carolyn22

That makes me a little sad that the captain felt the need to be at the guest services desk to potentially ward off unpleasant interactions. I’m glad he was protecting his crew, but it’s unfortunate that some people like to show themselves like this.
 

And LouChamp, I’m still laughing at the thought of a “cheese” danish with a slice of American cheese on it. 

Sounds like you had another lovely day. I really enjoy reading your daily reports, and I appreciate the time you take to let us hear about your adventures. 
 

Quick question - based on your earlier report, we have purchased heavy duty magnetic hooks for our outside cabin on the Volendam. Since there are only a few places where the hooks will work, do you know if it’s OK for us to also use the Command-type hooks?

37 minutes ago, dchip said:

@mailmama Yes, 1921 Dolphin Deck is shower only. 
Denise

Thank you for finding this out. I am in cabin 1920 for the Grand voyage starting in January, so I’m guessing if 1921 has the shower then 1920 probably does, too. 

Quick question about luggage storage on the Volendam. I seem to remember on the Amsterdam that they could store your luggage somewhere for you on the ship during the World cruise. Do you know if there is similar storage area for luggage on the Volendam?  A friend and I are sharing an outside cabin for the 94 day Grand Australia voyage, and we are wondering where we can store all of our luggage. (With two women, you can imagine we are bringing a lot although we are going to try not to go too crazy.). If there is no storage place on the ship, do you think we could get two big suitcases (4 in total) under the beds?

Thank you for including the updates they are doing on the Volendam.  I’m very excited to hear about the Starlink upgrade as I’ll be on the Volendam for the 94 day Grand Australia and New Zealand voyage. 

50 minutes ago, janabelle61 said:

Jim - I follow quietly most of the time, but wanted to thank you for the Mackinac Island pictures!! It was home to me for several summers during college and I miss the island.

 

I would imagine the restrictions on entry to the hotel last year were Covid related as typically there's been a small fee to enjoy the porch since the early 80s.

We went to Mackinac last year in mid-September. We were able to do a self guided tour of the Grand Hotel for $10 each. It was on a Monday.  So I don’t think it was anything Covid related. The only thing I can think is that maybe they don’t allow it over the summer or maybe not on weekends?  It was such a beautiful place!  And I would have loved to do that glorious tea. How wonderful that you were able to spend your college summers there!

I went to Mackinac for several days last year at this time. What a lovely place!  I had met someone from a Michigan before I went to Mackinac, and he told me that the locals refer to the tourists as “fudgies.”  It really made me laugh!

Jim, I hope you have a wonderful trip. I love the cabin! 

8 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

We leave tomorrow morning from San Antonio to fly to Houston and then Amsterdam to get on the Apex Thursday.  I am not sure if I will do a live report or just a thread about my experience with the new butler team. We are traveling with a group of friends and may not have the time to do a live thread, so I may just do the report on the butler teams and other SS changes. If I do a summary I could do it after we get off the Apex and go to Santorini for 5 days.

Have a wonderful time. That looks like a great itinerary. 

2 hours ago, terrydtx said:

My TA was telling me last week, as bad as Celebrity has raised prices Royal has raised theirs even worse. We are also booked on the Koingsdam in November from San Diego.

Terry, I noticed that you have a cruise coming up in a few days. Are you planning on doing a live report?  Or maybe just a summary post after the cruise?

13 hours ago, WCB said:

Report #3    Thursday September 7, 2023    Sea Day Enroute To Tracy Arm  Overcast Skies With Some Sun  75 Degrees With A 15 mph Wind .......Part #1 Of 1.........51  Pictures

 

We woke up to heavily overcast skies and cooler temps.  At least it was not raining.  The seas have been rather smooth as well as we head towards our first port of Juneau tomorrow.  

 

Breakfast for us was in the Pinnacle Grill, but instead of 8am, breakfast was served at 7:30am in both dining rooms.  Another wonderful surprise occurred when we entered the restaurant.  We discovered that Endrian, a former head waiter on the Amsterdam, was the manager here.  We have known him for many years, although it has been a while since we saw him last.  Of course, he recognized us and greeted us with handshakes and hugs.  We had expected there to be a line of folks waiting to enter the room, but there were only two guests so far.   Unlike the Zuiderdam, the Pinnacle Grill is located on deck four with no outside windows.  We figured the Neptune folks might prefer the windows in the Main Dining Room or room service.  We did get our favorite “window” table, with a view of the hallway.  And fresh-squeezed orange juice, mimosas, and Capuchinos are complimentary.  We ordered the All-American breakfast, and they came perfectly cooked.  The best was the Greek yogurt with large fresh berries.  Endrian kept us company keeping us up-to-date on cruise news, and we did the same with guest news.  Before we left, we decided it was a good time to make reservations for two dinners here before the week ends.

 

Back in our room, we had a gift of one canvas HAL tote with the 150 years of cruising printed on it.  In addition, we had an invitation to a complimentary James Suckling’s Great Wines of the Andes tasting.  It started at 1:50pm, and we would have attended if we drank wines.  Always nice to be invited however.

