Honeymoon on Volendam, Oct / Newbies in Cruising / Some Questions

[Germanuel]

Dear fellow cruisers,

on October 16th we´ll set sail for our first cruise ever!

"...like a virgin" *sing*

 

Southern Caribbean on MS Volendam 10 Day

 

Now I do have several questions regarding "what to think of before".

It´s our honeymoon journey and i don´t want to make any mistakes in planning! My wife deserves a perfect cruise;)

 

Things i managed so far:

- immigration forms filled out online

- shore excursions booked online (Aruba - Spanish Lagoon Kayak Adventure, Roseau - Dominica´s Favorites, Tortola - Forest Hike and Beach, Half Moon Cay - Eco Lagoon Cruise)

- tuxedo for the formal nights

- table reservation for 2 at late dinner time

 

Our cabin is an "E" stateroom on the Main Deck

 

We´re interested in all of your experiences concerning the ship itself, the itinerary and the shore excursions especially the ones we booked!

What about hurricanes in late October?

What about the weather/sunshine in late October?

 

What are the main problems newbies are concerned with on their first cruise?

 

Thanks for all postings

and greetings from "Good Old Europe"

Have a nice weekend!

 

Manuel

[KAJOKG]

Dear fellow cruisers,

on October 16th we´ll set sail for our first cruise ever!

"...like a virgin" *sing*

Southern Caribbean on MS Volendam 10 Day

Now I do have several questions regarding "what to think of before".

It´s our honeymoon journey and i don´t want to make any mistakes in planning! My wife deserves a perfect cruise;)

Things i managed so far:

- immigration forms filled out online

- shore excursions booked online (Aruba - Spanish Lagoon Kayak Adventure, Roseau - Dominica´s Favorites, Tortola - Forest Hike and Beach, Half Moon Cay - Eco Lagoon Cruise)

- tuxedo for the formal nights

- table reservation for 2 at late dinner time

Our cabin is an "E" stateroom on the Main Deck

We´re interested in all of your experiences concerning the ship itself, the itinerary and the shore excursions especially the ones we booked!

What about hurricanes in late October?

What about the weather/sunshine in late October?

What are the main problems newbies are concerned with on their first cruise?

Thanks for all postingsand greetings from "Good Old Europe"Have a nice weekend!Manuel

 

Manuel - First, you have picked a wonderful ship for your first cruise. The Volendam is our favorite ship - not too big and not too small. We will be on the same Oct. 16 sailing as you. As for hurricanes (I live in FL), it is still hurricane season, but so few 'canes hit during Oct. and if one should it will not be one of the strong categories, and the ship's captain avoids storms while out to sea. October is our favorite time to sail. We reluctantly took our first cruise in 2000, but we were instantly hooked on cruising and are about to take out 12th.

Sounds to me that you have pretty much done all that is important for your upcoming cruise. I know you will like HAL and her beautiful ship, the Volendam. So, have a very happy honeymoon and many happy years ahead.

[doone]

Manuel, congratulations on your wedding and what a sweet person you are for wanting everything as perfect as you can get.

 

I have sailed the Volendam twice so far and absolutely love this ship. We are sailing the Volendam again in Feb. with my entire family and some friends, have 28 now booked and deposited.

 

I always book on the Main Deck, its a great deck, its quiet, its just so nice. There is also a self service laundry facility on this deck, with coin operated washers and dryers (soap is provided) and an iron and ironing board, just as you get off the elevators.

 

Half Moon Cay is wonderful, I especially like to parasail here, so if you are thinking about it, this is a perfect place to sign up for it.

 

One suggestion I would make is to make reservations one night at the Pinnacle Grill. This is a great dining experience. The first night onboard its half price, $10 per person instead of $20. You can make reservations ahead of time by calling ships services. This restaurant can book up quickly, so if you really want to eat here, I would highly recommend you make reservations ahead of time. For dessert, I, and I am sure most here, would recommend the Chocolate Volcano cake, but its very rich and chocolatey, YUMMMY!!!!

 

Also, on the Lido deck each afternoon, there is bread pudding served. As soon as you see it, get it, this also disappears quickly.

 

I would also recommend on the last formal night to get the escargot in the dining room, those are wonderful.

 

We always enjoy the Lido for breakfast and lunch, but being on your honeymoon, why not order room service for breakfast.

 

Lunch on the Lido is great as well. There is a deli bar, pasta bar, full lunch area and out by the pool with the dome, there are hot dogs, hamburgers, etc.

 

You will also have one night that is a BBQ night up on the Lido Deck. I know I always enjoy this, but we get there early to get a table, it does seem to fill up quickly.

 

YIKES, I just realized, my cruises seem to revolve around the FOOD!!!!!

