InTheWASide

Lots of great options on this ship. Much depends on your personal taste, style, interests. Tell us more about your needs!!

We've done around 30 cruises total. I used to work for HAL, now I'm a TA. DH does work for HAL still. Never tried celebrity but it's been on the list to try every since this class of ships came out. Since it's our first time on Celebrity we wanted to "try it the right way" so to speak.

The upgrade to Aquaclass just sort of happened as there was a major price drop before final. We booked 123go and got the classic beverage package and we've upgraded it. We're going to Alaska for the 4th time so we're getting some tours out of the way that weren't financially possible on previous trips.

We like the specialty dining on the other ships we've been on. On HAL, Pinnacle Grill is great and we LOOOOVE Tamarind. The steakhouse on Carnival has always been really good. We even view it maybe just a hair above HAL especially for presentation and variety on the menu. NCL has tons of great options - We've done Cagney's, Le Bistro, Teppenyaki, Italian... liked them all quite a bit.

We didn't want to finally get on Celebrity and not try the various dining rooms, but the catch is that we know we've already paid for one the whole week with Blu so we kept hitting a roadblock when we would go to discuss it.

Needed another option, zero specialty. Dining in BLU is enough.

If you are in Aqua and eating in Blu that is like eating a specialty restaurant

every night. But if I was doing one I would do Murano. The sole is great.

Really appreciate the specific comparisons regarding access to Blu for the whole week.

We disembarked Solstice last week from an 18 day Aussie voyage. I would go with both Tuscan Grille and Murano, and skip Silk Harvest. We live in the Bay Area and have access to wonderful Asian food, and our opinion was that Silk Harvest didn't come close and $30 was definitely excessive for the quality. We thoroughly enjoyed 3 nights each at Murano and Tuscan Grille. Enjoy!

You nailed it!! We used to live in Mill Valley and worked mostly in SF and Silk Harvest is overpriced.

We've tried Silk Harvest a couple of times and were totally disappointed. The food, imho, is not very good and a few of the dishes came out burnt, on both of our visits. I don't think that restaurant is worth the extra money.

Thanks. Being in Seattle I suppose it's a similar situation for us though the Asian cuisine highlights on this coast are definitely San Francisco and Vancouver. The menu sounded great and my concern was more over quality for the money. Appreciate it.

We always travel in Aqua Class because we love Blu. That said, we always take

advantage of the 25-50% off on the first day of the cruise(discount depends

On the length of the cruise) and go to Murano. The Dover sole, veal chop,

And lobster Murano are fantastic. We've tried the other specialty restaurants in the past but Blu is so good, we only do Murano when it's on sale.

Makkblin

I'm actually glad you brought this up. I've heard about the discounts the first night and I'm intrigued. However I've also heard that the first night in Blu is one of the best and you "Can't miss it"

How do the specialties stand up to Blu on night 1?

Hey all,

We're headed to Alaska in a couple months and it's our first time ever on Celebrity. We also booked Aquaclass so we have access to Blu everyday.

As far as the specialty venues go: Silk Harvest, Tuscan Grill and Murano - is there one that we MUST DO? Are there TWO that we can't live without? Do we NEED to try all 3?

Here are our preliminary thoughts from the online menus:

Silk Harvest - Menu sounds great, we'd find lots that we like, but is it REALLY worth $30 per person on top of the cruise fare?

Tuscan Grill - Some of the stuff sounds amazing and I think this is almost a for sure yes. But do you guys know something we don't about it?

Murano - The menu is interesting. Only one appetizer appeals to either of us but with the rest I think we could find things that we like. It's also the most expensive, so does that mean it's the "best"? SIDE QUESTION - What is the 5 Senses thing on the online menu?

So we'd REALLY appreciate your suggestions. Please select the one you would go with and include any extra thoughts/opinions below. Thanks!

