seaoma

1 hour ago, Curlingwhiz said:

One thing that is having me lean to the Zuiderdam is the amount of verandah cabins versus the Zaandam with it's "lanai" cabins

The Zaandam doesn't have Lanai cabins. The biggest downer on that ship is that it doesn't have regular verandah cabins. Cabins with balconies are priced as Suites.

Otherwise, were you thinking about the Oceanview cabins that are along the Promenade?

@joannelj Check out halfacts.com or cruisedeckplans.com to look at some cabins that you are considering. Even if you can't find the actual cabin, you can check on the category of cabin. 

2 minutes ago, AV8rix said:

Regarding noro -- I never touch any common-use surface on the ships.  Even when it's rocking I don't use the handrails on stairs.  Before going to dinner in the MDR I check the menu on the TV or posted outside the MDR and decide in advance what I will order so I NEVER touch a menu.  Rarely use elevators but hit the button with elbow or knuckle when I do.  I use raw sugar for my tea, but since covid they don't provide individual packets so I always bring my own so I don't have to touch the glass dispensers.  And I bring alcohol hand wipes.  That Purell that is provided will not protect against viruses.

 

And no, I'm not OCD but my first career was clinical microbiology.  I have great knowledge of and respect for viruses.  And yes, I have been on sick ships but so far have never contracted noro -- or covid.  Knock wood.

I do as you do. I will add that I clean my hands with an alcohol based sanitizer spray that I bring with me both before I get something in the Lido and when I get back to my table after retrieving items touched by staff. My new thing I recently added on my last cruise, because I don't think the ships are being cleaned as well, is to use a napkin as a placemat so that I feel better placing my utensils on the table in the Lido, at the Lido or Seaview Pool. I know, I know, I have a problem but I haven't been sick on any of my 30+ cruises. 

I'm not OCD or a clinical microbiologist. I'm just a germaphobe that has gotten worse every year. I think it started when I began having kids 40+ years ago.

I have a healthy respect for viruses too since my mother was a lifelong sufferer with Post Polio Syndrome after a mild case of polio at age 13. 

21 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

Having had a career in public health, and enjoying a lifestyle on the OCD spectrum, I wash frequently and the resanitize if I touch any common-use surface.  SWMBO used to call me Monk, but since the pandemic so sanitizes just like me.

 

 

 

I've been sanitizing forever too. I started on planes and hotel rooms because they gave me the heebie jeebies. 

I do think if you want to avoid being sick, you should avoid people that look and act sick. One time we were on a cruise and sat at breakfast that had 2 tables separated by a low wall. A man walked up and I heard one of the women say to him that this was all the medication she had brought. My husband and I just quietly, yet quickly, picked up our plates and coffee and walked away. They gave us a very strange look and I don't know what kind of illness they had, but we weren't staying to find out.

If you want to really avoid covid, you need to wear a mask and definitely stay out of crowds in poorly ventilated rooms. It is airborne. I will say that we have been pleasantly surprised about the good ventilation in HAL's dining facilities on the ships we have recently been on. 

We had a chance encounter also. It must be an Alaskan thing.

We happened to be staying in the Mt. McKinley Lodge on a independent vacation in 2008. We were sitting around the huge fireplace when a busload of passengers from a Princess cruise arrived. A older gentlemen sat down next to me on the couch. He asked us where we were from and of course, I asked him the same. He said he was from a small town in Tennessee that I wouldn't know. I replied that I would probably know because I was originally from TN and still had family living there.

Turns out he and his wife lived in the same town as my grandparents and were extremely good friends. In fact he had just had dinner with them the night before they'd left for their vacation. They had also been friends with them for decades because he wife worked in the local department store and she knew exactly what brand of hosiery my grandmother wore because she sold them to her on a regular basis, back when that was a thing.

Small world we live in.

4 hours ago, DarrylR85 said:

I sailed March 11-18 last year out if FLL. Maybe 100 kids under 18 and well behaved. 100s of college age "kids" there on their own. This was a significant dynamic change in my experience compared to the New Years cruise with over 500 kids, and many young couples along with your more traditional over 65 crowd. Im Only 38....i will likely never cruise a short itinerary in March again. Think power drinking crowd, large groups out and about and loud well into the wee hours.  In talking with people that did B2B cruises around those dates the week before and after were the same. 

We experienced this as well. I have sailed in the Caribbean every March since 2016 and last year was the worst. 

4 hours ago, cwd79 said:

Has anyone had any experience on the Volendam in one of the sideways shaped interior rooms? Specifically 2619. I saw some blank spaces around the cabin and wondered if there is a lot of noise? Thank you

I have stayed in this cabin and have to agree with @RuthC, that noise will not bother you. The room is huge compared to usual inside cabins. Very convenient location is another bonus.

13 hours ago, WriterOnDeck said:

Ask your cabin steward for a fan if you need it. No need to bring one.

Mine uses a USB and is small enough that I can take it anywhere. I really wanted it this year because we flew and I'd heard of several instances of planes waiting on the runways in this hot weather.

4 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

Good tip.  I tend to run on the hot side so I carry a small travel fan.  It also helps my in-room laundry operation dry clothes faster. 😁 

I have a fan I travel with also. I will admit I hadn't thought of using it for the laundry hanging in the shower. Thanks for that tidbit.

10 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

The Zaandam looks to be a good fit for a cruise up the Amazon.

It absolutely will be. I would need to get a fan for my cabin though. I like cool but I also like moving air and on some days, especially the warm ones, I felt our inside cabin was stuffy. I'm sure having any other cabin would not have helped my situation. It's just me. 

So this is strictly food for thought.

