http://www.cruiselinefans.com Tell us about your trip! en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:45:46 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.cruiselinefans.com/images/styles/cruiselinefans/misc/rss.jpg http://www.cruiselinefans.com http://www.cruiselinefans.com/trip-reports/44198-carnival-splendor-mostly-splendid-nov-8-15-2009-a-new-post.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:09:55 GMT First impressions – the ship is, well pink. No, PINK! I know, others have commented on this, but I feel it has to be repeated. The pink zebra striped table tops in bars and many walls got a bit old and it took awhile to get used to. Embarkation went very smoothly – at least until we got to Lido for lunch. As rooms were not ready until 2:00, everybody crowded into the buffet on Lido and it got harder and harder to get anything to eat or find a table to sit at as the afternoon wore on. Not sure how to fix this, but we found it to be a problem. Our cabin, 8305, was quite roomy. The cabin and bathroom are laid out much better than a similar cabin on another ‘upper scale’ line we have cruised previously. The shower has a hand-held unit which I am used to at home and really loved. The shower also had an interesting feature. The water temperature is pre-set and you only turn one small knob to get water. You can get it hotter by disabling the lock, which can easily be done, but we both found the set temperature to be plenty warm. There is plenty of storage space and we loved the veranda. Room stewards were, of course, fabulous. Life preservers were not worn during the muster drill. This meant less crowding, and no whistles being used by kids during the talk. Everybody seemed to be attentive, and it was over with quickly. Then came the ‘sail away party’. Only one problem: we did not sail away until 11:00 that night. We heard that a fork lift had damaged the baggage loading door and they obviously needed it repaired before we could leave. Carnival lost mega dollars on that due to shops and the casino remaining closed. We were also late to Puerto Vallarta due to a medical emergency and we lost 8 hours heading back North for the airlift (2 hours back, 2 to get to where we were and the four we were not going South) Supper in the MDR was great every night, with a couple of disappointments in style. By this I mean, for instance, my wife hated the crab cake; at home I make a Maryland crab cake and this was an entirely different style. Not bad, just different. One warning here: the chocolate melting cake is fabulous, but the serving size is so large that only one in our party ever managed to finish it and he felt it the rest of the night. Perhaps the serving size could be cut down a bit? I like my meat rare, BTW, and it was served that way every night, whether steak, prime rib or lamb. Service was a bit spotty at first due to some new MDR staff, but picked up as things settled down. Supper in the Pinnacle was nearly everything it was advertised to be. My wife’s lobster was huge and perfectly done, the French onion soup is to die for and my steak was perfect. The only disappointment was the ‘made at your table’ Caesar salad. This to me means actually starting with a clean bowl, rubbing it with a lemon and building the dressing from scratch. Their version was putting the romaine leaves in the bowl, pouring a creamy Caesar dressing over it, tossing and serving it. Not the same. Breakfast and lunch on the Lido were so good we did not go to the MDR for either the entire cruise. One comment here: The line for fresh eggs and omelets had no toast, potatoes, etc. This meant that either you got those first and they got cold while you waited in the egg line, or you got your eggs and they got cold while you waited in line for toast, potatoes, etc. Most mornings this did not cause much of a problem, but on disembarkation day it was impossible, especially since the grill on pool side, where potatoes and toast were also normally available was closed. Burritos, Mongolian Grill and Tandoori were all wonderful. Entertainment around the ship ranged from great (Piano Bar) to spotty (most of the rest). One comedian was fabulous, both in the main theater and in his ‘R’ rated version later. There are WAY too many ‘photo ops’ – four on deck 5 alone each night with an additional one with ‘Fun Ship Freddy’ one night! I have commented on disembarkation in a different thread. Self-disembarkation was a disaster. If you can possibly get a later flight and avoid this, do so! Overall, we had a great time and would have booked again on the spot if we had the time and money. First impressions – the ship is, well pink. No, PINK! I know, others have commented on this, but I feel it has to be repeated. The pink zebra striped table tops in bars and many walls got a bit old and it took awhile to get used to.

Embarkation went very smoothly – at least until we got to Lido for lunch. As rooms were not ready until 2:00, everybody crowded into the buffet on Lido and it got harder and harder to get anything to eat or find a table to sit at as the afternoon wore on. Not sure how to fix this, but we found it to be a problem.

Our cabin, 8305, was quite roomy. The cabin and bathroom are laid out much better than a similar cabin on another ‘upper scale’ line we have cruised previously. The shower has a hand-held unit which I am used to at home and really loved. The shower also had an interesting feature. The water temperature is pre-set and you only turn one small knob to get water. You can get it hotter by disabling the lock, which can easily be done, but we both found the set temperature to be plenty warm. There is plenty of storage space and we loved the veranda. Room stewards were, of course, fabulous.

