Petronillus

FWIW, I thought the "click bait" comment was a cheap shot. 

OP's post has stimulated an interesting and worthwhile thread.

OP should keep on keeping on. One man's opinion.

If you don't work well with the PCC you got assigned to, you can insist on a change. I have worked with a number of PCCs over the years and none of them required an appointment for a consultation. I usually start with an email to my current PCC, who got saddled with me after I complained about her immediate predecessor; she typically asks me to suggest a time  when I'll be available to talk with her, and she calls me and has never missed such a prearranged rendezvous. And, yes, as Crystal said, she tells me that the call is being recorded.

There is no reason for you to feel reluctant to initiate a change. It's simply a matter of the two of you having incompatible communication styles. It's in HAL's interest to match you with someone you can build a long-term relationship with.

3 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Appreciate this update -- not good news but I suspect Komodo Island may be somewhat different than your usual tender port? (I haven't been there so have no real idea...)

 

Komodo. . . . Is that where there be dragons?

30 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

Very soon a person can figure out what is their better value . This is the best way to answer your question .We are always evaluating cruising vs land trips 

Everybody's opinion, and approach, and perspective is different. For me there is no comparison between a road trip and land tour, on the one hand, and a cruise on the other. The comparison, for me, is between a cruise and a stay at an all-inclusive resort like Dreams or Secrets. The convenience of the cruise ship's stable environment (unpack and repack only once) and its itinerary to me counts for a lot. Similarly, the great value of the beverage package lies in how carefree it makes the choice of what to drink when. I'm not the type to run the figures in order to satisfy myself that I'm getting my money's worth. Maybe it makes me a sucker, a lamb getting sheared, but hey, I'm on vacation!

3 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I'm curious how they would know that -- do they ask for your room number or scan your card at this event?

I haven't taken part in a lot of high teas, but I suppose you check in by cabin number before being seated by the MDR staff.

To me it seems reasonable to put a cap on utilization of some services or amenities. The beverage packages are an obvious example. By that measure, can room service be "abused"? Are there anecdotes out there about pax taking the convenience of room service to excessive extremes?

As for DW and me, we have never splurged on a Neptune suite and don't find our verandah cabins to be attractive dining venues. Besides, we sort of pride ourselves on being low-maintenance clients. The very idea of a butler, for instance, we find abhorrent.

18 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

This one starts in Rotterdam,  and first port is Newhaven for Edinburgh, which is tendered. We’ve traveled quite a bit in the world, but British Isles are still boxes unchecked. If that’s the case I am sad to hear about immigration check as it’s a big one for us to see. Ugh. Thanks for the heads up though. This might make club Orange worth it alone. 

This summer we were on a Norway (Land of the Midnight Sun) cruise, where Lerwick in the Shetland Islands got substituted for one of the Norwegian ports. We did need to queue up to pass customs inspection and receive the magic sticker. The customs agents were Scots and couldn't have been more affable and gracious, and the whole process went smoothly and pleasantly. There was nothing memorable about the ensuing tender ride, whether bad or good.

1 hour ago, ChinaShrek said:

Why did HAL stop using bars of soap or making them available? I hate body wash but most bars of soap are for my needs.

I 'm told that bar soap versus body wash is one of the factors that distinguish Baby Boomers from Millennials. I suspect, in addition, that keeping the dispensers in the cabins topped off is less costly than replenishing soap bars and small tubes of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. 

Here's what I think is an interesting, collateral effect of raising the drinks prices. For purposes of accruing credits toward our Mariner Star Status, we are credited with one "bonus credit" for every $300 spent on board (up to a max of $300 for each cruise day sailed). I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the ticketed price of the drinks we obtained under our beverage package counted toward that $300 bogey. Therefore, the more they raise the prices of our drinks under the packages, the faster we accrue the bonus credits, and the sooner we land on the Free Laundry square.

5 hours ago, crystalspin said:

It occurs to me that Unlimited Laundry is like a Beverage Package: You may not get your "money's worth" in dollars, but it improves your vacation, not having to think about it!

You've nailed it. Like you, the real point of the beverage package is the carefree spirit it gives me of ordering what I want when I want without giving a thought to the cost. Especially true of the elite package, but on our last cruise, when we had the $11/drink signature package, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I wasn't charged extra for a rusty nail nor for a double!

Cloth, but surprisingly malleable (or maybe it's that my laundry items are surprisingly compressible).

Crystal, you are a treasure! Thank you for the 2-page cribsheet.

If I'm understanding correctly, none of the three packages (Quench, Signature, or Elite) includes use of the Freestyle dispensers. When it lists "Coca Cola Soft Drinks" under "Water & Soda" in the Quench Package, it's referring to the mixer gun at the bars and to soda by the can.

We have always relied on the by-the-bag flat fee option. I'm always impressed at the amount of laundry I manage to cram into that bag. And somehow there's always room for "one more thing."

The service is astonishingly quick and top-quality (depending on your expectations, of course!). You can even specify whether you want the laundry folded or put on hangers. Unfortunately, in my experience, you can't say to use hangers with the dress shirts and trousers, for instance, and fold the rest; so, you get your underwear back on individual hangers.

On our last cruise I noticed that the washing comes back including a small card identifying by name the crew member who handled your laundry. Nice personal touch. Like "Your tax dollars at work," it helps put a name (if not a face) on where our crew-appreciation gratuities are going.

It's always surprised me that whatever status one builds up on HAL doesn't count for anything (ok, let's say virtually nothing) on HAL's "sister" lines. I understand that each line's program is different, but wouldn't you think that the marketing folks and the bean counters would get together and figure out a way each line's loyalty program could complement the others'?

