jode

I think you should use this as a good teaching moment. Teach her self control and the importance to have money for what you really want/need and if you don't have it you save for it. I would have a frank discussion well before the cruise - tell her an amount you will fund her for the week in a separate account. If she wants to spend all of it on ice cream - well ok. If she wants to buy a top/handbag, etc from a gift shop then she will know the amount she has available for the week and can work it out. I would be sure she understands that the amount you decide on is final and if wants to spend more she needs to use her own money.

Believe me some day this will be the least of your problems so best to teach her moderation and self control now. Don't miss this opportunity to let her be responsible. If you cave on this then all the posts in the world won't be of any help.

We are booked on the Jade - 8 nights - Miami, 2 sea days, ABC islands, 2 sea days. This is October 15 I believe. We have been away from NCL for a while and want to try it again and we love this itinerary with 4 sea days total.

SAS, QLS, MJS and others will take you between FLL and POM for $15 per person. ;) The cruise line transfer bus is almost always a more expensive and slower option.

I priced QLS and they are $15 on Mondays - the day we sail - but on Tues (the day we return the following week) they are $20 pp. Some shuttles had a 3 person minimum and we can't see paying for a non-person to meet the minimum. NCL was a flat $25 pp. Also - one shuttle I received a quote from said they didn't have pick ups scheduled for our arrival time and we would have to wait for others. So I do appreciate your input but for anyone interested in a shuttle be sure you check all options/fees/schedules etc. Sometimes the extra $10 to have the cruise line take you from baggage claim to the boat is preferable.

If you are sailing NCL they offer a shuttle service from FLL airport to Miami cruise port. It is $25 pp each way for a total of $100 for round trip for two. This is quite a bit less than any of the other shuttle services I have priced. Uber may be slightly cheaper but if you are not in a rush this is a good choice I think.

Who was your Captain ?

Captain Cohlm Ryan (not 100% sure of the spelling of his fist name but it was very Irish I remember). He was asked this question at a q&a he held in the theater and in front of hundreds of people gave that answer.

I wonder if she is not doing the Bermuda cruises No t specifically in order to sail to Venice as has been suggested but because of the sale of Prinsendam ?

 

Yes Venice may be one port she will visit but I think Veendam 's Bermuda cruises end ed because HAL knew ;Prinsendam would be sold and were not yet ready to announce it.

I was on Veendam about two weeks ago - a direct quote from the captain was "the Veendam has a small draft which is why she is able to dock on Front Street in Bermuda. HAL wants to sail from Venice next year and Venice has reduced the size/draft of ship allowed to sail from there so they are putting the Veendam in Venice next year." He was looking forward to it.

Now maybe he was just mouthing the corporate answer but it made sense.

I wouldn’t classify the raisin rolls as challah- at least all the examples of challah I have had have been soft and fluffy. These rolls are not fluffy. They are substantial. The recipe contains lots of butter.

 

I’ve only seen them at breakfast. Zaandam had them mixed with other breads. Veendam had them with the continental breakfast items. (I frequently met the staff member as he put them out at 0-dark-30 and snitched one with my coffee).

I didn't see the raisin rolls on the Veendam two weeks ago - as I was avoiding the rolls/bread items at breakfast. But once I saw and tried the raisin bread all bets were off for the rest of the week!

The raisin "bread" is like a challah - soft, eggy and delicious - with lots of raisins - and as I mentioned earlier I am not a fan of usual raisin bread.

I think the OP was poking the bear with his post. The baked breads - either made from wheat grown by the engine and milled (ha ha) or frozen - HAL's baked goods were excellent and the variety at each meal was wonderful.

I think you nailed it. they complain about the petty issues in order to feel superior. Excellent post. Yet they continue to sign up for a mass market cruise line and not a luxury cruise line, just so they know they will have plenty to complain about. But I also think their string of petty complaints does make them happy.

