Navybikermom

You can also ask the room stewards on the first day. They usually stop by to see if you need anything. I’ve done that before and they had it done before dinner. I generally hand them tips in person, but sometimes have left an envelope on the desk or bed. I bring my own little envelopes.

I was on the NA and hated the fact that the specialty coffee was way up in the Crow’s Nest. Such an inconvenient location! I just drank the coffee in the Lido instead. If they put a Grand Dutch Cafe on that ship, it would be much nicer, but I avoid that ship. The Zaandam has the Explorations Cafe on deck 3 (or 4?), but it’s nice to know the Noordam and Oosterdam have it there too!

I have not seen it on other HAL ships, so it is probably also not on the Koningsdam. Possibly they might have it on Alaska itineraries, but I didn’t see it on the Canada/NE one.

I considered a solo cabin for my Rotterdam cruise next year, but the cost was $1000 more than a standard inside cabin! I said no thanks and took the inside. Strange pricing model they have there…

If it’s still similar to its sister ship, Zaandam, then the theater (main showroom) has some unique seating arrangements. There are love seats scattered here and there, and occasional chairs with tables. Definitely not movie theater style.

I’ve done this cruise twice, so I can mention the ones I’ve done that I enjoyed. In Quebec, I did the tea at the Chateau Frontenac and the walkabout with wine tasting. However, it’s a great walkable city that you can explore easily on your own. The funicular up to the Chateau is pretty cool. In Sydney, it’s a nice little town with some shopping nearby where you can find hand-crafted goods. They have a huge red violin where the ship docks. In Prince Edward Island, I did the lighthouse and winery tour twice. You end up at the Rossignol winery, which is a nice little place with pretty good wine. The blueberry wine is quite good, surprisingly. They make liqueurs with local fruits and those are sooooo good! The Anne of Green Gables house is there, but I have not gone on that tour. Others have enjoyed it though. Halifax has a decent Hop On/Hop Off tour that also includes the citadel and maritime museum. I also did a long lighthouse tour that went all the way to Mahone Bay, which had some neat Curse of Oak Island swag in the shops. If you’re a fan of the show, the Mug and Anchor pub that the cast goes to is there. Halifax also has some pretty good shopping near the port. Not sure if Bar Harbor is going to allow ships in the future, but it’s a quaint little town that has lots of shops and restaurants. That itinerary is one of my favorite cruises, which is why I’ve done it twice!

If I were in your shoes (and again - this is only what I would do), I would do the quiet solo cruise. I have found that there are many solo cruisers on HAL ships and they are quite welcoming to the “newbies”. I have traveled the world in my Navy career, so being solo is nothing new. Being on a noisy Carnival ship would not excite me, even with family present. I would prefer a quiet ship to “find” myself again in my new role.

As a solo traveler, I can answer some of your questions. My husband doesn’t like to travel, so I can’t answer the first couple. You only pay HIA for one person. I’ve never gotten Club Orange but I would think it would operate the same way. I always find something enjoyable to do as a solo - either by myself or with a group. I always have my TA select early seating, large table, for dinner. That way, I make new friends and sometimes end up doing things with them ashore if not on an excursion.

No plug by the bed. Zaandam and Volendam are older ships and have limited outlets.

Even though I spent 21 years in the Navy, I get severe motion sickness. I always bring meclazine that I get on Amazon (25 mg chewables), and they work really well. I was able to survive a very rough English Channel transit on the Prinsendam that was so rough that the crew was even green around the gills. Nothing else has worked for me. The wrist bands made my hands hurt, ginger makes me gag, and trying to view the horizon never worked either. That’s why I joined a Seabee unit 😁. Taking them before the ship sails into open waters is key. One good thing to note, as I’ve cruised, I find that I need them less and less. Maybe one day I will get my “sea legs”!

They were installing all the new TVs when I was on her in January. I wasn’t in a Neptune suite, but others who were had mentioned the new TVs. The on-demand system wasn’t completely working by the time I disembarked, but the installation guys (they looked like commandoes) were working on it.

