CNSJ

Most of us that exchange info/discuss on this board have the resources to enjoy cruising, albeit some more than others. The crew on HAL ships work very hard and provide, in my opinion exceptional service with a smile. The compensation they receive is far less than most if not all of you would accept for work in any job. Throw in months away from family....! That said, the "system" that drives their request you provide them a good review is not their fault, it belongs to HAL management - which pushes this down to the cabin stewards, bartenders and waiters. I think that good reviews by name matter more than extra "in hand" cash gratuity. We tip well and provide great reviews to those who do their job well. On a long cruise, well before it ends. It is rare that we have had any issues with HAL crew. A bad review may be loss of their job. We understand that. I also find that "thank you" with eye contact sincerity is an important interaction with the crew. When I interact with the Captain, Hotel Manager or Food and Beverage Managers, I do let them know how their teams are performing. Comment cards that call out crew members by name for great service also matter. I think those that get in a huff about being asked for a review (by name) are being a bit petty. Put yourself in their shoes. I appreciate the crew and the hard job they have. Just my two cents (probably four cents due to inflation).

Montythecat - nice to read a positive review of a HAL ship! Glad I am not the only ne that is overall happy with recent cruises.

I suggest keeping your HAL booking, and would recommend keeping a first Celebrity booking if you had this situation backwards. Trying new cruise lines helps you to either appreciate your favorite line more, or potentially find a new favorite. We have cruised Royal caribbean (smaller ships only - no waterslides!), and Celebrity (not the new Apex ships though) and find HAL to be our sweet spot. that said, if entertainment is your thing, you may find Hal not your cup of tea. We cruise HAL for clean, safe, well maintained ships with the best crew/service. I think you will enjoy the Rotterdam (we have sailed her twice)

Looks like you need another postcard to get caught up. Rotterdam a very nice ship!

We won one during a trivia contest as part of a flower arranging class during a transatlantic.

Value or lack of value for Have it All (HIA) depends on a few things. First of all understand that Have it All Plus is a much better deal than Have it All (no plus), as it includes a better Wifi Package, a high tier drinks package, and gratuities. That said, the value curve has a few "knees" in the curve. Since they calculate HIA cost based on number of days in the cruise, I find the 10 and 11 day cruises a value as you get the $200 shores credit and two dinners. A 9 day, gets you much less perks for a few dollars less. Let's assume two persons in cabin, $50 a day for HIA. A 9 day cruise is $900 a cabin, while a 10 day cruise is only $1000 a cabin. The shore alone is 100 a person ($200 a cabin) more, so the math makes more sense. There is another sweet spot at the 21 day mark, because three dinners and a $300 Shorex credit kicks in there. On a recent Japan booking (albeit for 2025) a 14 day trip, with HIA Plus, I calculated (even with 4 star mariner dining discount) that I was getting the Elite Beverage Package for about $20 a day. A beer, one specialty coffee, a soda and a water costs more than that. I can order what I like, when I want, no surprises. Again, do the math, sometimes it makes sense. As others have posted, transoceanic voyages are good as you can enjoy a few drinks on deck. Also, you are locking in these prices up to two years in advance including gratuities for HIA Plus, which are bound to go up. Good to have these discussions! Note: Never felt the need to "drink to make it worth my money" - but speciality dinning - I will eat to get my money's worth!

Future Cruise Deposits are great to have - we buy a few each cruise to have in our back pocket. Reduces outlay for deposits and has a small OBC attached. Of course lower deposits means you book more cruises.....🤔

One thing I have found that makes elevator waits longer on the Pinnacle ships is that here are fewer of them! Vista and Signature have 4 forward, 6 amidships and 4 aft, Pinnacles have two fewer in the amidships area.

PNG is a bit out of the way for most Westbound and Eastbound Transpacific (US to/from Australia), so its not on many cruise itineraries. Westerdam stopped in Alotau and then the conflict islands (two days there!) during our trip in Oct/Nov 2022. Conflict Islands was best cruise stop in more than a decade.....simply perfect.

Are you sailing Eastbound or Westbound in 2024? As a note: We sailed Westerdam transpac (westbound) in Oct/Nov 2022 and had a great trip. If you sail westbound, a port side cabin will get you more balcony sun for first part of voyage. BTW it was a great cruise.

Agree with you Trivia Addict, but its not just cruises.... Hotels, Airlines, etc. ALL have had slips in service. Part of its labor issues, part of its cost. We have hyper inflation and the industry (travel) has been gut punched. I have more patience than most I am afraid.....

Only issue depending on ship is that folks can look down on your balcony from the aft pool. So don't go out naked, unless you don't care!

Hopefully our Naval Architects out there will weigh in, but it is possible that the ratios assume all berths are full. On Carnival and Celebrity, they tend to have more people per cabin. HAL will sell cabins from day one that have 4 berths to someone sailing as a couple. I find the Vista Class best for Passenger to space, then the Signature class, and then Pinnacles. As for the quoted ratios: it is possible they don't count the Lido retractable pool area as indoor space, but the solarium on a RCI ship or Celebrity would count.

Totally agree. List the physical requirements in reasonable detail.

It would be great if there was a "standard" for strenuous, moderate, easy.....

Its really no different than on an intercontinental long haul airplane: first, business, premium economy, coach (steerage). You get more if you are willing pay more. For us, the standard verandah on HAL is best place to be. DW won't sail without a balcony. I don't want to pay Signature or Neptune suite prices, but will opt for a Vista on the R class. As a side note, I see HAL upping the Neptune experience to include more than club orange and laundry. At that price it should include all drinks and mini-bar. Based on cruise line costs (non-fuel costs quoted) expected to go up 6% this year, expect prices to remain where they are or go up. Inflation raises all things.

First responder and military OBC, and Shareholder credit for that matter, are excellent marketing items to help maintain cruise line (or at least CCL) loyalty. Cost to HAL for extending these credits is minimal as when it comes to drinks/coffees/etc., my guess is their cost of product is less than 25% of the credit.

I think the plan is to update it regularly (perhaps annually) I have the credit on my 2023 and 2024 bookings, but I just booked a Spring 2025 trip where it doesn't show....yet. I'll call HAL in about 6 months to ask. I'll also watch for the "Sail by" date to change.

Which hotel are you staying at in Kyoto? Appreciate all your posts.

Thanks for the great reports. Im starting to plan our 2025 Circle Japan. Based on your comments: 1. I will do the Babbel application to learn enough Japanese to be respectful to my hosts. 2. Plan on a few days in Kyoto before boarding ship. (also plan a few in Tokyo). Thanks Again!

Wifi makes transoceanic trips easier as you can still do banking, email etc. That said, sharing one account isn't so bad. It helps you spend less time on screens and more time enjoying the cruise. Just my two cents.

Once approved, they add a "re-usable" cruise credit that get added automatically to future bookings. You can see it in your "My Account" as a "Onboard Credit"

Plus, we stopped buying Alaskan King Crab that walked west into Russian waters and are harvested there. Miss Alaskan King Crab on menu in Pinnacle and MDR. Ashore in Alaskan Ports, the price was nuts!

Totally agree on Holy Donut! Arrived 30 min before they opened once and was tenth in line. Very cool place!

Wow! We were on the Westerdam this fall for 36 days and it was not like you are showing here! We had several tender ports and they went well. Minor hiccups in one port, but that was largely due to the first large (shore provided tender that holds 200+) bring used for a Urgent Medivac, Your pics don't look fun. Waiting here from previous poster on why ship seems to be in mandatory masks.