Searching for Sunshine on Zaandam 2 weeks inthe Caribbean

[3rdGenCunarder]

I had hoped to post sooner, but port activities and HAL’s “wonderful” IT have frustrated my attempts. So I’ll try to catch up this morning. Starlink is good when I can get on it. nIt worked great for a few days and then I could not get into Navigator on my laptop. Phone yes, but not the laptop. I would type in login dot com and see the Navigator home page for less than a second, then it jumped to Google. But I couldn’t USE Google because I wasn’t on the internet. Guest services tried. Two very nice women poked at my laptop for 10 minutes, but they couldn’t fix it. The next day, I remembered all the threads about “can’t get on HAL’s website.”  And the light lit. Incognito! When the site is being stooopid at home, that’s how I get in. Sure enough, works on the ship, too.

 

So here we go. If you have questions about Zaandam I’ll do my best to answer.

 

We departed Saturday, Feb 3 from MIAMI. Yes, Miami. For some reason, HAL moved a few Zaandam cruises to Miami instead of FLL. I was a little concerned because the ships all line up nose to tail, and that means traffic could be congested, especially with the new Icon of the Seas and another Something Big of the Seas, plus a Carnival ship with us.

 

HAL said boarding would begin at noon. I was in South Beach, so I called for an Uber around 10:45. I figured Uber would arrive around 11, get to the pier around 11:30, and after checking in, I’d have only a short wait. I was wrong on all counts. I requested an Uber and he showed up in 2 minutes. Traffic wasn’t bad until we got to the pier, and once we were through the entry bottleneck, he zipped right to Terminal E. I got into the building quickly because I knew to have my boarding pass and passport in hand, breezing past the people rummaging in tote bags and purses. Check-in was done at kiosks that take your picture and scan your passport. Every kiosk had a person to do it all for you, so it was super quick. And they were already boarding! It all happened so quickly and smoothly that I didn’t notice what time I got on board, but it was probably around 11:30.

The route to the port from South Beach goes along a causeway that parallels the port. I got a good look at the brand-new Icon of the Seas. Holy cow, it’s huge!!! I cannot see how that tall superstructure doesn’t overbalance the small draught of the ship. 7000 passengers—no thank you. There was another Something of the Seas, a Carnival, and wee little Zaandam. Only 1400 passengers. Although she lacks some amenities of larger ships, especially the thalassotherapy pool on the Vista class ships, I’d prefer this little ship to the behemoths.

I somehow ended up with a lot of OBC. I booked the tours I really wanted in advance, but gambled on booking others on board. I know that advance bookings are blocked 3 days out, but I was hoping Navigator would let me book tours once I was on board and connected to the ship’s system. It showed what was available, but the “book now” button was not showing. So I had to wait for the tour office to open. The Navigator app said they would be open 10-12 and 2-4. But they weren’t open at 11:45. The woman at the Club Orange line at Guest Services said they would open at 1:00, which turned out to be correct.

So a quick lunch at the buffet, which wasn’t crowded, then down to the tour office. When they opened, I tried to book my tours, but the system was having “issues.” The excursion woman said she would note my requests, whatever that meant. (I did get the tours I requested, so that was good.)

My Vista Suite (balcony cabin by a fancy name) is nice. Lots of closet space and drawers, more than I need, but I spread things out and used most of the space. I wonder if the ship has had a recent drydock/refurb. Soft goods—upholstery, drapes, carpets all look new. 

the bathroom doesn't have that pinkish beige plastic on the walls. They almost look like wallpapered with vinyl wallpaper.  Floor tile is large dark brown squares, not the old small tile (or am I remembering a different class of ship?) The balcony, however, is in need of work. The floor is stained. The chairs are stained, too. Looks like rust. And lots of rust on the metal parts. Hardly going to “ruin my cruise” as the saying goes, but quite noticeable.

Apparently, buying CO defaults your dining to open. I booked this as soon as it appeared on the website and got early fixed, my preference, I was not happy when I got my boarding pass and saw “open dining.” With the help of the Club Orange woman at Guest Services I got myself reinstated for early dining at a large table. It’s a table for 8, but there are only 7 of us last night. All very friendly and interesting. One man was a software engineer. His comments on the HAL navigator app were not kind.

He’s right. The app is decidedly screwy. My booking came with the Have it All promo, which means I got credit toward tours, a beverage package, and some onboard credit. I used up my tour credit as soon as tours posted, then decided I’d use the onboard credit to book the rest. But the tours I booked onboard show as purchased with HIA credit.

At dinner, we talked about cutbacks on HAL. Entertainment is meager. Menus clearly showing less expensive proteins. One of tonight’s mains is spaghetti and meatballs. I love spaghetti, but I don’t think of it as fine dining, which is what HAL wants you to think it is. And, while cruise prices are kept down to entice bookings, tours are definitely more expensive. So are the shops on board. They have to make up the money they lost during Covid.

 

I’m on the upper level of the dining room and sound level is good, unlike the din of the Pinnacle MDR. Waiter stations don’t seem to generate much noise. Chairs are comfortable. Several nights we’ve been the last table to leave our area of the dining room, always a sign of pleasant company. One night, I swear the assistant Maitre d’ gave me the stink eye as I was leaving. Early seating is 5, late is 7:30. It wasn’t quite 7, so they had plenty of time to set up.

 

After dinner, I walked by the shops. They had some stuff out in the walkway, and I looked at the jewelry. Nice larimar earrings, 50% off. I checked the price. $150. Are they kidding????? Not worth $75. Maybe half of $75. Maybe.

 

Feb 4 Half Moon Cay

I had booked the “snorkel by boat” tour well in advance because it’s a nice easy snorkel over two reefs. I took the first tender to the island, and got in line to check in (and do the disclaimer form). When I got to the desk, they said sorry, it’s canceled, it’s too rough. What a bunch of wusses! It wasn’t that rough. We could have done it. A few other experienced snorkelers I’ve met since then said the same thing. After lunchtime, it did get rougher, but the morning would have been okay. It’s only an hour and a half tour. We would have been fine.

