BermudaBound2014

Define “not a lot of money” Swing traders made a fortune on cruise stocks during the “great cruise comeback.” This industry is as volatile as they come.

Let’s back the bus up to last nights meet and mingle. Some folks were even Ubering from the high rise hotels downtown to hang with us in the low rent district. We easily doubled the count from Thursday night. Whoa!!! So many people. So many names to forget. I’d say half the folks were from cruise critic and the other half from another social media platform, but everyone just merged into one super happy, friendly, and knowledgeable group of DamCruisers. I am happy to report that I have found my people!! Out fearless leader for the meet and mingle onboard had to cancel last minute. She was a great roll call leader. Simply the best. She will be missed on the cruise but we all enjoyed meeting her last night where she passed the baton (aka bag of yet more nametags) to me. Just to show how wonderful this group of cruisers are, we already have a team of 4/5 who will take on the meet and greet responsibilities to ensure the event goes on as scheduled. We have 300 in our roll call so someone is going to need to use the trusty microphone for a group photo. See everyone on the Monday the 19th at 10:30 am in billboard onboard. In true HAL fashion there is yet another confusing bit of communication regarding boarding on the app. Someone needs to walk the plank at corporate. I am not about to fight any embarkation crowds and have a shuttle booked for 2:15. Those much braver that I are heading over earlier and will give me the scoop on how things are progressing. If I have to make a running leap for the gangway as they slide her up, so be it. Some random photos from last nights gathering.

She’s here!!! Please let me know if the video loads for you. IMG_2454.MOV

Ahhhh…. Threw me when you said 70 days away from Michigan winter. You must be doing a few back to backs or some land trips to add days also. It’s amazing the planning I will undergo to make sure I avoid Michigan winters. Looking forward to meeting you on next years cruise 🙂

My knees disagree, but you are so sweet!! I am glad you are my people 🙂

What a great day in San Diego. It’s always a blessing when locals show you around their town. We spent the morning exploring the legendary Hotel Del Coronado. Spent time looking at the historic photos of all the famous people who have graced the steps. The hotel is old, famed, and just beautiful. I can relate to one of three. Walked up and down the beach and grabbed some fun photos. Artists of all forms amaze me. I get excited when my red solo cup makes a nice “castle” in the sand when I turn it upside down. These castles were on a whole new level. Ended up in Old San Juan for lunch and a jalapeño Margarita!! I bet that comes as a big surprise. San Diego is a super fun city to explore! If they could just get the port functioning in the 20th century this could be my favorite embarkation port. I’m thrilled to spend 4 more nights here after the cruise. There is much yet yo explore! Here are my new besties and the worlds best San Diego tour guides-

Well that was super fun!! What a great group of cruisers we have sailing on the Koningsdam. At its height, I counted 42 people, but people were coming and going. Im pretty sure some folks are still hanging in the lobby but I’ve been up 21 hours and am calling uncle. Don’t tell. Tomorrow nights meet and greet will likely be bigger. Wouldn’t surprise me if we double tonight’s attendance (or more). According to the front desk, there are 160 Koningsdam cruisers staying here at the Best Western Yacht Harbor. It’s not fancy, but most of us paid around $100 a night with $5a night parking for those who drove. For those following along who are going on the 2025 version of this cruise, if you don’t have hotel points, I think the BWYH offers a great value. I do want to send a big shout out to the folks at the Best Western who not only opened the breakfast area for us, but supplied several types of juices, some fruit, and coffee. Most folks brought their own wine/beer but it was very thoughtful for the hotel to accommodate us with beverages. I had no idea they were going to do that for us so a pleasant surprise. I just know I’ve met lifetime friends tonight. There is nothing like a group of cruisers supporting each other in another adventure. Tomorrow one of my new besties and her hubby are taking me to Coronado to check out the sights. How flipping cool is that? I’m very grateful. So often the internet is used to divide, but I absolutely love it when the internet brings people together. Tonight it’s social media for the win. Some random pics posted without permission. As they say, better to ask forgiveness :).

Hi Ottahand (great screen name). Seems we are both cruising thru Michigan winters. Im on this exact cruise again next Feb. Are you on the Koningsdam? Or a different ship?

This forum needs a love button! A girl who understands my Kapalua heart. Don’t get me wrong, all of Maui is beautiful, but to me, Kapalua holds a very special energy. A centering spiritual energy. It’s off the charts. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that our condo shares privileges with the R-C pool only 200 yards away :). ps- we eat breakfast at the plantation house every Sunday. Just a couple photos to jog your memory- worlds best backyard:

I’m on this itinerary next Feb too so see you then!!

