travellersrest

I have successfully registered a friend, but her cruise is not until Oct. 2024. I do not receive my credit until she pays in full. And, of course, she doesn't get her OBC until she is onboard.

2 hours ago, oceangal00 said:

Was there another band that played in Ocean Bar?

I was also on the Volendam cruise. It was my understanding that the young man who passed away was a guitarist in the Ocean band. There was a second band, I believe just referred to as the house band, who played sometimes at the Ocean bar, as well as providing live music for singers on the World Stage. There was also an emergency evacuation of a female employee very near the end of the cruise and no further information was provided to passengers about her condition or her position on the ship.

5 hours ago, Kris75 said:

We also just got notification for our May Rotterdam cruise that our overnight in St. Petersburg has been replaced by Riga, Latvia and an overnight in Stockholm. Disappointed a bit about not getting to St. Petersburg but very understandable given the circumstances. Still very excited about going as it is our first visit to the region.

I will be on the Rotterdam for the October sailing. I feel disappointed, as well, that I won't be seeing the wonders of St. Petersburg, but place the blame squarely with Putin. I hope that the entire region will be safe for travel in October and before.

Interesting! I sent my passport for renewal, on June 15, by certified mail. I just checked this website (thank you for posting the link) and according to the info on the website, my passport was received for processing on July 20. I wonder where my passport traveled for over a month! If everything I am reading is correct, I won't get my passport back until sometime in November. We are scheduled to sail on the 2022 World Cruise and that is pushing it awfully close to sailing time. Glad I didn't wait until it only had 6 months left before it expires! 

Hi Kathy,

This is Bonnie from your evening trivia team on the 2018 WC. Don't know if you have kept in contact with Marilyn and Rodney, but they will be joining you on the 2020 WC. They are already in Ft. Lauderdale  also. Wish I was joining you for another trip around the world, but I will have to settle for the Grand South America and Antarctica this year. Hope you have a wonderful voyage. Safe travels!

Our tour Italy Tours.EU to Florence and Pisa was excellent. We enjoyed the small group experience. 

Seeing the statue of David was the highlight of my vacation and I was able to enter the museum without waiting in line to purchase tickets, by adding the optional skip the line purchase. Our guide, Virginia,  was well versed in the history and culture of Florence and did a great job of leading us through the center city to see the highlights. Two hours was just the right amount of time on a hot summer day to prevent getting too tired to enjoy the tour. 

An hour of time was built into the schedule, for lunch on your own and shopping time, in Florence.

Our driver, Elenia, was very helpful in explaining the plan for the day and making sure that we were comfortable in the van. She also pointed out sites along the route and explained what we were seeing as we traveled. The use of a microphone by her was appreciated so that those of us in the back seat of the van could hear her over the air conditioning.

If I am back in Italy again, I will be sure to use Italy Tours.EU. 

4 hours ago, mamakits said:

Tooo funny HamOp!   Thought  to myself....."oh, crap.....there is an ant on my computer screen".... then I realized it was part of your signature 🐜 

LOL! I actually tried to swat it off, the first time I saw it move up my screen as I scrolled down!

Hi Kathi,

I really enjoyed your posts/blog. I followed along with your trivia questions and wondered how our last year's WC evening trivia team would have done with these questions. There were some days when I knew most of the answers and then other days where it was a complete bust! lol

Now that you have had a day or two to get settled back into "real life", I wondered if you have had time to reflect on your trip. As I kick into high gear planning for my SA and Antarctica next year, I was curious if there were things you thought were a must do/see and other things that were don't bothers. South Georgia is not on our itinerary and we have 3 fewer days, but most of the other ports are the same. 

Also, did you take any tours through DoRightBrazil? If so, would you recommend them. I have already booked our Falklands excursion through Estancia, to Volunteer Point. Looking forward to seeing the King penguins. Was the smell terrible? lol

Glad you found new friends and reconnected with friends from prior cruises. Hope your WC next year is wonderful. I will be reading your blog again (at least whenever we have wifi available on the Volendam) as we circumnavigate South America. Welcome home again! I am sure these next nine months will fly by for both of us!

Bonnie

My husband and I were on the WC last year, but we did not have the opportunity to meet you. Since we can't cruise this year, I am looking forward to your blog and others, to travel vicariously through the reports. Trivia was one of my favorite activities during our cruise. I played with Sandy and Jack and sweet Anna. I hope you have a wonderful cruise and safe travels. Can't wait to hear more!

