FloridaTourist

Shuttles bought through the HAL are all charged to your room. Rubber bands are a good idea. Never thought of that.

Last night was Gala night. We both had surf and turf. It was very good but should have gotten the veal chop and ordered lobster with it. Screwed that one up. I also have become a fan of the after dinner cordials. The main stage last night was a Beale street show by the BB King all star band. Great show. Really enjoyed it. Having late dinner though really limits your show times we find. We can never get to Lincoln Center. There was also a sock hop at 9pm. Can't do that if dinner is at 8. Dinner is a 2hr meal. It at least 1:45. We met up with a larger group and ended the night at the piano bar. Megan and Diego just create a very relaxing atmosphere in there and we know all the songs. They added Purple Rain after Prince died this week and Diego does that really really well. Megan also did a solo while Diego played. Not sure how old Diego is but Megan is 23/24 and she really can belt out a song. The venues seem seemed pretty well attended again but you definitely don't have to run to get a good seat anywhere. Total opposite of our experience on RCCL. We have just pulled in to Dubrovnik. Supposed to be a very pretty place. We plan on walking the wall, finding the old synagogue then to the Buza Bar for views and Croatian beer. The group of 12 from North Carolina plans on meeting us and maybe a young Israeli couple we have met along the way . Supposed to see our first rain today but not raining here just yet.

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Today was quite chilly in Corfu. Needed a jacket and long pants. Could have actually used a heavier jacket. Being from Florida DW and I don't like cold. Was 52 before the 15 mph breeze off the water.

HAL provides a shuttle to the port entrance then for $14 pp they shuttled u to the center of town. There are cabs avail at the port or rental motorbikes. Now that we have seen it we probably could have just walked it. Good walkers can do the walking. The town is rather large. Mostly shopping though. We had a good latte and free wifi. Other than that we didn't do much here but that was our plan. Came back to the ship around 230 and now just chillin after lunch, conversation with our kids and a drink.

Spoke to a second guest today that was a victim of a pick pocket. The first one had one of those packs that are supposed to be pick proof. It was a fanny back with the pack in the front. She even had the safety clip closed. They opened it and the zipper on the subway in Athens and took a wallet and $100. The other was here in Corfu. Reached in his zipped pocket and took wallet and credit cards. DW and I have been super careful but will be even more careful now. You have to remember unemployment in Greece is over 27% but for men 18-40 it is over 52%. Tourists are easy pray.

Tonight is gala night #2. Also the BBKING takes to ride big stage.

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Just back from dinner. Very nice meal and a couple of cordials after dinner. Good comedic tonight on the main stage. BB King was not dark as I thought. But either way we missed their show tonight. But we did make it to the piano bar. Just an FYI. I have read some negative comments here about the pre made sandwiches. Well they are good. I am picky with food. My oldest son is a chef. So I know bad food. The sandwiches are just fine. Also the lido has a great salad bar and yea they make it for you. You just tell them what you want in it. My wife does it every day. In the morning we arrive in Corfu. The ship will provide transportation out of the port at no charge and you can buy A ticket to town for $14. That will probably be what we do. Ok it's 1248. Time for bed!!!

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Had Le cirque dinner on the Oosterdam 2 nights ago. Have the sea bass. It was probably the best we have had. Also the pineapple dessert is so so good.

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We're taking a Med cruise next month and I have to say HAL has an itinerary we could not refuse! This was a last moment decision we made this weekend due to a trip to Japan that we decided to cancel.

 

As you can see by my signature, we're not newbies to cruising, we have cruised 27 times before with several other lines.

 

So our 1st HAL experience will be on the Oosterdam. Yesterday someone asked me: "which dam ship are you sailing on?" Funny! :D

 

I have a very important question. Do they have a good hairdryer on this ship or a box one? :D Ok, it may sound petty, but I have long hair and 13 days using those old box hairdryers is torture! So if that's what they have then I will bring my travel hairdryer.

 

We prefer to book ship tours so we have 3 shore excursions booked. The other places seemed doable on our own.

