First Time HAL Cruiser

Hello everyone. We just booked our first HAL cruise for Christmas on the Eurodam. It's the 3 of us (me, the misses, and our 14 year old daughter). We've been on many cruises mainly on RCCL and Princess.

A few questions:

1. We took advantage of the current promotion (shipboard credit and dining package). When can you start making reservations for the specialty dining venues?

2. Are the excursions available for registration a certain time period before sailing?

3. Any specific suggestions (must dos) for the Eurodam or on the HAL ships in general?

We are not much into gambling but we like to get plugged into the activities (trivia, group games, etc) on the ships.

4. Suggestions for our daughter's age group?

5. Is there a CC meet and greet similar to the RCCL groups?

We are really curious to try a new line. I'm assuming the dress code is similar to Princess for a 7 day cruise?

Thanks for any advice!

Welcome to HAL!

Here are a few answers.

1. The dining times for the promotion will be assigned by HAL, and you will find out what they are when you board. Changing day/time might be possible, but you can't do that until you're on board.

2. Go into your voyage personalizer on the HAL website (whether you booked through them or a TA) and you can see all the details of your cruise. You'll be able to see what excursions are available. If you've got the "anniversary" promotion, there is some question about how you may use the OBC. Supposedly, it's earmarked for tours booked on board. But many of us doubt HAL will be able to manage that restriction. In any case, the OBC will not pay for tours you book in advance. You pay for them when you book them. Scroll down this page and the next, and you'll see more discussion of that.

When you look at excursions, you can also see reviews of them on the website. I find that very helpful.

5. Look for a roll call for your cruise and see what's being planned. Or start a roll call if there isn't one.

I would say that HAL is a bit more formal than Princess, but I've only done one Princess cruise, and my experience may not be typical. People may dress up more for formal nights (usually 2 per week) because it's a holiday cruise.

Overall, I'd say HAL is a quieter cruise than Princess and RCCL, certainly quieter than Princess, with fewer announcements and places you can sit on deck without blaring music.

I hope you enjoy it, cruising for Christmas is really special!

Thank you so much for the information. We are really looking forward to it. I'll look for the roll call.

One other thing since every line does it different it seems, are the standard gratuities added automatically to your onboard account? And then additional tips at your discretion?

Thx again!

Thank you so much for the information. We are really looking forward to it. I'll look for the roll call.

 

One other thing since every line does it different it seems, are the standard gratuities added automatically to your onboard account? And then additional tips at your discretion?

 

Thx again!

Yes.

Thank you! :)