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Also Back From Sept11-18 Eastern

vbacht

By vbacht,
in Holland America Line

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vbacht

vbacht

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ARRIVED IN FT LAUDERDALE AND WAS PICKED UP BY OUR COMFORT INN AIRPORT SHUTTLE. WITHIN 15 MINUTES WE WERE AT OUR HOTEL AND MET THE REST OF OUR GROUP. FOUR COUPLES IN TOTAL, THREE OF THEM CELEBRATING THEIR 50TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES. HOTEL ACCOMADATIONS ARE WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT FOR A COMFORT INN. THEY HAD A NICE COURT YARD AREA WITH A BAR AND RESTAURANT, A COMPLIMETARY BREAKFAST IN THE MORNING AND SHUTTLE LEAVING FOR THE PORT AROUND 10.45AM. THERE WAS SHOPPING CLOSE BY SO THE NIGHT BEFORE WE PICKED UP SOME WINE AND OTHER SUPPLIES.

 

EMBARKATION: ARRIVED AROUND 11.00AM TO WHAT SEEMED TO BE A HUGE LINE UP. BUT EVERYTHING SEEMED TO MOVE PRETTY FAST. BY 12PM WE WERE UP IN THE LIDO, AND BY 12.15 THEY ANNOUNCED WE COULD GO TO OUR ROOMS.

 

ROOMS:MYSELF AND THREE OTHER COUPLE'S WERE IN A CAT.A (MY ROOM 7038) NICE CABIN, COMPARABLE TO OTHER CRUISE LINE'S WE HAVE BEEN ON.

MY PARENTS WERE IN A CATSS ROOM 6052, THEIR ROOM WAS A LITTLE BIGGER BECAUSE THEY WERE LOCATED AT THE PART OF THE SHIP WHERE IT WIDENS. THEY HAD A HUGE BALCONY WHICH ALL THE COUPLES TOOK PART IN FOR SAIL AWAY.

 

QUICKLY RAN UP THE CROWE'S NEST TO MEET FELLOW CRUISE CRITICS!!! HELLO ALL LOIS, PETER, AND LINDA SEEMS TO BE THE PEOPLE WE RAN INTO THE MOST.

 

MET OUR CABIN STEWARD OKA, HAD ASK FOR A COUPLE OF THINGS AND RECIEVED THEM VERY PROMPTLY. OTHERWISE WE DID NOT SEE TO MUCH OF OKA BUT OUR ROOM WAS ALWAYS NEAT.

 

FIRST NIGHT WE CELEBRATED THE ANNIVERSRIES IN THE PINNACLE GRILL, WITH A COUPLE OF NEWLYWEDS WHO JUST GOT MARRIED BEFORE WE SAILED. THE FOOD WAS EXCELLENT AND YES WE HAD THE CHOCOLATE VOLCANO AND MY HUSBAND HAD TWO, BUT DIDN'T FEEL TO GOOD.(CHOCOLATE OVERLOAD) WE ALSO ORDERED SPECIALTY COFFEE'S AND WERE NOT CHARGED FOR THESE??? I ASKED THE WAITER FOR THE BILL TO SIGN BUT HE SAID IT WAS OK. JUST THOUGHT IT WAS A LITTLE ODD, HE COULD OF SAID THERE WAS NO CHARGE HAPPY ANNIVERSARY OR SOMETHING.

 

LOIS I HAVE TO AGREE WITH YOU ON THE AC, THE OTHER THREE LADIES AT DINNER THAT NIGHT HAD TO GO AND GET JACKETS, OUR ROOM WAS LIKE AN ICE BOX, THE FIRST NIGHT I WAS SEARCHING FOR BLANKETS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT ONLY TO FIND OUT THE NEXT DAY THAT THERE IS A DRAWER AT THE END OF THE BED WITH EXTRA BLANKETS. SOME ROOMS ARE WARM AND OTHER ROOMS COLD, THERE SEEMS TO BE NO CONSISTENCY THROUGH OUT THE SHIP.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: A LITTLE MORE CRITICAL THAN SOME BECAUSE THIS WAS MY PROFESSION FOR SOME YEARS.

I FOUND THE CAST SHOWS TO BE WEAK, POOR COSTUMING AND CHOREAGRAPHY. THOUGH THEY DID GET BETTER AS THE WEEK WENT ON.

