Modern_Viking

Correct' date=' because there is no formal/semi-formal night on the 3 or 4 night cruises. Sorry, I'm not sure what happens on the occasional 5 or 6 night cruise that sometimes gets worked into the schedule....but definitely no reception on 3 or 4 nights.[/quote']

 

OK, thanks. :)

 

I have sailed one 5 night cruise on the Wonder, and there wasn't such a reception. But there was one during each of my two cruises on the Magic (one 7 nights and one 8 nights).

 

I was wondering if that was the norm.

Do I remember correctly that these complimentary drink receptions are only held on cruises of 7 nights or longer?

I've only sailed on Celebrity once, vs. nine times on Holland America (so yes, I have a preference between the two).

Neither line is perfect. I wish HAL had more free, entertainment options during the day and evening, and wish they weren't cutting back on food quality. But, for the price, they are still good.

Celebrity to me was inconsistent, above all. In many ways it was similar, yet was different enough for me not to go back.

One major difference is style, which isn't good or bad, but to your preference. One person once told me Celebrity is glass and chrome, while HAL is oak and brass. That is a metaphor, but seems to fit.

Celebrity ships tend to have large brightly lit public rooms with large windows, and muted color tones. HAL public rooms might be slightly more numerous, but they tend to be smaller, moderately lit, and have darker, more varied, or perhaps more colorful pallets in terms of decorations. Although, the newest HAL ships (Eurodam and Niew Amsterdam are more modern, and thus less colorful in their decor. It appears that Koningsdam is likely to follow along in that regard; the main dining room looks very "white" to me, for example, although the glass chandeliers do add some needed color, at least for my taste.)

I usually find the HAL crews to be friendly and informal. I found many of the Celebrity crew (especially in the bars) to be less helpful and less friendly (although the dining room waiters I had were very good).

With Celebrity there seemed to be more upselling, including eating more specialty dinners. I prefer the set table, set server format, so these were not a bonus for me. Celebrity also provided beach towels in the cabin with a note that there would be a charge for any towel not left in the cabin at the end of the trip. HAL is (usually) much friendlier about loaning out towels at the pools and at the pier without threatening to charge people for losing or stealing towels.

I find HAL cabins, on average, seem to have slightly more spacious bathrooms and more closet space. Many HAL ships also have a nicer library and movie theater than what I found on Celebrity.

As for food, I found the Celebrity room service inconsistent, Lido buffet food nearly inedible, dining room inconsistent (salads and main courses were good, but lacked variety, while other starters and desserts were poor). More than once I was served ice cream that been allowed to soften or melt then refreeze; that just ruins it and shows a lack of attention to the basics. There were two pool side stations for food "made to order." One was the lunch time grill with burgers and such; they were barely passable, but better than the buffet. The other had omelets and waffles for breakfast and then pastas and possibly stir fry for lunch. This was very good, but the lines were crazy long because the food took extra time to prepare and was actually good.

On Celebrity, I enjoyed half of the evening shows in the main theater. Sometimes HAL does better than that, but often lately, they have done worse than that.

The lifeboat drill on Celebrity felt longer and more tedious than on HAL, but maybe they have improved over the past 6-7 years.

In all, HAL just has been more welcoming and more my style. Other things on HAL also just seemed to run smoother or better: tendering, using the internet stations, getting a daily newspaper, disembarking. None of these things were terrible on Celebrity; they just weren't as good.

There have been some itineraries advertised on Celebrity that HAL doesn't offer, so I have been a bit tempted to try them again, but not enough to actually book Celebrity again.

I don't know if it's changed, but you couldn't prepay tips on HAL when we went

Actually, it has been possible for some time to effectively prepay the tips on HAL. The method just isn't well advertised.

Basically, you go to the same part of the HAL web site for booking shore excursions, specialty dining, in-cabin alcohol, etc. and choose "Indulgences."

From there, choose "Shipboard Credit" and select an amount (or a combination of multiple amounts) that will cover the on-board tips.

For each cabin, the collection of charges for tips, bars, specialty restaurants, shops, etc. all go to the same place, and thus any Shipboard Credit pre-purchased will be credited against any or all of those things.

My personal favorite spot on the Wonder (well, the Magic, also) is on deck 10 port side. You can either be on the inside rail to watch the show beforehand, or just come up toward the end of the show and stand toward the outer rail.