It’s a combination of both. The middle of the room has chairs in rows with some little tables in between for your drinks. Big comfy padded chairs with tables against the windows, and then some scattered tables and chairs/sofas in the very back. Volendam is probably the same but I’ve never been on her.

You might still be getting spring break passengers on that cruise. I did the week before on that ship and there were lots of people with kids. Perhaps many don’t want a repeat of that. Or, it’s just after spring break and hence the fewer amount of people? I’ve been on that ship twice and didn’t notice any issues, although I think I read on another thread that she is having azipod issues.

I have done three cruises post-Covid and haven’t gotten Covid that I know of. I did get sick at the tail-end of the 16-day Panama Canal on the Zaandam last month. Turned out to be bronchitis, ear infection, and strep throat! Yes, I did have three Covid tests just to be sure. First time I’ve gotten sick from a cruise in the 10 cruises I’ve done. I wear a mask when required, but not otherwise. Unless I was asymptomatic, I’ve never gotten Covid. I got two Moderna shots and one booster. Not getting any more.

The ocean view cabins do not have fridges but you can rent one for a small fee. I don’t know about the insides. Balconies and above have fridges. The new TVs had made it down to at least deck 3 by the time I got off her in January.

I’ve done the Canada/NE cruise twice on the Zaandam and enjoyed it both times. It’s port-intensive enough that there’s not much downtime. I prefer the layout of the Zaandam compared to the larger ships, but it is lacking the Tamarind and Dutch Cafe. I thought the entertainment was sufficient for a 7-day cruise, but the 16-day one I just did on the Zaandam was MUCH better. Not sure if they change it up for longer cruises, or it’s just starting to recover back to what it used to be. Everything seemed to be in good working order, clean, but a little worn in some areas. She’s getting a bit “long in the tooth”, unfortunately. Can’t beat the nice promenade deck with the steamer chairs that the bigger ships don’t have!

I had a similar experience with the Baked Alaska on the Zaandam. The meringue smelled and tasted like fish. I hate fish, so I was immediately grossed out. I tore it open to eat the insides, but the ice cream was about the size of a small melon ball. Not worth it.

I’ve gotten one on each of the three past cruises I’ve taken since the restart. NA and Zaandam.

I had one cruise last March on the NA, and two since then on the Zaandam. All seemed adequately staffed. I could tell there were some new staff members on board, and they seemed to have issues with consistency (ice in cabin intermittently, forgetting daily programs, only 1 towel animal on a 16-day cruise…), but I still enjoyed each cruise. The NA had some rowdy young’uns on board, but everything else seemed ok. The Panama Canal cruise was the best. Staff was outstanding, entertainment was nicely varied, and no major issues noted.

Same thing happened on my same itinerary this past January. From what others have said, this port gets cancelled a lot.

I did a 7-day in September 2022 and a 16-day last month, both on the Zaandam and they were terrific. In March 2022 I did a 7-day Caribbean on the NA and was not as impressed. Seems to be random experiences, from what I’ve seen. The 16-day Panama Canal on the Zaandam was the best one. Perhaps the longer itineraries have better entertainment? The food was pretty good on all three, though. I don’t eat seafood but my table mates who did certainly enjoyed theirs. Can’t speak much for the Lido, since I only eat breakfast there, and only cereal at that. I am quite dissatisfied with the cereal options (the big dispensers that crunch the cereal as you turn the handle vs. the individual boxes they used to have), but it appeared that most people ate the hot options so they probably didn’t even notice the cereal dilemma 😂. Yes some things have changed, and not necessarily for the better, but as a solo traveler with few needs, I have been pretty satisfied with post-Covid HAL cruises.

May 11, 2024 Rotterdam 14-day Britain, Scotland, Ireland Navybikermom

I usually travel solo and have never gotten charged for “two” specials, like HIA. The cabin, yes, but not the other deals.

Cabin 3405, ocean view, had a tub. It was pretty dinged up, but functional.

I just got off the Zaandam and most of the public areas are air conditioned enough that I wore long sleeves or a sweater. The Wajang theater is ice cold. I played bingo there many times and most of us were bundled up with sweaters or coats. The public areas were not all the same temp though. Some were more comfortable than others. Most women seemed to bring a sweater everywhere they went just in case.