brownie1005

Thanks for all of the kind words! The blog is really just my personal diary, but I love that others care enough to read as well! :)

 

I made a conscientious effort to update my blog notes each evening instead of "hoping" that I would remember what we did once we got home. (Which I have often done in the past with not-so-great results.) My photos will usually jog my memory to some extent, but often I forget the smaller details if I try and remember things later.

 

With a 23-day cruise coming up in April I am determined to keep up with the blog on a DAILY basis...but we will see. There are going to be a lot of port days in a row and I know how tiring that can be! :rolleyes:

Nice blog, thanks for sharing!

Looking forward to the NA in March :)

Karen

We used Estancia in 2015. The previous poster thinfool was totally accurate in every respect except that your time at Volunteer Point may be longer than one hour. We had ample time to walk around the main rookery, then back to the parking lot for our box lunch (prepared by Nyree's mother), and then down along the beach for another 30-45 minute stroll.

GBP are preferred, crisp newish bills will get you an extra smile.

 

Enjoy!

 

Good to see the positive feedback for Estancia. We are scheduled for a tour on New Year’s Eve and very excited! Thanks for posting the pics!

Karen

We saw the island on private tour that took us to areas where we were all alone.

 

Here is my review which also includes the name of the tour guide. Excellent value and paid in GBP.

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2013/05/29/one-way-to-do-the-falklands/

 

Great review, thanks for posting. Enjoyed your pics! :)

Karen

I spoke to ship services the other day about a tree. They have 2 sizes, 20 & 24” tall, $47.99 & 64.99, respectively. They come decorated and have battery powered LED lights.

Hi Karen- I think we are going to join booking this one direct for Falklands for 31st Dec. Have you used Estancia before? This is our first cruise so we are a little nervous about going off the HAL bookings for someone local etc.

Thanks

Lisa

Hi Lisa

Thinfool gave a great explanation!

This is my first time as well, and did a lot of research before deciding to do it independently.

Estancia has an excellent reputation and I’m very comfortable using them.

Karen

We’re doing Volunteer Point with Estancia and payment is in GBP.

$50 per place setting for stuff like that. I guess that the comment about the frequency of suckers being born is correct.

 

DON

A quote that comes to mind after reading your post...

No one is more insufferable than he who lacks basic courtesy.

Have a nice day.

What a lovely gift for your daughter!

 

 

 

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Innlady1, thanks to you and the many others that posted kind replies. 🙂

The look of delight on my daughter’s face upon opening the dishes was priceless!

Karen

That's great. Hope you have lots of pleasure using them.

Thanks, Sail! I actually bought them for my daughter. She loved Le Cirque, and won’t be sailing until next March, so will miss the opportunity to dine there again. She was so surprised, and thrilled to receive them. 🙂

Do they guarantee the place setting they sell you will not have chipped plates?

Our Pinnacle waiter, with whom we had become friendly with from many breakfasts and dinners, hand-picked the pieces for us and had them delivered to our room. They were in excellent condition, without any scratches or chips. They don’t come boxed, but as it was just a few pieces, they were easy to pack.

Karen

I don't remember any reason to be one side or the other on that cruise, but know ahead the cruise is AWESOME! Some of my favorite ports! We did take rain pants and used them (both for warmth and rain) in most the ports. Loved Shetlands...Jarlshof and Sumburgh Head were great...previous cruises have done Faroes which we love (get out of town on an excursion for sure) and several ports in Iceland. https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-Lrj3q5/i-BFbmk7d/A

Your photo gallery is fantastic! Brought back some great memories. Thanks for sharing :)

Does someone have pix? Just curious.

My daughter took these pics when she go home from work. She loved Le Cirque and was thrilled to have a couple of place settings as a memento.

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Side will make no difference. When you are sailing, you will be too far from land to see it, and whales likely to be on either side (if any). And it may be too cold to spend much time on the balcony. Visiting the fjords, you go in - and back out - retracing your route, so what you missed going in, you see coming out. Same with Norway. EM

I agree with EM. But if you you’d really prefer port side, remember you're still months away from sailing, and room availability changes.

You can also call HAL directly, as there are usually rooms that are not shown online as available.

Karen

Does someone have pix? Just curious.

I picked up 2 sets for my daughter, so I don’t have them to take a photo of. If you google Le Cirque dinnerware Holland America and check out images, it brings up lots of pics.

HAL paid less than $10 for that setting when they were new. (Made in Thailand)

That's a very healthy markup for used plates.

That may be so, but that's wholesale. There's a healthy markup for pretty much everything...wine, booze, excursions, etc. At least you take these home.

It may not be of interest to everyone, but some people may like them as a memento of Le Cirque, or just for fun.

Karen

Is that the dinnerware with the monkeys? Would love a piece or two! Will try on my upcoming N.A. cruise!

Yes, the large plate and bread plate have monkeys, and the oval crème brûlée dish has the recipe printed on the bottom.

Just disembarked from the Zuiderdam on Sunday October 22nd; front desk confirmed that there would be no “Cruise Log”. That and not having any wifi coverage in my stateroom were the only complaints I had; as documented on my Survey.

Ughhh....so disappointing to hear!

I thought maybe they were just changing the format to something that was easier for them to produce.

Karen

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned on a previous thread, but while on the Zuiderdam in September, the Le Cirque dinnerware, consisting of charger, bread plate, and soufflé dish were available for sale at $50/setting (used).

Nice memento for those who enjoyed the Le Cirque run...

Karen

Here’s the cruise log format from Aug/Sept Zuiderdam

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So far, on all 3 of our HAL cruises this year we received cruise logs. The first two were the standard tri-fold with blue cover. The third, Aug/Sept Zuiderdam was a different format. 8 1/2 x 11 sheet printed front and back with all of the usual stats.

Hopefully, we’ll receive a log in December on the Zaandam.

Karen

Here's the current cabana pricing...

HAL Cabanas 2017.pdf

Here's our experience with casino deals.

A little background...my husband plays tables for about an hour or 2 most evenings, and for sure the first night. He’s not a heavy better, and usually comes out even or ahead. He always gives his room card when he plays, in order for them to track his activity.

We occasionally get email offers from for free cruises, less port fees, (inside room) with VERY, VERY generous room upgrade prices through to nepune suites. Space is definitely limited for each sailing, and you have to jump on them as soon as email hits. For these cruises, we cannot use our CCL stock OBC benefits.

We also get casino discount rates on all of our other cruises. They are substantial, even better than mariner rates, and always include casino spending money, which the amount offered seems to be dependent on his casino activity from our previous cruise. We are always able to use our CCL stock OBC benefits, as well as any other OBC we obtain.

In order to get the best casino benefits, it’s crucial you give the dealer your room card every time you sit down at a table.

Thank you for your review. We are sailing on the Zuiderdam April 9, 26 day sending in Copenhagen.

Can you tell me who the DRM is, and the CD please

 

Barbara

We were on the cruise as well. Great review and great cruise!

CD was Saul Orr and DRM was Ozgur Turnuklu.

Captain Van Hoogdalem was very personable and often saw him walking around the ship chatting with guests.

Hope you have a great cruise!

I'm clearly not doing well with my lobster posts. :D

lol ;p

I mistakenly said that the PG lobster was available grilled or boiled. I should have said broiled or boiled.

Lobster is actually offered broiled or steamed.