jagger16

Congrats on your engagement and your first cruise! I have a couple of ship tips for you as we have often mentioned them to first time cruisers who were not aware of some of these things.

We like to have coffee and breakfast delivered to our room. We order the night before and leave the order outside on our door handle. It really helps get out the door quicker on busy port days. HAL has great room service and you can write-in things that are not on the menu.

Sometimes it's hard to choose what we want for dinner so my husband and I will often pick one entrée to share besides what we each individually order. And if you don't like what you order you can ask for something else - although we have rarely had to do that.

If you are wine drinkers you can bring wine on when you embark. Each of you can bring a bottle with no charge and you will pay a corkage fee for the others.

We keep an eye out for laundry specials for longer cruises such as yours. I like to take advantage of spa specials which come out the night before the day the special will be offered. We also enjoy using the thermal spa (additional charge)?and if you're into that, that's a nice activity on sea days. I feel that using it regularly helps keep me loose especially after all of those days of touring.

Your books will help you identify the cities that you need to be very careful with pickpockets. I know you have to be careful in Barcelona. I carry nothing when we go there and my husband keeps our minimal valuables in a money belt. He doesn't like it, but we do feel more comfortable touring that way.

It sounds like the Koningsdam has USB ports in the cabins but we will still take a Joto 6 Port USB charger with high speed charging. It cuts down on all of the electronic plugs we have to bring. You can order that on Amazon.

Hope this helps. I'm happy to answer any particular questions you may have.

AryMay, You mentioned in your blog that the water at the reef was choppy. And indeed it was judging by your picture! Do you know if it is typically like that in that area or was this due to the weather that day? Thank you for sharing. Enjoyed the Bonaire and Aruba posts on your blog.

We were on the Rotterdam in 2014 for a Norwegian Fjord cruise and we loved the size of the ship. It was easy to access any deck which was great because there are often really neat things to see in a moment's notice. We could be sitting in the Crow's Nest and then head out to a deck to see the midnight sun and the moon out at the same time! The promenade deck is nice and wide. The service was excellent, very attentive and the crew really got to know us. It was the best HAL food we ever had. The ship had a laid back vibe, there wasn't a lot of activity at night. But passengers seemed to stay up late and hang out late in the lounges. Maybe it was the midnight sun tricking us all! The back deck is not its strong point but it was not a cruise made for swimming so that was OK. We really enjoyed our cruise on her.

Thank you, Brad for the many, many, many pictures. We can't wait for our Christmas cruise on the Koningsdam. You mentioned in another thread that your cabin had a large balcony. What cabin were you in? I'm sure you mentioned it somewhere but I'm binge reading all of the Koningsdam information this morning and I am probably overloading and missed it. :)

Also, is the BB King Blues club in the Queen's Lounge or another space?

Thanks again for the information and pictures and I apologize if I am making you repeat yourself.

You get an A+ for a complete and detailed set of pictures. :) Thank you very much. They are very helpful. Glad to see the outlets are horizontal especially at the vanity. We were in a Signature Suite on the Eurodam after dry dock and the outlets were not only vertical but low and my hairdryer plug would not fit in the space. Hope you had a nice cruise.

LAFFNVEGAS - Thank you for taking time to share your special voyage with us. It’s so exciting to hear all the new Koningsdam news. I am enjoying your daily updates. You had mentioned a little bit about the dressing area in your cabin and I wondered if you encountered the same problem that I did on the Eurodam. We were in a Signature Suite this past December after the Eurodam came out of dry dock. I could not dry my hair at the vanity because the outlet placed there was so low, the plug from the hairdryer cord did not fit. The plug bumped into the top of the desk. Fortunately I had a really long dryer cord and I could plug it in next to the bed and get as close as I could to the mirror.

I would like to second the request for a picture or any feedback (if at all possible) of a Vista suite. That’s what we’ll be in for a Christmas cruise this year.

Thank you again for all of your information and for taking the time to do this. Enjoy your cruise!

Teddy, My husband and I have been on five holiday cruises on HAL (our sixth is coming up this year). We've also been on the Rotterdam (But not for a holiday cruise.) We took our first holiday cruise over New Year's 2010 on Nieuw Amsterdam. We weren't sure how we would like being away from home from our family and friends. Well after about being on the ship for about five minutes we thought this was the greatest idea ever! We learned quickly that the ship is decorated, festive and full of holiday cheer. It only got better as we thought about how we didn't have to cook, clean up or drive anywhere. We have since brought family with us and now we all celebrate together. We have been on for Christmas and New Year's and they are both a joy. Best of all, sharing the holidays with the always warm and friendly crew. They seem to enjoy the holidays with the passengers as much as we enjoy being with them. We took part in any activity that was offered and always had fun: tree lighting, Christmas carol concert, Santa arriving in the theater, pub crawls, New Year's parties. It was all terrific. And even though we did not sail where you are headed (We were in the Caribbean.), I agree to just go with the flow with the weather. It can be dicey that time of year and our expectation is . . . at least it's not snow. You will have a great time. Happy sailing and enjoy!