Life preservers were not worn during the muster drill. This meant less crowding, and no whistles being used by kids during the talk. Everybody seemed to be attentive, and it was over with quickly. Then came the ‘sail away party’. Only one problem: we did not sail away until 11:00 that night. We heard that a fork lift had damaged the baggage loading door and they obviously needed it repaired before we could leave. Carnival lost mega dollars on that due to shops and the casino remaining closed. We were also late to Puerto Vallarta due to a medical emergency and we lost 8 hours heading back North for the airlift (2 hours back, 2 to get to where we were and the four we were not going South)

Supper in the MDR was great every night, with a couple of disappointments in style. By this I mean, for instance, my wife hated the crab cake; at home I make a Maryland crab cake and this was an entirely different style. Not bad, just different. One warning here: the chocolate melting cake is fabulous, but the serving size is so large that only one in our party ever managed to finish it and he felt it the rest of the night. Perhaps the serving size could be cut down a bit? I like my meat rare, BTW, and it was served that way every night, whether steak, prime rib or lamb. Service was a bit spotty at first due to some new MDR staff, but picked up as things settled down.

Supper in the Pinnacle was nearly everything it was advertised to be. My wife’s lobster was huge and perfectly done, the French onion soup is to die for and my steak was perfect. The only disappointment was the ‘made at your table’ Caesar salad. This to me means actually starting with a clean bowl, rubbing it with a lemon and building the dressing from scratch. Their version was putting the romaine leaves in the bowl, pouring a creamy Caesar dressing over it, tossing and serving it. Not the same.

Breakfast and lunch on the Lido were so good we did not go to the MDR for either the entire cruise. One comment here: The line for fresh eggs and omelets had no toast, potatoes, etc. This meant that either you got those first and they got cold while you waited in the egg line, or you got your eggs and they got cold while you waited in line for toast, potatoes, etc. Most mornings this did not cause much of a problem, but on disembarkation day it was impossible, especially since the grill on pool side, where potatoes and toast were also normally available was closed. Burritos, Mongolian Grill and Tandoori were all wonderful.

Entertainment around the ship ranged from great (Piano Bar) to spotty (most of the rest). One comedian was fabulous, both in the main theater and in his ‘R’ rated version later. There are WAY too many ‘photo ops’ – four on deck 5 alone each night with an additional one with ‘Fun Ship Freddy’ one night!

I have commented on disembarkation in a different thread. Self-disembarkation was a disaster. If you can possibly get a later flight and avoid this, do so!

Overall, we had a great time and would have booked again on the spot if we had the time and money. ]]> Trip Reports flutepilot http://www.cruiselinefans.com/trip-reports/44198-carnival-splendor-mostly-splendid-nov-8-15-2009-a.html http://www.cruiselinefans.com/trip-reports/44150-just-back-4-weeks-europe-new-post.html Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:14:33 GMT Nancy and I got back from our month-long vacation in Europe, visiting 9 countries.

We started by flying business-class to Munich. We spent three days there before taking the night train to Florence and then on to Siena. We had purchased the Eurorail pass, which was wonderful. We then went to Venice where we spent the night before boarding the Splendor of the Seas for the first of our two 7-night back-to-back cruises. We went to: Corfu, Greece; Athens, Greece; Kusadasi, Turkey; Split, Croatia; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Katakalon, Greece; Mykonos, Greece; and Santorini, Greece.

We ended back in Venice where we took the train to Austria, then on to Munich. The next day we took a train to Frankfurt and on to Amsterdam for a few days, then on to Belgium and ended up in Paris for 3 days before flying home.

Needless to say, it was a remarkable trip and extremely tiring. We were exhausted when we got home, but very satisfying and educational. But I would not recommend doing what we did. While I do recommend spending a couple of days in the embarkation port and maybe a day or two after the cruise, we wouldn't spend a week before the cruise touring around and a week afterwards touring some more. The main reason is luggage. Europe is not as equipped as the U.S. to handle those who are physically-challenged or hauling big suitcases. There are very few escalators and hardly any elevators. As an example, in Venice there are many steps up and down all those bridges crossing the canals. Everywhere you see people dealing with their luggage over the steps. Luckily, I'm in pretty good shape for someone who's almost 60, but it was alot of work wearing a 25-pound backpack while carrying two 50-pound suitcases up and down all those steps, especially in the subway in Paris.

While we loved touring, had it not been for the cruise, we could have left alot of clothes back home. I purposefully did not take a suit, opting instead just to wear a shirt and tie for formal nights. Turns out, I was more in the majority than the minority.

I wrote in our trip journal every day about all the things we did, how much we paid, tips about what to do and what not to do, and general thoughts on how to make it easier, but needless to say, it's much too long and detailed to include here. But if anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer them.

