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debdiva

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Posts posted by debdiva

    MS Oosterdam - what a disapointment (dirty, worn out, noro virus)

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    I was a big fan (though not a cheerleader) of HAL until a few years ago. I wrote to HAL about my not so pleasant dining room experience and received a credit to Pinnacle Grill which will go unused because there are many other choices for cruising.

     

    I agree with blizzardboy that you should inform HAL and definitely include the photos, but don't ask for any "adjustments." Vote with your feet and take your business elsewhere. I learned a long time ago that it isn't a problem until it's a problem for management. When sales and profits fall it becomes a problem and only then will the problems be addressed.

    I was going to vote with my feet after I couldn't get vegetarian food served with that for the rest of the table despite ordering 24 hours in advance. Then I saw a dream itinerary in the Mediterranean on Zuiderdam. Perfect experience. Could not imagine a better cruise.

     

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

    Do You Alternate Your Walking Shoes (for port intensive cruises)?

    in Cruise Fashions & Beauty

    Posted

    Hi girls, I got my TRAVELON bag today and I think it will work just fine. Whoever asked about the zipper and the lock.......

    the lock attaches to the zipper. It is a size I prefer too. I know some of you said you like larger bags..........not me.

    I fly to Barcelona 2 weeks from tomorrow:D........I doubt I will use this on the plane but it is easy to pack and I will

    use it for Barcelona and possibly while on some of my excursions in the other cities. It will hold everything I need, I can

    say that with certainty.

     

    I can let you know how it works out when I get back:)

    I've done several trips with TravelOn bags. They've worked well for me.

     

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Forums mobile app

    Wonderful Copenhagen 2017 edition.

    in Northern Europe & Baltic Sea

    Posted

    Hi Danish Viking! We sure are keeping you busy!!

    We are going to go to Tivoli Gardens on a Monday night (the first night we arrive) to walk off the jet lag. Are there any restaurants in there that you would suggest? I have looked them up and there are about 20 of them. We do not mind a "sit down" restaurant, and like to eat what/where the locals eat. We are staying at the Anderson Hotel in that area.

     

    Also when we return from our cruise, we will be in Copenhagen on a Thursday-September 28. Can your recommend some restaurants that would, as noted, give us the "flavor" of local culture? And what about that famous restaurant (can't think of the name) that is supposedly one of the best restaurants in the world? Three Michelin Stars I think.

    Thank you in advance from Diane in Alabama, USA

    If you are talking about Noma, it is closed until December when it will reopen in a new location. The new restaurant in that space is expected to open in October. In the meantime, Noma staff are running a restaurant under a bridge, fixe pris $150. See http://noma.dk/

     

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Forums mobile app

    Booking Hotel/Airline with HAL

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    Does HAL offer better deals for pre-cruise hotel stays than what I can book myself online? We're going to be sailing out of Vancouver and the hotels seem very expensive for the night prior to sailing.

     

    Additionally, we've never booked air with HAL because we are Southwest people, but Southwest does not fly to Vancouver. Can you do one-way air with HAL? Do you usually find that you can get a better deal booking air through HAL than doing it yourself online?

     

    Thank you for any input!!

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Forums

    I've found HAL's hotel price to be higher than I get on my own. We stayed at the PanPacific because it is so dang convenient and got an amazingly low rate on Trivago or something like that. We did an add-on post cruise through HAL and the hotel part was much higher. Granted, we had waterview from HAL, but it was about twice what we found without HAL.

     

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Forums mobile app

    Walk in St Petersburg after tour?

    in Northern Europe & Baltic Sea

    Posted

    Last I heard. The visa states you must be with your tour at all times. If you get your own visa, then you can wonder around. If the visa was requested by the ship or by a tour operator, then you are under their care.

     

    Sent from my SM-T580 using Forums mobile app

    The cost for a US citizen for a visa (non-tour) is around $200/person, so that would be quite an expensive walk. Some of the tour descriptions I saw specifically talk about time to walk and shop, ride subway, etc.

    help me decide

    in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

    Posted

    Gee, and here I was considering a HAL cruise to NZ some day!

    I had one bad experience on HAL Amsterdam and didn't think I would ever do HAL again. Then I did 22 days in the Med on Zuiderdam and it was spectacular. Even with the drink package and shore excursions (not by the cruise line for the most part), our cruise was significantly less on HAL. I think it depends on priorities, preferences and personalities. I'd love to do a Regent cruise someday when I win the lottery, but I love cruising and I'll cruise what I can afford.

     

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

    How do you carry your sign and sail card?

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    We have nice name tag holders from the land portion of an Alaska land/sea cruise. It's perfect for the key card if I don't have any other option. Note, if your bag has a magnetic closure it will demagnetize your card. Took me a long time to figure out why my key never worked after I was on shore.

