meh56

Thank you...that is what I wanted to know

First time sailing on HAL. Do any of the decks have overhang for balcony shade or are all balconies in full sun? We are planning on sailing of the Eurodam.

We are looking at booking the Eurodam and have a question about dining. If we do the anytime (not sure if that is what it is called) do they have tables for 2? We prefer to eat alone and I am not sure how many table for 2 they have. Also can you tell me about the Lido and the variety of food - is it different everyday or always the same?

Thank you for the information. The train looks like a nice trip so I appreciate all your information. It is an early train from Seattle so I need to check on the Seattle area around the train station.

Has anyone taken the train from Seattle to Vancouver? We would do this one day in advance of sailing. Looks like a nice scenic ride but not sure about location of train station in Vancouver and if it is a safe area. Also is there a hotel close by the train station? We can fly into Vancouver as air fare is OK but thought the train would be a fun way to spend the day. Would also appreciate information on train station in Seattle.

Any help or comments would be welcome.

Sounds great...I have looked at web site but it is nice to hear from people who have traveled. This cruise is part of a South America sailing so I hope they will have some lectures. When I booked the agent said they will acknowledge our Princess and Carnival sailings. She said we will receive some benefits like early check in, lunch and special promotions during cruise. Looking forward to trying out different restaurants and buffet. We have not been happy with Princess dining so want to see what other cruise lines are offering.

Thank you for your reply...Is there a charge for the Dive In? Glad to know the cabins will be ready early. We are looking forward to sailing with Holland America. We are doing a short

sailing to see what they have to offer. Do they have any lectures during the day?

We are sailing on the Zaandam Sep 25 from Vancouver to San Diego. We are Platinum with Princess so they have told us we can board at 11:30AM. When are the cabins ready to be occupied? They also said we could have lunch in the dining room...Is there a menu online somewhere? If anyone has a suggestion for hotel in Vancouver I would appreciate that as well. Any information on the Vista Suites would be welcome. Thank you

First time leaving from Vancouver. We are on the Zaandam departing Sept 25 2018 and there are 2 other ships in port. Holland America said we can board the ship at 11:30am. We are thinking of flying in the day before and overnighting at the hotel located at the airport. Question is should we overnight at the airport or choose a hotel closer to the pier? Do you have a recommendation for a hotel closer to the pier that has a restaurant or is close by restaurants for dinner and breakfast? Is it a problem to get a taxi from airport to pier on day of sailing?

I think it depends on the ship. We were on the Pearl last month and La Cucina was the

worst dinner we had. The service was terrible...waited 25 mins for soup and salad... I am Italian and found the food to be terrible...especially the meatballs, but we had waited almost an hour to get to the main meal and it was bad. Ordered chicken parm and it was a huge (I think) chicken breast thrown over some pasta. I tried a couple of bites but could not get over how

it looked on the plate.

a huge chicken breast thrown on some pasta...

Sorry I don't know any Casino staff names. We arrived at LaCucina for our 630p reservation and were seating right away. We were given menu's but no one came to take our order for at least 15 mins. My husband ordered soup to start but I just wanted to have a main meal. I asked the waiter but he did more talking than listening, if the chicken pam was breaded and he said yes. I also wanted to try the meatballs so I asked for a meatball with my dinner. He argued with me and said I should have it when my husband has his soup. I said I wanted it with my dinner but he continued to say I should have it when he has his soup so I said OK. It took another 25 mins to get the soup and meatballs. He brings me a huge bowl with 4 good size meatballs, even though I told him I only wanted to taste one. The meatballs were not very good and they were cold. We split one meatball and left the rest. When I got the chicken parm is was like a half of a chicken breast put on pasta. Not breaded and looked very strange as it was a big slab of chicken. They did end up comping us for my husbands beer and my soda. The pasta in the main dining was much better. I don't remember what my husband had but it was not very good. It was a different menu then what I saw people post on line. I think it varies by ship. The waiters in Indigo were much better than in LaCucina.

We just came off of the Pearl Panama Canal cruise. While on board they put 6 new slot machines in service. I really don't pay to much attention to what it is but I did win an 800.00 jackpot. So that was great. I did spend a little time with the casino staff as I had some issue with my account. The ship was in great shape. We had a Mini on Deck 11 and were very happy with it. We had 4 speciality restaurants and went to Cagney's twice (it is the best), Moderno's (was not great) and La Cucina which I also would not go back to. We ate in Indigo twice for dinner and it is a really nice restaurant. It has better service then Summer Place. I thought the staff everywhere was great except in LaCucina.

It is a 14 day Panama Canal cruise...I understand it could be different for a b2b.

I have a question about settling your on board account on a 14 day cruise. Do they settle your account at the end of the 14 days or do they do two charges at 7 days and 14 days?

Thank you for the links..I will check them out...not sure where to post this as it is not really the riviera.

Loved the photos... thank you

Our ship is stopping in both Huatulco MX and Puntarenas CR and I wanted to know if anyone can tell me if these ports have anything at the pier. We just want to get off the ship and walk around a little. Are there any shopping areas or things to see around the port?

We received notice of our edocs being ready to print, we sail in about 6 weeks. I wanted to order water and some casino credit. Will that effect our edocs? I usually don't print the docs until about 2 weeks prior.

I have been reading your post and thought you might be able to answer a question. My husband and I are sailing on the Pearl - Panama Canal - in Oct. I am a Total reward member thru Harrahs so I called them before booking but they said they could not offer me anything. I also checked with NCL. A few years ago I call CAS and they gave me a gift in my cabin. I sailed NCL last Sept and Princess Jan 2017 and spent time in the casino on both. We are already booked so I am not looking for cruise discount but does CAS offer a OBC and should I contact them?

Thank you all for the reply...I think I may pick up a bottle on non alcoholic wine before boarding and just pay the $15.00.

I am glad to hear that they also have a good amount of tables for 2.

We are sailing the Pearl thru the Canal and I have a couple of questions. My husband can not drink alcohol due to medications, does any one know if they have non alcoholic wine and beer?

If we make a reservation for 2 in the regular dining room (thinking of first night) will we be given a table for 2? Have sailed with Princess and they seem to have a lot of tables for 2.

I am calculating the amount I need to insure for cancellation fee and have a question. Are the port taxes and promo grats refundable if cancelled before sailing and then I do not have to include that amount in insurance. The reason I ask is that it is a 14 day cruise so port fees are high. Thanks for any help.

We sailed on the Gem last Sept in the same cabin. My sister was in 11106. I also was concerned about noise from above but there was none. It was great for just running upstairs to get a coffee or snack. We are sailing this Oct on the Pearl and have the exact mini suite. If you go one cabin forward you are in another price range so it was great.

We are sailing in Oct. and chose the internet minutes and the dining. We only have a few drinks and felt for us this was the best option. We also booked recently and got a ship board credit and that should help cove the beverages.

Thank you all..thank you for the wine pkgs

We are sailing on the NCL Pearl in Oct. Can anyone tell me if you can get a bucket of beer on board and what it would cost? Also do they have a wine package (like 3 bottles of wine) you can purchase on board at a reduced rate? This would be on the 14 day Panama Canal cruise.