BobbiSox

One of my favorites ships! It has Dutch Cafe and gelato station. Bring a few pair of pants a size bigger than you normally wear for later. (That gelato is just too hard to resist.) Have fun!

Speaking of excursions, I have always booked through HAL for the convenience and security. If the HAL excursions gets back late, the ship will NOT leave. If there is a problem HAL will never desert you. I don't think the other excursions, those purchased throung non-HAL agents, will be given the same courtesy. I don't mind spending the extra money, especially when I'm in a country where I don't speak the language, I really wouldn't want to be stuck there.

I'm not really loooking for excursion recommenations, at this point. Just wanted to know where to find the travel time to get to actual excursion. Sorry if it isnt clear. Thank you for your replies. I have see HAL posting warnings about the three hour bus ride to Paris, for example. My back injury prevents me from sitting that long.

Thank you all for your input. I booked a train ride around the island of St. Kitts recently and we were to meet at the pier. We were there ontime and waited, standing, for 45 minutes for the 'late arrivals'. Then we were loaded onto a small bus and traveled for a very long time to get to the train, all the while the driver sang religious songs and preached to us about her beliefs. It was very inapporpriate. We book all excursions andeverything else through HAL, for security purposes.

Is there any way to know how long the drive will be to the place where an excursions begins? Some of us can't do the two or three hour bus ride into town. I booked a Europe cruise for 2024 so I have time to research, but don't know where to being searching so I thought I'd start here. Thanks for any suggestions.

I find that a lot of the activites consisit of the passengers entertaining themselves, for example, trivia is very popular, although it isn't something that interests me.

When packing a bottle of wine in a suitcase, is there any thought given to the mess it would make if broken, not only to your own luggage, but any luggage unfortunate enough to be near by?

I often jump on the casino offers. I don't really know how they figure who is offered what, but they are usually great offers for complimentay cabins. I never look a gift-horse in the mouth.

The Nieuw Statendam has the Dutch Cafe, which is my go-to dining venue when I don't like the options in the other venues. It's just beautiful and the food is always freshly prepared.

I try not to engage in conversation with the crew, other than a polite greeting.They have enough to do without conversing with the guests. They are on a very tight schedule. There are plenty of guests who enjoy conversation with strangers and they have the free time to do so.

This is good advice about the cruisedeckplans webiste. I never book a cabin without checking there first. I signed up years ago, although you don't have to sign up to use it. It has proven to be a most valuable tool and has saved me a lot of headaches. There are going to be some cabins on all ships that just aren't that great, so why not be sure you get what you like.

I would jump on that.

Sometimes it's the principle of the thing and I get that. Sometimes it makes more sense to let it go. If you can't let it go, file a dispute with your bank. that's pretty easily handled, without taking much of your time, and it's much less frustrating. Good luck!

They give a decorative 'tile' that is 4x4 inches, and usually has a picture of a HAL ship. They aren't good to use as a coaster; they are not absorbent, at all. I have never found a good use for them, although my husband has been saving them in a box for 25 years, for what purpose, I have no idea. I supposed the little blue tote bag is a 'gift'. Club Orange guests get a nicer version of the tote bag. (He collects those also. Why? I don't know.)

Just a warning that you may not get correct information from the agent who answers your call. I recently asked an agent a question about a New England cruise and she replied: "where is that? In London?" She also was pronouncing Canada can-a-DEE-a so you can't really count on the agent to be knowledgeable about everything (or anything).

Dalesyang, I wouldn't advise cutting the line, even for a single item. Imagine if ten people wanted just one thing. The line would get out of whack. It may be considered rude to do so. If you like a shorter line, go off-times; I go as soon as it opens to avoid long lines. It's kind of hit-and-miss, with the crowds.

I'm not likely to sit in the MDR for over an hour to eat three courses. In 25 years, I have NEVER got my coffee WITH my desert, even after asking. They like to serve the coffee first, then the desert. Guess it's a Dutch thing? I get to Lido ten minutes before they open and I'm usually one of the first few in line, before everything is all picked over. I can have whatever I want and all that I want. My two complaints: 1- the food sits in 'warm' trays for thirty minutes before it is available, so everything is dried out. 2-there is always a question of where the line begins; there is nothing to designate that, a problem which could be so easily resolved with a little sign somewhere, LINE FORMS HERE.

Can you imagine the nightmare you will encounter if you should miss you flight due to traffic or any other reason, and you're in a taxi or some other non-HAL related transportation? If that happens and you're on a HAL transfer, HAL will take good care of you. HAL takes full responsibility for getting you to your flight on time, and when that's impossible, HAL takes care of getting you into a hotel, and booking you another flight. I can't stress often enough that if you're sailing will HAL, do ALL things through HAL. Booking, transportation, hotels, excursions, all of it. The extra cost is well worth it. Being stranded in a foreign country where I don't speak the language is something I try to avoid at all costs.

I always advise friends to pay the extra bucks and choose a cabin that would suit their comfort level. There are some really awful cabins. If you should have the bad luck of getting a 'connecting' cabin, just know that you will be able to hear every word, and every sound coming from that cabin, and that cabin will be able to hear every word and sound form yours. It's as though there is no door between you. Believe me, there will be sounds you don't want to listen to 24/7. Save up and get a better cabin.

I think you would have to get the answer to that question by speaking with HAL and it's not likely you're going to get any information about how they do things, or why. It depends on your comfort level; If you like a certain cabin, on a certain deck, near a certain venue, you really should choose your own cabin. Even a one week cruise would be a nightmare if you're in a cabin that you hate. I always choose my cabin to avoid any discomfort because I'm not a free-spirit; I'm an old lady who wants comfort and convenience, and I don't mind paying for it.

I was on several cruises (years ago) on the old ships that offered Lanai cabins, which are advertised as including two private deck chairs just outside, which were placed there early mornings, and removed early evenings. Without fail, the many times I went to enjoy my deck chair, I would find passengers sitting there, in my chairs. I would have to explain, very politely, that those two chairs were a perk for the lanai cabins, and not for public use. This information was never met with great enthusiasm, and often met with everything from a 'stomping off' to flat-out out cuss words being hurled at me, and most often, a refusal to vacate. Reporting this every day to Guest Services didn't help. I decided to stop booking those cabins, because I don't cruising to get into fist-fights.

This is an annoying situation, and HAL could think of some way to control it, but why should they? There's no profit in regulating chair usage. They should do away with saving of chairs of any kind; buffet, entertainment and any other venues where chairs are involved. If I see someone in an overcrowded venue 'saving' chairs for 12 people, I have no problem sitting in one and ignoring any comments that are hurled my way. Do people need to be reminded that this is not high school? First come, first served, no 'savies'. Furthermore, if people want to 'save' their seat, they should stay in it, or have no expectations of finding it vacant when they return from their lunch.

I have a long historty with HAL and I whenever I cruise with them, I do everything cruise related through them, including transportation of course, and without fail I buy the insurance. If anything goes wrong, and it has, HAL takes care of everything. They will rebook flights, pay for your hotel and meals when needed, and provide transportation. I have heard horror stories involving passengers who booked anything outside of HAL, for anything.

I bring an empty plastic water bottle in my carry-on and just refill it with the canned water when I go ashore. It's not always convenient to get water once ashore. No one has ever stopped me for binging onboard my plastic water bottle.

I have found the drink packages to be very confusing. I'm considering a cruise-line that does 'all inclusive'. Trying to buy excursions, and dinners, and packages for alcohol and soft drinks takes the fun out of the planning. I don't want to think that much.