2Long2NxtCrz

Definitely following along. We board as soon as you leave and I cannot believe it's finally here! Hope you have a great time!

I took my elderly parents to Alaska back in Aug 2018. We did a land tour first then boarded the Radiance of the Seas at Skagway. When in Ketchikan, we were able to chat with the native artist that carved the totem pole on the Radiance, so that was super cool! We had fabulous weather for the entire trip, even saw the peak of Denali from the train plus we were so close to Hubbard that it felt like I could touch the glacier. But, I booked the Nieuw Amsterdam for this August for hubby's birthday and then we're doing 5 days of land touring afterwards, mostly via train. I wanted hubby to have a chance to see Glacier Bay and this north bound trip embarks on his birthday (a milestone). I haven't been on the Volendam, but I did just book it for an 11-night Boston to Montreal in August 2024. I honestly don't think you can go wrong with either. Just make sure you are allowed enough time in each port.

First, and foremost, the ship itself is beautiful. It has lots of spaces where you can sit and watch the ocean. We loved hanging out at the sunset bar. It has a ton of comfortable seating, most with shade. We played a lot of backgammon (we have a travel set) there during our cruise. We loved Eden for the shows and the views. It's also a good place to relax and watch the sea during the day if you don't want to be outside. The center hub of the ship is very well set up. Between the martini bar and cafe al bacio there's always something delicious to drink. The main theater is impressive with it's technology and the round stage. And all of that doesn't mention the world class bar or the restaurants. We didn't try any specialty dining because the four different MDRs worked great for us. And while the infinite veranda isn't exactly a balcony it does provide a view without being in the elements and extends the size of the room. The embarkation area works really well which is just another example of how well thought out the ship's design is. If you have any specific questions, just let me know.

August 12, 2026? I'll add it to my plans since that's close enough to hubby's birthday it'd be a great present for him (and maybe by then I'll be retired and we can take longer than 2-week cruises). Thanks!

I know this isn't for the drink package, but I called yesterday to order wi-fi for our upcoming Solstice cruise in mid-April. There was a sale going on that lowered the price of the Premium wi-fi to $27.99/day from the pre-cruise price of $29.99. I was hoping to get the sale price + my 25% Captain's Club discount for $20.99/day. They wouldn't combine the sale and my discount, but my 25% discount did apply to the pre-cruise "sale" price, if that makes sense? Basically I didn't get the $2/day extra discount, but my discount still applied to the pre-cruise pricing. I would hope the drinks package would work the same?

We loved the Beyond as well and I can't wait to get back to her next March. The entire ship is beautiful but the Sunset bar area during the day and Eden at night are two of our favorite areas anywhere. The ship is beautiful and the service and entertainment were a class "beyond". LOL. Yes, we had an IV room that creaked a lot, but to be fair to the engineers and designers of the ship, we were also experiencing very large, long swells that couldn't really be compensated for by the stabilizers. So our poor captain was very apologetic as the ship swayed almost the entire voyage. I expect that will not be the norm as our last night the sea was cooperating and our room was perfectly silent.

I had a friend sail this past January on Hurtigruten from Southhampton up to the Arctic circle and while the crew and ports were great, the ship was not in good shape, far too many things (like the door lock in one room, electrical in another) were not functional and there were no plans for them to be fixed because the ship was due for a refurb. I totally understand not spending money to temporarily fix something that is going to be replaced/upgraded, but they shouldn't have sold the cruise with the ship in that state of disrepair, or at least they should have revealed this issues up front so that people can make an informed choice. The only reason I bring this up is because Hurtigruten didn't make it right for her. And as much as all of us on CC complain about the mainstream cruise lines, I just don't think any of them would handle things as poorly as the main office did. And, yes, I know this could have just been a one-off, and wouldn't happen to anyone else, but it makes me cautious and I feel like everyone should have as much information as they can get, so my take away is to double check that any cruise with Hurtigruten is on a newly or recently refurbished ship.

Wow. I know hubby and I would absolutely love to see that, but we already booked a partial transit for March 2024 to coincide with my next milestone birthday. Since eclipses happen fairly regularly, do you know of anyway to track if a cruise will be offered to see one?

I've been looking at cruises for Fall 2024 or late Winter 2025 and none of the lines (Princess, HAL, NCL, and Celebrity) that I've looked at have been good values per se. But, then again, I wasn't look at insides because hubby has always insisted on at least a balcony. With the prices I'm seeing, I'm thinking you have the right attitude. And, it's absolutely a cost-benefit analysis that everyone must do for themselves. I have 3 cruises booked currently, two on Celebrity and our first on HAL. I'm willing to give other lines a try, but so far Celebrity is still our favorite (with the Beyond our favorite ship).

This is it for us, too. Bad things happen no matter where you are. It helps to be flexible and to try to look on the bright side, even if one of those bad things meant hubby spent an overnight in the hospital in Costa Rica. Despite that, we look fondly on that trip and even that experience. It gave us great insight into the country and the people who were unfailingly generous. I was given great advice by my boss about seven years ago: the only thing you have complete control over is your attitude. Mine was not good at the time and was bringing everyone down, especially me. It's amazing how much better everything is when I curtail the negative attitude and try to put a positive spin on things. The cruise industry is recovering from being completely shutdown for nearly two years. Of course things aren't going to be the way they were. Prices and service are not going to be the same. So I have to decide if I still want to take a cruise or do something else. It's a cost-benefit analysis and only I can make the final choice of whether or not it's worth it, even with the reduced product. So far it's been worth it for us. And for Alaska there's not really an easier or better way to get there. So we're in and looking forward to it.

