oakridger

If you don't have a drinks package, the alcoholic drinks in the Neptune lounge are charged to your cabin account. (I'm not sure about sodas and other non alcoholic drinks though. Others can tell us please) If you do have a drinks package, the lounge drinks are counted against the package. ~Nancy

Very nice pictures and review! If I go back to Skagway, I plan on doing the same as you and renting a car and driving up. The train is really enjoyable too, but I have been on it three times so a change of scenery will be good next time. Thank you for taking the time to give us your review. ~Nancy

I just thought the picture was of a New Zealand Fiordland Park sailing! 😉

You crack me up Pete! The ship cleared at 10:26 AM. Do you keep track of this stuff for your blog or do you just happen to have a time stamped picture of you walking off the ship?? I'm teasing you, but your information is exactly what the OP was looking for!!! Yay Pete! ~Nancy

That is my issue with the cruise tour packages. I've decided to tour Alaska on my own by car when I'm ready. I prefer the flexibility. I will take another cruise after the land trip. Clearly, many people feel the opposite and like not having to take care of the logistics! Good thing there are choices! ~Nancy

I'm so happy to hear that the Pinnacle Grill came through with a great meal for your last evening! Thank you for letting us know. I have enjoyed reading along and will watch for your next reports this fall. I have too long to wait for my next cruise, so I will continue to get my fix here on CC.😉 ~Nancy

Absolutely! You have just reminded me to take cabin pictures on my next cruise before I mess it up! I'll submit ones I already have to Halfacts.com in the next few days. I use the site frequently, so I need to make my contribution! ~Nancy

Looks like there is still a worldwide beet shortage based on your salad!! 😮 I swear, last fall on the Rotterdam they shaved all the beets into almost impossibly small pieces both in the dining room salads that supposedly featured beets as well as the Lido salad bar. It became a running joke to me on how much smaller they could cut them and still be visible!! Ha ha. I love beets! The Canaletto food sure looked good.....what a shame you said it was just OK. I've had good meals there in the past, but inconsistency abounds on HAL!! Glad to hear positive reports about the MDR. I'm enjoying seeing all the food options and your experiences around the ship. Thank you, ~Nancy

@kluv2cruzYes, please consider what @crystalspin is pointing out!! HIA is $50 pp/pd and includes a $100 shore excursion credit, Specialty dinner, Wi-Fi and the Signature Beverage Package. HIA is less than the SBP by itself!!! ~Nancy

In all of my cruises I will say that my food and bar service was very attentive, fast and friendly and I have NEVER paid extra tips up front or on a day-to-day basis! It wasn't necessary to get good HAL service! I tend to find a favorite bar and if I spend a lot of time with certain bartenders or waiters, I do usually give them extra gratuities at the end of the cruise. Same with my cabin stewards at the end of the cruise when they have been exceptional. I really feel that when I hear about giving cash for every drink served that it sets up expectations from staff that weren't there. This coming from a former waitress and bartender myself! (On land) ~Nancy

Check out the recent YouTube videos of them. Many more videos online. Star Breeze: Star Legend: Star Pride: They all look great to me but I haven't sailed on them...yet!!! Star Breeze in February 2025! ~Nancy

Ask your Filipino friends about the "Comfort Room". I like that one. 🙂 ~Nancy

@trtog7 Have a great time! People have been seeing the Northern Lights near Iceland in the last week, so I hope you have the same luck! I'd love to hear what you think about the Star Pride and Windstar in general. ~Nancy

Me? I wash my hands a lot. Seems to be working so far. ~Nancy

This is my ideal cruise situation enrichment wise, but hard to find. Add some good and varied live music and I'm a happy cruiser. The closest I have come to it is on Crystal before Covid. I haven't tried other lines such as Silversea or Seabourn though. If HAL brought back the "In Depth" I would be booking for sure to try it out! ~Nancy

As a solo the "Per Bag" is the most cost efficient but if there are two or more in the cabin then the "Unlimited" is great because everyone in the room is included for the one price. ~Nancy

You were so lucky to see the bear and her three cubs! Your pictures are very nice. I'm loving reading about your trip and the pictures. How did your Mom enjoy the cruise in the larger Pinnacle ship? ~Nancy

At this time they don't have advance open dining reservations. You can go to the dining room desk after embarkation and make reservations for the days you need. I doubt you can make a "sharing table" reservation though because they don't know who will be coming in during open dining at those times. If you want a table for yourself, then no problem. You can ask them at that time though about the sharing situation. If you want to share, just show up at the MDR when you want and see if they are seating a sharing table at that time. (I see you have sailed Crystal. I'm happy they are back sailing again! I sure loved them in the past.) Have a great cruise, ~Nancy

I very much suspect the difference between the two menu designations was in the printing of the menu rather than the actual food preparation. Guests wouldn't know that of course but the waitstaff should know what the ingredients really are or ask the kitchen if they don't. ~Nancy

I'll be following along too! My last HAL cruise started the same way from Vancouver to Alaska then down the coast through the Panama Canal and on to Florida then the Caribbean. My packing wasn't the best because I brought way too much cold weather clothing and not enough warm weather things. After 6 weeks I got very tired of the same few tee shirts and blouses over and over again!! Lesson learned; I hope! Have a wonderful time, ~Nancy

Thank you @UDChE89. I had one experience with delayed luggage on the way to Poland for a wedding and will ALWAYS have some clothes in my carryon bag in the future!!! ~Nancy

Glad to hear about another happy Havila customer! Here's a random question: on the full round trip Bergen-Kirkenes-Bergen voyage how often is the cabin cleaned and sheets changed? Just curious!! I'll be using the laundry machines on board as I will have been traveling for quite a bit before and will after the coastal trip. I'm glad they offer the laundry room. I'm trying to pack as light as possible. Thanks, ~Nancy

Here is the Ocean Bar menu for non alcoholic drinks and water. This comes from @Crew News excellent website! Roger Jett Photography - Digital Images in Time Roger Jett Photography (rogerjett-photography.com)

@rj59 I agree about the MDR lunch menu now. I enjoyed it pre covid, but the new one doesn't wow me because of the lack of variety. I would like to see the MDR lunch menu revamped but we'll see if that happens. Some people recently reported that they really liked it, so like most things on board, just go see for yourself!! ~Nancy

Which ship? What itinerary? Many things depend on these variables. I suggest you read this Cruise Critic HAL forum for all the recent trip reports, questions and answers and the HAL website. Probably any question anyone has ever had has already been answered here!! Have a great cruise! ~Nancy