Also Mostly Live from the NA 4th Sailing

[zgscl]

9 hours ago, dmcfad2 said:

Yours is the best reporting I have seen so far. Love all the pictures and details. I feel like I’m right there with you. Thanks for taking the time to do this!

You are too kind, thank you!

[zgscl]

17 hours ago, oakridger said:

The seas look so calm there around Juneau today.  I love all the pictures and information @zgscl!!!  Thank you for the postings.

 

~Nancy

Sailing has been very smooth so far! We were just told it will be rough tonight after leaving Icy Strait Point and until about 2 hours outside of Sitka. We are expecting strong winds and 12 foot seas. Will see how that goes from the aft.

[zgscl]

8 hours ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

 

Thank you once again for sharing you and your mom's cruise to Alaska and your Neptune Suite and experiences . Your photos and writing style and mostly live photos are first class . We tried to watch the video unsuccessfully on our Windows desk top and Mac Pro laptop but it did work on my wife's ipad mini . We have been hooked on Neptune Suite's ( Especially the aft ) suite trying the NS for the first time since our only cruise to Alaska back in May of 2017 . We really enjoy breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill ( Free Mimosas which they also used to deliver as breakfast room service) and have been very fortunate to have window seats there . We usually go early early every morning as part of our routine . The only time that we went without a NS was for our anniversary in March of 2019 when none were available on a Pinnacle ship the Nieuw Statendam . We didn't care much at all for the interior Club Orange cafe where they served dinner and breakfast . They didn't serve breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill and it's million dollar view is wasted . We loved hearing this Captain's soothing voice and announcements at breakfast both in Iceland and Antarctica and once my wife spotted a couple of Orcas just outside of our window while at breakfast . 🙂 😊

 

 

 

Thank you so much for sharing this. Am planning to be onboard the Koningsdam in November which will be my first experience with the Pinnacle class ships. I like the idea of a Club Orange restaurant, but it really should be placed so there are windows. Or at least put the breakfast in the Pinnacle which would be empty at that time. There is nothing quite like looking out at the passing ocean while having an early morning breakfast at sea.

[Lido deck main]

4 minutes ago, zgscl said:

Sailing has been very smooth so far! We were just told it will be rough tonight after leaving Icy Strait Point and until about 2 hours outside of Sitka. We are expecting strong winds and 12 foot seas. Will see how that goes from the aft.

Thanks for the reports.  Hope no one gets seasick.  We like it rocky sometimes. 

[zgscl]

6 hours ago, SilvertoGold said:

This is outstanding reporting, zgscl: great photos and the most informative and interesting commentary!  Thank you for taking the time and turning out a HAL lifeline for all of us stuck at home 🙂 I had a list of questions, but you have amazingly answered all of them in your great posts.  Brilliant! Enjoy your day!!

Thank you, I so enjoyed reading the live from threads while preparing for this trip and it is so great when stuck at home. Hopefully we can keep this trend going as all the other ships start to come back online.

[zgscl]

6 hours ago, PSR said:

I am also enjoying your posts and pictures! I have a question that you may have posted on, but I missed: are there usb ports by the beds in your cabin? We were on one HAL ship that had them, but not all do (at least the older ones). Thanks.

Yes! There are 2 on the bathroom side of the bed and one on the window side. The other wall outlets don't have them. Thanks to a Youtube video I saw I brought my EU adapter plug which has 2 USB ports in it so that has allowed me to add USB ports to the desk outlet. We also brought our power strip but have not needed to use it as there are ample plugs.

[zgscl]

4 hours ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

Thank you so much @zgscl for your great review and pictures. Both my husband and I are surprised at some of the differences from our first week July 24th cruise. The biggest thing my husband loved seeing was the Prime Rib in the Lido the first day you had, that looked amazing. In comparison our cruise was more of a shake down cruise and I suspect a lot of the provisions had not been added to the ship as of yet. Good example was the first night appetizer with the large shrimp you had. There was only very tiny shrimp in the mix in the one I ordered lol

I did notice several commented that their cruise card was punched for a landyard, I can tell you that neither mine nor my husbands was punched. Don't know if we were missed or it is random. We actually have never had a cruise card punched on any cruise. I wonder if they do that if they know you gamble in the casino?? Just a thought....

