Med Glamour 21st Aug a few questions please

[samnewbie]

Hi all,

 

We are thinking of booking on Nieuw Amsterdam for their Mediterranean Glamour cruise on 21st Aug this year.

 

I just have a couple of questions please.

 

This will be our first cruise as a family, husband and teenage daughter who will be 15 and so our first cruise with HAL.

 

We are looking at possibly a verandah cabin and the ones available seem to either be forward or aft, no midships and on levels 5,6 and 7.

 

Does anybody have any recommendations that we should consider, ie where the anchor is as a few cabins are as far forward as you can go.

 

We were thinking port side if possible, would that be a preference on this cruise would you think?

 

We also wondered about the teens club and if the med summer cruise is likely to have a reasonable number of teens especially as our daughter has no siblings. I have read a review from last summers med cruise, same date and it appeared to have a good mix of ages.

 

The other question I have which I have emailed HAL about but not had a reply yet is if our daughter will be able to take part in any of the yoga, pilates etc classes?

 

I'm sure I will have plenty more questions but they are enough i'm sure to be going on with :)

 

Many thanks in advance,

 

Sam :)

[CruiserBruce]

Hi all,

 

We are thinking of booking on Nieuw Amsterdam for their Mediterranean Glamour cruise on 21st Aug this year. Get it booked, you are only a couple months away!

 

I just have a couple of questions please.

 

This will be our first cruise as a family, husband and teenage daughter who will be 15 and so our first cruise with HAL.

 

We are looking at possibly a verandah cabin and the ones available seem to either be forward or aft, no midships and on levels 5,6 and 7.

 

Does anybody have any recommendations that we should consider, ie where the anchor is as a few cabins are as far forward as you can go. I would get as high as you can- deck 7. You are no where near the anchor. The anchor isn't used very often.

 

We were thinking port side if possible, would that be a preference on this cruise would you think? Doesn't really matter.

 

We also wondered about the teens club and if the med summer cruise is likely to have a reasonable number of teens especially as our daughter has no siblings. I have read a review from last summers med cruise, same date and it appeared to have a good mix of ages. Our med cruise had 400 kids on it last year! So there will be kids activities I am sure. But you will spend a lot of time on excursions as well.

 

The other question I have which I have emailed HAL about but not had a reply yet is if our daughter will be able to take part in any of the yoga, pilates etc classes? Sure. Why not? Some of these have fees.

 

I'm sure I will have plenty more questions but they are enough i'm sure to be going on with :)

 

Many thanks in advance,

 

Sam :)

 

Curious, why wait so long to book?

[doggfan7]

I'll be on that cruise!!! There was a roll call, but not very active at all. We are booked all the way forward, hoping it won't be too bad. Hope you'll join us.

[samnewbie]

Curious, why wait so long to book?

 

Hiya,

 

Thanks for your answers, much appreciated.

 

In answer to your question we are actually booked with NCL currently (booked it 16 months in advance) but are having to cancel that unfortunately, so started again from scratch and really like all we have read so far about HAL, no idea why we didnt consider them in the first place but there you go, but do not want to book in haste and regret it hence the questions before we jump in :)

 

Yes I have seen a few classes have charges, that's fine :) Just wanted to be sure that was something our 15 year old could take part in and that it is not restricted to just adults as she would really enjoy the yoga and pilates.

 

Yes the teen club thing was mainly for if she fancied meeting people her own age for a bit of company instead of hanging out all the time with her 'old' mum and dad :) It's her holiday as much as ours and would like her to have a fab time :D

 

I also have an extra question, does anybody have first hand experience of gluten free diets on board, I have read a fair bit and even looked at the forms to prebook things but it would be nice to hear any opinions from other coeliacs/gluten intolerant people :)

 

Thanks again,

 

Sam :)

[samnewbie]

I'll be on that cruise!!! There was a roll call, but not very active at all. We are booked all the way forward, hoping it won't be too bad. Hope you'll join us.

 

 

Hiya!

 

OOO fab! - Are you a couple, family? --- Edit to say just realised it's youre honeymoon ! Congratualtions :)))

 

Yes hoping the ones far forward are ok, i'm sure they will be fine, i was just worried about being woken by the anchor dropping :D

 

I will have a look at the roll call.

