C 2 C

It all depends on the "cruise director".

We were on N Statendam and there were opportunities with BB King, and the pianos, and a DJ..  Forget about the Rolling Stones lounge.  Things are changing.  Young people seem to like dancing "at a distance".  Bands are being cancelled.  We even had music in the Crow's Nest and recorded music.  On Zaandam and Zuiderdam we were disappointed.

Fast dancing: the second best form of exercise; slow dancing leads to the first. 

6 minutes ago, Cruiscs said:

Over Murano ?

If you are very very hungry, no other choice offers an equal stuffing as the Porch.  Murano is our favourite because it is fine dining at its best and I pace myself to get to the cheese!

20 hours ago, kazu said:

No sail a way pics - at least not now.  It’s too flipping cold to stand out there.  I feel sorry for the poor guys working the Seaview Pool. 
 

Here is a picture worth a couple of words anyways.  

2 hours ago, sherryf said:

We have never bothered to make reservations in the MDR, and have never waited more than about 5 minutes.

So you're the reason everyone else has to wait half an hour.🙃

The Porch.

I received this email from RCL Friday evening:

So many people with priorities, 5 Star, 4 star, suites and oh, Club Orange.

Celebrity also lets Park West use their best lounges for auctions, blocking off the equivalent of the Crow's Nest during the entire day.  Complaints have never worked on X about this issue..

Happy Birthday from the Halve Maen (Half Moon) sailing into NY harbour 1609.

On 10/11/2023 at 9:39 AM, Marga.Anders said:

Hi there,

 

Looking to make a switch from Royal Caribbean to Celebrity Cruises. Was looking at Ascent or Apex because they are newer ships but found out the Constellation is offering the best itinerary for our wishes (Dubrovnik, Koper, Split).

The reviews of this ship are mixed, mainly because it is an older ship. So this has me somewhat worries especially since we are 'used to' newer ships with RCL. 

We have cruised on Constellation for nearly 20 years.  She is our favourite Celebrity ship, recently cruising for two months from December to January 2024.  The modifications will be minor.  The crew is fantastic:  in our opinion better than any Royal experience (10+ from Enchantment to Allure).  The itinerary is more important than the ship.  The cabin choice on the "old" ships are superior to Celebrity's newer ships, depending on your Euro bank account...

There are two different piers.  When we cruised on Holland America, they gave us the wrong address.  The Old Town Pier parking is twice as expensive but very convenient.  We cruised out of the new terminal and the parking lot is a 15 minute walk.

On 4/4/2024 at 4:01 PM, Moncton gal said:

Anyone have tips on cruise parking in Quebec City? We are traveling with NCL in September. 

Do you know which pier? 

On 4/4/2024 at 4:29 PM, d9704011 said:

Parking at the airport:

https://services.aeroportdequebec.com/QuebecBooking/

 

Parking near the cruise terminal (done through the Flowbird app):

https://www.portquebec.ca/en/parking/saint-andre

This is where we parked on two cruises.  Get the Flowbird App.

In reality, I think it is a shortage of ships for X.  The ones they have positioned now are profitable.  

11 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

E class ships suck , I rather cruise on S &M class ships😁

You're a bear for punishment, or is that bare?

3 hours ago, Bostonjetset said:

I posted this on the Canada/NE page as well but it’s sort of HAL specific and thought maybe someone here had some insights.

We cruised this itinerary frequently.  We love the fort.  Rent a car and enjoy the Cabot Trail or simply walk into town..

The Vancouver terminal can be quite the challenge.

I've heard reports that pax from every cruise line get in line for immigration screening.

There is not necessarily a line for HAL or Celebrity or Royal.

We always show up early.

5 hours ago, debfed65 said:

We do not seem to get the great deals as those in the US

When we were on Constellation over the holidays,  Celebrity often charged an exchange of 45% when booking a future cruise.  It was much cheaper booking in US$ than CAD$.  Certain CDN credit cards will offset the exchange rate.

34 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

But on Gala night, is it mandatory for a gentleman to now have to wear a jacket?

 

Know Before You Go (hollandamerica.com)

 

On both Celebrity and HAL, dress up night means a long sleeved shirt with an optional tie.

That's not me.  I dress up with a jacket to compliment my wife.

On 3/29/2024 at 10:09 AM, FredZiffle said:

We're long-time NCL cruisers (with an occasional Princess or Celebrity thrown in), but we're considering a 28 day B2B on the Nieuw Statendam.  

 

How does Holland America compare?

We have cruised a lot: a bunch on Celebrity, a dozen or so with Princess and Royal, 20+ on HAL and one Norwegian, the Dream (aka the nightmare).

In September 2022 we cruised on HAL Nieuw Statendam from Quebec to Boston and back and enjoyed the ship so much we booked 8 B2Bs over Christmas and New Year.  We love this ship but the entertainment ie., theatre was mediocre on a good day.  The "music walk" however was great from jazz to classical to the Rolling Stones.  From reading the latest comments, the music is not as varied as it was a year ago.  No one has better itineraries than HAL.  The food is great, the service is wonderful but don't book because of the entertainment on board.  The quality just varies too much.

2 hours ago, Gsel said:

We started with a Carnival cruise in 1973, then cruised RCCL, Monarch, Cunard, Oceania and HAL.  Even with ALZ, DH  told me not to stop cruising and enjoy every minute. I am working on that with two cruises booked!

The oldest Carnival ship, I thought was the Mardi Gras, purchased from Canadian Pacific and still uses the colours used by Canadian Pacific on their locomotives (a RR company)

18 hours ago, J&Dhighdesert said:

Sailed on the Westerdam-WD July 4-11,1992.  Fell in love with ship and sailing to Alaska.  I will be continuing my  love of Alaska in June for the 28 day sailing adventure.  Finally, visiting a new port,Nome, on my 14th trip to Alaska.

We loved the old Westerdam, best theatre seats ever!

I'll be in the dark on my back porch during the Eclipse.

As an adult: March 1989.

Does this count? I'm the guy in the middle on the Georgic, 1951