 

We also booked the Pinnacle Grill for our sea day. We didn't care much for the menu for Le Cirque and Canaletto didn't spark our interest either.

 

We're in our 40's and 50's and love to cruise! It's the best way to see more of the world.

 

Any information you may have for this ship or HAL as a whole, is certainly welcomed and very much appreciated. :)

we are currently aboard the Oosterdam right now. The hairdryer is fair at best. They have since given us another one. But my wife brought her own and she was doing her hair the same time as the lady next door and across the hall were doing theirs. They blew the fuse. My wife ended up having to do it in the hall way while I made a mirror out of the phone camera.

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Last night was a nice night on the ship. We had dinner in the main Dinning room. Then to the show at main stage. It was a song and dance production number about famous duets. Was very entertaining. The most crowded we have seen at any venue. So don't get me wrong. Wasn't like you have to run from dinner to get a seat but it was about 3/4 full. It was actually nice to see. BB King was great. We went to the middle show and the late show. The last set is actually only 30 minutes and ends by 1130. We have met up with a group of 12 from North Carolina all our age. They like us stay up later than most and close the bars down. Matter of fact the first night we met them and all the bars had closed they went to the guest services and asked for a bar tender to open a bar. It was 1220am. So last night Megan and Diego had the night off so the piano bar was dark. Today we did the Walk for a Cause to raise money for cancer research. 5k around the deck. Then we got off in Kataklon in Olympia Greece. We just shopped. We are done with the ruins. Tuesday is Corfu. We currently are sitting at the lido pool which is quiet hot since the room is closed. Tried the back pool but it was to cold. Ugh! Tonight dinner will be in the main again then a comedian show and the piano bar. I think the BB King is dark tonight.

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Athens was a very large city. Very spread out. Not many big buildings. Little to much graffiti. The govt has no money to clean it up as explained by Pavos. So it gets worse. Pavlos knowing what we like, only had us buy tickets at the Acropolis. We are not museum people so we skipped that. He beat the crowd so we walked right up to buy them. By the time we left the line wait was over 1 hr. The area has great views. Pavlos also took us to the highest point in the city for more great views as well as the highest point in the harbor. We opted to skip lunch out since we had bfst on the ship and we're still feeling the effects of Le Cirque the night before and Pinnacle Grill the night before that. We saw Zeus temple and several other sites. Today at 11 was a special ceremony of the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier. Very cool to see. Probably a must do if you can. But overall we wanted to get a feel of the city and we got just that and good conversation with a local to understand how life works here. Saw no signs of immigrates. He said they moved them to hide them. Over 2k in the old airport which only has 4 functional bathrooms. Not a good situation.

Fyi. Met a very nice couple in Athens that are on the Crystal Symphony. They had both Kasadusi and Istanbul canceled. When we told them we got to go they were very sad because they really wanted to see Ephesus. Never felt scared or threatened there. Glad we got to go. .

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The deck 10 cabins are welded in place but not occupied. I believe the retreat is done.

Just back onboard after spending a great day touring Athens with Pavos from HP Hellenic tours which I found on tripadvisor. Pavos met us right on time. Had bottled water in the car for us. He used some very nice drone videos to show us the areas we were to visit before we actually got out of the car. This let us get a good preview of what to look for first. He was a very nice guide and gave us lots of info without overwhelming us. We told him what we like and he planned accordingly. He was easy to engage in conversation and helped us learn about greek like. He was happy to help us. Poor guy has 3 boys including twins under the age of 4. It was nice to get out of the house. Would definitely use this company and Pavos again.

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Easy to get to vineyards if you hire a motorbike or car. We hired a motorbike last time and a car for our trip in July. 43 euro for the day and if you share really cheap. Not many cars on the road and easy to find your way round. We circled the island in no time stopping at beaches, vineyard, Thira and Oia on the motorbike as well as a little village at the top with a massive view and we're back with free time to walk around Thira .

