OBX-Cruisers

Our experience on the NA was not the same and they used cloth bags on our TA in 2016. Just off the Eurodam and they had the same exact cloth bags.

These bags hold a ton of cloths of you roll them tight and pack until the bag is ready to pop............exaggerating a bit here but it IS amazing how much you can pack in one of these bags. We typically got clothes back either that evening or the next morning at the latest.

On our last cruise on NA, the bag was very flimsy paper and it tore as soon as we got more than just a few garments in it. It was much smaller than I thought it should be. Are the bags you're describing above more durable? How much do they hold?

Compared to Royal, the loyalty program on HAL sucks bad and will likely be the reason we never sail on HAL again. At 3 stars you basically get nothing of any real value except woo hoo, 25% discounts in the specialty restaurants and shops and a few crappy "loyalty" meals with really bad food as on our last Eurodam trip earlier this month. It is WAY too hard to get to 4 stars where any meaningful perks cut in when compared to Royal that recognizes status on their other lines (e.g., Celebrity that we really love) for coordinating status on their ships

I was with you 100% until you said Carnival has the best loyalty program. It’s the worst IMHO. I'm Platinum and need another 100 cruise days for Diamond. What I would get for Diamond is:

 

- A small private event with captain (not a big deal), been to one of those on HAL and its just ok. On my first Carnival cruise we got invited to the captain’s dinner and a tour of the bridge, it was very cool.

 

- More free laundry, six bags is enough for a week as Platinum.

 

- One and only one free specialty restaurant ever, yes ever. What a slap in the face, this should be every cruise.

 

- I think there is some cabin upgrade (one time only) and priority reservations which has never come in handy as Platinum.

 

Now Royal has a bad ass loyalty program. HAL you have to live on a ship and the good stuff doesn’t kick in to 4 or 5 stars. I just made three so it’s going to be awhile but hey I’m in the younger 10% demographics of a HAL cruiser so I hopefully have a few more decades to go.

Yes indeed the Maasdam used to sail from Norfolk and was our very first ever cruise in 2006............the LAST time they sailed from Norfolk in December of that year. HAL and the Maasdam hooked me on cruising while wife needed no such added incentive to convince her that we loved cruising on HAL. We did many more trips on HAL and two more on the Maasdam and are now 3 star Mariners.

We have just sailed on Eurodam and it will likely be our last HAL cruise. HAL has changed too much and it does very, very little to reward repeat cruisers until you reach the onerous 4 star and above levels

I didn't know they'd ever sailed from Norfolk. That would be fantastic for me, too.

I was getting ready to say Dam Dollars. They were lots of fun and the pins are annoying after you already have one.

Know this is an older thread but missed it the first time and am glad someone revived it.

My wife ALWAYS tells our cabin steward and waiters to come and live with us.

Good. I feel sorry for the employees that have to deal with cruisers who don't tip extra. If you're a couple, being waited on hand and foot, $27 a day is simply not enough money. Think of what you'd tip on a nice dinner anywhere else, and then think of all you get on a cruise throughout the course of one day. Personally, I usually pay the $189 auto-grat on a 7 day cruise, and then tip about the same amount in additional cash.

Our very first cruise was on the Maasdam in 2006 so we didn't know anything about how "things used to be".

However, even then our fellow cruisers were griping about how "things have changed" and what "we used to get for free are now upcharges"

Things NEVER change in the respect of griping about "what used to be"................HOWEVER, cruising is still as exciting and enjoyable to us as it was that first time.

Will be on Eurodam on Jan. 7th after visiting in Ft. Lauderdale with some of our Canadian friends that we met on the Maasdam on a repeat voyage in 2008.

On HAL you CAN makes friends for life!!!!

No offense to the people who want things "the way they used to be" but do you know now quick Holland America would be made obsolete if they kept things "the way they used to be? "

 

The days of steerage,white gloved porters taking your steamer trunk to your cabin, etc. are long gone. I blame Downton Abbey. :(

You must love pain and suffering to consider any airport other than BWI. Traffic from the DC airports would make you wish you took the good advice already offered by others.:o WHY would you even think about PHL unless you are getting some super fare <$100 RT (highly unlikely) and then have to pay to get to Baltimore and back????.

