Deep68
August 30th, 2004, 12:42 PM
I felt I need to give back to the board as I got so many hints for my trip.
These are the opinions of myself and my husband (35 and 41).
We booked the trip up only 2 weeks before sailing!
Embarkation
We had taken a red eye from Los Angeles and arrived 6:30am at FLL
We had breakfast in the airport and hung around to 9:30 as the airport was so cold we decided to get a taxi to the port.
On arrival they took our bags and we lined up for boarding they were about 20 people in front of us.
Embarkation started just before 11am. We had completed the forms online and we were processed in 3 mins. We were the 3rd and 4th people to head upstairs to await boarding with a #1 boarding ticket.
At around 11:30 our ticket number was called and we proceeded to board the ship.
The whole process was painless and so quick.
We headed up on deck and walked around making the most of the empty ship.
Then we headed into the lido for lunch. We were in our room at 1:20.
Dining
We ate in the Lido for breakfast each day. There was always a good choice.
We tried to get room service on the last morning it was booked for 7:30 – 8:00 but at 8:20 it had not arrived. So we headed up to the Lido and it was packed so we just grabbed a drink and gave up on food.
We ate in Pinnacle on the Sunday which was Dutch Night (that was a good decision)
We really enjoyed the pinnacle, I had Lamb, husband had Halibut, and the crab cakes were also great as were the desserts (Baked Alaska & Chocolate Volcano). It was very peaceful and calm. Apparently there was only one cook in the Pinnacle so reservations were limited during the sailing. The restaurant always looked empty. When we initially tried to book the pinnacle we were told there were no table left so I asked to be put on the waiting list for cancellations then the maitre’d strangely found a table for us.
All other nights we ate in the Vista Lounge. When we arrived we found we were on a table of 10. We had requested table of 2 so queued up at 1:30 on the 1st day to try and change it. We were told there was no chance as all the tables of 2 were gone by May. I still asked to be put on the wait list just in case. Then on the Sunday we had a card through the door saying we had table 82 at 8pm it was perfect.
The 1st night we were on the table of 10 I was very disappointed. The waiter did not introduce himself and his assistant spilt water down my back and I had to go to my room and change in the middle of dinner, I was soaked through to my underwear! I really never got an apology for this, but I think this was due to a language problem as the waiter did really understand what had happened.
However our table 82 was great our server Bambang always called us by name and ran to pull my chair our each night. The food varied in standard but there was always something I could find and in general enjoyed the dishes. Saw others near us in the dining room asking for 2nd entrees and so no one denied.
Room
We were in 8084 an S room. We were very happy with the room it was a great size with plenty of storage. We loved the verandah and got a lot of use out of it.
Our cabin attendant was Agung. He kept the room very clean. We had a broken shower and a problem with a handle on the wardrobe and both were fixed within a couple of hours of us reporting them. The bathroom was a great size with 2 sinks a bath and a separate shower.
Entertainment
The shows were mixed in standard.
Man and his duck were quite good, Juggler was OK and impersonator/singer was bad, Comedienne was OK. Dancers/Singers were OK.
Key West
We headed into town and took the Bone Island Shuttle ($8 all day).
We were planning to go just to the Southernmost point to start with but the driver was so good, he was giving us a narration so we stayed on board and completed a circle of the island (the driver also completed the train tour so gave us the same narration).
So then we wandered round town for a while and took the Bone Island Shuttle this time to the welcome centre to join our tour. We had booked a 12:30 Jet Ski Tour of Key West with Key West Water Tours. We arrived and found we were the only ones on the tour. The tour lasted 2 hours and cost $115 for 2 of us on one Jet Ski. The skis were in great condition and the trip was a blast. Our guide was very informative and told us about landmarks, marine life and more. This was the highlight of my cruise and was second only to diving for my DH. After the tour we were given a voucher for a beer or soda at the bar on the marina, we had a dink with the locals and enjoyed watching the boats come and go. Then took the Bone Island Shuttle back to the ship.
