newtocruiseinblue

On 5/21/2023 at 6:59 AM, Alphen said:

Depending on the type of land / cruise tour you are taking, some excursions have dinner included, so the dining package might by overspending. You might find our report on our Y1L from last year usefull;

 

 

Thank you for sharing! I will check out your review!!

On 5/21/2023 at 6:51 AM, alwaysfrantic said:

We did not get the meal plan because eating in hotel restaurants isn’t our thing. 
 

Still to this day we talk about the crepe restaurant we found in Fairbanks.  We went to a place in Anchorage for dinner that we have returned to several times since finding it on that first cruise trip.  
 

I didn’t find food any more expensive than going out at home and you will pay less than than their meal plan and get out if they’re hotels.  With the exception of Denali, their hotels are just basic places to sleep.   Definitely nothing fancy.  If you were staying in these cities on your own, you would NEVER go to the hotel for a meal. 

True and good points!!

On 5/21/2023 at 11:53 AM, kwb101 said:

I forgot to mention that a couple of the HAL Westmark hotels had something I'd never seen before: at breakfast, you could buy one all-you-want item for $3 or $4. My wife's an oatmeal fan, so we saved a lot by just getting that one. I don't recall that this option was available in Anchorage or Fairbanks, pretty sure it wasn't at McKinley Chalet in Denali, but was offered in Dawson City and Skagway.

Good buy! Thank you!! 

38 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I've not found much to love in Civitavecchia. The hotels are very, very average for starters. Some have found some charm there -- perhaps I have not looked hard enough. 🤣 There isn't much to do in Civitavecchia proper, but a couple of opportunities for nice daytrips:  Tarquinia, a lovely medieval town with great Etruscan museum and absolutely fascinating cemetery with the painted tombs. You could do this on your own via a short bus ride from Civi.

 

If you wanted to rent a car or arrange a day tour, it's possible to see Orvieto -- which come to think of it, would be a much more inviting place to stay if you want to avoid Rome. Take a look at it and see if you find it appealing as an option.

Thank you and I knew you would know! Happy travels!

On 5/12/2023 at 2:09 PM, cruisemom42 said:

The port for Rome (Civitavecchia) is about an hour and a quarter drive from the center of Rome and about an hour from FCO airport. 

 

First, put your mind at ease -- language should not be an issue. There are thousands upon thousands of English-speaking tourists visiting Rome annually, and people working in travel-related areas will speak some English. That said, it's generally better (and often cheaper) to make your plans in advance and reserve transport.

 

I hope you are planning to spend a few days in Rome before your cruise as well.

 

I would suggest you start reading posts on the Ports of Call forum here on CC for Italy. There are many posts about the options for getting from Rome (or airport) to your ship as well as recommendations for frequently used private transfers:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/464-italy-ports/

Cruisemom, 

Thinking of doing a transatlantic out of Civitavecchia ...have been to Rome twice recently and was thinking of skipping it. Have you ever stayed in Civitavecchia or is there any other places nearby to visit besides Rome? We loved Rome but will be short on time so would prefer to save the expense this time around. Thank you!

Just now, dfilpus said:

HAL has a pair of meal packages for your tour. You can buy a full package or a breakfast only package. These packages are for eating in the HAL hotel. The hotels in Anchorage, Denali and Fairbanks all are near other restaurants, which give you a variety of cuisines and may be less expensive than the package meals. 

Thank you! Good info!

1 hour ago, POA1 said:

No, but you can add them. The meals aren't cheap, but costs in Alaska are crazy expensive.

Not even breakfast? Boo 😂😂

Thinking of doing the package land tour before an Alaska cruise with HAL. Are meals included during the land tour portion? I like the idea of the train and seeing more of Alaska prior to the cruise. Thank you! ❤️

Bimini is only about 7 miles long and not that wide. I heard mixed reviews on the resorts excursion so we decided to try adventuring on our own and had a fun adventure. Hard to get lost or miss the ship on a 7-mile island.

I watched several YouTube videos to get the lay of the land and found this helpful.

Things I learned about Bimini:

- It was a favorite spot of Earnest Hemingway and the place where The Old Man and the Sea is based on.

- It's known for conch. You can find the most beautiful conch shells on the lesser traveled area of the beach. They are everywhere on the island.

- The food to try on the island is conch.

