cruznlisalisa

Thanks Ruth! That is great news.

Not sure if this changed since May, but I sailed Oosterdam on this cruise in May. We did several winery tours booked via HAL and were allowed to bring one bottle per person and take to our cabin. I took them to bar and/ or bar to have opened and no one ever questioned it. Maybe something changed since then.

Looking at our last receipts, I see many of our drinks were $8.34 after the service chg (tip) applied. So am I correct that we could not get these drinks on this type pkg?

Everyone here seems very familiar with the explore 4 pkg so I apologize for asking about it since it wasnt original topic. I was told the limit was $8 per drink. I see drinks for $7.95 that we would order but once the service charge is added, it will be more than $8. Does it mean those $7.95 drinks cannot be purchased on this plan?

(I hope I have figured out how to reply properly to your kind replies)

Thanks Ruth and Dave.....to be honest, this is meant to be a rest and recoup trip, so there may not be a lot of desire for table mates - at least not every night....but that might change. I realize that the more guests, the longer it can take and I an good with that idea. It was if eating alone that I didn't want 2 hours.

I was watching some YouTube of Nieuw Amsterdam and one couple often were seated on their own and it was 2 hours on a regular basis, and on a formal night it was 3 hours to be completed. That being said, they seemed to complain about a lot of things on NA so maybe I should have taken it with a grain of salt. I don't think it was a good cruise = guest mesh.

I will lurk the roll call and sign up when exact date confirmed.

I am a big TripAdvisor fan and know the value of these travel sites. I have used the ship reviews on CC on and off for a long time, but not use the boards. I have found this particular 'for Dummies' thread to be a fount of information. Thanks for those who get us Newbies up and running (or sailing, as the case may be):)

Don't know if you are aware that HAL will also allow you to order whatever is being served in the MDR via room service. I've traveled solo a few times and used that option if I didn't feel like getting dressed up for dinner. I think this option is available after 5:30PM.

Will be anxiously awaiting your posts! We will be taking this same itinerary (in reverse order) April 30th. Eager to know if HAL will make the scheduled port in Kusadasi. Really hope so as we have booked the tour to Virgin Mary's house and doubt we will ever have the opportunity to do this again. I do trust they will take necessary precautions. I was on a HAL cruise many years ago when we were scheduled to stop in Honduras; however, there were guerillas fighting nearby so all shore excursions were cancelled. They did still have to dock at that port and they arranged to have vendors come portside. Have been on many HAL ships but never the Oosterdam. Safe travels and thanks for your review!