acruisingcouple

Pinnacle Grill was the worst meal we had on the Rotterdam.  The steak had absolutely no flavour whatsoever.

The Wasabi encrusted beef tenderloin in Tamarind was far better than the tenderloin at PG.

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

We are packing lighter these days and want to pack only 2 pair of shoes for the upcoming outdoorsy cruise.  My plan is to wear hiking sneakers and one pair of semi-dressy flats.  On days when I send shoes out to polish are sneakers allowed in the MDR?  Thanks.

I have not sailed on Holland America, however, on other lines, I have worn slip-on sneakers with capris in the dining room on non-gala nights.  I find the slip-on sneakers to be versatile as they can be worn with many different outfits while being extremely comfortable.

Added bonus is not having to untie sneakers during airport security.

I have checked the menus for Tamarind and Pinnacle Grill on the Navigator app.  They are both showing the updated pricing.  Tamarind shows $10 for extra entrée, however, there are no extra entrée or appetizer charges listed for Pinnacle Grill.

10 hours ago, oakridger said:

 

Can you please share a link to this information?

 

Thanks,

~Nancy

I found it on another cruise critic forum post.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2953282-new-specialty-restaurant-pricing/

We’ve parked at Port Imperial in NJ and taken ferry to Manhattan.  We stayed in Times Square.  Parking much cheaper than Manhattan and very easy to get back and forth.

We are going on our first HAL cruise in December on the Rotterdam.  I was really looking forward to the Lincoln Center Experience so of course I was very disappointed to hear that it is no longer offered.  I like many genres of music from Classical all the way to EDM as long as it is good quality.

 I am still very much looking to trying HAL and look forward to trying the other venues.

11 hours ago, CNSJ said:

It depends on how HIA is added.  I wound up adding HIA to a cruise that had been booked without it.  It was $50 a day per person, including the third person.  But, only persons 1 and 2 got included wifi???  Person 3 got the SHOREX Credit, Dining, and drinks etc.  

 

 

It was the same thing for us when I added it through the website. 

9 hours ago, terrydtx said:

From several experiences I have read on CC keep calling for your friend every day until successful.

Yes!  It was sold out on the Rotterdam when I called the first time.  Three calls and two weeks later, it was available.  

1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

It’s not worth it for me to add this.  I bought the hia with my cruise and actually paid around the $50 equivalent (being Canadian it’s more) plus I got quite a lot of obc with it.  If I would have taken the advantage fare it would have been much more to add the $50 on.  I don’t do non refundable fares. I can buy my own gratuities with my obc and keep my fare.

It was the same for me. 

21 hours ago, SFO Peter said:

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Good for you.   We are all learning.  I could not add CO to my Feb 2024 sailing because I was too late and CO was no longer available (offered).   I did manage to book it on Koningsdam Oct 2024 sailing.

So to get CO one may need to book early.  I am mostly interested in the CO Cabin Upgrade.

Peter

I booked the December 29th sailing on the Rotterdam two weeks ago in a VB cabin.  I called the next day to add CO but it was sold out and was advised to try calling back.  I called back the following Wednesday- still sold out.  I then called two days later and was able to purchase it.  They were able to ‘downgrade’ my fare to a VH and then give me the CO upgrade to my original VB cabin.

22 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

Today we got our docs and our official cabin assignment (deck 3 near forward elevators).  Did Laura get her assignment?

 

We are on the same cruise and got our balcony stateroom assigned last night. 

As of November 1st, 2021, Canada started allowing cruise ships in Canadian waters, however, Canada also advises against cruise ship travel.

https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/cruise

We have a cruise booked out of Vancouver for July 2022, although we expect that the cruise could well be cancelled.  We are holding off booking the flights until the spring as hopefully we will have a better idea of the situation by then.

We were booked on this cruise. I called Holland America yesterday and was told that it has been chartered.

We have changed to the Nieuw Amsterdam March 14th sailing.

We were on the March 15th sailing that was canceled.  We have decided to take the March 14th cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam instead.  Not our first choice but our options are limited as we can only go that week.

Thankfully, we had not booked our flights.