We used to say some people are not happy unless they are miserable and sadly we meet a lot of them these days! If it makes them happy in some perverse way fine - but I hate to think some people avoid certain things or experiences after hearing all of these baseless complaints.

Rock on everyone! Life isn't always fair but a "boring breadbasket" is not life changing!!

After reading all the positive comments on HAL bread I have to say one more thing. Seriously people - is your little world where you live so perfect that you feel the need to complain about the rolls?

We sat beside a couple one night two weeks ago on our cruise - the husband complained about literally every single thing - from the steak knives being given too late (umm the waiter would not know you needed one until you placed your order) to the napkins, to the salads, the rolls, and on and on and on. He he literally droned on the entire meal about all of HAL's mis-steps with what he assumed was his great authority. Due to his manner and appearance we named him "Winston Churchill" and whenever we saw him on the ship he had either his wife or another passenger captive with "his" complaints about everything. It was amusing after a while but I wonder if people like him just throw out complaints to feel superior. I would hate for someone who was thinking about a HAL cruise to not go because of the "rolls" - honestly do you cruise for the rolls/breadbasket or the "total experience?

As with other things in life maybe we should concentrate and promote the "good" things rather than the "bad" - unless the bad is so bad that it is a health or safety issue. My mother who is Sicilian was an amazing cook and baker - she made just about everything from scratch - except when she was in a bind and then would use frozen dough and her pizza, loaves of bread etc were still amazing. Don't knock frozen bread or anything that you think is "cost cutting" or trying to fool us.

Many people in this world would be so happy with your "repeat" bread basket. It was a vacation - not a prison sentence !

PS - I did see the focaccia bread in the Lido at lunch but resisted the temptation because I knew my morning raisin bread was enough of a calorie splurge until dinner. Now that I know how good it is I may have to give in on another HAL cruise !!!

You do have a wonderful attitude and bless you for it. I am not familiar with scenario - we did have to cancel a trip last Oct due to illness but had trip insurance.

Looking at it practically (at least I think so) HAL has the cruise fare for two people - but only one will be using the water, eating, etc. If you are not asking for a refund on working son's fare then I don't see why non-working son would have to pay more as a solo.

I am inclined to be dumb and happy and when you check in and just tell them that one son most likely will not make the sailing but there is always hope - wouldn't give a reason unless really pressed for one and then maybe use he can't make it in time due to work delay - or you could use he isn't feeling well and didn't want infect others (that should do it !)

Best of luck - sounds like you have paid plenty for this cruise (assuming you paid for all four fares) and while it is a disappointment that working son won't be there I am sure you and the rest of your family with have a great time. And kudos to working son - it is rare to see that sort of commitment in the work place these days!

Wow - your complaint is a stretch for us. Plenty of variety we thought - what type did you miss?

We have been on about 20 cruises - low, medium and high end and on our first HAL cruise two weeks ago found the bread to be very good. Nice variety at night and if you found the rolls "chewy" they usually included slices of yummy Anadama bread. Only one night I found a type of roll that I didn't care for - too much cheese baked in it - but - it was my personal preference - it was a variety from other nights and I am positive if I asked for another type they would have brought it.

Lido for breakfast was a fast trip to the section of bread and rolls - they had the best raisin bread - more like a Challah bread with raisins. Soft and eggy - didn't even wait to toast it - just put butter on it and maybe some raspberry jam and total heaven. And I typically do NOT like raisin bread !

Can't comment on other breakfast breads because I didn't want to waste calories on anything but my fav raisin bread. The sticky buns were a little dry I thought - I did cave into a half of one ! And the Danish while not exceptional were exactly like what we had on Princess last year - maybe those are mass produced across the different lines. But unless I was on a 45 day cruise I don't think I would have been able to have the same bread twice unless I wanted to - now that is variety !

Not saying it doesn't happen..but some of the claims of what's (not supposed to be worn) are too ridiculous to be believed.

