KU1and2

2 hours ago, Dutchman48 said:

Third time isa charm.

 That would be good!   

1 hour ago, Cruising Is Bliss said:

 

The current WC was massively re-routed and went nowhere near the Red Sea & Suez Canal.

Pete (the inside cabin) did a detailed report of Gus's presentation on 2026 and his Q&A. HAL is reviewing the itinerary for 2025 now and will probably make similar change away from the Red Sea & Suez Canal for 2025.

I understand that.  I have been following Pete's blog.  

The Suez Canal again.?  Third year in a row……….

45 minutes ago, RynoWally said:

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but having cruised many times on HAL with a type 1 diabetic, I have seen some posts about ice cream and desserts being sugar free, we have never seen this. We have seen no sugar added Ice Creams and desserts, which I'm sure you know is a little bit different. 

I also travel with a Type I diabetic -- the deserts are not "sugar free" they are "no sugar added" which is much different as we found out.  There are plenty of choices however and my husband has never gone hungry on a HAL cruise.  But you do need to be very careful and ask questions.

34 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

If you tell them it is for insulin or other medications, they want you to store them in the infirmary! Because the room/rental fridges are really just coolers and do not get as cold as home refrigerators.

 

ETA: not very convenient!

 

Our last cruise we did tell them it was for insulin but they did not waive the cost.  Still very inexpensive.  True they are only "coolers", but we take a thermometer for the cooler, and we keep the ice bucket full of ice uncovered in the cooler which keeps the temperature about 39-47 degree F. and the room stewards fill the ice twice a day.

Keeping the insulin at the medical center did not work for us -- as their hours are so short and inconsistent!  We found a way to make it work!

21 hours ago, worldlady said:

Just got off my first cruise on the Volendam, always wanted to try this ship. Was so disappointed to find our ocean view room didn’t have a refrigerator! And only one electric outlet at the vanity, none by the bed so I can plug in my iPad before going to sleep. The cabin was nice enough otherwise, lots of closet space. Didn’t much like the crows nest, no game tables near the windows. I really need a refer so I can keep extra ice as can’t stand room temperature water. Is there any way to find out if your cabin choice has a refer before booking? Hope to hear from fellow cruisers.

We love the Volendam.  If you want a mini fridge, you just need to contact Ship's services -- either before your cruise or on-board and they will have one delivered.  HOWEVER, they used to charge $2.50 per day -- but for us it is well worth it to keep my husband's insulin cold.

1 hour ago, Swabia said:

My wife and I will be traveling from Delray Beach, FL to Port Everglades is a couple of weeks to catch a cruise on the Rotterdam. Any opinion about whether I would be better off driving and parking at an off-stie facility with a shuttle service (e.g. park by the ports) or just taking an Uber/Lyft to the port? My primary concern about the Uber/Lyft option is that the driver may not be familiar with the drop-off route down by the port and leave us some distance away from the check-in area with our luggage. Justified concern, or not?

Thanks in advance,

Doug

We are on the same cruise on 3 December and live in Boynton Beach.  Send me an email at bnbmoore1 at gmail dot com and we can discuss some options.

Barbara

3 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

They look smaller than mine, which is nice. How do they stick on a wall?

They have adhesive strips included -- but we found command strips or tacky putty work to hold them in place longer.   https://www.amazon.com/Plasti-Tak-Original-Re-usable-Adhesive-Putty/dp/B075KQ9KYV/ref=sr_1_63?crid=ZFYMVN0OLFE6&keywords=tacky+putty&qid=1688740479&sprefix=tacky%2Caps%2C129&sr=8-63

14 minutes ago, 81Zoomie said:

Currently on board the Rotterdam (7/1-15) and would like to share some hints for things that took awhile to figure out.  This is not and all inclusive list, but hopefully these will save you some time and help you make informed decisions.

 

1.  Butter in the Lido.  Apparently this is a ‘rationed’ commodity, 🤣. I searched every station at breakfast and lunch for a bowl with pats of butter.  There is no butter on display. One morning I asked, and the server reached down in a cabinet and pulled out a square dish with 2 pats of butter.  Then at lunch I asked and another server looked underneath and shrugged her shoulders.  On a second try yet another server reached an entire arms length into a cabinet to find some.  You have to ask for butter in the Lido.

2. Anything other than “milk” or “half and half” for coffee or tea in the Lido. The large urns of both are available at every coffee station.  However, low-fat, buttermilk, rice milk, soy milk, almond milk, and chocolate milk are also available in the morning.  Low-fat and chocolate milk are available in silver urns at one of the middle inward facing stations.  Boxes of the other milks are available at another station.  It’s a bit of a treasure hunt finding them since they are not collocated with the coffee. I have not seen any of the variety available at other times of the day.

