Daisyloo

23 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

Personally, I have have patronized Tamarind as well as Sel de Mer.  Both were stand alone restaurants and Tamarind has never "blown me away".  Very good?  Yes.  Rudi's concept for Sel de Mer, regardless of a stand alone or a pop-up restaurant, is more of a winner than a pop-up of a Tamarind.

We have to disagree on this one.  We love the Tamarind and eat there several times per cruise.  We like the Sel de Mer, and the Pinnacle,  but for us the Tamarind wins out every time.  

I think a pop up on the ships that don't have a Tamarind would be a great idea.

43 minutes ago, clo said:

I'm curious.  What have you observed on 'non-dress-up' nights?  I think the Oceania way of every one looking quite nice every night is a nice compromise.  Somewhere between jeans and ball gowns 🙂

Non dress up nights seem to be a mixed bag.  Slacks, jeans, skirts, dresses, capris, sometimes men in sport coats, women in dressier dresses.  Shorts maybe around the ship, but I have never seen them in the MDR.  

I can't speak to what Oceania does - never sailed on them.  

I feel that if you want to get dressed up on a cruise you should feel free to do so.  In a lot of our lives we really don't get the chance very often to get all "gussied up".  So why not take advantage of the chance to get dressed up - especially  when a cruise ship encourages "dress up" on their gala or formal nights.

I think it better to be over dressed than under dressed.  You may think differently.  

We liked the Step One performances on the Nieuw Statendam last December.   

9 hours ago, clo said:

So you travel on ships that have "formal nights."

Yes.

And i think if people want to dress up on ANY night they should feel free to do so.  

ReneeFLL -  I love your seashell dress.  I think anyone should feel free to dress up on formal night if they  wish to, and not have to worry about what other people think or say.  

We did a day tour from Rome to Pompeii and Sorrento with City Wonders.  I would recommend them.  We really enjoyed that tour with them, as well as several others we have done through them.  They met us at Termini station and put us on the high speed train to Naples.  At Naples we were met by our guide and got on board a comfortable coach.  We went to Sorrento first and after a guided walk we had free time, and we had lunch at a really nice cliff-side restaurant recommended by the guide.  We then  headed to Pompeii and were met by another guide who specialized in Pompeii.  At the end of the tour, the guide put us back on the train to Rome. 

It was a great day and I would not hesitate to book with City Wonders again.

I also agree that a later flight would be better.  We found the Rome airport to be very busy and chaotic.  Long line to get through passport control.  I would not feel comfortable with a flight that early.

I would wonder what the seat recline is.  Is it restricted because of the galley?  

Did you look on seatguru to see what people say about it?

We bought a can of olive oil.  A half litre so it wasn't too heavy to take home.  

5 hours ago, whitford said:

Any information or opinions on Koningsdam front facing cabins would be helpful. Pictures would be nice also.

Friends of ours had a front-facing OV cabin on the Sun Deck of Koningsdam, 11004.  They really liked it.  It was roomier inside than our balcony cabin.  

Yes, out the back of the Lido buffet.  

We had a similar balcony cabin on the Koningsdam - 5113 if you want to check it out on  the deck plans. It was a great cabin, and the balcony is fully covered.  The midship location is great too and very handy to the elevators.

  I think you will love your cabin.  I am pretty sure you will really prefer the bathroom on this ship  to Princess bathrooms! 

Have a great cruise.  

1 hour ago, corkpopr said:

I never book air thru the cruiselines.  I want nonstops at the times that I want and I always find that it is cheaper on my own.

We have only booked through the cruise line (HAL) twice,  so not an expert.  But, when I call HAL to book air, I already have done some research.  I know which airline and non stop flight I want.  I tell the rep what I want and have them price it out.  Both times it was much cheaper than booking it myself.  This was for flights before and after  TA cruises.  We picked our seats at the time of booking and I had our rewards card number added to the booking.   We have no complaints with our experiences with booking cruise air.  

49 minutes ago, Mommiemole said:

If you book your flight through HAL does it include your transfers to ship and back to airport?

No.  But you could probably add on a transfer.

Our last 4 cruises have been on HAL's Pinnacle class ships - Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam.  They have great bathrooms with large glass showers.  We loved them.  Next year we have another Princess cruise booked,  and we are not looking forward to going back to the clingy shower curtain in the tiny shower. 

OP,  I would be very surprised if you could need and or eat a second entree in the Tamarind.  Their portions are generous.  Even my DH who loves food and can eat a lot, is well satisfied after a Tamarind dinner.  We eat at the Tamarind frequently, and ordering one selection from each course has always been plenty for us.

Just now, RocketMan275 said:

Not really interested in driving.  Really thinking of a flight into Toronto, hotel for the night, tour of the falls, and then travel to Quebec City with a night before the cruise.  

I guess you need to find a tour to the Falls from Toronto.  Maybe check on Viatour? 

 It's about a 2 hour drive from Toronto to Niagara Falls.

From Toronto to Quebec City you could take the train or fly.

27 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

We would like to do a Holland cruise from Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale probably in 2021.  Wife would also like to visit Niagara Falls.  Has anyone done such a cruise with a precruise tour to Niagara Falls?  How did  you make the arrangements?