Hi Kathi,

I am really looking forward to your blog, as I know that it will help me plan for the same trip in 2020. I am really interested in your choice of excursions and getting ideas about what to pack to meet the diverse weather conditions unique to this cruise. I hope that you will be posting some trivia questions as well, so that I can practice for 2020. Already signed up for your blog and will be following your live posts. Hope you don't mind if I share your blog link with our Volendam, 2020 roll call.

Have a fabulous cruise!!

Bonnie

8 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

No -- I haven't seen that before.

 

One thing that I see in your photo -- for 5 stars -- 2 complimentary dinners in the Pinnacle Grill (pay surcharge fee only).  We have never paid anything for those free dinners.  Wonder what HAL means by "pay surcharge fee only"?

I believe this refers to items on the menu that carry a surcharge, not the cover charge normally paid for admission to the specialty restaurant.

I know that on the Amsterdam there was a blood pressure monitor in the Fitness gym. Not sure if all ships have one in their gyms, but if you want to self monitor, check to see. It would certainly be much cheaper than using the services of the infirmary.

Please add me to the January 5, 2020 SA and Antartica cruise on the Volendam. Thank you.

Sounds good.

 

 

 

 

Does that mean no usual suite breakfast in Pinnacle on those Sundays?

I can't say with 100% certainty that the Pinnacle served breakfast, since I was not in a suite. But the Main dining room and the Lido both had their regular breakfast hours, so I think the Pinnacle did as well. This was on the Amsterdam. I can't speak for the other ship.

We were recently on the Zaandam and on Sunday's the Main Dining Room had a brunch from 11:30 - 1:00 p.m. with a completely different menu (example was the Seafood Poutine). Is the brunch offered fleet wide or was this something special on the Zaandam?

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

On the Amsterdam during the WC this past winter, Sunday Brunch was served every Sunday that was a sea day. It was a fixed menu of three courses, with samples (bite sized) of 5 or 6 items per course. The first course was cold items like yogurt and fruit, the second course was hot items like tenderloin medallions, sausage and gravy biscuits and tiny omelets. Dessert was the final course with three sample size desserts. Orange juice was served or you could purchase mimosas. Tea and coffee were also available. It was all very tasty and the brunches were well attended.

No, but you can purchase some OBC to cover the expected cost. That's basically a cash deposit.

I prepaid for my internet plan on the Amsterdam for the World Cruise. It was an option in my account online where you can also pre-purchase dining, wine packages and spa item.

They must be in SOUTHERN California[emoji41].

 

 

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Yes, they are in Southern California and NORTHERN California, many located in the San Francisco area.

Actually, it's Italian-Americans (and primarily the northeastern ones) that have tomato based "gravy" (vs sauce) with many of their dishes: i.e. Sunday Gravy to a Brooklyn kid.

As for California, the only thing in glass many of us ingest is wine!

AND please remember from where most of the artichokes, asparagus, avocados, almonds, tomatoes, and milk/cheese (specifically from "HAPPY cows") you enjoy originated.

As for Walmart, do any Californians on CC know if we even have a Walmart?

 

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Not from CA but a quick Google search reveals that there are 304 retail units and 14 distribution centers in your state, employing over 91,000 employees. Walmart paid over $334M in taxes in CA and contributed over $61M in charity to local organizations. I bet they even bought a lot of artichokes, asparagus, avocados, almonds, tomatoes, and milk/cheese from your farmers and growers.

Thank you for playing along :).

 

Keith: I always appreciate your input. I would agree, more and more lines are getting in the World Cruise Game. MSC is doing their first world cruise in 2019 with one of it's musica class ships at 92K g/t. I've sailed MSC a few times and find their product a good value. I believe that this will be the largest ship doing full circumnavigations.

 

WishIwerecruisin:Thank you for your thoughts on Suez Canal vs Cape of Good Hope. The more I look at itineraries offered, the more this seems to be one of the deciding factors for us. I really need to get a good handle on the pros/cons for each option. We've spent lots of time in the Mediterranean both sailing and land vacations, so a cruise through the Suez Canal with lots of stops in the Med does not thrill me. I also wonder about political climate (although I know no way to absolutely predict).

 

Spanishlady:P&O does have some very interesting itineraries. I like the Arcadia's circumnavigation route in 2019. Arcadia is 83K g/t so that is a plus for us. Cunard is also sailing some larger ships so those are options. The formal dress code on Cunard wouldn't be our first choice, but we certainly have the wardrobe should we go that route.

