maraena

I brought a twelve pack of diet coke on to the Nieuw Amsterdam with no problems. (Unopened)

 

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Was it a fairly recent cruise?

 

I was surprised to read this had been going on with Carnival since about 2013 but noticed it in some recent reviews.

Hello! I am planning to bring on a 12-pack of Ginger Ale. It will be boxed in the typical 12-pack box (i.e., Canada Dry).

 

I have been reading that Carnival has started opening the 12-packs upon embarkation in Miami, New Orleans, Houston, etc., taking out each of the cans to 'inspect' them, and then leaving you with a torn box and 12 cans to carry. This is accomplished by either tearing the box open and emptying the contents or cutting a slit along the top of the box.

 

From what I can gather, some of the inspectors will use tape or something to reseal the boxes after they inspect them but not all of them take the time to do so.Needless to say I'd rather have a bag or something I could put them if this happens so some forewarning would be nice.

 

Is this happening on HAL? Should I just plan on having 12 cans of loose soda that need to be schlepped on board? Anyone with any recent experience with 12 packs of pop/soda?

Every Sunday special.

 

Thanks for the info! I've got a Koningsdam itinerary identified. Now to get the husband and work on board with my plans! Those lamb chops may be just the trick!

Thank you for the ongoing trip report. I've really enjoyed it!

 

I look forward to seeing all the menus you've collected. I'm hopeful that I can pick out an appropriate night for our Tamarind dinner on our upcoming cruise. Thank you for all these efforts!

Those lamb chops look amazing. My DH would love them. Are they a regular special or just for that day? Not sure if you could tell but thought I'd ask.

 

Hopefully the Dive-in wasn't too severely effected. Surprising that they'd have a fire this early on but I suppose there could be a grease build-up. It doesn't sound like it was open when you boarded from your excursion.

We'll keep it in Evernote on our phones. But since you favor Sauvignon Blanc and there are probably only going to be 2 on the bar list, you should be able to narrow it down pretty quickly. ;)

 

Oh, I can range all over the place when I don't have to drink the whole bottle. Chardonnay's, Viognier's, etc., are all nice to try from time to time. And, if I don't like it, I can get DH to drink the rest of the glass. In fact, it's just about guaranteed that he'll like what I don't. Some days I think this applies to more to than wine, too! Sillly man! :D

 

Making a bottle decision, on the other hand, stymies me! I don't want to waste my precious wine allotment on a bottle I don't like even if it might take me all week to drink it.

Very helpful! Thanks POA! :)

 

Will you or your lovely wife bring this handy dandy list with you so I can consult prior to Happy Hour? ;)

Loved this report. I've been watching all along but missed my opportunity to comment on the vegetarian shrimp cocktail. They make those meat-like substitutes look so life like nowadays! ;) That's some feat!

 

Great pictures and narrative! Thanks for taking us all along.

Is that whipped cream inside that or something else? It sort of looks like a round eclair.

I realize that you said money is not an object for this purchase, but I recommend you don't buy anything that you'll worry about when it's mistreated by baggage handlers.

 

I also suggest avoiding the higher brand items (e.g., Tumi) since it makes you a target for thieves. They're pretty easy to spot from a distance once you know what you're looking for.

I prefer soft-sided for carry-on because I like the outside pockets. We have Delsey, two-wheeled because I like their wheels. I find the additional weight added by spinners just doesn't justify them and I move faster with two- versus four-wheeled carry-ons.

 

For checked, I prefer hard-sided and we have E-bags because of their lifetime warranty. The spinners are nice for these but you can lose a wheel since they're not recessed. I typically only check when my DH is along as he doesn't travel as often and isn't as skilled at doing a tight military roll with his clothes.

 

Typically I can make due for 7-10 days with a carry-on. We bought packing cubes to help my husband more tightly pack his bags but mostly use them for the checked bags. They are also great for organization and unpacking - just pop the cube into the drawer or on the shelf and you're set! We use ebags packing cubes. Since it does allow for more tightly packed clothing, you do have to watch your luggage weight. To help avoid overweight luggage, we stick to 24 or 25" checked bags.

Hyatt Place serves breakfast and has free parking. Hyatt Place is located right in front of the Harbor Shops where you can find Total Wine, Publix Grocery Store and a dozen or so restaurants.

 

Personally, though, I would not stay at either.

