Daisyloo

It was worth it to us.  No waiting to be seated for meals, same waiters each time, great mid ship mini suite.  Loved it.

We always take a battery operated tea light and put it in the bathroom at night.  Gives just enough light to see what you are doing, not too bright to wake you up.

36 minutes ago, highscar said:

Please explain the need to sleep with the machine.  Thank you in advance. 

The CPAP machine is required by people who have sleep apnea.  Sleep apnea is stopping breathing while you sleep.  The machine prevents this from happening.  It is therefore considered a necessary medical device. 

We were on the Koningsdam in April and we could not make dining reservations  on the app for the MDR. We asked about making reservations for the MDR and we were told to make them at the kiosk that was located midship on either deck 2 or 3 (can't remember which). When we asked there, the only times we could make reservations were really early like around 5:30, or late like 8:30.  That was the same for any day. 

So we would just show up at the MDR at whatever time we wanted. Sometimes we waited for a table, sometimes we got in very quickly.  

Change your flight to the day earlier.  So many things can happen to make you miss the ship.  If your flight is delayed, if your flight is cancelled, if there's bad traffic between the airport and Civitavecchia, etc etc.  And you mention the airline you are flying on only has one flight per day.  What are you going to do if that gets cancelled!?  If you were going on a major carrier there is a chance you could move to another flight, but not if you are on the only flight they offer.  

Change to a flight the day earlier, stay at an airport hotel over night, catch the shuttle to the port the next day.  It will cost you more money, but it will buy you more likelihood of making your cruise, and therefore some peace of mind.  That is money well spent. 

4 hours ago, trinigal said:

Hi, is it possible to book excursions/internet and be charged in CAD, to avoid the foreign fee. I think I've read it's possible but unsure how to do it?  TIA.

No.  But some credit cards don't charge a foreign exchange fee.

You can buy an unlimited laundry package.  The price will depend on the length of your cruise.  I think it is $9.00 per day of cruise.  Or you can buy it by the bag.  As much as you can stuff into a sturdy canvas bag for $30.  (prices are approximate but they are a ballpark price)  HAL does a great job on the laundry and we have never had any issues with damage or shrinkage.  We are 4 star mariners now  and the best perk is free laundry!!

Definitely do the basket ride in Madeira.  It was so much fun!

We were on the Koningsdam recently and I noticed that area.  I asked the bartenders in the Tamarind what it was.  They said it is an area for the crew for relaxation.  

2 minutes ago, trbarton said:

Had you thought of bringing gloves to wear while in the buffet?  Then you whoever touched them should be a moot issue. Perhaps the food service staff would give you some. 
 

Tom😀

No.  I still would prefer that only the crew served/handled the food.  That is how Holland America does it and it works very well on their ships.

On 4/8/2023 at 10:30 AM, wrongwaywatson said:

I just got off.    I was told that there were several gastro cases on board.  After a few days into the cruise, they stopped letting you get drinks yourself, and they removed the sugar/creamer section at the IC.  No salt/pepper sitting out in the buffet, either.  They poured the cream in for you.  The last few days they were dishing out the bread and butter in the dining room, instead of putting the baskets on the table.  The last day they were dishing out the food in the buffet.

I wish they would always serve the food in the buffet.  I hate the fact that everyone touches the utensils.  You don't know if the person who touched them before you omitted washing their hands after using the bathroom, or were licking their fingers before they touched the ladles.  

We have no experience at travel to/from Boston cruise port.  

I will be travelling with my elderly mother and want to plan ahead so as to make it as easy and painless as possible.

Where do the cruise ships dock?  We will be arriving on a Holland America ship if that makes a difference. 

How far is it to Logan airport from the port?  Any idea of a rough estimate of the cost of a taxi to the airport?

Any information you can give me regarding this port would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

We tried to buy robes in September when we were on the Noordam but were told they did not have them for sale as they had not received their shipment of them.  Hoping we can get them on the Koningsdam in a couple of weeks. 

I guess you will have to contact them and have it re-issued.  Good luck. 

Are you sure it's void?  I thought cheques were good for 6 months?  

16 hours ago, BBurnsG550 said:

After 17 cruises with Princess, we're done with this cruise line.

 

Let me explain.  We were scheduled for a 15 day Hawai'i cruise in April of 2020 when the pandemic forced Princess to cancel the trip.  We chose the refund option and Princess offered us a 25% future cruise credit to use WHEN THE PANDEMIC WAS OVER as an incentive to sail again.  Now that the silliness truly has passed, we started looking at cruises for later this year and settled on an Atlantic crossing this fall.

 

Imagine our surprise when we talked to our Princess cruise coordinator and discussed applying our cruise credit to this itinerary.  "That cruise had to be booked AND sailed by the end of 2022 to get that credit." We NEVER received ANY notice that was the case.  We never received any reminder emails saying "hey, don't forget your cruise credit and you have to use it by the end of 2022."  Zip. Zero. Nada.  And according to the federal government, the pandemic still wasn't OVER by the end of 2022.

