MickeyG

Thank you Bruce. Wonderful pics of Prinz Christen Sund, bonsai. 

The ports will be - Halifax NS, St. John's Newfoundland, Qaqortoq, Greenland, Prinz Christen Sund, and  Akureyri, Isafjordur, Reykjavic Iceland.

My wife and I are planning a cruise for 2024. We are thinking about a September Maine/Canada 11-night cruise roundtrip from Boston, or an August Greenland/Iceland 12-night cruise from NYC and return from Reykjavik, Iceland. Both cruises are on Celebrity Eclipse. Would appreciate any thoughts and suggestions from folks who may have cruised to one or both of these destinations. Many thanks in advance. 🙂

I just received another testing update from Celebrity regarding our August 29th cruise. Once again, this message states that pre-cruise testing must be done within 2 days of embarkation. I realize the new protocols (August 8th and beyond) states that 3 days prior to embarkation is the new norm. But why does Celebrity make it so confusing by sending out a notice that 2 days is the requirement. I don't want to show up at our embarkation port and be told that I've tested a day too early. And I've gotten 2 different answers from 2 different Celebrity customer service reps when I've called over the past 2 weeks.

Yes, my thoughts exactly. That's why I spent time on the phone connecting to an agent for clarification. 

My apologies if this topic has been discussed prior to my posting.

I am confused regarding the number of days prior to cruising a proctored test must be taken. I have checked Celebrities' website and I find conflicting information, I have found both 2 and 3 days prior to cruising listed. My wife and I are fully vaccinated with a booster.

We are cruising to southern Caribbean out of Ft. Lauderdale for 10 days later this month. We embark on our cruise on a Monday. Do we need to test on Saturday/Sunday (1&2 days prior to cruise) or can we also test on Friday (3 days prior to cruise) as well. Thanks in advance for any information you can provide. Cheers!

Was the Concierge embarkation day lunch on the Equinox held on the first day? Have heard mixed reports that it is currently held later in the cruise.  Thanks for any feedback!

Greetings!

Next summer will be our first time staying in a suite on the Celebrity Eclipse. 

We understand that dining will take place in the Luminae dining room. Are we required to eat all meals in the Luminae or do we also have the option of having breakfast and lunch in the main dining room? We always enjoyed the main dining room on our past cruises, so this will be something different for us. Any thoughts on the Luminae are greatly appreciated. 

Also, are all bars/lounges open to suite guests. Or do suite guests have their own private lounges?

Many thanks....Mick

Thanks so much for the comments and suggestions. Everyone 's thoughts were very helpful. Will shoot for the sky suite wrap around on deck 12. Just have to settle on which aft side of the ship to book....the port or starboard.

Thanks again and be safe!!!

Mick

Greetings...hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!

My wife and I will be switching our 2020 Alaska cruise to August, 2021. We will be on the Celebrity Eclipse. This will be our first Alaskan cruise. I have a question about the aft cabins on deck 12. We are considering a sky suite with one of the wrap around cabins (cabin 2151 port side or 2146 starboard). The main advantages with either of these cabins, from what I've researched, are the views and the overhang (keeping out the sun, rain and soot). The main downside seems to be the oceanview bar which is on the deck directly above these cabins. Some have complained about the sliding of chairs and the other noises generated from this area.

I would appreciate any comments or suggestions from anyone who has been a passenger in either of these cabins, or anyone who has some knowledge of the aft cabins on deck 12. Would it be better to drop down a level or two and sacrifice the overhang for a quieter cabin? 

We thought an aft cabin is the way to go on an Alaskan cruise. Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Cheers.....Mick

Greetings!

My wife and I will be on Celebrity Eclipse this summer, cruising to Alaska. We are planning to book shore excursions for each of the ports. Taking into consideration the month of the cruise (late August), our eastern time zone sleep patterns, and taking in as much as we can on land and sea, is there a preferred dining time we should request?

We have dined early, late and anytime dining on past cruises and am wondering if there may be a benefit to a specific time, given our cruise destination. We also enjoy the shows at the main stage but realize this may have to move down the priority list when taking into account excursions, dining, relaxing on board the ship, sleep (time change), etc.

We would appreciate any and all suggestions from past Alaska cruisers.

Thanks so much....Mick

We will be on the NS in a few days. Quick question.....Is HAL's Signature Beverage Package accepted at all bars & restaurants on board the ship (staying under the $11 per drink limit)? I understand that in-room beverages and room service drinks are not included in the package, as well as the drinks on HAL's private beach. I hope we are able to visit any bar, restaurant and cafe on the ship and use our SBP perk for cocktails and coffees.

