Catlover54

There are educational talks, there is a small spa, there is a gym, there are fellow pax and expedition leaders to talk to, there is your in-room TV with movies, there is a jigsaw puzzle, and there is your iPAD with many pre-downloaded movies of your choice as well as hundreds (or thousands) of books to read while you look at the scenery you mentioned (and many of those books can be about Antarctica or Chile). And then, of course, there is your spouse. 😇 I love sea days.

All true. And my guess is that you were not a pediatrician 🙂

What tote bag? I was in a suite this year and there was no bag offered (admittedly I didn't *ask* for one, because I'd brought my own, from another cruise). I need compensation!!! 🙂

Thank you for now being very specific in your description of what happened (as noted above and in all the details in post #6), especially on this point. I agree with others that at first you didn't really say enough about what had happened for people to understand your anger, but of course it takes a lot of space and requires a lot of reader attention to follow along with precise details in a long initial post so I understand thinking it would be better to be initially brief and just summarize your impression without going into tedious details. But of it is in the latter that the crux of the problems reside. I have cruised multiple lines for many years, mostly luxury, but also mainstream. On HAL, I now focus on cruising in a suite (in part so I don't have to deal with guest relations, i.e., to get better coordinating services). To me, yours is a very convincing and maddening story. I have also experienced being indirectly -- never directly -- called a liar by assorted personnel who have tried to cover up their confused and disorganized communications arrangements and errors. This has happened not just on mainstream lines (e.g., on HAL 5 years ago when I was not in a suite) but even on English and French language luxury lines (not on a German line), where you'd think everything would be smooth sailing. But unfortunately there are staffing problems and errors and communication inconsistencies on all lines. Incompetence is one thing, but to not give the guest the benefit of the doubt in what he is reporting is another, especially when staff know very well there are problems in their system (unless the guest has a known history of malingering and trying to get something for nothing). To me, this borderline lying accusation is the worst part of what you reported. You were lucky that the person you initially spoke to who'd said he'd sent an email was there, or you may not have gotten your excursion refund. BTW, if you had *not* gotten your refund, if you had cruise insurance, depending on the type, you might have been able to file a claim with them (since cancellation was related to your daughter's injury). On cruises, in hotels, and in other service contexts where I have to deal with a lot of people (have you perhaps dealt with the VA at all?) I usually try and get the name of the person I talked to who promises me something important that is time-dependent, and cheerily (without expressing hostility) write their name down in front of them if I don't know if they are reliable or not, or I get a bad vibe. I recognize one shouldn't have to have an adverserial relationship with guest relations or any other personnel on a ship, and frankly, all in, HAL is not the cheapest of mainstream lines, but sometimes there will just be unanticipated issues. Some are unfortunately part of modern cruising, but having to spend 6 hours of one's time on a short 1 week cruise dealing with them is, in my opinion, excessive, even on a mainstream line. Ideally, one also shouldn't have to spend time on CC before a cruise to receive clear and polite service. However, you go to battle with the soldiers (or in this case, modern cruise lines) you have, not the ones you want. I hate to think of preparing for a cruise as a form of potential fight, (it's a vacation, after all). But frankly going forward, even if you have cruised with another line, to maximize your future experiences, I would suggest arming up in advance and reading on CC about the latest on that cruise line. You sound like an organized guy, so look for insider tips you might be able to use, especially if you are booking a cruise to very popular Alaska. Plan and book far ahead, get insurance and check back on the board of the line you will be sailing periodically to stay up to date. If you aren't routinely using a travel agent, use one (a good one, one who knows the line you pick, will keep you abreast of the most essential things if not more). I know it will take time from what is likely a busy schedule you have, working as well as raising two daughters, but research may be a good investment, and TA costs nothing. I am glad you posted your story (and later your details, which are important). I don't expect you will hear anything more from HAL, and I doubt you will come back to HAL (overall, I still think it's a good line). So I wish you the best in your future travels on other lines, or on land.

