sailawayward

We had an excess amount of cruise credits combined with a gift card and splurged. We already booked all of our excursions through 3rd parties for the entire cruise. Otherwise, we certainly would not have considered it. This will be in February. We're most grateful to have a dedicated space for shade so we can take advantage of our entire time there. For now, we're going to pretend it's absolutely worth it since it already feels like a freebie to us. How often do you celebrate your 25th anniversary? There's still time to cancel. 😉 Just yesterday, Doug Parker posted that CCL removed the window a/c units from the cabanas because...um...I guess they finally figured out you can't cool an open space in 100° deg weather using a meager window a/c unit. Brilliant. The cabanas will now have ceiling fans to help circulate the hot air over us. With such capital investment, I can see why the prices went up. 🤣 They're just shacks, right? Sarcasm aside, HMC really is a beautiful place; and we're looking forward to our time there. We sincerely hope CCL/HAL will make improvements to the cabanas so they'll feel worth the price, because honestly that's not what we're expecting. It ain't Hideaway Beach at CoCo Cay now is it?

i have no knowledge about the casino match, but you can certainly enter the MDR with beverages purchased from other parts of the ship.

Not sure which Pinnacle ship you're on or when you're sailing, but I'd recommend checking your cruise schedule once you're logged in on the Navigator App. There will be a printed paper schedule provided to you once onboard, but it's only given for the following day. When we sailed on the Rotterdam in June, the cruise schedule was gradually loaded on Navigator before our embarkation date. I'd recommend checking your cruise schedule in the Navigator App about 2 weeks before your cruise and then monitor updates & changes until your Sail Away date. By the time you have only a few days before your sailing, your Roll Call group should have some insight on this, too. Once onboard, you can also access the entire cruise schedule using the TV in your cabin. The information provided here is the same as the Navigator App but the TV version may have video summaries you could find helpful. In our experience, I would say about 95% of the entire schedule was loaded in Navigator before our embarkation. On Day One, review the entire cruise schedule to see what else has been added and what is offered at the World Stage. Pay attention to what is only shown once during the cruise so you can prioritize your schedule. One event at the World Stage we really enjoyed was the Q&A with the Captain, and we also enjoyed a presentation about the history of HAL. Other than that, there aren't any "shows" other cruise lines typically offer. Our cruise had a dance troupe that just didn't appeal to us. Cirque de Soleil it was not. 😉 However, the venue itself is really nice. The walls of the theater have embedded screens that enhance the feeling of being surrounded by the presentation, and the audio is good. There are no obstructions, so everyone has a great view; and they even have some wider seats for plus-sized cruisers. Whatever 'shows' you attend, I'd strongly recommend arriving at least 30 minutes earlier than the scheduled start time so you have no issues finding your seats. FYI - Cruise Excursions also meet here. We learned that some excursions would leave for the buses much earlier than the posted group arrival time; so you'll want to arrive at least 30 minutes earlier for excursions, too! Our cruise was in the Baltic, so there were several enrichment talks about some of our port locations. We did not attend any of those, but we shared several excursions with cruisers who said they were very helpful and well produced. On Caribbean cruises, I suspect these 'enrichment' talks will be more targeted to shopping. IMO the World Stage area is completely underutilized, especially during sea days. Perhaps with COVID, the capital investment hasn't been there. They emphasize Music Walk, but this really is the largest room for improvement on the Pinnacle ships.

I don't consume alcohol, but they did not have gluten-free beer on our sailing. Also: I did not confirm how they made their bloody marys. Most blody mary mixes like the Zing Zang brand contain soy sauce and are therefore not gluten-free, so double check!

You'll be in Barbados on Christmas Day and in Jamaica on New Year's Day. I'd be more concerned about having something worthwhile to do in port on those days.

it's really okay to not be connected to rest of the world while you're on a cruise.

As others have stated, you're in good hands. We sailed on the Rotterdam in June and informed HAL well in advance of the sailing that I was gluten-free. We then just confirmed everything with the Maitre d' after we unpacked on our first day. I'd recommend doing this as soon as you can, so you can talk to someone in the dining room before the first dinner rush. On the Rotterdam, there was a desk by the Pinnacle Grill to make arrangements for Specialty Dining; but we went directly to the Dining Room to speak with the head Maitre d' just to reassure ourselves. He was lovely. I didn't find it necessary to request meal prep in advance. I felt absolutely taken care of with each meal. Our server in the MDR made a point of bringing gluten free bread I preferred (they had a basket of 3 options I think), and he remembered gluten-free options for every seating. You should have the same experience at any Specialty Dining - just remind your server at the beginning of each meal. If you're concerned about anything at the Buffet, don't hesitate to ask about ingredients or preparation. Believe me, you'll still be able to find safe & tasty options. And when you're at the dessert buffet, DON'T FORGET TO ASK FOR THE GLUTEN FREE COOKIES. They have other GF dessert options, but the GF cookies were just delicious - they kept them hidden under the other desserts at the buffet. I confess, I usually asked for 3 or 4 lol.