 

One of us took a long walk on the promenade deck, while the other got caught up with yesterday’s blog.  Some work was in progress on this deck with the removal of the old fluorescent light fixtures.  They were being replaced with LED fixtures….much brighter and more efficient we suspect. 

 

Looking for signs of wildlife, Bill and some others spotted a huge rare sunfish.  It was close to the ship, right below the surface.  Looking it up on Google, it said they can wonder up this far north due to slightly warmer sea temperatures.  Of course, we looked all throughout the day, but never saw another one.

 

After finishing the blog, the job of stashing our stuff continued.  In case anyone is curious, the magnetic hooks will work well on the ceiling, and both doors.  Could not find any steel in the walls other than around the ocean view window.  Another tidbit is about the remodeling of the bathrooms, at least on this Dolphin deck.  The tubs are gone, and new glass-doored showers were installed.  The counter and sink are new, as is the flooring.  There is a motion light under the hallway cabinet at night, but there is no night light in the bathroom.  We brought a small night light that plugs into the shaver outlet. Perfect.

 

The has been rather warm in our outside cabin with the temperature staying at 75 degrees.  At least we have a tower fan to keep the air circulating.  We really miss that veranda where we could pop outside for fresh air.  However, we will be able to do that when the Tales of the South Pacific begins, because we will be moving to a room on deck six.  In the meantime, we will be spending more time on the public outside decks.

 

When Bill came back, he finished the job of rearranging the desk area and adding the plug strip.  We have a small refrigerator that was placed under the desk, leaving us a small space to sit at the desk.  Moving it on top of the deck against the cabinet wall worked perfectly.  While we are on the subject of changes, the safe here is operated with a card, such as an old hotel card, or anything with a strip on it.  We were asked not to use the room key, as it might not work or may be erased. 

 

Today we opted for a room service lunch of chicken Caesar salads and a shared club sandwich with fries.  As much as we like them, we stayed away from the chocolate chip cookies, and ordered some red apples instead.  Time for a walk outside, we found our way to deck nine aft and enjoyed some relaxing time on the lounges.  The sun had peeked out and it was so nice.  Looking down on the Seaview pool, we found that many more people were doing the same as us.  Too cool for a swim, but perfect weather to use a blanket and relax.  We followed that up with cups of hot chocolate with coffee in the Lido. 

 

Today was full of activities – a mix of tai chi, pickleball, trivia, and lectures.  The other half was promotions, which is great for the revenue.  The one activity that interested us most was wildlife sightings at 4pm.  We should have worn the arctic coats, but we did see several whale sightings with breaching, diving, and blowing.  The best spot for us was forward on deck six, even better since we were the only ones there.  Several types of seabirds were in the area, which can indicate the presence of humpback whales actively feeding.  We were not disappointed, but when the chill sunk in, we left after 5pm. 

 

Dinner this evening was ‘dressy”.  And we are happy to say the majority of folks complied.  There were no tuxes to be seen, but there were fellows in suits and sports coats and ladies in the sparkles.  We only saw one couple that appeared at the entrance dressed in shorts, sweatshirts, and a baseball hat.  After speaking to the head waiter, they turned around and left the room.  We have no way of knowing if they were trying to get a table or just asking a question.  But it is possible they were turned away.  We have seen that happen in the past, but not so much recently. 

 

Once again, the meal was excellent.  We ordered a shrimp cocktail, mixed green salad, one tomato bisque soup, and mains of beef tenderloin (one with grilled shrimp).  Conservative serving portions, but more than enough.  We said no thanks to desserts of flourless chocolate cake,  blueberry cheesecake, and apple pie a la mode.  Humanity was the featured show on the World Stage, but since we have seen it more than once, we turned in early.

 

The best news was that the clocks went back one hour….more time to write and get to sleep before midnight.

 

Tomorrow’s port will be Juneau, with a brief stop in Tracy Arm for a tour.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

Thank you for another great report!  And thanks for answering my question about the outlets in the room. I noticed in this report that you mentioned you have a plug strip. Is that something you brought with you or did the ship provide it for you?  I know I seem obsessed with outlets and such, but I use a CPAP machine.   We aren’t going to be able to power up our various devices overnight because that one outlet is going to have to be used for my machine. Thanks in advance, and I’ll try not to bug you with too many questions. 😁

8 minutes ago, tfred said:

I think that their planning is long term and it doesn’t include the “ where’s my lobster and  prime rib every night crowd  “.  They will parallel land resort offerings AND land resort prices   If you are looking for $500/day pricing you will be disappointed 

 

look up any Marriott resort for a weeks stay and see what you come back with. A standard room is $600 day. Add in food and booze and it is 1000. 

I cruise to see different locations, so a land based trip to one resort isn’t something that interests me. I think what we are seeing on this thread is more than just people unhappy about not having lobster and prime rib every night - which has never happened on an X cruise that I’ve been on before anyway. Then again, I’m one of the cheapskates who only books regular balconies. Maybe those in suites and above get that every night. 🤣

Someone from Celebrity really needs to read this thread and take it seriously. Although as someone said earlier, they probably know and just don’t care.  It seems like their planning is very short term and they are missing the long term picture as part of their strategic plan. 

