sailawayward

8 hours ago, Kakiwynn said:

We were on this same cruise but had a different experience with the main dining room. We thought it was beautiful, but the food was hit or miss (maybe we just ordered the wrong things), and the service was terrible. Definitely understaffed. We ate in all the speciality restaurants and they were consistently good. Canaletto was $25/pp and was surprisingly good. I don’t remember the exact price for Rudi’s but it was the highest cost, maybe $50+/pp.

We were on the same cruise, as well.  It's sad to hear that you had such a different experience than we did. 

We had dinner at Pinnacle Grill the first night of our cruise because we figured we could bypass the embarkation madness of the main dining room on the first night of sailing.  We used that as part of the HIA dinner promo and saved Tamarind for our last night.  The food in Pinnacle was fantastic.  We thought about having lunch there during the cruise but we never got around to it.

We never felt like the MDR was understaffed any time we were there.  There were only 2 of us and we had the early assigned dinner time when we didn't already have reservations in the specialty restaurants or when onshore.  Our assigned servers were Marvin and Saursana and they were both very attentive and each took a sincere interest in our experience.  We were surprised how much we connected with them.  We did walk-in lunch in the dining room when we could during sea days; and the service was very good, just not as personal as dinner.

8 minutes ago, MaryBethV said:

I'm pretty sure we were sailing in circles because the sun would keep changing directions. Laying on the loungers, we joked that we felt like we were on a rotisserie. Nice! Didn't even have to move for an even tan. 😂

 

The wake looks different when you are just doing lazy donuts in the Caribbean.

 

We were on the same cruise, and we definitely sailed in a circle on our way to Aruba.  Considering how much time we had after leaving Curaçao, we could have done several.  I thought I saved a screenshot of the ship's navigation map on our cabin's TV after we arrived in Oranjestad but I guess we never took an actual pic.  The most activity from the sea seemed to be during our turn around Haiti on Day 2 and even that was mild (to us, anyway).   

We were on the same cruise and were lucky enough to have Amy as our server for the Morimoto dinner.  We really enjoyed getting to know her.  We asked if she could be our server when we returned to Tamarind for our last dinner on the ship, and she really pampered us.  It was so nice for her to be part of our last dinner onboard.  We made sure to include her in our review.  Amy was the best!

5147 is not obstructed, but it does share a door with 5145 if that matters to you.

boarding passes are loaded in 'my wallet' on the navigator app but they won't appear until you're days away from sailing. you can always take a screenshot and store on your phone. not sure how much easier you expect things to be.

the navigator app was designed as a hub while using it onboard, so it can be a little wonky when using offshore especially way in advance of a sailing.  depending on your device, it may be helpful to delete what is currently installed and re-upload a new version. each passenger has his/her own mariner number, so one can log in separately and still have access to the same booking. my husband and i have our own logins based on our assigned mariner numbers. 

Good luck and enjoy your cruise!

https://www.cruisetimetables.com/oranjestadarubaschedule-06feb2024.html

You may receive better advice on this thread if you're able share the date and the disembarkation time for your arrival in Oranjestad - also when 'All Aboard' time will be for your sail away.  If your ship excursions are already sold out, it sounds like your sailing is very soon; so securing reservations for activities on shore may be just as challenging.  There are plenty of vendors for excursions you can book independently.  Knowing if anyone in your party has accessibility issues will be helpful, too.

Personally, I'd recommend renting a car especially if you can divide the cost with the other couple. Would give you much greater flexibility.  If you're not renting a car and want to include Eagle Beach, you'll need to decide how you want to get there and how you're returning to the ship. There are other threads on here to help you regarding the buses and/or the taxis, depending how you decide to go.  If Eagle Beach is the priority, then you can see how much time you have left; but including other areas like the Arikok Natl Park, for instance, would be difficult to impossible depending on how much time you actually have.  There's retail therapy in Oranjestad as well as Fort Zoutman, the Aloe Museum and the Pepe Margo Distillery close to the pier.    

