Tapi

Our first cruise on HAL was on the Westerdam and it almost made me not want to sail on HAL again. The ship was dark and gloomy. Felt very depressing. Service, cuisine and attention to detail were great, but there was something lacking about the entire experience that just made me not want to sail HAL again. That all changed when we sailed on Nieuw Statendam. It was like night and day. Absolutely loved this ship and experience to the point that I consider it one of my favorite ships I’ve ever sailed on. HAL is definitely doing something different with the Pinnacle class than with the rest of the fleet, attempting to attract a younger clientele.

Wow, all of those changes look like great upgrades to me, not cutbacks. Lincoln Center Stage performances moved to the World Stage with new visuals will most likely be amazing.

My experience doing specialty dining on the last night of the cruise has always been very enjoyable. No difference in service or quality. It’s a nice way to wrap up the cruise, unless you really need to go to the MDR on the last night for all the farewell hoopla.

We loved sailing on Nieuw Statendam. (Rotterdam’s sister). Compared to our last Celebrity cruise aboard the Solstice, the ship felt less crowded and easier to get around. I thought that Solstice’s layout was a bit wonky. HAL’s Pinnacle class of ships is wonderful. They feel modern and airy, but traditional at the same time. At 99,000 tons, they are “smaller” but in my opinion, it’s the perfect size with a very easy to learn layout. Music Walk is indeed a very enjoyable part of these ships. One moment you’re listening to a Top 40 band at one venue, and the next you’re listening to a classical music ensemble at another. The main theatre is different than on more traditional theatres aboard other cruise lines. It’s circular, with floor to ceiling LED’s covering more than 180 degrees of the theatre. Shows are simple, but combined with technology, they’re visually impressive. We thoroughly enjoyed the shows by the Step One Dance Company (click on that hyperlink for a preview). Overall, we thought that Nieuw Statendam blew Celebrity Solstice out of the water. We enjoyed both cruises greatly and would gladly sail on either one again, but Nieuw Statendam just felt a bit better in almost every category (service, cuisine, entertainment, etc).

In Stavanger, we’ve booked the Lysefjord Cruise - Experience Preikestolen tour directly from Rodne Fjord Cruise. You board just a short walk from where the ship docks. On this tour, you don’t hike Preikestolen, but see it from Lysefjord. https://rodne.no/en/fjordcruise/lysefjord-preikestolen/

I’m also looking at something similar. I haven’t looked at trains or shuttles, but this is what I’ve researched. One option is a one way car rental. It’s a 2 hour 45 minute drive and it looks like it’s pretty straight forward and economical. The other option is to fly from Quebec City to Montreal. It’s about a 35 minute flight. I’m learning that the difference in price between flying from Quebec City to Montreal to Atlanta (where we live) vs driving to Montreal and then flying from there to Atlanta is negligible once you factor in the cost of ground transportation. I’m leaning towards flying from Quebec City to simplify things, specially since the price difference is minimal.

Dog lovers reading this will know how sad this feels. Take comfort in knowing that most likely your cruise will help you heal your aching heart. I’ll share my anecdote in the hopes that it helps as well. Back when I was away in college, my family had planned a cruise for the end of the semester. The plan was for me to fly to Miami to meet my parents who were also flying in. A few days before the cruise, my dad had hinted how my 13yo dog who’d been my best buddy since I was 7 year old wasn’t doing too well. I was hoping that after the cruise, I’d come home to say goodbye. When we all met at the Miami airport at baggage claim, my dad broke the news that they’d had to put my dog down the day before. She was suffering too much and they couldn’t leave her in that condition. Talk about worst timing. I never had a chance to say goodbye. I cried (like sobbing out loud) so hard until we got on the ship the next day. But once we were onboard, I calmed down, and while I still had sadness in me, the seas had a calming and nurturing effect. In retrospect, it was the perfect place to be to heal. I hope that the pain you’re suffering and the sadness subsides soon, and that your upcoming trip helps you get there. 💕 🐶

I’d never used them before (I normally use insuremytrip), but I was looking for a policy with CFAR protection (cancel for any reason) for a cruise we’re taking next year. Squaremouth offered a policy that was literally 1/4 the cost of the cheapest policy through insuremytrip. I did read the fine print to make sure that everything that I need covered is indeed covered.

