sparty1

With the outbreak of Chicamunga(sp?) in many of the islands, I read today that DR and Haiti are having a difficult time in containing the spread of it because they are 2 of the poorest countries, and can not afford the cost of spraying for the mosquitoes. I assume that RCL keeps up with spraying on their portion, Labadee, so we would not have worries; but what about outside of their fence? I understand there are some tours that go to small villages where Haitians live.(maybe employees who work at Labadee?) Does RCL keep these areas sprayed also? Has anyone been to Labadee recently and have information on this? Does RCL provide any restrictions or info to passengers, or have they eliminated the tours? Do any of you have an insider's viewpoint? (I've been told DEET does not prevent the bite of this type of mosquito...is this true?) I'm not worried at this point, just curious as to if and how this is being addressed?(we were in St Martin when this illness was first addressed in the Carribbean, and we did not see any mosquitoes there; but they also were able to spray immediately) Thank you

Yes, we have, but not sure of your interests?

Coki Beach on St Thomas is known for snorkeling, but we haven't been there for that, so not sure how good it is. Magans Bay is the most popular beach area for cruise ship passengers with good swimming, some shade, concessions, etc, but it is busy when several ships are there. The Aquarium on opposite coast of where we dock is quite unique(about hour away)and has a small beach for swimming, bar/restaurant that overlooks beach/water, short walking trail. The capitol(where we dock) is pure "shopping heaven" for duty free!

Nassau has the Straw Market across street and down a block; a small beach in town; all kinds of "taxis" to take you to other beaches where you can rent chairs and umbrellas.

There are also adventure tours on both islands that you can get just outside of terminals.

We were at St Croix several years ago, and I remember I really enjoyed it, but don't recall exactly what we did:-) Sorry I can't be more help with details.

[ quote=KeysStar;44246939]Have any of you previously been to the ports at which we're stopping on the Country Music Cruise? I've never been to any of them and am looking for excursion suggestions. I love to snorkel so that's a definite choice at one of them. Open to other suggestions too. Thanks! Mary

Hi KeysStar. Thanx for responding. We look forward to the cruise! It sounds great; and look forward to meeting you on the 2015 cruise:-) Connie

I had a blast on the 2014 Country Music Cruise. When I couldn't convince any friends to go with me, I decided I'd rather go solo then miss it. SO glad that I booked. It was terrific. The entire ship is dedicated to the cruise group. There are shorter shows played in the smaller lounges in addition to the main stage shows each night. Interviews, line dance lessons, special events and activities every day at sea -- you name it.

 

The ship is lovely with good service. I don't know if it's because everyone is a country music fan, but everyone was friendly.

 

I had such a good time that when some other plans recently changed, I called up and booked for 2015.

BON VOYAGE!!! Have a great time

Pretend this is my "LIKE" button! Thanx

You're welcome:-) Glad that info made your day! You may not be quite as happy with my next comment tho:-( We ate at Canaletto on a formal nite, and people were dressed both formally and dressier than the casual clothes you normally wear in Lido! I got the impression you aren't required to dress up, but you may feel a bit uncomfortable if you don't at least through on a shawl or scarf or stylish jacket. The Canaletto staff turn it up a notch in décor, table linens and dress. No biggie, but just a little:-) MDR was not open every day for lunch on our cruise. It may be because we had so many tender ports and they assumed not enough people would stay behind? Also, I noticed SOME chairs on lanai had cabin numbers on them(undoubtedly reserving them for a specific lanai cabin), but not all. have fun!!

Yay. Thanks Sparty1. I'm now looking forward to a wrap sandwich, burger and fries and I may even try the Portobello mushroom sandwich. I will have to have some fries, I'm sure. LOL. I, also, plan to try Canaletto on a formal night. I may go to the Pinnacle Grill on a non-formal night. Lots of new things to try.

 

I know from reading the HAL board that formal wear seems to be a hot button with some. I often skip formal nights in the MDR, but I will bring something nice just in case. I used to dress up more on cruises and have clothes. I have a couple long dresses, some long skirts, etc. I'll get by if I decide to go to the MDR on formal night.

 

I do have a question. Another one! Is the MDR open for lunch every day? Princess made the change and now the MDR is only open for lunch on sea days. I enjoy lunch in the MDR more than dinner! I'm just an oddball.

 

Anyway, thanks so much for all your help....everyone. Thanks for the history of why people don't like the changes. I'll have to look around and see what they did. I hope I'll be able to sit in the lounge chairs on the promenade once in a while. I was surprised when I first read they are sometimes reserved for people! Interesting concept.

