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Welove2cruise2
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Posted: Tue Oct 30th, 2007 01:02 am | 1st Post |
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Hi all! I'm planning to post a live blog of our Noordam cruise (from an NCL cruiser's point of view) and will post here! I've asked one of our mods to "sticky" it so I don't have to search for it while on board. And I'll try not to offend those members on the board who are HAL loyalists!!  However, how can I NOT compare??
Here's a bit of background, and prelude: DH and I have sailed 12 times on NCL, our most recent cruises in July on the Majesty and March on the Dawn. I was extremely apprehensive about booking this cruise ("honey, HAL is for OLD people!" "Guess what, dear, we ARE old!!" -- I didn't think that was particularly funny... ). We try to cruise three (and sometimes four, if we're lucky) times a year -- in July (always a 7 night to Bermuda), November and March (10/11 day Caribbean from NYC). In case you haven't figured it out, we HATE to fly, and cruising from Boston or the Big Apple suits us to a T! Unfortunately NCL wasn't offering a 10/11 night cruise from NYC in November (or March, for that matter -- yes, we booked the Noordam then as well -- hey, we can always cancel that cruise if we absolutely HATE this one ), I couldn't wait until January, can't get away from work in February, and even if I could, the prices on the ONLY game in town -- the Gem -- went OUT OF SIGHT, as we all know! Note to self: NEVER procrastinate when you see a great cruise deal!
So, after doing a little research, I found this beautiful ship sailing from NYC. It's almost new (2006?). It's not too big (think Royal Caribbean -- NO THANKS!) -- about the size of the Spirit, which we loved -- and has some nifty features which make it perfect for sailing from NYC in the winter -- particularly the retractable roof on the pool deck. The ship appears to offer some of what we're used to with NCL -- "as you wish dining" being an important one; after 12 cruises on NCL, I can't even imagine being tied to a dinner schedule or having to share a table with 8-10 strangers! However, we will definitely miss the many different dining venues offered by NCL -- this ship has their main dining room, the Lido (buffet) and their one specialty (and pay) restaurant -- the Pinnacle Grill. Will we survive without Salsas, Teppanyaki, LeBistro, Cagney's, and the Blue Lagoon? Time will tell. HAL offers an extensive 24 hour room service menu, which NCL does not -- I absolutely LOVE breakfast in our cabin or on the balcony (and I don't even need to be in a suite to do this on HAL!), and I won't have to hit up the buffet for our daily before dinner cocktail snack of cheese, fruit and crackers. There's a cigar bar -- DH will be happy! So far, it doesn't appear that HAL is restricting smoking as much as NCL, which I'm happy about. I was able to order a bar setup -- an absolute MUST! They have MARTINI CLINICS! Best of all, I was able to snag a much-coveted stern balcony -- er, veranda -- cabin -- something I have been unsuccessful in booking on our past cruises on the Dawn. However, we will surely miss our "perks" as gold latitudes members on NCL, specifically use of the concierge and the great cocktail parties and dinner with the captain (or another senior staff officer) that we've enjoyed on previous NCL cruises -- and of course that wonderful NCL crew that we've come to know and love over the years.
So, the bags are all packed, or should I say, over-packed -- we have THREE formal nights! We've managed to stuff all our "stuff" into two suitcases and two garment bags (I have the bigger one ), and, of course, two carry-ons. Don't get me wrong, I actually LOVE to dress up -- something I don't do at all in my daily life, and I have to say, DH looks damned good in a suit or tux! Yes, we ordered him a tux -- which also includes a white dinner jacket! Yow!!
Technically, I am "officially on vacation" tomorrow (Tuesday 10/30) at noon! I'll get out of work (hopefully on time!), come home and help DH get the luggage out to the car, then spend a few hours with DD getting manis and pedis. We plan to leave our house around 6 p.m. for Pawtucket, RI. We'll have some dinner and a few drinks, maybe play some Keno, and spend the night in a local hotel that we've stayed at prior to our previous cruises from NYC, and catch the HAL-provided bus from the Bonanza bus terminal to the pier on Wednesday morning.