Well you did say to show pictures or it didn't happen and I was just replying that although I didn't have pictures I personally knew someone who wore shorts on the first gala night so it did happen - we didn't see him on the second gala night so I don't know what he wore.

I agree some stories are far fetched and take them lightly. But some people just don't care anymore and things we saw people wearing in the MDR on non gala nights should be worn digging a ditch in your back yard.

I feel bad for people who follow the guidelines and make an effort only to see others wearing whatever and it just brings down the cruising experience during a nice dinner. Even on non-gala nights the atmosphere and service are of a fine restaurant and if you don't want to respect that and look presentable then eat elsewhere. Just my opinion and yes it does happen as we saw.

Pictures or it didn't happen. I haven't been here long but I have seen many(what seem to me) stories about dress code violators which are too outrageous to be true.

Well I didn't take a picture of the man in denim shorts but personally know the man (a neighbor of ours back home) who wore the white shorts. And he said he had no intention of changing and didn't - proof enough?

I will be on the “sold out ship” on July 28. Any suggestions for the lack of tables in the Lido? Could you elaborate on your comments about the Pinnacle? Thanks

Our cruise was also "sold out" as it was the last one to Bermuda for a while. We never had a problem finding a table in the Lido - we ate inside the Lido for breakfast and often were the only two at a table for six. Lunch was always outside - and we preferred a table in the shade and again never had a problem finding a table. We never ate at the Pinnacle so cannot comment on that - maybe someone who has can help you.

It appears that wearing long pants is merely a "suggestion" as we saw two gentlemen in the MDR on Gala night wearing shorts - not even nice Bermuda shorts - one had on jean shorts and the other off white shorts. I am not the fashion police but why do people feel the need to rebel at dress codes. Shorts are only shorter pants. Both have waists, zippers etc. How uncomfortable is it to wear a pair of pants? It didn't ruin my cruise but HAL needs to do away with all "suggested attire" for gala nights or enforce what they have in place. Standards are in place to set a tone - like it or not. I don't want to see hairy legs in MDR and maybe if shorts are that important to you then the Lido is a better choice. Most men wore collared shirt and long pants, a few tuxes and a few regional dress - like Scottish plaid pant/jacket etc. Hope we can somehow keep cruising classy - otherwise it is just a Sandals on the water - which is fine for some but not for traditional cruisers.

Would you recommend Holland America?

I would recommend HAL - but only if it suits your style. Smaller ship - more classic than flashy. Not much to do at night but we were ok with that. Even in our younger days we were not the up all night party type. Lots of nice quiet corners with live music or just to sit and read, relax. There was only one pool and we were used to one primarily for kids and one for adults. Although there were not many kids on this cruise they did seem to take over the pool on occasion. If that is important then maybe another ship with more than one pool would be better for you. We found the food to be very good - nice presentation and the only thing I would not recommend is the lemon trifle - lots of lemon but no trifle! More like a dish of lemon filling with a gummy aftertaste. All the other desserts were wonderful and I have the three pounds to prove it !

We loved being docked on Front Street - so easy to get on/off several times a day if you wanted. Found shopping on the ship to be nonexistent for me - although my husband did buy a watch. Primarily because we had so much money in OBC to use up but also because he is drawn to watches like a crow to something shiney. He was happy - didn't cost us so it was fine.

We did pick up some good quality shirts at Davidson's on Front Street. I got a pretty t-shirt for me and hubby got a very nice polo shirt with an emblem of Bermuda - pretty reasonable especially for Bermuda prices.

One comment is that when we docked on Monday ALL the shops were closed for Hero's Day. I was very surprised (as were other passengers) that no announcement was made advising us of this. There were elderly people - some with wheelchairs - who made an effort to get off the ship to shop only to find everything closed. I personally think the CD or shopping manager dropped the ball on this by not giving us the choice to get off only to stroll around as there were no shops open.

