62 day cruise.

[irishjim]

I am looking at the Prinsendam for this 62 day cruise in March 2012 to celebrate our 50th wedding .The itinary looks fantastic in March 2011.Wondering if this will still be available in 2012.Cant decide on ocean view or ocean view with veranda,it is a big jump in price but this will be a once in a lifetime cruise and I want to make it right,Will do renew of vows ect ect.Has anyone taken this cruise? any info would be of great help.Itinary is too long to list but includes,Africa,Med, Turkey, Italy and so on.Thanks

Jim.:D:D:D

[parrotfeathers]

I am of no assistance, but wanted to say I cannot imagine being gone for 62 days. You sure do have a big streak of adventure in you.

[irishjim]

I am of no assistance, but wanted to say I cannot imagine being gone for 62 days. You sure do have a big streak of adventure in you.

Thank you and you are right about me ,I have been traveling since I was 17yrs old and am now a young 70yr old LOL :D:D:D

[hensghan]

We are in the 'considering' stage of booking a 20 day cruise but are apprehensive about a cruise even that long. I just cannot imagine a 62 day one. You are indeed adventurous!

 

How do you pack for such an expedition? Since you didn't mention booking a deluxe suite, you won't have free laundry & cleaning, and not many ships have self-serve laundry facilities any longer. What do you do about pets, plants, the house, bills? Etc., etc.

 

See? It's the logistics of a long cruise that scare us.

 

However you do it, have a wonderful time! Maybe some day we'll build up the courage (and the bank account) to try something so awesome!

[SwissMyst]

I am getting ready to go on a 42 day cruise, starting this coming Thursday. It is a daunting preparation as I keep remembering things to do and pack up until this last minute. So far with a few pounds to spare in our airline luggage allowance ( 2x 50# each).

 

Our ship (another specialty line) has very small cabins (132 sq feet) with no balconies on this much older ship (Sister ship of the Pacific Princess "Love Boat". It is a 650 passenger ship also like the Prinsendam, but without all the special HAL touches. I love having a balcony so I would vote to go for it. Laundry becomes more important on these long cruises and it was always great to be able to dry things quickly out on the balcony. I think I will miss that almost as much as the space compared to HAL sized cabins.

 

Yours is a dream itinerary and to do it with a balcony would be a dream come true. Go for it and you will leave many an envious traveller behind, waiting to hear your tales.

 

There was a long-term passenger on the Rotterdam last year that posted almost daily accounts of her "world tour" on this forum and they just escaped the Somalia pirate adventure, leaving Mombasa when the tanker came in after that horrific kidnaping. If you can find her account you will get an idea of what that long feels like .... and it sounds like she loved every minute. Lots of practical tips there.

 

Have a wonderful time.

[room010]

If you're able to leave your house/pets etc in good hands while you're away then a couple of months away on the cruise of a lifetime should be terrific! I would, however, try to get a verandah if possible because for that length of time I think you'll be grateful for the extra space.

[SwissMyst]

We found a house sitter through a friend, which was our answer for the long absence and pet care. This was a huge barrier we had to face at first, but we also have a very good Humane Society here if worst came to worse and the dog had to be boarded for that long. Leaving the house was easy. Leaving our little dog was going to be a lot harder. Finding someone to take on our older dog was the hardest of all, but we found just the right person.

 

If there are colleges around you, you can often find a visiting faculty member or someone on sabbatical that wants a short-term stay. Sadly, we had some terrific fires in our area in the past year so there are lots of displaced people who are in between re-building that were looking for places to stay short-term.

 

I paid a lot of bills 3 months ahead of time for utilities and arranged for credit cards to be deducted from an account and have online access to all financial accounts. I got medical emergency evacuation insurance from DAN - a divers network that also provides insurance and other peril extras for non-diving medical emergencies for the price of a family membership. ($55)

 

We don't expect to use the ship internet but will keep in touch using cyber-cafes from time to time. Left reams of paperwork with trusted neighbors along with extra keys and sheet of instructions for water/gas/electricity shut-off.

 

Prepared power of attorney for the dog along with care instructions in case there are any problems. Estate plans are all in order.

