sammiedawg

OK, production shows are not the reason we sail.  But as the list of cutbacks grows, I hope no one pays over $399 a week to sail on Holland America.  I would rather stay home.  I can go daily to Applebee’s or Bob Evans for a middlin meal, comparable to the meals I had on my last Holland America cruise.  

Agree with Paulchill and the very smart Big Bang Theory Cast- do the math.  

We like DIY and private tours and find a daily ship excursion to be tedious.  So we’ve never done unlimited.

We’ve done O life with excursions and were satisfied.  But we 

carefully researched and cherry picked excursions of value.  And you must reserve the tours by a deadline prior to the cruise. 

See if your credit card will refund for a medical cancelation.  High end credit cards have generous insurance built into the yearly fee. 

Dont hold your breath with Holland America.  

Absolutely not. Find another cruise ship or cruise line. Veendam should have been mothballed years ago.  No way would I sail it. 

There are holland America regulars posting daily who think they are peaches and cream.  But some are not nice people.  

Over the weekend there were a couple really nasty threads going, including one about the Viking ship.  A couple regular posters jumped on a “duplicate thread” diatribe.  I was happy their posts were deleted.  Who cares if there is an occasional duplicate thread. 

Posting volume is way down. 

I’ve seen a couple reviewers totally lose their perspective.  Their negativity was so over the top that for me their credibility was lost. 

But hey, whatever floats your boat. 

Right now I would be so happy to go on an Oceania cruise. Had to cancel something and I’m quite sad. 

I avoid CNN

A few years ago,  when I saw these winter Viking itineraries I had zero interest.   I also have no interest in transatlantic cruises.  

We did one northern lights land trip in Iceland.  The saving grace was being with family but the weather was entirely too brutal.  

I wouldn’t characterize him as a bounce around. He was an exec with Renaissance. They went under after 9/11, gee imagine that. 

Then in 2002,  he founded Oceania, known as Prestige Holdings.   

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

While likely true, it's also evident that all lines are cutting costs in tandem, so theoretically Oceania food quality (which has received many plaudits) will still be at a higher level than mass market lines. 

 

(And yes I know food is subjective and some HAL cruisers did not have a positive experience on O. But I have read enough reviews from both professionals and passengers that I withhold judgement. If nothing else, it's pretty well vetted that O pays more per passenger per day for food than the mass market lines do....)

Oceania is light worlds better than what Holland America has become.  Almost two hundred days on O for us and no significant issues.  Of course they are not perfect and we don’t expect it.      

I am very sad to have just canceled two Oceania Cruises.   

Some mass market passengers  cannot or don’t want to spend money for a better line.  So when they sail a better one they critique every morsel of food and every service as if something is life or death.  

To each his own.  

Viking Ocean has higher end food.  Viking River seemed to spend less on food and had a limited selection- each night a vegetarian, a fish and a meat dish.  The meat dishes were just OK, with a few exceptionals.  A couple meals  were terrific, including a German roast beef and buffet.  The always available meats were tasteless- chicken, strip loin steak.  

Breakfast, lunch, late day snacks, desserts  were fine.  They did a nice job on the regional dishes. 

The river cruise is a nice  experience, we did the fourteen day Grand European.   I’ve heard the food is better on the Viking river French itineraries.  

5 hours ago, AncientWanderer said:

Well, they do calves liver, which is something very hard to find in the grocery store these days.  If you're into liver, it is quite good.

I just googled this. Few grocery stores sell it due to lack of demand. 

You can order one pound calves liver from Walmart for $3.68.  Amazon and other retailers will ship at various prices. On the higher end I saw 20 ounces for $15-$17. 

Hopefully the OP can get more for the money than liver and onions. 

12 minutes ago, JRG said:

The NY Strip is usually a last resort.   I would 86 it from the OP's dream menu.   I would probably 86 the Liver and Onions too and definitely I would 86 the Grab and Go sandwiches.

