ekerr19
January 5th, 2009, 05:55 PM
Ms. Rotterdam 12/23/08 to 1/4/09 – Southern Wayfarer Holiday Cruise - 12 Days
Captain: Rik Krombeen
Hotel Manager: Bert van Macklenbergh
CD: Jesse Highley
Piano Man: Jeff Warren
Embarkation/Disembarkation: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Ports of Call:
1. Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
2. Oranjestad, Aruba
3. Kralendijk, Bonaire
4. Willemstad, Curacao
5. Gatun Lake – Panama Canal
6. Colon, Panama
7. Limon, Costa Rica
8. Georgetown, Grand Cayman
Embarkation was so smooth – Port Everglades check-in staff have improved substantially over the past several years and this embarkation was the easiest ever. We checked out of Hyatt Pier 66 at about noon, the bell captain arranged a Chevrolet Suburban to transport us along with our 15-year old daughter, her best friend and ten pieces of luggage to the Rotterdam.
Our entire group was swiftly directed to Deluxe Verandah Suite check-in, where no one was waiting in line. We obtained our cabin keys, as well as those for our second cabin (which the girls were sharing) and off we went. We walked right onboard and proceeded to the Neptune Lounge where we met our concierge, Jem and asked her about switching our room keys around as the girls would be in a cabin alone. Our cabin was ready, so we deposited our bags and went to explore the ship. We LOVED the layout of the ship right away. It was so easy to get around – I recall only taking the elevators a time or two for the entire voyage. We really liked the décor of the ship as well. It is really beautiful.
We checked out the girls’ cabin 3364, and met their cabin steward, Komang. He asked them how many bags they had and what color and said he’d deliver them as soon as possible. The girls went off to the Lido and we went to the bar to see if we knew any bar staff. We checked both the Sea View Bar (Deck 7, aft pool) and the Ocean Bar and recognized no one. We had eaten breakfast at Pier 66 and weren’t hungry so we explored and tried to locate our cabin steward.
The cabin steward situation for the Suites was a bit of a disappointment on this cruise. I’m not sure when they went to teams of stewards, but service seemed to be sporadic. There were times when our cabin was not made up until afternoon and we had some difficulty communicating with our steward; and though he tried hard to please us, we never felt we had established a connection or routine with him. It was not a huge issue with us, but just something we noticed. I’m not sure that the Rotterdam doesn’t have more suites, but there were always tons of folks in the Neptune Lounge – all the time, more so than we’ve noticed on any previous cruise.
At any rate, it didn’t affect us too much, and if we asked for anything, we received a prompt response.
We missed the CC meet and greet at 5:00pm, I had unpacked everything before lifeboat drill, so we headed out for a drink once we completed the drill and I completely forgot about it – sorry guys! One thing I found different during this lifeboat drill was the speech the Captain gave about Norwalk virus ending it saying there would be no hand shaking by any of the officers.
Our first stop was Half Moon Cay, and we had booked the Grand Oasis months ago. At Hyatt Pier 66, we met a delightful family traveling together from the Netherlands and asked them to join us. We arranged to be at the Oasis by 9:00am, though apparently there was some confusion, as by 9:45 our butler hadn’t shown up. I asked the concierge if she could check, and after waiting about 15 minutes we went ahead and left on our own. I was truly dismayed when we reached the Oasis and found nothing – not one thing! Had been set up yet! On previous occasions, everything was done, ready and waiting when we got there. The weather was bad and my mood was worse. We paid over $1,000 for that excursion and were bitterly disappointed. It was explained to me that there was a communication “problem” and they thought we were going to call when we were ready to go, but in all honesty, that just doesn’t fly with me. In the end, we tried to make the most of it – the weather did not help and the lack of execution (even once we were there) disappointed us. For example, people just wandered up and got in the hot tub and tried to use the facilities and it was left to us to ask them to leave – something we never had to do before. The bar was also very inadequately prepared for us – there was no vodka, just rum, and very little we could order except rum punch and strawberry daiquiris. I honestly doubt we will be booking the Oasis any time soon and seriously, HAL needs to get on this. It costs FAR too much money for a substandard experience.
That evening was designated as “Smart casual / Formal optional” which I’d never seen before. DH wore a sport jacket and slacks instead of the tux as we still had three formal nights to go, which is all we’d planned for.
