joat

On 6/22/2023 at 11:51 AM, Izzywiz said:

Food options will favour British tastes with things like back bacon, baked beans, roast dinners, Yorkshire puddings, curries, malt vinegar etc, etc always available.

Sound wonderful.  Back bacon is impossible to find where we live and it is delicious.  And oh, a good Yorkshire pudding is a delight. 

On 6/23/2023 at 3:56 AM, Izzywiz said:

 question about the dress code

 

OR one can choose to dine elsewhere than on the main dining room on those evenings.  No problem.  Easy-peasy solution 😉

 

 

On 6/23/2023 at 1:27 AM, ace2542 said:

provided you don't act like or go round think your better than us

Good point.  Over the decades of living and traveling around the world we have found far too many Americans to whom the term 'ugly American' truly does apply.

But that can apply to many.  It  depends on the individual. 

We have a long-time friend who works on a cruise ship and is really not happy with the current assignment.  Too many seem to think they are 'special' and should be treated so.  Makes his and his husband's work so march harder.  Crew on ships have a hard enough job without attitude.

We always try to remember Captain Kangaroo's gentle words 'Please' and 'Thank you'.

My husband and I are retired and live in Mexico (not a rich gringo couple though).  No cruises originate anywhere in Mexico, so we have to fly to join a cruise (preferably not from the US).

When we can afford it, my husband and I normally cruise with HAL.  Our second choice has been Celebrity.  However, Fred. Olsen has some itineraries we find very interesting and some of the ships are former HAL ships that we know and like.   BUT we have concerns.  I have tried to find answers online to no avail.

As Americans, would passengers and crew treat us as well as British passengers?  (I know many reviews have said that some Italian lines treat non-Italians poorly and are not well accepted by passengers.)

One online reviewer of Fred. Olsen line says it is 'a very British line'.  What does that mean?

We did manage to get away from the craziness in the States.  Our house sold earlier than anticipated in mid-March.  We closed in April (that month's cruise was canceled).  We spent May in a temporary condo; June another in Flagstaff, AZ, where it was cooler.  July 1 our escape flight brought us to Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico and the largest lake in the nation.  (J is pronounced H, remember)  Lake Chapala has several small towns along the north shore with many thousands of expats. 

The governor of Jalisco is doing a great job in the efforts to control the virus spread (much better than the national government or the US government).  We feel so much safer here and will remain for at least 6 months in a leased home.  Hopefully by the end of that time we will be able to travel onward.

Hope all are well and we wish happy trails to all.

Well, this is a not unexpected bummer: CDC Extends Ban on Cruising in U.S. Waters Into the Autumnhttps://www.frommers.com/blogs/passportable/blog_posts/cdc-extends-ban-on-cruising-in-u-s-waters-into-the-autumn

We have always liked HAL and have always wanted to sail with Fred.Olsen.  The itineraries have just not worked for us yet.  We like the smaller ships and, after viewing the videos on YouTube of the renovations Fred.Olsen has made to these two ships, we are very interested.  We do look forward to sailing with Fred.Olsen line when cruising is actually possible again. 

I received an email announcement from Fred.Olsen line (a British line) that they have added Bolette and Borealis to their line--

"Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has bought the Rotterdam (1997) and Amsterdam (2000) from Holland America Line as it works to modernize its fleet. The vessels will be renamed MS Borealis and MS Bolette, the company said. Both ships are around 63,000 gross tonnes, so will be Olsen biggest and youngest. ships. The passenger capacity at around 1,400 is quite modest for their size."  -

Looking forward to the day we can cruise again and we will certainly give much consideration to these ships.   We like the smaller ships and have generally sailed with HAL.  As HAL continues to move to ever larger ships and smaller cabins we will likely have to change.  Fred.Olsen has always interested us and we will follow their schedules when cruising actually returns.

There are several YouTube videos about Bolette and Borealis.   Do a quick search and check out the changes/updating that has been done.

On 2/27/2020 at 2:15 PM, joat said:

HI,

We just booked a cruise with Holland America (4th one down when you go to this link)

 

 

 Come along!