 

According to the Hyatt site, Hyatt Place on 17th does charge for parking ($7/day). It's not as much as Hyatt Pier 66 ($25+/day) but they do charge.

 

For the OP, I've stayed at the Hyatt Place on 17th pre-cruise and it was fine. It's not a full-service hotel but, as my husband says, full service rarely means free service. The breakfast was fine, the rooms were clean, and it was in a nice, walkable area if you didn't have a car.

 

Hyatt Pier 66 has better views and higher end finishes. Breakfast isn't free unless you buy a package or have the highest status in their frequent stay program. The views from the tower rooms can be quite nice and the pool area is definitely more reminiscent of a resort. It's definitely more of a walk to shopping but isn't too far from the same areas that the Hyatt Place abuts.

 

For me, the hotel I'd choose would be highly dependent on how much time I had to appreciate the amenities. If I'm getting in late or don't care about the pool and such, I'd pick the Hyatt Place. DH tends to appreciate a free breakfast more than high end finishes so the Hyatt Place meets his needs. If we were staying a longer duration or got in early and weren't in a rush to board the ship the next morning, I'd lean more towards the Pier 66.

The Avis location at Hyatt Pier 66 also has a shuttle to the cruiseport (but not to the airport). I think it may only run during certain hours and they tend to have limited operating hours, but it works for us.

Oooh, too bad it's not on my upcoming Eurodam.

 

Hopefully they'll let you have this in lieu of the signature when someone in your cabin has the signature. I doubt it, but I can always dream!

We've sailed on Celebrity S Class (e.g., Silhouette) but not M Class and HAL Signature class (i.e., Eurodam) so I can only offer a comparison to that. We're in our early 40s but haven't found age to be a significant consideration. That said, there are things we like about both lines but we prefer HAL slightly more than Celebrity. I'll see what I can do to lay out our personal likes.

 

+ Celebrity

Impressive atrium, open spaces and decoration - HAL is far more subdued and doesn't have the high sweeping ceilings. Celebrity definitely has more wow factor. However, once I've been wowed it becomes a non-issue

 

Drink packages - I think Celebrity does a far better job here but I haven't tried HAL's drink packages. Celebrity offers a non-alcoholic package and I really appreciate their Call Al Bacio in comparison to HAL's Exploration cafe. This is mostly because I prefer brewed iced tea and I had no trouble getting that on Celebrity.

 

+Holland America

Cabanas, cabanas, cabanas - Celebrity has cabanas in their grass area but they're not comparable. They're far more expensive and give you a view of grass. Sorry, but I can sit on my back patio if I want to look at grass. Give me a private, quiet oceanview any day. I have never been so relaxed on a vacation as the time we had a cabana on Eurodam.

 

Quiet spaces - For some reason, Celebrity just felt more urgent and busy to me. I had a difficult time finding a nice quiet space with good ocean views. We did locate the solarium but it was a bit stuffy (i.e., humid) for me. The crow's nest on HAL is just so lovely and I wasn't lucky enough to find a spot like that. That said, I do vacation for relaxation and to shut down my very busy brain.

 

From my experience, Celebrity did seem to have a bit younger, more vibrant crowd. It wasn't on the same level as Carnival or NCL (both of which we've sailed) but there did seem to be more kids and young adults around. (This isn't a bad thing but does affect the overall 'feel' of a cruise.) The music on Celebrity was definitely a notch louder with a bit more techno and such available. HAL tended to have more subdued musical choices when we sailed but I do need to note that this was pre-piano bar and Blue's Club, both of which we're looking forward to on our upcoming sailing.

 

Food-wise, I'd say they're both very comparable. Quality appeared high on both but I know my DH really enjoyed the lamb on HAL in comparison to Celebrity. At the time we sailed, many of the MDR items were available in the Lido and we ended up going from the MDR to the Lido so he could get some more lamb chops. I, on the other hand, enjoyed the always available Escargot on Celebrity. I'm pretty sure that I had an order every night. Serving sizes were a bit smaller on Celebrity which caught my DH off guard as he doesn't typically order multiple starters like I do. He adapted and adjusted his ordering habits.

