Hello.. some help (please)..

[MisterMatthew]

32 minutes ago, lindaler said:

If you like sailing out of San Diego, consider doing the Panama Canal cruise to Fort Lauderdale and then back to San Diego. The casino cruises will let you do two at once. And it brings you back to being not far from home. Great way to spend 35 days of winter. 

Hi there... Well, to be clear, this offer awarded to me is for my choice of ONE SAILING.  Not a round-tripper.  But, 35 days does seem like a nice idea. 

[MisterMatthew]

8 minutes ago, Sea42 said:

Just be aware that the taxes & fees will be higher for a cruise through the canal. The ships pay a set amount for passage and that is divided among the passengers. They are quite a bit higher than other cruises. Maybe someone who has done the cruise can comment on what that amount is.

SEA-42

 

That I did not know.  Thank you for the information.  When I called the cruise consultant at HAL, last week (to get a feel for taxes).  I was quoted (for 7 Day Mex Riviera SD, CALIF-->SD, CALIF) was $180.30. 

 

I will certainly have to keep that in mind. 

 

---Matthew

[Navybikermom]

I have a Zaandam full transit coming up in January and the port fees and taxes are $575. 

[sandiego1]

Yeah, no hotel on either end of you go SAN to FTL. Why don’t you price both out since the dates are different and see how much extra it would be? 
 

The crew can get pretty tired as they have the same amount of work to do, but only have a 23 hour day when there is a West to East time change. They have to lose an hour of sleep to keep up. I don’t like the West to East cruises for the the same reason and I’m not working while on the ship.
 

For the Zuiderdam, you’ll want to get a category J cabin on deck 1 as those are the biggest insides on the ship. You’ll want cabins with a number lower than 1040 to avoid being directly under the very loud Rolling Stones Lounge.  Many of the other insides are so small they don’t even have a couch, just a bed and desk. 
 

I haven’t been on the Zandam so can’t comment on those inside cabins. 

[MisterMatthew]

2 minutes ago, sandiego1 said:

Yeah, no hotel on either end of you go SAN to FTL. Why don’t you price both out since the dates are different and see how much extra it would be? 
 

The crew can get pretty tired as they have the same amount of work to do, but only have a 23 hour day when there is a West to East time change. They have to lose an hour of sleep to keep up. I don’t like the West to East cruises for the the same reason and I’m not working while on the ship.
 

For the Zuiderdam, you’ll want to get a category J cabin on deck 1 as those are the biggest insides on the ship. You’ll want cabins with a number lower than 1040 to avoid being directly under the very loud Rolling Stones Lounge.  Many of the other insides are so small they don’t even have a couch, just a bed and desk. 
 

I haven’t been on the Zandam so can’t comment on those inside cabins. 

Hi.

Yes, I am familiar with the Zuiderdam.  It was the ship I was on (this last April).  My offer does not have any Zuiderdam sailings.

Thanks my friend.

[dwc13]

18 minutes ago, MisterMatthew said:

Hi there... Well, to be clear, this offer awarded to me is for my choice of ONE SAILING.  Not a round-tripper.  But, 35 days does seem like a nice idea. 

 

You're in Vegas. $100 across on the ATS bet and roll the All All and make it a 35 day cruise, even with the lousy 30x/150x/30x Strip payout on a win. Simple, right?

[MisterMatthew]

2 minutes ago, dwc13 said:

 

You're in Vegas. $100 across on the ATS bet and roll the All All and make it a 35 day cruise, even with the lousy 30x/150x/30x Strip payout on a win. Simple, right?

Oh my gosh.

I have seen that bet.

I talk to the crew.

And, the BOYS tell me... "eh, it might hit once a day"

:)

[MisterMatthew]

A question, that I forgot to ask, is that of Spring Break. 

 

I searched online to get an idea of spring break dates -- and, search results were pretty mixed. 

 

Do the HAL cruises often get Spring Breakers?  My guess (and, I could be wrong) is that it would be a low number.  That's figuring in the idea that HAL is for the more "mature" customer. 

 

But, otherwise -- do SpringBreakers select specific sailings MORE SO than "other sailings"?

 

Thank you again.

 

---- Matthew

[Mom39]

Since you've only been on the Zuiderdam, I'd recommend one of the three newer ships: Rotterdam, Nieuw Statendam, or Konigsdam.  

 

[0106]

29 minutes ago, MisterMatthew said:

HAL cruises often get Spring Breakers?