     

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

    And the journey has begun!

    in River Cruising

    Posted

    Those things are EVERYwhere......and the people that use them..(mostly) are so annoying. Let me stop here in the middle of this crowd, abruptly, so I can take a picture.

     

    I can't remember if I talked about this before when I discussed Terezin...BUT...we had this young couple on our tour. She was a cute, flouncy little thing with a pretty little (tasteful, neat) dress on and her hair in a pony tail. I'd say she was in her early, mid twenties. She bounced like she was a cheer leader ALL the time. So we are in the room with the sinks that didn't have water...and I'm trying to get a good perspective shot of the sinks...and I'm waiting for her to move...while she takes selfie after selfie in one of the mirrors over a sink. Of all places to want a mirror selfie....UGH. I wanted to snatch her by the perky little pony tail and walk her right to time out.

    I have to say, though, that I wished for a selfie stick a few times. We had several tall people who lined the front with conventional cameras and made it impossible to get pictures. At changing of the guard in Athens, I got down on the sidewalk and shot between their feet. It wasn't the perspective I wanted, but at least I got a few shots. One of them was quite irate because he could have tripped over me.

    So, the ones with the selfie sticks are not the only rude ones with cameras. I suppose it was rude of me to get down on the ground to shoot, but I did so want pictures of something I will probably never see again.

     

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

    WiFi isn't free, Is it?

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    On the Zuiderdam last spring, I probably heard (& had) more complaints about the WiFi than anything. I was crazy slow, thus crazy expensive. In the Mediterranean, we found ready access to free WiFi on shore.

     

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

    Vegetarian Foodie Experiences

    in Cruise Foodies

    Posted

    I've sailed three times on Holland America as a vegetarian. I find it a bit strange to have to decide the night before what you will feel like eating the next night, but aside from that, my experiences have been quite varied. My first cruise was on Statendam and the vegetarian menu was limited, but the staff was very responsive and the cruise was just 7 nights. Vegetarian options on the land portion of the cruise in Alaska were sketchy, but the HAL tour guide went out of her way to get me a vegetarian option, even stopping the bus at a Fred Meyer to buy me yogurt when one of the venues had absolutely nothing better to offer than slices of processed American cheese.

    My second cruise was on Amsterdam and it was so dreadful I swore I would never cruise on a HAL ship again. Despite ordering the previous night, I never received my entree before the rest of the table was eating dessert. Often what appeared bore no resemblance to what I had ordered. I complained to the maitre d', to the dining room manager, to the hotel director and nothing improved. When I wrote the company, they desribed how the system is supposed to work and offered a credit on a future cruise.

    Last year, I couldn't resist a 22-day Mediterranean on Zuiderdam and I used a significant part of my luggage weight with food just in case. I had a delightful experience every meal of the cruise. I ordered the night before, but our steward was great about letting me know what would be on the general menu as well, so I had great variety. I happen to love fruit soups, so I sometimes ate two bowls of fruit soup and had a salad, When our steward discovered I liked the fried bananas at the Indonesian luncheon, the bananas made random appearances at our dinner table. I mentioned that I loved the carrrot/ginger soup in the Pinnacle, it made a couple surprise appearances at our table in the MDR. Could not have been a better exerience. Yes, they do rely heavily on cheese and tofu for protein, but they tried very hard to give me good food and a variety on such a long cruise.

    Live...mostly...from Anthem

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    I was on an Alaska cruise with 7 days of 50 ft. seas & hurricane force winds. We survived. 25% refund and 50% FCC, no free WiFi. Things happen. What struck me reading this thread was the variety of stories about what was happening and the many "experts" who had all the answers.

     

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

    Ideas for "out of office" message

    in Ask a Cruise Question

    Posted

    I do not leave an out of office message. It is an open invitation for thieves and other creators of mayhem. Even if I did not work out of my home, it is easy enough to trace my home address. I do notify my clients of the person who will be their contact in my absence.

     

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

    Laundry question

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    You have three choices in how to pay to send laundry out:

    First, and most expensive, is to pay by the piece.

    Second, is to stuff a bag as full as you can for $20 (higher in Europe).

    The last way is to pay for an "unlimited" plan. That costs $7 times the number of days in your cruise (again, slightly higher in Europe). The bag need not be full, so this is great for a single person (since it takes so long to fill a bag), or in hot climates, where day clothes really need to be laundered after one wearing.

    Our TA arranged the unlimited laundry for our 22-day Mediterranean cruise ahead of time and it was at the lower (non-European) rate. It showed up as a gift, but we paid for it. On the Zuiderdam, there is no self-serve and we preferred to spend our port days as tourists, not navigating the intricacies of local laundry.

     

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

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