 

I asked the HAL tour rep on the island why we weren’t notified. She said the boat crew had only just decided, so there wasn’t time. So much for the fancy app—it never notified me. So now what? My first thought was **** it, I’ll go back to the ship. IF I had known the snorkel was cancelled, I could have worn jeans and done the horseback ride, but I was in shorts. I finally thought, okay, I’ll do the nature walk. I had to hang around VERY bored and VERY annoyed for another 45 minutes waiting for that tour to go. I was ready to throttle someone. This is the THIRD time I have missed this snorkel. Once because they said they didn’t have enough people—I don’t know how many is “enough.” Once because the boat was out of commission (all season, yet they continued to sell the tour!), and now because they’re too chicken to snorkel when it isn’t like a millpond. And to top it off, when I got back to the ship, I turned on my phone and there still was no cancellation notice on the app. But there was a link to “tell us about your snorkel by boat tour.” Are they KIDDING??????? Ooh, I have plenty to say! But the link didn’t work. Maybe because my tour was cancelled. Maybe because the app is so bad.

The nature tour was okay and the guide was entertaining. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a hat because I hadn’t brought anything I didn’t need for the snorkel. So my face is sunburned and I’m sure I didn’t do my hair color any favors. Fortunately, I was wearing my “rash shirt,” a diver’s long-sleeve tee that has sun protection. I didn’t stay on the island for the barbecue lunch. I came back for a healthy salad lunch. And a little something from the taco bar. And a frozen daiquiri. So not all healthy.  

I wandered around the ship and found Explorations, with the specialty coffee bar. It isn’t in Crows Nest on Zaandam. It’s in the library. Yes, a library!!! One of the few ships where HAL did not remove the library. And there are comfy armchairs facing windows. And OMG, the armchairs are recliners! I may have found my happy place on board!

 

Dinner was sort of meh. I had parmesan crusted chicken breast. When I make it, I can taste the cheese. This was just bland breaded chicken. And it came with honey-mustard sauce. I asked to have it without the sauce. It came with the sauce—fortunately not drenched, but I guess there’s no deviating from what the kitchen is plating. At least I got my glass of wine tonight. Last night it never arrived. I have HIA so it wasn’t worth fighting over that. Table and bar service is not good. Cabin stewards are great, as they always are.

 

I am grateful to the nice Club Orange woman at Guest Services who got my dining time fixed. Tonight I went to the wrong floor of the dining room, where it’s open seating. A little after 5:00 and it was mobbed. I was happy to trot up the stairs and go to my set table.

 

After dinner I went to hear the classical duo. They’re good, but nothing like the Lincoln Center quintet that HAL used to have. Still, the lounge they play in was full. I walked by Ocean Bar and the piano player in there sounded good. So there’s hope for entertainment on this cruise.

 

 

February 5  At sea

Ahh, a sea day. Cloudy, but I had nowhere to go, so that didn’t matter. Time to relax and experiment with ship’s services. I had decided to order room service. I put my selection card out last night. I thought I’d start with just a continental breakfast, knowing I could top up at the buffet later. Assorted pastries, sliced fruit, yogurt. Coffee, OJ.

What I got was two small square pastries. I expected a muffin, pastry, croissant. The usual sort of assorted pastries. And can they be considered “assorted” if they’re the same? Fruit was meager. Two slices of pineapple that maybe constituted one ring. Two little wedges of watermelon. Two blackberries and four blueberries. And they forgot my yogurt. What??????? It’s a set menu—how can they get that wrong? They don’t offer a la carte. Used to be able to order 1 egg and some toast if I wanted a small breakfast. Or add a sausage or maybe bacon if I wanted more. Now it’s just a few choices and the only one with eggs is the “all American” with 2 eggs, bacon, sausage hashbrown, toast. CO and regular room service breakfast menus are the same except there’s a cost for OK and mimosa on the regular one and “complimentary” on the CO one. (MDR has two menus with that difference, too) Actually, I only did room service to get the fresh orange juice. And yes, it does taste like the real thing.

Since breakfast was smaller than expected, I went up to the buffet for sustenance. I wanted scrambled eggs and a little bacon. I don’t mind the scrambled eggs that are made en masse. “Liquid eggs” are real eggs. When eggs are cracked in processing at an egg farm, they are broken into a large container and mixed. (Trust me, I saw this on a tour of an egg farm). They do have a slight taste of the emulsifier that keeps them mixed, but they are REAL.

Well, today for the first time ever on a cruise, the scrambled eggs were powdered eggs. Seriously. I am not making that up. Again, trust me—I have memories of CYO communion breakfasts and I recognized the oddly dry mouthfeel of powdered eggs. I later commented that the eggs were powdered, and the server gave me a sheepish smile and nodded.

I spent the rest of the day recovering from breakfast and primping for “dressy night.” Not that it needs a lot of primping. For HAL I don’t pack gowns or cocktail dresses. Just dressy tops and dark trousers. However, I did see a few gentlemen in tuxes, which was nice. Two of the men at dinner wore jacket and tie—cool ties, too. The third wore a tie but no jacket. We ladies dressed very nicely. So our table was quite presentable.

Dressy night gets a special menu with lots of choices. Sorry, I didn’t get a picture. But it wasn’t that little card with only 3 choices at each course. It was difficult to choose. Several things I like, but they tart up perfectly good food with excess sauces and garnishes, and you can never get good info from the waiters—is the sauce on the side? (Meg Ryan could never sail with HAL) Is the sauce a big pool on the plate, or a little drizzle? So I went for a choice I knew I would like, sole served over rice, which was good.

After dinner, I went to Ocean bar to hear the band. HAL used to have The Neptunes, a wonderful jazz band in the bar. But that went away when they signed up with all the noisy bands, like BBKing and Billboard on Board. The bar band is back and it’s so nice to have music that’s worth listening to. Two guitars, drums, piano, trumpet, and sometimes a singer. They were followed by a “cocktail pianist,” who was excellent. Nice mix of songs, interesting arrangements. I was loving it until he slid into cliché mode. I know everyone loves it, but I am tired of New York, New York. This may be because I’ve heard it sung badly too many times. It’s been sung to death and I could happily never hear it again. Google Michael Feinstein Broadway medley and around minute 6 or 8 there’s a brilliant parody of the song. Then he swung back into some Gershwin and redeemed himself. I loved that it was “They All Laughed,” from a Fred and Ginger movie that takes place ON A SHIP. How perfect is that???

 

February 6 Amber Cove Dominican Republic

Amber Cove is one of those purpose-built port areas built by Carnival Corp. We were there with Carnival Celebration (about 5300 pax IIRC). The area has pools, water slides, the usual shops, bar, restaurant, etc. It’s huge.

