Opinions on long cruises

[OlsSalt]

How many formal nights should we expect on the Statendam 30 night South Pacific in October? Also wonder if many tuxedos are seen on the longer cruises.

Thanks,

 

Under the dress guidelines HAL says to expect 3 on 10 day cruise and 4 on 14 day cruises I believe, and I guess a multiple of this for longer voyages. Somewhere along the way on our 50 day cruise we were notified of the exact number (14), but that changed along the way - got to be too many after all. Even I agreed because due to the port schedules some of them were only a few days apart.

 

We do late seating on longer cruises and easily see over 50% of the men still wear tuxes. Looks great. Other reports indicate fewer, but we always do an informal count because others here always want to know.

[casamariposa]

I was on a 21-day trip on the Maasdam which was really a 10- and 11-day b2b, which I'd never do again.

 

May I ask why you would not do this again?

 

Because it is two short cruises with a good number of passengers leaving and a new group coming on board. I travel solo, and meeting interesting people and having wonderful conversations...breakfast, lunch, dinner and in a comfy deck chair...are what it's about for me. I was once, before retirement, only able to take the shorter cruises, so I understand that most of the passengers I met on each of the segments of that b2b are exactly where I was. They were on board for some R&R before returning to work. (The shorter the cruise, the younger the passenger set, I've observed.) Also, the entertainment and the menus repeat themselves. And in some ports, which I have visited many times since I've been traveling for 50 years and didn't have a desire to visit again, there was NO evening entertainment because the ship was leaving late, and people were partying shoreside and not back on the ship for dinner or entertainment. I'm just at a different stage of life and enjoy learning about different cultures. St. Lucia in the Caribbean is beautiful, but so are the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, and they have so much more history! When I log onto my computer, I find at least three e-mails from people...solos and couples...who I've met on the longer cruises, some of whom I met and dined with on subsequent cruises. There is something out there on the high seas for everyone. Find your niche, I say.

[Bluwater7]

I was on a 21-day trip on the Maasdam which was really a 10- and 11-day b2b, which I'd never do again.

 

May I ask why you would not do this again?

 

Because it is two short cruises with a good number of passengers leaving and a new group coming on board. I travel solo, and meeting interesting people and having wonderful conversations...breakfast, lunch, dinner and in a comfy deck chair...are what it's about for me. I was once, before retirement, only able to take the shorter cruises, so I understand that most of the passengers I met on each of the segments of that b2b are exactly where I was. They were on board for some R&R before returning to work. (The shorter the cruise, the younger the passenger set, I've observed.) Also, the entertainment and the menus repeat themselves. And in some ports, which I have visited many times since I've been traveling for 50 years and didn't have a desire to visit again, there was NO evening entertainment because the ship was leaving late, and people were partying shoreside and not back on the ship for dinner or entertainment. I'm just at a different stage of life and enjoy learning about different cultures. St. Lucia in the Caribbean is beautiful, but so are the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, and they have so much more history! When I log onto my computer, I find at least three e-mails from people...solos and couples...who I've met on the longer cruises, some of whom I met and dined with on subsequent cruises. There is something out there on the high seas for everyone. Find your niche, I say.

 

Thank you for the reply ... I can see where you are coming from ... we are a couple so our circumstances are different. We have been to some of the ports but not all so our b2b should be okay for us. We are then staying on the same ship same cabin for another 49 days to South America. We will see lots of people coming and going. Looking forward to our winter escape. :)

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

After 12 days I turn into a pumpkin. If I win the lottery, I may have to make a coach out of that pumpkin and go for a longer cruise.......;)

 

Seriously, I am sure a long cruise is wonderful and I am so happy that so many others are able to get out there and enjoy them!!:)

[casamariposa]

Bluwater7, are you booked on the Maasdam 49-day for Carnaval in Rio and then up the Amazon on the return to Ft Lauderdale? I was on that cruise this past January. I'd say 1/4 of the passengers who boarded in Ft. Lauderdale disembarked in Rio, and about the same amount of "new" passengers boarded for the second half of the itinerary. So the majority of us remained and were "joined at the hip." It was a terrific journey, crossing the Equator THREE times! Maasdam is a great little ship with a wonderful crew. Enjoy!

[Bluwater7]

Bluwater7, are you booked on the Maasdam 49-day for Carnaval in Rio and then up the Amazon on the return to Ft Lauderdale? I was on that cruise this past January. I'd say 1/4 of the passengers who boarded in Ft. Lauderdale disembarked in Rio, and about the same amount of "new" passengers boarded for the second half of the itinerary. So the majority of us remained and were "joined at the hip." It was a terrific journey, crossing the Equator THREE times! Maasdam is a great little ship with a wonderful crew. Enjoy!

 

yes, we are going to do 70 days on the lovely Maasdam our first 21 days around the caribbean on the 21 day b2b then on down to Rio and back for 49 days. Glad to hear that you had a good trip on her last year. What did you end up doing in Rio for Carnaval - any hints to pass on for there or some of the other ports. We love the Maasdam - did the Voyage of the Vikings and of course the Canadian round trip Montreal Boston ... great ship and crew ... We like her. :):)

[casamariposa]

Bluwater, 7. The memory that is most amazing from that 49-day trip was sailing into the harbor at Rio with the sun coming up (marvelous morning, wonderful colors!) and seeing Sugarloaf and Corcovado silhoueted against the sky. I was up in the Crow's Nest by 5:00a.m. and was far from alone. We all sat and stood in silence taking it in. I did not go to the Carnaval festivities. I don't think I could have endured the crowds. After all it is their hot, peak summer season. I was in the Lido at 6:00 a.m. the next day, and got to sit with people who were just coming back from the parade. Hilarious stories. I opted to take an all-day tour to Petropolis the first day in port. It was wonderful to see a bit of the countryside. On the second day I took a city tour which got us to Copacabana Beach and on the railway up to the top of Corcovado. (And the best news of all is that you can "pee for free" in the restrooms at Copacabana if you're over 65. There are some advantages to being old! On Ash Wednesday a group of us were sitting on deck checking out port activities when all of a sudden hordes of little men wearing red and white started passing by on the street parallel to the Maasdam, towing all the Carnaval floats, headed towards the warehouses along the port where they were to be stored. So we had our own private Carnaval parade!