I'm following along because, like you, our Alaska cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam will be our first HAL cruise. We don't cruise until the end of August and are heading North because I wanted to be on a ship for hubby's birthday. I will echo what someone else above said (and I've already booked these tours) but Harv & Marv's in Juneau is great for whale watching. They have smaller ships and are very experienced. I used them back in 2018 when I took my elderly parents to Alaska. Also, the train in Skagway. We booked with Chilkoot Charters again as they were so good back in 2018. This time we're going even longer on the train. Whatever you do, Alaska is magnificent and the glaciers awe inspiring. I hope you have a great trip!

I wish there were a better way to explain what exactly I'm unhappy with. These surveys are too high level and the comment boxes don't allow enough characters to go into everything that I'd like to say. I'm sure that's by design. Royal's executives want to use the surveys as a cudgel on their employees and ignore that a lot of the dissatisfaction comes directly from their decisions. I haven't ever had a dining team ask me more than once to give them a ten. The last cruise where there were sixteen of us, they mentioned it on the last night, but that was it. I gave them glowing reviews and even took their names to write commendations because we were a table of sixteen. My strategy has always been to get the names of those staff that have gone above and beyond and make sure I list them. Those we also give cash tips at the end. Anything we can do to help. Then I use the comment boxes if there is anything that needs attention, although hubby's idea on that is to tell them right away when they might have a chance of fixing the problem.

Those discounts are for buying a bottle. I was speaking about the ones served per glass. And, yes, I can try any of the per glass wines even if it's over the limit of the package, I just have to pay the overage + grat.

Thank you for the wonderful review and I'm so glad you made it to the ship and got to enjoy your cruise. It's been a crazy 2023 already and I'm very much looking forward to our cruise on the Solstice in mid-April, especially now.

I had never heard of a French 77 until I read your post. I googled it and that sounds like the perfect drink for me. I love a French 75, but adding in Elderflower liqueur? Sounds perfect. Thank you!

When we were in PV in early November we did a cooking class that was amazing. We met the chef at the market, just a few blocks from the ship. He toured the market picking up ingredients for our lunch. Then he took us to his home where we proceeded to cook the entire meal including tortillas. I've never had sting ray before but it was very good. I'd do it again easily as the dishes change with what's freshest in the market.

We loved this itinerary so much (we were on Princess for it back in October) that we're doing Celebrity in mid-April. I'm following along for your opinion on the Solstice. I hope you have a marvelous time!

True. But it's so much easier to just not bother. I like being able to choose practically any wine on the menu and hubby gets to have all of his top-shelf Scotch. Still. We'll see how much we really drink come April. I suspect that even if I'm trying to be "fair" I'll drink less because I'm pretty cheap and having to see the cost for each macchiato, or sparkling water, etc that I drink is likely going to discourage me. LOL.

I'm booked through a TA, one I've used many times and I always see what dining I have noted on our booking confirmation, but I don't for our HAL cruise. I'll just email her and ask. I'm pretty sure she knows we prefer open, but sometimes things get mixed up. Thanks again for your help!

Thank you for explaining this. We've booked our first cruise on HAL this August to Alaska and I have been searching everywhere for what seating we have. We prefer Anytime because the early is usually far too early and the late too late. But nothing on my booking indicates that and there's nowhere to make reservations online except for Specialty dining.

The Edge (first e-class) ship was the reason I started looking at Celebrity. It turns out that it was far too expensive at the time (first sailing) so I booked the Equinox. Then the Summit. Then the Eclipse. And I booked the Beyond for a Panama Canal for my 60th in 2024. Then we lucked into a Caribbean cruise on the Beyond this past December and I've never been quite so struck by a ship before. It's a beautiful ship. I love the way the venues flow and the variety of MDRs. The Sunset bar is a glorious space for quiet contemplation. And Eden became our favorite space on any cruise ship so don't miss it. Jeans are fine in the MDR, just no holes and definitely no shorts. If the weather is right for it, the pools by the SunSet bar (or Rooftop, however you want to think of them) are great. They were far too cold for me on our sailing. Luckily the Solarium is always available. I'm a planner and get a bit (okay a lot) stressed if I don't have everything planned out, so I booked all of our dinners up front. You don't have to do that, but if you want to see specific shows at specific times, it's best to do so. We had the Premium Drink package because aperol, apparently, is a "premium" spirit and an Aperol Spritz is my go-to day drink. But the prices have gone up and if a drink package wasn't included in your fare, I'd consider not buying one. We're trying that out on our April Solstice cruise to see how much we really spend. I might end up with sticker shock. If the drink package is included in your fare, don't hesitate to use it. Coffee and non-alcoholic drinks including bottled water and sparkling water are included, which is a plus for me and my coffee-addicted husband. If you have any specific questions, just ask. There are so many knowledgeable people on here. I've learned so much from CC and am still learning!

I know it was a few years ago, but my stepdad and I did the Saxman tour (with the ship because I wasn't chancing anything with my 80+ dad). It was amazing. We got to talk to the Native artist that carved the totem on the ship we were cruising on (Radiance of the Seas). It might not be for everyone, but we enjoyed it immensely. My stepdad was thrilled to talk to the artist. He was fascinating.

Thank you very much for the link! Those pdfs were incredibly informative.

Thank you for this info! I booked our first HAL cruise for hubby's 60th to Alaska and got SY6113. Glad to know it's a good room. I thought so, but since I've never been on HAL wasn't quite sure how the rooms were compared to the deck plans.

Utterly confused it with another port. Not a bad life if I'm cruising that often, right? 😄