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I asked a supervisor at checkin that question. He said HAL would allow you to board as long as the passport was valid until the end of the cruise for cruises to countries where passport not required or the countries had no expiration requirement. However that is not the case when a country does have a requirement for a minimum of time past entry date. Then HAL will impose the same requirement on the cruiser.

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Decline of dining experience and food quality is not only due to cutbacks but is somewhat intentional by Carnival and other lines to try to encourage or maybe even force you to eat in a speciality restaurant with an up charge.

20 or more years ago eating in the MDR was a 5 star experience. No more. Lucky if 1 star or maybe 2 stars on formal nights. Check a menu from before mid 90's. 5, 6, or 7 course dinner. Even had antipasto.

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Muster drill. Miss that and your cruise will be very short.

On a more serious note..... sail away, get in a position to watch the lines being cast off and the ship moving away from the dock using its own power, no tugs.

Kitchen tour.

Sunset at sea.

Going under a bridge if you lucky enough to have that happen. Viewed from top deck.

Getting your picture taken with the Captain.

Find the lucky coin.

Explore the ship on a sea day.

If you can, get outside on the bow deck as close to bow as possible and look down.

Relax on balcony and watch the sea go by. Try to spot dolphins, flying fish, other ships etc.

Take as many pictures as possible. You'll be glad you did.

Make some new friends.

Eat something you never tried before.

Have Warm Chocolate Melting Cake for dessert.

Book another cruise.

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The bus driver on my tour bus actually gave 2-3 ladies the required change. I think it was 50 cents, 1/2 euro. Some of the bus passengers had extra change. Everyone was happy however one toilet took the coin but would not open. Driver said that was common.

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Several hotels and motels will let you park and have a shuttle to the port. A few were free if you stayed there pre or post cruise but most charged. One I stayed at charged $6 per day in 2017. Another was free in 2016.

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Yes, of course you can. Tap water is safe.

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There is more to view from the port side when going from the Atlantic to the Pacific. From starboard side going opposite side. Transited Canal 4 times and also lived in Panama several years.

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Celebration....met my future wife on that ship and 2 years later got married in the library aboard the Celebration. Wonderful memories.

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My wife won a "cruise for two" playing BINGO. We were astonished to find HAL would only give us $400 off on a 7 day cruise.

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Looking for a Star pin. I have an Escape and Sun pin to trade.

I have a Star pin, rectangular, that I would trade for NCL cabin door key cards if you have saved any. Interested?

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My wife and I were on the Liberty reposition cruise, Rome to Miami, in 2005. Although we do have several water color prints from older Carnival ships, we do not have one from the Liberty. Therefore, either the prints were not given out or we somehow lost it.

I think the prints were called placemats but were not used in that manner. They were handed out after dinner by the waiters. We usually had ours signed by our waiters and mater'd.

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What do you mean by 'style'? Contemporary, classic, modern, glitzy, size, luxury, all inclusive etc? Be a bit more specific.

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If you are handicapped, park at the ship terminal. You will be pleasantly surprised.

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Was on the Osterdam last November and had a wonderful cruise. Also on Carnival Dream in January. It was an unpleasant experience to say the least and will be my last Carnival cruise even though I have 182 days on Carnival. The activities on HAL are plentiful but different than Carnival. Daytime activities include enrichment lectures, tea, cards, trivia, several pools, basketball, pickle ball, a well equipped gym with exercise, stretch and spin classes and even a beanbag toss contest but alas, no hairy chest contest. Evening activities includes main showroom entertainment that is similar to Carnival, song & dance, comedy, a featured singer, magic etc. Piano bar. Lounge with jazz trio for listening and dancing. Classical music. A more contemporary group for listening and dancing. A blues club on some ships. Trivia. Movie theater. Casino. Etc.

IMHO food is superior on HAL and tablecloths are used every meal in the MDR.

Never saw a drunk on HAL and the children are fewer and well behaved.

If you are a mature 30 and not trying to drink yourself to death you should enjoy a HAL cruise.

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Yes, but it's different than Carnival where the piano bar is usually in a separate enclosed room with doors to keep out competing sounds. Amsterdam piano bar is in an open area with a major walkway going through the area. Sounds from the casino and sports bar can overwhelm the music. There is no seating around the piano as in most Carnival piano bars. Sing along on HAL is not as prevalent as on Carnival. The piano bar is one, if not the only thing I think is better on Carnival

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Yes, Carnival knows their clientele. That is why there are no tablecloths on regular evenings and very few complaints. We who objected found other cruise lines where it is still possible to enjoy a fine dining experience.

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Until you are comfortable with more sea days than port days you are not a 'cruiser'. You are a 'porter'. An experience 'cruiser' never wants two consecutive port days.

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Sadly lack of a tablecloth fits right in with the dress of the clientele on Carnival ships.

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Most if not all ships have a "lucky coin" somewhere on display. Carnival ship coins, as well as most passenger ships, the coins are usually placed on the topmost passenger access deck in the forward part of the ship. Fun to look for on a sea day. Happy hunting.

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Good article. Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed the "Carnival culture clash" discussion--especially the one about the purpose of the adults-only Serenity area where Russian passengers thought that meant clothing-optional and subsequently got nekked! Lol. Funny stuff.

 

At one time, Carnival's adults only areas were 'clothing optional '.

Ahhhh, those were the days.

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Like OP, I usually go on a cruise only if there is a new port on the itinerary. Carnival offers no new ports for me, I've been to something over 100, so a Carnival cruise is a rarity for me. Holland America on the other hand, has exciting new places to visit. Therefore, HAL has been my choice for cruising the last few years and will continue to be in the foreseeable future. If itinerary is important to you, branch out. You will find cruising enjoyable again.

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Amazing!

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Take the bus. Big bus parking area close to dock. Ask any driver what bus to take to a nice beach. Ask driver of the bus to beach to drop you off. Private beaches didn't seem to care if you were there as long as you didn't use chairs/umbrellas when needed by authorized guests. Most locals speak enough English that you won't have a language problem.

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Add me to the cornball list. I have all my certificates along with diplomas and awards proudly hanging in "my room".

The only certificate I wish HAL would give out, that they don't, is a circumnavigation of the world. Usually called a Magellan award.

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My wife had crab legs in the Pinnacle Grill on the Rotterdam TA in April. Some of the best she had ever eaten in her humble opinion. They were split and more than she could eat. There was a stack of legs on a large plate 6-8" high. Never had them in the MDR that I can remember but had them on the Lido Buffet several times while on a GWC.

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