djhsolara

We just became 3-star during our cruise last week and the notification and pins were delivered to us onboard. Is this normal? I thought we would just get it in the mail once we got home.

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Where were there issues?

3 - Pinnacle Grill

FACT: When we arrived on the ship we made a reservation for 5 of us to dine in the Pinnacle Grill on the first formal night and again for 2 of us to experience LeCirque.

Being in a suite, we had the opportunity to have breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill. On the first morning that this was available we decided to take advantage of it. We were seated, ordered our food and sat and sat and sat and sat...for 40 minutes. We didn't receive anything for 40 minutes and that was only after my partner went to the manager and asked where our breakfast was.

When we received the reservation card for dinner, it was listed for 6 people. I called and they said they knew it was only for 5, however when we were seated it was at a table set for 6 and nothing was ever removed for that additional place setting (while at the table for 5 beside us the place setting as well as the additional chair were removed). Upon being seated we were greated by the wine steward "would you like any wine?" and our answer was "no thank you, not tonight"...to which he replied "ok" and walked away. No offer of a cocktail or additional beverage. A server came to our table without a greating and said "what do you want?" and proceeded to take the orders. Throughout the evening dirty dishes were continually placed on the end-top beside our table and even plates full of fresh food from the kitchen were placed there as they attempted to find out where they belonged. At one point during the dinner, the manager came to our table and asked how our dinner was, to which my partner said "ok" (in a not so happy tone) and the manager replied "fabulous" and walked away. Dinner was completed and we decided it was time to talk to someone, so we asked for a meeting with the F&B Manager, who is now referred to as the Culinary Operations Manager.

OPINION: This was the worst Pinnacle service that we have ever received. The first time at breakfast was just the beginning (but because of it we didn't go back for breakfast...so a perk that we paid for that didn't use because of the service). The food was fine at our dinner, but not the wonderful meals that I remember in the past. The au gratin potatoes are now apparently made in a muffin tin and were not very appealing in the presentation. My steak was very good, but when did it stop being Sterling beef? Maybe I just missed the memo on that, but I didn't remember that from the last few meals there. We were not served the three types of butter, but I said that perhaps they don't do that anymore (more on that later). They really seemed like no one really knew what they were doing and everyone was just picking up whatever needed to be done. In the end, we had one server that took our order and an additional server that took our dessert order, and in the meantime no less than 4 or 5 additional servers had been to our table but yet none of them could seem to fill our water glasses (since that was the only beverage we had).

Meeting with the Culinary Operations Manager (Ron) and his assistant (Christian) allowed us a bit of time to vent about the experience. They were both very appreciative of our feedback and said that they don't get time to spend a lot of time in there because of all of the other areas they cover. Ron said that what we told him was absolutely unacceptable and that is not the experience that they are supposed to provide in there. We were questioning whether we wanted to spend again to go to LeCirque but Ron assured us that we would have a good experience there.

At this point we felt that there were large photos of us in the Pinnacle kitchen that said "whatever you do, don't mess up the meals for these guys". We returned for LeCirque and had a good meal. We had a wonderful server named Rocky (who explained to us that they only serve one type of butter at LeCirque but they normally serve three types on a normal night). In all honesty, it was a good meal, but given that it is $35pp we thought that perhaps it would be a little bit better.

We had such a good experience with Rocky that we decided to go again for lunch (so that my nephew could enjoy). They put us in the side "private" dining room and I'm sure they were all still instructed to treat us with "kid gloves" because they didn't miss a beat again.

In the end, they did redeem themselves, but it shouldn't have been such a painful experience to get there...this should be the norm there. We did comment that this was the first time that we've ever been in a Pinnacle that staffed by the Indonesian staff...every other Pinnacle that we've been in was staffed by European staff. I'm not saying this made any difference...just an observation.

Where were there issues?

2 - Spa

FACT: We, as always, booked the cruiselong package for the Thermal Suite. This was offered for $249 per couple on this cruise...so we got two packages, one for us and one for my SIL and Mother. On the first evening we attempted to use the hydro pool and the temperature was HOT. Hot to the fact that if you walked in and then got out your skin was red. It was hotter than the hot tubs by the pools. We made the spa desk aware of this and they said that they were working on it.

The second day, none of the jets in the "bed" area of the hydro pool were working. Once again, they were working on it. The temperature of the water was correct at this time.

The third day, the temperature of the water was again HOT...so much so that you couldn't even get in...and they were working on it.

From the fourth day through the ninth day everything worked just fine.

On the last sea day when I go into the hydro pool, it was once again too HOT...so now we have 4 days that the service that we paid for was not working for us.

