Laminator

Smoking is permitted on one side of the Rotterdam casino. The side with the tables is smoke free. The Rotterdam has also added a smoke free area with approximately 30 slots that is 100 ft from the main casino. Smoking is also allowed on the starboard side of the ship just past the seaview bar on deck 9.

A few years back I had an opportunity to chat with the food and beverage manager. I was informed by him that HH's depended on how alcohol sales were on each particular cruise. If sales were slow a few more happy hours were added. I am pretty sure the NS is sailing at capacity right now. With the ship at capacity I highly doubt that they are having trouble selling alcohol so good luck with your endeavor. I highly doubt they miss your drink sales.

Email and occasionally snail mail.

I have received two offers in the last week. The offers have declined tremendously. They will continue to decline as the ships are sailing fuller. HAL has assigned personal casino hosts to their higher level players beginning approximately one month ago.

I am not telling anyone they should know better. You didn't book their cruise for them. I didn't book this cruise for them. They made that choice. All I am saying is don't complain about it. If they are unhappy with the choice THEY MADE that falls on them.

That is astrological spring. People can cruise anytime they want. Just like when I drive into Chicago, If I leave at 7am in the morning there is a very good chance I will be stuck in traffic for an hour. I am not a big fan of traffic so I leave at 10 or 11am. If you're not a big fan of kids on cruise ships don't go during spring break.

I will give you a hint. Spring Break is in Spring. Not the astronomical Spring but the Meteorological Spring. Been that way for the 64 years I have been alive. Runs for pretty much 6 weeks from Mar 1st thru mid April. It's the equivalent of being shocked when a cruise is disrupted by a potential hurricane DURING hurricane season. Living outside Chicago isn't exactly palm tree county!

It's Spring Break. Why would anyone be surprised that any vacation venue is loaded with children?

Exactly...And it isn't my job to develop their clientele. The internet will improve tremendously once they get tied into Starlink which will be starting soon if it hasn't already. As for improving the entertainment my son and his GF were very happy with the music offered. Let's hope that once they are staffed properly a bar or bars will remain open longer.

Let me ask you this? Would you like to have a client for 20 to 30 years or have that client for 50 to 60 years? HAL's demographic at present is the 20 to 30 year client. They need to develop younger clientele and maintain them for 50 to 60 years I brought my son and his GF who are both in their early 30's on my last cruise last month. There would not have been a chance in hell that they would have booked a HAL cruise on their own. I was worried that they would be bored to death. They had a great time and now are coming with us on our Nov Rotterdam cruise. Those 2 will be 50 year HAL clients. I will most assuredly fall into that 30 year range. My wife's nephews wifes parents are in their mid 50's. They cruise 4 times a year. Always Carnival. Why? Because they started on Carnival 30 years ago and see no reason to change. They are a very conservative quiet couple.

The chair hog situation may change. On my last survey from HAL they asked if I would be willing to pay to reserve chairs poolside. Once there is money involved HAL will start policing chair hogs.

You are 100% correct. But it is not only tastes that change. And that appears to be the issue with many posters here. Everything changes. You can either roll with the punches or complain. And I am not saying that everything changes for the better. But my life is simply not going to be long enough to complain about it.

On my first HAL cruise to Alaska in 2007 there were more than 200 children onboard. There have been near that many or more on my 5 subsequent Alaska cruises. There have been children on HAL cruises for quite some time depending on the time of the year. And considering this is Spring Break I am not sure why anyone would be surprised at seeing many children on their cruise.

That philosophy has gotten them in the predicament they are in today as their older demographic is dying off. Many also do not have the disposable income that the younger generations have at their disposal.

The $25 BJ table is definitely a shoe game and is 3:2. 8 decks. I do not believe any of HAL's BJ tables have CSM's. The Rotterdam casino has smoking on one side. The tables are on the opposite side. I believe on another post I saw you are on the Rotterdam in November. I am on the Nov 3rd sailing. Both my wife and I have free Neptune Suite offers with a good amount of free play for that cruise.

Email the casino division, since they are all under the same corporate umbrella, and ask. I know the casino division is cross promoting Princess pax with HAL now.

If HAL wants to stay in business it better not be!

On my last cruise on the NS I saw many more misbehaved ADULTS than children. All alcohol related. There were a few times when blows were almost struck. And the one pax who accused the servers of stealing his phone. The same phone I saw him talking on the next morning. I guess HAL should stop selling alcohol also. I find it hard to believe that any family booking a cruise will be book HAL because the Specialty restaurants are offering 50% off for children under 12.

I was just trying to let other posters know that the expenses can add up quickly.

Very smart person. Fortunately I have the means to afford my stupidity.

This is my end of cruise statement from my FREE Neptune Suite, without having a paid upgrade, that ended 2/18. If the pax plays bingo she is probably in the casino also. It can add up quickly.

Getting a hold of someone in the casino dept is nearly impossible. I have always used my PCC for my bookings. HAL has recently assigned executive casino hosts to their upper tier players so I do have am email contact that has been very responsive.

On my upcoming 9 day cruise on the Rotterdam the SBP was $471. The HIA package was $382. No reason to even consider the SBP.

Both my wife and I get free Neptune Suite offers. We always bring friends or family along. Our first stop is the Neptune Lounge where they switch the rooms for us.

My May 20th Koningsdam cruise has shown as sold out in HAL'S site for weeks. So whomever bought a block of rooms from HAL may be discounting them but HAL has nothing to sell.