- The prices for souvenirs, in the bars and stores will be more expensive than other places, such as Jamaica and Grand Cayman, so do your souvenir shopping elsewhere.

- The cost to rent a golf cart was $100 that day but it can fluctuate. My husband talked the guy down to $80 as we would only need it until 2 pm.

- if you drive the golf cart to almost the end of an island, you will see a cemetery on your right. Go down on the beach beyond the cemetery and you will see a small ship wreck (see pictures). 
 

I really liked the beaches of Bimini as I found sea glass and it had more of the feel of some better islands than most of the Bahamas.

Happy cruising!

On 5/12/2023 at 9:45 PM, Wakepatrol said:

I always considered myself a HAL loyalist.

Then I went on the Celebrity Beyond this March and was wowed every step of the way.

 I went from sitting in the back row of HAL shows and leaving after 10 minutes , to securing a seat 
an hour before the shows started on the Beyond. The cabin was beautiful , the ship was jaw dropping and the entertainment was off the charts. I now feel like any ship after this is five steps down. 
 

I still like HAL and I missed having a little street cred and eating in the Tamarind for a reasonable price,

What about the price difference though? Isn't beyond a little beyond on price? Just wondering...I would have to travel less if I chose beyond. I'm still doing celebrity, the newer ships seem out of my price range...

Went a couple of weeks ago and I believe it was 5:45 pm and 8 pm but I could be wrong. Not much off of that. I just made a reservation for each day on the app as soon as I boarded for 8 pm bc we like to go after the crowd dissipates. 

Wanted to add a trip for those flying into Schiphol. The airport has an app. If you sign up for the app or notifications, you get a coupon for 5 EU off of 25 at the duty free on chocolate, alcohol; etc. This worked out great for me as I realized upon departure that there were many little souvenirs that O did not get during our travels so I stocked up on stropwaffels at the airport. 

Really enjoyed reading this thread! I've been mulling a transatlantic for years and this helped give me a feel for the pace and experience. We just did a quick HAL Amsterdam and Scotland cruise last week. Thank you for posting your experience. Cheers! 

On 4/26/2023 at 3:26 PM, mvaccarelli01 said:

Both are on the celerity beyond, and I plan on getting to Italy 4-5 days early to explore different citys. I have never been to greece/turkey or Croatia. I am American and i would not be able to do both for a long time so if you had to pick which ports would you do if you only had one to pick!! need some expertise by people who have done these!

Rome - Messina - Mykonos - Athens - Itstanul - Epheses - Santorini - Naples - Rome

 

Rome - Olympia (Katakolon) - Corfu Greece - Dubrovnik - Bar - Split - Messina - Naples

I've done most of these ports and while, you really can't go wrong - the combination of Instanbul, Ephesus, Naples and Sicily sounds a bit more intriguing to me. If I had to choose which ports to do excursions I would see the ruins of Ephesus, Taormina in Sicily and Capri at Naples. Enjoy

7 hours ago, Bostonjetset said:

FINAL THOUGHTS

We all loved this trip and it was nice to be back on the Rotterdam exploring new places.  The Netherlands is a wonderful country to visit and I can't believe it's taken me this long to make it there.  I hope to go back and explore some of the other cities the country has to offer.

 

In regards to the cruise itself I wanted to make a few comments, especially as there has been a lot of negativity on the boards lately about HAL and how things are "not like they used to be".  It is true that there are some noticeable staffing issues that hopefully will get resolved with time as the cruise lines get back into the swing of normal business.  Nothing that "ruined our cruise" or even came close to it.

 

Whilst food is always subjective, everyone in my group was satisfied with it.  Nothing was haute cuisine but almost everything was good and some things were great.  The ONE thing that everyone agreed was bad was the scrambled eggs in the buffet during breakfast; they were always running and not pleasant to eat but there are many other options for breakfast that were good so it is what it is.  Now onto the "rustic lasagna" that so many complain about.  The person in our group who had it loved it.  I didn't order it but I saw his and it certainly looked good.  I know there are people who have been cruising HAL since 1950 that come on here to complain about it replacing such "delectable dishes" as calves' liver but I would be hard pressed to find people in everyday life who would prefer that to lasagna.  Though there was a charge for lobster [which I don't eat so don't care much about] there were plenty of other high-value proteins on the menu for free.  Lamb, sole, salmon, and various offerings of beef made regular appearances at no extra charge.  It was NOT all roast chicken and lasagna!

