skittlebug83

This was our first time sailing with MSC and the terrible weather really marred the experience for us. We made the best of it and tried to enjoy as much as possible of what the ship had to offer. Stateroom: We were in cabin 9059 which was forward on thr Port Side. Close to the elevators but also a quick walk to deck 7 and 6. Room was done up with the couch converted to bunk bed for our kids. We had an issue one night where the divider between balconies was banging the entire night. Good thing my fam sleep like the dead, I was the only one kept awake. They repaired it the following day and we had no other issues. Some balcony views Dining: Food in both the buffet and MDR were good and we always found options that appealed to us. We ate at one upcharge restaurant Hola Taco and we were underwhelmed. DH and I could have got the All you Can Eat option but the kids were charged a la carte. We opted to do a la carte for all of us. 5 out of 7 nights we ate at Panorama. Our set dining time was 545 and we were seated with a nice family from Quebec with kids around the same age. We usually were done by 7 pm. Didnt take many food shots this trip but here was my meal from Gala Night which was held on Thursday our second sea day. Buffet was chaos most times that we visited. Severely understaffed, they couldn't keep up with the amount of people. Every meal there was a wandering tour because of items not being replenished. Cutlery, bowls, cups and out of order drink machines. We tried to eat breakfast in the MDR mostly to save us the headache but the 730-9 window doesn't suit all the time. Anyone looking for juice, its all in the MDR at breakfast! Entertainment: We watched the following shows: Club Disco Encore Marc Devigne - Singer Crew Talent Show The Journey Rock Circus (13 CAD pp) 7 pm was a bit too rushed from dinner so we usually went for the 830 show. Dancers and singers were quite talented and it was nice that they had different show every night. We booked in advance and usually showed up 10 mins before and that was plenty of time to find good seats. The 1045 dance parties were a bit too late for us but we did attend once for the White Night. Watching from Deck 7 if you dont want wall to wall crowds. I believe they also had a Sunshine Party, Space Night, Silent Disco twice and a Tropical Party. Kids Club: My kids 4 and 9 loved the kids club and spent a few hours there everyday. We found it to be very organized and well staffed. I was hoping to post the kids club schedules but our room attendant tossed them all out the last day. One of the highlights was the Luna Park night, they had carnival type games, face painting, balloon animals and a raffle at the end for MSC merch. Thermal Spa: I had been eyeing the week pass for the thermal spa before our cruise (158 CAD) pp but without knowing if my kids would like the kids club or not we opted not to pre-book it. In the end we did a couples day pass (129 US). With the disappointing weather it was definitely worth it and we enjoyed it. It's a small area but there are variety of things packed in. Saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, heated loungers, rest areas with beds, various showers with different scents. We found the morning was less busy than the afternoon. Things we missed out on because of the bad weather: Ocean Cay experience Polar Aquapark and Waterslides Main Pool Ports: Port Canaveral - The time in port was not enough to make Kennedy Space Center worth it. So we took an Uber to Route 7 and spent a few hours there. My kids did go karting and played arcade games. They had a blast! Nassau- We did the Pirates Museum which is walking distance from the port and the Straw Market. I also did a quick tour by myself of the Pompey Museum. Then the downpour began and we high tailed it back to the ship. Miami- We were really looking forward to our beach day at Ocean Cay. This was a replacement port and pretty much a write-off of a day. We spent from 1030-2 in the Miami terminal waiting to reboard. They were pretty much begging people to go explore the port but with equally crummy weather from the other days we went keen on getting rained on again. We were given a number to reboard but no one abided by this at all and started lining up as soon as priority people were finished. Disembarkation: With the disorganized mess that was Miami we didnt want to chance a repeat of that, so we chose the self disembarkation. We woke up early had breakfast in the MDR. Left our room at 730 and were by our vehicle at 750. Easy peasy and painless. We booked on a flash sale and it was 2200 CAD for our family of 4. At that price point I am definitely willing to give MSC another go in the future but this will be our last cruise from NYC. Too many weather related variables, we will just eat the additional cost and fly to Florida first. Parking at the Brooklyn port was 439 CAD so thats the cost of a few cheap plane tickets anyway.

