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Just got off the Massdam on 12/28/15. No problems in our cabin (122) or anywhere on the ship. Crew was great & ship was in great shape. We had a great Christmas cruise (even though we had some additional sea days due to rough seas & missing 2 ports.)

Just got off the Maasdam on Monday (12/28) & we enjoyed sushi/California rolls in the lido.

Thanks all for clarifying air transfers. We booked with our original booking so we're out of luck on that one....oh well, that won't stop us from enjoying our Christmas cruise on the Maasdam!

Marge

Does anyone know if the airport transfers $ also count towards the 'spending bonus day?'

Marge

Some additional comments....

Although we prefer HAL, we have taken 3 RCI cruises & EOS was one of them. We thought the evening entertainment was quite good & enjoyed the novelty of the ice show. Of course food is quite subjective, but were very disappointed with EOS -- dining staff always got our meals orders incorrect and found the entrée offerings had limited appeal for us. We had an very nice aft balcony, (don't remember the exact room number) with an excellent room steward.

Marge

Looking forward to following your adventure!

We'll be boarding on Dec 19 as you disembark. Since we never sailed on Maasdam before, any ship info you can include in your posting would be appreciated.

Thanks for taking the time to share your journey!

Marge & Robert

If I could go back and do that night over again, I would have gone to the MDR or O'Sheehan's for a light something around 5:30 or so, and then gone to the show. The show was over around 8:00, if I recall correctly. If you do an 8:30 reservation at Cagney's, you should be fine....although, if you're like me you will want to eat before then!

 

The Garden Cafe or the Great Outdoors, both up on Deck 13 (I think....whatever the pool deck is) would also be good options to grab a bite before the show, if you like the buffet thing.

Thanks for the quick reply and suggestions. MY DH is the ultimate snacker, so he'll love the idea of a pre-show nibble!

BensonFan711

Thanks for sharing your vacation log. We don't often cruise NCL, so your info on Gem will be helpful for our Dec sailing.

You noted that your early Cagney dinner wasn't over before the Welcome Aboard Show. Do you remember what time that evening show ended? Based on your experience, how early of a reservation do you feel we could make if we left the show immediately after it was over?

Looking forward to reading about all your adventures!

Marge

kitten3008

I'm an OT who works with kids on the autism spectrum. So, the first thing that I would suggest is if your child is see by an OT, discuss the upcoming cruise with her/him. You probably also need to consider how you are going to handle the muster drill.

Concerning check-in: One suggestion that I give my parents is to consider boarding after you know you will be able to access your cabin. No matter how well you plan the check-in, the noises/decorations/people can be overwhelming sensory-wise. This would give you private space as soon as you board (if needed) & buffet food could be carried back to the room.

Also, consider having your child wear a backpack while going through the check-in process. The increased weight can be calming (kind of like a walking hug). Your OT can help you determine the ideal weight for the pack.

Hope you have a wonderful cruise.

After reading this thread, I checked on our port times (Gem, 12/27). AR/DP has been changed but looks like a bit longer day -- 9am till 6pm. Previous NCL excursion are no longer posted on website; must be renegotiating due to new port times. Not sure if this helps/hinders one's ability to enjoy the island.

We've sailed all 3 lines; using both NCL & Princess for Alaska. The big difference for us was dining; not what we ate but the seating. We had a lot of trouble using Princess' non-set dining times while NCL has that down to an art. We also preferred the evening entertainment on NCL over Princess and found the crew more friendly/helpful on NCL

Haven't cruised with NCL in a long time. Are fireworks shown on every cruise? We'll be on the Gem over the Christmas/New Years holidays. Thanks!

When we drive to FL for a cruise, we stay at Staybridge Suites in Plantation. It's about a half hour from the port, always been clean, has a very good breakfast, and offers free washers/dryers (since we are on the road for a few days, we always do a load). Typically we drive down in DEC/JAN/FEB and rooms (studios & 1 bedroom) have always run around $150-170/night.

We really enjoyed the Shrimp Gyoza an the entre, with the Seafood Ceviche for an appetizer.

Have sailed both ships and prefer Westerdam. Had similar Veendam dislikes as other posters -- difficult to find a deck chair with so many reserved, missed the aft pool & larger thermal suite. We also encountered a non-functional AC and needed a fan (which didn't help with humidity.) Staff and service were excellent on both.

I am a guarantee reservation for an inside on the Veendam, May 1. While I was told I will get the cabin a week before I wondered if that is really true. Also I wondered what were the chances of getting a better cabin than I booked? Thanks

 

Paris182

We also had an inside guarantee on Veendam (lowest price cabin). Our cabin was assigned about 5 days out but it was worth the wait -- we were upgraded to an outside! Hope you have a similar surprise.....

We've sailed Princess (1), Celebrity (1), and RCI (2); all other cruises have been on HAL (6). We found entertainment, crew friendliness & Anytime Dining much better on RCI than Princess. We try to avoid Princess (due to a terrible experience with the front desk) and Celebrity (lots of complaining passengers) & usually choose for ports/dates. Of the 4 lines, we have found RCI to have the best evening entertainment (main stage & small venues).

Since I hate to lug that thing over my shoulder, whenever possible, I try to fit it into a small roll-on bag that I just tug along as my carry on. That also gives me room to hand carry any meds & anything that I might want to access before the luggage arrives.

We were on Noordam for a Christmas cruise and had the unlimited laundry package. It was $7/day & had great service!

Enjoy -- Noordam was a wonderful ship with fantastic crew!

Our first Alaskian cruise was on the Pearl and we had a wonderful time. Since the week is so port intensive, we didn't do much more than eat/sleep on the ship & catch an occasional evening show. The freestyle cruising was great -- appreciated the flexible dinner times and not needing to pack formal wear. BTW, if you like French food, consider paying the surcharge for the Bistro.

Have a wonderful cruise!

I love the hot stones massage. As mentioned by the previous poster, it included both hand and stones in the hands. I found that the stones provided a deeper heat than you would have with a hot pack.

If you are unsure of what you want to schedule, have you considered one of the daily specials that offer a selection of two or more different mini-services? I did that one time and that's how I learned that I loved hot stones while I realized I'd rather have a facial from my local spa, after the cruise.

Enjoy your vacation!

This is the best on St Maarten. If you are a cruise passenger you can book it only through the ship. ;)

 

http://www.12metre.com/regatta.htm

Totally agree! We've done with twice with a variety of different ages in our group. Everyone had a wonderful time.

I like what HAL does with beach towels for ports. They hand each person a towel as they exit the ship. When you return, there are big bins just inside for towel collection. You can just place your dirty, wet towel in the bin instead of having to carry it upstairs.

We just got off the Noordam & at least for that ship, there was a new policy. Towels were not at the gangway but two were placed in the rooms with a note. You returned the towels to the room & they were replaced daily (if needed). If they were not returned to your room, there was a charge (not sure of the amount). Not surprised of the change -- had been told that housekeeping often sent crew members via cabs to the frequently used port beaches to pick up discarded towels.

I, too, am a scrapper. Never seen a session on any of our cruises (Zuiderdam, Eurodam, Westerdam, Veedam) & limited album options for sale. However, in the cabin's desk area, you should find some ship postcards & HAL stationary with the logo that I've used in layouts.

Have a great cruise!

Would anyone know what specific teas are included in this package?