FlaMariner

Why does/did HAL give you FCC/$$$ if you are sick? Is that only if it is the "special" banner of Covid? What about folks that get the flu, Montezuma's revenge, break their foot, etc.....Do they hand out $$$ for that too? Not understanding compensation for Covid or is it anytime you are confined to your stateroom?

This is our Riedel glassware at home! We pour our Sommelier wine package wine at home up to the US beer mark!

onboard, we get water from the bathroom faucet......and glasses and ice are also in your stateroom. We also get water (and tea/coffee) at the lido beverage stations. It is available 24/7. At lunch and dinner in the MDR, the waiter brings us water (w/ice) to our table. (none of that is in a plastic bottle....it's served in glassware)

Agree. I manage to enjoy it a couple of times on a cruise. Very good. Comes out cooked the way you request it.

Yes to water....but Carbonated Water would seem to me to be "not water" but would be carbonated water and would therefore be "other non-alcoholic items"...So I would read it as "NO" for "carbonated water".....but if hauling carbonated water onboard is important to you, I'd go ahead and bring it onboard and see if they confiscate it or not (not a big deal if they confiscate it). Others, I'm sure, will chime in with perhaps first hand experience. Here is the fine print from the website FAQ's: Items such as sodas, energy drinks or other non-alcoholic items are not allowed on board in any form. Plastic water bottles are not allowed. However, an allowance of six liters, twelve (12) cans or cartons (500 ml in volume or less) or six (6) cans or cartons (1 liter in volume or less) of water are allowed per stateroom.

With my Sommelier Wine package, I tell the waiter "when". Customized wine pour to fit every situation.

My opinion..... It's an additional $114 a day ($800) and that seems like too much $$$ especially for a 7 night cruise with probably lots of port days. Especially since you already have your nice Aft stateroom. Only you can decide it if is worth it but we would jump on it if it was a longer cruise with lots of sea days and the daily price was say, less that $80 a day. You can enjoy lots of wine, more excursions or more Pina coladas on shore with $800. Enjoy/

Our laundry comes back smelling clean....I've never recognized a particular fragrance/smell....but it is a fantastic service.

And having not been privy to the special casino rates that I read on here with envy, I'm all about this new "standby" opportunity.....

We have not tested ordering our Sommelier wine bottles at the bars but we did comply w/this new requirement on our two cruises in 2023. We leave the MDR with full wine glasses (the waiters are fine with that and help us w/our "to go" cup). We also keep a bottle in the room for "refills". We enjoy the Sommelier package (and especially now with the Mariner discount) and the new "rule" does not stop us from enjoying.

Her Majesty requests "egg whites" at lido breakfast w/no problem..same for MDR breakfast.....I am clueless about a request for "spray vs oil". They aim to please.

I've gotten quotes onboard a few times and it was never as good as what our TA can book......We do as you do....Love the FCD's...load up on them.....A $100 deposit w/some OBC always makes sense for us.

Just looked at our account online and w/each credit, there is a column called "sail by" with a date. That seems fairly clear regarding when they expire. I've got e-credits with Delta that expire 12/31/23 and I expect Delta to remain "radio silent" as far as any notification on those (I can view them in my Delta account)......I consider it my responsibility and HAL seems to be in line with the same method..... It's very frustrating.....I am sorry for this.......We are struggling with how to use those Delta e-credits before end of next month.....but I am determined to not let them expire.

FWIW I've gotten two more "welcome back" promo emails now for a total of 3. The last one was yesterday (11/24/23) and the expiration date keeps getting extended. Now it is 1/23/24. (They really want me back onboard....It's good to be wanted.....I can comply with that...LOL)

Found it! Looks like you get "approximately 7 days" notice. Not bad...was thinking "stand by" meant like 24 hours. That's generous for "stand by", IMO. guest will only be cleared for standby to cruise when/if the guest receives official confirmation from HAL approximately 7 days before Cruise’s departure.

Reading thru the fine print and did not see this answer (folks will probably show me it is right there). Anyone know what is the latest time HAL could tell you "you may board"? (Trying to figure out my possible last minute "go time"?)

Love it. Great way to fill up the ship. $$$$. Thanks so much for sharing....Always thought there was a missed opportunity for HAL (and us).

I recommend the Main Dining Room........

So glad I'm around for Billboard Onboard......instead of guest talent. (I recall during the "Origin Story" that they referenced the piano on the ship as being provided by HAL but the talent was the passengers...this was in the era of Ellis Island....guess that lasted a lot longer...LOL)

We use the Navigator for the following and we think we have mastered it and like it...at least for what we use: 1) online boarding pass....easily access when gaining entry to the ship at embarkation 2). order Dive In burgers....when leaving the morning EXC talk (or whatever we are doing), we easily order lunch, find our seat at lido, grab tea and then by then, the burgers are ready and we pass by all the folks holding up the wall waiting for their burgers and grab our pre ordered burgers 3). text each other....when her majesty gets lost from me (probably on purpose) we can easily text 4). looking up past cruise OB statements....when I need to confirm/answer a question on here, I find the previous onboard statements useful and easily to access 5). ships time....I do not wear a watch so this is my onboard source for "ships time" We do not use it for the following: 1) daily schedule...we prefer paper 2). tonights menu in the MDR, we prefer the in cabin TV when getting dressed for dinner 3). Onboard account statement.....we prefer the TV again for that We are glad we have several choices to find info and get around the ship efficiently.....navigator is a good tool and another choice. Enjoy navigator and the journey......

Billboard Onboard is our favorite entertainment venue.......A seat at the piano side bar stools is a must for our evenings. Lots of fun no matter the genre of the evening....and "all requests" is a blast.

We use our Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card to handle the perils of cancellation, medical evacuation and all of that..... We use Blue Cross Blue Shield Geo Blue annual travel insurance policy to handle all the hospital/dr perils......

The price has always been the same. We wait and buy onboard so our MDR waiter "gets credit". Yes. And wine glasses (and a corkscrew) are in your stateroom. As you go along. we primarily partake at dinner and we choose a wine based on what we order. Not worth it for us to haul wine. We are not picky wine people and there are discounts for 3 and above Mariners.

Not all of them...no Virginia or anything south of Maryland. Just Yankees.

No OBC for Southerners either...only Yankees.