rkacruiser

I continued to watch and listen to the Port Everglades web cam site after she sailed and heard that she needed to return to port. Hopefully, whomever needs onshore medical attention will be OK.

Why just for a sweet variety of bagel? Buttered cinnamon sugar white toast is a favorite of mine. Ought to be good on a plain bagel as well, I would expect.

My dining patterns when I am at sea are different than when I am at home.

Perhaps the ship's Executive Chef is Indian? If so, you will be in for some culinary treats, I predict.

I have been concerned about Sail for some time. I have her e-mail address and have on occasion e-mailed her with no response. But, no bounce back of the e-mail either.

Their entertainment options make MSC stand out for me as well as the service and cuisine. Never have I sailed on a ship where a shortened version of a popular opera performed with a male and female lead whose voices were of opera quality.

This is neither unusual or exceptional for cruise ship entertainers from what I have learned cruising on other cruise lines. An entertainment company is contracted by the cruise line and they recruit the entertainers and form whatever musical groups that are required.

Nightime sailings are always so beautiful.

I will believe it when she sails with passengers again.

Exactly. I think I learned about Alfredo's on the Princess Message Board before I sailed on Royal Princess.

There are so many options for dining and entertainment and venues to visit that it is difficult to learn about them and experience all of them during a 7 day cruise!

It's my understanding that onboard spending has been very robust.

That's pretty typical prior to a long voyage. When I sailed on a world cruise, our 5:00 P. M. sailing time kept slipping and slipping. We started to pull away from Pier 26 as I was going to Second Seating Dinner.

Interesting experience, but the reasons for the drydock and the ship itself could have been very different than mine. The pre-drydock work that was taking place was all below decks and nothing of which I was aware in the guest areas. The storerooms were as empty as I have ever seen.

Enjoy your cruise!

The New York Deli on the Pinnacle Class ships includes the "deli option" that you do not appreciate. Others, please understand, do. As do my communities library do. The availability of many services were once what I enjoyed on a HAL ship. A librarian, who eventually became an IT guru, who became "missing in action", books (not video screens) that informed me of where I was visiting during my cruise and hard cover reference books to further my understanding of the ports that I would be visiting. This is what a shipboard library ought to provide as well as good non-fiction and fiction books. The most significant find that a cruiser may discover is the shelf where books left behind from other cruisers who found those books interesting. My goodness, when I cruised on Carnival Miracle a few years ago and even my most recent cruise on Coral Princess, there was a library. Why ought I expect less when I sail on a ship of the Holland America Line?

Respectfully, we will disagree. If one looks closely at the New York Deli area on the Pinnacle Class ships, it differs significantly from the pizza facilities on the other Class' ships. Their menu is broader because they have more potential to provide different cuisine experiences. If the area in which you live the libraries depends upon tax dollars, voted on by the people, to support their services, I assume, based on your comments, that you are a negative vote on whatever levy to support such services on your ballot. If so, your choice. Not mine.

Looking forward to following along. Thanks for doing this!

The cruise to sail is the cruise just before drydock. And, take the Behind the Scenes Tour. Very, very interesting to see the basics of that tour along with the preparations for drydocking! Service and dining during such a cruise? No issues other than a few wines that were out of stock.

One more of an example of an "Executive Vice-President of Whatever" that was a poor decision when he/she made it. If the Library returns. Dive-in was probably available, but, this early closing of the Lido Restaurant has been occurring for some time and is certainly not for guest convenience. As it is on the Pinnacle Class ships is a special place with facilities that may be difficult to duplicate on the other Classes of ships. I don't object to the Screening Room being converted to a Library because a proper Library is needed (and, dare I say, a Librarian?), but the Screening Room was a very nice intimate and comfortable place to view movies. That area of the ship where the Screening Room is located has been a difficult one for HAL to determine how to best use. On the Westerdam, I saw evidence of an attempt for a return to the Coffee Bar that was outside the Wajang Theater on the R Class ships. Must not have worked.

Thanks for the reminder. Looking forward to seeing the Zaandam once again.

YES!

It is the Captain's decision as to the hatch to Deck 5 will be open for guests. Some do; some don't. When in a scenic area, usually, the decision is to open the hatch. Your experience has been mine as well. Deck 6 and 7? I am unsure. There have been times when I have tried to get to those open decks under the Bridge and have found the doors leading to the outer deck locked.

Absolutely! Some of the dining situations about which I have read, i.e. chaos at a server's station with servers yelling at each others and dirty dishes being stacked on each other on open drawers, I have never experienced anything like that on any other ship on which I have sailed including 4 Carnival cruises. Who knows what Seabourn management has told the ships' management? What I think is probably true, the micro-management from Seattle may be an issue (at least, it has been for HAL and there is that Seabourn/HAL connection in their building.) Staffing and training of staff may be more important issue as to the guest experience. Many ports that I read from those on recent sailings on Cunard and HAL do not regularly report such issues. Lapses in service at times? That is to be expected for any service industry. So, I think Seabourn's service issues are temporary. As long as they hire Hotel Managers that will "crack the whip" and demand that the guests receive the best service and cruise experience possible.

If I understand the plans correctly, Costa Luminosa will also be sailing Alaska itineraries next year. Any connection with MSC's decision, I wonder?