fateknows

If you have a choice of ferry boats pick the Islamorada, which is a refurbished rum rummer owned by Al Capone back in the day. It's smaller than the regular ferry boat and not as crowded. We had a wonderful time going through the locks next to an enormous cargo ship in the next lock. You really get a better feel for the rising and lowering of the water than you would on a cruise ship. It was a wonderful excursion and worth the money.

Thank-you for the tip on the boat to chose.

Hard to believe no one answered you on this one!

 

My husband and I did this one with Celebrity:

 

Panama Canal Tour - CO26 - Colon, Panama

After a 1-hour narrated drive to Balboa, the ferry will travel through the Miraflores Locks, along Miraflores Lake, through the Pedro Miguel Locks and through the Gaylard Cut. Your canal experience concludes at the pier in Gamboa for a 1 hour bus ride back to the ship. Lunch buffet included.

 

We enjoyed this enormously, we saw some of the countryside, and also the canal. We spent quite a bit of time on the boat in the canal, but I know the whole day was not that long - the brochure says 6 hours. It was a long day, but well worth it - it's truly a marvel. Our tour guide was also excellent.

Rob&Nancy,

Thank-you for this review. I've been trying to figure out if it is worth $310/for two people. Do you know which ship you were on? The excursion lists 4 possible ones. I'm not sure if one is better than the other. Below is the quote from the Celebrity site.

I am glad that the photos helped. The balconies on the side of the hump are quite nice. We were just on the Solstice again a couple weeks ago and got to go on a cabin that is on the hump. The balcony is the same as the standard balcony. Of course, being on the hump does give a better view down, but since there are so many hump balconies, it pretty much feels like the standard balconies when you look to the sides.

 

lives-to-travel-er,

Thanks for recommending our site.

Mke and Carol,

On looking at your signature, I realize that you also have pics of the panama canal. This will be my next cruise. I hate to get off topic, but I did want to say that I appreciate your site. It is amazing.

thepreismans.com has pictures of 1231, a hump balcony and further down, another reg balcony picture. I would say the balconies are at least 40sq feet larger.

Thank-you lives-to-travel-er. That site was amazing and it really does show how large the balconys are.

I personally LOVED my C1 hump cabin #1243 - about triple the size of a standard balcony - it was HUGE!!!!!

Scott,

Thank-you so much for this information. I didn't realize that the hump balconys were that much larger. I thought the size difference was minimal. Would you happen to have a picture of the balcony?

Yes fateknows, I wrote a review after our trip on this site; you can read it here:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=42129

 

Glad you think I have an eye for detail--I guess that's what helped me to become the #1 Reviewer on Amazon.com also. ;)

btobey,

That was a very honest and informative review. It is nice to have someone tell me like it is rather than how it should be. I'm still very excited about my cruise and can't wait. I can see why you are the #1 reviewer for Amazon.

We were on Amsterdam in May. Here are the things I can confirm:

 

*Iced tea served on deck in the afternoons

*Pizza by the pool until I believe 5 p.m.

*Cookies and ice cream available in the Lido daily through the afternoon

*Tableclothes in the Lido for dinner; food includes many of the exact same menu items served in the dining room

*Freshly-squeezed orange juice available in Lido at breakfast

*Comfy beds in all cabins

*Fruit bowls in all cabins

*Other cabin ammenities: magnifying mirror, real hair dryer (plug in anywhere), robes, HAL stationary, and in the bathrooms, bar soap, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, and moisturizer, all by Elemis spa

*Wood chaise lounges on all decks

*Cloth hand towels in all bathrooms

*Ability to walk around the entire ship on the promenade

*MP3 guide to ship's artwork available to be borrowed from ship's library

*Excellent library in the Exploration Cafe as well as DVD selections and various games, including Scrabble and puzzles

btobey--Thank-you. Games, fresh OJ and a comfortable bed... I won't miss anything that I have at home. Plus, I'll get surreal blue seas and sunshine.

Do you have a review anywhere? You have a quick eye for details.

I've been reading this thread which dates back a few years so wondered which of these secrets are still going on. We will be on the Oosterdam in a VF cabin for a 7-day Alaska cruise in August. These were the "secrets" that most interested me...

 

Complementary lemonade at the pool (at a certain time in afternoon?)

Pizza available in the Lido (all afternoon and evening?)

Iced tea in the afternoon served out on deck

Dutch Pea Soup served on deck in Glacier Bay

Complementary hot chocolate with whipped cream & sprinkles

Chocolates in the Explorer's Lounge after dinner

Cookies and ice cream in the Lido every afternoon

Food at the Lido is just as good as in the dinning room. (with table cloths and candles for dinner?)

Write in Eggs Benedict or Cinnamon rolls on the breakfast room service

card and get it even though its not printed.

Freshly squeeze orange juice

Charge for bottled water but free refills in the Lido

 

Very, comfy beds in all cabins (Does that include an upper bunk for a 12 year old?)

Cut flowers and fruit bowl in the room

Magnifying mirror

Regular hairdryer that plugs in in a desk drawer on Vista ships

Real patio furniture on the verandas (not plastic)

Hand-held Showers

Bath and soap, shampoo and conditioner, a body wash or lotion of some kind, shower cap in bathroom (Are these bar soaps or dispensed from the wall?)

Complimentary canvas ‘Tote’ for port calls

Robes in all cabins (larger sizes available on request)

Personalized stationery

 

On Vista-class ships, all cabins have a fridge which can be emptied and used with no charge

 

Wood chaise lounges on the Promenade deck

One can walk completely around the ship on the Lower Promenade deck

Cloth hand towels in the public restrooms

Art tour brochure available and mp3 tour can be downloaded from HAL

website

 

Exploration cafe has a good choice of books, as well as the 'take one, leave one corner' for the paperback exchange. And a puzzle corner with jigsaw puzzles up to 4,000 pieces.

 

Also someone wrote:

On a tour of the kitchen we were told that if we would like any recipes, for anything on board just write it down and give it to your waiter who will direct it to the chef- the recipes will arrive ASAP

 

And to get to the bow there were two comments for the Oosterdam. Which is correct? And if it is the second... should we be ignoring a "Crew only" sign??

1. The "secret access" on the Oosterdam is via a hallway by the fitness center

2. On Vista ships you have to go forward on the Upper Promenade deck, through "Crew only" doors and the crew lounge, to access the forward bow. It's opened to passengers on Alaska cruises and Panama Canal transits (at least).

 

Any comments and updates appreciated.

 

Thanks, Eremita

Thank-you Eremita. You went through over two years of posts to compile this for us. I appreciate it.

I've heard of some people complaining about recent cost saving measures. Based on this list, can some recent cruisers tell us what (if anything) has been cut? Perhaps new perks have been added?

The one thing that I can help with--You can still download an art tour for your ship from the Holland America website at http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-onboard/Enrichment.action The website is a bit odd. It will bring up the postcast for last ship that you hovered over, rather than the one that is currently selected. If you find this happening, select a different tab and try again.