Because none of the ship tours appealed to me, I booked something independent through a company my travel agency works with. If you don’t book a ship tour or an “independent” tour that has a deal with Amber Cove to sell and depart tours in the complex, you have to hike ¾ mile out to the street. Okay, I can do that.

Well, it was raining. Not a polite little drizzle. Rain. When I saw the weather, I decided not to take my good camera, but the waterproof instead. I had on a windbreaker, and an umbrella in my tote bag. I was ready for the trek!

Not really.

It was windy, blowing the rain nearly sideways. I saw umbrellas turning inside out, so I knew better than to try mine. I just pulled up the hood of my jacket. I stood for a few minutes debating what to do. People were getting off the gangway and forming a little group waiting to go back onto the ship. I wanted to join them, but then my science training kicked in. Two ships, one huge (Carnival) were on either side of the dock. Take a little wind, and give it a narrow channel, and you’ve got a wind tunnel. Okay. I just have to make it past the ships and it will get better.

Not really.

It was still windy on the open part of the pier. By the time I got out to where the tour operators were waiting, I was soaked. But I found the bus and got on. Only one other passenger at that point, but we were supposed to be a total of 11. They had said be there by8:45 or else, but with the rain they waited an extra 15 minutes, and all 11 of us were there. 

The “historic tour” was the typical Caribbean shopping tour. We first went to somewhere to “learn about” larimar and amber. No, just larimar jewelry pushed at us. Most of what was for sale was mass produced (probably in China) junk that you see everywhere. Then we would “learn about” coffee and chocolate. I know how they are grown and prepared and I have to say this was the shortest explanation EVER. But there was plenty of time to buy something.

We did see the cathedral and the street decorated with umbrellas. Then we boarded the bus to go up the mountain for the walk in the rainforest. It was a nice climb past some farms and vegetation, and then—I wish I had a picture of the road in front of us. I swear it looked vertical! The bus could go only about 10 mph, but we climbed and climbed and got to the top. I had to pop my ears.

We set out on our walk in the rainforest. Ironically, it was no longer raining, but the wind knocked water off the trees, what I call “tree rain.” It was a nice enough walk, but botanically disappointing. It’s a rainforest, lots of tall trees and some vines, but along the trail they had planted the same few plants, the usual tropicals that are planted everywhere. Red ginger, “shrimp plant,” a few others. I was hoping for more interesting flowers.

Next we went to see the statue of Christ the Redeemer, a replica of the famous one in Rio. Locals offer to take your picture posing in front of it so that you’re holding the statue’s hand or both hand as if you’re giving it a piggyback ride. Tacky. I declined.

Then it was time to go back down. Not by the road. By cablecar. It’s a very long ride, and on a sunny day the views would be spectacular. Even on a cloudy day, it’s impressive. And a lot faster than the road! It was good to get back to the ship and out of my damp clothes.

One more food comment. Several of us chose the turkey dinner. Turkey was good. Stuffing (apple and pecan!) was excellent. But what was up with the “cranberry sauce?” To begin with, it was pinkish red. We could not figure out what it was. Sort of tomatoish, but sweet. But for sure not cranberry. The chef is confused. Quinoa and raisin salad had craisins in it. Raisin bread has craisins, not raisins. And what SHOULD have cranberry didn’t.

I would rate the food and service as “needs improvement.”

 

CANTARE!!!! Yes, finally, ten years after they started, I got to hear Cantare. Like the other groups on HAL, they’re on contracts, and the group is assembled by the agency based on the blend of their voices. All four were excellent singers, and there was a little banter, but not too much. And just enough choreography and movement around the stage to make it feel lively, but not overdone. I hope they will do another show.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Wednesday February San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

Oh look! It’s raining again. We didn’t dock until 11, so I slept in and then went to the dining room for breakfast. I got the Club Orange menu, which showed the OJ and mimosa as complimentary. So I had the fresh OJ. Like the room service menu, it didn’t allow ala carte, but it had several set breakfasts, including the all American, corned beef hash, various benedicts, etc. I think you probably can make changes in the set choices.

 

I had the “full English.” Well, almost full. I asked them to leave off the beans. I just don’t get the idea of beans for breakfast. Proper banger and bacon, and even a fried slice (actually half, which was plenty considering the fat content of the whole meal).

 

There were six ships in port, including us. That was a total of at least 15,000 people swarming the city. We drew the short straw, or whatever it is they do to assign docks. Four ships docked at the city, but we were by the airport, along with Adventure of the Seas. There are two terminals there. Adventure had a decent one, but we had the one of last resort. They must use it only when they have 6 ships. Looking at it from my balcony, I could see that it had been damaged by the big hurricane 6 or so years ago. And not much had been done to it since. The main part of the building was okay, but the overhangs at the edges and the remains of what had been a movable gangway were missing materials…like railings at the edge of floors. The bus “shelter” where we would pick up the shuttle had a framework, but all the corrugated metal roof was gone.

 

The gangway was at dock level. It was in poor condition, too. The treads that give people traction to get down the slope were very worn. With the rain coming down, I saw a few people slip. They held people on the ship while someone fetched a rug that could make a safer surface.

 

I had wanted to go into town before my tour, but with the rain I just stayed onboard. My tour was at 4:00, with a meeting time of 3:15. The original meeting time was 3:45, but that was before HAL found out we’d be docking out of town. It wasn’t a 45 minute drive, but they factor in the time spent waiting for the bus to fill.

 

The rain wasn’t too bad when we got into the city. We found our guide, Nico, which I guess is short for Nicole. Puerto Rican ancestry, but raised in Brooklyn. She studied acting, but never got any roles. She said she was a “professional auditioner.” So now she’s living in Puerto Rico, doing travel writing and working for the tour company. Her acting background made her a great tour leader. We were going to walk and eat and drink. This is one of the HAL tours that’s done in partnership with Afar or ATK or something. I doubt it. The tour company is called Spoon, and they do this tour regularly, not just for HAL.

 

She gave us some history as we walked through Old San Juan to our first stop. If you’ve been there, you probably recall the brightly colored buildings. The Spanish painted everything white originally, but people gradually started using colors. A local who had studied architecture and archaeology started a movement to preserve Old Town. Buildings there have restrictions on changes, to preserve the original look. This man did a survey of what people liked about old town, and the number one answer was the colors. So now the preservation committee (or some such body) has a palette of acceptable colors. And the rule is that a color may not be used more than once in a block.