I will check out the manta rays next visit 🙂

I burst out laughing at your contrast of the hotel restaurant burger with the SS burger: ". . . We had dinner at the hotel restaurant, Cafe de Paris. The pizza and burger were both great, and went well with a bottle of French red. Much better than the Silversea burger. It's even made with real meat! " Of course, SS claims their burgers *are* made with *real meat*, but I don't think they actually define what *real meat* is :).

IF one is not planning on getting off the ship, that makes perfect sense. But if a port is a place that often gets first-timers, without status, not in suites, I would think that most first-timers want to get off and see some of the port, so it could be good to get a jump on those by having CO (or priority from something else). I don't know the exact statistics on what Caribbean ports/cruises are more or less likely to have first-timers on board than elsewhere , but my view is that priority tender access on a cruise with tender ports can be very helpful (even if a ship has many 4 and 5 stars, CO pax (limited), and NS pax (there are only 46 suites or so, so average max under 100 people)I think many of the veterans don't get off in some ports (especially in tender ports that aren't unique and are just fun-in-the-sun-like-everywhere-else places). As suite guests (pretty new to HAL, however, so we have a limited n), we had priority tendering last year in the Caribbean (and this year in northern Europe) and it was invaluable. There was a separate line, and the staff called ahead to the tender getting ready to depart to try and make room for a small bunch of us, communicating that we were priority. Some people without priority later complained they couldn't get off for 1.5 hours in a popular port. Now if there were only priority tender *returns* , and not just priority outbound, it would be perfect (but you still have to stand in land with non-priority people on the return, and that can add an hour -- last year in Half Moon it added 1.5 hours). I also like the quieter Club Orange dining room on the Pinnacle class. It is easier to get seated if you have open seating, easier to get a waiter's attention, and because they serve suite pax (who frankly expect more because they pay so much more), the waiters are very service-oriented and understaffing seemed less of an issue.

For those who forget something orange, but still want to participate, HAL sells little orange corsages and ribbons and other little things you can put on your clothing. But if you have no orange on, for those who don't already know, you can of course still go to the party. 🙂

My guess is it would be good to hand-carry luggage off the ship, just in case, given you must leave so early (in case the staff can't find it in time early in the chaotic morning -- unless you can easily get another flight if you miss yours).

Beware, however, that Tours by Locals has been having website problems for several weeks, and problems are slow getting fixed. Many of the guides are unhappy (we had 4 TBL private tours on our very recent cruise and they all expressed concerns about various software glitch features), because customers now have to communicate through the company (based in Canada) instead of directly with the guide, which has created confusion. But you can communicate via What's App. Guides have lost a lot of business because of customer frustrations. If you use them, be very careful and take screen shots of all information and contact information, so you can confirm meeting up and other issues.

My guess is they don't give you all the information in advance because they want people booking the excursions, but then have them decide not to go last minute if the excursions are described as too difficult (and my understanding is that you then forfeit your payment for the excursion if you cancel within less than 24 hours -- correct me if I am wrong, I am a novice to V.)

They do hold some back for booking onboard, though I'm not sure of the percentage (I'd casually heard as many as 50% are held back, but don't know the accuracy). If nothing opens up, and you are not in a suite, you can use the very visible dining reservations desk staff to book the day you board. If you are in a suite, you can ask the Neptune Lounge concierges to book your dining reservations for you (I know some dining spots are held back from general pre-boarding availability, in part for short notice suite passengers, and I was told such availability of specialty dining bookings is part of the suite benefits package). Also, depending on the cruise and how full it is , as the cruise goes on (and likely because people feel more stuffed), you might notice that some specialty restaurants just aren't full, and you can walk up and get a spot then and there (especially for later dining, e.g., seating after 8PM -- but probably not on New Year's Eve !)

On the Rotterdam recently on the day when there was the Orange Party in the evening , the MDR, Lido, and Club Orange menus featured a lot of Dutch items, like the pea soup (the one daily available at the Dutch cafe *if* you can get in), the delicious Hodge Podge, and the deadly cream puff (also available in the Dutch cafe daily *if* you can get in). However, neither on that day, nor on any other on our two-week cruise, did we receive any pillow chocolates or sweets of any kind (we were in a suite and, if available ship-wide on that day, , we probably could have gotten them). It didn't occur to me to ask, neither this year or last year when we didn't have any pillow sweets delivered, now I will know better for future cruises.