Next up was Aruba. Boy has it ever changed! Even in the past few months. It was very crowded, but the girls wanted to go to the beach and I agreed to take them. We found a “cab” and I asked about a couple beaches we’d been to previously. Instead he took us to the Hyatt hotel and dropped us off there and told us to go around the back way to get to the beach. Wow. I really hate doing that, but the long cab ride without air conditioning prompted me to at least give it a shot. It was ridiculously crowded and we saw many people from the ship that had also been dropped there. The girls were unimpressed and after a rough inner tube ride, they were ready to go back. We found a licensed cab driver at the Hyatt who took us back and explained that many of these gypsy cabs only wanted to do island tours for $100 - $150 and if you didn’t agree, they’d just drop you off at the “beach”. He asked what we paid, and told me there was a standard fare, and obviously we got taken, but oh well. Live and learn. My DD was thrown off the tube ride a couple times and was really sore – she had blisters on her hands trying to hold on – but the tour operators thought it was funny to keep dumping the girls, even after they asked them not to and to slow down. Beware.
We had planned to meet up with a friend in Bonaire – he is a former HAL employee we met years ago who lives there and because our internet was so sporadic, we were unable to finally connect in the end. The girls were sore and tired and stayed on the ship – Sonny and I walked around for a little while, I discovered I forgot my sunscreen and because it was so hot, we headed back.
We booked a “swim with the dolphins” excursion for DH and the girls in Curacao and according to all of them it was a 10+ and very impressive! The photos they took were amazing and DH said it was easily one of the best excursions he’s ever done. I stayed onboard reading. That evening was formal night, and most everyone dressed in accordance to the suggested attire.
A few other notables at this point:
We had three ports in a row, and it took a bit of a toll. We had some rough weather after leaving HMC and we felt our ship rocking and rolling almost all the time for the remainder of the cruise, more so than any ship we’ve been on recently. We heard complaints about A/C and some plumbing problems for those on Deck 6, but never experienced anything ourselves, neither did the girls on Deck 3.
The casino was absolutely the worst we’ve experienced to date on HAL. Inexperienced dealers, underage gambling and strange rules seemingly made up on the spot by the pit boss. After two or three nights we opted not to return, but heard continued complaints from more than a few cruisers. Examples included being given the incorrect amount of chips when sitting down at the roulette wheel and having the pit boss tell us (a good half hour or so later) about the “mistake” and we had to give them back. Sorry, but the dealer making a $2 chip payout error is her fault, not mine. We were told we could not sit out a hand or a roll; that it was against the rules, even though no one was waiting to play. Again, incorrect – every casino I’ve been in allows this. Over and over, it seemed like we were always being told, “no, you can’t” so after a tiring few days of it, we just stopped going. I tried to speak to the casino manager about a couple things and he had absolutely interest in hearing anything.
The pools had signs up designating “family pool’ and “adults only”. It was nice to see, and most people adhered to it, but a few routinely didn’t.
We had over 300 kids onboard and it was noticeable, though most were pretty well behaved.
The Pinnacle Grill is now $20 per person again. The new menu was uninspiring and I miss the Clam Chowder. We went once and it was less than mediocre and didn’t return.
Smoking – hands down, again another “worst ever”. Every area allowing smoking was overwhelmed by smokers. Perhaps because we had quite a few European vacationers, but I’ve never seen it so bad. The Ocean Bar was the worst. The smoke was so bad; it just hung over the entire atrium area and drifted into the shops and Queen’s Lounge. Normally, I don’t mind it so much, but I could not stand it. The same thing happened almost daily at the Sea View bar by the aft pool on Deck 7. There was a group of people who just took this whole area over each late afternoon and evening. They even had their own iPod plugged in and played their music.
Smoking was prohibited in the Casino and Sports Bar before 10:30pm, which was nice. I was still very surprised by the number of people who brought strollers and small children to the smoking area of the Ocean Bar. It didn’t really make for the best pre-dinner ambiance. One family was playing a board game with their kids at one of the cocktail tables. I don’t know how those kids could stand the smoke.
We enjoyed the Explorations Café, though internet connections were not so good. I never did manage to connect my laptop successfully in the cabin, but both girls were able to in theirs. A decent selection of books and movies, though there was only one “daily” crosswords puzzle throughout the cruise. We found a NY Times crossword puzzle book in the shop and DH was able to get his daily fix that way.
