WeLoveCruising

Looking forward to traveling along with you even if it's from reading your updates and not actually on the ship with you :)

 

My husband and I also just feel at home on HAL and have only strayed once so far with a short cruise on Princess. There is just something about the staff and ships that keep us coming back to HAL.

 

Have a wonderful, relaxing time. Hopefully you will be able to post photos as well if the internet cooperates.

Thanks, Canadianbear.

We really have to fix that, and travel together in real life :)

Hopefully your cruise will go well since we will be onboard also. We typically cruise X. Princess, and NCL but have been attracted to HAL (like some of the 'old school vibe'). We went on Westerdam to Alaska last year and liked the line but wanted to try a newer ship.

Let's hope for safe travel, good weather, and fun cruising !

Hey, that's great!

Yes, I wish you a fantastic cruise, great weather and calm seas!

I have a question for you since you usually book Neptune Suites. What kind of pillows are in there? Do you remember if they had goose down pillows?

 

Thanks and have a wonderful cruise!

I've never requested a special pillow, I get along just fine with what they provide. But I do recall seeing something about special pillows. I'll check it out and report back.

HAL newbs - cruising the Eurodam to Alaska this September

 

We're wanting to try one of the specialty dinings venues, but which one?

 

All look interesting but didn't know if one is better than the other. With the free dining with the Explore 4 (we don't have) didn't know if this should affect our decision so, what say ye?

 

TIA

They're all good for what they are - Canaletto for Italian, Tamarind for Asian, or Pinnacle Grill for Steak/Pacific Northwest cuisine.

We've always enjoyed Canaletto, but it's more casual, created out of a section off the Lido. The food is good, but nothing you cant get at home.

The Asian food on HAL is consistently good. I even like the Asian food from the Lido buffet every day at lunch. Tamarind is no exception, HAL does Asian well.

If you had to narrow it down to only one, I would choose whichever menu appeals the most to you. But if you're looking for the one that would be most special occasion worthy, I'd go with the Pinnacle Grill.

And if you really wanted to up the game, the Pinnacle Grill does a specialty meal typically once a cruise, either Le Cirque or De Librije. If those menus appeal to you, I think they're splurge-worthy.

In great anticipation of boarding the Eurodam on Saturday, and want to start this “Live” thread. I’ll post here throughout the cruise as long as the Internet Gods smile favorably on my connection.

About Us:

We’re a pair of married 50-somethings who’ve earned 4-star Mariner pins by sailing HAL since we were a couple of newlywed 30-somethings. My husband spent 10+ years working for HAL (Seattle office, not shipboard), and although he left almost 10 years ago, it’s still our favorite line to cruise. My husband spent most of his career in the travel industry, so we’ve been lucky enough to have sailed on all of the major lines and most of the luxury and niche ones at one point or another.

Background

Our first cruise was on the old Dolphin IV, a 3-night out of Miami in 1990. We were newlyweds, and it took every extra penny we had to pay for that cruise. We had the lowest inside cabin on that ship, and I remember a carpeted pole in the middle of our stateroom. That tiny, dated room with no TV was on an 11,000 ton ship built in 1956, but we were hooked. We came home and booked a 7-night cruise on the Dolphin Oceanbreeze, sailing from Aruba.

Within a few years we had tried NCL, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and even The Big Red Boat. Our first HAL cruise experience was a travel industry event for my husband to tour and overnight on the old Noordam. He set my expectation for something different, and the moment we stepped onboard we knew this wasn’t our typical cruise. HAL quickly became our favorite line, both before and after my husband worked for them.

HAL suits our style. I disagree when generalizations get made to categorize people to cruise lines based on their age. You know, the people who say to sail Carnival in your 20’s, then move to NCL/RCI when you have children, then HAL when you’re older…. In my opinion the right cruise line is one that fits your style, not your age. I would feel out of place with the party-all-night crowd even when I was younger. And although I raised my own child, my idea of vacation doesn’t include hundreds of other people’s children. It’s all subjective – what is boring to one person is relaxing to another – what’s fun filled to one person could be chaotic to someone else. Neither is right or wrong, and it never had to do with how old I am. But that’s me…I’d rather be sipping a classic cocktail listening to live music from decades past, vs drinking the latest trend and dancing to a DJ playing some current hit I cant even name since I’m relatively unfamiliar with music post-1985. Your Mileage May Vary.

