Denise T

Thank you. The scenery is why we booked the cruise. I am most looking forward to sailing through Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay. I also know that no matter what, I will not starve on the cruise!

Looking forward to your review. I will be on the NA at the end of May going to Alaska. I am going as a group of four-me, my sister, my brother, and my sister-in-law. This will be our first time traveling as a foursome.

Hello everyone. Even though it is 75 days away (who’s counting?), I will be traveling on HAL for the first time on the Nieuw Amsterdam. I have cruised before with NCL. My goal is to do a live review from the Nieuw Amsterdam beginning with my very long day of travel from Pennsylvania to Anchorage. Oh, what an adventure it will be. I am going to also share my experiences up until cruise day as there has already been several interesting issues. I will be traveling with my sister, my brother, and my sister-in-law. We are all in our late 50’s and 60’s. We like to have fun and can be quite boisterous with laughter when we get together. My brother has already stated that he will be the “bag man” as we visit the ports. This will be our first time traveling all together. We have had such struggles over these past years having lost two of our older siblings. Life has been a challenge. So, this is an important trip for us. We are going to relax and enjoy each other’s company. We are going to Alaska, and we are so looking forward to it. I travel a lot for business. I am very much aware of the state of the travel and tourism industry both pre and post COVID. I am not looking for perfection but to get away from the stress from the past several years. When I traveled on NCL to Canada/New England (can you tell, I am not a Caribbean or warm weather person), I booked the cruise, hotels, and flights on my own. Everything worked with no major issues. This time I booked with a TA who is the best. I also booked flights through HAL which is unusual for me as I am a control freak and have ALWAYS booked my own flights. Now my brother and sister-in-law have booked with another TA through her work. We have already had issues with the flights (not unexpected) including a change in return flight that sent us to another airport over an hour away from the airport where our car will be parked. My TA was on the phone for hours getting that changed. My flights are not straight through, and we will have several layovers in Charlotte and Dallas-Fort Worth before getting to Anchorage. I have come to realize from my travels that the airlines simply do not know how to fly in a straight line. All is fixed and I am sure there will be another change or two or three. As I said, I am not looking for perfection but to relax and enjoy myself. I love the smaller ships. I have no need for all the bells and whistles. Plus, my sister is not too fond of people because of her job so the less people around the better for her. I have been reading lots of negative comments about food. Food is subjective and I am not a foodie. I plan to eat the foods I can’t cook such as salmon and any type of fish really. I want to try new things. My brother is not a buffet person, he works in the dietetic department of a major hospital chain, so most of our meals will be in the MDR. We may try some specialty restaurants. We know that we will be playing the trivia games and listening to the music and of course having lots of drinks, except for my brother who does not drink. Besides, one of us has to stay somewhat sober! We haven’t booked shore excursions. My sister and I didn’t when we sailed to Canada/New England. We thoroughly enjoyed walking the harbor and wandering around the neighborhoods around the ports. If we see something that is still available, we might, who knows. We will play it by ear. I will try and share my experiences up to my embarkation and during the cruise. I did a review of my trip to Canada/New England and as that was my very first cruise, I realized I missed out on a lot. I will have to work a little on my cruise. I am self-employed and a college adjunct at two online schools. I will make do with the Internet that is available. My plan is to have all my classes set up prior to leaving. Looking forward to sharing my adventures.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

That's what I thought. She looked older.

No Love Boat toots today.😔

I will be on the NA in 77 days! Not that I am counting or anything.

Checking in.

77

Have a good Saturday everyone. Thanks for the thread Leanne.

I saw a video on how that works. It's pretty cool. I always wondered what it was.

Checking in. Hope everyone is having a lovely Saturday.

I will be sailing on HAL for the first time at the end of May. I am doing the same for the Nieuw Amsterdam menus. As I look at the menus for the MDR, there are a lot of choices that I would like to try. I read these boards and take everything with a grain of salt. As you stated, food is subjective. I started my diet now so that I can enjoy all of the food! My main goal is to enjoy the trip with my family after the past several difficult years. Enjoy your trip!

See everyone next week. Thanks, Leanne, for the thread.

Bye Nieuw Amsterdam. See you in 85 days.

Sounds back!

No sound for me either.

Checking in! Happy Sunday.

Checking in.

87

I am. I will stop after Harmony of the Seas leaves.

Checking in. Hi everyone!

Checking in. Hi everyone!

Thank you!

Thank you so much for the info.