Cozumel
Left ship at 7am and headed to Paradise Beach. There was no one there so we just wandered along the beach enjoying the peace. At 8:45 my DH left me to go diving with Eagle Ray Divers. He had a great 2 tank dive and was the only diver on his trip.
I met LoudBMW and family at PB. PB was great and I felt comfortable there on my own. I left PB at 12:20 picked up DH and headed into town. We then decided to walk back to the boat it took about 50mins as it was so hot and humid – not the best idea we have ever had!
Grand Cayman
We were in the Queens Lounge at 7:50 for tender ticket and were on shore by 8:20. We had reserved a car and were picked up on the dock and taken to the airport to collect the car. We had booked with Budget and found their staff to be very unhelpful. We drove out to Rum Point which is about a 50 min drive. It is a lovely secluded area with good snorkeling (we saw squid and barracuda), umbrellas, chairs and 2 restaurants. We had lunch there and headed back to 7 mile beach. We hung out there for a while then headed back to drop the car off.
Half Moon Cay
We were on the 1st tender over. We had reserved a clamshell and rented a float. The clamshell which was a great idea as it was so hot that day. The BBQ lunch was nice. We just spend the day swimming, walking and reading. We managed to get back to the ship before the rain shower.
Disembarkation
We had ticket #8 which was called at 9:10 we were outside by 9:20. Very fast and efficient. We had reserved a rental car with Hertz as our flight was not until 7pm. The Hertz shuttle arrived in 10 mins. We drove to Fort Lauderdale beach walked around and had brunch. It was too hot to stay outside so we headed to Sawgrass Mills Mall shopped and saw a movie. Our flight left on time. By that time in the evening FLL airport was quite quiet.
Misc.
Did not experience any strange smells or restroom problems.
We did not find kids a problem but on at sea days we did stay away from the pools and just stayed on our verandah.
We enjoyed the music trivia in the disco. At 1st we did not like the disco but it grew on us as the week went on.
Tenders were very efficient.
Décor was very pleasant. I did find the stateroom corridors very dull compared to the rest of the ship.
No problem with A/C
Overall we had a great time, did not want to leave the ship and would sail this ship and HAL again.
This was our 4th cruise, 1st with HAL.
These are the opinions of myself and my husband (35 and 41).
We booked the trip up only 2 weeks before sailing!
Embarkation
We had taken a red eye from Los Angeles and arrived 6:30am at FLL
We had breakfast in the airport and hung around to 9:30 as the airport was so cold we decided to get a taxi to the port.
On arrival they took our bags and we lined up for boarding they were about 20 people in front of us.
Embarkation started just before 11am. We had completed the forms online and we were processed in 3 mins. We were the 3rd and 4th people to head upstairs to await boarding with a #1 boarding ticket.
At around 11:30 our ticket number was called and we proceeded to board the ship.
The whole process was painless and so quick.
We headed up on deck and walked around making the most of the empty ship.
Then we headed into the lido for lunch. We were in our room at 1:20.
Dining
We ate in the Lido for breakfast each day. There was always a good choice.
We tried to get room service on the last morning it was booked for 7:30 – 8:00 but at 8:20 it had not arrived. So we headed up to the Lido and it was packed so we just grabbed a drink and gave up on food.
We ate in Pinnacle on the Sunday which was Dutch Night (that was a good decision)
We really enjoyed the pinnacle, I had Lamb, husband had Halibut, and the crab cakes were also great as were the desserts (Baked Alaska & Chocolate Volcano). It was very peaceful and calm. Apparently there was only one cook in the Pinnacle so reservations were limited during the sailing. The restaurant always looked empty. When we initially tried to book the pinnacle we were told there were no table left so I asked to be put on the waiting list for cancellations then the maitre’d strangely found a table for us.
All other nights we ate in the Vista Lounge. When we arrived we found we were on a table of 10. We had requested table of 2 so queued up at 1:30 on the 1st day to try and change it. We were told there was no chance as all the tables of 2 were gone by May. I still asked to be put on the wait list just in case. Then on the Sunday we had a card through the door saying we had table 82 at 8pm it was perfect.
