TAPNKEGS

53 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

If you look on halfacts.com, there are pics of both ship's Pinnacle Suites.

yup did that, the pics there look like from 20 years ago. One of the reasons I was asking in the first place is that Westerdam had some Suite upgrades done, like new deco and carpets and stuff and was curious if pinnacle was included in that. Going strictly by pics I have found thus far, lets just say if they didnt change anything...it just seems quite tired and dated.  Was hoping now it was more like the "refreshed" look of the Neptunes that I've seen recent pics of. Thanks for the pic finding tip just the same 🙂

1 hour ago, twodjs said:

Have to disagree - sipping champagne in your hot tub on your balcony while you cruise by a glacier is an unforgetable experience - can't do that in a Neptune. Made use of every square inch, including the microwave and the much bigger refrigerator.

Absolutely agree the Neptunes are very nice, but Twodjs made an exact point I was looking forward to sharing exactly that experience, by all means keep the advice coming, I greatly appreciate it and again, if anyone has any RECENT photos of the pinnacle suite in either the Westerdam or Eurodam, please share and thanks again to those that replied 🙂  

Hello fellow HAL Pals 🙂    ok so after a long vacation pause with all the covid shenanigans, I have been squirreling away for the past 3 years enough to surprise my wife with a once in a lifetime Alaska cruise in 2023 in a Pinnacle Suite. Splurging on this one since I want her to feel like royalty more then I can give and she so deserves putting up with me for so long and working so tirelessly helping others to see better. She is perfectly content to stay most of the time in the cabin/balcony and read and play candy crush (addiction that should be addressed later since she told me she is on level 6045....she declined to let me guess how much time that translates into playtime lol)  and I think the Pinnacle suite will be a great experience for her/us. So I humbly ask for any that have seen or stayed in either one, which seemed more "light" and comfy and doesn't feel too old?  all the pics and vids I could find seem to be dated and everything seems so dark. It almost appears a Neptune is more updated then the top tier suite.

Any pictures or stories of experience in either the Westerdam or Eurodam versions are greatly appreciated. Thanks all !!

Thanks a bunch for that JR, take a bit of post cruise worry away knowing they still provide that. Appreciate the effort

I am seeing mixed info on other threads regarding if the ship is offering last day COVID testing for those that need it to return to their home country (Canada in my case). I thought I would ask here since I sail on the 12th. Anyone on the last couple sailings on Anthem that can shed some light if the testing is still being offered. Many thanks in advance for any assistance 😉 

Thanks Radio for the great commentary and pics ! going on the dec 12th sailing and am chomping at the bit here 🙂   on the breakfast front...since im having breakfast...I heard the scrambled eggs were like soup at the windjammer. can you confirm if there was a station where you can get scrambled eggs done that were a bit more "solid". petty concern I know. That said, its the smaller points that add up. Thanks again good sir !

Thanks VERY much for posting all that info, it may be a small thing but its nice to know the windjammer is open for dinner (even at that capacity...was reading in other places the minimum was 50%) ...just nice to grab a quick bite and go. I am on the 12 day on Dec 12th and look forward to returning to cruising with those that may be going...will just be so nice to be out on a ship again after the dumpster fire of covid for the last year and a half. again many thanks to those that took the time to find and post the most current info, its appreciated !!

brilliant idea Brillohead, many thanks !! I'll give that a go.

Hello All,

  Just hoping for a bit of clarity here. Through reading the entire thread, I am seeing the Windjammer buffet is closed for dinner (with the exception just posted about somewhat open during half-term). I am not a huge fan of the MDR, just like being able to hit the buffet during the evening grab something, sit, eat and head on out (MDR is just too time consuming 🙂 ) Is this a perm thing or is there any factual basis for the determination of ship capacity % equating if the windjammer is open for dinner...   seems a bit odd is all. I am getting away for the southern 12 day from Jersey in December and was curious if the rules change once in the US.

Many Thanks for any clarification !

aha, now we have picture (second one only) :) carry on with your story, apologies to interrupt the flow

eager to follow the story but I see no pictures either :(

Loving every word of it. Very well done. Count me in for the long haul :)

One other thing, when your done with this review you may want to do a separate review just for Silvermoon on the Barbados port boards, it would have made my decision a lot easier to make on which company to choose!!:D

 

Thanks Again!

aye :) thats already in the works, along with one for trip advisor.. not that they need more 5 star reviews or anything lol

Thanks for your review, I was on the Jewel during the same cruise and enjoyed the week as well. It was our second time on the Jewel and I would have to say that she is our favorite ship although I miss the Sea View Cafe.. :(

 

We booked Silvermoon Charters as well in Barbados, our second time with them and I would recommend them to anyone looking for a fantastic experience.

 

We were on one of the other cats though and didn't get to see you!

 

We were in a JS on deck 10 this time and the only complaint I had was the noise from the pull deck chairs being slid across the floor, the noise came right into our room was disruptive at times.

 

On our next cruise I've booked a balcony on deck 8 in hopes that the floors between will eliminate the noise! :)

always nice to hear re-enforcement of those on the same trip. Glad you had a nice cruise on Silver Moon as well.

