cambriah

Shipgeeks

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond.. Your thoughtful description of your recent cruise experiences gives us some hope that we once again will be planning another adventure on the high seas.

Hi All:

We are two Seniors in our 80’s and love to cruise. Unfortunately, our last cruise was in 2019, and we haven’t cruised since due to the Covid situation.

We both have underlying health issues — diabetes, heart disease — but with that said, we would love to get in at least one more cruise while we are still able.

my question is this:

For those of you who have cruised RECENTLY, would you please let me me know if you observed or heard any good/ bad talk about Covid while on board your ship.

any information or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

We are ready to head out to sea, but would like to know if Covid is or is not still a Major issue on cruise ships.

Thanks in advance,

Cambriah

Given that Covid will probably be with us forever, in some form, is it possible to be guaranteed a table for 2 at the time of the booking?

As a senior with some underlying medical conditions, I would like to minimize our exposure to crowds as much as possible.

I realize you probably have to take the elevator, have lunch in a crowded buffet and sit in a crowd at any of the shows.

But I would like to avoid crowds as much as possible and would be willing to adjust my normal cruise routine to accomplish this.

Is it still common for a number of cruisers, especially Seniors, to come down with Covid or other related illnesses while aboard a cruise ship?

Or is this something that is not a bog problem today?

We have sailed with Celebrity, Holland America, Princess and RCCL.

All had their pluses and minuses.  All in all, we liked each of them with our favorites being Holland America and Princess.

we have heard many good things about Azamara from fellow cruisers and also on Reviews posted on Cruise Critic.

We are two Seniors, ages late 70’s Early 80’s who enjoy quiet dinners, an  occasional show and the not too rigorous land tours.

my question:  is it worth the higher price to cruise with Azamara — better staterooms, better food, more desirable land tours, better service — or should we stick to what we know?

These two Seniors would appreciate any comments/suggestions you might have.

Thank You 

Cambriah

Hi all:

We have taken many ocean cruises but river cruising is new to us.

We enjoy mingling with fellow passengers, but there are times when we would prefer to have dinner by ourselves and discuss the day’s adventures alone .

Is it possible to request a table for two on a river cruise line such as AMA Waterways or Viking, or is it all large tables (e.g. 4 or more ) and you find an available spot and enjoy your dinner?

Your thoughts would be appreciated!

Cambriah

Will be going on a Princess Caribbean cruise in less than a month (YEA) and we received an invitation from Princess to participate in their Oceanmedallion Program.

I know nothing about this program.  Can someone out there give me a brief description of this program and whether or not it is worth the time/effort to participate?

We are two Senior Seniors who are somewhat "Technically challenged".

Thanks in advance!

Cambriah

Princess Cruises offers an On Board Credit to active military, retired military and disabled military veterans. All you need is a copy of your DD Form 214 discharge papers and you receive an OBC of between $50 and $250, depending on the length of the cruise.

Does anyone know if RCCL offers a similar benefit?? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

Cambriah

We have taken many Princess cruises but have always elected the early seating where you would dine with the same fellow cruisers every night.

On our next Princess cruise in October, we have selected the "Anytime Dining option".

Since we prefer to eat early -- 5:30/6:00 PM, -- are guests permitted to make reservations in advance before the cruise begins?

I recall on Celebrity Cruise Line, you could make dinner reservations in advance for the entire cruise, on line, after the final payment was made.

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Cambriah

Hi All:

We have been on many ocean cruises over the last 20 years but we have never taken a Trans-Atlantic cruise. The cruise that we are considering --Southhampton to New York -- involves 5 straight days at sea.

We are two Seniors and were wondering if the relatively large number of sea days would be boring?

Any impression/opinions of a Trans-Atlantic voyage would be very much appreciated.

Hi All

We are two Seniors who have taken many ocean cruises ,and will be taking our first river cruise with AMA on The Prima in about a month.

Any thoughts/suggestions regarding such things as dress code, tipping, land tours, dining, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Over 80 and still loving the cruise experience.

Thanks in advance!

Cambriah

Hi We will be on the AMA Prima.

Thank you all for your quick and helpful responses.

Cambriah

Hi All:

We will be taking our first River cruise -- Amsterdam to Basel -- in late April. I have been informed that I may need a European adapter and/or converter in order to use the European 2-pin power outlets.

If this is so, I have been looking into purchasing such an adapter, but there seems to be hundreds of different types and sizes on the market. We will be using an iphone 6s and an ipad mini3.