We had talked to the Spa Manager named Jalina. Each time that we brought something to her attention, she always over-talked us to say that it was being worked on. We asked if there would be any compensation back to us because we were not able to use the service that we paid for for the length of the cruise. Her response was that we already received it at a discount because we bought it for the length of the cruise.

Additionally...my Mother always gets her hair done in the salon on formal nights. On the first night she returned to the stateroom with a bag containing a bottle of lotion that was sold to her. I know that it is her responsibility to read a receipt before she signed it, but she didn't realize that the lotion was a cream that cost $125. In her defense, I will say that the printing on the spa receipts was very hard to read (the toner needed to be changed in their printer), but $125 for a cream that she really didn't want? I went directly back to the salon, returned the cream (via a void of the original transaction) and cancelled her appointments for the other 2 formal nights. Mother had placed an additional tip on the original receipt (in addition to the 15% that they already charge), but when I went back I was so angry that I did not include any additional tip. When we got our statement we saw that the amount of the tip was still being charged. I returned to the spa desk to inquire about this and they said that my Mother had originally put a tip on the transaction, but I told them that that transaction that included that tip was voided. They said that isn't normally their policy but they would do it for me. In all reality, they did not have a valid slip that included any tip.

OPINION: I know that the spa is run by an outside agency, but HAL really needs to have more of a control over these employees. They are not a good representation of HAL. We ran into issues with the spa on our last cruise on Eurodam but that was because we were in Code Red for much of the cruise (which I find absolutely acceptable). It shouldn't be such an issue to keep the temperature of the hydro pool consistent. Perhaps it was partially due to the demographics on this particular cruise, but there were hardly ever many people at all in the hydro pool...usually no more than 4-6 people...and MANY times it sat empty. I feel that people tried to use it and ended up not being able to because of the temperature issues.

If you do not have a service available that was paid for then you need to give back. The manager of this spa took no responsibility for the fact that half of the service that we paid for (because I know that it also includes the tiled loungers, etc) was not working for 4 of the 10 days of our cruise. For her to state that we received it at a discount already is a line of bull...it may be discounted but it is discounted to those who purchase it for the length of the cruise on EVERY cruise, so that is what it is.

Regarding the selling of product to my Mother, I believe I stated my opinion above. I feel that she was taken advantage of (even though, as I stated that it was her responsibility to properly read the receipt before signing) because of her age and also that the receipt was very hard to read.

In the end, we dealt with the front office on this issue as well and ended up getting $100 OBC back because of this...but I know that there were many others that probably received nothing back because they didn't go further than the spa desk.

Can I ask please that you give as good a guess as you can as to the make up of nationalities on board during your cruise? I found on our Sept 2011 cruise on her that it made a big difference so would like to hear that also.

 

Joanie

I'm really not sure of the passenger complement, but if I were a guessing man, based on some of the groups that I saw onboard and the lines at customs upon return to Ft Lauderdale, I would have to say that it was largely American (with a good mix of Canadian and European).

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Where were there issues?

1 - Ship temperature/stateroom temperatures

FACT: While we were very fortunate to not have any problems with the temperature in our suite (5190), members of our family were in an Oceanview on Deck 1 and were not so fortunate. They were originally in 1008 (chosen so that they would be near the elevator bank closest to our suite so they didn't have far to go to come to enjoy our suite/balcony with us). They realized that the temperature was above normal before sailing and just thought that it would come down once we got underway (which we've often noticed in our staterooms before). Overnight the temperature of the room did not go down, but rather got warmer and warmer. Additionally, there was a water leak in the room caused by the malfunctioning air conditioning unit. When they called the front office someone was sent to their room and took the temperature which was listed as between 27 and 28 celsius (which is 80-82 degrees). They were provided with a fan. In the morning they were given the option to move to a different stateroom, so given the situation they moved to 1055. The room seemed to have a better temperature, but by the time that they went back in the evening to go to bed the temperature was once again 27-28 (80-82) in this stateroom (and they took their fan with them, but if the air is warm it is just moving warm air around). They attempted to sleep in this room that night. Overnight they were told that someone would be at their room by 9:00AM to correct the problem. No one had showed up by 9:00, so I went to the front office on their behalf (we were on the same booking) and was told that a supervisor would be down to the stateroom very soon. Actually, when I got back to their room I was met at the door by a very nice supervisor named Michelle from the front office. Immediately when she entered the room her comment was "whew, this is warm." She told them that she had another stateroom (1029) that she just checked that was cooler and they could move again if they wanted. She also told them that there would be some sort of compensation for them, but she didn't know what it would be. They decided to move to the THIRD stateroom. Luckily for them, they kept their fan and this stateroom worked for them for the remainder of the cruise. In the end, they were given a $200 OBC for their trouble.

