Harry1954

While I never sailed on the ship as RVS, my parents did in the first years after she launched. She really like it and considering she sailed around 40-50 cruises, that was saying something.

I have sailed the Prinsendam several times and DW/I love it. Too bad we never got to sail with my folks before they passed.

harry

Thanks for the enlightening review. DW and I are going in October, so we were very interested in your take on this trip.

harry

We had friends on last WC 2016 that became 4 star mariners after the 2d segment of the cruise. They were able to get their 'upgraded' status at that point.

Regarding others joining you at PG .. as mentioned, they are responsible for their bill .. just like when you go regularly.

harry

These are all well stated points regarding your question. The biggest problem is indeed managing your time so you a) get to what you want when you want to b) get there in time to get a seat and c) not miss lunch!!

harry

I just got off the Rotterdam last month and there was no priority granted to 4 & 5 star passengers. When I mentioned this to one of the Shore Exc. people in the show room he got rather snippy and said he'd never heard of this practice...

Rotterdam is a much bigger ship than Prinsendam. They have limited space and also there is a higher likelihood that more 4/5 stars will be onboard Prinsendam on any given trip.

Hence, they have to do something logical to keep things from clogging up. I take my hat off to them to devise this.

harry

HAL has a few 4x4 tours out of Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island, which is where the ships dock. Do not know prices but check under your reservation for excursions and you should be able to see the prices. At least you can compare the independent and HAL tour providers as the price you quoted as per person seems high unless you are coming from Adelaide. Also, double check as in my research (I will be there in 2018) the prices I found were in AUS $ so maybe the cost is more in the US $ 450 range.

Just for information sake, in 2013, on our excursion, HAL had hired approximately 12 vehicles ... the other group that went with 3d party did not have a cookout in the middle of nowhere as I described earlier. Granted, it is quite expensive and maybe if the meal is not worth it, going 3d party would make sense to save money.

Regardless, you dont want to miss going there.

harry

We have done this excursion with HAL in WC 2013 .. it was one of the most amazing ones to date and we have almost 40 cruises under our belts. Wandering thru the island interior on foot , noting the nesting places of the kangaroo groups, discovering the bones of the deceased ones, and just enjoying the 'boonies' was we use to call it in the army was fabulous.

Then they had a lunch that I thought was put on bu Pinnacle Grill .. they set up in the middle of nowhere, had wine, beer, cold drinks .. steak and fish were grilled and we were treated like kings/queens. The meal was a PG type experience.

This is well worth the cost ...

BTW, there are four to a car so it is desirable to put/choose who you go with.

harry

If you are planning a lot of HAL or other Carnival cruises in the future, it is an excellent investment. Not only do you get a tax free OBC for each cruise, you also get dividends on a regular basis. We have had our dividends buy more Carnival stock rather than taking cash .. this just adds to the dividend yield over time.

Anyway, regardless of timing, one should buy at least 100 shares IMHO>

harry

Thanks for all the info on the Prinsendam. 25 days to go!

 

Just in case anyone cares- we got an upsell offer yesterday. Outside to a choice of next 3 cabin types. Awful prices but we took the cheapest to a Vista/ veranda. Nice to have a balcony.

Having sailed Prinsendam many times, that was a good decision .. you will love it.

harry

So my question, finally, is what is your experience with these other cruise lines? Is their suite as nice as a Neptune Suite? Service? I am about to retire in October of this year and we hope to cruise at least once a year until we can no longer move..lol.

We have booked many cruises with HAL always in NS. We also booked two other cruise lines, both 6 star for about 15 cruises .. we find HAL to have the best of both worlds with the NS. Rather than have a butler whom you have to deal with, the concierge service is much more applicable to our needs as they dont bother us unless we need them. And when we need them, they are a team that gets it done always.

As for the cabin, it is larger and better than the other two lines.

We have done three world cruises in NS and we would only do it on HAL.

If you are trying to pamper yourselves, you made the right choice - hope this helps,

harry

There were folks on that cruise that went to the main show lounge one hour before show start time to "scope out" their favorite seats (downstairs plus balcony). I interviewed several of them during the course of business

So you were on that cruise? Sorry I missed you ...

harry

We have been on most of the HAL ships in suites and recognize that this comes with the territory. Unfortunately, there is little that can be done to reduce this noise. We cope with it .. but on certain HAL ships such as Zuiderdam, the suites are two decks below the Lido and thus have zero problems like this. Choose your ships and suite locations carefully.

harry

We have sailed many times on this fine ship. While there is limited outlets, I suggest you bring a power strip as it makes using the US outlet easier.

harry

Why would you have "to sit in the QL for an extra 15 minutes" if you knew what time the show started?

