RedIguana

On 4/30/2024 at 4:49 PM, ricka47 said:

It's OK either way. We've been there a number of times and wouldn't mind an extra sea day if necessary. Thanks

Nieuw  Amsterdam is scheduled for pier B arriving Saturday, November 30, at 8 am from the Dominican Republic, and departing 4 pm for Port Everglades. Pier B is the dock the city does not control.

On 4/28/2024 at 5:24 PM, nannygoatjunction said:

I understand it is a steakhouse. I didnt say i didn't enjoy the food. 😬 and, yes, it was part of the hia package.  It is promoted as fine dining, which I guess I think of as something that takes skill to prepare, not something my kids can cook up and we eat every week.  I will eat mash taties till the cows come home.  If its offered, I can't help myself!  Hence, why I chose it.  I know many are happy, I had hoped for a little bit of exceptional. 😆 

From what I have seen post restart, the mass market lines have dropped prime cuts for choice, unless an upcharge is involved. So not on the same level as an upscale steakhouse. The Tamarind on the Pinnacle class ships may fit the "exceptional" you are looking for, as I have not seen many analogs on land, at least in my part of Florida.

2 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Don't count on KW staying on your itinerary. Many threads here about the local issues.

From what I understand, the "local issues" stabilized a few years ago (I have made both of my scheduled stops). The 2 docks the city controls basically don't allow ships, the one they don't control does. If your ship is on the schedule at Caribe  Nautical, local issues should not affect your stop, but high winds may.

In three weeks we will find out @HUNKY is booked on Carnival.....

🤪

13 hours ago, dfish said:

You're probably right.  Perhaps with our complaints we should submit the names of high school kids who could figure it out.

This sounds like a pretty complicated problem. You can give the high school kids a crack at it, but it might be better to just start with the real experts, the junior high and middle schoolers.

😈

14 minutes ago, Sea-n-Ease said:

Is there any reason to wait until closer to sail date before completing the online check-in tasks?

No. I complete whatever I can shortly after booking.

1 hour ago, CruiseMob said:

Is this new? I haven't cruised HAL since 2019, but if I'm remembering correctly we used to be given our key card on checkin pre-boarding.

It's been that way a few years at least, if not since the restart. RCL group has been doing it that way a few years before covid.

13 hours ago, maggiev said:

What is a Pinnacle ship? Please use ship names - not all of us know ship classes 

Using the class vs the ship name enables cruisers who have been on that class but not the actual ship to answer general questions pertaining to that class. 

13 hours ago, Crusin-Suzan said:

Booked 8190 on this class!   It’s below lido!   We always get aft but never on the 8th!   Smoking is just above!   Can you smell the smoke?   Is it noisy!   Thanks 

I was in 7190, so a deck below you, in march. No issues with smoke.

4 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Not sure where you get $15 pp per day? Our upcoming 11 day Volendam cruise in August CO was $25pp per day. 

13 nights and under CO is $25 pp/pd. 14 nights and longer it is $15 pp/pd.

21 minutes ago, Heartgrove said:

You should not be allowed into the Four and Five Star Priority line if you are Club Orange. Let there be a separate line below them as we have paid more than $15 a day for the privilege.

The four and five star priority means you have accumulated enough points to be a four or five star. Should those that earned their four or five star sailing in insides not be granted priority because they "paid" a third less than those that earned theirs sailing in balconies?

On 4/1/2024 at 8:38 PM, BeasleysMom66 said:

 

I don't know about the nunchucks but when it comes to the handcuffs some of those "pineapple" people (and non-pineapple) are into some weird stuff.  😈😈  Just sayin......

When did handcuffs become considered weird? Are riding crops considered weird now too?

2 hours ago, tunafish said:

costco sells russia caught crab so is other fish dept here in FL

I think they were skirting the ban for a while by using Chinese processors. I believe the US closed that loophole back in December. So there may be excess stock still around, or another way they are skirting it. I have no clue what the EU or the Mediterranean area have in place, so Russian products may be available there. But my understanding was that a lot of the east coast crab was a product of Norway. I picked up six pounds last month on a grocery store promo at $14.99 lb. Not the giant legs I am used to, but still king.

22 minutes ago, CNSJ said:

It is my understanding that the small amount of King Crab available is from Russia.  Enough said.

I would suspect it comes from Norway. The US has banned seafood imports from Russia, including King Crab.

10 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Do take the time to find out all the things that your hearing aids can do for you. It varies with what model you have, but with mine I can stream any sound (phone call, music, video, etc.) from my iPhone, iPad, MacBook and my LG TV.  

Do they have selective blocking? You know, for those occasions when the wife says "Honey, I've been thinking......"

       😈

18 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

I have no idea, but I saw her streaming in the Buffets and going over every dish she was trying. I never watch or listen to any of these so call influencers. IMO just a bunch of Millennials or younger, to lazy to get a real job.

Reporters, newscasters, photographers have been considered a real job for hundreds of years. Often with crazy hours involved. Sounds like this person had a pretty professional setup, and had been pre-cleared by the cruiseline. Possibly even working for them. Although I am definitely not a fan of "influencers", and would also be upset if they were interrupting my vacation, I would never consider anyone capable of starting, producing, and running their own video production company lazy.

