BobbiSox

That's not a very happy hour. I wonder who thinks that's okay. I don't even drink alcohol and I don't like this. Maybe happy hour means something different in Holland?

We used to book rooms without checking the deck plans. We quickly learned about cruisedeckplans.com., which is free to use. We also discovered Mac's, which we rate highest after trying dozens of earplugs. I never leave home without them. They are very soft and really block out the noise. And no offense to the HAL agents who book your cabin for you, but they really aren't familiar with the ships, or so it seems, lol.

That's right BetsyS. Starbucks has free Wifi and they have shops all over the world.

If you plan on getting off the ship at any port, you can look around for the crew, sitting in a group somewhere, talking on their phones. They will be tanking advantage of the free Wifi. If it's convneient for you to stop by a resort, or any hotel really, most will let you use their Wifi as well.

What is the advantage to an early check-in? Seems to me that the later the checks in, the less time that has to be spent sitting on an uncomfortable chair in an over-crowded room.

The biggest problem created by this lack of service (although I can and have done without it) is I'm afraid if we don't complain about it, will become the norm. I think we shouldn't have to do housework on our vacation.

I have seen a lot of bad behavior on Carnival, not all of it rowdy, for example the men who think it's appropriate to wear their pants half way down so the rest of us are forced to see their butt-cracks. I have over 500 days on Holland America, spanning twenty-five years, and have witnessed only one group of thugs. They were in a bar and loudly making fun of everyone. Holland America's solution was to close the bar, at 6:00pm. Later I saw on the news that this group made a habit of cruising and tormenting guests until they were finally escorted off another ship at a mid-cruise port.

My 'special event' was canceled, with nothing offered to replace it. I made a fuss about it, and was then offered a complimentary lunch in the Pinnacle, which I thought was special enough.

Have you considered a very large-brim sun hat? I have one that even shades my shoulders. There's always the possibility that whatever you bring to attach to the chair, like in the photo, won't be allowed. It may obstruct the views of others and may also fly off and injure another passenger. The worse that can happen, if you decide to try it, is that security may take if away from you.

Before booking your cabin, you could go to deckplans.com and look at the cabin you're thinking of taking. You'll have access to a diagram of what will be above you, and under you, which is always a good thing to know. I I bought memebership for more detailed info, but you can also use the site for free to see the location of the cabins.

I'm happy to see nice things being said aout Elation. I live close to Jacksonville Port and haven't been on Elation for years. I'm now anxious to try it again. It's so conveninet.

I'm always expecting some rowdy behavior on Carnival. Recent short cruise on Liberty was over-the-top in the hotel part of the ship. Our neighbors across the hall liked to have a party for about twelve of their friends IN the hall starting about one o'clock in the morning. There is no way to call security from the room and now one answers customer serive at that hour. Making a complaint every morning at cusotmer service didn't change a thing. I wasn't about to try to speak directly to a dozen drunks. It's a party ship. I knew that. Too bad they don't insist on an IQ test before allowing passnegers to board.

It's always frustrating to hear noises and not know what is causing them. My best advice to anyone traveling by ship is to get some really good ear plugs, and a sleep mask. Ships rattle and clang and creak so the earplugs help. Always check the deck plan to be sure you're choosing a cabin which is surrounded by other cabins on each side, and above and below.

Got on the Liberty on Sept. 19th and check-in was a breeze. We sat in terminal waiting area for only ten minutes before we were called; we went to our cabin and the door was wide open. We dropped off our bags, closed the door behind us, and went on our way. Getting off the ship was fabulous. We were the second couple off this ship and the first out of the parking garage and no stopping at the customs; just face recognition. The platinum status has fabulous perks, and being first in line for everything was the best perk. Carry-on bags instead of checked luggage helps speed everything along.

People can't sit through a movie without eating something?

I don't know if anyone will ever figure out how exactly to get a discounted or free cruise on a casino offer. We used to get free Neptune Suites, and we weren't big spenders. Now we budget much more money for the casino, we cruise often, and we haven't seen a casino offer of any kind lately. I don't see a rhyme or reason there, and they certainly keep it all very secret.

Does anyone know what time the cabins are normally ready?

Some of the posters in this thread have mentioned feeling as though they are still on a moving ship, lond after they get home. This is frequently called 'disembark syndrome' and is medical name is Mal de Debarsquement Syndrome. There's really nothing that can be done to stop it; it has to run it course. I have never found anything that helps, even prescribed drugs didn't help. I've had it for as long as eleven days, but that's unusual. It is annouying.

It's a little noisy. It does use a pod and it does make one (very small) cup at a time. It's a little more complicated than a hotel type drip coffee maker. Store some cream and sweetner; the selection that comes with it is awful. The Neptune Lounge offers a similar coffee maker, also a little more complcated than it needs to be. I think it's more trouble than it's worth. I prefer to get coffee elsewhere, either in the Lido, or room service, or Explorations Cafe.

To my knowledge, a hair dryer from home is not allowed. It's considered a fire hazard. The ships' hairdryers have a special pulg that must be held in place by hand; otherwise, the plug will fall out of the socket. I have never had a problem. They have all worked okay, and you can always ask for another one if the one in your cabin doesn't work.

Just wondering if a Neptune is booked for the two people, and a Veranda (or any other less category) is booked for the other two people, it makes sense that only the two in the Neptune would have access to the Neptune perks. All four wouldn't have access to the Lounge, for example, or any of the other many perks, so how would that work?

On the 35-Day Viking cruise, the casino was small and not much activity in any of the 35 days, that I witnessed anyhow. There weren't any 'penny' slots and the minimum bet that I found was 30 cents. I never saw a crowded table. There was only one drawing one night (to my knowledge) and I won it, $25.00 in slot play so that's the best I did. Didn't hear a lot of whooping. Didn't hear any, actually. Of course I wasn't there 24/7.

I checked CruiseMapper and it showed Osterdam in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 19th. It also showed Rotterdam in Fort Lauderdale on November 20th, which is the day I embark for the 21-day back-to-back. I don't know why Cruise Mapper website would be wrong but it's cerainly possible. I do know that HAL sometimes makes mistakes.

In my experience, umbrellas were in the Neptune Suites only. My advice is to bring your own small one. The ship's unbrellas are really large and there is no comfotable way to carry them when not in us; no strap attached, so you end up having to figure out your own way to carry it, which I found to be quite clumsy.

Thanks for the heads-up. I am boarding in late October for the back-to-back Southern Caribbean, my first time on Rottordam. Before the Covid cutbacks, I have enjoyed the quartet , then the trio, and most recently on Zaandam, I enjoyed the duet. I don't know if HAL can have a classicla 'solo' artist in the Loncoln Center State, but they may just try it.