 

We only ate at Bistro on 5 on Celebrity so I can't really comment on the specialty restaurants. The cost was significantly higher than any other line I've cruised and that greatly impacted our participation in the specialty restaurants. On HAL, we ate at both Tamarind and Canaletto for less than we could've eaten at Tuscan. We weren't overly impressed with Canaletto but we ended up at Tamarind for a second night. I'd highly recommend that. As you're probably aware, Celebrity switched Bistro on 5 to an ala carte Sushi restaurant. Needless to say, that isn't my DH's preferred food and I'd be highly suspect of the freshness of the seafood since they aren't exactly fishing off the side of the ship.

 

We also found service comparable between the two lines. I do recall us having a few slow meal services on HAL but we were also in the Anytime Dining and I do think that impacts service. On Celebrity we did set seating since you have to prepay gratuities for anytime dining and we had a ton of OBC that couldn't be used to prepay.

 

We did enjoy that the Casino was non-smoking on Celebrity but, from what I can tell, that will be changing on HAL as well. Both lines had minimal announcements, which we prefer, and the rooms were fairly comparable. We actually prefer the shower on Celebrity to the HAL tub/shower combos but that really doesn't affect our decision-making. I thought our balcony was nicer on HAL as it had nicer chairs and footstools but we really spent most of our time up in the cabanas.

 

To summarize, we really don't find significant differences between the lines. The cabanas are the biggest draw, for us, to HAL but we tend to decide based on itinerary, timing, and price.

Now if they'd just add a coffee/tea package for Explorations Cafe! Even a non-alcoholic package would work. I'd happily buy my DH the signature alcoholic beverage package for my DH if they'd let me piggy back a non-alcoholic package with it instead of forcing me to have the alcoholic variety. I just am not a big enough alcohol drinker to justify the signature package.

Best wishes and good luck to those in the path of this storm, including the Floridians and others along the eastern coast. Stay safe!

I love the Hyatt Place Delray! It is right off Atlantic and there will be lots of places the next morning to walk to and get breakfast.

 

Delray is one of the prettiest areas of South Florida.

 

Good to know! I'm not sure we'll hang out too long after waking up as we'll want to get on the ship but I'll check out the area.

We're flying into PBI late the night before our cruise and won't arrive until 12:15AM. I'm renting a car from Alamo upon arrival and then need to locate a place to stay. I'd estimate that we'll be in our car and on our way by around 12:45AM (maybe a smidge later but we're Alamo Insiders so the rental shouldn't take long with the kiosks).

 

I've read through all the threads on PBI to get some ideas but am limited by a free Hyatt night that I need to use on this trip since we don't anticipate using it by its expiration.

 

I've narrowed into a few options:

Hyatt Place - Del Ray (20 minutes away but not liking that hefty parking charge)

Hyatt House - FLL (45 minute drive at 1AM is a bit concerning but free parking)

 

Anyone with an opinion on these two or other Hyatt's that I haven't considered? Most up around PBI have parking charges around $20/night which seems ludicrous since we'll pretty much be there for 12 hours.

Last November, when we booked this year's Christmas cruise, HAL was about $200/pp more than Celebrity and Celebrity was offering a free drink package with some different ports. (Why is it that all HAL ships shift to two basic itineraries during Christmas? It's dull. You're charging a premium for the season, make it worth it!)

Since that point, I've repriced the Celebrity cruise twice before final payment and always checked to see if HAL was coming down into range or had added amenities. HAL never did lower prices until this November which was well in the final payment deadlines.

I would've preferred HAL but I couldn't refuse a discounted rate, the drink package and some different ports. HAL is overpricing their cruises for those of us that do advance book and not dropping them soon enough. Thus they end up with folks who live in Florida or are retirees with greater flexibility. As a result, they're perpetuating their reputation of catering towards an older demographic and dis-incentivizing continued loyalty for those of us coming from a distance or with more limited vacation time.

I'm not sure who is managing their pricing or marketing, but the executive management may want to reappraise their performance and continued employment in that role. Their data analytics appear a bit faulty as well.

In the meantime, we'll be trying out a new brand and ship class. From a business perspective, it's a pity that HAL gave us this opportunity.

Hi Royalcruz,

 

I was reading on another board that the Westin Beach has also been sold with the closing date set sometime in December. Have you heard anything about that?

 

Here's an article about it: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/tourism/fl-more-lauderdale-beach-hotel-sales-20141113-story.html

 

I'm wondering if they'll stay a Westin and still honor our points stay at the end of December. If you hear anything on this hotel, could you post here?