L454S

This is how the tables in the Lido are set up for breakfast. If you ask a server for coffee, they will bring you a new cup! If you ask for a glass of OJ, you will get a new glass. Note there is sugar, but no Sweet/Low, Splenda, Equal, etc. You ask for that........... If a server with a pitcher of orange juice comes by, they will fill an existing glass. If a server with a carafe of coffee comes by, they will use an existing cup on the table. I guess it just takes time to get used to the way things are done here. The Main Dining Room food is on a par or just below RCI IMO. The Lido is not up to RCI in selection or quality IMO. Remember food is always subjective.

Pic of our location as of now, about 9 AM this morning.

Asked about Lincoln Center Kids........crickets....... These are pics of the library offerings in the Crow's nest

Want to give a shout out to the crew onboard. For being 5 years old, it is very clean and not a spot of rust. The guest services desk is a pleasure to speak with. Very professional, and seem to be able to take care of an issue right there. I have spent 39 days on RCI ships since covid. Always a chore to visit guest services for ANYTHING. Nice people, but unable to answer questions or correct problems. The dining room staff are hard workers, but a bit understaffed.

Will try to take care of the cabin for you. Will see if they will leave the lounger for you. One thing very different about this Holland America Pinnacle Class cabin and the Royal Caribbean version is the size of the shower. This one is double the size.

Yes there is a lecturer onboard and has one scheduled for today on the Azores. Have not heard about any cooking demos yet. Another nice surprise is the piped in as well as live music onboard. it's 60's, 70's, and 80's rock/ top 40. Royal Caribbean should be ashamed of the c**p they play in the lounges and other venues. Many times I would look at my wife and comment "Does RCI even realize the demographic onboard this ship?" Yes, these were T/A's and repositioning sailings. Actually this T/A has a very similar demographic as any RCI T/A we have been on.

A pic from the balcony of cabin 4191. Very nice large balcony. We had the cabin attendant bring a deck lounger for DW. She likes to read on sea days on the lounger.....NOT on this sailing so far.

Another very rainy day out here mid Atlantic. It's about 930AM and hard rain. This is the view from the Dutch Cafe seating area.

No room service yet. During the day on a trip to the Dutch Cafe, I get a few extra large paper cups/lids/sleeves for the room and make a trip in the AM to the Lido and bring back a couple cups. Yesterday evenings dinner in the MDR was very nice with prime rib etc. Enjoyed some 70s music trivia(BB Kings) then across to Rolling Stone for the live band. A really good day overall. It rained for about 4 days straight out of FLL, with some choppy seas, supposed to get a little worse today. Nothing real bad, but I see those little round patches showing up more often. We don't feel it much. Let's see what today brings............... Internet is still pretty fast, a bit slower at peak times, but great for mid Atlantic.

We have done many T/A's. That said, we have found things to keep us occupied like the music trivia and a Meet and Greet from a facebook page, music venues, etc. Games in the Crows Nest area are plentiful. Heading to the Dutch Cafe for Latte and Cappuccino.

Just some observations from an RCI / Princess sailor. Some things we like very much like the music venues, the cabin(Bcy 4191), and the service. Have not sailed on HAL since 2005 on the Zuiderdam. It was OK, but not enough to book additional cruises. The Pinnacle Class ship is a nice upgrade. Trying still to get used to the "hybrid" Lido dining. Some things you do for yourselves(serving CERTAIN items), other things are done for you. The tables are set up with hand towels/silverware as well as glasses. There are salt and pepper shakers, but no Splenda, etc. There are NO dispensers for OJ, iced tea, lemonade, etc. so you have to ask for each. At each serving station, they have pitchers of these items. Problem is, they come and pour a glass of tea that has no ice because the pitcher won't let the ice out. I now have a glass of tea, water or lemonade with no ice. Have to ask for this now, and they don't have it at the server station. Early morning coffee is entertaining. The urns at the Lido are not plugged in, so they cool off after fresh brewed. I asked a manager about this, his laughing reply was to run it on your finger a while to see if it would get hot. If not, go to another urn and repeat. It actually has helped. HIA has so far been a plus for us and glad we booked this way. Upped WIFI to premium for $50 and worth it. As good an internet connection as we have ever had and we are about halfway across the Atlantic now. Glad to answer questions if I can.

We leave our Iphones on Wi/Fi calling enabled all the time. When we get on a ship, we just turn on airplane mode.

3/2/22 booking shows $1897 PP or $135 per day for spacious OV bcy.

The difference is about a foot or so in depth. The smaller cabin has a 2 person love seat, and the larger has a full 3 person sofa that may or may not fold out as an additional bed. These photos are both from the Serenade.

We haven't sailed with HAL since 2005 and are D+ with Royal Caribbean, and are on this sailing. Also have a west bound T/A on Enchanted princess for next Nov. Looking forward to something different with HAL and the HIA inclusive pkg. Hopefully we will enjoy this new scenery very much. RCI is starting to become stale with the non existent shows and menus that are boring to us.

Had the same thing on the Odyssey T/A a few weeks ago. Waiter was a nice fellow, but never shut up. He would hover over my shoulder at times. I agree with above poster, this seemed to be trained into him. Early fixed seating, 3300 pax, so several open tables. Asst. waiter was very good. Knew the right time to ask about something you might want.

Probably be OK. I would do self disembark, and catch a cab.

June and July on the Jewel, 24 days and no lobster. On the Odyssey now 13 night T/A and had it one night. Not very good either.

I have done 24 days at sea. 2 /12 day B2B.....why?????? I happen to agree with Mikado, if you are as worried as you profess, please take care by not sailing yet.

Embarkation: April 8, 2023 Ship: N. Statendam 14 Days, Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona/ Transatlantic Lenny and Cathy

After having a status match to Black Card back in 2017 and sailing again in 2018, we hadn't been back on MSC..... Fast forward to yesterday, called to book another with MSC and gave the old Black card acct number and was pleasently surprised to be greeted with " Yes, Mr. xxxxxx, I see you are a Diamond member and will get $100 obc and 9.75% discount on this booking. Was very pleased.

Have had good luck with Princess since 2004. Have a T/A booked now on the Enchanted princess with all in package. Right now on the sailings we looked at, they have the best value for the dollar IMO..... Just booked a Holland America T/A(Nieuw Statendam) with a B2B on MSC Seaview(Yacht Club) Could be I'm seeing RCI ships and itineraries growing a bit long in the tooth. Try a few other lines, you might be surprised.

We got to see this first hand on our Jewel sailings last month. MTD is much later because they are using the same dining room as early fixed seating(deck4), and trying to avoid using the deck 5 dining room. You have to wait till fixed early dining is done before MTD starts. Yes it sucks, and hope this does not last much longer.

We have found this also. Have found sailings with Princess where running the numbers made them a better value than RCI even with D+ perks. We found Princess to be on a par with Royal as far as onboard experience.