*Miss G*

We were on NA in December and I agree that the MDR food and service was underwhelming. Our Sommelier was outstanding, however.

Loved going to the Explorations Cafe early morning for a great coffee!

My experience with Le Cirque was that it was nice, however I wouldn't do it again. I'm not surprised that it's been phased out.

We found Tamarind was our best meal during the entire trip.

The biggest laugh we had was leaving the bingo with a bucket of bubbly. We stopped at the closest bar to sit down and drink it and found ourselves in the midst of a food quiz with a bunch of wine placed in front of us as we sat down! So much fun.

If it makes you feel any better, you're not really missing anything with Le Cirque.

I am sorry I submitted a review and will not post again.

No no! Don't do that! I found your thread invaluable. I had no idea there were rules against that itinerary! I would be as annoyed as you are if that had happened to me.

I didn't take a class but I bought a fabulous cookbook (in English) at a great little bookstore by the market!

This is all so confusing! :loudcry:

Hi SPB. Just in case you haven't seen this... here is a link to VQ reviews on the Koningsdam:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/koningsdam-deck-plans/dp/verandah-spa-stateroom-vq/cc/

Oh, hello, and thank you for doing this! I had no idea it even existed.

My sailing is in my signature. The Koningsdam on Oct 3, 2017: Rome to Fort Lauderdale.

I will be travelling with my sister and my parents. My parents are avid cruisers, but this will probably be their last due to age and health difficulties. I am going so I can keep my eye on them. ;)

In Canada, there is gravol ( I don't get too drowsy if I only take one ).

I swear by Canadian Gravol. Have tried the anti-nausea meds in the US and I get terrible side-effects.

I accidentally discovered the "start-taking-it-before-you-cruise" benefits that someone mentioned earlier in the thread. I had just recovered from some sort of plague prior to a Christmas cruise so I was still taking minimal amounts of Gravol. We were crossing the dreaded Bay of Biscay with waves greater than 30', and I was fit as a fiddle! It was pretty awesome to be wandering around a ship that felt like the Marie Celeste.

There's also probably something to the apple theory. The first 3 months I was pregnant with my first child I could keep nothing except red apples down. I apologize if that is TMI. lol

My husband and I both noticed how popular the Promenade Deck loungers were on our recent Zuiderdam cruise. Many afternoons there were few chairs available as they are a wonderful spot for folks who don't always want all the sun to sit and enjoy the sea.

It's my Mum's favourite spot. I think she is going to be sad when she sees nowhere for her to sit. :(

We just realized that the 11 pm hour might be a bit late for us on our Alaska cruise. My wife and I stay up late but we are East coast timezone people. We are not sure how well we will adjust to the time change. In NY last call is 4 AM but I think that would be midnight in Juneau.

I find it really easy to adjust to time changes when I head West. (Including Europe to North America.) Where I have difficulty is when I head East. It seems that going forward in time is easier than going back. haha

I wish I could remember how I finally got announcements on our interactive TV in December on the Nieuw Amsterdam to work. I remember being surprised and then annoyed that they weren't coming on, and then I found them by accident. I will ask my sister if she remembers. I have a feeling it was on the map channel or the live cams. I do remember that you had to turn it up REALLY LOUD in order to hear it.

Hi elmsliebev. This is a good site for some local information:

Sunny.org

You may want to look into checking into a local hotel for a day stay as well. (For less than the full fare.) That way you can spend the day on the beach and have time to snooze or clean up before heading to the airport. Also, a lot of hotels will charge a nominal fee for access to their facilities without actually having to book a room. Or book a spa treatment at one of the resorts and it gives you access to the spa facilities for the day. Don't forget that you're not far from South Beach in Miami either. Always fun to go there and Lincoln Road and the Art Deco area as well. Have fun!

You can stay on board if you wish. Experience says that you may have to check out on your old ID card and check in on your new one but that can be done at the gangway without physically leaving the ship.

 

M-AR

There is no need to leave the ship in Southampton (the answer is different for a B2B with a turn around in New York). If you do decide to leave the ship there is a separate access for transit guests, there is no need to check-in.

Thanks so much to you both!

Hello. Sorry, but this is a noob question. I have done a search in this forum but I cannot find any threads on this topic. Obviously a user error. :p

There is a short cruise to Bruges, arriving back in Southampton on the day of departure for the cruise I am currently booked on. If I booked the Bruges cruise, can anyone tell me what happens for the next departure? Do I stay onboard and just wander around the ship, or do I need to get off and check back in?

Thank you!

Thought I would point out that if you are on the late dinner sitting you may not even be out of dinner in time to see any of the parades in the Queens Room on the themed nights, we certainly didn't.

Noooooooo! :(

Could I ask the opinion of the ladies who have cruised recently on Q Victoria please.

Most cruise ships I have sailed on have been very cool because of the air conditioning in public areas. What is the Q Vic like generally day and evening in public areas and the Britannia restaurant? We shall be sailing for over 40 days with a flight home with 23kg suitcase limit so need to plan accordingly. I ask because a recent cruise on a new ship was comfortable for sleeveless garments in all areas.

Thanks Dee

Thanks for asking this question! I am always worried how cold I am going to be. I find that it's always colder in the summer due to the AC, so I have high hopes!

 

The Oosterdam (for my Handicapped Stateroom) was about 4 feet long. The clothes line extension in my Westerdam stateroom was only about 2 1/2 to 3 feet long. (I was not in a Handicapped Stateroom on the Westerdam.)

 

Joanie

Now you've got me 2nd guessing myself on the Zui. Maybe there was one! LOL. I can confirm after this sailing. :o

I was also wondering if there is a retractable line in the shower recess in HAL bathrooms. Any info welcome, B:D

Not on the Zuiderdam.

Can you email the photo(s) to me by just clicking on my email address here irl_joanie@yahoo.com Also MANY MANY THANKS in advance for all the photos you will be taking!!!

 

Joanie

Oh wait a minute! Scratch that! That might be from another cruise! LOL. Will try to find some others for you. Failing that, we'll have the VA's and the J categories for you next month.

Hey, wait a minute! Why didn't my pic attach? :mad:

Joan, I really appreciate the work you are doing to put this together. I just went through all my pics and was only able to find 1 of the cabin. I could have sworn there were more so maybe when I have a bit more time I will find them. Anyway, this one is of Cabin VC5026 on the Zuiderdam (Deluxe Verandah Outside). That's my sister's cabin. We were in 5016 so I'll try to find mine. (My daughter was in 5020 and my parents in 5024. No idea what they did with 5022, because we were all side by side. lol)

As an aside, we had the cabin steward unlock the balcony panels so we could walk back and forth between the cabins without having to go out into the hallway. That was nice. :)

Also, next week we all leave on the Zuiderdam, again, and will be in the the VA and Interior J cabins on Deck 7. (2 Insides, 4 verandahs) We'll be sure to take pics of those and forward them on to you.

Thanks again.