Mr Astro

Thanks to Jazzbeau (and Jazzbelle, for that matter) for your interesting notes.  Mrs. Astro and I are doing the Rhine Highlights on the Pearl from August 28 - Sept. 04, 2024.  If your reports are anything to go by, it appears that our choice of carrier is a good one.

Hello all:

This will be our first River Cruise with any carrier.  We've ocean cruised for many years with a variety of carriers and we're hoping that Scenic will live up to it's hype and water levels will allow for a carefree cruise.

Looking forward to seeing (this part of) Europe up close and personal and expect a great experience on Scenic's "Space Ships".

If anyone has travelled on the Pearl (or Scenic) this year (2023) or last, we'd love to hear your experiences.

Mr. & Mrs. Astro

I know there are no laundry facilities on any HAL ship and you are invited to fill the bag for a fee but is there a 'laundry package' one can purchase prior to boarding?  Any help would be appreciated.

"Death by a thousand cuts"

how times have changed.  One could bring one bottle of wine or champers per adult.  No corkage.  

Kind of disappointing

What's the alcohol policy?  Can we still bring one bottle of wine or champagne per person?

On 8/20/2022 at 4:52 PM, ShipWalker said:

Condition of the Noordam is good and the entertainment is the same as on the other HAL ships, in my most humble opinion.

 

Here's a few photos of the Noordam during the Panama Canal cruise right out of dry dock....

 

Remodel on deck 3 forward...

 

New Explorations Cafe on deck 3. The one in the Crows nest is still there, too.

 

Explorations Cafe facing the other direction. Craft table area in the background.

 

One layer of chairs surround the pool instead of two. But never was crowded.

 

 

This here is a secret room I found that is open to all who find it. To my knowledge it is only on the Noordam. I was the only one ever in there. If you find it, keep it to yourself!

 

If you ignore the bacon, you can see the Pinnacle Grill

 

 

Im curious about the 'secret room'.  Can you tell me where it was.  I'm joining the ship in October and would like to check it out.

We bought this cruise as part of a package and we'll have to wait for the TA to come back to us with how he's going to deal with our refunds (air, hotel, pre and post cruise things, that sort of stuff).

We bought this cruise as part of a package and we'll have to wait for the TA to come back to us with how he's going to deal with our refunds (air, hotel, pre and post cruise things, that sort of stuff).

Other than CC, I have yet to receive official notice.

It was just a matter of time before they cancelled.  Once we get the official word from Windstar and our TA, we'll make some decisions.

I'll be receptive to what Windstar offers.  Perhaps next years' race, who knows.  We will see....

I totally agree with you.  Baku (as indicated by Autosport) would be a poor choice for a return to racing, whilst Monaco has cache and profound history.

I'm hoping.

SEATTLE, WA, March 12, 2020 – Small ship cruise operator Windstar Cruises announced today that the company will temporarily suspend operations worldwide for cruises embarking March 14 through April 30, 2020 due to the unpredictable environment surrounding the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

“After much thought, we believe we are making the most responsible decision we can during this coronavirus pandemic,” said Christopher Prelog, chief operating officer of Windstar Cruises. “This worldwide pause in the operation of our fleet of small ships is an effort to curb the spread of the virus and keep our guests, crew and the communities we visit, safe and healthy. We look forward to resuming operations again on May 1 with a return to offering our 180 degrees from ordinary vacation experience.”

Windstar will temporarily suspend operations of all sailings embarking on March 14 through April 30, 2020. Cruises will begin operating again according to schedule on May 1, 2020.

Windstar Cruises regrets the cancellation of travelers’ vacations. Guests on cancelled cruises will receive the choice of a Future Cruise Credit valued at 125% of all monies paid to Windstar Cruises or a refund equal to the amount paid on the Windstar booking. Guests will have 24 months to book and embark on any available Windstar cruise using their Future Cruise Credit. Windstar Cruises will protect Travel Advisor commissions on the affected bookings.

Windstar’s reservations team is reviewing all affected bookings and will send a letter outlining details to guests and travel advisors with canceled cruises. The reservations team appreciates the patience and understanding of guests and travel advisors as they work through this process.

The staff, executives, officers and crew at Windstar Cruises look forward to hosting travelers again this spring aboard its fleet of six small yachts carrying 148 to 342 guests in scenic and cultural destinations around the world.

