Alarm clock or HAL...who do YOU trust???

[SakeDad]

I see HAL has no alarm clocks in the cabins so I need to bring my small travel clock. It's one thing if I only have to wake up and lay on a beach but in Alaska we have some EARLY port/excursion times! So do you bring your own clock or do you rely on HAL to wake you up (and this MUST include on-time COFFEE!!:cool:) Need to know if I should pack two alarms JUST IN CASE and a BIG coffee mug to steal as much strong coffee as I can from Neptune....I am NOT a morning person!:(

[gizmo]

Early is realative. :D

 

The Neptune opens around 7:30, maybe a little earlier.

 

The way the coffee works in the Neptune is, it brews 1 cup at a time. You will have to make mutlitple cups to fill your your BIG mug. :)

 

The Lido will have coffee much earlier. There is always room service which starts around 6:30.

 

If you don't trust the phone wake up system, bring your own alarm clock.

[Crazy]

You can request a wake up call.

 

Room service for coffee.

 

Never a problem getting coffee -- on deck is always coffee.

 

On early tour times -- breakfast is served early if i remember correctly. I never had a problem, but then again when I had a early morning tour -- I ordered room service.

[rocks]

How about your cell phone? Mine has an alarm.

Hope you have a GREAT cruise! :)

rocks

[zaandam_2]

i always order breakfast from the card with a time 15 minutes before i want to wake up. on the bottom of the card i write 'please call before delivering'. it's a wonderful wake-up call when they say "mr. X, your tray is on the way".

[Krazy Kruizers]

We always take our own alarm clocks being as we stay at hotels pre and post cruise. Many times we have to be around 3:30 AM to catch flights.

 

The Neptune Lounge opens at 7 on port days. The machine does make only 1 cup at a time.

 

You can order breakfast to be served in your cabin for 6 AM.

[mamaofami]

While it wasn't on HAL, we once almost missed our flight because our wake up call went to another room in the hotel we were staying in. Now, I always breing an alarm clock.

 

Room service on HAL was always there exactly on time. If I ordered for it between 7 to 7:30, it came at 7. Food was always just right and hot. Nothing better than room service on your verranda.

[Copper10-8]

Bring a small, battery operated alarm clock; it will do you good! As stated, the coffee machine in the Neptune dispenses pre-determined amounts. Don't think your big mug is gonna work in there. I would take it to the Lido and/or order room service. When/if you do, bear in mind the 30-minute window! "(and this MUST include on-time COFFEE!!:cool:)"

[Tricia724]

I have never had any problems with HAL's wakeup calls. It is an automated system, and I set it each night depending on the next day's activities. I like it much better than my travel alarm clock, but if you need an alarm for peace of mind, by all means bring one. I really don't think you'll need two.

[sail7seas]

We always bring small travel, battery operated alarm clocks.

 

Also........If you want a big mug of coffee, I agree it's a good idea for you to run to Lido to fill it. The coffee machines there will fill your mug a lot faster than brewing small cup after small cup in Neptune until you get your mug filled. Or order a large carafe of coffee from Room Service.

 

 

 

[caviargal]

I always bring my Indiglo alarm clock. I rise early to work out and do not want a wake up call as that would disturb my husband who sleeps in.:)

[OldCodger73]

Travel alarms are so small now they take up almost no room so I always have one in my travel kit.

 

If I recall correctly, breakfast room service from the room card begins at 6AM and, as been pointed out, is a 30 minute window of when it can arrive. From my limited experience, two cruises, for deluxe suites it's usually closer to 6AM than 6:30AM.

[peaches from georgia]

I don't think other pax waiting in the Neptune for their coffee would appreciate waiting for you to brew cup after cup to fill your big mug either. ;)

[SakeDad]

i always order breakfast from the card with a time 15 minutes before i want to wake up. on the bottom of the card i write 'please call before delivering'. it's a wonderful wake-up call when they say "mr. X, your tray is on the way".