 

TampaGirl:I know right? So hard to plan for something without even a hint at itinerary. Right now I'm simply gathering information so that I make an informed decision. I'm using current availability for research but realize that will change.

 

Are you sailing on Hal's Amsterdam for Grand Asia? I very much enjoy HAL and the Amsterdam. In terms of lines sailing worldcruises right now, HAL would be the line I am most familiar with and at 60Kg/t, I think the Amsterdamwill be about the smallest ship we would want to sail for any length of time.That's good for us in the sense that many of the smaller ships are more expensive. Rarely is my desire inversely proportionate to cost.

 

I do know that most people on Cruise Critic are fans of early booking. It's not that I'm against early booking, but I've typically found my very best deals after final payment even considering perks. When pricing cruises leaving at the beginning of January 2018 (approximately 60 days out) it seems that most lines are offering the very same incentives as early booking (free grats, laundry,etc...). Odd as it seems to me, the actual PRICE is more than relatively similar itineraries leaving in 2019. It might actually be better to book a world cruise early and benefit from cabin selection. Time will tell I suppose,I have several years to look for trends.

 

So far in my research I believe I've come to conclusion that we would like a mid to large size ship to sail on so there are a bit more choices in entertainment with a more diverse population. I also know that we would much prefer an itinerary with less stops in the Caribbean and Mediterranean and prefer as many overnights as possible.

 

A few things I am budgeting for which could add up significantly and will be a factor in final selection:

 

1) Availability and cost of internet. We will need to stay connected most, if not all of the time so an unlimited plan is preferred. We realize there will be times where the satellite signal is too weak (like the Norwegian Fjords), but DH will still be operating his business and will need to be in touch with his employees on a regular basis.

 

2).Laundry. I like ships with free/discounted/or self-serve laundry available, but could manage without. HAL's perk to send free luggage is nice, but I priced out sending luggage to Florida and it was not all that expensive. Leaving from Europe is another matter entirely.

 

3)Insurance. One of the lines is offering health care onboard the ship as a perk.Interesting. I need to figure out what part of my insurance is international.I'm also looking at trip insurance policies for this length. The longest we've done is a month so this is much different.

 

4) Drink packages: Looks like a few lines are offering complimentary beer/wine at lunch and dinner. This is a very nice perk for us as DH does enjoy his beer. Some of the lines are far more reasonable in beer pricing (P&O and CMV for example) when compared to lines like HAL, so that is something for us to consider as well. At American bar pricing, we could easily end up with a substantial alcohol bill.

 

I realize there are many incidentals that add to the cost of the cruise, but these are the 4 things I think could add $1,000's of dollars to the trip. Am I missing anything big? I know that excursions are a large cost, but excursion pricing should be about the same for us no matter what ship since we would do most outside of the cruise line. Our budget is 100K so I want to make sure that I'm spreading that pot in all the right places.

 

 

Thanks again for any of your thoughts. I know I am SUPER early, but planning is half the fun for me. We're headed to the Galapagos this summer, so my cup is overflowing with vacation planning at the moment, which is exactly how I like it.

Don't forget to add the cost of visas and vaccinations. These can easily add another $1000-2000 for two people, depending on how many are required. The good thing, though, is that most of them are good for 10 years, so the next world cruise won't be as costly. :)

I have to say that my favorite port of call has been the Faroe Islands, a place I didn't even knew existed until I booked the VOV.! As for bucket list places remaining, it is really hard to choose a number one. I want to see Antartica, St. Petersburg, Greek Isles, the Northern Lights and on and on and on. Too many places and not enough time and money!!!

If a ship is at dock overnight, is there anything like a curfew for returns to the ship?

I think it depends on the port authorities at the particular port. When we were at Tianjin (Beijing) there was a set time to be back on the ship, if you were not staying off ship overnight. This was because customs and immigration closed the port until the following morning.

I’ve never called them but did receive an email after our last cruise thanking us for our loyalty and congratulated us on achieving another star. They also said they looked forward to our return cruise in March. We have never received unsolicited emails from the Mariners Society. It was nice.

Your experience was the exact opposite of ours. Last March we would become 4 star mariners at the end of the cruise, but had to wait for on board spending to be calculated before knowing how many days we would have. Other than the change to our account online, there was no acknowledgment of the move up. In September, we again sailed with HAL. I thought that perhaps we would receive our 4 star pins on that cruise, but after waiting several days with no pins, I asked at the front desk. After verifying our status, they gave us our pins. There were no congratulations, no thank you for your loyalty, nothing!