On 5/13/2018 at 11:37 PM, ithaca gal said:

We'd happily take more perks, but enjoy what we do get! As for sailing other lines with better reward programs, we like the product HAL offers, so we stay put.

I echo your comment. I liken HAL to a Buick. It's not a Beemer or a Merc or a Lexus or even a Cadillac, but Buick suits DW & me just fine.

4 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

HAL coud make this a dace area with a  band ,That would be a nice touch  .  Then comedias ,the dancers can all usr the world stage ie

I'm still grieving the loss of Lincoln Center Stage. HAL invested a ton of money into fine-tuning the acoustics of that space to suit the area as a classical chamber music venue. Maybe the LCS following was too small, but we were a fiercely loyal band.

35 minutes ago, Sea Hag said:

I don't know what deck you're on, but 

Deck 4. First time at the stern, in one of the aft-facing cabins.

8 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

Sunviking was using Roz's turn of phrase. (See the quoted post.)

Thanks for clearing up my confusion. I did read the quoted post but failed to connect and catch the irony. Oops!

3 hours ago, Sea Hag said:

We did our first sailing with HAL back in September of this year on the Westerdam. The ship is well laid out and very well maintained. This works fine for me.

We're booked on Westerdam's Asia cruise this coming February, 28 days r/t Hong Kong. I'm so glad to hear good things about her.

3 hours ago, sunviking90 said:

We just finished being stuck on the Volendam for 18 days and after quite a few cruises on larger Princess ships post pandemic as well as the Zuiderdam, we LOVED the friendly small ship feel of the Volendam. The recent refurbishment left the ship feeling fresh, while keeping anll the classic things we love like the huge library and she’s now our favorite. We had only 1200 passengers and it was great! 
We all have different tastes and that’s fine. I’m trying out my first Pinnacle class in January on Koningsdam. I know I’ll miss the wide promenade, but aside from that I may love it. Who knows?

I'm confused. You mention a string of compliments, and yet you lead with "We just finished being stuck on the Volendam for 18 days" (emphasis added). Is that like "Beat  me up some more"?

On 12/1/2023 at 5:47 AM, Real NHDOC said:

I have also been served the exact same farm raised Salmon they serve in the MDR every night in Pinnacle despite it being called "King Salmon".  Sometimes it is real king salmon but sometimes not.  So, if lobster is lobster and salmon is salmon to them then beef is beef. 

Excellent observation. Thanks for sharing.

Once again, the ancient truth: it takes forever to build up trust and then only an instant to piss it away.

18 hours ago, Real NHDOC said:

Oh, yes, and Laundry...which someone else mentioned and reminded me.  HAL gets an 11 and X gets a 0 for Laundry service.  Not just the cost, which is outrageous on Celebrity but the quality of the service which is terrible.  Clothes come back looking like they literally pulled them out of the dryer and balled them up in the bag.  We have taken to just hand wash essentials and take the rest off the ship for laundry it is so bad on Celebrity.

I tend to take the excellent laundry service on HAL for granted. From these comments I've come to appreciate how much of a competitive edge it is. DW & I always avail ourselves of the reasonably priced by-the-bag option, but plainly even for the 4- and 5-star Mariners the laundry is one of the behind-the-scenes elements that contribute to the quality of life on board ship.

How about this for an anomaly? 

I just checked the HAL website under the "Manage My Cruise" heading, i/c/w our upcoming 28-day Asia cruise. It's stated there that the per-day price of the "premium, Elite Beverage Package" is "$49.95 if pre-booked online compared to $59.95 if purchased on board." Sounds really good, doesn't it? But if you want to order the package, the price quoted on the same page is $1,650.32" That is very close to the $59.95 figure. How does one snag the $10/day price? 

11 hours ago, kazu said:

The Interdenominational Service was Christmas Day.  No guarantees it will be the same of course, but I suspect it is likely

Not "the same." Unless someone from among the pax steps forward, like Reverend Neal, the interdenominational service will be led by the Catholic priest who will be serving as chaplain for the voyage. He (sigh!) will likely use the same set of Scripture readings and preach the same homily as at Midnight Mass, but don't expect the service to include eucharistic communion.

I'd also wager that the singing will be better and more robust at the interdenominational service.😉

14 hours ago, Vicki'sMom said:

On Norwegian, Celebrity and MSC (which I forgot to mention in my original post!), I love their "private" area (Haven, Retreat, Yacht Club).  I get overwhelmed in crowds so I've found these areas to be perfect and relaxing for me, although pricey.  I think Westerdam being a smaller ship (under 2,000 passengers I believe), I would be okay!  I have never cruised "solo", but since losing my husband a year ago, this is becoming my reality.  

 

I'm not sure how dining would work, but I have no problem sharing a table - in fact, I prefer that to eating alone.  Do they assign dining times?  I am used to dining on my own time schedule. 

 

  

My understanding is that HAL has deliberately configured the layout of its ships to provide a looser "pack" than the other cruise lines. As a result, it's easy to find relatively quiet nooks for reading and/or daydreaming. I think it contributes to a mellower atmosphere.

Condolences on the loss of your husband. My he rest in peace.

DW and I have had many pleasant mealtimes in the Lido Market sharing a table for four with another couple. If you ask, "May I join you?" you can gauge from the reaction how receptive your would-be tablemates are. Almost invariably we are welcomed, and when we are already occupying a table for four, awe are always welcoming to others who come to join us. Sometimes you end up sharing cabin numbers and make arrangements to dine together in the MDR. And you can always present yourself to the MDR maitre d' and tell her/him that you would be happy to join with others in forming a table.