We’ve also dipped our toes in the luxury lines, but continue to come back to HAL. Part of the draw is value, and part of it is feeling. Did we like the food better on Crystal? Yup. Did we find better service on Seabourn? Yes. Did we find the luxury lines less crowded? Yes. But are they worth the exponential cost to us? No. They may be to someone else, again – subjective. But when we venture to another line, I find myself missing those signature HAL touches. Some of them are tangible…..the smiling international crew, the shipboard art that is distinctly HAL….and some of it is just a feeling. Whether it’s being recognized by a crew member from a past cruise, or knowing that I’ll have Viennese apple strudel for dessert the first night, or that the Ocean Bar makes the best Fresh Grapefruit Cosmo, I’m at home on HAL. And it’s that combination of value for our money, those unique to HAL touches, and the familiarity that keep us returning time and time again.

This Cruise

Our 7-night cruise on the Eurodam comes after we swore off 7-night cruises forever. For the past 10 years, the shortest cruise we’ve taken is 10 nights, and we have found those extra three make a huge difference. A longer cruise forces us to settle in a little more, and really unwind. A week long cruise feels like by the time we start to relax, it’s time to think about heading home. A 7-night had always felt a little too rushed, and “get ‘em in and get ‘em out” to us. But work schedules being what they are, 7 nights is all we could do this time. Don’t get me wrong – of course we’re looking forward to it – but we both know that come next Tuesday or Wednesday we’ll be wishing for a whole other week.

We chose a Neptune suite for this sailing, something we typically do but not always. Our favorite perks are relaxing in the Pinnacle for breakfast, and having the extra space in our room. We make good use of the Neptune Lounge, and like to sit in there for coffee and snacks at least a few times each day. However, if our budget didn’t allow, I wouldn’t hesitate to sail in a different stateroom type and give up the perks. They’re worth it to us, but I’m not a “Neptune or Nothing” person.

My other book-ahead thing I’m looking forward to is a cabana on HMC (yellow has my name on it), but truth be told it’s mostly because my husband insisted. HMC is….or it’s probably better to say *was*…one of our all-time favorite places on earth. But I hate what they did to it, and am inclined to stay onboard that day. My husband holds more nostalgia for it, and can look past the monstrosities….er, I mean pirate ship, the two-story thingies, and basically anything other than my little cabanas. I don’t mean to sound like a whiner. Of course I’ll go and of course I’ll like it, but I miss the way it used to be. I’m almost at the tipping point of trying to make the best of what’s left or staying on the ship.

Rounding out my pre-booked splurges, I booked a retreat cabana. This will be our first time in one, and I’m pretty darn excited for it. POA’s little pal Poohby definitely nailed it for me . We usually book a pass to the thermal suite, but in this case I’m letting that go in favor of the retreat cabana. They’re similar in that both give us a cruise-long pass to a private area to relax. In that regard, I couldn’t justify spending the money for both. Also, the thermal loungers seem to be more and more difficult to come by. I remember the days we could spend the whole morning in the spa without even seeing another person, but now it seems like we’re either waiting for a chair in the thermal suite, or someone is waiting for ours. We definitely respect the requested time limits, but noticed few people do.

I hope I didn’t bore anyone with all that background. When I read reviews, it’s always helpful to me to know a little bit about the people cruising. We all have different perspectives, and there you have mine.

We leave tomorrow morning for our pre-cruise night in Fort Lauderdale, see you there 

Would you please post what set you get? Does your cruise have Le Cirque or De Librije? Based on the A/B alternating, you should have A again. And I'm wondering if LC/DL is based on the A/B rotation or if they move separately.

 

I'm on the 3/4 cruise and based on the every other week rotation I should have B. But I have De Librije, same as POA1 had on this cruise with the A set. But I'm on the Tropical itinerary, which is either purchased separately or part of a 21 night itinerary (I guess it can be booked on a 14 as well).

 

If anyone has data points they can post of what menu they had and whether it was DL or LC, that would help to figure this out.

We definitely have Le Cirque, I'm booked in advance.