I have always liked you and very much appreciated your posts Miss G, but you are now elevated to my “must meet someday” list from CC. Unless you are a golfer and follow the Centry tournament, very few people know of Kapalua. I am incredibly blessed to call it my winter home. I have rented there Jan-May the last 5 years. Because of this trip (and our January caribbean sailings), I’ll only be at the condo for a couple months. I know that’s still a lot of time, but I’m questioning whether or not it will be enough time for me to fully center myself in the Aina’ energy. It truly is my paradise!! If I wasn’t filled with such wonderlust I’d be in Kapalua right now enjoying this sunset. But, alas, the world is big and I still have much to learn.

This is the little invitation to the Best Western Yacht Harbor I whipped up. Excited to meet so many tonight and of course tomorrow too!

So, thanks to the moderns world of technology I’m currently flying over Mercer County, Missouri in route to San Diego. Our roll for this trip has been exceptional!! Filled with wonderful helpful kind and friendly travelers. As such, many of us choose to stay at the Best Western Yacht Harbor. Back in April room rates were right around $100 a night and parking is only $5 a night for those that drove so it’s quite a good bargain compared to the traditional hotels across from the pier. I kept a running list of all the CC members staying at the BWYC and between CC and other social media sites we have nearly 100 people swarming the hotel . We are having a very informal pre cruise meet and greet both tonight and tomorrow night. It’s BYOB and the lobby is small but the manager said he’d open the breakfast room for us and we can overflow into the pool area. I’m the girl bringing name tags but other than that I take zero responsibility for any shenanigans that may occur. Zero. Even if I’m involved. Speaking of roll call, I’d like to invite anyone on our sailing to chime in this report at any time (or we can get multiple reports going). I don’t want anyone to feel left out, so if you are sailing and have anything to add (good or bad), Jump right in. I consider this a group thread for the entire roll call :). Of course, multiple lives are always fun too.

@Silver Sweethearts Thanks for the well wishes. I still hope we can meet up once I get on Maui after this trip. I’ll email you when I get to Kapalua.

Oh wow- thanks for all the lovely compliments. Super nice to read. I am now suffering performance anxiety so it’s probably best l to adjust expectations:) 🙂

Thankfully we are the only ship embarking on Saturday so that will help with the crowding. I totally agree with you when you say “when everyone has priority, then no one has priority”. With cruises this length it’s not uncommon to have half the passengers 4 and 5 star. Then add in those who purchased priority through room choice and club orange. I am totally fine embarkation with the rest of the detention kids near all aboard time. I have 35 days to explore the ship 🙂

I bet we were in st Thomas Together- and we did pre and post cruise in Fort Lauderdale so watched her sail out on her inaugural. Looking forward to finally meeting onboard 🙂

So let's get some of the 'bad' out of the way upfront. HAL's website and tech team are atrocious. Seriously the worst in the industry based on my experience. I still need to use incognito to get anything done online and our embarkation directions have been a cluster. First, Everyone was given Noon Embarkation in the app. Then, The app continued to say noon, but we were assigned check in times. I was given letter "P" to check in at 3:20. Two days ago, yet another change came when I was bumped to letter Q with an embarkation of 3:40. Did I mention last call for embarkation remains 3:30. And this letter came late last night. Not one but three contradictions in single 'Very Important Announcement" 1) My check in time is both 3:40 and 2:00. 2) Check in ends at 3:30 (did I mention I have a 3:40 check in?). 3) They forgot to include club orange in the list of those with priorities. Now, before everyone jumps to HAL's defense, I get that these are first world issues. In fact, none of the changes have effected when I planned to arrive. I gave up early arrival a couple decades ago and prefer to show up much later to avoid lines. BUT, for those who are new to HAL, this has been extremely confusing. This embarkation debacle won't effect how I judge the onboard experience. I get that this is two totally different departments. But IMO, Hal most certainly can, and should, do better. This has been the most confusing embarkation of my entire cruising life (and I'm not new to this). Since both CCL and NCL offered a completely seamless online experience and embarkation last week, I think HAL needs to up their game.