Thanks, Carolb! I put a call into Ama and the representative read from an update from the VP that basically said they have been getting through to Vilshofen. But I'm prepared for anything! Speaking of which . . . How was the heat? Did you ever have the need for a light jacket or sweater?

Derrick and Carolb,

Can you tell us in which town did you get off the first ship and in which town you get on the second ship?

We are on an Ama cruise next week embarking in Budepest. We are to go to Passau and then on to Visholfen where we are to disembark. I'm just wondering if we can get as far as Passau and if so can we get as far as Visholfen. I've tried to find out information on how Ama is fairing with the low rivers but haven't come across anything. Thanks. I'd appreciate any additional information that you can provide.

My husband and I were in 4178 and the cabin and balcony are a little larger. My recollection is that it's longer, not noticeably wider. I don't think the bathroom is any bigger. We appreciated the extra space.

We were in a Neptune Suite, traveling with family in who were in verandas. Only we in the suite had priority boarding. However, we got to the pier early enough that there were no lines and they were literally right behind us. In fact, by the time we had stopped to pay our corkage fees, they had all passed us and gotten on board before we did! We couldn't even find them for the obligatory all-aboard photo. :)

SnowshoeCat, We did the Norwegian Fjords on Rotterdam out of Rotterdam last summer and it went beyond expectations. I highly recommend spending some time in Amsterdam pre-cruise, it's an easy and short train ride from Amsterdam to Rotterdam.

Bring layers of clothing as temperatures change throughout the cruise, and hour by hour once in port. You definitely need a warm jacket if your cruise goes to the North Cape. I was actually sorry that I didn't have gloves. Prepare for rain as well. Anything goes with the weather.

My husband and I do a combination of DIY, private tours and ship excursions but on this trip any excursion that we took was through HAL and they were all great.

Sail away out of Rotterdam is really neat, we were on deck the entire time and I even got up really early to be awake as you come back into the port which was something I'll never regret.

We loved the Rotterdam. There were a lot of special events in the dining room like Dutch night, Indonesian night and I remember some of the crew played one evening. Because the ship is smaller, the crew really got to know us and we just loved our time on the ship. Bring binoculars, get on deck when you are experiencing the midnight sun and take walks on the promenade no matter the time! Experiencing the midnight sun and the long evenings of light was one of our favorite parts. We hardly slept because the light was invigorating! Have fun planning and enjoy your trip. It's going to be a memorable experience for sure!

Jagger16, you are more than welcome! I'm so happy that my recommendations worked out so well for you. Did you get a chance to meet Peter, the chef? His cooking is so flippin' good! Glad you got the opportunity to go to Marmalade and had such a great time and a great trip overall!:D:D

No we did not meet the chef. We ate at the bar and my husband said he was out and about but he did not come our way. I'm sorry that I forget their names but the bartender and waitress were terrific. The bartender was very helpful with our wine pairings and they both took the time to make sure that we understood the food and how it was prepared. Plus, since we were in a hurry to get back on the ship we did not have dessert. But the bartender sent one over anyway because he said it was so good he wanted us to experience it. They were very understanding that we had to get on the Liberty for sail away and they paced our meal accordingly. We paid the check while we ate dessert. And then the bartender walked us to the shortcut back to the ship so we would be back on on time!

Hey Tripp,

Just wanted to thank you for your information on the Liberty, the ports and especially for your recommendation to eat at Marmalade in OSJ. We had a fabulous meal and experience there. The service was attentive, friendly and personal. It was one of our most memorable dining experiences and we look forward to eating there again someday when we are fortunate enough to return to San Juan. The cruise was terrific and we really enjoyed returning to the Liberty after sailing on her back in her inaugural season.

Jagger, we were on the Liberty at the beginning of May, we're not platinum, etc., just regular ole passengers ;) and we were on the ship and on the Lido before noon! The ship was obviously released for boarding timely and was the easiest, quickest check-in & embark ever.

 

Thanks, Aztek. We have priority boarding but the time on the boarding pass is 2:30-8:30. I agree with you, the earlier you embark the better! The first day on the ship is the best and most exciting so we really like to relax and stretch it out.