I'll report back which set of menus we have. I hope to start a live post for our trip.

We had Set A and we did an Eastern Caribbean itinerary. My understanding is that they alternate between A & B. That makes sense because all of these one week sailings are also sold as 14 day back-to-back or Collector's cruises.

Great, that is what I would guess as well.

I plan to write a review as well, so I'll report back.

Thanks!

I'm wondering if your cruise had the Set "A" of menus, or "B"? You did the Eastern itinerary, correct? We are leaving Saturday on the Western itinerary and I'm curious if we'll have Set A or B.

....and I laugh at myself a little, for even asking.....because I'd be happy with either. Just daydreaming and where I'll be and what I'll be enjoying this time next week :)

Thank you again for taking the time to do this, a real treat to read.

We're sailing on the Eurodam this Saturday, and have our retreat cabana booked. Your post couldn't have been more timely to amp up our excitement.

I'll be sure to keep an eye out for many of the staff you mention here.

Cheers to you, too!

You're very welcome. I believe that they alternate between Le Cirque and De Librije. If you are on for two weeks, you'd be able to do both. If you are on one week, you just get one.

Ah, makes sense. And since we're only on for 7 days, gives me a reason to return :)

Thanks

Thanks for taking the time to do this, I thoroughly enjoy your writing style and humor.

We're sailing on the Eurodam in a week, and are very excited!

I have a quick question on the specialty dining. I usually book our PG reservations online, and we're booked for Le Cirque. I dont see the De Librije as an option to book ahead. I'm wondering if it's not offered on every sailing, or if it's something we book onboard?

Thanks!

We had this issue on our last Oosterdam cruise. We started the cruise with the bar of soap they gave us, but since it was a 10-night cruise, we ran out after a few days.

I can do either the liquid or the bar, but my isuse was the placement of the dispenser. The liquid dispenser was in the shower, but there was no soap at the sink. When washing my hands, it was pretty awkward to reach into the shower just for soap. I asked many times for more soap, and was getting frustrated that the cabin steward was not leaving new bars. It was only after a few days, DH noticed that our liquid dispenser in the shower was being topped off every day. The cabin steward clearly didn't understand what I meant. We were in a Neptune suite, so I talked to the concierge about it. We still only had the liquid topped off!

Next time, I will bring a bar.

As S7S said, I like to take baths when I'm on vacation. I'll always add some bubble bars and bath things to my suitcase when staying at a hotel.

Oh, and I completely agree with the people who said they dont like a bar of soap at the sink, that it gets wet and gross. At home I have pump dispenser type soap at my kitchen and bathroom sink. The HAL bathrooms have the opposite of what I like - I like a bar in the shower and a pump at the sink. In my Neptune suite, I had a bar (for a few days at least), at the sink, and the pump in the shower.

Depends on the itinerary for me.

For example, we cruise the Caribbean for the ship and the weather. In that regard, I dont care about the ports. I have a slight preference for port days, but not for the reason you might think. I enjoy having more of the ship to myself. It's very rare we'll even get off the ship in the Caribbean.

But if the itinerary is more for sight seeing, for example Europe of South America, then the more ports the better.

A TA would be my dream, I like being at sea. It's not easy for me to take that much consecutive vacation time from my job, which is the only thing that's prevented us from booking one thus far.

My husband worked for HAL for more than ten years, so that part seems obvious....but our love of HAL actually started before that.

When we were both young, even before our 30th birthdays, my husband worked as a manager for a large cruise agency in Florida. That gave us access to lots of ship's tours, including sailing on inaugurals reserved for agencies. It was the early-mid 90's, and at the time, I had mostly been on the old Royal Caribbean ships like Majesty of the Seas, as well as the Carnival Fantasy type ships. Although it wasn't a new ship, we got an invitation to have lunch on the old Nieuw Amersterdam.

I remember others on the tour talking about how small, dark, and closed in that ship was. What I remember was experiencing the best meal I'd had on a ship, served by some of the most professional crew. I remember noting the coffee cream was served in china, not creamers. I remember the salt and pepper were in classy little shakers, not packets. I remember the cloth towels in the restrooms. I didn't know at the time that the HAL employee who gave the tour would later become one of my husband's best work friends.

