fatcat04

11 hours ago, Mary229 said:

There are a lot of reasons people cough.   It would be absurd to make such a rule as if you cough you can’t cruise 

Thank you for saying it. As a mom of two kids who both sadly are super sensitive to perfumes, chemicals, cigarette smoke, pollen, and other air irritants, we have had to deal with our share of nasty looks these past 2 years. We just got back from a trip and dd had several coughing fits from allergies (the lady chain smoking next to us at a restaurant who kept giving my dd age 4 death dagger eyes was my fav). We test regularly when on vacation or when travelling just because it is responsible and I know for a fact dd did not have Covid (2 negative tests) but every time anyone coughs nowadays the illogical assumption is Covid. Colds, asthma, and allergies still exist. 

My 2 hours and 10 mins on hold is paying off. I got the best of the best of Guest Relations on the phone. Her name is Chris and she should get a big raise for being so efficient! I told her she made my day!

I don't know about you but after about the 45 minutes on hold mark, I start to lose faith in "Your call is important to us" and "An agent will be with you as soon as possible."

*I am presently on hold with HAL guest relations. 

1 hour ago, iancal said:

No sense of pricing at the moment.

 

We are travelling independently now.  Our pre covid custom is to snag a last minute, well priced cruise during land travel.  We are not even considering,let alone pricing cruises at the moment.  
 

We are sitting on our hotel balcony in Lagos, Portugal wistfully watching a cruise ship sail by.  Hopefully we will be on one sometime next year.

 

The same goes for our tentative  Greece trip in Sept/Oct.  Typically  we would be viewing Athens, Istanbul, Rome, or even Southampton departures.

 

Neither of us can get our heads around being quarantined on a ship.  Nor are the close quarters of a cruise ship appealing to us at the moment. That is even before we shop.  So we will stick to land vacations until at least next spring.

 

 

Exactly. Lots of choices. We are finishing up almost 2 weeks at Orient Beach in St Martin. We have don over a months worth of land travels this past year. Only one snafu, a cancelled flight that AA fixed for us and actually got us in earlier. We are booked on a HAL cruise this Fall simply because we have so much FCC that expires at the end of this year but yes, we too have no plans to book another cruise and will continue land travels. Better value for money, less hoops to jump through. 

Call HAL, you may have to call Tuesday as many of the more specialist folks will be off tomorrow. If you call they can probably fix it then and there. If you try to fix in online, it might take longer. 

We made 3 dining ressies at once and marked via the check box the Pinnacle dinner as our freebie and it wasn't charged while the Rudi's and Tamarind were. Also, we bought 2 excursions at once and the total benefit of $100 pp was simply deducted from the total for both excursions. It was so amazingly easy I did a double take. HAL's websites interactions are normally not that easy button. I welcome that change with a full and happy heart. 

7 minutes ago, Laminator said:

Read my post above yours!

Thank you for the explanation. Being a frequent visitor to Europe, I kinda figured 😉

Any explanation for this? I know in the US we have a shortage of flight crews atm. 

I was thrilled to read this. HMC is so naturally lovely. Edenic really. We have only missed going once when the weather would not cooperate.  A small price to pay for such a pristine natural place. 

1 hour ago, Boatdrill said:

What I hope HAL brings back, or starts: 

The MDR as a special place to gather and meet new people over a nice dinner,  and have conversations. In other words, put down your phone and talk to one another. 

Encourage people to come to the MDR  for special nights that they will share and remember. French wine night, Spanish tapas night, Champagne night, Officer at Your Table night.   

 

"Savor the Journey".  Right, HAL ?  

 

Yes. On HAL the MDR has always and should always be an elegant event. We do eat at the specialty restaurants a few times each cruise but we love dining in the elegance of the MDR. It is an event for us as a family. 

We entered HAL around the Millennium before the last vestiges of the old guard (of which much is worth holding on to btw) had been discarded. We can handle the Baked Alaska Parade going the way of the dinosaurs as long as the wine list continues to progress out of 1980's American steak house Cally uniculturalism to the vinicultural multinational feast that it should be and they keep expanding their cuisine to encompass the globe that HAL itself encompasses. That is a good change. That is what we Gen Xers love. Variety of the spice of life. 

We have yet to do an Orange Party (thanks Covid) but we are prepared. Dd has her orange fairy wings and mom and dad our orange feather boa and orange bowtie. Any excuse for a party!

One time we prepaid, that was a mistake and a trip to the "Desk" as we got doubled billed. Now we just wait until we see our stewards. We tell them we will be filling out the form for unlimited laundry and leaving it on our bed. They always have our baggie/s available. As a mom who has cruised with 2 adorable and messy little kids, THIS is the best money we spend on the ship period! 

Heck we bought at $21 many many many moons ago and have reaped far more than the initial investment in OBC "dividends". Good investment. 

