BermudaBound2014

Last night was grilled mahi mahi and today they had grilled swordfish. I asked and the guy said some type of grilled fish will be offered every night. A bit down the line is whole grill area with lots of things sizzling away. Tonight they had pork chops, steak, and chicken on the grill. I grabbed some photos for you-

I realize I’m ticking off the HAL loyalists by offering some comparisons to other lines, but remember everything is just my opinion and while i have zero brand loyalty, I’ve never met a cruise ship I did not love. But the loyalists especially should approve of this post. Tonight’s dinner buffet was the best I’ve been to post covid and right up there with the best of all time. We all got a message in our app Inviting us to a gala silver dinner buffet. It consisted of lobster tail, filet mignon, AND prime rib! Of course, lots of other things including fresh grilled swordfish which looked yummy. And they were handing out the lobster tail like candy. I saw one guy with two plates full of nothing but lobster tail. It’s was a feast of epic proportions. Tonight I had nothing but the protein you see (and a ginger chocolate cake that I dug into before grabbing a photo). It was excellent. One of my lobster tails was better than the other as is to be expected when serving the masses, but the filet and prime were both delish and they had strong horseradish to make this Polish Girl very happy. They only have half the buffet open at night and if you carry your plate to the other side it is very peaceful (almost empty) and the service is outstanding. My guy only had me sitting in his section so we chatted a bit and let’s just say my coffee never got cold. Today went by quickly. Because I hosted both nights meet and greet at the BWYH pre-cruise, plus a solo event, plus being involved in the CC meet and greet I have personally met at least 200 people. Names are a blur but everyone is being so gracious with me forgetting their names. I had six invites for drinks and/or dinner. It’s so wonderful to meet so many great people making sure I never feel lonely. While i would love to accept all the invitations, I have hit a wall and am choosing to spend the evening curled up in my Pjs, with a full tummy and Barbie. Not Barbie as in a blow up doll, Barbie as in the movie. I’m not at all a movie girl (hardly watch them) which means that the TV is totally loaded with tons of movies I haven’t yet seen. Tomorrow I have a thermal pool pass booked for the day. Go Me.

Hahahaha- that is so funny. I make mistakes all the time but I swear I knew where I was. It was too early for the drink package to kick in and sadly, I don’t even have a bocce ball sugar high to blame. Just me being and idiot :).

Warning- resurrected thread. I made a note to follow up this thread when I got onboard. I am very pleased to find that there are indeed fresh grill stations at the lido for dinner. Last night I had some of this freshly grilled mahi-mahi. They were also grilling that asparagus. Yummm. Not only healthy, but hot off the grill :). Just a few stations down they were grilling pork chops and steak. A nice option for those of us who enjoy a one or two course meal, but prefer their protein hot off the grill.

Todays daily.

Let’s try yesterdays daily again….

Yesterdays daily- opps- internet isnt behaving and doesn’t like the photos right now. I’ll catch up with the dailies later. PS- thank you to everyone for refraining from including photos in the quotes. It helps the thread speed tremendously for those of us who are posting from the middle of the pacific. Muah!! Ty ty ty

I’m sitting in club orange as I type. Lovely fresh flowers on all the tables. To keep it simple, if you drink it there is a change. If you eat it off the menu you already paid for it in your fare. I’ve spoken to three people on this sailing and all have stated they are experiencing long waits for club orange dining. Apparently the breakfast is only open from 7:30 to 9:00 (same hours as mdr). My friends showed up at 7:45 yesterday and all tables were full. They have also had to accept group tables for dinner as the two tops have been full. Rumor has it HAL increased the number of club orange passed sold on each sailing which maybe contributing to increased wait times. Sometimes things settle down as the cruise progresses also. Everyone said they are happy with the food.

Yesterday I visited the lido during lunch for their first time. To all of you worried about sailing on a large ship solely due to crowding, I’m here to say your fears are largely unwarranted. The Koningsdam lido is even more dense than both the NcL and Carnical ships I sailed a few weeks ago. First, The lido hours hours are reduced compared to the competition, forcing more people into the space in a shorter time span. Second, there are fewer complementary options on Koningsdam. The Celebration offered 11 complimentary lunch venues. NCl offered 9. The Koningsdam offers only 4, and those 4 have reduced hours comparatively. This results in a very crowded lido lunch experience. However, room service is still complementary on HaL so that really makes 5 HAl options. Nothing provides a less crowded dining experience than your private cabin. I haven’t been taking a lot of photos. If you want more photos feed this beast with requests. Here are a few photos I did take- Morning coffee at the Dutch cafe’. It’s nice that there are still fresh flowers on the tables. Many parts of HAL remind me of traditions from days gone by. I think that’s why this line has so many “older” loyal follower. I say older with much respect. I hope to be sailing for many years to come. Speaking of flowers. Four of the sunflowers I ordered have opened. Really lovely way to wake up each day. Finally this is yesterdays dessert!! Looks like healthy skittles in a bowl and I didn’t have to cut it!!

