Euby

@bdd123 Another option is to pack some Thermacare heat wraps (or something similar) that do not require a outlet. Plus, as you use them, they create more space in your luggage to take home souvenirs 😉

What is the Thermal Spa like on the Zaandam? I usually book one on cruises to enjoy the therapy pool and not have to deal with kids using hot tubs as private pools on the Lido deck. I've tried searching for photos, but haven't seen anything recent.

Thank you for all of the well wishes! I'm really looking forward to this cruise. I think the last time that I actually celebrated the New Year was when I was in college.

@thon Have you stayed here? I made reservations there for my cruise in a few weeks. What is your opinion of it?

@RuthC I use an upright walker when cruising and hsve used a scooter when vacationing at Disney. I use a Wedge-It brand door stop. I love it because it doesn't have to be put on the floor and picked up again (I don't very well that way). This door stop will hook over a door hinge. I highly recommend it. I hang it from a hook (with a string) inside my cabin next to the door.

@Gray Lady Have you tried using the phrase, "Who should my attorney contact in order to get this expedited?" Whether you use one or not, the mention of it can sometimes work wonders.

Did you get travel insurance? I always get cruise specific travel insurance because it includes things like port changes.

I just noticed that the date is incorrect for my cruise. I may have given you my flight date by mistake. The actual cruise date is Dec 27th. N Statendam - 26-Dec-22 - 11 day Southern Caribbean Wayfarer Euby

Let me preface the question with a few things: 1) I am a larger sized person; 2) The sun and I do not get along, so I would use this in evening; and, 3) I've already searched on the HAL FAQs and couldn't find anything in regard to something like this. A picture is below. According to Amazon, the measurements are 52x55, but I'm sure that is when it is flat on the ground and not when someone's rear-end is weighing it down in the water. I haven't bought it yet, since I'm not sure if it is ok for cruise ship pools.

Personally, I was asking more from the menu side of things. I wanted to go ahead and book my Specialty Dining options from the HIA package. Aside from the special NYE Dinner at Pinnacle, the other specialty restaurants don't seem to have anything on offer. I splurged this trip and got Club Orange (primarily for the cabin upgrade), so I'll be there on the Gala nights. I purchased the Laundry Package, so I'll be wearing the same outfit all 3 gala nights (*GASP*). LOL

All port days (except HMC) leave at 4:00pm. I'll plan on 12/28 & 1/5 as Gala nights. If I need to adjust later, I'll deal with it then. Thanks for all of the help everyone! @Crew News I don't suppose you could share those When & Where from last year with me, could you?

I'm trying to plan out what nights to go to the Specialty restaurants for my cruise at the end of the year 12/27-1/7. It's an 11-day cruise, so I'm guessing that there is supposed to be 3 Gala (dressy/formal) nights. The itinerary is below. I would think that New Year's Eve would be a Gala night, but it is a port day. Then again, the holiday does lend itself to being a formal night. Would I be safe in guessing that 12/28 and 1/5 would be the other formal nights? 12/27 - Embarkation Day 12/28 - Sea Day 12/29 - Sea Day 12/30 - Sint Maarten 12/31 - Saint Lucia 1/1 - Barbados 1/2 - Martinique 1/3 - St. Kitts 1/4 - St. Thomas 1/5 - Sea Day 1/6 - Half Moon Cay 1/7 - Disembarkation Day

Has anyone been on this excursion? I'll be there in early January and was curious about the bus.

Does anyone have experience with this excursion? I'll be there at the end of December and was hoping for some recent reviews. Thanks!

Thanks for the input everyone. I'll be calling Ship Services in the morning to see what is available.

I'm thinking of splurging on getting myself a Retreat cabana on the Nieuw Statendam. I have done a few searches already online and found some info from 2018 in regard to pricing, amenities and locations. However, since that info is from "pre-covid" times, I just wonder whether all of the amenities are still offered. Could someone who has been on the NS within the past year confirm if all of these amenities are still offered? If they are, can you answer any questions that I put next to them? Also, are there hours that cabana is only open during, i.e. 9am-6pm? If you book as a solo person, do you get the same number of amenities as 2 people (since you are paying the same as they would)? The following amenities are included with your cabana rental: ■ Bathrobes & slippers (are the bathrobes any different from what is in your cabin?) ■ Warm and cold towels ■ Handheld fans (what type? electric, folding-style, or southern-church style paperboard on a stick?) ■ Evian Brumisateur® spray (is this a bottle a day or just one time?) ■ Chilled bottled water setup (is this the water in a can or "fancy" water? is it refreshed throughout the day?) ■ Fruit basket (can you request particular types of fruit?) ■ Healthy breakfast and lunch choices available at the Cabana Club and Retreat (is there a menu? what if you want something else; like from the Lido, but aren't sure what is available?) ■ Ice cream in the mid-afternoon (is it a pre-packaged ice cream bar? or something from Gelato? or ice-cream from Lido? can you select your flavor?) ■ Chocolate-dipped strawberries, frozen grapes and a glass of sparkling wine in the late afternoon (are there alternatives like a cheese plate, if you don't like strawberries or sparkling wine? what if you have the beverage package from Have-It-All?) ■ 20% savings on Signature Services at the Greenhouse Spa & Salon on port days Thanks for any info that you may be able to share. It'll help me to decide whether or not to book it.

I bought the cards for myself, so both emails came to me (confirming that you can also be the sendee).

Just an FYI - You don't have to use the entire gift card amount at one time. On my previous cruise, I had them put $200 from a gift card that had little over $300 on it to cover expenses that I noticed on my account. I was also using a beverage card and the remaining amount left on that was applied to my account at the end of the cruise. It's a nice feeling getting of a cruise with a negative balance. HAL was pretty quick in refunding to the credit card that they had on file for me.

It showed up again as available for my upcoming cruise. It includes Shore Excursion, Drink Package, Specialty Dining, and Wi-Fi. However, it no longer includes the Reduced Deposit or the Crew Appreciation that it showed earlier. I wished I would have gotten it when I first saw it, but I didn't have the money available then. I'm guessing that it is unlikely that it will add the Crew Appreciation back into the HIA (Have-It-All), right?

I got an email yesterday with 2023 offers of free interior cabin which expires 10/31. I probably won't be able to take advantage of it, but at least I'm still on a list. LOL

I was able to go from a Guaranteed Oceanview Category F cabin (Deck 1 Aft) to an Oceanview Category CQ cabin (Deck 10 Forward-10003) on my next cruise. From what I could tell about their cabin categories (via Cruise Deck Plans), I was able to go from the lowest to highest category cabin within the Oceanview Category. Definitely worth the $25 pp/day for me as a solo cruiser.

@Clay Clayton I'm not sure about the slippers, but I do know that you can request a bigger robe from your cabin steward. This is regardless of whether you have a spa cabin or not.

I'm thinking of getting some flowers 🌻 for my cabin. Very few of the floral arrangements on the HAL site appeal to me. Is it possible to arrange for flowers to be delivered to the ship instead? Has anyone done this or received flowers from off-ship?

For those fellow cruisers that plan on taking test kits with them... Pack your test kits in your carry-on. Most test kits have to be stored within a certain temperature range. If you put them in your checked luggage, it's possible that it will be exposed to temps outside the recommended ranges and thus have an effect on the result.

I just finished one "free" Casino cruise a few days ago and have two more booked. I don't play in the Casino but do play Bingo at every opportunity at the highest package ($60-70). Bingo is under the Casino Dept umbrella. Somehow that got me on an offers list. As a solo cruiser, they can't be beat. I'm just hoping they continue to send them to me. If not, I at least got 3 cruises out of it.