Anastas617

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks. Maybe obsessed was a strong word. Just see it often asked and discussed with people having strong opinions on the different boards I follow. Appreciate the insight.

Not being a smart-aleck or anything, but a lot of people on these boards seem obsessed with who the captain or cruise director is on ships. What is it that makes this captain special or the BEST? I'm genuinely interested in what people derive from these things. It's never remotely crossed my mind that my experience would change due to these roles.

Yes. If you use the MSC for Me app on the ship and navigate to your dining room it will bring up links to the menus for the day. Definitely helpful for me in deciding whether I want to go to the MDR for dinner or not. EDIT: saw Essiesmom response and I think it actually does give you the option to check every day not just daily as I stated. I just got off last weekend, but I had the drink package so my memory isn't top-tier 🙂

Thanks for the head's up. The dates that work for me only have the top itinerary.

Not sure if they changed providers for their sports, but my Meraviglia cruise on 9/8 had games on in Brass Anchor (three of the 1pm games, though they only advertised two), but did not have every game on in the staterooms when I went up to my room early for the safety video (Muster was at 4pm...it was an 8pm departure from Brooklyn). They did have the Monday and Thursday night games on. I have FubuTV and surprisingly I could stream games on my phone even though I only had the basic wifi package (but FubuTV knew I wasn't home and I couldn't get my Patriots 😞 ). I couldn't watch YouTube successfully, which makes me wonder if they just throttle specific popular sites for those that don't upgrade.

With those parameters, I would take the 14 days every time. I had an inside (other cruise line) and while a balcony would have been nice, I still felt I got plenty of viewing up on deck.

Great info. Thanks!

Was that Yuliia? She was great. I was getting lunch at Dive-In one of the days and she was up there serving the orders in addition to her CO duties. 😱

He said his supervisor told him he wasn't supposed to allow it after he put me on hold, but since he told me I could they allowed it to proceed. As with many things with cruising, probably just depends who gets your call on any particular day 🤣

I had Club Orange in August on Rotterdam and the dining room (particularly for breakfast) was one of the highlights of my cruise. That being said, the HAL rep said he made a mistake and shouldn't have allowed me to book CO since I was on a casino comp. That won't stop me from trying again, though! lol.

Thanks for the feedback all. You guys have pretty much confirmed my initial thoughts that had me leaning toward Koningsdam. I will do some research on Sitka vs. Skagway as that is the one difference that may change my mind since I have already been to Skagway (but quite enjoyed the stop). I appreciate everyone's input. Cheers!

I'm looking at booking Alaska next July or August and I'm pondering the options in the title. I have been to Seattle several times including a cruise on Princess this year. I have no real desire to "visit" Seattle, so there is no attraction for me there. Does Vancouver compare favorably in ease of getting to port from Airport and/or central tourist/hotel area? I assume as an American my flight will likely be a bit more expensive and I'm not planning on multiple overnights in either city. The (possibly) bigger question is between the two ships. Rotterdam might be my favorite ship I've sailed on (3rd time upcoming in February), so Koningsdam immediately appeals to me. What would I be missing out on with Eurodam or perhaps the inverse, what would be more enjoyable about Eurodam? This will be a casino comp so price isn't a big factor, but I'm a bit shocked (perplexed?) that Eurodam is significantly more expensive for a 7-day cruise leaving the same days. Looking at three dates and Eurodam is $800-$1000 more for an inside cabin based on solo occupancy. I would be looking at upgrade options but will also be happy to just keep my interior if I don't see the value of upgrading. So the question that I could have asked in one sentence: Which do the Alaska veterans think is more preferable? Koningsdam from Vancouver or Eurodam from Seattle? Thanks!

I take a small USB fan with me and never had an issue, including my HAL cruise in August. I was surprised to see that on the list OP cited.

Just got off my 3rd cruise on Meraviglia and 4th on MSC (Grandiosa was the other). My Pros List: -As someone else mentioned, they don't charge port fees/taxes on casino comps -I've generally found the MDR food to be quite enjoyable. A few definite misses like the chewy and almost inedible lobster tail on this past cruise, but good for the most part. -I like the evening "theme parties", even as someone just spectating with drink in hand. -This was my first cruise as Diamond and I had my complimentary specialty dining at The Butcher's Cut; without hyperbole one of the best meals I've ever had. Baked goat cheese tart was heavenly, NY Strip was cooked perfectly as was the molten lava chocolate cake. -Brass Anchor Pub. Great staff and my kind of place to spend some quality time. -Horizon (Adults Only) Pool Area: possibly my biggest plus; ample amount of lounge chairs and have seldom seen the "adults only" aspect being ignored. (Grandiosa had more kids in this area, but I confess that I'm not sure if it was supposed to be adults-only on that ship). My Cons List: -Very little control over dining in MDR (unless you upgrade to Aurea). I was given 8:30 which is way too late, but did manage to get it switched to a solo table but best time they could give me was 8:00. After a couple days, I stopped going to MDR because it just interfered with my evening by waiting that long. -MDR and Buffet only included options. I usually add two lunches at Hola! because it's cheap and I like it. -Lack of storage space. Usually ok for me, but always need to ask for a few more hangers and if I wasn't solo I would want more storage. -Trivia: I agree the locations they use aren't good at all. -Musicians are hit and miss (I guess that would be every cruise line) -Photographers! I think there were three nights they were set-up in a bunch of spaces causing pedestrian logjams in prime walking spaces. -Urinals too high. Sounds funny, but they could be dropped and inch or two. -Perhaps related to above: they could run a mop on the restroom floor more often than they do. Only area I notice consistently lacking in cleanliness -Last restroom item: the "hidden under counter" water, soap, air dryer set-up in the public restrooms is needlessly annoying to use. -Edited to add: Lack of options for TV in the stateroom. Movies aren;t free and only a handful of channels. I don't stay in my room for TV, but I like putting something on when winding down at the end of the night. Thanks for your review and giving me the chance to waste 15 minutes at work writing this. 🙂

