oakridger

Excellent news about the grilled items. I just hope they offer it on the smaller ships also. 🙂 ~Nancy

I really am quite heartened by HALs upgraded offerings both in the entertainment and dining! I hope at least some of the upgrades will be offered on the shorter "non-Grande/Legendary/World" cruises going forward. Thanks for the excellent reporting! ~Nancy

@BermudaBound2014 those grilled fish fillets look great! So does the fresh grilled asparagus! I had not seen this on my previous cruises but will look to see if they have this on Zuiderdam in May. I appreciate the update! ~Nancy

I recommend booking your hotel yourself. It would be much cheaper.

If you are looking at Halfacts.com or cruisedeckplans.com the date the pictures were taken will be listed.

No self-serve laundry on any HAL ship. The onboard laundry service is excellent and at a "reasonable" charge by the bag or unlimited for the full cruise. ~Nancy

Retails for $5.49 at Total Wine. It might be okay for Mimosas????

Yes, please let us know!! It sounds like a great surprise! ~Nancy

That post with the menu is from 2018!!! ~Nancy

Clearly something isn't right about stopping movies at 10pm! I know HAL has a reputation for rolling up the sidewalks early but turning off the movies is crazy! 🙄 Seriously, though, they need to fix the movies as it can't really be intentional!! I'm also curious to hear what the ship said about this!! ~Nancy

This is correct information @McDeb2119. It, however, is true that you can't at this time reserve a specific time each evening for Anytime Dining pre cruise. On the ships I have sailed on the Anytime Dining entrance is on the lower level of the dining room. That may be different on other ships. Can anyone with more experience confirm if Anytime Dining entrance is on the upper level on some ships? Welcome to Cruise Critic @McDeb2119! ~Nancy

The TA should also send the "Booking Confirmation" from HAL which has the dining and bed choices as well as the payment details and OBC, perks, etc. Have a great trip! ~Nancy

Your TA should have booked your dining choice when they booked your cruise. Same with your bed configuration choice. ~Nancy

@St Pete Cruiser I'm looking forward to your reports from the Mediterranean, especially this time of year. Have a wonderful trip! Thanks, ~Nancy

I loved the Barbershop serenade! That's a fun idea and to benefit the Crew Fund.....even better! I usually never go to the game shows on ships, but I watched the video of the Love and Marriage and laughed and then got sentimental at the end. They were all such good sports. Thanks for posting it Pete! ~Nancy

All the HAL ships now have Starlink installed!

I was born there! Waaaay back when! Left after 5th grade. I am in touch with a couple people that still live there though. If you want, email me at oakridgercruise@gmail.com to compare notes!!! ~Nancy

Thanks. They do play in the Ocean Bar though.....correct? The Ocean Bar is where the Third Avenue West bands usually play, but maybe they play elsewhere on the ships also. When I was on Nieuw Amsterdam they only played in OB. ~Nancy

From what I can tell from reports here on CC, all but the Pinnacle ships have the Ocean Bar band, called "Third Avenue West". Please anyone let us know if that isn't entirely correct. I'm enjoying the report! Thank you! ~Nancy

Also, I just thought about the Club Orange program where you can get a higher-level cabin in the category that you pay for by purchasing Club Orange. There are many threads on CC describing the process. I will let others here answer questions about that. Club Orange Program Benefits (hollandamerica.com) OP @TomBeckCruise sorry for the thread hijack. I get sidetracked easily! ~Nancy

HAL doesn't have a bidding for upgrades program. They do random "upsell" (paid, not free) offers by email or your TA can call closer to sailing and ask if any upsells are available.

Sad, but true. ~Nancy

HAL does prime rib so well I cannot figure why they always put the gravy on it! I have asked to have it and the "Mustard Mouse" left off, but it still was served with it! Next cruise I will insist and return the plate if necessary. Why "ruin" good prime rib with all that stuff on it?? 🤷‍♀️ Keep on enjoying the trip! ~Nancy

That sure looked like a fun party and HAL did a great job! Too bad the 49ers lost though! ☹️ ~Nancy

@WCB it's too bad the 49ers didn't win the super bowl tonight. It's always so fun to get the community spirit even though I'm not really a big football fan. I'm looking forward to the Guam pictures! ~Nancy