 

First stop, we learned to make a San Juan Mule. A Moscow mule made with Puerto Rican rum instead of vodka. REAL Puerto Rican rum. According to Nico, Bacardi started in Cuba and moved to Puerto Rico in the 1950s. So they make Cuban rum. She’s very much a cheerleader for Puerto Rico.

 

Next stop, another drink. Rum and a choice of juice. I tried the tamarind, which was a bit spicy. Not hot spice, but like cinnamon taste. With that we had pork shoulder with beans and rice. Puerto Rican food is not spicy like Mexican. If you want the extra burn, you can always add hot sauce. There were two for us to try here.

 

Then some walking to settle the food because there was more to come. This time the drink was water, and the food was a special way of cooking plantains. They’re fried quickly then mixed with spices and mashed. It was good, but I was getting full and could only eat half of it.

 

One more walk and then our last stop was another rum drink. Rum and lime, but not exactly a daiquiri. And a sweet squash nibble for “dessert.”

 

Back to the ship in time to run up to the buffet to snag a dessert. I was concerned that I was going to miss opera cake! So I grabbed one and it’s in the fridge until tomorrow.

 

Thursday, February 8 St. Thomas US Virgin Islands

Aaaaannnnd it’s raining again. I didn’t have anything booked, so no need to go out. Plus St Thomas is a been there done that place for me. There’s a mall at the Havensight dock, so I figured if there was a break in the rain I would have a look around.

 

I’m glad I did. Probably 75% of the shops are jewelry stores. The rest sell souvenirs. I poked around a bit, but didn’t find anything I had to have. Some of the jewelry stores also sell souvenirs. You have to be careful not to look at jewelry. If they see you, they start the sales pitch and you almost have to be rude to get away.

 

The next street over had a few stores and oh my! A microbrewery!!! So I had a flight of 3 ales and a stout for lunch. Good beers. I like ales, and a lot of micros just do ales because they’re easy to brew. But Leatherback Brewing (named for the turtle) makes a lager and a pilsner and a few fruity beers in addition to the ales. Quite versatile.

 

I got back to the ship just before the next round of rain. The whole Eastern Caribbean has been deluged this week. Winds have caused rough seas, which caused some ships to cancel port calls. 2 or 3 Princess ships skipped their private island. A Carnival ship hit a pier in Jamaica. So we did comparatively well, staying on schedule and not damaging anything.

 

Tonight’s dinner had great port to table choices. Shrimp taco starter and carne asada for the main. I still haven’t had any of the CO offerings.

 

Beautiful sunset tonight. I hope that old “red sky at night, sailors delight” thing holds true.

 

[albingirl]

Thanks for your review.  I'm enjoying following along!

[Mosaic]

Thanks, for all the Detail!   Who is the current Captain and Hotel Manager???

[DCThunder]

What sort of entertainment has been presented on the World Stage?  Boarding Zaandam on Saturday for the Amazon cruise and am interested in what will/may be available there on our cruise.

Edited February 12 by DCThunder

[REOVA]

3 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

This is the THIRD time I have missed this snorkel. Once because they said they didn’t have enough people—I don’t know how many is “enough.” Once because the boat was out of commission (all season, yet they continued to sell the tour!)

 

We stopped booking tours on HMC. If you have your own snorkel gear (mask and tube) you can walk all the way down to the end (right) of the beach and walk in about 20 feet with lots of fish. It won't win awards like some other islands but it doesn't cancel (unless you can’t tender to island 😉). 

Edited February 12 by REOVA

[3rdGenCunarder]

On 2/12/2024 at 11:10 AM, DCThunder said:

What sort of entertainment has been presented on the World Stage?  Boarding Zaandam on Saturday for the Amazon cruise and am interested in what will/may be available there on our cruise.

 

We've had Cantare twice, Step One once or twice and again tomorrow. Two comedians, a saxophonist, and a singer. I think your cruise may be why we got Cantare. They do up the content for longer cruises.

 

There's a piano player in Mix. He sings, too. I haven't heard him, but comments make him sound a bit cheesy. Cocktail pianist in Ocean Bar plays a variety of music. His best arrangements are standards-- Great.American Songbook. That's what he likes best, and he does not have pre-set playlists. Unfortunately only the two Rs have the cocktail pianist. And there's a ocean bar band. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

On 2/12/2024 at 11:17 AM, REOVA said:

We stopped booking tours on HMC. If you have your own snorkel gear (mask and tube) you can walk all the way down to the end (right) of the beach and walk in about 20 feet with lots of fish. It won't win awards like some other islands but it doesn't cancel (unless you can’t tender to island 😉). 

 

 

I travel alone and I don't want to snorkel so far away from other people, or I would have done that. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

 

Chapter 6 Something strange in the sky

 

I fixed my computer problem! (more on that later)

 

February 9 At Sea

Well, this is different. There’s this big bright yellow thing in the sky. Yay! Sunshine.

 

There are more programs on the ship on a sea day. Today they did Ask the Captain. The Cruise Director started by interviewing the captain, then she took questions from the audience. After spending ten minutes at guest services trying to get my computer on their system, I wanted to ask why HAL’s IT is so bad, But I didn’t. One person asked why the public rooms are so cold. The captain hadn’t heard that, but said he would check on it. (The dining room has been so cold at times I almost shivered.)

 

Another person asked about azipods. I didn’t know that Zaandam (built 2000) has propellors and a rudder. I was tempted to ask about the future of HAL’s two oldest and smallest ships, but I’m not sure I want to know, since they have already shed 6 of the 8 (7 of 9 if you consider Prinsendam). A ship can go a lot more than 24 years. Both Norway (formerly France) and QE2 almost made it to 40. But I worry that people want new new NEW! Lots of bells and whistles. NEW! tends to also mean large. The captain said (as they all do) that he doesn’t see HAL going to anything larger than their current largest ships. This was met with a loud round of applause. Of course, he was “preaching to the choir,” as we were on one of the smallest ships.

 

Next I went to a presentation on flower arranging. One guy does all the flowers for the ship. There are a lot of large arrangements in public areas, plus flowers for the tables in the special restaurant and flowers that are ordered for cabins. Someone asked which he likes to do best and he said the large ones. You just (and he gestured almost as if he was tossing things), and you’re done. Oh sure. Not me. I worry and fuss and take forever. He did one centerpiece in shades of pink. Then he did a bow vase, named for its resemblance to a ship’s bow. And finally, an asymmetrical arrangement with a bamboo background, birds of paradise, roses, and carnations. Gorgeous. I love asymmetrical arrangements but my brain is too tied to symmetry to do them well. When he was done, they raffled off the three arrangements, and I won the birds of paradise one! Perfect timing. The bow vase arrangement I bought for myself on the first day was beginning to fade.