For dinner, we were at table number 86, (Main seating) and we truly had the best of service by our dining staff! I cannot recall a recent cruise when it was better. This was a true highlight for us. Our wine steward was attentive and prompt and had the girl’s iced tea waiting each evening and we always had extra portions of the girls favorite dinner rolls. I cannot speak highly enough of our service. The food and selections in the dining room were very good. So good, we ate in the Pinnacle only one night, and it was disappointing. My steak was so well done, and it was cold when I’d ordered it rare, and DH’s was cold and barely seared on each side when he’d ordered his medium. We liked the old Pinnacle menu much better and wish they’d just added some of the new selections instead of removing some.
The food in the Lido was wonderful – fresh, appealing and quite good. The salad bar was very good – yes we had plenty of spinach (and trays, lol!) We enjoyed the Asian stir fry selections and treated ourselves to a small portion daily along with our salads and DH really like the “no sugar added” dessert treats. I had only one dessert, in the dining room and it was quite good.
We were just a bit disappointed with our room service meals – a first for us. Routinely, they’d forget salt, pepper, ketchup, butter, etc. and once our breakfast order was noticeably very off. Also, the omelets served could quite easily feed two adults and I wish they would offer a one or two egg sized portion. We never had a problem getting through to order and our meals were always delivered promptly and at the correct temperature.
Almost everyone adhered to the suggested dress code, especially on formal evenings. Surprisingly, many dressed up on smart casual nights as well. It made for a bit more festive atmosphere.
We felt there were many more people on board than there were. Most public areas often felt crowded.
We did not attend the Suites reception, the Suites luncheon, or the wine and cheese tasting hosted by the Captain and HM. Nor did we attend the Mariner’s brunch. We did briefly attend the VIP party in the Crow’s Nest and it was nice. No hand shaking, which – okay , well I can live with it.
On to Gatun and Colon… we did a full transit over Christmas on the Amsterdam in 2000. We did not have a verandah cabin back then and I missed a lot of the transit watching the kids at the pool, so this was a highlight for me. I spent the time on the verandah and took pictures and just enjoyed the experience. DH watched from the top deck and got some great pictures as well. DH had a golf excursion booked for Colon so he took off for that. The girls and I booked spa treatments that afternoon. Unfortunately, DH missed the tender for the golf excursion – after waiting in the Queen’s Lounge close to an hour, he stepped out to the restroom and to get another bottle of water when they called his tender number. He was unaware it was called, and waited for another hour and finally asked Shorex staff who told him it had left long ago. There were so many excursions booked that day and they had everyone meeting at the same time, the lounge was packed. Shorex was nice enough to refund the money for the missed excursion, which I thought was very generous - as basically, they do tell you not to leave.
Our spa treatments were fantastic and I was pleasantly surprised that I did not receive the hard sell (or even a soft sell) of spa products. A nice change from past spa visits.
Limon, Costa Rica – we have been to Costa Rica on previous cruises, but always on the Pacific Ocean side and never to Limon. We decided on a boat tour through the Tortuguero Canals, which was really awesome. The girls were thrilled to see sloths, howler monkeys and various other forms of wildlife. We had fresh fruit, local beer and shopped a craft stand before heading to tour a Del Monte banana plantation. It was a great tour, I’d highly recommend it. After returning to the port, DH & I decided to explore the market in the port area and picked up a couple neat handmade items and some Costa Rican coffee beans. We wanted to walk down the main boulevard (as recommended by our tour guide) but when we got to the gate, we were overwhelmed by people hawking tours, etc. and decided against it. Overall, it was an interesting experience as we’d never been to Limon, and while I was a bit overwhelmed by the poverty, I was truly impressed and inspired by the friendliness and the kindness of the people we encountered.
Grand Cayman – A first for us, we were the only ship there! It was so nice. I actually really enjoyed it, probably for the first time – because it wasn’t crowded. The girls wanted to do Captain Nemo’s snorkel adventure, so off we went. It was really pretty cool and great for them. Not too long, but plenty of time in the water.