I think that on a shorter itinerary, you don’t get to experience in full things that are unique to Disney, like the rotating restaurants concept , specially if you’re thinking about adding one of the specialty restaurants. Chances are that you’ll have to skip something. We chose a 7 night itinerary on the Fantasy. Very glad we did because otherwise, we would’ve been too time limited to enjoy everything that Disney has to offer. We wanted to experience as much as possible since our plan was to sail on Disney only one time. It was a wonderful cruise and I’m glad that I can say that I’ve sailed on them and got the T shirt. Disney does excel in customer service and entertainment and the ship was beautiful. But it’s hard to justify sailing on them again unless we were hardcore Disney fans, which we are not. A big percentage of the overinflated price you pay is for pixie dust, not for a product that is truly that much better than other cruise lines.

If you already know what you’re looking for, price it out back home first. Then compare it to prices onboard and prices at the ports of call. A few years ago, I was shopping for a specific Tissot watch. I figured how much I’d spend if I bought it back home. I then went on a cruise to the Bahamas. The best deal was actually at an authorized retailer in Nassau. Cheaper than the stores on the ship too.

- Book as early as possible - Carnival (and other cruise lines) allows you to make monthly payments so that the cruise is paid in full by final payment date. The earlier you book, the smaller the monthly payments will be - Don’t be afraid to try other cruise lines. Although Carnival is usually the price leader in the Caribbean, that’s not always the case in Alaska. Other cruise lines have so many ships and inventory up there, that many times their fares are lower. And it’s not uncommon to see last minute price drops either. - Resesrch, research, research. One of the good things about booking way in advance is having plenty of time to check out each port and figure out what to do on a budget. When we did Alaska, we didn’t book a single excursion through the cruise line. And everything we did was super budget friendly. Granted, we didn’t ride a helicopter or go dog sledding on a glacier, but what we did was still wonderful in its own right. We saw glaciers, we hiked through a national forest, we saw bald eagles up close at a rescue center, we took a land and sea tour, we took a tram up to the top of a mountain, and we did a lot of exploration on our own. All for less than what one excursion through the cruise line would’ve cost. - Seattle round trip itineraries usually mean considerably cheaper airfare than doing a one way from/to Vancouver. Applying all of these rules, we did Alaska for not much more than what we have normally spent on Caribbean cruises. But even if it costs you more, it’s an experience we’ll worth it. Easily one of my favorite cruises.

We’ve done Solstice (Eclipse’s sister) and Nieuw Statendam (Koningsdam’s sister). We did standard balconies on both. The cabin on the Nieuw Statendam felt a bit tighter, but the TV position and the lineup was much better. Normally we’re not people who stay in the cabin and watch TV, but we found ourselves enjoying being in our cabin and watching on demand movies on Nieuw Statendam. As far as ships go, they are both very nice, but I much preferred the Nieuw Statendam. The ship had the perfect balance of modern and traditional. Felt much classier than the Solstice. It was also a better layout. Solstice to me felt a bit wonky and disjointed. As far as entertainment goes, Nieuw Statendam had all the venues along Music Walk (Rolling Stones, BB King’s, Lincoln Center Stage, Billboard) and I thought it was brilliant. One moment you could be listening to a classic rock band in one venue and then a classical music ensemble at another. As far as stage entertainment goes, I loved their main theater. Very modern and high tech circular theatre, with huge floor to ceiling LED screens covering 270 degrees. The two productions by the Step One Company were phenomenal. We actually went twice one night to watch the same production. Solstice’s stage productions by comparison felt unimaginative. It wasn’t bad, just the very standard, run of the mill type of production that one would expect to see in a traditional theatre on a cruise ship. With all of that said, we had a wonderful time on both cruises, and would gladly sail on either one again, but I feel that Holland America blew Celebrity out of the water, at least when comparing these two classes of ships specifically.

