cricri7

It is nice to know that even if you wind up facing the port that it is not like some I have seen where they have an industrial part and they work all day and it is quite noisy! She is like me, she has vertigo but does not get sick. I have intense vertigo but I am one of the weird ones that loves it when the ship hits rough seas....it puts me to sleep!

 

I now feel at peace to suggest a balcony to her!

 

Thanks guys...I knew I could count on this forum to get great answers:)

 

All this helping her only wants to make me go back to Bermuda even more. I went twice this winter at the Fairmont and absolutely love this island!!! I fell in love with it when I went with the Veendam and I just want to keep going back....everything pales in comparison!

Thank you guys....and a nice vacation to you squirty! I was hoping to come back with a clear answer for her.

 

Can you talk to me then what it looks like when you are facing the port? Is it really loud?

 

She is very hesitant about booking a balcony, because she has intense vertigo so she always goes for the inside, so I would not want her to come back with a horror story that it was loud or whatever else could come up.

 

Thanks again!

Hi guys....I am currently helping a friend of mine who will be booking on the Breakaway to Bermuda. She is hesitating between an inside and a balcony. If she wants a balcony, she would like to be facing the water and not the pier. I have been to Bermuda on the Veendam that docked in Hamilton so I do not know how the Breakaway docks at King's wharf. Which side of the ship will be the dock side?

 

Thanks for your answers in advance!

I have sailed to Bermuda on the Veendam many times and I have also stayed at the Fairmont Southampton. They just posted on Facebook that no structural damage was done to the hotel and that they are resuming normal activities tomorrow and will be doing cleaning up.

You will get contradicting answers here. I once posted that I had big problems on the Eurodam when I stayed in the J category under the Queen's lounge. The music and the bass were very loud and extended past midnight, every night!!! Combined with the fact that I came on board with a bad cough, it was a miserable vacation!! I went to the front desk to discuss the issue of having a music venue with loud music over a room and told them that if I had wanted a party ship, I would have booked Carnival for much less money!

 

If you stay up late....go to see the shows...have night caps and dance the night away, you can go ahead and book it. It is definitely huge!!!

Don't worry about finding a cab driver that speaks English. You will arrive at the bus terminal and they are used to tourists. They may not be fluently bilingual but almost everyone in Montreal knows basic English. However, be sure to look on google map the way to the hotel so that he does not take you on a ride like some cab drivers do with tourists!

 

I know that I am biased since I live in Montreal but you should come even 2 days before if you have another free nights. We have a beautiful city with great restaurants and you will be downtown and be able to walk almost everywhere before you leave for the cruiseship.

 

Have a great cruise!

I am another one who raves about those cabins. I prefer them to a veranda if you are booking one with a small balcony. If you have a big balcony with a Neptune suite, this wins hands down, but with a smaller balcony, I prefer the lanai. I was always lounging in my chair all day long and after dinner. I read a lot on vacation and love watching the scenery go by so these cabins are my favorite. I had no problem with people looking in because the glass is tinted and they can't see anything inside unless at night if you leave all the lights opened and even then you don't see that much.

When I was on the Zuiderdam a couple of weeks ago, the second formal night was the day of Glacier bay.

 

For the dining room, you can only reserve 2 days in advance. They don't allow more than that, except for the specialty restaurants which you can book in advance.

I hope people won't be too mad at me but I will be the devil's advocate and say that I am happy about it! The Maasdam and Veendam, with the Eurodam, are my favorite ships. I just love the Lanai cabins and the Mix also. I prefer smaller ships, even though I loved Eurodam mostly because of the Tamarind, but I always find the staff more relaxed than on the other ships. I found the Zuiderdam and Westerdam's staff more tense than on the smaller ships. I also cruised the Ryndam and also found the staff more at ease. It may also be just a coincidence;-)

People can jog now? Not too many joggers on Holland usually:)

 

Thanks to all your answers! Yes...I love lanais. I had one once and my parents had one another time, while I was in an inside just in front of them in a J, and was always squatting their chair. The workers in the morning did not bother me much when I stayed in a Lanai but like I said, the head of the bed is not directly underneath the window.

 

I took note about the bread making!!

 

Thanks again....Now, I just have to decide:)

Hi guys.....I may be going on another cruise, Maasdam from Mtl to Boston, and the prices are a bit too high for my favorite cabin, which is a Lanai. I love the Lower Promenade deck because it only has cabins for 2 people. Because of that, it is more quiet than other decks. The lowest price on that deck is for HH obstructed view. I never had problem with people talking and walking on the deck when in a lanai because the bed is located not directly next to the door. However, the head of the bed, I think, is located just underneath the window for the HH. I am wondering if you can hear people if they decide to stay underneath your window or if you hear the thumping from people jogging, even if they are not allowed to....some do it in spite of the big signs!