After that, we headed to Hard Rock Cafe for a quick (and VERY expensive!) snack and some souvenirs. We got back on the last (supposedly) tender and were surprised at how crowded it was. They had to send another tender back as we couldn’t fit everyone and I was surprised so many people were ashore, but maybe being the only ship in port appealed to them too.
Disembarkation was just okay. We had the new “silent disembarkation” where they don’t announce the numbers or colors, just the time “window” – we had Group 1, Pink and could disembark any time between 8:00am and 10:00am, we left about 9:30am and there were just TONS of people crowding the gangway because they were only allowing numbers 1 & 2 in all colors go at that time. To me, either stick with the colors and numbers or use the windows. Some people were getting downright upset when the staff waved us through and they’d been sitting there waiting. However, if it’s not your time to go – jeez, I wish people wouldn’t crowd the area!
Another first, my card made a loud clanging sound as I checked off the ship for the final time and was instructed to step aside where I was asked for my customs declaration form, and it was given a hole punch in the upper left corner. I realized I was being flagged at that point and was glad we claimed everything. The custom’s officer told me that it was because our shipboard account was over a certain dollar amount and all passengers over a certain amount would be subject to further customs review. He waved us right through once he saw there were four of us and I listed the watches we had purchased onboard.
For a holiday cruise (especially both Christmas and New Year’s) we felt the ship lacked the décor we’ve seen on previous holiday sailings. Much seemed like an “after thought” and not professionally decorated as done in years past. I also missed the wreaths that used to hang on every cabin door during the holidays.
Many officers had family and friends onboard and most formal nights we were pretty much pushed out of the way in the Ocean Bar and Crow’s Nest by some of the groups. But heck, we’re just the passengers, so whatever. In fact, several people tried to engage a few of the officers in brief, polite bar conversation and felt as if they were rebuffed. One of our Dutch friends asked a question of one of the engineering officers and was told that he was “off duty” and didn’t want to answer any questions! Well, okay, I guess I can relate to that – but when you’re in the PUBLIC lounge, mingling along with the PAYING passengers, the least you can do is be pleasant. It made for a very disappointing Christmas and New Year’s and I doubt we will book another holiday sailing – especially because they are not bargains – not by a long stretch.
Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, we’d rate this as a good strong 5, though the food and dining room staff alone would receive a 9.
Any questions, ask away – I’ll do my best.
Captain: Rik Krombeen
Hotel Manager: Bert van Macklenbergh
CD: Jesse Highley
Piano Man: Jeff Warren
Embarkation/Disembarkation: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Ports of Call:
1. Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
2. Oranjestad, Aruba
3. Kralendijk, Bonaire
4. Willemstad, Curacao
5. Gatun Lake – Panama Canal
6. Colon, Panama
7. Limon, Costa Rica
8. Georgetown, Grand Cayman
Embarkation was so smooth – Port Everglades check-in staff have improved substantially over the past several years and this embarkation was the easiest ever. We checked out of Hyatt Pier 66 at about noon, the bell captain arranged a Chevrolet Suburban to transport us along with our 15-year old daughter, her best friend and ten pieces of luggage to the Rotterdam.
Our entire group was swiftly directed to Deluxe Verandah Suite check-in, where no one was waiting in line. We obtained our cabin keys, as well as those for our second cabin (which the girls were sharing) and off we went. We walked right onboard and proceeded to the Neptune Lounge where we met our concierge, Jem and asked her about switching our room keys around as the girls would be in a cabin alone. Our cabin was ready, so we deposited our bags and went to explore the ship. We LOVED the layout of the ship right away. It was so easy to get around – I recall only taking the elevators a time or two for the entire voyage. We really liked the décor of the ship as well. It is really beautiful.
We checked out the girls’ cabin 3364, and met their cabin steward, Komang. He asked them how many bags they had and what color and said he’d deliver them as soon as possible. The girls went off to the Lido and we went to the bar to see if we knew any bar staff. We checked both the Sea View Bar (Deck 7, aft pool) and the Ocean Bar and recognized no one. We had eaten breakfast at Pier 66 and weren’t hungry so we explored and tried to locate our cabin steward.
The cabin steward situation for the Suites was a bit of a disappointment on this cruise. I’m not sure when they went to teams of stewards, but service seemed to be sporadic. There were times when our cabin was not made up until afternoon and we had some difficulty communicating with our steward; and though he tried hard to please us, we never felt we had established a connection or routine with him. It was not a huge issue with us, but just something we noticed. I’m not sure that the Rotterdam doesn’t have more suites, but there were always tons of folks in the Neptune Lounge – all the time, more so than we’ve noticed on any previous cruise.
