dawei

In light of reports about crew members job-hopping from Mary 229, Oakridger and HappInVan this begs the question--So, what is Carnival doing or doing differently that results in that line having a very full complement of crew members onboard? David

This report may help in answering the staffing level question. My DW and daughter just returned from a 1 week Caribbean on Carnival Spirit (that choice was at our daughter's request). My wife said the number of crew members was astounding. In the Lido, for example, as soon as you finished using a utensil, plate or bowl, it was whisked away by a crew member. Just as soon as people finished eating and had gotten up to leave, crew members were right there to reset that table. Just looking around in the Lido one saw many working crew members in every direction. In the MDR, same situation. No sooner had they sat down and here comes bread basket, plate, butter knife, water and menus. The time between placing your ordered meal and being served was astonishingly short. Even check-in displayed the benefit of having plenty of staff to take care of pax. They carried their own luggage off the ship at disembarkation, were among the first group off, and noticed the terminal was already packed with luggage waiting for pax to claim them. Meanwhile, in other areas, especially variety and quality of food, my DW was highly impressed by Carnival compared with HAL's offerings, especially those of late. It appeared that the Spirit's food budget must be at least twice that of HAL in light of our recent experiences. Speaking of recent, this Carnival cruise stands out in sharp comparison to our Feb, 2023 in SE Asia on the Westerdam, which proved to be poles apart in all areas from the Spirit last week! These comments are just a few that come immediately to mind. Footnote- It had been years since either my DW or I had last been on a Carnival ship, what a turnaround that cruise line has done! Except for the wild interior colors/design, Carnival certainly "ain't what it used to be" in a most positive direction!

It certainly is a lovely post, eroller! Fortunately, we had the opportunity to experience her once near the end of her sailing carrier (2 weeks Caribbean Dec. 1996). A highlight for me was a tour of her then-working, steam power engine room. David

The Volendam is indeed "just fine"! We sailed completely around S. Amer. and down along the Antarctic Peninsula on her just before the pandemic and enjoyed every day. As for some crew members not speaking English well, I keep in mind the humbling fact that they have a language vocab. much larger than mine--speaking 3 and more languages in many cases. An example: I've been learning a little Indonesian and have learned that crew members from that country speak the national language--Bahasa Indonesia--plus at least one or often more regional languages. David

Just to add my two cents worth, beyond a TA sea motion comparison based on ships' sizes (and as Bruce mentioned design differences) comes what can prove to be a larger factor--weather. Gulf of Mexico conditions during at least one Carnival pre-Christmas cruise this year is an example. In late November on Nieuw Amsterdam, the sea was in an uproar that was hard to believe, since we were in the Caribbean! Outside the Falmouth, Jamaica harbor, the captain consulted with the harbor pilot and then, after repeated attempts to swing in, waited to see if any weather improvement was coming before deciding to give up on that port stop in light of the gale force winds. The sea was worse than it was sailing through the Drake Passage on the Volendam, a smaller ship, at a time when favorable weather made it "the Drake Lake. " I also recall a very smooth TA on the Prinsendam, a much smaller ship than any of HAL's current fleet. David

Thanks for the reply, majmaj4. I see where alaskasweetie received two, written confirmations from HAL's Documentation Dept. about an Indian VISA not being required to board the cruise in Singapore if a passenger doesn't plan to get off in Port Blair. What I don't understand is why HAL's Documentation Dept. has not sent this message directly to folks who booked this cruise as they mentioned would be happening a full month ago.

