poinsettiaplate

Does anyone have a menu of wines by the bottle?  Or is it unique to each ship and/or cruise?

Does one also have the option of purchasing bottles of wine onboard for consumption in any restaurant and in the cabin?

Thanks to everyone for assisting me with this.  I have chosen to move up a category and go toward the middle of the ship.  The North Sea didn't seem like a place experiment with the front of the ship.

Hello experienced O travellers:  I am considering booking the Marina for the Arctic Explorer cruise from Copenhagen to Reykjavik.  The only A4 Concierge Verandah available is at the very front of the ship on Deck 9.  Am I liable to have a great deal of rocking and rolling in that location?

Thank you to everyone.  I really like the suggestion to make a list of non-negotiables and wants and do some research.  And thanks to JazzBeau for his input.

For all of you veteran river boat cruisers:  which is the most luxurious river boat company?  Does cabin choice make a difference in line you would choose?  Does length of cruise make a difference?  Does price or luxury make a difference in how passengers are treated when water levels do not permit cruising?

Thank for your help.

In 2019, Celebrity added some cabins on Deck 10 forward near the spa/gym.  They are now labelled 2C Verandah cabins.  Has anyone stayed in one since the COVID shut down?  Pros and cons?

If you require a full bucket, be sure to say so.  I have found that sometimes I only get a partial one.  And, yes, keeping it in the frig works great.  You just to need to ask your room steward to remove all the for-sale items to give you room.

I always ask for mid-cruise comment cards from Reception or, if there are none, ask for blank paper and envelopes.  Then I submit a "kudos" document about every three or four days on a 21-day cruise.  Many times, I have been thanked by crew who have been named so I know that the feedback makes it down through the chain of command to them.

looking for info on cabin 1020-V2 on spa deck for Summit.  Appears to have just recently changed to regular verandah category.

If one does not choose to use the app, is there a paper form that can be completed for arriving in Canada while on a cruise?  What about flying into Canada to go on a cruise?  If one is in and out of Canadian ports several times, does one need a form for each entry? Does this take a long time for each entry?

The last time I was on the K'dam, I felt that the standard verandah cabin was a little small even for a solo traveller -- not enough closet space and drawers under safe, small counter space and shelves in bathroom, small desk with not enough drawers.  What would be the next larger verandah cabin with a little more of all those, which might not break a single person?

If one does not choose to use the app, how does one know if the shore excursion has been cancelled or if the time has been changed from when it was purchased, whether before the cruise or onboard?

Hello Cherie:

This is the response from our Holland rep... 

As part of our COVID-19 protocols onboard all of our ships, we’ve implemented air management and ventilation strategies to maximize the use of outside, fresh air and the air exchange rate on board in public areas and suites. Where feasible, we utilize enhanced filters and other technologies to mitigate risk. Current evidence shows that fresh air is effective in reducing the concentration of airborne contaminants, including viruses. Our HVAC system updates are designed to create 10 air changes per hour on our vessels.

We have also increased the ship air conditioning system filtration standard to F7 filters (MERV 13), which are finer mesh filters and highly effective in filtering out airborne particles and viruses. In areas where F7 filtration cannot be installed due to technical limitations, portable HEPA filtration units and ultraviolet light (UV) have been installed.

Kind regards,

 JENNY VERNA

Note that she did not answer the question:  Are the cabins now self-contained units as far as HVAC goes.  Her answer is good for what they are doing in the public areas.  

Like you, I will continue to open my balcony door while I am in my cabin and close it when I leave.  I always turn off the AC when possible.

On 4/28/2022 at 1:49 AM, ScoutDiver said:

Leaving the balcony door open may put stress on the ship’s heating and cooling systems.

 

The celebrity edge has the infinite verandas.   You can leave  the top half window open into the cabin, but the air gets shutoff.   I have heard that the ship will shut off air to true balcony cabins if the door tothe balcony is unlocked.  

On 4/28/2022 at 1:10 PM, poinsettiaplate said:

Cherie;

 

I just got off Celebrity Silhouette, an older Celebrity ship that had been updated.  The signs on the balcony doors about not leaving them open have been removed.  Several different places, we were told how to leave our balcony doors open.  I took this to mean that Celebrity, indeed, has made all their cabins self-contained as far as ventilation and  HVAC goes, as the CDC wanted.  The AC did not go off with the balcony door open.

 

I have asked my TA to query HAL on this and will let you know if they have done some or all of their ships as they should have.

Cherie;

I just got off Celebrity Silhouette, an older Celebrity ship that had been updated.  The signs on the balcony doors about not leaving them open have been removed.  Several different places, we were told how to leave our balcony doors open.  I took this to mean that Celebrity, indeed, has made all their cabins self-contained as far as ventilation and  HVAC goes, as the CDC wanted.  The AC did not go off with the balcony door open.

I have asked my TA to query HAL on this and will let you know if they have done some or all of their ships as they should have.

With the new ventilation and HVAC systems which every cruise line is supposed to have installed on every ship due to COVID, each cabin should be a self-contained unit as far as its air goes.  Nobody should be sharing air anymore.

If HAL got by without doing this, let me know and I will be looking for another cruise line.

For those who have done the Pinnacle Gala Dinner, please tell us more.  Is it food and wine pairing?  Are there chef and sommelier presentations?  Is it a select group dining together?  What is the charge and is it worth it?

For those of you who have been on the new Rotterdam, I have some questions:

1)Was there information available only on the app that was not available in another format for those who choose not to use their electronic devices to provide their own customer service?  Just off the Silhouette where one had no idea what shore excursions were available unless one used the app.

2)Are there desktop computers available for passenger use?  Free with free wifi or for a fee?

3)Is there a clothesline in the shower?

4)Does one need a magnetized card for the safe, as well as the lights?

5)Is there a light on the balcony for night-time reading?

6)Are fixed time diners and at will diners in separate areas of the main dining room, so the same set of waiters are not having to serve both?

7)Was a schedule provided at the beginning of the cruise that indicates the gala nights and has the updated port schedule?

8)Was a daily event schedule and additional info provided in a daily newsletter delivered the night before?

9)Did you find that you had more tender ports, due to the size of the ship?

10)Do I need to bring my ear plugs for the musical performances in the various venues?

11)Were printed copies of newspapers provided?

Thanks for any answers.

I am Elite Plus.  If I book specialty dining reservations online before boarding, will I be charged the full price or will the discount be applied?  If it is not applied online, will my account be adjusted onboard ship?

I apologize if this has been asked before but was not certain if it had been answered post-COVID.

Thank you for all the information and insights.

My idea to get an aft cabin was to have a wider expanse of glass to the outdoors, a larger balcony and possibly a larger cabin -- than in a standard verandah cabin.  Those areas of the newer ships seem much smaller. 

What would be the next cabin category up that might provide the wider and larger I was looking for?

Thank you again for taking the time to answer.

For the first time, I am considering booking an aft verandah on either the Nieuw Statendam or the Koningsdam.  Have their been issues with ash or particulates landing on these and making them unusable?  

What are the advantages and disadvantages to aft verandahs in general?

I apologize if this has already been covered in an old discussion; please let me know where to look.

Every single night I eat in the dining room.

Just thinking about it makes me ready to go on my November cruise now.

And what do you do if you don't have smart phone with email or photo capabilities and have a long travel time?

I let my travel agent handle this for me.  And I created an email with specific instructions.  She is a bulldog about finding the correct person to get it and getting their acknowledgement that they have sent it to the ship.