 

After dinner, I had another go at my laptop. I thought perhaps I could use “history” to find a back door into the HAL system. And then I noticed that Edge offers “In-Private Window.” It’s like Chrome’s Incognito. And the light lit. There have been a lot of discussion on Cruise Critic about how wonky the HAL website is. Works one day, next day it won’t do anything for you. One of the fixes is to try another browser or use an incognito browser. It has worked for me at home when the HAL site is being poopy. So I tried it and (to quote Ned Ryerson) BING! It worked. I should have remembered that sooner.

 

February 10 Bonaire

Conventional wisdom of cruisers is don’t pick a cruise for one particular port because you never know what could happen. And while I didn’t choose this one just for Bonaire, it was one of the strong points about it.

 

There’s a little round island about 500 meters off shore from the main island of Bonaire. It’s called Kleine Bonaire, or Little Bonaire. It has a reputation for great snorkeling and diving and I’ve always wanted to snorkel there. In the past, calls have been too short for that. But we had a late night in Bonaire, so plenty of time to do the snorkel.

 

I’ve done snorkel trips through the ship and they’re usually large groups. I did one in St Thomas where the instruction was so bad that I swore off big groups. Sea Cow is a small boat and they take small groups. We were only 8 people, their minimum to go. Everyone was experienced, which was nice.

 

This was a “drift snorkel,” in which you just let the current carry you. There was a lead diver who stopped fairly often to tell us about various fish. She also used that time to look at us and make sure we were all right. Another diver had a camera, a DSLR in a watertight case. And she had a light. She did a lot of free dives, over a minute long. I know you can hold your breath for more than a minute, but you have to be in practice. And being younger helps, too. I don’t try to free dive because I’m very buoyant. In fact, the diver with the camera was wearing a weight belt to make it easier to get down about 10-12 feet to the bottom. If anyone got tired, the boat was drifting, too, about 50 feet behind us.

 

Sadly, my new camera was not up to the challenge. It was windy, so there was a fair amount of surface movement. As a result, I was bobbing up and down while the fish were also moving across my path. And it was cloudy, so there wasn’t great light penetration into the water. The little camera is not responsive enough to deal with that. If I’d known there would be so many fish, I’d have spent the money on the Olympus. But it was fun trying to get pictures, and just floating along and looking.

 

We were probably in the water for an hour. Then we went back to the boat for a break and a snack. We moved to a new area and went back in the water. It was getting rougher, and I was getting a bit tired. My mask fit perfectly the first time, but the second time I could not get a good seal. So I had to keep stopping to drain it. I finally just used one hand to press the lower edge against my lip and then I was more comfortable. My mouth muscles were getting tired of keeping the seal on the snorkel and I had to blow it out once or twice. Ironically, it was rougher than when HAL’s divers cancelled the snorkel on the private island. I managed fine today, we could have done that snorkel, too.

 

Back on the boat, we had rum punch and looked at Martina’s pictures. Some were truly spectacular. But she had the advantage of good equipment and also being lower in the water and away from the surface waves. We could buy the pictures, so I did. She said she would send the file.

 

I had taken a taxi to the marina, but I decided to walk back to the ship. There’s a nice walkway along the seafront. I saw crabs, a wading bird (not sure what), some flowers. By then the sun had come out in full force. As I got close to the ship and the downtown, I saw things I recognized from previous trips, including the square where the craft vendors set up. I treated myself to a pair of angelfish earrings made of dichroic glass.

 

By the time I got back to the ship, I was hot and sticky from the salty water on my clothes. And my hair, which was in a French braid, was probably glued into one mass. The spa showers have more pressure and are better for washing my hair than the bathroom in my cabin. I was tempted to go directly there and wash everything—me, my hair, my clothes--in one go. But I rinsed out the clothes in my room and then went to wash my hair.

 

It was such a great trip, back on the ship I almost started researching going back to Bonaire and doing that snorkel again next week!

 

After dinner, I got the email with a link to a download site. Uh-oh. My promo package included the lowest level of internet, “surf.” I was looking at 650 megs of data. I had to quickly upgrade to the next level in order to be able to download. Even after I did that it took somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes on the ship’s slow internet. I was afraid there would be a hiccup in the signal, but it all downloaded just fine.

 

And a nice surprise. After I upped the internet package, I can call and text over the ship's wifi! Also could access my Ring camera and see how much snow we got at home. (Not entirely sure that's a plus)

[3rdGenCunarder]

Chapter 7 Carnival!

 

February 11  Curacao

 

I love Curacao. I’ve been here several times. Last time I snorkeled at a beach. The time before that I did a fabulous turtle snorkel. So this time I did a land tour. It sounded like it would be a walking tour, but it was more time on a bus than on our feet. It was History and Street Art, which is why I expected a walking tour. And we did see some street art, but there was plenty she didn’t show us. Two negatives about this guide. First, in her desire to share the history with us she talked the entire time. Second, when we stopped to hear her, she didn’t try to find shady spots and it was in the 80s today with strong sun. I opted to stay in town rather than go back to the ship on the bus.

 

Just a few souvenir stores were open because today is the big Carnival (Mardis Gras) celebration, with a big parade starting 3 miles out of town and ending on the main street. While I was waiting for the ferry to cross the harbor to where we were docked, I saw a woman in a costume for the parade. She had a tall headdress, which she said weighed about 2 pounds. The costume was short shorts, but they were velour and she was wearing tights. The top had full long sleeves made of some kind of sheer fabric. I asked her if she had made her costume and she said she paid someone to make it, and it cost $800. I don’t know if she meant US dollars or Caribbean dollars (which would bring the cost down to $500 USD). She was very nice about posing for pictures.

 

By the time I got back to the ship, I was disgustingly sweaty. I saw an older couple (older than I am) getting off to go into town. They would surely regret what they were wearing. She had on a windbreaker and he was wearing a light fleece. I nearly had heatstroke just looking at them!!!!