To answer the questions- the bags are very nice and quite heavy. They are for everyone. I know this because I’m in the cheap seats (solo oceanview) and received one last night. This is a legendary sailing. Mine looks just like Mary’s and I am willing to trade it to the highest bidder (and please make your bids in the currency of drink cards).. Let the bargaining begins :).

First things first. In a matter of conservation, I know someone lookin for the mariner drink tickets. Those with the drink package don’t need them and you know the saying, waste not want not. HMU 😉 Yesterday morning was the cruise critic meet and greet. I’d guess maybe 150 people showed. About half the crowd from the other social media group which did have over 300 people and 4 officers present. I asked our event coordinator if officers would be present and he said they “don’t do that for cruise critic.” Not sure if that means not ever again for CC or just not for our particular CC meet and greet. This all supports my theory that with the popularity of social media sites doubling the number of people in cruise critic roll calls, the way of the future is going to be a combined meet and greet for all groups. Our group fit in billboards and we had a very short welcome and then @BabyJane8 (Diane) spoke about the lanyards. @Rhonda and Keith (rhonda) discussed the slot pull. @Homer88(Mary Pat), -and @organian17 spoke about their very popular game and knitting groups happening every sea day from 1-4 in the Hudson room. Huge shout out to all the people that stepped up to take on/over leadership rolls. It’s never easy and often thankless so if you see any of these ladies please thank them. PS-A GReAT BiG ThaNK YoU to everyone who has continued to thank me. It is very much appreciated but please know I did nothing but show up with the name tags. The rest of the gang is doing the heavy lifting. We quickly gathered for a group picture. I mentioned that the photo was to honor @crystalspin and @Front Row(Elizabeth and Tom) who lead our roll call the past few years but had to cancel last minute. The vast majority of the group cooperated and below are the results. I hope the pic speaks for itself. From there I had a brief Maui whale watch meeting. For those interested in walking to the bus or finding a ride share, we will meet at the exact same spot (billboards) @8:30 on the morning of Maui. At that point we will know more about the weather for those that are considering walking. The ride-share folks can all pair up at that time also. I do want to remind everyone that they booked the whale watch with PAC Whale (not HaL). This is one of the companies I volunteer with when I’m on island, and as with most non-profits they are quite corporate minded. That means if we miss stopping in Maui due to weather I doubt they will refund. Read your terms and conditions carefully to understand the cancellation policy. Keep an eye on the weather and if you think you are going to cancel do so according to the TC or consider your ticket cost a donation to the whales :). With that, here’s the weather forecast for Ma’alaea and I think we are in for a great day!!

yes

Yes Yes, of course. I knew that. I’m on a cruise and not thinking about taxes. Dumb on my part. Sorry for any confusion.

@Ipeeinthepools the weather is also spotty. Temp in my nav app says 64 but with the wind yesterdays walk felt MUCH cooler. Weather in San Diego also required a zip up hoodie, especially if you got out of sun or into wind. For this cruise most reports indicate the first few days and the last few days are notoriously cool with a higher seas. This cruise seems to fit that typical stereotype. I love the seas so this rocking is right up my alley, and my mom always said there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad dressers. Moral of the story bring layers and Dramamine. 🙂

The internet is spotty but way better than it’s been pre-Musk’s starlink. Ironically this was the result of the first test- Here are a couple more tests.

@crystalspin not sure about bookends but it makes you my people. PS- for the life of me I can’t remember the saying on the shirt we talked about. Care to enlighten?

The retired Generation Xers are taking over the travel industry. We were raised by the greatest generation and aren’t afraid to call it like we see it. We aren’t as polite as the baby boomers, but it’s nearly impossible to offend us. We rode bikes without helmets. played jarts for blood, and only came in when the street lights turned on. Built tough. Ps- You should sign up for the 2025 version of this cruise. I think you are my people.

