jagger16

Bon Voyage and safe travels!

Thank you Brian & Michelle for the time that you take to share all of this information and to include so many pictures. Glad you had a great cruise. Your weather looked perfect. I would love to see pictures of the drinks from the mixology bar from@Huskerchick A couple of random questions . . . 1. Did you get to keep the cordial glass with the cordial of the day? We had to buy the cordial glass in January on Nieuw Statendam as the glass was not included in the beverage package. The drink was. 2. Were you able to get lunch from the lido in the cabana? We were not when we were on Nieuw Statendam. I remember you saying that when you were on in December you still could. Thank you!

Thank you @HaveDogWillTravel for your feedback. Do you know if there is a charge for specialty coffee or a bottle of water? Is water supplied in the cabins? @Host Jazzbeau You bring up an interesting option, because only one of us really needs internet. Is it the case that both people in the cabin do not have to buy the package? Again thanks for all of the information as it has made us very excited to go back to Windstar again!

@HaveDogWillTravel Thank you for your review and also for the wonderful pictures. We have sailed Windstar but it’s been awhile. We have an upcoming cruise with them. We are trying to sort out the all inclusive package. Sounds like you didn’t have the package and don’t think it’s necessary. I know it covers internet and gratuities so the unknown variable is the drinks. Would love to hear your thoughts. Do you feel you still make out better paying for drinks, internet and gratuities a la carte? Thank you!

Not sure about bars, but we have had wine from wine packages in our room and in the MDR and specialty restaurants. If you open a bottle at dinner and don’t finish it they will store it for you for the next evening. Even if you dine in a different place the next night. I can’t imagine that you would be restricted by where you drink it.

We were on Nieuw Statendam recently. Lunch was only offered from New York Deli & Dive In. You could also order sushi. I believe breakfast was from NY Deli as well. They no longer get you food from the Lido. We did not care for the NY Deli breakfast but my husband was ok with their scrambled eggs so he would do that sometimes. I found myself getting lunches and a couple breakfasts from the Lido and I brought it up to the cabana myself. The Lido food was really good on this cruise. Seafood boil was never mentioned but we saw signs for it in other dining venues on the ship.

Thank you, Everyone for the well wishes! We are looking forward to our cruise and to making some new CC friends along the way. Happy holidays!

We have sailed on Celebrity and HAL and like them both for different reasons, many of which others have already mentioned. One thing we really noticed after our last two Celebrity cruises is that HAL has a lot more deck space, especially forward and aft. There just always seems to be more options on HAL for places to sit from covered to full sun, and quiet to active.

We haven’t gotten an email or notice in the mail for some time now. We have our TA contact HAL to apply it to our next booking and it hasn’t been a problem. We usually book while on board so we just contact her when we get home and ask her to do it.

Enjoy Rome! Pictures are great! We are traveling with you in anticipation of our August 5th sailing on Reflection. BTW . . . We visited Edinburgh and Scotland in May to see Harry Styles. Loved Scotland and hope to return in the future. Thank you for taking the time to post. Safe travels!

@Analog187 Your pictures are beautiful. Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed seeing places we had been before through a new lens and seeing other places that we will have to visit someday.

Thank you. Got it @Alakegirl🙂

I don’t think there’s a corkage fee for the bottles you bring on as part of your allowance.

Can you please repost the link to your pictures? Would love to see them and I’m not finding it. Thank you!

Thank you for taking the time to post throughout your cruise. I appreciate hearing about the good and the bad. It’s really interesting how the passenger dynamics vary from cruise to cruise. We’ve been on 25+ cruises on every kind of cruise line and we’ve experienced it all. Things can change from one cruise to the next. We sail on HAL every December and there are things about HAL that we love but consistency (with all cruise lines) is a problem these days. I wouldn’t call HAL a premium cruise line. It’s a mainstream that has a lot of nice touches. Safe travels!

Back in 2014 we took the train from Amsterdam to Rotterdam. It couldn’t have been easier. We got First Class tickets, which were very reasonable, and that gave us assigned seats. We had no trouble storing our luggage in First Class and they gave us a glass of sparkling wine. It was a delightful experience and our only regret is that we wish the ride was longer. We enjoyed it so much!

Hi Jacqui glad you made it home and have time to heal. Thinking about you. Can you please add . . . August 5, 2023 Celebrity Reflection 9 Night Italian Riviera & France December 27, 2023 Nieuw Statendam 11 Day Explorer Holiday Thank you!

Thank you, everyone! We are looking forward to it. @kazuHow are you doing? Have you healed since your cruise? Hope you are doing well.

My husband occasionally wears nice jeans in the dining room. He wears nice white jeans too. He always travels with at least one pair. 🙂

We were on Nieuw Statendam last December and we have been in a cabana every December since 2010. Each experience is a little different and we don’t ever expect everything on the list. The things that are consistent throughout the years are the strawberries, grapes, sparkling wine, cold towels, water throughout the day and always, always excellent, friendly, attentive service. The attendants will show you the lido menu and you can order whatever you want for lunch. They will get it for you. They will get you drinks as well. We have always had a great experience and wish you the same. Besides outdoor showers, NS also has a small hot tub. We didn’t use it much but it’s better than the giant green bunny on Konnigsdam!

HAL also allows you to bring wine on board. You will pay a $20 corkage fee per bottle but in our experience it’s worth it. If we open a bottle at dinner and don’t finish it, they will hold it for you for the next night. We have purchased wine in Fort Lauderdale at Total Wine but now we have a wine suitcase that we pack at home and take on the plane. Enjoy planning your cruise and the cruise as well!

We just got off Equinox in an Aqua stateroom, starboard side under the Solarium. We had an overhang. We loved the location as we spend most of our time on board on the outside decks. It was so convenient! We were also close to the gym and Persian Gardens which we also liked. The only time I noticed noise above us was one night when they were doing a deep cleaning of the Solarium. But that was when I was getting ready for dinner and it didn’t bother me at all. The overhang was great. We spent most mornings comfortably on our deck in the very hot and humid Caribbean. To me the cabins I would avoid are anything near the Atrium on any level. There is constant music and noise that just shoots right up from deck three. We often commented on how loud the interior of the ship was. It was so difficult to talk to anyone at Guest Services. But I think I may have become an upper deck convert!