Haljo1935

Wiping brow - not what I pictured when you said they had to be cut off, so I feel a bit better. I've had them use those on bras and some sheer fabrics. They're actually staples with the paper looped around a belt loop, for example, and you just cut or tear the paper. Nothing pokes through the fabric.

While the sticky tags sometimes hang around a little too long (ie they stick really well, lol), I don't want anything poked through the fabric. That is definitely not progress, if it's more than just a test. And if it's a trial/test, I'm with you that people Ned to make their displeasure known. That's one test that needs to fail.

Once you have internet you can Google it, lol. Chicken and eggs...

He got all but 1 vote, so everybody with a dog in the hunt wanted him to have $$.

That's pre-paid; I was talking about onboard. So we're likely talking different scenarios.

Safe travels to all of you - anxiously awaiting your first Alaskan posts!!

Don't think that's why - 5* also receive some internet and dinners, yet both internet & specialty dining are part of HIA pkg.

Steakhouse does incur the additional 18% - it shows on the receipt.

5184 and 5185 have the largest balconies due to the curve of the ship, but really any of those aft VBs are awesome. If you want a Neptune wraparound, go down to deck 4 as the side deck will be wider; we prefer Portside so SB4180 is our choice there. We tend to live on the balcony to maximize AK views, so every inch matters to us. 😎

HAL no longer has "Gala" nights, instead attire is "Dressy" or "Casual" plus one night designated for The Orange Party (7-day itinerary). While not referred to as "Gala," one really can wear (with some exceptions for beach wear, shorts, etc.) whatever makes them comfortable and allows them to have their best experience. You do you - there's room for everyone! And I agree that cruiselines have been responsive to change - I think publishing programs with "dressy" instead of "gala" while still providing an environment appropriate for more formal photography sessions is a great example. I love that HAL welcomes us all. 🤗

Love those true aft cabins, especially the ones with the extra deep balconies like deck 5 Oosterdam.

LOVE their laundry service!! Am aligned on wishing it would be offered in HIA; suspect it isn't because it represents actual hard cost expense for HAL (labor doing the laundry, resources for water/fuel/soap/etc) vs potential profit from overinflated prices of drinks/drinks not used on drink packages...see where I'm going here?

Laundry is not discounted so you can buy pre cruise or onboard at same price.

@icft Respectfully, the "gratuities" (your quotes) are not required and there is no fight involved in getting them removed or adjusted - a trip to Guest Services to fill out a very simple form handles it. If you want to retain the option to have them removed or adjusted, don't prepay them, as those cannot be adjusted.

Next maybe they'll start giving out the "catch ya next time" cards like they do for tiles. 🙃

Soooo close!! What's the weather supposed to be when you land in AK?

Although not my first time seeing the Lovely Lady, sailing away with the Statue of Liberty in the background literally gave me goosebumps when we did Canada on Princess a couple years ago. It turned out to be our last cruise before the Covid shutdown. Ugh... With that memory, we purposely booked an aft wraparound for this Sept just so we could thoroughly enjoy that unique NY departure. I may bring a red/white/blue shirt just for the occasion. 😊🥳

Day 1 we ask for an extra ice bucket and to have them both filled 2x/day. Lately that's gotten us the regular small bucket and a larger one that is meant for champagne (cover w/towel). That just about works out. We use that ice to fill our water bottles on port days, too, since plastic bottles are mostly non-existent, plus it stays cold. The big bucket is great for chilling the drinks we do want cold - definitely gets them colder than the fridge does. So the fridge really just becomes a place to keep drinks out of the way. Pre-covid for ports we drove to, we brought a small ice chest that lived on the balcony - steward filled it daily - that was the best!!

Following along as we join Venezia in Sept B2B Canada; impatiently awaiting pictures 🙂 Will take you up on offer to be our "scout" for answers and pictures; don't want to bombard you w/the obvious, but don’t want to ask for everything at the end cuz that just becomes work running around checking off someone else's list, lol.

@broadwaybaby123Do you have a ballpark estimate on dates for this fall Leaf Peeping? I haven't been able to find a good color map w/dates.

Experience on Carnival, Princess and HAL is they look like mini-fridge, but don’t actually get anything cold - they take the warmth off and will cool what you put in. My sister uses it for her meds, but I read somewhere on Carnival site that they shouldn't be used for meds and passengers should arrange w/medical for storage.

N Hi, no - I'm asking if there are 2 of us when we book the new cabin upgrade with CO, if that cabin will hold 3 or 4, can we then add a 3rd or 4th person?

If the newly selected CO cabin holds it, can another person be added to a CO booking?

Delay sounds like you may hitting that bar after all.

When using a TA, can they do a 3-way when adding CO call so you can get the cabin you want? Otherwise, what assurance is there of getting what you want?