I will give a few thoughts about our trip.

First, we were extremely lucky to be in Katakalon, Greece where we boarded the little train to Olympia. Royal Caribbean did not bother to tell anyone about this train, where the price for the 38 kilometer 50-minute ride on a brand new train only cost us $5 euro (about $7.50 U.S.). Instead, RCCL kept touting their shore excursions to Olympia for $75. While I can understand them wanting to make money, we heard alot of complaints from passengers about RCCL's lack of information. This was true in several ports where they never talked about any other options on how to get anywhere.

Anyway, we took the train to Olympia to find the archeological site was closed until 2:00pm for the Olympic Torch lighting ceremony. So we find a bar, sat down, had a couple of beers, and watched the entire ceremony on a big-screen TV. Back in the U.S. they'll show a quick 10 to 15 second shot of the lighting of the torch. We got to watch the whole one-hour ceremony that was wonderful. And then after they lit the runner's torch, he started his journey and we were right there watching as he came down the street. He stopped to pass the torch and on it went through the streets of Olympia. We got the whole thing on video and also got our picture taken with the first torch runner! The whole thing was the highlight of our trip - just happen to be in the right place at the right time. The bad thing was that the RCCL shore excursions left the port late, since they knew the site was closed, and they did not get there until after all this was done, so none of them saw any of this.

Another highlight of our trip occurred while we were on one of the bullet trains leaving Munich. We were in first-class in the first car of the train and there was a glass wall and door separating us from the engineer. I walked up to take some pictures; he opened the door and invited me in. I was standing right beside him as we were barreling down the track. I asked him how fast we were going and he said 330 kilometers per hour. I asked how fast that was in miles per hour and he responded it was 200 mph!! As I looked out the front window I saw we were approaching a train station with people standing on the platform and we just speeded right on by. It dawned on me that this was the same speed that NASCAR drivers go - what a rush! Then I saw another bullet train coming at us and it was also doing 200 mph, so the closing speed was 400 mph. Amazing! I got back to my seat, Nancy asked me how it was, and all I could say was, "Wow! What a rush!" My adrenaline was really pumping. How often does someone like me get to go 200 mph on land?

While we were in Munich, we took the train to Fussen and then went over to see the Neuschwanstein Castle. This is the castle that King Ludwig II built and Walt Disney used as a model for his Sleeping Beauty castle at Disneyland. It was truly amazing and well worth the whole day adventure.

We also went to Dachau and saw the infamous Nazi concentration camp. Very moving.

And we went to downtown Munich where we saw the famous glockenspiel and finished the day with some beer, brats, and pretzels at the Hofbrauhaus.

Absolutely love Germany! People were friendly, trains were wonderful, food was great, and the Bavarian Alps were amazing.

Of all the cruise ports, Santorini was our favorite. Would love to have stayed there for a few days. The trip up from the pier to the town is 800' and can be done by cable car, burro, or walking. There are no signs, no coordination, and no communication to tell people where to go or what to do, so it is rather chaotic. The line for the cable car was quite long, so we chose to ride the burros ($10 euro each), which was definitely an adventure.

Amsterdam was great! We toured the Van Gogh museum and thoroughly enjoyed it. We also enjoyed the coffee houses (and no, they don't serve coffee there - if you want coffee, you need to go to the cafes), and we enjoyed the Red Light District, especially at night. All the beautiful young ladies in the windows - gives the term 'window shopping' a whole new meaning! lol

And Paris was wonderful! We saw the light show on the Eiffel Tower, saw the Statue of Liberty, visited Notre Dame, visited Napolean's tomb, walked the Champs Elysees, and watched the sunset from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

As I mentioned, Europe as a whole is not user-friendly for those with limited mobility. Except for Germany, most of the food is rather bland compared to what we're use to in the U.S. and very expensive. An average meal will run anywhere from $40 to $75 U.S and this is not at a big or fancy restaurant. This is about twice of what the comparable meal would cost here. The one big plus is the train system - everywhere we went it was great! They can sure teach the Americans how to run a railroad. Always on time, very comfortable, very fast, and goes everywhere.

Overall, it was an absolutely wonderful trip. It really makes it easy traveling around when everywhere we went had the Euro, so there was none of this having to change all our money in every country. The only bad thing was the exchange rate; 1 euro equals roughly $1.50 U.S.

The only real downside was on the ship. While the Splendor of the Seas was very nice, albeit crowded, the service was good and the beds comfortable. But the food was not all that great and very disappointing.

Glad to be home! We sure missed our waterbed!

Let me know if you have an questions, especially about boarding a ship in Venice - we can tell you all about it, what to do, what not to do, where to go, and what to expect.