I FOUND JOEL MASON OUTSTANDING AS MOST OF YOU DID BY THE STANDING OVATIONS HE RECIEVED.

I DID NOT SEE THE JUGGLER OR MAGICIAN, THEY HAD ROOM AT THREE CARD POKER.

 

DINING EXPERIENCE:REMEMBER I'M ALSO WRITING WITH THE INPUT OF THREE OTHER COUPLE'S.

HAD ROOM SERVICE EVERY MORNING TO ENJOY ON THE BALCONY, IT WAS ALWAYS ON TIME AND SOMETIME'S 10 MINUTE'S EARLIER.

LIDO HAD A GOOD SELECTION OF STATIONS, BUT I THINK I HAD A WRAP EVERYDAY (LOVED THOSE WRAPS) THERE WAS NOT A HUGE DIABETIC DESSERT SELECTION OR EVEN REGULAR DESSERTS FOR THAT FACT.

KNOW THE DINING ROOM WAS HIT AND MISS, I MYSELF DID NOT HAVE A BAD MEAL BUT SOME OF THE OTHER COUPLE'S DID. ONE IN GENERAL WAS THE MEATLOAF, NOT THAT IT WAS BAD BUT EXTREMELY RARE. DID NOT WANT TO TAKE THE CHANCE OF GETTING ILL.

OUR GROUP WAS SEATED AT TABLE 180 LOWER DINING, BACK OF THE DINING ROOM, ONE TABLE AWAY FROM THE WINDOW. IT FELT LIKE SOMEONE INSERTED QUARTERS IN OUR CHAIRS EVERY NIGHT. MY HUSBAND ASKED ME SEVERAL TIME'S TO STOP SHAKING MY LEG (BAD HABIT) SO YES IN OUR GROUP POLL THE VIBRATION HAS NOT BEEN FIXED.

 

SERVICE: I THINK LIKE MOST POST'S THE STAFF REDUCTIONS, HAVE REDUCED THE TIME STAFF CAN SIT AND CHAT WITH YOU. BUT I HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THE SERVICE WHAT SO EVER.

 

CASINO: SPENT SOME TIME IN THE CASINO, AND YES LEFT A WINNER. NO MAJOR WINS BUT KEPT WINNING ON THOSE NICKEL MACHINE'S AND DID NOT DO TO BADLY AT THE CARD TABLE'S.

 

NASSAU: BEEN SEVERAL TIME'S, BUT SOME OF THE GROUP WERE VIRGINS. WENT TO ATLANTIS AND WALKED THE BEACH AND RESORT, NOT ALOT OF TIME IN PORT. THE STRAW MARKET WAS STILL BEING REPAIRED FROM CHARLEY. SO WE HAD A COUPLE OF DRINKS AT SENOR FROGS AND ENJOYED THE VIEW.

 

TORTOLA:WE ARRIVED LATE AND AS WE WERE GETTING OFF THE SHIP, THEY ANNOUNCED WE HAD TO BE BACK ON BY 1.30PM. HAD PLANNED TO GO TO THE BATHS BUT DID NOT WANT TO TAKE THE CHANCE OF MISSING THE SHIP SINCE WE WERE DOING THIS INDEPENDANTLY. SO OFF TO CANE GARDEN BAY TO THE BEACH. NICE WATER TO SWIM IN WITH A PRETTY VIEW OF THE MOUNTAINS, BUT THE BEACH ITSELF WAS NOT THAT IMPRESSIVE,I.E. GARBAGE AND STRAY DOGS RUNNING THE BEACH.

 

ST.MAARTEN:A GOOD SHOPPING PORT, UNFORTUNATLEY IT RAINED MOST OF THE DAY AND THEY HAD ALOT OF CONSTRUCTION ON FRONT ST. BUT DEFINATLEY THE PLACE TO PICK UP LIQUOR, PRICE'S BETTER THAN THE DUTY FREE ON BOARD.

 

ONE THING I SEEMED TO NOTICE WAS PRICES SEEMED HIGHER ONCE YOU WERE ON BOARD. I.E HAD ORDERED THE FIRST NIGHT SPECIAL IN THE PINNACLE, BUT IF YOU DID NOT ORDER THIS IN ADVANCE YOU PAY FULL FARE. SAME WITH THE COKE CARDS I THINK $27 in advance but $35 if you booked on board, also some changes in the laundry price's but did partake in fill the bag of laundry for $12.

