m8zenblue

Lol, all this drama over dress codes.

It's a no brainer, follow rules and regulations and you will never go wrong.

Do what you want and face the consequences.

23 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

If you sail again and they actually haven't removed the metal cans fleetwide, I recommend you try what I do.  I bring one of those rubber grip bottle openers.  Makes it much easier to open.

We don’t mess with the cans anymore, we get bottles of Evian. 

10 minutes ago, Big_G said:

 

Don't feel bad. I have no surgically reduced grip and sometimes I struggled to open them. 

Yes, my wife has severe arthritis and we had to get  servers with a towel to open them.

1 minute ago, markeb said:

I wonder if they're having supplier/provider issues? The aluminum cans were co-branded for Celebrity. Did they used to have Celebrity co-branded bottled water? I just don't remember, but many if not most companies do that. It's pretty simple.

Yes, there  was a X brand plastic water bottle a couple years ago.

I do hope they have gone back to plastic !

Those metal cans are difficult to open, possibly cut yourself and the water taste like can.

Question: How is the Basic Internet on the Equinox ?

5 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

(As seen on app.) 
For anyone on board, is this true?  
I look forward to beef Wellington in the MDR.  

How much extra do they charge for it now???

From what I have seen its not available at all unless you go to Tuscan, maybe, there is a vegetable wellington available .

I was told by a friend that the menu for the upcoming Equinox cruise was on the app.

Not really exciting and much different than we have had on past X cruises.

My experience is that what ever you see online is usually different on the cruise, slightly.

I hope so, the menu I saw on the app was not great, no lobster, no beef Wellington, unless you pay extra.

We did the same type of "guarantee" veranda, on the Equinox, hoping for the best, didnt really care, just wanted to cruise.

Paid the next day.

The following day we were surprised with our cabin assignment !

Deck 10, Concierge, mid-ship !

We have cruised out of Port Everglades a few times and have question for the forum about tipping the porters, embarkation/debarkation.

We always tip because we have several pieces of large heavy bags.

I know tipping is a personal choice.

The last time we cruised out of Port Everglades a couple years ago we overheard something very disturbing.

A gentleman unloading bags with the porter refused to tip him and the porter said "good luck getting your bags".

My question is do you have to tip porters ?

I understand the porters are salaried employees of the port ?

Can they really disrupt your baggage ?

20 hours ago, Nflder71 said:

The concierge guarantee is a lower cost than the Prime Verandah. The cabins for the verandah are on the 9th deck close to the front. If we select the concierge guarantee, I’m a bit worried that we will get an obstructed view and be on a lower deck. At least with prime verandah we will know where our room is, even if it is right at the front! If I book the guarantee when do you find out what room you have? And if you don’t like the location can you switch?

 

We just got our guaranteed veranda cabin assignment for the Equinox yesterday and were worried where we would be located.

We actually got an upgarde to Concierge a few cabins from center elevator banks.

Good Luck !

56 minutes ago, broadwaybaby123 said:

Does anyone have a copy of the menu they can post? I'm soon-to-be Elite and would love to see what they have to offer. I'll be on the Summit in October and Solstice next Fall. During one of those cruises, I should be leveling up, I just don't remember which one.

I am not 100 % positive but from what I have read it's mostly a "Continental" style breakfast, coffee, rolls and pastries.

Braided Short Ribs !

Definitely not the lobster.

2 hours ago, espmass said:

OK, so it is possible to make a reservation.  Interesting to have confirmed reservations and still have that long of a wait. 

Yes, it is, as I stated previously, there may be a wait beyond your reservation time.

What we have observed between 5:30 and 6 pm it appears to be very busy.

Please be patient with staff, they try very hard to please everyone !

On our last X cruise in November 2022, we had Select dining but made reservations prior to sailing for each night of 10 night cruise.

Reservations were confirmed on app and by notice in our cabin for 6pm nightly.

Unfortunately, there was wait sometimes up to a 45 minute wait to be seated on most nights.

My advice is to be flexible, especially if you want to attend shows.

Be careful tying to upgrade with X representatives.

We just upgraded our Basic beverage package to Premium, but you may have to press the rep to get the correct pricing.

I was bounced around to several reps all with a different price, trying to use my OBC.

I finally gave up and contacted my TA who got it for a better price than qouted.

Lesson learned, should have talked to my TA first.

23 hours ago, stones902 said:

Thank you!  That's good to hear.

 

So, is there a basic Starlink ?

We have basic Wifi included as part of our everything package, is that Starlink or something else ?

Not really into streaming but I need to check email and Blink cameras daily.

2 minutes ago, prmssk said:

1. Stay in a hotel the night before that is fairly close to the port.

2. In the hotel or car/shuttle ride over, we watch the safety video on the app and listen to the horn.  It's usually available starting about 9am on embarkation morning.

3.  Arrive at the port around our arrival time, check-in, and board once boarding starts.

4.  Stop by our muster station.

5. Drop our bags in our cabin and pick up our sea pass cards.

6. Find lunch.  If we can help it, we avoid the buffet as it is usually crazy on this first lunch.  The Mast Grill is one option.  The sushi place is usually open for a fee.  If we book concierge class, we go to the main dining room.  If we book a suite, we go to Luminae.  

7.  Stop by the Martini Bar for the first martini of the cruise.

8.  Once cabins are ready, I also usually try to go check on the paperwork for dining reservations, shore excursions, etc. to make sure there isn't anything that needs to be adjusted.  Last cruise, our assigned dining time got switched on us at the last minute so we went to the hostess in the main dining room to fix that.

9.  Meet the room steward and watch for suitcases so we can start unpacking.  It never feels like the vacation has truly started until I have unpacked.

Ditto !!!

I apologize in advance if this particular subject has been addressed. 

We have cruised out of Tampa once before but never stayed in a hotel.

Looking for a nice hotel in the area, staying night prior to cruise, night upon return and parking for duration, 10 nights.

Breakfast and transportation to and from cruise port would be a plus but not required.

Any suggestions would be most helpful !

Thank you !

18 hours ago, Mark_K said:

If you mean actual Champagne that could be, but many places have sparkling white wines, Prosecco, etc.

Ditto

The bottom line is it's just a personal preference.

Personally, we enjoy top shelf liquor and premium wines.

And...in the MDR you have a "bottomless" glass !

Hello again all !

We are almost newbies to HAL, we cruised once many, many years ago.

I searched threads and could only find one from 2009.

What is the laundry situation on HAL ?

On X, we are Elite and get 2 bags of laundry.

Is there a set price, do you have to have a status, is there self service laundry facilities ?

Thanx !

Our last cruise was on the Constellation at the end ofd 2022.

Great service, great food !

Only thing was the shows were not very good.

1 hour ago, peterde said:

I will be on her in December and I enjoy the occasional cigar. Do they sell cigars also so I don’t have to bring them?

DON'T !!!

Cigars for purchase on ships are crap, very dry, they are not kept in a humidor.

I hate to pile on but I had to make a comment on this subject. 

On our last X cruise on the Constellation, we couldn't wait to get a burger at Mast Grill.

I got all the toppings and fries.

Burger was inedible, cold & dry, bun was old and falling apart.

Usually we have a burger at least 3-4 times, not on this trip.