sun~

Open that "giant box" and inside the epi pen is in a hard plastic container. If it is a true prescription, it will be on the plastic container as well as the box. Unfortunately some family doctors just hand them out like candy when they are not appropriate for the allergy type or severity. Always keep Benadryl with you as first response.

I have a severe allergy, so I know the pharmacy has the script in it.

I hope that helps.

We were in Peru in June. Not on a cruise, but as a land vacation. If you can, take some more time. It is a gorgeous place.

We had zero effects from altitude sickness. Nothing. We hiked all over, but no issues at all in the Cusco, Urubamba or Manchu Picchu.

We also went to Puno which is at a much higher altitude, it was only noticeable hiking uphill. Even then, it wasn't more than breathing a bit heavier.

Everyone will have a different reaction.

I wouldn't say the Pinnacle Grill is very fancy or anything, more like a regular restaurant. I have eaten there probably 15 times now. What I do like is that the food is prepared to order (only once had a dud steak), quiet, and usually better trained staff (again a about three real duds).

I personally think it is dirt cheap compared to a regular restaurant. The food was pretty awful in the MDR on my last cruise. We joined friends for dinner. That was a never again moment. Give me the freshly prepared food any day of the week.

On my last cruise in January out of FLL, we werent off the ship til after 12. Customs was backed up. There was only two or three officers there. Even those with noon flights were SOL that day.

Customs issues can happen at any day and time. Always keep that in mind.

I have done 6 Legendary Rhythm and Blues cruises.

Dining hours are reduced in the MDR. No breakfast or lunch service. No assigned seating for dinner. However, they assign early or late seating, but it is used for autographing signing - early dinner goes Tuesday evening, Wednesday for late seating, just so there aren't too many people all at once.

The food has been awful on all the blues cruises. They seem to be clueless about that folks sleep til 11 and want breakfast. The late night jams may not go on as long on a jazz cruise though. They ran out of all kinds of stuff. So don't expect much in the way of dining on a charter. The specialty restaurants are always understaffed. Always. We usually only eat in specialty restaurants. They haven't clued in that folks want to eat between 6:30 and 8. This is when the talent eats.

This is important to know. Watch for breaks in the schedule. It isn't that noticeable. But take that time for dinner.

Room service is available.

They have been very loose in the past about alcohol. I do believe they are going to crack down on booze. They have sold the drinks package. A couple of years ago they tried to gouge and charge $20 EXTRA daily for the package from the week before. Keep an eye on that.

This was the first year that HAL allowed some of the mariner "benefits". Only after many folks complained.

Almost all the venues will become music venues. Main stage, back deck, crows nest, piano bar, and a couple of other spots. All the HAL entertainment staff will not be working during a charter. On the blues cruise, many opt to stay on board for the week and party. The cruise director gets the mike yanked out of his hands and gets taken over, often by one of the musicians.

The charter completely takes over, so don't expect it to be a regular snooze cruise. The only unaffected area is the spa, it is owned by Steiner. There will even be a merch area run by the ship's shops. So you can buy charter gear on your sign and sail card.

I hope that helps!

LRBC booked for January 2016

I have eaten in the Pinnacle and in Cagney's many, many times.

The current Pinnacle menu is on par with Cagney's. However, the last two HAL cruises the food hasn't been very good in the Pinnacle (since the menu change and new suppliers), the thing I don't like in Cagney's is the small serving side dishes they put on the table. Just put the veggies on my plate!

Le Bistro is nicer than the Pinnacle. It is always quite nice. It is toss up between the Tamarind and Le Bistro as our favourite specialty restaurants at sea.

Service in the Pinnacle can be dismal at times, we have only had one bad server in Le Bistro.

Sail, try on the restaurants on NCL! It is really nice to have such a variety.

The Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise. It is sold out and a full charter.

:D

If you really aren't going to use a lounger, don't bother putting stuff on it. Someone who really wants it I am sure would like to sit on it!

I am one to swim and not use a lounger. I have a sarong, that I tie to the railing by the hot tub. I tuck my flip flops in the same spot, away from anyone walking by and usually not a wet area. I only take a towel when I need it. They are around the pool, either on shelves or at a kiosk. You could put them on the ledge of the pool as well. It is wide, and there is lots of room for a folded towel. I am one of those folks who sits on the ledge for a bit, then swims.

