Vicki'sMom

10 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

You will be coming off while we're coming on. Have a great voyage. We are looking forward to this trip. It will be 3rd time lucky we hope, we planned this trip twice just to be canceled by world events. 

So close!  Third time will be the charm for you - fingers crossed world events will not interfere!  👍

Happy cruising! 😊

8 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Which dates are you travelling? We are in a signature suite on Westerdam in March of 2025, maybe we're on the same cruise,

 

March 2, 2025 - Sydney to Auckland.  Are we??!  

8 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Congrats on the booking; we quite enjoyed the Sign Suite deck 6 on Eurodam. Hope to see pictures and read your feedback in a year+.

Condolences on the loss of your husband - I hope you find peace  during your cruise. You will have a lovely balcony for reflection and rejuvenation. 🙏

Thank you!  I am looking forward to relaxing, reflecting, and rejuvenating.  ❤️‍🩹

17 hours ago, Petronillus said:

My understanding is that HAL has deliberately configured the layout of its ships to provide a looser "pack" than the other cruise lines. As a result, it's easy to find relatively quiet nooks for reading and/or daydreaming. I think it contributes to a mellower atmosphere.

 

Condolences on the loss of your husband. My he rest in peace.

 

DW and I have had many pleasant mealtimes in the Lido Market sharing a table for four with another couple. If you ask, "May I join you?" you can gauge from the reaction how receptive your would-be tablemates are. Almost invariably we are welcomed, and when we are already occupying a table for four, awe are always welcoming to others who come to join us. Sometimes you end up sharing cabin numbers and make arrangements to dine together in the MDR. And you can always present yourself to the MDR maitre d' and tell her/him that you would be happy to join with others in forming a table.

Thank you for your kind words and the great information!  

13 hours ago, crystalspin said:

The host/hostess will give you such a smile when you tell them "shared table" or "wherever is easiest for you". 

My husband and I had so many fun experiences requesting "shared table" in the main dining room on NCL Gem.  I was hoping Covid didn't ruin that!  

I just booked the cruise - it's not until March 2025, but that will give me plenty of time to prepare!

I did book a Signature Suite on Deck 6,  😊

REOVA and OlsSalt:  Thank you both for your detailed information.  It's really helpful!  I'm thinking of booking the Sydney to Auckland 14-day (my son & daughter-in-law live in Wellington NZ) so the ship's entertainment, having a suite with lots of amenities, etc isn't as important to me for this cruise.  I love the itinerary!  I haven't been to AU/NZ since 2017 (2020 was canceled) and I'm anxious to get back!

Thanks again!  🥰

12 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

We sailed on the Westerdam from Seattle to Japan two months ago (October 2023).

 

The ship was in great shape, very clean, fantastic crew, engaged & visible captain....did not experience any engine noise.

 

 

That's encouraging!  👍  The reviews I read were far from "glowing" and that concerned me.  I know I shouldn't put much faith in reviews as those who are unhappy will post more often than those who loved something!  

14 hours ago, REOVA said:

What do you like about the other cruise lines? Then we can answer better about Westerdam. 

That's a good question!  On Norwegian, Celebrity and MSC (which I forgot to mention in my original post!), I love their "private" area (Haven, Retreat, Yacht Club).  I get overwhelmed in crowds so I've found these areas to be perfect and relaxing for me, although pricey.  I think Westerdam being a smaller ship (under 2,000 passengers I believe), I would be okay!  I have never cruised "solo", but since losing my husband a year ago, this is becoming my reality.  

I'm not sure how dining would work, but I have no problem sharing a table - in fact, I prefer that to eating alone.  Do they assign dining times?  I am used to dining on my own time schedule. 

Thank you for any information!  😊

14 hours ago, Mary229 said:

If you choose an inside cabin you may want to get opinions on this forum.  They range from minuscule to a decent sized cabin. 

I would definitely book a Veranda.  

I have cruised many times on NCL, Celebrity and Disney; never cruised HAL.  I am considering booking a 14-day Westerdam (solo).  This would be my first solo cruise.

Can any of you experienced HAL cruisers offer any advice?  TIA!  

17 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

Do you mean the Riu Plaza London Victoria? It's next to Victoria station, so it's easily walkable to the sights at that end of town, eg Buckingham Palace (½ mile) and Westminster Abbey/Parliament (1 mile).

 

 

I think that's the hotel that's basically part of Paddington station, but Paddington isn't really central London.

Yes!  I believe that is the Riu hotel I have considered booking.  Sounds like a good location, correct?

I don't think my daughter and son-in-law are too concerned with their hotel's location needing to be "central", but for my stay - I would like to be central!  

😊

I am looking at Hotel RUI Plaza which states they are a new hotel "in the heart of London".

Does anyone have any information (good or not-so-good!) they can share about the hotel and it's actual location? 

My daughter is also considering Hilton Paddington since her husband has Hilton points!  Any info you can share on that hotel ad area?

Thanks in advance!  

The last time my husband and I had a port stop in Portland (love the city!) was in 2018 and we did a Foodies Walking Tour that was so much fun!  He just recently passed away very suddenly. 

This September I am taking our (adult) daughter on the same itinerary/same NCL ship we were on. 

First port of call is Portland and NCL shows zero excursions for that port!  😧 I am looking for either a private foodie-type tour (9/7/2023) or advice on how we can do it ourselves!  (I don't remember any of the places our 2018 tour took us, but it was great!)