 

Another thing that has garnered a lot of complaints lately is entertainment.  I DO miss the Lincoln Center Stage and hope that HAL reconsiders its retirement or replaces it with something similar.  Not having classical music was a bummer.  That said, the other stuff on offer was good.  Step One dance shows are terrific and even though I'd see both before I was happy to see them again.  Billboard Onboard or Rolling Stone Rock played a set each night at 11 or 11.15 so the idea that everything is done at 10.30 is an exaggeration at least as it pertains to this ship.  The casino was hoping until at least midnight each night [I didn't stay up later than that to notice what time everything stopped].  There have been reports that the Westerdam in Japan has been a ghost town after 10.30 most nights and whilst I don't doubt others' experiences I can confirm my experience on the Rotterdam has been nothing like that.  Perhaps a two week itinerary around Japan attracts an older group that is earlier to bed?  Longer voyages in more far-flung, expensive parts of the world tend to attract and older demographic simply by circumstance.  Either way, the Rotterdam had enough to occupy people until at least midnight.

So glad you had an enjoyable adventure! It is fun and interesting to compare your trip to my own experience!!  We were only an hour behind you in Amsterdam at most places. We had an amazing experience and I am still recovering from jet lag! Happy cruising!

8 hours ago, Dancing Shoes said:

I like that using Uber was easy.  We are planning on doing the same.  I tend to get nervous that it will be a circus with many people waiting.  Did you have much of a wait for a car?  Thanks.  

Almost immediately 

On 4/27/2023 at 10:30 AM, Skicruiser55 said:

I am looking at pre-booking a private transfer to the AMS airport.  What is the earliest time I can expect to be off the ship (we are in a Neptune suite)?  We have a 12:40 flight.  I have ships transfer booked but thinking it might be easier and faster to book our own transfer.  

I just disembarked Amsterdam yesterday morning. I believe the earliest time to get off of the ship is 7-730 am. You will be given special luggage tags and instructions if you are in a Naptune Suite. 
 

We flew to and from Schiphol and the conditions have definitely improved since last year. They seemed to have an abundance of staff in place. Our departure was the most efficient we've ever experienced internationally. I know the head of the airport was replaced due to all of the problems from last year. Although April is the shoulder season, it is spring break in Holland, they just celebrated King's Day, and had the annual tulip parade the day we arrived. Still probably won't compare to the summer months though. The good news is things are getting much better! 
 

When we arrived we did face a challenge in that it took over one hour for our luggage to arrive. They never provided an explanation as to why  Just be ready with the attitude of "the show must go on". We only checked our bags bc we had to bring clothes to fit the cooler weather  

We traveled by train from the airport to Amsterdam and traveled by Uber from the port to the airport. If I could redo it, I would have skipped the train when we arrived and used Uber. Taxis were very expensive and we used one twice. I would have not done the taxi and chosen Uber. I'm not a big Uber person but it was so simple. They use mostly Teslas for their Ubers or other electric vehicles. Very glad I didn't waste money on a private car as we typically do.
 

I can understand arranging for a private car transfer when you disembark for peace of mind but my experience with Uber is that it's so simple you could easily do it.

Other Amsterdam advice - get Ann Frank house tickets six weeks in advance as soon as they are released, get any museum tickets in advance and take a canal cruise!

2 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Lines seem to think they can short cut this process when you’re ordering wine by the glass, especially when you have the HIA package. They take liberties with substitutions, assuming you’ll “take what they’ve got” as long as it is under the $$ threshold. Celebrity does it too but if you watch carefully you can catch them at it as they do at least pour from the bottle.

 

Most of those bringing out the wine orders are not what I’d call wine stewards. I had one on X argue with me that the horrid white Zinfandel she was about to pour me was a valid substitute for the French rose I had ordered. 

Yes, it seems post-Covid "we can't have nice things" in all aspects of life. I had the level 1 wine package on my last HAL and was happy when they substituted the included Rose with Whispering Angel. I would have pushed back on the White Zin as well ☺️ Leaving Friday for the Scottish highlands cruise. May the rest of your cruise be filled with good (at least drinkable) wine. 

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I really dislike HAL’s practice of bringing you wine ordered by the glass in a pre-poured flask. I know there have been times on this cruise (Westerdam) where I’ve ordered the very drinkable NZ Sauvignon blanc included in the HIA and they have substituted something else. But how does one protest without seeming ugly? Pouring from the bottle eliminates all such questions.

