Shelbydarling

Thank you for sharing.  We also felt like the food in the MDR was lackluster on our Eurodam cruise in September.  We didn't see much on the menus that looked super appetizing and only ended up going on gala nights.  Those services seemed rushed and the food was fine, but nothing to write home about with the exception of a coconut torte which I really liked.  I, too, really didn't care for ordering everything at once.  I felt each course was just a box being checked off quickly.  We ended up eating in the Lido for dinner several nights as we felt we might as well get a variety of food then do a dinner service that we were not really enjoying.  We did do three nights at specialty restaurants and felt that the service in those was excellent, and the food was also very good.  I would put our Nami Sushi dinners over our Pinnacle Grill dinner, but we enjoyed both.  

I think that we feel similar to you that we will do HAL when the price/itinerary is right.  We got a great rate on our upcoming Thanksgiving cruise on Koningsdam, and we are prepared for what to expect.  We are not much into production shows and are early birds, so we do pretty well with the HAL entertainment.  I do wish they had some more live music during the day though.  

I think this is a to each their own issue.  We dread the Lido embarkation lunch as it’s crowded but don’t mind it for dinner.  We like that it’s not super busy for dinner and that there is a lot of variety.  We don’t like the sit with others (I’m super introverted), and our experiences on HAL anytime dining have felt a bit rushed and impersonal.  I’m sure it would be different with set dining, but we like the flexibility of eating when we want to do so.  We love Nami Sushi, and usually do that at least once per cruise.  

We’ve had wonderful cabana attendants in lido cabanas on two Eurodam cruises to Alaska.

I bought the eMed tests from Optum, and they arrived quickly.  I was also able to use my flex spending debit card to pay for them on the Optum site which I appreciated.  Hopefully, all goes well with the test itself in September.  

For some reason, I was able to add it via phone later to a casino rate cruise I have next month but not to a cruise in November where I got booked I’m on some other type of promo.  The PCC can look it up for you on the phone and give you pricing if it is available to you.  Oddly, we got the veteran’s $100 OBC on cruise we could not get HIA, but we couldn’t get it on the one where I was able to add the HIA.   

My husband was able to get it for one of our two upcoming cruises.  The second was booked under some nonqualifying promotion.  We got a great rate on that one, so no complaints here 🙂

We were able to get it added for $45 per day.  Unfortunately, I didn't notice the banner for it until the day after the HAL gift card sale ended.  I was able to get 5% cashback with a Discover Card promotion for spending at Target as I bought egift cards on its website.  It's a really good deal for us as we were going to buy the Signature beverage package anyways.  

I was also able to get this added at $45/night/person by calling the number on the banner.  I was planning on adding the signature drink package separately, so this got us that for less plus the other benefits.  We are booked under some sort of special promo rate, but it wasn't casino as we don't gamble.  I have no idea how we were targeted for it other than we had credits from a cruise we canceled late last year.  

I think it is doable if you are all honest about your needs/expectations and are good communicators about those.  If you all go in acknowledging the space/privacy limitations and can all agree on a plan to address those, you should be fine.  I personally would not be able to share that small of space with two other people for that many nights, but you all might agree that sharing is workable for you and fits your budget.  

I was able to book the 7 day couple pass for $219 for our Eurodam Alaska sailing this September by calling Ship Services and paying over the phone.  I had previously planned to book onboard, but decided to book on the phone when I called to book our cabana.  I am super glad I did that as I probably would have passed if the rate was $299.

If your doctor’s office uses MyChart or something similar, you should be able to download the documentation and then share it as you wish to do so.

Did you go under your booking to see if it reflects the updated itinerary and if it gives you the option to pick excursions in Amber Cove? I can't remember what the cutoff is to purchase so not sure if they would be there or not.

I just checked and there are not any shore excursions posted for availability yet.

We're on the Carnival Glory leaving 9/16, and Carnival just emailed us stating that we are going to Amber Cove instead of Grand Turk.

We will be arriving in Naples on September 11 on the Allure of the Seas. As we will be arriving with 4000+ other cruisers, we've decided to purchase our Capri hydrofoil tickets in advance online. However, I'm debating the 8:05 vs. 8:35 sailings. We dock at 7:00, but my experience in cruising is that there is often a small delay with the ship getting clearance to have people disembark. We also want to factor in lines on the gangways to exit. Does anyone have recommendations for a hydrofoil time? I know that the hydrofoils leave from the same port area, so I'm guessing it isn't a far walk. Thanks so much!!