jaxonboy

Although I'm glad to see HAL making money by sailing full ships, I sincerely doubt that every single cabin on the Amsterdam has been sold out for the 2018 world cruise, a full year before the sailing.

 

 

 

Scott & Karen

Right you are. The cabin inventory is depleted, but not sold out.

If cruise fish is to be believed, all of the categories from E down are sold. Also BB, BC and SB. Overall 28% of the cabins are still for rent. There may be some cancellations in these lower categories as final payment looms.

As you mentioned, Africa is not new to HAL. We did a fantastic five day overland from Durban to Phinda, to Capetown in 2014 on the Amsterdam. Sadly, we missed Desmond Tutu, but did get that huge book!

We hope to go to Kruger from the 2018 World.

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Just a note. Yellow fever shot is valid for ten years.

The weather was good. Didn't need a jacket most days. We were always the day after rain, or the day before, except for Kotor. Nice to walk around, no big crowds except for Ephesus.

The itinerary was port intensive, one stretch was eight days in a row. 2017 stays out of the Aegean Sea and goes to Africa.

Nice ship layout. Crummy elevators. Wonderful staff, good food, Captain Tim kept us safe and out of the big swells. Ship was a little dog eared, went into drydock the day after we disembarked.

I think the Prinsendam has an older demographic maybe due to how close everything is. Nice people.

We took an upsell, no upgrade offer.

During the 2012 World Cruise, we had to stay in Punta Arenas a day extra to stay out of a major storm in the South Pacific. The itinerary had to be adjusted to get back on schedule, leaving out New Caledonia, a nice stop. Captain Jonathan deviated from the efficient track to show us Ball's Pyramid, and Lord Howe island. Spectacular.

During the 2016 Grand Med, safety considerations eliminated our overnight in Istanbul. Captain Tim took us on a grand tour of the Bosporus, making a U turn at the Black Sea. I think it took three hours. we enjoyed the palaces and other sights along the way.

A very good app is Rain, Rain. Many different sounds including ocean waves, jungle sounds. Promotes good sleep. I use it on the cruise ship when there is too much going on outside the cabin.

I use it with iPad and iPhone from the App Store. Also is on goggle play store for android. Free.

If you need more volume, a "Jam" is good. Available on Amazon. Works Bluetooth or cable from earphone jack, goes a long time between charges.

On the 2012 world cruise we lost a tender at Easter Island. They were using an alternative docking site and they had tenders lined up for us to cross to get to the island. One got bashed. Turned out it was my life boat. By that evening I (and the others assigned to that boat) had been reassigned to a new life boat. By the way, same Captain trying to get us ashore. I had chickened out on tendering that day and stayed on the ship ...

 

Susan

This lifeboat had some holes torn in the hull at the waterline. It was repaired by the time we got to Papeete. We used to check the repair progress as we strolled the promenade.

I, for one, was majorly impressed that the captain was working alongside other officers and crew in the water helping the passengers. Although this is what we might expect him to do, there are too many instances where a person in charge fails to live up to expectations.

Captain Jonathan is the finest Captain I have sailed with. He is out around the ship, always willing to say hello. The staff respects him. The crew operates like a well oiled machine.

In this case an errant wave pushed the lifeboat out of the cut onto the reef. Not an error in seamanship, an act of God. The Captain wisely suspended all tendering ashore, and recovered those already ashore.

Muster drills reduce chaos in the event of an abandon ship emergency. I have been through enough to witness guests yakking away while cabins are called, guests not realizing the number on their sail and sign card is their muster station, and general grumbling.

Of course the majority behave quite well.

Plart of the problem on the Concordia was the delay boarding the boats until the muster roll had been completed. I hope there is never another similar emergency and that people talking, or being at the wrong muster station do not delay the timely loading of the lifeboats.

I wonder if staying hydrated would help with the fainting and heatstroke. Alcohol might be avoided until after the drill.

