mamapirk

6 hours ago, cruiseej said:

@mamapirk Just curious: did you get a hugely-discounted fare for such a last-minute purchase? You don't need to disclose pricing details; I'm just interested whether you found a great deal or if the trip just came together last-second.

Definitely last minute whim though the price is decent in my opinion. There are rooms available and I'm half hoping we'll get a wee upgrade. Now airline tickets are another matter entirely. 😳

9 hours ago, SLSD said:

They do still provide jackets.  You should probably call SB to confirm that they will have one for you.  I assume they will--but you could confirm that with a call.  

 Thanks so much. I may give them a call today. My daughter is taking my coat from my last trip, but my husband tossed his or we'd be taking it too. I still have the orange Antarctica jackets, but orange is seriously not a happy color unless one is playing among the penguins. 😉 

Have been to Alaska previously with Seabourn and jacket was provided. I just booked last minute for this weekend with my daughter...do they still provide jackets? Or if they do, are we too late? THANKS for any info.

Thanks so much everyone! Especially to outtahand7 for providing the great pictures. All the positive comments have helped me make the decision to book a HAL trip as soon as possible. I now know I need never go on Royal Caribbean, even as a favor to a friend, ever again. You guys are great, as always.

Lol...I really don't mean it to be. I'm just honestly curious. This is the first cruise I've taken since covid, the last being a HAL cruise just before the shut down in 2020. I know food is subjective, but I've never seen powdered eggs before. 😳 Was there a big difference between what I was served on the luxury ships and HAL? Yes, but the HAL food excellent too. I'm looking to do a long HAL cruise and good food quality plays a big part in cruise enjoyment.

I just returned from a 4-day cruise with Royal Caribbean. Previously, I've only ever sailed with Seabourn, Regent and Holland American. The food on the just completed Royal Caribbean cruise was shockingly bad. Having not sailed with Royal Caribbean before, I'm wondering if they are trying to make up lost expenses or would I have been just as unsatisfied pre-covid. This question is especially for current HAL World Cruisers, do you find the food quality the same as what you experienced in 2020? Granted, I did not expect Royal to live up to the same standards I've experienced on other lines but I honestly did not expect it to be as bad as I encountered. I accompanied a friend on this cruise on a lark, but it got me thinking about what I should be expecting from my favorite lines. Thanks for any input!

On 12/10/2022 at 4:27 PM, 2552phxcrzr said:

OCEANIA INSIGNIA ATW 2023 BLOG

 

If you would like to receive the "private link," send me an email at eerkun (format for yahoo).  Please mention your CC handle in the email so that I know the request is not spam.

I sent you an email as well. Looking forward to following along! I'm especially interested in all aspects of Oceania.

I am so glad to see this post! I, too, have been following your blog and was very worried about you. You have been in my prayers for many days now and I'm so happy to find that you are home, safe and sound.

Interesting topic. I recently took my first HAL cruise which incidentally was also my first solo cruise without my husband. My cabin was smack in the middle of a family group and the first evening they approached me to switch cabins with their sister in a cabin on the opposite side of the ship. If they had approached me at arrival I would have been happy to accommodate them but it was late the first evening and I'd already unpacked and was totally settled. At any rate, I woke up a couple of days later, threw open the drapes and discovered they had somehow opened the balcony partitions. To make matters worse, their belongings were encroaching on my balcony. You can imagine my surprise standing there in my gown and robe...lol. Our cabin steward looked appalled when I told him about it and he immediately rectified the situation, but I was shocked at their nerve. I've no clue how they accomplished this on their own.

On 10/19/2019 at 1:01 PM, molemaui said:

Hopefully I have the definitive answer to this question. 

 

There is a 15 drink per person/day that includes ALL drinks IF your drink package was given to you as part of a promotion or amenity. If you outright purchase the Signature drink package, all non alcoholic drinks are UNLIMITED and not included in the 15 drink/person/day count. 

 

If the Signature package was given to you AND you UPGRADE to the Elite package, then all non alcoholic drinks are unlimited plus when reviewing the wines, a much better choice!

 

Hope this helps. 

Most interesting and that makes sense. Question: What happens if you order a more expensive cocktail. Are you charged the difference between the two or the full price? Being a first timer on HAL, I'm clueless. Thanks for the help.

This is my first time on HAL and I'm traveling solo without my husband...also a first. My boarding time is 1pm. Should I plan on being at the terminal at 1pm or earlier? If earlier, how much earlier. Thanks SO much for any and all advice!

Any hotel recommendations would be much appreciated as well!

13 minutes ago, lvog said:

Hi mamapirk, We are going in early February. Did you kayak, and if so,  would you recommend it?

