OlsSalt

You will be near Tivoli Gardens and Glyptoteket Museum - both very worthy destinations. Very walkable city and good public transportation so pretty much the entire city will be at your disposal. We love Tivoli Gardens in the late afternoon, early evening for dining, as the lights all go on. Expensive, but such a magical space. Yes, it is corny. Yes, it is touristy. But it is unique, still beautifully maintained and long a signature in this special city.

Again, getting the thermal spa package may be the better option - floating weightless in the thermal pool and reclining on the heated loungers while gorgeous views go floating by may be "almost as good". There are also dry heat saunas available to all passengers, location always quite secretive but "just ask" and they will be revealed. Ask at the spa reception desk. Plus a chance to share notes with other thermal spa customers, to learn if one massage specialist stands out over the others.

Is Canaletto now making their former daily specials available every day? That was the last change I had heard about. It was certainly the best speciality restaurant on our last Konigsdam cruise. They have really upped their game. The lamb was wonderful.

Sad to also report, but the onboard pedicure are also over-priced. compared to stateside prices. Better off finding a place while ashore, or getting this done before or after the cruise, Always wanted to try those fish-nibbling pedicures, mainly in Asian ports, but never had the time. That said I have had several hair high-lightings done on board which have have been priced comparably, and was happy with the results.

Almost the same question was asked by another poster for the Zuiderdam. It appears the only real material difference is you can get hot savory items at the Princess International Cafe, where you might have to go to a non-coffee venue on HAL ships to get similar items - Dive inn, NY Pizza, and 24 hour Room Service. As well as some HAL ships who also offer the Dutch Cafe which is more similar to the International Cafe - though not open 24 hours a day. But HAL continues to offer 24 hour free room service. And it has very good choices. Additionally, there are commercially packaged snacks for purchase in the ship store if one is really desperate.

No Dive IN, no Taco Bar, No NY pizza, no Room Service? Last cruise, certain Lido stations did stay open - salad bar, ice cream and sweets.

Muster drills today look like they are of no value whatsoever training the crew to respond in an actual emergency, when all passengers must operate as a whole, together, in a very short period of time.

Being now asked to pre-order dessert probably falls into the HAL can never win category, since prior the main complaints were about long dinners that took far too long. 2-3 hours sometimes. In response, they played around with various service options and personnel switches until now if any thing one is in and out almost too quickly. Before they tried to make it under 90 minutes; now I think it is under 60 minutes .....from our own experience (late fixed dining). Changes that may be good for some; not so good for others who are used to more leisurely and paced course offerings. Some time ago, they combined both appetizer and soup course to cut down on multiple course service demands, but the complaints about long dinners still came in. So I suspect the pre-order dessert is also being tried to see if "dinner takes too long" complaints will resolve. Best that can be said, HAL is trying new options to see if it can find the sweet spot - the Goldilocks dinner options. With enough complaints about pre-ordering dessert, I suspect we will see changes again. But I also think one can refuse to pre-order any dessert, and then ask the steward to see the dessert menu again the end of the meal. We found dining stewards go out of their way (if/when) they can to accommodate and make the experience mutually enjoyable. BTW: DH loved your take on the Dive-In Dog - this is the first thing he gets, once on board. Thanks for featuring it. Sorry the milkshake was a disappointment from GELATO - I was a big fan of their dreamy espresso chip gelato - in a cup. Just perfect. You did a great job with the details in that video. Felt like being at home again on a HAL ship and all the features we also have come to love about what is still included for the cruise price.

Never use in-room coffee maker also gets filed under "Urban Myths". To each their own: https://nypost.com/2023/05/11/im-a-flight-attendant-heres-why-i-avoid-hotel-coffee-makers/

Made several cruise stops in Egypt - yes the ship arranges the visas. So if they say they do, expect this to be true. No extra work required on your part. Egypt very much wants tourism to come back to their remarkable country, so I suspect they will be doing everything they can to make this easy. Hope you enjoy this port stop - it will be a jam packed day. It can assault the senses, so be ready for it. I have loved every visit to Egypt and each has been chaotic in ways not found in other countries but mainly a very welcoming country. Be very careful about eating or drinking anything.

What is the Princess International Cafe? Sounds like more hot savory items, panini's etc than what is available at the HAL Explorations Cafe on the Zuiderdam which is more pastry, finger food and specialty coffees. But other venues on HAL ships offer choices more hot snacks - Dive in, NY Pizza and the come back of the build your own Taco-Nacho Bars. Plus they are keeping some Lido stations open longer now, while main food service shuts down between breakfast-lunch-dinner transitions - the salad bar and other smaller offering options are open when the main sections close down. Just not in one central location like the International Cafe.

