Palms2Pines2Sea

Gosh, it is SO dependent on the itinerary and the time of year. We are recently off the Nieuw Statendam, and we found it very crowded and very noisy. But in all fairness, this was a 7-night Caribbean cruise in February with lots and lots of northerners who are escaping the cold and are ready to party. Peace and quiet did not seem to be part of their vacation plans. On lengthier voyages, we've found the overall vibe to be a good deal more mellow, even when the ship was full. Best to take it all with a grain of salt, along with the knowledge that cruising continues to grow - rapidly - in popularity. Perhaps the days of "less crowded" are behind us....i.e. that ship has sailed!

Our very first HAL was a 9 night Transatlantic on the Prinsendam, in May 2007. We were young(ish), still working, and could only afford an inside guarantee. But we wanted to try HAL, and this opportunity was too good to pass up. After embarkation, we went to the dining room to get a feel for our assigned table. We had the good fortune to meet the DR manager (Sander Vogtlander) who dedicated himself to orienting these two newbies to the HAL experience. We were very very well looked after, and were even invited to the Captain's Table on the first formal night. I was quite glad that I had packed a tux. I'm sorry that I don't recall the captain's name, but he was a kind and handsome man (British if I recall correctly) who I am sure that many of you remember fondly. We were onboard with many seasoned HAL veterans, but consider ourselves most fortunate to have been welcomed to our first HAL ship with such enthusiasm. And of couse the Prinsendam, aged as she was, made us feel lucky to be on a ship, and not a floating hotel. We loved it all, and are looking forward to joining the Nieuw Statendam this summer. But we will always miss the Prinsendam. 😎

We are on the Reflection with you. The huge discrepancy in occupancy, and the reason that the Reflection is undersold compared to the other April crossings, is because Celebrity did not show the Reflection April 23 Transatlantic on its website for most of 2022! And if you happened to check the websites of other big travel agents, they didn’t show it either. By the time it showed up, most passengers had already made their plans based on what was showing as available. 😎

The Onward is in very very fine shape, especially for her age. We enjoyed the recent Transatlantic tremendously. Some random photos from our crossing. 😎

Hello Monica, First let me say that everyone has a different tolerance for airport arrivals. That being said, If you are in the first walk-off group, and comfortable handling any and all of your luggage by yourself, then you will be absolutely fine with your 10:40 flight unless the ship is delayed in arriving or in clearance. In fact you will get to the airport quite quickly at that early hour. BCN is usually MUCH less busy in December than in the height of summer season.

Does anyone have a copy of the current wine list (bottles and prices) that they could add here? Many thanks for your help.

And the gentle climb that Jim mentions does indeed discourage a few from venturing onto the track for their strolls. 😎

Is this still a thing? We're Elite Plus w/Celebrity, looking at trying Azamara. I called their customer service #, and spoke to a woman who "didn't know". Hmmmm......