My husband and I were never big night life people. At the time we did that tour, we had previously sailed on those Carnival and RC ships I mentioned, as well as the old Norwegian Cruise Line Norway. I remember driving home from the pier, talking about how much we'd like to try that classy little ship, bringing on a stack of books and just relaxing. We booked it a few weeks later, and never looked back.

Interesting question, and I"m looking forward to hearing what experienced world cruisers have to share.

My husband and I have been discussing this. We're about 10 years from retirement, and have a "world cruise" fund set up for a big splurge. We've thought about how much we need to be putting away now for that trip.

We've spent hundreds of nights on a cruise, but never longer than 14 days. On such a long cruise we realize our spending habits will be different. We've talked about this a lot - not really because we're obsessing about the details, but more because it's fun planning, even if it is so far ahead.

Here are some of the things we've talked about, and how we think the world cruise spending will be different than our standard cruise.

Factors we think will be more money on the World Cruise:

-Shore excursions. We're very experienced in the Caribbean and Europe and tend to do solo things, but the majority of the world cruise will be places new to us, or places where we'd be safer on an organized tour. There are also bound to be 'once in a lifetime" experiences, some that might even require a flight from port, so we defnitely see this being a major expenditure over what we're accustomed to.

-Insurance, Visas, etc. We would need cancellation protection, trip insurance, medical insurance....I havent looked into any of this yet, but expect this will cost us and we're prepared that it will be worth it.

Factors we think will be less:

-Alcohol, onboard account. Since we will feel more "settled in" than a "fit-it-all-in" 10 day extravaganza, we'd probably splurge less each day. Also on port days we'd be less likely to drink the night before.

-Thermal suite, spa - same as with alcohol, we anticipate we would feel more like we are living on the ship, than on a vacation where we would need to fit everything in.

But who am I to say? We've never been, this is just our dream. I wanted to share our thoughts, though, because this post hit close to home. DH and I have been discussing the very same thing most of last week.

Here is the official sign outside St. Peters at the Vatican. Note knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women.

 

http://www.materdeitours.com/files/8213/5602/8340/Rome_Nov._4-8_239_2_2.jpg

 

No need to cover your head in the church.

That's been my experience, too. We enjoy touring old churches in Europe, will often duck in to any one we see. I find that carrying a thin lightweight big scarf in my purse helps. If needed, I'll just whip it out and toss it around my shoulders.

I took up Rick Steves' tip to cut his books up. I took the sections for our ports and taped the binding edge with packing tape. It was very easy to carry the little booklets.

 

--

That is a great idea!

There is something about his maps that I find so easy to understand. I think it's the font he uses that makes it look handwritten, and the labels are very big and easy to understand. They always remind me of something a knowledgeable friend would draw out for me.

A good sun hat - one that you will be comfortable packing and wearing.

I bring a bandana that I soak and wear around my neck. You may want to consider a neck cooler but I find a bandana more versatile.

Have maps, such as from Rick Steves' Med Ports book, if you will be walking around any port without a guide, especially Athens. We took HAL tours in each of the ports you mention but many prefer to do it on their own.

Footing is difficult in many places. I had a collapsible walking stick with me - about $12 from Aamazon.com and collapsed to less than 19". It was extremely useful when walking down the steep path to the tender pier in Santorini.

Have clothing with zippered pockets to protect your valuables.

 

The Med is filled with wonders. Happy planning. m--

I second the Rick Steves recommendation. I find his maps really easy to read, and spot on in marking the highlights. I have several of his pocket size books for most of our Med trips....and also helpful is the basic language translations he includes in the back. I will typically purchase his full size guide book to read up on our ports, and then, if available, purchase the small pocket size with maps to take with us.

He also has really good walking tour recordings on his site. I've downloaded them and followed along with our iPods for touring Rome (when we were on land vacation and had a full week there), and they worked really well. For other ports we've visited on a cruise, I've to listened to them in the car to help prepare me (and get excited) for our upcoming cruise.

Dave, I'm curious about the condition of the ship. It appears she is scheduled for a 12 day dry dock in early April. We're considering a TA immediately prior to the dry dock, but if she is showing a lot of deferred maintenance, we may do something else. Thanks for your good reviews and it seems you're kicking off your retirement in excellent fashion.