We did go to Harbor Fest - it was promoted as a local arts/crafts/food opportunity. We found it to be more "food" - like snow cones, etc. The crafts were either one end or the other - very low end jewelry or very high end - with the price tag to match! But I am sure the locals enjoy coming down to spend some of the evening and am sure other passengers found it perfectly fine. We did see the Gombey dancers for a bit at the Harbor Fest but later that evening the show featured them in a longer presentation - with their history etc and it was very good and informative.

The only excursion we took was the sunset sail/glass bottom boat. It was wonderful and worth the cost. It was 2 1/2 hours cruising past mansions, with a very informative narrative by the captain - then we hovered over coral which was enthusiastically identified by the first mate and several types of fish, etc. On the way back there was complimentary rum punch, soft drinks, etc. They had a bucket of bread/rolls for us to feed the fish which was very entertaining.

All in all we were pleased with our cruise on the Veendam. The food and service were excellent and the ship was very clean. Entertainment a bit lacking but I think that is industry wide now. The only so-so comment on food would be the hamburgers at Dive - while they were juicy (love the fat oozing) and tasty the wait was very long as they are made to order. Thankfully the taco bar was right in front of Dive so you could nibble on nachos, etc because heaven forbid we go a few hours between meals and have to wait !!! The downside of that taco bar location also meant there were people leaning on the display while waiting for their hamburger. This was totally self serve and no staff around to ask people to step to the side while waiting. Also the pizza just didn't do it for us. We waited a good half hour after ordering our pizza. We thought there would be slices already cooked and were not fussy about getting our own preferred toppings but there were just premade salads and desserts in the case. But again - that is our preference maybe others were fine with it.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Had a smooth sailing to Bermuda - loved the Crow's Nest at night with their comfy chairs and foot stools. I must say this ship is very low-sell. No pushing of drinks, etc. We sometimes had to wait a bit for a drink by the pool - I think they staff pretty thin and can't fault the waiters.

Few announcements which were a pleasant change. We walked about 5 miles a day either on the promenade deck or interior deck and never felt crowded or hurried. Loved the size of the ship.

Few pet peeves - not complaints as such but "comments" when the sign on the promenade deck reads no jogging it means no jogging. We saw the same two people jogging daily and yes this passenger make up was more on the older side and the joggers startled some slower walkers or forced them to jump to the side. Read the rules - they are there for a reason.

Be on the ship when you are supposed to when leaving Bermuda (or any port). Three people were left behind when we set sail on Thursday. Friday the captain had his usual q&a in the theater which was surprisingly full. Very informative - captain was very personable and funny. He was asked if people miss the ship and he said yes every single week. He was then asked about the three who missed it leaving Bermuda and he said that they did not have their passports with them. Security had to go in the room and find the passports and leave them with security at the immigration terminal by the ship. They ended up staying at the Grotto resort - very pricey and had to book flights home on Friday. Someone asked the captain if the cruise line pays for that and he replied - oh no - they knew when we were leaving and were not on board - it is on them.

Maybe we are too cautious but my husband and I never leave the ship without our passports - you just never know - in Barcelona at the end of a transatlantic cruise there was an "incident" and we were very glad we had our passports if it turned out that we had to find the American Embassy and could not reboard the ship.

Anyway - as with everything people like to push buttons - and one woman stood up and told the captain that she was shocked that he left these people on a "foreign island" - seriously - Bermuda is safer than Boston !! She then told the captain in front of a lot of guests that if he didn't have the patience to wait for passengers then maybe he was in the wrong job. Wow - she not only knifed him but felt the need to twist it!! The captain was very calm and acknowled that he understood how she felt and went on to the next question.

I felt like saying that if these passengers are not mature enough to be on the ship when it sails then maybe a cruise is not a good fit for them. But my husband grabbed my arm and suggested I put my Sicilian temper back in my pocket!! Glad I didn't give credit to her crazy remarks but it was tempting!!!