 

Presenting the bottle, vintage, and allowing your taste and approval is part of the process of ordering wine. You can politely ask for the wine steward and say, I'm not sure if this is the vintage that I ordered, it tastes off. You can politely tell them that it tastes off. I guarantee if you do this once, they will probably go out of their way to make sure you are happy with the wine.
 

That is a huge part of the decorum of any restaurant. They should respect your request.
 

Also, I learned that no one can tell you what wine tastes good - what I mean is that every mouth has between 2000-4000 taste buds in it and every wine tastes different to each individual. 

They didn't "remove" it - you can still chose all included. They added cruise only fares in response to customer demand. Happy cruising! 

4 hours ago, Scuppersisontheboat said:

We have been on 3 Celebrity cruises, Equinox, Beyond and Beyond, and have really enjoyed the quality of food, the service and the ship itself.  On the River cruise forum when I mentioned music, someone nicely suggested the Music Walk on Holland’s 3 largest ships, so I checked out a few videos and it looks awesome.  I don’t understand why Celebrity doesn’t do a piano bar with a pianist who can take requests and play all the hits, it makes for a great evening.  
So anyway, we are thinking of doing a cruise on Holland America to check it out.  Those of you who have been on the Rotterdam or sisterships, would you say we should go for it, or no?  All our Celebrity sailings were moderately, but not completely full of PAX, everything else being equal will we notice more crowding?  The pics of the MDR on the Rotterdam look like they have jammed a lot more tables than on Celebrity.

Any thoughts will be appreciated, thanks!

I've sailed both lines and will say HAL generally offers better itineraries. The music walk is really great and we loved it, but the Celebrity ship had more energy at night. Both felt equally crowded. It is going to depend on where you are going and when. It never hurts to try other lives. We stick to both HAL and Celebrity. 💖

9 hours ago, envy4u said:

I’ve been reading some reviews that are not vey good on Cruise Critic. Have I made a mistake booking a 12 day Med/Israel cruise? What did you live or dislike on this ship? Appreciate your thoughts and comment. 

Yes, you have made a mistake.  It is not trusting yourself to go in your vacation, experience it for yourself, and make your own decision. I am guilty of the same "mistake", but the good news is that I sailed the Oosterdam and everything was amazing for me. I like the size and layout better than the new ships. The crew was fantastic and even better was the itinerary and ports. It is natural to stress and worry before a big trip but what matters most is your attitude while traveling. If every little, tiny thing is going to bother you while traveling, then it is going to be stressful. If you have the attitude "I'm on this adventure, situations are bound to arise, just go with it and enjoy the ride" your chances of enjoyment will increase. Just do you and don't worry what other people think. Happy cruising! 

1 hour ago, travelbug1 said:

We are considering a Signature Suite on the Oosterdam - deck 8 mid ship a few cabins from the elevators.  Wondering if we will encounter noise from Deck 9?  If anyone has any insight, it would be greatly appreciated!

We sailed on deck eight and noticed no noise from deck 9. We were in a forward veranda 8030 or something like that...we really loved the ship.  

8 hours ago, BeachBum_or said:

Question to anyone who has done this excursion.  I’ve attached the detail itinerary provided by the excursion desk. Two questions:

first, are we allowed to skip lunch at the local tavern so we can spend more time at the monestary?

second, was the monestary open so you could go inside at the time you arrived?

 

It is an 8 hour excursion, we are in port from 7am-7pm.  Since the monestary is at the end of the tour, concerned it may be closed.

 

any thoughts on the tour would be appreciated 

Where did you get this detailed schedule? It's great but I've never seen this format before! Thank you so much! 

11 hours ago, zitsky said:

So we have a tour on Santorini (Celebrity tour).  And I'm 90% sure they changed it.  Price is different, name is different.  Details are similar but not exact I think.  My mistake is, I didn't print the ENTIRE page for EVERY excursion.  I took some basic notes.  Now this is not the end of the world, but I find it interesting.  Oh I know what you're going to say "you signed a contract and they can change ANYTHING".  Well you don't have to lecture me because I had ONE semester of contract law in graduate school.  I'm just asking how often they do this?

Anytime a booked excursion has changed. I've received an email notification of the change. What was the change?