ORTravelGal

I just got off HAL’s Rotterdam today and I’m pleased to advise we had 2-ply TP on the entire 14-day transatlantic crossing. 😉

We just got off Rotterdam today following our transatlantic crossing to Rotterdam from Fort Lauderdale. As @SeeSun&Sea mentioned above, Chordial Chamber Trio was onboard and they were great. HAL really stepped up the entertainment on this trip. It appears they are listening to guest feedback and working hard to deliver a better experience (one that was more in line with the pre-Covid experience.) I was quite pleased.

We are currently on Rotterdam, left Ft. Lauderdale yesterday and are making our way to Rotterdam just in time for the King’s Day celebrations. Food has been very good so far & I’m happy to report no signs of chair hogs. Plenty of seats around the pool areas and I have not noticed an overwhelming amount of cigarette smoke smell as I’ve walked through or near the casino.

Gosh, thank you for so many warm welcomes. What a friendly group you are. @marshhawk Yes, onboard Rotterdam now. We left Ft. Lauderdale today and are heading across the Atlantic on our way to Rotterdam. In very sad news, and you may have already seen it elsewhere, the ship lost a crew member overnight last night. They discovered the employee was missing this morning as embarkation was underway and, after reviewing camera footage they determined the employee intentionally went overboard last night around 9:45pm between Cuba and the Florida Keys. The Coast Guard has been called in to perform a search. The captain announced all of this shortly after we left Ft. Lauderdale. Prayers go out to the crew member, their loved ones and the entire crew, who aren’t able to take a moment to grieve because the show must go on. Heartbreaking. As if the above wasn’t bad enough, about four hours into the cruise it was announced a crew member was critically ill and we’d be turning back toward West Palm who another vessel could retrieve the ill crew member. That process and been completed and we are truly on our way now. I’m sure it’s been an all around very rough day for the crew.

@puppycanducruise @StLouisCruisers @kazu @grapau27 Thank you for such a warm welcome to your very special Daily. I hope it was not out of line for me to barge in and comment. I love the quote about not regretting one moment of life. It is worth remembering!

Greetings from Ft. Lauderdale! We board ms Rotterdam today to accompany her back home to Rotterdam, arriving on King’s Day. Jacqui, we have a most excellent Meet & Mingle planned thanks to your terrific information. Your time in providing details is most appreciated. Have a great day everyone!

@CateMD There are a few "roll calls" for this trip; one for the first two weeks and another for people who are doing the full three week trip. Please check those out, if you haven't already and let us know if you're interested in joining our Cruise Critic Roll Call Meet & Mingle session on April 14, for a social gathering to meet other travelers on this trip.

Can you call HAL and just ask to be moved to the "confirmed" group of sailors and off the standby list?

The suspense is killing me. So, did you take it?

I would flat out say very loudly “why do you think the rest of us want to hear your call, will you please take it off speaker or move elsewhere?”

What an awesome trip report! I thoroughly enjoyed following along & living vicariously through those on the trip. You should all receive compensation from HAL as I’m certain the bookings for the 2025 & 2026 sailings soared as people read what a great time you were having. I truly hope to join in 2026. Would love to join in 2025 but we are getting a new puppy this fall and it will be too soon to leave her in February.

@Drcody Here’s the roll call for your trip. Hopefully you can find someone in the group who can join you. We’ll be on HAL’s Rotterdam for a transatlantic just about a week later. Looking forward to our own stop in the Azores. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2905542-april-5-2024-oosterdam-eastbound-trans-atlantic-fll-barcelona/

It has been this way for my husband and me for years (maybe even decade +), regardless of how we book. It has never come up as a question at all. I traveled 50% with my job and not once was it a problem. Even then, the names are not 100% correct. As an example, let’s say husband’s name is Michael Kent Smith (it’s not), yet it will show up as MichaelKen Smith (without the “t”) and this isn’t an issue. I assume there is a character limit and the “t” exceeds that limit.

As someone who worked from home, and considered myself a remote worker, the last 12 years prior to my early retirement, I was shocked just now to learn they are not the same thing. Who knew… IMO, they are the same.

We are booked on HAL for a transatlantic in April. Prior to booking I seriously considered Celebrity’s Apex ship but after doing a fair amount of research between the Apex & Rotterdam, I chose HAL. I found lots of poor reviews about the infinite veranda and, ultimately, HAL won out. I’ve never really doubted our decision to choose HAL for the TA (although the trip hasn’t even happened yet) but this thread confirms for me that we made the right decision. Thank you to OP for your feedback. Hopefully the rest of your “sentence” goes by quickly.