Just looked and it's definitely the case with the AU website. Will be interesting to see if that applies to the US/CDN sites too. "Pick Your Perk" also has a 4th option of air savings (obvious reasons)

Attached is a listing we received from Celebrity while sailing on the Eclipse on our recent 14 night cruise which began on 11/16/13. It is a detailed list of the beverages in the Classic Alcohol Package. Not all bars onboard had all the listed beverages, but you could find them if you tried, or the bartenders would offer you a substitute.

The list mentions Malibu Black. Can anyone confirm if they do indeed have this onboard?

Careful with that... no such announcement from our sales rep at the office here and the website does not indicate an extension

We just got over cabin assignment (#158) on the HAL Ryndam and its right smack on top of the Casino. What I have read so far seems to imply that as long as you are not above the stage part where music and bands play, its ok as far as noise. I have put in a request to be moved but the cruise is less then 2 weeks away and in my catagory the cabins are "sold out" so its unlikely I can be moved. If anyone out there has been in this situation on the HAL Ryndam or any of her sister ships (Statendam or Maasdam), please give me feed back on your experience

The casino on any of the ships is not a large cause of noise. You'll be fine

In conclusion, I will not likely book another Holland America cruise. The overall darkness of the Eurodam’s interior didn’t impress me. It may be just what others are looking for, but not me. The small number of onboard activities and the lack of variety of activities were also disappointing. There was only one comedian with one show given at 11:00 PM on one night. The Royal had many more evening activities and a wider variety of activities both day and evening. There were several days and nights on the Eurodam that there was nothing we wanted to attend. The Royal was very bright without being garish. Even the casino was bright. The Princess carpets are gorgeous and the Eurodam carpets were awful. I don’t choose a ship based on carpeting but it is just an example of why the Eurodam didn’t appeal to me.

I would recommend try again with Nieuw Amsterdam. It's a sister to Eurodam but much lighter and brighter. Eurodam was designed to have a little more of an old-world European vibe. The browns, oranges, reds, etc. Nieuw Amsterdam is much lighter, brighter, blues and tans and silvers. A truly beautiful ship I think you would be highly impressed with

There was a thread that apparently got lost with the latest Cruise Critic hiccup. It is a fact that Crystal's new President wants to explore options to expand the fleet and the possibility of buying an existing ship would be considered. On that thread the sale offer on the Statendam came up.

 

The idea has some possibilities and some drawbacks.

 

I think many factors on the Statendam would fit in.

 

Wrap around promenade deck

Generous public spaces

A nice nimble size.

 

I think the drawbacks are the passenger count and maintenance. Crystal has a history of being very proactive about maintenance and upkeep, and would take superb care of any ship they acquired. Their engineers would have to do a significant analysis of the what would be required to bring the Statendam up to Crystal standards and maintain it. The 1995 Crystal Symphony is in superb condition and I think they could do a great job of caring for her.

 

A 1300 passenger 55,000 ton ship clearly does not fit their mold, but the solution may be relatively easy. The 130 or so inside staterooms are far too many for a luxury ship, but most of them could likely be converted to thing like the internet center and classroom, and perhaps the library. Some of the isolated ones could be used for entertainers, lecturers, and the like. I think a 55,000 ship in the 1,000 passenger range could be a great addition to the fleet.

 

If the Statendam ever became the Crystal Rondo, I think I would be interested,

 

I strongly doubt that it would ever happen, but it is interesting.

 

Just a thought

 

Roy

Well thought out. I was going to say "But does Crystal even HAVE inside rooms?" but you're right. Phase most of those out and then it would be more in line with what they do. Would take a pretty serious retrofit though as I'm sure a lot of spaces would need to be gutted to meet their standard

Maybe P&O Australia will buy it, they like to buy old ships, and then call them Australia's Newest Superliner, and then sell the cruises for top dollar!

:D

Yeah, but they typically take all of their ships from Princess. Then there's P&O UK which builds new ships that look near identical to Princess (although Britannia's interiors look SOOOOO much better than anything Princess did with Royal/Regal in near identical spaces.