 

Your enthusiasm has got me all excited about this cruise now which is a lovely feeling after being so upset over the cancelled one :)

 

Sam

[CtheW0rld]

why is this being called a 'glamour cruise'? are makeovers being done? strichter dresscode? drag queen lessons? :confused:

[samnewbie]

why is this being called a 'glamour cruise'? are makeovers being done? strichter dresscode? drag queen lessons? :confused:

 

I'm assuming it is due to it's 'glamourous' ports of call ;)

 

Sam :)

[samnewbie]

Just thought I would update this as heard from HAL that currently there are approx 90 teens booked on this , so that's fab news as regards to my daughter so I can now stop fretting over that issue :)

 

I think it's time to book :D ...now where is my husband with the money :D:D:D

 

Sam

[PGV]

We are also going on the Med Glamour cruise on 21 August and think I might just have what you need Sam..... a 15 yr old son!!!!! Ha ha! Only joking but at least you definately know of another teenager on board :D. See you in Barcelona!

[doggfan7]

Just thought I would update this as heard from HAL that currently there are approx 90 teens booked on this , so that's fab news as regards to my daughter so I can now stop fretting over that issue :)

 

I think it's time to book :D ...now where is my husband with the money :D:D:D

 

Sam

 

Yay! Alright...we booked all of our shore excursions the other day and just cannot wait. Hopefully we can get the roll call thread running.

[meterman2]

We are bringing our two nieces (12 & 17) on this cruise. However, the 12 year old thinks she is much, much older ;).

 

Oh boy.....:eek:

[samnewbie]

We are also going on the Med Glamour cruise on 21 August and think I might just have what you need Sam..... a 15 yr old son!!!!! Ha ha! Only joking but at least you definately know of another teenager on board :D. See you in Barcelona!

 

 

:eek::eek: ...;) That actually made me laugh really really loudly, husband just asked what was so funny! :D

 

See you in Barcelona !

 

Sam :)

[samnewbie]

Yay! Alright...we booked all of our shore excursions the other day and just cannot wait. Hopefully we can get the roll call thread running.

 

OOO lovely, I have been looking at the excursions, there are some really interesting ones.

 

You must be getting doubly excited seeing as its such a special cruise for you:)

 

Sam :)

[samnewbie]

We are bringing our two nieces (12 & 17) on this cruise. However, the 12 year old thinks she is much, much older ;).

 

Oh boy.....:eek:

 

Fab! :D I'm sure the teens are going to have a fantastic time. I'm really quite excited now knowing our daughter should be able to meet some really lovely new friends.

 

Is there a curfew on HAL ships? Have i read somewhere that it is midnight?

 

Sam :)

[CtheW0rld]

Fab! :D I'm sure the teens are going to have a fantastic time. I'm really quite excited now knowing our daughter should be able to meet some really lovely new friends.

 

Is there a curfew on HAL ships? Have i read somewhere that it is midnight?

 

Sam :)

 

no curfews, unless you (as a responsible parent) set one. would you let your kid run around a strange city 'til all-hours? ships are not disneyland. stuff happens.

[samnewbie]

no curfews, unless you (as a responsible parent) set one. would you let your kid run around a strange city 'til all-hours? ships are not disneyland. stuff happens.[/quote]

 

Hence my reason for asking.

 

No, we will not be letting our daughter run around until all hours. We will indeed have a curfew.

 

I just wanted to verify if HAL had an enforced curfew anyway.:)

 

I must have another look through everything, i'm pretty sure i read about a curfew somewhere.

 

Sam :)

[meterman2]

Fab! :D I'm sure the teens are going to have a fantastic time. I'm really quite excited now knowing our daughter should be able to meet some really lovely new friends.

 

Is there a curfew on HAL ships? Have i read somewhere that it is midnight?

 

Sam :)

 

I never noticed one (curfew) but I doubt that any of us (my crew at least) will be up too late on this cruise. With all the exploring pre-cruise in Barcelona and in all the ports (every day a port except the last day), we're going to be exhausted.

[PGV]

:eek::eek: ...;) That actually made me laugh really really loudly, husband just asked what was so funny! :D

 

See you in Barcelona !

 

Sam :)

 

Glad we share a sense of humour Sam! This is our first HAL cruise after RCI and I was slightly concerned that our boys would have preferred RCI but all the posts on CC have been most encouraging. Just have to try to persuade them to bring appropriate clothes for the formal nights! I would be interested to hear what your thoughts are on visiting Tunis with a teenager? Our boys are very keen to visit 'Africa' but I wonder how safe it will be with all the current unrest? :confused: There has been an interesting review on the Eurodam which did all the same ports 5th May.