So here's our itinerary:
Wednesday, October 31st -- depart NYC 4:45 PM
Thursday, November1 - Friday, November 2 -- at sea
Saturday, November 3 -- Grand Turk, 7 AM - 2 PM
Sunday, November 4 -- Tortola 12 noon - 9 PM
Monday, November 5 -- St. Maarten 8 AM - 6 PM
Tuesday, November 6 -- St. Thomas 7 AM - 6 PM
Wednesday, November 7 - San Juan 7 AM - 1 PM
Thursday, November 8, Friday, November 9 -- at sea
Saturday, November 10 -- NYC 8 AM
Of all the ports, the only ones we haven't been to are Grand Turk and San Juan, which, unfortunately, are our two shortest port days. After a while, the Caribbean could get boring for some, but we love the weather, beaches and beautiful water, so it wouldn't really matter to us if we've been to these same ports 100 times. We haven't booked any ship-sponsored shore excursions, opting to go on our own at all the ports. We've booked a catamaran in Tortola with Patouche, plan to catch the ferry to St. John while in St. Thomas, and will beach it at the rest of the ports except San Juan, where we'll just walk around, and hopefully find LaBombonera!
So that's it! The next time you hear from me, we SHOULD be on board! I suspect we'll arrive at the port between 12-1 PM. Wouldn't you know there'd be a tropical storm (NOEL) heading up the coast, so we're hoping the Noordam will arrive on time in NYC!
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"I'll take the deck of a ship any time..." Jimmy Buffett
Majesty 10/00 & 01, 7/03 & 04, 5/05, 6/06, 9/06, 7/07 Dawn 11/04, 10/05, 3/07 Spirit 11/06, Dream 7/08 Noordam 10/07, 3/08
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Catnip
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Posted: Tue Oct 30th, 2007 01:32 am | 2nd Post |
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I've only been on one HAL cruise and it was a 7-day one. But the median age was 30-60, with the majority of passengers being families with children!
Now, the longer cruises may have older passengers. But, give it a chance and I bet you will have a great time!!!
Smooth sailing and calm seas!!!
____________________
32 previous cruises..
Next up: Last Atlantic crossing on QE 2 10-08/Celebrity Solstice 1-09/Jewel of the Seas 3/09
**Triangles Are For Losers!**
Don't touch that triangle!
Adopt a pet from your local shelter & save a life!
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hstrybuf
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Posted: Tue Oct 30th, 2007 01:41 am | 3rd Post |
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| I've heard some good things about HAL. Have a great time and we'll be waiting for your reports!
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Deb - Research, research, research!
My pics: http://community.webshots.com/user/hstrycrsr
Liberty 10/07; Miracle 10/06; Navigator OTS 10/04; Legend 04/04; Grand Princess 09/03; Dawn Princess 01/03; Enchantment OTS 10/02; Destiny 01/02; Sensation 10/99
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Spirit Rev
Cruiser
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Posted: Tue Oct 30th, 2007 01:54 pm | 4th Post |
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Look forward to hearing how you find HAL in comparison to NCL. We will be sailing HAL next summer in Alaska after three times on NCL, two of which we have throughly enjoyed and expect our January cruise on the Gem to be equally enjoyable.
I'll be very interested in hearing about the ages, activity level and the AYWD concept, which seems to be the closest to NCL's dining which we really like and appreciate.
Have a great trip and hope that Noel doesn't affect you too much.
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mrdawson
Funnel Deck Cruiser
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Posted: Wed Oct 31st, 2007 11:17 pm | 5th Post |
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Impatiently waiting! :) Have a great cruise and thanks for including us..I will be on my first HAL cruise in Jan.....still impatiently waiting....  popcorn at the ready!~
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Mike
So many Pots....so few spoons!!!!
CTT Master Pot Stirring Advisor
1/09 X Solstice Eastern Carib
6/09 Mariner OTS Mex Riv
5/10 CTT Azul Sensatori AI Party, Riviera Maya
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whatawonderfulworld
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Posted: Thu Nov 1st, 2007 02:57 am | 6th Post |
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Brother and SIL were on the Statendam in Feb/March - Sydney to Hong Kong. They loved the ship and the staff. You will have a wonderful time I'm sure. You certainly had a beautiful evening to sail out of NY - my wish would be for everyone to have the opportunity to sail out of or into NY just once - wouldn't it be great if we lived in a magical place and all cruises could leave out of NY?
