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Very good advice!

I absolutely love the Retreat on Solstice. While no sun deck, the butlers (excuse me, PHRs) & Michaels Club team were incredible as were the folks in Luminae. I totally felt this. I was very impressed by the front desk as someone coming over from Holland America which has the most useless and unhelpful front desk people fleet wide (despite all of the other areas of service being fantastic).

The dinner looks much more to me like the late night snack buffet which is quite sad for a cruise line trying to position itself at the upper end of the premium market or into the luxury segment. I can totally understand the need for a change, but there has to be a happier medium. One thing HAL does is they largely have the same food in the buffet at dinner that is on the MDR menu, just served off the buffet. I think something like this with better options while still having fewer stations would be workable. I also would hope they expand this on select days like late night port calls where the buffet is likely to see increased traffic. I also feel like the room service charges should be waived for Aqua Class & possibly concierge class. Or maybe include hot breakfast for Aqua class at least.

I just booked Encore for this summer and really struggled over the choice between a forward facing penthouse or the courtyard penthouse with balcony. I am going solo so I finally decided that the smaller room that was inside the complex would be better. Also, it looks like quite a long walk from the front of the ship to the forward elevators, so it seems like the convenience is worth the extra cost and sacrifice in space.

If you are lucky they will be 45 minute sets. I have had a number of cruises over the past year and a half where the sets were extremely short (12 minutes being the low end of the extreme). BB Kings in particular has been the most inconsistent in my experience.

I routinely do both Neptune & Cabana on HAL cruises (at least in good weather destinations, I would not do it again for coastal cruise or Alaska). So far I have only had good cabana experiences other than where it has been impacted by weather which of course HAL cannot control. I mostly cruise to relax and do nothing. There is absolutely nothing better than sitting up there all day on a port day while they keep your drinks refreshed and bring lunch from the lido or the Grand Dutch Cafe. On sea days I always do Pinnacle Grill lunch, but it is nice having somewhere to hang out and relax during the day time. Service stops at 5 but I don't think I have ever been kicked out at that time. I usually leave around 4:30 or 5 anyway to get ready for dinner and the evening.

I routinely make my rounds up and down deck 2/3 getting 2 cans at a time from each of our key cards on embarkation day in the evening. If needed I will swing by the lido bar before going back and starting the circuit again until I have enough sodas for the next day or two. After that we just keep getting 2 at a time here and there to maximize the drink package and keep the mini bar full (we always have it emptied). Have never had a problem getting 2 drinks per card - even if I go by myself.

Assuming this is round trip Vancouver or Seattle, you can absolutely take this to the bank!

Looking forward to my first NCL cruise in May, I am glad that there will be so much convenience available!

Ironically they announced this change less than 24 hours after buying a cruise within final payment. It will be interesting to see the changes that take place between now and when I sail in May. Hopefully they still will have good entertainment even if it is somewhat more efficient (read cheaper and scaled back with fewer people to pay). I imagine I will still be impressed - I have been sailing HAL on much smaller ships for a long while, and their offering is extremely repetitive and in some cases pathetic.

Just booked my first Haven Cruise & first NCL cruise in nearly 20 years. Our last trip with them was pretty awful and we wrote off the line. Of course so much has changed since then. We have primarily sailed with Holland America in Neptune suites but have recently been curious to try other products and was very impressed with Celebrity’s retreat. Reading this thread has been so helpful so thank you all for the information. I’m sure I will have questions but I have another 30 pages or so to get through first. I will be sailing on the Encore in a Courtyard Penthouse with Balcony. I really agonized over that and the forward facing penthouse. As much as I loved the forward window and having more space and better pricing, I am traveling solo and I decided the convenience of having everything right there outweighed everything else. This is also my first time on a large ship (the largest I’ve done so far have been Celebrity Solstice & Koningsdam so this is really a step up in terms of size). I can’t wait to give NCL & the Haven a try. The videos I’ve seen of the space on Encore are quite impressive. And given that this is an Alaska cruise in May I think having the Horizon lounge for glacier bay is a huge plus since it may be too cold to spend much time on the balcony.

Do they offer shoe shine/polishing service by any chance?