I actually tried that once on the Magic and it worked well for me as well. The fireworks are high enough that they are above the heads of the people on the starboard side, so viewing from port side works.

I later tried that on the Wonder, but many people had figured this out, and the area was quite crowded. Oh well, you win some and lose some. ;)

As of this past spring (April 2014), I believe Diversions was the most reliable source of late night food for snacking (in terms of quantity and length of time the food was out). The buffet was the same each night and had a sort of sports bar theme: chicken wings, carrot and celery sticks, nachos, and hot dogs.

The next best was the Promenade Lounge that often had snacks after dinner (say 10pm) until maybe 11:30 or so. This might be fruit, nachos, cheese, mini desserts, etc.

Things might or might not have changed since then.

I did not try ordering caviar in the Cadillac Lounge. But in December of 2012 I tried that in the equivalent space on the Disney Magic and the staff said that had been discontinued since not enough people were buying it to make it worth while.

I'm sorry, but I haven't had any experiences with the TTY phones, so no info there. As for the typical wave phones, they are like the original cell phones with just 10 keys for typing, so an "A" is 2, a "B" is 22, a "C" is 222, etc. It works, but isn't the fastest means of typing.

The m/s Amsterdam is on a 78 Day Grand Pacific & Far East Voyage from Seattle to San Diego (with stops in Asia, Australia, and the South Pacific).

The cruise appears to have started September 21 and is ending December 8.

I sailed on the Wonder at the end of April 2014, and in general thought she was in good shape. Two things were not ideal: the Cadillac Lounge had a very smokey smell (it was originally a smoking lounge and evidently hasn't been fully cleaned/redone since the smoking rules were tightened) and my cabin mattress needed to be replaced (it was very firm and nothing like a "pillow-top").

I actually like the original decor more than the modern/re-imagined decor on the other Disney ships, although that is 100% a personal preference.

Lots of exterior painting was going on to keep the hull looking great.

Not to say everything was in perfect shape, but the ship looked well cared for and far from shabby at the time (6.5 months ago).

We are also boarding on Sunday and received this notification this morning.

 

As there are two other ships in town that day, I'm assuming it's customs/immigration staffing. Since they are arriving back in the US after the season in Europe, there'll also be all the inspections that will have to be conducted.

 

I've been following a thread on the current voyage and have seen no mention of issues with the ship, so hope that is indeed the case. :)

 

I think on turn around days usually just all passengers must pass through immigration inspection. However, sporatically all crew members must also appear in front of US for immigration inspection to ensure they have the correct work visas and such. It could be that HAL knows there will be that extra work going on and that will delay activities (like moving luggage, loading stores, etc.). After a trans-Atlantic, they will need to load a full set of stores (food, office supplies, alcohol, etc.). I believe many HAL ships (especially the S class, R class, and Prinsendam) have large enough storage areas to hold at least two weeks of food and supplies.

And while I don't think safety inspections are announced in advance, after a season in Europe there is always a risk that the Coast Guard or CDC will perform a routine (periodic) inspection. I see the last 4 fall CDC inspections of the Ryndam were on 10/10, 12/4, 12/2, and 11/22 (all inspections passed), so it is roughly in that time window.

All these things are normal and typical; not a sign of anything wrong. Of course, I am just taking educated guesses here. I don't know for sure what is planned.

I see that your cruise is to/from the Houston Bayport facility at 4700 Cruise Rd Pasadena-Seabrook, TX and not from Galveston. As such, you are 25-30 minutes closer to IAH airport than cruisers arriving back into Galveston.

Google maps is estimating a 47 minute drive for you.

There is a risk of fog and a risk of slow customs and risk of heavy traffic. (Everything has some risks.) Still, it seems like a 12:40 flight might be just fine.

Some suggestions (although your might find different favorites):

- The Disney stage shows, especially "Aladdin" if you haven't seen the version at Disneyland Resort (in the Disney's California Adventure" park.

- The mid-ship detective agency scavenger hunt, play at your own pace, electronic game. Especially if you are a fan of the Muppets, I believe the Muppet themed hunts are only on the Disney Fantasy and not the other DCL ships.

