 1st cruise advise, Please
> We booked a balcony cabin on the stern, is this good?
Sounds great to me.
> How do we get dinner seatings? Any recommendations?
Your travel agent should have asked you your dining preference when you
made the booking. HAL has 4 seatings. The two early ones are (approx)
6:00 (upstairs), 6"30 (downstairs) and the late seatings are 8:00
(upstairs) and 8:30 (downstairs). I ideal for me would be the earlier
of the late seatings, but either late seating would suit me fine. Later
dinner means less rushing for you to return from shore, time for some
r&r in your cabin (snooze, drinks, etc.) and so on. Eating late doesn't
deprive you of any of the activities. They schedule the big shows so
that everyone has a chance to attend if they wish. The late seating is
also more relaxed as they're not in a rush to get you out of the dining
room to set up for the next group of passengers. Not that there are a
lot of kids on HAL to begin with, but expect fewer at the late seating
than you'd find early.
> Should I bring my tux?
Sure. Why not? Might as well use it if you've got it. Lots of men wear
tuxes on HAL - you most definitely will not be out of place.
> What extras should I indulge in and which should I avoid? Massage,
dinners,
> excursions?
I usually treat myself to a spa service or two. They are incredibly
overpriced - a rip-off really, but I find that aspect easy to ignore
when I'm vacationing. And, I have to say, that I've had some of my very
best spa services on cruise ships. I go to a local, pretty fancy, day
spa for facials, massages, etc. And, for the most part, the services
I've received on ships has met or exceeded what I've gotten locally.
Treat yourself to one meal at Pinnacle Grill. It's $20 extra per
person, but really great. I didn't get around to doing this until the
last night of my Zuiderdam cruise. Hated not to eat with my tabelmates
on that last night, so I made my Pinnacle (Odyssey) reservation for
7:00 or so, and was able to make it back to my regular table to enjoy
coffee with everyone and to say my good-byes.
I try to book my excursions independently. The ones offered by the ship
ar fine, but the groups tend to be a little too big for my taste, and
they do charge a lot of money for the convenience, etc. Since you're
familiar with the ports you'll be visiting, I wouldn't hesitate to do
your own thing. Just give yourself double the amount of time you think
you'll need to get back to the ship. Ship won't wait for folks who go
it alone, without the ship babysitters.
> Will it be a fight for deck chairs around the pool?
HAL is probably the sanest, as far as deck chairs go. You should be
okay if you stake your claim by, say 9:30-10:00am. Probably later.
> Any advice will be appreciated, thanks
Just enjoy your cruise - you picked a good one to start.
Lee
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