Pete ]]> Trip Reports Cruise Planner http://www.cruiselinefans.com/trip-reports/44150-just-back-4-weeks-europe.html http://www.cruiselinefans.com/trip-reports/44092-ges-cruise-holiday-10-10-09-a-new-post.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:53:20 GMT We got the chance to say farewell to the Holiday before she "retires" to another cruise line. Here was our experience.

I started out on I-10 out of New Orleans because I was worried about time, but about Gulfport, I realized we were well ahead of schedule. I decided to try the scenic route along the coast. I ran into a car show. I should say perhaps it was not just any car show. The sign near downtown said "Welcome back cruisers." Our first reaction was "cruisers? I didn't know they had cruises that left from here!" Then we found the "cruisers." They swallowed us on the road along the coast. The traffic was scary bad. After an hour and about 5 miles, I gave up and headed back to I-10.

We arrived at port right at 12:30. We took our time gathering everything and entered the terminal around 1:00. Boarding was incredibly smooth. The parking process was easy. Mobile has its act together. There were long lines but they moved fast. We were on board within 15 minutes. All the boarding staff were very friendly and helpful. We went directly to the room to drop stuff, then headed to lunch on Lido. There was a long line at lunch - a lot of browsers* (*ref John Pinette).

After lunch, we took a quick tour of the ship and grabbed some photos of ship highlights. Then we headed back to the room to get ready for muster. Honestly, this is the first muster that didn't make us stand in a crush for 45 minutes. We sat in a lounge for most of it. All muster drills should be conducted this way. After muster, we hung around on deck awhile to wait for crowded elevators to clear. Then we headed down to the cabin to get ready for dinner. We ended up at a booth for 4. I hate booths, but other couple was nice. They were from Alabama, but we’ll forgive them that minor transgression. :lol: The guy really liked to talk football, so sports dominated the conversation the first night. I had music in common with the wife.


After dinner, we went to TV theme trivia. We were 1 short of winning. :humble: :doh:

We stuck around afterward to watch the disco dance lesson. Fun! Then we came back to watch the comedian (ventriloquist) at 10:30. We finally hit bed around 1 am. Totally exhausted! ]]> Trip Reports gesualdo http://www.cruiselinefans.com/trip-reports/44092-ges-cruise-holiday-10-10-09-a.html http://www.cruiselinefans.com/trip-reports/43934-zuiderdam-10-24-11-3-2009-long-review-new-post.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:41:23 GMT Zuiderdam Cruise to the Panama Canal Oct 23, 2009 We flew from Tucson to West Palm Beach with Mom…Tina picked us up at the airport. We went to dinner at the Village Tavern and spent the night at Tina’s. Oct 24, 2009 We are on our first HAL cruise, having been on close to 40 cruises on pretty much all of the other lines, Princess and RCI mostly, but also Carnival, NCL, and Costa. I’m 54, husband 63, Mom 79, and her roommate Tina is 65. Tina’s driver picked us up and we were at Pt Everglades by noon. We were on the ship by 12:45.…after some old dockworker lady pushed me when I asked her which way to go. The rooms weren’t ready yet so we were directed to the Lido for the buffet, which was ridiculously full. People everywhere with luggage all over, no tables for 4 of us….so Mom and Tina got a table. Tina and I had previously gone down to the Explorers Lounge to get our dining seating changed….the 4 of us were at different tables even though our reservations had been linked together. (We did have different TAs but they both assured us in writing that they had been linked). I also cross referenced them on the Cruise Documents I filled out online. Later this afternoon we had something in our door that our table had been changed. Lifeboat drill was excruciating. It was HOT and we were outside, with life jackets on, sweating like I don’t know what, but it was VERY uncomfortable. It took quite a while to get to our stateroom because there are a lot of old people on board and they don’t move very quickly……would have been fine except that it was so HOT!! We are from AZ and we are not used to this humidity. I like the way Princess does lifeboat drills….you meet in public lounges. Just as crowded, but not hot. With all those old people out there with their walkers and canes having to stand up, it is amazing that nobody fell or fainted (or maybe somebody did, just not in our area!!) The folks in the condos in Ft Lauderdale ring bells and hoot and holler as we leave. The captain of our ship reciprocates by blowing the horn many times. Our cabin is 1123, a Cat K inside cabin. It is very nice, but warm. We have the AC turned all the way down but will have to ask someone tomorrow to look at it. We are aft just in front of the crew quarters. When you come into the door to the right is a couch that is shaped like an L . The couch fits into the corner and there is a table in front of it, and a chair on the other side. On the wall on the right is a counter and there is a refrigerator and a cabinet underneath. The cabinet has a hairdryer that is attached. I used it tonight and it is very weak…only 1200 watts. My hair was not dry by the time we left for dinner. Next time I’ll bring my own. The fridge was full of soda and stuff for purchase. We took it out and asked our cabin steward if he wanted us to store it in the closet or if he wanted to remove it. He said he would remove it but he forgot because it was still here when we got back from dinner. They are very busy on embarkation day so I’m sure he’ll do it tomorrow. Attached to the table is a closet that is actually 3 separate closets. There is a safe inside and some shelves as well. Needed more hangars which the room steward brought promptly. There is a stool pushed underneath the counter. The bed (2 twins pushed together) is pushed into an alcove to the left, with the obligatory fake curtains above it pretending that they are a window. Night stands on each side. The bathroom is to the left as you enter the stateroom. Typical cruise ship bathroom. So far the negatives we have noticed are that it is very dark in here….there is a mirror above the counter, along with a makeup mirror, but you can’t even see your face in the mirror it is so dark. There is a flat screen TV mounted in the corner above the counter. I tried tonight to turn it so I could watch it from the bed, but it doesn’t move. It is facing the L shaped couch. I’m going to ask the cabin steward tomorrow if it can be moved. (Note, asked the cabin steward and the TV is facing the bed as much as it can, it does not rotate.) There is a DVD player underneath. No info in the cabin regarding TV stations, DVD rental, movies, nothing….I’m thinking maybe the last folks took it with them…but they did leave their Special K cereal, bowl, spoon, sugar packet, and some chopsticks….Our first inside cabin in years, but it is very big and seems like it will be fine. We bought a pass for the Hydropool and spa. When I called HAL they said it was $350 for the 10 days for the 2 of us. Today it was $200 for the 2 of us. They said they sell 40 passes. We went up there after the lifeboat drill….was so relaxing…the pool is not hot like a Jacuzzi and has lots of jets, fountain things to spray your back, a metal rod thing to lie back on….there are 5 lounge chairs on the side and a bunch of wicker chairs with cushions on the side. We also have passes to the thermal suite that were included but haven’t been there yet. Did not buy an Internet pass….too expensive. The cheapest package was 55 cents a minute. I brought my laptop so I am typing daily updates on it. Funny thing is, we are way down on Deck 1 and the wifi down here is very strong, but I’m not going to pay that kind of money. You can access HAL website and New York Times for free. Our first dinner was tonight….table 52 in the upper Vista dining room, traditional late seating at 8:00. Mom and Tina are at our table, plus a very nice family from Maryland, Mom Christie, son Zack, and her parents Irene and Ken, who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. We had leftover Special K, spoon, sweetener and bowl in our cabin, Christie and her son had leftover women’s underwear in their closet….I think I prefer having the Special K….Dinner was hit and miss. Servers seemed nice…never saw a wine steward until I asked 3 times, then an asst dining mgr came by to take my order and the rest of our table’s wine order…by this time we were waiting on our main course. They forgot my salad and got the rest of the orders mixed up. My prime rib was fine, but not rare as requested…more medium well. We left at 10 because Rog wanted to go to a movie, and I came back down to the room to write my notes. HAL still gives chocolates (I assume they are chocolate)….when I got back tonight there was a breakfast menu with 2 gold foil wrapped goodies….along with an HAL tote bag. It is still hot in here…..but I am going to go to bed now. More tomorrow… Zuiderdam Cruise to the Panama Canal
