Need an explanation!!

[BlackJack2]

Looking to book a 20-Day Mediterranean Collectors’ Voyage on the Noordam and I have several questions.

1. What is a Collectors’ Voyage?

2. It looks like this cruise is a combination of two different 10-Day Med cruises – one going east and one going west. They have combined the two to make a 20 day Collectors’ Voyage. What are the benefits on booking the Collectors’ Voyage? Does HAL treat this as one cruise or two back-to-back cruises?

[KirkNC]

It is a B2B cruise, the advantage to you is some savings over booking the same two cruises seperately. Some of your fellow passengers will get off after ten days and some new ones will get on. It is possible that your table mates will change at turn around as well.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Looking to book a 20-Day Mediterranean Collectors’ Voyage on the Noordam and I have several questions.

1. What is a Collectors’ Voyage?

2. It looks like this cruise is a combination of two different 10-Day Med cruises – one going east and one going west. They have combined the two to make a 20 day Collectors’ Voyage. What are the benefits on booking the Collectors’ Voyage? Does HAL treat this as one cruise or two back-to-back cruises?

 

Your answer to question 1 is in your question 2. It's a combination of two cruises. The main advantage is that it's usually somewhat cheaper than booking the two legs separately, and you have one booking number and one cabin for the whole cruise. For you it's one cruise. But they also sell the individual legs as stand-alone cruises. So at the middle of your cruise, some people may be disembarking and others will be embarking. What you have to do depends on the port. What's the port where this happens?

[kazu]

The other nice thing I have found about Collectors Voyages (aside from the price savings) is that you may enjoy some additional amenities on board for 'staying on'. It might be a lunch, it might be something else - but no matter what - there is no nicer feeling than knowing you're not leaving when others are - East and West Med - what a great combination:D:D

 

Sounds like a wonderful cruise to me on a great ship:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

By booking that cruise as a Collector's Cruise instead of a back-to-back cruise -- you will only have one booking number instead of 2. You also get a bit of discount.

We have done several Collector's cruises and as for extra ammenities -- I am still waiting for better ones that what we got.

[PathfinderEss]

Collector cruises are no more then b2b cruises, except you have one booking number, rather then two. You get better pricing then b2b and there can be other extra's such as a special lunch, etc. Sounds like a great cruise to me, have fun.

[Petronillus]

A long and recent thread has mercifully petered out, in which the OP complained bitterly at how the social atmosphere of his serene and tranquil Collector's Cruise got disrupted when at the midpoint a whole contingent of spring breakers boarded. Their raucous revelry was not to the OP's liking, and he felt he should have been warned.

[bernie5]

Looking to book a 20-Day Mediterranean Collectors’ Voyage on the Noordam and I have several questions.

1. What is a Collectors’ Voyage?

2. It looks like this cruise is a combination of two different 10-Day Med cruises – one going east and one going west. They have combined the two to make a 20 day Collectors’ Voyage. What are the benefits on booking the Collectors’ Voyage? Does HAL treat this as one cruise or two back-to-back cruises?

 

My son and I did this last summer and had a wonderful time.

The Noordam ship and crew were fabulous and we so enjoyed the turnaround day in Rome.

Somewhere there should be my review.

Have a super trip!

[sail7seas]

On some Collector's Voyages, we got justs about no extra amenities aside from a small discount over what the price of a regular b-to-b would be.

 

On our most recent Collector, Nieuw Amsterdam, we were given free Tamarind dinner, a cocktail party and an Indonesian lunch I seem to recall. We didn't (don't ) go to the suite or special lunches so I'm not really sure if that Collectors it was offered.

 

There almost 300 of us so a big group for which they provided nice extras.

[bernie5]

Here is a link to my review of our Noordam Mediterranean cruise last summer

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=85338

[Sea42]

For our September Med. Cruise our 20 day itinerary is being sold currently for $3399 (VD), the cost for the 2 10 day cruises is $4498. So there is a nice savings by booking the 20 day.

Your Onboard Credits may also be more with a day 20 cruise versus 2 10 day cruises.

Shareholder credit: $250 vs. $200 per cabin

FCC: $75 vs. $75 (Verandah)pp

[Jade13]

Looking to book a 20-Day Mediterranean Collectors’ Voyage on the Noordam and I have several questions.

1. What is a Collectors’ Voyage?

2. It looks like this cruise is a combination of two different 10-Day Med cruises – one going east and one going west. They have combined the two to make a 20 day Collectors’ Voyage. What are the benefits on booking the Collectors’ Voyage? Does HAL treat this as one cruise or two back-to-back cruises?

 

It is cheaper to do them together if you have the time. Note that we did "West" in 2007 (was on Westerdam) and "East" in 2008 (on Noordam). It is one of the Best Med itineraries on any ship!

[GregnChris]

We took a 24 day Collectors tour in the Eurodam last summer in the Baltic and North Sea. Really enjoyed it.

 

One thing to be aware of is in the booking of excursions once you are on board. Once on board, you cannot book excursions for the second leg of the trip until that leg actually starts. For some reason, their on board booking cannot handle that. Once they start the second leg, you can book excursions for that leg.

 

We ran into this on the Eurodam last year. But the excursions crew was very nice, gave us an excursions booking sheet for the second leg, and told us if we turned them in on the last night of the first leg, they would be processed first thing for the second leg.

 

Your best bet is to select your excursions and book them before you leave. That way you are less likely to be shut out due to limits on the number of participants.

 

Greg

[Candy]

A long and recent thread has mercifully petered out, in which the OP complained bitterly at how the social atmosphere of his serene and tranquil Collector's Cruise got disrupted when at the midpoint a whole contingent of spring breakers boarded. Their raucous revelry was not to the OP's liking, and he felt he should have been warned.

I may have been on the 1st leg of that Collector's Cruise, and it was fabulous! I wonder who assured the OP that the cruise would be 'serene and tranquil' at ANY time during EITHER leg?

[Candy]

A long and recent thread has mercifully petered out, in which the OP complained bitterly at how the social atmosphere of his serene and tranquil Collector's Cruise got disrupted when at the midpoint a whole contingent of spring breakers boarded. Their raucous revelry was not to the OP's liking, and he felt he should have been warned.

I may have been on the 1st leg of that Collector's Cruise, and it was fabulous! I wonder who assured the OP that the cruise would be 'serene and tranquil' at ANY time during EITHER leg?