We did not, but I do know the spots book up pre-cruise. Kayaking is totally dependent on weather and sea conditions. I would say the first several kayaking excursions on our cruise were canceled. I think that's why people tend to book all spots in advance to ensure they actually get the opportunity.

On 11/13/2019 at 3:45 PM, kimanjo said:

I searched on the Seabourn site, but could'nt find any information/form. Does one need to fill out a health form in order to cruise Antarctica?  I couldn't see one listed on the SB site, or Evacuation Insurance form?  I thought I saw that one was required? Or was I imagining it...

We were on the holiday Antarctica cruise last year and no health forms were required. It's a fabulous trip and we thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.

2 hours ago, TrolleyGirl said:

 

I have been fortunate to be seated at hosted tables with HAL.  The last time was probably 4 years ago though.  So maybe they no longer have hosted tables?

It may be harder to orchestrate on such a large ship. I'm actually looking forward to trying a ship with more people. We were on a 24 day cruise with Seabourn last year and by the end we were a bit weary of the same faces every day. Especially since they were with us in the hotels both before and after the cruise. It was also a very sea day intensive cruise that exacerbated the close quarters.

3 hours ago, twodjs said:

We really enjoyed hosted tables on Seabourn where guests are invited to join crew members or guest speakers at hosted tables for dinner. Very interesting conversation and the hosts were very good. Sorry, but Holland America does not do hosted tables. But, as others have said, those who are willing to join others at dinner are usually open to friendly conversation.

Oh well, I'll definitely try joining a table now and then. And I believe there's a solo travelers meetup the first day so I'm sure I'll meet one or two folks that way. Thanks for the information. 🙂

I'm leaving on my first HAL cruise, as well as my first solo (DH has mobility issues and travel is becoming a grind for him), in ten days to the Panama Canal. I was wondering if HAL has any hosted tables similar to Seabourn. I'm glad to see the positive reviews here!

36 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

No I have not been there.  Would love to.  So many places, so little time (and money).😎

Sad, but true. I, like so many others, enjoy living vicariously through your travels. Thoroughly enjoyed following along with your first world cruise and thank you for sharing your adventures with all.

On 9/22/2019 at 4:44 AM, Jim Avery said:

Dave, not sure why the snarkiness but I lived and worked in Alaska and imo the Greenland scenery is small beer compared to the spectacular scenery of Alaska.  And what little I have seen of Norway inspires the same comparison to Greenland.  The scenic cruising in Greenland would be spectacular for someone seeing Arctic type fjords for the first time.  In all it was much better than spending the day slogging along offshore.  Ashore in Greenland for more fun stuff.😎

Jim, have you been to Antarctica? I've only ever been to Alaska and Antarctica and both were trips of a lifetime full of breath taking beauty. I hope one day to visit the Baltics and Greenland.

1 hour ago, AquariusCruiseGal said:

Date and Time will be determined once on the Quest so as not to interfere with other activities. Cocktails will be involved, a nice prize will be awarded.  Most likely we will gather in the Observation Bar on a Sea Day.

 

Excellent. Sounds like fun. See you on the ship!

That was great. Thanks for sharing!

On 11/10/2018 at 1:54 PM, AquariusCruiseGal said:

Are you on the Dec. 20 sailing?

If so, I invite you to join us for our Ugly Holiday/ Christmas Sweater contest.  Lynne Castoldi 

We are on that sailing. Spill the details of the ugly sweater get together. Not sure hubby will participate, but I'm game!

On 11/2/2018 at 10:28 AM, galeforce9 said:

I didn’t eat these!!

Fabulous pictures and I'm so enjoying following along with you!

On 11/3/2018 at 8:56 AM, Chairsin said:

Meant to say I did NOT wear it under the Seabourn outer jacket when going for the zodiac rides. 

 

Glad to help - our Holiday Antarctica Cruise - in spite of numerous other wonderful Seabourn cruises since - is still the one to best. Hope you are doing the one that includes South Georgia Island as that was the highlight. 

We are indeed doing South Georgia Island and I'm counting the days...45 to be exact. 🙂

Galeforce and Chairsin,

Thank you very much for the advice! Making a note to pack my own puffer jacket.

First off, forgive me for starting a new top on this subject. I've not figured out how to search just within the Seabourn forum on this new platform. My searches seem to pull up all cruise lines which is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Any advice on searching would be most welcome, but my real question....

I'm working on my packing list and am curious as to whether the ladies in the group felt the puffy black under jacket was sufficient and stylish enough to omit bringing anything other than cardigans and wraps for the ship.

Thanks to all!