antique sailor

Ahoy shipmates,

one i forgot to mention is the polish dessert served at every meal in the lido and the mdr at lunch and dinner,..i dont know it's spelled but it is pronounced '' won uv each'' and spoken quickly.

Your waiter may need it to be repeated the first time you order it.

Another hint for a better appreciation of the tastes is to brush regularly

happy dining and sea ya lol

Ahoy shipmates,

holland america lines gives nothing special to military of any country in any capacity at any time on any cruise.

Believe me , it has been requested many times in many ways over the past 18 tears.

Sea ya.

the husband and i have been eating so healthy that we plan on eating all the junk food we can get our hands on in 30 days when we sail the breeze for 8 days!!! We watched a tour on youtube and we saw a bunch of desserts in a case (black forest choc. Cake, ext.), i think it was in or around ocean plaza?! Does anyone know what i am talking about? I'm guessing these are for a fee.

 

Other than the desserts in the mdr, room service, and the free ice cream..are there any other free desserts on the ships? Does the buffet offer anything good? Other than the choc. Melted cake, is there any dessert that is a must have? We don't discriminate but love chocolate!

 

Ps. I swear we aren't fattys! We are just excited about what we have been deprived of for a long time. Lol

ahoy shipmates,

believe me when i tell you that the black forrest gateau is so good you wont go back to the melting goo. The lido does have the key lime pie (variation) at noon which is pretty good.

Sea ya

When was your trip on QE2? I go back pretty far with her and never experienced the degree of separation you describe. She did start out as a 2-class ship, which was not at all unusual back then. The France (later SS Norway) was very strictly two class then. Only the chapel and kids' playroom were shared. On the France, even shopping was segregated. Same shops, but separate shopping times for the two classes. QE2 was never that strictly separated.

 

As for stuffy? Not stuffy. Elegant.

Sorry if my attempt at humor failed. DW and I were on the QE2 for the

5 Day crossing from NY to South Hampton in Apr of 1981. It was our first cruise on a civilian cruise line. Jeanne was 27 and I was 41. Our tablemates at dinner were 6 "lovely" ladies in their very late late 60s. The ship was finishing the last leg of the World Cruise and most of the passengers had been aboard for about 3 months. We were the young "yanks " and pretty much ignored by all the staff except for the cocktail party the night I met the Capt.

We have worked our way up to 5 star mariner status in the 40 plus years since then (on HAL) but will never forget that first experience at sea.

AHOY SHIPMATES,

99% of the announcements could be RENAMED "HAL's ATTEMPT AT

INFOMERCIALS ABOARD SHIP"

These are actually not the fault of the CD, but due to the change in job descriptions of the CD and the EVENT CO ORDINATOR who is a Seattle home office enforcer of shipboard events.

Is this a move in .........what direction? could be a plus or a minus.

SEA YA

Dutch night was never well received by most guests. Consequently, it disappeared.

AHOY SHIPMATE,

When posting you should differentiate between YOUR opinion and actual FACT. I do believe you were incorrect in two things; please check it out.

AHOY SHIPMATES,

WHEN PACKING be sure to include an INHALER for each person in your party. you will find their ships to be very STUFFY.

The last and only time I was on (QE2) I thought I was enlisted back in the NAVY. As a LOWER class passenger I was not permitted to PEE in the same urinals as the FIRST class passengers.

We were assigned separate dining tables and different entertainment times and did not always get the same shows that the 1st class passengers did

When the Capt. was told that I was unhappy and was a retired Navy officer (mustang) he treated me to a private tour of the ship etc. any where I wanted to go.

I know it's not that bad today but ????

SEA YA

Ahoy shipmates,

am 5 star (1200 days) and have never had an e mail from them

almost always have a couple future cruise deposits and most of the time have a future cruise booked.

Usually book ff guaranteed and usually get a very good upgrade.

Had a phone call once from seattle and had an hour discusssion about several things i had mentioned in a critique session an board my last cruise

my ta has had ridiculous upgrade offers but have never taken one on hal

only once in all my cruises have i ever rec'd sbc when the price dropped

i have often tried to figure out how they decide these things but to no avail.

Sea ya

Ahoy again,

just had an e mail from a guy named gideon volunteering to be the librarian for the cruise.

AHOY SHIPMATES.

SOUNDS GREAT FOR A THEME CRUISE.

MAY I SUGGEST A THEME SONG....."NEARER MY god TO THEE''

PRICE SHOULD BE A BIT LOWER SINCE THEY DONT HAVE TO GIVE FREE CABINS TO THE CLERGY.

