dogo88

I will try again. Thanks

Actually did get a response from HAL stating the post cruise review is where you do reviews. I replied that it was unfortunate because most of the reviews I've looked at, for tours we're interested in, were minimal at best and I wanted to put a more detailed review. Never heard back from them. So HAL loses a positive review and customers continue to get less information in order to make an informed decision.

I wanted to leave a review on a tour we took on the Eurodam cruise we just got off of in early March. Tried to find where I could write it up online because many tour reviews were either complaints or minimal positive info like "we had a good time". The tour was excellent and very informative but a long ride and the reviews on it were minimal, like 3. Contacted HAL and was told the place to do a tour review was on the cruise feedback after the cruise ended. I clearly missed it because it probably was a box with "Anything else you want to comment on?". They were clearly not interested in any review info.

!978 On the Rotterdam 5 out of NYC for our honeymoon out skirting a hurricane coming up the coast. Fun times.

RedneckBob, I've read your posts over the years and found them informative. You clearly are a man of the earth. So how would you compare the PG steak to your local squirrel? Asking for a friend.

HIA isn't free. You pay an increased fare. Also, if you choose to trade it from a Pinnacle to Canaletto you do not get a refund for the difference.

Since Covid sailings beginning in 2022, we have been on the Zuiderdam (Jan 2022) , Nieuw Stantendam (Oct 2022) , Rotterdam (Mar 2023 and Oct 2023) and lastly the Eurodam (Mar 2024). All were HIA. Other than the recent Eurodam we had multiple Pinnacle meals on the ships. The first one would be the HIA meal and the rest were paid meals. No difference in what we received between HIA and paid. The Zuiderdam in Jan of 2022 as probably the best meals. The Nieuw Statendam was the absolute worst of the two we ate. The second meal we walked out. I've mentioned the issues in prior threads and no need to rehash. The Rotterdam cruises were tolerable and a better than the Nieuw Statendam. The Eurodam was acceptable though the ribeye was pretty thin and no where near steak house quality. We use to do multiple Pinnacles on every cruise. Now we do the HIA one and see if it's worth reserving later. As others have mentioned the Pinnacle is hit or miss and if crowded expect long service times. One plus is that over the past few years is that the MDR has raised it's game. The 2022 Zuiderdam cruise MDR was not good at all. Small portions, limited menu and not a lot of variety. The last two cruises the MDR has been our go to place. I found the daily strip steak in the MDR to be better than the ribeye I had in Pinnacle. Luck? Perhaps.

When I did mine a few weeks ago I to waited a day or two expecting another email telling me it's been approved. Got nothing so went on the app and it was approved. Put in my cruise booking info and did get an email in a couple of hours telling me the OBC was applied to my cruise.

Pretty amazing thread. It's lasted a lot longer than I expected. As a side note, the chair hogs thread is a bit longer but was started a few days earlier. So there is hope. But like that thread, unless the cruise lines are going to be proactive and work these selective issues, not a lot will change. The folks you believe are the offenders won't read or care about it. As post #2 said. It's a cruise ship. It's not yours and you have to share. As long as the ship doesn't sink, my toilet and A/C work, food is edible and bars are open I'm good. Everything else is gravy.

We have eaten in all the specialty restaurants on HAL for many years. Satisfaction is usually good to great. Since the pandemic food quality and service in these venues has slowly improved. Canaletto use to be not so good. But over the past few years, on the ships we've been on, it's been a lot better. Their new menu launched last year (I think) is pretty good. But we like Italian food so we may not be the fairest judges. Tamarind is pretty good and has consistently been that way. But we've found that for us, more than a couple of dinners there, the selection is limited to what we like. If you have the HIA package you're going to get to at least one of them included. Are they worth the extra $? We think they are. Dan

I was very surprised. The email that I received said because it was less than 4 weeks from the cruise that I may not get the OBC. But they would try. And within 4 hours I got an email stating that the OBC was on my cruise booking.

