Pickalily, Wilts

I have been asked to accompany a friend and have read uncomplimentary reviews pointing out the "tired" state of the ship. I'm curious to know if, after a 3 month voyage in various weather conditions, the ship will be 'spruced up' for the following season of cruises. I'm looking for reassurance and a reason to say "Yes".

If I sail Arcadia in May, will she have had remedial work following her RtW trip?

Passengers sailing one of those will definitely be 'going green' - in more than one way! 🤢

Oh dear. I think the first image shows the idea of 'going green' just a tad too far. As for the rest... the only words I can think of would be heavily censored.

Depends on how long your cruise is and how much or little you want to pack. You can roll, squash and cram an amazing amount into the laundry bags. Destinations seem to determine the price per bag - it reportedly ranges between $25 - $35 per bag ( the latter in Europe ). It will come back pressed and folded or on hangers - the choice is yours. It's an excellent service whichever way.

Received notice this morning about our NS cruise 5 Oct 24 - Not surprised by the cancellation of the 2 Israeli ports, but disappointed that there are other ports which we'll also miss. Some of the substitutes are not to our liking so looking to transfer to another cruise. Very sad circumstances.

We visited Rudi's on Nieuw Statendam in May. I don't think we'll bother again. I can't say the meal was poor, but it wasn't particularly memorable. It seems to be more about 'theatre' than it is about food. On the other hand, our two experiences of Canaletto on that cruise were most enjoyable - and I can remember what we ate. Also enjoyed Pinnacle Grill and Tamarind, but they were included in HIA.

I'm not of Italian decendency, but agree with leerathje. We were on Nieuw Statendam in May and had two enjoyable meals in Canaletto, but the gnocchi let down the short ribs. The flour just wasn't cooked. 'Claggy' is one of the words we Brits would use to describe the consistency.

We were on a Celebrity cruise about a decade ago. One evening in the MDR we were seated at a table for 8 when another British couple arrived late to fill the 2 vacant seats. The woman of the couple immediately loudly announced that it was their 37th cruise - the fifth one that year. (No one had asked how many cruises they'd taken.) She then proceeded to relate how awful most of those cruises had been. I think I would have found a better way to spend my money long before that "37th cruise" if I disliked cruising as much as she did, but as the saying goes: "It takes all sorts....". We've been very fortunate to meet some lovely people - a few of whom have remained firm friends - and not once was personal finances discussed.

HAL's laundry service is excellent - it's amazing how many items can be crammed into a laundry bag and, depending on which part of the World you are cruising (or so it seems), it varies between $25-$35 to have it laundered and pressed and returned folded or on hangers within 24 hours, in our experience. However, there's nothing to stop Mrs K hand washing undies and other small items and hanging them on the expandable washing line in your shower. They seem to dry overnight most times. Forget the chores, Mrs K, take a break. 🙂

Interesting. Does this refer to the per person 'allowance' under the HIA offer? Or.......? Last time (in May) we were told that it was a case of 'use it or lose it'.

Terrible news. We spent 14 glorious days visiting Maui, Kauai and Oahu in 2001 and memories of their fabulous scenery and friendly people will stay with me forever. So sad.

It's so unfair to expect one answer (or even two). 🙃 There's much to like.: - the crew - never seen a grumpy crew member and they're very good at their job - cleanest ships we've been on - food is good considering it's 'mass catering' - the 3 Rock bands we've seen (so far) have been excellent - international mix of passengers - there's more, but I'll stop there. Others will be along shortly to add to the list. Oh! Did I mention the crew? Enjoy your cruises.🙂 I'm very envious.

If you don't own an orange item of clothing, any orange accessory will suffice. It isn't the most flattering colour for me, but I planned ahead and found a long chiffon scarf which had orange and white flowers and a tiny sparkly thread running through it and wore that with a black outfit. DH wore a peachy coloured shirt (the only item he owns which is closest to orange 🙂). We knew it wasn't compulsory, but was just an attempt to show respect for our Dutch neighbours.

Be assured, you are not alone. My own non-functioning sense of direction is a constant source of amusement for DH, on land and at sea. Recently, if a crew member had moved the potted plant by the exit to the lifts nearest our cabin, I'd have been completely lost. 🙃

Our favourite of 6 HAL ships (so far). It seems that very few Brits have ever heard of Holland America Line, but it's our first choice.

On N.Statendam in May and staffing levels weren't an issue. First night there were a large number of passengers in the nearest bar to the MDR (not unusual) so we went to Canaletto and were seated immediately, without a reservation. Subsequent evenings we arrived at the MDR between 7.30 and 7.45 and were immediately shown to a shared table (as requested). Experienced no long waits between ordering and courses being served. Were we just fortunate or is there a great deal of exaggeration/unrealistic expectation among some passengers which has led to the OP's question? No complaints from us.

I'm not sure that there is a 'dressy night' any longer, despite the cruiseline's suggestion from day to day. A decade ago, it was usual to see a fair number of men in a tux and women in long or cocktail dresses. Now, almost anything other than your gardening gear counts as 'dressy'. We always make an effort to dress 'appropriately', regardless of the suggested dress code because we would do that when visiting any restaurant on land or sea. In any case, if others don't, it doesn't impact on our enjoyment of the cruise. Times change, but overall the choice is yours. Enjoy your cruise.

While I admit the various flavours of crisps (chips) may be available as described by Lissie, that doesn't make them widely popular in the UK. I for one would be very pleased if the manufacturers would turn back the clock 50 years and produce bags of plain crisps which had a small twist of blue paper containing salt, available to those who liked a lot of salt in their diet and could be disregarded by those who didn't. Most of today's offerings are far too salty to be good for health and as much as I like to try international quisine, pieces of schrapnel (bacon?) coated with sugar doesn't appeal at all either. 😐

We always ask for a shared table and have met many lovely, interesting people from many parts of the world. One of the joys of cruising in our opinion.

I suspect that I do 😀. Even though they're a flaming nuisance, I don't like to kill them so I throw them into the field behind our house. One day I'll put a dab of nail polish on their shells and then I can track how many of the critters come straight back again! 🙃

Slightly O/T: All snail species in UK are edible - if that's your thing. 😝 More than 60 years ago we'd have (peri)winkles on a Saturday evening for 'tea', sat by the coal fire listening to the radio, armed with a sewing needle to get the critters out of their shells. Winkle sandwiches - yum, yum. Nobody bothers with them now, but they were very tasty with a sprinkle of vinegar. Definitely poor people's food then. Oh, the good old days. (Not.) 😆

My garden is plagued with the things! I'll gladly send you a bucketful. On a regular basis. 🙂

We ate twice in Canaletto during our NS cruise in May. First meal was the lamb cutlets and they were excellent. Having read rave reviews here, the second meal I tried the gnocchi and wasn't impressed, although the accompanying beef was dee-lish. Also ate in Tamarind (not disappointed), but Pinnacle and Rudi's, for me, were more about 'theatre' than the food.

DH is a former Royal Navy man and really appreciates the cleanliness and obvious attention to the maintenance of all the HAL ships we've sailed on so far. We're back on board on Sunday after an enforced break of a couple of years and just can't wait.