QuattroRomeo

Yikes.The sandwich 'presentation' reeks of employee sabotage to me; no crew member would serve themselves that mess! Perhaps the waiters are too scared to say anything let alone return it to the kitchen..the Food and Beverage Director and Executive Housekeeper clearly have insufficient, if any, quality controls in place. Maybe the General Manager is in the dark. You have every right to be disappointed with the cruise ship facilities. I am very glad you are enjoying the ports, tours and the port bakeries! Your beach glass "excursion" description was fun to read!

☹️

What?? No cake?? At least there are lots of reindeer..

💤🫢😲

Ps all of these bakery offerings jusf look too too good!

That's some darn-good story telling!!

Lovely contrast in that last photo; beautiful landscape shot! And I just love the "3 Icelandic heads" popping out of the waterfall pool- great catch!

Trying to get the glitter out?!...

Your meal looks pretty good- a rustic meal with simple ingredients that tastes great! (Again, the ship's chefs might learn a thing or two on this excursion)! Did your vegetarian stew have any protein? The brownies look so rich and filling!

Aren't they something?!? Even have some shaped like polar bears!! Everything looks so delicious.

maybe the ship's chefs should be shopping here??

Excellent! So it IS a food tour with shopping on the side!!😁

They do advise to have original Rx bottles. I imagine some people just bring their pill organizers, and it may not be a problem since you will be in mostly US ports. I haven't read yet where anyone had a problem with it, but don't know for sure. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/ca/plan-a-cruise/get-ready-for-your-cruise/faq With the word "prescriptions" in the search word box, you can see the official line tor this. If you have OBC (onboard credit) on your account, yes, it will be used for shipboard charges including crew appreciation charges.

Wow that bakery looks fantastic! I could spend an hour or two in there and call it a food tour...!

Thanks for that, glad you liked them! Of course with the Yukon and Glacier Bay for subject matter, it is hard to go wrong!

As Haljo said, don't worry about the check-in time. When you all arrive at the port, just get in line..! As far as sports go, I'm not a baseball person but there is a Sports Bar with tv in the Casino. I've noticed various ball games playing in there as I walked by, so check that out. PS thanks for the questions- it is a good reminder of all the things we take for granted after a cruise or two! 🙂

Sounds like you're getting ready for cruising!! Towels- no problem at all, do not pack any! There will be beach towels in your cabin. They are a different colour than the regular towels. If you need more, just ask the room steward. All you need to do is bring them back. Once back in the cabin, put the damp towels on the shower floor and they will be taken and cleaned. Wifi- this is a huge subject on every board.. we only use it for email and web surfing, and have very little downtime. Others report it is too slow for videos or streaming. So prepare the youngins ! Mind you on Alaska cruises you will be in several US ports so phones could use your usual phone plans there. We're from Canada so it's not an option for us. Port visits- no problem getting on and off the ship when in the ports- just line-ups! Make sure you all have your plastic keycards when getting off and on. They are scanned at the exit/entrance ramp each time. You can get on and off as often as you want. They will announce the time you must be back for each port. It is usually a half hour before departure.

Bill, if that's the one with artichokes and black olives in NYDeli, it is the Central Park pizza. My favourite, and I'm not even vegan!

Nothing special was offered on our recent Koningsdam cruise. Unless you count pea soup and hot chocolate on Glacier Bay Day, or the "seafood boil" in the Lido!...😁

Maybe the port workers strike?

Do you mean what was the item? Shrimp jambalaya, short ribs, lemon pesto shrimp fettucine to name a few.

Well this is certainly another setback for cruise lines just as they are struggling to regain themselves. Safety issues have to be dealt with of course, but how unfortunate. The cruisehive article suggested Rotterdam "could" be one, based on the timing of the installations, so you just don't know how this will affect scheduling. Could be many ships pulled for sudden refits? Yikes!

There are USB ports. If I recall correctly, by the desk mirror and the bedside lamps. Also plugs. P.S. there is no limit to questions, that is what CruiseCritic is for!!🙂

Yes, there is a long string that pulls out and hooks into the other side. Some people bring a few clothespins to use!

NewCruiser2023, this is the link to Holland America's info about Club Orange that you asked about earlier. No doubt you have also seen lots of threads on the board with Club Orange in the title! https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/dining/club-orange.html