'Twas the Cruise Over Easter - 9 Day Southern Caribbean - March 29 - April 7, 2024

[POA1]

Poohby Joe's Guide to Cabana Living - 10th Anniversary Edition:

 

The new, official HAL cabana sales sheets came out in the middle of March.  They are ship-specific, but the information is pretty consistent across the whole fleet.  The exceptions are the two Signature Class ships, the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam, which have Lido Cabanas.

 

The cabana maps vary by ship class. The Nieuw Statendam and the Rotterdam have a hot tub in the Retreat area.  The NS's hot tub has an accessible lift, whereas the Rotterdam's does not.

 

Tip of the hat to @Crew News (Roger) who had the pricing spot-on - long before the sheets were updated.

 

There is a PDF for each of the cabana equipped ships in the fleet.  They look to have been created last October, but I don't think that PCCs had them until a few weeks ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAL-Eurodam-Cabanas-2023-10.pdf HAL-Koningsdam-Cabanas-2023-10.pdf HAL-Nieuw-Amsterdam-Cabanas-2023-10.pdf HAL-Nieuw-Statendam-Cabanas-2023-10.pdf HAL-Oosterdam-Cabanas-2023-10.pdf HAL-Rotterdam-Cabanas-2023-10.pdf HAL-Westerdam-Cabanas-2023-10.pdf HAL-Zuiderdam-Cabanas-2023-10.pdf

[POA1]

I am going to put my computer away now and resume using my phone.  I hope that @Huskerchick is proud of me. I've never gone this long without using my laptop in decades.

 

[Shalandara]

1 hour ago, POA1 said:

A little Grand Turk photo action. Ever since the Salt Museum closed, I've been at a loss for what to do here.

I found Grand Turk to be the perhaps the best "public" stop on my cruise in March.  (Half Moon Cay is a "private" stop afterall).  Since it was our first time there 4 of us rented a golf cart and puttered around.  Made it up to the lighthouse (cheesy but nice views) while only getting lost once.  Our best find was the island museum.  So much in such a small building!  And well done.  (I am a librarian afterall and work in a place that also houses a museum).  I suppose after a few visits it might get boring.... 🤷‍♀️

[POA1]

Tonight's Club Orange dining room menu. It's a formal / gala /dressy night, so everyone has the same menu.

 

Ahoy, Team Fruit Crisp! The first fruit crisp of the voyage shows up in today's menu. It's rhubarb, which both Michelle and I would have ordered. (Just wanted you to know that I haven't gone over to the puddin' side.)

 

co_mdr_gold_day_13.pdf

[Overhead Fred]

1 hour ago, POA1 said:

As a ponder the worldwide array of breakfast options available, I ask - nay demand - whither Canada? They could do something with back bacon, maple syrup, maybe a licensing deal with Tim Hortons?

 

Perhaps a breakfast poutine with peameal bacon and chelsea buns on the side?

 

[BetsyS.]

Thanks for all the menus. Why do they put bourbon in a Cosmopolitan?

I ordered it on Niew Statendam and on Zuiderdam and they always had vodka, NOT bourbon!  If someone doesn't read the fine print, they could order a 

Cosmopolitan not knowing that it has bourbon in it! Sorry to rant, but I 

think it's misleading.

          On a happier note, I would order the trout! 😊

[Huskerchick]

8 minutes ago, BetsyS. said:

Thanks for all the menus. Why do they put bourbon in a Cosmopolitan?

I ordered it on Niew Statendam and on Zuiderdam and they always had vodka, NOT bourbon!  If someone doesn't read the fine print, they could order a 

Cosmopolitan not knowing that it has bourbon in it! Sorry to rant, but I 

think it's misleading.

          On a happier note, I would order the trout! 😊

Betty I think it's a typo but you are correct if people don't catch it and order they may get the wrong drink 😳

[POA1]

Poohby Joe, in his Guide to Cabana Living 10th Anniversary Commemorative T-shirt, poses with the morning breakfast pastries amenity.

 

The new amenities sheet. To be frank, this is not delivered with super consistency.

