Mickie

We will be taking our first HAL cruise (Eurodam) in March of 2015 & have the beverage package with the Explore 4 promo. Actually called today when seeing the Nov 1 sale but were told we would loose the Explore 4- kind of what I suspected.

 

We primarily drink wine in the evenings and am wondering about the choices offered with the package. Some people on the boards have said it is Santa Carolina & not very good at all. Today in speaking with the HAL the agent she told me their house wine is Chateau St. Michele - which is actually pretty good.

 

We are not expecting a top wine for $7 per glass but are hoping it's not awful. We generally get the beverage package with Celebrity & the wines included are quite decent. I would think that HAL would offer some decent selections since some pax purchase the package when not offered under Explore 4.

 

Would appreciate any feedback from someone who has recently had their wines & is it Santa Carolina or St. Michele. Many thanks!!

We had the Santa Carolina, both red and white on our Veendam cruise this summer. We were quite underwhelmed with it. In fact, if offered a significant reduction in fare, we would forget this package and order what we like. In fact, I tried to do a financial analysis after the 35 day cruise and there was no way we drank as much as HAL claimed the package was worth, even with some after dinner drinks, beer, specialty coffees, etc.

Were you on the Voyage of the Vikings?

Thanks for the Veendam update. We are on next summer's VOV and follow the Veendam threads.

Yes, we were on the VOV. Great trip...fascinating ports. We met many folks who have done that itinerary multiple times. If you can access that roll call, you'll get lots of excursion tips.

I am going 2 cruises back to back on Eurodam and N. Amsterdam in November, and would like to know what kind of laundry services I can use? Do I pay with coins, bills or a ship card? Please, advice. Thanks.

Do the unlimited package - it is absolutely worth the additional expense - no time spent in laundry room, etc. And IMHO, they do a great job.

Your spending so much already, this is a worthwhile additional expense.

:)

We were on Veendam for 35 days this summer....did not notice any issues..cabin clean, staff efficient and friendly, condition of public rooms very good, food good, entertainment, okay. Ports: FABULOUS.

We too have never had a problem with the laundry service on any HAL ship but like others have said, I am very selective of what is sent. Most everything sent is cotton -Dh's underwear. pjs, shorts, shirts, pants, etc. I hand wash my underwear but sent out my shirts, shorts, and nightgowns. Never send out formal attire and never have anything pressed. If wrinkles from packing, I normally run a hot shower and hang the clothes in the bathroom and the wrinkles either come out or are tolerable. Since I don't notice or care if others' clothes are wrinkled, I assume the same for us.

The veendam offered a tour of the laundry and food storage areas this summer. Was very enlightening to see all that goes in to cleaning everyone's clothes as well as all the ship's linens. If offered take it.

I will give the inside "poop" when we return. Hopefully' date=' we'll get there and not miss it like we did Funchal a few years back. :([/quote']

 

Hi Lynne, glad to see you on CC.

 

Neil and I are on Niew Amsterdam next April and Horta is NOT listed as a tender port. Hope that ends up being true.

 

Best to Rich.

 

Mickie

Where and when do you find your Shipboard Credits, beverage pkg. etc. that you received when booking. I can find our Reservation but no where do I see the "extras" we are suppose to have- did not book direct with HAL if that makes a difference, Cruise is not until Feb. 2015 New to HAL, so not use to their system. thanks

Do you mean you used a TA? If so, a lot of information is only available to the TA.

Going on a HAL cruise 2015 ending in Venice. HAL is offering a 2 night hotel deal with transfers from ship to hotel and from hotel to airport. The cost is $850 AUD per person. Is this the going rate? Is it better to find my own accommodation and transfers or go with HAL? Any Suggestions, thoughts or experiences welcome. Thanks.

We also end up in Venice after cruise in early May. All hotels are EXPENSIVE,particularly if you want a particular area. We just booked a Best Western in the San Marco area and will be paying ABOUT $370 per night for two of us. No transfers included. I haven't checked what that is in Australian currency.

Have you compared with any of the booking sights?

Neil and I just booked the Nieuw Amsterdam, sailing from Ft. Lauderdale on April 8, 2015 - transatlantic through to Venice - 26 days.

Do ocean view rooms on the Amsterdam have fridges in them? My husband needs one for his meds.

Can't speak re the Amsterdam, but we were quite upset not to have refrigerators on the Veendam this month, nor did they have any to rent. We had to leave my husband's insulin pens in the Medical Office.

There was a refrigerator in our Prinsendam cabin last year, also ocean view.

Just off Veendam with Barry from Boston piano player.A great entertainer.Can't understand what you thought was creepy about him.We all enjoyed the cruise & spent every night at the piano bar.Great fun.

We were on same Veendam cruise and thought Barry was by far the BEST entertainment on the ship.

Mickie:)

We were on VOV this summer. The ship itself seemed fine, we didn't notice anything amiss or deteriorated. But there were two major problems on this 35 day cruise.