Thank you, Tripp. I'll keep all of those new facts with me when we leave. Please don't hurry up writing on my account, I'm the one that is behind. I think I just finished reading about your St. Thomas day. Glad you could FF for me to St. Kitts because that is the only day that we have no plan. Back to packing and thanks again! :):)

Tripp, Thank you for your review. I am enjoying it very much but don't know if I'm going to finish it before embarking on the Liberty with my husband on Sunday! At some point I have to stop and pack. I do have a couple questions:

1. I wanted to confirm that even though our boarding time is 2:30 p.m., you did say people were going on board at 12:00? We do have priority check-in.

2. Besides the Pina Colada place that you mentioned in San Juan, do you (or anyone else) have any other recommendations for a restaurant in San Juan for dinner on Saturday?

3. Any beach recommendations from you (or anyone else) for St. Kitts?

Thank you so much for all of the information that you have provided. This is the last Liberty review we'll read before embarking on Sunday so we really appreciate the current information that you have shared. Glad that you and your family had an awesome trip.

C&G, Thanks for your information. I'll try to clarify.

Generally regarding service on both lines . . . What we really appreciate about HAL is how friendly, personal and accommodating the staff is. They seem to go out of their way to please. Certain people that we interact with address us by name, get to know our preferences and we enjoy conversations with them. We always feel like we are treated professionally and we always feel special. We have experienced this when traveling with just the two of us. We have also traveled with family and even when our group gets bigger, we consistently see attention to details.

On Oceania, the service was inconsistent. We were on the Riviera for fifteen days and aside from our cabin stewardess and her assistant, we did not experience the same level of personal service. The staff we encountered were adequate, and did their jobs well-enough, but we rarely felt that they went out of their way to make the experience of cruising Oceania special or distinctive.

Specifically, regarding some of the items you mentioned, dinners in the MDR took a long time and we typically dined alone or with one other couple. As far as the pool, we sat on one deck above the main pool area. We were not alone, many others were on that deck as well. No one ever once came around for drinks. On the mid-cruise survey, I mentioned this and the next day bar staff came around to take drink orders and then it stopped again after that one day.

We had one instance that was handled very unprofessionally. We were having dinner in Toscana and the wine steward could not find the bottle of wine that we had opened but not finished the night before. The search for the wine became a big production and ended with the wine steward telling us that we probably drank the wine, finished the bottle and didn't remember. We were very uncomfortable with this suggestion as we hadn't even finished half of the bottle and clearly remembered that we had more than half a bottle left.

This was our experience and perhaps it was not the ordinary for Oceania or the Riviera. Our cruise was oversold. It almost felt like there wasn't enough staff to handle to passenger demand. But even so, for the price of the trip, one would not expect these kind of service blips.

One other thing that I forgot to mention before, was that we could not order a hot breakfast in our room. This was a drawback for us and one of the things that we really love about HAL. This may not be a deal breaker for others, but again, for the cost of the cruise, we would like to have had the option of hot breakfast in our room.

The only way Hflors will know if Oceania is the right fit for her and her husband is if they try it. We were also curious and tried it and felt that even at a higher price point, Oceania did not deliver some of the things that we really like about HAL. All in all, it was still a memorable cruise and we'll take with us lots of good memories and experiences. Any cruise is a good cruise! ;)

We have sailed on Nieuw Amsterdam several times and Eurodam, Zuiderdam, Rotterdam once. As far as food, our most recent cruise on Eurodam was average, and the other cruises ranged from very good to above average.

We have been on two Seabourn cruises which were amazing. But Seabourn is a splurge and we can't choose that option every time. We do like HAL very much particularly for our annual holiday cruise.

Two years ago we chose an Oceania cruise on the Riviera for the itinerary and thought that perhaps we might find something that was between HAL and Seabourn.

The food on Oceania was overall and probably more consistently better than HAL. We really liked the Lido with its seafood grill and terrace dining. The specialty restaurant options added variety and we did enjoy a change especially since the cruise was fifteen days long.

However, you are limited to one reservation in each specialty restaurant unless you are in a suite category. But we were advised to check with each restaurant daily as tables do become available. We found that there was no rhyme or reason to who was able to be seated in a specialty restaurant. For example, we are late diners and we would arrive at 8 p.m. or after and ask the Maitre d' if any tables were available. The restaurants were sparsely filled but we were told no tables were available. But on the same night friends of ours were turned away from the MDR and sent to a specialty restaurant instead.

Service on Oceania was a disappointment. I agree with Ruth that our cabin stewardess and her assistant were terrific. The grill cooks were great. The coffee bar was friendly. And everything else was flat. HAL beat Oceania in service hands down.

