Banditswife

Ours is in 4 weeks- 10 days-Sea of Cortez on the K, add me to your club, LOL

Interesting, so the higher star hotels don't have them? I don't ever use the microwave, so I wouldn't care. I do, however use the fridge.

I am sorry you are not getting these offers, I have no idea of why I get them & you do not. The question is, would you be willing to take whatever cabin THEY choose for you & not know until about 10 days ahead of your cruise what cabin you ended up with? I have had some decent cabins & some not so great cabins, but I am willing to accept whatever I get.

No, I am not comparing HAL with budget hotels, just stating a fact that most hotels/motels provide a microwave. I am guessing you just haven't noticed them in the hotel rooms you have stayed in. Next time you stay in a hotel, look for a mini fridge & microwave, you might be surprised. Sometimes they are hidden inside a cabinet. For us, staying in a budget hotel (as long as it is clean, has hot water for a shower) allows us to travel more frequently.

I agree that even if I pay a big amount for air, I am still saving $. We usually spend $ in the casino & elsewhere on the ship. Selling these "free" is a way for the cruise lines to make $ on cabins that are less likely to be sold. And remember they are not totally free- we pay port fees, taxes, crew appreciation, buy drinks, specialty restaurants, & spend a bit in the shops.

Even the lower budget brands have microwaves & mini fridges. Lower budget referring to Super 8 Comfort Inn, etc

We have booked a few of these & yes the airfare is usually more than the cruise fare- we live in Kansas, difficult to drive to any port for us. And yes, they are always for a guarantee cabin, usually inside, occasionally OV. We figure we are not in the cabin very much & don't mind the less attractive location we end up in. If we like the itinerary, can mange the airfare & time away- why not?

OOPS, didn't think of pace maker folks. But yes, I believe microwaves are safer these days.

I usually have problems with their site, just wish it was more user friendly & with a better functionality with all browsers.

We sail Koningsdam next month. Looking forward to our 1st time on the K, specifically, but we have sailed her sister- Nieuw Statendam. We love the Grand Dutch Cafe on this class of ship- a must try IMO. Free pastries, light lunch offerings, & several types of sweets included at no additional cost. Love the coffee they serve there for a small fee. Music walk will have a variety of music to enjoy. There are usually a few kids onboard, but are usually well behaved. Cruise critic is a good place to get ideas of what is available on HAL vs other lines. Enjoy your cruise

It would be nice to see a microwave somewhere in the buffet area for public use. I would like to reheat my coffee sometimes. I can understand the reasons for not having them in all the cabins, way too much for cabin steward to clean, danger of fires, power surges. etc.

I have never been on Eurodam, nor used a Cpap, so can't answer about electrical outlets. But, yes there will be a hair dryer. On Nieuw Amsterdam & Nieuw Statendam, the hair dryer was in the desk drawer along with a 3X magnifying mirror- not in the bathroom. Any ship I have sailed the hair dryers are located there & are a bit weak-IMO.

HMC is usually such a short port day, I never saw the benefit of a cabana. But everyone has their own opinion of what to splurge on. Enjoy your suite on the ship with the wrap around- now there is a splurge I wish we could afford.

On NS there was a paid coffee bar in the lido buffet area, but not sure if that is true for Eurodam.

Yes, Explorations, deck 12. I sometimes found the desk unstaffed, but they did post a schedule of operational times.

Hear hear, I quadruple that sentiment. I have learned so much & been more prepared for my cruises because of reading all your helpful advice CC posters. Thank you for the time & effort you put into this site.

Grand Dutch Cafe & Explorations are open earlier 6:30 -7 AM IIRC. Plus Grand Dutch has some free pastries & yogurt parfaits. I would go there every morning, but remember their coffee has a fee attached. For free coffee, Lido has coffee early, but not nearly as good as the paid coffee.

My all time favorite in land based restaurants. Have never seen it on a ship. Which ship? I will look for it on day 1 in Lido buffet from now on. Edited to add: thanks for showing pics of HAL's version of peanutbutter pie, now I know what to look for. In the land based restaurants where I have ordered PButter pie it is more of a cream pie w/ whipped topping or meringue. Creamy & lightly flavored w/ peanutbutter.

My comment was about a couple who kept criticizing the cruise we were on & comparing it to their extensive exotic travel. This had been our 1st longish cruise through the Panama canal which we had saved for several months to do, to us it was the most interesting cruise we had been on thus far & the longest. They just spoiled our enjoyment by their comments. The bad thing was, they were on our roll call & we ended up seeing them a lot on our roll call events.

I also enjoy listening to people's advice about ports & their travel experience. Just don't down play the cruise I am on because you had a more exotic vacation & are disappointed in the current one.

Bennybear-Yes, I think that was just a 1 time bad luck of the passenger pool. We went away thinking if that was HAL, it wasn't for us, but have since learned it is not. I heard passengers talking about thier multi million dollar mansions, bragging about their extensive travel, talking about the more elite cruiselines & my singer guy told me in detail about his barber shop quartet experience. My husband & I live a modest lifestyle, but obviously have enough $ to cruise since we are able to do so often. And yes, we have met many people who are gracious & probably wealthy.

Cruising is definitely different. Pre pandemic vs post pandemic. Even though there have been many cutbacks, crew & passengers seem genuinely happy to be sailing again. We have found many wonderful cruise friends & have had great service from crew since the restart. Of course, there will always be those few exceptions. I remember a lovely couple from our Hawaii cruise: she was in a wheelchair, non motorized, & he had a scooter. They were always seen together with him pulling her wheelchair with his scooter. They obviously adored each other after many years of marriage. I want to be like them...still happily married after many years, no matter our mobility issues.

We have booked several of the "free" OV or inside guarantee casino offers. We had to pay the full amount at booking. Free, for us, meant about $700 -$900 for 2 passengers depending on length of cruise, itinerary. We had to pay port fees & taxes + the $200 you get back as OBC or casino credit. But be prepared to book & pay upon calling or using a TA, sometimes the offers disappear quickly.

Is it true that the Mexican (Sea of Cortez) cruises are even less dressy than Caribbean? I enjoy dressing up a bit, but hubby prefers more casual.

Also keep in mind as wdw1972 says they are now "dressy" nights. And the dress code has relaxed quite a bit. Hubby got by with a nice button down & slacks, while I wore slacks or nice dress.