 

Lunch is at the time of your choosing, so just let one of the cabana attendants know when you are ready.

 

They have offered breakfast pretty consistently. We're not sure if they are offering the room service menu, or something more extensive. Something to put on tomorrow's project list.

 

 

[POA1]

10 minutes ago, BetsyS. said:

Thanks for all the menus. Why do they put bourbon in a Cosmopolitan?

I ordered it on Niew Statendam and on Zuiderdam and they always had vodka, NOT bourbon!  If someone doesn't read the fine print, they could order a 

Cosmopolitan not knowing that it has bourbon in it! Sorry to rant, but I 

think it's misleading.

          On a happier note, I would order the trout! 😊

It's a misprint. That's the recipe for the Shipshape Manhattan. The recipe on the menu PDF would result in a brown drink, not a pink one.

 

If you order the cosmo, you'll get the pink, vodka beverage.

[Huskerchick]

9 minutes ago, POA1 said:

Poohby Joe, in his Guide to Cabana Living 10th Anniversary Commemorative T-shirt, poses with the morning breakfast pastries amenity.

 

The new amenities sheet. To be frank, this is not delivered with super consistency.

 

Lunch is at the time of your choosing, so just let one of the cabana attendants know when you are ready.

 

They have offered breakfast pretty consistently. We're not sure if they are offering the room service menu, or something more extensive. Something to put on tomorrow's project list.

 

 

Agreed the new amenities have been a bit hit and miss. They always offer breakfast and coffee on the days we have gone to the cabana early in the morning. The fruit skewers have shown up regularly but the geloto has never been offered. Now in fairness you could ask and they are happy to bring the items. In an effort to make sure my clothes fit by the end of the cruise I'm not a big snacker but some times the bear and I want a little nosh 😋

[POA1]

To clarify - if you want something in the Retreat, just ask. They've been good about getting things you ask for.

 

If you are expecting the rigid pool amenities scheduled like you'd have at the Four Seasons, this won't be it. It's also a fraction of the cost of the Four Seasons, an important consideration.

 

These photos were taken from Deck 14, the Sky Deck, looking down.

 

The photos start at the lowest numbered cabana (1) and continue clockwise to the highest cabana (22.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 5 by POA1

[chill6x6]

Hi Brian,

 

Thank you so much for ALL this information! 

 

I have ANOTHER question please.....it is a TWO-PART question! 

 

Retreat area....What is the likelihood of being able to get a cabana for only one sea day?  AND...are the loungers in the middle area there available to anyone is a cabana?

 

Thank you!

[albingirl]

such a fun thread.  Many thanks!

[wdw1972]

21 minutes ago, chill6x6 said:

Hi Brian,

 

Thank you so much for ALL this information! 

 

I have ANOTHER question please.....it is a TWO-PART question! 

 

Retreat area....What is the likelihood of being able to get a cabana for only one sea day?  AND...are the loungers in the middle area there available to anyone is a cabana?

 

Thank you!

Very slim chance, especially in a warm-weather climate.  Loungers in the middle are for anyone who booked a cabana in the Retreat.

 

Sue/WDW1972

[POA1]

18 minutes ago, chill6x6 said:

Hi Brian,

 

Thank you so much for ALL this information! 

 

I have ANOTHER question please.....it is a TWO-PART question! 

 

Retreat area....What is the likelihood of being able to get a cabana for only one sea day?  AND...are the loungers in the middle area there available to anyone is a cabana?

 

Thank you!

Other than your assigned cabana, everything else is a common area for anyone who has a cabana. We've never seen the area close to running out of chairs. In my experience, the cabanas are sold out more often than not. If there are any open cabanas, they're rented by guest services. At least that's what it says on the sheet.

 

Booking a cabana is something I do as soon as I have a booking #. If you want to rent for a day, I'd make guest services my first stop.

[Copper10-8]

On 3/31/2024 at 11:46 AM, POA1 said:

It turns out that my reading skills are impared. The pork belly isn't on the pur menu. Right at the top of page 2 Where only an idiot could miss it.