Looking foward to your blog and Bon Voyage!!
WaWW 
____________________
NCL Jewel, Dover/NYC TA 9/09
NCL Jade, London/Barcelona, 8/08
NCL Pearl, LA/Panama Canal/Miami, 9/07
NCL Dawn, NY/Florida/Bahamas, 10/06
Carnival Legend, CTN NY/NY, 10/05
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Welove2cruise2
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Posted: Thu Nov 1st, 2007 07:17 pm | 7th Post |
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Hi everyone! Well, I finally found a few minutes to set up my internet account. That's not to say we've been especially busy, but have just been RELAXING a lot!
Checkin at NYC was a nightmare, as always. We arrived at the pier at noon, and didn't board until 2:30. We would have been at the pier 1/2 hour or so earlier, but the bus driver was told they were backed up at the pier, so we took the scenic route.
Our cabin is AWESOME! Quite a bit bigger than any balcony cabin we've had on NCL, but the hallway entering the room is quite narrow. I'm told this is due to the elongated shape of the cabin being on the stern. The balcony -- er, veranda -- is great! I'd say it's about 10 feet deep and about as wide. The cabin amenities are really nice -- huge bath towel, robes (of course), great bed, lots of closets though not a lot of drawers, but plenty of space to hold all our stuff. There's a medicine cabinet in the bathroom, and the bathroom is quite spacious for a cruise ship.
The ship itself is absolutely gorgeous! Very subdued, elegant, well laid out. The dining room is very pretty (though we haven't seen the upper level, we have AYWD, so we dine in the lower level).
Our itinerary was changed due to Noel -- Sat. at sea, Sunday St. Maarten 8 a.m. to I believe 9 p.m., Monday St. Thomas 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday San Juan 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Wednesday Grand Turk 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. I like it, but of course the only place we had anything planned was Tortola, which is no longer on our itinerary. Oh, well, go with the flow!
The food has been wonderful, so far. Last night we arrived at the dining room at around 7:30 and were told we could either wait for a table for 2 (they didn't say how long) or sit at a table with two other couples, so that's what we did. Fortunately we were all seated at the same time (I've talked to another couple who began eating and after they had their appetizers another couple was seated at their table -- I think that's just wrong!). We enjoyed the company of our table mates, but still prefer a table for two.
We have reservations in the Pinnacle Grill on Saturday night for DH's birthday.
Our bar setup was in our cabin when we arrived, as was a note about our on board credit from the cruise line.
We had our cc get together today and it was very well attended. The ship provided open bar and hot and cold appetizers -- pretty slick! The hotel director is very nice. I didn't talk to any of the other crew members and not sure there was anyone else there as I arrived about 10 minutes late.
One thing that HAL does not do is have priority boarding for past passengers! I was very surprised. The other thing that people noted was that if you did NOT fill our your pre-registration/immigration form on line, you were immediately walked to the front of the VERY LONG line and were processed and checked in before the masses -- made for some pretty pissed off people!
Haven't seen any shows or entertainment yet -- the ship was VERY quiet last night. In fact we were in bed before 10:00 -- we were wiped out! All that standing and then walking around the ship wore us out!
Well, so far so good. I need to think a little more before I continue, so I'll close for now and be back later.
____________________
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"I'll take the deck of a ship any time..." Jimmy Buffett
Majesty 10/00 & 01, 7/03 & 04, 5/05, 6/06, 9/06, 7/07 Dawn 11/04, 10/05, 3/07 Spirit 11/06, Dream 7/08 Noordam 10/07, 3/08
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mrdawson
Funnel Deck Cruiser
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Posted: Thu Nov 1st, 2007 09:48 pm | 8th Post |
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Sounds like your off to a good start! Can you give us a rundown of the dinner menu's from time to time when you post? What was good, what wasn't etc... Thanks in advance! 
