Hlitner

Yes , Keukenhof can be done as a day trip from Amsterdam, but it does take time. We have done it on our own by doing a Train/bus combination or simply booking a tour that would be all bus. Another option is to simply rent a car and drive yourself (about an hour each way). When we have done back to backs on Celebrity, they issued a new cruise card (sometimes the prior day and other times on the morning of the new leg). Other cruise lines often just issue a single cruise card for the entire voyage but we are not sure if X has adopted this model. Hank

The weather and sea condition questions can only have one answer which is that nobody knows more than a few days in advance. You could enjoy perfect warm weather and calm seas or awful weather with hurricane driven seas. Most of our TA cruises (we have been on dozens) have been nice and a few have truly rocked and rolled. Hank

Yes, we got the goodie bag with the really high-end ship model (which weighs a ton) and a classy souvenir Naming Ceremony book (coffee table quality). Not sure if the overnight guests got free bottles of Champagne, but they were treated very well. A few fellow passengers asked if we would book another EJ cruise. Our final answer is absolutely assuming we found a decent itinerary and the price point is competitive with other luxury lines. EJ is certainly the line for foodies/gourmets. If they ever solve their communication issues they could set a new standard for high end cruise lines. They should have their 6 ships in operation by 2028. Hank

Last night it was the Emporium for all the paying Guests and some of the visitors. Keep in mind that the Emporium is actually quite good. For DW and I it was all seafood. She enjoyed a rich, filling lobster casserole that was fantastic. I started with some fresh crab claws and jumbo shrimp. I then had a couple of grilled (to order) lobsters along with some hand carved lamb. Our adventure ends in about an hour when we will walk off the ship and grab an Uber to our nearby DDs NYC home. My view from Crema is blocked by a large Disney ship 😐 Hank

On the other hand, in the Journeys Lounge they have a 13 piece swing band from LA. This band is a remake of the old Big Bands and quite amazing. The crowd here is mostly younger folks in Black gowns and suits. Not your typical luxury cruisers, but fun to watch. Most of these folks are getting a free party, but we are not sure how this will translate into passenger bookings. Most we have talked with are travel professionals who handle bookings, but are not big time cruisers. Whether they will influence client decisions is a question. But EJ has certainly gone to great lengths to impress the industry. They do know how to throw a party. Hank

This ship is weird. Sitting in the beautiful Explora Lounge, with the NYC skyline as the background, listening to Layke and Lydia (amazing resident singers), with about an audience of less than 20. There must be at least 600 on the ship, but they are missing the best entertainment. Hank

Much of the naming ceremony (still ongoing) is about MSC, the MSC Foundation, celebrating the family company, and it many environmental projects. There is no attempt to seperate this new brand from MSC and the Apponte family. The Godmother, Dr Sylvia Earle. Is certainly an amazing lady and a fitting person to launch this company. Nice to see EJ choose a person who ties into the marine world. Hank

As predicted the paying “guests” are treated like 3rd class folks. However, the bar staff and waiters, who we have gotten to know, continue to treat us very well with a nod nod wink wink. They would not allow us in the Journeys Lounge (VIPs only) so we are in Explora Lounge to watch the ceremony on monitors. There is a good crowd here so we are in good company of the “not VIPs) We have heard that the Aponte’s are aboard and curious if any of them will speak.

Here we are in the Lobby Bar with hundreds of travel pros. They know where they will eat and are supposed to be. The paying folks know zero. We have never officially been told anything. It is interesting to be on a full ship. The visitors are mostly in very dressy outfits and enjoying the free booze. There have been a few waiters around with hors d’ouevres which is a first on this cruise. The entertainment tonight are a couple of bands and the pianists playing around the ship. We talked to someone who went on the highly touted Steinway tour. She was not pleased and said it would have been awful if folks had to pay the 250 Euro fee. They went through the factory when the workers were mostly on break. Guess we are lucky that we just walked over to MOMA. Hank

Heike on this ship for the first month and we have not heard anyone talking about a better communication system in the early cruises.

Yes. In fact, just about any taxi can enter the port as can many private transfer services (such as Romeinlimo, Romecabs, etc). Hank

We had a delight Manhattan morning. After a relaxing breakfast in Emporium we left the ship around 9:40, breezes through immigration in less than a minute and strolled up 53rd street to the Museum of Modern Art ( known as MOMA). After a couple of hours enjoying the collection, we Wales back to the port where our cruise cards got us aboard in about 5 minutes. We decided to return to Sakura (5 dinners and 2 lunches) for lunch for a final meal in our favorite restaurant. It was crowded with guests, but service and our sushi lunch was terrific. We toured an Ocean Grand Suite, Penthouse, and a Grand Penthouse and did not think any would have been worth the premium over our OT Suite. The better suites are not open for viewing. The Naming Ceremony is at 7:30pm and none of the venues open for dinner until 8:30 - 10:30 We are still not sure if we will be restricted to the Emporium, for dinner, but that is the most likely scenario. The frivolities will go on late until after midnight. We have chatted with a couple of higher ups (from both Geneva and the US Office) who are all aware of the communications issues. Whether “awareness” becomes a solution is questionable. While folks from outside the ship seem interested in passenger views, onboard management is somewhat like the three monkeys with enough hands to cover ears, eyes and mouths at the same time. This is a terrific ship. But could easily become the best, if only management would make a few tweaks to how they operate. Hank