I just went through this process a couple of weeks ago. I did get an email indicating it would take a few days to be approved. I expected another email that I was approved. I did not get any. So after a day or so I went into the app and saw I was good to go. Now I had to select the cruise line and enter my cruise info. Being less that 4 weeks out from my trip they replied that I might not get the OBC. After a day I received an email stating the OBC was added to my cruise reservation. Was very painless. Dan

For me, the 100 shares of CCL stock is "chump change". I've been meaning to get these shares for years and finally got off my butt and bought them a few weeks ago. Already got my $100 OBC for our March cruise and will get $250 for our Oct cruise. If I had gotten motivation earlier I could have had our previous cruises covered. If your portfolio is going to be at risk for 100 shares of CCL then you probably shouldn't be cruising.

Nope.

Great review. Brought back some memories. It's been 10 years since we were on the Getaway which is a sister ship to the Breakaway. And as you have pointed out the signature issue we found on the ship was the level of noise. In some places it was deafening. And the blasting huge speakers on the dock at every port. Always can tell when NCL or Carnival are in port. One place we did enjoy on the ship was the Waterfront. It had a number of locations with couches and chairs where you could sit and watch the sea go by. Then wander over to a close bar and grab a drink. Unfortunately, like pool chair hogs, these places got cluttered with towels and personal belongings left there to save the space.

We were in cabin 5117 last Oct on the Rotterdam. It's across the ship from 5096. We actually liked the balcony space. It's deep and affords cover from some wind, and rain. Most regular balcony cabins are not useable in the rain, or heavy wind. On sunny mornings and afternoons, depending on the direction of the ship, you don't get the typical uncomfortable balcony temps you can get on a regular one. We like to sit on the balcony in the shade reading or watching the sea go by. These angled ones gave us more balcony time. Only downside is the angle the balcony is facing. So for 5117 you can see forward easily. The rear view of the ship is very hard to do. You need to lean over the railing to see anything. The cabin itself is fine.

Great review. Thanks

We did get our meal refunded. It was four of us on the Nieuw Statendam in October of 2022. Worst Pinnacle meal we ever had. Ever. I have posted that info on prior threads so won't revisit it. But the short version is the sides were cold, Halibut cool and oily, and the rib eye like shoe leather. Along with a good dose of waiting. DW chicken was good. Walked out with even finishing the meal and straight to customer service. Other than the charges getting removed, never heard a word from them. But on our last two Rotterdam cruises the Pinnacle was acceptable. But not like before Covid.

On our last Rotterdam cruise in Oct I had a bottle of water in my backpack that the hotel we stayed at gave us. No mention of the bottle or whether it was open or unopened was ever made as we went through security and getting onboard. I guess it's selective enforcement. .

Wrong ship. Sorry

Ok to wear a thong? Fine by me. Common? Some not a lot. Remember it's an older demographic. Other guests feel about it? Don't know but there always is someone. With an older crowd there is a lot you shouldn't see.

Spot on list.

Rotterdam Ocean Bar did not have any live music on our Panama Canal Cruise last month.

We took the tour on our cruise last March. It was ok. It is, as expected, a noisy and bouncy ride. Trying to stand and take some pictures is going to be a challenge and you may end up on someone's lap. Our tour was crowded. Pick the side you sit on carefully. Trying to turn around on the seats, especially when packed is difficult. Facing the engine, sitting on the left side gets you better scenic shots and views. Right side gets you less picturesque views. Would we go again? Probably not, unless we knew it was not crowded and no way to know that until you get there.

The op is correct in their expectation of a reasonable or better offer of compensation for this crappy situation. Two deal breakers for us on a cruise. A/C issues in hot climates and toilet issues in all climates. Had both on our 2016 Maasdam 11 day Caribbean Cruise. Took days for them to be fixed. We did receive a OBC but the ship was now off our radar. It was not our first Maasdam cruise. We would never go on her again and were pleased when she was sold.