Oct 23, 2009
We flew from Tucson to West Palm Beach with Mom…Tina picked us up at the airport. We went to dinner at the Village Tavern and spent the night at Tina’s.
Oct 24, 2009
We are on our first HAL cruise, having been on close to 40 cruises on pretty much all of the other lines, Princess and RCI mostly, but also Carnival, NCL, and Costa. I’m 54, husband 63, Mom 79, and her roommate Tina is 65.
Tina’s driver picked us up and we were at Pt Everglades by noon. We were on the ship by 12:45.…after some old dockworker lady pushed me when I asked her which way to go. The rooms weren’t ready yet so we were directed to the Lido for the buffet, which was ridiculously full. People everywhere with luggage all over, no tables for 4 of us….so Mom and Tina got a table. Tina and I had previously gone down to the Explorers Lounge to get our dining seating changed….the 4 of us were at different tables even though our reservations had been linked together. (We did have different TAs but they both assured us in writing that they had been linked). I also cross referenced them on the Cruise Documents I filled out online. Later this afternoon we had something in our door that our table had been changed.
Lifeboat drill was excruciating. It was HOT and we were outside, with life jackets on, sweating like I don’t know what, but it was VERY uncomfortable. It took quite a while to get to our stateroom because there are a lot of old people on board and they don’t move very quickly……would have been fine except that it was so HOT!! We are from AZ and we are not used to this humidity. I like the way Princess does lifeboat drills….you meet in public lounges. Just as crowded, but not hot. With all those old people out there with their walkers and canes having to stand up, it is amazing that nobody fell or fainted (or maybe somebody did, just not in our area!!)
The folks in the condos in Ft Lauderdale ring bells and hoot and holler as we leave. The captain of our ship reciprocates by blowing the horn many times.
Our cabin is 1123, a Cat K inside cabin. It is very nice, but warm. We have the AC turned all the way down but will have to ask someone tomorrow to look at it. We are aft just in front of the crew quarters. When you come into the door to the right is a couch that is shaped like an L . The couch fits into the corner and there is a table in front of it, and a chair on the other side. On the wall on the right is a counter and there is a refrigerator and a cabinet underneath. The cabinet has a hairdryer that is attached. I used it tonight and it is very weak…only 1200 watts. My hair was not dry by the time we left for dinner. Next time I’ll bring my own. The fridge was full of soda and stuff for purchase. We took it out and asked our cabin steward if he wanted us to store it in the closet or if he wanted to remove it. He said he would remove it but he forgot because it was still here when we got back from dinner. They are very busy on embarkation day so I’m sure he’ll do it tomorrow. Attached to the table is a closet that is actually 3 separate closets. There is a safe inside and some shelves as well. Needed more hangars which the room steward brought promptly. There is a stool pushed underneath the counter. The bed (2 twins pushed together) is pushed into an alcove to the left, with the obligatory fake curtains above it pretending that they are a window. Night stands on each side. The bathroom is to the left as you enter the stateroom. Typical cruise ship bathroom. So far the negatives we have noticed are that it is very dark in here….there is a mirror above the counter, along with a makeup mirror, but you can’t even see your face in the mirror it is so dark. There is a flat screen TV mounted in the corner above the counter. I tried tonight to turn it so I could watch it from the bed, but it doesn’t move. It is facing the L shaped couch. I’m going to ask the cabin steward tomorrow if it can be moved. (Note, asked the cabin steward and the TV is facing the bed as much as it can, it does not rotate.) There is a DVD player underneath. No info in the cabin regarding TV stations, DVD rental, movies, nothing….I’m thinking maybe the last folks took it with them…but they did leave their Special K cereal, bowl, spoon, sugar packet, and some chopsticks….Our first inside cabin in years, but it is very big and seems like it will be fine.
We bought a pass for the Hydropool and spa. When I called HAL they said it was $350 for the 10 days for the 2 of us. Today it was $200 for the 2 of us. They said they sell 40 passes. We went up there after the lifeboat drill….was so relaxing…the pool is not hot like a Jacuzzi and has lots of jets, fountain things to spray your back, a metal rod thing to lie back on….there are 5 lounge chairs on the side and a bunch of wicker chairs with cushions on the side. We also have passes to the thermal suite that were included but haven’t been there yet.
Did not buy an Internet pass….too expensive. The cheapest package was 55 cents a minute. I brought my laptop so I am typing daily updates on it. Funny thing is, we are way down on Deck 1 and the wifi down here is very strong, but I’m not going to pay that kind of money. You can access HAL website and New York Times for free.
Our first dinner was tonight….table 52 in the upper Vista dining room, traditional late seating at 8:00. Mom and Tina are at our table, plus a very nice family from Maryland, Mom Christie, son Zack, and her parents Irene and Ken, who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. We had leftover Special K, spoon, sweetener and bowl in our cabin, Christie and her son had leftover women’s underwear in their closet….I think I prefer having the Special K….Dinner was hit and miss. Servers seemed nice…never saw a wine steward until I asked 3 times, then an asst dining mgr came by to take my order and the rest of our table’s wine order…by this time we were waiting on our main course. They forgot my salad and got the rest of the orders mixed up. My prime rib was fine, but not rare as requested…more medium well. We left at 10 because Rog wanted to go to a movie, and I came back down to the room to write my notes.
HAL still gives chocolates (I assume they are chocolate)….when I got back tonight there was a breakfast menu with 2 gold foil wrapped goodies….along with an HAL tote bag. It is still hot in here…..but I am going to go to bed now. More tomorrow… ]]> Trip Reports dobie http://www.cruiselinefans.com/trip-reports/43934-zuiderdam-10-24-11-3-2009-long-review.html http://www.cruiselinefans.com/trip-reports/43821-brilliance-seas-med-b2b-leg-1-2-ship-impressions-new-post.html Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:08:45 GMT Thought I'd give you a port review on the first leg.