 

Hopefully, this will all work and will be just the beginning of a few more longer cruises.

 

Packing continues. Getting one of those electronic luggage scales is critical. I am bringing way too much but don't want to deal with laundry so I would rather bring more and wear each thing fewer times. Always a problem - going to mainly hot places but the ship itself will most likely be cooler indoors so wardrobe has to cover all bases.

 

After getting robbed in Antigua last year, I now wear only cargo pants and carry everything on my person. No purses or packs. I scream "tourist" with my bulging pockets, but what ya gonna do?

[RuthC]

How do you pack for such an expedition? Since you didn't mention booking a deluxe suite, you won't have free laundry & cleaning, and not many ships have self-serve laundry facilities any longer.

OP is considering the Prinsendam. Not only does the Prinsendam have self-service laundries, there isn't a charge for them! Just bring the dryer sheets, and he's all set.

[irishjim]

Thank you so much everyone for all the tips,I have now got some great ideas from all of you.Will go for the Veranda cabin,as Ruth said laundry is free on the Prinsendam,plus by the time we sail we will be 4stars and that helps.Idont have any pets to worry about,all bills are paid automatic through my bank,mail will be looked after,must remember to buy some more

memory cards for my camara as I will be taking lots of photos.I only have one concern,when I checked this cruise for March 2011 it was sold out and it is only January 2010 Anoyone know how soon HAL will bring out their 2012 sailings?

Jim.:D:D

[Typhoon1]

Sounds like a great trip on one of HAL's older beauties. If you do it, be sure to make the most of it.

[mrsltg]

...when I checked this cruise for March 2011 it was sold out and it is only January 2010 Anoyone know how soon HAL will bring out their 2012 sailings?

Jim.:D:D

 

When we put down our future cruise deposit in 11/09 we wanted to book an early 2012. The consultant said they would likely be out around Sept. or Oct. of this year (2010.) Have a wonderful trip!

[irishjim]

When we put down our future cruise deposit in 11/09 we wanted to book an early 2012. The consultant said they would likely be out around Sept. or Oct. of this year (2010.) Have a wonderful trip!

Thank you for that info,I will be watching like a HAWK:D

[lizf]

We just booked the Grand Africa and Mediterranean for 2011. There are some AB balcony cabins still available plus others. It is still over a year off. If you book before 3-31-2010, and book a balcony, you get free shipment of unlimited luggage to/from Ft. Lauderdale within US. I think you would love this trip. Each year they vary the itinerary and don't always go to W. Africa. We booked especially to go there. Good luck.

[PegIra]

If I could afford it, I would be on the 62 day cruise absolutely !! Have a wonderful time !! We just celebrated our 50th anniversary last May by taking a month vacation, 7 days of which was a cruise.

[NMLady]

We are in the 'considering' stage of booking a 20 day cruise but are apprehensive about a cruise even that long. I just cannot imagine a 62 day one. You are indeed adventurous!

 

How do you pack for such an expedition? Since you didn't mention booking a deluxe suite, you won't have free laundry & cleaning, and not many ships have self-serve laundry facilities any longer. What do you do about pets, plants, the house, bills? Etc., etc.

 

See? It's the logistics of a long cruise that scare us.

 

However you do it, have a wonderful time! Maybe some day we'll build up the courage (and the bank account) to try something so awesome!

 

I am jealous! What an intinerary. In October we'll take our longest cruise yet, 33 days. I'd think packing would simply be a matter of doing outfits for 11 days and wearing them three times but we'll be going from the cold of Norwegian SEa, across the Atlantic, to the humid heat of Caribbean.

 

The OP will have the same challenge of climate changes so I'd think layering is the answer: turtleneck under a blouse, then by itself, then just the blouse. You are right that packing is the challenge.

[DFD1]

Jim, if it were me, I'd go ahead and put down a deposit right away, as soon as I could.

 

You'll have plenty of time to reconsider should that be necessary. In the meantime, you'll have a confirmation on a cruise that is likely to sell out many months before sailing date.

 

JMO. Hope you have a marvelous time.