 

On the subject of people dressed inappropriately, several times I’ve seen a woman in her bathrobe. Yes, some people wear them to the pool or to the buffet to get early morning coffee. But she has been in the buffet at lunchtime, standing there in her robe. And one night, before dinner, she was in the bar, just standing there, looking like she didn’t know what to do. I fear she has dementia of some sort and keeps giving her carer the slip.

 

Pinnacle dinner tonight. Now that they've dropped the surcharge, I had crabcakes and the bacon. Lamb chops--large and perfectly cooked--plus mushrooms and mashed potatoes. The lamb chops come with pureed beans, which I just don't see as a combination, so I aske them to leave off the beans and then I get the potatoes. I'm pretty sure that the mashed potatoes were instant. And cheap instant at that. Shocking! Chocolate souffle for dessert was divine.I

 

February 12 Aruba

 

Happy Lincoln’s birthday. Darwin’s, too!

 

I had early tours the past two days, so I just assumed I would have another early day today. I’d had dinner at Pinnacle the night before, and I don’t sleep well after a heavy meal. I set my alarm for 7. I got up, had a light breakfast, and looked at my tour “ticket” on the app. RATS! It didn’t go until 9:15. I could have had another hour of sleep.

 

Today’s tour was to see the butterfly conservatory and a few other sights. I was really only interested in the butterflies, but the other stops were part of the tour. The butterflies were amazing. The enclosure wasn’t all that big, but there were lots of butterflies of many varieties. There was a guide who gave a good explanation of the life cycle and talked about the migration of monarchs. I listened and took pictures at the same time. It’s almost impossible to get pictures when they’re flitting around, so you have to wait for them to land. The beautiful blue morpho lands and folds its wings together and then it’s brown. So the only way to get a picture of them is as they fly. I tried, but I haven’t taken a close look at my pictures yet. There’s probably a lot to delete.

 

The bus had the most ridiculously short legroom, and I had a large man next to me, so I felt squished. I didn’t want to sit like that all the way to the end of the island to see what’s left of the natural bridge. It collapsed a few years ago. There’s a small one nearby, but it isn’t a great sight, so I don’t know why they still bother to go. I was tired and not in the mood for a crowded bus, so I asked the nice young lady in the shop if she could call a taxi for me, and I bailed on the rest of the tour.

 

Back in Oranjestad, I explored a bit. Schleppstraat, once the main shopping street was deserted. The cute little trolley no longer runs, and even the pigeons don’t hang out there. It’s sad to see so many closed stores that were locally owned, while the big tourist stores (jewelry and designer clothes) one street over are thriving. Even the stores that are still in business were closed, probably because owners had partaken of Carnival celebrations too much the night before.

 

It was hot and very windy. Walking in the wind is tiring, so I treated myself to some excellent locally made ice cream and returned to the ship to recuperate.

 

February 13  At Sea

It’s still Carnival. Today is Shrove Tuesday, also Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras. Also called pancake day. I should have had pancakes for breakfast, but I had a waffle instead. I didn’t think it was possible to make a waffle so tough that it was difficult to cut with a regular knife. They use one of those flower-shaped waffle irons, so maybe that’s part of the problem? Or they put in too much batter? But then the excess usually runs out. Or the batter was too thick? I had wanted a Dutch pancake, but then I discovered that’s on the lunch menu, not breakfast. No, I don’t know why. I make it for breakfast, sometimes with sausage for brinner (“breakfast for dinner”). But not lunch.

 

Except for special drinks, the ship didn’t do anything about Mardi Gras. I wore my dollar store (okay $1.25 store) beads anyway. I drank a hurricane in honor of New Orleans.

 

I spent most of the day in a deck chair. My side of the ship faced the sun and it was too hot on my balcony, so I sat on Promenade deck on the other side. It was lovely to watch the ocean go by—and to listen to it. I was fairly far forward, and although we weren’t pitching, we were making loud bow waves. It was like sitting at the beach listening to the waves hit the shore. For a while, a group of us stood at the rail watching flying fish. I tried taking pictures, but they’re so tiny it was probably a waste of pixels. Thank goodness for digital! I can take as many shots as I want.

 

Another odd person. I saw a man walk by with jingle bells on the laces of his sneakers. No idea what that’s about.

 

Entertainment was a jazz saxophonist. He had the band from Ocean Bar backing him up. He gave them chances to solo and he called them out by name, which is always nice to see. He opened with the Pink Panther theme, which was written with the tenor sax as the main “voice” of the piece. The man played all of the saxes (tenor, alto, soprano) and the flute. I like the tenor sax better than the others because it has the lower register, which I think is richer.

 

It is so good to see live music back on HAL without it being loud rock and roll cover bands. Last winter on Eurodam, the only music I liked was Lincoln Center. I don’t like the loud “music walk” bands, and when LC was dumped, I wasn’t sure I could be happy on HAL again. But they’re improving. Cocktail pianist in Ocean Bar is great. Sadly, he said only the two R ships have that position. Shouldn’t EVERY ship offer that????? Ocean bar band is excellent. Serious jazz musicians, sometimes a little too much jazz for some people. One man in the bar commented that he wasn’t enjoying a very improv out-there jazz set. He said he likes “smooth jazz.” Smooth jazz is getting your toes wet. These guys can get you up to your neck, they’re that good. And they also play music people can ballroom dance to. I don’t know which ships have the bar band, but I’d like to see that on more than just the Rs.

 

[Sir PMP]

You're right, the dining room is always freezing, hopefully the captain will find a way to correct it, and who's the captain?

[3rdGenCunarder]

5 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

You're right, the dining room is always freezing, hopefully the captain will find a way to correct it, and who's the captain?

Captain is Michiel Willems. 

[oakridger]

9 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I don’t know which ships have the bar band, but I’d like to see that on more than just the Rs.

 

 

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

[3rdGenCunarder]

Our band is just called Ocean  Band.

[oakridger]

4 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Our band is just called Ocean  Band.

 

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

[3rdGenCunarder]

Ocean Band played in Crows Nest for the Orange Party. And they were on stage last night, backing the saxophonist. But mostly they're in Ocean Bar. Some nights they alternate sets with the pianist. Some nights it's all the band and other nights all pianist. 

 

Oh! I my recitation of entertainment I forgot the Classical Duo. Not was wonderful as LC, but they're only 2 musicians instead of 4 or 5, so arrangements are more limited.