 

We were referred to a "Customer Care" rep earlier today to discuss the matter.  It was quite possibly the rudest "customer service" phone call I'd ever experienced in my life.  It was five minutes of snark, condescension, and disdain with no acceptable resolution to our issue and the agent refused to give us his last name or to route our call to a supervisor by claiming he WAS the supervisor.

 

Needless to say, we called our rep back immediately and cancelled the $30,000 cruise we were planning and assured her we wouldn't be sailing with Princess again.  
 

We had been kicking around the idea of trying some other lines.  This was a sign from the universe to go ahead and do that.

 

Flame away.

 

 

We had a cruise to Hawaii booked with Princess for March 2020.  We took the option of 225% of our fare in the form of a FCC.  Princess was very clear that we had to book and sail by the end of 2022.  Very clear.   We did not get a reminder to use the credits.  But we didn't need one as we knew we had to use them by the cut off date. 

3 hours ago, stevenr597 said:

Will be on Regal this October.  Not really impressed with their Speciality Restaurants.  But...we booked club class so in a way, we don't feel that we need them. 

We had Club Class on our last Regal cruise and LOVED it. It was so nice to walk into the dining room and have no wait for a table.  The waiters were awesome and got to know us very well and what we liked.  We much preferred our meals in the Club Class dining more than our meal in the Crown Grill.

Enjoy your cruise.

We were on the Regal in November and December. We had a great time and our only complaint was the Crown Grill.  The lamb chops were as tough as an old boot, and the steak was okay. Not great, just okay.  Service was not very good.  The waiters seemed rushed and stressed, probably under staffed. And the atmosphere is not what you would expect from a "fine dining" establishment.  It was noisy and felt hectic.  We have enjoyed the Crown Grill in the past, but not on this last cruise. 

Yes

1 hour ago, dandonna said:

Our waiter was working so hard as he has at least 8 tables and besides there was enough other food. But when 2 other tables also complained that shocked me as I always loved the Crown Grill. Maybe just an off night but not good

We were disappointed with the Crown Grill on our November cruise on the Regal.  I had the lamb chops and they were as tough as an old boot.  My husbands steak was "okay".  Not great, just okay. We also found all the food to be overly salty. And we are not people who are used to a low salt diet.   Service was not good.  The waiter was obviously overworked and seemed unhappy.  I don't know if they were short staffed or not.  We have enjoyed the Crown Grill many times in the past, but this experience was sub par.

The one on deck 5 port side when we were on her in November and December.  We loved Club Class dining.

12 minutes ago, Alabaster Cruiser said:

It's a game show like the one that Howie Mandel did on TV.  Other lines have replaced bingo with it.  The Nieuw Statendam still had bingo too.  You buy cards to play.  $20 for 1, $30 for 2, and 3 cards for $40.  The World Stage theater was pretty full with players.  One person is pulled from audience to play on stage.  When they pick a number of suitcase to open, you open your card to see if your number matches their number.  Anyway everything is  computerized and very easily controlled.  The highest possible payoff for the player is $1000.  The very highest payoff for audience players is also $1000 or a free cruise of Hollands choice.  For our $40 investment to play we won a total of 3 $5.00 scratch tickets from which we won $5.  The highest payout in the whole audience was a couple of $30 free play in casino.  The highest pay to contestant was around $150.

Almost everyone was playing 3 cards. The payout was probably less than $400 for the whole theater.  What a take for Holland!

Don't play if it bother you.  Easy.

Thanks for letting us know that the protocols were posted.  It is a relief to know that our cruise doesn't require testing. 

I think your idea of getting a pair of bikini bottoms is a great idea!  If you can cut away the under-suit without it ruining the suit, that might be the easiest route to take.  Good luck with whatever you do. 

I think you could do it.  It might not be perfect, but if it's hidden underneath the skirt that probably won't matter. 

I did something similar to a pair of swim bottoms I bought. It was a loose swim short with an attached panty and the panty legs were too wide.  I bought black elastic specifically meant for swimsuits (chlorine resistant).  I didn't insert it into a channel as the elastic that was on the original panty was not in a channel but stitched directly on to the fabric.  So I just sewed the new elastic onto the edge of the fabric.  It worked well.  Be aware that if you sew through the elastic like I did, it loses some elasticity as the needle pierces the elastic,  meaning you need shorter length of elastic than the actual distance of the leg opening.  As an example,  if the leg opening is 20 inches, you might only need 15 inches of elastic.  I had to redo mine a few times until I got it right, but I am happy with the end result. 

Hope this helps and that I didn't confuse you!

I say go ahead and try it.  You can't wear it the way it is so you might as well give it a go.