We are scheduled on the 2/19/22 Seashore.   We booked for the itinerary and now it's very different.  That, plus we booked a Grand Suite in the YC and now we've lost that stateroom.  Since our final payment is due Nov 22, I'm not willing to wait and see where they reassign us.  

This booking has had issues since the first day we booked it and it's just stressed me to the point where we're going to cancel.  We had 2 great cruises on Seaside and Meraviglia and that's going to be it for us!   Back to NCL and Celebrity!  

14 hours ago, Shadow9612 said:

I have been told by X that you can move it more than once, incurring the $100pp admin fee each time.  (However, I do not have first hand experience doing so).

Thanks!  That works for us!  

Thank you to all who took the time to reply!  I appreciate it!  🥰

Thanks, wrk2cruise!  

Cruise with Confidence definitely wouldn't apply here.  We're looking at a late 2023 cruise, which is where the uncertainty of "will something come up where we can't cruise then?" is a definite concern for us.  I wouldn't mind parting with $100 admin fee and I'm sure we'd be able to book something within that 1 year so I'm inclined to go with the non-refundable.  

I'm sure this info is here somewhere, but I haven't found it yet!

If we book a cruise and choose the "non-refundable deposit" option which would save us approx $900, can that deposit be applied to another cruise should something come up where we just can't make the initial cruise or is our deposit gone for good?

TIA!  

I really appreciate all the responses - thank you!  I was driving myself crazy trying to find the location of anything Retreat-related on Solstice's deck plans.  Then, when you click on "The Retreat", it's the same information for all ships.  I knew Solstice was being retro-fitted so it will not be ideal, like the Haven or Yacht Club. 

Several hours ago, we got an email from Celebrity showing OBC credit we had used to book an excursion.  I logged in to find they had moved us to a September 2022 AK cruise, with a similar itinerary EXCEPT it's now a Seattle roundtrip, where the 2021 cruise was a Seattle to Vancouver.  I'm not sure how I feel about this change since the next week in 2022 there is a Seattle to Vancouver cruise.  We have the same booking number, same Sky Suite.  I can't see cost however since we used a TA.  I'll try to reach her Monday or Tuesday.  

To anyone who has cruised Solstice in the Retreat, would you please share your opinion?

We are looking at an Alaska 2022 cruise (have a 2021 booked currently which is "on hold"; that was after our AU/NZ April 2020 Solstice cruise was canceled!)  We last took an Alaska cruise in 2010.  

We have never cruised Celebrity (we're NCL Platinum and MSC Diamond) and since we love The Haven and The Yacht Club, we are very interested in The Retreat!  We would book a Sky Suite, on Deck 12.  

Appreciate any insight you can provide.  Thanks!

I hate this "new" update!  For weeks I was having issues with the app on my iPhone and iPad, but at least the forum was fine on my desktop.  I don't know if CC's intention was to make things better and easier, but for me it's just the opposite!!  😞

Did you see my post #16?

Just did! Thanks so much for the info!

Also, thank you 1AL for your info!

It's a simple one minute process to transfer. Doesn't matter who it is going to, as long as a Latitude member with a number.

I'm sorry I wasn't more clear. How would you suggest I go about finding someone who might be interested in the Certificates? Is there a forum that I could post in? Any advice on where I might find interested cruisers? I don't know where to start!

Thanks!

What are the "rules" for selling CruiseNext certificates to strangers? There is no one we know who wants or needs them and we have 2 of the $250 ones we won't be able to use. They expire in October 2019. Any advice? I'm not sure how to get the word out!

Thanks!

https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/5774327/329-mo-2017-003-final.pdf

 

 

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Thank you for posting this! We were on the Star when this failure occurred. Had no idea how far we had drifted! Thank God the seas and the weather cooperated that day!

I think every one of us on the ship wanted to give those tug boat operators big hugs! They really did an amazing job getting her back to Melbourne! :hearteyes::hearteyes::hearteyes:

Thank you for your review! (and also to the person that did a quick review of their YC experience) I booked a solo Deluxe Suite in the YC for November 2019. (a bunch of other solos grabbed it too) I am so excited to see this beautiful ship. I'm reading every review. I'm much like the OP, I can have a good time no matter what and go with the flow.

 

Question - if you know: I don't like fancy coffees, I like good ol' brewed coffee. (granted I like GOOD brewed coffee...) Americano coffee is nothing but espresso diluted with water. Was there any real brewed American coffee onboard? I thought I saw mention of it on one of the lounge menus.

We were on the 4/28-5/5 Seaside. In the Yacht Club dining room it took us almost the entire week, but we finally got it figured out! If you ask for Americano you will get the strong, frothy coffee from the machine. Ask for "thermos coffee" (what the servers come around with in the stainless steel decanters) and you should get the "brewed" coffee!! ;) The coffee in the buffet is okay -- that's where I would go around 6am when I needed that first cup of brewed coffee each day!!

Great review! Thank you! We'll be boarding Seaside in 3 weeks! We have a YC balcony on deck 18.

I am a bit dismayed to hear there is no walking/running track, but I appreciate knowing so I'm prepared! I'll have to figure something out to get my steps in -- if anyone has any suggestions! ;)

I am not an elevator person; I prefer using stairs and definitely will on Seaside! I think being able to override elevators is a terrible idea. :( Either have dedicated elevators for YC or we should tough it out with everyone else on the ship.