I’ve had it at closing time on HAL where they would do last call and ask if you wanted 2 alcoholic drinks. Not sure if this was a one off or not. I’ve definitely been able to get 2 non alcoholic or 1 alcohol and 1 non alcohol regularly there.

We started between 8 & 830. I’d hate to think how disembarkation would be there especially on a bigger ship. Boarding must really start late

I am! That is definitely nice and a bit earlier than I’m used to with HAL (though I understand rooms will not be ready until later on). Thanks!

What time does boarding typically begin for X? Our boarding window is 11:30 but the shoreside concierge said we can arrive any time after 10:30 & we will be escorted through check in and on the ship. Curious if this sounds about right timing wise? We are sailing out of Long Beach if it makes a difference.

As you all guessed SF customs was an experience. We got a letter suggesting it should be done at 9:30 Or so. They kept making announcements that customs was crowded and please wait if you didn’t have plans. Around 11:30 they asked for all remaining guests to come down. It took about 40 minutes to make it through the line. When I got to the front they barely glanced at my passport and took my picture and said have a nice day. I think I could have single handedly gone through 2 thousand people faster than they did. Customs did require a zero count of passengers and no one was permitted to reboard until the ship had been cleared. Which I’m guessing happened around 12:30 or 1. The ship did announce that shore excursions would wait for people to get through customs. Disembarkation in San Diego was a breeze. Just walked right off, grabbed our luggage and left. No line or anything.

They have definitely had issues with quality/consistency recently. In particular with BB Kings where the performances have gotten shorter and shorter among some groups. In part this is related to COVID and band members being sick (which is understandable) but I’ve also seen the full band do 3 songs per set (one of which being a long instrumental) and wrapping up a set in 14 minutes. Has been better on my last two cruises. I will also mention on some ships BB kings is being relaxed by the “rolling stone lounge” which is a confusing thing because it’s supposedly BB kings but with the musicians provided from somewhere else. I haven’t yet been on a ship with this so can’t provide any direct experiences. I assume they wanted to recycle the Rolling Stone name since they already bought it. But you think of rock when you hear Rolling Stones so it’s sort of confusing

We sail in suites and that is one of the things that has held us back from switching. A sky suite is a downgrade from a Neptune (in terms of the cabin, not necessarily in terms of the perks) and a Celebrity Suite or Royal Suite is about the same in terms of size but very different layout. Price wise I’ve always found SS to be somewhat higher than a Neptune and CS/RS to be much higher. It never really made sense to me to switch. What finally convinced me was getting a fantastic price on a Royal Suite solo cruise that I absolutely could not pass up. My mom ended up deciding to join me and she will be in a sky suite down the hall. So we will get a chance to compare both.

This is so true. I always feel like I’m at home when I come back to a HAL ship.

People who sail other lines are truly baffled by this one when I tell them. I always forget how spoiled we are that rooms are ready at embarkation. HAL also doesn’t rush you out of your room either like other lines do - I’ve always been able to stay in my room until I disembark even if it’s at the tail end of things. The steward May strip the bed, pull the towels, etc. but there is no feeling of you need to be out. It’s honestly quite impressive that they do this and really makes for a much more relaxing embarkation & disembarkation