Thanks

[samnewbie]

Glad we share a sense of humour Sam! This is our first HAL cruise after RCI and I was slightly concerned that our boys would have preferred RCI but all the posts on CC have been most encouraging. Just have to try to persuade them to bring appropriate clothes for the formal nights! I would be interested to hear what your thoughts are on visiting Tunis with a teenager? Our boys are very keen to visit 'Africa' but I wonder how safe it will be with all the current unrest? :confused: There has been an interesting review on the Eurodam which did all the same ports 5th May.

Thanks

 

Hiya :D

 

I too was concerned about HAL and if it would be ok for our daughter and like you I have read reviews to see what the general concensus is, I even emailed HAL for information.

 

They did email me a list of a typical days activities too, I think i still have a copy. I could post it if you are interested?

I do now think the teens will have a fab time ! :D

 

Ahh see, I don't have that same problem with daughter and dressing up, i'm sure she will love all that :D and i'm sure your boys will look very smart too !

 

Our daughter is really excited about this cruise, and like your boys very keen on visiting North Africa.

 

I must admit it is still a slight worry and I will be monitoring the situation regularly before we dock there,as i'm sure you and everyone else sailing will. I think Tunis is about 320miles from Tripoli ?? so that makes me feel a little easier - if it were by the border i'm not sure i would want to get off the ship!- I expect HAL will just avoid it if it isnt safe.

 

I am really hoping all will be well though as I think it will be such a great place to visit, especially for our teens. So different from what we are used to.

 

Our daughter would love to visit a souk but i think i will wait to decide on that , she also likes the look of Sidi Bou Said so that is somewhere else we might like to visit and might be a good option if we decide against the hustle and bustle of a souk (I am also thinking she may bankrupt us in a souk by asking prices for everything she sees and being expected to buy them all!!)

 

I'd also like to be able to do the travelling independantly as opposed to a ship tour but that again will depend how confident we feel with the situation there. I have read that train travel is considered a safe means of transport by the foreign office so that is reassuring.

 

Do you have any thoughts on what you would like to see there?

 

Btw what part of Ireland are you from? We are possibly just across the water from you!

 

Sam :)

[dritan]

"Our daughter would love to visit a souk but i think i will wait to decide on that , she also likes the look of Sidi Bou Said so that is somewhere else we might like to visit and might be a good option if we decide against the hustle and bustle of a souk (I am also thinking she may bankrupt us in a souk by asking prices for everything she sees and being expected to buy them all!!) "

 

 

Hope you don't mind me jumping in - was on the 5th May Eurodam which stopped at Tunis. We went for the Carthage and Sidi Bou Said tour which is only $49 for 4 hours and if your daughter is interested in going to a souk - I would def suggest this tour - it's basically Souk-lite. Basically try to get the asking price halved and you'll be fine - Will never forget the sight of my mum walking down the narrow street towards me with a new leather handbag which she haggled for ( despite claiming that she would never engage in such activities lol!) Ahh well - she lives a little too close to Ballymena to not want a bargain.

 

If you do decide against a tour however, there is a shopping centre in the port (it's new and wasn't there when I first visited in 2008). But I found the prices to be approx double, if not triple what you can get in Sidi Bou Said, if you haggle.

[samnewbie]

:eek:

 

Hope you don't mind me jumping in - was on the 5th May Eurodam which stopped at Tunis. We went for the Carthage and Sidi Bou Said tour which is only $49 for 4 hours and if your daughter is interested in going to a souk - I would def suggest this tour - it's basically Souk-lite. Basically try to get the asking price halved and you'll be fine - Will never forget the sight of my mum walking down the narrow street towards me with a new leather handbag which she haggled for ( despite claiming that she would never engage in such activities lol!) Ahh well - she lives a little too close to Ballymena to not want a bargain.

 

If you do decide against a tour however, there is a shopping centre in the port (it's new and wasn't there when I first visited in 2008). But I found the prices to be approx double, if not triple what you can get in Sidi Bou Said, if you haggle.

 

 

Hiya!

 

I've just read your review! Glad you enjoyed your cruise .

 

Of course we don't mind! All information and tips are most welcome :)

 

I looked at the details of that tour online earlier and thought it sounded quite good. We do like to do our own thing independantly wherever in the world we are if at all possible but may indeed opt to do that tour.

 

Loved that bit about your mum and the handbag, reminded me of my mum when she visited a souk many years ago, though she came out with half the stock i think! :rolleyes:

 

Daughter is already looking forward to haggling and trying out her language skills as well. I will just have to keep reminding her not to ask a price unless she really really wants an item though or we definately will leave Tunis bankcrupt!

