Laminator

I will be right behind you!

Just got off the Rotterdam. Aft wrap 4209. No issues at all. As previously stated deck 4 and 8 are the decks to be.

The casino on the NS will be renovated during drydock. The circular staircase going down to deck 2 will be removed and the casino will be expanded. The tables will be in the middle with slot machines on both sides of the tables. If they also can get Starlink installed BetMGM sports betting will also be ready to go. The ship will have kiosks where you can bet on sporting events.

BetMGM which will allow for live sports betting is starting to be implemented on the Carnival and HAL ships. I believe it went live yesterday on the Carnival Horizon. In order to roll BetMGM out on the ships they must have Starlink internet.

They are on the Rotterdam now installing Starlink.

We met a couple on the Rotterdam this evening who were very disappointed with their meal at Rudi's.

The Koningsdam has one of those 100 flavor or more beverage machines outside of the lido mid ship. Probably not what you are looking for but I am sure Hi C or Minute Maid fruit punch will be one of the flavors.

There are no more formal nights. They are referred to as dressy now. Nice pants and a shirt with a collar.

per person

I paid $372 for my 9 day Rotterdam cruise leaving Nov 3rd. No rhyme nor reason but I jumped on it the minute I saw the price.

Carnival Horizon will have sports betting deployed in early November. The rest of the Carnival ships will follow. Along with the HAL fleet.

There is no fee to charge slot money or table money to your account as long as you play. You can cash your chips at the casino cage and then visit guest services and apply that cash to your bill.

That's exactly why I always carry my cell phone. I may never need it in case of emergency but if I have it. Actually I have used it in case of emergency a few times.

I guess that means I should throw out the fire extinguisher I have in my home. Never used it and probably never will. But being a former LEO and having been at the actual scenes of where people lost their lives in fires I think I will choose to keep it. It's about preparedness.

I think that is the way HAL is moving. Rumor has it the casino on the NS will be expanded during dry dock. Supposedly the staircase that goes downstairs will be eliminated. BetMGM sports betting will be begin to be deployed early next month on the Carnival Horizon and move thru the remainder of the Carnival and HAL fleets afterwards. This leads me to believe that casino expansion is coming. And hopefully a viable solution to separate the smokers and non smokers.

Most if not all HAL ships have a separate non smoking room now.

He should be on the NA. The casino on that ship is 100% non smoking so i am quite sure no one is gagging on the smoke.

Food, as has been discussed here numerous times, is subjective. The casino not so much. The OP claims the casino is empty. All I can relate is my experience but casino mgmt has always opened up the high limit BJ table for me no matter what time of day it is. They may ask me to wait 15 to 20 minutes for a dealer to return from break but they have always opened the table. I think they would do the same for the OP if he asked to have the craps opened. Especially if he is a high roller.

I just checked in for an upcoming cruise in early November. HAL asks for a secondary phone number. You have the ability to opt in for text messages to be received at that secondary number. I would recommend everyone do so. This is why being a frequent traveler I have TMobile. I don't have to worry about roaming charges when I am out of the country.

Regarding the gambling situation I would put most if not all of the blame on your casino host with 40 years of experience. He needed to put you on a cruise where HAL was running a casino event. You may not have been able to participate in the casino events which in the grand scheme of things isn't that big of a deal but the casino overall will be very busy. The other thing I am curious about is your rate of play. If it as high as you claim your host should have gotten you a comped Neptune Suite with a significant amount of free play. On the Pinnacle class ships the high limit blackjack table is always against the back wall. It is nearly impossible for there to be gawkers as there is no room to congregate. I am assuming you are not on the Koningsdam. This is my recommendation. The Panama Canal is a beautiful cruise. I would hang on til the end. You will then receive casino offers from HAL to their special event cruises where you will find the casino to be packed.

I assume since you received a casino offer it was from a land based casino as you have not sailed HAL in the past. Would that assumption be correct? I am a little confused regarding the quality of the food. It's not too often people on the HAL boards complain about the quality of the food. And these folks have hundreds of days sailing HAL. It's even more rare that the Lido breakfast is an issue. What is not up to par with the breakfast offerings?

I am guessing you don't gamble that much or you would be a comped Neptune Suite and could walk into the Neptune Lounge and voice your concerns.

According to the email I received today it is supposed to be on all HAL ships by Oct of 23.

If in fact what you have written here is true you are coming out ahead so I would let it go.

There are several reasons I bring my smart phone. My travel insurance info is on there, my prescriptions are on the Walgreens app along with the pics of the meds which saves me from bringing all the prescription bottles, maps where internet will not be needed or is not available can be downloaded, QR codes can be scanned and most importantly my flight info is easily accessible. That has saved me several times with canceled flights. Twice on departing flights when returning from a cruise. I have been able to reschedule flights before disembarking the ship and have got out the same day. A heck of a lot better than finding out when you get to the airport. When on vacation I want as much convenience as possible. A smart phone provides the convenience. I am on a cruise not a hunting trip.