Thanks so much...Mick

My wife and I will be on our first HAL cruise later this month. On our previous cruises we have always had a set dining time with the same guests and waitstaff. On our upcoming cruise we will have 'as you wish' dining, which has open seating between 5:15 - 9 PM. Since this is a new concept for us and are not entirely sure how this works with respect to selecting a time to eat, do we walk up to the host stand between 5:15 and 9 and request a table? Can we select a preferred dining time and table size once we board the ship? Can we call ahead before our cruise begins and request a specific dining time for the length of the cruise? We enjoy meeeting new folks at dinner and would like to share a table if possible. If we share a table would they seat us at a table where the other guests have already begun eating dinner?

Any thoughts or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks....Mick  

My wife and I will be on the Nieuw Statendam for Christmas cruise this year. This will be our first HAL experience. We wanted to choose a ship that would be extra-special for the holidays. After reading several reviews from experienced HAL cruisers, we decided to go big with the Nieuw Statendam. Looking forward to meeting our fellow cruisers in a couple of weeks.

Best...Mick

A question for all seasoned HAL cruisers.......Our ship is returning to Ft. Lauderdale between 7-8 AM. Is 3 PM a reasonable time to book a flight on the day our ship returns to port? We are flying out of Ft. Lauderdale. We'd like to get to the airport no later than 1PM.

Thanks....Mick

My wife and I have not cruised on any of the HAL ships. We are about ready to book a holiday trip for this year.

My question is...all things being equal with the exception of cabin selection, should we do an inside cabin on the Nieuw Statendam or a balcony on the Nieuw Amsterdam? The cost is roughly the same for the inside and balcony.

The Nieuw Staendam is a relatively new ship, and the the Nieuw Amsterdam was recently refurbished in 2018. 

My thinking is since there is limited daylight hours to enjoy the balcony, perhaps the inside cabin on the newer ship is the way to go. But I would appreciate any thoughts and suggestions from folks who have cruised on either or both ships. 

Thanks so much!

Mick 

Greetings!

My wife and l will be taking our first cruise on a HAL ship next month and am wondering if there is an appreciable difference between the Signature and Elite Beverage packages. We've done the Premiere Beverage Package on Celebrity and that has worked well for us. Do both packages offer specialty coffees, high end liquors, beers and wines by the glass? Would appreciate any feedback from anyone who has purchased either beverage package on HAL.

Thanks so much!!!

Mick

Thanks so much for eveyone's replies. You've been very helpful!🙂

Greetings!

My wife and I (mid-60's) are considering a Christmas cruise this year. Celebrity has always been our cruise line of choice but we thought about trying a HAL cruise this time. There are two cruises that fit our schedules and both seem to be very nice ships...The Eurodam and the Nieuw Statendam. We would try to secure an oceanview or verandah cabin. 

The ports of call are not that important to us on this trip. We would primarily like to enjoy the ship and all it has to offer (food, beverage, shows, meeting new people at dinner and around the ship). I guess we are looking for something laid-back, having some options for entertainment and having a great time on board the ship. 

We would appreciate any information regarding how these two ships compare and contrast, cabin options (ocean view vs verandah), and the best option for a first time HAL cruise.

Also, does HAL compare favorably to Celebrity?

Thanks so much.

Mick

Cruisen Elf and Heidi13...thanks very much. I'm learning quite a bit about cruising Alaska. Expert opinions always welcome! 👍👍

Since the 14-night cruise is essentially two 7-night cruises with about an 80% overlap, I would instead pick a single 7-night cruise (Vancouver to Whittier or Whittier to Vancouver) that goes to both Hubbard Glacier and Glacier National Park and add on 4 or 5 nights on land. And it is very easy to arrange a DIY land tour with a little research.

Very good suggestion...trading one half of the cruise for a wilderness land tour.

Thanks for everyone's input...much appreciated and very helpful.

I checked some of the other cruiselines and it appears HAL offers the Tundra Wilderness Tour. We may have to rethink this trip and perhaps do a longer Grand Princess cruise for an up-close view of the glaciers and book a future cruise with HAL for the Tundra Wilderness Tour/cruise.

Good point about the Royal's size.

Thanks.

Planning our first Alaskan cruise for late summer, 2020. We are looking at Princess since they seem to have a good track record for Alaska.

The two itineraries I'm looking at -

1. A 14 day cruise out of Vancouver aboard the Royal Princess. This cruise highlights most of the major glaciers, including the inside passage and 11 ports of call.

2. An 11 day Denali (4 day land, 7 day) cruise out of Vancouver aboard the Grand Princess. This cruise highlights 3 ports of call and 2 major glaciers. 

Not much difference in cost. Would appreciate any thoughts and suggestions (ship, itinerary, cabin location, wow factor, etc) regarding a first time Alaskan cruise.

Thanks! 🙂