We will be flying in from Denver the day before our cruise. There are a lot of airports in the area, DC, Philadelphia, etc. Tell me your stories of where you flew into and how you got to port. I love horror stories. ;)

 

Go...

We are going to St. Thomas and St. Maarten on one ship and to St. Maarten and San Juan on a second cruise in early January. We will be happy to visit these ports, spend money on shore and donate to the relief efforts on these islands.

This "poll" seems to be fishing for people who put their own comforts and needs above the unfortunate victims of these hurricanes on these affected islands.

GET OVER IT and think about others for a change

Agree that the offer is deceptive but it is still a good deal on the Oasis class ships where Chops costs almost $50pp (ridiculous on a ship where you have already paid for food).

So 50% off brings the cost of Chops down to almost where Giovannis is without discount and at a price I will pay ONCE.

YOU are a truly dedicated wife. HOWEVER, maybe I should tell your husband (to save you from all that effort) that he could order virgin drinks with those same coupons and a virgin Bloody Mary or a tonic with lime. What I will be drinking on our next cruises using those same tickets (to save my wife from all that effort)!:halo:

Love going to the Diamond Lounge. The three drinks are great especially since my husband can’t drink (due to medications)and I force myself to use some of his!!

 

 

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Loved rukkian's typo about the "pre exiting" medical condition.

THAT condition is pretty serious!

Great solution, you are a gem. Suggest you get those small bars that come as an assortment.

Thank you all for your replies. I have decided to select a nice card with cash or a gift card and a small bag of Hershey bars. To those of you who feel I'm being selfish by giving a trinket, I'm far from it. I love gift giving and I like to think the receiver enjoys What I've chosen for them. Thanks again!!!

There are several hotels that offer parking if you stay one night. Some offer 7 days free and others much longer periods. Best Western cruise port is one a lot of people stay at but it was full for our upcoming Oct. cruise so we will be at the La Quinta airport......recently remodeled from what I read. Book a couple of months early to avoid the problem we had

Thinking of taking a cruise out of Baltimore and staying at a hotel that would offer long term parking and shuttle service to port of baltimore. Any suggestions?

I have two RCL cruises booked. One only has the BOGO offer and the other only has the FNDR offer.

So it does appear to be very cruise specific. I do plan to book both for each cruise and agree that it is a very good deal compared to other packages.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions

Your Cruise Planner on Royal's website.

When/how to you book this First Night Done Right???

Our experience has been there is never a problem booking for 50% off for dinner the first or second night aboard ( we make the reservation the 1st night for the second night in order to minimize chances they will, in fact, not be able to accommodate us). We are Diamond + but when cruising with friends new to Royal, they were billed at 50% off as though we had all booked 1st Night Dine Right ahead of time on line.

Small scissors <4inches allowed as others noted already............but then you go to dining room and they hand you those 10 inch lethal pointed machetes to carve your meat.....makes no sense.

Thanks for those Compasses as we will be on Grandeur for the 12 nt cruise on 10/28.

Do you recall if they had prime rib in the MDR on the first night like they usually did in the past? Trying to scope out whether to book spec. restaurant on Day 1 or not

Thanks again

Tried one of each and liked Oasis better for their crew and passengers. Both extremely similar so itinerary is the deciding factor. We will be back on Oasis in January and like the Cape Canaveral port for distance from home and less crowding than Ft. L.

Try 1 of each.

On HAL the steak knives used to be mini-swords..............don't know what they have now.

Even funnier how we are all issued steak knives at dinner......

 

igraf

The right hand of TSA has no idea what the left hand is doing. They made me take my swiss army knife out of my carry on and either put it in my check on luggage.........long gone into the depths of the airport luggage system...........take it to my car............still at the hotel.............or send it home by mail. This was last January, 2017

USN59-79

 

I read last year that TSA was going to relax security and allow you to carry a small pocket knife on board a plane. Whatever happened to that?