WILL ALIENS FROM THE PAST GET A DISCOUN? THEY MAY ADD SOME LIGHT TO THE MYSTERIES OF HOW ALL THIS BEGAN

HOLLAND AMERICA COULD PROVIDE A SHIP AND RENAME IT THE 'GODDAM

HOPE TO SEE YA

I've heard that before but never tried it.. If you have two booking numbers then it's not a Collectors Cruise.. On a Collectors cruise you will get a discount, so with the $$$ you save you can purchase HAL's wine.. And yes you can receive two OBC's, but I would think that you most likely will save more $$$ taking a Collectors Cruise with one booking number.. :)

AHOY SHIPMATE, YOU MUST APPLY SEPARATELY FOR EACH BOOKING NUMBER AND YOU WILL GET THE SBC FOR EACH CRUISE BASED ON THE NUMBER OF DAYS. SOMETIMES IT IS BETTER TO BOOK ONCE AND GET

ALL SEGMENTS ON ONE BOOKING NO. FOR EXAMPLE, 2 7DAY CRUISES WILL GET YOU $100 EACH BUT ONE 14DAY WILL GET YOU $250.

sea ya

we will be going to this island in october and there will be four adults. I have looked on youtube and all i see is two full loungers and then four chairs and a table. Someone said that a clamshell and two loungers are also part of the cabana rental. Can anyone confirm this? Otherwise, do you have to rent the clamshells? If so, how much? Thanks.

:p

ahoy shipmates,

you are going to a beautiful private island with a great beach and good snorkeling all within 100,yds of the tender landing.

There are hundreds of beach chairs (free) avail already positioned along the water. A complete grill/picnic lunch is served at noonish. Or you can rent a cabana for lotsa money etc.

And there are many bars with ships bartenders, ready to take your money.

It's a great day at the beach......you can max out your sign n sail card or take advantage of all the freebees and not spend a penny

your choice have fun

sea ya

i know there have been multiple threads about the dancing of the ships and the fascination moving to san juan, at least until october until next year.

 

I had decided this would definitely be next year's girlfriends cruise, but i'm not so sure now. Is anyone else totally disappointed by this move?! (hey, i know you can't please all the people all the time...just looking for someone who may be equally disappointed.)

ahoy shipmate

live in jax and agree

anyone have this aft balcony or one on the same floor?

ahoy shipmate,

yes several times and loved them all on aft decks

AHOY SHIPMATES,

FASCINATION out of JAX does NOT have a party on 4DAY cruises.

AHOY SHIPMATES,

DW and I did maiden voyage on the ROTTERDAM in 1997 It was built in ITALY and all the problems were the fault of the shipyard.

We had an OV cabin and our only problem was : no remote for TV on the first day and ALL the batteries in the doors were stolen by shipyard workers after the inspection was completed, but were replaced in a few days.

Biggest problems were in the SUITES and upper deck cabins. Sewage and temp control and flooding were a mess. Ships engineers worked 24 hour days all the way across the pond to FFL.

Food was a "no problem" area and overall it was a pleasant trip.

3 weeks later we Boarded for the 1998 97 + 16 day Grand Voyage and 99% of the passenger problems were solved, only the internal design flaws caused the engineers some problems and that continued for some tears, The AMSTERDAM was built (SISTER SHIP) and was much improved.

I would do an inaugural voyage again but the price would neeed a money back guarantee included and at least a dozen Italian Engineers held hostage during the cruise LOL

A little " adventure " is part of the experience.

SEA YA AT SEA.

AHOY POTENTIAL SHIPMATE,

AAAs you can tell by my past cruises, I am a HAL fan. Their STAFF and CREW are by far the most accommodating and courteous . mosst people are nice when you display a smile and respect.

The most notable thing on HAL is the average age (60-70) and experienced traveler. Food is as good as other lines in the same price range.

The Casino is much friendlier and "house charges" are not as bad as RCL and RCL.

My second favorite is Carnival . I'm 75 and treated Very well by everyone. even tho the avg age is 30 years younger.

ANY CRUISE CAN BE GREAT OR TERRIBLE Keep an open mind and don't forget, every thing you read on here is just one persons opinion as is mine.

Enjoy your cruise SEA YA

I have packed my Tux, Tie, and Tails for Formal Night on Princess at dinner time. Then I go to the main 3 level Atrium and get in line to pour Champaigne on the tower of Crystal glasses. Last time I was second after the Hotel Manager who was the first in line. Anything less is not really formal in my mind. I have not done Tux on a Carnival ship as it is too laid back for me, but have cruised them 4 times. To save space in luggage I have rented shoes from Princess. There is nothing like stepping up the stairs and pouring in front of 500 people with lights and cameras rolling and it goes on the Cruise CD we buy!

I'M WITH YOU IN THE THINKING,..........BUT having come up thru the Ranks (Mustang) I don't always toe the line for formal night myself. LOL

Would this be appropriate for formal night? [ATTACH]343408[/ATTACH]

AHOY SHIPMATE,

'' APPROPRIATE '' is a TUX.

