Banditswife

We did Peggy's Cove tour with Carnival last Sept 2022. For us it was a bust-pouring rain, super crowded inside the shop. On a sunny day, it would have been ok, but there were several buses there at the same time. Even with perfect weather, I wouldn't do it again due to crowds, unless we were the only ship that day-maybe.

Your Fogassy night will be either the 1st or 2nd sea day-lol.

You will love it, they had art classes on our 21 day sailing. They will add extra lectures, craft classes, dance classes to the multiple sea days. Have a wonderful time.

Konningsdam is a Pinnacle class ship & has the Gr Dutch cafe. Something good to note: cookies & other prepared food items are included in your fare-free. Specialty coffee costs extra, but delish-IMO. I would go there every morning for a yogurt parfait-yum.

N Amsterdam or Eurodam would be a good choice for Panama Canal if you are wanting a mid size ship with more bells & whistles. We sailed NA thru Canal twice, it had more music venues than the smaller ships have. Tamarind for a great specialty dining option.

I 2nd the Gr Dutch Cafe if you are on a pinnacle class ship, & yes Bossche Bol is worth a diet splurge, but only at the Dutch cafe. You might want to mention your ship so people can be more specific for suggestions about your particular ship's offerings.

I am not sure about your 1st question, but pretty sure the holiday decor will be up & plentiful for your cruise. We were on the NS last year the week after Thanksgiving, they were decorating the ship for the full 7 days. We were on a deck where they were storing decorations, as the week progressed the storage room emptied & the ship became more festive each day. I am pretty sure they keep it decorated until after New Year. Although they may be dismantling it by the end of your cruise. Our cruise ends on the 4th of Jan. Have fun & enjoy your holiday cruise.

Welcome. You will each be able to use 1 device at a time, but can switch between devices. Each HIA pkg includes 1 internet pkg.

It will probably depend on hotel check out time & our boarding time. We get in before 10 AM the day prior, so may be able to do some sight seeing then.

Thanks for this live review, looking forward to more. Have a safe & memorable cruise(s.)

Love all the photos, thanks for sharing.

I haven't truly checked my emails from HAL, but don't think we've gotten the offer. We have 2 paid in full cruises coming up, but the Amazon explorer cruise in 2025-no we would not pay up front to get $100 OBC, we already have over $1000 OBC due to early booking bonus & shareholder credit.

Thanks CruiserBruce, we embark on 11/25 in San Diego. Like OP, curious as to how early we could drop off bags. We also have a pre cruise hotel, so might just hang out at our hotel, but would like to explore San Diego a bit. It helps to be informed.

We have passport holders that have pockets-perfect for that little proof of vax card. I will keep ours there even thought we haven't had a booster since 2022. If it becomes a requirement to get another booster to cruise, we will. But not until it is required. As for scrapbooks- during the shutdown we remodeled a bathroom. I put a time capsule inside the wall with lots of crazy 2020 happenings. That will be my gift to the next owners of this house.

I agree, thank you RuthC, for your trusted advice.

There are roll calls for both the 2024 & 2025 Amazon cruises. Both are active roll calls.

We have Zaandam booked for the Amazon in 2025. That is one of the reasons we booked her for this year. I wanted to get a good feel for the ship before embarking on a 27 day journey. I am enjoying everyone's comments about the condition of the ship.

I will enjoy the old school vibe. We are looking forward to a relaxed couple of weeks, getting excited. We have 2 cruises prior to December Zaandam-so looking forward to being on a ship for a total of 31 days!!!

Thank you, I will keep that in mind. There was a thread a few months ago that showed a really bad shower stall, had me slightly worried... Just figured I would deal with it if I had to. Thanks for shower pic, is that an inside cabin?

Thank you for these helpful pictures. We board the Zaandam in December for 16 days... OP- JGCRUISE0507--as others suggested I have been reading everything that has Zaandam in the title, looking at pictures from various sites.

Sometimes a travel agent can find a better fare. Don't forget that the HIA includes an internet plan. Our Travel agent quotes us several prices for a single cruise-base rate (probably advantage rate) with non refundable deposit & with refundable deposit, then the price with HIA. She is able to use our mariner ID to look for any discounts available to us specifically.

We have been in 1 of those inside aft cabins on the N Statendam (sister ship) & they are small but well appointed. We had plenty of closet space & the shower was larger w/ glass doors instead of plastic curtain. There was a pretty big TV, ample electrical outlets. We spend very little time in our cabin, so didn't mind the small size. I agree Tamarind is a great economical choice for specialty dining. HAL has an HIA (have it all) pkg which includes specialty dining, a drink pkg, shore excursion credit, & wifi. The cost is $50 per day, per person & both people in the cabin have to purchase it. You might check into it to see if it would work for you. We do HAL tours frequently- some have been great, others not so great. We have also done the Panama canal 3x, really enjoyed it every time. For the canal you will want to be all over the ship to get the best views. We had a balcony for 2 of the transits, but were out on deck for most of the canal day. Enjoy your 1st HAL cruise.

I have enjoyed reading your thread. Have a safe journey home.

We are KC fans, but live near Kansas City KS-the other Kansas City. Like the fact that even far from home, you pack your Chiefs Jersey. GO Chiefs

There is a huge difference between 40 well behaved children & 40 not so well behaved children. I am hoping that the Zaandam being a smaller ship, the 16 day itinerary, & no kids sail free sale that I know of- we should have less kids. We love kids, have 10 grandkids- just not all at once.