CruiserM1

Other than more awesome marketing by Edie and Co., not sure what the expected experience would or should be for a regular passenger on a " President's Cruise"? Maybe Keith and the Crystal Reps can elaborate on what makes a President's cruise special to them...please do clue us in on this one?

In the spirit of Flyer Talk, maybe she could be convinced to be like a regular person CEO and climb up that radar tower. From up there she could do some great "ghost queen' photo shoots. She is just as pretty and has the most beautiful gowns as those brochure models whom she hires. Save some $ for Genting to boot!:confused:

Without a single detail of which deficiencies were found on which ships, this page is useless in helping a consumer factor safety records into their choice of cruise line or ship, so I don't find it in the least bit interesting (And most of the deficiencies were corrected immediately).

Whoa...a bit harsh there. Let up on the reigns a bit ....Would you know of any useful sites? :confused:

My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.

 

My hope for humanity is buoyed by this thread. It seems you people who were on this sailing are realists and have given a sensible evaluation of this.

 

I was delighted to read about Dr.S. It is people like these that make the world go around amid the complaining and hand wringing of often negative people.

 

As a first responder myself I can tell you that some of these events can stick with you for years and pop up at the strangest of times to haunt you. Particularly when the victims are acquaintances. A support network is vital and I hope any crew members who were involved get the opportunity to avail of that support.

 

We are in our late 30's and have twice cruised with our children in the past 14 months on Oasis and Allure OTS. I shudder to think of the disaster that could happen if this were to happen at sea on a ship with that level of passenger and crew load. I'm confident in RCI and their procedures but when you have that many people and a real emergency panicked masses could quickly take over. I think in the future I will be taking more time to evaluate my cabin choice and its proximity to muster stations when booking these vacations.

Hi,

Your post captures why ship safety is the most important criteria when deciding which cruise line and ship to sail.

You are right. If the RCL ships Oasis or the Allure had a major fire, the chaos and confusion resulting would be magnified to which I wouldn't even want to contemplate.

This is some good stuff from US Coast Guard website:

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/csncoe/topdefs.asp

Happy Sailing

Ann,

I would say "any and all" areas of F and B. Would a HAL Mariner say the food is always consistent or for that matter better or worse than a decade past?

HAL on board their ships have cooking classes and rooms dedicated to the culinary arts.

With that said: Julia Childs and now the Food Network has spawned a huge interest and one could argue a cultural shift in our country towards fascination and obsession of the culinary arts and food innovation. In other words is HAL

keeping up here?

Thank you all for your encouraging remarks and advice! Although I didn't

get any feedback whether there have been any enhancements

to HAL's Food and Beverage department since twelve years ago

or improvements with menu offerings. Anybody :)

Hi Hal Mariners!

We are considering sailing Volendam Singapore to Hong Kong, Jan 5, for 14 nights. It has been about 12 years since we have been on HAL , so I imagine there has been some changes since then.

I would appreciate any perspectives about HAL and in particular the Volendam. How do you rate the physical condition of the ship's facilities and upkeep in general? Also If anyone has been in the Volendam Neptune Suites; how would you describe the overall condition of the beds, linens and furniture...worn or recently refurbished etc. ? I know I hear that the beds on HAL are very comfortable.

I always thought the food was fine but on the bland side. Have there been any culinary innovations or improvements since 12 years ago?

I know I am asking a lot but also the stops in Vietnam look very exotic and interesting. Would anyone be able to share any knowledge about these ports of call?

Thank you in advance for any advice and insight about these questions and anything else that you think may be interesting to know about the Volendam! CruiserM1

The one thing that I always, always, recommend is an ocean view or balcony.

Most passengers at the very least spend 8 hours a day in their cabins.

You should have the availability of a sea view at anytime you want it 24 hours a day.

The cost to upgrade to an ocean view is so worth it...IMHO. :)

This is not a change, and it has always been stated in the literature they send out as far as I can remember. I have seen several times where this was highlighted as part of regent's all inclusiveness.

Thank you RachelG. We have been loyal Crystal customers since 2007 and are so discouraged that they are now charging $60 per couple for extra reservations to their specialty restaurants. I like that Regent really does live up to its advertising for the most part as an 'all-inclusive' cruise line.

Just received the extensive 65 country Winter Collection 2014-2015 catalog with a letter from President Kamlani. I was interested in the 2nd paragraph where the all-inclusive venues are listed. He mentioned that "there is never a charge to dine in our specialty restaurants" as part of the extensive all-inclusive venues.

I don't know if Regent ever said this before or so emphatically? I am thinking that this was put in because Crystal cruises has just instituted a reservation fee of $30 per person for more than one visit to their specialty restaurants. Maybe someone here has seen some of the older brochures and can possibly clarify this?