Entertainment and Activities We found plenty of things to keep us busy on the ship. World Stage: We attended all three of the Step One shows and thought the dancers did a great job! Our favorite was Humanity. For most of the shows we sat on Deck 5 (just in case we wanted a quick escape) and never had any issue finding seats. On the sea day we also attended the vaguely named Coffee with Daniel. This was a video presentation of a behind the scenes tour. Kudos to all the hardworking staff! Ocean Bar: We ended up here a lot. We enjoyed some sets of the Ocean Bar Band and the pianist Cat. Other things held to here were the Art of Flower Arranging demo, Permission to Dance dance class and Majority Rules game. The winner got a free drink from the bar, which might only appeal to those without a drink package already. Explorers Lounge: We attended the Games nite and Call my Bluff. Wajang Theatre: The last night we watched A Man Called Otto. The space is not set up well for the movie screen, the lower half of the screen was partially obstructed where we were seated. Free popcorn was nice. Queens Room: My mom likes art so we did Origami and Watercolor classes. For origami it seemed like they had something different scheduled everyday but for the Watercolor it was the same introductory class all week. My mom thought about the paid $25 class but didn't sign up in the end. Crows Nest: We were here for sailaway and then I kind of forgot about this venue. We participated in the Officer vs Guests trivia which was fun. Orange party was also held here, we were tired out that night but it seemed like a lot were headed there when we were headed to bed. If you didn't bring something orange they had items in the shops. This last pic is them setting up for the Bar Hop I believe. The rowdiest I saw people all week lol.

Our cruise started in Montreal and ended in Boston so we didn't consider leaving the car. My hubby drove us to Montreal on embarkation day. Porter now has a direct flight Boston to Ottawa so we flew home same day of disembarking. Our flight home was delayed over 4 hours. Annoying when you just want to be home already!

The ports were all great and I would love to return in warmer weather!! It was still a bit too chilly for my tastes (Sydney especially) and being early in the season we did run into some issues with attractions/shops not being fully open yet. Let's see if I remember how to post pictures. Quebec City - We had no set plans, we ended up popping in the shops on Rue Petit Champlain and walking around Dufferin Terrace/Chateau Frontenac. Charlottetown - Island Drive and Anne of Green Gables booked independently through Prince Edward Tours. My mom and I watched Anne of Green Gables many times while I was growing up, so it was a must for this trip! This was a great tour, very informative with sufficient time at all the stops. The tour guide even had a little quiz at the end and handed out a few prizes (raspberry cordial and COW chips) which I thought was a nice touch. After our tour we walked around the port area and I had my first Lobster roll at The Chip Shack. It was one of the only things open in the Marina area. Sydney - Iona and Baddeck Grand Tour booked independently through Sydney Cape Breton Taxi Tours. The rain, fog and cold didn't stop us! Our driver was very nice but I was expecting to learn more about Cape Breton. This turned out to be more of a taxi service and not so much a tour. In hindsight with the Alexander Graham Bell museum not being open yet, I would have given Baddeck a skip altogether. There wasn't much to see there and not much open yet. The heritage village at Iona was the highlight! It doesn't fully open until June 1st but we lucked out arriving near the same time as a cruise excursion. It was very interesting with the costumed staff reenacting what life would be like. Halifax - On the Lighthouse Route: Peggy's Cove Lighthouse and Village booked through HAL. Enjoyed this tour as well, (my kids would have loved the double decker bus) but felt like there wasnt sufficient time at Peggy's Cove. I think I was rushing a bit too much to take some good pictures and ended up faceplanting while walking in the village. The guide warned us of the black rocks, but I guess I needed warning of my two left feet. I ended up with two scrapped knees, a sore head and scratched glasses, just in time for our second dressy dinner evening lol. After the tour we walked around near the port and had a delicious lunch at The Bicycle Thief. Bar Harbor - Again we had no set plans, I purposely didn't book a tour because I didn't know how long the immigration check on board would take or the tendering process. We were in Bar Harbor by 11 ish and got tickets for the 2.5 hours Olis Trolley tour to Acadia National park for 1 pm. The winding roads up the mountain had me a tad squeamish but we liked this tour too. The driver/guide gave lots of history and information on the area. That's all for now!

We had a great week aboard the Zaandam! It was my first HAL cruise and my mom's first cruise ever! I think I made a cruise convert out of her, she's ready to book another one. The first night she was already circling things in the schedule that she wanted to do the next day. DH graciously took care of our kiddos at home so I could spend some quality time with my mom. The last time we took a solo trip together I was a teen, so it was long overdue. I have done two previous cruises with Norwegian and one with Carnival. With two school age kids I foresee a megaship in my future but I would consider HAL again for a multigenerational family trip or with the right itinerary/price. Things I liked: Food quality: So much delicious food! I found the portion sizes to be just right. Library area: It was relaxing to just sit here and catch up on some reading or work on one of the many puzzles scattered around. Promenade deck: We had plans of walking here daily (to balance against the constant eating) but it didn't happen as often as we would have liked. Smaller size ship: It was a short walk to get anywhere and it never felt too crowded/busy. Staff: Everyone was friendly and helpful. Full Service Buffet: I liked that there was table service for drinks and that most areas the staff served you. I would have liked to have more evening entertainment options and varied dining but perhaps this is just a drawback of a smaller ship. Cruising out of Montreal (easy drive from Ottawa) was the deciding factor for this trip as well as the itinerary with mostly Canadian ports. Any way to save a few dollars on the exchange 🙂.

