JimAOk1945

The Maasdam is a great ship. We love the size and crew. I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures and reading about your cruise.

Congrats! We were offered an upgrade several years ago when an upgrade was free! We went from a minisuite to a full suite on the Caribbean Princess. We enjoyed it so much we never went back to anything smaller than a full suite! 

We enjoyed cruising the Panama Canal. Our first cruise was a partial itinerary, then we did the full transit. Pictures are available (at the link below) in the travel section of my wife's website for anyone interested. Both cruises were very enjoyable.

My wife and I have sailed on both Princess and Holland America and much prefer Holland America. We don't drink but other than that, you seem to enjoy all the things we enjoy and those are the things Princess lacks. I think you would enjoy Holland America. You might enjoy viewing my wife's website. She creates slideshows from the thousands of pictures on every cruise. They are all listed in chronological order on the Travel section of her website and include slideshows of the ships, our shore excursions, and the suite we stay in on each cruise. I'll insert a link below that will take you there.

Nancy's Oasis - Travel

Has anyone else received one of these emails? I received one of those emails a few minutes ago.

Is the OM used for going ashore and getting back on the ship the way the card is used?

46 days for me.

44 minutes ago, Ellipooh said:

Yes, it's automatic.  Just show up to the Club Class entrance, they will check your name against their list and escort you right to your table without any wait.  We really enjoyed Club Class.  It actually works much the same as the Mimosa Breakfast for Suite passengers, but CC is in a cordoned off section of the MDR instead of Sabatini's/Crown Grill.

 

It's important that you keep Anytime Dining if you want CC, rather than switching to Traditional.  You can still eat at the same time each night, and with the same table-mates (provided they are also CC), but by keeping the Anytime designation you free up a table for non-CC Traditional diners. 

Wonderful information. I'm glad it's automatic! Thanks for the tip about keeping Anytime Dining. We will do that. I hope we will be able to get a table for 2, and one that's not too close to others.. Thanks what we prefer. Thanks for your quick reply. Happy cruising!

40 minutes ago, Colorado Coasty said:

You don't need to do anything. Just go to the Club Class dining area, they will have your name and room number on their list.

Good news! Thanks!

40 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

You just have to show up. Its automatic when you choose AT dining.

They will have a list of cabins.  🙂

Great! Thanks for the quick answer!

We are currently booked for Anytime Dining. Since we are in a full suite, will we automatically be assigned to the Club Class Dining Room? If not, what do I need to do to have Club Class dining on our cruise?  Thanks

A lot depends on how much time you can take for a cruise and what you can afford, but if it was me, I would seriously consider a "bucket list" type of cruise such as Alaska, the Med, Panama Canal Transit, South America to name a few. That would make it very special!

You may be correct, but it has not been my experience, nor frequently reported here that the mass market lines provide this service outside the US. Seabourn is in a different league.

 

OP, best you ask your cruise line, check their website ( for example I know Holland America tells on their website where they offer this service...wasn't outside the US last I looked), or ask on the board for your cruise line.

Thanks CruiserBruce. We are cruising on the Crown Princess so I will check on the Princess website. I should have thought of that!

Should be checked through both ways. Going to Europe definitely. Pretty sure they will check through coming home.

We usually have our bags shipped home from each cruise through whichever cruise line we are on. They are called something like Luggage Direct.

I wonder whether this type of baggage handling service is available overseas?

This page may help:

 

https://www.aircanada.com/us/en/aco/home/search-results.html?q=Pearson

Wonderful information! Thanks for the link.

Your phrase "connecting flight to Southampton" is a little worrisome altho' I expect you put it in for convenience - won't you be flying to LHR or LGW?

Then you'll need to take the train, express bus, or car service.

I have chatted to many US folk who don't necessarily realize how far they still need to go after landing in the UK - Southampton is a great port tho', pretty easy to get to.

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Thanks CruiserBruce! Knowing what to expect makes traveling much less stressful.

I thought of another question. What about our bags? Will they be checked all the way through to our final destination both coming and going from the airport?

We have a British Isles cruise booked for next August and will be departing from Southampton. The Air Canada flights from SAT with a connecting flight in Toronto look appealing in terms of price and flight duration.

I've done research but can't find answers. This will be our first cruise in Europe. I'm hoping to receive some guidance here from those who have experience going through Toronto.

Do we go through Customs in Toronto before our getting on the connecting flight to Southampton? If so, can you describe the process?

Do we go through Customs in Southampton upon arrival or departure? Please describe the process.

If we come back from Southampton, do we go through Customs in Toronto again?

How much time should we allow for our connecting flights?

We have up to date passports. Is there anything else we will need?

Thanks in advance for any information and/or helpful comments!

Your shoreline pictures are fantastic!! I have a few questions.

Which side of the ship was your cabin?

What type of camera did you use?

Was the weather cold on your balcony?

My wife will want to take pictures like this for her website.

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Out of curiosity, what exact airline, flight dates and routing are you seeing international first class for $2000? Or $5000?

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Orville, the way I can remember it since it does vary, is the last Final will never be on the final night of the cruise since everyone is packing.:) I do mostly 2 weeks cruises so that is the best way for me to know when the Finals will be. On two week cruises, the 2nd Formal is usually near the end of the first week ( weekend )

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Thanks for keeping us well informed and up to date. There are many people excited about getting a Oasis class ship in Galveston.

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Celebrity would be great! Regardless of which ship comes, I am seriously hoping for some new, longer itineraries.

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Good information. Thanks for the answers. We will be enjoying Club Class for the first time in a full suite next August.

We were on the 14 day Maasdam Alaska cruise in August of 2016. What a fantastic experience that was. It was our first cruise on Holland America. The ship and itinerary exceeded our expectations for the entire experience.

Pictures can tell you more than my words. If you have time, you might want to visit my wife's website where she has posted pictures of the ship and each port call excursion that we went on. I'll insert a link below for your convenience.

August 1-15,2016 14 Day Alaska Cruise on Holland America Maasdam

Alaska is amazing! Have a great cruise!