You can keep your card on a lanyard, or tucked in your bathing suit. I haven't lost mine yet!

I have been in several chartered cruises on HAL. There is very little given to whatever star Mariners. Yes we do get the points to get to whatever star level.

However, discounts, Mariners lunch or most of the other perks don't apply on a charted cruise. This past January it was the first time that discounts were given for the specialty restaurants and mini bar purchases. I have never even seen a HAL tile.

My FIL, a retired RCN Commander says "a boat is what you take when the ship sinks" ;)

It isn't hard to remember peoples's names. Yep, it is work, most folks are too lazy to actually pay attention and remember names. The stewards have the list of cabins/names and they start with that, most will work to remember the names/faces. When you are personally addressed, you probably will tip more. You will also treat the crew better if it is personal. So there is incentive to do that bit of work to remember people.

Think of it like going to a big party and remembering people's names. As was mentioned, you may do tricks like "bald Bob" or the purple hat lady (my MIL, everyone remembers her!). It just takes a bit of work.

The most impressive memory for names was my JHS principal, Mr. Lilly, he apparently spent time in the summer to memorize every single students name, from school photos from our various elementary schools. This was really impressive since there was 1000 students. I got caught running done the hall in grade 7. He bellowed out "no running in the halls Sheila xxxxx!" It stopped my dead in my tracks. It was the first time I had ever seen him! Now that's a memory!

You have to bring the case of wine as a carry on. At the security area, there will be someone there from NCL, you pay the corkage per bottle, they will put stickers on the bottles so you can bring it on board. We have brought on a 8 to 10 bottles at a time. The worker from NCLwill give you a corkscrew/bottle opener as well.

Otherwise, as others have said, it will either get confiscated or broken if you give it to the porters.

Happy cruising!

Did I dream it or have I read on CC that Nieuw Amsterdam has previously blown an engine?

Yes it did. It was January. I was on the LRBC cruise, and it happened the week before. During the week I was on, we were stopped in the water all day and I believe they were doing engine repairs (it was a sea day).

The carpets are disgusting on the NA, some areas they are in dreadful shape. The captain's chairs in the crow's nest need to be pitched in the garbage. For a newer ship, it hasn't been maintained very well.

Crew were trying to fix the retractable roof in January.

The vibration was noticed while I was on board. It didn't bother me, but for one of my friends, it bothered her a great deal. It was noticeable in the Tamarind. My friend was on deck 4.

I hope the broken toilet issues get fixed too. They have been really bad the past two years. Deck 8 starboard aft had real sewage issues - smells and non working toilets.

I hope the NA will be in good shape for my next LRBC cruise in January.

Friends of ours once were on the sailing after a charter and tried to order the very high-priced range of wines they like ....and were told each time by the wine steward that they were out....his explanation was that all the high-end wines on the list had been consumed on the preceding charter.

 

Not that this would be a problem for me...

Thus could have easily happened after the Legendary Rhythm and Blues cruise. While HAL purchases extra beer, wine and liquor for the blues cruise, they run out. After one particular cruise on the west coast, the ship was out of many things for the following week. It was funny when someone posted on CC complaining basic drinks weren't available. On the week of the blues cruise, all the ports were fogged in. So the ship was a cruise to nowhere. The bands played extra sets. No one got off the ship, so blues cruisers drank the ship dry.

They didn't provision the ship properly for the next cruise. :p

HAL is CCL's PREMIUM line for a reason.

 

Your comparing apples to oranges...

HAL is NOT CCL's premium line. Of CCL's mainstream cruise lines, I was told directly by a higher up at Carinval Corporation that they consider Princess the top of their mainstream cruise product (HAL, Costa, Carinval, Princess).

I have always found HAL to be the bottom of the barrel mainstream cruise line. The decor on the ships I have been on (Zaandam, Maasdam, Eurodam x2, Nieuw Amsterdam x3) is dark, depressing, and in generally poor repair. Broken, stained chairs, filthy carpets.

I would like to go on the Breeze, it looks like a lovely ship.