 

And, yes, I did try searching and I did check the Canada/New England Boards.

 You could fly into Toronto and rent a car.  Drive to Niagara Falls and stay in a hotel for a day or two.  See the Falls and do the touristy things there.   Maybe spend a day in Niagara on the Lake,  a nice town nearby.  Maybe do a winery tour - this area is home to many wineries, some with lovely restaurants.  Then you could drive towards Quebec city, maybe stopping for a night in Kingston Ontario.  It's an historic city and a great place to do a tour of the Thousand Islands.  Then continue on to Quebec City.

1 hour ago, LoveHAL said:

Well, the title that got your attention!

 

I started cruising when I was 17 years old, realizing how fortunate I was to have this wonderful experience.  In 2002 I discovered Holland America on a 7-day Alaska cruise.  Since then, HAL has been my exclusive cruise company (35-cruises, five star mariner). Why? A quality product for a reasonable price. I have always started every cruise with a positive attitude, and realized that not everything can be perfect. Regardless what we do in life, things can go wrong. Gosh darn, they don't want to give me TWO main courses for dinner. The prices on drinks have gone up. They no longer provide this or that. The ships are showing wear, or I hate the larger ships. 

 

Soon after my first HAL cruise I discovered Cruise Critic. It was a place to share information and, meet people prior to the cruise , and on occasion, save some money on private excursions. Roll Calls have been a wonderful resource for me. BUT, it seems that over the past few years, Cruise Critic has turned into a place where many people have become so negative about seemingly everything HAL management does. In my opinion, the enjoyment and benefit of this Forum has declined significantly. Sure, not everything is perfect, but there are a number of Cruise Critic members that seemingly NEVER have anything positive to say. You know who you/they are..... "Orlando is trying to ruin the company"; "HAL is nickel and diming us"; "They are taking away....."; How can I sneak on alcohol or will HAL carry on my cases of waters/soda? At the end of the cruise, why doesn't HAL pay me back in cash the on-board credit that they didn't buy, but that HAL as given to them?  , and so many other things. The irony is that they seem to continue to cruise with HAL (how else would they know what is going on now?). They continue to look for the cheapest fare (nothing wrong there), but still expect all the things they got in the "good old days".  

 

My question is, if it is so bad, why complain so much? Why not just spend your travel dollars elsewhere? Or, is it just fun to complain? 

OP I agree with you.  We have enjoyed every cruise we have done, all on HAL and Princess.  Have they all been perfect?  No, but still enjoyable.   And all have been better than being at work, or cooking, cleaning and doing laundry at home!!

We have only been cruising since 2010, so maybe we don't see the same decline that long time cruisers do.  But what we see is good value for our vacation dollar.  

I think some people have a "Walmart" mentality when it comes to picking a cruise.  They want to pay the very least for the cruise.  I get that.  Everyone loves a bargain.  But then they want all the bells and whistles too.  And that isn't possible. 

All cruise lines are for-profit companies. They have to make a profit or they go out of business.  

I think the cruise lines are all trying to find a balance between low fares and profits.  And that means cutbacks of certain things or charging extra for things that used to be included.

I know what you mean as far as the chronic complainers here on CC.  I see their name and right away I know I will be reading something negative.  I swear some people are never happy unless they are complaining about something.   

I have to shake my head at the posts on here sometimes.  People worried about what brand of yogurt is on the ship.  Or what brand of teabag or bottled water.  Really??  You're on vacation!!   Travel is all about seeing new places and experiencing new things, trying new foods, stepping outside the box.  

We have sailed on both and loved them both.  

On 8/27/2019 at 5:43 PM, Ontariotrekker said:

Anyone booked their flights using HAL?  Any issues?

 

thanks Shar

We used HAL for flights last year.  To Rome for a TA cruise,  then home from Ft Lauderdale after the cruise.  It cost us significantly less than what we could find on our own.  We picked the airlines we wanted, the flights we wanted, chose our seats.  No issues at all.  We have booked flights  for this October through HAL again.

We used NCC Airport to go from our hotel in Rome to the port.  They have private and shared shuttles. We chose the shared option, 70 euros for the two of us.  We received an email from the company the day before, showing us the pic of the driver, his name and what vehicle would pick us up.  They were on time, the driver was friendly and professional.  The vehicle was a very comfortable van that could have seated 6 or 8 people.  There was one other couple on the shuttle who had been picked up prior to us.  We chose the option to pay the driver by credit card.  We have the same company booked for this October.

I have not taken the train from Rome to Civitavecchia,  but have read here on CC several times that there are stairs involved in the Civitavecchia train station.  Then from the station you have to either walk a long distance to the port where the free shuttle to the ships is, or take the shuttle bus from the train station (2 euros each I think) to the port and then get on the shuttle to the ship.  Sounds like it might be too much for you.  

If I were you, I would look into a transfer from Rome to the ship. Most companies can drop you right at your ship.  There are many recommendations here on CC for private transport.  Last year we used NCC Airport, and were very pleased with their service.  They offer private or shared options.

Good luck with your planning.

I think you can go to the front desk and they will punch it for you.

The first menu (travelling with the jones) is the one we had in December on the Nieuw Statendam.   We loved the Tamarind and ate there 4 times on our cruise.