vicd1969

The Shrimp Tempura was a hit at our table - we ordered a second one. The duck and steak main courses all got the thumbs up. The lobster was good, but not sure worth the upcharge since the portion wasn't that big. If you can handle spicy food, make sure you order the dishes at spice level above "medium". My "medium" to me was more like "mild".

Some of the PVSA rules confuse me. I did a pre-Covid Celebrity cruise that started in San Juan and ended in Bayonne NJ. The only non US stops were in St Maarten and Bermuda.

RCL, NCL, and especially MSC are continuing to order new builds. Time will tell if CCL’s retrenchment with respect to new ships is a prudent strategy or another factor to a downward spiral.

If your group is okay going to dinner around the same time each night, you can let the CO host know your preferred dining time and they may hold a table for you - less likely to wait. As always, doesn't hurt to let the host know your preferences on the first day, also builds a relationship with them. My nephew considered CO as one of the highlights of his cruise, your kids will enjoy it too I'm sure.

On the Nieuw Statendam, I think I got this cocktail when I used the card on my last night, at the Tamarind. I only remember it had an orange peel and mint leaf and that it was great tasting. (your mileage may vary depending on how much alcohol you prefer in drinks) But back in June, on the Rotterdam, I didn't get a card. I did however get a tile so more than a fair trade.

I sailed in November with a similar itinerary leaving on Saturday, though Curacao and Aruba were switched in order. After checking with my daily programs, the dressy nights were Monday, Day 3 (Sea day after HMC) and Thursday, Day 6 (first sea day on way back).

As mentioned, the August 2 sailing on the Nieuw Statendam is a decent alternative, it goes to Flaam instead of Geiranger but you'll still have a wonderful time. Ship layout is very similar to the Rotterdam so my previous cabin recommendations should still hold. Other alternative cruises around same price point, outside of Holland America would be: August 6 Cunard Queen Victoria (goes to both Flaam AND Geiranger!), though you'll have to bring your dressy clothes if you want access to a lot of places every other night. You leave from Southampton August 4/5 Costa Firenze (also goes to both Flaam and Geiranger), though it's may be like an Italian version of Carnival onboard. You can either embark at Kiel or Copenhagen August 5 MSC Euriba (goes to Flaam). Kinda like Italian NCL, may not have a refined experience if you're not spending big bucks on Yacht Club. Leaves from Kiel.

Can you sail June or September? There are sailings on those months as well.

Great review of your cruise. Very informative for those who are considering or have booked the Volendam or Zaandam. Highlights the service-related positives of sailing on the smaller ship - especially on the dining front. Also the drawbacks of sailing on an older ship (A/C problems, fewer restaurant options).

Cabin 1090 is directly below the BB King - I'd definitely recommend moving if you want to avoid noise in the evening. A few options, in order of my personal preference: Ask your travel agent if you can purchase Club Orange and get the free upgrade to a family oceanview. The family oceanviews are towards the back of the ship and are much more quiet (except maybe in the morning when chairs are rearranged in the Club Orange restaurant). Club Orange dining on the Rotterdam was fantastic for me. It comes with Club Orange and so worth it. Move to cabins 1127, 1129, 1131, 1133, or 1135 - Those are the ones below the atrium Get an inside on Deck 7: J7055, 7057, 7062, 7064, 7059, 7065, 7072, 7074, 7078. What's nice about these inside is that you have passenger decks above and below. The best part, however, is your cabin attendants are the same ones servicing the Neptune Suites so in theory they are the highest-rated or most experienced cabin attendants on the ship.

I think there may be an online form you'll have to fill out to enter the EU in 2023. https://www.etias.info/ But it says the ETIA will start in November 2023. In the meantime, you don't need a visa as an American.