I know you directed this to Dave, but thought I would give my perspective as well. We sailed on the Oosterdam for 10 nights about a month ago. I think the ship was in great condition. Not brand new, of course, but really we saw no glaring issues...some normal wear and tear on carpets....but overall a very solid, comfortable and beautiful ship.

I have some photos online, mostly of food and holiday decorations, but enough to give you an idea of the common areas.

https://goo.gl/photos/6rCqnVh78fbVZfFk8

Thanks for updating us, and I hope you enjoy your cruise on the Oosterdam as much as we did.

There are always onboard specials, especially on port days.

Our last Oosterdam cruise had a 10/20/30 special...10% off a first treatment, 20% off second, 30% off third. As others have said, you will be almost bombarded with flyers about the specials with your daily stateroom "mail".

We are big spa users, and have not had a problem being able to find times available onboard. On sea days you might not have your choice of times, so book those earlier if a certain day/time matters.

S. They aren't a B.B.King "tribute" band, either, so no need to perform Mr. King's numbers. They do perform in the same manner as the house bands at the various B.B.King blues clubs around the US.

 

And they are - in my opinion - the best entertainment on the high seas, with the exception of The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruisewhich also often takes place on a HAL ship.

Agree, on each and every sentence :)

I'm so confused abt how to handle gala nights. I'm primarily a princess cruiser' date=' a late traditional diner and a formal night fan. I wear long gowns for formal night. On my upcoming westerdam cruise I can't get traditional late because the Gospel Group onboard has been given the entire seating. So I'm relegated to as you wish (which I don't want as a solo traveler). No one really talks about how the ladies dress. And yes I know many mature ladies opt for a skirt or slack with a sparkly top. Is a gown over the top? Is a cocktail dress better? Maybe just a dressy well accessorized maxi?[/quote']

 

I think all of these options are fine, and appropriate. Fashion, and fashion blogs, are huge hobbies of mine so I maybe pay attention to this more than the average person. Think of ladies attire on gala nights as a spectrum. One one end of the spectrum you have long, formal gowns. On the other end (still meeting "gala" attire), you might have a nice skirt or even slacks, with a fancy top with beads or sparkles. You might even have a sundress, or daytime dress someone might wear to a church or bridal shower. You will see any and all of that. The majority of ladies will be in clothes they might wear to a nightime wedding.

 

My husband worked for a cruiseline for over a decade, so I happen to have a closet full of formal dresses. A cruise is pretty much the only place I can wear them these days, so I go towards that end of the spectrum. By contrast, we cruised a few years ago with my MIL, a retired lady who lives in Maine and has NO formal clothes, no need for cocktail clothes, etc. She wore a dress she saves for church one night, and pants and a nice top the next night. I dont judge what others wear because we are all different. We all have different tastes, different clothing budgets, and different lifestyles that call for different closets.

Depends on your definition of "is it ok"?

Does it meet the definition of the suggested dress? Yes. You wont have any issue being turned away from the dining room, this is perfectly acceptable.

Will most people be dressed similarly? No. Most other men will be wearing a jacket, or jacket and tie, and more of a dress shirt. That's not to say that *some* men onboard might be dressed in a similar style. Some will even be more casual.

1. So if you are asking the question - "Will this meet the dress code, thus avoiding any potential issues?" Yes, it does.

2. If you are asking the question - "Will I blend in with what most everyone else is wearing?" No.

Some people only care about the first question. I cant tell by your post which way you are asking, so there you have it.

It seems a few replies here assume that the attitude of the OP is obvious from the two-sentence post. I think it is not, and even if it was, the information is still worth knowing. If you put the assumption of bias aside, you have worthwhile news. As worthwhile as news that Princess would be replacing HAL’s captains, or officers, or cruise directors, or office staff, or stewards, etc.

Agreed that intent isn't always obvious. It appears this is the OP's first and only post, which also increases speculation. I would think the OP is someone who is affected by this news in some way.

In general, I wouldn't assume that a cruise line requiring multiple month contracts with a physician would eliminate US based doctors. I work in healthcare, and even your local hospital may have what we call "locum tenen" physicians...or physicans that work out contracts. FWIW, other departments like nursing and radiology can also be staffed that way.