25 minutes ago, Mosaic said:

Some of the bathrooms are dated. Even the Neptune Suites have small bathrooms---but nice dressing rooms.  The overall condition of the ship is good. But yes, some things are dated just due to when it was built....not due to wear and tear, rather old school. Which also has it's charm.

I really don't have any issue with the décor either. It's not bright and shiny like the Pinnacle class but it has lots of nostalgia for those of us that began cruising in the 1980's. Lol

43 minutes ago, Banditswife said:

Thank you, I will keep that in mind.  There was a thread a few months ago that showed a really bad shower stall, had me slightly worried... Just figured I would deal with it if I had to.  Thanks for shower pic, is that an inside cabin?

Yes, it was an inside cabin. I saw that thread also and was worried, but our bathroom was fine. The coffee table wasn't perfect and some trim in the cabin had some paint chipped in a few places and I didn't even notice that until we had been on the ship for most of the 21 days.  

We were pleased with the condition of the ship. I would say upholstery was the biggest letdown, but there were plenty of places to move to if that seat didn't look clean enough for me. 

2 minutes ago, Banditswife said:

Thank you for these helpful pictures.  We board the Zaandam in December for 16 days...

OP- JGCRUISE0507--as others suggested I have been reading everything that has Zaandam in the title, looking at pictures from various sites.

 

Actually, I have to say, the one thing I did notice that desperately needed attention were the pads on the loungers on the promenade deck. They were very stained. So much that I usually brought a pool towel with me to sit on. 

We were on in August and September. We thought it looked very good for her age. Was it perfect? No. But there was nothing glaring to me. 
 

We spent 3 weeks on the NA this past March. We were on Deck 4 and had no problems with any vibrations or noise sailing in the Caribbean. We were very happy with our cabin and it's location.

5 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

Here’s an example of one cruise I’ve booked for February 2025.  First, I’ll show the ability for the 21 day collector cruise and then the individual 12 and 9 day segments. I’m looking at the Spa Veranda cabins. 

 

Here are the cabins currently available.

 

 

They will only allow me to book these cabins for the collector trip. Only 3 cabins available.

 

However here are the available cabins for the individual segments.   Plenty of cabins available.

 

 

The only thing that makes sense is that HAL really doesn’t want you to book collector cruise if you want to select a better cabin.

 

 

Have you tried inputing the cabin number you want to see if it's available? There is an option for that early in the process, but you must scroll down to the bottom of the page. If that's not working, I would suggest you call your PCC or TA. They may be able to assist you.

4 minutes ago, electro said:

Some of us socialize, (not loudly) and enjoy the music. These are not mutually exclusive concepts.

Yep and haven't advocated for anything else.

2 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Better suggestion is to monitor how many people avoid venues because they are too loud and/or the canned music is too irritating.

 

We had a heck of time getting away from the intrusive canned music on the Konigsdam. Finally found only two venues that were quiet - one side room area in the Crows Nest, and the Ocean Bar during the daytime. 

 

It was even blasting in the quiet, extra cost Retreat Cabana area, but at least we got them to turn it down (to the cheers of other passengers.) Ahhhh, for the sounds of silence being at sea .......

I am absolutely in agreement for the sounds of being at sea. It's the reason I cruise.

My experience, at least on the Pinnacle ships, is that there is a huge group that don't mind the loud music. The venues are packed to capacity at every show. So, it seems to be a success.

Do some people like it? Not everyone, evidently. 

I actually agree that there are few places on those ships to enjoy a quiet spot, whether inside or outside. We have decided to only book verandahs because we know we will be in our cabin more often.

39 minutes ago, electro said:

But is sounds like you saying that there shouldn't be live music in venues where people socialize because some people might be loud.

It only sounds like that because everyone likes to ignore the quietly part.

If I was HAL and wanted to save some money, I'd take a look at some of those venues and notice how many people were there enjoying the music vs those socializing and ignoring the music. 

2 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

Which is why you need an intimate setting for chamber music.

I have no problem with an intimate setting for chamber music. What I have a problem with, just as some of the posters complaining about the old venue for chamber music(subjected to the noisy people walking by) is going to hear live music and not being able to hear it because people are having a party in the venue.

8 minutes ago, RuthC said:

You don't have to be consciously paying attention to music to derive pleasure from it. Good music, not blaring out at you, can feed your soul directly. 

At work, a very long time ago, we had a low volume music system playing softly in the morning. In the afternoon the music was changed to a hard rock. 
I noticed a major difference in how people were with each other in the two different times of day. In the morning, they were quieter, and actually behaved nicer to each other. In the afternoons, much more agitated. 

That's fine for you, but it's not why I'm going to hear live music. If your argument is going to hold up, then the people walking by the classical music venue shouldn't upset the people sitting in the chairs.

1 minute ago, Mary229 said:

Exactly my point.  Different music for different events.  Live happy hour music sets an atmosphere and make it an enjoyable gathering. 

What good is live music if you can't hear it?

2 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I said that a couple of posts ago.  😉 

You started talking about Happy Hour. Our original discussion was about live music in venues. 

1 minute ago, Mary229 said:

I don’t drink but I certainly enjoy happy hour.   It is a general gathering with great camaraderie and a wonderful way to unwind before dinner

Fine. That's only if you eat at 5:30. For those people that eat at 7 or 8 what is it? It's a place to enjoy some live music while possibly having a cocktail. 

I will never agree that someone should sit close to the live band and socialize to the extent that the others can't enjoy the live music, no matter if it's at Happy Hour or not. I don't know what else to tell you. If that offends you somehow, we are at an impasse.

Just now, Mary229 said:

I guess we are going to have to disagree on the point of happy hour. 

I thought the point of Happy Hour was a discount on drinks.