 

3. Night light in a non suite bathroom.  There isn’t one.  I asked about this prior to our cruise and came prepared with a small knob type 110 prong and 220 prong night lights.  Strike 1, I left the 220 plugged in at our hotel.  Strike 2, my tiny 110 plug does not fit a 220 adapter or the outlet in the bathroom. By luck, I have a small flashlight in my bag with a red lens for the night.  Made that work.  Strike 3…. Imagine this scenario… The rooms have the pesky card slot for power.  We left generic cards in, but the cabin attendants take them.  So, if you are in the shower, and your cabin mate decides to take their key card out of the slot to grab a drink, all cabin lights will unexpectedly go out in approximately 1-2 minutes. You cannot reach the bathroom door to crack it because of the direction the shower door opens.  So, even in the Land of the Midnight Sun, you will be showering in total darkness.  I highly recommend you sort out the key card/bathroom light logistics prior to leaving your loved one in the dark 😉.  And, as someone kindly suggested, bring a battery operated tea light for use in the bathroom as a night light.

 

4. Maine Lobster Tails - Regardless of what the online or printed menus say, there are no Maine lobster tails on board including in Rudi’s and the Pinnacle.  They only have Caribbean lobster tails.  This was also the case on our Nieuw Amsterdam cruise in March.  Surprisingly, we were told they only stock Maine lobster tails when sailing in New England, Greenland, and Iceland.

 

5. Ice Cream Flavor of the Day - The complimentary ice cream choices in the Lido are vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate.  The sign above the station also lists “flavor of the day.”  However, in order to find out what the special flavor is you have to ask the server.  It was rum raisin the day I got ice cream.  Today the line was over 10 people long and simply not worth the wait.  There is a for fee gelato station on deck 10 that rarely has a line and provides a nice selection clearly marked.

 

6.  Found - The water sold/included with HIA is in small cartons with a screw top.  They are much more portable and convenient than the aluminum pop top cans that were stocked in the Caribbean in the spring.  We brought our own refillable (multiple use, not single use plastic) larger bottles for excursions.  We had them empty on initial boarding and after excursions to avoid any issues.

 

7.  Found - Best dessert in a dining venue… Almost Baked Alaska in the Pinnacle. Just my opinion, but the only dessert on board that has not succumb to the incredible shrink ray 👏

 

8.  Found - For those of you who have been following the other cruise line forums about food cut backs, we have happy to report HAL served

prime rib in the main dining room.  It was not a designated gala/dressy night and there was no up charge.  They also offered halibut and salmon.  I do not recall seeing tilapia or cheeseburgers on the dinner menu thus far.  And, for those of us who have suffered from wine and bourbon shortages on other cruise lines and ships, there is plenty of Decoy Cabernet and Woodford Reserve on board. Additionally, there is usually a daily variety of chocolate cake, cheese cake, and othr yummy options available at several venues around the ship.  And, Room Service is free!

 

9.  Found - A smokey casino. A factual report, not intended for commentary.

 

10.  Found - Amazingly beautiful scenery all along the Norwegian coast and fjords; majestic mountains, stunning vistas, picturesque farms and villages.  There is a stylish blend of old and new architecture, marvelously engineered tunnels, and stunning waterfalls.  Norway is beautiful!

For #3 we found these lights at Amazon -- work really well -- stick on wall and they are motion sensors.    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PB9Z1ZZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We were locked out of booking airfare on FlightEase last year for over a month.  After several calls, it was finally resolved -- HAL had to delete our incorrect airport of record - don't know where they got it from -- and put in our correct airport preference.

We received our in 10 days.  However, I checked today and the Shareholder credit has disappeared from our bookings.   Have to call Princess.......

1 hour ago, SueMo said:

Ok, so I googled the testing requirements from the Canadian government and the testing requirements from HAL.  

The Canadian requirement states, "Passengers must take a COVID-19 molecular test within 72-hours before boarding a cruise ship or take an antigen test within one day of the scheduled departure."

HAL's requirement is, "Guests who are up to date with their vaccines or fully vaccinated may take their COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours prior to sailing or a medically observed antigen test within 2 days before sailing."

A molecular test is the same as a PCR test, so the 72 hour requirement is identical.  However, the antigens test requirements are different--within one day vs. within 2 days.