 

1. Most of the passengers were sick & you would hear a lot of coughing everywhere you went. In addition to the coughing, the illness going around included congestion, headaches, runny noses, etc. It was an odd illness (yes, we both got it eventually) in that it came in waves: you would think you were almost better, then would find yourself down again. This probably can't be attributed to HAL, but it sure detracted from what was otherwise a very interesting cruise.

 

2. Whoever is in charge of supplies on this ship is completely incompetent. They were constantly running out of things to the point where it became something of a joke among passengers. VOV consists of two segments, eastbound from Boston to Amsterdam, then westbound from Amsterdam to Boston (each segment has entirely different ports).

On the eastbound portion the Espresso Bar ran out of large cardboard cups, so you could only buy small coffees to take away. This wasn't too terrible & we were told they would be restocking during the two days in Amsterdam.

They did restock the large cups in Amsterdam, but after a couple of days they ran out of lids for them, so again no large coffees for the rest of the trip. How tough is it to figure out that you should have as many lids as cups? After all, these are not perishable items, so nothing would be lost if they aren't all used up on this trip. But that's not all . . .

Shortly after leaving Amsterdam they developed a shortage of Romaine lettuce, so the Caesar Salad was removed from the everyday menu for the rest of the cruise. The Espresso Bar ran out of mocha & white chocolate. They ran out of hot chocolate. They ran out of Guinness beer on the Lido deck (although some waiters would go to another deck to get some) & they ran out of a couple of other brands of beer altogether. They ran out of Pinot Grigio wine. There was more, but you get the idea.

HAL has been running this same cruise every year for a long time, so they ought to know what supplies are needed for this cruise. They had run half of this cruise when they restocked in Amsterdam, so they certainly should have known by then the rate at which these supplies were being used. And it doesn't take a genius to understand that you should have as many lids as cups! I don't think I would travel on this ship again as long as it is being so poorly managed, even though there were many positive things as well (itinerary, captain, staff, ship's condition).

We were aboard as well for 35 days and agree with Rick above. We had a fine time, nice cabin, interesting ports, FAIR entertainment, except for the marvelous Barry from Boston at the piano bar. Food was very good.

Yup, they ran out of Grolch and Bailey's too. Laughable after a while.

BUT, I'd certainly sail on the Veendam again, though we love the Prinsendam.

Hi I just returned from the VOV - 2014. The only port that I think the 2 years have in common is Qaqortoq.

There are no HAL tours there and someone from the year before put me on to a private tour to the Ice Caps.

Here is the info and good luck to anyone interested in arranging it. It was the highlight of the trip for most of the participants.

 

It was an exhilarating and fantastic experience. 31 people who came along.

 

The person I dealt with is: Frank Feldman. His website is www://wilderness-tours.com/cruise daytrips.

 

He does mainly bow hunting multi-day tours, but..................He sent his wife and 6 month old out to join us. Delightful.

 

The price, this year, was $200/person and if you fill a boat (22 people) you will probably get 1 passenger free.

 

We had a picture perfect day and the best part of the tour was the coming and going.

We were met at the dock. ( it is a tender port) and it is a 2+ hour boat ride to the ice caps. There were a lot of ice chunks ( break-offs from the bergs) so navigation was slow

and we did not have much time at the glacier and to actually walk on the ice caps, but no-one seemed to mind.

Also I posted several times on CC as the trip got closer.

 

Good luck and enjoy!

Neil and I were on this tour and thought the conversations with the wife and baby, Olaf, were most interesting. They r moving from a LARGE community of about 350?? to one with 100 people, and no doctor!!!

Mickie

Thanks Roy and Jacqui, we have already made a lot of new Cc friend's and we r not yet sailing for almost a week. A huge meet and greet is likely.

Mickie

A very special cruise with a huge group of Cruise Critic members rates an individual Bon Voyage

 

 

Bon Voyage to MS Veendam 35 day Voyage of the Vikings:

goleta - What a special 2nd HAL cruise

ninkb

LaCat3

Mickie

sparty1

 

 

 

 

Bon Voyage Everyone!

Have a great cruise and a wonderful time!

 

For info on HAL cabins go to http://www.halfacts.com

 

Roy (for Jacqui)

Has anyone used Sisan tours in Ephesus? Would you use them again?

Your post will likely get answered it you put it on the Ports of Call thread.

Ephesus is Greece, right?

Thank you so much for your very detailed and important observations on your recent Veendam cruise to Canada.

Imagine my surprise when you mentioned that your DH had SWEETBREADS as an appetizer. That's one of my DH's favorites, but we have never seen it on a cruise menu, nor, for that matter, on any restaurant menus, for many, many years.

Sweetbreads used to appear on appetizer tables at weddings - at least in New York, where we lived.

Did HAL call it by some other name, perhaps

Mickie

>>We did a great FREE tour in Hamburg last summer. Can't recall the exact name, but it was a 2-3 hour tour from the center of town. Do recall we met in front of Starbucks. Gave guide a nice tip afterward. Do a Google search of Hamburg free your. It will come up.<<

 

Mickie---I went to the website (Sandeman Free Tours) and it looks interesting. Was it really free? The website bills it as free but says that if I book now I can get a reduction in price, which makes me wonder. Thanks, Julia

yes, it was Absolutely free, we did tip generously. Guess u need to read the fine print. Perhaps some of their tours in other cities have fees.

