HALcruiser2001

you aren't the op asking about flip flops. never compared flip flops to birks, so not sure what the point is.

Duh.

No I did not. Instead I said at most I would do a coat, but most likely just buttoned/collared shirt. You are making it hard. Jeeeeeeez.

If someone feesl the need to ask if scandals and flip flops can be worn at night and one person says yes, the other no and another says frowned upon, its a problem to clarify? Sorry bro! Oh. And lighten up, Jeeeeeeeese! 😉

Has HAL reacted to CruiseCritic forums in the past?

So, two different answers. I do not know the dress code rules even one bit, but standard etiquette applies. You won't find me dining in any uplifted dining room, main dining room or CO without pants, collared shirt and shoes. Anytime of day. I may be in resort dress in music venues though (shorts, golf shirt, shoes). Since tuxes are rare now, it seem , I will stick to a sport coat or just a dress shirt. Merely because I have no desire to pack a tux. If there were still rentals, I would go for it. I would say, no problem as the fitness center, pools and other casual dining things are offered in the evening and I think in those areas, it is not inappropriate. For the MDR, CO, and other upscaled dining experiences, put on shoes, collared shirt and pants. Easy peasy. , If you follow this advise, you will look relatively classy and follow standard etiquette almost anywhere these days. It can also help you to be served better.

Sounds like the activities were spa, shops and fitness training "pitches". I guess, I might as well take my traveling chess and "yachtzee" kits. We are planning to go to HMC, but as soon as we have the earliest lunch possible, we will be back on board. More and more I feel we just jumped back in since we were pleased with HAL, but Celebrity for Feb sailings that were nice suites and ADA equipped doubled the price.

I agree, but won't have a HAL experience until Feb. All my cruises are with HAL, but 20 years dated. No doubt from reading all the reviews, right now I am thinking my next cruise (Oct 2023) will end up being Celebrity.

Well, there is one in every crowd for sure. 15 drinks per day will definitely still make them money. I think the drink packages are $60 with gratuity. 15 standard drinks would be 15 wine, beer or shots. At the discount rates that HAL buys alcohol, this is easily a money maker. Grey Goose is $45 retail. They probably buy it for about $30, so they double their money. Kendall Jackson is near top of the line for HIA, it is $13/750ml. It would take 3 bottles to reach max with HIA, so it is likely this is < $10/750ml for HAL and again, they double their money on the wine alone. They would make WAY more money if it was 15 beers as a 18 pack of Heineken can be had wholesale for about $14. This is consistent with industry standards for a typical wholesale, retail and typical restaurant prices. I have only sailed two cruises. ~20 years ago, both HAL. I do not remember a single over intoxicated drunk on HAL and I remember encounters with drunks as they usually are men and they usually pick on the small guy if they get belligerent (which is either me or the REALLY small guy). I drink less when I am traveling as I believe it is the most important time to be situationally aware when around a ton of strangers, especially around drunk/belligerent strangers, pick pockets, etc. No doubt if you buy all your water/soda/coffee and dedicate your HIA drink allowance to only alcohol, you might just get drunk, depends on your tolerance and how motivated you are to get drunk. I guess there is some validity to the underlying reasons that happyinvan states what he does, but it seems more like he/she has an issue with "addicts", HIA, HAL and the very few people that might abuse it. I am only concerned about if they impact my vacation or confront me in some way. No doubt that if a light drinker decides to "get their money's worth", they could end up a drunken fool if they do not moderate over time. A drink per hour (not average over time, literally 1/hr spaced an 1 hr apart) you will remain legally sober if you are a 200lb male. If you are active during any part of that, it may metabolize even quicker. A typical male liver can metabolize 1 standard drink per hour. Drinking 4 shots instantly, means all that alcohol is in your blood and you likely will be right at .08 (DUI) first then after 2 hour you would be below .05 (DWAI) and sober after 4. This kind of drinking is not rare for many people and heavy drinkers are expert at hiding it, even if they over indulge for an hour or two. Many heavy drinkers can pass a sobriety test relatively easily 30min after 4 shots. Light drinkers not so much. Both would fail breathalyzer. I am not advocating that this is a wise way to live your cruise or your life. Because of the science in BAC, I think it is really unlikely that the HIA encourages over indulgence. If you are a heavy drinker (binge or otherwise), you will drink a lot regardless if you have HIA or not. You will just spend more without HIA and heavy drinkers will do just that. Binge drinkers will binge as well. Someone not used to the effects of alcohol, can easily go south after a couple hours of 4/hr, a heavy drinker can likely hide this as long as they do not continue for hours on end. https://alcorehab.org/bac-calculator/ I recommend any drinker have a breathalyzer. I had one and they can be pretty interesting. Just don't get carried away with your research. 😉

It wasn't a strong response at all. Just compare it to your own comment. Packages are made to make money. Holland America has marketing idiots compared to other markets. They deal with a captive audience after cruise is paid. Mindless marketing is more like it. It is possible to get psychologically addicted to anything.