The Online ED-Card Aruba helps verify that all the necessary steps are taken in order to board an inbound plane to Aruba.

How fortunate we were able to get the $400 onboard spending and the canvas bag with our very first cruise.

never cruised before until this past June on a 14-day cruise on the Rotterdam and was a 1-star mariner before boarding.  we booked the cruise on our own and were told that all new passengers were 1-star mariners. 

13 minutes ago, Cruise Suzy said:

Not true - unless you provide proof of previously sailing on a sister line. You need to complete one cruise to become a 1* and receive any benefits.

you are wrong.

it's a tub with a shower curtain.

Every passenger begins as a 1-Star Mariner.  Welcome aboard!

I don't think the room stewards would be the ones delivering drinks to your room.  That would be done through room service, but I can't remember what restrictions may apply since we only ordered coffee with breakfast to our cabin.  You can always get drinks from any bar and bring them back to your stateroom and it would go toward your daily limit.  

We were in Cabin 4110 on a 14-day cruise on the Rotterdam in June. We were midship above the guest services desk so the only 'noises' we heard were from the maintenance of lifeboats on 2 port days.  Honestly, we enjoyed watching the process before going ashore.  Booking a guarantee cabin or intentionally selecting a cabin directly above the entertainment or directly below the pool isn't advisable. But it's still not a disaster.

as a side note, I'd strongly recommend taking a photo of your car and the signs indicating where your car is located.  you may think you'll remember where you parked it, but after a lovely cruise, you probably won't.

1 hour ago, Caribbean Chris said:

Do you know if they have milkshakes available at the gelato place?

We were on the Rotterdam in June and were able to order milkshakes at the gelato bar.  Milkshakes are included in HIA.  Gelato is not.  The gelato was worth it.

We were on a 2 week cruise and thought once a day was more than enough.

I enjoyed several delicious mocktails on our previous cruise.  Just ask your bartender what s/he can create for you.  I don't remember NA wine or NA spirits, but honestly never thought to ask. 

1 hour ago, smiledr said:

I called guest services and they happily refunded the cabana.   I was told that cabanas are completely refundable up until time of boarding.

 

fantastic!

22 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

What we need is a Spa to English Dictionary to complement to Waiter to English and Call Center to English editions.

who's we?

If you haven't already, I'd recommend downloading HAL's Navigator app to your phone/device so you can view the cruise schedule prior to your embarkation date - but it may not be completely updated until the actual day of your sailing. 

We cruised on the Rotterdam in June of this year.  In our experience, the schedule was gradually added in the Navigator app about 10 days prior to embarkation; but I don't think the Dressy Nights were officially posted until the day we boarded.  Once onboard, daily schedules are printed and provided for the next day of your cruise - I can't remember if you have to ask for printed ones or if they are given to everyone automatically.  We liked having a paper copy to post in our cabin for easy reference instead of using our phones all the time.  The schedule is also easy to access using the TV in your stateroom.

Depending on the length of your cruise, the Dressy Nights should be on the first full day at sea and also the last full day at sea (with more scheduled in-between depending on the length of your cruise).  We were on a 10-day cruise and had 3 Dressy Nights.  I cannot remember when the Orange Party was but it was crowded lol.

what does the word "surprise" mean to you?

Cabanas are treated like excursions as far as cancellations are concerned.  I believe you'll only be eligible for a full refund if the cabana rental is cancelled no later than 3 days prior to the cabana rental date.  I'd strongly recommend visiting Guest Services in person as soon as you're onboard so you can confirm the cancellation deadline.

This is copied from the FAQ's section for Excursions on the the HAL site:

Cancellations for pre-paid tours are allowed up to 3 days prior to cruise embarkation and will be refunded to the credit card used for the purchase.  If within 3 days of embarkation, all changes/cancellations must be done onboard the ship and refunds will be applied to your onboard account. If the credit is not fully utilized during the cruise, the balance will be paid to that passenger by the ship's Purser at the end of the voyage. If cancellation occurs onboard after the cancellation deadline for specific shore excursions, a 100% cancellation fee will apply.