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Mikeyto

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Posts posted by Mikeyto

    Sun Princess - Original

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    17 hours ago, jwattle said:

    I'm noticing a trend: many of the people NOT on the ship are wailing and gnashing their teeth about the things on the ship that they haven't even seen in person, but the people who ARE on the ship seem delighted with the ship. WEIRD! 😂

    Cheers to those on the ship!!🥂

    I agree 100%!  Yes, the pics and vids are nice but as a photographer I understand angles, light and depth mean EVERYTHING when it comes to perception/interpretation of such media.  As a result I've learned to take 98% of all pics and videos with a grain of salt, holding off all judgement until I can see it with my own eyes.

    • Like 6

    Sun Princess Buffet

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    1 minute ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

    Much could possibly change over the next two years.

    Of course it could and I'm sure many things will.  Either way, I look forward to sailing on Princess again in two years.

    Sun Princess Buffet

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    13 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

    I am very salad particular.  On HAL there has not been self serve in a long time.  I take my time when instructing them how my salad should be made.  The were very patient and helpful and built my salad exactly as I would myself.  Loved it!

     

    10 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

    Then you just need to correct them with, “Sorry, but I prefer a small size, so give me half of what you would normally make”.  The servers want to please you and will go out of their way to make sure you’re satisfied.

    I took my first HAL cruise in November and loved how they serve in The Lido Market.  As you said, they are willing to go out of their way to ensure you have what you want.  I look forward to this change on Princess when I cruise the Star in 2026.

    • Like 1

    Just Returned from Rotterdam Cruise

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    On 11/4/2023 at 4:04 PM, Djptcp said:

    DH and I had a wonderful 12-day cruise on the Rotterdam (our 5th on that ship). We went throught the new Panama Canal locks this time so have been through both old and new. Liked the new ones better - faster and they are different from the old ones. Due to political unrest in Panama, the Captain was told by the Panama Tourism Dept. not to dock in Colon for the safety of the passengers. For that reason we also did not get to cruise in Gatun Lake - we went through the locks to the lake but turned around and immediately went back through them. Colon was no big loss to us based on previous visits.

     

    We are 4* Mariners and this was our 75th cruise overall (18 on Holland America). Looking forward to our Nieuw Statendam cruise in December. Love the free cruises and casino free play we receive from the casino. The casino was great the first two nights and then took a downward turn until the last day when I recouped some of my losses. As 4* Mariners we were invited to a free wine tasting and have done this before.

     

    Crew was wonderful as always. The first day at Sail Away a bar steward at the Sea View Bar area remembered me from a Nieuw Amsterdam cruise last year and gave me a big hug. Funny because I don't drink much at all.

     

    The food was really good as always. Only ate once in the main dining room, ate most dinners in the Lido or skipped dinners because we had too much for lunch:-) We ate at New York Pizza for breakfast every morning, had a delicious lunch in the Pinnacle Grill on one of the at sea days, and ate several times at the Canaletto and once at the Tamarind - both always good. Love the Wall Street pizza at the New York Deli for lunch or dinner.

     

    Halloween evening was fun with both passengers and casino staff in costumes.

     

    The Library was great and well used by us and others.

    Thank you for the wonderful review!  I will embark Rotterdam on Sunday for the same voyage and my first HAL voyage.

     

    I'm curious about the breakfast offerings at New York?  My HAL experienced parents had no idea they offered breakfast.

     

    Thanks!

    Liveish MS Rotterdam Partial Panama Canal, November 12-24

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    1 hour ago, rafinmd said:

    I leave in about 2 hours to work my way down to Fort Lauderdale to board MS Rotterdam for a cruise through the new locks into Lake Gatun and back.  I will stay in Lorton VA today and board the Auto Train Thursday for the big part of the journey.

     

    I've been in the canal many times but always through the original locks so this will be a partial first to me.

     

    I normally post about once a day the following day unless something urgent comes up but will try to respond to questions in a pretty timely basis.

     

    There is a companion blog https://morethangetaways.wordpress.com/

     

    which will be the same content but hopefully daily programs and menus as well as perhaps a few more photos.

     

    Roy

    I'm interested in your Auto Train experience!

    I hope to meet you onboard during the Partial Panama Canal!

    • Like 2

    Nov 12 Panama itinerary changes

    in Holland America Line

    Posted · Edited by Mikeyto

    15 minutes ago, MissiCruzs said:

    I clicked on your link.  I also checked CruiseTimetables and CruiseMapper and they are showing no ships scheduled in Key West on Nov. 23rd.  Guess time will tell but I'm not making any new plans until HAL says it's so via communication to those of us booked on this cruise.

    IMG_0308.thumb.png.e8606db88fddbbf607de669b36c4e7a9.pngThere is a link to the cruise schedule on the main page in my link.  My apologies I should have mentioned that.

     

    But yes, things can change between now and then.

    Sky Princess Sky Suite benefits?

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    On 8/5/2023 at 2:18 PM, shythom said:

    So this is long overdue but we stayed in the Sky Princess Sky Suite November 2022 for our 7-Day Western Caribbean Cruise.

     

    We treated my parents. And it was worth it! It created such a wonderful memory which we talk about from time to time. My parents have NEVER had such VIP treatment. It was so fun to watch them get wow-ed. Our Suite Manager was just wonderful to them. My parents are mid-late 80's. They were treated with such kindness. Of course, we were all very appreciative and kind back.

     

    Anyway - we were quite lucky to get a chance to experience the Sky Suite.

     

    There's just SO MUCH that comes with it though - it's okay to not do everything especially if you are not on a long cruise. Unless you like being a busy-body.