Since my spouse and I may be described as "technically challenged", any thoughts/ advise on this subject will be greatly appreciated.

Thanking you in advance! :confused:

Cambriah

Hi All:

We will be taking our first river cruise in March and traveling with four other family members.

We will be with AMA Waterways. My question is this:

Will our group be permitted to make reservations for six, or is seating done on a first come, first served basis?

Also, I understand that we will be having dinner at a special table (Captain's) one evening. Can we go as a group of 6 to this event?

HI ALL:

We will be taking our first river cruise in March. AMA Waterways -- 8 days leaving from AMSTERDAM . Are there any "Formal " dress up nights where men are required to wear a tie and jacket and women would wear very dressy attire?

I think there is one night where our group will dine at the Captain's table.

Have taken many ocean voyages so any suggestions regarding river cruising would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Cambriah

Our first Aqua Class Cruise with Celebrity. Two questions:

Can you make dinner reservations?

What are the hours for breakfast -- at sea/in port?

Thanks in advance.

Whitbob:

Thanks so much for your feed-back. It was very thoughtful of you to respond so quickly.

Some very useful info.

Cambriah

We are planning our first river cruise and have a question regarding the purchasing of airline travel through AMA Waterways.

Do you have a choice of airlines, time of departure, and do you select seats on your own, or does the airline select seats for you?

One other non-related question. Are there Formal Dress nights as is the case on the ocean cruise lines which we have sailed on numerous times? Any thoughts you may have on "River Cruising" will be greatly appreciated. Thoughts on AMA vs. Viking??

Thanks in advance

Cambriah:confused:

Hi:

Is it customary to leave an "extra" tip when dining in one of the specialty restaurants?

Also, if you have a promotional "Drink Package" can you use it to order wine by the glass at one of these restaurants?

I believe the wine by the glass cannot be more than $8.00?

Thank You

Cambriah

Hi All;

We will be taking our first HAL cruise in August. Our booking entitles us to a free Pinnacle Grill dinner. It is my understanding that the date/time of the dinner will be decided by HAL, and there will be a notice with this information in our Stateroom when we board the ship.

Two questions re. Pinnacle:

Can the date time be changed? We have a number of excursions booked, and we will not be returning until late in the day on some of them.

Also, can we request a table for 2 or will that choice also be decided by HAL?

Looking forward to our first HAL cruise which will be on the Koningsdam. Past cruises mostly on Princess and Celebrity.

Any major difference between these three, or are they all pretty much the same?

Thanking you in advance!

Cambriah

Hi All:

Can you have drinks - - wine, soda - -delivered to your stateroom with the Signature Beverage Package?

Thank !

Cambriah

Hi All:

We will be taking our first HAL cruise in August on the Konigsdam. Part of the promotion offered by HAL was The Signature Beverage Package. I think this package excludes beverages priced over $7.00 and wines priced over $8.00.

Can these drinks be ordered at any bar or restaurant? Can you order them from Room Service? If you would like two glasses of wine with dinner must you order one at a time and just tell the waiter that you want one glass before and one glass with dinner? Are tips included with this beverage package? Also included was a free Pinnacle Grill Dinner. Can we select the day and time for this dinner or does HAL decide this?

One more question. What is the cost for internet/wi-fi use. We will be on a 14 day cruise and are looking forward to our HAL adventure in Scotland, Iceland and Norway!!

Thanking you all in advance!

Cambriah

Hi all:

We recently booked our first cruise with Holland America Line on the Konigsdam.

We normally select the traditional Early Dining seating, but we thought that Anytime Dining might give us a bit more flexibility, especially when planning tours.

Are you able to make reservations in advance with Anytime Dining? Is it difficult to get a table for two? In short, is Anytime Dining a relatively pleasant experience, or is each night a hassle trying to get a table, and a long wait until you are seated?

Opinions on Anytime Dining, both pro and con would be greatly appreciated.

We are two Seniors looking forward to our first Holland America adventure.

Cambriah

Hi

We have sailed with Princess, celebrity and Royal Caribbean.

We Are currently exploring the possibility of a Northenl European cruise with HAL, on their newest ship, The Konigsdam.

Any opinions as to how HAL compares to the other cruise lines mentioned above would be greatly appreciated.

We would be interested in such things as food, service, cabin size, entertainment, fellow passengers, etc.

We are two Seniors who really enjoy cruising.

Thanks in advance!

Cambriah

Hi:

Is it customary to leave an extra tip when dining in a Specialty Restaurant?

Any thoughts/opinions would be appreciated!