Lets talk about Anthology, We had to work hard at getting reservations after our confirmed reservation for Oct 7 was abruptly cancelled without any real explanation. But last night, after several requests (and screwed up signals) we finally did get into Anthology at 7:30. You would think that with all the times we were told, "you cannot have a reservation because it is full" that the restaurant would be crowded. But alas, last evening there were only 3 couples and 1 single in the restaurant that holds at least 10 times that amount. Yes folks, 7 diners. There were about 2 waiters for every table and about half a dozen working in the viewable galley, including the Michelin 2* Chef, Emma Bengstsson. In fact, we could look through the glass and see Chef Emma preparing our dinner! The dinner was 7 courses (the menu is online at the EJ web site) and the cost, with the wine paring, was $530 Euros (per couple). While the meal was perfectly prepared and of very high quality, there is no way we would have paid that kind of money (on top of what we have already paid for the cruise) except that we had the OBC. While EJ advertises that Anthology has Guest Chefs, the reality is something different. The Guest Chef (such as Chef Emma) does curate the menu, but they are only on the ship for a short time (in this case Chef Emma will depart today to return to her NYC restaurant. But EJ will continue serving her menu (prepared by EJ staff) into April and still charge 195 Euros per person (for food) even though the actual Guest Chef is long gone. Our issue is that since the food on the ship is so good, it is very difficult to justify paying all that money for a slightly more gourmet menu. We think EJ will need to rethink the concept and consider a much lower price point. Otherwise, there will be many nights with few diners. By the way, Chef Emma did come over to our table (during dessert) and we had a nice chat with the star Chef. For those who don't know, she is the only female 2* chef in North America! Her NYC restaurant is called Aquavit, and one generally needs to book reservations (at that venue) about 30 days in advance. We thought the Chef was charming and thought it crazy that EJ would spend lots of money to have her aboard and fail to promote her presence or encourage passengers to go to that venue. Very strange. Hank

Morning all 😋. We are docked in NYC with the Seabourn Quest on the other side of the pier. That is ironic since we recently spent a month on that wonderful ship. The madness, we call the lack of communications, continues unabated. Last night, when we returned to our suite we had not received any daily schedule or information on today’s events. A late night visit to Guest Relations got me a typical answer that, “we are still working on the schedule” which was finally delivered after 11:30. We have been given Blue wrist bands with no information on what venues we can use this afternoon/evening. We also have conflicting information (from EJ staff) about our dining options for tonight. Depending on who you ask we are either restricted to Emporium or possibly Emporium and the Mes Yacht Club. Again, there is no proper communications with guests. Hank

Somebody was recently telling me about the only casino game/machine that always “pays off”.” It is called the ATM.

We are talking about the 8 originally Renaissance ships (called R1 - R8). O and Azamara currently operate these older vessels that all suffer from small cabin bathrooms/showers when compared to most newer vessels. Since we believe that part of the Premium-Luxury experience includes a comfortable cabin, we have never accepted the “premium” label attached to those vessels by some on CC. Folks can choose to ignore various shortcomings on their favorite lines, but the facts are simply the facts. Hank

Good Morning, Yesterday was one of those perfect cruise days which brings us back to ships, again and again. We had perfect weather in Halifax, our excursion (with only 5 passengers) introduced us to NOva Scotia wines and taught us a lot about the history of the Acadians. Back in the ship we had our 5th and last dinner in Sakura (our favorite restaurant onboard) which was near perfect and would cost at least $200 to duplicate ashore. We started with two types of Sushi (a lobster roll and a spicy tuna) and added our favorite duck confit w watermelon. Then it was on to the always amazing NZ lamb chops served in a smoky dome. And finally we ended with the pear and Madagascar vanilla combination dessert. As always, the staff in Sakura were outstanding from the lovely manager to the various servers. The meal reinforced our judgement that this ship currently has the best cuisine at sea. Tonight we will try Anthology (where the 2* Michelin chef is currently in residence). Then tomorrow it will be NYC and planned chaos as the ship will be overrun by more than 800 VIP guests for its Naming Ceremony. Hank