I am flying out tomorrow morning so figured I'd get this started. I am traveling in a solo outside room. I'm leaving hubby at home because he refuses to retire and I do my best to avoid Michigan Winters. At the end of the cruise I'll fly to Maui where Hubby will meet me in our paradise. Packing for this trip has been challenging as once I leave tomorrow I won't be home again until Mid-May. Background: I feel like sometimes it's helpful to have a little background on the reviewer to add perspective. I'm a fully retired Gen X. I started cruising in 1987 and the first 5 cruises were on lines that eventually went bankrupt (Regency, Commodore, and Dolphin).These ships were all in the 20,000 GT range so I do have a historic love for the little gals. I've sailed everything from tiny ships to the 'behemoth of the seas' and find that each and every ship has pros and cons. It should be noted that while I have sailed nearly all main stream lines (Celebrity, Carnival, Holland, NCL, MSC, Princess, etc..), I have zero brand loyalty. Never have. Likely never will. I select ships based on who I'm traveling with and perceived value. I don't look for the cheapest option, but I do weigh things that are important to me and select based on which ship best meets those expectations. Cost is always a consideration but value is what drives my decision making. When I travel with DH, his favorite is NCL for the District Brew house with 20+ drafts to choose from. He is also casual and prefers to dress in shorts the majority of our trip. He really appreciates the Local (former O'Sheehans) which is an informal dining option where you can sit down and order a hot meal off a menu nearly 24 hours a day. It's perfect for him. I describe NCL like our local pub. A Cheers type casual bar atmosphere where everyone knows your name. We also enjoy the water slides on the away and away+ class as I'm an admitted adrenaline junky. I'm dragging him on a HAL Antarctica trip next year and I am already preparing him for a much more cerebral experience. Hubby and I just returned from sailing in the Caribbean on a side to side on the Carnival Celebration and the NCL Encore. Both ships are significantly larger than the Koningsdam. I know some of the HAL regulars feel Koningsdam is too big, but in my experience she is a nice mid-sized vessel. I hadn't been on Carnival since the mid-90's and I'm pleased to report that their new Excel class has upped the game. They have a new 'food truck' style eats around the pool that is revolutionary. Much like the waterfront was when NCL first introduced it. The Celebration kept us entertained until the wee hours of the morning. Where she lacked in service, she made up for in fun. Like I always say, I have never met a cruise ship I didn't like. There are always pros and cons. I also do girls trips. My girls trips seem to be split between RCL and Celebrity. Some friends appreciate the stepped up entertainment/activity options on the large oasis class, while a few of my friends prefer a bit less Cheers and a few more Martinis. The last few girls trips have all been on Celebrity when they offer 150% solo supplement (since we are now old enough to afford our own rooms). I also greatly appreciate solo trips. I did those when I was working and needed time to just lay on my balcony and drool. There is something really healthy about a good solo trip where 'all about me' is the norm. If you have thought about traveling solo but are apprehensive, I highly recommend stepping outside your comfort zone. It's a wonderful experience. I will miss my Husband, but 35 nights will fly by and knowing he will find me in Maui softens the ache. I think expectations are critical when selecting a cruise ship. Notice I said cruise ship and not cruise line. I don't believe it's valuable to compare line to line anymore as there is so much discrepancy between ships offered on the same cruise line. The Grandeur of the Seas is infinitely different than the Icon. Instead, I think it's wise to compare ship to ship when making a decision on how to spend your discretionary travel dollars. In addition, I always recommend that expectations be kept in line with price paid. For this cruise, that means the bar is pretty low. HAL prices for sailing 35 nights were significantly less a land only trip to Hawaii would be. So, as I explained to hubby, I'm saving money by not spending the entire winter in Maui ;-). I also think anyone booking a cruise today needs to be prepared for reduced amenities and increased onboard charges as the cruise lines battle back from enormous debt brought on by covid. It's just a new normal. I typically don't book suites (although I have sailed in the Yacht Club on MSC). Suites just don't provide me with enough value where I can justify the cost. I never used my butler in the Yacht club since it's just not my vibe. However; I will gladly pay more for a balcony that can accommodate a lounge chair because laying outside on my lounger gazing at the sea is very much my vibe. For this cruise the best value was an outside solo. I'm not sure how I'm going to do without a balcony for such a long cruise but time will tell. I tried desperately to purchase a cabana to no avail. I do have a cabana booked already on the 2025 version of this sailing so I'll be able to compare the itininary with and without the solitude a cabana offers. Finally, I should probably warn you that this review isn't going to focus only on the rosy. That's not my style. For those of you looking for a glowing report, this won't be it. However; I will do my very best to point out both the good and bad as I perceive. As always, just my opinion and YMMV, I learn much from CC and believe in playing it forward, so if you have questions I am more than happy to investigate. A Little Columbo action to break up the day never hurt this girl. I love a good challenge. Edited to add: It should be obvious by now that I'm not short on words. I never mastered the cliff note version of anything. Feel free to ignore me. I promise I won't be offended :).

Just for information purpose in case anyone is curious. Cabana for 35 nights on the Koningsdam in 2025 is running $1,990.

They were both pretty lame so please keep your expectations low. When I sail with my Husband we are pretty focused on staying present with each other. Plus those were different ships without much down time at all. We stay busy with Ropes courses, zip lines, go kart racing, water slides, and even a roller coaster on board (that was broke).

