Tyme2Cruise

Tell the Capt the old guy in the black snorkle suit will return some day. After a long stint at sea. BOSS is a great excursion. Buy one of the fheap underwater Fuji singl use cameras at Walmart. They will take pictures of you underwater.

Thanks. I'll tell them. I have an olympic underwater camera, so I'll see if they will take some pics with it. :D

I am doing the B.O.S.S excursion in St. Thomas on Feb 29. I've done the America's Cup Regatta twice and would highly recommend it. I plan to do it again next March. 27 days and counting. :)

I would love another trip report from you too.

Did you all who had trouble finding seats in the theater go to the first show? We have seen it full a while prior to showtime and get great seats a few minutes prior to the second show.

I am also interested in what you did in Panama. I have read some say to stay on ship as it transits locks that that is excursion in itself while others say do the ferry through.

We went to the early shows. We aways went 30 minutes early and got great seats, every time. We also did the ferry and found it to be a wonderful tour. I would highly recommend it. We did not come back exhausted. ;)

We did a 10 day on the Z last February, and had a great time. We had a SS cabin and did not have a single problem with anything in the cabin or bathroom. We went to several shows in the Vista Lounge and enjoyed them all, but some more than others. We always went 30 minutes before show time and had our pick of seats. BB King shows were great, but in the Queen's Lounge it was loud. We never had a problem finding something to do and my DW loved hanging out in the Crows nest and the Hydro pool in the spa. We did anytime dining, only twice, because it was so slow; we had to leave before dessert. We are in our 50's and 60's and fit right in for our age. Doing Royal Princess this year, but back to the Nieuw Amsterdam next year. Enjoy your cruise and have a great time!

For the folks who have done the partial Canal trip:

 

Is it better to stay onboard and experience the locks and return back through or is there enough experience and then time to do excursion? The Canal experience is been on our bucket list for some time and don't want to miss any of it.

We did the partial transit last year, on Holland America. We got off the ship and did the Ferry Transit on lake Gatun and transited the locks on the Pacific side. We had a great guide and learned a lot about Panama and the canal. We also got to touch and kiss (if that's your thing) the wall in one of the locks. They also provided food and drinks on the ferry. I would recommend this tour if available. :)

Thank you for the review. We are cruising Princess Cruise Line for the first time next year, and choose the Royal Princess. I have read a number of negative reviews about the ship elevators and lack of stairwells in the midship. Did you find this to be problematic. Thanks

TMI U.G.... TMI... :eek:

Gee Sylphy, I thought that's what everyone did...:D

Did you find an officer and request (demand) they enforce their own rules? If not, why not? If so, and the office did nothing, did you report it up the chain of command?

It was reported, and I was told by security not to engage the smokers. I did not follow up to see if a particular incident was resolved. I was on a Cruise to have fun, and I was not going to spend my entire cruise running back and forth, and up the chain of command, to tattle tale on every violator of the policy. It is not up to me to insure their policies are followed, it is up to Carnival, and they have been told. If they will not enforce their policies then I would hope non smokers would send a message and take their business elsewhere. JMHO

Designated smoking areas are listed in the Fun Times. However, not all smokers smoke only in the designated areas. My problem is not so much with smokers, but that Carnival does not enforce their own policies. I just sailed the Dream out of NOLA, and there were more smokers than usual, and many were smoking in non smoking areas. C'mon Carnival enforce your policies!

We did this cruise last December on the Zuiderdam. Here are the scanned daily activities (On Locations) from that cruise:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=1396

 

In addition, here are the scanned daily menus for both the Lido Restaurant and the Main Dining Room, both lunch and dinner, for our cruise:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=1311

 

We spent our time going back and forth through the Panama Canal from our aft-wrap cabin and avoided the crowd on the main deck.

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=1434

 

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=1436

 

Note that the Zuiderdam passes through the locks, tenders excursion passengers, and then immediately returns through the locks. Note the large white Princess ship following us on the parallel set of locks.

 

We had been to Curacao before so enjoyed sitting on the verandah and watching the swinging bridge open and close.

 

Hope this gives you a head start on your cruise planning on the Zuiderdam.

Thanks for the info..We are doing this cruise Feb 13, 2015, our first trip on Holland America. :)

why not try Celebrity ?

 

we sailed on them April 6th - Western Caribbean and there were 120 children on board but I swear I probably saw half that...

 

the food was amazing in the MDR and their buffet was high quality as well-

I thought the entertainment was better than I expected. Celebrity has

beautiful ships (try the 'S' Class.. the ones with grass growing on deck 15)

 

The vibe on board is more laid back. I think I only heard one announcement per day.

Thank you. DW and I have discussed Celebrity, and will try them for 2016. Already have a 10 day on Holland America to the Panama Canal for 2015. :)

We're going on the Dream in Nov., can't wait! We have 2 kids, but they will NOT be running wild!

Have a great time. I think you will enjoy the Dream. :)

I have to agree. We have done a few spring break weeks and find the more families, the more chance to run into (or get run in to) children that are of that age where they can be set free by their parents and probably should not be yet.

I don't think carnival is that much worse than any other cruise line, but defineately stay away from Spring break weeks again if you can't tolerate the little ones.

