CNSJ

Sailed on Westerdam transpacific in 2022. If booking a verandah on Vista class (like Westerdam is), suggest avoiding Deck 5 (although the true amidship cabins are only on Deck 5) as these have balconies with about 18 inches of less depth - hard to stretch legs out IMO. Balconies forward and aft of teh "lifeboat cut out" don't have these issues....The "V" Cabins near amidship elevators on Deck 6 have privacy issues due to glass sided elevators adjacent. Suggest you consider 6047-to 6053 (all Deck 6). 6053 is a great V cabin! We try to avoid Deck 8 at all costs....noisy above. Good luck. One good thing about Westerdam is that ship has a large number of Signature Suites. Opportunities for upsells are better than most ships. We snagged a Signature Suite (from Verandah) on Deck 6 for only $599 a person on a 36 day cruise. Amazing deal.

Look forward to hearing your thoughts and observations for HAL.

Where (which cruise lines) have you sailed with prior?

The whole cruise is subjective..... I read two reviews of the same ship on the same days and find totally different levels of satisfaction. Happy to say that the Dive In Burger has been consistently good. Sometimes a beer and a burger is all I need. Speaking of beer, HAL needs to offer more beer selections at most bars, exception is the fine selection Grand Dutch Cafe.....beer drinker heaven.

Pinnacle remains our first choice after looking over the Morimoto menu. Agree with there posters that perhaps an Indian restaraunt would have been a better choice, or even....I'll say it - an Irish (or British) Pub? Why not? Tamarind is very good, and Canaletto is nice as well. Rudi's did not appeal to us and neither does teh Morimoto menu.

Agree. It's like saying that "it is a European Restaraunt" Big differences between French, Italian, and German food..... 🙂

Travel Safe Roy. Let Amtrak do the heavy driving for you.

On this cruise as well. So,,,,I expect a full house. Booked it a long time ago. Perhaps it is full because it is a bit longer (10 days) than the 7 day sailings, and is an Eastern Caribbean cruise. Also, 13 Jan is far enough after the holidays for decent airfare/pre-cruise hotels. Too many HAL cruises make the HMC, Jamaica, Caymans, Cozumel circuit. Note: I for one have been unimpressed by my visits to Mexico and Jamaica lately. This cruise is different, as are the ABC island runs. Just my thoughts.

I am glad the tote bag retains its allure.

I just received mine for our last cruise. The fine print says "can't be combined with other OBC..." What are your experiences? Can I still get Military and AARP OBCs?

Which may be a better bet if you have availability of OBC, like military /first responder/AARP etc. Add them up each way.

Thanks for the nice review of your trip on the Rotterdam. After hearing the horrible comments about the first of the Pinnacle class ships from the seasoned HAL "elite" I was worried that I would not enjoy the "big new" ships as much as I did the R class and Vista/Signatures. I was wrong, DW and I very much enjoy the Pinnacle class. Have now sailed on all 3 some more than once. They are our preferred ships. We love..... a. Plenty of amidship balconies (non-suite) that aren't cabins with tint balconies like the Deck 5 Vistas.... b. More dining and Grand Dutch Cafe. c. NY Pizza and DELI! d. Great Indoor pool area on Lido e. Better stations in the Lido Market f. More entertainment spaces.... (now use them HAL!!!) We do much miss the wide open Promenade decks.....but all in all.....they are just great ships. No HAL ships feel crowded to us.

When I decided to purchase CCL shares for the sole purpose of getting Shareholder OBC, I set up a separate account with a "major no fee financial trading company" (starts with the letter F) and only have my 100 CCL shares with them. It is isolated from all else. I did this so I wouldn't have to redact a ton of stuff from my statements etc..... Maybe I was clairvoyant.....most likely NOT.

I have found on Vista and Signature Class that the deck 6 cabins forward, just before the passageway turns in (around 6049-6052) depending on ship are great. Not too far forward in the bow, just past elevators and they have full size balconies instead of the small ones that take up most oil the Verandah deck. Avoid most of Deck 8 at all costs, noisy as can be!

Complications do happen.... We were on the Nieuw Statendam in Israel when the war started. Day one of a two day Haifa port call. The next day we were supposed to be on a HAL Overland tour starting in Haifa, then meeting the ship in Ashdod the next day. The ship would sail between the two Israeli ports while we were off in Jerusalem and the Red Sea etc. Note: Ashdod is just north of Gaza. If the war had started while the ship was between ports, the estimated 60 or so of us doing the overland tour may have found that the ship couldn't pull in to Ashdod. Being on a HAL tour, I think HAL would have found a way, even chartering a plane if needed, to get us out of Israel on on to meet the ship at next port. What if we were on a self-run overland tour. Hate to think of the mess we would have been in.

We like to take 2 weeks or more of cruising in the Caribbean each winter. Before retiring, when working full time, I tended to book cruises 14-24 months out to be able to plan at work but also to get better cabin selection and take advantage of booking flights when I see a low cost fare. Now retired I have great deal more flexibility. And want to cruise more..... I have read threads on this forum about the pros and cons of booking after final payment is due. One con I often hear is that flights become expensive and hotels may be difficult to book pre-post cruise. There is also the limited number of shorex that may be available as you wait till 90 days out. I have come up with a solution and am looking for any thoughts ideas. (1) Pick one or two cruises that you would like to take about 8-12 months out , and monitor the price for your category. Then for each cruise: (2) Book the pre- and post- cruise hotel (using points or a refundable rate) Note: with points you usually have no issue cancelling. (3) For the Caribbean we are talking FLL, so book Southwest when the schedule opens and cancel for full credit should you not see a low price. (I realize this ties up funds). (4) Book shore excursions for a cruise you have not yet booked through a third party (non-HAL) that offers free cancellation. (5) When you do book the cruise, assuming the rate drops to a great price, you have shorex, hotels, and flights all set. Looking at the HAL prices in caribbean for Dec 2023 -Feb 2024 compared to a year later, I see a significant savings. If the cruises you had your eye on don't open up, you can always book another at a low fare and change your flight. I would not try this method for cruises in Europe, Asia or Australia but the Caribbean has so many options.... Thoughts?

This is not a flaw.

It's why many of us cruise! We may not ever get to 700 (about 125 days now) - but look forward to the fun trip along the way. No specific # of days goal.....just the goal of enjoying life from the balcony of a cruise ship or ashore seeing the vast world we call Earth.

On the Westerdam transpacific crossing in 2022 (Westbound) the Captain held a nice ceremony in BB Kings and presented the Medallions and had photos taken. In addition he recogniized those platinum and I believe a Presidents club member onboard. Very nicely done, even on the coattails of COVID.

Wow! I wear my medallions and pins every day at sea, ashore, and when home. I only take them off when I go through a metal detector....😀

Ice buckets that don't auto refill.

My real world experience is that you can stack Teacher/First Responder/Military credit with AARP and the Shareholder benefit. A very nice perk for being loyal to HAL. One of each per cabin, however they can split across passengers in same cabin, so passenger 1 can have AARP, while passenger 2 has shareholder and military. Can not speak to the pay early....

Bringing my own Popcorn and popping it underway is far from my idea of a fun night on cruise. On the Pinnacle ships they have popcorn by the pool during movies.

Key Lime Pie in the Pinnacle Grill.

Yes, a no brainer it is. Any type of account in your name.