canadarocks

Very true. For some reason cruise lines have a heck of a time coming up with completely new names for restaurants. 😄

Open the app. Under OceanReady click Personal Information & Documents. Scroll down to the Suggested section. First on the list should be Arrivals. Click . Name of ship & Travel Dates. Click. Scroll down to Arrivals Group + Choose a group. Click. If it's too soon - message will say Sorry! Arrival groups will be available closer to the start of your journey.

We got bumped up from an inside cabin to a Spa Balcony on the Eurodam years ago. Tiniest balcony I've ever seen.

Great info, thanks.

We'll be onboard the Emerald for 15 days on a Panama Canal transit followed immediately by a 14 day Full Circle Caribbean. I know we'll get "first dibs" at booking the Sanctuary for the 2nd leg. What time do they open to make bookings on the turnaround day?

Extra entrees do cost extra.

No dollar amount. But you do pay extra for additional appetizers and entrees. 0106 beat me to it. 👍

Nice. Did they bring you that in addition to the Quiche?

Has anyone subbed out the smoked salmon in the Ultimate Balcony Breakfast for something else? If so, what?

I don’t think so. You can use OBC for pre-booking shore excursions, but I think that’s all.

My goodness, what a great statement! Loyalty is truly one of the strongest core beliefs. We finally reached 4* and I am now (and have been since we first started cruising) a HAL enthusiast to the max. But after a B2B2B this past winter, we're taking a break. Fingers and toes crossed we will return.

Thank you so so much Jay. One of the best reviews ever !!

No you do not. And yes it will be.

We see spent 31 days on the Rotterdam a few months ago. Don’t expect much in the way of activities, but port days at the aft pool are wonderful since it’s so much quieter than sea days.

Thank you! I agree, but not on our itineraries this time. We do have a 10pm sail away in Curaçao but we plan to be ashore that night.

All things to consider too! I don't think a sea day is a good option, not so much because of formal nights but more the possible effect of the ocean's movement.

We were onboard the Sky for 14 days this year in the Caribbean. Many people definitely dressed up for Formal Nights. We enjoyed pre-dinner cocktails at Vines and it was lovely to watch them heading to their meals. Quite a few long gowns, suits, and even a few tuxedos.

We'll be onboard the Emerald for a full transit Panama Canal Cruise from LA to Fort Lauderdale next year, followed by a 14 day true Circle Caribbean (not a B2B). I've booked us a port side Caribe deck deluxe balcony. I've already reserved the Ultimate Balcony Breakfast for our Panama Canal day. Now we're looking forward to a UBD at some point. My question.... which would be the best port scenically to enjoy such a great dinner? My choices (based on sail away times) are Puerto Vallarta, Huatulco, Puntarenas, Cartagena, Guadaloupe, St Lucia, St Vincent, and Trinidad. Seven of these are new ports for us and the eighth, St Lucia, I know is lovely at sail away. I'd appreciate any comments about which would be the nicest, thanks!

Can you sit at regular tables or are there only high tops?

Sorry I missed this question earlier... Truly more fun activities than we've ever experienced on Princess. Multiple trivia games, game shows, etc. etc. Main Stage shows repeated on the 2nd leg, but it didn't matter because of all the other stuff to do. For the first time the MDR food was better on Princess than it was on Holland America. Better drinks (we had drink packages on both lines) and far better bar service. Features we much preferred on HAL: the Aft Pool and our 4th deck aft balcony. Specialty dining was better on the Rotterdam as well, especially the Canaletto. On previous cruises we've been blown away by the wonderful HAL crew members. This time Sky Princess matched HAL with their great crew.

Did just that. Hence the original post. 😆

Just sharing my experience. I expected the third leg to be repetitive as it was almost identical to the first. But since the first and second legs were also sold as a 21 day cruise, I (perhaps foolishly) expected them to be different. To each his own. Happy Cruising!

I've been reluctant to share the following because I've been a staunch Holland America supporter since 2009. And I know how fierce HAL supporters here can be, as I have been one of them. DH & I are 4* Mariners with HAL and Platinum with Princess (a ways away from Elite). We cruised a B2B2B on the Rotterdam in the Caribbean this past winter, followed immediately by a B2B on the Sky Princess. So, at least in my opinion, the very best chance to compare the two brands. The first 10 day cruise on HAL, I was totally content. Happy to finally be back cruising, ecstatic to have a beautiful Deck 4 balcony cabin with easy access to the Aft Pool. Early dining at a not so great location, but with the nicest combo of servers. Nice enough that we never asked to be moved over our 31 days onboard. Met our favorite HAL entertainment staff member ever, Leanne, who oversaw our trivia and other games. Loved the Step One dance troupe and the retro Rock & Roll show. On the second leg, an 11 day, I was surprised that the evening Main Stage entertainment schedule was virtually identical to the first 10 days. Three Step One shows (which we absolutely LOVED and watched a second time), two Planet Earth shows (one of which we rewatched on the 1st leg and had seen back in 2020), and an "Origin Story" night. A very lackluster "magician/mentalist" and a wonderful comedienne, Kelly MacFarland. But on the second leg, we also realized that the "bloom had left the rose" and it became obvious how little there was to do (especially with the repetitive shows) in the evenings and during the day. Music Walks shows were all repeats. And to both of our surprise, we realized that the MDR dinners were truly nothing special. The 3rd leg of 10 days was more of the same. We ate in the MDR twice, the last time only to say goodbye to our two great servers. After two cycles, there wasn't anything we wanted to order. I think that was truly the biggest surprise, as we have ALWAYS been completely satisfied with HAL MDR food. Evening entertainment was again the same, 6 nights repeats and, this time, mentalist combo and comedian who were truly not good. Again a retro Rock & Roll show that was enjoyable..... Princess was very very different..... and as happy as I was in the moment onboard the Sky Princess, it kind of broke my HAL loving heart.

Thanks for the advice about the Sanctuary and the Panama Canal day. I've booked us the Balcony Breakfast for that day. I figure we'll be criss-crossing the ship a lot for the rest of the day.

We had a delightful HAL cast member on our 31 days on the Rotterdam who oversaw virtually all of the trivia and games. Her name was Leanne and she was heading to the Koningsdam right after we disembarked. Instead of prizes, winners won a picture of themselves with a Willy Magee Bobblehead. Silly but fun. I just wish there were three or four Leannes on every ship! 😀