[3rdGenCunarder]

And while I'm thinking of it, a nice note about Pinnacle. I sat at a table that was banquette on one side and chair on the other. There were three in a row, but the other two weren't occupied. I sat on the banquette, and when the waiter removed the other place setting, he moved the vase, candle, and s/p shakers from the side of the table where they're normally squeezed together to the corner and spread them out a bit, so I wasn't looking at half of the table being empty. Nice gesture.

[3rdGenCunarder]

February 14 

 

It's Valentine's Day but I am NOT in love with Grand Cayman. My first look at it was not impressive. It looks flat and soulless. And it is. Georgetown may have the densest concentration of jewelry stores and designer clothing stores (punctuated by the usual souvenir t-shirt stores) I have seen in the Caribbean except maybe St Thomas. I can usually find something offbeat or charming to photograph, but nothing got my attention. 

 

It was all downhill from there. I wanted to see the Queen Elizabeth II Gardens, home to the blue iguanas. The ship didn't offer a tour there, so I booked one through one of those booking agencies like Tripadvisor. The tour company was Cay Tours. NO NOT EVER TAKE ONE OF THEIR TOURS!!!! I was supposed to be there at noon. They gave me bad instructions. Thank goodness my phone's roaming worked, because instead of coming to meet me as they said, she told me where to walk to. Okay, five minutes, no biggie. 

 

I checked in on time. And then we waited for a half hour because the bus was late. This was a three-hour tour (uh-oh, isn't that what they said about the Minnow????) When I booked it, I figured that it would be easy to make the last tender at 4:30. But most of that cushion was destroyed by Cay's incompetence. They put people from THREE different tours on the bus. Three of us from Zaandam had booked the St Pedro Thomas House and Botanical Gardens tour. Two people from Something of the Seas had booked the "East End Tour," which was the same plus a stop to see the blow holes where waves splash up through rocks. Another 12-14 people had booked an entirely different tour, to see caves. 

 

We set out a half hour late. The bus drove right by the house and the botanical gardens and to the caves. We wasted time there while they sorted out confusion about the number of guests and available guides. Despite the presence of many "safari vehicles" to take people to the start of the cave tour, our driver took us all there on the bus, at least five minutes each way on a bumpy road. The cave group were told another driver would come to get them. Ohhh, I hope that turned out to be true. It would have been a long taxi ride!  And then we backtracked to the gardens. 

 

The gardens are lovely. They have little themed areas, like color gardens and orchid walk. There's a charming pond with a bench to sit and enjoy the calm. Well, because of the late departure and another half hour with the diversion to the caves (If anyone had a brain, they could have dropped us at the garden and then gone to the caves with the others), our hour there was cut to 30 minutes, so I was anything but calm. I grabbed some pictures, figuring I would see the park virtually later. I wanted to see the blue iguana conservation area, which meant a long walk. I power walked in 80-something degrees for 20 minutes! My only stops were when I came upon iguanas and photographed them. They warn you not to touch or get close because the iguanas bite. But one big one was right across my path. Nooo, Mr/Ms Iguana, please let me pass! I approached and took a picture. It walked on. I walked on. Eventually, it moved to the side of the path and I resumed my fast walk. I did see the conservation center, but had no time to do more than glance at signs. I couldn't talk to anyone there. As it was, I got back to the visitor center one minute late. The driver was waiting for me. I thought, honey, if you say ANYTHING, you are going to get my entire vocabulary of expletives, which I must confess is rather extensive. He said nothing, so not as stupid as I thought he was. Back on the bus, the others were impressed with how much ground I covered. I think I was the only one who saw the iguanas.

 

This historic house was nice, but we saw very little of it as there was more confusion about timing of the intro film and availability of guides. And then we went back to the port. We saw about half of what we paid for. The people from Something of the Seas missed their third stop at the blowhole entirely. The driver was worried about getting the three of us from Zaandam back in time. As he should have been--it was his fault we got the late start!!!

 

We made it back in time. People here talk about good experiences with independents and not to worry, they get you back in time. I have done some excellent independent tours, but not in the Caribbean. I forgot how "casual" the Caribbean is about details. This is not Alaska. This is not Canada. This is not Europe. Combining tours wasted time in Puerto Plata, too. Yes, Cay did get us back in time, but it was way too stressful. But I did get to see a blue iguana and two orchids, so I suppose that's a good day's tour.

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

February 15. Sea day, thank goodness. I needed to unwind, and I did. I went to the City at Sea presentation, which was good, if a little hokey with the Cruise Director interacting with the video. My favorite part was the interview of a few of the Guest Services staff. What kinds of things do passengers lose or leave behind. Phone chargers, reading glasses, sunglasses, teeth. Wait! What? Teeth?!?!? Yes, a passenger went to Guest Services and said she had lost her teeth. What do passengers forget to pack? Toiletries, like toothpaste. Underwear. Who forgets to pack underwear???? 

 

In the last afternoon, I was just gazing out at the sea, and noticed something in the water, like maybe a dark log? And then I saw the puff! Marine mammal sighting!!! Based on the size, fin, and the way it swam my best guess is minke whale. Maybe two. It/they swam in the opposite direction, so I didn't have a lot of opportunities to get pictures. (That's two pictures, but it's hard to see where one ends and the other begins)

 

Edited February 20 by 3rdGenCunarder

[3rdGenCunarder]

February 16 Key West

 

I didn't want to go back to the ship. I just wandered around and took pictures and ate. My idea of a good day in port.

 

I started with the pilgrimage to the Marker. But twice I got off track to look at something else and got turned around and went the wrong way. Honestly, it's a straight line down Whitehead street, how hard should that be? My sense of direction is usually better than that. But it I did make it to the southernmost point, and my diversions gave me interesting things to see.  

 

It's been many years since I've been to Key West. I remember liking it well enough, but this time all I could think was how soon I could come back. I saw big resorts, cute B&Bs, a hotel in a gorgeous Victorian house (probably very expensive), a few mid-century motels that could be funky in a cool way--or maybe a not so cool way. Definitely need to do some research!

 

I want to just eat my way through all the interesting restaurants! I had swoon-worthy coffee and key lime cookies at a French bakery. I had barely finished the cookies when I saw an ice cream store that claimed to make their product right there on site. Ohhh, so good! And I saw four more ice cream stores, plus more cafes, and of course, key lime bakeries. I know the thing to do on Key West is a bar crawl. Forget that, I want a carb crawl!!!! 

