luvn2cruzzz

Thanks to everyone's responses, I think I am leaning towards Sel de Mer for our special celebration. We love Tamarind and already have that booked and can either pass on Pinnale or choose it for another time. I am hungry!

Copper--do you have any information on who will be at the helm of the Konigsdam after it returns from Europe? Thanks so much for your gracious replies and keeping us all informed!

It's at:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2519042

Thank you! Enjoyed reading your take on your cruise.

Read my review. We ate at all the specialty restaurants on koningsdam and thought that the food and service in SdM was the best.

Would love to read your review. Could you provide a link to it, please?

We've made a reservation for Sel de Mer for next month's Eurodam Alaska sailing. Would love to get more feedback on Sel de Mer.

Hope you will post your thoughts here after you haved dined there.

Thank you all for your replies. So nothing has changed in the last few years and you can still bring one bottle each at no charge. It is just when you bring additional bottles that there is a corkage charge.

Is the corkage fee just to bring a bottle of wine when you initially board new? I have never been charged a corkage fee before unless I wanted to have the wine with dinner in the dining room. Would appreciate some thoughts on this. Thanks!

Will be sailing on the Konigsdam and trying to decide between the Pinnacle and Sel de Mer for our anniversary dinner. Have dined in the Pinnacle many times but the Sel de Mer will be new to us. Thoughts, please.

Thank you! Will definitely be trying this new dining option.

I am wondering if the Mariner 4* and up discounts apply to Sel de Mer on the Konigsdam since it is an ala carte menu at this specialty restaurant. Anyone have experience with this?

We have used RomeCabs several times and have found them to be reliable and prompt.

I agree--definitely a first world problem! Personally, one of the highlights of our HAL cruises is the BB King offering. Different tastes...

Thanks so much, everyone! The reason I was asking was because we are thinking of doing the shuttle back to the airport so that we can use the expedited baggage service as they are on a participating airline. At least she wouldn't have the luggage to worry about even if the wait is lenghty. The decision has been made thanks to your help!

If we choose to take the DCL shuttle from the port to the airport, how early does it leave? My daughter's flight isn't until late afternoon and with a four year old, sitting in the airport all day would not be fun.

Thank you for your comments and clarification.

I am wondering if children enrolled in the Oceaneer Club are taken by the staff to the pool or is pool time only with their parents. thanks!

VoV is Voyage of the Vikings, a 35 or so day cruise that HAL has once a year in the summer. It is round trip Boston, goes up to the Atlantic provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador, Greenland, Iceland, down the coast of the UK to Rotterdam. It comes back along a similar itinerary but different ports. It can be booked as a one way as well.

 

Here's a link to the upcoming 38 day cruise for next year: http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?destCode=E&flexibleMonths=false&noOfFlexibleMonths=1&pageNumber=0&voyageCode=T748&directionCode=T&tabName=ItineraryDetails&fromSearchVacation=true

Thanks so much for the explanation. Sounds fabulous. Will look into it.

May I ask two questions, please? What is VoV? And do others feel like I do that the music on HAL is music my grandparents listened to. I love Frank Sinatra but even Frank gets old after a while. Would love to see more current music and though I am definitely a senior, that is what I most enjoy. If HAL would like to attract a younger group of cruisers, perhaps they could bring the music down a generation or two or three. I know some would protest, but I can't be the only one out there that feels this way.

Sounds wonderful! This is our last day...Prague is amazing! It rained all the way here on the bus, but stopped just as we arrived. We had over nighted in Vilhofen instead of Regensburg due to the low water and there were some glitches with the bus bringing us to Prague, but our CD handled the situation with grace.

 

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With the water level, you experienced it all. It went so quickly! Hope you will post a review post jet lag and re-entry. Safe trip home.

Marie--Sounds like this is all that you hoped for. Happy to hear of your experiences and will file them away when it is our turn again. Thanks for taking the time to post. Friends brought dinner over last night and she made a sacher torte for dessert which was gorgeous and delicious. She thought that since we couldn't get to Vienna she would bring a little Vienna to us! Keep enjoying!

We will be on the K-dam and just received notice of the cancellation to Kusadasi. We were notified a few weeks ago about Istanbul. They have changed the itinerary around and have added a stop to Sarande, Albania. Have any of you stopped there?

 

In addition some of the days got shuffled around which is problematic as excursions have been set up for certain days. So far all the tour operators we are dealing with have been able to handle the changes.

 

When I went to my bank to tell them where i going I was told my CC would be denied in Turkey. Big red flag and I deal with a major bank. I'm looking at this all in a positive way, new adventures, minor inconvenience in the big scheme of things.

We were in Sarande in 2009 and had a wonderful day in the countryside while there. Took a ship's excursion to a castle/fort which was about an hour and a half drive if I remember correctly. Our tour guide was fabulous and the Albanians were happy to see us. Six years ago it was a country very slowly coming out of the cold war era. Tourism was almost non-existent. We wanted to buy a postcard in the town by the castle and a woman who spoke no English put a very old card in my hand and wouldn't accept payment for it. She clearly wanted to give me something of her country. It was a touching moment that I won't forget. We came away with surprisingly good memories of a day that most people didn't enjoy at all because there wasn't 'good' shopping in Sarande and complained that HAL shouldn't have taken us there. The four of us didn't support their views.

My travel agency has an Allianz policy written just for their company that allows one to buy at final payment and covers pre-existing conditions. It makes life so much easier!

Could you please share details with me? Final payment on a future cruise is coming up. It is not insured. My DH's doctor feels since it is just a Caribbean cruise that he will be able to go by the sail date. If Allianz provides coverage for pre-exisitng at final payment for your travel agent, I would think that may be offered to others as well who have booked elsewhere. Any information would be most appreciated. Thanks!

So glad you sound so positive, Laurel. Hope yor DH is doing well!

Marie

Thanks, Marie. He is doing well considering all he has been through. Is in rehab and will probably be there for a month or so at least. I will be thinking of you!

Laurel

One thing that I don't think has been mentioned here is pre-exisiting coverage. In my experience, policies will only reimburse for a pre-exisiting condition if the policy is purchased within so many days of booking the trip. One company we use requires 15 days; another I know of is 20 days. This is something we are very cognizant of and always buy it within the timeframe.

What a coincidence. Minutes ago, I cancelled our riverboat cruise due to an accident my husband had last week. After being in the hospital several days and surgery due to multiple injuries, sadly, he will be unable to be weightbearing for three months. It was heartbreaking to cancel but more so to see him in his condition. So--things happen and it doesn't matter how healthy you are. Thankfully we always spend the money for travel insurance and buy it from a separate company due to what we believe is better coverage. For what it cost, we could have gone on a Caribbean cruise but it was well worth the money to not lose everything. I broke my leg several years ago and we had to use it then as well. We found the company we use to be quick in responding and reimbursing us. You don't need insurance until you need it!