre order instead of a tree. Use some battery powered lights to add festive color to the room. I like the idea of bringing stockings.

You can use them both on the same cruise but it will only apply to the first cruise with the b2b. Also, just know you may not get them with the casino rate.

If you pay the monthly premium for Spotify, you can download playlists to your phone. My main playlist of about 250 songs is download so I always have access to it and can play songs offline. This is the main reason I pay for Spotify, listening to music while on public transportation can be spotty at times if streaming. (No pun intended)

From what I have heard, the crew do not have a lot of storage space in their living quarters so gifts that take up space are really not wanted. Food may be a different story but I think cash is the way to go plus a note of appreciation.

Is it possible to reserve a time in advance with anytime dinning? For example, have a two top reserved at 5:30 each night?

This is very sad. The loss of life, property, and history will impact this area and the people forever. Since I have a future cruise that had planned to stop here, I have spent time researching the area. I think having just that small glimpse of the area online helps me understand the loss a bit more than otherwise. Of course nowhere near the emotional impact felt by others who live there or who have visited. My condolences to all.

If you want 15 alcoholic drinks plus unlimited non-alcoholic get the elite package. The signature package works better for some people and is a small cost savings over the elite package. To me, HAL is being more accommodating by having a variety of drink packages.

Does anyone know if the pass is less expensive on the Zaandam since it doesn’t have the thermal pool?

Is the traffic due to construction or just usual heavy traffic? My current plan for this stop in Lahaina is to take the bus to the Ocean Center. We will be there on Christmas Day (2024) so I think we may be more limited on what we can do but I know both the buses run and the Ocean Center is open. I hope this is a viable plan.

I would love a 14 day r/t to the Azores.

Do you make the reservations at PG or can you use the navigator app once your are on the ship? Oops, just saw that Crew News answered my question before I asked it. I assume the spa area would be the place on all ships? Zaandam for me. Thanks.

When I booked, I selected I wouldn’t accept an upgrade. I was worried they would just assign a cabin. I want the option to say yay or nay. We have probably one of the least desirable cabins in HAL’s opinion but there are many others I would not want. I’ve debated about calling to say we are okay with an upgrade, but then I need to remind myself I’m okay with our current location.

Because they are working hard to make my vacation enjoyable. I appreciate that. I also rarely tip less than 20% at restaurants.

Yes, gratuities are included with drink packages. However if you order a drink that costs more than the limit, then you pay the difference plus the gratuity on the difference. I have the elite drink package which includes drinks up to $15, so if I order a $16 drink, I will need to pay an extra $1 plus $.18 for the gratuity. However, I plan to add into my cruise budget money for extra tips so I can add an extra dollar or so tip when I get a drink.