Cruiz'nBaers

Call me skeptical, but what kind of service dog is put in a stroller?

We did in 2022, up to 2 devices. My husband and I each used our iPhones, we just had to make sure we weren’t on at the same time. Worked great for email and browsing the internet, even with the premium internet, it was not good enough to download books, that was before Starlink.

I read on one of the new bar menus that Grey Goose was $11, why charge $12 for the martini? Seems a bit greedy to me.

I’m just curious, can you choose to have your favorite mixed drink made with rail liquor to keep the cost at or below the the $11. I like lemon drop martinis and make them at home using Smirnoff vodka, they taste pretty good to me.

I know this has probably been asked many times before, but, please indulge me. I am trying to book a flight on our preferred airline for a return trip home after our cruise from San Diego. Is 10:25AM too early to comfortably catch? It is the only direct flight that would get us home before 11:30PM. Thanks for your help.

Much to my husband’s disappointment, escargot is not offered nightly on HAL. He loves this option on Celebrity. We cruise both of these lines frequently, so he manages to get his escargot quite often. If we are on HAL, I always order the escargot when it is on the menu, then give it to him, true love. The last Celebrity cruise we were on in February 2022, he ordered it every evening.

I agree with all that these small towns are quite walkable on your own, we do both. The guided walking tours give us a lot more information than we would gather on our own. Walking on our own after the tour gives us a bit more familiarity with the town and we are able to linger longer where we might want to. We always try to end our visits with a stop for some local flavor, usually a local beer and snack. The worst black flies we encountered last year were in Red Bay, Labrador.

I know that some drink prices have gone up, I am wondering if our favorite drinks are still covered by the SBP. Mine is a Lemon Drop martini and dh loves Espresso martinis. Thanks.

Not a fan of the new menu. We loved the seafood soup for a starter. The menu looks bit “meh” to me. And as far as supply chain issues, I’m really tired of hearing this excuse. I think it’s more of an order issue (as in not ordering enough of the items, my opinion).

I would be interested in either of these itineraries, but November is not very appealing to us.

We loved the Crow’s Nest on the Zaandam in the summer of 2022. It was our favorite place for before dinner and after show cocktails. It was quite a busy place. On the Nieuw Amsterdam in the fall of 2021, it was more coffee shop than bar, not the same fun place as before. If HAL would put just a little bit of entertainment up there, all of the Crow’s Nests would be hopping in the evenings. Oh well, chaulk up another change for the worse to corporate.

LAFFNVEGAS, thank you for this thoughtful review. We were on the 2022 VOV on the Zaandam and experienced many of the problems you mentioned. While we had a wonderful cruise, going to amazing destinations, we felt the onboard experience was less than stellar. We have been cruising HAL since 2003, 12 cruises and 4 star status. We also cruise other lines, so have firsthand knowledge of what is offered and provided by other companies. We ran into deep cuts in the quality of the food service and staff shortages. Beverage shortages were common at the bars. We heard the excuses of supply chain issues and being unable to hire the staff needed. We listened, but, were never convinced with the answers, we had our skepticism. We haven’t sworn off HAL, in fact, we are going on a 35 day Hawaii and Tahiti cruise this coming winter. That cruise may influence how much we sail with this line in the future. We love the longer itineraries to unique places, not offered on other lines. But, there are other options to see these same places. I have posted in the past the old adage “you have to spend money to make money”, HAL does not seem familiar with that concept. We are always blown away by our experience on Celebrity, but, have only cruised on them for 10-11 days in the Caribbean to get away from winter. We will probably branch out with them to do some European cruises. We do love the round trip from the US cruises that HAL offers, but will have low onboard expectations when doing one. Thank you, again, for your thoughtful and balanced post.

I think it all depends on the ship. We cruised with family several years ago on the Westerdam and needed a table for 8, it was not a problem. If I go as a group, I like to sit together at one table, if not, it still feels like 2 separate tables and groups, not as a single party. My experience and opinion.

We were on the Zaandam for the 35 day on the Voyage of the Vikings in 2022. While music may be finished by somewhere around 11, many nights we spent until well after midnight in the Crow’s Nest socializing with our new friends. The bartender and staff there were very friendly and accommodating. Other bars were also friendly and welcoming to passengers, we spent time there as well, but the Crow’s Nest was definitely our favorite. We also had nights when we were in bed by 11 due to early morning shore excursions. While at home, we are early to bed, 10pm most nights, but when on vacation we like to break out of the norm and experience it all. We are in our 70’s, so while not young, still young at heart. While there are many on HAL who are in their cabins by 10pm, there are still many out and about. Enjoy your cruise.

We love Celebrity, but have sailed HAL quite often. HAL is great for longer and more immersive itineraries, for example, the VOV we did last summer. On HAL you pretty much have to entertain yourself during the day. Food, atmosphere, entertainment and music on Celebrity are far superior in my opinion and experience, but again, Celebrity costs more. I can’t imagine what the price of the VOV would have been on Celebrity. We have a cruise booked on the Koningsdam in February to Hawaii and the South Pacific for 35 days and will go knowing what to expect and know that the destination is the key. On Celebrity, we cruise for shorter durations and enjoy the ship experience and the destinations. These are just my observations.