i think the citizens of bonaire had a little something to do with this one.

like a dummie, i've only driven to key west.

and our bonaire stop became an overnight in aruba. we expected it but were hoping for more time in curacao instead. we're not complaining! we have a fabulous cruise planned. hope you do, too!

7142 on the Noordam is a Neptune Suite, giving you the entire corner. Wow! Something comparable to @croozen's cabin on the Rotterdam would also be numbered 8031 on the Noordam but the balcony is shaped differently.

Are you referring to Cabanas #1 - #15 and Villas #A- #E at Half Moon Cay? We're on a February sailing with HAL on the Rotterdam and have never seen them referred to as party or picnic Banas.

that's fantastic. we were on the rotterdam in june and i cannot remember what that designated space by the restrooms was for.

the angle of 8031 gives you some wind coverage from the forward cabins, too. the neptune suite would be directly below you and you'd have part of the spa overhead. if you're able to select 6049 instead of 8031, you'd only have cabins directly above & below, so it may be quieter.

so you get to cruise the caribbean and also the british isles. that's fantastic.

when you sign a cruise contract, you literally agree to an itinerary that can change at any time. we're booked on HAL's 9-day southern seafarer in february, and we're actually really excited about it. our bonaire port day has not been canceled, but if we were given more time in willemstad or oranjestad we would certainly be able to take advantage of that time because we'd still be getting what we paid for! this obviously isn't your kind of cruise. luckily there are plenty of others that might appeal to your standards.

well... make sure you're completely prepared for the day and ready to go as soon as the ship is cleared at the port. if your ships arrives in the morning, getting an early start should help. we're scheduled in oranjestad 8am-5pm in february -- and including our ship, there will be FIVE cruise ships in port that day! if every ship is at capacity, that's over 12,000 people. we have a rental car already reserved and will leave the crowded port area as quickly as possible. but buses run about every 15 minutes(?) and you there should be taxis at the pier waiting to take groups to the very places you want to see. aruba has so much to offer, no matter what you decide i'm sure you'll have a fabulous time. enjoy your cruise!

look again. you posted about this 3x.

i see a blank post from you @2LoveBikes. are you trying to post an image?

hey @zumbagold if you haven't already done so, you may want to see how many other cruise ships are also scheduled on your travel day so you'll have a better idea how busy Oranjestad will be when you arrive. this site is so helpful: https://www.cruisetimetables.com/oranjestad-aruba-cruise-ship-schedule.html our trip to Aruba is schedule in February, so we're only speaking based on our own research (as well as feedback from our travel agent & friends who have visited in the past). be prepared for a bottleneck of travelers wanting to do the same thing and be prepared for a crowded beach when you arrive. also: getting a full taxi to leave eagle beach at your desired time may be challenging since drivers will want a full vehicle before leaving. if all you're wanting to do is get to eagle beach and back, you may be able to save time (and money) riding a bus -- or use a bus just to get to or from. a travel vlogger was nice enough to share a video that literally shows you how to catch a bus to eagle beach! hope some of this helps? we are booked for a cruise in february and opted to rent a car from jay's so we can get out of the port area and hopefully have more of our own time while in aruba. we also wanted some flexibility to go to the next location if/when necessary. from our research and trusted suggestions, we heard good things about Jay's and had a very good experience completing the reservation. to us, it was the cost of an excursion we would have otherwise used that day. they're meeting us at the port with our vehicle, and we'll return it to the same location. https://www.jayscarrentalaruba.com/ whatever you decide, i'm sure you'll have a fabulous time! enjoy your cruise!!!

wouldn't you pack those items anyway?

asking for a friend. uh huh.

you can purchase it like any other extra. i'm assuming the rates won't go down if you buy now.

We're scheduled on a 14-day cruise in June on the Rotterdam and were offered Unlimited Laundry for $147 or Unlimited Pressing for $70. Self-service laundry is not available, so we're plan on bringing our own detergent and washing in the sink or a dry bag & hanging with wrinkle releaser. You can send out individual bags of laundry with your room attendant - turn around should be within 2 days(?). We won't know the a la carte laundry rates til we're on board. Hope this helps.