Will NEVER use HAL again!!

[HeatherInFlorida]

Dave, I think we can safely assume that;) . Give me a T give me a blank, give me a blank, blank, L!! LOL!!:D

 

Just a bit more obvious than some.

[RuthC]

You're absolutely correct! It's the "chocolate" that appears on your pillow each evening - just ask Ruth!

Did I hear my name?

Oh, yeah---chocolate matters. Don't forget the chocolate in the Explorers' Lounge every night, either.

[LunchCompanion]

there is usually a comfy hideout somewheres

mine on HAL is the explorers lounge on the Noordam

[mim100]

RuthC...tell me more about the chocolate in the lounge (chocolate fanatic here) ...is it one per customer...two..three...twenty...can I abscond with a handful and take them back to my cabin or is that frowned on? and ... is it Dutch chocolate? :):)

[Jana]

I am on Noordam. I AM keeping an open mind. This ship is gonna take some getting used to.

 

By the time I leave I'm sure I'll love it.

[RuthC]

RuthC...tell me more about the chocolate in the lounge (chocolate fanatic here) ...is it one per customer...two..three...twenty...can I abscond with a handful and take them back to my cabin or is that frowned on? and ... is it Dutch chocolate? :):)

One per customer? Oh don't talk foolish :rolleyes: . One per other customers, maybe, but moi :eek: ?

I've never stood there eating, and eating, and eating, and.... I don't want to look like a pig. Open a cocktail napkin and put a few in, then return to your seat. Repeat as necessary. No one will notice you taking your stash back to your cabin. I hope ;) .

[mim100]

LOL spoken like a true choca-holic :) I will definitely remember the napkin trick and will think of you each time !!

[dougnewmanatsea]

I am on Noordam. I AM keeping an open mind. This ship is gonna take some getting used to.

Right... She's a real Vista then ;) !

[HeatherInFlorida]

I am on Noordam. I AM keeping an open mind. This ship is gonna take some getting used to.

 

By the time I leave I'm sure I'll love it.

 

We'll see, Jana!:) In some ways, I'm sure you will love it. You're on ship, you're on the sea, what's not to love?

 

BTW, someone has gone AWOL. Just thought you'd like to know;) .

 

Keep having fun!!! Can't wait to hear all when you get back!

[Vic The Parrot]

On my recent HAL voyages, not once did I see any liquor packages in the passageway on the last night. Those who have them are told to carry them off the ship in person.

 

To the OP: So I wouldn't let that episode of the pilfered pilsner discourage you from sailing with HAL again. True, they have thier faults like any other company. (Thier treatment of loyal pax sucks, but we're better off in some ways than on a few other lines ....)

 

Just my 2 cents

[cruisecache&squash]

Did I hear my name?

Oh, yeah---chocolate matters. Don't forget the chocolate in the Explorers' Lounge every night, either.

 

I didn't know there was chocolate in the Explorer's Lounge! I need to explore more. In the lounge!! What kind of chocolate? Dang, I missed it!!! I'll have to make up for it on my next one. Really, though, what kind of chocolate?

[Copper10-8]

I didn't know there was chocolate in the Explorer's Lounge! I need to explore more. In the lounge!! What kind of chocolate? Dang, I missed it!!! I'll have to make up for it on my next one. Really, though, what kind of chocolate?

 

The ones made out of chocolate! Pretty darn good ones!:)

[RuthC]

Really, though, what kind of chocolate?

Chocolate candies. Lots of varieties, too. White, milk, dark, with different kinds of thingies inside. Yum. :D

[RevNeal]

Chocolate candies. Lots of varieties, too. White, milk, dark, with different kinds of thingies inside. Yum. :D

 

You're making me HUNGRY.

And I'm trying to lay off those kinds of treats until October.

GRRRRRRRRR ;)

[mrblack]

Wow! Lots of useful info here. I didn't know there was chocolates in the Explorer's Lounge! I also found out you could order cappcinos in the DR without extra charge. These boards are a wealth of info.

 

Liquor in the hall? I think this is a no brainer. I think something that might bear discussion however is leaving your luggage in the hallway the night before and then going to an airport direct from the ship to take an international flight where they say 1) did you pack the bag yourself? and 2) was it ever out of your sight?. While the ship's staff are all bonded obviously as the liquor incident points out anyone can tamper with your luggage. However, I'm interested in a holiday and things will not be perfect so if there's a problem with my luggage while crossing an international boundary I'll deal with it then by hiring a good lawyer.

 

As for different cruiselines it comes down to personal tastes. My kids (young adults -early 20's) cruised with us on Carnival. They loved it--I wasn't so keen but it was still fun. Cruised Celebrity and loved it but it was my first cruise and had nothing to compare it with. HAL 2X loved it and the company (went with other couple friends) was great. I'm beginning to think I'm not very discriminating when choosing a cruise:o. i just love cruising!:)

[Grumpy1]

I think something that might bear discussion however is leaving your luggage in the hallway the night before and then going to an airport direct from the ship to take an international flight where they say 1) did you pack the bag yourself? and 2) was it ever out of your sight?.

