Lovely other

Do you still get the bonus mariner points for items that are pre purchased online such as spa pass etc ? 

I understand completely where you are coming from regarding guarantees but in this instance the only choice was guarantee inside or an ocean view at nearly £1,000 more  which is a lot of money to me ... 

Is there a possibility that given the weather the OP was describing that other maintenance issues came to the fore that possibly were of more importance than the windows? It’s not unheard of for maintenance crews to be pulled off their regular jobs to assist in more pressing matters surely ... 

I live by the sea in a house that is regularly battered by storms from the Atlantic, I’m lucky if the windows stay clean for a day after the window cleaner has been 🙄 

Just a little positive post for a wet and rainy Sunday in Ireland. 

Some me of you may recall I sailed solo for the first time in June and was horrified when I received my guarantee cabin assignment on deck 1. Having an autism spectrum condition I struggle to make phone calls, but with your encouragement I did so and a lovely guy at customer services called from the UK to Seattle and got me a nice move up a few decks to a spa inside on deck 10. I was very happy with that. 

So fast forward to this month and I booked a last minute trip departing next week! Inside guarantee again as I’m not a particular flush with cash. Lo and behold I got the same deck 1 cabin assignment as last time 😂 ... same phone call (I’m getting better at those now) made and now I’m on deck 11 😎

TBH I know I’m damn lucky to even be able to cruise 🚢 even once a year, never mind twice so the cabin issue might seem trivial to some. But the way that HAL deals with the slight quirks of my autism is exceptionally good. It’s not an easy thing to explain on the phone because even I can’t fully explain my aversion to low decks but they deal with it so well. 

Yes you can text using Apple IMessage or even use WhatsApp if on WiFi ... 

My husband has allergic rhinitis. He sneezed once while passing a woman on the music walk area of Koningsdam and I kid you not she actually screamed 😲 ...talk about blowing things out of proportion 😂. 

I personally don’t go in for antibacterial wipes etc ( think of the environment please ) but I wash  my hands regularly with soap and hot water and always before I eat. I do use the handrails if I need and press buttons etc ... what I don’t do is use the air con. Every time I’m in an air conditioned environment I start to get ill. I get outside in the fresh air a lot too. My other big tip for avoiding catching colds ... avoid kids and school teachers 😉

They have switched to the ‘revitalise me’ range of products I noticed on my last sailing. Still Elemis just a different scent and unsurprisingly a cheaper ml for ml value. Previously the shower gel was sharp shower ( my favourite) and they had skin nourishing body lotion which is creamier and less scented. I use Elemis a lot so I’m pretty well versed in their products ... 

On my last cruise I was neither invited to the lunch or left a tile 😕. I queried this and a few other issues with HAL on my return but I’ve yet to receive a reply ... 

26 minutes ago, Azure Moon said:

For the Inside and Oceanview cabins, do they really provide Elemis products or do the dispensers just say that?   Years ago NCL used to provide Elemis in dispensers of Inside and Oceanview cabins, but discontinued that.  Their dispensers didn't say Elemis on them, but for a while after discontinuing still said the fragrance.

Yes they are still Elemis as I use Elemis products at home too so I’d notice . I don’t think HAL goes in for the ‘classist’ type of behaviour with cabins but others may know more ...

Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body lotion and soap 

Glad you enjoyed your visit to my home turf ... the route you took from the causeway to the viewpoint over carrick-a-rede would have taken you past my house 😎

On 8/15/2019 at 3:21 PM, racnwdow said:

Can we use USA postage stamps for post cards mailed in other places besides the states?  Or do we need to buy local stamps?  Greece/Italy/Cypress/Italy.  How about if I drop them in the ship postal slot?  Rotterdam out of Italy.

🙄

I loved the location of mine being someone who moves between gym, thermal suite, pool and crows nest mostly. However I wouldn’t have paid extra for it. I book the cheapest guarantees so I was happy with the few extras that came with it 

I enjoy the New York pizza and often have one instead of going to dinner ...it’s nice to sit and watch a movie by the pool and munch away 

Female ... I travel in my converse and also bring trainers for gym and walking around ports, my fit flops if it’s a warm itinerary, ballet pumps, and heels 👠 if I’m planning on doing gala nights. 

If only we could cruise from Belfast ... I can however get a ferry to the Isle of Mull or Islay from the tiny town I live near but it’s not quite as much fun 😁

Maybe they mean half a million different guests? As in they only count each customer once no matter how many times they’ve cruised ?..

I quite enjoy packing to go, it’s the packing to come back that I hate.  I usually pack the night before if it’s an early flight or the same day for a late flight. I’m lucky enough to have a walk in dressing room/wardrobe and being a neat freak everything is in colour order and neatly organised so I just work my way around the room popping things into the case as I go. My hubby travels for work a lot but he never packs his own case ... apparently I’m much better at it 😇

My favourite ship is the Koningsdam. I love the wider variety of eateries and all of the different places to sit and chill. I enjoy watching the movies on the big screen at night and her thermal suite is fabulous. 

Frites and peanut sauce ... best thing ever 😋

What a great post ... I grew up very poor. The type of poor where I once didn’t go to school for two weeks because my shoes wore out and there was no money to replace them. I’ve been homeless and I’ve lived in a squalid squat with no electric or plumbing that worked. Maybe this is why sometimes I feel I can relate more to the crew than some of the passengers. I know I’m incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to work my way out of poverty, and as a result I get to travel the world in comfort. I doubt I’ll ever be in a suite or flying business class, but I’m still on that ship living the dream that I was laughed at for as a child. 

On my last cruise my steward made me an elephant part way through the first week whom I kept by my bed for the entire cruise. I got other critters each night (some of undetermined species😂) but that elephant was my cabin mate and I grew quite attached to him 😆

I recently sailed alone for the first time. I must admit I found dinner times the hardest and either ate in the Lido or grabbed a pizza with the movie most nights. Eventually on the last formal night I decided to throw on my sparkly converse and head to the dining room alone. I requested a table for one and sat alone. It was odd for me. I quite enjoyed watching the other people around me at first, and as a writer people watching can yield some excellent nspirstion, but as time went on I realised it was actually making me feel quite lonely 😔. Being on the autistic spectrum I’m not great at making small talk so I didn’t feel able to join others but at the same time I felt sad at having nobody to share with. 

The meal was like very nice and the staff were fantastic, other passengers smiled and said hello as I was seated in a way that meant I faced oncoming traffic but I confess I went and sat on the promenade afterwards and cried.  

Each of us will feel uniquely different about eating alone I guess. 

The reason I refuse to sail on a predominantly British cruise line is because they go in for all this patriotic bull that just stirs up the idiot factor . Add alcohol and the current bad feelings over brexit and off it goes ... 

I’ve seen it first hand and that’s why I stick with HAL. Although I did get into a disagreement with a guy from Texas just after the brexit vote 😆