 

So that's the end of the cruise. because we did Immigration at Key West (face-to-face, not kiosks but it was smooth and fast), all I had to do on the pier was grab my suitcase and roll out of the building. I was concerned about so many ships and people, but everything was easy. 

 

And now I'm home and doing laundry and sorting mail. It already feels like the trip was long ago.

 

 

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

A few comments on the cruise. Cabin stewards were excellent, as always. Dining room waiters not as good. Guest services were very helpful. Shorex staff a little off the mark at times. Flowers I bought in my room (and won!) and arrangements around the ship were beautiful. The triangular vase is called a "bow vase," for the shape of the bow of a ship.

 

Entertainment is improving. The Ocean Bar band were great, and I really enjoyed the Cocktail Pianist in Ocean bar. World Stage had two different comedians, each doing 2 shows. A ventriloquist, one show. The saxophonist, and a singer another night. So at least they weren't relying on videos. 

 

Food was good, not great. Pinnacle and Canaletto were excellent. My main complaint about the MDR was that they couldn't get beef to the requested doneness. I always ask for rare, and usually got barely pink. A man at the table ordered steak every night and his was usually rarer than he wanted. Vegetables? Two tiny asparagus are NOT a portion, they're a garnish. Anything lobster was an upcharge. Surf and turf was steak and two grilled shrimp. Actually, I don't mind. I don't get excited about a lobster tail that's been frozen. Nobody at my table bothered with any of the lobster upsell opportunities. 

 

There seemed to be more menu choices than I recall from a year ago. Three gala menus in 14 nights, blue, silver, gold. I had CO but only ordered the special item once. It was supposed to be veal cutlet. But it was a huge chop. I've never seen veal chop that big, and frankly, it tasted like beef, not veal. It was smothered in gravy so it was hard to navigate around the large bone. And, sadly, the excellent risotto was buried under the meat and ruined by the intrusion of the gravy. 

 

I was tempted to turn vegetarian at dinner. One woman at the table is vegetarian (not vegan) and some of her options looked delicious. So if you're vegetarian, you'll have lots of good choices. 

 

My usual lunch was the salad bar. That continues to be excellent. And Zaandam has a taco bar!!! So I embellished my salad with some guac and chips. As the cruise went on, the embellishments increased... It's just so tempting. 

 

Navigator worked well for me on my phone. And I did learn a workaround for my laptop. One annoying thing is that it doesn't know that you signed out of your other device. I would sign out on the laptop and turn it off. But when I used the phone, it would tell me I had reached my limit of devices and did I want to disconnect the other one. A small annoyance, but it seemed odd that the system thought it was still connected to a computer that was turned off.

 

I liked being able to check my statement. I found two errors. First, I went to the Mariner wine tasting and they billed me for it. I went to Guest Services and it was corrected. Second, I splurged on a glass of wine that was $11.50. I was billed the full amount, although the previous night I was only billed for the extra 50 cents (plus service charge on 50 cents). That got fixed, too. So, "trust but verify."

 

Also, two excursions I booked onboard initially showed as $0 HIA credit. But I had used that credit with tours I'd booked before the cruise. They sorted that out at the end of the cruise and I did get billed for the extra tours. I guess they figure with cancellations and changes, it's easier to wait until you've "spent" all of your HIA credit before they work out the charges for tours over the credit amount. The math looked correct to me.

 

One last thing. I hate to be the whining solo woman, but it's true. We can be invisible. Bar service by the pool and at Ocean Bar was so bad I started timing it. I sat for 10 minutes in Ocean Bar and nobody came by. I was in the main bar area, not out in the atrium. They weren't full. I finally went up to the bar to get my drink, and even then, people who walked up after me got served ahead of me. I got the impression that the way to get attention is to go there first day, introduce yourself, and tip big. Be a "regular."

 

Or be a man. A man sits down, and a server shows up. One night when Ocean bar was busy, I asked to share a table with a man who was on his own. Server checked on his drink, so I was able to ask for a drink. Server checked back on him several times. Some loud men at a nearby table were tipping quite obviously, and that server was very attentive. 

 

Service at the pool bar was even worse. I never did figure out where to sit that I would be in the path of a server I could accost to order a drink. I don't like to get my lunch and then have to leave it while I wait at the bar to get my drink. I don't always remember to bring a book or some other "marker" to hold my table. 

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

Vista suite. Look at all those closets!!!!!

 

[oakridger]

11 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

I finally went up to the bar to get my drink, and even then, people who walked up after me got served ahead of me. I got the impression that the way to get attention is to go there first day, introduce yourself, and tip big. Be a "regular."

 

I cruise solo most of the time and have always had good service at bars.  I do go at the beginning of the cruise (and middle, and end!) and speak with the staff but I NEVER tip at the beginning of the cruise and still get great service.  It really frys me when people think that the only way they get service is by tipping up front.....that sets up an unreasonable expectation among some of the waiters in my opinion.  I'm not going to stop people from doing that so I will continue to plod along with my way of being friendly and then at the end of the cruise I tip extra to the crew who gave me more than great service all along.  Drinks that are $10 are already getting $1.80 tip per drink.  

 

I have felt well served by HAL staff when I am solo.  I hope your next cruise is a little better for service.

 

P.S.- Those flowers are gorgeous!!

 

~Nancy

Edited February 21 by oakridger

[3rdGenCunarder]

7 hours ago, oakridger said:

 

I cruise solo most of the time and have always had good service at bars.  I do go at the beginning of the cruise (and middle, and end!) and speak with the staff but I NEVER tip at the beginning of the cruise and still get great service.  It really frys me when people think that the only way they get service is by tipping up front.....that sets up an unreasonable expectation among some of the waiters in my opinion.  I'm not going to stop people from doing that so I will continue to plod along with my way of being friendly and then at the end of the cruise I tip extra to the crew who gave me more than great service all along.  Drinks that are $10 are already getting $1.80 tip per drink.  

 

I have felt well served by HAL staff when I am solo.  I hope your next cruise is a little better for service.

 

P.S.- Those flowers are gorgeous!!

 

~Nancy

 

The noisy men I referred to were VERY obvious about it. The server gave them their drinks, then went to another table, and then as she walked past them again, one man held a couple of bills up at his shoulder as she walked behind him and she took them. Maybe he didn't have the money out when she delivered the tips, or maybe he likes to look like a big spender. It was crass.

[whogo]

3 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

It was crass.

Ah, pinky ring behavior.