 

That's what too many Wang Wang's will do to you, dude! 🤣

 

[POA1]

We're scheduled to dine in the Pinnacle Grill tonight at 7:00 PM. As is our custom, allow me to present the menu, in image and PDF form.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

pinnacle_grill_dinner_menu_winter_2024_en_navigator_3_(1).pdf

[POA1]

A couple of random things I should have explained better:

 

Early on in the thread, I referred to this being our 30th season. That is because our first HAL cruise was in 1994, and it's 2024 now. We sailed on the old Noordam out of New Orleans, on a 7 day Western Caribbean itinerary.

 

The reason that it's the 10th Anniversary of Poohby Joe's Guide to Cabana Living is that our first Retreat Cabana was on the Nieuw Amsterdam in 2014.

 

A lot of this information was supposed to be revealed in an "About Us" post on day one. There was even a bumper image.

 

 

I never got around to writing that post, and, at this point, you probably know more about us than is strictly necessary. Or, if we're being honest, comfortable.

[POA1]

The Bubble of Awesome's springtime variant, the Easter Egg of Awesome, was going to "color-cycle" like our avatars do.

 

When the labs at the graphics department started building the animated GIF file, it got to be too large. But, since the graphics elves created all the panels, here are the base frames in each color.

 

Easter Egg Light Blue:

 

Easter Egg Orange:

 

Easter Egg Pink:

 

Easter Egg Cornflower Blue:

 

Easter Egg Red:

 

I'm sure it would have been magical, but the bandwidth requirements and load time did not meet with the Institute's high standards.

 

[Haljo1935]

4 hours ago, POA1 said:

...Ahoy, Team Fruit Crisp! The first fruit crisp of the voyage shows up in today's menu. It's rhubarb, which both Michelle and I would have ordered. (Just wanted you to know that I haven't gone over to the puddin' side.)

co_mdr_gold_day_13.pdf 262.27 kB · 0 downloads

Ooh rhubarb!! That's almost enough to make a person consider crossing over. Oh, wait - I think that refers to dying, so maybe rethink that. But the rhubarb is pretty spectacular. 

[57redbird]

How did Poohby Joe get his name?

[POA1]

I was not kidding about the bandwidth thing. I take all of my photos and run them through an image shrinking program called - incredibly - Image Shrink. It's a paid app by Olive Labs. I bring everything down to XGA resolution, or 1,024 x 768 pixels. The file sizes wind up at only 10% or less than the original photo's size. This helps tremendously with load time. And, I think it's why 4 out of 5 of our readers say that they would be willing to pay the same amount to read our next installment.

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

That's what too many Wang Wang's will do to you, dude! 🤣

 

Notice how pretty, inviting and innocent Ms Wang looks?

[POA1]

3 minutes ago, 57redbird said:

How did Poohby Joe get his name?

Michelle named him. We were at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival in the early 2000s. Friends of ours were guest chefs at The Party for the Senses, and a bunch of us from Maine flew down to support them. (Also to eat and drink.)

 

I spotted the Winnie the Pooh baby in the big Disney Store in Downtown Disney (now Disney Springs.) While our group was at the Raglan Road Pub, I snuck off and bought the bear.

 

Michelle has been a huge Winnie the Pooh fan since she was a little girl. I smuggled the Winnie the Pooh baby home to Maine, where he became a Christmas gift.

 

That's the origin story. You'll have to get the naming story from @Huskerchick

 

For what it's worth, I refer to the Poohby Joe picture posts as "fan service."

[Haljo1935]

3 minutes ago, POA1 said:

Michelle named him...

I spotted the Winnie the Pooh baby in the big Disney Store in Downtown Disney (now Disney Springs.) While our group was at the Raglan Road Pub, I snuck off and bought the bear.

 

Michelle has been a huge Winnie the Pooh fan since she was a little girl. I smuggled the Winnie the Pooh baby home to Maine, where he became a Christmas gift.

 

That's the origin story. You'll have to get the naming story from @Huskerchick

 

For what it's worth, I refer to the Poohby Joe picture posts as "fan service."

Awe, so sweet. The things we do for love 💘