Social media group gathering was very well attended. I’m guessing about 300! The host had a speech prepared. She was lovely, very excited, and quite detailed focused. Just so everyone is clear, since I volunteered to step up for the Cruise critic meeting tomorrow, there will be no speech, there will be no excitement, and my focus is always limited :). Remember, the key to understanding me is keeping low expectations. I will try to gather everyone for a group photo at 11, but other than that, the group is on their own to meet and mingle (of course, if anyone from our amazing roll call wants the mic I’ll gladly hand it over). From there I attended a solo lunch. The dining room was lovely and our service was very good. I had some sort of goat cheese thing and a spinach salad. Cherrys jubilee for dessert was excellent. Got my 5 miles in on the promenade. It’s not a pretty promenade like some ships, but it’s FREeZInG out so the protection the lifeboats offered from the wind was welcomed. Once it warms up I’ll head to the track. I packed everything but my parka so that was not happening today. Solo gathering at 5:30. The HAL rep didn’t show but I had name tags 🤣. A person named Mark arranged 3 large solo tables for lunch every sea day at noon. Another lady is trying to get something set up for dinner. I am not a fan of the MDR I will likely not participate in either, but I do respect when people step up to get things organized! The solo group on this cruise is very large and I think HAL is missing the boat (pun intended) by not putting something together for a daily sole meet up. It doesn’t need to be hosted, Just a line in the app like “solo meet at 6:00 in Rolling Stones” would be sufficient. Solos are a growing share of the industry and HAL would be wise to pay attention. Massage at 6:30 was amazing. I added some rejuvenating hot stone ritual as an upsell. Ann is just too cute to resist. Yesterday Ann gave me a sample massage and I loved both her energy and talent so I booked the massage with her. I can highly recommend Ann!! No seriously. I know my massage girls and she is top notch. She has the organic energy that it takes to be a top masseuse in her field. She specializes in healing energy and is working on my wrist injury. Book your massage with Ann. You will not be disappointed. From my massage I headed to Happy hour at 9 in the crows nest for a nightcap. It’s very nice of HAL to do 50% off. I haven’t seen that on any other line in a very long time. As a solo, I did not get the drink package because it’s a very bad idea for me to get the drink package without a babysitter. Needless to say, the half off offer is very much appreciated. With that said, I would have been extremely disappointed if I had gotten the drink package because I was informed tonight by the bartender that not a single bar on this ship can make a spicy jalapeño Margarita. Seriously? Not one?? I haven’t been on a ship in the last decade that doesn’t have those ingredients. A real first world problem, but Hal will likely lose a good portion of what I budgeted for drinking. Tried The Rolling Stones roCk room but the set was titled “unplugged”. Unplugged means slow and mellow for those unaware. I stayed for a Frampton tune at 3/4 speed and “You’ve got a friend” and that was my limit. When they start belting out some GnR I’ll be on the dance floor. About 9:45 I Realized I hadn’t eaten since lunch, and then I realized everything closes on HAL very early (except pizza). All that realizing made me tired so I went to bed and ordered room service again. Club sandwich was good. Chocolate Milk is still “unavailable” and I plan to join said chocolate milk in the very same “unavailable” category shortly. From the Pacific Ocean were the 15 foot waves are perfect to rock this sea loving girl into a blissful sleep. Only two pics I took today. A club sandwich and Ann, my 4 foot tall massage goddess.

This ^ I would add that if you consider buying 100 shares a significant financial risk, you might consider getting out of the market entirely. TBills are paying over 5%. Zero risk and federally tax free income. Ps- Michael Bayley sold over 11 thousand shares of RCL today. At over $115 share you can do the math.

Daily for Feb 18th

Embarkation daily- Feb 17, 2024

IKR?? I’m going to have to adjust to HALs more sedate style cruising. Don’t get me wrong, I love to chill, but two weeks ago we were closing the bar at 2 am and heading to a 24 hour diner to order a hot breakfast delivered by a server (at 3 am). A flashback to clubbing days. I get it, that’s not HALs style and I’m not complaining, but it will require a day or two to adjust.

Cliff- please don’t include the photos in a quote. For those of us on ship internet it slows things way down. If you can remember, it’s helpful to those of us on the ship if you remove photos when quoting. Room is crows nest. iMO, They have butchered this space. The observation area on other ships is soooo much nicer (although admittedly some are becoming paid spaces). And I didn’t see an area for a small tapas buffet in the crows nest? Just a bar and coffee. That’s a miss for HAL. A small station for fruit or finger sandwiches would be a very nice addition to this space. I don’t need a big shower- I need counter space for all my lotions and potions and it’s seriously lacking.