I totally agree with you about the aft suites/staterooms. We absolutely love them. While car or bus motion bothers me I am a happy cruiser in the aft and that motion just rocks me to sleep. That last week in July was the best sleep I had in 17 months. 

It looks like things are going great for you, just 18 more days till we return this time will enjoy Neptune life.

Thanks for bringing us along on your cruise!!

 

Thank you! I really enjoyed your thread and all of the ones since. It has been great seeing how things have developed over the first 4 cruises and I hope others will continue to post as they continue ramping up.

The Lido prime rib was amazing! I was really happy to see that come back and I think both the food and dining room have gotten straightened out quite a bit from what you first reported. They are now quite efficient and I don't think any of our meals have taken over an hour.

I actually have spoken with several crew members (I will not name any here in case anyone from management stumbles across this thread) and told them that we decided to wait until a few cruises in rather than go on the first one and the consensus has been "that was a really good idea." It makes sense that after 18 months or so things will take a bit of time to ramp up, and I know the supply chain is a disaster right now.

We have long avoided first cruises of a new ship, first cruise outside of dry dock, etc. and I actually just switched from the KDAM's first sailing back to one about a month later for the same reason.

Onboard it basically feels like a pre-pandemic cruise with the obvious exception of masks. While the dining room menus are definitely less extensive than they were and lobster has been moved over to the "indulge" section, it is readily available at far more meals than it was before albeit at a premium price. Hopefully when supply returns they will put it back on a Gala night menu.

Our cards were punched and we have never visited a casino in our 10+ years of sailing HAL. All of the cards I have seen are punched so I am guessing this was just something they missed on the first cruise back.

Glad to hear you are coming back so soon. I think you will find more returned than when you were onboard a couple weeks ago. Thank you for the idea of Pinnacle lunch after Glacier Bay - I think this will be our new tradition too.

[zgscl]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Your presentation of that steak is a bit odd, I think.

 

 

Request no sauce might be a solution to the taste issue.  When will the "McDonald's type of Hash Browns" become a thing of the past?  Never was a "Signature of Excellence" or whatever the "slogan of the day" might have been that was/is appropriate for a HAL breakfast.  

 

Enjoying your report and photos.  Thank you.  

Yeah the steak presentation was definitely not what I expected!

 

Totally not a fan of the McDonalds style hash browns! I agree they are not brand appropriate at all

[zgscl]

3 hours ago, Boytjie said:

They are indeed still there with blankets available to keep you warm. 

Thank you! I haven't made it out there since the muster drill.

[zgscl]

23 minutes ago, Lido deck main said:

Thanks for the reports.  Hope no one gets seasick.  We like it rocky sometimes. 

I enjoy sleeping on trains and ships and that rocking motion helps me sleep. I am sure others may not feel the same way though.

I think the roughest seas I have experienced were on the Pacific Princess on a RT Alaska cruise from San Francisco. I don't know how many feet the seas were but it really felt like we were on a roller coaster going up and down. Thankfully I never got seasick and it was at night so we were already in bed and did not have to walk around.

[St Pete Cruiser]

Thanks for sharing your cruise and with so much info.  The Nieuw Amsterdam is the only ship in the fleet I haven't been on.  I guess she is the newest of the old ships now, as the Pinnacle class is quite different.  

[Sharon in AZ]

6 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Your presentation of that steak is a bit odd, I think.

 

 

Request no sauce might be a solution to the taste issue.  When will the "McDonald's type of Hash Browns" become a thing of the past?  Never was a "Signature of Excellence" or whatever the "slogan of the day" might have been that was/is appropriate for a HAL breakfast.  

 

Enjoying your report and photos.  Thank you.  

My DH loves those hash browns. In fact he was complaining over this past weekend “why don’t we have any hash browns in the freezer?”  I like them somewhat, they just have to be crispy. Each to their own I guess. 

[erewhon]

Enjoying your reports and photos, thank you.

Pinnacle Grill breakfast is a pleasant way to start each day.  We always request no hash browns, and after the first morning the waiters automatically bring Vegemite for my toast.

[PSR]

7 hours ago, zgscl said:

13 hours ago, PSR said:

are there usb ports by the beds in your cabin? We were on one HAL ship that had them, but not all do (at least the older ones). Thanks.

Yes! There are 2 on the bathroom side of the bed and one on the window side.