From what DW and I see online plus what I was told on a call to HAL's Cust. Relations Dept., it appears that an Indian VISA is needed for the Port Blair, Andaman Is. port call. The HAL rep added that this visa will be required to embark in Singapore! Applying for one is a more than challenging. Getting an e-visa would be much easier than obtaining a paper visa, but Port Blair is not among the 5 seaports in India accepting e-visas, they state online. One of the first challenges is simply determining the type of visa needed. HAL recommends using CIBTVisas to help. Their website lists 4 different types of tourist visa for India; 3 are electronic and one is not. I called and was told they can get us an electronic visa in plenty of time, but will it be accepted at Port Blair which is not accepting e-visas? This company couldn't answer. Please share your experience with this challenge. David

As drdagor reported, when we saw HAL's advanced protocol listings for Oosterdam's cruise segments for two Italian ports in disagreement about the need for pre-cruise testing, we did as Tater suggested and have made plans to do pre-testing, even though the Oct. 10 departure from Civitavecchia doesn't show the requirement while a later departure from Trieste does (same ship and same overall cruise from different ports in the same country). David

Thanks, CC members, for sharing your experiences on this question! What I didn't mention in my original post was that I did call my county's election office three times and was informed by different staff members on those three occasions that we need to complete and mail in the FPCA form (available on their website) before Sept. 24th, the date they begin to send out absentee ballots, including by e-mail. No other option was offered. Completing the FPCA is the stumbling block, as it requires a current overseas address and stating that you are living there now. David

DW and I are interested in your take on this question, as I'm sure we're not the first or only people to be aboard during a voting cycle. We'll be cruising in 4 weeks and won't return to the U.S. until Nov. 19th, which places us outside the dates for early voting, in person voting as well as absentee voting. After being directed to the FPCA (Federal Post Card Application) form for "Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Request," the issue comes into focus. In addition to military, the 3 other choices under "Who are you? Pick One..." all state "I am a U.S. citizen living outside the country..." Next is space for "your address in the U.S...." which is no problem. That's followed by form question #3, "Where are you now?" The answer must be your current address, and it must be different from your address in the U.S.! There's no provision for a voter who is traveling, in contrast to someone who is living abroad and has a valid mailing address in another country. The one-page form ends with space for your signature and the date, under penalty of perjury that the information provided is true, accurate and complete. David

One of the food stations in the Lido Market (if memory serves it 's called Foreign Lands on Pinnacle class ships) features Asian dishes. Most every day, there is sushi. In addition, they may have Filipino, Chinese, Indian or Indonesian dishes on different days. Indian dishes are usually quite good if there's an Indian chef onboard. I've found that an Indonesian dish prepared by a Filipino chef, rather than an Indonesian one, isn't what I'd call the real deal, but they try. Getting to know some crew members, I've learned that on some HAL ships, the crew's dining room features Nasi Goreng every Sunday. I've often wanted to join them, but no invites to date. David

It feels like a Catch 22! Booked our first MSC cruise (Magnifica Genoa to Miami) with Guaranteed IB Interior. In signing in online, there is a banner urging folks to fill out the health assessment now and sign contract to receive e-tickets. However, to access the health forms, contract and e-ticket, a cabin number is required. The first agent I called said a cabin number will not be assigned until we're onboard. Obviously, that doesn't fly. Meanwhile, we'll be traveling for over a month immediately prior to the Magnifica cruise. Would appreciate some light shed on this problem, which never occurred before during our 30+ years of cruising. David

Many thanks for your quick replies to my question. That's one less worry! Sorry for my belated acknowledgement. David

The Oosterdam's itinerary in two months includes Kusadasi, Turkey. I believe most everyone does excursions from there to Ephesus. For those who have done so, is a Turkish visa required for Ephesus? The Turkish gov't website doesn't answer this; it states no visa is required for Turkey unless you travel from the cruise port to another city in Turkey. Meanwhile, Turkey wants a couple hundred dollars for a visa. Your experience will be appreciated. David

Zhuangcorp-- For me, the most important word in your question is "Do YOU eat..." The ship's culinary department's job is to prepare and offer a variety of dishes usually associated with the usual 3 meals/day plus specialty restaurants, snacks, tea time, etc., but it's entirely up to YOU (each passenger) to decide what, how much, when and where he/she eats during a cruise (Skoogs puts it well). It's an individual choice. And the variety of answers you have received shows this to be so. It is impossible to say all HAL passengers eat this food at these times. David