Solo ocean view cabin. Tons of floor space. Not much horizontal space. Tiny bathroom. Great window (I’m pretty sure I can fit in there- pics soon come). I’m going to try uploading a video. Not sure if this will work- IMG_2467.MOV IMG_2468.MOV

Honey I’m home!! Sorry about missing yesterday but i was in internet jail. Let me try to catch up. I wrote some of this last night, so please forgive the tense errors. Speaking of grammar errors, please forgive them all - in advance. As in right now. One big promise to just giggle every time I prove I am not as smart as a 4th grader. In fairness, some errors are honest typing errors, some are that I skipped English class, and the rest are due to my spell check buying the drink package. Back at the hotel- After breakfast and lots of socializing with my people, I had the hotel hold my luggage so I could spend the early afternoon exploring shelter island. I got a nice 5 mile walk in just meandering through the park and watching the boats and fishermen. Stopped for a fancy coffee. It was a lovely slow paced morning. I took the 2:30 shuttle to the airport. I was literally the ONLY one dropping luggage. Once in the terminal I saw three other guests. I was onboard by 3:00. Thirty minutes total hotel to promenade, not one line. Score. Reports from most were that even at the height of crowds it wasn’t a long wait. Seems yesterday went pretty smooth overall. Debarkation will be a bit more challenging due sharing the port with Disney but it should be easier going downhill. My experience is that embarkation was an A+, communication about embarkation was an X because a F is too generous. Like I said, someone needs to walk the plank for that stretch of ridiculousness. My room is lovely. A solo oceanview. I didn’t have to pay 200% as a solo, but it wasn’t half either. There is a lot of floor space but limited horizontal space. If the bathroom isn’t smaller than any cruise ship I have ever sailed, I’d be surprised. This thing is tiny. Barely bigger than the days where the shower head came right out of the ceiling and the entire bathroom became the shower floor. You could tinkle and shower simultaneously. If nothing else, old school was practical. We had a solo gathering in the crows nest at 5:30. I was the girl with the name tags :). The host is adorable and also the picket-ball instructor. I see picket ball in my future. There were close to 50 of us. Apparently this was the largest solo gathering he had ever seen. A very nice group. Several are my people. Solo Lunch today at noon. From there it was time for a mani/pedi. Listen girls- this stuff really is cheaper ahead of time so book now. It was fine- nothing to write home about but my fingers and toes are presentable. So let’s talk about some glitches. HALs technical challenges followed me onboard. My card wouldn’t scan at muster. The guy wrote my room number down and promised I wouldn’t get detention- you know, when you have to show back up the first sea day at like 4:30 a.m. to and get scolded and prove you can put on a life jacket properly? Well, I got detention. HoweverHALs version of detention is my kind of detention- it included “carefully reading”the document that was left in the cabin. I’m a girl that can appreciate leniency. At the spa they told me my room didn’t exist. That’s right- my room number did not exist in the system. Problem was I had booked a mani/pedi for first night and a massage for second night but image my surprise when I noticed that they scheduled them both for the first night at the exact SAME time. I’ve had mani/pedis simultaneously when my salon is busy, but giving me a massage while filing my big toe wasn’t going to work for me ;). It was no problem switching my massage to the second evening (i had the document showing it was scheduled for Sunday) but they never could find my room in the system. I even showed it to them on the deck plan. Apparently we are going to wait for a reboot overnight to see if my room magically returns from the twilight zone. Safe was still locked with the last persons code and I didn’t feel like trying to guess the combo. My adorable cabin steward said to call front desk because they “listen to customer more”. Well, I totally understand that mentality so I called to explain the safe and my issue getting on the internet. Now, here comes a big SCORE for Hal. The guy couldn’t help me on the phone but showed up at my room 10 minutes later. He entered some top secret safe code and fixed that in 3 seconds flat, but getting me on the internet was a bit more challenging. It’s never a good sign when the expert exclaims “oh- I’ve never seen that error before”. He told me to go to guest services in person. Once I saw the line that was a hard NOPE. So, I was without connectivity until this morning when someone at guest services rebooted my number (apparently I have a number) and wa-la- I’m back in this century. Hopefully that reboot will allow the spa to find my room. Two birds, one reboot. My mani/pedi ended at 8:15 and I realized I had yet to eat. Unfortunately the buffet closes at 8:00 and the only thing available was pizza and fries. I decided to go for room service and was very pleasantly surprised with the quesadilla and Caesar salad that arrived 30 minutes after ordering. Another score for HAL because room service is no longer complimentary on many other lines and these were both quite tasty. Sleep was good. Room service coffee arrived 15 minutes early. They don’t call on the phone first so that’s a bit challenging for those of us who sleep e’natural. My robe will be ready going forth. Oh- another HAL score. You have to ask for robes on many other lines. Sometimes it’s the just little things (like not traumatizing the room service delivery guys) that go a long way. Todays agenda is: 10:30-Social media gathering 12:00- solo lunch 3:00- happy hour 6:00- massage 9:00- happy hour Do I know how to do a sea day or do I know how to do a sea day? Random catching up pics- Koningsdam from shelter island- port of San Diego a very nice HAL touch- Solo gathering early on (it got much more crowded but I always forget to take pics) Last nights room service dinner- can’t help myself from taking a bird of paradise photo-