To us the ambiance on Riviera was a little lifeless. The ship just didn't feel festive. But that's a personal preference. I can certainly understand that some people might like things low key. I'm not sure if it was just our combination of passengers and crew. We have only been on one Oceania cruise but that was our experience. Perhaps others are not like that.

The reason I mention Seabourn is because at the end of our Oceania cruise we concluded that for the money, Seabourn is a better value. The food is excellent and the service is outstanding. The itineraries are unique and the small ship experience was enjoyable. If we want luxury we will choose Seabourn and if we want mainstream our first choice will be HAL.

If you want to cruise solely for the food, Oceania will satisfy your interest. Give it a try and see. It can't hurt! We definitely had a memorable cruise on the Riviera even though it was a different cruise experience. We do like to try new things. But I would look at Seabourn as well.

Wow! What a fantastic and diverse itinerary. I wasn't able to view your shore excursions yet. But when they come out do have a look. Basically in every port we picked excursions that took a bus to the viewpoint and if there was a winding road we took it! We usually do a combination of DIY, private excursions and ship excursions but in Norway we didn't see any advantage to arranging private tours so we always took a ship tour. We really enjoyed all of them. The reviews on HAL's website are very helpful. Search for Lars from Alesund on the CC port boards. I followed a lot of his advice. I also downloaded a book called Cruising: The Norwegian Fjords by Brian and Eileen Anderson. It had very practical information about what to do in each port. You're going to have a great trip. Enjoy!

Funny but as I read your comments I was thinking to myself that maybe you should consider the Rotterdam and then you did! My husband and I sailed on a fourteen day all Norway cruise on the Rotterdam last summer. We loved the size (we usually sail Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam). To us it seemed like being on a small ship. The food was excellent and the service was very personal and all staff went above and beyond. The Rotterdam is a very special ship with some unique traditions that we enjoyed. There are many options for places to sit and hang out for the scenic cruising and because of the size you can switch locations, or go from side to side or hop from indoors to outside swiftly. This happened often because of all there was to see. The pool with the optional cover was a plus as we could sit there during the day and be in the sun but be comfortable as well. I don't know your exact itinerary (please share!) but hopefully you are leaving from Rotterdam which is a unique experience in itself. I often catch myself thinking about that cruise and saying to myself or my husband how special it was. Congratulations on an excellent choice! Have fun planning!

Blue Sky,

Thank you for taking the time to post such a lovely review with pictures. Your review is not only informative and entertaining, but really practical for those who will be cruising the same itinerary. My husband and I plan to take the same cruise on Carnival Liberty in June and we will be following many of your suggestions, particularly Herod’s Tour in St. Lucia. We have also booked a room at La Concha due in part to your high recommendation.

I have one question and forgive me if you already said this. Can you please tell me where the port in St. Martin is located?

Did you by any chance see the picture of Sugar Beach in the February edition of Travel & Leisure magazine? I recognized it right away after seeing your pictures! It’s on page 36 and if you have not seen it, you may be able to find it on-line.

Thank you again for all of your information. I’m glad that you had a wonderful experience. Here’s to more terrific cruises in the future for you and your husband!

POA1, Thanks for your informative and entertaining report. We love the Nieuw Amsterdam and enjoyed hearing about your experience sailing on her in the Caribbean.

Just wanted to let you know that we have read all of your information regarding bringing wine on board, we are well studied, prepared, have our Ze bag, a gift certificate to Total Wine and are ready to shop on Saturday and bring a case of wine on board the Eurodam on Sunday. We'll see how we do. Thanks for your advice and guidance.

Happy Holidays to all!

Thanks for the review and congratulations on booking both of your future cruises.

We had to change our booking for a future cruise and our TA handled it. We were able to transfer the deposit but we did lose our shipboard credit. When our TA asked HAL about that they said the credit was only valid for cruises that were booked while on board. See what happens when you try to change. Maybe your situation will be different but I just wanted to make you aware of our experience.

As far as Explore 4, take it if it's offered. It includes all beverages under $7.00 and that includes special coffees, soda and bottled water. You've got nothing to lose.

It's called the ZEBag Ultimate Wine Bottle Carrying Case. When we bought ours, they were only about $15 on Amazon. They originally sold for around $50. I love them at $15. For fifty bucks, not so much. You can still get them on Amazon, via a third party seller with free shipping, but the price is now $35.99.

 

http://amzn.to/1seZcaM

 

If you carry a lot of wine around, you may want to spend the $36. I have them on my Amazon watch list. If they happen to show back up at the value price, I will try to remember to post about them.

Interesting! Thanks for the link. Questions . . . Does it fold flat when empty? Even though the end is open, the bottles don't fall out? Did you check it at the curb and it made it to your cabin OK?