I wish I knew that BEFORE I got on the ship...

[taszmom]

Past Zuiderdam crusiers : Looking for some comments/feedback on things that you now know that you wish you knew before you boarded the ship : Things you wish you had packed, excursions you wish you had booked before the cruise, items you would have purchased before sailing, activities or entertainment you wish you hadn't missed, things you would have done differently, etc.

[imsulin]

I would have sat in one of the chairs in the very front of the Queen's Lounge instead of the nasty 45-degree booth in the back while I tried to enjoy "The Pianist" last year! Great movie....bad seating! I wish I would have discovered the coffee bar (can't remember the name) sooner than Day 3. It was really excellent!

[Paticakes]

I wouldn't go to any of the tour briefings or shopping talks. They run them on TV about 15 times a day so you eventually catch most of it.

[oceanlov1]

if your going eastern, go to the baths in tortola..........its so beautiful.
go to the pinnacle the 1st night for $10 per person.
get to half moon cay early so you can enjoy the entire day at the beach.

[taszmom]

Great Info...keep it coming!

[sail7seas]

The coffee bar is Windstar Cafe and has the greatest coffees (and sweets to enjoy with them).


Some folks wish they brought an extension cord as there was only one plug in some of the cabins.

Others wished they brought bath salts or bubblebath to use in their tubs....be careful to not use too much if you turn on jacuzzi jets. Could be bubbles all over the place. :)

[RevNeal]

if your going eastern, go to the baths in tortola

And don't forget to use soap while you're at the baths. :D ;)

[localady]

I would recommend you also consider missing the "Art" sales. When I had first started cruising I got roped into a few, and there are much better ways to spend your days at sea ( and cheaper:eek: ) IMHO.
Additionally don't miss the wonderful fresh squeezed Orange juice in the Lido every morning. It's not available through room service or in the main dining room. Also a HAL specialty is their bread pudding, it is delicious and can be found near the desserts every lunch time in the Lido. Have a great trip!:cool:

[maxxy]

Had a great time. Key West Catamaran Sail was a fun but definitely not what was portrayed. Small Hobby type boats, limited involvement for some (of all people he had me doing the most strenuous - steering). Booked my own at Royal Dolphin Swim in Cozumel, it was a trip of a lifetime. Caught taxi very easily, got there early and had the white sand beaches all to ourselves. There is a groomed beach and beutiful restaurant/bar right in the Chakanaab Park. Did the Land/Turtle/Stingray combo in Caymen. Probably could have done same on my own and saved money and just see what I want (don't miss the Stingrays though)

[jfishe]

loved the Tulum ruins excursion...and booked it through the ship thank goodness as the tour was late in returning. Bought a soda card from ships services before boarding - it was in the room upon arrival. Loved to eat breakfast in the dining room ! lunch too !

[Lois R]

Good morning:)

Localady, they don't offer fresh orange juice for breakfast in the dining room?:eek:

[gizmo]

The fresh orange is served in the Lido not the dining room. The machine that squeezes the oranges is located in the Lido.

[Lois R]

ok, thank you.

[allen.crawford]

Go to the shopping talks and sit up close. We have gotten a lot of free stuff by going - we particularly like the $24 shirt that changes colour when exposed to ultra-violet light.

We dine late, but like to grab a shrimp cocktail from the lido dining room before going to dinner to tied us over.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Besides the extension cord - take a power bar.

Lots of film or digital cards - extra batteries.

A big appetite.

[the2ofus]

Take a small night light to plug into the electrical outlet in the bathroom. Those bathrooms are DARK at night and the light switch is outside the door so when you turn it on it blasts the sleeping area with light before you get the door closed. Not good if your spouse is a light sleeper. (No pun intended)

[ekerr19]

And don't forget to use soap while you're at the baths. :D ;)

Would that be liquid Dial or Lifeboy? :D

[ekerr19]

Take a small night light to plug into the electrical outlet in the bathroom. Those bathrooms are DARK at night and the light switch is outside the door so when you turn it on it blasts the sleeping area with light before you get the door closed. Not good if your spouse is a light sleeper. (No pun intended)

This is a great idea! I never thought of it - but will take one next time. Our kids are always turning on the light - it wakes us up all the time.

Also, in Key West, don't forget to try some of the Conch fritters - they are heavenly!

[CINCY40]

Both DH and I like to know the time if we wake up at night and there are no lighted clocks in the suite. We bring a small electric one with a lighted dial.

Nancy

[CINCY40]

Both DH and I like to know the time if we wake up at night and there are no lighted clocks in the suite. We bring a small electric one with a lighted dial.

Nancy

[dakrewser]

Take a small night light to plug into the electrical outlet in the bathroom. Those bathrooms are DARK at night
WE do keep a nightlight and a battery-powered clock radio (small) in our suitcase whenever we travel. While most hotels do have clocks (but not all, and not HAL cabins!) very few have night lights....

[clopaw]

We dine late, but like to grab a shrimp cocktail from the lido dining room before going to dinner to tied us over.


So, we can just walk into the lido dining room during early dinner and help ourselves to whatever is there? They have shrimp cocktail everynight? :p

[Cookwise]

Now I know there are things you can ask for that I didn't know about before. You can ask to have the mini bar contents removed so you can put in your own stuff. (We always refill water bottles for use on excursions. ) You can ask for an oscillating fan so you can't hear the elevator dings. You can ask for an egg crate mattress pad for your bed if you don't find your bed comfy. It's these little things that make a good experience even better!

[Giorgi-one]

As I remember, there is no electrical outlet in the bathroom. Only outlet is for electric shaver. Am I missing something?

[cruisinjudy]

The night lights plug into the shaver outlet, except the last one I bought had the different sized prongs and didn't fit, but that might have been on Infinity. I think it was Ryndam where I forgot and left it on the ship and had to buy a new one. It was the new one I had trouble with.

[bepsf]

Even if all you order is tea and a croissant, it's much better than a wake-up call. Deliveries are made within your requested 30 minute windows and are never late.

But remember that the croissants are not American sized. 1=2 bites.

[dakrewser]

So, we can just walk into the lido dining room during early dinner and help ourselves to whatever is there? They have shrimp cocktail everynight? :p
You can walk into the Lido anytime and help yourself. THere certainly have been days when I skipped lunch on an excursion, got back to the ship around 5 and knew I couldn't last until 8 or 8:30 without a "taste." Lido to the rescue! :D

[allen.crawford]

So, we can just walk into the lido dining room during early dinner and help ourselves to whatever is there? They have shrimp cocktail everynight? :p
They have every time we went there!

[tinmanswife]

You'll love the Zuiderdam;....Hadn't cruised for a LONG time, so brought most of what everyone suggested to pack! Didn't need most of it, but should have brought conditioner! I normally don't need it, but by the end of the week, I needed it. I had thought it would be with the soap/shampoo in the cabins, but it wasn't. We brought an extension cord and that seemed to be enough for curling iron, hairdryer. We brought a bungee cord but used it to keep our bathing suits (drying) on the the balcony!