Kentchikan

4 hours ago, The Mikado said:

You're dating yourself.

 

As am I, come to think of it. 🙂

 

Still, it provides a good perspective on just how far the cruise industry has come.

Cruising in those days was phenomonal

On 10/8/2019 at 6:16 PM, The Mikado said:

The Matson Lines S.S. Lurline from Honolulu to Los Angeles, circa 1967. 

I loved that ship

We have booked full suites on a couple of upcoming cruises on the Emerald and wonder what evening is best to use the "free" tickets to the Crown Grill:) We dine other times in a main dining room and know that first night there's real meet.:confused:

You can only use it the first night and you can go to any specialty restaurant and Swiss Dave is right it's because it's the quietest night but it is a great perk and not all cruise lines do it. Plus don't forget the suite breakfast on the Grand it used to be in Sabatini's but now is in the Crown Grill.

Don't forget that being in a suite allows you to order room service from the main dining room full menu and eat on your beautiful balcony if you chose each night as well!:)

It is a great perk you can order it for lunch or dinner or breakfast.

I agree that Princess messaging system is swell and I would use a CC one too if it didn't use up internet minutes.

We are on the Maasdam now and couldn't go to Tracy Arm during to too much ice. We went to Dawes Glacier as well. It is beautiful and we saw lots of seals on the ice. That's something we have not seen before so it was a pleasant surprise.

We quite liked Dawes Glacier.

Glad you're having fun.

I started collecting shot glasses from each new port we visit. They are small and functional when we have a party!

We do too also shot glasses with the ship on them.

We have cruised on the Maasdam twice and would again in a heartbeat. We did the Boston-Montreal itinerary twice. Yes, it was so nice, we did it twice. The Maasdam is our favorite cruise ship thus far. She is pleasantly petite. Her crew was simply fantastic. We stayed in S26 in 2013 and S20 in 2011. I can't report on A/C issues as neither were warm weather cruises. We had zero issues with our cabins and the housekeeping staff goes above and beyond. Neptune was wonderful and so helpful.

 

The only issue we had on either cruise was caused by Mother Nature. The St. Lawrence River was so swollen from flooding, we had to stop our cruise in Quebec City in 2011. That in itself is not bad as it is a lovely port but the motor coach trip to Montreal was hellish. I didn't know Evel Knieval had come back from the dead just to drive motor coaches in Quebec. My stomach still hasn't forgiven me that bus ride. :eek:

We couldn't go into Tracy Arm because it was blocked by ice cubes or perhaps it was icebergs. Yeah that was it. We have been to Tracy Arm many times and it is nice this time we got to go into Endicott arm which to the Dawes Glacier which we very much enjoyed.

Captain Pattie's in Homer was my best meal of the entire trip last year.

Our best meal ashore for sure it compared favorably to the Bamboo Room in Haines. The Halibut was fresh and delicious. I asked if there was really a Captain Pattie and our waitress said, "Well the woman who owns it is named Pattie and she runs a tight ship so yes."

The best meals on board were in the Pinnacle especially their lunches. Their cheeseburger used cheese from a cheese company in Seattle other things were good as well. Breakfasts were good too and I like that they had breakfasts from different countries: American, English, Dutch, Japanese, and I think Norwegian it was a Scandinavian country anyway.

The Le Cirque dinner was delicious other dinner in the Pinnacle were good too. Canaletto's food was very tasty.

Question.

 

Is a Mock-Martini a glass of cold water with an olive?

Mocktails are alcohol-free cocktails. If you've ever heard of a "Shirley Temple," you're on the right track. :)

Years ago I read a recipe for an alcohol free punch and the author said at the end: P.S. It tastes better with vodka. :D

If you had olive juice with an olive it would be a "dirty mock"

We are on the Maasdam in a few days . It will be our first HAL cruise and very special since we will be celebrating our 50th anniversary in a suite. Hopefully we won't have any of the problems mentioned. But, it's great to know that if a problem arises, they are prompt to respond.

You will have a wonderful time Yasmin in the Neptune lounge is amazing. Vince and Cristian in the martini bar are excellent bartenders.The piano player, also in the martini bar is great. Because it's a small ship the officers and cruise staff really mingle with the passengers. You will have an amazing time.

