fatcat04

Okie dokie.. thank you. Hadn't heard of "and more" but paying the difference sounds good and in line with what several other cruise lines do. Hope the left hand of corporate and right hand of ship operations meet on this soon.

Armagnac Sidecar. The Armagnac just has a slightly different flavor than Cognac, a little more get up and go pep imo.. and well the Sidecar is a Sidecar, what's not to love!

Oh goodness. We have the "HIA" on our cruise next month. Can you give details as to what is NOT being honored (drinks, internet, specialty meals, excursion $)?

Oh and I forgot to mention I have a baby/toddler centric review of dd's first HAL cruise in my signature.

We enjoy HALs style so when it came time for our dd's first cruise, we chose HAL. We cruised on HAL with our dd (almost 5 now) when she was 16 months and then 27 months. We enjoyed our cruises and she had a blast. Cruising with a little one is different but a pretty easy way to vacation in our opinion, the laundry service alone is very nice with kids. She was too young for the kid's club so I can not comment on a preschooler on HAL plus Club HAL but my son was 7 (almost 21 now) when he first went to the kid's club and he enjoyed it very much, much more than Carnival and Costa. I am hoping dd will enjoy it on this upcoming cruise next month but even if not, she can be with us and we will have fun. Yes, they have sanitized high chairs in both the lido and MDR plus all the specialty restaurants as well. They also have a special kid's menu but you can also get 1/2 size entrees as well or even just do appetizers for little ones. If you have set dining time, your high chair plus your child's drink preference will already be at the table when you arrive. Our wait staff was always quick to get our daughter's food out (and not too hot) so dh and I could enjoy our food at a more leisurely pace.. and dd's nightly ice cream was also a standing order. The staff really made over her and went totally out of their way to do any little thing to make her happy. Our son ate with us in the MDR for the first night of his first HAL cruise and then declared that he would prefer we all go to the Lido right before Club HAL opened (he ate dinner, we nibbled and had a pre dinner glass of wine) and then he was off for a night of fun while we enjoyed a leisurely dinner. Not much kid entertainment on the TV's (we watched Frozen a couple times) but we travel with loaded tablets so if dd gets a need for Bluey or Snoopy or Tigger and Pooh Bear, we got it covered.

Great job!! Checking fares regularly can really net some savings. Enjoy your cruise!! 🍾🥂🥂

I hope they resolve whatever issue they are having as BB Kings was our fav venue last 2 cruises pre-Covid. Loved the music (Jazz, Blues, Motown) and the excellent quality musicians. This is something HAL should seek to retain, period.

Ahhh, a woman after mine own heart. The buttered all around is the key to a good grilled cheese. Reminds me of what my mom made when I was home from school sick. Ultimate comfort food.

Indeed, this has not gone unnoticed by my husband. 🍻🍻🍻

Yes. That said dh and I have been going over the wine list (thank you Roger Jett, just google his HAL reference site, it is spectacular!) and there are some fantastic everyday $30-45 bottles of wine on the ships now, and many are included by the glass in the Elite bev package. Let me reassure you 10 years ago this was not the case. The change in the wine list is one of those really good things HAL has done and should keep up. We used to schlep on a case of wine for a week long cruise a decade ago. No need to now. Maybe a couple of special bottles only now. And yes you can buy bottles on the ship and take them back to your cabin, either through one of the wine packages or stand alone.

I mean let's face it, many folks including my mil and the US prez who are both vaxxed and multi boosted are now getting the crud and both are doing just fine thank goodness. MIL is out of hospital (observation and some IV meds only, no ICU) and back in her memory care apartment hail and hearty (woo hoo!!) and enjoying her ice cream and apple crumble (we called tonight to check on her and she is so happy to be "home"). I kinda think it is time to move on. Let's all do our best when WE get sick but in the end, it's up to us to be responsible citizens.

Is that streaming? We are on her later this year. edit: I looked online for the streaming. They do have the service but I see nothing about it there. Maybe only on cable for now.

A real honest to goodness all the way around wide wooden promenade deck for strolling after dinner with a cocktail and that someone you love. Well on most of the ships that is, 8 of 11 I think it is now. I know some other lines do still have this or something similar but to me, this is a HAL thing. Maasdam's promenade was just magnificent. We spent a lot of time out there just dreaming and watching the world go by. But the Vistas and Sigs are wonderful too.

I am sooo stealing this. In my kitchen sitting on our wine rack now...