36 minutes ago, cbr663 said:

I don't believe that it is by chance that HAL introduced a mobile app for on ship use.  I also don't believe that it is by chance that HAL bundled internet access with its HIA promo.  It wanted to create a demand for internet access.  It was a way to convince passengers to start using their devices on their cruises, and all of this was just before they rolled out high speed internet access across their lines.  This happened with the past couple of years.  Many passengers who have decades of sailing without a cell phone and high speed internet access now suddenly must have it to cruise.  

 

This is the classic, build it and they will come.

HAL has been behind the curve when it comes to apps and internet use. HAL did not need to create a demand for internet access, it needed to provide it to keep up. RCL had video streaming and WiFi calling capable internet over 5 years ago. Star link does add bandwidth and lowers latency (while reducing costs I assume) compared to OB3, but useable internet capability has been around a while.

Since the advent of anytime dining, of which Club Orange is also part of, I just leave a tip on the table when I leave each night. Usually a five for the 2 of us, although some nights I'll drop a ten, especially if they have had to pay extra attention to us (quick turnaround time so we don't miss an activity, off menu selection,  escargot on nights it is not on the menu, etc.). If there is a sommelier or wine/beverage steward that takes care of us for the sailing, I'll tip them out later in the cruise. Same if the Maitre D. or Assistant Maitre D., depending on who was taking care of us. I'll do the same for the specialty restaurants. No worries about missing anyone that way.

3 hours ago, HamOp said:

If, and that's a big IF, HAL really wanted to address this problem, there is a simple way to stop all cell traffic in a given area.  A sign won't stop it, but a 

"Blocker" will.

A cell blocker is an electronic device that does just that.  It blocks all cell signals in a given area.  While this would not be allowed under FCC (Federal Communications Commission) rules in shoreside restaurants, a foreign flagged ship in international waters would not fall under FCC regulations.

Problem solved. 

A cell blocker would have no effect, as these calls and FaceTime are being made via wifi, not the cell phone radio bands, unless you are jamming the complete spectrum. In which case WiFi and radio would not work for anyone, which you could solve by just not having useable WiFi access points in those areas, which would negate the need of a blocker......

35 minutes ago, islandwoman said:

So do you bring a bottle or more onboard at $20 "corkage fee" each?  Do you buy a bottle from the dining room to keep in your cabin?  Or do you go to the bar and get a glass of Cabernet and take it back to your cabin every time you want to pair it with chocolate chip cookies there? 

Usually grab a couple glasses on the way back from the evening festivities, if my stainless bottle is empty.  On Holland, my go to cab is Decoy, which keeps quite well for a day or 2 in a 17 ounce stainless screw cap water bottle, which is fairly easy to keep stocked. I do wish Holland would not charge corkage for a couple bottles, especially if you have the beverage package, as some other lines do, but Holland is my preferred line at this point in time, so I make do. On Princess your beverage package works for delivery anywhere on the ship, including your room, which you can just order through the app.

33 minutes ago, paiviannika said:

Thanks, that sounds like my best option. I have several reusable water bottles. Tap water is drinkable here in Malaga area, but the taste improves vastly with filtering. Over 1000$ for bottled water is just too much for me, the cruise itself is expensive enough.

The tap water on the ship is produced on the ship, and is bottled water quality.

1 hour ago, paiviannika said:

Yes, I checked again. The Quench package is 1008$ and the Elite signature over 3000$ for one person. Pretty expensive, as I practically only drink water and fresh juices, which aren't included anyway. Maybe we in Europe have different prices, I don't know. I live in Spain and all the prices in U.S. seem terrifying 🙀

In your case I would bring a few stainless refillable screw top seal water bottles and just fill them from the buffet area beverage stations. Maybe a 26 oz to have in the cabin and a 17 oz for portability. In the US they can be found online for under $10. Port cities often have them in the souvenir shops, and they are available in the ships store, but obviously cost more. Some will advocate for just using the bathroom tap water, which is perfectly fine, but if I plan on storing water for any length of time in a bottle I prefer to fill it somewhere more sanitary than a bathroom. Plus I can fill one with lemonade or one of the other beverages. I often do this even if I have a beverage package just for in room convenience. 

1 hour ago, Haljo1935 said:

We enjoy ours without the milk 🥛 they're yummy no matter the choice of beverage to wash them down.

Cabernet pairs very well with chocolate

😍

I was on a 7 night spring cruise on Rotterdam in 2022 with my daughter (then 21), And again in 2024 (age 23) on the, you guessed it, Nieuw Statendam. Both were excellent cruises, the young adults, teens, and children I encountered were very pleasant and well behaved. The only negative passengers I encountered were well over my own 56 years of life experience.

On 3/21/2024 at 9:36 AM, ilovefriday said:

Thanks, everyone, for the valuable information! Just out of curiosity, is it common to see passengers walking around with a glass of wine in their hands? 

7 hours ago, LobsterStalker said:

$120 for a golf car for a few hours , good for them. Someones rakin it in!

Looks like my type of place though ... I'm into Low Key !

 

Cheers

 

They are not your typical golf cart. Gas powered, 4-6 passenger off road capable, knobby tired, that you can take places cars get stuck. 20 mph speed vs the 12 mile governor on most. Typical first trip from the port is a 7 mile run out to the lighthouse, then maybe the off road run out to fisherman's point. Car rentals are cheaper, but cars are not as good transportation for the terrain as the carts. Lots of hard sand/island rock roads instead of pavement once off the main 2 roads. Just aren't allowed to take them on any of the beaches (cars not allowed either). Hands down the best way to get around the island.