8 hours ago, RedneckBob said:

Speaking of meatloaf, several years ago I ordered meatloaf in the MDR. The meatloaf was so stuff; “How stuff was it Redneck Bob”, It could not be cut with a steak knife. I requested the chef chef come to the table and observe what they had prepared. He had no clue what had happened to the meatloaf 😳

It is my opinion that the words "meat" and "loaf" should never be connected in any possible way... but that is just my very subjective opinion 🤣

On 4/29/2022 at 8:02 PM, TTFN2013 said:

Thank you for the quick response from you Canada Rocks, also from Cruiser Bruce. I'm trying to get a feel for the vibe of this cruise line. My feeling is it's more adult and formal than other lines that cater to a young party crowd.

 

I'm curious to see how many people answer what they would do.

A. Go formal or B. Go smart dinner attire. 

 

 

If we were limited in baggage allowance, we would pack lighter. Otherwise, dh takes the tux and I the sparkly, glitzy things I never get to wear at home... and far more shoes than any woman ever needs. I always pack too many shoes.

However, you do you and have a wonderful time. 

2 hours ago, 1catcruise said:

Hey there. This is our first cruise and we will be on the Noordam for 7 days starting Sept 11 2022, after the land tour, 3 day Denali.

Welcome to Cruise Critic and to cruising! Alaska, a glorious place, is indeed where HAL shines. Enjoy your cruise!

Exactly @Florida_gal_50

 I totally forgot to post this after I talked to our PCC. She booked us a nicely reduced Mariner discount rate and "added on" the "Have it All" package for $45 pp/pd for 8 days. Saved us over $300 each for 3 of us from the standard "Have it All."   That was a nice surprise. 

1 hour ago, VennDiagram said:

@fatcat04 thanks for taking the time to write out that explanation.  Intellectually, I do understand how the doors work on the connected cabins. Regardless of that, if I heard someone opening the adjoining door, disturbing me as I was falling asleep, my fight or flight reaction would have my adrenaline in overdrive.  Being rational would be beyond my abilities 😱😉 , likely for the rest of the cruise.

Oh, I don't blame you. Awakened by that I too would be alarmed. 

We second the use of a white noise machine. We travel with a small usb powered one now. You just never know what kind of noises you are going to encounter in Airbnbs or the odd airport hotel. 

We have had adjoining cabins before (both with and without travelling with the folks in the adjoined cabin) without issue, not saying though that if a loud party was going on next door we would not have heard the rukus but then we probably would have heard it even without the doors in between the cabins. That has happened a few times too.

As for safety, adjoining doors come in a set, one for each room. They each only have handles and locks on the side facing the interior of it's particular cabin with a flat plate on the outward facing side. Thus, there is no way for someone to accidentally or otherwise get into your cabin IF your door is properly locked. If you have concerns about this, ask your room steward to make sure your side is secure. That said, like the post above where the heck would you think that door went and why scare the heck out of the person in the next room. Maybe the folks in the next cabin were drunk??

3 hours ago, Brat_18 said:

Thanks fatcat04, our hope when posting was that anyone who was booked could check the status before boarding and avoid being disappointed. 

 

We were travelling with two other couples in other staterooms and were comped dinner charges in the Pinnacle Restaurant (I think a value of $49.00 per person).  It was something, but like Torquer mentions in the post above, the hot tub was a main attraction to the suite.

 

We look forward to trying again sometime.  

I'll be honest, had I booked a hotel SUITE for a week in Vegas let's say that adverted a balcony hot tub and WHEN I ARRIVED was told the hot tub was broken, I'd have expected more than a comped meal however good that meal was. That said, thank you for coming forth and letting us know. In my opinion,  HAL should have done better by you. 

4 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Yes I'd forgotten about that.  Anyone that brings coffee and food definitely gets a tip.

IKR. Bring me coffee in the am and you are getting a tip. 

2 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Interesting first post...

But exceptionally important to anyone booked in that particular very expensive cabin. I know I would be more than miffed if I had paid the big bucks and a crucial part of that cabin like the hot tub (not to mention the sound system) was inoperable. Hope OP got compensated appropriately. 

Jacqui dear can you put us (Myself, dh, and dd) on the Sept 24, 2022 N. Statendam Canada/NE 8 day cruise? Finally getting back on a Dam ship! Going to take dd to Green Gables, one of my favorite places on Earth. This also happens to be our favorite itinerary. Maritime Canada is just one of the loveliest places we have ever seen. 

On 4/30/2022 at 4:03 PM, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Well played my friend, well played. 

I think it is important not to judge actual tipping protocol from differing cultures and nationalities. Having been all over I know some of us do tip extra and some of us don't, simply because of the tipping culture common in our country. And then again some do tip a little, some do a lot, again, it's cultural. This is a silly fight since we are all paying the required daily gratuities (unless we remove them which I don't ever understand as the crew works so hard) and the 18% if we buy a drink.