Windsailer

28 minutes ago, Ilovesailaway said:

I purchased unlimited laundry for our upcoming Med cruise. I have never used HA laundry so I have a few simple questions:

It looks like on the laundry slip you check the box for unlimited, do I check that box with my first bag? YES

Will HA already know I have purchased the unlimited package or should I make sure to mention that to my room attendant? THEY WILL KNOW AND YOUR STEWARD WILL KNOW AS HE IS THE ONE WHO WILL TAKE THE BAG TO THE LAUNDRY. 

Can I send a bag out on embarkation day? YES. We will be traveling for a few days before the cruise.

Any other advise on using the service would be appreciated.

Thank you

IN THE BEGINNING I TOOK PHOTOS OF EVERYTHING I SENT OUT BUT WHEN THERE WEREN'T ANY PROBLEMS I STOPPED DOING IT. 

5 hours ago, VitaminSea53 said:

Is September too late?

I don't think so. I've done May twice, June once and September twice. The ports are much less crowded in September. And more of a chance to see the Northern Lights. 

The price for Unlimited Laundry has definitely gone up. I just paid $98 for it on my 14 day cruise on the Noordam in Australia. I just check the price for my August cruise on the Nieuw Statendam in Europe. It's now $147. Still worth it to me and a good way to spend my OBC. 

Just now, CruiserBruce said:

Same hours as the MDR.

Thanks. Good to know. 

12 hours ago, Crew News said:

Here is a link to the Club Orange Breakfast Menu to give you an idea of what to expect:

 

Club Orange Breakfast Menu

Thanks!  What time do they open for breakfast and dinner?

Thanks for all this information. Very reassuring!

Thanks. It is just me traveling and I prefer to eat meals by myself. 

Are there tables for two? 

Made a big difference when I boarded the Noordam on 2/11 in Sydney. Went right to the check in desk and was on the ship at 11:25am.

2 hours ago, SilvertoGold said:

Are masks still being given out on the ship?  If so, are they the good N95 or only the thin surgical (usually blue) ones?  If anyone know who the Hotel manager is, I'd appreciate knowing.  The Front Desk should have a comment box with his/her name and photo 🙂

Colin Jacob. I don't know if they are still giving out masks. I brought my own.

2 hours ago, boeckli said:

 

Thanks for reporting on your experiences. I'm also on the next sailing and hope that the favourable weather continues for us. I've been to Zealandia and agree with your recommendation.

A question please: are masks mandatory on your cruise? I was on Westerdam in Nov/Dec when it was but so far we have not been advised by HAL of any such requirement.

Hope you continue to enjoy your cruise. ☺️

They were mandatory  for the first few days then the Captain said they weren't  required. But with the number of people coughing  I still wear mine in crowds and on buses.  Wish the people who are coughing  would wear them but mostly  they don't. 

I am currently on the Noordam. No one has said anything about canceling Tauranga. But on the other hand they insisted that Napier wouldn`t be cancelled the morning  of 2/16 yet it was csncelled later that day. 

The reason I asked is that people have expressed surprise that a test is necessary when their cruise is less than days away. 

SO what does HAL do if a passenger on a cruise that requires pre-cruise testing shows up to check in and hasn't done the test? Does HAL test them or just refuse to let them board?

Is there a separate area in the MDR for Club Orange passengers? Just unclear how that works!

My Boarding Pass says Priority and lists my check in time as 2:40pm. Group 1. So I can show up long before 2:40pm to check in? 

1 hour ago, Jananza said:

If Sutamba is still the Maître d' and Keilah the hostess when you get there, you're in for a real treat. Our meals there--Eastern Caribbean, 1/7-14/23,--were lovely. 

I am making a note of this! Thanks. 

The HAL PDF describing the program is pretty helpful. It's on the Club Orange page of the HAL website. As far as cost - this is what it says:

"$25/person/day on cruises up to 13 days $15/person/day on cruises 13+ days."

After reading these threads recently I looked into CO and decided to see if it was available on my February cruise. It actually was. And though it did not appear as though there were any cabins were available for the upgrade - I was wondering what the "alterative benefit" would be -  they found me one. I went from a VH balcony - which I was perfectly happy with - to a VA.  Since I was on a roll I also booked it for my August cruise on the NS. A separate dining room will be lovely. Again, I went from a VH to a VA. My TA did take some educating and she finally found someone at HAL who understood the program. 

So in Sydney if you don't have Verifly you can't enter the port check in area?

If it were me I would send HAL a message on their FB page and if no response then post your experience on their FB main page. Very poor customer service. 

22 hours ago, cookmg40 said:

Thanks.  I had a chat with NCL and it gave us all a laugh.  They cannot explain their own rules.  The rep kept telling me to go to the Greece embassy website and I told him that the website says no test is required. 

My sail date is May 29.  Our current plan is to get tested in Athens the day before boarding, which would fulfill the 72 hour and the 24 hour requirement.  If they need a second test, we can take the Eurofins test at the port, which we had to register for.  Please report what your situation was at the port.  Hopefully for the May 15 and May 22 sailings, the information gets a little clearer, as Israel will not be on the itinerary.

Any information from your experience will be greatly appreciated!

 

Thank you.

So I just boarded the Jade. Paid for and had the 72 hour before test. They never asked to see it. Pretty irriated by that. 

And NCL didn't notify me either. I wouldn't have known if not for Cruise Critic. 

I wish that NCL would stop changing the rules weekly. I now need to find a place to get tested in Istanbul before I fly to Piraeus. 😞

Thanks!

The reason I ask is that I just booked a cruise on the Jade in May (2 weeks from now!) through the big box store. The fine print references the Premium Beverage Package in 2 places. But when I got to my NCL account this is what it says:

So what is this Adult Beverage Package? Is this something I need my TA to sort out with NCL?

Thanks in advance. Looking forward to cruising again!