     

    I like having a lot of chill time between activities. Here are some things top of my list that I don't regret doing. Keep in mind this is purely subjective and in no way a review:

    1) Princess Cays complimentary bungalow

    2) Complimentary Balcony Dinner - those cold water lobsters were *chef's kiss!*

    3) Reserved seating in Princess Theater (but only for the main production shows because that's the only shows I enjoy watching)

    4) Complimentary Sail away champagne and hor d-oeurves

    5) Crown Grill and Sabatini's - both complimentary (one must be on embarkation day)

    6) Access to Sabatini's for Breakfast - full suites only

    7) Expedited Club Class dining - full suites only

    8. Not complementary but first dibs on getting on the Chef's Table list which gets booked quickly with waiting lists.

    9) Free fridge refill - nice to have cold Coke zero and beer waiting for us when we got back from a day out - and while my parents do not drink much, they didn't mind a Corona with lime once in awhile

     

    Things we tried but was just okay for me:

    1) Complimentary Enclave - My husband loved it, but the chlorine was way too strong for me (I'm allergic to it though)

    2) Complimentary Balcony Breakfast - Preferred breakfast in Sabatinis; not that the balcony breakfast was bad, though. We were just getting tired of eating.

    3) Princess Cays complimentary special lunch - We just can't eat that much anymore as we get older and I don't like wasted food; I should have pre-planned the food with our Suite Manager so that one was on me.

    4) Invite to special events at the Concierge Lounge - a bit too crowded. We should have not let FOMO get in our way as we had to rush from there to dinner.

    5) Concierge Lounge - great food and service, but unfortunately the location was a bit too far for my parents to travel to.

     

    Things we were offered but didn't have a chance to try:

    1) Nespresso machine - Okay, so I was looking forward to using it since only the two Sky Suites have one as well as the captain. But they gave my parents a free coffee package and my husband and I got specialty coffee with the Princess Plus pkg which was only added for us (my parents drink very little so it wasn't worth it for them), the Americano at Sabatini's and iced coffee at International Cafe were amazing!

    2) Full 2 hard liquor plus mixers - There was just too much to drink as is. We didn't even finish the complimentary champagne that came with both our Balcony breakfast/dinner. Some bottles were never opened.

    3) Afternoon Tea in our suite. We planned to, really. But we're all getting older and our appetites are just not what it used to be.

     

    So for those who stayed in the Sky Suite - what did you enjoy the most that was included?

    Great review, thank you for posting!

     

    Was the free fridge refill because you are Elite or is it a benefit of the Sky Suite?

     

    I'm considering a Sky Suite cruise for 2024 and I seem to find conflicting information regarding the fridge refills.

     

    Thanks!

    • Like 1

    Nieuw Amsterdam in Port Everglades on October 23, 2023

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    2 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

    I hope when PTZ says the webcam on the Pier 66 hotel will be back online in 2024 they don't mean December 2024!  I miss that view!

     

    So nice to see this unusual morning departure and hear so many nice long toots!

    I've been wondering about that view.  I watched Rotterdam go out yesterday and would've appreciated that view for the basin turn.

    • Like 1

    TV and how good's the internet?

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    13 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

     

    Thanks for this information.

     

    There was someone here on CC insisting that the Rotterdam had starlink a year ago.

     

    Is there an official place/link that shows which ships have starlink and/or the schedule to install starlink? That would help clear up these misconceptions. 

    Here is a link to the article from today indicating which ships have Starlink.  It seems the rest of the fleet will be done by the end of the year.

    https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/holland-america-line-successfully-installs-spacexs-starlink-internet-aboard-more-than-half-its-fleet-301944407.html#:~:text=internet on board.-,Holland America Line is more than halfway through updating internet,high-speed internet on board.

    • Thanks 2

    One Dollar Deposit

    in Holland America Line

    Posted · Edited by Mikeyto

    I booked a Nov 2024 7nt Pacific Coastal on Koningsdam, fully intend to go.  I have my first HAL cruise coming up this November, Partial Panama Canal transit on Rotterdam.  I'm looking forward to cruising on HAL!

    • Like 1

    Wheelchair accessible Hawaii shore excursions

    in Disabled Cruise Travel

    Posted

    On 9/21/2021 at 2:49 PM, kokopelli-az said:

    I would at least check with NCL to see what accessible tours they will be offering, although they might not have all their tours lined up yet.    Note that ships tender at most of the islands.  Here's their contact info:

    https://www.ncl.com/about/accessible-cruising#ship-transfers

     

    When we were in Hawaii a couple of years ago (on Celebrity) we took an accessible helicopter tour.  My husband is the one with the wheelchair and he was not interested at all in the helicopter tour.   I knew it was accessible and that we had never done a helicopter tour before so I finally convinced him to do it.   He said that the helicopter tour was by far one of the most memorable tours he's ever been on.   They even did a fly by right over our ship at the end.  

     

    We booked through the cruise line and the helicopter company was Blue Hawaiian.  https://www.bluehawaiian.com/en    They actually came to the ship and picked us up, took us to the airport where the helicopter was located, and took us back to the ship afterwards - all in an accessible van.   The helicopters are equipped with a lift that will lift the wheelchair person on to the helicopter.   Here's an example of a helicopter lift (although not in Hawaii):    

     

     

    Per Blue Hawaiian:  "All of our bases are wheelchair accessible and ADA compliant. Each base also has a custom built chair lift to assist passengers into the helicopter safely and comfortably. Our chair lifts are able to accommodate passengers up to 250 lbs."

     

    This was definitely the most expensive tour we have ever taken, but well worth it.  

    That's really AWESOME!  I'm going on my first Hawaiian cruise next October with HAL and I plan to do a helicopter tour over the Volcanoes.  Do you have any tips or advice that would be beneficial for me to know in advance?  Thanks!

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