royal65

Wow a lot of questions;). Happy to help if I can.

 

I will do the highlights and low lights later once I get things summed up.

 

Our original ports that were cancelled were Odessa, Ukraine and an overnight in Sevestapol (two days in that port). If memory serves correctly, these ports were replaced by Batumi, Georgia, Sinop and Trabzon, Turkey. In HAL's defence, they did give us a lot of notice when they changed the itinerary. I think it was 8 months notice. It was definitely more than six months notice. No ports were changed after final payment

 

I found the Prinsendam in good condition. She's not new of course, but I heard of no plumbing issues. There was a mild air conditioning issue for a few on the first day, but they brought on a technician on the first port and that was rectified very quickly.

 

I do NOt Recommended the HAL tour " an evening at La Plaka, crowded, uncomfortable and not worth the money. I also do not recommend travel coaches. The tour was ok in itself but they were late and as a result, we returned later than we would have liked. I would not book Thessaloniki Day Tours. That was Georgina's and they tried to pull a fast one so we cancelled.

 

All of our other tours were really good. I will try to do a summation later

 

Several thought that the food had declined from the first segment to the secon. Just the main entree. We were fine but I tend to ask the waiter if I am choosing wisely.

 

If you look at my signature, the spreadsheet is still there for the cruuise and you can see the different operators we used.

 

I hope this helps for now, I will do a summation later, but right now I am still behind!

 

 

Live from the Prinsendam in Kusadasi

 

Thanks for answering my questions. Really happy that HAL canceled/substituted ports in time to bail on the cruise if we don't like the replacements. Looking forward to your summation. Thanks again.

Kazu-

We are on next year's version of this cruise. It's 28 days (14 days Athens-Athens with Black Sea in between; and, 14 days Athens - Rome). You asked whether there were any questions, so I have a few:

- which ports were eliminated from the original schedule and what were their replacements?

- how much notice did you receive about the canceled ports and were any of them eliminated after final payment?

- there seems to be mixed reviews re the condition of the Princendam. What's your opinion and do you know of any plans for refurbishment?

- we'll be scheduling tours with private operators. If you've had negative experiences with any of your operators, or know of others who have, naming names would be appreciated, as would especially positive experiences.

 

I've really enjoyed your posts, words and pics, and appreciate your taking the time to do it. If you do a summation of highlights and lowlights, it would be helpful and appreciated by those of us following you in anticipation of next year.

 

Hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise.

"So what if we were loud and raucous every night. We spend each night laughing till our tummies hurt (really) and generally being so jovial that we were infectious. Most of the tables around us became louder and looked like they were having as much fun as we were. Laughter was breaking out all over the place. Yes one of our neighbors look like they were suffering being close to our loud and joyous table, and they looked grumpy and bent out of shape much of the time but I suspect this was how they were all of the time, independent of our proximity."

 

Perhaps I'm an old fuddy-duddy, but I think when your behavior is "loud and raucous every night" to the extent it is disturbing one of your neighbors, perhaps it's time to tone it down a bit. I think the behavior you describe was rude and inconsiderate.

We'll be sailing in the Caribbean in Feb. and would like to know which other ships will be in port the same day as we are. It would be appreciated if someone would provide a link to that information for St. Kitts, Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, St. Thomas and Gran Turk. thanx.

By all means wear it, especially if you have any Scottish ports. I've worn my once and will be wearing it again next week on Eurodam's TA as we will be calling on Scotland's Shetland Islands. I leave a couple of the heavy pieces at home and it still weighs 9 pounds. My wife loves it and think it's fun. Besides, with what it cost, I feel I have to get at least an occasional use from it. Enjoy!

We book through a TA we have used for about 25 years.

 

We are still getting the $300 shipboard credit -- just no dinner.

 

And as I said -- we booked months ago.

For an upcoming cruise I booked many months ago, I called AMEX and they said HAL should allow free Pinnacle dinner, but I should confirm with HAL. I called HAL and they did confirm.

I'm sure you'll have no problem here in Bergen finding an ATM during your tour. What ship will you be on and when will you be arriving? I can check which terminal you're docking in (and advise if there is an ATM nearby).

 

UKCruiser88-

I have the same question and need ATM.. I'm arriving on the Eurodam 29 Aug. Is there an ATM near our pier? tahnx

On an upcoming cruise, we have $700 in OBC ($250 in shareholder credit, $150 for future cruise credit and $300 from our travel agent). I think the shareholder credit has restrictions on use -- is that true and are there other restrictions on OBC use? thanx

For those not aware, the AMEX Platinum benefits have been significantly downgraded. Whereas previously you could book a cabin in one category and pay the price for a cabin 2 categories below. On a cruise I booked last year, this saved me over $900. Now, you receive a set OBC -- $200 I think. Also, there was no charge for dinner in the Pinnacle Grill on the first night and that is now gone. I think these changes were effective for cruises booked after sometime in June. Sorry folks.