Me thinks when they (the "S" class) go, some of the prospective buyers/lessees will be Thomson Cruises (UK), Fred Olsen CL (UK-Norway), Swan Hellenic (UK), Saga Cruises (UK), Cruise & Maritime Voyages (UK), CDF Croisières de France, TUI Cruises (Germany), Phoenix Seereisen (Germany), Iberocruceros (Spain), Pullmantur Cruises (Spain),Louis Cruises (Cyprus), P&O Australia and Star Cruises (Malaysia-Hong Kong)

You can take CDF off that list. They're acquiring Celebrity Century next summer (2015), TUI is building 2 new ships that are near identical dimensions, size, pax of the Pinnacle Class but the ship is much more aesthetically pleasing that Pinnacle Class (exception being the "crystal hemorrhoid" in the aft), Iberocruceros is losing their butt right now, Pullmantur gets everything they need from their Royal Caribbean affiliations, Louis is transforming their fleet to be more authentically Greek and Star has announced two 140,000 ton newbuilds of their own... likely similar to Breakaway or EPic class ships due to their NCL ties.

Rather than look through 10 pages of paperwork I know someone can give me the emergency number for HAL in case we can't make our cruise tomorrow because of the weather...20 1/2 inches in Roanoke VA...

Does anyone have that number?

Thank you!!!

A ship's emergency number? A toll free number for HAL? Something to do with the air department?

Can you be more specific?

I happened to be watching Anne Burrell on Food Network make a Caesar salad a few minutes ago. She did a semi-version of the new HAL Caesar presentation. She used the whole romaine hearts but tossed them first with her dressing in a large bowl' date=' then put 4 or 5 whole leaves on her salad plate and topped with croutons and parm. Yes, of course she picked up her fork and knife as she still had to cut the romaine into bite-size pieces, but the salad was dressed before going on the plate and didn't have to be tossed by the diner. She even said she could have cut up the romaine before tossing with dressing, but loves it served with the whole romaine hearts because it is such a pretty presentation. Would that work? Cutting, but already dressed.[/quote']

 

That would be much better, or at the very least have the dressing in like a little squeeze bottle and have it placed on the plate/lettuce in a much nicer way. Not just a couple globs flopped down on the plate and leaves of lettuce. I don't mind whole leaves and cutting them but either dressed beforehand or more of a "pattern" over the lettuce would be much better.

My favorite part is where the sale ad displays a vista class penthouse, signature suites and lanai rooms all of which don't exist onboard. Yet this is a legit ad, I've had that confirmed by people in the know at the HQ.

Bye Statendam

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1993/Cruise-Ship%2C-1%2C266-Passengers-Stock-No.-S2135-2687334/United-States#.Uv0ffR3Ac8w

NO>

I am Not referring to the Oak Room.

I am referring to the glass room which was designated for smoking. It was not on Crows Nest Deck. It was a glass walled room and it was pretty awful.

 

If you are interested enough, dig out some old photos. :)

I caught the what... what I asked was WHERE it was.

Not sure if you're looking at V before or after the category re-shuffle.

Before, with them being on the highest deck is considered favorable because you get more of a view (higher, you can see further out, etc)

After, it's completely stupid that they took former VE rooms and made them V's. YES they are midship. However they also have the smallest balconies outside of decks 10 & 11 and the tops of the lifeboats are right there. HAL doesn't consider them obstructed but some people miss they can't look straight down. Also in hot climates the sun reflects off the tops of the lifeboats and can make it rather uncomfortable.

Hopefully this is a cruise you are taking before the re-shuffle. After, I would NOT consider it a step up

The news releases I have seen list the new class as having a length of 299.8 m (984 ft), versus 285.4 m(936 ft) for the Signature class, therefore making them almost 50 feet longer.

And considerably wider as well

New HAL ship:

2660 lower berths, 99500gt, space ratio 37.4

 

Nieuw Amsterdam:

2106 lower berths, 86700gt, space ratio 40.9

 

Celebrity Reflection (latest and largest of Solstice class)

3030 lower berths, 126000gt, space ratio 41.5

 

Quite a change for HAL.

