3rdGenCunarder

Sleeping for a few hours? What happened that they couldn't get a full night's sleep? And was it the same hotel each night?

Yes. They have done this for many years. Lately, they've been having supply chain issues, so some ships don't have tiles in stock.

I love his paintings! I always look for them when I'm on a HAL ship. I think I have one or two tiles based on his paintings of HAL ships.

That tile is seriously "blah." But for HAL it has the advantage of being usable on every ship. No need for individual designs for each class. I think I was lucky that, although Eurodam said they had no tiles, my steward was able to find one, the "mermaid" version, not this new design. I followed the link you posted and recognized the poster with King Neptune on it. I have a tile based on that poster, from back when the tiles were recreating vintage advertising designs for the tile.

The tendering problems could also be due to decisions made by the port. When we had a stop at Bali, (Cunard, not HAL) there was a nice long pier for the tenders to use, but for some reason, they allowed only one tender at a time. The ship had plenty of tenders in the water, but there was nothing they could do about the pier restriction.

Where did your husband stay in Costa Rica? Did HAL pay for any of his accommodations? Did he have out-of-pocket expenses to claim on insurance?

I'm glad the falls are wonderful, but what a complicated situation you were in! I sure hope HAL doesn't add that bill to your account. That bird pic is great!

I guess it's official. Escanaba, MI is a new stop for AQV. I don't know how many cruises are involved, but my June Chicago-Toronto is supposed to stop in Escanaba. Cruise line adds new port in Escanaba (uppermichiganssource.com)

(bold is mine) That's what kept me going back to QE2. That feeling of being home. I haven't seen the crumb thing in ages!!!

I guess I'm middle of the road. I like the Vistas. I have from my first cruise on Zuiderdam. I've been on Westerdam and Oosterdam, too. There's something about the size and layout that appeals to me. I'm not sure what it is. Part of it is the thermal suite. That's my main indulgence on a cruise. I love Cunard's Vista, Queen Elizabeth, too. I think of the Signature ships as stretched Vistas. The layouts are similar. I've been on Eurodam once and I liked it. Tamarind was a big plus, but the ship is a bit big for me. I had an aft cabin and it was a hike to the spa or the shorex desk. Public spaces seemed to be more crowded than on the Vistas. Perhaps enlarging the Vista design added more cabins than public space. Or maybe it was that there were a lot of sea days, so the pools and bars were busy. The two smallest ships are nice, and I like the more traditional cruise entertainment. But they don't have a hydropool, and I miss that when I'm on them. I sail on them if the itinerary is worth it. I don't like the Pinnacle class ships. There's a vibe about them that's different from other HAL ships. Maybe the crew is stretched thin, maybe there are too many strangers--on smaller ships I run into people I've met earlier on the cruise, but not so much on my two K'dam cruises. There isn't that happy/friendly feel of the smaller ships. The ship can ride VERY badly at the back, slamming down on the water, depending on the direction of wind and waves. I would never get an aft on a Pinnacle again. I've never had problems like that in all my Vista and Signature afts, even in rough weather. The spa design is stupid. You enter the thermal suite through the heated lounger room. That should be a quiet space, but instead it's a thoroughfare, with people talking as they walk through. And don't get me started on the deafening music walk and the way they've downgraded Lincoln Center to odd times. The World Stage is much too small for the number of passengers. I had to get a seat 30-45 minutes before show time if I wanted to be sure of seeing the show. I found the LED screens so bright that I got a headache watching the Step One shows. The one thing on the Pinnacle class that I liked and wished the other ships could do is the double-decker midship pool and the movies at night. I won't say never again, but a Pinnacle ship would not be my first choice.

At one time it was just for Mariners, and the Maitre d' would decide if you had enough stars to be admitted--friends who were 2-star at the time were told they had to be 3-star or higher, even though they had been allowed in on a previous cruise. I think it's been open to everyone for about 10 years, but they don't advertise it.

When we knew SOLAS was going to force Cunard to eventually give up QE2, we did as many different itineraries as we could on her. I sort of feel that way about HAL, enjoying what I love while I can. My next two cruises are on the remaining small ships because of the itineraries. 21 day port-intensive Caribbean on Zaandam and 24-day Iceland, Greenland, Canada on Volendam. I like to do a Caribbean warm getaway every winter, but I am growing wearing of the same itineraries.