I think that many of the negatives that you mentioned (which have plagued, not only P&O but all cruise lines) during COVID, have subsided although not completely. We are new to P&O and we are new to the Norwegian Fjords itinerary. We selected our upcoming cruise on the Britannia specifically because it offered something completely new to us (and for a substantially cheaper price than any other cruise line sailing this itinerary during that time frame). For me, cruising, even with all the changes and recent downgrades, still provides an excellent opportunity to explore new places in an easy and affordable way that land vacations simply can’t replicate. I do understand feeling burnt out after sailing on the same cruise line over and over, to the same ports over and over. I get that same feeling on this side of the Atlantic (we live in the USA) where I can’t stand another Caribbean cruise to Cozumel or Nassau on the same cruise lines. So my remedy to that is to go somewhere else and try different cruise lines (which is why we’re sailing on P&O next). One good thing that I’ve learned about trying different cruise lines and exploring new itineraries is that everything feels fresh and new. I spend zero time comparing things to “the way it used to be” What feels repetitive to you may be completely new to someone like me who has never sailed on P&O. I’ll make sure to come back and report on how things went once we return from this upcoming cruise. 😀

Family of 4. We rarely spend more than $1000 between our onboard account and activities ashore on a typical Caribbean/Bahamas cruise. We never book excursions through the cruise line (we do a lot of advance research and do things on our own). In the Bahamas, it’s easy to enjoy a day at the beach cheaply. For example, on our last cruise (a quick 3 day in February) we spent $52 (for 2) on transportation to the beach and admission to Pirate’s Cove. We don’t do specialty dining and don’t drink enough (alcohol, sodas, specialty coffees, etc) to justify purchasing a drink package. The wife may get one massage at the spa during the week. None of us care about the casino. Merchandise wise, I may buy a hat or t shirt for myself. We do spend relatively more money if cruising in a different region of the world or if we’re going somewhere we’ve never been to before. Yesterday, I was totaling the money already spent on activities ashore (all booked independently) for our upcoming summer cruise and it’s about $800 before we spend anything onboard. Still not bad considering that we’re going to four ports in Norway that we’ve never visited before, where just one excursion for 4 purchased through the cruise line can easily exceed that amount.

Seeing a total solar eclipse has been, without a doubt, one of the most amazing things I’ve ever witnessed. It was going to be at only 80% where we live but we drove 4 hours to a place where we could see it 100%. It was completely worth it. One of those experiences that words can’t simply describe. I would jump on the opportunity to see one again in a heartbeat. I’m surprised more cruise lines aren’t jumping on the opportunity. As far as I know, there are two scheduled solar eclipse cruises for that time on Princess. I think one is sold out but the second one on Emerald Princess was announced just a few days ago and may still have availability.

We did through Norway’s Best. Cheaper than going through the cruise line

Flam and Geiranger would do it for me. Geiranger is mentioned by many as the highlight of their Norwegian Fjord cruises. In fact, I’m kinda bummed that our upcoming cruise on P&O Britannia won’t go to Geiranger. 😞 Stavanger will be a great port as well. You can do a cruise down Lysefjord or hike up to Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock)….if you dare.

Yes. If your lights are on in the cabin, then yes, you need to close to curtains.

If you love balconies, but are considering an inside cabin, Carnival Horizon has a category (4J) which is considered an inside cabin, but it technically has a picture window overlooking a forward facing deck. The best part about it is that the door leading up to that deck is 2-3 doors from your cabin, so you can be out there in 20 seconds. It's somewhat of a "poor man's balcony". Check it out:

They used to an point in time. The most likely answer is that they’ve chosen to relocate their ships to markets where they are more lucrative. When Carnival and other cruise lines decided to send many of their ships to the scrapyard during COVID, that left some markets underserved or completely abandoned once travel rebounded. Another market that Carnival abandoned during COVID was San Juan with no plans of returning even as other cruise lines have introduced new ships and itineraries to this market.