 

Great to hear! Thank you.😊

[Euby]

It's great to read trip reports from someone else that has mobility issues.  I actually purchased an upright walker on Amazon to use on my upcoming cruise.  It was cheaper than renting something twice.  Plus I like the way it folds up so it is easy to get through any narrow doors or spaces.  The one I rented for my last cruise was a nightmare to get in and out of my cabin.

[SilvertoGold]

I may have missed this amid all the excellent info on this thread, but does HAL have any "newpapers" now?  I am thinking of the old printed NY Times Digest. What is happening with this?

[rkacruiser]

17 hours ago, Sharon in AZ said:

My DH loves those hash browns. In fact he was complaining over this past weekend “why don’t we have any hash browns in the freezer?”  I like them somewhat, they just have to be crispy. Each to their own I guess. 

 

Nothing wrong with the taste of them.  But, if I patronize my local diner for breakfast, why should I not expect freshly prepared hash browns?  If this small establishment can do so, then the Chefs in the Galley can produce such a product for my breakfast when I am dining in the MDR for breakfast.  Acceptable in the Lido Restaurant?  OK.  Given the nature of service in that venue:  yes, such would be acceptable.  

[aliaschief]

Thank you for your very detailed reports. Makes me want to be back onboard but have to wait til October. Miss the crew!

[Florida_gal_50]

12 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Nothing wrong with the taste of them.  But, if I patronize my local diner for breakfast, why should I not expect freshly prepared hash browns?  If this small establishment can do so, then the Chefs in the Galley can produce such a product for my breakfast when I am dining in the MDR for breakfast.  Acceptable in the Lido Restaurant?  OK.  Given the nature of service in that venue:  yes, such would be acceptable.  

Hal is a mainstream line.  Frankly, I’d rather them concentrate on them making nice lunches and dinners rather than peeling and chopping potatoes for freshly made hash browns.

[albingirl]

Thanks so much for this great report I have missed cruising terribly and this is good for my soul.

[Boytjie]

On 8/17/2021 at 4:30 PM, zgscl said:

Yes! There are 2 on the bathroom side of the bed and one on the window side. The other wall outlets don't have them. Thanks to a Youtube video I saw I brought my EU adapter plug which has 2 USB ports in it so that has allowed me to add USB ports to the desk outlet. We also brought our power strip but have not needed to use it as there are ample plugs.

In our verandah cabin we have a USB port and each reading lamp by the beds and we also have one at the desk. 

[Overhead Fred]

17 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Nothing wrong with the taste of them.  But, if I patronize my local diner for breakfast, why should I not expect freshly prepared hash browns?  If this small establishment can do so, then the Chefs in the Galley can produce such a product for my breakfast when I am dining in the MDR for breakfast.  Acceptable in the Lido Restaurant?  OK.  Given the nature of service in that venue:  yes, such would be acceptable.  

 

Hi Bob!

To each his own, but I would point out that this type of hash brown was very common in Full English breakfasts when I was traveling in England and Europe for work. Even in posh restaurants, I don't remember seeing other kinds (which may just be a reflection of my powers of recollection!)

[Trentjr]

Hello everyone and thanks zgscl for the fantastic updates. We are on the September 4 sailing, our first time on HAL and to Alaska. Very excited but my wife tends to get chilly. Does HAL offer a spare blanket in verandah staterooms, or will they provide one if asked?

[canadianbear]

2 minutes ago, Trentjr said:

Hello everyone and thanks zgscl for the fantastic updates. We are on the September 4 sailing, our first time on HAL and to Alaska. Very excited but my wife tends to get chilly. Does HAL offer a spare blanket in verandah staterooms, or will they provide one if asked?

There is usually an extra blanket but if not just ask or leave a note for room steward.  Let him know if it’s for inside or outside as they used to be different-not sure now.  

[scubacruiserx2]

7 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Hal is a mainstream line.  Frankly, I’d rather them concentrate on them making nice lunches and dinners rather than peeling and chopping potatoes for freshly made hash browns.

 

According to Fordor's Travel HAL's cruise style is a Premium cruise line. The author of this thread would like to have a better offering commensurate with price paid for the Neptune and Pinnacle Suites as well as the Pinnacle breakfast dining option . We don't think some fresh hash browns or home fries for a hundred people a day is unreasonable request .