Suzanne, you certainly had a bad experience, and I'm also very sorry to hear about your husband's medical situation. Your second point stood out to me when reading your post: ...why would I subject myself to COVID again when appropriate measures are not in place." That's a very good question. I must agree that cruising does not sound like a good idea for you (at least at this period of time). It's not just Holland America Line, but several other cruise lines have also dropped their earlier mask mandate for all onboard. Several lines just recently removed the pre-cruise COVID test requirement for short cruises (to date, HAL has not done so). My wife and daughter took a one week cruise in March, shortly after the mask mandate had been removed, and my DW and I both came down with COVID not long after their return home, but Holland America wasn't the only cruise line that removed the mask mandate; to my knowledge, they all did. David

We've booked a TA Grand voyage as our first MSC cruise with a guaranteed cabin. Would like to complete web check-in to take advantage of pre-cruise discounted pricing on internet, dining, etc., but MSC's website won't go beyond our names, confirmation number. On the phone, an MSC agent first said we cannot finish web check-in until we've made final payment (due in 5 mos.). Then, she changed that response and said we cannot complete web check-in before boarding because we have a guaranteed and won't be assigned a cabin number until we're onboard! This certainly doesn't sound right. It seems the MSC rep was also unconvinced by her answer; I was put on hold for quite awhile before the connection was dropped. What has your experience been if you have booked a guaranteed and attempted to complete early web check-in? David

Having never used Zoom, Hangouts, etc., I'm not computer literate re: online video chatting. Would you tell me how to use a service such as Onpoint Testing or Testandtrace? For example, Onpoint's short video indicates one needs only access to the internet and a device to connect, but what must I do to actually make the video connection, once I've paid and have an appointment? I must admit it is a little embarrassing to ask such a basic question, but there it is. David

Tbay-- For our GSA in 2020, we did not have Yellow Fever vaccinations, but we had letters of exemption from our primary care stating that this vacc. was not medically recommended for us. She wrote the medical exemption letters because there can be issues with this particular vacc. with elderly folks. Meanwhile, we had no trouble related to this issue of Yellow Fever vacc. during the entire cruise. Can't recall if the subject even came up during pre-embarkation.

We sailed on the Volendam (first time) for 2-1/2 months in Jan., 2020 ( around South America and Antarctica), and had no problem with the size of the ship or motion issues. We found it comfortable, with a nice library, and didn't mind its somewhat limited entertainment/ dining venues compared with HAL's larger ships. Like Andi Land's impression, HAL's remaining smaller ships do have larger cabins than the 3 Pinnacle class ships. Early this year, we sailed on the Rotterdam for the first time and couldn't believe how small the cabin was on this newest Pinnacle class ship. We later learned that most every feature we like was tucked into that small cabin, so not as large an issue as first impression. Like you, we have no interest in the floating water park style of ship, so HAL should suit you there. A very favorite ship of ours (and of lots of others) was the Prinsendam, smaller than the Volendam. For us, one of HAL's very top features is its wonderful crew members, people who really care about providing great service. I can't offer comparisons with the other lines you have sailed on, since we've been cruising on HAL for awhile, only going to Carnival a few times for our kids, years ago. David

Just noticed that Cruiser Bruce also listed these 3 news outlets.

I agree with Chinook Wind about MSNBC, BBC and Fox being the news channels on ships I've been on in the past 6 plus months (N. Amsterdam, Eurodam and Rotterdam). David

We made a regular deposit (not a FCR) last October for the planned 128 day 2024 WC, RT from Ft. Lauderdale on Jan. 3, '24 (Zuiderdam). Briefly, the itinerary shows the Amazon then through the canal, Hawaii, several ports in Japan, China, Vietnam, Singapore, India up the Suez, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain and back across the pond via a usual stop in the Azores. Will the itinerary change and/or will this WC happen at all are still valid questions, I believe. David