JeffElizabeth

It will hopefully lower costs for the lines, they will need fewer employees at headquarters.  But on the downside,  fewer actual humans to answer questions. So many of the chatbots I am forced to use these days don't seem to understand my requests.  

21 hours ago, MarkCruises said:

We were on Viking Sea in March 2023 (in the Amazon) and on the first night we had one of the best cruise ship steaks ever the first night in The Restaurant.  The cuisine was very good the entire trip, as was the crew and entertainment.

Great news! I hope things will be back to normal next Autumn when we visit Canada to see the colors on Viking. 

On 5/30/2023 at 9:43 AM, CCWineLover said:

Yes you are very correct.

In the pre-COVID days the Manfredi's stead was a good steak in the first place.

I have to believe they are now not getting or not choosing to buy the good cut of beef.  I've noticed the distinct difference between 2019 and 2022-23

I really believe pre-Covid was the Golden Age of cruising. Do not like the changes being made. If the food back home at chains is just as good, why buy a ticket? 

2 hours ago, formernuke said:

I would definitely not miss Dubrovnik! We were very surprised how much we liked it and are definitely planning to go back. For us, Corfu was beautiful but boring. Others I'm sure will have different opinions.

Loved Dubrovnik,  took a Game of Thrones tour and also walked the city walls. But beware, it can be very crowded! 35 tourists for every resident I read this week. I liked Corfu, we did a tour but I wonder if you could just walk around on your own. Ever watch the series, "The Durrels"? About a expatriate British family. We loved it so we had to see the island. 

Supposedly the Saudis know the oil will eventually run out so they are trying to diversify and buy into other industries like golf. I was really disappointed by our last Holland America cruise to Hawaii, but we are giving them another chance with the Voyage of the Vikings this Summer. Fingers crossed. 

27 minutes ago, albingirl said:

I remember one girl who brought cheese curls onboard. They aren't available on the ship I  guess. 

It can be fun to see what snacks the crews will bring back on board.  Even saw a Phillipine grocery store on one of our cruises. My wife brings granola bars on our excursions.  

Irony? If you give a bad review, your favorite bartender will not get shore leave and will be available to mix your perfect Bloody Mary when you stay on board that morning. (Totally kidding!) 

I do hate the demands for a "10" every time. I only give a 10 for super duper service. 

Princess has curtains when you get a suite. Holland America should include them too. Especially when your wife is a night owl.

I don't mind the crew asking for good grades, but they have only been gentle reminders not pushy requests.  

We got to sail with him on the last voyage of both the Prinsendam and the earlier Rotterdam.  Such a wonderful man with so many cool anecdotes and stories. Loved his presentation on the Atlantic passenger ship races. 

On 5/24/2023 at 1:15 PM, Frankie11 said:

Are these the plant based patches or those prescribed by a doctor?

These are prescribed by a doctor. Warning, some people will have a bad reaction to the scoplamine. Temporarily reduces your eye power. Might want to test it before your cruise. 

10 hours ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

My wife is very prone to motion sickness. She uses the patch behind the ear and, knock on wood  it works great.

I wouldn't take cruises without the seasick patches. 

On 5/18/2023 at 11:36 AM, duquephart said:

 

I have "strong feelings" about any entity that is not upfront in it's pricing. How many first time Viking customers are surprised/distressed to find out that they have not yet paid all that they are expected to pay? Viking would do well to asterisk their published fares.

Agree totally! So tired of resort fees, service charges, and luggage payments.  Just give me the total up front. We have our first Viking cruise next year and one of the reasons we picked Viking was no nickel and dimeing.  

It can be quite nice having a leisurely morning with all the pandemonium around you. 

Wish we had bought our shares now when they are so cheap! 

On 5/17/2023 at 3:25 PM, azalice said:

My husband will have on a shirt with a collar and a decent pair of slacks. I will wear a nicer than usual top with black slacks. That is all we do anymore, no matter where the cruise is going. I am personally very happy not to have to pack or wear “formal wear” any longer.

Agree. With baggage restrictions on airlines these days, I like not having to bring formal wear anymore.

The formal nights are much more casual these days. Men can get by with a suit coat and khakis and often with just a polo shirt and dress pants. 

I am going to bring my tuxedo for our next cruise but simply because I feel like dressing up for Gala nights. 

On 5/9/2023 at 4:41 AM, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

I would wait do a late check out from your hotel.

Great advice! Everyone normally wants to get on board as fast as possible, we prefer a leisurely breakfast on land, and love the way the Pan Pacific takes care of our luggage. Checking in an hour after the rush can save you so many lines. 

On 6/24/2022 at 8:59 AM, ewildcat7 said:

Is this a new rule?  We did a cruise on HAL in 2019 and were allowed to bring 12 cans of unopened soda on board at the beginning of the cruise.  I also bought additional sodas from a grocery store during a port call and they had no problem with bringing them on board.

They let us do the same in Honolulu.  We brought Mountain Dew Zero aboard the ship. They were going to make us give it up, but I told them we already had the Coke beverage package so they aren't missing out on drink sales.

25 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Thanks; but that doesn't address my main question, which is: how to tell whether a cruise, e.g., a 28-day Med cruise, is a cruise unto itself or is made up of 2 also-marketed 14-day cruises.

 

 

IMO, most long cruises are short cruises cobbled together. Our Voyage of the Vikings can be split into two cruises. It normally isn't a big deal, but it is nice to stay in our cabins when half the passengers are scrambling to leave the boat that morning. 

On 5/10/2023 at 7:50 AM, CruiserBruce said:

I don't think it's surprising that a person might be ready to get off after 31 days, and that it shouldn't be a surprise that menus and entertainment repeat over that period. 

 

Some would be happy to stay on. But I suspect the vast majority would be ready to get off.

Agree. We find 21 days to be the perfect cruise time frame. Cruise lines tend to repeat with menus and entertainment after 10-14 days. We usually skip the nightly shows. We did 18 days to Hawaii on HAL last October and 18 days with Princess around the British Isles in September.  Princess had better designed suites, but since the ship didn't have enough crew and passengers,  a couple of the specialty restaurants were closed. Holland? The excursions were sold out immediately and they were unable to add more trips. 

On 4/27/2023 at 6:54 PM, Camden lady said:

Thank you for the information.  Will leave my euros at home and get some Norwegian Krone through my bank.  

Some cruise lines front desks will sell you local currency.  

A lot depends on the nation. In Morocco,  they much prefer Euros to US dollars. Same in the Scandinavian nations, Euros were fine. Many of the guides travel to Euro nations at the end of tourist season.  

Thanks, saw the same thing on Oceania's private island.  The crew went ashore to man the food stands and bars. 

On 4/16/2022 at 5:58 PM, Florida_gal_50 said:

I’d like to think they’d bring back the many things that are disappearing at an alarming rate but I don’t think they will.  Death by a thousand cuts.

We are booked on Voyage of the Vikings this July and August,  this might just be our last cruise with HA. Don't want to cruise on a discount line. Will we get paper napkins in the MDR next?