Captain Pattie's on the Spit in Homer has great food. The scenery on this itinerary is spectacular.

What was the room number of your suite?

We were right across from the Neptune lounge 020 but the problem was not suite specific many suites had the same issue but as I said they were excellent about fixing it each time it failed as they were with the plumbing problems.

I'm thinking of booking an Alaska cruise on the Maasdam for later this summer. I really appreciate this thread and all the recent comments. I have to admit that I'm kind of worried about mechanical problems because I had serious issues on the Veendam in 2014 and some issues on the Statendam last year. However, I so loved the 14 day Alaska cruise last year that I want to do it again. I do like the small ship experience. I'm booked on the Prinsendam next year. So, I welcome any comments from current and recent cruisers.

 

My only specific question so far is to ask if there's interactive TV on the Maasdam. Someone commented that some ships have interactive TV now.

 

Thanks!!

The A/C had problems in our suite and others in our area but they were always good about fixing it.

The itinerary is great and amazingly beautiful we're glad we took the cruise as although we've been to Alaska multiple times it went to places we've never been to before.

I never turned the TV on so couldn't tell you.

Worry not you're young I went on my first cruise in 1958...now that's a long time ago. 58 years ago to be exact. Of course it was decades before I was born ;)

And if you believe that...

ours was the RCL "Sun Viking". Absurdly small by today's standards, but we had a great time!

Loved the Sun Viking and the Song of Norway never did get to sail on the Nordic Prince

I have really appreciate the comments made on this thread. I especially appreciated those posted by people who just returned from 14 day Alaska cruises since that is what we will be doing in August.

 

Thanks!

I really liked that they served a lot of Alaskan food on board we had wonderful fish in the dining room and for lunch in the Pinnacle they serve hamburgers with Beecher's cheese which is a local Seattle cheese. The last night they had selections from all four celebrity chefs. The pear dessert sounded the dullest but was the most delicious.

The bartenders are fun and funny.

I especially liked that they put rugs with the day of the week on them in the elevators it's helpful several of us commented that we'd like to have that at home but then would probably forget to change them.

Just off Maasdam today, same 14 day Alaska voyage. Would go on Maasdam again in a second. Thought she was in excellent condition with very minor wear and tear. Did not hear of any mechanical issues, although they did come in to our and many other cabins (24 hour notice) to service the toilets. Great crew. Size of the ship was good, embarkation and disembarkation were very smooth, and no major logjams getting on or off in ports. The Sky deck (above Crow's Nest) was also one of my favorite places for the wide open views with no obstructions. I did hear some grousing about the food from more experienced passengers, but for the most part, I thought it was good. Biggest problem I encountered was that the comptrollers did not provide enough six board bingo cards for our voyage and they ran out of those during the second (of five) bingo sessions. That was a bummer but people still showed up for bingo. We even had perfect weather, with a tiny bit of rain only on one sea day and only one overcast port day. At our Mariners lunch, Captain Smit said don't believe the rumors, Maasdam will be around for a few more years. I would not hesitate to book her again and actually have my eye on a couple of Maasdam voyages next year.

 

 

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I agree it was quite a trip. I loved that the officers were open, accessible, and out and about. They really cared about what we thought about the voyage. We had some problems in our cabin but they got fixed.

I sailed the Skyward back in '71. It did not have hammocks but it did have wicker chairs suspended from a single point. They would swing back and forth with the motion of the ship. Quite relaxing and enjoyable.

 

I realize that by shoehorning passengers into these gigantic seagoing amusement parks keeps fares low and makes a lot of profit, but it's not what I want in an ocean voyage. I will never be seen on one of them. Pay more and get a real cruise.

I remember sipping drinks on the deck to the sound of a steel drum band it was wonderful.

My experience on a Maasdam sister, the Statendam: I would describe it as 3 venues within one large area. The Champagne Bar is not really a "bar" in the usual sense and is located where the Piano Bar is. Never saw anyone actually patronizing the Champagne Bar per se. The other two venues are a Martini-oriented Bar and a Sports-oriented Bar featuring draft beers. One can order whatever one likes at either venue. The Sports-oriented Bar featured an excellent solo musician playing the guitar and he did sing and was the site of Pub Trivia. Noisy, no. Convivial, yes! It is a fun place to be!