We have often used OBC (both non refundable band refundable) to pay the daily grats. In fact, it will be done automatically on a daily basis unless you make other arrangements with the Guest Services folks. Our strong advice to any HAL cruiser remains the same: check your onboard account on a daily basis (easily done in the app, TV, or by stopping at Guest Relations). Erroneous overcharges are quite common on HAL. When it happens, see or msg Guest Relations to correct the issue. Hank

So lets talk about an ugly truth. The priority on this line, for this cruise, has been the travel agents and the upcoming Naming Ceremony. With the CEO coming aboard today, and the owners coming aboard in NYC, and many VIPs attending the Naming events, paying passengers have been relegated to lesser role. For example, just this morning all the paying passengers who had dinner reservations on Oct 12, were told that their reservations were cancelled, and the only dinner option will be the buffet in the Emporium. We learned this from a supervisor who found us at breakfast! Why? All the restaurants are being reserved for the VIP guests. The pools and many deck areas have been closed on-off for many days so that the staff (and contractors) can have everything looking perfect for the VIPs. While one could be understanding about the upcoming Events, what is unforgivable is the constant lack of communications not only between senior management and paying passengers, but also between management and their own crew. In many cases, we have found that the crew (called hosts in "EJ speak") have to act with incomplete information. At times this has been almost laughable. One morning, one of our favorite deck waiters stopped by our loungers to take drink orders. He disappeared for nearly a half hour and returned with our drinks and an apology. What happened was that he went to two bars (to get the drinks) that were scheduled to be open! Both bars were unstaffed and closed. He had to finally call a supervisor to discover that there was only one staffed bar, which was on Deck 4 (we were on Deck 11). EJ have not been completely unreasonable as they did make the generous hotel offer (for folks who wanted to disembark one day early) and have offered a few free excursions for the morning of Oct 12. But keep in mind that they created their own situation, and now find themselves trying to make amends. From my point of view, nothing offered makes up for the lack of communications and last-minute changes. When we booked this cruise, we assumed we would be on a ship that had been sailing for over 4 months. Even with all the delays we are on a voyage after the ship has been operating for 2 months! Nobody expects to get screwed out of a nice port day by a Naming Event on a 2 month old ship! And who would have predicted a naming ceremony for an Italian cruise line with home offices in Geneva, would be in NYC? Hank

We suggest looking at the options on Flightease (you can do this online once you have a booking number) and compare it to deals directly from the airlines. We have usually found that Flightease has good prices on international Premium but amazing prices on Biz and First Class. Hank

Good Morning, Just pulling into Halifax, which is our last port prior to NYC and the big Naming Day. There is a problem aboard and it is the lovely Cigar Lounge located on Deck 11 adjacent to the Wiskey Bar. The odor from cigars leaks out the door into the Whisky Bar and corridor. We could also smell it in the nearby section of the Conservatory, and friends in one of the large Deck 9, near the bow, can sometimes smell it in their suite. They claim the cigar odor is coming through the ventilation system. Onboard staff are aware, but whether anything is to be changed is a question. For now, my suggestion is folks might want to avoid suites close to the bow. There are not a lot of cigar smokers on this cruise, but things could get stinky when there are more cruisers. We are suppose to pick up another 40+ folks in Halifax, many of whom are travel agents and related folks along with the EJ CEO. It is only 8:08am and they have just started putting out a huge display of Moët Champagne, near the gangway. I think our new guests will feel very welcomed as they board this gorgeous vessel 😀 Hank

Am in Crema right now. The water filling station has two taps (regular and sparkling) and does have a sign asking folks to use clean glasses and not refill for health reasons. That being said, nobody is standing over you and acting like a traffic cop. Hank

We have done most of these ports multiple times. Quebec City, Charlottetown PEI, and Halifax have a lot of good options for most visitors. Smaller ports like La Baie (Santanay) have limited options for independent travelers, and we think many benefit for excursions that get you away from the ports. Cruisers might want to look for the itineraries that go as far as Montreal (many cruises only go as far as Quebec City). As to Boston (if it is one of your ports) we cannot imagine being in Boston without having a good Lobster Roll. Yankee Lobster or J. Hook are both relatively close to the port and have some of the best lobster rolls on earth. I will add that we really enjoy visiting Canada and will soon be driving to Ontario for an annual wine tasting/eating trip :). There is a lot to like about Canada including the strong US dollar. Hank

I agree. But when we booked this particular cruise the price was in line with SB. While we still prefer SB, the food here is generally superior to SB. Hank

While I cannot speak to “O” we are very familiar with the port. The main cruise terminals (there are 5) are located at Moll Adoasat which is a little more than a mile walk from the Ramblas. Most lines have some kind of shuttle service and there is also a public bus that stops right across from the terminals. I assume that O will use that normal cruise facility as long as there is an available berth. There has been talk, for years, about closing the smaller facility used by some of the small ship, so this is not a shock. Hank