Makes sense, I will show up a bit early then. Love live music, I will check her out!

Thanks very much for your review and great pictures!! I'm on the next sailing tomorrow and it was a nice preview of what to expect! It will be my first HAL cruise. For the activities and shows you saw onboard, would you recommend showing up early? I remember you mentioning the flower arranging demo was overflowing.

Thx for your reply @Navybikermom

Hi all, I have an upcoming cruise mid-May aboard the Zaandam to C/NE and I have a pile of questions, wondering if anyone can help. Embarkation lunch: Is the MDR open? Food off ships: Is this allowed? My travel partner has diabetes and I'm wondering if we should pack our own snacks from home for port days. Cantare and Step One shows: Does anyone know how long these are? Any packing tips for cruising this time of year? Navigator app: How accurate is the Daily Program? I was a bit bummed to see Afternoon tea not listed and every night as Dressy Casual. Thanks in advance!

I'll be doing the same cruise a few weeks following you! Just a FYI, the Alexander Graham Bell Museum doesn't open until May 19th. https://www.novascotia.com/see-do/attractions/alexander-graham-bell-national-historic-site/1562 I originally had a tour booked with this as part of the itinerary. Might be back to the drawing board for me.

This was our first major trip since COVID and our first family cruise! DH and I had been on the Breakaway about 5 years ago but this was a totally different experience with kids in tow(age 3 and 8). Stateroom: Originally we were booked in an ocean view (5164) but got upgraded to a balcony (8164) a few days before sailing. I had booked the first room type for the bathtub but we made due without it. Our balcony room had an unfortunate location one level about the theater. The music from the theater was thumping almost until midnight so I went to guest services the second night to see if we could switch. They really worked hard to accommodate us but I found the offerings a bit strange. Instead of finding me another balcony room for 4, she offered side by side Mini Suites that were not adjoining. I realize two Mini Suites is an amazing upgrade but the logistics of it with two kids wasn't ideal. In the end we ended up with adjoining balcony rooms (12140 & 12142). Location was nice and quiet and also close to Splash Academy. Dining and Specialty Dining: Food was great! We were able to try out Taste, Savor, OSheehans, Manhattan Room, Cagneys, Noodle Bar and of course Garden Cafe. I wouldn't shy away from the sit down restos with kids, why limit yourself to the buffet? The same kids menu is available at all the restaurants and they provide a paper menu with crayons. Standouts for me were the Ahi Tuna appetizer, Veal Scallopini, Indian food and Crispy Pork. Regardless of where we ate lunch or dinner we always ended up at the buffet for the soft serve ice cream. Entertainment & Activities: We were definitely not night owls this trip, but we attended an early showing of the comedy show and Burn the Floor. I also watched the late viewing of Six on my own and I really enjoyed it! DH and DS1 participated in the Thriller Dance and DS1 was also excited to dance during the Sailaway party. We watched the Eliminator game show and Battle of the Cake Masters and they were good to pass the time. Some of the activities we liked were the ropes course (DS1 did the regular and DS2 the mini version), waterslides, ping pong and the sports court. Unfortunately the kids splash pad area was closed the whole cruise, I asked and they said for maintenance. The pool under the waterslides was well shaded and less busy than the activity pool. Ports: Harvest Caye - We parked ourselves on the beach but also near the splash pad and this was the perfect location for us! Did a quick walkthrough of the Wildlife Experience before reboarding the ship. Cozumel - Cabana beach was on my radar especially since entrance to Chankanaab was also included in the price. In the end we weren't willing to chance that they would be booked up (since we were arriving so late). We ended up at Playa Mia instead. The beach and facilities were ok, but nothing to write home about. Next time I would pay closer attention to the port times while picking a cruise. COVID related changes and observations: Definitely can tell that cruising isn't back in full force yet. Aside from embarkation/disembarkation and the last morning at the buffet, the ship never felt busy. We made a few reservations for dinner and shows but I don't think they were needed really. For a really quiet experience check out the Waterfront, plenty of spots to relax with minimal people around. I knew in advance that Splash Academy would not have their regular offerings but we still went several times during the the Feel Free Play hours. They had an assortment of video games, board games and some toys for toddlers and babies. Aside from the pre cruise testing, my 3 yr old had to do additional testing on embarkation and the day before disembarkation. These tests were well organized and aside from the mandatory 15 mins wait didn't impede the vacation much. Staff was just as friendly as I remember from last time and on occasion really went the extra mile. On our first day I enquired about where I could get milk for my toddler, fully prepared to make the trek to the buffet or one of the restaurants. One worker told me not to worry and right away radio'd to get some delivered to our stateroom. FYI there are cartons of milk available in the kids corner of the buffet at all times. We would stock up and keep some in our fridge in the room. It was a nice reintroduction into the world of travelling! Now the struggle is to stop myself from immediately starting to plan another trip 😊.