 

Thanks in advance for your answer!

I tested this on my last cruise, even though it was not on purpose! I had communicating suites with my parents.....I entered my cabin and, like I always do without even thinking about it, I double locked my door. We opened the door that communicated between our suites, and I am pretty sure you can see me coming with this one....I went into my parents' suite and the door locked behind me. Of course, I had left my key card in my cabin!

 

I went out in the hall and found an officer. He did not have the special key you guys are talking about, he told me that only guest services have that key, but he was able to open the partition between our suites and come in through my balcony door....which I did not have time to lock or it would have been locked if I had had the time...haha...

 

I also travel by myself quite a lot and even though I was with my parents, we both had our cabins. I was relieved in a sense that not everybody, even ship's officers have that special key that overrides double locks.

 

You can sleep soundly...if you are worried because you read about the attack from a room steward, you just have to use your double lock every time you are in your cabin even if it is for a short while. They don't have that card.

I got back last week from my cruise on the Zuiderdam in a Neptune suite and absolutely loved it! The biggest perk for me was the huge balconies we had since we had communicating rooms. An officer opened the partition for us, I have to say that I had locked myself out just after getting on board, and we had 2 huge balconies for us after he opened it. It was so nice to have all that outside space to go out and take pictures. Of course, a cruise to Alaska is a bit more chilly but I dressed warmly, put on blankets, got the binoculars...my camera....my Kindle...and I was as happy as a clam!

 

It was our first time in a suite and my parents loved different things than me. They loved being able to have breakfast in the Pinnacle grill. They found it less crowded and noisy than the Lido or the dining room. We are the same in the sense that it was nice to have a bigger room but it was not a breaking point in helping me decide to upgrade.

 

For myself, I liked going to have breakfast at the Neptune lounge...going to get a coffee or water during the day with the fresh fruit. The only thing I deplore at the Neptune lounge was the chilliness of the 2 concierges. I had trouble twice during the cruise, once with my mother's beverage card and another time with my billing. There were mistakes and I had to see them to correct the mistakes and they made me feel like it was my fault that an employee had made a mistake. I always try to be gracious to people. Treat people with kindness and usually the chilliness melts but not this time. I wasn't impressed by their lack of professionalism.

 

However, Norman, a waiter from the Pinnacle grill, was always there in the morning. Super cheerful and courteous even if he works very long hours!!! All the staff at the Pinnacle grill were wonderful. We had 4 dinners there and everyone makes you feel welcome.

 

I would book a Neptune suite again if I had the chance for an upsell like this time, but I prefer to cruise 3 times in an inside room instead of 1 in a Neptune suite:)

Congratulations.

Hope you and your parents have a wonderful cruise in Alaska.

 

Thank you so much for your good wishes Sail7seas. My parents are getting older, 52 years of marriage this year, and I appreciate as I get older the fact that I still have them around to travel with me but also to see them often since we live so close to each other. I send you my condoleances or sympathies, I don't know if this is the right word in English...French is my first language, about the passing of your husband. You have lots of virtual friends here:)

Even if I travel with family or friends, I always get my own cabin. I think that a single person in a cabin is less work than 2 or 3 or 4 people in the same cabin...well for normal people that is. You use less towels..things are less cluttered so their job is easier to do than some cabins I have seen where it seems a clothes bomb has exploded in it!!! I may only give one HSC for my cruise but I think that I spend more than some families because I eat at the surcharge restaurants, hang out at the spa and have a couple of cocktails:)

 

I read somewhere that 20$ for a 7 day cruise was the norm for a single person. I usually leave the same thing in hotel rooms for the maid. The norm is between 2 and 3$ per person, per night. I apply the same thing for room stewards.

 

I also think that the people who tip the room stewards are the minority. Most people leave nothing more so I don't feel guilty about not paying double for the HSC. I pay almost double for my cabin!

Always RSVP'd in time....

 

Never got a tile...

 

I am not one to talk about inheritance because I try to convince my parents to travel....to spend and to leave us nothing..haha...

Your grand kids' inheritance....this is a good one....I say the same thing to my niece, I don't have kids, that she won't get too much from me when I die. However, I never go to the mariners' brunch so I won't even have the tiles to leave her...haha...

I am fully aware that I am in very dangerous territory!! I have a budget to respect but I love the perks of flying in business class, I cash in my Aeroplan miles for business most of the time, of staying in 4 and 5 star hotels. I should have been born in a richer family but I probably would not appreciate it this much if it was given to me early on...haha....

 

I don't know if the fact that I am a 3 star mariner wieghs in the balance when they offer those upsells or they offer it to everyone who calls but I am sure glad we were able to snag one of those deals!!