We just got off NA on Sunday and I heard that a lot of the crew had contracts coming up in March also heard rumor of dry dock. The carpets were being cleaned often but there was some stains in areas. Some toilets in public restrooms were consistently not working. One thing that we were wondering is why the ship vibrates so much and we spoke with many other people who thought the same thing. Some had been on this ship before said that they didn't experience that before so hopefully they look into fixing that. It is a young ship but didn't feel like it. At times in the lido restaurant the table vibrated so much as well as in our 6120 cabin as well as other areas. The ship is in pretty good shape they were always painting and cleaning.

The carpets are stained and grubby looking in several areas of the ship. The worst was on deck 4 aft by the elevators. They were disgusting. Filthy. I have no idea why that area was so bad. We were on deck 8 aft, the carpets need to be replaced, but going down to deck 4, I didn't even want to walk on that carpet.

My past three cruises on the NA there has been serious issues with the public restrooms. The 2014 cruise was the worst. All of the public restrooms on the Lido deck either had only one toilet working or none. Most for the entire week. Similar issues were the restrooms by the Tamarind and by the Show lounge. This past January, there were many public toilets out of commission, but nothing like 2014. There were strong sewage smells in various parts of the ship. Sewage smells are pretty common on most ships in certain areas of a ship. I wonder if the ongoing toilet issues and the sewage smells are a much bigger issue on the NA.

Our friends who travelled with us on the 2014 and 2015 blues cruise really noticed the vibration of the ship. My one friend found it quite bothersome. They may have felt it more in their cabin, which was on deck 4 aft. We are always on deck 8, underneath a couple of 15' stack of Marshalls. So the vibration didn't bother me ;)

The retractable roof IS a major issue for many folks. We were lucky and had pretty great weather the whole week of the Blues cruise. The roof was open the whole week. But for folks who like to be able to use the pool deck area in all weather will be upset. Many folks choose a particular ship because of this feature.

This ship needs a good going over, not only to do cosmetic things like replacing carpet, but to fix the ongoing sewage system issues, the vibration problem, and hopefully prevent another blown engine while at sea.

The week of March 15th is March break in Ontario, Canada. About 2 million students will be off. And just about everyone heads to Florida or other southern destinations. So be prepared.

Last two March break cruises we have been on have had between 700 and 900 elementary and high school students on board. My lads had a blast!

Just had a lovely cruise east med on the Jade.

 

1) When my wife needs a soft drink she wants a "light" variety. However

not Coke light. The only alternative seems to be 7 Up light which is perfect.

However the number of times we were told the bar did not have it was more often than not. The Atrium bar made some effort to keep it in stock but this was still very uncertain. Even when I escalated this little improvement was

made.

 

Robbie

You may have had better luck if she had asked for diet sierra mist. Unless you ask for a diet pop, the bartender may not know what you want. A light beverage can mean light coloured or a flavoured water. The term "light" isn't really used for diet pops in North America.

Some of the replies by others drove me around the twist ;)

Dry or Wet Dock... probably. Being spruced up in time for the summer.

It needs it. We were on the NA Jan 18-25th, carpets are disgusting, furniture worn and ready to be pushed to the curb. We had a/c issues and always with the plumbing issues. The retractable roof was under repair on the last day of our cruise. Oh and the blown engine....

Sorry to say, but this sounds like one of those "if you have to ask, you probably shouldn't do it" tours.

I have found that, if anything, HAL tends to underestimate how strenuous a tour is. I suspect that the tours are graded by people who don't have any difficulty, and they can't take those difficulties into account.

 

I will suggest that if you do book the tour in advance, go to the Shore Excursion shortly after boarding, and review your choice(s) with them (take your tickets with you). They will review all the components of the tour, and assess your comfort trying to do them. If you decide then to cancel, you will be given on-board credit for the full amount.

Very good advice.

Our family is on the other end of the spectrum. A three person tour is a nothing special walk for hubby and myself. My lads, it is joke. We booked one tour privately in Puerto Rico, we had compared to the ship's excursion. The ships tour was very tame in comparison, and it was a 3 person tour. We hiked to the top of the highest "mountain" in el Yunque, my sons ran up like mountain goats, hubby and I hiked at a fair pace. The cruise ship tour only went half way up and stuck to flat paths. While we hiked and ran up slippery narrow steep paths in the rain, those on the ships tour were on gentle terrain. However, if someone had walking difficulties coupled with high humidity and the occasional downpour would have struggled in the gentle terrain.