This was a few years ago, but we were booked in an oceanview cabin on the Westerdam to Alaska. About 4 days prior to departure, I noticed that balconies were going for cheaper than what we’d paid for our ocean view cabin, so I messaged my TA, fully expecting for them to say “tough luck this close to departure”. Not only was I pleasantly surprised when they replied saying that they’d upgrade us at no extra cost, but they also issued the price difference as OBC. Once again, this was a couple of years ago, but long story short is that you wont know what they’re willing to do for you unless you ask.

Yes, you’re right, that’s a different story altogether. I wouldn’t go through all the hassle if I knew that the cruise line I’m sailing on doesn’t allow it.

I wouldn’t be concerned with either one. As mentioned above, Cozumel is in Quintana Roo which is currently under a level 2 travel advisory (common for international travel and considered safe). Progreso is in Yucatán which is currently under the lowest level 1 travel advisory (probably safer to go to Progreso than to travel to most places across the USA). Neither one of these two destination has any travel restrictions so normal precautions should be sufficient. To put things into perspective, places like Jamaica, Honduras and Trinidad and Tobago are under a level 3 travel advisory (reconsider travel), yet the cruise lines continue sailing to those destinations and passengers continue flocking to them without worrying too much. We did the Mexican Riviera a few months ago. Before sailing, we read the travel advisories, planned our activities to stay within safe areas, and had a very enjoyable and safe cruise. We traveled to Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada. Its understandable that you may be concerned about safety after watching or reading some of the news (specially from media outlets that sensationalize the stories further). The best you can do no matter where you travel internationally is to stay informed, be alert, know where you are going, and don’t make yourself a target. That applies even if you’re traveling within the US.

It’s understandable that someone wants to know if they can bring soda and water onboard since this is allowed on other cruise lines. Besides the obvious answer that it is to save some money, someone may want to bring a brand of soda not offered on the ship. Also because it’s very convenient to have a stash of water and soda in the cabin at all times. If I’m driving to the embarkation port and the cruise line allows this, I will bring water/soda for the cabin. If I’m flying, the hassle overrules any perceived convenience or savings.

On a 12 night itinerary on Holland America, I don’t think it will be a significant or even noticeable issue. I’m raising kids, so we always have to sail when kids are out of school (holidays, summer breaks, etc). We have sailed all the major lines, and the difference in the number of kids (and their behavior) will be drastically different based on the cruise line and itinerary. A longer itinerary on Holland America like the ones the OP is looking at will most likely attract drastically less families than cruises that are 7 nights or less on a more family friendly cruise line. From what we’ve experienced, taking a Royal Caribbean, Disney or Carnival cruise during the holidays is an absolute nightmare. Not only is the ship at max capacity with all berths filled, but the ship is overrun with kids, many who are unruly and unsupervised. The number of kids onboard is easily measured in the thousands. Some cruises we’ve taken were so packed with kids, that they had to use conference rooms as overflow because the kids club were at over capacity. But when we sailed on Holland America, (both in Alaska and the Caribbean during school breaks) there were considerably less kids onboard. Families don’t normally flock to Holland America in the same numbers as on more family friendly cruise lines, and the ones that do, seem to be more traveled and well behaved. When we sailed on Nieuw Statendam during a school break, The kids club staff told us that they had 110 kids sailing that week which was “really high” for them. There were maybe around 20 kids in attendance at the club anytime we dropped our kids off, and the others were so diluted among the rest of the passengers that they were barely noticeable. Every time we saw kids around the ship, they were usually with their parents, polite, and in their best behavior. Anyway, sorry about all the rambling. This is a very long way of saying that I don’t think that kids will be a significant issue on a 12 night itinerary on Holland America.