OPINION/HEARSAY: IMHO, there was a marked difference in temperature even when we walked into the hallway where their last two staterooms were located (Deck one, forward, starboard hall). We continued to hear people talking about temperature problems...and this was from staterooms on the first deck, the fifth deck, the eighth deck...basically all over the ship. I thought that they were very fortunate that there were these additional staterooms available for them to move to, however I feel that they should have been offered some help with their moving. Both times they had completely unpacked and not so much as a cart was offered...they had to do it all themselves.

Regarding the water leak in their stateroom, this was not the only place to have this issue. As we sat in the Ocean Bar my Mother was "hit" by dripping water/condensation from the ceiling. As we sat in the Lido, I was the "victim" of the dripping water.

I know that we were in a very hot part of the world, but there were many times that the public areas were rather stuffy and warm. It was such that as you walked around, certain areas felt cool because you were just in such a stuffy area.

We just returned from Zuiderdam Southern Caribbean/Panama Canal and had a great cruise. I'm always one to believe that "it is what it is" and you can make the best of every situation, but I have to say that I didn't see anything that would make me ever want to return to Zuiderdam.

I always take reviews/comments with a grain of salt, but basically most negative things that I read about happened to my family. I will take more time very soon to comment further, but I wanted to get this out there...and I'll preface this by saying that I'm not exaggerating anything or offering additional opinions (because I have no gain or loss by doing so)...just stating simple facts and telling the truth.

Where were there issues?

1 - Ship temperature/stateroom temperatures

2 - Spa

3 - Pinnacle Grill

4 - MDR Service

Additionally there are some opinions that I'd like to offer. I can't continue now, but will be back very soon.

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We checked on the price of Luggage Direct to send one bag, one way from Seattle to our ship in Civatavecchia. It was $330 per bag one way. ??? We could hire an Italian sherpa for a fraction.

I don't know anything about that part of the service. The service that I've been referring to is the service that is offered at disembarkation where when you place your luggage out on the last night of the cruise you don't see it again until you reach your home airport. From what I've heard it is generally from the US ports to US airports with certain participating airlines. My experience is that it is generally $20-$25 per person (not bag).

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Because I really, really, REALLY don't want to have to be up at the crack of dawn if I use Luggage Direct and have to be in the first group after the self-disembarkers.

Well if you really, really, REALLY don't want to get up early I understand...but it isn't that much earlier, maybe only an hour or so. I get that you like to sleep in and stay on the ship...so I certainly can't blame you at all. (I'm trying to insert a smiley but can't find them) :)

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I'm staying at the Embassy Suites for my pre-cruise night. Since I'd be a recent guest, I wonder if they'd let me stow my luggage there after I disembark until the time that I'd be ready to retrieve it before heading to the airport?

Not "poo-poo-ing" your plan, but why would you want to be bothered with going back to a hotel to drop your luggage and then going back to pick it up...and that is even if they allowed you to do it, which I can't imagine they would. That's a lot of time and effort spent just to stow your luggage...not to mention additional taxi fares...which would probably be just as cost effective as using the service.

Douglas...Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The first time we used Luggage Direct we followed the directions and left the ship early. While walking through the luggage area a worker saw the color of my baggage stubs that I was carrying and she said,"Your luggage is long gone,have a nice day". Since then, when using Luggage Direct I get off the ship at my leisure, sometimes waiting until the last minute. Never a problem. My luggage is always `long gone` to the airport no matter when we get off the ship.

That's a great idea...but here is some food for thought...

One time when we used the Luggage Direct service and we're exiting the ship when we were supposed to, as we both "key carded" off, all of the bells and sirens went off. We were immediately met with customs officials who escorted us down into the luggage area where all of our luggage was sitting there on a table. We were told that people from one or two staterooms participating in Luggage Direct are randomly chosen to have their luggage searched by the TSA (just like it is random at the airport) before the luggage can leave the terminal. They checked our luggage and then we were on our way.

Moral of the story...I wouldn't want to be the person who was responsible for everyone's luggage (all of those participating) not being taken to the airport in a timely manner. Whether we believe it or not, the rules are made for a reason.

Douglas...Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My flight isn't until 4:45 p.m. I really don't want to be off the ship THAT early. And if I signed up for one of HAL's Ft. Lauderdale tours it would probably be the same story.

 

Hmmm. What to do, what to do???

We've done it especially when we have a later flight. It does put you off the ship a bit earlier, but as another poster said, you won't have to pick out your luggage and hopefully the immigration line won't be very long at that time.