A few that did wineries did wineries in Santorini had nothing great to say. Those that did them in Crete including us really enjoyed them

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So do you think it's worth it to take the boat to Oia? Or is it about the same as taking the cable car up and then bus or taxi to Oia? (Time wise)

The boat for sure. Would definitely do that again

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Sat for an hour while they fixed it. All good now.

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Currently sitting still 15 minutes outside of kasadusi turkey. Have engine thruster problem. Ugh!

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Sorry. Not ferry. "Speed boat". But if anyone is wondering I wouldn't call it a speed boat by any standards. How bout a boat with a motor. It is not fast and makes very little wake.

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The ferry runs every 20 minutes if you ask them. But don't ask them. The truth is it runs every 30-40 min. They just don't want to lose the sale. They do take Credit cards if anyone cares

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Great day today. Beautiful weather while at Ephesus. Only one other ship on port and they left at noon. The crowds were not bad. We had a private tour with Ephesus Shuttle which I found on tripadvisor. Emory was a great guide. He really knew his stuff. He grew up in the area right near the site and his dad is the local high school history teacher. The company used a beautiful new van with very comfortable seats etc not a mini van. After visiting the site and the terrace houses we went to a rug coop at our choosing. Think it's called the Turkman coop. No pressure but we did buy a small rug. Now on the ship just chilling out. Sunday we dock in Athens and have another private tour there.

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Oh and by the way. We are doing Le Cirque tonight.

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Wow! Love Santorini. Chose this ship because of the stop here. Did the speedboat to Fia thanks to CC. Then the bus to Thira and cable car back down. The weather amazing. The people very nice. The views to die for. Left the ship at 945 and back 345. The DW helped the local economy. We had a snack at a pizza place in Fira with a roof top deck on the water side in Fira. Very reasonable. No charge for the view as I heard would happen. Came back on board and sat out by the pool for the sail away party. Both pools open. Dinner was in the Pinnacle grill. Oh my gosh. Now I see what everyone is talking about. My rib eye was awesome. The grill is all new and redone. Very classy looking. Way to much food. Mimi a great waitress. Interesting that today our room steward gets off to go back to Bali. Not sure who we get. But Putu has been very good to us. Trying not to overwhelm with lots of details so if there is anything particular anyone wants to know you will have to ask. Found out last night that any extra OBC will be refunded to my credit card not lost like I have read. Today we have a private guide for Ephesus. Hope your all have a great day!!! I know we will. sunrise over Santorini. dinner viewit is late enough for this someplace in the world.

Also last night the ship was very quiet after 1030. By 1130 it was dead. All live music stopped by 1130. That part has been disappointing. Could be that the public rooms are so cold that no one can sit in them.

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All went smooth. Bus was there as planned. Fia is the nicer of the 2 cities. Cable car line not long. Life is Santorini is good!

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Currently sitting on the speed boat to Oia. Price this year is 15e plus 5e for the cable car down. Arrived on the Oosterdamn. One other ship in port but can't see the name. Line for cable car up is pretty long. Beautiful day here.

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Had room service for breakfast. Came 5 minutes early but we got to enjoy the sunrise over Santorini . My poached eggs were hot and runny just like I like them. Currently we are waiting in the Queens Lounge for our tender number. Process is a little slow for me as I have no patience.

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Spent today in Crete. Rented a car with another couple and drive the island stopping at 2 winery. Lots of fun. The island is actually pretty big if you haven't been here. Lots of olive trees and vineyards. The new smart tv on the room is blue tooth a led for those that care. No more DVDs. Not all the channels are programmed just yet. But overall a nice addition to the room. Tonight dinner in the main Dining room but tomorrow is pinnacle grill night and next night is Le Cirque. Ok. DW is ready to go down. I'll write more later :)

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sorry folks Internet was not available yesterday from the land. The ship Internet is still the same old plan and poor so we didn't purchase it. The people at the front desk actually didn't advise it as the ship satellite gets turned off when within 2 miles of shore. And this cruise will be close to shore most of the trip except yesterday.

