hjrell

Thank you for all the great information. It really helps to hear from people who have used this cruise line. Still looking but MSC is a contender!

Thanks for the information. Looks very tempting!

Is this a fairly new cruise line?

I guess we are more Priness to Celebrity cruisers than Carnival...where does this cruise line fall in comparison?

Ok, maybe I have been living under a rock, but I've never heard of this cruise line until today. We have cruised on Celebrity, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Princess - balcony room - 7 cruises total. How does MSC compare to any of these?

It doesn't appear that they do any time dining. Is that correct?

We would be doing the Caribbean itinerary.

Are the ships very small?

Any comparisons would be appreciated. Just hesitant to book on a line I have never heard of!

Thank you.

I thought that there was a frig but for some reason the term 'mini bar' didn't cross over in my mind as the refrigerator on the list of amenities which is odd because that's the way it was on all our other cruises! A senior moment?? Ha!

I truly appreciate everyone's help!

I have used this site for all our cruises and love finding the answers or being able to ask and getting such prompt answers!

Great info, everyone!

I enjoy checking out the ship and menus before we go.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to compile all this information and pictures and to those who have answered all my questions so quickly!

Thank you, Crew News! Appreciate the help!

Yes, we are booked on the Westerdam.

We have the 'Explore 4" package so I doubt we will use the mini bar items but just wanted to check. Like to know how things work ahead of time since this is our first Holland cruise.

Thanks for the quick replies! You guys are awesome!

If we use items from the mini bar, I'm assuming we can use our on board credit to pay for these?

Do the Westerdam Signature Suites have refrigerators in them?

Just a note about lighter bites, should you need them between meals. The Explorations Cafe will have complimentary cold mini sandwiches and energy bars, sugar-free brownies, fresh granola bars, etc throughout most of the day. The Lounges will have complimentary hot hors d'oeuvres upon request in the evening. Even the appetizer portion of the Little Something, featuring a Pinnacle appetizer, is free upon request (not the drink) and you can get it to go. The Indonesian, English and Dutch Afternoon Teas will also have smaller-sized food offerings. Those attending cooking demonstrations will receive a small sample of one of the dishes cooked. Be sure to check the Daily On Location Guide for all the options, sometimes there's a BBQ or special local fare offered by the Lido Pool (either at lunch or dinner). Often there's special Sail Away fare offered at the Aft, too.

 

Have a happy sailing!

Thank you! Sounds like I won't have any problem finding something throughout the day.

I would never have thought about the Exploration Cafe for food! If I read correctly, isn't this where the computers are located or am I wrong about that?

Just a heads up they very often break down dinner at 7:30 and not the printed 8 p.m. time. They'll have desserts out maybe until 8 p.m., but for entrees and sides you can in our experience more-often-than-not forget it.

Thank you sppunk! That's good info to know!

Thank you!

I know we won't starve ;), it's just more of a matter of timing for me!

We always make sure to eat something before we leave the ship for excursions or exploring so the dining hours are important.

I appreciate the replies!

Thank you everyone for the replies.

I know there is food available most, if not all, of the time but I have problems with my blood sugar dropping too low if I don't eat on a regular schedule so it's important for me to plan meals around our excursions and plans. I carry a granola bar with me everywhere I go but prefer not to let it get to that point!

So nice to be able to get answers quickly from the great people on these boards. It is much appreciated it.

I'm not finding this on the search attempts - but does anyone know the dining hours of the Lido dining on the Westerdam?

I saw bits and pieces of things like - don't plan on a late breakfast at 10:30 because they are not open at that time.

Just wondering what the exact hours are so we can plan around our excursions.

Thanks!

Thank you for the replies. I think we'll just wing it and see what time we are able to get on shore from our tender in.

HMC is a tender port, not a docking location. So, I would say it would be challenging to get your clamshell, then make it to a 9am tour.

Is it worthwhile to get a clamshell around 10:00 then when we get back from our 9:00 excursion? Wondering what kind of a location we will get for our clamshell at that late time.

Still can't decide if I should cancel one or the other..

Thank you for the replies!

We are the only ship at HMC that day - we dock at 8 - can we get our clamshell first and still make our 9:00 Calypso Tram Tour?

Still debating whether to cancel the clamshell or the tram tour.

This is what we have booked - we also reserved a clamshell. Not sure if I sould cancel one or the other:

Calypso Island Tram

Approximately 0¾ Hours

Easy Activity

$

4.4 out of 5

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Enjoyed it?

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4.8 out of 5

5 out of 5(100%)reviewers would recommend this product to a friend.

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All aboard for a behind-the-scenes peek at the highlights of Half Moon Cay from the comfort of a shaded, open-air tram, accompanied by a professional guide. This excursion is designed to acquaint you with the many and varied visitor areas, activities, and amenities the island offers. First, head out along the coastline from the marina to Cannon Point for an overview of the beach activities and beautiful views of the bay and your ship. See the island’s inter-denominational chapel and do a circuit of the Dining Pavilion roundabout. Next, check out Pegasus Ranch and the Island ‘airport’ where seaplanes take off and land. The same 700-acre lagoon is also used for jet-skiing, glass-bottom boating and kayaking. A brief stop at the stingray center provides a different perspective of the lagoon and the chance to see stingrays in their natural habitat. Back on the tram, you’ll drive past farms that showcase local crops grown for sustainability and beautification of the island. The industrial area, including the recycling and power plants, serves many very important purposes. Conclude your tour at Lustre, the pearl kiosk, where you may wish to browse for a memento of your visit.

Notes:

Minimum age is 3 years. Wear sunglasses and sunscreen; bring a hat.

Notes:

This excursion is led in English

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Forgive me, but search is not working for me.

We have never been to HMC so we are not sure what to do here. Renting a cabana is not really something we want to do so we booked the 'Calypso Island Tram Tour'. I realize this is just a quick overview of the layout of the island.

I read somewhere that there is no charge for any of the trams on the island so now I am wondering why we would pay for this excursion through the ship. Has anyone done this excursion through Holland and what did you think of it?

I seemed to also have read that there are glass bottom boat trips available. Is there someplace on the island that you can book these types of things and what else do they all offer?

Any advice would be appreciated!

You don't want to go to Orient Beach if you want to avoid the nudity. The clothing optional is at the far right end but the nudist walk up and down the entire beach - mainly topless walking around.

Maho Beach where the airplanes fly directly over the beach is an awesome experience - I can't comment on the swimming at Maho since we simply enjoyed watching the planes land.

No, deck 2 on the Westy iirc.

Thank you! I see now that I was looking at the deck plans of the Amsterdam instead of the Westerdam!

Deck 2 aft it is! Thanks again.

Thank you for the replies....we will just let our shore excursions as is!

If I am understanding the any time dining correctly then, we need to go to Deck 4 aft for this seating?

Where do we go for the anytime dining? Some ships we have been on you could only go to the lower deck of the dining rooms for this type of open seating. Didn't know if it is the same on the Westerdam?

Also - would this work- we booked shore excursions already which were charged to our credit card. We have an on-board credit we would like to use up and I wondered if once we were on board if we could cancel our shore excursions and then immediately rebook then using our on board credit? Of course we would need to make sure there is no wait list before we would cancel each one. Has anyone done this or is it more hassle than it's worth?

So we are looking for the main pier, Great Bay stop then.

Thank you for the replies!