 

 

The TSA did relax this standard; however, they did it without consulting the airline unions and the pilots and flight attendants were not the least bit happy with this decision. Not unreasonable IMO given the damage a person armed with a box cutter was able to inflict. TSA quickly backed away from the issue and the regulations stand as before.

All the mainstream cruise lines have gone to printing your own boarding passes and luggage tags. Just a sign of the times.

 

Celebrity still sends out some nice self adhesive type tags

Thank you Tbone for your comment. You are correct in your observation that I may have gotten a good deal but as you well know many, many on CC look for cruise prices to go down or perks to go up.

I usually stick with what I bought but the current sale looked enticing especially with the combinability with shareholder credits and free gratuities....................sort of like good bait for fish.

Buy when the price is right for you and stick with it despite new bait is the lesson here.

Recent offers from several cruise booking companies are touting fares that have "free" OBC and gratuities PLUS are "fully combinable" with most of the common programs including senior, occupational and shareholder fares prompted me to wonder if I should cancel my January 14th, 2008 cruise booked in February 2017 on Oasis and rebook this cruise for the amenities.

..............Naaaah..........with the less than optimum cabins and decks still left for this cruise I would have to pay around $900 MORE to rebook for all these "GREAT" perks that are "FREE"........and that would not include any penalty that I might have to pay my booking agency.

.................Another Fantastic, too good to be true deal. BUYER BEWARE WHAT LOOKS TO BE TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.............cause it isn't

Thank you and others who answered this post. I would appreciate directions to the thread/site that you said discusses this in detail.

I did not mean to imply that the "pre need" as one poster put it was something we are expecting/planning. Rather, there you or your spouse are/is in a far off part of the ocean/port and didn't know that you had to get preapproval for transport/cremation or whatever.....and as someone else mentioned, there are preapprovals needed for other issues as well and I have to admit that after 25+ cruises I never looked at which items would need preapproval and HOW to get that approval.

Being on Medicare, we get travel insurance mainly for the medical coverage and evacuation aspects and do realize some emergency issues are covered 80%under our Supplemental policy.

I will check on that other insurance thread if you would be so kind as to direct me there if you read this message.

Thanks all.

There is an entire forum here devoted to Insurance and all the ins and outs of the fine print. This is a generalization, but most people have no clue what the fine print says until they have a claim. THEN they get around to reading what is, and is not covered, and under what circumstances. Not usually a pleasant awakening...

We have booked 2 new cruises in late 2017 and in Jan 2018 and using various sites to find appropriate insurance.

What I have found is that besides the minimums and maximums the fine print includes some interesting and challenging hurdles many others may have more experience in dealing with than we have ........so far......fingers crossed......and prayers to on high, etc.

I see that something as horrendous and traumatic as death.....requires preapproval for how the "remains" e.g., you and me............are "repatriated".....God will do a better job for less cost I presume but there is that remainder that your spouse will have to get PREAPPROVAL for or else.

Is this a single example of idiocy in insurance or is this common and pervasive in this GREEDY business??

Also, that DENTAL coverage.............fine print is that is you must have an accident that involves you "healthy natural teeth".............DUHHHHH.......this is NOT GREAT for us retired cruisers who have few of those left since crowns etc. will not be covered if you fall and knock one loose................SO.....comments on actual experiences will be appreciated as I look to book insurance for our next trip.

Thank you and don't get sick or worse on a cruise it seems.

I will agree with the post that if this is your first cruise that you should likely stick with the "free" restaurants that you have already paid for in your cruise fare.

In future cruises you can become more adventurous and try one or two per cruise.

When we first started cruising I would always book an Ocean View cabin.......then once we were upgraded to a Verandah because of a problem in our cabin...........THEN, a Verandah cabin became a requirement....:rolleyes:...THEN on Celebrity we were in Aqua Class and THEN THAT became a new standard:confused:.

Stick with the main restaurants for at least a few cruises!!!