albingirl

Oh stop. She's right.

Not to mention, how embarrassing for the cruise passengers!

I love how, in Italy, they bring a bowl of chips to go with your wine or beer. Well, that makes us stay longer. The salt makes us thirsty for another round!

We usually avoid the lido, but when I wander in there, off hours, I never see any difficulty for seating. But, it's the off hours. I'm usually perusing the sweets, and generally walking away, terrified of the calories but interested in the offerings. It's always torture. I can't help myself lol.

One more thing, don't book a cabin next to any white space. Could be crew's kitchen or some sort of working area. You will hear lots of dishes crashing and noise, as all the dishes from room service end up there first. It goes on all day.

I'll be very happy to follow along, probably wishing I was aboard! Bon Voyage!

Yes, I agree with your comment about hopping on a cruise without spending some time in the area you've arrived. I cannot imagine jumping on a cruise without a few days, at least, in a foreign city to immerse myself in the whole culture, eating, dining, and so on. My transatlantics have been very long cruises, so that may be the difference that I am talking about. I'm not working so I have the luxury of such long trips occasionally.

For what it's worth, and I'm sure not much, we find the transatlantics to feel the least crowded of all. I know they don't sail full sometimes, but it's a totally different vibe. Seasoned travelers who are intent on seeing as much of the world as they can, and resting in between. That's us!

We sailed the NS 2x, one year apart from each sailing, too. We noticed the drink prices went up, but more importantly, the passenger load doubled from the pandemic times. You could really feel the difference, particularly in finding seats in the shade. We didn't have too much difficulty waiting for dinner since we were lucky enough to have club orange. Which now appears to be in big demand. Of course.

Yes, "keeping four chairs all day, whether they are occupied or not" is completely being a hog. I see rows like that and think that gee, I paid for this cruise, too. What gives.

The apply sunscreen offering made me laugh. How ridiculous.

No. But you can always hope.

The funny thing about the have it all package on NCL is that you don't get much in the way of credit toward excursions but. You have unlimited drinks, and the drink package works on their private island. No need to bring your wallet. I saw people drinking painkillers at 8 in the morning. Having a smashing good time.

One woman, elderly, barked at me when I told her she didn't have the right to hold the chair for over an hour while she went off and had lunch. She said, "what do you want, for me to eat faster?" Nasty woman.

We are very happy for the option. There is no sly morality intended....I think people should let it rip. And be happy about it all. I know I am.

Nah. I was just kidding. But, I admit that I love the ones who do a self check here and tell us all how many drinks they consume in a day with the drink package. I would be in jail if I drank like that at home haha.

This posting made me laugh. I wish someone would come on and admit they just like to get loaded lol.

I know there is no "wow" factor to my home cooking, but it keeps me alive and sometimes is tasty and something to enjoy at the end of the day. That's how I see cruise food. A chance to sit down and partake a meal in the company of others. It can be a fine experience if a person isn't too pickey. Half the enjoyment of a meal is the company shared.

Not to mention hard feelings. Gonna see these people again somewhere on the ship. Best to let it go.

Sometimes it's very crowded on sea days, so best to make a reservation when you get onboard. When we are on a long cruise, with many sea days, it's often not as much an issue.

Agree. I just booked a cruise pretty far out and got one of the last Club Orange reservations. It's become very popular, for obvious reasons.

Depends. If you generally like people, it won't seem crowded. But, if you get annoyed easily, it's going to feel crowded, especially when in line for dinner or guest services. Go with the flow and you will be ok. The huge ships are a crowd nightmare. Not HAL.

After my recent experience on a huge NCL ship, I am totally back with HAL. Plan to book a long cruise on Monday. It's quite far away, but the planning is half the fun sometimes.

We don't sail HAL for the entertainment. This topic has been discussed intensively.

I gave up when they ran out of chianti which was part of my wine package. It's the only wine I drink, so that was quite sad.