One ships sponsored tours we went on in Jamaica, was a snorkelling excursion. It was listed as a level 3. For us it was nothing. Some older folks who overestimated their abilities had great difficulty getting down the ladder of the catamaran, blocking the way for others for about 20 minutes. We just shrugged our shoulders and jumped off the side of the catamaran. It was a shame that this particular couple didn't honestly assess their own abilities, it made it unpleasant for others. Some were quite rude to those folks.

Not only does HAL have reviews, but check the ports boards on CC. Many cruise lines use the same operators in ports. Trip advisor has reviews as well. There may be good info about places you want to visit.

Since we are fast walkers and enjoying hiking etc. we book private tours so we aren't slowed down. For those with difficulty walking a private tour can be a wonderful idea. You can go at your own pace. There are very good drivers out there who can really help personalizing a tour to make an enjoyable day.

Best of luck!

The only reason I know how wide spread the problem is that January LRBC Facebook page is very active and many, many people mentioned they are now trying to straighten out his mess.

Holy smokes! I am shocked that this has been ongoing for a while. Shame shame shame on HAL.

You would think after the first time it happened it would be dealt with correctly. I am guessing there may be hundreds of folks who now have to deal with AMEX to dispute the charges.

My hubby used his AMEX, but he didn't get any funny charges. Could it be because with deal with AMEX Canada and have pin and chip technology?

Lots and lots of folks from the blues cruise are really ticked off. Especially those who got hundreds of dollars taken off for camping equipment!

We just left the N. Amsterdam and my Amex was compromised with a $400 charge by a firm in Utah. The Neptune concierge team made me aware of a problem with my card and since my phone was off while we were sailing I was not aware that Amex tried to reach me. I turned my phone on in Half Moon Key and a fraud alert came through via text.

 

The staff on board were excellent as they insisted that I use the house phone in the Neptune Lounge to contact Amex rather than ring up a huge phone bill from my room phone. Amex was able to allow only HAL and recurring bill charges to get approved until I returned home today where a new card was waiting for me.

 

Not only was Amex pro-active but the staff on board were excellent in their support and help dealing with the matter while in the middle of the Caribbean!

Well this is interesting. This exact same thing happened on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues cruise Jan. 18 - 25th. Many folks DID get defrauded by a supposedly some company in Utah. The charges were mainly for tents and camping equipment.

Folks on the LRBC FB page figured HAL was lying about the extent of the issue. Clearly they were. If this happened a couple of weeks before our sailing, I say shame on HAL for not dealing with this properly.

Here is the letter I received from HAL:

Thank you for sailing with us on the ms Nieuw Amsterdam Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise which departed on 1/18/2015.

We are writing to notify you of a credit card processing error that affected guests who used an American Express card to settle their onboard accounts on this sailing. Due to an unfortunate error with a new credit card processor these payments were accidentally routed through a merchant in Utah, the Great Salt Lake Council. Consequently, a charge from that company will appear on your credit card statement. We want to assure you that we have corrected the error, and that your personal information has at all times been fully encrypted. We utilize state-of-the-art military-strength encryption software to ensure the security of such sensitive information. Please know that while we greatly regret this mistake, no fraud has been committed and none of your personal or financial data has been compromised. Nonetheless, we understand and deeply regret any concern this situation may cause.

Again, we want to extend our most sincere apologies for this mistake and let you know that we are working on enhancements to prevent this from happening again in the future. And while no action is required by you, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-976-3935 if there are any questions or concerns. If you’ve already contacted your bank or American Express, we will work with you individually to resolve the matter. We appreciate your patronage and hope to be given an opportunity to welcome you on board again very soon.

Kind regards,

Credit Card Department

Holland America Line

what all is at the tropicante ??? other places close . ?? souvenir shop ?? are you bothered alot if you walk up and down the maleacon ?? we will be there 1st week of march .. :)

There are loungers, tables and chairs on the beach. There is a sit down restaurant with a small gift/book shop. There is a strip of small shops as well. The vendors seemed pretty mild, you just need to say a polite "no thanks".