Gala nights are intended to be enjoyed by those who wants to go beyond the ordinary every day cruise attire, and enjoy an evening that takes on special sparkle by those who also enjoy making this a special event night. Plus makes a very nice onboard photo opportunity. It is not a forced march for anyone who do not chose to take it up a notch. The ships have been responsive to changing tastes over the past decade or so, when it was "enforced", and indeed was a very glamours evening with long gowns and black tie. A throw back to the more format days of sea travel. Ever watch the evening dining scenes from the Love Boat? Some like to celebrate those old traditions; but today they are meaningless to many others.

Interesting how much emphasis was put on the personal care level on HAL ships, and not really mentioned for the other "top" lines. Hope HAL preserves this special "premium" niche--another word repeated in the HAL entry. Which makes one wonder what those other lines really look like on board.

Pickpockets and hassled by mimes on the Ramblas - which is the main tourist pedestrian area. Still fun to see and wander the side streets and large public market. Just pay very close attention to your belongings and do not get distracted. There are plenty of other areas to explore away from this main tourist attraction, so a little homework ahead of time will pay off to see the unique this city offers. Do explore the many outdoor Tapas cafes - small snacks for a leisurely early evening people watching parade.

You can get envelopes at the front desk or bring a few along with you. Additionally, you can drop off notes in writing, or on the Navigator in special recognition of named crew members. Both of equal value, in the big picture. Yes, you can tip the concierge directly at the end of the cruise. This personal tip would be over an above any share they might get from the "crew appreciation" surcharges, put on everyone's final cruise account. .

Great video - insights into the work the crews do and their interactions with each other was infectious. Thanks for sharing. Great narrator.

One of the Neptune benefits - the Neptune concierge can get reservations for you - they have their ways apparently when all other avenues are blocked. Visit with the concierge as soon as you get on board, for any dining arrangements you were not able to make ahead of time.

Reading up online about various cruise line alcohol policies. Some are out of date, so search carefully. Some lines do allow on board consumption, but in your cabin only. Most others allow zero to a very limited number bottles brought on board with a fee charged per bottle, even if consumed in your room. If additional bottles are purchased in the duty free shopping before boarding, they are held by the ship and returned to you upon disembarkation. So that might explain why you can purchase it and take advantage of the duty free, but you are not allowed to consume it on board. You can also purchase alcohol duty free onboard the ship itself, and I assume this is also held for you until you disembark. And hopefully accepted by the airlines as a lawful duty free -- and sealed -- purchase.

The ability to buy alcohol before getting on the ship does not change the HAL regulations. Not sure what you are saying here. Ships are closed systems and you do need to abide by their regulations if you choose to go on any particular cruise line - they have reasons for many of what might appear to be restrictive regulations, and/or risk management. This is for the general safety of all concerned - you, your fellow passengers, the staff, the crew and the ship itself. Cruising is a "group" activity. Color within the lines is the best way to approach it.

If you want to dine as a family, I recommend "fixed dining", so you have the same table and wait staff. It will make a more intimate and friendly time on the ship getting to know your dining team as well as them getting to know you. Easier to make this work when you choose "late fixed" - less crowded. You can still go to any of the specialty restaurants any night you wish - be that Canaletto (Italian), Tamarind (Asian) or Pinnacle- steaks, chops, fish etc) But you would have a home base table if you choose "fixed" dining. Or order room service for everyone in your nicely sized Neptune Suite. (Better off with more casual entrees than a full sit down for room service with your larger groups, but depending on the weather you will have a nice table and chairs on your verandah for at least four people.) And you might also want to plan the thermal spa time in the late afternoon when it is also less crowded while others are on their way to early dining. I personally would take the thermal spa package which has multiple ways of enjoying some down time, over a single onboard massage. The thermal spa as heated loungers, aroma showers, as well as the very large thermal pool you can even paddle around it. If you get too hungry to wait for late dining (around 8pm) you can go to the afternoon tea, or have some late after noon snacks, at Dive-In, Taco Bar, Pizza or the always open salad bars. I hope you have a wonderful time -sounds like a very special family treat and hope your parents love for HAL ships rubs off on you too. Bon voyage.

It is a continuum -- the range between no complaints and active boycotts. Where is the bright line in response to the business school admonition that complaints are both necessary, desired and justified. Versus those who repeatedly tell us they hated HAL and will never sail her again. Okay, got it. Once is good enough for me. But by sheer repetition of their complaints and references to using other cruise lines instead fall within this continuum, if not yet an active request to boycott HAL. YMMV.

Rule of thumb in our community of about 90,000. If the city council gets five letters on a topic, independently, they take notice.

It is a continuum. Where does the line get drawn. No complaints to boycott demands.

Where does the line get drawn between duty to complain to management (agree), and demanding others boycott the entire product because of your own personal negative experience?

So the Amsterdam World Cruises were money losers too, for that size ship? And the Prinsendam even at her higher fares? Wish we had facts, not just speculation. Maybe there was not a market for full enrichment cruises with exotic itineraries after their short run and awkward roll-out. Or the old Maasdam was slated for departure regardless. Whatever, they were grand, grand cruise packages for those who sought them out.