We just got off 35 days Veendam, but HAL policy is supposed to be same for GF. DH sent in a HAL form for GF requests(specific categories of GF foods were selected) Special needs dept said they required this so they could have the right supply of specific items onboard our ship. Then onboard we spoke with the Maitre' d who assured us DH was in their system for GF, and asked if we would be eating in Lido and specialty restaurants also? He said MDR would always offer next night's menu(almost anything he wanted could be made GF ahead of time: sauces, braises, desserts, etc.) He let Lido manager know that we would be eating there also(we had to let lead chef know DH was there and the GF choices were pointed out or brought up to us from dining room. Staff were knowledgable and gratious. Spoke with Canaletto and Pinnacle managers 2 days in advance and had no issues. Basically, if you order ahead, you will have a GF sauce/gravy in most cases. If don't order ahead, you'll have food items without sauces. Hope this helps.

Hi. A medical condition requires me to follow a gluten free diet. is whether the dishes are truly modified to be gluten free or are they simply denuded of any gluten ingredients. For example, if I order duck l'orange, will I get duck with a wheat free sauce or plain duck with no sauce?

 

.

 

If the answer varies by ship I'll be on the Volendam.

 

Thanks.

 

Vicki

Yes! They still make great wraps:-) They did it on only one side of the Lido buffet, tho. So if you don't see them, check the other side or ask(they keep the wraps behind the display) Do try the Dive-In, too. And their fries are fantastic!!(I'm not really a fry expert, but...)

Thanks for more comments. I've read enough positive reports that I know I'll have a good time.

 

Now, can anyone tell me if they still make great wrap sandwiches? One of our favorite things on our single HAL cruise was that they made great wrap sandwiches in the buffet at lunch time. LOL. I know they probably don't do that anymore, but I was hoping. I did watch a video last night about the Dive-In and those burgers look great. I don't eat a lot of burgers and fries, but I'll have to try one.

 

I think I'm going to have to start early packing soon!! :rolleyes:

Thank you to everyone for your well-wishes!! :DI'm sure we will have a great time! Look forward to the cruise and land experiences:-) Will post an update after we return...Connie

My husband requires GF diet also(Celiac disease) He notified Oceania 90 days ahead of our cruises, and they were able to offer him GF selections for pasta, breads, pizza, etc. Cereal is almost impossible though;-( We had no trouble on Riviera for whole 14 days.

I love pasta but I need gluten free. Is there any available on Rivera?

 

Thanks

I'm so sorry, I do not. Included his name in our eval, but that's online now and no copy. "Aurora", who is a server there until next year and also a great help, reported to him, so if you found her, she could help you. Will you be on the Veendam soon?

Do you remember the name of the lead chef for the Lido?

This wasn't your question, but thought I'd let you know that just becuz you may book an Inside or OV, doesn't mean you can't see the sea from another deck or even an upgrade to a balcony. There are many open decks to view the sea from(other than the lanaii cabin deck) Also, we were on the VOV, had originally booked FF category(oceanview on A deck), but were offered an upsell to BA balcony the week before for $10 per day extra.:D Much less than the lanaii(which we also thought was ridiculously priced) We had our own balcony(starboard)AND next to a "public" balcony on port side. Great location. So you never know!

GRACECRUISE

We had planned to do the VOV but didn't book as we can't afford a lanai or balcony and since there are 11 sea days - I couldn't see sitting at the back or in a lounge looking through a window for that many days.

thanks for any info you can give me!

Thanks for the great review of our awesome cruise! I know you've been helpful to a lot of people. We enjoyed it a lot too.

kinglevov.wordpress.com That is the name of the blog. Hope you enjoy.

HAL charters out all the "theme" cruises. Their ships are also chartered for Country cruises and Jazz, etc. Other lines do offer themes at different times where there are fewer singers, and priced at more regular rates. Try an open search online for what you're looking for(ie 50's-60's music cruises). If you can afford the chartered cruise on the Eurodam in any cabin category, I would recommend it. We were on the 2013 cruise, and it was awesome!! There really is no other experience quite like it.

I am going to ask this same question on different cruise line sights.

 

I know the Malt Shop Cruise is a nice one, but very expensive.

 

Do you know of any Holland America ships that would do something like the 50's& 60's or Rock & Roll,with less entertainers, where it wouldn't cost as much?

They weren't on their menu. Hotdogs, hamburgers/cheeseburgers, chicken and portabello sandwiches and awesome fries. He could ask. Never hurts

out of curiosity,does the grill serve bratwurst?Hub gets them in DCL,and loves them!

I just completed a brief summary of our experience of 35 days, ending last Sat., if interested. It is on the thread Veendam...yay or nay?

Looking forward to reading your experiences on the Veendam as I've just booked a cruise on this ship. When you get a chance, can you please tell me more about the shipboard experiences you're having? Thanks.