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Mike
So many Pots....so few spoons!!!!
CTT Master Pot Stirring Advisor
1/09 X Solstice Eastern Carib
6/09 Mariner OTS Mex Riv
5/10 CTT Azul Sensatori AI Party, Riviera Maya
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Catnip
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Posted: Thu Nov 1st, 2007 10:12 pm | 9th Post |
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Great start!! Pop back in when you get a chance!!!
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32 previous cruises..
Next up: Last Atlantic crossing on QE 2 10-08/Celebrity Solstice 1-09/Jewel of the Seas 3/09
**Triangles Are For Losers!**
Don't touch that triangle!
Adopt a pet from your local shelter & save a life!
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hstrybuf
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Posted: Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 12:40 am | 10th Post |
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| That balcony/veranda sounds wonderful! Have a drink or a nap or something out there for me!
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Deb - Research, research, research!
My pics: http://community.webshots.com/user/hstrycrsr
Liberty 10/07; Miracle 10/06; Navigator OTS 10/04; Legend 04/04; Grand Princess 09/03; Dawn Princess 01/03; Enchantment OTS 10/02; Destiny 01/02; Sensation 10/99
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Welove2cruise2
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Posted: Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 07:59 pm | 11th Post |
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Hi all: we had a very rough night last night and half the day today -- 40 knot winds and 12-18 foot seas. Many of the passengers are not doing well, and the room service people have been very busy!
Dinner last night was yuck -- the salmon was way too salty... We were hungry this morning! One other think about HAL -- the entertainment SUCKS! We actually went to our cabin around 10-10:30 last night and watched a movie because there was nothing else to do...
DH did the cooking class this morning -- and I watched -- it was excellent! The head chef from the Pinnacle Grill does the class. They only take 12 people. They made a carribean party menu, and the food was great -- shrimp, chicken stuffed with apples and almonds, lots of spicy/sweet sauce, and a wonderful fruit dessert with a custard topping. DH had a blast!
Weather is lousy -- we have very cloudy skies and occasion very hazy sunshine.
Went to karaoke last night because that was about the only thing going on -- the guy in the piano bar was ugh... Karaoke wasn't much better.
Tonight is our first formal night. I made a reservation for 2 (last two nights we ate with two other couples, it was okay, but we prefer eating alone) and then we'll probably check out the show to see if their production shows are any better than their regular entertainment. Then we'll probably hit Northern Lights and listen to karaoke for a while (the bartender there, Alfonzo, is a peach).
Another sea day tomorrow.....
____________________
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"I'll take the deck of a ship any time..." Jimmy Buffett
Majesty 10/00 & 01, 7/03 & 04, 5/05, 6/06, 9/06, 7/07 Dawn 11/04, 10/05, 3/07 Spirit 11/06, Dream 7/08 Noordam 10/07, 3/08
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hstrybuf
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Posted: Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 08:31 pm | 12th Post |
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| The cooking class sounds interesting. I wonder if I could get my DH to try something like that? His cooking needs a little "inspiration" sometimes.
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Deb - Research, research, research!
My pics: http://community.webshots.com/user/hstrycrsr
Liberty 10/07; Miracle 10/06; Navigator OTS 10/04; Legend 04/04; Grand Princess 09/03; Dawn Princess 01/03; Enchantment OTS 10/02; Destiny 01/02; Sensation 10/99
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mrdawson
Funnel Deck Cruiser
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Posted: Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 09:39 pm | 13th Post |
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You don't like sea days???? I love'em..in fact I could do without most of the port stops..just 10 days cruisin around would be cool with me!
____________________
Mike
So many Pots....so few spoons!!!!
CTT Master Pot Stirring Advisor
1/09 X Solstice Eastern Carib
6/09 Mariner OTS Mex Riv
5/10 CTT Azul Sensatori AI Party, Riviera Maya
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Catnip
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Posted: Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 10:00 pm | 14th Post |
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mrdawson wrote: You don't like sea days???? I love'em..in fact I could do without most of the port stops..just 10 days cruisin around would be cool with me!