- The "How well do you know your family" game show. It is a lot like the marriage game (or Newlywed Game) but cleaned up enough for family entertainment. In this version, a parent and their "junior cruiser," aged 5-13, I think, try to match answers about each other. Part of the idea is that the kids are often painfully honest. ;)

- People watching in the lobby during character meet and greets can be fun. (Or you can join in, of course.)

- Most of all, explore the ship, look around at the various rooms, try some new activities and see what you find. And if you don't try them all on this cruise, maybe that will be a good excuse to come back again for another vacation in the future. ;)

And we are looking at magic or Fantasy, Magic seems to have a better iterinary, but is it worth it to go on a newer ship

The Fantasy has a couple extra entertainment features compared with the Magic.

The Magic was recently (a year ago) redecorated inside so has a fairly modern design, in some ways closer to the Fantasy than the Wonder (sister to the Magic).

Both ships have their own different restaurant and adult lounge designs. They each have somewhat different main theater shows as well.

Some say the larger ships feel more crowded and perhaps noisy at the pools and in the restaurants.

Really, it is up to you. (I know I'm not helping.) Some prefer the bigger ships, while some prefer the smaller ones. Some at happy on any ship.

If you like the itinerary on the Magic better, that sounds like a reasonable way to make a decision.

I went on the excursion once. Most of the time on the water involved medium to high speed travel. We were not required to stay "lined up" but did need to stay somewhat clustered. Being in a strait line probably would have meant being in the wake of the people in front of you. Being spread out allowed for getting some calmer water.

We did slow or stop in a few places. There wasn't might sight seeing in my mind, but was fun.

Be aware that some of the excursion time is spent getting life jackets, having a safety briefing, then returning the wave runners and vests at the end.

Well, we have done it! Yes it's a long flight, but my daughter was great on a shorter flight earlier this year and the lure of Mickey and Princesses should be enough to keep her going. The Disney European cruises only really operate on "warm" routes for August, which is prime holiday season in Europe, so this works well for us, especially as means we can get a few days in Miami too. Can't wait to get on that ship now :)

Enjoy your trip! And for now, enjoy the anticipation of fun times ahead! :D

Copper,

I don't suppose you could tell me the senior officers for the upcoming ms Amsterdam Holiday cruise, December 22, 2014 - January 5, 2015.

Thanks!

Considering a fairly impulsive booking to go on a five night Disney cruise out of Miami in October (with a couple of nights in Miami too).

 

We would be flying from the UK with our three year old; do people think we would be mad to do all this for a Disney cruise or is it worth the effort?

 

We have cruised RCCL, Princess and Silversea in the past but our daughter is Disney Mad!

Have you flown across the pond for just a one week visit before? Has your daughter been on such a long flight (or trip in a car or train) before? Those are the things I would be most worried about.

I take it the price (or timing) of Disney cruises in Europe aren't as favorable as this trip appears to be, and that is why you are considering the extra travel distance?

BTW, I am not sure if the port of Miami is much different or worse than Port Canaveral or Port Everglades (near Ft. Lauderdale). That said, going through customs in the Miami airport may be far worse than Orlando or Ft. Lauderdale airports. But I can't say that for sure.

A few thoughts to help you make up your mind:

Since the Prinsendam is the smallest of the Dam ships, she often stops in smaller ports that the other ships just don't visit. On the itinerary you listed, some are standard ports, but many are just not visited by other HAL ships. If you really want to go to different places, this could be your chance.

Sometimes you can avoid tendering, but often you cannot. Some of the ports are small, even for the Prinsendam, so you will have to tender. That being said, I tend to find that as a ship gets smaller, the sooner the "open tendering" service can begin. In other words, tendering is easier and more efficient on smaller ships than on larger ones. Thus, another advantage for the Prinsendam over other Dam ships.

Prinsendam is currently the only HAL ship not built for HAL, thus she has a somewhat different personality. Some of her decor is more Scandinavian and in lighter shades than what is found on other HAL ships. She also doesn't have a 2 story dining room. That being said, she still has basically the same public rooms as the other HAL ships, just not always in the same place. The food is similar to other HAL ships, the bar menu is basically the same. The shops and casino are smaller and easier to avoid, but there are fewer people to visit them. The main showroom has a smaller stage and smaller casts for the production shows as well.