We usually get the BinaxNOW test through Walgreens, which is a molecular test, so we're good.  Those of you who get the antigen test are going to have to take it the day before embarkation--not ideal...

The BinaxNow test is an antigen test - it can be done at  home or can be done with monitoring (which is what is required to board the ship).

Sorry for the duplication.

According to the latest FACEBOOK post, the new Rotterdam will not start cruising with passengers until 26 September 2021.

We sailed in one on the Koningsdam.  The balcony was great.  Had an overhang and was partially shaded.  We asked our cabin stewards if they could bring a small table to put on the balcony, and they did that while we were at dinner the first night.  We would have coffee and breakfast on the balcony in the morning, and drinks and snacks before dinner out there too.  Super balcony!

On 2/3/2021 at 3:48 PM, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

I think the Rotterdam will sail  in 2021

But will there be passengers on her?

AND the crew (Indonesians and Phillipinos) will probably all have to be vaccinated before they travel to the ships.

5 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Not sure where your pricing is from, but I get $4,329 price difference between Princess Saver and Early Booking Benefits pricing for both a Balcony and an Inside cabin.  Wifi pricing can easily be only $200/pp if passenger is Platinum or above which most are on these voyages.  I agree with your Grats value.  So, $4,329 - ($1609.50 + $200) = $2,519.50.  $400 may well be on the high side for an EZ-Air economy ticket on average  (I wonder if one can book Business/First and get a rebate reduction from Princess for value of the Econ fare on same flights??).  I am going to pick $355 for fun.  That leaves $2,519.50 - $355 air = $2,164.50 allocated to PBP.  That works out to $19.50/day, which is more in line with what I would expect and aligns somewhat with other cruises I have priced and analyzed.  

 

At $12 per day in your example, I would agree and for us it would be worth it as to do my own wine costs about $5/day/pp.  But $20/day for PVP just isn't worth it in our case.  Now, another consideration is how much wine can I reasonably get from Total Wine onto the ship on boarding day (I don't need advice there - just joking) for a 111 day voyage??!!!

 

Sorry - I should have indicated that pricing was coming from my TA.  We have always ordered Total Wine on-line and picked it up at the store a few hours before boarding. For the last World we did on HAL, we took aboard 30 bottles (charge of $18 per bottle).  I do usually have preferences for wine, and I am not familiar with Princess' wine list by the glass.    I think I will wait to see the wines that are offered by the glass before I decide (if possible).

  But we also like specialty coffees, and I suppose I would have one most days if I didn't have to "pay" for it.

13 hours ago, Waynetor said:

The advertised benefits for early booking (pre Nov 30) are Premier drink package, Unlimited Wi-Fi, Gratuities, airfare for balcony and above, $500 OBC, 4 specialty dinning cover charges and a $1,000 discount for any level of Captain Circle.

 

I find this very misleading as the first 3 are not free.  Like every other Princess voyage, you can pay for the voyage with or without these.  To get these 3 so called early booking benefits adds over $4,000 to the cost.

That is true, however if you price all of the benefits i.e., gratuities ($1609.50), air (assume$400), and wifi (assume $300), the difference between the no frills and early booking (for a BE) is $3330.  If you remove the price of the benefits, $2009.50, that leaves $1320.50 -- which averages out to about $11.89 per day you are paying for the beverage package.  A darn good deal.

Social distancing will be extremely difficult.  And some people won't wear masks - look at the demonstrators.  Some people want to cruise so badly they are willing to put themselves and others in harms way.

AND it only takes one person to board with the virus to cause a major problem for everyone on the ship.

5 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

I really question the passenger's report.  Princess announced that it was cancelling all its voyages and would disembark the passengers at the nearest, convenient port.  LA is a long way from Fremantle.  Where is the ship going to refuel?  And what intemediary ports will still be open?  I believe that Hawaii has just closed its ports.  In the meantime, what if one of their passengers became critially ill and there was no way or place to for evacuation?  Perhaps this is the passenger's wishful thinking?

Issue by PRINCESS  -- not WISHFUL thinking.

7 minutes ago, KU1and2 said:

See the Princess forum.  Someone on the Pacific Princess world cruise has been told they can stay on the ship until FLL - they of course have to sign a waiver.  They are due to arrive in Perth (Freemantle) on 21 March.

Sorry - correction - the ship is sailing back to Los Angeles according to the letter issued to the passengers.

See the Princess forum.  Someone on the Pacific Princess world cruise has been told they can stay on the ship until FLL - they of course have to sign a waiver.  They are due to arrive in Perth (Freemantle) on 21 March.