Mrs. Nic

Watched your sailaway on the webcam today. SO jealous. I have to wait til March. Also, we loved Margaritaville so much that we booked a five day stay and enjoyed every minute. Great choice for more than a one-nighter. Have a great cruise....love following along.

Thank you for all the up to-the-minute information.  Admire your patience with folks who are asking questions no one can answer or even better, questions most of us don't care about. I just want to know what's happening onboard and you did a great job of telling us. So tempted to book one of those empty suites for two weeks from now. Thanks for the info we need to make that decision.

Just off Nieuw Amsterdam and believe me, this ship is quiet. Other than BB King's there are few live music opportunities. None by the pool at all, even for sailaway. If you are looking for a more quiet environment, this is definitely your ship.

We completed a cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam yesterday. The volume in the main show lounge was perfect IMO - not too loud. However, the shows were just okay. I also thought that the volume in the BB King venue was appropriate (much improved from what we experienced on the Koningsdam last year which was painful just in passing by on the upper level of that open area.) I really enjoyed the BB King band this past week - the male and female lead singers were very good. Since many people go there night after night, it would be even better if the band expanded/switched up their song list.

You pay $7 a day for the whole cruise per stateroom for unlimited laundry. So $50 for the week

Please tell me how to sign up and where. I love packing fewer clothes. Thank you!

Got any good news?

The quest for the Holy Grail of photos continues..... I am on in 3 weeks. I PROMISE some pics. :)

For a moment, I became very excited at the thought of someone finally posting a thorough review, with pictures, of the post-drydock N.A. Sigh. The wait continues!

 

That said, I, too, have worshipped this review since booking my cruise on the N.A. Outstanding work, Mike and Carol!

This was right on time for me and I thank you! I am at that point (less than a month out) from a cruise we are doing with our whole family (first time for them) and over-thinking everything. Our excursions are booked, our meals are planned and we got the best staterooms we could afford. I need to let it be!! Thank you for a really thoughtful post.

I am a survivor too, and my husband definitely humored me with our first cruise, a Carribean five-day. All of his friends were taking bets that he would hate it. Well that was 6 cruises ago! He loves it - the food and the beaches and even the quiet days on the ship when everyone else leaves to do their excursions, and we have the pool (and the pool waiters) all to ourselves. Do not worry too much about dress code. We bring 3 pairs of dockers and shirts for him, and send them out to the laundry mid-week. Beats the overpacking situation, and he is ready to dine anywhere, with the addition of a sport coat for Gala nights.

Congrats on your recovery, I know what it took for you to do that. Treat yourself to a date in the specialty dining...you will never regret it!

I would never miss announcements - they are kind of annoying. There is a daily bulletin the night before, right? (1st time HAL cruiser here ;)

A long story short.....I was sitting on the beach in Punta Cana on the first day of vacation. A large steel sign blew down and hit me. It took two men to pull it off of me. Was transported through the Dominican by ambulance to get to the "hospital". I had 4 fractured vertebrae and 4 broken ribs. They wanted to do the lumbar fusion in Punta Cana, in a hospital where they didn't even wear gloves to put an IV line in. The medical evac service required $15,000.00 cash or credit card to transport me safely to the US for medical care, or I wasn't going anywhere. Didn't matter if I sued or whose fault it was...they wanted cash to move me.

Could I have avoided this accident? No. Has it changed my life? Irrevocably. But at least I had the travel insurance to cover the medical, and the evacuation costs. You will never know how great our hospitals are in this country until you are faced with a situation like that. We were reimbursed for the cost of the trip but that amount paled in comparison to the medical bills we would have had to pay to get the care I needed at the time that I needed it.

My travel insurance was less than $300.00. Never EVER travel without it. EVER.

Thanks for taking the time!! Appreciate you.

I have searched but the NA is doing lots of charters, just came out of dry-dock, and just started in the Caribbean, so info (let alone photos) is hard to come by. On a seven-day Western Caribbean in February, we will be at HMC on Day two. Will it still be formal night, or will they wait til the next day which is an "at sea" day? Embarrassed to ask but we are coordinating a big family vacation and it would sure help to know what to do about specialty dining!

I feel like these photos must be the best kept secret in town. Anyone, Anyone??

We have taken several Celebrity and Princess cruises and are attempting HAL for our next one for the first time. Your subject line jumped right off the page! Excited to try something new!

Our only concern is the night life on HAL. We can always find some fun on a Celebrity ship at ten o'clock! Bands by the pool at sailaway are a highlight for us also, especially that first one! Thoughts?

Thanks so much!! That view will be delightful. Will try to get those rooms.

I was wondering....is it possible to see the cruise port from the Embassy Suites? With HiltonHonors I can choose our room. Suggestions for a view of the port if there is one?

We cruised on HAL from 2000-2009. We did 7 cruises and have 65 nights with HAL. We were also cruising on other cruise lines. When we saw the perks that Celebrity gives, we stopped cruising on HAL. We now have 26 or 27 cruises with Celebrity. I really like Celebrity Suite Life. You can book a suite with 4 perks you get Unlimited internet, Premium Drink Package, Gratuities and On Board Credit included in the price. Suites have their own restaurant, Michael's Club for coffee, drinks, afternoon tea and scones, appetizers about 5pm. If you book without the perks, drinks are free in Michael's Club with in reason. Your not going to get Johnnie Walker Blue for free. The Concierge in Michael's Club will book shore excursion for you and help with other need or wants that your butler cant do for you.

We sailed Celebrity Suite class in the fall, and you cannot beat Priority Disembarkation. We waited in the Suites Lounge with hot coffee and continental breakfast, were taken to our own elevator when we were ready to go. But here is the best part - a Suite-

only line in Customs. Only a dozen people in front of us, while the other lines wrapeed around several times. It was divine. When we sail that line again, we will definitely go with a suite if possible. (Have to admit that we were a little disappointed in the Suite perks offerings for our upcoming first cruise on HAL.)

Suite class on Celebrity is great! Michael's really was a great place to go between show times and dinner or for the last nightcap. Our concierge, whose desk was in MC, was very accommodating and managed a lot of reservations for us. When we disembarked, our concierge guided us to our own elevator, waited while we claimed our luggage and thenon to a suite class line to get thru customs. The other customs lines wrapped around. Heaven!! We are sailing on HAL next and it doesn't sound like you get half that much!! Enjoy the suite and enjoy the perks. We will be back, Celebrity suites

Darn. That is one of my favorite things!

Does Holland America welcome you at embarkation with a Mimosa or a glass of champagne?

Mer Soleil...worth walking to the wine store for!

Thanks! I am waiting for my TA to get back off vacation (probably a cruise!) so we can go see her and see about pricing.

I have done southern Caribbean before back on one of my earliest cruises, but DH has not. So it will be all new to him.

I have never seen St. Lucia and that is one place I would really like to see!

We just did the Celebrity Summit Southern Caribbean cruise and it was really great! All but one day was a port day and we opted to enjoy the ship on several of those days. So many options with five ports. Long time Celebrity, trying HAL in Feb. for the 1st time.

Love this website! Thanks much. We have a little guy with us who won't be able to see over the top of the railing.

This is an older thread but I wondered if there is Plexiglas under the railings or metal. It doesn't look like Plexiglas. Anyone know?