The inside cabins on Prinsendam are much smaller than most that are found on the S-class and R-class ships. The beds in them also do not combine to form a king or queen. I see one person mentioned at least one large inside, but I suspect that might be an "Accessible" room. The outsides on Dolphin and Main deck can be nice. The cabins on the Promenade deck were retrofitted to the ship within the past few years. Despite being newer, many people seem to have posted complaints about noise and vibrations.

Again, Prinsendam is an older ship, so she will show some wear and tare, the engines and propellers vibrate more than on many newer ships, her air conditioning does not always work as well as desired. She was designed for long duration, ocean voyages, however, so cabins have good storage space and the hull seems to handle rough seas well.

But, she is easy to navigate (less walking), goes places other HAL ships don't go, carries fewer people so getting on and off is easier. You will probably see the same people more often compared with sailing on a large ship (where you might see many more new people each day).

Deciding if the extra cost is worth it is a personal choice. Do you want the less-traveled ports and to have fewer people along for the ride with you? The personality of the passengers on-board also tends to be a bit different. There will be more experienced cruisers who like longer voyages and like to socialize quietly vs. being in a nightclub or piano bar. Of course, one finds many of the same people on other HAL ships, but the Prinsendam probably attracts more of the type. Also, there is no designated youth/kids area on the Prinsendam, but in past holiday cruises, I have seen her "Stuyvesant Room" on Dolphin deck partially reserved for that purpose (and at other times on those trips used for religious services).

Personally, I have sailed the Prinsendam, Maasdam, Amsterdam, Oosterdam, and 5 other non-HAL ships. Each has their advantages and disadvantages. I think itinerary options is one place the Prinsendam shines.

A standard rum and coke on HAL is about $6 (unless prices have gone up recently) for Bacardi, Capt. Morgan, Malibu, etc. There are usually printed menus with prices in all the bars.

HAL, unlike Disney, does not have any free, self-serve soda fountains or free sodas in restaurants. A can is usually $2, and should be included in your drink package.

Room service and mini-bar drinks not included in the package as previously mentioned.

As for boarding, HAL starts around 11:30 am. You should be at the terminal at least (my advice) 90 minutes before the posted sailing time, although 2 hours early would be safer. So, that would mean arriving no later than about 2:00 or 2:30 for a 4:00 pm sailing.

Note that for ports of call, HAL advertises the time that the ship leaves, thus you must arrive at least 30 minutes before that time. (For Disney, I believe they list the all-aboard time in their schedules and then the ship leaves 30-60 minutes later.

HAL has a better, longer room service menu than Disney (in my opinion), especially for breakfast. I also find the HAL lido buffet to be better run than the Disney buffets at breakfast and sometimes lunch. Sadly, I think HAL dining room breakfast and lunch service is not as good as on Disney. Dinners are more similar food wise between the two; I'm not sure which is better. Dining room decor is definitely different between HAL and Disney, but I like both.

I think the HAL ice cream station in the Lido is better than the Disney soft-serve station. HAL has more flavor choices and far more toppings, but is not self-serve.

Most HAL ships have a retractable roof over the mid-ship pool, which is a nice addition compared with Disney. I think only two HAL ships have a movie screen by a pool (Veendam and Rotterdam), and you aren't on those ships.

The Eurodam was built by the same shipyard as the Disney Magic and Wonder, so you may notice a few similarities in general layout and features. The Eurodam is slightly larger, I think.

If you want to "pre-pay" your gratuities, I would suggest that you could do that by buying yourself an on-board credit (OBC) in advance of about $85 per person. The tips are normally charged to your on-board account like bar, spa, shore excursions purchased on the ship (but not those purchased in advance) and gift-shop purchases. The OBC should cover the tips with possibly a little left over for other costs. HAL has done away with the tip envelopes and tip tickets that DCL has passengers give to the crew. On HAL, the tips (paid on a per person basis) are pooled and split between dining room servers, Lido servers, cabin stewards, other housekeeping persons (including, I believe, the laundry), and also possibly some of the cooks. Bar tips are split between those crew members. Spa/salon tips are kept in that department.

I enjoy HAL and DCL for different reasons. I hope you enjoy both. (I have not sailed on Carnival.)

I understand paper money (dollars or euros) can be preferred since exchange banks don't usually take coins. Just something to think about. I have had those same experiences with banks; they want paper and not coins.

