tkwbear

Thanks for the fleet report. Why is Zaandam heading to Funchal?

I've been thinking of booking a cruise on that ship. Is the Tamarind open? Depending on which ad I see for HAL, it IS or it isn't.

I'll be sailing out of Copenhagen next week. Has anyone recently sailed from Europe using the emed test? They have worked fine in the US and Canada.

On my 2 cruises I got a cap and the foldable backpack. As a Diamond member I got several bottles of prosecco and some macaroons. Have these been discontinued? I'll be sailing the Poesia next month.

That's good to know. I was on the Enchanted in April and was very disappointed in the steakhouse. The filet was more like roast beef. Others had similar complaints. Also disappointing on the Enchanted was the internet; it was so bad they refunded everyone's money. How do you find it on the Island? Also, while in port, are you having any issues with your cell phone working (including data)? My carrier gave me roaming rates for every country in the Baltic, but then my phone did not work in any of those countries! So I will be switching carriers before my cruise on the Island. May I ask what carrier you use for your cell phones?

You traded up! I love Haines, while I can't stand either Skagway or ISP. When there were ships stopping regularly in Haines, you could take some great tours. One goes into Canada which has a great up-close view of the mountains. A couple of others take you to a lake where grizzlies are munching on salmon in several different spots. You can take a canoe trip on the lake or just chill. Steve Kroshel has an animal farm there that's great, I've done that 3 times. He's an amazing host. He and his partner Mario are former National Geographic photographers. Diamonds International? No. https://www.kroschelfilms.com/ You may be able to dock there, their dock was expanded to be able to handle a HAL Vista-class ship, then HAL pulled out.

Thanks. I was really surprised I could only find sushi as the alternate dining. I will get my Diamond dinner plus the 2 nights I bought for $29. I enjoyed the sushi on the Meraviglia. They did have the fixed menu but it was fine. I have a premium balcony.

Have any of you personally sailed the Poesia? I booked a very nice itinerary out of Copenhagen because I love the ports. It was somewhat higher than expected for a balcony, but still reasonable. During booking I was offered a 2 specialty restaurant package for $29. A great deal until I discovered there is no steakhouse. Are there any other specialty restaurants on board besides sushi? Beyond the specialty restaurant issue, what did you think of the ship overall? I've only been on the Meraviglia, and I know the Poesia is much older and will be totally different. It's my first MSC European sailing so I expect the announcements will be long and in multiple languages. I enjoyed the older Holland America ships, so I am hoping this experience will be similar.

"Covid everywhere"? How many passengers had it?

Thanks for the response. I just got off the phone with MSC 10 minutes ago and confirmed they do not offer air to or from the US. I was looking at Travelocity for fares, which for business class, are very expensive. I did see they offer them to Canada, or did before the pandemic. Old web pages often aren't removed. Either way it doesn't help me.

Is this an option? I'm looking at some European cruises and would like to find some discounted airfare.

What kind of water was it? Acqua Panna is good stuff, but on a recent Princess cruise I ended up with a dollar store brand when I purchased bottle water from them.

I'm glad you are enjoying your cruise. I was on the Enchanted Princess in April for 2 weeks, doing the Transatlantic. The ship was very nice, but with few exceptions, the crew seemed clueless. The steakhouse was by far the worst I've experienced at sea (MSC is best followed by HAL). The front desk seemed to know little. Food in the buffet was sometimes very good, but often at the wrong temperature (room temperature eggs over easy is not good!). The internet stopped being usable after the 3rd day and never worked properly again (full refunds were promised but a month later I have not received my check). I was extremely pleased with my room steward, who seemed to know the most about ports and procedures than anyone else on the ship. Before HAL disposed of their older ships, I sailed them almost exclusively. So, "old" is not what concerns me. I am very glad you answered my post. If you have more details, I would love to see them posted here.

I have done some test bookings recently and it always indicates mineral water and coffee are included in the dining room.

One of the engines was smoking badly when I sailed her in late March. At the time I was told she was going to be having an extensive dry dock.

A few years ago I considered sailing the Island Princess in Alaska, but people on this board told me it was a below average ship. I took their word for it and booked something else. However, there is a European itinerary that really sounds nice. I would appreciate hearing your opinions of this ship, if you have sailed it in the last year. Good and bad comments are both appreciated.