 

Sticking them out there like they are in a 7-eleven store seems really tacky.

I was surprised to see someone recommend the liver and onions to begin with, which is an old school cheapie meal.  I remember hearing my grandma made it during the post depression era.  

Even Subway custom makes the subs.

33 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Yes, a broiled New York strip loin is on the "available daily" menu.

I struggled to come up with a list of what they do well because ingredients, especially meats,  have been cheapened so much.  

You will seen lots of “strip loin” variation  on the menus.  Designed to fool you into thinking you are getting restaurant quality steak.  And at best they are select grade, below what an average supermarket sells (choice). 

Average butcher shops will feature and sell whole strip lions for five, six dollars a pound and they will cut and package for you.  Carnival corporation, buying in bulk, pays much less.  Viking river cruises, which spends little on food, features this cut a lot. 

Lower expectations.   Most of it is decent but it is a far cry from what it used to be. 

We’ve sailed out of  NYC a few times.  Never in a full suite but we were onboard by 11:30.  They call suites first, then they call PH, staterooms in descending order.  Any suite passengers arriving later will always have priority but they will move all lines continually.

If there is another ship using the same terminal, checkin might be moved onboard to the lounge.  O representatives are looking to direct their passengers straight to the ship.  

Ten-twelve years ago I could have listed a number of excellent dishes.  Based on the last few HAL cruises???  

They do traditional American turkey, dressing very well.  

Go with Oceania, a premium line with much better food, ship comfort, service.  More ports too, you will see more.  On the flip side you will be exhausted with all port days but you can pace yourself as needed.  You will have warmer weather later in the summer.  Marina is our favorite ship in the fleet and we always look at their itineraries first.  

I’m not familiar with the sky Princess, must be a new one.

I like certain Princess ships for Alaska, (the Coral is the best) and we did a Princess Baltic itinerary nine years ago with a large family group.  We had a great time and I still remember the great pizza and lovely crew on board.  They had a great  lecturer presenting on Russian History and we were well prepared for the ports.  Princess offers a very good product for the money but I’ve not been on their mega ships.  If tender ports are involved it will be harder to get ashore. 

We did all private tours and loved SPB tours in St Petersburg.  Some Baltic ports are great for DIY touring, which we did and enjoyed. 

On 6/12/2013 at 5:47 PM, tamsocal said:

we have done this as well. Clothes & baby items. Pack n play was $49 to buy at walmart. $35 checked bag each way & then thought it would get banged up as well with baggage handling. We just bought one at destination. Donated it to a homeless shelter upon leaving. We have left clothes & shoes, beach toys, etc- we usually will ask our cain steward or hotel housekeeper if they are interested in any of the items. We have had half a case of water, beers, alcohol, juice boxes, etc- I usually check with them as I dont want to create more work for them to have to lug our unwanted items but also dont want to waste if someone can put to good use. The front desk at the Fairmont last trip was super excited to receive my unwanted drinks :). I told them to please not start drinking the alcohol while at work as I didnt want them to lose their jobs because of me 🙂

 

On crusies we have given bottles of wine, ETOH, etc to our cabin steward or to fellow passengers that were on back to backs.

Walmarts in major destinations like Hawaii stock and sell a high volume of inexpensive car seats, strollers, pack n plays, etc.  It is cheaper to buy and donate rather than risk travel damage to expensive baby items used at home. 

Same thing for beach chairs, snorkel equipment, toys. Hotels will donate the items or give to employees. Glad cruise ships do the same thing. 

Fixed dining is the epitome of a banquet experience.  Kitchen literally cranks out hundreds of servings of the same course at the same time.  

We hired the best restaurant group in town to cater our daughter’s wedding.  But the wedding food was at a lower level compared to their restaurants. Everything  had to be prepped, precooked, cooked and served to hundreds at the same time.  

We always eat prior to attending any kind of a banquet. 

There is a reason fine restaurants stagger their reservations.  

Buyer beware on this ship. 