As of 09:55 PDT today (13th) the Australian F1 race has been cancelled, the Bahrain and Vietnam races are postponed  and that the F1 series may not start until Baku in June.  

My source is Autosport.com

What next?

Along with others, I got the email from Windstar, too.  We will see what they have to say but on Friday (13th!) I'm told to expect a note from our travel agent (Travel with Alan) regarding what plans are being put in place.  I still have concerns that the F1 race itself will be cancelled.

No, but their own website said they would not allow anyone on board that has passed through or have come from (a variety of countries), and Italy.  This ship arrives and departs from Rome.  The itinerary goes to northern Italy as well.  I will know for sure of its cancellation on Friday.

Furthermore, I have grave doubts that the Monaco F1 race will be held at all.  That was the major driver in my decision to go on the cruise.

It looks like Windstar is going to cancel this trip.

So much for that bucket list......

I would very much like that link when you've done your review and would love to see your video of the ship.  

On 1/13/2020 at 7:19 PM, TakingFlight said:

We will be on this cruise, also! So glad you posted today as I haven’t seen a roll call or any other posts for this year’s Monaco Grand Prix Cruise.  There are a few recent threads with information about the Surf’s renovation. And a roll call for last year’s Monaco cruise (on the Star Pride) as well as a Cruise Critic review of that cruise because CC editor Carolyn was on the cruise. And don’t forget the Netflix Formula One series. Season one is available from last year and season two is coming out in early March.  This will be a great cruise, can’t wait!

Thanks for the response, perhaps we could start a roll call.  One poster sent a link to some photos and reports on the re-fit that don't look nice but I've paid my bucks and I'm on my way no matter what.  I went to the Canadian GP a few years back and had a blast.  Going to Monte Carlo is kind of a Mecca for F1 enthusiasts.  I did see the Netflix series and enjoyed it completely.  Perhaps we'll run into each other on the ship.

Hello, all.

We just booked a cruise with Windstar on the Surf.  An 8 day/10 night Rome return with the Monaco GP in the middle (happy face).  This is my first Windstar cruise and we are both very excited about it but we'd like to know a bit more about the ship and its routine.  I know, by way of Windstar's web page that the ship has recently undergone a significant re-fit but so far I'm unable to get any other info about the refit.  Notwithstanding that, I'd very much like to hear about your Wind Surf experiences, good or bad.

Hello all:

 

DW and I are in the final stages of preparations for our upcoming Royal Princess cruise around the UK (August 5 - 17) and we'd like to ask a question of anyone out there that has recently done the same cruise about when the formal nights were.

 

We've cruised a lot but most of them had lots of at sea days so one could pretty accurately guess when the formals would be (the night before disembarkation is never a formal night). This cruise has only two at sea days separated by only two days. All the rest of the days are port days.

 

So, the question is (to those who have taken this cruise)... were the formal nights on the 'at sea days' or were they on evenings of port days?

 

Cruisers who have done the Caribbean might have some comments to make in this regard since those cruises are rather port heavy (but shorter).

 

Your comments are welcome.

 

Mr. A.

Thanks to all who took the time to read this post but "MrsEmmaPeel's" posting on her experiences has answered my question (and more).

No need to post a reply. Thank you.....

Hello all:

DW and I are in the final stages of preparations for our upcoming Royal Princess cruise around the UK (August 5 - 17) and we'd like to ask a question of anyone out there that has recently done the same cruise about when the formal nights were.

We've cruised a lot but most of them had lots of at sea days so one could pretty accurately guess when the formals would be (the night before disembarkation is never a formal night). This cruise has only two at sea days separated by only two days. All the rest of the days are port days.

So, the question is (to those who have taken this cruise)... were the formal nights on the 'at sea days' or were they on evenings of port days?

Cruisers who have done the Caribbean might have some comments to make in this regard since those cruises are rather port heavy (but shorter).

Your comments are welcome.

Mr. A.

Interesting... I thought it was on the Royal but equally interesting are the 'thumbs down' reviews. Have they been posted somewhere?

What, if any, experiences people have had with the Ocean Medallion on the Royal Princess. We're on it this August and would like to know of how it's been accepted by PAX.

Thanks in advance for your feedback