Hi all,

We are currently booked on the Nieuw Statendam March 15, 2020 cruise.  This will be our first time sailing with Holland America.

I had been checking the Holland America website to see if there were any pricing changes.  As of the beginning of last week, there were still a lot of cabins available, however, at the end of the week, there were no cabins available.

The sailing has now been removed from their website.

I called Holland America and was advised that it is not sold out, however, they are in process of modifying something.  They weren’t able to say what but said it may be the itinerary or the pricing.  This was a week ago.

 My reservation is still showing on line.  

I was wondering if anyone has had the same experience in the past.  I am concerned that they may end up canceling it to charter it or do repairs etc as I have seen that happen with other cruise lines.

Thank you very much.

I am traveling with my husband and two teens.  My daughter is in my cabin and my son is with my husband in another cabin.

I am the only one that does not have the expedited arrival banner listed on the set sail pass.

I am just wondering if anyone else has been in the same situation and has been able to use the expedited arrival.

Thanks!

Same thing for us.  Balcony and promenade-view interior on a 4 day Independence of the Seas cruise is less expensive than having 4 of us together in an ocean view. I am so looking forward to only having to share the bathroom with one person instead of three!

1 hour ago, matj2000 said:

I know exactly what I am talking about and what is included.

Still $25 a day is still a lot for what you get.

Besides about 95% of the passengers don't need to be drinking all that garbage.

Except the water..

Do people even ‘need’ to go on a cruise in the first place?  No, but they choose to -just like any add-ons are a personal choice.

It may also depend on the cabin type as the Epic has the ‘interesting’ bathroom set-up for its balcony staterooms.

I like the Adventure itinerary better as well. 

Another vote for Cosol tour in St. Lucia! It was the best shore excursion we have done.  You see and do so much- well worth the cost.

We did the tour with Cosol and it was absolutely fantastic! You see so much of the island. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

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Thank you for posting!

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It would be absolutely wonderful if you could post some pics of the cabin. Thanks very much!

I share most of the same thoughts on the Getaway. I sailed her as a solo cruiser in 2014 in her inaugural season. The crew was much less miserable than it sounds like they were on your cruise, but this may be because they put the "all stars" on the first seasons of brand new ships for all I know. I had only been on Carnival Ecstasy and Paradise previously, so this was my first "big" ship experience. I didn't dislike it, and certainly didn't hate it, but all of the other issues you mentioned existed then as well. The atrium thing was especially frustrating. O'Sheehan's was my first experience on a ship where you could just walk up and get made to order included food so readily. I seemed to eat there at least once a day and it was never busy no matter what time it was. The elevators on this ship also seemed to be a huge traffic jam for me. Really enjoyed the Grammy experience, which apparently only lasted about a year before it was removed. I'm a musician, so that one really piqued my interests. The pool area was ridiculous with only one tiny pool for a ship so large. I didn't even bother with it most of the trip and only relaxed with my feet in the water once on a breezy and chilly night when not many people were around because of the chill and the boat rocking pretty good. The smoke from the casino was also a major issue for me with how it encroached on many other areas. Was a terrible idea putting it around that secondary atrium area with the staircases. I will say I loved the mini-suite concept. Stayed in one of those and they were essentially balcony rooms with a larger bathroom (large, jetted shower that was amazing and a wider sink area).

 

That being said, my next cruise was on the NCL Jade a few weeks after dry dock upgrades. A much smaller ship, but was a much better experience in most ways. Had a sideways interior room on that one, which was just fine, but the bathroom was incredibly small compared to what I got used to on the Getaway, especially since I'm now married and had to share it! :D

 

April will be our first RCI sailing, and also first large ship sailing with my wife. We're really pumped about it, and from everything I've read, should be a big improvement over my first large ship experience.

I preferred the Gem over the Breakaway. I found it to a better layout and the smoke was not an issue. I especially loved the Great Outdoors. Nothing like breakfast in the sun with a beautiful ocean view. We are going on our 2nd RCI cruise on the Enchantment - like the itinerary for a short cruise. I am looking forward to trying RCI again.

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