ProfCruise

On 11/6/2019 at 10:01 AM, bamelin said:

 

Wonderful!  Thank you.

Sure thing!

22 hours ago, cruisehome said:

cant wait for your review   please post on here so we can see it

 

I am going on eurodam dec 1  so will be interested

 

thank you

carol

Will do!  You'll love the Eurodam.  I liked it so much, I booked it again for April! 

I'd consider Princess if you've already tried HAL.  I'd book a ship with the International Cafe (similar to Al Baccio). 

I sailed on my first Celebrity cruise (I've cruised Princess, HAL, Carnival, RCCL, and NCL previously) recently (a 14 day b2b) and jotted down some of my initial impressions here, if you might find that helpful.  https://profcruise.com/prof-cruises-first-impressions-of-celebrity/

You can also find all the menus I compiled from restaurants and bars here: https://profcruise.com/celebrity-menus/

I loved Celebrity and will definitely be booking another sailing soon!  Hope you love it!

Here's my review of the Millennium with a full tour: https://profcruise.com/celebrity-millennium-review-and-ship-tour/

And here's my cabin review: https://profcruise.com/inside-cabins-on-the-millennium/

Enjoy!  She's a beautiful ship! 

19 hours ago, oaktreerb said:

There’s a reason the balcony door won’t stay open.  If left open it messes up the temperature control for everybody!  I hope people don’t take your photo seriously and try to prop it open with the table!  Enjoyed your humorous approach to overnight cruising.

You make a good point about temperature control.  Definitely something to keep in mind.  I mostly prefer the sliding style doors because I don't worry about them slamming on me, they tend to be easier to open and close, and they make it easier to haul my room service breakfast out there. 

3 hours ago, shudie said:

 

Delighted to read your 20 best things about HAL and to find out more about the veggie menus etc via your blog! I've been veggie for 30 years and normally go for the Indian veggie food on cruises. We are doing the 29 day Baltic & Viking Passage next year with 9 and 11 year old. 

I'm so happy you found them helpful!  I generally go with the Indian veggie food on cruises too, but love how veggie friendly the dining room is on HAL (I love that they offer veggie links on the regular breakfast menu too).  I'm super jealous of your 29 day itinerary.  My son would be jealous of your kids too - his longest was 21 days, but we both felt that was still too short, lol.  Have a fabulous time and enjoy the food!

2 hours ago, molemaui said:

FANTASTIC COLLECTION!! Thank you for posting these. Leave tomorrow-hoping for a great cruise. 

Sure thing.  Have a wonderful cruise!!!  Wish I was going with you!

Here are all the menus I compiled on my recent sailing aboard the Eurodam.  These might give you some idea of the items you can expect.  I personally love the food on HAL.  Most extensive breakfast menu of any line I've sailed (Carnival, NCL, Princess, Celebrity, and RCCL) and overall good quality.  https://profcruise.com/holland-america-menus/

Enjoy your cruise!

16 hours ago, ger_77 said:

Loved your review - great writing!  What I'd like to know, was which cabin received the razzie for the Worst Cabin ? ? ?

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

Any cabin I only get to sleep in for 1 short night wins a razzie!  LOL.  Happy cruising!!!

9 hours ago, sevenseasnomad said:

Very in-depth.  Thanks for posting.  Please post over on halfacts.com as well to increase the information on that site about the cabin and ship.  

 

I had to laugh when you turned the thermostat to the highest heat setting.  Where were you cruising?  Antarctica? 

It is a bit odd to turn up the heat all the way and soak for hours in a hot bath on a cruise, I'll give you that.  But I'm nothing if not a bit odd.  LOL.  It was from Seattle to Vancouver in October, so it was pretty chilly. 

3 hours ago, HonorBright said:

Noticed the same thing about the safety message - not being able to change the channel from the repeating message, even after the muster drill. Cabin steward to the rescue!  Told us we just had to watch the message through once to the end.  After we did that the other programming (including the ship location maps, weather info, MDR dinner menus, etc.) was available.

Ah, mystery solved!  I'm booked again on the Eurodam for April, so this is great to know.  Thank you!

While I'm not loyal to any line and honestly love so many things about all of them and generally book based on price and itinerary, there is something extra special about HAL.  I jotted down 20 things that I think make the line unique: https://profcruise.com/20-things-i-love-about-holland-america/

I also live in downtown Seattle and cruise to Alaska often.  I have lots of Alaska stuff on my blog too if you want to check it out (just click on "ports" and "Alaska").  Enjoy your cruise!!!

