cruisemom42

It's just a way to sell a few more cabins. Some people don't seem to be able to grasp that it isn't for everyone, but it does provide an opportunity for a few who are flexible and live near ports. It doesn't take anything away from anyone else. Surprised at all the carping from those who wouldn't use it anyway. Yes, HAL rolled it out badly. But that's par for the course with HAL.

I'm confused. The original site of the Olympic games was Olympia....not Athens.

HAL have started putting a "crew dish of the day" on their MDR menu. Often Indonesian, which is usually tasty.

Food taste CAN be subjective, but there are also objective elements, such as how much the specific cruise line spends on food per passenger. It's been shown a number of times that lines like NCL and Costa spend far less per passenger than lines that tend to get better "food" reviews. In other words, there is the cost of food, and then there's how you prepare it. I mean, sure, I've eaten at a delightful restaurant in Lyon that can make even tripe taste good -- but when I go on a cruise I hope to be able to be able to choose from higher-quality (and higher cost) proteins. I don't care how good HAL's "rustic lasagna" or "meatloaf" dinner choices might be, that's not what I want to eat on vacation. Mass market lines that seem to receive the fewest complaints about food quality are Celebrity and Holland America. But all lines have their ups and downs. For example, 2023 was not a great year for Celebrity, which cut way back on their offerings both in the MDR and buffet for a while. After incessant passenger complaints, they have walked many of those changes back. HAL (Holland America) on the other hand has been steadily improving their offerings. In 2023, they added more fresh fish (local) to their menus and recent cruises have noted that they are also including a "crew dish of the day" every evening -- often Indonesian (and tasty). IMHO, the best thing to do is to be flexible as to which lines you sail if food is a priority. Do your research. Read recent reviews. Keep in mind that food can vary as much from ship to ship within a line as from line to line. And don't expect miracles out of the chefs on lines like NCL which don't spend a lot on food to start with.

We had two of these ports last year on Insignia's Iceland/Greenland/Canada cruise (in addition to Reykjavik): For Heimaey I would recommend looking for a general tour that gets you around most of the (small) island and provides the gripping history of the volcanic eruption of 1973 and how it impacted the islanders. Be sure it also includes a stop to look at the large puffin colony -- one of the best places (at least on our itinerary) to see puffins. For Grundarfjorder I had already done a small group tour of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula from Reykjavik during my pre-cruise stay, but if you have not done it, I would recommend it for this port. Since I'd already covered most of the area, I opted to taking Oceania's Nature Sail and Viking Sushi adventure which involved a pleasant cruise to an island inhabited only by various native birds as well as the chance to taste some fish from a fresh haul (caught on the boat during our sail). We had a beautiful day for it, probably less fun if it was rainy and cold. Back on shore we had some time to wander the very small port village where the expedition boat docked (not where the Insignia docked) and there was a small food truck selling fresh caught fish and chips that was delicious.

I could give up cruising for a year or more, but I would not be willing to give up TRAVEL altogether for that period of time. Time marches on, and things happen in the world. If nothing else, Covid showed us that travel is not a "given". World events point to the possibility of not being able to travel where we want and when we want at all times. And not to be morbid, but my grandmother (who loved to travel but worked) had planned a retirement full of travel -- she retired at 65 and died a couple of years later.... For these reasons, I intend to travel as much as I can while I am able to do so.

But very few cocktails are ACTUALLY listed on the menu in any given bar on HAL. Each bar seems to feature its own small collection of cocktails -- which in no way includes even the top 20 most frequently ordered drinks. For those who suggest asking the price -- it's just a hassle. Let me give an example. I might have the "classic" beverage package. Let's say I want a cocktail, something different than what I ordered yesterday. But I'm not sure exactly what I want. I just know I'd prefer to keep it within the range of drinks covered by my package. So I should have to ask the price of every cocktail I MIGHT consider to determine the subset of ones within the BP? And then what -- write them all down so I don't forget while I'm considering? Prices may be "dynamic" but they're not all that dynamic. HAL only seems to adjust prices less than once a year and believe me, the new "menus" (with selected drinks) appear right away and are very soon reported here. So I think most of us know when increases are implemented.

What would you consider reasonably priced?

On Insignia in January the lunch menus were not available until breakfast ended, and dinner menus were posted after lunch time.

You have to read it carefully, but (as someone who's been to Ephesus more than a handful of times), I think they would drop you off at the lower entrance, where the theatre is. From there I think it could be "step free" (I assume that means no stairs?) to the Theatre, which is near that lower exit, and then a short level walk to the Library of Celsus, which is the iconic showpiece of the site. I'm not sure about the Fountain of Trajan as I think you'd have to ascend at least part of a sloped path to see it... Maybe you could see it from afar. What wouldn't be included would be the ascent (or descent, depending on direction traveled) up Curetes street or the Terrace Houses, which require many steps. The "Temple of Artemis" remains are not actually AT the Ephesus site but a short drive away. To say they are remains is kind, as it is a single column of the temple which has been righted to show its location. Most of the rest of the stone has been carted away for use in later monasteries and mosques. You can easily see it from the vehicle or by getting out of the vehicle and standing on the shoulder of the road. The "House of Virgin Mary" (built after the time of Mary, so go figure....) is also not AT the Ephesus site. I haven't been there -- no interest -- but according to this site, there is a wheelchair-accessible route.