It wasn't so much the "little ones" that were the problem, it was the med/large sizes. :D

Cruised the dream Apr 20-Apr27 2014. Not a great choice for dates to cruise, but had to accommodate other family members. Over 1000 cruisers under the age of 18, many of them unsupervised and out of control. Can't tell you how many times I was pushed, run into, and cut in front of (not always by children). Elevator buttons pushed, communication boards for all family members were written on and messages to other family members erased. There were also many that were courteous and well behaved, and I applaud those children and parents. However, I will never again cruise during spring or any other holiday break. This was our 3rd cruise on the Dream, and our cabin and steward were outstanding. I do not think the rest of the ship was as clean as prior cruises. The comedy shows and ocean plaza bands were above average. All other entertainment was average at best. The food was average, except for the Steak House, and it was great. We enjoyed the spa but several times different rooms were not working properly and house keeping was slow to clean the relaxation room. We always make the best out of any situation and overall we had a fun cruise. However, for now, we are going to take a break from Carnival and try another Line.

Of course it is. They want you to buy drinks at the bar. Check some of the other cruise lines that this is available. They are even more expensive.

 

If you have a normal 1.5 oz shot out of the liter bottles, that's about 22 drinks. Figure the cost of those drinks, with a 15% gratuity on each of the same drink at the bar, and you have the reason why some, like myself, will buy a bottle from Bon Voyage.

 

It's about choices. Some smuggle, some buy the Cheers program, some get bottles from BV, and some just buy their drinks at the bar.

Not all cruise lines are more expensive. Here are a couple of samples. 1Ltr Crown Royal $75.00 on Carnival, $48.75 on Holland America. 1Ltr Absolute Vodka $75.00 on Carnival, $36.25 on Holland America. I don't buy the argument that Carnival would lose a lot of money. It may cut down on the smuggling if Carnival prices were more reasonable. Just my 2 cents.

Just looking for ideas... If you could recommend one thing to someone who is cruising Holland America for the first time - something unique to HAL - what would it be?

 

I'm thinking about something like the bread pudding, for example.

 

This is for a Caribbean cruise on the Noordam. Thanks in advance!

This was perfect timing. We, just today, booked our first cruise on HAL. Looking forward to a change from Carnival, hope we will not be disappointed. :)

Keep an eye on it. My experience with itinerary changes is that Carnival will just cancel your shore excursion and refund your credit card, not automatically rebook you for the new port day.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Thanks! I will watch it like a hawk and give them a few days, to see how it turns out.

Just got an e-mail changing our port days. I spent weeks getting all our excursion in order just for them to change them all. This one will cost. I booked a $600.00 excursion in Grand Cayman for all day and now it will still be charged for all day and we will only get 1/2 day. Oh well, I just had to rant.

At least you got an email. I found out they changed our itinerary from my Daughter. I'm glad they sent her the email. I have booked excursions through Carnival, and the email said they will make the changes. Can't wait to see how that turns out. :eek:

I just don't see the point of spending $$ on a passport card. I understand that it's convenient for those that travel back and forth on land between Canada/Mexico and the US, but if you don't fall under that category, they are useless. The cruise lines accepts them, that's fine, but if you get stranded or have a medical emergency while in port, they are as useless as a birth certificate. Personally if you are going to spend the money, you might as well fork over a few more bucks for a real passport. JMHO.

I agree 100%.

I just got off the line with Carnival. They did confirm that we DON'T NEED passports.

I don't know why people would not get a passport for travel. If you are outside of the USA and need, for whatever reason, to return in a hurry, you need a passport. I'm dealing with this very problem with family members (telling them to get passports). You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make em drink. ;)

I booked an interior spa for 2 adults and 2 kids (12 and 13)-- all female. Am having some second thoughts and wondering whether this is going to be terribly uncomfortable. Should i just go with a balcony or two interior rooms? Both of those options would be about the same price to upgrade. Was thinking some of us could use the spa showers when needed. I am a little worried about the berths above my head as well. Any advice or opinions welcome :)

The two kids will not be able to use the spa, you have to be 18. If you get two spa rooms you will be paying for benefits they can not use, so yes, I might look at other options. The two adults can buy a spa pass, you do not need to be in spa rooms to do that. If you do move, and plan to buy a spa pass I would do it sooner rather than later. I might also add, that I have never had an interior cabin before, but it does not sound comfortable with 4 people.

You are correct....you know how to call the Hogs!.....the WPS is something new that I believe started via facebook......glad people in NY are paying attention.

I bleed blue and I am not happy with what the Hogs did to my boys last week. I hope the next time we meet y'all won't be doin none of that WPS'in. :D

Unless something has changed recently, there is no age restriction, and no adult has to accompany them. It is a very common mistake that people make, especially on these boards. My last time on the Dream, a 15-year old boy was wanting to join in with the dancers hanging out in the piano bar, but thought he couldn't. But then, the cruise director told them that he absolutely could; no age limit.

 

OP, thank you so much for sharing your experience. I'll be on the Dream soon, and it's good to hear that they're keeping it together on there. One of the few Carnival ships left that is still trying to get this aspect of cruising right.

The policy states: Lounges, Shows, and the Dance Club: Guests under the age of 18 should be accompanied by an adult in all public areas of the ship. It does not say they must be accompanied, so you are technically correct. I stand corrected. However, I would prefer not to see teens hanging around the bars unaccompanied. :)

Do you know if there are age restrictions in the piano bar etc at night. My kids are 15 and 17. We are on the dream in 2 weeks! Cant wait! Glad you had a great time!

Yes. Under 18 must be accompanied by and adult. Not sure what time they must leave or even if they have a time.

Thanks! We are on the Dream in 90 days. Our third cruise on the Dream. Counting down the days. :D