Haljo1935

Here's my experience: 1) Items put in mesh bags were returned not in the bag, so assume they were taken out to wash. However, if you put a note to leave them in the mesh bags/not remove from the mesh bags, they would likely follow your instructions. We've put small socks just in their laundry bag and they have come back stacked on top of each other and I've never lost one, so they do a good job mating everything back up. 2) We've put a note on an entire bag and sent multiples with different instructions and they come back seemingly done correctly. Ex: bag for cold only hang dry and bag for warm wash folded. You can request an extra bag if you want to sort.

I did not read that, but honestly just skimmed it. So, I've now got homework... Is that the Long Beach office that Princess called home?

Absolutely agree, which is why I say once onboard HAL does a nice cruise. We just gotta get there.

Can't answer about casino as it varies by ship. But otherwise smoking is on Starboard deck 9 Seaview Bar area.

Have a great, safe holiday! If you're near Corpus, it'll be a hot one.

If I did that @badtwin I'd be staring at a video of candied bacon 24x7 cuz I LOVE that stuff!

Hey @MisterMatthew I occasionally receive "private fare" and "exclusive" offers to book. Sometimes when I click the link (can only be accessed by clicking the link in the email) I am not able to see the sailings, but once I log in and click, it takes me right to them and I'm able to see them. So, some of those may be ones that have not yet been released. Sometimes I see the sailing, but at a different rate than was in the email. But once I log in and click through (as though to book) the price changes to what was in the email. So, that makes me believe offers for special rates are tied to a Mariner number. I've tested these out with friends and family who are Mariners but did not receive the email. Sometimes they can't see the sailing, like I mentioned I couldn't when I wasn't logged in, again making me think they are indeed "sneak peek/pre-release" of sorts. For the ones where I see a different rate, when they see the sailings, they're at the higher rate. Again, leading me to believe that the special rate is tied to the Mariner number. A couple times when I've called in to book something, the HAL person I'm talking with has mentioned a different sailing to me that I cannot see on the website; when I say I can't see it, they say something like "it hasn't been released yet but I can book it for you." So, again I believe some HAL passengers do get access to unpublished, sneak peek pre-sales. I can't speak to TAs ability to see unpublished sailings as I rarely use a TA and when I do, I already have the details nailed down (dates, ship, cabin...). I've never had this experience while onboard meeting w/a FCC, so I can't speak to their ability to see unpublished sailings.

Congratulations on a speedy resolution. I wonder if I call them (even though in US) they can get HIA added to my booking that nobody else seems to be able to do, lol.

Not as good as the Taco Bar on Carnival, but it is there. The meat is spicy!!

Hey @cruise grrl first, congrats on celebrating with your father and happy birthday to him!! Call HAL Reservations (just the regular main number) and have them put a note in the booking; if you used a TA, also call them. Some TAs will do something for him on top of what HAL does. You should stop by Passenger Services desk after they're finished handling the new embarkation, so later 1st evening (they're open 24x7) and ask about them arranging something special from the Captain; they do their best to accommodate passenger requests. Timing is everything, so do wait for the onboarding rush to clear. If he's in a Neptune Suite, the Concierge can arrange that for you. Depending on the ship, if you have it in the booking notes, a birthday greeting with a card signed by the Captain will be delivered to the cabin. Safe travels - enjoy your cruise!

YES @YourWorldWithBill HAL does do AK very well!! They've been sailing there since before AK was a state and we all get to benefit from that experience. 🥳

Liking music, have you tried or considered Margaritaville?

As of May 6 (last month) on Eurodam, there was still no charge for extra sides. They brought us sides we didn't order in addition to the ones we did order - they barely fit on the table, we could have easily fed all the tables in our line of sight, not kidding. When they came to clear the table, it was like a comedy show - they just kept removing dishes, felt like we were sitting at the "clown car" of dining room tables. 🙄🤭 We always order a couple items that are not on the menu: grilled onions, green beans, broccoli and are not charged for those. Additionally, when we're celebrating a special event they bring the yummy special chocolate cake in addition to regular dessert and don't charge extra. Seems to just be the extra starter. 🤔 You could ask about a trade off of dessert for the starter. If you do, kindly update as I'm very curious.

Yes you should be able to cancel the HAL transfer (I have canceled) but you need to do before day of, maybe 3 days out, to get a refund.

I feel your pain @sseibert3 on not getting return calls from your PCC - I have the worst one ever, even have an email from her telling me she's too busy to call me. If the day comes I leave HAL, which as 4* I hope doesn't happen, I will frame it and send to their entire C-Suite so they know what cost them my business. So, I truly understand your frustration. With that said, if you call during business hours (they're West coast Pacific time), you shouldn't get voicemail. You could likely be put on hold, but should eventually get a person not voicemail. I've never gotten the chat feature to work and don't understand why it's there. I hope your experiences improve and that your cruise to AK is everything you want it to be. AK is lovely and once on ship, HAL is a nice cruiseline. They did a beautiful job with our vowel renewal (highly recommend for your 50th) and each year on our anniversary sailings.

Congrats - that is so strange.

Our guilty pleasure is the candied bacon 🥓 . That with a wedge salad w/1000 Island dressing, rib eye, grilled onions & green beans - yummy! Other than the bacon, less than half of it gets eaten, but so good. We've recently begun asking for smaller portions and still can't finish it all. DH has the full lobster tail w/half my steak, soup and, of course, the bacon🥓 . Charged the $7 for extra starter every time, which I think is nuts, but will pay to have the bacon.

Oh my - I've tried again as recently as yesterday to be told no from a Supervisor. In fact, that Supervisor offered me the Mariner desk number so I could have them remove me from promotional emails when I asked why I was getting offers that were not valid. Ugh It was a free casino deal that I upgraded through Club Orange, so it does have some actual $$ on it. My PCC won't even return my calls or emails, so I'd love to have a good one. 😃 And congrats!

This is week 1 of B2B for us and excited for the awesome views going out of/coming into NY. We are aft 7 (diff cabins) both weeks. According to @Jamman54 Lady Liberty and NY views will best be enjoyed from both sides at different times, so although I've never done one, I thought a "Sail-a-Way Crawl" would be a fun way to enjoy the views w/o the crowds. We'd open our balcony if anyone is interested in participating. We're Port 7 aft - need at least 1 Starboard and hopefully a true aft. Thanks @Jamman54 for letting me post your comment from the other thread and apologies for not asking first 🙄

According to @Jamman54 description of when/where we can best see Lady Liberty, we'll need to change sides a couple times. We'll be Port 7 and are open to a "Sail-a-Way Crawl" to enjoy the views w/o the crowds if you'd like to participate. I believe @beatleang is joining.

Who is thinking of Princess?

The ship is not the destination for me, either, it is my mode of transportation; although I do want to enjoy my time while on it. I do a mix of MDR and Lido because sometimes I just want to be stationary for a meal. Saying "no sharing" allows me to just eat quietly, as you say, without navigating lines and people.

14 days and up $15/day pp, 13 days and less $25/day pp.

Also 4* and enjoying the perks while looking forward to 5* (realistically may never get there), I have about 40 days on Carnival and slightly more on Princess, but am also trying to stay brand loyal to HAL. I find the smaller ship size and smaller number of "underage" passengers result in a more enjoyable cruise experience. Other smaller or more specialized lines are outside my budget, so that also helps me stay loyal. I have found Club Orange a real benefit for maximizing my budget by way of the cabin upgrade. I've spent years just blindly paying for the cabin I wanted; glad I know better now. 🙄

Would you kindly update here to report your findings? Very curious...🤔