I can easily drink 2 hot drinks, 8 waters per day. That puts me at 10 drinks right there. Must be addicted to water.

LMAO!!! I have my itinerary in my brain. Upgrade drink package on-board. Introduce myself to Neptune, Cabana staff. HIA activies at HMC and Pinnacle. Read activities available each day Other than that, not much to think about until I am onboard and see daily events.

So why were you angry and why did he know, I think it sounds like I would be non confrontational. It is after all sail away, I will like to have some fun, but I doubt I will be in cabana for sail away, but perhaps. At any rate you could always try to make friends and make jokes, like maybe since he is playing loud music for all that are present that he could choose a more appropriate play list that would accommodate his audience. When he left. Do you mean he left The Retreat or do you mean he just left your vacinity? Did he leave "the speaker" in an open/public area of The Retreat? Sounds like this could have been the VIP telling Alex that he was a VIP.. Did he mean that the music would be allowed for the entire cruise? If so, I would have probably have told Alex that I was going to log a complaint with his name on it and if he could get the VIP to turn it down, I'd give him a 20. If he couldn't do that or let me talk with his manager, I was going to keep the cabana for the week, show up when the VIP wasn't there and ask HAL for a full refund of the money and associated service fees. I would likely involve more than Alex and at least let other stewards get some appropriate eye contact and body language. Perhaps even mention the to them and that Alex said he couldn't do anything about it. What about other cabana occupants? Were they cool with it, were they there? If they were all occupied at the time and it was that annoying to you, others should have been equally annoyed or angry. Sounds like this in within a few hours of departure. I would not have accepted the OBC and said, I would like to speak to management before I have to dispute the charge with my CC company as what I was sold, was never delivered. I would remind all those involved about this HAL BLOG quote. Noting QUIETER is the first description. "The Retreat is an outdoor area that is perfect for guests looking for a quieter, more luxurious place to rejuvenate during their cruise. To make sure those at this prime location can enjoy the wonderful views and take in the relaxing atmosphere, The Retreat includes private cabanas, lounge chairs, sun beds and exclusive bar service." I would also involve my wife and other passengers if it was truly that bad. But if you already were refunded, getting a meeting is pointless. You said $400 back in OBC would make it right and the cabana was filled 10 minutes later. If you were willing to accept OBC, it should have been $600! Sounds bad, but there are so many details lost, that I can't say if I would be "angry" or not. Certainly I won't like this either if it happens to me, so thanks for the heads up. At least now I will remember to pack my speaker as well and am sure battling speakers will get more passengers involved. 😉 In my hip pocket is a badass woman, disguised as a disabled person. She works wonders!

Could be something more serious than you understand. My wife cannot eat reliably after about 14:00. Otherwise things happen that I care not to mention.

I just go to the websites where I book and they have it all organized for me. It's not that great privacy wise but Google calendar puts all the emails on my calendar automagically.

Nothing is free.

Maybe they tipped direct and didn't know about service charge.

A sign you are at the wrong hotel!

How did you know you went over?

On a modern Android all you need to do is enable WiFi calling. It will by default use wifi for text if your service provider supports SMS/MMS over wifi.

I have Android/Verizon and can call and text over WiFi without any app other than the phone and messaging apps.

Just to confirm, they are activated by a sensor, niether the glass/container nor hand comes in contact with the tap or a dispensing "button", "lever" or other device? IF they are not touch free, it is silly. I guess I clean the faucet in room and fill up there.

And when I look at a sky suite for same time/period it is > $2k more than Neptune+HIA+Cabana+Spa+DinnerUpgrade. Not sure what the difference is from buying a suite all inclusive or adding all inclusive features. One way or another you will pay. For sure if I ever dop another cruise it will be celebrity.

Sounds like Lido taps are not touch free.

Do you mean The Retreat never heard of Cabana Club on HAL. If the retreat I would have asked for my cruise refunded, carried up the chain immediately and not accepted a refund for the cabana only. The retreat is not advertised as a disco. At minimum, you should get access to your cabana AND refund.