Here is my review of the Norse Legends cruise I took this past June

I'd be interested to see the price of unlimited laundry for the world cruise (if it's offered)

So do more passengers board when they return to Fort Lauderdale the first time or is it closed just to folks already on board ? -Yes, so there will be turnover of more than half of the passengers When you return to Fort Lauderdale the first time do you have to disembark and go through customs ? Others will chime in on whether or not you have to leave the ship, but I am pretty you won't need to go through customs. If you're used to sailing Celebrity in the Caribbean, not sure why you would want to do a B2B of 2 x 7-day trips on HAL. HAL's 7 day Caribbean sailings aren't as competitive as Celebrity. The HAL 10 or 11 day itineraries may offer more bang for your buck than a 14-day B2B. Where HAL shines are its Alaska and Europe itineraries.

HAL's 7 day Caribbean itineraries are pretty basic. And yet, corporate seems to be satisfied with passenger yields if they haven't changed them in such a long time. You may want to look into HAL's 10/11 day ones, which either go to the Panama Canal or the southern Caribbean islands, for a more interesting/varied itinerary. In any case, judging by pricing comparisons, HAL isn't as competitive in the Caribbean space. Their notable profitable margins I would think come from the Alaska and European cruises.

When the Uber took my cousin's family through the Port Everglades checkpoint, the officer only asked for one parent's passport and boarding pass. Guess they were trying to reduce the backlog of the line of cars waiting to get in. But it is a good idea to have everyone's documents ready in case.

The Nieuw Statendam does eastern med in Sept-Nov 24, if you like Pinnacle class ships.

Those of you fortunate enough to get early fixed dining are more likely to get the «pre-Covid » levels of service. As others mentioned, pacing tends to be better the earlier it is. It got really frustrating for me when they take more than 20 minutes just to get our order in the MDR. It may also be a function of being on a Pinnacle class with almost 1000 more passengers than a Vista class - the Pinnacle class MDR isn’t like 50% bigger, so understaffing is more noticeable. On the Westerdam for a long sailing, the MDR experience may be a better intimate experience.

Great notes on your cruise experience on the NS. My Nieuw Statendam MDR and Tamarind experience largely matched yours this past November. Being burned by the slow MDR anytime dining, I’m going to aim for Club Orange next time whenever I sail a Pinnacle ship. For what it’s worth, our cruise director told us in her Q&A session that the shipboard staff have no flexibility in setting up activities - they have to follow the script from Corporate. It seems HAL is conceding the lack of ship activities as a comparative weakness and has a strategy of focusing on non-Caribbean itineraries and longer cruises to deploy their activities budget.

Oh, sorry, didn't mean to say the NA's thermal suite isn't nice. It's still a lovely place to hang out. The Rotterdam just has more heated chairs and the steam room is larger, with a window. The NA's water jet bath is actually better since it doesn't spray on others in the pool. One minor difference is the NA thermal suite is on starboard while the Rotterdam is facing port.

If you're willing to sacrifice the presentation, maybe you can ask the staff to plate the steak tartare and bacon together and treat it as a "main". Then ask for a small dish to move the bacon after you get the course. Of course, it won't be an instagram-friendly option but I'm sure you have tons of bacon clothesline pics by now. It does remove the "premium" dining experience though lol. I do agree with others who believe because of HIA, HAL is devaluing the Pinnacle Grille due to higher usage and on ironically Pinnacle class ships - steering those who seek a premium dining experience to Sel de Mer.

I would imagine the ship would have new year's eve activities for kids. Or in Amber Cove judging by the itinerary - you'll be there for like 14 hours through new year's eve. It's basically a resort island so helps offset the lack of "resort-like" amenities and activities onboard the Zuiderdam. BB King also does attract a lot of dancing for their shows if the group is a good one. However, the dance floor can get crowded due to its compact size. The entertainment activities used to include scavenger hunts on the ships, but I haven't seen it held in my two cruises this past year.

Can you apply the Have it All excursion credit for booking shore excursions before the cruise? Or it can only be used on shipboard bookings?

You can upload the boarding passes to the Holland Navigator app. That’s what I did for my Nieuw Statendam check-in at Fort Lauderdale.

Glad you enjoyed the ship despite the circumstances during the first week. I’m sure the corporate suits were ecstatic about the more than full ship, but I feel sorry for the crew who had to deal with all the overcrowding issues.