Cruise Junky

We’re booked on the 36 day version and really thought about the 50. First…the HAL New Zealand portion is a very very good itinerary but we felt we wanted to mix things up a bit instead of 50 days on the same ship.  We ended up booking Discovery Princess 8 days Auckland to Sydney, then the 12 day Southern Australia cruise, same cabin, same ship. That puts us into Sydney three days before Noordam sails on the 36 Day TransPacific.    We thought that would mix things up a bit, give us a few days in Auckland, a few days in Sydney and two different ships.  

Thanks everyone. I was able to get 15 + 5 for H20 Catalunya for our dates in November. 

You only ate in the MDR once on a 12 day cruise?  Am I reading that right?  So you’re actually reviewing the buffet?  

My November cruise dropped almost $500 this weekend so there’s some kind of ok sale going on.  I thought the price previously was a decent deal.  

I love solstice, she’s my favourite ship…but Alaska ..go with Glacier Bay for your first time.  

Can you move a non refundable deposit more than once?

28 minutes ago, colbe said:

And this one on a sister ship.

https://halfacts.com/vista-class/4181-Oosterdam/

That was the picture I found showing how open it is.  I think I’ll stick to 7. Thank you.  

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

depends where you have already been. Easy to join Norwegian Fjords and the Baltic States or Baltic States and Canary Islands or all three. Also from Ravenna Italy Split Dubrovnik etc round to Rome then the Greek Islands. Also options that include Iceland. 

We used to like HAL when it had the smaller ships but the new bigger ones left us cold.

The problem with stringing together a bunch of B2B’s is the travel time to and from embarkation ports. If you did that in the Caribbean you’d spend far too many days going to and from Ft Lauderdale rather than exploring ports.  Same with the Med. You hit the bigger embarkation ports but less time for the lesser explored.   

1 hour ago, alwaysfrantic said:

The 4th deck is MUCH deeper

Thank you. I found one picture it looks like very little coverage though and really open. Hubby likes shade.  

Hi. I’m currently on deck 7. Does anyone know the size difference between that and deck 4?  Any advantage, disadvantage?  Thank you.  VB not corner suites. 

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

X has lots of longer cruises just not from Florida. See Europe, Far East, Japan and the Pacific etc.

Having to join cruises together also has some advantages especially if you are Elite and above as the benefits start again on each sector. Also the Shareholder OBC can be higher.

I was being facetious after being bombarded with daily mail about their 4/5 day cruises.  I am a big Celebrity Fan but their itineraries aren’t that interesting anymore. Hard to string 2 together in Europe that offer anything new. No more lengthy Carribean.  So as much as I prefer X as a cruiseline, HAL has far better itineraries 

HAL has some very good lengthy itineraries. Celebrity would have to string together more than four days in the Caribbean to compete 🤷🏻‍♀️   

1 hour ago, Bimmer09 said:

 

 

Where do your 36 days begin and on which ship? I've enjoyed reading your reviews.

 

Norris

 

Transpacific. Sydney to Seattle. Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands, Tahiti and Hawaii. Noordam. The cruise in question is the seven days after ours.  
 

we all have different wants in a vacation and if these ports float your boat then go for it. I was asked a question and I honestly answered.   

9 minutes ago, JeLy_Beanz said:

Is this not a good itinerary? Or maybe the excitement is just because it hasn't been done in decades? I'm contemplating booking it, but not sure it would be worth it. Besides the ports, would the views be worth it? 

I don’t want to throw a wet towel on anyone’s excitement as I don’t know what HAL is planning in the way of excursions but we are on the 36 day transpacific previous to the April 2026 sailing.  Let’s put it this way…you’d have to pay me to stay on for the next seven days.  

November I’m seeing 25% off drinks. Not enough to make me book.  

54 minutes ago, sun bum said:

If you would wear jeans to a 5 star restaurant at home, by all means ,wear them. Personally I would not. to each their own

Before I lmao I just want to confirm you’re comparing mass cruise ship dining to a 5 star restaurant?  
 

how did this tread get past post 2?   Jeans are clearly defined in the dress code online.  

50 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

This cruise has 3 foreign ports!  Ketchikan is the only US port outside of Seattle but a destination none the less!

Obviously. But not my question. The poster said Ketchikan was a requirement as a foreign port. So yes, your statement is correct but I have no idea what it has to do with what I posted.  

12 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

Thanks for the good wishes! 

I imagine Ketchikan is a requirement (foreign port) but although we have been there 3 times prior we are happy to visit again. It's a picturesque little town and I'm always armed to the teeth with cameras.

I saw some bears on one of our visits there...we visited the rainforest and I had my camcorder with me. I took 3 videos with bears.

I can never remember- did the guide say we should "keep quiet and don't move" or was it "run at them while shouting!" I guess I'll find out April 2026.

Haven't been in Ketchikan since 2016. We were on the Star Princess.

 

Doesn’t the cruise leave from Seattle?  How is Ketchikan the foreign port? 

This might be the first time ever I’ve seen someone excited about Prince Rupert and Nanaimo 😂😂

Yes, we just ran into that when booking for March, 2026.  Their loss, we decided to do the first leg as a land trip 🤷🏻‍♀️  Stupid games.   If looking at the B2B for 50 days only less desirable cabins were available 

Has anyone had any issue moving a NRD more than once?  I’ve moved mine once already and now have found a better itinerary on another line. Thanks. 

1 hour ago, Oceangoer2 said:

I've looked at Emerald but I thought they were small ship European river cruises?  Do they sail in the Caribbean or have larger ships?

They’re owned by Scenic Cruises.  They have multiple routes. 

On 2/27/2024 at 2:48 AM, david63 said:

They are pre-authorisations for any onboard spend that you have incurred that day once any OBC has been used. At the end of the cruise/sector the balance outstanding will be collected from your credit card and the pre-authorisations released. Depending on your bank those pre-authorisations will roll off anytime from one to 10 days.

 

This is standard practice for all Carnival brands.

That’s not correct. HAL takes a set amount per day PP at the beginning of the cruise.  
 

its now dropped, it used to be $60 pp pd

The day you board, Holland America Line places an initial hold on your credit or debit card for $30 per person per cruise day  Once you’ve spent the initial hold amount, we will authorize your card for the total of your onboard purchases to date plus an additional $30 per person per day for the remainder of your cruise. Please note that there may be multiple authorizations throughout your cruise, and that some banks may keep the hold in place for up to 30 days.

44 minutes ago, Port Power said:

My reasons are only from the perspective of a solo cruiser.
 

Cunard has excellent entertainment, musicians and lectures, and the food is very good. I also like to dress up. Nevertheless, as a solo traveller, the ships are too big.  I meet some people and enjoy a chat, but never see them again.  Cunard does not hold any solo gatherings.  At dinner there is a share table only if you arrive quite early.  QM2 last year, booked for 9 nights just to try this iconic ship, was the final straw.  Not for me.

Thank you. Appreciate the feedback.  

The Cunard itineraries are out for 2026. Queen Anne will be doing that route.