 

Thanks for the info Glenda, it's great to know that tour was particularly good and the tips about the port also.

 

Sam :)

[PGV]

Hiya :D

 

I too was concerned about HAL and if it would be ok for our daughter and like you I have read reviews to see what the general concensus is, I even emailed HAL for information.

 

They did email me a list of a typical days activities too, I think i still have a copy. I could post it if you are interested?

I do now think the teens will have a fab time ! :D

 

Ahh see, I don't have that same problem with daughter and dressing up, i'm sure she will love all that :D and i'm sure your boys will look very smart too !

 

Our daughter is really excited about this cruise, and like your boys very keen on visiting North Africa.

 

I must admit it is still a slight worry and I will be monitoring the situation regularly before we dock there,as i'm sure you and everyone else sailing will. I think Tunis is about 320miles from Tripoli ?? so that makes me feel a little easier - if it were by the border i'm not sure i would want to get off the ship!- I expect HAL will just avoid it if it isnt safe.

 

I am really hoping all will be well though as I think it will be such a great place to visit, especially for our teens. So different from what we are used to.

 

Our daughter would love to visit a souk but i think i will wait to decide on that , she also likes the look of Sidi Bou Said so that is somewhere else we might like to visit and might be a good option if we decide against the hustle and bustle of a souk (I am also thinking she may bankrupt us in a souk by asking prices for everything she sees and being expected to buy them all!!)

 

I'd also like to be able to do the travelling independantly as opposed to a ship tour but that again will depend how confident we feel with the situation there. I have read that train travel is considered a safe means of transport by the foreign office so that is reassuring.

 

Do you have any thoughts on what you would like to see there?

 

Btw what part of Ireland are you from? We are possibly just across the water from you!

 

Sam :)

 

 

 

Thanks Sam,

 

Before the unrest broke out our original plan was to be adventurous and visit Sidi bou Said on our own and not bother with the other more historic (and educational!) sites. I had done a lot of research online and at the library and found this link on CC... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1004051&highlight=tunis+carthage

 

...which was very helpful. I would just love to know the distances etc and to see it on a map as walking a few miles in Northern Ireland today - 8oC will be slightly different from Tunis in August!! Dont want the family to have melted! Maybe a photo with a camel in Goulette will do instead!!

 

We have never done a ship's tour and just prefer to do our own thing but that was without the children...

 

Our other plans were -

Monte Carlo - go on the little Azur express tour train round the town and go to oceanographic museum or the pool in the center of the town.

Santa margherita - Snorkelling

Rome - not sure? May take the train but our son is going there on a school trip in the Autumn so may stay on the ship?

Trapani - just wander round the town as we will prob be docked in the middle of the town.

Tunis - Sidi bou said

 

:)

[samnewbie]

Thanks Sam,

 

Before the unrest broke out our original plan was to be adventurous and visit Sidi bou Said on our own and not bother with the other more historic (and educational!) sites. I had done a lot of research online and at the library and found this link on CC... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1004051&highlight=tunis+carthage

 

...which was very helpful. I would just love to know the distances etc and to see it on a map as walking a few miles in Northern Ireland today - 8oC will be slightly different from Tunis in August!! Dont want the family to have melted! Maybe a photo with a camel in Goulette will do instead!!

 

We have never done a ship's tour and just prefer to do our own thing but that was without the children...

 

Our other plans were -

Monte Carlo - go on the little Azur express tour train round the town and go to oceanographic museum or the pool in the center of the town.

Santa margherita - Snorkelling

Rome - not sure? May take the train but our son is going there on a school trip in the Autumn so may stay on the ship?

Trapani - just wander round the town as we will prob be docked in the middle of the town.

Tunis - Sidi bou said

 

:)

 

 

Hiya,

 

Yes that was pretty much my idea too for La Goulette, Sidi Bou Said independantly and not much else! ...Unless daughter and husband beg to see Carthage but with the heat etc I think they will be more than happy with just the pretty village and a bit of haggling :)

 

That is a really good point about distances for walking (especially as I now have some walking difficulties)I remember once walking to a place that was apparantly 'just a block away' in Rhodes, 20 mins later in scorching heat we had melted and collapsed at a taverna and given up on the original plan! - The taverna was lovely though :D

 

I will try and do some research I think and see if I can get any useful information, one persons short walk could be totally different to what i consider short!

 

Your plans are similar to ours, we are not intending this cruise to be a major must see every site at every port holiday, more as a relaxing holiday with a bit of sightseeing thrown in.