What you can get away with will probably be discussed in the next 20-30 posts. Times are a-changin. To go with the flow is now the norm.

Choose what you are most comfortable with and ENJOY your cruise.

SEA YA

AHOY SHIPMATES,,

1997 Grand World cruise APRIL between the AZORES and NEW YORK

finishing the final leg of the 100+ day cruise..

NO way to avoid the storm. Everyone was told to stay in their cabins.

Safety lines rigged everywhere around the ship. Average age of passengers was 76 that year. ALL the expensive LLARDO figurines in the store fell and broke($) and almost all of the LIQUOR in the stores and a lot in the bars was destroyed. The smell was fantastic for a few days. The ship lost one radio mast and other minor damage. There were over a dozen broken arm and legs among the passengers who didnt listen to the warnings. Mostly there were dozens of black eyes on those who wore glasses and fell on their faces. Lotsa fear but no panic. Barf bags were in demand that day.

In 1956 I was on an AIRCRAFT carrier, the USS SHANGRI LA CVA 38 returning from Japan to the USA when we encountered a Typhoon. It was much worse than the one in 1997.I have pictures taken from the bridge toward the bow showing waves breaking over the flight deck which is OVER 50 ft above the waterline. All catwalks were ripped off (steel) the sides and the Roller curtains were torn loose and crumpled up like balls of paper and rolling around the hanger deck.The menu was apples soup and crackers for those who had to get out of their beds to stand watch or help with damage control. Fortunately we were healthy young sailors who were trained and there were NO serious injuries.

I STILL LOVE THE SEA

AHOY SHIPMATES,

FAVORITE cabin by far is the center EXT BALCONY cabin Empress deck AFT on ANY of the SMALLER OLDER ships.

SEA YA AT SEA

AHOY SHIPMATES

LIDO menu is SIMILAR but NOT the same as MDR at supper.

On formal nights it is quite a bit different (less choices) .

In some ways it is NICER than MDR and a lot faster.

Ahoy shipmates,

have done 4 b2b's on the carnival fascination in jax.

Different cabin once due to upgrade. Room stewards brought us a nice cart and said they would be back in an hour. We hung things on cart and laid open suitcases on rack and just piled everything else on. They came back and we all went to new cabin . They hung every thing up and carried the other stuff to the bed...totally trouble free!!!!

When they announced departures started we went to front desk and gave them our customs card and exchanged room key cards for our new cabin. Couldn't ask for a smoother move.

Did a b2b on hal in tampa and it was a nightmare for some but not all the ships fault. Ship had been delayed entering port due to fog shore staff etc were unprepared as was the ships staff

being hal, the passengers were older ,more demanding, and

everyone thought they should be first etc. It was a real comedy act to watch but we all made it!!!!!!.

AHOY SHIPMATES,

20 YRS IN NAVY FOOD SERVICE AND OVER 1300 DAYS ON CRUISE SHIPS AS A PASSENGER SO I HAVE AN (opinion)

CARNIVAL....best meal is Mongolian Wok at noon in the LIDO

best dessert in MDR is Black forrest gachau

best LIDO dessert is Key lime cheesecake

WORST MEAL is meatloaf in MDR on last night of cruise

HAL............MENU in MDR is far cry from the" stuff" you get on your plate.

(not the fault of the CHEF on board)

PINNACLE Dining is great inc desserts

MDR desserts are pretty to look at.

RCL & NCL NOT impressed with anything on either one, ESPECIALLY the food in the PAY_FOR dining areas.

AGAIN, JUST MY OPINIONS

SEA YA AT SEA ON A SHIP IN THIS $$$$$$ RANGE

AHOY SHIPMATES,

HAD A PROBLEM WITH SWOLLEN ANKLES AND FEET ON A CRUISE ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO AND COULDN'T GET MY DRESS SHOES ON FOR FORMAL NIGHT SO WORE MY BLACK $4.99 water mocs from K MART. I FELT GREAT, LOOKED GOOD AND NOBODY NOTICED. ( NOBODY LOOKS AT A MANS FEET ON FORMAL NIGHT)

I HAVEN'T TAKEN REGULAR SHOES ON A CRUISE SINCE THEN. I HAVE A PAIR THAT I PUT THE DR. SHOLS INSERTS IN TO WEAR ON LONG WALK DAYS ETC.

AND HAVE SEVERAL PAIR IN DIFFERENT COLORS.

I PACK THEM IN PLASTIC BUT ALWAYS TAKE THEM OUT WHEN AT HOME,

THEN CAN DEVELOP AN AROMA THAT YOU WONT LIKE ON THE NEXT TRIP IF THEY AREN'T COMPLETELY DRY

DW FOUND THEM ON FACEBOOK FOR $3.99 inc delivery Always get a size larger than normal. they are made in ASIA.

SEA YA