At any rate, it didn’t affect us too much, and if we asked for anything, we received a prompt response.
We missed the CC meet and greet at 5:00pm, I had unpacked everything before lifeboat drill, so we headed out for a drink once we completed the drill and I completely forgot about it – sorry guys! One thing I found different during this lifeboat drill was the speech the Captain gave about Norwalk virus ending it saying there would be no hand shaking by any of the officers.
Our first stop was Half Moon Cay, and we had booked the Grand Oasis months ago. At Hyatt Pier 66, we met a delightful family traveling together from the Netherlands and asked them to join us. We arranged to be at the Oasis by 9:00am, though apparently there was some confusion, as by 9:45 our butler hadn’t shown up. I asked the concierge if she could check, and after waiting about 15 minutes we went ahead and left on our own. I was truly dismayed when we reached the Oasis and found nothing – not one thing! Had been set up yet! On previous occasions, everything was done, ready and waiting when we got there. The weather was bad and my mood was worse. We paid over $1,000 for that excursion and were bitterly disappointed. It was explained to me that there was a communication “problem” and they thought we were going to call when we were ready to go, but in all honesty, that just doesn’t fly with me. In the end, we tried to make the most of it – the weather did not help and the lack of execution (even once we were there) disappointed us. For example, people just wandered up and got in the hot tub and tried to use the facilities and it was left to us to ask them to leave – something we never had to do before. The bar was also very inadequately prepared for us – there was no vodka, just rum, and very little we could order except rum punch and strawberry daiquiris. I honestly doubt we will be booking the Oasis any time soon and seriously, HAL needs to get on this. It costs FAR too much money for a substandard experience.
That evening was designated as “Smart casual / Formal optional” which I’d never seen before. DH wore a sport jacket and slacks instead of the tux as we still had three formal nights to go, which is all we’d planned for.
Next up was Aruba. Boy has it ever changed! Even in the past few months. It was very crowded, but the girls wanted to go to the beach and I agreed to take them. We found a “cab” and I asked about a couple beaches we’d been to previously. Instead he took us to the Hyatt hotel and dropped us off there and told us to go around the back way to get to the beach. Wow. I really hate doing that, but the long cab ride without air conditioning prompted me to at least give it a shot. It was ridiculously crowded and we saw many people from the ship that had also been dropped there. The girls were unimpressed and after a rough inner tube ride, they were ready to go back. We found a licensed cab driver at the Hyatt who took us back and explained that many of these gypsy cabs only wanted to do island tours for $100 - $150 and if you didn’t agree, they’d just drop you off at the “beach”. He asked what we paid, and told me there was a standard fare, and obviously we got taken, but oh well. Live and learn. My DD was thrown off the tube ride a couple times and was really sore – she had blisters on her hands trying to hold on – but the tour operators thought it was funny to keep dumping the girls, even after they asked them not to and to slow down. Beware.
We had planned to meet up with a friend in Bonaire – he is a former HAL employee we met years ago who lives there and because our internet was so sporadic, we were unable to finally connect in the end. The girls were sore and tired and stayed on the ship – Sonny and I walked around for a little while, I discovered I forgot my sunscreen and because it was so hot, we headed back.
We booked a “swim with the dolphins” excursion for DH and the girls in Curacao and according to all of them it was a 10+ and very impressive! The photos they took were amazing and DH said it was easily one of the best excursions he’s ever done. I stayed onboard reading. That evening was formal night, and most everyone dressed in accordance to the suggested attire.
A few other notables at this point:
We had three ports in a row, and it took a bit of a toll. We had some rough weather after leaving HMC and we felt our ship rocking and rolling almost all the time for the remainder of the cruise, more so than any ship we’ve been on recently. We heard complaints about A/C and some plumbing problems for those on Deck 6, but never experienced anything ourselves, neither did the girls on Deck 3.
