bajae

I have limited experience having only been on one previous cruise but it was an OV on deck one. I loved the view out the window. The water was so close. I’ve booked my next cruise on deck one since I did like the quiet location. Both cabins (past and future) are aft but any engine noise is mainly white noise unless arriving in port. It never bothered me. In fact my BIL, who was in the very last cabin towards the rear, thought we had the premium cabins, not what is considered the least desirable by many.

I haven’t had the clothesline bacon yet but I expect that I will like it. I always loved when my bacon got some of my pancake maple syrup on it. However, in the pictures it looks like it is served with a lemon wedge. Do people squeeze lemon juice on it? Put me down as one who loves pineapple on my pizza. I was introduced to it by a friend from Australia in the late 1970s. But I believe it was originally from Canada.

Thank you, that is helpful to know.

In this case, since it is so far out before my scheduled cruise, Dec. 2024, I can cancel now and rebook for the same. If I can’t get the the same cabin, the one next to it is available still. However, I’m still having a personal issue paying hundreds for something that I can cancel now for zero out of pocket. Plus, I don’t know my dates of travel yet, nor how much money I expect the trip to cost. I may reach out and talk to some insurance companies. I’m just cringing at the thought of the waiting on hold times and trying to explain my questions to a call center staffer who answers from a pre written script.

Thanks for the info. It does seem silly to pay hundreds in insurance now for a trip in which I can cancel with a full refund for another 14 months. I guess I will wait until closer to cruise time and just get coverage for unexpected travel related issues. Timing wise, my husband should be having another set of follow up scans not long before my final payment date so hopefully I’ll know if I need to cancel in time.

I’ve heard Chrome can be glitching so maybe try a different bowser if you are using Chrome.

Looking over the menus for the specialty restaurants, there are a few different cocktails I would like to try. Is it possible to order them at other locations on the ship? Thanks!

It seems you should get travel insurance when you book your cruise so pre-existing conditions are covered. However, I can get a full refund of my cruise fare until 9/24 (cruise is 12/24). It’s too early to have any non-refundable expenses so it seems silly to buy travel insurance this early. I don’t even know all the details, like what days I will fly, etc. Health wise, my daughter (my cruise companion) and I currently have no health concerns. My husband, however has been treated for cancer, currently doing well, and is not going on the cruise. I want to wait until closer to the cruise to get insurance. Would I be making a mistake? Thanks! Note, I did book about a month ago but if needed, I imagine I could cancel and rebook.

Thanks for the information. I find this type of trivia game to be more enjoyable, less stressful to not have to beat a “buzzer”. Plus my incorrect answers aren’t broadcast🙂.

My one and only cruise to date was with Carnival. Trivia was play by filling your answer to questions on a sheet of paper and then self graded. Is HAL the same? Are any prizes awarded? Thanks.

Must be why I had a notification this morning that CCL stock price reached a 52 week high.

Yes, the cruise (Hawaii) I booked has a port days on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I’ve been looking up places to see what will be open and luckily we should be able to have things we want to do those days. Unfortunately, I am a bit bummed about missing Christmas Eve dinner on the ship but that is the only time it seems like we can do a luau based on the hours we are in port.

If the person can't answer that question or doesn't want to, it is a clear sign they don't have a service animal.

When you say you tip them at the end of the cruise, how do you go about that? Also, "have it out by breakfast" is this just sitting the bag outside your door in the corridor? I would hope no one would want to steal my dirty underwear 🤢.

Thanks, that makes sense.

Question, are non CO passenger limited to one entree? I always that someone could order as may items off the MDR menu as they wanted.

I'm a newbie to cruising. I did a Carnival cruise a few years ago. It was the only cruise that we could find the fit into the very small window of time the entire family was able to make, plus other constraints. I was nervous about Carnival and the "party ship" reputation, however we had a delightful cruise, peaceful and relaxing. Sure, there must have been wild partying happening somewhere on the ship but it didn't impact my cruise. I just booked my second cruise, 16 days to Hawaii and back on the Zaandam. I know the Zaandam is a smaller and older ship, I'm good with that. I know there is a possibility the bathroom may not have been renovated, I'm okay with that. I know the evening entertainment may be lacking, I'm okay with that. I know I will have 16 days where I don't have to clean, cook, do laundry, meal planning, grocery shopping, think about work, think about the million and one things that I need to do, and I'm ecstatic about that. Maybe the service isn't up to par as before but it should still be better than having to do it myself. Maybe the food isn't as good as before but I bet it's better than my cooking. My expectations are most likely less than the experienced cruisers, since I don't have much comparison to a "before" but gosh darn it, I plan on having a wonderful time and fully expect to go on future Hal cruises.

I am thinking about doing the 16 day circle Hawaii holiday cruise in Dec 2024. The ship will be in Honolulu on Dec. 24 and Lahaina on Dec. 25. I am just wondering if anyone knows if HAL will still have excursions on these days? I know there will be less options but I would like to see something of Hawaii. Also, do you think there will be some sort of celebration on ship even though it is not a sea day? Thanks!