RuthC

I prefer late sitting for dinner, which has been at 8:00 PM, so am finished sometime around 9:30-10:00. HAL is starting late dining earlier these days, though. Then, I have usually gone to the show, which was scheduled for 8:00 and 10:00, but Hal has switched the time to earlier, if they have a show at all. After that I have loved going to the Ocean Bar to listen to the combo, or the Piano Bar to enjoy the party atmosphere that was always such fun. But HAL has dropped the combo on most ships, and there are no Piano Bars on HAL anymore. Billboard Onboard is no replacement for a true piano bar. Especially post-covid, it's as if HAL is making every effort to drive people out of the public areas at the earliest possible hour. It's very difficult to find fun on their ships anymore.

Why thank you! You have made my day. 🙂

I haven't seen Karaoke on a HAL ship in years. The last time I know I remember seeing was 2010, although it's possible it has been since then and I just don't remember it.

You should be fine with any of these cabins. Both sets of adjoining cabins are connecting, which meets your first requirement. C-1078 and C-1080 are not under BB King/Rolling Stone Rock Room (whichever is on your ship at the time you sail); they are under a hallway leading out of that venue. Those cabins are about as close to mid-ship as you can get. They are a decent distance from the bandstand, so should be quiet. C-1045 and C-1047 look as if they are under a dead area just before the edge of Billboard Onboard. I haven't been in an outside cabin along in there, and don't remember being in an inside that far forward on that side of the ship, so don't know for certain, but think they would also be all right. Besides, the music venues close down so much earlier than they did in the good old days, I would take a chance on either set of cabins, but think your best bet is port side.

For anyone not using a mobility device, maybe.

Exactly. You can either head to the Pinnacle, or call there. You should also be able to make a reservation at a free-standing podium that will likely be in or near the Lido on embarkation.

The location of the cabin doesn't really matter in Norway. The view waking up and while dressing if fabulous, no matter where your cabin is. When you are up and dressed, you need to be outside, preferably in a place where you can see as much as possible, and it's easy to change sides as the spirit moves you.

Use of Luggage Direct is separate from using a HAL transfer. You can use one, the other, neither, or both. Your choice. Just be sure the 11:45 flight time is within the Luggage Direct guidelines, and feel free to take a cab. Ft. Lauderdale is one of the two ports that I, as a single, prefer to take a cab. It's a short hop, even less expensive than the HAL transfer (in most ports, the HAL transfer is less expensive).

It would be so much easier for us to make an educated guess if we knew your itinerary, including the time you sail from each port and how many nights the cruise is. Knowing what ship you are on doesn't help. The first and last nights will never be 'dressy' nights (they are no longer called 'gala' nights). Usually the dressy nights are the second night, and the next to last night. But I can't be sure since I have no idea what your itinerary is.

Four consecutive cabins? All sick at the same time? All doing back to back? Highly unlikely.

Four cabins in a row? All under quarantine, but no others in the neighborhood? Possible, but unlikely.

And yet, passengers without smart phones can sail perfectly well without Navigator. Is Navigator desirable? Perhaps. Essential? For some people, I suppose. Needed? Not at all.

Actually, it's 'Rolling Stone' (no 's') as it is affiliated with Rolling Stone Magazine.

I've been in most of the J-category cabins along the starboard side of Main Deck on all of the Vista and Signature ships, many times. Starboard is safe from the noise coming down from the Rolling Stone Rock Room, which is a lot more intense than any sound from Billboard Onboard. Port side, on the other hand, is not safe from that. I've been in connecting rooms along there a few times, and the only time there was any sound was when the woman in the next room was having a meltdown and yelling at the top of her lungs. But, you could also hear her in the passageway, and likely would have heard her from inside the cabin across the way. Personally, however, I would rather be in 1063 than 1031, merely because it is closer to mid-ship.

Were you on the same booking #, or two bookings in the same cabin? You have to be on the same booking # for your charges to be combined to count toward Cruise Days.

As CruiserBruce answered: Yes, absolutely. Cruise Days are based on charges, no matter when purchased---pre-cruise or onboard.

On the Zaandam and Volendam, only cabins with a balcony have a mini-fridge. Inside and outside cabins do not have one, although one can be rented (for $2/day, last price I knew). The question in those cabins is where to put it, as there is no reserved space. Sometimes people want it in the kneehole for the desk, making it very difficult to sit and do make-up. Other times they have it on the desk, closer to the closets, leaving little flat space on the desk. Those are pretty much the only two choices for placement.

Glad to see it on the shelf, and hope the inside cabins have them installed in the same place. Up and out of the way, yet easy to watch from the couch. Perfect placement. Thanks for the info and picture.

I'll have been executed. My cardiologist won't ever know what I ate.

Pinnacle Grille. I'll start with a cocktail, please. A Lemon Drop. I'll have the Clothesline Bacon AND the wedge salad for appetizers. (what the heck. it's my last meal, so I can splurge) For the main course, I would like the Filet Mignon, medium rare, mashed potatoes, asparagus. And Bearnaise Sauce on the side. That does come with some onion rings, I believe? And for dessert I would please have the Chocolate Volcano Cake. Thank you!

Very possible, even probable, if you were in a fjord. Did you try for any other OTA stations during those 10 minutes? That would be the proof.

Each class of ship will have slight variations in what the entertainment is, except for the R-class ships, which will be quite different from the other classes. There are no Piano Bars on HAL anymore. The R-class ships will have a piano player in the old piano lounges, which I believe have been changed to Mix on the R-ships. The other classes will have Billboard Onboard, which is dual pianos (not dueling pianos). All the other ships will have Rolling Stone Rock Room and/or BB King Blues Club (some ships are switching out one for the other). The larger ships will have Lincoln Center (for now; word is they are being phased out); the old R-ships have Explorers Lounge. The lounge entertainment at night can best be described as 'in flux'. Good luck finding much entertainment in the Ocean Bar. I haven't even found the customary combo playing in there for pre-dinner cocktails, let alone after dinner for dancing. Stage performances are so different than they were just a few years ago! The first night tends to be a slide show on the history of HAL. It's a good show, worth seeing, but hardly what I think of as evening entertainment. It would make a very good afternoon lecture, not to mention, you don't need to see it every cruise. Step One dancers have several shows, Cantare makes the rounds, once in a while there is a comedian. I don't find the evening entertainment anything worth staying up for---and I'm a night owl! Seems to me that HAL is doing everything possible to make people go to bed early so the crew can close up. I've often wondered if there is something in their contracts about how much time off they are required to get.

All one line whenever I was in it.

Be aware, however, that what appears on the computer Navigator does not always appear on the printed Daily Program. On my cruise last summer I would wander into a venue and find an activity that was not listed on my Program. If you do have a phone, then it would be a good idea to compare it to the written program to be sure activities you are interested in are listed---or add them in yourself. Then you can go about your day with all the info, and without your phone if you like.

Items sent to be washed are pressed, but pressing only is a separate charge. You can send the items and pay per item for pressing, or purchase a package. Seems like you don't need the package. My other suggestions are to hang your items in a steamy bathroom, such as after a shower, and let the wrinkles hang out. Another thing would be to hang them, and spray with Downy Wrinkle Release.