 

I hope I have helped you out here and if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask, I am sure others have some wonderful suggestions for you as well.

 

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!

[montgomeryfamily]

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. You are being very thoughtful--I sure that you two will have a wonderful honeymoon.

 

You may also want to consider purchasing some gifts or a gift package from HAL ship services or one of the outside vendors who deliver gifts to the ship. HAL offers a couple of different romance packages. You can go to the HAL website to check them out. If you don't want a package, you might want to order some flowers/roses and perhaps some chocolate covered strawberries or other treat.

[Germanuel]

[offtopic]

WOW! What a warm welcome in this great community!

I wouldn´t have expected such a wave of feedback in this short period!

Normally the board veterans think "oh no, newbie alert... same questions as every time...use the search function"

I´m very impressed and feel myself almost at home ;)

[/offtopic]

 

Thank you all for the congratulations!

We´re just married and the cruise will be our "belated" honeymoon to avoid most of the hurrican season, i hope...

 

Does it get boring on "sea days" without excursions?

Do we get the first tender at half moon cay when already booked the first departure of the eco lagoon tour at 8:15? We wanted to avoid the "great run" on the tenders...

 

Didn´t find any tours for Curacao in the online system for shore excursions. Are there still some to come? Do we have to be patient?

 

Very important: We do not drink wine or any alcohol. How about beverages/softdrinks? I already heard about a "soda card". Do I need to have one or do we get some drinks at lunch for free?

 

As the cruise gets nearer, I certainly will get on your nerves more often now! ;)

[lougee1043]

[quote name=Germanuel

Does it get boring on "sea days" without excursions?

 

we love sea days-----no rush to do anything--just relax-- sit by the pool--read a book---participate in the many activites that go on all day

 

Do we get the first tender at half moon cay when already booked the first departure of the eco lagoon tour at 8:15? We wanted to avoid the "great run" on the tenders...

 

believe you will get tender tix to coincide with your excursion tix-- the tix should be waiting for you in your cabin--if no tender tix then you can

check with the tour desk

 

Didn´t find any tours for Curacao in the online system for shore excursions. Are there still some to come? Do we have to be patient?

 

i would think that all the tours are posted---sometimes its nice to stroll around town and enjoy the experience---im certain that there will be vendors at the pier offering different tours etc

 

Very important: We do not drink wine or any alcohol. How about beverages/softdrinks? I already heard about a "soda card". Do I need to have one or do we get some drinks at lunch for free?

 

free drinks are tea coffee water iced tea lemonade and such --imo you have to drink a lot of soda to make a soda card a good bu y--i dont think you can use the card in the dining room or lido ---i think they are just for bar use-i could be wrong because i have never bought one ---the wife wants a soda she signs for a soda

 

As the cruise gets nearer, I certainly will get on your nerves more often now! ;)

 

im sure i speak for most of us on the board when i say get on our nerves and ask your questions---we will all do our best to help make your honeymoon something special

[Sage]

May I add my welcome as well and of course congratulations. The Volendam is also our favorite ship, and I'm sure that you will have a wonderful time onboard. It sounds like you have everything well planned, and I hope that the cruise is full of great memories for you both. Again, welcome and congratulations.

[cactuslady]

[offtopic]

Does it get boring on "sea days" without excursions?

Are you kidding? Isn't this your honeymoon? :rolleyes:

 

Seriously, the sea days will give you an opportunity to find out how competitive your new spouse is, and whether you ever want to be on the same team for trivia again. There are lots of activities. Be sure you read the daily schedule to find out what they are. Don't be like the honeymooners I ran into who complained about having no place to go dancing --- they didn't read the schedule so didn't know there was a disco until amost the end of the cruise.

 

Also, sea days are the popular days for couples massages and spa times, so book as soon as you get on the ship.

 

If you're not too busy, you will also have a chance to wander around and find the most private spots on the various decks. Most ships have a few. ;)

 

To do now: Be sure that HAL knows ahead of time that you are honeymooners, so they will invite you to a honeymooners and vow renewers reception. With cake, bubbly and a photo with the Captain. (was free on our honeymoon cruise)

[cactuslady]

[offtopic]

Didn´t find any tours for Curacao in the online system for shore excursions. Are there still some to come? Do we have to be patient?

If you are not happy with HAL's offerings (or if they don't show up), check around on the Internet for tours and other excursions offered by local tour companies. You can hire a private driver ahead of time, or book through some other outfit besides HAL. For example, my hubby went horseback riding at Mazatlan, even though HAL had no such excursion there.

 

Be sure to check the Cruise Critic forums for the areas and ports you are going. We hired private guides a couple of places based on what Cruise Critic posters had recommended. They will also warn you about tour operators they have had trouble with.