Don't beat yourself up about the cabin choice. That kind of thing comes from experience and one word that always comes to mind when picking a cabin is ''sandwich'' meaning a deck of cabins above and a deck below where your choice is will usually be a safe bet in regards to potential noise.

solid nights of sleep (or lack thereof) can be a dealbreaker on a cruise.

random stairwell art cont..

sometimes, the centrum would actually be quiet in the evening, they would have the lighting down to just some nice ambient stuff and it made the area very relaxing.

thats it for this day... next stop Grenada :)

near the front of the main pool area on the right (starboard) side, there was a towel station. There was no card needed, you just asked for a number of towels..and that was it. For those with kids, you will be happy to know just across from that station was a rack for floatation jackets

sadly, the following 2 pics are as close as I got to the gym... ie: while walking around outside. You can't make out a whole lot but it looked adequate.

Just outside the main theater on the left (port) side on deck 6 is the cinema with stadium seating which ran 1 movie several times per day. on our trip they had: Tarzan, Finding Dory and Star Trek as examples..

since we are talking about movies, let's back up a sec. I need to say that I THOUGHT the new screen by the pool would be used for a movies under the stars type thing, but sadly this was not the case.

It was horribly underutilized. During the day it was home video fail type shows and other times just screen saver type pictures of nature. They did show a couple of NFL games, but with a nice screen like this, it was a shame to see the potential wasted.

moving on...

the terminal has a fairly large indoor shopping area and was worth browsing through before getting the shuttle back to the ship. Once back we grabbed a shower and a bite and relaxed on the balcony a bit to take in the view.

that is until Mr. Buzzkill ... I mean the pilot boat showed up and then we were off again

more from around the ship...

I swear these deck chairs are multiplying...

main pool area with new movie screen which was added on the refit.

nice to see there was shaded and sunny places to lay out around the pool .... but all shaded obviously because the pic was at night..

cont..

Yes I think this stop was sure win

so back to the ship we went, enjoying homemade pina coladas on the way...man this crew knew how to spoil us

and the captain, not being one to be outdone for pictures, jumped from the bridge deck to photobomb like a champ

I think everyone had a great time a got a little scortched, but the final nice touch by the crew was passing around cool towels to everyone with a pepermint essence.. was the perfect thing everyone appreciated

So in conclusion, Silver Moon Tours... cannot recommend them enough. Its no accident they have like 2,000 5 star reviews. They have earned every one.

cont..

he was perfectly content to have us as company, slowly drifting between everyone to say hello..

and of course getting a free snack doesn't hurt either

nice to meet you too !

cont..

after about 45 minutes, we all got out, dried off, grabbed a drink and sat down do a wonderful lunch prepared by the crew.. some of the most tender sweet BBQ chicken I ever had, fresh seared fish, pasta salad, breads, wine, beer. It was more then we expected and the crew always asked if there was anything we needed.... kept drinks topped off, more food. they were the best.

so we moved on to a new spot which was just as nice..

waited the prerequisite 20min after eating..

and met this friendly guy...

cont...

it was really something else...just fish EVERYWHERE. you would start swimming in a direction and like 200 would follow you..

some were quite curious..

and GOOD LUCK finding Dory here...

cont..

FYI for those interested on the exact type of boat it was, it is on the pic below

one of the sister ships pulled up and joined in the fun

so i am just slowing swimming around when I feel something go by me, I turn around and ... my god so many fish....just gonna put some pics of em next

more..

I have never seen a group of strangers so relaxed before.

As we arrived, we were given a rundown of how long we would be in the water, who has snorkeled before, what stuff not to touch. The crew has very thoughtful about keeping the natural beauty intact.

and with that, we headed in. The water was perfect and so was the view..so much to see

My wife even managed to get the perfect nail color to match the water

cont..

easing out of the port area, our 3 boats steered south, where the rest of the excursions for the water turned north. The captain said this was on purpose because they knew a nice spot to go to avoid the crowds...

There is something about the waters of Barbados that just seems so perfect, pictures have a hard time capturing this..but

We noticed plenty of gear for our use, such as flippers, masks, snorkels and water noodles.. nice touch

Our captain was a delightful, energetic and experienced young woman, she was quick to point out she was one of the few on the island. Don't let the following pic fool you. She was fantastic at multitasking and could switch from fun to focused in a nanosecond.

It wasn't very far until we cruised into our little area with no one else in sight

cont...

THURSDAY: BARBADOS

We were greeted in port by Adventure of the seas on a picture perfect day.

Through Trip Advisor and some research, we found Silver Moon catamaran trips. They own 3 vessels currently. 2 with sails, one 3 deck powered, which is the one we chose. A search online will net you their site with pics (which is impressive) and info on the ships. And I will say this: What you see is what you get...and thats a good thing.

you can choose which boat you want (based on the descriptions and pics ) and each one has a maximum of 12 guests allowed to book. This number turned out to be just fine.

I cannot speak for the other 2 vessels, but the one we were on ''Moondance'' was spotless and the staff so welcoming..this was truly a find.

There was 3 decks to this catamaran. The main deck you see above and below. Off to the sides of the below picture are small steps to full sized bedrooms with full bathrooms. When asked if there was a side for men and for women, It was replied that the right side was for women because ''they are always right'' noted.

if you step just outside the bar area in the shot below and turn left, you will see steps that go up to the 3rd deck with a captains station and nice seating area.

with a grim too hard to conceal from my wife, I could tell I made a good choice.

and away we go ...cont