The 1st night we were on the table of 10 I was very disappointed. The waiter did not introduce himself and his assistant spilt water down my back and I had to go to my room and change in the middle of dinner, I was soaked through to my underwear! I really never got an apology for this, but I think this was due to a language problem as the waiter did really understand what had happened.
However our table 82 was great our server Bambang always called us by name and ran to pull my chair our each night. The food varied in standard but there was always something I could find and in general enjoyed the dishes. Saw others near us in the dining room asking for 2nd entrees and so no one denied.
Room
We were in 8084 an S room. We were very happy with the room it was a great size with plenty of storage. We loved the verandah and got a lot of use out of it.
Our cabin attendant was Agung. He kept the room very clean. We had a broken shower and a problem with a handle on the wardrobe and both were fixed within a couple of hours of us reporting them. The bathroom was a great size with 2 sinks a bath and a separate shower.
Entertainment
The shows were mixed in standard.
Man and his duck were quite good, Juggler was OK and impersonator/singer was bad, Comedienne was OK. Dancers/Singers were OK.
Key West
We headed into town and took the Bone Island Shuttle ($8 all day).
We were planning to go just to the Southernmost point to start with but the driver was so good, he was giving us a narration so we stayed on board and completed a circle of the island (the driver also completed the train tour so gave us the same narration).
So then we wandered round town for a while and took the Bone Island Shuttle this time to the welcome centre to join our tour. We had booked a 12:30 Jet Ski Tour of Key West with Key West Water Tours. We arrived and found we were the only ones on the tour. The tour lasted 2 hours and cost $115 for 2 of us on one Jet Ski. The skis were in great condition and the trip was a blast. Our guide was very informative and told us about landmarks, marine life and more. This was the highlight of my cruise and was second only to diving for my DH. After the tour we were given a voucher for a beer or soda at the bar on the marina, we had a dink with the locals and enjoyed watching the boats come and go. Then took the Bone Island Shuttle back to the ship.
Cozumel
Left ship at 7am and headed to Paradise Beach. There was no one there so we just wandered along the beach enjoying the peace. At 8:45 my DH left me to go diving with Eagle Ray Divers. He had a great 2 tank dive and was the only diver on his trip.
I met LoudBMW and family at PB. PB was great and I felt comfortable there on my own. I left PB at 12:20 picked up DH and headed into town. We then decided to walk back to the boat it took about 50mins as it was so hot and humid – not the best idea we have ever had!
Grand Cayman
We were in the Queens Lounge at 7:50 for tender ticket and were on shore by 8:20. We had reserved a car and were picked up on the dock and taken to the airport to collect the car. We had booked with Budget and found their staff to be very unhelpful. We drove out to Rum Point which is about a 50 min drive. It is a lovely secluded area with good snorkeling (we saw squid and barracuda), umbrellas, chairs and 2 restaurants. We had lunch there and headed back to 7 mile beach. We hung out there for a while then headed back to drop the car off.
Half Moon Cay
We were on the 1st tender over. We had reserved a clamshell and rented a float. The clamshell which was a great idea as it was so hot that day. The BBQ lunch was nice. We just spend the day swimming, walking and reading. We managed to get back to the ship before the rain shower.
Disembarkation
We had ticket #8 which was called at 9:10 we were outside by 9:20. Very fast and efficient. We had reserved a rental car with Hertz as our flight was not until 7pm. The Hertz shuttle arrived in 10 mins. We drove to Fort Lauderdale beach walked around and had brunch. It was too hot to stay outside so we headed to Sawgrass Mills Mall shopped and saw a movie. Our flight left on time. By that time in the evening FLL airport was quite quiet.
Misc.
Did not experience any strange smells or restroom problems.
We did not find kids a problem but on at sea days we did stay away from the pools and just stayed on our verandah.
We enjoyed the music trivia in the disco. At 1st we did not like the disco but it grew on us as the week went on.
Tenders were very efficient.
Décor was very pleasant. I did find the stateroom corridors very dull compared to the rest of the ship.
No problem with A/C
Overall we had a great time, did not want to leave the ship and would sail this ship and HAL again.
This was our 4th cruise, 1st with HAL.