 

Monte Carlo we are thinking similar to you, havent really researched it much as yet though, do you have a link for the town train at all please?.

 

Santa Margherita beach day, it looks so pretty there, snorkling is a fab idea! - Do you know if equipment can be hired there? We do have snorkle gear but would like to keep luggage to a minimum.

 

Rome - We are intending to take the train. I have been a few times before (not off a cruise though) husband and daughter never. They would like to see the Colloseum and do not mind what else. So i'm thinking a stroll over to the Trevi Fountain to throw the obligatory coins, been many years since i threw some last in there. An ice cream of course and maybe authentic pizza for daughter. Other than that we will see how we are for time. I would quite like to revisit the Forum but it isnt an essential thing to my day.

We want it to be an enjoyable day and not 'too' exhausting, after all if we throw our coins in the fountain we will be sure to go again! :D

 

Have you been to Rome before? It is a beautiful city, something ancient on every corner.

 

Trapani I was thinking of the cable car (think i've read about a cable car!) up to Erice and again just a relaxing day looking about the town maybe and soaking up the atmosphere.

 

 

Sam :)

[PGV]

Hiya,

 

Yes that was pretty much my idea too for La Goulette, Sidi Bou Said independantly and not much else! ...Unless daughter and husband beg to see Carthage but with the heat etc I think they will be more than happy with just the pretty village and a bit of haggling :)

 

That is a really good point about distances for walking (especially as I now have some walking difficulties)I remember once walking to a place that was apparantly 'just a block away' in Rhodes, 20 mins later in scorching heat we had melted and collapsed at a taverna and given up on the original plan! - The taverna was lovely though :D

 

I will try and do some research I think and see if I can get any useful information, one persons short walk could be totally different to what i consider short!

 

Your plans are similar to ours, we are not intending this cruise to be a major must see every site at every port holiday, more as a relaxing holiday with a bit of sightseeing thrown in.

 

Monte Carlo we are thinking similar to you, havent really researched it much as yet though, do you have a link for the town train at all please?.

 

Santa Margherita beach day, it looks so pretty there, snorkling is a fab idea! - Do you know if equipment can be hired there? We do have snorkle gear but would like to keep luggage to a minimum.

 

Rome - We are intending to take the train. I have been a few times before (not off a cruise though) husband and daughter never. They would like to see the Colloseum and do not mind what else. So i'm thinking a stroll over to the Trevi Fountain to throw the obligatory coins, been many years since i threw some last in there. An ice cream of course and maybe authentic pizza for daughter. Other than that we will see how we are for time. I would quite like to revisit the Forum but it isnt an essential thing to my day.

We want it to be an enjoyable day and not 'too' exhausting, after all if we throw our coins in the fountain we will be sure to go again! :D

 

Have you been to Rome before? It is a beautiful city, something ancient on every corner.

 

Trapani I was thinking of the cable car (think i've read about a cable car!) up to Erice and again just a relaxing day looking about the town maybe and soaking up the atmosphere.

 

 

Sam :)

 

Thanks Sam,

 

It is great to have someone to 'talk cruises' with! My husband despairs of all the time I spend on CC and trip advisor!

I have lots of research on the various ports saved onto PDF documents which I will be happy to send you but our Email is currently down - thankfully not our internet! I can let you know when we are up and running again.

Was speaking to friends who were on 5th May Eurodam today and they said there was a strong military presence and lots of barbed wire obvious in Tunis. HAL also advised no one to travel on their own and only as part of a tour. (Being cynical I wondered if this was to encourage people to only use HAL tours but our friends thought not!) Will need to monitor the situation closely... :confused:

[doggfan7]

OOO lovely, I have been looking at the excursions, there are some really interesting ones.

 

You must be getting doubly excited seeing as its such a special cruise for you:)

 

Sam :)

 

We sure are! I am mostly spending my days and nights studying for the bar exams which I'll take a week before the wedding, so the honeymoon will be thrice-exciting. Since we are talking about tours, I have never been to Europe and wanted to make sure I got the most and even though I know they were expensive, we choose all ship tours.

 

Monte Carlo: French Riviera

Santa Margherita: San Fruttuoso, Comogli & Portofino

Rome: Rome & Vatican Museums

Trapani: Erice & Trapani

Tunisia: The Best of Tunisia (Carthage/Bardo/Medina/Sidi bou Said)

 

In Barcelona on the pre-cruise day we are just going to do the HOHO with plans to visit La Sagrada Familia, Park Guell & La Rambla for sure.