More families with children, usually the week before or after the Easter holiday.

[Navybikermom]

31 minutes ago, MisterMatthew said:

A question, that I forgot to ask, is that of Spring Break. 

 

I searched online to get an idea of spring break dates -- and, search results were pretty mixed. 

 

Do the HAL cruises often get Spring Breakers?  My guess (and, I could be wrong) is that it would be a low number.  That's figuring in the idea that HAL is for the more "mature" customer. 

 

But, otherwise -- do SpringBreakers select specific sailings MORE SO than "other sailings"?

 

Thank you again.

 

---- Matthew

I was on a Caribbean cruise in mid-March and there were a LOT of young people on that one. Some of the kids were not well-behaved at all. I was very surprised, since I had not seen that before, but this was my first spring cruise. I will avoid them in the future. 

[MisterMatthew]

14 minutes ago, Navybikermom said:

I was on a Caribbean cruise in mid-March and there were a LOT of young people on that one. Some of the kids were not well-behaved at all. I was very surprised, since I had not seen that before, but this was my first spring cruise. I will avoid them in the future. 

Oh.

Oh boy.

[crystalspin]

29 minutes ago, 0106 said:

More families with children, usually the week before or after the Easter holiday.

Sunday April 9

Easter 2023

[AFNavigator]

1 hour ago, MisterMatthew said:

do SpringBreakers select specific sailings MORE SO than "other sailings"?

You're probably not going to see many spring breakers on a Panama Canal sailing.  Most spring break crowd are looking for shorter, cheaper cruises with heavy party atmosphere and stops at island beaches.  That definitely does not describe a relatively long Panama Canal transit cruise.

[lcand1923]

 A full transit of the Panama Canal is my favorite cruise.  (A Sunfarer cruise of the Panama Canal is a Partial Transit with a turn around in Gatun Lake.)

 

I would lean towards a Full Transit early in the year.  That way, you may just get another “free cruise” offer later in the year.

 

My second favorite cruise is any to Alaska.  

 

Pick whatever cruise is the longest.

 

 

[RuthC]

If you choose a cruise on the Zaandam, then an inside on Lower Promenade is an excellent choice. I would (and have) taken an inside between the forward and mid-ship elevator banks many times on the R-class ships. They are spacious (larger than the outside cabins across the passageway, even!), easy to get to either side of the ship, and close to everything you could want to get to (or come home from). 

I would be a little careful of the few cabins close to the mid-ship elevators on port side. In very heavy seas you could hear the crashing of dishes in the Pinnacle Grill above. Friends of mine were kept awake one night when that happened. 

Personally, I would take the longest cruise possible on their dime. You may want that longer itinerary someday, so why not get it free. Take the shorter cruises when you are paying full freight. 
Think about getting away during the Vegas summer heat, too. It was brutal out there one August! 

[SetAnOpenCourse]

3 hours ago, MisterMatthew said:

do SpringBreakers select specific sailings MORE SO than "other sailings"?

There are a few websites that list the week that each college is on break.  You could avoid Caribbean itineraries that are within the two or three weeks in which the majority are clustered.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

Congratulations, Panama Canal would be my choice.  We're still kicking ourselves for not doing the full transit after our 5 night coastal cruise down to San Diego, October 2019.  We had no idea the world would soon get shut down!

 

14-16 Nights in the  Baltic or Alaska are excellent choices too.

[AFNavigator]

8 hours ago, MisterMatthew said:

BuilderBo...

All of the destinations sound interesting to me.  But, then again, I am not well-traveled... lol.  The cruise that I took (in April of this year) was the first time I left the United States.  Do appreciate the reply.

 

----Matthew

You also have to ask yourself, did I enjoy sea days a lot when I was on the Zuiderdam?  The Panama Canal transfer will have 7 sea days, 4 more than your Sea of Cortez cruise.  Also, did you enjoy the Music Walk on the Zuiderdam?  The Zaandam doesn't have the Music Walk that HALs newer ships have.  I haven't been on the Zaandam but those who have sure seem to like it for its classic ship look and feel.  You just need to honestly decide whether you want a ship with more to do or if this one will work for you, especially considering all the sea day time.

 

You mentioned you would plan to fly in to San Diego the morning of the cruise.  Think that through carefully.  If your flight gets cancelled, are there enough backup flight options to ensure you get to San Diego in time?  Most people plan to arrive at the embarkation city at least the day prior to safeguard against missing the ship.