We enjoy eating supper in the Lido. We love vegetables and salads. The same menu items are served on the Lido as in the MDR. We can design the meal to suit our taste. Our perfect setup is to eat Formal in the MDR and the rest of the time in Lido. Sometimes the MDR is too fussy, we need a break. The MDR feels like a banquet hall.

On sea days we take a few minutes to read the menu posted outside the MDR to see how the entrees are plated and decide where to eat.

The drinks steward on Lido can handle your wine package.

If there are friends on the cruise we will get a table during early seating. But we will still use the Lido occasionally. We all just meet in the Lido and eat together.

There is a wide range of dress up or down.

We have yet to have a dinner in the Lido.

But have often talked about doing it.

Do you have to carry all of your dishes back to the table like at lunch time?

You don't have to. There is plenty of staff to carry it for you.

This lunch is now open to all.

I was on the same cruise as you. I assume when you say surf and turf on the first gala you mean steak and shrimp. There was no lobster on the first gala. That's the normal size on the lobster on Hal. It's been years since I've seen anything larger.

I distinctly recall a full lobster tail with the filet mignonette. Maybe they were remaining from the previous voyage in from Europe. So it was an aberration, and not a change in menu quality. Perhaps it was not the first gala, but there was surf and turf once on each part of the 14 day collection.

Upon further reflection, the waiter normally comes around and extracts the lobster meat from the shell for you and they didn't this time. Perhaps we were the lucky few that got a full tail. The surrounding tables did as well.

Most of my cruise days with HAL are grand voyages and a full tail has been the norm.

We noticed changes on the second segment of our October Eurodam cruise.

No Toast from the Captain on the first Gala night.

Embarkation day lunch in the dining room open to all passengers.

There is a mariner's cocktail party from 1:30 - 2:30 on Embarkation Day in the Crow's Nest -- it was a mob scene -- just to get a free glass of champagne. This was on both segments. We only went to the first one -- second week we skipped it.

If you are in a Neptune Suite or PS cabin and stop by the Neptune Lounge you will b e told by the concierges of the cocktail party from 7:30 - 8 PM. No written official invitation -- no captain or any other officers.

The first week we only saw the captain at the Mariner's award assembly. We weren't even invited to the second week's Mariner awards assembly so we never the saw the captain any time the second week.

Gala night in the dining room -- menu with very few choices.

Right now I can't think of any other changes.

My experience also, probably the same time period. We were puzzled that in the first "Gala" night, one of the entrees was surf and turf, and it was good. The second "Gala" night, the surf and turf was reduced to the filet and half of the lobster tail.

We did have a nice vacation, the crew is a strength, and the passengers were easy cruisers.

India requires New Zealanders to obtain a tourist visa prior to entering the country. We have entered Indian ports on cruise ships and flown in and out on international flights. We hold an Indian visa that was good for five years, but only six months at a time if that makes sense to you.

Whether you make your own arrangements or use cruise excursions has no bearing. We had a card that allowed us to enter the port upon our return.

Go back and read what Jade13 posted 20 minutes before your post.

 

It's always best to read the entire thread before posting.

My post refers to insurance in the first paragraph. I have read the entire thread, i couldn't believe the number of cruisers that felt the OP was unreasonable.

Cruise line sells a cabin to two people. Both buy insurance. One can't go, so insurance company pays them for their covered loss. Cruise line still has the money for the two bookings. Cruise line then charges the remaining guest a single supplement. Why? It is not a single, it is a double occupancy.

Cruise line sells a cabin to two people. Nobody buys cancellation insurance. One guest decides not to go. Cruise line charges the guest that does go a single supplement. This is not what happens is it?

One way to look at it is that in both examples, the cruise line in reality already has the single supplement. Some might call this good business, I call it criminal.