Interesting idea, i.e., "distributing tourist attractions outside the city center where possible" (beyond the idea of encouraging diverting visits to places that are already outside, some pictures of which I posted in #20, or to Rotterdam). Will most people still come? Some of the precise appeal in big cities is to visit *historic* central locations (Anne Frank house), old canals and old architecture, and to just walk around taking it all in and imagine life in centuries past, just like in Venice. But I suppose they could build a new Rijksmuseum and move the art to somewhere in the suburbs, and/or maybe even do a reconstruction of the Anne Frank house, and build new canals away from the city center . . . I loved subways in Europe when I was younger and healthier (buses not so much) , but DH and I don't ride much mass transit anymore. Too many times there are no seats when we're on the go, and I cannot safely stand up well in a moving vehicle. I also note most young men do not get up to make seats available for seniors, much less women (they're tired too!), as often as they used to. Plus it is often hot, and respiratory infection transmission risks are greater when you're packed together closely. So we tend to book within walking distance of most of the things we want to see *in* a big city, unless we want to see the beautiful countryside or a villa garden or castle out of town. I certainly understand the concerns locals have about letting their city be overrun by outsiders, especially if they don't need tourist revenue as much as they used to.

I wasn't aware that Amsterdam had put in place a ban on new hotels in the center (that might explain the high pricing of some mediocre hotels). I did know that entrances to the Anne Frank Museum and other popular museums have already become very restricted, with online vendors often buying up a lot of tickets in advance which they then sell with a big markup, so buyers can "skip the line." Of course this relative reduction in hotel supply compared with demand will drive up the daily price of the hotels already there (unless they also have hotel room price controls in mind, which would create a new set of problems). This will likely make those hotel owners happy. It will make Amsterdam a much more exclusive place, more like Monaco (e.g., where the hoi polloi cannot afford to stay, at least not for very long). There are pros and cons to this (depending on who you are, what your budget is, and who you like to surround yourself with when you travel). Some will cheer on the idea of local government restrictions helping to create exclusivity, others not so much, but of course it has happened in many places around the world as more and more middle class people both from the west and the developing world can afford not just to travel, but to travel a lot. Even in my beautiful little area of California, which gets crowded in summer, some of our comfortably situated locals like to restrict tourism (the people who work in tourism -- not so much), so they limit new construction and services (and prices are now accordingly very high). With a few exceptions, I already tended to just try and naturally avoid visiting both cities and tourist sites in cities that are extremely unpleasantly full at certain times of the year (like Santorini in summer), especially when the weather is very warm and I already can't think straight . I don't like and have trouble with standing in line for a half hour to use a public ladies' room, or constantly watching out to make sure I am not knocked over and injured by a bicyclist out of his lane, a jogger, a scooter suddenly turning with the wheel heading for my foot, someone running to catch a bus, or someone wildly chasing someone else because they just had their handbag stolen. It creates a lot of stress for me to be careful in crowds, but of course others (younger, healthier) don't care about crowds, as long as they can be 'where the action is', and/or have bragging rights for Instagram, and they are both less likely to fall and less likely to get injured if they do. It will be interesting to see how this plays out not just in Amsterdam, but in Venice, in the Norwegian fjiords, Key West, etc., all places that don't want more people visiting.

DH and I also received such an offer on the Rotterdam 6/8-6/22. I am only 3 star, but we were in a suite. I strongly suspected it would be an offer for just a base cabin, likely an inside, and that would not have worked for the two of us, plus we would have had to once again rearrange our hard to get nonstop flights. I might have looked into it if I were solo this trip, as I sometimes am when I cruise. I was on a different line shortly before the Rotterdam cruise (a small expedition ship, Hanseatic Inspiration, that is a part of the Royal Caribbean mega-complex), alone, and had gotten a similar offer (i.e., extend your cruise at a much cheaper than usual price), and since I am now retired, I would have done that but for my plan to meet DH in Amsterdam for the Rotterdam cruise shortly thereafter.