Revised Policy effective June 1st, 2021 https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/faq/know-before-you-go.html Guests are not allowed to bring alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages on board for consumption or any other use except as follows: Guests may bring Wine and Champagne onboard, however a corkage fee of USD $20.00 (which is subject to change without notice) will be applied to each bottle (max 750 ml in volume or less). Limitations apply. Wine brought in quantities deemed to be excessive by the vessel or security will be refused. Wine purchased during company-sponsored shore excursions that visit local wineries are exempt from the on-board corkage fee (offer limited to one bottle of wine per person). Items such as sodas, energy drinks or other non-alcoholic items are not allowed on board in any form. Plastic water bottles are not allowed. However, an allowance of six liters, twelve (12) cans or cartons (500 ml in volume or less) or six (6) cans or cartons (1 liter in volume or less) of water are allowed per stateroom. Any amount in excess of this allowance will be not be allowed onboard. Water in plastic bottles will not be allowed onboard in any quantity, including in ports of call. Guests will be asked to discard open beverages in plastic containers prior to boarding. All checked and carry-on luggage will be scanned and any prohibited items, including alcoholic/nonalcoholic beverages will be removed, confiscated, and discarded. If Your luggage is locked, the lock may be removed by security or, alternatively, the luggage will be held by security until you can be present for an inspection and any items in question further identified and/or surrendered. Holland America Line shall not be responsible for any loss, cost, disappointment or damage of any kind as a result of any luggage lock removal, alcoholic/nonalcoholic items, or other prohibited items removed and discarded in violation of the policy. You agree to surrender alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free from the ship's gift shop, or at ports of call, to Holland America Line, which will be delivered to your stateroom just prior to disembarking the voyage. Any wine or champagne supplied by the Holland America Line to you is not subject to a corkage fee. Purified or distilled water in factory-sealed containers (including plastic containers) for use in conjunction with medical device(s) are allowed in checked luggage and must be packed with the device(s). Distilled/purified water in factory-sealed containers (including plastic containers) for the reconstitution of infant formula is allowed in checked luggage for staterooms with infant bookings. Limitations apply. Allowances are subject to change without notice and remain subject to situational assessments by both security and the vessel. An 18% Service Charge is automatically applied to all Beverage Purchases, Bar Retail Items, Specialty Restaurant Cover Charges and all For Purchase A La Carte Menu Items. Local Sales Taxes Applied where required.

The fitness center is open to all, though there are pay classes available. There may be some sauna space that are included but I am not sure. Spa, salon, thermal suite , and hydro pool (and attached sauna) are all pay... but I will say the Thermal Suite/Thalassotherapy pool package is worth the fee on all Vista and newer ships, especially NA which is one of my favs. Such a fantastic space.

Glad I am not the only one. I love sole, especially Sole Meuniere. I get it at least twice whenever we go to France or St Martin. Once is not enough. So much better than 95% of lobster we get here or on cruise ships. That 5% is in NE/Maritime Canada, fresh, heavily buttered on a roll baked by the angels.

Words to travel by. I have everything on dead tree printed and organized in my carry on travel satchel "just in case." It has saved our bacon more than once. Verifly was a hot mess for us back when we tried to use it with American Airlines for our June trip to St Maarten. Thankfully the counter folks both here and in St Maarten were cool with my dead tree copies of everything.

We adore Tamarind. I wish they could find a way to incorporate it into the whole fleet in their upcoming referbs. We love the Pinnacle (we go every cruise) and it is a great place to get a steak and get fantastic service but Tamarind is just special.. service, food, and ambiance. It's kind of a dining event.

We noticed the same thing. It was never a long wait for acceptance.

We have used the proctored "at home" tests (coming back from France last Fall and St Maarten twice in Winter and Spring).. easy peasy. Highly recommend them. We used the Binax with the Navica app.

It was outdoors on St Martin (we only ate outside while on vacation) but sadly still close enough for it to be quite nasty and smoking is very common outdoors in French territories. We had smelled it a couple other times while on island but it was only a faint wiff. This couple sat near to us and she smoked the whole time as they were just having drinks. I would have moved but our food was on the way and there weren't many free spots. I wish the breeze had been blowing the other direction.

Thank you for saying it. As a mom of two kids who both sadly are super sensitive to perfumes, chemicals, cigarette smoke, pollen, and other air irritants, we have had to deal with our share of nasty looks these past 2 years. We just got back from a trip and dd had several coughing fits from allergies (the lady chain smoking next to us at a restaurant who kept giving my dd age 4 death dagger eyes was my fav). We test regularly when on vacation or when travelling just because it is responsible and I know for a fact dd did not have Covid (2 negative tests) but every time anyone coughs nowadays the illogical assumption is Covid. Colds, asthma, and allergies still exist.

My 2 hours and 10 mins on hold is paying off. I got the best of the best of Guest Relations on the phone. Her name is Chris and she should get a big raise for being so efficient! I told her she made my day!

I don't know about you but after about the 45 minutes on hold mark, I start to lose faith in "Your call is important to us" and "An agent will be with you as soon as possible." *I am presently on hold with HAL guest relations.