I'll be interested to hear your experience after the cruise. I haven't encountered this on a cruise, but I have been at resorts and other land vacations with large groups and I understand your concerns; in my experience large groups, whether it be conventioneers or some other like-minded group, do tend to take over and monopolize areas as if they are the only guests. Hopefully your cruise isn't impacted negatively.

Neither O'Malley's nor Alfredo's took reservations on my recent cruise on Discovery Princess.

Even on the confirmation email it states that this does not mean you are approved to use the service. I don't fly Southwest as they don't have much presence at my home airport, but knowing their 4-hour policy, I would not have assumed everything was all set. It worked great for me on JetBlue (my flight was at 8:30pm), but it seems that Southwest isn't as accommodating. The service is great, but not knowing if you are approved until the evening before disembarkation can certainly be frustrating.

Apologies for the slow reply. The two times I was seated alone, that is the table I was given and I never requested anything special. (I should note that my first cruise did not have my dining info on my cruise card, so I had to go to the Maitre D' to get my assignment but I never gave a seating choice). It worked perfectly for me and I never felt out of place sitting alone. The last time I was seated at the 8-top and in retrospect, I should have gone to the Maitre D' and asked about a possible change. The first night was fine as there were a couple of people that were really outgoing and initiated most conversation. I skipped Night 2 because it was dressy night and I knew some of the tablemates were going full formal and I just didn't want to be part of that (I had pants and collared shirt and a blazer, but I just didn't feel like going that route). Night 3 was me and the only other solo seated at that table and she was perhaps less outgoing than I was. Night 4 I arrived and discovered my whole table had switched their arrangements and I was with two new couples who were traveling together, so I was a 5th wheel (they were nice, I don't mean that in a snarky way). They were going to Butcher's Cut the next night, so I did not go to sit alone at a huge table. The last night it was me and the other 4 again. So, I personally found it a bit awkward just due to the size of the table and the changing tablemates and my general discomfort in trying to be social with strangers. If I get this same scenario on my Bermuda cruise in September (earlier in September than your cruise), I'll ask if I can change tables and if I can't I'll just go to the buffet or make reservations at Hola! (I think I have a specialty dinner for Diamond for the first time, so would like to check out Butcher's cut, too). Sorry for wall of text response to a rather simple question 🤣

Thanks for the head's up! I'm on a casino comp in September and didn't get a bundle package. I don't check the email account I use for my cruises near often enough and need to get better with that. Much appreciated for saving me $126.

Thanks for the write-up. I always appreciate hearing from someone that provides both sides of their experience with actual examples. Can I ask what experience you had (Bella, Fantastica, etc) and your seating arrangements? I ask because as a solo traveler I was sat alone at a two-seat table (my preference) my first two times when I had Fantastica and I was sat at an 8-top my last cruise when I was Bella and it was awkward for a number of reasons. No idea if it was related to my "experience" or just coincidence. I am on a casino comp in September, but upgraded to Fantastica; will ask the maitre d' to change my seating or will just use the buffet if they stick me at an 8-top again.

I did enjoy the ports, but there was a lot of walking and makes for tiring days. I am glad I went in October as I can't imagine doing those tours in the summer. Pompeii (Naples) was my favorite excursion and I really liked Marseille despite the downpour that started immediately after our "free time" off the tour bus started.

It was, but due to unrest following 10/07 La Goulette was cancelled and replaced with Palma de Mallorca. Marseille port was isolated, though not really far from the city just not somewhere you walk from. Genoa, Palermo and Naples were right at the cities (I took a ship excursion to Pompeii from Naples, so not sure if you can walk right off into the city like at Genoa and Palermo).

I'm not sure if the order of these is correct, but I will post what I "think" was the order of dinners. Only took one screenshot of "always available" because the 4 options never changed and I never looked at wine offerings.

I'll see if I can track them down. Can't remember if I screenshotted them, but if I did I transferred them off my phone.