We did the Western itinerary on the Eurodam, October 25. We had a good time. Half Moon Cay is a great beach stop. In Falmouth we took a HAL tour to the Good Hope Plantation House for tea. Scenic, beautiful house from 1700's, nice people. Plenty of time to look around the immediate port area. Grand Cayman is what it is. When 10,000 or so guests alight, it gets a little busy.

The crew is very well trained, the food is good, Tamarind and Pinnacle Grille are worth a visit and also open for lunch. The ship singers and dancers are talented, and worth seeing. Lively piano bar.

Have a good time.

I have done this cruise on HAL three times, and were it not for the painfully long flights, would be planning on going again. It is that fabulous.

 

You have never heard silence until you've heard it in Antarctica. You have never tasted air so clean, nor seen the grandeur of creation until you have sailed the waters of the Antarctic peninsula.

The views are expansive, and change depending on the weather in a given spot at that time. You feel the moods of the continent, as if it were a living being.

 

If you can't talk your friend into going with you, find someone else. If you can't find someone else, then go alone. You will never be sorry.

The 2012 Grand World went to Antarctica after the Falkland Islands. So we had the close land encounters with the Penguins prior to heading South. Ruth C has summed it up perfectly. Quiet, Crisp clean air, beautiful blue ice. Everything on a grand scale. We picked up the young scientists to give them a ride to Punta Arenas. They were excited to tell us of their summer at the bottom of the world. Palmer station, if memory serves. Definitely belongs on everyone's to do list. We had a guest that is a retired scientist who had spent time in Antarctica. He was so glad to see it again.

Onboard the Eurodam 10/18 thru 11/01. Had lunch there once, it was good, but we only went once. Had dinner there twice, it was better. The wasabi crusted beef entree was good.

We enjoyed it in part because of Ita, a beautiful Balinese woman we met in 2014 on the world cruise. She is a server at lunch and dinner.

The peanut sate sauce at lunch was good.

I was glad it was available.

I hope the weather is nice for your visit to Moorea. One of the more beautiful places on this amazing planet.

On the Eurodam Lido for the past two weeks the sandwich counter was a combination of pre-made selections in the brown sacks and the made while you wait selections. The ingredients of the pre-made sandwiches were listed on the little signs telling you what each one was. I tried an Italian Hoagie style sandwich and it was fresh and tasty.

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

Any feedback on any of the HAL shore excursions? I'm afraid this stop seems like a waste of time if one is not a shopper. We've been to Ocho Rios a few times with HAL and wouldn't bother to get off the ship again there. The pressure from vendors is the worst we have experienced in the Caribbean.

We took the Good Hope plantation house tour with tea. Very interesting, short coach ride, scenic views up at the house. Well maintained, nice people. We had a good time. Swallow tail hummingbirds were interesting.

As others have mentioned, outside the tourist port area is not something we wanted to explore on our own.

There were no street vendors. Apparently they aren't allowed inside the gate. There are the normal shops and a nice native craft bazaar. The Nathan's hotdog was $5.50 plus tax, and it hit the spot.

The dark chocolate in the dark blue foil was good. Couldn't see the logo after I threw the wrapper in the bin.

Received our cabin assignment this afternoon, October 9. Booked VF, received VC. This is aft port verandah deck, a new experience. Looks like all suites and verandah cabins are booked.

Carnival Liberty has three (3) bow thrusters. So if one is broken, there are still two to move the ship sideways to the dock. If there is a stiff breeze blowing, the ship may not be able to come off the dock, or may not have enough control with only two thrusters available. Lloyds may require the tugs in this situation, if not the Captain.

A year ago on the Amsterdam we were pinned to a dock in Papau, New Guinea by 30 knot breeze on the beam holding us to the dock. We waited until evening, the breeze reduced, and we left. Everything was working, it is just that these cruise ships have a lot of "Sail" area.

On Carnival Magic TA, we diverted to Freeport, Bahamas to have a bow thruster replaced after it was damaged by fouling a cable in Naples, Italy. The assembly was the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. Unfortunately, there was also damage to the mount, so the repair was not successful.