 

SOME LITTLE AREA'S OF DISAPPOINTMENT NO FAULT OF THE SHIP'S, ALL OF THE EXCURSIONS WE HAD BOOKED WERE CANCELLED DUE TO MISSED PORTS,

AND OUR BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT WAS NOT GOING TO HMC. BUT WE ALL LEFT WITH SMILE'S ON OUR FACE'S PLANNING OUR NEXT FUTURE TRIP.

 

HAD A GREAT TIME AND MANY THANKS TO THE CRUISE CRITICS AND YOUR ADVICE!!!!!!!!!!!

 

SHELLEY

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vbacht

vbacht

Posted
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Hello Lois!!! It Was Great Meeting Everyone. Sorry You Had Such A Bad Experience With Your Dining Arrangements. We Also Noticed Alot Of Empty Table's With One Or Two People Sitting At Them.

 

Glad Everyone Made It Home Safely!!!

 

Take Care

 

Shelley

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Orcrone

Orcrone

Posted
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Wow, did you say they served meatloaf? I don't think I have ever seen that on a cruise ship menu. I sure hope cruising hasn't come to that!
HAL long and hard debated whether to serve meatloaf. After much discussion they decided to give it a try, but that meant the death of sloppy joe night.:D
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Orcrone

Orcrone

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I thought they gave up Hamburger Helper Night for MeatLoaf night. ;)
Obviously your memory is short. They had Hamburger Helper and Sloppy Joes served during the same meal. Don't you just hate it when they serve your two favorites meals during the same dinner? I know I do. But I digress.

 

Serving both those culinary delights at the same time, most people preferred the Sloppy Joes. So they dropped the Hamburger Helper and renamed this meal the special Sloppy Joe dinner, with the DR stewards wearing their Sloppy Joe outfits and having the Sloppy Joe Parade after serving the salad.

 

Now the Sloppy Joe Parade is history. In its place on meatloaf night they have a heavy person come out and sing Paradise By The Dashboard Lights.

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vbacht

vbacht

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Our Table Was Laughing Too!!!! We Thought Everyone Should Order Meatloaf To Throw The Kitchen Off. Then Again Maybe Everybody Did, And The Chef Started To Panic And We Got Rare Meatloaf????

 

 

What A Hoot!!! I Would Really Enjoy Paradise By The Dashboard Light.

 

Take Care

Shelley

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Melianne

Melianne

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maybe there's a speck of hope that by our cruise on December 11 (Zaandam) they'll be serving SPAM!!!!!!!!!

 

SPAM is also a good choice as a "flaming food" to carry while on parade. The first 1/4 inch of grease burns off and it's such a lovely effect in the darkened diningroom. And you don't have the problem of melted ice cream or scorched meringue. It's really the perfect cruise food.

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dakrewser

dakrewser

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HAL long and hard debated whether to serve meatloaf. After much discussion they decided to give it a try, but that meant the death of sloppy joe night.:D

They also downgraded the Baked Alaska to Baked Delaware...

(on some sailings, half-baked New Jersey)

 

:) -dave

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OCruisers

OCruisers

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SHELLEY .... Thanks for your time to write this review and especially for the info on laundry! :cool:

 

ONE THING I SEEMED TO NOTICE WAS PRICES SEEMED HIGHER ONCE YOU WERE ON BOARD. I.E HAD ORDERED THE FIRST NIGHT SPECIAL IN THE PINNACLE, BUT IF YOU DID NOT ORDER THIS IN ADVANCE YOU PAY FULL FARE. SAME WITH THE COKE CARDS I THINK $27 in advance but $35 if you booked on board, also some changes in the laundry price's but did partake in fill the bag of laundry for $12.SHELLEY

 

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

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Lois R "Live from...." Rare

Lois R

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Dave~good one:D

 

I was a bit surprised there was Meatloaf on the Menu as well...and there was also Pot Pie.

Now, food might not make or break my entire cruise...but....I won't order that for dinner. I can make a mean meatloaf here at home:eek: ....its not my idea of dinner on a ship.

I must tell you, on the last night I heard more than a few people state how disappointing that menu turned out to be:(

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