54 minutes ago, durangoscots said:

Still waiting to see what they do with the Grand Australia in January. I imagine there is a huge amount of juggling going on.

 

Susan

I’m on the same cruise and am also wondering. I checked the Kahului port for the day we are supposed to be in Lahaina (January 10), and it appears that no other cruise ships are docking there that day.  And it looks like we were the only one scheduled for Lahaina that day. So my guess is that would probably dock in Kahului that day, but that’s only a guess. 

Yippee!  Another great Bill and Mary Ann voyage!  I am sailing the Volendam on the Australia and Grand Voyage in January. Could you do me a favor and check to see how many outlets (and which type, including USB) there are in the cabin?  I’m in an outside cabin on Deck 1 but I wasn’t sure which category you are sailing in. 

Just now, floridatravelersforlife said:

If you read between the lines, the Filet is graded as Premium, not a USDA grade such as Prime or Choice.  The Dessert menu is sparse.  Not trying to be negative but actual reviews will be the final determination.  

 

Nevertheless, I am concerned about our next Celebrity Cruise

I also thought the dessert menu was sparse. Two, sometimes only one, new items each night then a repeat of 3-4 items every single night. That would get old fast for me. 

Sad for the family but one doesn’t just simply fall off a ship. He lived only a few miles from me. I’m surprised our local news hasn’t said more about it. 

Thank you so much for sharing your adventures with us!  I look forward to seeing what you think of other cruise lines. 
 

Since many folks are talking about itineraries, I would love to see Celebrity do a world cruise or even Grand Voyages like Holland America does.  Overall I like Celebrity’s product better than HAL’s, but HAL has itineraries that I’m more interested in. 

1 hour ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Don't expect any discounts on the single supplement- That's what he said/meant. 

I figured that’s what he meant but just wanted to be sure. Darn. Thanks again!

Pete, thank you so much for recording all the questions and answers!  You are a real trooper.
 

When the question was asked about the single supplement, what did he mean when he said no change?  

And I’m scratching my head a bit when he said that HAL spends 50% more on entertainment than their competitors. I’ve been on many other cruise lines (RCL, Celebrity, Princess, etc), and I have to say that HAL’s entertainment is dead last in my book. Maybe they paid too much for those movies (is it Planet Earth?) that they pass off as evening entertainment in the big theater. 😂

Again, thank you for this update a huge thank you for all of the work you put into your blog!

2 hours ago, carolyn22 said:

I’m sorry to hear that the entertainment continues to be subpar. I was on the European about 6 years ago, and I found the entertainment lacking even back then. Maybe some trivia during the day, but many “activities” had an extra charge associated with them. And most evenings the only entertainment/music I could find was in BB King’s which got old for me after 3 nights or so. I’ve been on about 20 cruises, and it’s the first time I was actually bored on a cruise. 
 

I’m currently booked on the Grand Australia cruise next year, and between what I’ve been reading on here and on some of the World Cruise blogs, I’m seriously considering cancelling the cruise. I’m traveling solo and having to pay 200%, and I’m just not sure if it is worth it to me given the cutback and lack of entertainment. 

Sorry to quote myself - should have been Eurodam. 😄

I’m sorry to hear that the entertainment continues to be subpar. I was on the European about 6 years ago, and I found the entertainment lacking even back then. Maybe some trivia during the day, but many “activities” had an extra charge associated with them. And most evenings the only entertainment/music I could find was in BB King’s which got old for me after 3 nights or so. I’ve been on about 20 cruises, and it’s the first time I was actually bored on a cruise. 
 

I’m currently booked on the Grand Australia cruise next year, and between what I’ve been reading on here and on some of the World Cruise blogs, I’m seriously considering cancelling the cruise. I’m traveling solo and having to pay 200%, and I’m just not sure if it is worth it to me given the cutback and lack of entertainment. 

2 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

How can we help?    😆 

100 bottles of rum on the wall, 100 bottles of rum - take one down, pass it around, 99 bottles of rum on the wall. (I would have used Kraken or limoncello, but it just didn’t flow with the music.)

Seriously, hope y’all have a great cruise!

I was on the EQ from 1/21-2/9 and the kid’s filet was not offered. They had a kid’s sirloin which I ordered one night. It was about 75% of the size of the normal sirloin. 

I had it several times last month on the Reflection. I just got on the Equinox today and asked if it was available. The waiter did not know but said she would check. I’ll follow up with her tomorrow. It’s not on the the children’s menu on the app. 

39 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

As posted earlier, your new level will be recognized if it changes as a result of your first leg of a B2B2B.  It will be in effect for your second sailing.  The update may have to be made manually by seeking out the on board Captains Club host(ess) or whatever they call that combined desk today.

 

After you graciously accept your new Captains Club level, please give them the business by complaining about all the cutbacks past, present and future.

Will do!  😂😂