And it's even a higher number for the other four Solstice Class without that extra deck of rooms.

I like that HAL is finally entering the arena in an attempt to (maybe) try and take Celebrity's Solstice class head on. HOWEVER, achieving a near identical pax count on double occupancy as Solstice, but in a much smaller package, the line is definitely taking a turn toward exiting the premium market

@ InThe WaSide: what you are saying about the Splendor moving doesnot make any sense, because Vista will come online somewhere in 2016..

Not a seemless transfer for sure, but I think Carnival realizes that Splendor there isn't "competition" for the other ships there now and coming soon.

We sailed on the Dec. 22 Holiday cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam, the first week of the new menu. We've previously posted some photos on this board, but you can see them better on this blog post:

http://www.travelingwiththejones.com/2014/01/27/a-peek-at-holland-americas-new-pinnacle-grill-menu/

 

Including the new Caesar salad, the vegetables and the Seafood cippiono.

Thank you!

Some one asked where she will probably be deployed. If I remember correctly the Noordam started sailing in February out of New York to the Caribbean. It would be great if they brought this ship to New York. We really miss the Noordam here.

Keep in mind though, the NY/NJ region already has or will have Norwegian Breakaway, Quantum of the Seas, it is HEAVILY rumored Carnival Vista will be a NY ship and that is why they are moving Splendor out... so if they did put their biggest, best, newest in NYC it would only be several years after everyone else and as the ship is more evolutionary than revolutionary as opposed to being a ship of an all new heavily laden with features class for their respective lines, I think HAL would get the short end of the stick in that market.

The way of the past was that for the most part a new HAL ship would come out, likely service the Med the first summer, come across, have a Caribbean season then make its way to Alaska for at least one round. (Noordam did it in 2007 for instance) however the ships with the highest ROI ratios are now ONLY in the markets where fares are low so spending is expected to be higher (Eastern Caribbean and Mediterranean).

As best I can determine and from what I just expect to see from a HAL newbuild, here are some guesses:

Pinnacle Class will have a highly similar layout with some obvious differences, most of which can be determined from viewing a rendering, but I expect most venues will still largely be how we know them now. A 3 story atrium, a 2 story dining room and knowing Tihany there will likely be a huge wine tower, a Queen's Lounge I predict to be 2 levels due to similar venues on Costa and Cunard's versions of a similar design, likely a dedicated Culinary Arts Center not playing double duty as a game show/HALCat space, a show lounge of either 3 (or 2 if they use the space more intelligently) decks, a reorganization of the top decks including a 2 story lido pool area and I'm going to assume cabanas will make an appearance again... maybe also a big screen (Interesting tidbit, did you know Nieuw Amsterdam was originally going to have a "Retreat" such as Veendam DID and Rotterdam DOES have?), Tamarind will probably have a design tweaked a bit more and will be located in a place that passengers can actually FIND (why did YOU think it was usually half empty when the food is the most incredible across the fleet?).

I imagine that an incarnation of MIX will likely show itself on the new ship... why conceptualize all of those spaces and logos if not to bring them nearly fleetwide, although the fact Volendam and Zaandam have never been TOUCHED with those modernizations confuses me), I think Le Cirque in a venue of its own is a certainty but I expect Canaletto will still have a corner of the buffet space and I'm thinking some kind of special chef restaurant maybe more along the lines of like a Restaurant 2 on Seabourn or something from the luxury sector... gee I wonder where that influence could come from... I also expect that like all other ships there will be an overall theme tying this one together, maybe something that has been done before on another ship but reinterpreted in a more modern style. Maybe single rooms, but I wouldn't hold my breath, but perhaps some rooms with a higher max occupancy. ANd many have reiterated what I've heard that the room styles will be a bit of a departure with much nicer materials... guessing it helps to have Seabourn's rolodex for their material suppliers ;)