Bostonjetset

I’m thinking it’s something with that ship haha. Our MDR service on K’dam last August was pretty poor as well. Certainly below average and not up to usual HAL standards. They were clearly understaffed. Even my last cruise on Carnival Pride had better service in the dining room. I was shocked. I actually really loved other aspects of the K’dam. It was just the MDR service that left something to be desired.

You can never really go wrong with anything in Japan. I’ve only travelled there on a land trip, not a cruise, but I would pick the longer itinerary. You are flying all the way so I’d make the most of it. The cabin is less important IMO and after all it’s still a suite either way. We honeymooned in Japan and we included a stop in Otaru. It’s such a lovely place as is all of Hokkaido. The Princess cruise skips that part of Japan entirely so that alone would make me pick HAL. I was there in October as well and it’s similar to New England in the autumn. Can easily be between 50s to low 70s. Hokkaido averages on the cooler end of that and Tokyo area on the warmer end.

Thanks for the clarification.

I know it’s a range but I thought the high end of the range was almost always for handicapped cabins and most of the regular ones were at the lower number. We have a guarantee F and I’m not picky but found it curious that the smallest OV would be smaller than the smallest Inside regardless of what the upper limits are. I’ll be fine with whatever we get but again I found it strange.

But the HAL site says 140 for OV. So confusing.

I’ll be on the Volendam in June and can’t wait. I love the smaller ships. My first HAL ship was the Veendam and that size is great. However, looking at the deck plans it says the ocean view staterooms have a smaller square footage than the interior ones! Is that correct? Can anyone confirm that? I found it strange. We had an inside on Veendam and thought it was a great size but have an OV on Volendam and expected it to be at least the same if not bigger.

Sorry to hear of your fall. That puts a damper on things but thankfully Keukenhof is a go. We went last year and it was a highlight of Amsterdam. Enjoy and hope you get better soon.

I think they do depending on the itinerary and availability perhaps. Last year on the Rotterdam in Scotland we had a guy who played Rum Tum Tugger in Cats (West End) among other roles. He did a variety show one night (in between the three nights of Step One) and he was great. Though he didn’t sing anything from Cats which was a disappointment, he had a wonderful voice.

I don’t want to make assumptions but this post is a bit suspect. That exact same thing (word for word other than name of cruise line) was posted to the Princess page and the Carnival page.

Aww I actually like the Step One Dance Co. It’s just that it gets boring seeing the same show every sailing across different ships in different areas of the globe. I saw one of their sets thrice…once on Rotterdam in the Caribbean in 2022, once on Rotterdam in Scotland in 2023, and again on Koningsdam in Alaska later in 2023. I enjoyed it but would like some variety. I’m happy they are bringing some variety back. Though who knows what we will get on Volendam this June as they aren’t listed for the new stage shows yet.

Historically cats had a place on ships. And I would much prefer to see them on ships today than dogs; they are far cleaner, much quieter, and will keep the rats out of the food hold lol.

The current Queen Mary 2 still allows both pet dogs and pet cats onboard for transatlantic crossings but they have a designated kennel area and cannot roam the ship freely.

Maybe we’re cat people? In all seriousness though, I don’t think it’s anti-dog sentiment as much as it’s anti-rule-breaker sentiment. Most of us have no issue with legitimate service dogs. Beyond being allowed under the law, they are legitimately helping someone in need. It’s the people who bring their pet dogs onboard under false pretenses when the rest of us aren’t allowed to do that. It’s not that same as retail stores that allow pets as they would also allow me to bring my cat in if I wanted to but HAL would not because he’s clearly not a service cat (as he can’t be according to the ADA laws). Not saying I would, but I’d be allowed to bring him to a place like Home Depot just like the women with the stroller dog.

Great now I need that book! I got the 175 year Cunard book on the QM2 several years back so this will be a nice companion to that one. And the lion is adorable. I don’t need it but he’s very cute!!

Thanks for the reply and the info! Thanks! I think I may just book it. It’s pretty inexpensive so not much to lose. I too wish it was at night but alas there isn’t much we can do about that bit haha.

Yea I thought so too. Something different and easy. And we’ll have time to browse around the shops and stuff in town beforehand. I looked up Cabot Trail and that looks like a beautiful drive but not sure mom would be up for renting a car and dealing with all that.

Haha. I literally lol’d at your post. I’m traveling with my mom on this trip and she has been there before and said it was the most boring port last time she took a Canada cruise. Well that’s lovely!

Thanks everyone. I don’t have much interest in forts/military stuff so not sure that would be worth my time. We really wanted to just stay in the town for Sydney but it sounds likes most of you recommend getting out of the city haha. We plan on an Acadia excursion for Bar Harbor so will get some nature at that port.

I posted this on the Canada/NE page as well but it’s sort of HAL specific and thought maybe someone here had some insights. I know @RuthC loves this itinerary for example! Sydney seems like one of the less interesting ports on a Canada/NE cruise so I’m at a loss for what to do this June. Has anyone done anything like the “Haunted Historic Sydney: A Wicked Walking Tour” excursion offered by HAL (or something similar)? It’s pretty cheap and seems kinda fun. The only other semi interesting thing would be the Alexander Graham Bell museum but it’s rather far and excursions are pricier.

Sydney seems like one of the less interesting ports on a Canada/NE cruise so I’m at a loss for what to do this June. Has anyone done anything like the “Haunted Historic Sydney: A Wicked Walking Tour” excursion offered by HAL (or something similar)? It’s pretty cheap and seems kinda fun. The only other semi interesting thing would be the Alexander Graham Bell museum but it’s rather far so excursions there are on the pricier side.

I like Princess but haven’t sailed them since Covid. Let us know how it is and how they do transatlantic. I love transatlantics but have only crossed on the QM2 which is a different beast.

Oh that sounds like a great itinerary. I think the longer and more unusual itineraries should help avoid the stereotypical Carnival atmosphere. I feel even my 8 night cruise helped.

Ooooh I am interested to read your comparisons. I’m interested in MSC too. We’ve yet to sail with them but probably will eventually as they are in NYC year round and have super cheap deals so would be great for a cheap getaway. Don’t know I’d risk an expensive trip with them until I’ve tried them first though as I’ve heard so many mixed reviews. My next is with HAL and then our first with Disney next year.

Oh the Legend is a sister to the Pride. I sailed on her way back in 2013. That class is such a great size for a ship. I think the Miracle is also one of the 4 "Spirit" sisters. Have a wonderful cruise. I agree that the steakhouse was wonderful on Carnival. We ate there the first night so received a free bottle of wine for every two people at the table. It was a house wine so nothing fancy but I'm not a huge drinker so one glass was enough for me anyway. The gesture was nice. Also, the smoked oysters starter was one of the most elaborate cruise line dishes I've seen presented in years. They came in a smoked-filled cloche and were unveiled table-side with a majestic waft of incense-infused smoke the swirled around in front of us. I compare that to K'dam last August when I booked Canaletto for our first evening [months in advance] and when I got there was told they no longer open on the first evening and they just moved my reservation to another random day without any notice at all. They let me book it online and took my money without a problem but couldn't even let me know they changed it until I walked up there for my reservation. Then, they couldn't even fix it to a night I wanted at the hostess stand; they said I had to go to guest services in the lobby to fix it. They [guest services] did give me a better night of my choosing but it was a pain and they certainly didn't go out of their way to fix it even though it was their mess-up. And no comps, no wine, nothing for the inconvenience.

It's amazing how much things can differ from ship to ship even within the same line. I guess a lot of the food depends on who the head chef is.