[Bluwater7]

Bluwater, 7. The memory that is most amazing from that 49-day trip was sailing into the harbor at Rio with the sun coming up (marvelous morning, wonderful colors!) and seeing Sugarloaf and Corcovado silhoueted against the sky. I was up in the Crow's Nest by 5:00a.m. and was far from alone. We all sat and stood in silence taking it in. I did not go to the Carnaval festivities. I don't think I could have endured the crowds. After all it is their hot, peak summer season. I was in the Lido at 6:00 a.m. the next day, and got to sit with people who were just coming back from the parade. Hilarious stories. I opted to take an all-day tour to Petropolis the first day in port. It was wonderful to see a bit of the countryside. On the second day I took a city tour which got us to Copacabana Beach and on the railway up to the top of Corcovado. (And the best news of all is that you can "pee for free" in the restrooms at Copacabana if you're over 65. There are some advantages to being old! On Ash Wednesday a group of us were sitting on deck checking out port activities when all of a sudden hordes of little men wearing red and white started passing by on the street parallel to the Maasdam, towing all the Carnaval floats, headed towards the warehouses along the port where they were to be stored. So we had our own private Carnaval parade!

 

 

Sounds like 3 wonderful days for you in Rio - thanks for the ideas. DH laughed at the over 65 freebee.... : )we both qualify...

[sevenseasnomad]

DH & I are booked on the Rotterdam in January for a 51 day cruise from Rotterdam to Singapore (so excited). Our longest main stream cruise so far is 12 days. Just wondering how you all enjoyed (or not) the long cruises? Pros and cons? I think they may have to drag me off in Singapore kicking and screaming. LOL:D

 

Lucky you! For us, there would be no cons to taking such a long cruise, except we can't afford it at present. Maybe if we win the lottery or gain a windfall from somewhere. . . Have an absolutely wonderful cruise.

[popcan]

We tried two - 7 day cruises before taking a 21 day cruise last Easter.

 

We weren't sure how we'd do for that length of time, but it was excellent.

 

The one thing we found was that near the end of that cruise there was a string of 5 ports in a row, which was a bit too much. a sea day in there somewhere would have been better......But overall, at the end we felt we could have continued a few more days.

 

So now we are booked for a 28 day collector cruise with 4 days pre-cruise, and 3 days post cruise planned. If we manage this one ok, then I think the sky's the limit!

 

:D

[casamariposa]

Bluwater 7, another drawback to going to Carnaval was the fact that the tickets were over $500. The Shore Excursion people were "sold out," but did manage to get their hands on a few more for those who wanted them. The passengers who took the HAL tour, rather than going through a local agency, said the system worked fine. The HAL bus was in a safely enclosed area near where they sat and shuttled passsengers back to the ship whenever they had had enough of the Samba music. Some people paid all that money and sat through only two of the Samba schools passing by. Other people stayed until the wee small hours and stumbled into the Lido at 6:00 a.m. I heard two people who had booked from a local agency that they had to walk several blocks and stand in front of a local bank waiting for their bus to pick them up. I would not like to do that anywhere at 3:00 a.m.

A couple of months before I sailed I went onto Amazon and purchased a CD of the 2009 Carnaval parade. After 20 minutes I had had enough and it cost me $6.49 vs. $500!!

[JimnKaren]

Like many others, while we were working, 7 days worked well. Then we got more seniority in our jobs and 14 days became the norm. We retired early this year and took 28-day Hawaii/French Polynesia on Statendam. Great!

 

What really impressed me on that cruise was the effort that the staff took to learn passenger names. They knew that you would be around for a while and it made things so much easier when the staff got to know the guests and the other way around. Karen has ended up with several Statendam friends on Facebook. To me, that's wonderful.

 

Coming up next is 42 days on Maasdam, lots of sea days as we cross the Atlantic (both ways) and then port intensive in the western Med. I anticipate being somewhat exhausted enough to relish the sea days on the return. I'll read at least 10 books and we'll watch lots of movies; Karen will knit and knit and knit while I take my naps.

 

The sea days are not for everyone, but that is what you will usually get when you are on a longer cruise. Even the trips from the west coast to Hawaii and back with 8 days at sea might be a bit much for many folks. Generally, though those who enjoy the sea days book that kind of cruise, so you will be will like-minded people.

 

Jim

[casamariposa]

Have a wonderful time, JimnKaren! I took that cruise in 2011, and it was the best one ever! You are absolutely correct. The crew makes a major effort to know your names. After all, you're all in the same boat...for a long time. And if you're readers, join the book discussion group on board. I'm still corresponding with people I met at the discussion group on that cruise. I'm booked on it again in October of 2014. I'm an early riser, and I've never witnessed such beautiful sunrises every morning, enjoying a mug of tea, on the stern deck at the rear of the Lido Buffet. Dozens of us formed a little community out there each morning. Bon voyage!