 

If one wants a quieter setting with, usually, some nice music and some dancing, then, the Ocean Bar is the place to go. Check out the Crow's Nest when you are on the Maasdam and see what the vibe may be as well as whether any music offerings are available.

Thanks so very much I appreciate the info.

I have questions about The Mix I realize that there are three bars in one place what I want to know is are they more like separate places or three bars in one big room?

Secondly can one order drinks other than the ones featured at a particular bar for example a martini at the Champagne bar?

Thirdly with that many venues in one spot is it noisy?

Thanks in advance.

Naw, you must have just misquoted the internet as everything you read there is true. Except when you read that cruising isn't fun, then it is incorrect. :D

 

There is a pretty good explanation of the PVSA on the Wikipedia site at:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_Vessel_Services_Act_of_1886

 

which does give a bit of information on what can and cannot be done concerning passenger movement. Information on the Jones Act at:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchant_Marine_Act_of_1920

 

provides info on that act as well as teaches you a word that you sometimes see on crossword puzzles: cabotage! ;) Yeah, I know, TMI!

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Tom

I too love unusual words cabotage is a great word. The bit in the Jones act about pax must be what I read. The PVSA act certainly predates it. I would miss Ensenada if we didn't stop there on the way back from Hawaii.

I believe that if you check you'll find that the correct statute is the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) not the Jones Act. The PVSA, as the name implies, covers passenger vessels, the Jones Act covers cargo ships.

 

Tom

Thanks Tom I got my info from the internet. Inaccurate information on the internet? Who knew. ;)

Your ship has to stop at one "foreign" port for the casino's to be open. If you are on a ship that only stops in Hawaii the casino won't be open the entire cruise.

 

This is why some Alaska cruises that sail out of Seattle stop in Victoria for a few hours.

It is because of the Jones Act not casinos:

"Simply put, because of the Jones Act, cruise ships that were not U.S. built, U.S. owned and with U.S. crews cannot travel between U.S. ports, unless they stop at a foreign port. Which means that a ship that is foreign in any way (origin, ownership, crew) ship can go roundtrip from Seattle to Alaska or San Francisco only if it stops in Canada."

Our first cruise was on the Marguerite in July 1979, also Seattle to Victoria. We had a day cabin (waste of money) for the 4 hour sailing. It was our first cruise (unless you count the trips we took on the Staten Island ferry). We continued north to Port Hardy (north end of Vancouver Island) where we took the BC ferry overnight to Prince Rupert. That was our first overnight cruise in a cabin.

At age 5, (now age 60) I did my first "cruise".

 

It was on the SS Princess Marguerite, sailing from downtown Seattle to the inner harbor in Victoria, BC.

 

I find it fun to note that now I have come full circle as someone who sails on Princess Cruises, since the original Princess ship was the sister ship of the SS Princess Marguerite, the SS Princess Patricia, which also sailed from Seattle to Victoria back in the day.

 

Both were part of the Canadian Pacific Steamships Princess fleet.

I too was on the Princess Patricia but in Alaska while it was still a Canadian Pacific ship and I sailed on the Marguerite from Seattle to Victoria. They were beautiful ships. I also sailed on the Prince George in Alaska which was a Canadian National ship.

Must have time on my hands, as I have read all 290 posts, to get a feel for Princess; my wife and I have booked the Diamond for this coming November. I find that it is usual on most forums, to find some people put a downer on what went wrong with their cruise. On this thread though, just good vibes!

 

My heart gave a little jump earlier when I read of the veteran OBC. However, I think that refers to a member of the armed forces, not a veteran due to age, (as my kids tell me)!

 

Will be bringing my Carnival shares OBC with me though, its a good incentive.

 

Quick question though, why does the quote button work on here, but not the multi-quote?

 

Looking forward to our cruise,...just have to remember the "volcano" ice, off the kids menu!

 

David.

Try clicking on the quote button on the right of the big button it should copy the quote when you get to the last post you want to quote hit the little button then the big button it should display all of the quotes I just tried it and it worked for me.