The casino was absolutely the worst we’ve experienced to date on HAL. Inexperienced dealers, underage gambling and strange rules seemingly made up on the spot by the pit boss. After two or three nights we opted not to return, but heard continued complaints from more than a few cruisers. Examples included being given the incorrect amount of chips when sitting down at the roulette wheel and having the pit boss tell us (a good half hour or so later) about the “mistake” and we had to give them back. Sorry, but the dealer making a $2 chip payout error is her fault, not mine. We were told we could not sit out a hand or a roll; that it was against the rules, even though no one was waiting to play. Again, incorrect – every casino I’ve been in allows this. Over and over, it seemed like we were always being told, “no, you can’t” so after a tiring few days of it, we just stopped going. I tried to speak to the casino manager about a couple things and he had absolutely interest in hearing anything.
The pools had signs up designating “family pool’ and “adults only”. It was nice to see, and most people adhered to it, but a few routinely didn’t.
We had over 300 kids onboard and it was noticeable, though most were pretty well behaved.
The Pinnacle Grill is now $20 per person again. The new menu was uninspiring and I miss the Clam Chowder. We went once and it was less than mediocre and didn’t return.
Smoking – hands down, again another “worst ever”. Every area allowing smoking was overwhelmed by smokers. Perhaps because we had quite a few European vacationers, but I’ve never seen it so bad. The Ocean Bar was the worst. The smoke was so bad; it just hung over the entire atrium area and drifted into the shops and Queen’s Lounge. Normally, I don’t mind it so much, but I could not stand it. The same thing happened almost daily at the Sea View bar by the aft pool on Deck 7. There was a group of people who just took this whole area over each late afternoon and evening. They even had their own iPod plugged in and played their music.
Smoking was prohibited in the Casino and Sports Bar before 10:30pm, which was nice. I was still very surprised by the number of people who brought strollers and small children to the smoking area of the Ocean Bar. It didn’t really make for the best pre-dinner ambiance. One family was playing a board game with their kids at one of the cocktail tables. I don’t know how those kids could stand the smoke.
We enjoyed the Explorations Café, though internet connections were not so good. I never did manage to connect my laptop successfully in the cabin, but both girls were able to in theirs. A decent selection of books and movies, though there was only one “daily” crosswords puzzle throughout the cruise. We found a NY Times crossword puzzle book in the shop and DH was able to get his daily fix that way.
For dinner, we were at table number 86, (Main seating) and we truly had the best of service by our dining staff! I cannot recall a recent cruise when it was better. This was a true highlight for us. Our wine steward was attentive and prompt and had the girl’s iced tea waiting each evening and we always had extra portions of the girls favorite dinner rolls. I cannot speak highly enough of our service. The food and selections in the dining room were very good. So good, we ate in the Pinnacle only one night, and it was disappointing. My steak was so well done, and it was cold when I’d ordered it rare, and DH’s was cold and barely seared on each side when he’d ordered his medium. We liked the old Pinnacle menu much better and wish they’d just added some of the new selections instead of removing some.
The food in the Lido was wonderful – fresh, appealing and quite good. The salad bar was very good – yes we had plenty of spinach (and trays, lol!) We enjoyed the Asian stir fry selections and treated ourselves to a small portion daily along with our salads and DH really like the “no sugar added” dessert treats. I had only one dessert, in the dining room and it was quite good.
We were just a bit disappointed with our room service meals – a first for us. Routinely, they’d forget salt, pepper, ketchup, butter, etc. and once our breakfast order was noticeably very off. Also, the omelets served could quite easily feed two adults and I wish they would offer a one or two egg sized portion. We never had a problem getting through to order and our meals were always delivered promptly and at the correct temperature.
Almost everyone adhered to the suggested dress code, especially on formal evenings. Surprisingly, many dressed up on smart casual nights as well. It made for a bit more festive atmosphere.
We felt there were many more people on board than there were. Most public areas often felt crowded.
We did not attend the Suites reception, the Suites luncheon, or the wine and cheese tasting hosted by the Captain and HM. Nor did we attend the Mariner’s brunch. We did briefly attend the VIP party in the Crow’s Nest and it was nice. No hand shaking, which – okay , well I can live with it.
