Molson99

We are booked for this cruise, our first river cruise, and looking forward to it. we are debating the Normandy Beaches tour, but the description on the web page is pretty bleak. Does the US tour go to different beaches than the CA? Or do they just do one tour with both places? The other Normandy tour with the tapestry looks very good as well, but we have never been to the beaches and are interested in seeing them if the tour is well run. Any input?

a few other river cruise questions!

can you bring wine or liquor of your own for your room on the ship?

what type of plugs are on the ship? will I need adaptors from US?

what are the recommended tips for personnel on the boat? an guidance would be helpful! thanks so much!

Cheryl, I have the same question. The Normandy beaches 10 hour tour for CA and British spots is very detailed, and the US one has little detail or description. Anyone who has done this tour thru Avalon, we would love to hear your input and impression!

thanks!

question about FCD.. do you have to specify a TA? We are in the process of changing TA but I like to compare between two agencies to see who has the best deal.

I bring a fleece blanket of my own for the plane, roll it up tightly and put a ribbon around to hold, and then have it for use in our room. one of those silky feeling thinner fleece that you can pick up for $10. like our own blanket on the plane as well. I stick it in my rolling carry one to transport.

hairdresser recommended a "special conditioner" for my Mom's hair during shampooing..... extra $5 for a glop of conditioner! they do try to sell you. I found the last minute spa price specials they offer thru the paper ( especially for port days) are the best deals, esp the massages.

I wish they had phones like that to keep in touch with my elderly mom!

could you pls do a wee bit of a write up on the Baltic cruise when u get back, I.e., the ports? it's one we are considering .

I don't even know you, and am very happy for you! what a wonderful start to a cruise! we love our balconies! hope the weather is good to sit out! have you been to Istanbul ? It is fascinating .

we like the Eurodam, nice layout. I'm not crazy about the decor of the main dining room (black with green accents, I feel like I'm at an Irish wake) but the staff is always wonderful, the spa excellent, and it is similar to the moor dam. nice big library and crows nest.

did you look up some of the u tube videos? just google Holland America cabins and a bunch pop up.

well, Tyler, enjoy the package today! I am going to try one drink a day that I have never had. we took the Rydam on our first 10 day carribean cruise the year she was new, and loved the ship!

I think the pass for the entire cruise will depend on the length of the cruise. do a search on here and you can get some quotes that will give you an idea. it is usually a bit better price per couple.

Eurodam greenhouse spa is quite lovely , with the hot stone lounges, and a mineral (I think) large whirlpool. you can tour it on the day of embarkation, and they sell passes for the entire trip. or I think you can sometimes buy a day pass. you can check out the spa treatments on the Hal site and book ahead, but I found that they tend to run specials that are a better deal (they put a flyer in your mailbox) especially for port days.

last year we had a passenger airlifted to Italy for emergency surgery, took a long time for the copter to land. it was on the Eurodam. the captain announced the next day that the passenger had done well.

I was reading a wonderfully amusing thread re research done on the explore 4 and signature beverage package and they mentioned that you should get a sticker that says sBP on your room key so bartenders and staff know you have it and don't charge drinks to your room. does this still apply? I appreciate all the answers to my many questions!

thanks much for the info. I am looking forward to trying something new and different than usual each day for the fun of it.

wow! medusa, I just looked at aft wrap around suites on utube, where people have uploaded footage of theirs. holy cow! nicer than many hotel rooms I have been in! It looks fabulous! I was looking to see how big our balcony was going to be, but there are a lot of suites uploaded. you will have a blast. I will knock on your door occasionally to remind you to get out of the room to see some of Europe !

awesome photos!

on the prinsendam, the bed was too low to store our suitcases and the steward took them and stored them for us

do they add the gratuity to the card? or should we tip?

ok, another question. I was looking thru a drink menu, and many drinks are $6.95, and I know we can get drinks up to $7. but what about the 15% service charge? do the bar servers not get a tip from our explore 4 card? do we do the tip seperate?

I have been on Hal over 6 times and never knew there were drawers under the love seat! I learn so much on these boards!

yes, does help the terminology. I was going to feel bad sending my mom to the mdr room while I ate in the pg! just kidding!

awesome. that E4 seems like a very nice perk