In fact, I remember booking on line ahead of time, though there were certainly others who just showed up.

I suppose you mean the Miniatur Wunderland:

Yes, thank you, Miniature wonderland is exactly what I meant. Worth two hours!

Also, recalled name of free tour, do a search under Sandeman. As I recall they r in many cities in Europe.

We are a family of 5 adults and will be flying into Hamburg a day prior to boarding our cruise which sails out of the Hafencity cruise center. This is our first visit to Hamburg and therefore we need all your expert advise.

Cannot find too much updated info on this site and others so far, especially on recommendation for private transfers. Hope some seasoned traveller can help out -

 

What hotel would you recommend for one night stay before boarding ship?

 

What transfer service would you recommend that can offer a van big enough to transport 5 passengers with luggages from airport to hotel in the city? Or, are there taxi-vans readily available at the airport terminal? What will be the average costs? We are arriving HAM early morning.

 

What tour company would you recommend for a half day tour? Or is it quite easy to tour on our own?

 

Would appreciate any help you can provide!

Frances

We did a great FREE tour in Hamburg last summer. Can't recall the exact name, but it was a 2-3 hour tour from the center of town. Do recall we met in front of Starbucks. Gave guide a nice tip afterward. Do a Google search of Hamburg free your. It will come up.

The Miniature museum was also fabulous. Book ahead online. Great coffee shop around the corner too.

A recent veendam reviewer indicated that help yourself smoked salmon is no longer available for breakfast as it once was. Apparently it is now doled out 2 slices per plate. This is one item I was so looking forward to on our nov cruise to hawaii. Have other veendam cruisers found this change as well. Say it aint so!! Thanks.

Funny how different folks look at this differently. My husband tends to order the smoked salmon EVERY MORNING for breakfast with a bagel, BEFORE, he orders his "main course".

We have frequently commented that the amount of smoked salman on any one plate is enough for two people.

Having grown up having smoked salmon (lox) very regularly, and knowing how pricey it is, two pieces seems like a more than adequate portion to me.

We are heading to Alaska on September 6th...what tours would anyone recommend. We think the Bike and Brew in Juneau looks like fun. We are seniors, but active. This will probably be our one and only trip to Alaska...

Take a look at the Ports of Call sectionof Cruise Critic and go to the one about Alaska. There will be loads of items.

Mickie

Independent touring is great - here is how I prepare for the day:

 

1. Always bring your passport on shore in a non-US town. Nothing else substitutes and you never know where you will be when you end up needing it.

2. Always insure your driver/guide has a cell phone that works and is charged. His/her call might be enough to hold the ship for 10-15 minutes if you're going to be late.

3. Always visually inspect your tour car/van/bus. Does it look safe and dependable? Always ask the driver if his fuel tank is full. How stupid is it if your brand new Mercedes van runs out of fuel 10 miles from the nearest fuel station. Never assume it's full.

4. Can your driver understand English beyond a simple "yes, no." Ask a question like how many children they have and their ages. If they can't form an answer to that, then I'd be concerned about their ability to handle a complex English conversation in case of an emergency.

That was such a WONDERFUL POST!!!! Appreciate your doing it and hope others will read it.

Mickie

So I'd need to call them to find out what each of those categories cost?

You can do that (call HAL), or do it yourself by going on the HAL website and make believe you are making a reservation, without putting your name or Mariner number on it. You will get to the area where you are supposed to pick a category and then you will be given the option of choosing among about a dozen different categories.

Or have your TA do it for you!!!!

m

Just purchased an Aegean Explorer cruise on the Ryndam at a great price for an "H obstructed view." The next category listed is the Vista Suite. So how do they assign the intervening categories? Is there anything I can do?

Joanna - I could be wrong, but I think you are reading the categories incorrectly. Category H on most ships is the LEAST EXPENSIVE of the oceanview staterooms and there are MANY categories above H before you get to the Vista Suites -- going alphabetically from H to C. Look at the specific deck plans for this ship, or go to the HAL website and review it there.

Mickie

Is that in the old town please?

The KGB tour at the Hotel Sokos in Talinn is closer to the pier than Old Town in Talinn. We took a cab there, but many others walked.

Below is a copy and paste from one of the emails I received from the hotel when we made our reservations. You should check, but last year the tours in English were only at 11:30am and 2:30pm.

Sokos Hotel Viru

AS Sokotel, Viru väljak 4, 10111 Tallinn, Estonia

Tel +372 680 9234, Fax +372 680 9236

Sokos Hotel Viru Sales Service, Tel +372 680 9300

http://www.sokoshotels.ee

There is also a good Secret Tunnels tour that you can find doing a search either in general through Goggle, or whatever search engine you have, or here through Cruise Critic, as I am sure there must have been some mention.

Mickie