I agree, Mike. Sea days are my favorite! Actually though, I prefer the port days when everyone else is off the ship and I stay on! No fights over chairs by the pool and no line at the lunch buffet!!!!!! 
____________________
32 previous cruises..
Next up: Last Atlantic crossing on QE 2 10-08/Celebrity Solstice 1-09/Jewel of the Seas 3/09
**Triangles Are For Losers!**
Don't touch that triangle!
Adopt a pet from your local shelter & save a life!
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whatawonderfulworld
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Posted: Sat Nov 3rd, 2007 02:02 am | 15th Post |
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Catnip wrote: mrdawson wrote: You don't like sea days???? I love'em..in fact I could do without most of the port stops..just 10 days cruisin around would be cool with me!
I agree, Mike. Sea days are my favorite! Actually though, I prefer the port days when everyone else is off the ship and I stay on! No fights over chairs by the pool and no line at the lunch buffet!!!!!!
Count me in! Love those sea days...next cruise will only have two...but I'll enjoy every minute of them! We also encountered similar seas and winds coming into Miami...I loved it...felt like I was being rocked to sleep just like a baby!
Ciao,
WaWW
____________________
NCL Jewel, Dover/NYC TA 9/09
NCL Jade, London/Barcelona, 8/08
NCL Pearl, LA/Panama Canal/Miami, 9/07
NCL Dawn, NY/Florida/Bahamas, 10/06
Carnival Legend, CTN NY/NY, 10/05
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Welove2cruise2
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Posted: Tue Nov 6th, 2007 03:31 pm | 16th Post |
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Well, let's try this again! I've been trying to get on here for days and either get the white screen of death or the PC freezes up on me!!
Yes, ordinarily I LOVE sea days -- sitting by the pool, listening to some caribbean music -- and there's the problem -- NO MUSIC by the stern pool! And I don't know if I've already mentioned it, but I thought I would love the mid-ship covered pool but I don't at all -- it smells like the local YMCA in there unless they have the roof open!
So I've kind of lost track of the days... In St. Maarten we just walked around town (we've been there several times and after getting quite a sunburn on the pool deck the day before decided not to go to the beach). Yesterday we were in St. Thomas -- we took the ferry from Charlotte Amalie to St. John, hopped an open air taxi and did a very nice tour, walked around a bit and came back to the ship. No shopping for this gal!
Today we are in San Juan -- basically did the same thing -- hopped a cab, did a tour, walked around a bit. We went to LaBombanera for lunch and had the most delicious ham & cheese mallorca and the best coffee! YUM!
The other night there was a "star search" kind of thing going on in the Queen's Lounge. DH & I had finished dinner (pinnacle grill -- VERY good and well worth the $30 PP) and stopped by to have a listen. Sitting at the very small bar were four or five members of the HALCats band -- yes, they were sitting at the bar, having a couple of drinks, in their "uniforms" and with their name tags on (otherwise I'd have never known they weren't passengers). I guess I was a little miffed when one of them asked if I wanted to squeeze through to order a drink, but none offered up their seat for a paying customer! That SO surprised me.
We went to one of the production shows the other night (If these walls could rock, or something like that) and it was actually pretty good. I like how they did the stage changes. It was certainly a notch above everything else we've seen so far.
Yesterday after sailing away from St. Thomas they had a sail-away party. Set up a very elaborate line of tables and umbrellas and were serving rum punches, and the band (HALCats) actually came out onto the aft pool deck to play. What a boring crowd... NOT like NCL at all.  The "party" started at 5:45, and everyone pretty much cleared out by 6:30. Waiters were walking around with little bowls of coconut chicken (pretty good) with sauce. They will attempt another sail away party this afternoon when we leave San Juan.
Tomorrow we're in Grand Turk, and I'm looking forward to sitting around on the beach with a cold drink in my hand. Never been there, and we've actually got a longer port stop now thanks to our itinerary change.
Jury's still on on whether we keep our March booking...
Off to the exciting pool deck for a drink!!