 

I will go back to an inside for my next cruise but I have to say that Holland mostly has big insides so I don't mind staying in them. I will probably miss my suite but I love cruising too much to restrict myself only to those suites.

I had booked the Zuiderdam for the May 10th departure with a VH guarantee and paid 1700$ for single occupancy and my parents 1900$ for a double occupancy. We got our cabins this week and ended up getting a VA so it was nice upgrade but then my travel agent called Holland and said we were interested in an upsell to a Neptune Suite if there were any available. We got a price of 700$ per cabin for a SA. I think it was a very good deal because I ended up paying 2300$ for a Neptune Suite! On top of it, they gave us communicating rooms! I am very happy about this because I usually am able to travel only during the summer months and Alaska is very expensive at that time! I am on sabbatical for this school year and am happy about the price. I usually do an inside so I am happy about the big bump.

 

I have to say that I lied to my parents and told them that we paid only 200$ and am paying for the difference. I wanted to treat them and they never accept usually anything from me! So if we happen to meet on board, you have to keep the secret about the upsell....haha...

 

It will be our first time in Alaska so we are all excited about it

I have sailed on both and preferred the Veendam hands down! I have to say that I prefer the smaller ships and, contrary to one other poster, loved the Mix bar. It probably has to do with the bartenders but they were always so nice on it. I sailed it 5 times to Bermuda and each time was a delight.

 

I sailed the Westerdam on January 2n to the Carribean and it was filled with big families that were always yelling at each other and getting drunk...I know...a rare occurrence on Holland but it was a 6 day cruise and way cheaper than usual. The staff seemed totally out of it, probably because of that.

Thank you so much for all your great answers!! I will definitely leave the winter boots and coat at home and will look into a windbreaker with a hoodie. We are all very excited about doing this cruise for the first time!

Hi guys...I am leaving with my parents on the Zuiderdam on May 10th and am in a bind about what to pack!!! I read many things on the internet but I am wondering if I have to take into account that I am going in May.

*Do I need to bring a winter coat for the more northern ports of call like Juneau? Would I be okay with a spring coat or is it that windy that I would need a winter coat?

*Do I need big winter boots? We plan on taking a train excursion, no hiking for us definitely, so would we need the big boots or only walking shoes would be okay?

*Bug spray....really? I am used to July in northern Quebec so I am used to big bugs but I don't plan on going hiking, only trains and walks around the ship. We won't take the wilderness tours either...do we need bug spray if we go walking around the ship in the towns?

*When we are out on deck watching the scenery, is it that cold? I read somewhere that you need a winter coat and hat...what do you guys think?

We are flying from Montreal and are doing 3 days before and 2 days after in Vancouver so we need clothes like for every season!!!

I am anxious to hear from those who have done May cruises to Alaska!!

I can't understand people who want the service but don't want to pay for it! The staff on the ship work so hard that they deserve what they are given to them. They make the sacrifice of being away from their family to provide for them. I would never think of taking the gratuities away unless something really bad happened during my cruise!

 

I decided against the Neptune suite even if it appeals to the side I have that likes to travel in style...haha....I booked a guaranteed balcony for myself and one for my parents and they will be deciding tomorrow if they are joining me or not. They are getting older, in their seventies, so they know that it may be one last occasion to travel with me in May since I am on sabbatical. I won't have another one soon.

 

My travel agent said that I would get a beverage card but she did not have the details since she was working late at night from home. Does anyone know something about that promotion? Is it 50$ for the whole cruise or 50$ per day?

Thank you for your answers!

 

I know that if you book a tour outside the ship and they don't make it back in time that they don't wait for you. However, I rarely book long tours. I prefer shorter tours. I usually take a tour early in the morning when we dock, come back to the ship for lunch and then do a little sightseeing on my own. I never take extended tours that last all day.

 

I asked the difference between the Zuiderdam and the Zaandam to get a feel of what people were seeing. The prices are not that different, a little bit less on the first one, but I never sailed on them. I was curious and the forum here gets good answers. I go on other types of forums and people are not as courteous and polite as here. People are very respectful of others here and I like it a lot because of that:)

Hi guys....I will probably be going on an Alaska cruise this spring. However, I find that the excursions sold by the ship are expensive. I am traveling by myself so I am already paying a big price for my cabin and would like to save money on the excursions.

 

When I did the Canada New England cruise, there were lots of tour operators waiting in the pier area and oftentimes those excursions were at least half off. I know that you have to be careful which tour you choose, but I wanted to know from people's experience about those tours.

 

Are there any that you would recommend? I am doing the 7 day inside passage from Vancouver, either on the Zuiderman on the Zandaam....do you have any commentaries about those 2 ships?

 

Thanks in advance for your answers!