I understand the Eurodam is docking at Skolten (aka Hurtigruten pier) near Hakons Hall and Rosenkrantz Tower. We're catching a private tour and will need local currency. Are there ATMs in the vicinity that could be quickly accessed without holding up the rest of the group? thanx.

I'm on a cruise that calls on Reykjavik 02 & 03 Sept. and will be visiting the Blue Lagoon. I'm wondering what to expect with regard to changing rooms, lockers for clothes, etc. It was recommended we wear water shoes because the lagoon bottom is very rough. Is this really necessary as weight will be an issue and I hate to take along single use items even if they are light? thanx

I wasn't aware HAL offered this. We signed up for it with Princess and they sold their minimum number several months in advance -- despite its high cost. The flight was canceled much in advance, they said due to expected weather. We heard later (just scuttlebutt from other passengers) that Princess had really bad experience with the excursion in that passengers were stranded in Antarticia by weather below takeoff minimums and the ship had to sail without them and Princess was then responsible for getting them to the next port. Don't know if that's true, but it sounds reasonable. By the way, this once in a lifetime opportunity to visit our 7th continent was the main reason we took that particular cruise. Real disappointment.

Were you for-warned that you needed Euros? For those who didn't bring them, where did they get them? I only keep enough Euros on hand to get us started when we visit Europe. thanx

A couple more questions for those of you just returning:

- did you need local currency in all of the ports? It seems as though most of your ports were industrial oriented, so were ATMs readily available? Did the ship change USD into local money?

- were US credit cards accepted in all ports?

- how much in advance were local tour operators secured? Did you feel like you could trust them with your credit card numbers? (sorry if anyone takes offense to that question, it's just that I have had my CC number stolen overseas before)

These questions aren't really important, just curious:

- was there a cross the equator ceremony?

- I originally tried to book this year's cruise, but it was shown as being sold out a year in advance and then 6 months ago, there seemed to be plenty of available cabins.. The 2015 cruise was the same -- sold out much in advance and then suddenly availability. Any insight/speculation among your shipmates as to reason for this? Just curious.

Thanks, again for taking the time to share your knowledge.

Thanks to Hillslife and Beg3-

It sounds as though that while this was not a perfect cruise, it was interesting and at least somewhat enjoyable. A few questions:

- with regard to the logistical problems with supplies not arriving, did you get the sense this was endemic to this part of the world and we might expect similar problems next year (ie. comments from the staff) or was this the exception?

- did many of your shipmates use local tour operators as opposed to ship's excursions?

- any advice about tour operators to use, or especially, to avoid?

- with regard to the more backward ports, did the crowded/rutted roads concern you about getting back to the ship on time?

- did you ever feel unsafe anywhere?

- what were the most surprising aspects of this cruise?

- how many formal nights and was that the same number as scheduled pre-cruise (it's been my experience that on long cruises, they will reduce the number)?

- what portion of tuxes versus just coat and tie? With the lower weight limit, I'm considering leaving my tux at home.

 

Thanks for your help and welcome home!

We're on Ocean's 2015 West Africa cruise. With the 2014 trip recently finished, several of us on next year's cruise have been hoping for a review or some information re these little known ports. If you're willing to answer a few questions, please contact dkmccalli at aol com or post on the 2014 or 15 roll call. Thank you.

There is at least one website that shows historical cruise prices. Cruise Critic rules don't allow us to name the website, but if you "fish" around, you'll be able to find it.

 

I'm familiar with this site, but don't know how to search for a specific date in the past. Is there a way to do that?

My next HAL cruise is in August and I'm wondering about whether I'll receive a shareholder credit. I seem to remember this benefit is renewed periodically for a limited period, perhaps a year at a time. HAL is changing and I hope they don't eliminate it. I've searched the HAL site to no avail and the CC search function is down. Anyone know its status? thanx

I have used one on both HAL and Princess ships with no problem. Obviously, care should be taken. I not only turn it off, but unplug it when not in use. I make no effort to hide it from the room stewards and nothing has ever been said.

I've heard the term "wave season", but am not exactly sure what it is. I'm generally under the impression it occurs early in the year (like now) and the cruise lines offer an abundance of promotional prices. But I'm not seeing any out of the ordinary pricing. Am I missing something? Or perhaps the cruises I'm interested in just won't be discounted. Please enlighten me. Thank you.

Thank you for taking us along on this fantastic trip. We're doing it next year and I'm looking forward to it even more thanks to your postings. Safe travels on your onward journey.

We are doing the 2014 version of this cruise, so I'm espeically looking forward to your posts. Hope you'll include comments about onboard activity options on sea days, what time it gets dark, types of entertainment, temperture variance between ports and at sea (never been this far north in Atlantic and while I can get historic temps for the ports from weatherunderground, don't know whether it's different at sea), your opinions (as well as opinions you heard from others) regarding HAL shore excursions and privately arranged ones, and anything else that might be different about this itineray or ship comapred to others at HAL or Princess. Thanks for doing this.

Does anyone have a link to a listing of wines available? I've searched the Princess site and can't find anything. Thanx

Is the Guernsey tourist office open on Sundays in August?