Banditswife

There were special "orange" cocktails available for purchase. Music & dancing was the major theme. Some wore orange, but it wasn't required & the shops sell trinkets that are orange. An orange headband, t shirt, tie- anything to feel part of the fun. This party is to celebrate HAL's Dutch heritage. Fun & very informal.

True story: we originally bought stock several years ago-maybe 15 years at about $25 per share, then the Costa Concordia disaster happened & we said we would never cruise again, so we sold for a minor profit. Fast forward a couple of years, & of course, we are cruising again. So we bought the 100 shares for $45+ per share. And then Covid hit in 2020, so we are at a loss over all. But having the shares makes the OBC possible, so as long as we are mentally & physically fit enough to cruise, we will keep the stocks.

I worked for the company that made these puzzles, I just found it amazing that Bostonjetset's photo is nearly similar-even the people standing outside the building. The tide is lower in the puzzle though.

That is how the candied bacon in Pinnacle looks, also reminded me of something my cats would have fun with.

I use cruise deck plans data base dot com. Many photos & some you tube videos

I have never had the privilege of staying in a suite, but I am sure those folks do a superb job. I have used the "let us Know" feature through the app, when guest services or any crew member has done something special for us. I also assume they are salaried, but don't know for sure.

My intention was not to make this thread controversial... We all have a right to our opinions, I don't think my son's white board harmed anyone.

I have always assumed that front desk people were either part of the tipping pool or they are given a salary, otherwise why would they work for the cruise line. It would be nice to know this for sure. Lots of times the guest service people have gone above their normal duties to help me with something, so it would be nice to know if tipping was part of their pay.

I have tried to use OBC to tip specific crew members extra, but was told by guest services that it would go into the general tipping pool, no way to tip a specific crew member- but our OBC was most likely non refundable.

I think the jokes & ducks are fun ways to enjoy our cruises. Most people get enjoyment from giving others enjoyment. My son did a white board with a new Bible scripture each day- got some positive comments, but also some negative ones. I worried that would really hurt his feelings, but he said "no, those are the people I want to reach." So just know that some people can be mean & negative & just brush it off. We have found & hidden ducks- we are well into our senior years. They are another way to have enjoyment by giving enjoyment to others. We even had a crew member tell us she collected the ducks too. It amazes me that a lot of people don't know about the "cruising duck" craze-fun & harmless. PS: we will be boarding the Koningsdam 11/25- the cruise after yours, I think. So I hope we find a duck left over from you. Have a great cruise.

I went & looked at our puzzle stash & realized we must have given that one away. But your photo looked so familiar.

Funny: we have a Springbok jigsaw puzzle with almost this exact picture.

You should be able to call HAL & get your dining changed. Our TA does get our dining time set as we want it. so maybe you should get a new TA.

Thank you for sharing.

We don't spend a bunch in the casino, but get the "free guarantee inside" offers. I think it is a matter of filling the ships. We still pay port fees, taxes, gratuities, shore x, & beverages on the ship. We rarely make complaints & are good revenue source due to our onboard spending. The inside cabins are probably harder to fill, & they might be hoping we upgrade the cabin for a fee. We do spend time in the casino & get to know the casino hosts. Most of the offers are for unpopular cruises, like 7 day Caribbean or Mexico. I was truly shocked that we got an offer for a holiday cruise this year-16 days. Keep in mind, we still need to purchase airfare & incur other expenses. All these offers have required us to make full payment at time of booking. As long as they send the offers, we will continue to book them.

So, if my husband was "verified" veteran last year for a cruise, do we have to send in the request for each cruise? We have the 100 shares too, but since most of our cruises are casino offers, I doubt they will honor the shareholder OBC, but worth a try.

Feel fortunate that you bought recently- we bought the 100 shares a few years ago-pre covid- when they were $45+ per share. So in the long run we are losers, just hoping for a good rebound. Our broker thought we were silly to own Carnival stock, until we explained the OBC benefits.

We have 100+ shares of CCL stock, hubby is a veteran. When we have booked these casino offers, the shareholder OBC has been denied, but I think we got the military credit. I do know that you have to have everything documented-military, educator, 1st responder, etc.

We get these offers & book them. We usually have to pay the port fees & taxes in addition to the $50 per person. If you log into the CCL website, you can see different offers there too. Your best bet is to call a PVP or TA with the appropriate rate code included in the email/offer. They can help you upgrade your cabin for an additional cost. These offers are great, sometimes include free drinks while playing in casino. GO! Have fun!

I buy the single serve cups, Keep them in original box-sealed from the store, then pack them into my checked luggage- never had an issue. I also pack some powdered creamer in my checked bags. To make lido coffee bearable/drinkable I ad a bit of hot water or ice it down, when I want cold coffee.

Not sure which ship you are looking at or already booked, but the Pinnacle class ships have the Grand Dutch Cafe. In the Gr Dutch cafe are many options for pastries, yogurt parfait, sandwiches. These are all included in your cruise fare. I think Explorations Cafe also has a few complimentary pastries. We used to be avid Carnival cruisers, still enjoy our loyalty perks with them. We tried HAL for an itinerary not offered by Carnival & ended up liking the more relaxed atmosphere of HAL, the older demographic. If you play in the casino, you will most likely get offers after your 1st HAL cruise. Try HAL & you might just like it as well as your usual brands. Yes, there will be things HAL lacks from your usual brand, but they will excel in other areas. One thing HAL excels at are their itineraries...

Hopefully "Crew News" will post his extensive & helpful menus. I have ordered many "mocktails." They are pretty good at being able to make whatever you request. On the N Statendam there was a menu at/near the sea view bar area that included mocktails. I think they can make just about any drink as "virgin."

Yes, I think they write our orders down on paper, then input them into the system. It is probably difficult to remember everything people have asked for, so the paper copy probably helps. I know I would never keep 6-10 people's orders straight.

This thread has drifted a bit, but am enjoying the chatter. The teeny insides on Pinnacle class didn't bother us much. Like others, we are only in there to sleep & shower. The bathroom wasn't too bad, loved the glass shower door. As a child, I shared a small bedroom with 2 other siblings, so no biggie.

Last inside we had on NS was teeny tiny- no love seat, barely enough room to walk around the bed. I ended up pushing the bed against the wall, which I am sure made cabin steward's work a bit harder... but I was comfortable.