philsuarez

Likely you are doing a Norway cruise so will be close to land. I would pick up a cheap local sim. We are lucky as in UK my carrier will provide full cover in Norway and allow me to use my inclusive minutes and data

Interesting debate on the Carnival thread. What a load of new age tosh. Young Eco warriors sailing to save the third world on a luxury cruise ship. Will P & O bother to fill the gap in their market for a small ship?

From reading these posts looks like I'll have to wait a while longer for my 'H' grade outside GTY cabin on Ryndam re 18/07/15. This will be our first HAL cruise. Had GTY before and not that bothered where we end up although being near stairs is handy.

I await my first trip with HAL on MS Ryndam in July 2105 from Harwich. We tend to cruise based on availability and price hence have tried NCL, Cunard, P&O, Princess, Celebrity and now HAL. Will be interesting to compare products. If I had a choice would probably go Celebrity as I love the Solstice class ships. Have never had a poor cruise experience and long may that continue. We are low maintenance cruisers so provided service and food good we should be happy. My main gripe as only ever been rude fellow passengers. Did a ship visit to Ryndam last year and was impressed so hopefully all will be well. I normally produce a review and blog so will look forward to sharing my thoughts on the HAL experience.

I may be lucky then as have been with Princess. Not sure how I let them know although does ask question in check-in

Have just booked a 7 night Norway trip on Ryndam from Harwich, UK in July. Took plunge as live 5 minutes from port and have always fancied a cruise from there. Never been with Holland America before but did do a ship visit last year to Ryndam when she was in Dover. Familiar with P&O, Celebrity, NCL, Cunard. How will Holland compare. As we are so close to port what would be the earliest we could board and get cabin and do they serve lunch in main dining room like other lines. I have been looking at drink packages and they don't appear to do an all inclusive non alcohol? Thanks in advance for any answers. Very excited. I know she is an old girl but was impressed after visit.

Hi Everyone. Thanks for info. Looks like no coffee for me. Ironic as I don't drink much alcohol but prefer speciality coffee. Package for that is cheaper than select. I wonder if they would swap?

So just to confirm you do get coffee with select?

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I note here in the UK that Royal are offering various inclusive drink packages for 2016 sailings. An inside gets the Select package which includes various alcoholic beverages and balcony bookings get Premium. We are not that bothered re the alcohol but of course would enjoy the odd drink but we are rather more likely to indulge in coffee like latte and cappuccino etc. Normally only book an inside. Do you get these speciality coffee's with select?

Thanks

Phil

Hi, I am an experienced cruiser but first time with Cunard in October 2014. What standard food items are on the main MDR everyday. One of our party is a little fussy and likes mainly steak. Thanks in advance. Phil

To be fair there is only so many places you can reach in a 10-14 day cruise from the UK. With the size of most modern ships the cruise companies must be restricted as to where they can birth and what passenger amenities are available in the port. My wife and I really never that bothered about the destination as the ship is always the highlight for us. That's not to say that we don't enjoy an interesting port day but we just tend to chill and go with the flow.

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We went in October and caught the bus and then walked back. It's about 25-30 min stroll through the town. One thing to remember is Aquarium does not accept credit cards so cash will be required. It was well worth the visit and we loved La Coruna. Full of Spanish families really enjoying the open air and wonderful sea views. A football match was on that day but no signs of trouble and everyone was very well behaved. You can also hire a Segway next to the aquarium near the Lighthouse. Well worth a go.

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Can anyone advise what the score is with Afternoon Tea on Ruby Princess. Is there a daily one in the MDR. I am on a Round Britain trip in July 2014.

Many thanks

Phil

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Thanks for the replies

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Whilst I don't believe in bashing a new ship before I have experienced it myself, I have to say I am very surprised at the lack of a proper promenade deck. P & O attracts a fair amount of traditional cruisers so I feel this could be a real deal breaker. The lack of a central staircase also limits access. I generally always have an inside cabin and this lack of outside deck down low will force passengers to seek inside cabins on the upper decks. I wonder if this will raise prices. Spending the day in a steamer chair on the Promenade was always a pleasant way to go. Still plenty of choice with the rest of the fleet.

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I am giving Princess a try on a British Isles cruise from Southampton, UK in July 2014 on Ruby Princess.

I am aware that MDR is open on sea days but this is a fairly port intensive cruise so I wanted to know if it would be open any other days?

We hate the buffet with a vengeance and will not be going off the ship at every port of call hence my potential disappointment in not being able to enjoy a pleasant lunch in the MDR. Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks

Phil

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We sailed on Oceana in October 2013. Great cruise. We arrived late at the terminal due to horrendous traffic conditions and did not board until gone 1500hrs. I have always previously arrived early. Never again. With a 12 night cruise we had plenty of time to enjoy the ship and at 1500hrs there was no lines, waiting or hustle and bustle. We were treated like royalty and walked straight on board. It was a fine day and so enjoyed a burger on the open deck which was superb.

Many thanks for all the replies. We are looking at the rather strange Norwegian Discovery cruise leaving on 13/07/14. This visits Hamburg twice! I suspect this is to pick up passengers heading across the Atlantic on the following cruise. We love sea days and so are not to bothered about where we end up. The dates just fit perfectly and leaving from Southampton is so much more relaxing than flying to pick up a ship. I shall continue my pondering

I am considering an 8 day cruise on board QM2 in July 2014. This will be to celebrate my wife's 50th. We have previously cruised with Celebrity, P and O and NCL and so are fairly familiar with the different brands. I have read several very negative reviews about QM2 and was hoping for some guidance about how accurate such reviews have been. I appreciate QM2 is a liner rather than a cruise ship and was concerned how this may impact on the facilities. We would likely be in Britannia Class and I was also worried about the different classes on board and if we would be treated as second class citizens down in the bilge. My favourite ship is probably Celebrity Eclipse. How do the different products compare?