I read that cruises deliver about 3-4% of visitors to Amsterdam.

Both of our recent private guides in Amsterdam also said the young British (first place ) and Germans (second place) are the biggest "going berserk" problem in Amsterdam, rather than the cruises full of old people. But of course it is likely easier for some to blame mostly North American cruisers, rather than fellow Europeans. If cruises out of the Amsterdam area are more limited, and less cruisers come, then the Dutch who will lose money will be local guides, local drivers, and local restaurants and hotels where cruisers go if they come to tour a few days pre-cruise or stay extra days post-cruise. But I suppose there aren't enough of them to matter politically, and/or someone has done the math on this (e.g., less cruisers may make way for more British/German drinkers and the bars may then have upticks in visits if some cruisers are gone and more hotel rooms from the pre and post cruise become available). We enjoyed embarking in and visiting the sites in Rotterdam (prices for nice hotels are a lot lower there too ), but getting there from the airport by car (for those of us who cannot handle luggage on trains) is more expensive than getting to sites in Amsterdam (I've been to Amsterdam many times, but there is always more to see and do, especially with a slow pace that we like). One of our private pre-cruise tours was of the countryside outside Amsterdam, by car with a guide, and some of those areas can also be reached if on rents a car if later cruising out of Rotterdam.

I enjoyed reading your review, as I will be on the sister ship Pursuit in a Panorama not that long from now (we will plan accordingly for the faux "walk-in" closet and also sadly for the various chairs and sofa made of 'stone', i.e., we will need to pack our extra blow-up cushions in our already crowded luggage, but of course the old veranda suite couches on Odyssey and Quest also qualify for a geological description). But three months would be too long for me on such a small ship, with the same limited food and same clothing, even if I could overcome medical and other barriers that require I be on land more often than that. You referred to visiting both the Wintergraden and Owners Suites while on board. How were you able to do this? I don't recall ever being offered the opportunity to check out other suites while I was on board a SB vessel occupying either a veranda or a penthouse suite (though I didn't ask, I just assumed it would be inappropriate, especially with a full ship). Or are you perhaps somehow involved in the cruise industry, directly or indirectly, and doing so, e.g., perhaps on turnaround days, was part of your job? I have of course seen youtube videos of all (I love the big tub in the windows of Wintergardens, but not the rest of the layout; but now the Panorama will also have a window tub, which I will likely spend many hours enjoying, especially after a cold Zodiak ride :).

One hidden tip: you can order caviar without extra charge, with all the trimmings, 24/7, sent anywhere on the ship. They don't advertise this. You can also ask for a "special meal" to be made for you that is not on the menus, with about 24 hours notice.

Yes, they are available, 24/7. Yes, the TVs are usually small in the base suites.

Thank you for your thorough review! Questions: 1. In post #1, you say " Food. The food was exceptional. From the appetizer to the mains to the desserts, all exceptional. The complementary wine also was good with lots of selections. Don't like the wine of the day, they have all the previous ones also available. The select wines and champagnes were extremely pricey around x3 retail. Still the best overall food at sea. We were on Regent in April. Regent is probably a close second. All subjective." But then you later talk about Tastes and Marketplace as having a blah dinner and a few other problems. So I assume your "best overall food at sea" comment refers just to Waterside and the specialty restaurants? (I also assume you have not cruised on luxury Hapag Lloyd for a food comparison, but of course HL cruising with a lot of Germans is not of great interest to most Americans for obvious reasons :). 2. As for the unfortunate TV comedy, I think we would just likely have unplugged the TV we weren't wanting to use, and then get into a rhythm of replugging and unplugging as needed 🙂 3. I love seeing the bed in the window, with an easy view of the sea. Did your bathroom have a tub? Is there a working hot tub somewhere on the ship other than at the pool? 4. Are there any future plans to get Starlink? DH and I were recently on an upper mainstream line with just smoking internet (but we were in a suite so we could get better service, priced accordingly ). Techie DH was totally addicted, as it was the best we'd ever had on a ship (but of course, there are other problems with mainstreaming) 5. I like that a Crystal rep was on each excursion with you. Which excursions did you do? 6. You said that when you would dine, the MD would immediately refer you to "Table 20". Does that mean guests can routinely reserve a table for their cruise ? Or was this a special arrangement? 7. What was the entertainment (other than enrichment lectures), and how was it? Thank you for your input. I mix and match cruise lines (and land trips), and am looking forward to booking a new Crystal cruise once I find the right itinerary. I think enough time has passed for the major (though not all) bugs to have been flushed out of the trial period, and there are fortunately now deep pockets backing the venture so I worry less about losing more money.

