bd1958

I like it because it's out of the fray of other activity. quiet and relaxing. The bubble pool and water jets feel great. the package includes access to the steam saunas and thermal suite, which includes ceramic heated chaise-like chairs. Also the locker rooms and showers are well appointed. sometimes I will shower down there instead of the room if the spouse is in there. they're open later hours (not sure how late) so it's nice to relax at the end of the day. to me, it's worth it and I buy it every cruise.

Bruce

I booked a 9:30 flight once with the same plan. People have often said you can grab a cab quickly if you disembark early. Not really. We hustled through customs, which took longer than anticipated, then finally reached the curb and found a really long line of people waiting for cabs. Uber did not exist yet. I was getting nervous. My partner is partially disabled and moves slowly. Across the way I saw a black van that was hailing people to go to the airport. We got the last two seats, hustled (again, my partner moves very slowly) through security and made our flight but was completely frazzled. Lesson learned: NEVER AGAIN.

I hope you can successfully re-book your flight.

Bruce

I assume you are referring to the feature in suite rooms, I believe Neptune and up. The soundlink is a smallish portable speaker from Bose that sits in its own charging dock. you can wirelessly (and probably cable if you have one) link your device such as phone or tablet to it and play music. I love that thing and if I thought I could get away with it I might have tried to steal it (not really but it did cross my mind). the sound is great and you can take it with you to the veranda assuming you don't play it so loud you annoy your neighbors. It's a nice feature of the suites.

hope that helps.

Bruce

That was a fantastic review. Thanks.

The Rotterdam is coming out of dry dock this week, which might explain the late scheduling.

Here is the news from the drydock log here on CC:

In my experience (5 HAL cruises all 7-day), the gala nights are the days at sea.

drydock in a few weeks in Nassau.

We've purchased HAL premium every time we cruised. Have not needed it so far. Keep in mind that it only covers flights if you purchase flight through HAL.

Bruce

Don't forget the king size bed, which on most boats is only available in the NS

Not all fares have skyrocketed. I was attracted to the NS on the Rotterdam western carribbean for march. The snap was the lowest fare on that level I've ever seen. when I called I was offered a mariner fare at $100 less and the deposit was refundable. I held it then found my AAA travel agent offered the same fare with several add on perks. I booked it.

When we booked our current cruise (NA March 26-april 2) I specifically asked our HAL Cruise Consultant if there was a charter or big group on our cruise. She said she couldn't tell specifically (HAL apparently doesn't even let them know!) but she did say that when a big group reserves it will show up as a block on certain dining options. There was none and we booked with confidence. It seems there is a small group on our cruise so no big deal.

I really appreciate the thread on this site that enabled us to be informed and confirm that this sort of disaster doesn't happen on our vacation.

I hear that some are not bothered by such a thing...but as a gay person to be surrounded by a bunch of religious fundamentalists...it would be a HUGE issue. Not to mention the basic functions of the ship being disrupted.

I believe HAL deserves to be pressured to keep passengers informed. I'm going to contact them directly.

Bruce

Thanks!

question for those on this cruise.....

You mention the music venues. I'm wondering what configuration the Adagio or classical combo was. In recent years it's been down to a piano and violinist. I've heard that on the Kdam it's a full string ensemble. I ask because we sail in March and the Adagio tends to be our primary evening entertainment.

Also, in Neptune suite, the bose sound box is wonderful...better than the coffee maker! :) You can Bluetooth connect most any device and play music through it. Also not obvious but you can lift it off its base and carry it with you ie: music in the bath, on the balcony. It made me want to buy one for home.

Thanks,

Bruce

One obvious difference will be the people you'll meet. They will be older than the other lines. There will be less children (almost none in my experience). I've never encountered drunk and rowdy people, but lots of folks having a good time. Culturally, even though there is less emphasis on formal attire, I believe there is less casual dress than NCL.

Entertainment-wise, the BB King show seems distinctive from other lines. It seems there is more emphasis on classical music (the group called Adagio) but this is inconsistent: One ship might have a string quartet (fantastic) another might have a duo playing a mix of classical and pop. The bars are quite late at night.

I hope you enjoy your cruise.

Bruce

We had the same problem. Usually cruise first week of march but decided to go out on the 26th. The HAL group at the Westin was sold out and other hotels were about double. Back to early march next year.

Bruce

You say 'docking' so I assume you've considered the delays of tendering. Sometimes the line to get off the ship is really long, and the passengers with tickets to the ship's excursions have priority. if it's docked then it tends to be smooth and predictable. Best wishes.

Bruce

Someone recently posted an analysis of cost based on time spent in your room. That was interesting because it helped justify the cost or not broken down into a few hours per day.

We tend to spend a lot of time in the room and really love the larger balcony. The other perks are nice as well, but the real kicker for us is the KING SIZE BED!

BD

Slidergirl, What you describe sounds fine. I had honestly never used trip insurance before going on cruises. I have booked cruises with the insurance and then the air separately and left the nonrefundable air hanging.

When I've compared independent trip insurance that would cover the whole deal it did not seem comparable to the ease and price of doing it all through HAL. I do it through my HAL consultant and they do a good job of laying all the options out. I guess I like the simplicity and I haven't found the price to be different.

BD

We've used HAL through our cruise consultant at HAL several times from Boston to Ft. Lauderdale. The prices and availability were identical to expedia. We chose our seats through HAL. I can apply the miles to my jetblue account with no problem. Not sure about international lines.

But more importantly to us, we were able to put the flights under the trip insurance for the cruise. If we should need to cancel, the flights are refunded with the cruise fare (and they are non-refundable tickets).

BD

If you have the option, you might want to consider arriving at the cruise terminal later. If, for instance, boarding begins at 11am, I like arriving at around 2 (for a 4pm sailing) and just walking on the ship instead of arriving at the beginning and waiting an hour or two. Yes, you will miss lunch and some time on the boat, but you won't put yourself and the kids through a really uncomfortable wait.

BD

two years ago I booked a private tour of Turtle River Falls and Gardens in Ocho Rios. It's a short cab ride from the terminal. It's a former estate now in disrepair but the falls and gardens are magnificent. I had a great young tour guide and had really nice conversation about local culture. It was a highlight of the cruise. inexpensive. when you come out of the cruise terminal you will be assailed by someone looking to put you into a tour van. it's much cheaper to walk past him a few yards to the line of cabs. The turtle river (not to be confused with Dunns) are something like a mile up the hill from the terminal. I arranged for pickup two hours later and it worked fine.

Hope this helps in choosing.

Bruce

The king sized bed is a major factor in justifying the upgrade to Neptune for me. I don't take much time off, and want the most out of the time I do take. A week of really good sleep that feels like home; the space to spread out in the room and balcony; the Neptune lounge with excellent coffee and snacks all make it worth it.

Bruce

We've done four HAL cruises, once on the NA. Each time we've been offered (or in one case sought it out at the last minute) the paid upgrade to Neptune and each time we've taken it. The service, perks, Neptune lounge are all intangibles that to us were worth it. The extra space (yes, about double unless it's the aft wrap which is closer to 1.5 plus huge balcony) makes the room so accommodating and comfortable. The bathroom is bigger than the one in my house! So it depends on how much time you tend to stay in the room. Breakfast on the spacious balcony is a pleasure. The only problem is it spoils you for ever going back to a normal sized room.

Have a great vacation either way.

Bruce

Thanks for that info.