Yesterday was VERY rough. Lots of folks not feeling well including myself. After I took something from the clinic I started feeling better. The weather was chilly and winds were over 45 knots when they expected 25. The pool was covered. We slept through breakfast as we closed the venues of the ship down Tuesday night with another group of 12 we met. Wednesday we missed breakfast so had coffee In The Explorers Cafe and some lite Danish. Think the rocking up there got the DW queasy and started on me. After that we had our CC gathering in the Gallery Lounge attended by about 20 even though 50 signed up. The rocky ship might have been the cause. Then noon was the Mariners lunch. A number of single partners as the other was ill in the cabins. We ate very little. We spent the afternoon poolside trying to get a little air to make us feel better. It was also Gala night. Most people dressed very nice including us. Lots of photo ops. DW had the maple braised duck and I had the lamb chops. All very good. The choc lava cake I had read about on other cc forums was yummy but even better withe vanilla ice cream I added. Today we will join another couple we met on CC in our age group. We will rent a car and do a wine tour of Crete. (Like we haven't had enough to drink). SBC is killing me. I am a 1 -2 drink a week person. Now it's like 1-2 drinks at lunch and again at dinner and between each meal!!!! Also spending lots of the evening in the piano bar. Will try to add a video. Will also write about the entertainment and about the smart tv later when time permits. https://vimeo.com/163653754

Also FYI Bathroom has tub and shower.

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Entertainment tonight is awesome. Currently at the second set in the Billboard on Board lounge where the pianos are. Diego and Megan are really good together. We know all the songs. We love piano bars. The BB King tonight was rockin. The dance floor was full. Lots of Commodores, Earth Wind and Fire, and Marvin Gay. This is our first cruise In a few years and the first on HAL since 1999. LOVE LOVE LOVE the no smoking in the casino. Tonight is probably the closest I will get to using my drinks on the SBC. Think between coffees and alcohol I might be at 6. How can anyone possibly have 15 drinks? I might have one more Old Fashion. Tomorrow is our only sea day. Tonight for dinner we ate in the Lido so that we could get to all the shows. We ate a late dinner in Amalfi so are lite tonight. I will say that the bbq brisket tonight was amazingly tender. Lido has great salad bar and Explorers Cafe has very good chocolate cookies different than the Lido.

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The tv is above the sofa and only visible from the bed which is fine with me. I'm not sure the suites in this ship will have the wall between the dressing area. Would real chop up the room.

Today started with room service at breakfast set for 730-8 and arrived right at 8. Everything was hot and we ate on the patio. We arrived in Naples an hour late due to the late start last night but they also extended our shore time to make up for it. We bought the laundry package for the 12 days $84 and it is an awesome investment. Sent 2 bags out the first day and they are back already. We were met by Tony from Livitaly for a private tour of the Amalfi coast. What a trip. So glad we did it the way we did. Would never do that trip in a bus. This was the third tour we did with this company and they are very professional. I hesitated because they take a deposit and then full payment the week before. But they are top notch. Also so was the other company we used Rome Driving Tours while in Rome. So today we did Sorento, Positano, Amalfi where Tony arranged an amazing lunch and Ravello. This is an amazing tour and drive. We left Naples at 915 and back by 540. Lots of entertainment tonight. Think we might do Lido for dinner otherwise with an 8pm dinner time we will miss most of the shows.

. Our view from lunch

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The ship is moving!!!!

FYI we went to the crows nest the wrong way and yes it is open but not tonight. Will open mostly on Tuesday. The new suite is awesome. Very nice. The new dueling piano bar is great. Diego and Megan on there all 12 nights and they will be our favorite for sure. The BB king band was also good tonight. Not sure if the ship is not full or everyone went to sleep early but was quiet tonight after dinner. The new Gallery Bar is also really nice looking and will be a nice place to gather. Wish it had live music though. All the dinning room furniture is new in the main and lido. The suite is all new including the balcony. Dinner tonight was good but didn't have the prime rib I heard is usually served on sail away. The mariner lunch was very crowded today and service very slow as was the dinner service. Tuesday is Naples. Getting late here. Will type more after our Naples tour.

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