Thanks for that link. It's frustrating that most bar menus only list a few signature drinks for each venue, and I don't like having to ask the cost of what I'm ordering each time. I'm somewhat unhappy to see that my two favorite "go to" cocktails are now only included under the Elite package (Grapefruit Cosmo and the various "Lemon Drop" concoctions). Guess I should be happy that I can still get a dirty martini with non-premium vodka....🍸 For all those who keep saying they're going to adjust the bev package limits to be in line with the new bar price hikes -- when???

Your perception of TAs is so different from mine, lol. I did my first TA in November on NS. Yes, it did not seem overly crowded, but I wouldn't say I felt it was full of seasoned travelers. I was surprised (and dismayed?) by how many people I met onboard had flown over to Europe just a single day ahead of time to get on the cruise! Seems like a sin to make such a long trip and not spend any time in Italy. (And the cruise itself had only 4 ports in 14 days.) In the past I never would have considered a TA due to limited time off from work. If I was going to take off two weeks from work, I wanted to spend those two weeks IN Italy (or Greece, or England....) NOT on a ship. I guess that would be more my definition of a seasoned traveler. 😂 I enjoyed the TA, don't get me wrong. Just -- very different perception.

LOL. I remember walking by CO on our way to the MDR and thinking "someone left the refrigerator door open". It was noticeably cold, even in the corridor passing by.

I'm probably an anomaly, but "stepping" on Antarctica really means little to me. I'm not a collector of places or keeper of lists of things I've done. I try to go places that interest me. And I go back and forth about Antarctica. It's not really my thing -- natural beauty doesn't do it for me. I'm far more interested in the great achievements of human civilization. (In the same way, I just can't get excited about safaris, for example. Or the Alps.) That said, there's a part of me that thinks I should go do the passage, see what it's like down there at the bottom of the world. And if I can do it while also seeing more of South America and -- the biggest ask -- Easter Island, well that makes it a lot more compelling. Who knows, maybe I'll fall in love with it -- and if that's the case I can always return and do a very much more hands-on thing. But I doubt it.

You frequently make this comment but fail to take into consideration that main dining rooms on cruise ships formerly offered far more courses during evening dining (see links to old menus below). It was not uncommon for dinners to enjoy at least 5 courses (more on formal nights) for any MDR evening. AND things did not arrive at your table entirely pre-plated. Salads were dressed at table. Vegetables arrived and were offered, to be individually placed on your plate. Table-side preparation of certain dishes was not uncommon. A cheese cart would be wheeled around for you to make your selections. All of this takes time and involves interaction. I remember dining with others onboard ships as a youngster where just consulting the wine menu for the most appropriate pairings took a good 5-10 minutes per party. And the delight of watching them prepare cherries jubilee. What's different now is not the pickiness of the customer but the fact that servers have many more passengers, on average, to serve. 1969 HAL Dinner Menu: 1982 HAL Dinner Menu:

...or not.

If it fills, then it fills (and good for HAL). If not, the first half of 2026 looks very interesting to me. If I don't do Antarctica before that.

When I saw the photo of your craft, the only thing that came to mind is: "We're gonna need a bigger boat." 😱

Exactly -- the bar is pretty low already. 1) It's not replacing any other activity. 2) It's utilizing a facility that's not being used for anything else at that time. 3) No one is forced to attend or participate. 4) Perhaps "monetizing" the World Theatre will generate enough funds to put on proper entertainment in the evenings.

Most wouldn't consider being right next to Termini station a great location.... Yes it is convenient for the train, but the area itself is a bit worn-down and unattractive. There are so many other areas within the historic center that are more attractive, as close or closer to the monuments, and with plenty of nice restaurants around for dinner choices.

I have for many years heard that having fixed seating makes for better service, but I can say that such was not the case on my November TA on Nieuw Statendam. I normally opt for Anytime dining as I don't like to commit to a fixed time when on a port-intensive cruise. However, since this cruise was a TA with many sea days, and the acquaintance who was also onboard wanted to select fixed late, we did that and had a table for 8 (though in reality only 7). Dinner was very slow and there were repeated errors -- some courses for some diners never showed up, others got things they didn't order. There was no effort to serve or clear properly. On more than one night, one of our group was given a piece of cutlery that obviously wasn't clean. Contrary to what I've often read about fixed dining waiters remembering drink preferences, the bar service was very haphazard. No one ever took the trouble to figure out if anyone had a standing drink order (I didn't, but some people did). And while I am one who enjoys an espresso after dessert almost every night, no one bothered to remember and some nights the espresso never arrived even after I enquired after it multiple times. Several of those at the table took it in turns to bring the issues to the attention of the staff. Interestingly, service did not really improve but it did lead to the maitre d' stopping by the table awkwardly asking how things were. He wasn't happy to hear "Much the same..." I have to say that I don't think I've been missing much doing the Anytime dining!! (The worst was one of the bar service folks who would roll up to the table with various glasses of wine and no idea who had ordered what. She would just holler, "Anyone order a Sauvignon Blanc?" Totally unprofessional in a dining room environment. We're not in a neighborhood bar.)

No idea. I only went once and I didn't try to purchase one.

Additional.

They had it on the Nieuw Statendam TA in November. You didn't have to purchase a card to enter the theatre, only if you wanted the chance to play along for prizes. It wasn't anything to write home about but considering it was held during an otherwise dead period during the day, it was somewhat fun to watch. The players (the ones on the stage) often have quite funny reactions.

I have used Physicians Formula Ultra-Fine Liquid Eyeliner for years. It is very safe for your lashes (mine are delicate for some reason, despite a really healthy head of hair). I use the regular formulation but they have a waterproof version too.