terrydtx

Are you on the same Volendam cruise next Year departing Aug 20th from Boston?

The 3 ports that both HAL and Celebrity do not go to with their bigger ships on our Volendam Boston to Montreal cruise are: St John (Bay of Fundy) Corner Brook Newfoundland Saguenay The Volendam return from Montreal to Boston does even more small ports others don't do: Baie-Comeau, Quebec, Canada Havre-Saint-Pierre, Quebec, Canada St Anthony, Newfoundland, Canada St Johns, Newfoundland, Canada

On our Volendam cruise nest year we will be in 3 ports that none of the bigger ships can stop at, why we choose the Volendam over the Zuiderdam and a Celebrity ship.

We never got to sail on the Prinsendam and I wish I had after reading this thread. I am afraid the 2 remaining R Class ships will not be in the fleet much longer. When that happens smaller ship cruising with any mainstream cruise line will be a thing of the past. We have an 11-day NE/Canada cruise booked next year on the Volendam and looking forward to being on her again. Our first HAL cruise in 2007 was on the Volendam to the Panama Canal.

On the 2 remaining R class ships (Volendam and Zaandam) there are no standard verandah cabins, only the Vista suites and suites above have a balcony. We are booked in one on the Volendam next year. The Lanai cabins have a door that opens to the promenade deck, but it is not a balcony.

We were on the Oosterdam last year and our veranda was covered, not sure if all were but it looked like they were.

Here is another picture of the standard balcony from the cabin. BTW we were on the Reflection last year from Rome and loved the ship and crew.

We have friends who got held up at gun point in Cozumel last Fall while visiting on a cruise ship. Thats why we will stay onboard in June. I live in Texas and we are being warned to NOT cross into the Mexican border cities. Juarez and Matamoros are 100% controlled by the cartels, with one of the highest murder rates in Mexico.

I got those pictures from a great website we use when looking at cabins to book. Cruise Deck Plan Database and Pictures (cruisedeckplans.com) This website has pictures of many cabins and other ship venues on most cruise ships submitted by people who are members of the site. I think a lifetime membership is only about $35

I agree, this is one of the few worthwhile perks in booking that class of cabin. I feel the same about Retreat guests who want to bring their non suites friends to the Luminae for meals. In 2021 after the restart of cruising after Covid this was one of the things taken away on embarkation day and I know many who were very displeased by that decision.

On our last Aqua class booking in 2019, our friends were in a Concierge cabin and we were given a strong NO when they asked if we could join them for the embarkation lunch.

On the S class ships the side balconies on the 12 the deck are more covered by the lido deck overhang above it.

If you are talking about being revolutionized, the answer is no, the whole program is on hold until Celebrity has some cash reserves. Last year white at a regular maintenance dry docking she did receive the blue hull painting. She still has no retreat deck or lounge upgrades.

Stand by the rail and here is your view from a side facing balcony forward and aft.

A Medical evacuation from a ship at sea could cost $50,000 or more, how many without insurance could afford a bill like that? My DW and I are in our 70's and never leave home for any trip out of the country without insurance. In 2002 my dad fell in a hotel bathtub and broke a rib that punctured his lung. He spent 30 days in a Brussels hospital and his total bill for medical bills, missed cruise and a nurse flight home to Texas cost around $100,000 and his travel insurance covered all but a $1000 deductible. My dad never believed in buy insurance and that trip was one of the first that he did buy the travel insurance.

Our first house I remember in the 1950's was in Granada Hills in the valley and we also had the rotary phone with a multi party line.

Thank you so much for checking, hopefully they will have it in the Retreat Lounge when i board in September.

Have you tried booking the SR online before you board? You will have to pay for whole group when you book. You can book for up to 8 passengers, but they all have to be linked to your Cruise ID booking. If they are linked when you book online, it will show all 8 in the group and you just have to check each name. We are on the APEX in a group of 4 and I had to do this to book our SR reservation for all 4 of us. I suggest you do this ASAP because a tables for 8 are limited. After you board you can get with the restaurant manager and let him know about the special birthday and they will take care of you nicely.

Jim, I grew up in Southern California in the 1950's and one of my Aunts lived on a Farm in the San Fernando Valley and had a phone like this and it was a party line, try explaining that concept to kids today.

I am also a very picky water drinker; I was in the water filtration business for over 20 years before I retired. I never drink unfiltered tap water on land, I have a under sink RO system in my kitchen and a chilled RO water cooler in my laundry room. I only drink bottled water in restaurants and when I am away from home. We were on one of the first Equinox cruises in August 2021 after the lockdowns and the canned water had an even stronger metallic taste as I think they had been stored on the ship for the 18 months of lockdowns in the heat.

The martini and whiskey flights, mixology classes, and wine tasting events are not included in the SBP package. It would be nice if you could get a discount on a bottle of wine. Celebrity gives a 20% discount on wine bottles but their drink packages cost almost double what HAL charges.

They would be a nice appetizer with the Pork and Beans.😂

Once we tried walkie talkies with a group of us on a cruise, they did not work more than 100 feet away because of all the metal on the ship. They were a total waste of money.

Last year on the Reflection in Rome we could not bring onboard any water in single use plastic bottles. Water had to be in glass or aluminum containers. With the classic drink package you get the canned 12 oz water containers with a screw top. My wife used one to refill at the OVC refilling station to take on shore with us as neither one of us liked the taste of the canned water. We had the PDK and got 1 liter Evian in glass bottles for our suite. We now have 2 16oz refillable insulated metal water bottles to take water off the ship on our cruises this year. We got them on Amazon and they are very light and keep water and ice cold for over 12 hours.

Sounds like you finally got the results you wanted.