Not going to lie, weather this trip was cooler than any cruise I have ever taken in Jan/Feb. Our day in St Thomas and on Stirrup Cay were amazing, but a few of the sea days had me wrapping in towels outside. That said, all of my other cruises have had wonderful weather so who knows.

We are home and while I planned on doing very specific comparisons between the Celebration and Encore, time is getting away from me. I’m currently in laundry hell and getting ready to repack for a 35 night cruise thru Tahiti on Holland America. From there I’ll fly direct to May until mid-may so I’m actually packing for 3 months. OH…. And throwing a Super Bowl party on Sunday!! Somehow that seemed like a good idea last summer. I truly am an idiot Anyway, here are my final thoughts comparing Carnival Celebration and NCL Encore. Important Note- I do not believe you can make accurate comparisons between cruise lines in general as there are enormous differences between ship classes on each line. For example, you cant read a review for RCL Grandeur of the Seas and expect to be relevant to the Icon. Those days are long gone. Instead, IMO it’s wise to compare cruise ship to cruise ship. With that, the encore and Celebration are somewhat close in size. They are about the same age (Celebration is newer). Similar price points and demographics. The Celebration has a higher space ratio and it shows (feels more crowded). IMO- The ships and experiences are more alike than they are different with a few exceptions….. The service on the Encore was infinitely better than Celebration. It’s not that the servers on Celebration were bad, it’s just that the venues were grossly understaffed. Entertainment choices goes to Celebration by a mile. Probably twice as many things to do in the evening and more thought went into how things were scheduled. Other than those two very noticeable differences, here are some things we liked better on each line: Encore- waterfront area, observation lounge (w/snacks), better meal scheduling, brew house, the Local dining until 4 am, more complimentary drink offerings, procedure for sharing one internet package. Celebration- serenity adult only sanctuary (this area rocked!), the food truck concept for eats is revolutionary, better app in terms of content, Pizza!, more complimentary dinner dining options (Chinese, Mexican, and Italian sit down restaurants are all complimentary), cabin layout, much more fun vibe with lots of choices for things to do in the evening, Ultimately we would sail on either again. Like I said early on, I haven’t met a cruise ship I didn’t like and these last two were no different. They all offer pros and cons. I’ll start a live Koningsdam thread next week and can add comparisons to both the Encore and Celebration if interested.

We are home and while I planned on doing very specific comparisons between the Celebration and Encore, time is getting away from me. I’m currently in laundry hell and getting ready to repack for a 35 night cruise thru Tahiti on Holland America. From there I’ll fly direct to May until mid-may so I’m actually packing for 3 months. OH…. And throwing a Super Bowl party on Sunday!! Somehow that seemed like a good idea last summer. I truly am an idiot Anyway, here are my final thoughts comparing Carnival Celebration and NCL Encore. Important Note- I do not believe you can make accurate comparisons between cruise lines in general as there are enormous differences between ship classes on each line. For example, you cant read a review for RCL Grandeur of the Seas and expect to be relevant to the Icon. Those days are long gone. Instead, IMO it’s wise to compare cruise ship to cruise ship. With that, the encore and Celebration are somewhat close in size. They are about the same age (Celebration is newer). Similar price points and demographics. The Celebration has a higher space ratio and it shows (feels more crowded). IMO- The ships and experiences are more alike than they are different with a few exceptions….. The service on the Encore was infinitely better than Celebration. It’s not that the servers on Celebration were bad, it’s just that the venues were grossly understaffed. Entertainment choices goes to Celebration by a mile. Probably twice as many things to do in the evening and more thought went into how things were scheduled. Other than those two very noticeable differences, here are some things we liked better on each line: Encore- waterfront area, observation lounge (w/snacks), better meal scheduling, brew house, the Local dining until 4 am, more complimentary drink offerings, procedure for sharing one internet package. Celebration- serenity adult only sanctuary (this area rocked!), the food truck concept for eats is revolutionary, better app in terms of content, Pizza!, more complimentary dinner dining options (Chinese, Mexican, and Italian sit down restaurants are all complimentary), cabin layout, much more fun vibe with lots of choices for things to do in the evening, Ultimately we would sail on either again. Like I said early on, I haven’t met a cruise ship I didn’t like and these last two were no different. They all offer pros and cons. I’ll start a live Koningsdam thread next week and can add comparisons to both the Encore and Celebration if interested. I may have missed some questions along the way. Please let me know if there is anything I can answer.

That makes you a big group of one 🙂 I enjoy you also and feel that one day we are going to end up sailing together.