On Eurodam last month, the second dressy night had "surf and turf" on the menu. Filet and two grilled shrimp.

If you want to go to the MDR for lunch on embarkation day, don't bother to ask if it's open, just go. If you ask any of the staff who are herding people to the elevators, they will tell you just the Lido. It's like some kind of state secret. It usually opens around noon. It's often the only time on a cruise I have lunch in the MDR. I love the quiet start to the day after the rush of getting to the pier, checking in, etc.

Note that she said 45 "options." Each cabana is listed separately, so that's a bunch of "options" that are not "excursions."

Club Orange isn't a separate area of the MDR. That idea was floated (pardon the pun) early on but never happened. There is a separate CO line for open seating, so you would have a shorter wait than non-CO passengers. If you go in and say you will sit at a large table, they will add you to a table that is currently being seated. They do not separate CO passengers except for the separate line. I was at a table for 8 on Eurodam last month. One couple had CO. The only reason I know is that they ordered the extra main course and it came on a different plate. They sat with us for the first two nights, then were gone for 2 or 3 nights. When they came back, they said they had come back to the ship late on the other nights and so they were seated somewhere else. So, in their case, anyway, they could bounce between open and fixed.

I think the warning that the request may be denied is standard wording, just in case it happens.. I had a question about some detail and as I handed in my form, man at the front desk glanced at it and said, "Oh, United, they usually are quick to get back to us." I had my info and tags the next to last night, so I guess some airlines are more helpful/cooperative than others. My credit card gives me passes to the United lounge, so I was happy to settle in and wait there for my flight. Edited to add: Just to clarify the post above for anyone who hasn't done luggage direct, the charge is $25 per person, whether you have one bag or two (or maybe three).

I over-analyze things, too. But a lot of work up front makes the actual trip much better and easier. Your first post was quite rare. It was clear that you had done a lot of homework. So many people just post "What's a good cabin on Konignsdam?"

Luggage direct is so worth it! You will likely be in the first group to disembark after the "self disembark" passengers go off, so there should be no lines at Immigration check. In FLL last month, all I had to do was walk up to the kiosk, let it check my face and I was okay to go.

Ahh, you stirred up fond memories of QE2. When she cranked up the engines, accelerating out of port, the vibrations at the stern made all the glass tchotchkes in the aft shops play a jingling tune. And when the vibrations hit just the right frequency, resonance would make one of the sets of elevators (E, I think) shake. If you ever get a chance to sail on QM2, stand in the lower hallway aft of the atrium. You can feel the thrum of the engines. It's the only spot that reminds you that you are on a magnificent machine. I guess for me, HAL is a combination of the comfort of Grandma's house and the joy of being at sea. I like HAL's Vistas best, although they do lack Tamarind. I'm not sure what it is, but I just like the layout and feel of the ship. I had the same feeling about Cunard's Vista, Queen Elizabeth.

This was taken from the glass elevator on Eurodam, but it's about the same indent as the Pinnacle ships.

That's why I always book cruises through my TA. HAL doesn't show the advantage fare. Just best price and HIA. My TA always finds the advantage fare for me so I can compare that to the HIA fare. She said she resists booking nonrefundable deposits, especially if it's far out. People assume they won't need to cancel, but if they do they're unhappy about not getting the deposit back.

Why doesn't the onboard package cover HMC? If they can get your charges to your account, they can also clear them. Is there some Bahamian law or tax involved?

By adding things, do you mean purchasing tours, meals, etc? Check your itinerary on the website. If they show up there, they should make it to your Navigator eventually.

The view from the aft cabins is wonderful, BUT Koningsdam is one of HAL's largest ships. If you have a senior who walks slowly, I would advise against aft cabins and try to be closer to midship. CO, Lido, and (usually) gangways are closer to midship. Look at the deck plans to see which options are close to elevators. Although you're likely to have a smooth ride, given that you're doing the inside passage, I would still say to avoid the aft cabins. I had the bounciest ride ever (except for a big storm in the North Atlantic) aft on K'dam. When the waves come at the stern, that ship slams and bangs down on them. I don't see the big attraction to the spa cabins. You get a yoga mat and I think that's about it. If you expect to use the spa a lot, like a pass to the thermal suite, the forward cabins are convenient for that. But the spa cabins do not include a pass to the spa.