Those who had early dining and wanted a 'good seat' would always head to QL early to accomplish their goal. Obviously, they don't spend time at the piano bar before show etc ... The later start time for the early show adds 15 more minutes they wait.

DW and I usually went to piano bar and headed to show 10 minute before it starts, regardless of when that was. We always encountered folks who were not happy with the 'extra' wait - happened repeatedly.

My thought was that if the show starts 15 minutes later, then why not have dinner start 15 minutes later ... wont affect late dining at all.

harry

On WC2016, the early show was moved to 8:15pm. Apparently, the new group handling shows shortened it to 45min. This made a lot of folks quite unhappy as they had to sit in the QL for an extra 15 minutes twiddling their thumbs.

I hope HAL rethinks that for the future as some of the older folks just quit going to the shows.

harry

I feel so sorry for all of you missing Istanbul.

But I do understand HAL's reasoning for this.

Such a shame that our world is a mess right now.

I agree with all your points. We were looking forward to another 'evening dining on the Bosphorus on next year's GV cruise .. oh well, there are lots of other wonderful places to experience.

I just feel for those who will be persecuted in Turkey for their views. Until recently, it had been a wonderful country that a brilliant man that Ataturk was created.

harry

I would love to do a show, as well. Anyone know when they release performance dates/shows? We will be there next March and I'm not seeing a line up, yet. :-(

When we were planning WC2016 I emailed Sydney Opera January 2015 and asked when they expected the February 2016 schedule to be available. They told me to look in AUgust which I did and voila it was there.

harry

We did this on the last WC in February this year and booked thru HAL. The folks who ran the excursion took those who could not handle stairs a 'special way' when we entered the facility. As I understand it, there is an elevator they used. I did not actually see it, but they must have been ok as they seemed to enjoy themselves. However it is quite a hike from where you get off the bus to the entrance, so that is really more of a problem.

I suggest emailing the Opera House directly for information. They have been very helpful in the past to us.

harry

We had the Explore 4 on our last AK cruise .. unless it has changed, it gives you up to 15 drinks a day .. my sister-in-law and her friend discovered they could imbibe beaucoup piña coladas and still not hit 15 in one day.

harry

Gosh, I remember Kate Smith Hour at 4pm in the afternoons .. my grandmother loved that program. Not sure how long it was on, but I couldnt wait till it was over so Mickey Mouse Club would come on.

Thanks to everyone who gave up part of their live to serve our great country.

harry

it has always worked for us .. and our flights are usually around that time each time. In fact, we leave around 8am, take a taxi and in 10-15min are there and sometimes we actually get on an earlier flight.

harry

thanks for the suggestion.

harry

For those who have cruised out of Montreal in the past and used a limo service - what is good Limousine Service Montreal to Cruise Terminal?

Harry

We use to book PG first night but find that with fixed dining, we prefer to meet our servers and get use to our table early on now. We have booked PG on many differing nights during a cruise and really find that it depends on our view of the cruise thus far, the food in MDR, our servers, etc ...

The only thing I know is that we will book PG at least twice during any cruise as we enjoy the experience.

I guess that is one of the beauties of cruising ...

harry

We have been on 3 WCs and like you, enjoy our drinks.

From observation, a number of folks order the 48 bottles of wine and actually run out before the cruise is over. They seemed very satisfied with their choice.

Our problem is that most of the wines dont fit our tastes; hence, we bring onboard cases of wine we prefer, pay the corkage fees and then enjoy those periodically thru the cruise. We supplement them with bottles ordered from the wine list - when the ship doesn't run out - which they have done on each of the WCs we have been on. Further, we purchase wines at the vineyards that are on HAL excursions and they are exempt from corkage fee as well.

We also enjoy pre-dinner cocktail - and the good news is that happy hour allows you to get 2 for price of 1 - so if you plan it right, you can save money there unless you only drink premium in which case you need a higher budget than otherwise.

Often, I go down to Exploration Cafe at 6am to get the Grande Lattes for DW and me. Those are 50% off if 4 or 5 star mariners - another savings.

harry