Coins can be spent, of course, if the crew go ashore. I'd imagine the ship's purser would also let crew deposit US coins into their on-board bank accounts. I'm not sure of euro coins.

In general, I'm sure the crew appreciate getting some extra cash, whatever the form.

HAL hasn't even released all their itineraries for 2015 yet. Perhaps they will make a bigger announcement for the new-build ship at the same time as when the 2016 itineraries are released.

In terms of tips, per the HAL web site: The daily Hotel Service Charge for suites is US$12.00 per guest per day, and US$11.50 per guest per day for other staterooms. (The charges are subject to change without notice)

It would seem an 8 year old is charged the same as an adult. These tips are added to your ship account and if you left a credit card number at check-in, will be charged to your account in a lump sum then. In the past, I have found charges were recorded on my credit card statement as having been made in Seattle, WA USA for all cruises, whether or not they took place in Europe or the USA.

All bar, mini-bar, and extra cost coffee beverages also have a 15% tip added to the cost.

Tap water is proved for free around the ship including in the Lido restaurant area, near the pools, in the main restaurant, etc. For carrying around, I suggest bringing small water bottles to refill. (Although, in your cabins glassware will be provided and it is perfectly normal to pour yourself a glass of water from the bathroom sink.) Small buckets of ice are delivered to cabins twice each day during the regular cleaning services.

As previously mentioned, there is a menu for children in the main dining room. Your sons might also enjoy ordering items off the always available menu, if they are hungry and want something plain compared with the main menu. Items include a plain 8 oz sirloin steak, a plain grilled chicken breast, usually a salmon dish, choice of rice, baked potato, mashed potato, broccoli and carrots, Caesar salad, etc. I expect they could also get a plate of pasta with tomato, meat, or cream sauce (or no sauce).

I'm not sure this is still done, but on some HAL ships between 5pm and 6pm I have seen the taco bar by the inclosed, mid-ship pool turned into a buffet for young cruisers. I have seen hotdogs, chicken fingers (seemingly fresh, not processed), tacos, pizza (not great, but some like it), etc. available.

At breakfast and lunch, the room service and Lido buffets seem to have good choices for younger passengers. The lunch buffet includes made to order sandwiches, a salad bar, pasta, roast chicken (although sadly often overcooked and dry), etc.

HAL restricts the act of bringing alcohol on-board their ships. I have never had or seen a problem with bringing non-alcoholic beverages on-board. Just note, no electric kettles are allowed in cabins. Room service will bring you hot coffee or tea for no extra charge. Also, on the S-class and R-class ships (including Ryndam), mono-refrigerators are only provided in verandah cabins and suites.

If you ask the Front Office (i.e. front desk or guest services) for some US cash to be billed to your ship account, there will be a 3% service fee added. I suspect they will be able to change a small number of British pounds to dollars; the rate won't be great, but there shouldn't be a service charge.

The only limitations I have heard of recently in the main dining rooms is in Animator's Palate at night during the new show where passengers draw figures to contribute to the show. I believe this is now on 3 ships, but not the Wonder. That night, the dinner menu is quite limited in choices and courses, because the food service needs to be timed to the show and diners need time to draw.

I have not been on a cruise with the new show, so I have no first hand experience.

I can supply some answers:

As far as I know, all HAL ship cabin doors read the magnetic strip on your ship ID card in order to unlock.

In the hallway, if you see even cabin numbers, you are in the port side hall, odd cabin numbers are on the starboard side. (HAL does not use the Disney rule of even = outside cabin and odd = inside cabin.)

I'm not aware of carpet patterns pointing towards the bow. Again, smaller cabin numbers forward, and larger numbers aft.

I'm not sure what materials the cabin doors are made out of.

If you would like a summary of your on-boards charges, you may go to the "front office," which is open 24/7 and request a print-out which will be done and given to you on the spot.

Starting a few days before, you can see the ship arrival and departure schedule here?

https://pevweb01.broward.org/Public/PublicMovements.aspx

Or, a while back when those predecessors with the same names were first christened, they should have named them Westdam and Zuidam.;) (Oosterdam has no predecessors)

I have heard that the current Oosterdam is the first to sail with that name, but I heard that there was an Oosterdyke in the HAL fleet many years ago. Although, she was a cargo only freighter.