 

You also should strongly consider buying travel insurance, especially considering a Panama Canal transfer puts you a long way away from home if you get sick or injured and have to leave the ship.

 

Finally, do you have a passport?  If not, apply immediately.  This cruise will require a passport.  A passport was recommended but not required on your previous cruise because it was a "closed-loop" (same departure and arrival port) itinerary.  This Panama Canal cruise is not closed-loop so passports are required.

[TickledBlue]

15 hours ago, Sea42 said:

Just be aware that the taxes & fees will be higher for a cruise through the canal. The ships pay a set amount for passage and that is divided among the passengers. They are quite a bit higher than other cruises. Maybe someone who has done the cruise can comment on what that amount is.

Taxes and fees were $455pp on our upcoming Eurodam 10-day cruise.   Pretty steep, but if you want to do a Panama canal cruise, it's going to be pricey whether or not if the cruise cost is covered.

 

So far, the Zaandam is the only HAL ship that we sailed on (twice, in 2005 and 2022).   Was really impressed with how well it was kept up back on our June Canada cruise.  Would not hesitate on cruising on it again.

[OneWiseCruiser]

We are on the SD to FL January Zaandam Cruise and chose it because it goes all the way through the PC.  We have previously cruised halfway through from FL on the Zuiderdam and enjoyed it immensely.  We have done all the various HAL Caribbean routs and there were no bad trips or ships.  We have done two Alaska Cruises on HAL, the first also included a Land travel week with a great train segment.  We took the second Alaska voyage because Alaska is one of the most beautiful and exciting environment we have ever experienced.  We met a teenage young women in Alaska who told us her dad made the family move to Alaska when Montana got crowded.  

[MisterMatthew]

All of you, thank you for the feedback thus far!

 

On the cruise (panama canal) on Zaandam, it shows that you only get 5 hours in Puerto Vallarta.  Sigh, that is one of my favorite ports in my "early" cruising career.  Hmm. 

 

In addition, I am looking (forgive me, I'm talking to myself LOL) at the fact that there are a LOT of sea days.  Thank you for reminding me of that, AFNavigator.  Sea days are okay.  But, I kind of like a better balance of Port Days.  You can get a lot "done" on the ship on a Port Day when you don't go ashore.  I kind of liked that on my SeaOfCortez sailing.  Hmm.  Double hmmm.

 

--- Matthew

[Mary229]

7 minutes ago, MisterMatthew said:

All of you, thank you for the feedback thus far!

 

On the cruise (panama canal) on Zaandam, it shows that you only get 5 hours in Puerto Vallarta.  Sigh, that is one of my favorite ports in my "early" cruising career.  Hmm. 

 

In addition, I am looking (forgive me, I'm talking to myself LOL) at the fact that there are a LOT of sea days.  Thank you for reminding me of that, AFNavigator.  Sea days are okay.  But, I kind of like a better balance of Port Days.  You can get a lot "done" on the ship on a Port Day when you don't go ashore.  I kind of liked that on my SeaOfCortez sailing.  Hmm.  Double hmmm.

 

--- Matthew

That is the drawback but since you have never done the Caribbean still consider one of those longer cruises.  Ports I don’t like are anything in Jamaica, Cuba (educated by Cubans so I have a blind spot), Honduras. I have not been to Belize but I hear it has become much like Honduras - sort of dirty.    I have pretty much liked everywhere else in the Caribbean, east, west and south.  I particularly like St Lucia and Cayman.  

[MisterMatthew]

Hi everyone.  Hope each and everyone of you is doing well.

 

It has been several days since I've been on the board.  Well, anyhow, I've selected a cruise for my casino "comp".  And it is Alaska, 7 days, on the Eurodam. 

 

My sailing will begin in 29 years.  Okay, that is not true.  It just feels that it won't sail until then!!  I am going in May.

 

---- Matthew

[cruiser52forever]

On 11/16/2022 at 5:36 PM, MisterMatthew said:

Hi everyone.  Hope each and everyone of you is doing well.

 

It has been several days since I've been on the board.  Well, anyhow, I've selected a cruise for my casino "comp".  And it is Alaska, 7 days, on the Eurodam. 

 

My sailing will begin in 29 years.  Okay, that is not true.  It just feels that it won't sail until then!!  I am going in May.

 

---- Matthew

Fantastic!  I hope you do another report.   Your last one was very well done. Alaska is my dream vacation.   Someday, maybe after my kiddo graduates college.