On to Gatun and Colon… we did a full transit over Christmas on the Amsterdam in 2000. We did not have a verandah cabin back then and I missed a lot of the transit watching the kids at the pool, so this was a highlight for me. I spent the time on the verandah and took pictures and just enjoyed the experience. DH watched from the top deck and got some great pictures as well. DH had a golf excursion booked for Colon so he took off for that. The girls and I booked spa treatments that afternoon. Unfortunately, DH missed the tender for the golf excursion – after waiting in the Queen’s Lounge close to an hour, he stepped out to the restroom and to get another bottle of water when they called his tender number. He was unaware it was called, and waited for another hour and finally asked Shorex staff who told him it had left long ago. There were so many excursions booked that day and they had everyone meeting at the same time, the lounge was packed. Shorex was nice enough to refund the money for the missed excursion, which I thought was very generous - as basically, they do tell you not to leave.
Our spa treatments were fantastic and I was pleasantly surprised that I did not receive the hard sell (or even a soft sell) of spa products. A nice change from past spa visits.
Limon, Costa Rica – we have been to Costa Rica on previous cruises, but always on the Pacific Ocean side and never to Limon. We decided on a boat tour through the Tortuguero Canals, which was really awesome. The girls were thrilled to see sloths, howler monkeys and various other forms of wildlife. We had fresh fruit, local beer and shopped a craft stand before heading to tour a Del Monte banana plantation. It was a great tour, I’d highly recommend it. After returning to the port, DH & I decided to explore the market in the port area and picked up a couple neat handmade items and some Costa Rican coffee beans. We wanted to walk down the main boulevard (as recommended by our tour guide) but when we got to the gate, we were overwhelmed by people hawking tours, etc. and decided against it. Overall, it was an interesting experience as we’d never been to Limon, and while I was a bit overwhelmed by the poverty, I was truly impressed and inspired by the friendliness and the kindness of the people we encountered.
Grand Cayman – A first for us, we were the only ship there! It was so nice. I actually really enjoyed it, probably for the first time – because it wasn’t crowded. The girls wanted to do Captain Nemo’s snorkel adventure, so off we went. It was really pretty cool and great for them. Not too long, but plenty of time in the water.
After that, we headed to Hard Rock Cafe for a quick (and VERY expensive!) snack and some souvenirs. We got back on the last (supposedly) tender and were surprised at how crowded it was. They had to send another tender back as we couldn’t fit everyone and I was surprised so many people were ashore, but maybe being the only ship in port appealed to them too.
Disembarkation was just okay. We had the new “silent disembarkation” where they don’t announce the numbers or colors, just the time “window” – we had Group 1, Pink and could disembark any time between 8:00am and 10:00am, we left about 9:30am and there were just TONS of people crowding the gangway because they were only allowing numbers 1 & 2 in all colors go at that time. To me, either stick with the colors and numbers or use the windows. Some people were getting downright upset when the staff waved us through and they’d been sitting there waiting. However, if it’s not your time to go – jeez, I wish people wouldn’t crowd the area!
Another first, my card made a loud clanging sound as I checked off the ship for the final time and was instructed to step aside where I was asked for my customs declaration form, and it was given a hole punch in the upper left corner. I realized I was being flagged at that point and was glad we claimed everything. The custom’s officer told me that it was because our shipboard account was over a certain dollar amount and all passengers over a certain amount would be subject to further customs review. He waved us right through once he saw there were four of us and I listed the watches we had purchased onboard.
For a holiday cruise (especially both Christmas and New Year’s) we felt the ship lacked the décor we’ve seen on previous holiday sailings. Much seemed like an “after thought” and not professionally decorated as done in years past. I also missed the wreaths that used to hang on every cabin door during the holidays.
Many officers had family and friends onboard and most formal nights we were pretty much pushed out of the way in the Ocean Bar and Crow’s Nest by some of the groups. But heck, we’re just the passengers, so whatever. In fact, several people tried to engage a few of the officers in brief, polite bar conversation and felt as if they were rebuffed. One of our Dutch friends asked a question of one of the engineering officers and was told that he was “off duty” and didn’t want to answer any questions! Well, okay, I guess I can relate to that – but when you’re in the PUBLIC lounge, mingling along with the PAYING passengers, the least you can do is be pleasant. It made for a very disappointing Christmas and New Year’s and I doubt we will book another holiday sailing – especially because they are not bargains – not by a long stretch.
Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, we’d rate this as a good strong 5, though the food and dining room staff alone would receive a 9.
Any questions, ask away – I’ll do my best.