There are several reasons we have been quite loyal to HAL (that being said I have two upcoming cruises on Celebrity that will be my first with the line and I’m looking forward to comparing) We mostly go on cruises to relax and have everything taken care of. I appreciate that everything is pretty low key. 1) The guests & crew. The atmosphere is very laid back and relaxed. No water slides, race tracks, ice skating rinks, etc. I don’t want any of those things onboard. While there may be kids and teens, they are generally quite well behaved and your fellow travelers are generally quite friendly and down to earth. Crew are outstanding across the board. 2) Love the music walk. As much as I dislike step one dance company & other Main Stage shows which are the same on every single cruise, I really enjoy the music venues and just relaxing. 3) Exc talks are exceptionally well done. Also enjoy the focus on enrichment such as cooking classes, guest lecturers, naturalists, etc. (though largely being replaced with EXC talks) 4) Familiarity. For me there is a huge benefit in knowing exactly where everything is, who does what, and what every show/activity is. It makes it easy to plan my day & cruise and I truly don’t feel like I’m missing out if I decide to veg out in the cabin watching movies or take multiple naps in a day. When I boarded Koningsdam this week I went immediately to my mister station before even going to my cabin, had them scan my nav pass on my phone and was then done and ready to start my vacation. I also know the phone extension for all major departments. If I’m by a house phone I can dial for the spa, or guest services or restaurant reservations without having to go back to the cabin or find the department. I also don’t need to spend any time learning the ships layout or studying specialty dining menus. 5) Neptune suites. We really enjoy the product. There is not generally anything comparable at a similar price point on other lines. The concierge does a great job with our needs. To move to another line would require a higher price point usually for perks we don’t particularly value. Not that I wouldn’t enjoy them, I just don’t find them of enough value to entice me to spend extra, and in most cases the actual cabin would be a downgrade even if the perks were an upgrade. I also absolutely love the aft wrap Neptune suites (deck 4 on the Pinnacle class ships in particular). 5) Itineraries. HAL has a lot to choose from, and more on the west coast than most of the other lines we would consider. 6) I much prefer the more traditional and mid size ship design on HAL than some of the more modern designs and bigger ships. This is not a comprehensive list, but some of the key things we really enjoy on HAL

I have not had any issue with refunds provided it was paid entirely by a credit card. Anything at all complicated (gift card, payment transfer from another booking, etc) is done manually and they are very behind in processing. If it was a simple deposit it should refund automatically in 3-4 weeks. If it is at all complicated all bets are off. Not sure who your TA is talking to, but they need to be talking to reservation accounting. If you can get your TA to share the iata number with you you can call and pretend to be them. Phone: +1 (888) 663-5384 select option 3 even though it says refunds are option 1 as that just tells you to email them and hangs up. You can also email them at the below email. Currently it’s 7-10 business days for a response and they may not respond but just process it and you will find out when you see whatever you requested happen (in my case a transfer of funds from a canceled reservation to a new one) reservation_accounting@hollandamerica.com I see much debate about ccl going under. I really don’t think they are going anywhere. They can sell off whole brands before they go under. Even if they do go bankrupt I think it’s likely customer deposits will be protected/honored as we saw in the airline chapter 11s. I think the bigger issue is they frankly don’t have the staff to deal with the volume of people booking cruises (plus so many cancels, rebooks, etc). So many folks were let go during the pandemic and it will take years to get back to the levels they need. Especially with their financial difficulties I don’t think they are particularly motivated to make drastic changes to staffing levels, though I’ve seen several jobs posted in Seattle for various HAL reservation departments recently so hopefully things improve there (and across the travel industry)

On HAL Boarding will begin around 11 or 1130 and rooms will be ready without fail by they time they start boarding. I’ve had it as early as 10:30 in some cases. Have never been delayed waiting for rooms either. They have done this for many years and have the turn down exceptionally well. They don’t rush you out of your room at the end either, even if you disembark last around 9:30. They may come in to strip/make the bed or grab towels, etc. while you are at breakfast but absolutely no pressure to be out before your disembarkation time. The turn around IMO HAL has mastered better than anyone

There are options. On some cruises the main dining room is open from 12-1. Frankly I’m not sure what determines this. I’ve not really noticed a pattern by ship or itinerary. Dive in which is their burger/hot dogs/fries place will be open as will the NY pizza assuming your ship has it (on vista & R class ships the pizza is just a station on the buffet and not cooked to order). Both of these let you order on the app if you want and the you can go pick up when it is ready, or you can go order in person. Also if you are on a Pinnacle class ship there is also the Grand Dutch cafe will be open and has some sandwiches & Dutch food as well as coffees, teas and some delicious pastries and sweets. Other than possibly embarkation day MDR is closed for all port days (if you arrive in Juneau at 1 pm on an Alaska sailing they will open with an express menu that has maybe 2 options). Also, the lunch menu (which is pretty large actually) will be the same every day they are open no matter how many sea days you have. On sea days I highly recommend the Pinnacle Grill which is a $15 surcharge for lunch and has the best burger onboard among other options.