Villefranche: Took a cab into Nice with friends (Vana and Eric) Patti, Nancy,you'll remember them. They are French Canadian so no problem with the language for us. We strolled down the Promenade Anglais and then took a site-seeing little train around the old part of the city. Walked the streets after that and had a lovely lunch then taxied back to the ship. It was a lovely sunny day.

Livorno: Stayed in Livorno and took a boat trip through the canals of the city then spent some time down-town before returning to the ship. (Saving Florence and Pisa for 2nd leg)

Civitavecchia: Went out into the countryside and visited the old town of Toscania then went to a farm which produces Olive Oil and saw the process then had a wonderful lunch with great wines.

Mykonos: What a lovely place. Bright white houses with bright blue doors and shutters. (Think Mama Mia) We walked up to the famous windmills from the middle ages then walked through town in the little narrow wyndy streets and had Gyros and Baklava. Great weather, beautiful place. We found Petros the pelican who struts all over town but he was asleep in a corner.
Kusadasi: Had a private tour to Ephesus. We got their very early before the buses and had the place to ourselves for a while. It's amazing. Such detail still visible in the ruins. In the Terrace Houses the frescos still have vivid color. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we had a fascinating day. We asked to see a mosque and got there just as the Imam was calling the people to prayer from the minaret. Bought a small rug for a wall hanging.

Santorini: another lovely place. The town of Fira is built way up on top of the cliff with 3 ways up. We tendered in and then it was donkeys or walking among the donkeys to get up there or cable car. The smell from the donkey trail was bad so we took the cable car. It's a very nice town which we walked for a while. Amazing views. Not as pretty as mykonos IMHO.

Athens: Another highlight. Took a ship tour. Did a panoramic around the city with stops along the way then we climbed all the way up to the Acropolis with a guide. Again an amazing place with so much history.

Naples: Took the ferry to Capri and then a little bus up to the very top to Ana-Capri. A pretty town with a mansion of a wealthy Swede which we toured. Amazing views. The road is a switchback and very narrow and I swear the mirrors clicked when another vehicle passed us.Sheer drops on the sea side. We came back down to Capri Town and shopped a little then took a Funicular back down to the Marina and took the ferry back. Great day.

You know about the rocky ride back into Barcelona. Thus ended the first leg.
My Signature Sheila :drama: ]]> Trip Reports Cruisinscot http://www.cruiselinefans.com/trip-reports/43821-brilliance-seas-med-b2b-leg-1-2-ship-impressions.html http://www.cruiselinefans.com/trip-reports/43605-service-hal-going-down-toilet-new-post.html Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:17:12 GMT My how things have changed in just a year. All the cut backs due to the recession. We just got back from a 10 day on the Zuiderdam and noticed quite a difference from the last time. On Lido deck they discontinued the trays. Now you stand in line, get your entree on one plate, your salad on another, and your soup on the 3rd. YOU have to carry the three items to your table now. Then you go back and stand in line for your coffee and water, go back to your table and your food is now cold! I tried doing it in reverse, getting the beverages first, but that just made the coffee get cold. There are NO servers out by the pool, unless you want cocktails. When you sit down with a early morning cup of coffee, there is no one to refill it. You walk back in, stand in line, and go back out and your table is taken! The MDR was no better. Our server had SIX tables and the service was SO slow. I only had my water refilled once, the last night. It was 20 minutes between courses and always took two full hours to eat dinner. The ship was not too clean either, IMO, and disembarkment was a nightmare. We stood in line from 7:30 AM-10:30 AM, and half of us missed our flights. They were having trouble with the computer that scans the ID cards. That's all, vent is over, carry on. ]]> Trip Reports GeneK http://www.cruiselinefans.com/trip-reports/43605-service-hal-going-down-toilet.html http://www.cruiselinefans.com/trip-reports/43590-carnival-imagination-august-10-thru-14-2009-a-new-post.html Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:21:25 GMT It's over 2 months since I took this cruise with my dad, and I just didn't have the time prior to this to write this review, hence the reason for being so late.

I booked this cruise, a 4 night Western Caribbean sailing just 11 days before, so the wait was not agnonizing. Our itinerary was Miami, Key West, Cozumel, Fun Day At Sea, Miami. I drove my vehicle to the Port Of Miami, parked in the parking garage and walked over to the Carnival Cruise Terminal where I met my dad. I had dropped him off in front of the terminal, got a crewmember with a wheelchair and then left to park the vehicle.
We went through security first, then proceeded to the check-in area. Since my dad needed wheelchair assistance, we were given priority at check-in, presented the required documents, got our Sail & Sign Cards and headed upstairs to the boarding bridge. There was a brief stop to take my embarkation picture(dad did not want his taken). We then proceeded to board the ship, inserted our S & S cards in the security computer, had our ID picture taken with that famous chime, and away we went to the Lido Deck 9 for lunch as the cabins were not ready until 1:30 PM. It was now 12:25 PM, and we were onboard the Carnival Imagination.