Contact our HAL rep if you are interested in joining us on this cruise: Lisa LeTavec @

Personal Cruise Consultant, Holland America Line

LLeTavec@hollandamerica.com

800 355 3017 Ext 29303

NOTE: As we usually do, we booked a large inside cabin.  It is the last of that category, but there are other fine cabins yet available.  We opted for the pricing that included the Signature Beverage Package as well ( It includes a variety of wine, beer, spirits, cocktails, sodas and coffee,specialty coffees.  Limited to 15 drinks/day.)  Just click on the itinerary and then scroll down to find the various cabin types and pricing.

 

Hope some of you can join us!

Our cruise has been cancelled.  Holland America Line has followed suit.  They have "made the decision to voluntarily pause global cruise operations of its 14 ships for 30 days, impacting sailings scheduled to depart through April 14, 2020". (A quote from the HAL Facebook announcement)

Will see what happens as time goes.

My partner and I (and his sister and Mom) will be taking our first cruise this summer. We'll be on Royal Caribbean going to Alaska.

Terrific!  We have been on three Alaska cruises.  Beautiful.  Know you will have a great time.

11 hours ago, beachlovers1129 said:

my wife doesn't wear womens clothes such as gowns dress slacks etc  I was wondering what she could wear for formal night that would be allowed on Carnival

Here is a direct quote from the Carnival site: https://www.carnival.com/awaywego/cruising-fun/how-to-plan/what-to-wear-on-a-cruise

Except for a few cruise lines on the very top end, 'formal' nights are less formal than even a couple of decades ago.

Slacks and a nice shirt are acceptable in most cases.  A blazer added to this is a plus. 

On our last cruise with HAL there were few gowns.  Mostly what one would wear to a nice restaurant in the evening at home.

But no flip-flops, shorts, tank tops (though the females on board can usually get away with this, much to my objection to the double standard).

You should ask the specific cruise line what their dress code really means. 

23 hours ago, balkor2 said:

 

Love Love Grandeur. Great crew, great service, Relaxing lazy. Chill with your loved one while drinking a Pinot Grigio while reading a book.

Have been on her several times and will be on her for the last voyage .. March 26, 2021

Maybe you can look to being on the first cruise under Pullmantur:

The ship will sail in Northern Europe in summer 2021 following a major refurbishment.

No cruise dates are set for it in 2021 so far.  The Alan Fox family of sites is the official agent in the US, so keep a watch.  Could be exciting.  A newly refurbished ship.  Exciting.  Since it is to sail the Northern European area, I am sure there will be a Spanish and English speaking crew so no problems for non-Spaniard sailing.

4 hours ago, Redlondon said:

Zenith was nice, Horizon & Zenith are ex Celebrity and Sovereign & Monarch ex Royal . ( Although RCI owns Celebrity). 

Horizon is 4000 passengers.  Not sure we would ever sail on it.  We took a Panama Canal cruise on Celebrity Constellation a bit over a year ago.  Friends in San Fran wanted us to go with them and they were restricted to a specific time period.  Constellation is 3000.  That was almost too many folks for us.  These older and smaller ships are much more to our liking.

Pullmantur will be adding Grandeur of the Seas (not sure what the new name will be) to their line to replace Zenith.  Grandeur is just under 2000 passengers.  Nice size.

18 hours ago, Redlondon said:

I sailed on Zenith in 2016, it was only a mini cruise but I really enjoyed it. All staff spoke English but the ship was geared up for Spanish/French . It’s now just Spanish. Most entertainment didn’t start until 11:45pm. Late dining was 10:30pm. The ship is 3 star and the all inclusive drinks was adequate. Service and food was very good but not HAL standard. Empress OTS was with the Pulmantur fleet then but Royal Caribbean took her back to their fleet- so even though they are older, it’s not because they are not up the standard of Royal. All entertainment in theatre was in Spanish, no English announcements by cruise director but there was essential announcements in English around the ship. I’d book with Pulmantur again for a cheap getaway.  

Thanks for the input.  I believe Zenith is the ship which they will be changing sometime this year.  Currently their site list Horizon, Sovereign, and Monarch.   We are going to keep Pullmantur on the list for possibilities for 2021.

