QuattroRomeo

We have enjoyed Chef's Table on NCL and RCCL in past years; haven't heard of it on HAL. My understanding is that NCL has discontinued them; not sure about Royal.

ok thanks!

We were recently aboard Koningsdam, and noticed that the wraparound deck, I think deck 5, had all of the lifeboats obstructing the view, at least mid-ship, when you walked around it outside. Is it the same on the Nieuw Statendam?

The Market certainly is a destination in itself!! Gotta get me some of that "wrinkle disappearing" soap!.. The city and the market areas are so clean, very nice. Other than the soaps, did you happen to notice if there were many locally made items or is it the ubiquitous made in China stuff? e.g.the ceramics. And yes the prices are pretty great!

Great photos as usual! And construction, graffiti..universal!!

Could I be invited to bid if I booked a GTY and not a specific cabin? In the past we always had a specific stateroom booked, so I don't know what would happen without that.

You're doing great with all that walking in the hot sun!! Love the photo with the pile of grapes, hanging bananas and huge mound of olives!!

Yes, I do know that many cruise ships, and many ships period, are built in Europe. Heck, I watch "Mighty Ships" religiously!! Anyway, what I am trying to learn about is how US lines procure some things in between drydocks. In the grand scheme of things a sofabed isn't that important, (except in this case it is for the OP), but it is interesting that it wasn't replaced item for item.

NCL is our preferred line, and it seems to us also that their prices aren't as competitive as they used to be. We would rather cruise more often, but bargains are scarce. Plus, we have the added cost of exchange rates. We did an Alaska cruise in late March/early June on HAL, because the rate was significantly better. We might have to rely on last-minute deals for a while with NCL.But that poses a problem too with escalated airfare and hotel rates last minute. What to do, what to do??

Absolutely beautiful photos. Hotel looks great, bakery looks great. Meat market, well, that is how they do it! Better than the one I saw in Casablanca though.. It is so hot in Greece and the photos don't show a lot of people outside..everyone in the AC I guess?!

Sheesh. I am aware that Europe has beautiful furniture stores. And linens, crystal, draperies, fine china, cabinetry, flooring stores..Not to mention wine, cheese, meat, pastries... My point was, NCL is a US company so I presumed they have storerooms somewhere in the US to house replacement items when the ships' own storerooms run out, to keep a uniformity of design. I didn't think that ship personnel just pop out to the store in whatever city they are in Europe, to buy a replacement item... Obviously food warehouses must be in place there. But large hard goods? That is what I was just wondering about, and, perhaps generously, giving NCL the benefit of the doubt about. If I am wrong, how does it work?

Thanks for the review and great photos! We haven't been on the Sky yet or to GSC so it was nice to see them. The ship looks like the kind we like: not too big, and the Great Outdoors area looks wonderful. Was there a shelf under the sink in the bathroom? Was your lunch in the Cabana specific to the Cabana service or could you get it at a kiosk? ( looked pretty yummy). Strange to see such empty beaches and restaurants! But all of the food and drinks looked good; must have been fun to be spoiled in this odd time of cruising with everything half empty!

! Chengkp75, you have provided so many informative posts that I think you should write a book entitled "The Bikini Incident and other Adventures of a Cruise Ship Engineer"! I know I would buy it!! Is there any way to know what stateroom caused the problem (short of having the item visible in a particular toilet)? And given how common a problem this is, are there any promising engineering inventions on the horizon?

Seems a little weird that there isn't a sofa bed available anywhere..could it be because the Epic is in Europe and maybe that limits their suppliers? Hope you can enjoy your cruise- terrific itinerary! And with the hot weather there right now, maybe the extra space will be a blessing.

Wow, quite a busy itinerary! Hope you enjoy everything, and be careful in the heat!

God forbid they would add another session..!

I've requested different types of onboard packages & gifts for various cruises, and it was always good. The birthday balloons and streamers were simply taped to the metal ceiling. The ones advertised now look a bit different, but same idea. Cake is placed on the counter. We have also had flowers and they are really nice. The gourmet treats section has a few items too, that might appeal to her rather than cake and streamers. You could mix and match things based on what you think she would like. If you do flowers, for example, you fill out what greeting you want on the card inserted in them, when you order. Then add some chocolate strawberries, or truffles, or cheese tray, etc. Lots of choices to make it special! ( Plus the flowers and treats don't require much effort from the steward; they are just placed on the counter).

Agree, this is the best site for search criteria we have found. The "region" category's drop-down menu includes "repositioning" as a search criterion...🙂

What a lovely sentiment! 🍸Such a great way to appreciate the moment.

Many times Cartagena is a short port stop, so if you need an experience that isn't too far or too long, you might like the " Coffee Baptism". ☕ We enjoyed it a few years ago. Have to take a cab to the old downtown and walk to it: Across from the Cathedral entrance, Santos de piedra 3- 86, Cartagena, Colombia. https://www.cafesanalberto.com/en/san-alberto-experiences/cartagena-experiences/

As others said, Koningsdam. (we were just on it a few weeks ago).

Apparently the ship hit a growler! https://www.cruisehive.com/norwegian-cruise-ship-hits-iceberg-in-alaska-and-skips-port-of-call/75175

Thank you everyone! Now that we are both retired and can actually contemplate B2Bs, there are different "problems" to navigate... nice problem to have though! If nothing else, we can make the most of our airfare with longer cruises! 😁

We haven't ever done a B2B, so I'm wondering about the best way to book. We're considering the Jewel next January: San Diego to Colon, then Colon to Panama City. Am I correct in thinking that if you book a guarantee, or decide to take an upgrade or bid successfully etc that one booking is the only one way to keep the same cabin? Any other considerations? We are Platinum, if that makes any difference. Thanks for any tips!

I'm sure somebody will know about the chocolate sprinkles, but in the meantime you might enjoy this thread from a few weeks ago! - some interesting memories there. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2852968-things-that-are-never-coming-back-to-hal/