This wins my vote!:D When I'm home DH always brings the coffee to me in bed...yes, I'm spoiled but I do appreciate it!:p

[sail7seas]

 

I don't think other pax waiting in the Neptune for their coffee would appreciate waiting for you to brew cup after cup to fill your big mug either.

Yes....... :) That too. ;)

[jeda]

For our Hawaii excursions or just going off shore we always filled our steel mugs at the lido and also our water bottles. It worked great and I have to say the coffee on the Zaandam was so good compared to the coffee on the Zuiderdam last year. That coffee was awful (IMHO)..We bought coffee cards this time because we were afraid that the coffee would be the same on the Zaandam too and we wanted no part of that!! LOL

[ore-ee-gun]

We carry a small travel clock and this works best for us.... Personally, I don't care for the wake up call service. It isn't a matter of distrust; it's just that being rattled out of bed by a loudly ringing telephone is not my idea of a good start to the day....:rolleyes:

[Copper10-8]

I don't think other pax waiting in the Neptune for their coffee would appreciate waiting for you to brew cup after cup to fill your big mug either. ;)

 

Hey look, be nice! None of us here know what the OP's face looks like!;)

[trvlcrzy]

I took a travel alarm clock on the Zuiderdam. We had one day we needed to be up earlier than "when we feel like it." We were at sea when I set the alarm ... to the radio setting, so no chance of finding a signal, right?. I set the volume high, so the static wakes me. DH sleeps through the static.

[RuthC]

Trust, but verify. Or something like that.

I use both. I have an old, fold-up, wind-up clock that I bring anyway just to tell time. I set the alarm on that when I have a morning excursion. I also use the ship's telephone wake-up call service as a back-up. One or the other is surely going to bring me back to consciousness.

Neither has failed me yet. :)

[serendipity1499]

For our Hawaii excursions or just going off shore we always filled our steel mugs at the lido and also our water bottles. It worked great and I have to say the coffee on the Zaandam was so good compared to the coffee on the Zuiderdam last year. That coffee was awful (IMHO)..We bought coffee cards this time because we were afraid that the coffee would be the same on the Zaandam too and we wanted no part of that!! LOL

 

jeda, Love your dachshund- what's his/her name?. Our's is a wire haired dachshund, which we don't strip..

 

Please tell us what a coffee card is? Have never heard of this..We've always enjoyed the coffee on HAL & bring our mugs to fill up in the Lido..We like to linger over our coffee...

 

Sail, The idea of ordering a carafe of coffee from Room Service is a good one!..Much prefer having breakfast in the dining room, but a nice cup of coffee after our 7: a.m. walk would be great...Never thought of that..Thanks for the suggestion..

 

We bring a small travel alarm & set both the phone for a wake up call & our travel alarm 15 minutes later..One of us might answer the phone & only intend to lay in bed one more minute, but have actually gone back to sleep..;) Our home alarm clock has a snooze feature which rings every 10 minutes or so until we finally get up to shut it off...Have never missed a tour, but want to be sure, we never will!;)

 

Enjoy your cruise..:) Betty

[dakrewser]

Hey look, be nice! None of us here know what the OP's face looks like!;)

Or whichever part is pointed towards the next person in line.....:rolleyes:

[Jade13]

I see HAL has no alarm clocks in the cabins so I need to bring my small travel clock. It's one thing if I only have to wake up and lay on a beach but in Alaska we have some EARLY port/excursion times! So do you bring your own clock or do you rely on HAL to wake you up (and this MUST include on-time COFFEE!!:cool:) Need to know if I should pack two alarms JUST IN CASE and a BIG coffee mug to steal as much strong coffee as I can from Neptune....I am NOT a morning person!:(

 

Do both.

[judyzoo]

I always take my travel alarm clock with me, whenever I travel. Oh the ship, if I want to be up at a specific time, I don't trust any one thing; I use three methods at once -- my travel alarm, the ship's wake-up call, and delivery from room service as ordered the night before. So far, I haven't slept through a tour!

[cruiserssandr]

We like using a travel alarm clock over a wake up call. Having a phone rings when I am sound asleep is far too alarming! LOL