Ilovesailaway

24 minutes ago, johnnyq627 said:

just wearing sneakers

I know the dress sneakers from companies like Cole Hann and Wolf & Shepherd are very popular right now. I have a pair and they are so comfortable.

On 11/20/2022 at 2:24 PM, MVPinBoynton said:

I hope it is helpful for those of you that are planning to cruise on the Nieuw Statendam

Great detailed review and yes I find it very helpful. My wife and I will be sailing NS for our first HA cruise on 12/10. 
OP our cruise is a 7 day Southern Caribbean on NS. Can you tell me what the gentlemen were wearing on formal nights on your cruise? I would assume it will be much of the same for ours.

Sharing my experience so far with this booking. I booked a gty inside on Celebration about 3 months ago. The cruise is in 73 days and I was just assigned an inside connecting cabin on deck 4. I discovered my room had been assigned by checking my booking which I have done every couple days. No notification from Carnival which is fine, It's been my experience that they don't notify so that's why I check frequently.

Because my room is a connecting inside on deck 4 close to Family Harbor I think I have a decent chance at an upsell offer. If not, no biggie.

Hope if others are doing a similar booking they find this helpful.

Is Celebration Too Big?

Well considering how small the elevators and bathrooms are maybe it's not big enough?

17 hours ago, tx121 said:

Elevators are on the small side and sllloooww. 

I watched a video review where they mention and show problems with the Celebration elevators malfunctioning. 

Been on 2 Carnival cruises since the restart. Experienced service issues on both. I am giving them another try with the Celebration in January. Fingers crossed. 

Many people on here talk about Carnival's value. I can say that I have found value in all the mass market lines. I like Carnival because of the vibe on board. As much as I enjoy cruising with Carnival I cannot see myself putting up with a 30 min wait for a drink at a bar, or like I had on Legend earlier this year a one hour wait at brunch with no one coming to our table. smh

I am not worrying about paying more with another line. Like I said I know I can find value. I am upset because I will miss the fun ships.

Wow you guys were a little rough. I do appreciate that the Op wants to help.

Op I would say the best way to support Carnival right now is to buy their product, book cruise(s) and spend on board. Some great offers can still be found. I would caution however against having a lot of money tied up in bookings right now. Low down payments on cruises more than 6 months out till the picture becomes clearer.

3 hours ago, grooks said:

Currently on Celebration and rode Bolt yesterday.  Price is $15/person.  I see the confusion with people thinking it costs $19

Ty grooks, I thought it seemed odd that in the live report they said it was $19 but then a few others on board confirmed $19. I guess with no one riding it the first couple days it was easy to gloss over the confusing price.

report from those on board is the Capt announced the outside decks and pools will be closed for the next couple days

Just watched a vid on youtube where the posters are on the Celebration inaugural today... they report it's $19 to ride Bolt. 

I thought $15 was high. 

I think flying the next day is the wise choice. Give me 24 hours to kill in Amsterdam and I am sure I could find some interesting ways to do it lol.

15 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

the water in your bathroom sink is perfectly fine to drink or you can simply go to the buffet or other water stations to refill

Or better yet take your refillable to the gym/spa and fill it with the flavor infused water.

34 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

There are some pretty great beaches in many locations - and very few cruise ship pools are that thrilling.  And even though I might have paid for a shipboard lunch, I find experiencing the ambience and food of a different place to sometimes be worth the cost.

 I do like to book tours with local guides to visit places away from the tourist areas.

1 hour ago, FlaMariner said:

Remember if you are going to Puerto Rico or St Thomas, It's just like being in the good ole USA. Phones work the same as if you were in Cleveland.

Huh, I wasn't aware of that. So when in those ports take the phone off airplane mode and I can make a call? Do I need to change roaming settings? Is the call made in regular cellular mode?

Thanks for the info

I don't get off the ship to buy a day pass at a resort to sit by a pool. I just don't get that logic. I have a pool on my ship with plenty of open seats. Plus I've already paid for my food and drinks. I feel pretty much the same way about taking a cab to a beach to pay for a longer. I don't get it.

Honestly there are so many cool little non chain properties to choose from. OP you should look at the highest traveler ranked hotels on trip advisor and use that as a starting point. Find a few with great reviews then google map them to see if the restaurants close by work for you. Uber/Lyft to your hotel and to the cruise port.

41 minutes ago, shof515 said:

i cruised on the Magic twice this year and on both cruises you had to pick up the luggage tags by the sushi place

 

Yup that's the way they do it now. No one follows the well intended procedure and debarkation becomes a mess. That's why I pay no attention to it and carry off after the chaos.

1 hour ago, EngIceDave said:

No pax access, this is crew mess.

Ty, I wonder why a reference to that area was posted here? 

1 hour ago, EngIceDave said:

I know down below in the staff area, they have various ethnic stations and ethnic nights in the crew mess and I have both read and been told, that food is amazing. They allow more flexibility because it's for the crew, so it's more authentic

Is this in the buffet area where passengers have access? I don't know where your talking about

I try not to be pressured to get off the ship when the cruise ends. I carry off but I find a comfortable place to relax till the crowd has left. Then I walk off and go have a bite to eat and a cocktail at an airport lounge before my flight. The last thing I want to do at the end of a vacation is stress. 

Three booked:

Dec 22 Holland America Nieuw Statendam Southern Caribbean 

Jan 23 Carnival Celebrity Eastern Caribbean

May 23 Holland America Oosterdam Mediterranean 

This will be my first time on HA and I chose these cruises for the ports. 

I have done CCL, RCI, NCL, and Princess. I am basically giving Carnival one more shot. I used to have such a good time on their cruises but lately the quality of the product has diminished quite a bit. I am looking for a cruise line to really focus on because I am going to be able to cruise more frequently going forward. 

On 10/27/2022 at 9:15 PM, pris993 said:

We have cruised both Celebrity, Princess, HAL, Cunard recently.  

very helpful

Sorry for your loss. I hope you have a great cruise and I look forward to your review especially the photos.