Navybikermom

I made the mistake of booking a spring break cruise. I had totally forgotten when spring break happens, since my children were already adults. The ship wasn’t overrun with little ones, but I did notice a few running around. The older folks (myself included) gave them “the look” but the parents fussed at us for doing that! I was a substitute teacher for a time in our county but had to stop. The biggest issue was that parenting skills have fallen flat on their faces. My military brain had a hard time with the kids who would not listen and kept misbehaving. Many of the problems were due to parenting, which is very sad. I know that was the cause because the regular teachers and principals told me, and they are very familiar with the parents and how they behave. Of course, children don’t have the market on bad behavior. Adults are very annoying - phones on loud volume, poor dining room etiquette, etc. Shameful…

They do have a little ice cream area in the Lido buffet area. I don’t recall any gelato, but it did have standard ice cream for sure.

Main dining is the later one - around 7:30pm, I believe. Early dining is around 5:30pm. Those are the fixed dining times. Anytime dining is on the lower deck of the Main Dining Room.

Awesome - thank you! My luggage will be a tad lighter now 😁

@Scrapnana, would it be possible for you to post a picture of what tea is available in the Lido? I thought someone posted it recently but I can’t find it. Seems like it was a large display of different kinds of tea bag packets. I’m hoping they have camomile, at least, so I don’t have to bring my own. Thank you so much! 🫖

My son wasn’t crazy about his first Caesar salad so the waiter asked if he wanted a different one. He asked for plain lettuce with ranch dressing and they brought that each time we ate in the MDR. My son is an adult so it’s not like they were pandering to a little boy ☺️. I have seen them be very accommodating, but haven’t seen anyone order anything too out of the ordinary. They will put sauces on the side, or not at all, if you ask.

We will be waiting with bated breath for the cake pictures from your next cruise! 🍰

Yippee! I hope the portions are small because I want to try so many of them! And then walk up and down the stairs for the next two hours working off all those calories… 🥰

Do they label the cakes so you don’t have to guess what’s under that lovely frosting? I would hate to have to ask what each one is, slowing down the process 🤨.

Now that IS an important question. I’d much rather have a malt than a shake. 😋

Boy, I’m glad I ordered hors d’oeuvres and chocolate-covered strawberries on my next cruise to be in my stateroom on embarkation day. That should suffice until dinner so we don’t have to fight the crowds elsewhere. I loved eating lunch in the MDR the first day 😕.

That library carpeting hurts my eyes! 😵‍💫

Being a retired sailor, I prefer coffee that melts your spoon. To me, the kind in the Lido is pretty strong.

I had the thermal pass on the Zaandam and had no issues with lounger availability. However, some of them were so warm that I couldn’t lay there for too long. You check in and out at the spa desk, but there was no reservation involved. On a larger ship, with the fancy hydrotherapy pool, there might be more of an issue, but it was pretty quiet on the Zaandam during the times I was there.

Well darn. Thanks for the warning. I’ll drink something else with my copious allowance ☺️.

How was the Pusser’s Painkiller? I had two of them on the Nieuw Amsterdam in 2022 and they were so awful that I never dared have them again. I couldn’t figure out what was missing or mixed wrong. They used to be my favorite 😋.

I don’t know if it could be exchanged (I’ve never been in a Neptune) but I have brought bottles to the table to share. One was a nice wine from a shore excursion and one was a bottle of champagne I won on the ship. I brought it to the dining room manager and asked if they could exchange it for a cold one at our table that evening. My table was very happy, and so was I since I can’t drink a whole bottle myself before it loses fizz.

I’ve gotten them at different times - sometimes the evening before the last day, or sometimes at the Mariner luncheon.

Thank you for such a detailed report. The photos are making me antsy. I will be on the Rotterdam in May and just can’t WAIT! 😜

I tried to get a single cabin on the Rotterdam but it was cheaper to get a regular inside and pay double the fare. That’s the one beef I have with cruise lines - their solo price “penalty”.

The Yum Yum man also used to walk up and down the passageways ringing chimes letting people know that it was dinner time. The outfit reminded me of the ones that the monkeys wore with the music grinder man.

I also have cruised Holland America during spring break - never again! Lots of little kiddies running amok and a plenty of the parents drinking and smoking near the Sea View pool - with children present. It was an unpleasant experience.

I really enjoyed the Ocean Bar. Good music most nights. Not sure if Emerson is still there, but he was a great bartender.

I agree that the steaks in the Pinnacle have gone downhill on some ships. For my last two times eating there, I had the lamb and the tomato & eggplant tarte tatin. Both were quite good. I can get a good steak in my home town, so I’m not going to bother with the Pinnacle’s steaks.

Just one of me. I’ll just take my spoils and move to a quiet spot elsewhere 😁.