We just got off the Veendam after a 35 day cruise, and I would take her again! We had the farthest balcony cabin on Starboard to the aft(it was perfect!) All but 2 crew/staff instances were very positive(one very surly security member that I witnessed treating a confused elderly lady with a lack of respect; one staff member who was also having a bad day was very abrupt/condescending)This was over 35 days, so I don't know where the negative commenters come from. The Captain was probably the best we have had in over 50 cruises! I feel the attitudes go down through the ranks, so with the positive attitude of a Captain and most officers we had, the experience we had was wonderful! If you look hard enough, you'll find the ship shows wear in places, but you really have to look hard. Food was decent to good. Service was mostly excellent. The Lido staff were some of the happiest and attentive we've experienced. Buffet normally ended at 2pm, BUT they had sandwiches until 5pm; Dive-in open until 5pm; pizza station open late. Many ships we've been on no food from 3pm-dinner--not the case here! Cabin stewards were outstanding! Outside entertainment was good to very good. The lead chef for the Lido and Dive-In were alert and supportive of my husbands GF needs. On and on I could go:-) Nothing is perfect,(at least 1 elevator always out of order; temp issue with the heat in our zone;some issues that administration compensated for immediately, etc) but our experience was overall very positive!! Go in with a good attitude, be realistic and you will have a great time!!:D

Hello everyone! I just booked a Canada/New England cruise on the Veendam. I haven't been on a HAL cruise since 2001. I primarily cruise on Princess, but this cruise worked out for me the best with dates and such. Anyway, I'm wondering if people who have recently been on the Veendam can tell me about her and about your experience? Was it good? I'm a pretty casual cruiser and often eat dinner in the buffet. I've heard that HAL has much more restrictive buffet hours than Princess so I'm prepared for that. I like reading and watching movies. Mostly I like to relax and watch the ocean go by. I read she was recently refurbished. That's good! Please just fill me in on your basic experience on this ship. Thanks so much!

I know this is a month old, and you probably have had your answer a few times, but heres my input too. Just off Veendam, and used Dive-in many times! having Celiac and need for GF was NO problem! Had a warm GF BUN each time. The main chef there was "fastidious" about GF. Couldn't have the delicious fries, tho:-( Love the Dive-In and burgers, hotdogs and chicken sandwiches! Enjoy

Has anyone been able to get a burger without the bun? I still enjoy a good burger although I must avoid the bun.

We were offered an upsell last night, and our 35 day cruise leaves day after tomorrow:-)

Does HAL ever offer upsells on longer cruises? Just wondering if maybe I should be thinking about how much more I can possibly squeeze out of the budget.

It won't let me access your photos, and I don't know how to find your page as I don't have your fb name. Can you help? Thanx

Thank you so very much for the time and effort you put in to this review! It was enjoyable and informative. We will be using many of your ideas and suggestions on our cruise tour in Sept. Again thanx so much! (and happy Anniversary too:-) We will also be celebrating our 44th anniv during our trip in Sept))

Hey, John!

So very glad to hear that! It would be a shame if HAL lost those distinguishing touches. Can't wait 'til July when were back on another HAL ship:-) Thanx so much for the info.

QUOTE=Copper10-8;43169576]Hey Connie

The cart with chocolates can still be found in the Explorers Lounge and the Adagio duo will play there from 5:00-6:00 pm and from 7:00-10:00 pm (on some ships 5:00-8:00 pm and 9:00-10:00 pm)

Interesting and informative review! Great pics! Thanx so much for taking the time to share.

I just posted part 2 of my review of the Allure. Lots more pictures!

http://karanandmichael.blogspot.com

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

Wow, so disappointing! The classical music in the lounge and MDR are/were one of the classy touches that help(ed) distinguish HAL from the main-stream, run-of-the-mill lines of its competitors. There was also a cordial table with hand-made chocolates in the lounge during the performances. They also had the after-dinner cart with mints and ginger. Does HAL still offer these? It's been 3 years since we last cruised with them, but it is that type of attention to detail and service that stays in my memory, and brings me back!

Thank you for taking the time to do this! We will be taking this land/sea on Volendam in Sept(reverse order, tho), and have not found any reviews either. Look forward to the rest of your report. Glad to know they keep you so informed of daily activities and excursions. Couldn't really tell that from our itinerary and docs so far.

We returned from a Land/Sea (Volendam) Cruise EARLY Thursday morning and have been working on the review. Decided to do this before we left because we couldn't find any reviews of this type/itinerary on any of the CC threads. Have it about a third of the way done, and will be posting a part of it tomorrow. Got some amazing photos - now I just wish I could figure out how to post them. :o

 

Okie