The Carnival Imagination entered service new on July 8, 1995 with Carnival, and at the time was known simply as Imagination. She was built at Masa-Yards, Helsinki, Finland, is 70,367 tons, is 855 ft long, carries 2,658 passengers at full guest capacity(2,054 based on 2 per cabin), has 926 total Officers and crew, and 10 passenger decks. The Imagination has a set of dual stabilizers, 3 bow and 3 stern thrusters, individually controlled twin rudders, and 6 diesel-electric engines. Her sister ships are the Carnival Fantasy, Ecstacy, Fascination, Inspiration, Sensation, Elation, and Paradise. The Fantasy was the first in this class of ship delivered in 1990, while the Paradise was the last in this class delivered in 1998. The Elation was also delivered in 1998.

The vessel underwent a multi-million refurbishment between Oct, 2007 and Nov, 2007, during which time the staterooms and suites were refurbished, including new bedding, carpet, furniture, lighting and wall coverings, and the creation of adjoining staterooms. The Art Auction Gallery was created in spaces vacated by the Photo Gallery on the Empress Deck(7), while the Photo Gallery was relocated to a more prominent location on the Promenade Deck(8) around the Atrium. The Evolutions of Fun, a Waterworks Aqua Park, Serenity Adults Only Retreat Area and a Resort Style Pool Area were all part of the enhancement of the ship during refurbishment, as were many other areas including the Spa, Card Room, and relocation of the Childrens Playroom area, plus a Teen lounge based on the Club O2 concept.

Lunch was very good in the Lido Buffet. The only drink after breakfast in the buffet area is lemonade, unless you order a soda or other drink from the bar. By the time we were finished having lunch, it was time to head down to our cabin as it was now after 1:30 PM.

Our stateroon was an Oceanview with a large picture window, Category 6E on the Empress deck 7. There is a flat panel TV mounted on the wall a few inches from the window in just the perfect position to view it from our bed. There were sodas and bottled water together with an ice bucket on the table top. The in-room telephone was a very sleek wall mounted device.
When we got to our stateroom, the only thing left to do was to vacuum the carpet. Now, I understand why this was not done as yet, since I myself was part of a group of travel agents on a weekend Familiarization tour of Carnival's ships, so the cleaning crew is hindered a bit because of travel agents crowding the corridors and there was a group of agents that Monday touring the ship. It was not a long wait before we were able to enter our cabin, and our luggage arrived shortly after. I unpacked both suitcases, then left to have our dinner time changed from Early to Late seating, which was easily accomplished. We then roamed the ship a while actually seeing most of the vessel before the Muster Drill and taking lots of pictures.

The Muster Drill on these ships is conducted similar to that on the Princess ships, only difference is they actually take you to the lifeboat after demonstrating the correct way to don the lifevest and other announcements. As soon as the Drill was concluded, we pulled away from the pier and we were underway out the channel to the open Atlantic Ocean. Next stop after returning the lifevests to our cabins was the Lido Deck for the sailaway Party.

The sailaway Party was a typical affair with Soca and Reggae music plus other tunes, beer, rum punch, and other alcoholic drinks available and of course, dancing. As might be expected, the ships videographer was present recording the event for the cruise DVD which I did purchase at the end of the cruise. I was eager to hit the Fun Shop Store, so we made our way there and I bought some Tee shirts which were on sale as well as 2 baseball caps with the ship's name on them.

Next, I got ready for dinner, my dad was too tired, so he stayed in the cabin and slept while I headed to the dining room after a nice shower, and clean clothing. I arrived in the Spirit Dining room to my assigned table to find all the others already seated. I greeted them all and they were all very friendly, and chatted before our Server, who was herself very friendly and is Russian, came with the menus. These were a great set of table mates I must say.

As usual, dinner was great, I had dessert, a cup of Expresso, and we got up and left the table after chatting a bit more. I headed back to my stateroom, and my dad was still asleep. He awoke a short time later, hungry, so we went to the Lido deck and I ordered two slices of Pizza for him, one for myself then fetched him a glass of lemonade. He enjoyed the pizza, which tasted great. I ordered two more slices of Veggie pizza, had a piece of cake and soft serve yogurt with dad, then we left and walked around some more. By this time it's after 1:00 AM. We headed to our stateroom and turned in.
Now, I did mention that I had a cup of Expresso, right? Well, I had a hard time sleeping that morning, and Key West was our first port of call in just a few hours, and at 4:00 AM, I was wide awake wondering why I couldn't sleep. Well, I finally did fall asleep and I awoke at approximately 8:00 AM. The ship was docked in Key West. We got up, showered, dressed and headed up to the buffet for breakfast. We had egg white omlettes, whole wheat bread, orange juice and harsh browns plus a cup of hot chocolate. While having breakfast, it dawned on me why I had a hard time falling asleep, it was the Expresso that I drank late the night before. Never made that mistake again. ]]> Trip Reports MD11F http://www.cruiselinefans.com/trip-reports/43590-carnival-imagination-august-10-thru-14-2009-a.html