Cajuntraveler

The music walk on HAL is a section of the ship that you can walk from one music venue to another. They have classical music, BBKings blues club (Great blues bands!), Billboard on Board (usually 2 piano players/singers) and Rolling Stone Rock room. In the evening there is continuous music at these venues. I find HAL's theater productions are not as good as other lines, but when I sail on other lines, I really miss the music walk.

I agree with janmcn. You will be much more comfortable in the SS and have a bigger balcony. Halfacts has some good pictures of both options. Enjoy your cruise.

Ruby Princess left the port around 6PM.

Two of my favorite Chardonnays are screw top. River Road -Russian River Valley (2019) or Unoaked and Buttercream (2019 & 2020). I always bring screw top wine on a cruise because they are much easier to open, especially if I forget my corkscrew!

My husband had a recent back injury and may still need a wheelchair for our April cruise. He uses a transport chair for anything other than very short distances. My concern is pushing him in the transport chair on carpeted ship halls. (I have some back issues too, so have to be careful.) Have you had any trouble pushing your husband around the ship? We are driving to the port, so no airport issues. The transport chair is light enough for me to pick up, but I can't handle the weight of a full size wheelchair.

I just reserved parking in the express lot, next to terminal 28. I used the discount code LOVE2CRUISE23. I paid $81 for 5 days. This will be my first cruise out of Galveston so I don't have any experience with other parking options. I chose this lot because it appears to be within easy walking distance of Pier 28 where Princess is scheduled to depart.

Yikes! I too usually transfer to a big box TA, but this time I was past final payment when I booked so could not transfer. (My TA's price was $200 more than I could get direct.) I really don't want a surprise "upgrade" that might not be in my preferred location.

Where can you see what upgrade option is on your reservation? I recently booked an cc mini suite for an April cruise on line and I don't remember seeing any upgrade option. I usually use a TA, but I got a better price booking online myself.

I understand that parking reservations can be cancelled within 24 hours of departure. Perhaps you can cancel your existing reservation and make one for the express lot. Good luck.

DH and I usually cruise HAL and X (15 cruises). I have put an April 2023 cruise on hold on the Ruby Princess out of Galveston.(Payment due today!) I'm having trouble deciding whether to purchase the" Plus" package at $60 pp/pd. I may have 2 alcoholic drinks per day and DH doesn't imbibe at all. The package looks like a good value if you have several beverages per day, but not sure it's worth it for us. Can I add the package once on board the ship and use my OBC as partial payment? Any help deciding will be appreciated!

When I had the same issue, I learned that my Seattle based big box TA does not participate in Move Up.

Follow up - On 1/9/23 I sent an e-mail to cec@celebrity.com asking about the refund of my port fees. I did not receive a response to my e-mail, but the refund was posted to my credit card the same day.

I'm also interested in how long it takes for refunds. On Wednesday I cancelled a cruise that is departing today. I am only expecting a refund of the port fees, but I can't file an insurance claim until I know exactly how much I've lost.

The bathroom only has a shaver type plug. (small Euro?) I was glad I brought a cordless night light. I believe there is also a US outlet hidden behind the TV - we didn't see it until our last night on the ship.

We were in a C1 on Infinity in Nov. 2022. There are 2 US and one 1 euro outlets on the desk/vanity. (If my memory is correct.) There is one euro plug behind the bed, but very hard to access. Room attendant ran an extension cord from the desk to the bedside for DH's c pap. We unplugged the extension during the day and stored it under the bed. We brought a small donut type multi plug so we had enough outlets for charging electronics. Enjoy your cruise.

jelayne - thanks for the info. We will be arriving LAX on a Friday at 2PM in early January and also staying at the Crowne Plaza. Reviews of the CP Hotel have been very mixed, making me a little concerned about our choice. Would you choose this hotel again? Any tips on the hotel, restaurants and transportation to the ship would be appreciated. Hope you have a wonderful cruise.

I've only used Uber in the past but will be sure to download the Lyft app before our January cruise on Soltice! Please let us know how much you pay to return to LAX at the end of your cruise. Have a great cruise and thanks for all the info!

DH and I will be on Soltice next month. This will be our first experience in a Sky Suite on X. (We usually cruise in SSon HAL-no butler) We always have coffee and a lite breakfast delivered to our cabin each morning. I tip the room service waiter $3-$5 every morning. After searching through the CC threads, it appears that our butler will deliver our morning coffee and fruit plate. Is it appropriate to tip him/her each morning or should we only tip at the end of the 7 day cruise?

It's well hidden. Sign in and go to manage my reservation. Click on "view all cruise planner packages" (just above drinks packages.) Click on "Gifts and Gear" near the top of the page.

We will be on Soltice in January 2023 with an overnight in Cabo San Lucas. I've been researching tours in the area. Did you take any excursions in Cabo? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Sorry to hear you are ill and glad u did the right thing and notified medical. I just returned from my fourth cruise this year and became sick with respiratory issues the day after returning. (2 covid tests came back negative) In May I had covid 2 days after returning from a cruise. I am cruising again in January, but will have my mask on whenever I leave the cabin. Hope the rest of your cruise goes better.

I boarded the N. Statendam on 11/5/22 with a bottle of wine in my carryon. I expected to pay the $20 corkage fee at the FLL port. The woman at the xray machine asked if that was a bottle of wine in my bag. I responded yes and expected to be directed to a desk to pay the corkage fee, but she just waived me on. So, yes you can bring wine, but be prepared to pay the corkage fee.

We purchased the laundry package on board. We were on the N. Amsterdam in March 2022 and the laundry was $49 per week. I don't know if the price increase is only on NS or all HAL ships.

We just got off N. Statendam yesterday and the laundry was $30 per bag or $63 unlimited for 7 night cruise. Although the weekly price has increased from $49, we found it was still a good value. The laundry department did an excellent job. We sent out laundry 3 times and it was always returned within 24 hours.

Cpap's are not a problem. My DH uses one and has not had any problems. We hand carry it on board to avoid damage. On some ships there is no electrical receptacle near the bed and our room attendant runs an extension cord under the bed. You can order a gallon of distilled water prior to your cruise or request one after boarding. Enjoy your cruise!