17 hours ago, balkor2 said:

 

I wondered about  that .. don't have that much of an issue with humidity versus snow and cold like this morning it was 26 😞

Also in Panama Social Security and health care is accepted 

When closer to time will go visit and see how temps are

 

You can keep SS payments anywhere.  We maintained a US bank to which our checks were deposited.  Then transferred once a month to a Mexico account.  Also, the US account did not, at that time, charge for use of our debit card for cash withdrawals.  (Things have changed.)

Not as to Medicare coverage, it is not nor ever has been usable outside the US: https://www.lizlarroquette.com/different-retire-panama-vs-united-states/

"Most of my inquirers quickly ask whether Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, is accepted in Panama. The answer, of course, is that Medicare only covers treatment and health services in the United States. With very few exceptions you will not be able to access your Medicare coverage anywhere outside the United States. "

In 2001 we retired and moved to Mexico.  We lived in Mexico 9+ years.  But we regularly met others who had sold everything, bought a home and moved to Mexico.  Almost all left after 2-3 years. 

Strongly suggest putting treasured things (furniture is just 'stuff' and easily replaced) in storage.  Rent for at least a year before considering permanent relocation, and especially before buying property.

We eliminated Panama as a place to retire because of two consistent things: HOT and HUMID.  Just another consideration for you.🤔

1 hour ago, balkor2 said:

And please let us know your opinion. Of course like anything, individual experiences are that - individualized LOL

 

But am curious, even thought I can barely speak english LOL 

HAHAHA.  I am on the roll call for the April sailing from  Colon, Panama.  Several of the folks on that have sailed multiple times.  One is a statesider living in Panama; three are Canadian (escapees from the Great Frozen North 🥶).  Will follow that.

If we do decide to give Pullmantur a try, will certainly post info.

Have a great day!

On 1/20/2020 at 8:45 AM, joat said:

Have any of you sailed on Pullmantur?  A group of us are looking at their cruise from South America to Europe (Rome or Venice) for the spring of 2021.  We are bilingual, so the Spanish predominance is not a problem.  Just wondering about the service, food, drinks quality.  They have many short cruises in the Med.  Thought perhaps someone might have sailed with them somewhere.

Based on responses it seems no one in this group has sailed with Pullmantur.  Guess we will have to be the 'guinea pigs' for this.

18 hours ago, DrGaellon said:

 

Pullmantur is a sister line to Royal Caribbean - it's where they send their ships when they retire from the main line. They recently retired Monarch of the Seas and sent her to Pullmantur. I've never sailed with them, but do be aware that they are all older ships.

Yes, we are aware of the relationship.  A plus for Pullmantur, for us, is that the ships are the smaller passenger capacity.  Most often we sail with HAL largely because of the smaller size, and of course, the excellent service.  Pullmantur service is rated highly on CC reviews by actual passengers.

Have any of you sailed on Pullmantur?  A group of us are looking at their cruise from South America to Europe (Rome or Venice) for the spring of 2021.  We are bilingual, so the Spanish predominance is not a problem.  Just wondering about the service, food, drinks quality.  They have many short cruises in the Med.  Thought perhaps someone might have sailed with them somewhere.

We are looking at MSC as a good possibility for us to get from South America to Europe in the spring of 2021.  We have sailed on several cruise lines for lengthy periods and find it a great way to check out locales/countries to which we want to return for more time than a cruise stop permits.  Since we will be in South America and want to move onward to Europe (as spring/summer begins there), this just seems like a cost effective way to do it.  Time is not a factor for we are retired.

Anyone who has sailed a relocation cruise with MSC?  

17 Night

Transatlantic Cruise

Leaving: Santos

Cruise Line: MSC Cruises

Ship: Fantasia

We are looking at MSC as a good possibility for us to get from South America to Europe in the spring of 2021.  We have sailed on several cruise lines for lengthy periods and find it a great way to check out locales/countries to which we want to return for more time than a cruise stop permits.  Since we will be in South America and want to move onward to Europe (as spring/summer begins there), this just seems like a cost effective way to do it.  Time is not a factor for we are retired.

Anyone who has sailed a relocation cruise with MSC?  

17 Night

Transatlantic Cruise

Leaving: Santos

Cruise Line: MSC Cruises

Ship: Fantasia