22 hours ago, dot73 said:

Thank you for the funny post. Your writing style is excellent. I especially liked the menus from all the bars. I will be on a 14-day NA cruise so I will lots of time to visit each one.  Cheers 🍷🍸

Oh!  Drink lots for me 🍸and enjoy!!!

2 hours ago, DeeniEncinitas said:

Enjoyed your very in depth review and really enjoyed your writing style!! You have a lot of personality that makes your blog come to life! 
We have sailed on The Eurodam  several times to the Med and Caribbean some years back and she still has the same decor🙄 

Thank you and fair winds and smooth sailings in your future 

Denise😊

Thanks, Denise!  The decor could definitely use a bit of a refresh.  Happy sailing! 

4 minutes ago, Jammu2 said:

That's...comprehensive!

 

Good photos tks.

Welcome.  I do have a tendency to drone on.  LOL.  😳

Yay!  How exciting!  I've been cruising extensively (on HAL and many other lines) with my son since he was 6 months old.  I have compiled my best tips here: https://profcruise.com/cruising-with-a-baby-or-toddler/

And here are my packing tips: https://profcruise.com/what-to-pack-and-not-pack-when-cruising-with-a-baby-or-toddler/

Approach cruising with a baby with lots of patience and a sense of humor (just like parenting in general...LOL) and you'll have a great time!  You'll have a seasoned little traveler in no time!

Happy weekend everyone!  I'm working on a full review of my sailing on the Eurodam, but I started by reviewing my balcony stateroom which (spoiler alert) turned out to be my favorite stateroom of all time.  Happy to also try to answer any questions you might have if you're booked in or considering a similar cabin.  Here's the review:  https://profcruise.com/review-of-a-balcony-cabin-on-the-eurodam/

On 10/7/2019 at 10:08 PM, Canadaclyde said:

Thanks for starting such a positive thread. 

I love many things about HAL, almost all of them have been mentioned. One thing that comes to mind that I don't think has been discussed --- the towel animals! They just make me smile! My husband and I try to preserve them and make a little zoo, until at some point they fall apart or our cabin steward decides it's time for them to be removed. The little things can make a pleasant difference.

 

I love the towel animals too.  You're right, the extra little things really make it a unique and fun experience. 

1 hour ago, vicd1969 said:

#21 - Prof. Cruise's reviews about HAL 

 

Seriously, HAL earns a lot of detailed reviews on this board (positive and negative ones). Love CrewNews'  menus and materials from his HAL cruises, for example.

 

I've always enjoyed reading your reviews, esp. the Golden Princess one before I went on my cruise. Hope you sail on HAL in the future more!

LOL.  Thank you so much for your kind words, vicd1969.  Thanks for the tip about CrewNews, I'm going to check out his stuff!  I like reading cruise reviews even more than I like writing them!  And I definitely plan on many future cruises on HAL.  So far, one to Alaska planned for next summer. 

2 hours ago, DougK said:

The music venues, especially Lincoln Center. Much better than bland production shows.

 

Tamarind--it's so nice to find a cruise line who understands there's more to fine cuisine than steak, seafood, and Italian.

I agree with you on Tamarind - it's one of the best specialty restaurants on any line, IMO. 

1 hour ago, DFD1 said:

I love the lack of loud noises and confusion on board HAL ships. The music is generally reasonable and not intrusively piped throughout the ship. That's a plus.

 

Dining outside on the aft deck is really important to us. Most of our meals are eaten out there when we're not in the main dining room or one of the specialty restaurants.

 

The ease of embarkation is a plus as is the usual trouble free disembarkation. We are often off the ship by 8am on our return.

 

The general atmosphere of a pleasant calmness on board...supported by a great crew and staff gives one the feeling that being on a HAL ship is a really nice place to be.

Ditto to everything you said!

1 hour ago, Taters said:

I love that the feel of a Holland America cruise is still traditional.  I have no desire for waterslides or ice skating rinks on a cruise ship. 

 

I love the quiet spaces and the thermal spa pool.

 

Life is chaotic enough.  Getting away on a cruise is the best way I can think of to disconnect and unwind from my crazy world, and HAL fits this bill for us, hands down.

I completely agree.  I love the calm, relaxed vibe. 

5 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

What do I love about HAL?  The Friendly Crew!!

They really are the best!

4 minutes ago, daisy-mae said:

 

I guess I should have used the proper nautical terminology; the back deck is something that is attached to our house, also a place where I like to spend as much time as possible.

I don't care what you call it - if there's a deck to be found, I'm on it!  LOL.  Seems we have that in common!