We did the MDR twice for breakfast but other days used the Lido.

I was concerned by several comments I had read about:

Slow elevators –

not on this cruise. We often had to scurry to hop on the elevator once we pressed the button. Of course for embarkation we had to wait but it was only about five minutes.

Food not hot enough –

food is very subjective and although we like good food we are not food snobs and find fault over something minor. We found the food to be quite warm – one evening the soup was so hot I had to wait for it to cool (it was butternut and absolutely delish!). Breakfast was usually an omelet and in about 20 cruises we have taken this station was the quickest I have experienced. There was always no more than two people ahead of me and the cook was doing two at a time so the wait was nothing. They had a wide variety of items to add to your omelet – more than I experienced on Princess last year. The coffee in the MDR was very hot at all times – maybe we were lucky but coffee served in Lido was always hot too.

We never had a problem with finding something either in Lido or MDR to our liking – often there were too many things that appealed to us. One night nothing jumped out on the regular menu so I ordered the “nightly” sirloin which was tender and tasty!!

Not enough tables in Lido –

We never had to “walk around with our food looking for a table” as others had commented.

Arrived at terminal at 11 am was on board having lunch at noon – not even priority boarding status! Our cabin was #202 on 9th deck . Close to elevators and stairs. The room was a modified handicap which we chose because of some mobility issues I have and didn’t think I would be able to climb into a tub in order to take a shower. This cabin had a walk in shower with a very small lip. The curtain was tricky and if you were not careful to have it completely inside the lip the floor outside the shower would get wet. Plenty of storage – drawers took getting used to – they were a push system and I am a “pull” kind of girl!

Balcony had two faux wicker seats with cushions and a small table and lounge chair – lovely.

Muster drill was at 3:15 for 4pm sailing. I met the handicap attendant by the elevators and took the elevator down to the lower deck – 6 I think for the drill. This is something that everyone dreads and I wish they could do it a better way. We were five deep by our lifeboat and after a few minutes it became muggy and people were feeling a little faint from the heat etc. It took probably about 20 min to go over everything once they were sure all were there and it was for me a long, hot crowded 20 min but it has to be done.

We had open seating for dinner each night-the first night we got our requested table for two and by luck it was at the stern of the boat right by the window. Lovely view of the ocean during dinner. As we left the dining room we asked the person at the front desk if we could have the same table the next night. He graciously gave us the same table, same time for the next night. We did this every night and it worked out perfectly for us.

We did the MDR twice for breakfast but other days used the Lido.

Is there not going to be any HAL cruises to Bermuda in 2019?

No. Venice has recently restricted the size of ships there and the Veendam fits their criteria so they will be sailing out of Venice next year.

I was on this cruise also. Loved this cruise and am sad that they won't be doing this itinerary next year. I would love to do this cruise again.

 

I was on my balcony at noon on Thursday and I was surprised at the number of people still casually strolling up to the ship far past the all aboard time of 12:00. One couple ambled up the path in no apparent hurry at 12:40. I don't know if they were clueless or have nerves of steel! I sure wouldn't chance it.

 

I'm looking forward to your review so I can relive it all through your eyes!

 

 

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Oh I am now very steamed about late strollers to the ship knowing when it is to leave. I am not sure if you attend the captains q&a on Friday. My husband and I did and it was very informative and the captain very chatty and down to earth. One of the last questions was "does anyone miss the ship" and the captain replied "every week" and went through the procedure this week when three people didn't make the ship as it left Bermuda. It is quite a process as they did not have their passports etc. They had to spend the night at a hotel in Bermuda and fly back to Boston. No sympathy there from me. But what really upset me was that a woman reprimanded the captain in front of everyone for leaving the poor passengers in a "foreign" island. And made things worse by telling him that if he does not have the patience to wait for passengers then maybe he is in the wrong job. Seriously? I think those people who literally missed the boat are taking the wrong vacation. I felt so bad for the captain to have his hand slapped by this ignorant woman but he was gracious and acknowledged that he understood what she was saying. It does take all sorts of people and opinions but I could have done without hers!