Keep in mind that depending on the airline one is flying with (e.g., how much traffic they have at a particular airport), if one arrives *too* early at some airports (meaning >2-3 hours ahead, depending on city), there may be no one willing or able to accept your luggage to check right when you arrive, which can be a pain when you're stuck with the big bags for a few more hours (especially when there is limited pre-security seating and no pre-security lounge access). I tend to like to be at an airport very early *if it is critical for me to make my flight* or the flight would be hard to rebook, in case there are surprise changes, and/or so I can take my slow time weaving through sometimes surprisingly long security checks, and get settled in near the gate (or a nearby lounge) without rush (but have books on my devices to read). But *too* early has backfired on me a few times (don't know about Athens this year, or what airline you're on, e.g., if it's an airline that always has a desk open to accept checked luggage for much later flights). But when you have to be off the ship by 9:30 (e.g., on Rotterdam recently, it was 9:15 for suite pax but not in Piraeus), and the flight is later, timing airport arrival when flights are later can be tricky, and this is not just on HAL. A ship bus excursion ending at the airport within a 3 hours pre-flight period may be a good idea (especially if it has enough stops to accomodate comfort breaks you may need, doesn't get stuck in a traffic jam, and you're not concerned about sitting in an often noisy and often inadequately airconditioned bus for a few hours with multiple people coughing from the new bug they acquired on the ship). You can also book a short private tour with a car/drivers that takes you around to a few things of interest to you, accomodates your break needs and car temperature, and then ends at the airport when you want it to and not before. On our last cruise, as we sometimes do, we just tempered the stress of same-day flying after getting off a cruise by spending a night at a nice airport area hotel with a spa and nice restaurant and/or tourist site access, and flying out the next day on our own terms and time after sleeping in (I know you already have tickets, but some tickets are easily changeable, some not). The Hotel Sofitel in Athens airport, for example, is quite nice. I wish you a wonderful 'first-time-in-suite' cruise! Be sure and take advantage of all the benefits you are paying extra for, including early boarding and tendering (the Neptune Lounge concierge can describe all your benefits for you, in case you haven't previously already noted them).

Hopefully they will replace the rockhard sofas in the Quest suites, but my guess is it won't happen (or the new sofas will be even harder, because then they last longer). But one can hope. We don't sit on those hard style sofas except for room service (we use them for storage of coats and other stuff). We used to travel with an inflatable camping matress pad to put on those sofas, so we could sit. It also came in handy at hotels with surprise very hard matresses, but it took up a lot of space and we are trying to limit ourselves to just one case per person, and have added other essential things to pack. I know some people are fine with those hard sofas, especially if they have trouble rising from a sitting position, but many pax with musculoskeletal sensitivities are not. Many other lines have softer, more inviting sofas (though ultimately itinerary, plus service quality, control where we go, and not the sofa hardness or style).

I had previously read on the HAL forum that the 18% is pooled (and somehow distributed ), but if you tip an individual server *in cash*, he can keep it for himself. I have no way of knowing if that is accurate, however in some cases (e.g., where one server is repeatedly very good and the other quite poor, though this is not common), it gave me an incentive to give cash to individuals.