We did quite a bit of research on this port but our Nautica stop here was canceled due to a medical emergency.   The terminology and naming conventions were quite confusing.  Two political factions in NI each have their own names for everything.  Some call it Derry, some call it Londonderry.  The political history of NI is most fascinating and I really hope you visit Belfast.  

We had planned to ride the shuttle into Derry and do a walking tour with a famous guide named Martin McCrossan.  While we were planning, he tragically died unexpectedly and family members were taking over his business.  I just checked and derrycitytours.com is running his tours.  Check it out.  

Other passengers were planning private tours to the Giants Causeway and other famous  spots. We had previously toured this area a couple other times so we were  looking forward to Derry.  

Love, love this area.  

20 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

A/C issues on multiple HAL vessels is one of those inside "secrets" not often mentioned accept by a few brave souls here on CC (who often get flamed for saying anything negative).  Ironically, the one HAL ship where we never had an A/C issue was on the Prinsendam….its oldest ship.  There are some HAL fans that will blame onboard A/C issues on being in very hot climates.  But what we cannot understand is that on other cruise lines (we have been on 15 lines) we have never experienced any A/C issues.  Why does HAL have these problems, but it does not seem to be an issue with other companies?  Could it be the age of the ship?  Deferred maintenance?  I have no clue as to the cause, but it is completely unacceptable.  Passengers on any ship of any line should able to have confidence that the ventilation in their cabin keeps in comfy.

 

DW and I had booked 41 days on the Maasdam from Brisbane to San Francisco.   When we made the booking (while on another HAL cruise) we had some doubts because of concerns about the A/C on a HAL cruise that spends time in the South Pacific.  We ultimately canceled that cruise (a few months ago) for some issues unrelated to the condition of the Maasdam.  But after reading some of the posts on CC I am breathing (with cool air) a sigh of relief.   The thought of being on that ship for 6 weeks in a hot stuffy cabin is not how we would want to spend a cruise.   So now that we know that some cabin do have a major A/C issue, one wonders what HAL will do in the next few months while that vessel is in hot climates.  Do you think they will simply close off those cabins and cancel some bookings?  Do you think they will somehow make major repairs while underway?  or Do you think they will continue to use those cabins, ignore the complaints, and continue as if there are no problems?   

 

Hank

We will not sail the old ships of Holland America. It isn’t just the non working Air conditioning. The HVAC systems appear non functioning. A noxious cigarette smell permeated various areas of these old ships, especially in the vicinity of the casino. Otherwise known as the communal coffin.  Smoke haze in many areas. 

We had air and HVAC problems on Prinsendam too. The cabin air died most nights and some areas were smoke hazes.  We would return from port to the ship and melt from the cabin heat.  

Then the ceiling leaks. Just repulsive.  

Had to laugh at your last paragraph.  Your last sentence is perfect.  Front desk people must be trained to feign surprise when they hear the complaints.   

Thanks for the second thread.  

I love your blog.  Photos and commentary are terrific.  

What an itinerary!  So many of my favorite places.  

Yes,  ships dock in a vast industrial area. Shuttle buses take you to the port exit, where you will inundated with pushing, shoving, shouting taxi drivers.   Hold onto your wallets and find your prebooked ride.  

Lima is a sketchy place.  Stay with a guide or prebooked taxi.  

The cruise port HOHO shuttle buses are big business for the company running things. Oceania passengers will merge at Bayside with people who just disembarked other cruise lines.  Your ticket allows unlimited HOHO riding and is a great opportunity to kill time.  

I would go on the trip, just go and enjoy yourself. 

I am not sure why Holland America would issue a bill for double the cruise fare because your cruise is already paid in full.  They are not losing any money if your friend doesn’t go.   They could assess double gratuity charges and if this happens I would remove the second half of the auto gratuity.  

For any travel issues or cancelations, always check with with your credit card company.  High end cards have generous travel insurance with language covering  “travel companions”.