Now that all baggage is being xrayed and/or hand searched, they've pretty much quit asking those questions. Before that, I remember one passenger trying to explain about luggage being collected and transferred by ship personnel and being told by the airline reservations clerk "just answer 'no, it hasn't been out of my possession' if you want to get on this flight".

[TedC]

Now that all baggage is being xrayed and/or hand searched, they've pretty much quit asking those questions. Before that, I remember one passenger trying to explain about luggage being collected and transferred by ship personnel and being told by the airline reservations clerk "just answer 'no, it hasn't been out of my possession' if you want to get on this flight".

 

 

A few years ago, while returning from a Baltic cruise, I decided to tell the truth at Heathrow, and explain how we left the luggage out in the hall etc - all the while my usually sweet wife was kicking me in the ankle (OUCH).

 

We had plenty of time for our flight and I wanted to find out what would happen. I found out - "secondary search" - which meant waiting in another line.

 

See, honesty isn't always the best policy - sometimes you have to do what the politicians do routinely - lie!

[RuthC]

Ted, I had the opposite experience in Amsterdam's airport. I offered the information that the ship had collected the luggage, and I was told that was all right.

I don't know about anybody else, but when my luggage goes into the passageway for collection---it's locked! If anyone wants to tamper with it they're going to have to work at it.

[TedC]

Ruth,

 

Yeah, but you look a lot less suspicious than I do - the dark glasses (see above) and all.

[Stevesan]

Why in the world did y'all resurrect this Dead Horse?

 

For penance, I refer you to the "beating a dead horse" thread.

[mrblack]

For the record I've flown out of 3 international airports in Canada and Fort lauderdale and Denver in the US in the last 6 months and been asked in all situations if I packed my own bags and if I ever left them alone. Furthermore in Denver they play an annoying tape telling people not to leave their bags unattended it seemed like every 3 min. although we were on a 8 hr layover as we had been delayed so may only seemed like it was every 3 minutes. And as to locking suitcases I used to lock them until a security man in Fort Lauderdale rudely told me he'd use shears to get the suitcase open if there was something appeared in the xray that they wanted to check and couldn't get at because of a locked suitcase. One of the pax in the lineup then told me that happened to her on a international trip from Thailand into the States and there wasn't much left of her new suitcase after they used shears on it so I dunno you're damned if you and damned if you don't I guess;)

[Copper10-8]

For the record I've flown out of 3 international airports in Canada and Fort lauderdale and Denver in the US in the last 6 months and been asked in all situations if I packed my own bags and if I ever left them alone. Furthermore in Denver they play an annoying tape telling people not to leave their bags unattended it seemed like every 3 min. although we were on a 8 hr layover as we had been delayed so may only seemed like it was every 3 minutes. And as to locking suitcases I used to lock them until a security man in Fort Lauderdale rudely told me he'd use shears to get the suitcase open if there was something appeared in the xray that they wanted to check and couldn't get at because of a locked suitcase. One of the pax in the lineup then told me that happened to her on a international trip from Thailand into the States and there wasn't much left of her new suitcase after they used shears on it so I dunno you're damned if you and damned if you don't I guess;)

 

Mr. Black, are you talking a security man at Port Everglades or at FLL (Ft. Lauderdale airport) who told you that?

[RuthC]

Remember: you can always lock your luggage when you put it in the passageway, then unlock it at the airport before you wave it goodbye.

[mrblack]

Fort Lauderdale and it makes sense. I mean if they did see something they need to check it out. It seems to me we checked in and then took our bags 200 feet to some other location where the guy took them from us to go thru a big xray machine. The guy said the bags better not be locked and so we had to unlock them. There was lots of baggage there and they were all backed up that's how i came to chat with the other lady who told me her story. I was a little concerned because I don't like my bags being unlocked and away from me when I have to take them thru customs later on.

[Copper10-8]

Fort Lauderdale and it makes sense. I mean if they did see something they need to check it out. It seems to me we checked in and then took our bags 200 feet to some other location where the guy took them from us to go thru a big xray machine. The guy said the bags better not be locked and so we had to unlock them. There was lots of baggage there and they were all backed up that's how i came to chat with the other lady who told me her story. I was a little concerned because I don't like my bags being unlocked and away from me when I have to take them thru customs later on.

 

Understood; here's the deal though (and Ruth just said it), you can still lock your bags prior to putting them in the hallway on the ship (but without the liquor;)). When you take posession of them the next day at the terminal or even later when you arrive at the airport, you need to unlock them for TSA and before checking them in. (or you can use TSA locks - that way you never have to unlock them)