We've used the time to go up into Ft Lauderdale to do a little shopping and have a nice lunch. It's a nice way to end the the vacation without bring rushed (if you go to The Galleria this can all be accomplished at one stop...there are a few places to eat there). By the time that you need to be to the airport in the afternoon, you'll most likely be able to walk right in without a long line at security (at least that is our experience).

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I've been looking for this on the board but can't seem to find it. Has anyone been to the Balmoral Island excursion in Nassau? Any thoughts on this? Is it beautiful and/or worth the time/excursion? Is it like a mini Half Moon Cay?

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I'd gratefully love to see you change it to djhFORD!!!:):)

Well, if I were following course it would be djhveloster or the more generic djhhyundai.

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Mine is based on my initials (DJH) and on my previous cars. I used to change my online profiles each time I got a car. I used to be djhcougar when I had a Cougar; djhxplr when I had an Explorer, djhmiata when I had a Miata and djhsolara when I had a Solara. Eventually I guess I just got tired of switching each time I got a new car, so I've stuck with djhsolara even though that was four cars ago.

It has been very Interesting reading this thread.

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Is this dinner only offered on NA? I don't recall seeing anything mentioned about it last week on Eurodam.

Douglas...Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So is this only for those who rent cabanas or is it open to the entire ship population?

Douglas...Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We've now done both Lido and Retreat cabanas. I have to say for our purposes we liked both kinds.

Last year we did the Lido cabana and it worked very well as the meeting spot for our family. It was very convenient to the pool for our nephew (and me).

Last week we did the Retreat cabana for the sea days. I have to say that they are not as convenient to the pools as I would like them to be. They are, however, in their own quiet world and it feels like you are in your own private space on the ship.

In both cases the attendants there take very good care of you (however I must say that the service in the Lido cabana was much better last year than the Retreat service last week...although perhaps it isn't fair to judge because we were only there for two sea days).

I will say, though, that I think there should be a card swipe for entrance to the Retreat area (similar to that of the Thermal Suite). There were often people walking through and sitting in the loungers to be chased out by the attendants. It is marked on the gates, however not very conspicuously.

One thing that we did find annoying was the fact that they were painting the white trim in the Retreat area on one of the sea days. I know that work needs to be done, however I would think perhaps a port day would be a little less busy in the Retreat. I'm usually not bothered by paint smells, but when we were sitting in the cabana it really bothered me (in such a small confined space).

Would I do them again? Absolutely yes. I would rent a Retreat cabana for the week if it was just us or a Lido cabana if it was the whole extended family again. Unfortunately, however, they are not available on our next cruise...

Douglas...Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree. I think it's more likely there was a cancellation, and someone was in the right place at the right time to grab the free days.

I totally agree. Actually, our cruise was not sold out until the Wednesday prior to sailing, so it may have been that it was open. There were two that were available for our choosing by the day. Anyhow...we loved it.

Douglas...Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We were just very fortunate this week and were able to book a Retreat Cabana for the sea days only. It was great to have the "guaranteed" space.

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Exactly...

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection states:

"U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same U.S. port) will be able to enter or depart the country with a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID. Please be aware that you may still be required to present a passport to enter the countries your cruise ship is visiting. Check with your cruise line to ensure you have the appropriate documents."

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Irregardless of how/why/what happened, I can't imagine working hard to be able to vacation and get to the port only to be told I couldn't board the ship. While I've always had a passport I can relate because I had relatives with us last year that simply could not afford the additional costs associated with getting passports for a family of four. Luckily there were no issues but they knew there could have been had they needed to come home in an emergency situation. They are getting passports for their cruise this year.

I'm so glad, though, that this thread isn't actually about Eurodam as the title implies. Three weeks from right now we'll be on her for a week...we can't wait!!

Douglas...Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My partner and I just booked this as our Christmas gift.

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What are Interline rates?

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The 'Love & Marriage' on the infamous Hurricane cruise was one of the best I have seen...... The Palace looked like it was fully packed for the show. The following was one of the highlights for those attending... :D

 

"B52"

It was absolutely HILARIOUS!!

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We will be on the Explorer in alittle over a month and I was wondering what that game is called that has the married people and they ask them questions. Is it the Newlywed game? We always want to go but always miss it. This time around I want to make sure I find it on the Compass but I want to know the name of the show or game and where it's usually held. Anybody know?:)

Last week Love & Marriage was in the earlier part of the week...I believe Tuesday night and it was held in the Palace Theatre.

On the next-to-last night they held The Quest which was very fun as well. It was held in Studio B.

Both of them were later in the evening...something like 10:00 or 11:00.

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