SnorkelMoose

Did you ever think that he may have had the flu?

Yeah, that’s why he was stumbling around, smelled like alcohol, and was slurring his words. Gotta be the flu.

It’s definitely hard to hear the captain, sometimes. God forbid he make an announcement during an actual emergency. Some people wouldn’t even know the ship was going down until they went back for thirds at the buffet and noticed the dessert station taking on water.

There’s a reason why Carnival has a reputation for being a party animal cruise line.

With that being said, when I was on the Nieuw Amsterdam last week, I saw a gentleman rushing from the dining room, throwing up into a wine chiller bucket. Very classy.

I’ve had enough of music by the pool. Princess and Celebrity both do it, and it gets annoying after the first hour of the first day. I appreciate that HAL doesn’t feel the need to subject everyone to music when they just want to sit by the pool and enjoy a quiet chat with their companions. I’m not even 40 years old, so no one can pull the “floating nursing home” line on me—LOL. I enjoy having a peaceful environment where I can relax. If I wanted music and a high-intensity experience, I’d sail RCCL.

No music, please. I just want to enjoy the ambiance; I don’t need to hear Margaritaville every time I sit by the pool and do crossword puzzles.

I loved every single dish I had onboard the Nieuw Amsterdam. From the fruit and bread rolls to the pasta to the desserts, everything was delicious!

I miss the midnight buffet with all the ice sculptures and sculpted butter art and fancy carved fruit, and delish desserts and chocolates, etc.

I miss this, too.

The good news is that the daily desserts are still delicious, and there’s a nice variety of them :)

I applaud they were able to offer us almost a full Caribean sailing season affer all the huricanes the islands suffered this summer/fall. There are bound to be a few bumps and hopefully they will all be as comparatrively small as this. We need to be a little understanding, IMO.

Agreed. This was a minimal setback, if it can even be called that. I was on the NA this past week and saw the Amber Cove pool and the area around it. Truly, the OP missed nothing—the ship’s atmosphere and pool area were so much nicer by comparison.

The pool on the NA beats the pool on Amber Cove, trust me. You didn’t miss anything.

All I can say is to do your best by following good hygiene practices but you still may get sick.

 

I still would rather travel then sit at home.

 

Keith

Exactly right!

Well, actually, it isn't simple, and that is why such threads are pages long. As much as I strongly disagree with those who choose to wear shorts to the MDR on formal nights, and as much as I strongly disagree with those who disparage those who wear rolled collared shirts and dress pants from Wal-Mart to the MDR on formal nights, the extreme views we see coming from both sides aren't coming from left field. Standards of hospitality, customer satisfaction and recovery practices, and vagaries within the dress code itself combine to make valid a broad range of different, and even conflicting perspectives.

The issue is that the employees are sometimes too afraid to enforce the dress code, because they don’t want passengers to complain about them. They could lose their jobs. If passengers would just adhere to the dress code in the first place, the employees wouldn’t be put in that awkward situation.

Why are the dress code posts pages long? It’s really simple: HAL has their dress code posted. Follow the rules. If you don’t want to, then eat in the buffet or in your room.

Also, the OP mentioned Airborne, but it’s essentially a waste of money.[/qu

 

 

 

You never Know . We do nothing it works for us never even use purell

 

 

The company paid out millions in a class action lawsuit due to false advertising.

 

http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/04/news/companies/airborne_settlement/?postversion=2008030413

I’ve been on the Crown many times, and have never fallen down the stairs. Lawsuit dismissed! LOL

Also, the OP mentioned Airborne, but it’s essentially a waste of money.

If Princess allows it, the island allows it, and your fellow expedition-takers are okay with it, then go for it. Just out of courtesy, I would check with people in your group (if there are any, and you’re not going solo.) Otherwise, have a good time.

Wash your hands. There’s no magic bullet.

Just wear it.

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I'm 38 years old, and I love towel animals.

Also, cabin stewards have the ability to do more than one thing. If he/she takes the time to make a towel animal, it doesn't mean that the room won't be cleaned. It's not an either/or situation.

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Am I missing something? "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is the name of the Beatles song.

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It varies. I've had probing questions, and I've had people wave me through after just looking at my passport.

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Look, I was on the Amsterdam in my 20's, and I loved it. I'm very introverted, and I had no problems onboard. People kept to themselves. No rowdy crowds--everyone seemed to be pretty respectful. I realize that a lot of young people are into partying and socializing, but I'm not one of them. For me personally, I found HAL's atmosphere very pleasant. Many people comment how HAL is for early snoozers, or HAL ships are "floating nursing homes," but that's hyperbolic nonsense.

Regardless of what you decide, OP, have a great trip!

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It was awful. I actually wrote about it in my post-cruise comments (hey, they asked.)

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Depends on the discretion of the captain. I was on the Solstice last month (Alaska), and the hours for the "family swim" didn't start until the third or fourth day of the cruise. Maybe someone complained about the kids having to use the outside pools? Anyway, the hours were from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Honestly, I'm not sure if there would've been family hours at all, but it was raining for most of the trip, so that may have had something to do with it.

Interestingly enough, I saw both kids and adults in the outdoor pools, anyway. They had a much higher tolerance for cold water than I did!

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OP, if you can't renew in person, try doing the expedited processing, as others have mentioned. I was in a similar situation, and renewed about a month before mine expired. I paid for expedited processing, and I actually received it a week later--well ahead of projected processing times. It's really luck of the draw with respect to the timeframe.

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