Dd you happen to try dinner in Pinnacle? I hope they have a new Manager as last July, it 'needed work'.

 

 

Did they provide cruise logs ? I was disappointed to not receive one last year.

We did not try any specialty restaurants mostly because I cannot eat the amount of food served and since the food in the MDR was so good (and already paid for with our booking) we didn't seen the need to pay extra only to have me eat half of my meal.

Not sure if this was the "cruise log" you referred to but on the last evening we received a heavy weight paper "log" of our trip - with miles, etc. (even the number of eggs used - 15,000 !) signed by the captain. It is a nice keepsake.

I just returned yesterday from the Boston to Bermuda cruise on the Veendam. Once I finish laundry, etc I hope to write a review. Briefly this was our first HAL cruise in over 20 cruises and we enjoyed it. A lot of things that seemed to be a problem with others just did not materialize for us. Either we were lucky or they have resolved those issues.

Couple of quick notes: Be sure you are actually on the ship when it leaves port. Not running or "hoping" they will wait for you. The captain said people miss their ship every single week. Three people missed our leaving Bermuda and they didn't have their passports with them. The ship security entered their room, found their passports and left them with the person in the immigration office. The captain said those people were spending the night at the Grotto Bay Resort and flying home the next day - all on their dime. Very expensive lesson hopefully learned.

Gala night is a mixed bag - most had on shirt and long pants - shirt had a collar - some with ties but most without. A few tuxes and a few Scottish pants/jackets etc. They all looked very nice. Sadly two men were allowed in MDR with shorts on - seriously why this happens is a mystery. Why people feel the need to rebel by doing it and why it is not addressed by staff is not fair to others. Honestly - maybe it is me but what is the difference between shorts and long pants - both have a waist and a zipper - only pants have a little more material. This didn't spoil our cruise but I just find it odd that people would purposely flaunt rules about wearing long pants in the dining room. Spoke with an elderly gentleman who said he had on shorts when he boarded and was tired by dinnertime and wore them to the dining room on the first night on the assumption that first night and last night were ok. He was stopped and asked if his luggage had arrived. He said yes it had. He was then told that he had to put on long pants before entering the dining room. If he had not received his luggage then they would make an exception for the first night. So he did just that. He wasn't mad, didn't make a scene, just adjusted his attire to what was expected.

Took only one excursion as we have been to Bermuda about 5 times. It was the HAL glass bottom boat sunset cruise and well worth the cost. Very informative and entertaining!

If you have any questions I'll be happy to try and answer them.

Where did you read that the ship's water was "higher in sodium"? We recently learned from a ship's engineer the ship water takes out all the sodium, as well as magnesium and potassium, which are the missing links in the body's ability to regulate sodium.

 

So the good thing about some bottled mineral waters is the reintroduction of some trace potassium and magnesium. (Evian is better than others) The rest of the engineer's advice was to simply up your intake of almonds, spinach and cashews - or what other food sources that can also compensate for what gets taken out of the ships water production process.

I actually read it on several posts on this forum. Never thought about salt in ship water, etc. But due to fluid retention now it caught my interest. I am all too familiar of the need of potassium since my prescription fluid pill also requires a prescription for potassium. Maybe I was being overly cautious but after reading about others having to go to the doctor because their legs swelled so badly I decided to be sure I knew what was in the water I drank as I drink a lot of water daily. I also read that parsley also helps with fluid retention but how much parsley can you eat! We spent $24 on Evian bottled water for the week and I had absolutely no issues with fluid retention etc. so it was worth it for me. Hard to eliminate salt when cruising but between my own prescription for fluid retention and bottled water I was comfortable. I find a lot of information on these boards are good and some not so good. I try to filter what helps me and enjoying learning from others.