____________________
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"I'll take the deck of a ship any time..." Jimmy Buffett
Majesty 10/00 & 01, 7/03 & 04, 5/05, 6/06, 9/06, 7/07 Dawn 11/04, 10/05, 3/07 Spirit 11/06, Dream 7/08 Noordam 10/07, 3/08
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cruizinwithkids
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Posted: Tue Nov 6th, 2007 05:17 pm | 17th Post |
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Welove2cruise2 wrote:
Jury's still on on whether we keep our March booking...
You can always do the 7 day Dawn to Bermuda with Jim and me in April. We'll even drive.Last edited on Tue Nov 6th, 2007 05:19 pm by cruizinwithkids
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Not until 4/18 on the Majesty
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mrdawson
Funnel Deck Cruiser
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Posted: Tue Nov 6th, 2007 05:54 pm | 18th Post |
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| What did you eat in the Pinnacle Grill and do you remember the choices? I want to try it on my Jan HAL cruise...
____________________
Mike
So many Pots....so few spoons!!!!
CTT Master Pot Stirring Advisor
1/09 X Solstice Eastern Carib
6/09 Mariner OTS Mex Riv
5/10 CTT Azul Sensatori AI Party, Riviera Maya
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scrappy
Funnel Deck Cruiser
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Posted: Tue Nov 6th, 2007 07:56 pm | 19th Post |
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Thanks for taking the time to post your cruise. I've enjoyed your comments. We've mostly done NCL lately because we love Freestyle and all the restaurant choices, but now that we want to try some different itineraries not offfered by NCL, we're gathering infor on other lines, so it's good to get your impressions. If possible, could you do a brief comparison? Example: NCL dining room food vs HAL dining room food, balcony cabins, entertainment, buffet layout, casino action, daytime activities offered, special perks, and finally, the best and worst of each line. I know, I know, I'm asking an awful lot from someone on their vacation, for crying out loud, but I'll be happy to wait for this info on your return. Just wanted you to think about it so you could maybe post later.
At least you're on a CRUISE! Not like the rest of us stuck at our desks and doing boring stuff instead out sitting on our balcony (sorry, verandah) listening to Jimmy on our iPods, sipping on a drink and watching the sea pass by. Ahhhhhhhhhh, lucky you!
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Alcohol does not cause hangovers...waking up does.
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hstrybuf
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Posted: Wed Nov 7th, 2007 11:38 pm | 20th Post |
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| Yours isn't the first complaint I've seen about the staff taking up seats at the bar. Yes, I know it's their time off, but they didn't pay to be there. The other time I read about this, it was dancers on another line. Shame on them! The paying guests should always get the seats.
____________________
Deb - Research, research, research!
My pics: http://community.webshots.com/user/hstrycrsr
Liberty 10/07; Miracle 10/06; Navigator OTS 10/04; Legend 04/04; Grand Princess 09/03; Dawn Princess 01/03; Enchantment OTS 10/02; Destiny 01/02; Sensation 10/99
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cruizinwithkids
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Posted: Thu Nov 8th, 2007 01:49 am | 21st Post |
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Peggy-
I don't know if you check out the other threads or just post, but I wanted to tell you the exciting news.
The Spirit is doing Boston to Bermuda in 2009. This is an NCL announcement - not anyone's speculation.
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Welove2cruise2
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Posted: Thu Nov 8th, 2007 03:11 pm | 22nd Post |
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YAY!! Spirit from Boston to Bermuda???!!! I AM SOOOO EXCITED!
we had a great day in Grand Turk yesterday. We did absolutely nothing! We got off the ship around 10 or so and went straight to Margaritaville's. We hung out at the pool and beach, had a few beers and margaritas, had a "cheeseburger in paradise" and enjoyed the BEST music we've heard since we got on the ship! I told the DJ we were going to kidnap him and bring him on the ship with us.
The best thing about Grand Turk is that there isn't much to see (as far as I know, I hadn't really researched the port since we were originally only going to be there a short time) so after running around at the previous ports it was nice to just relax.
Last night was so dull on board; even the band in the Ocean Bar was back to their usual put you to sleep music. We were going to attend the Indonesian Crew Show but the music in the Ocean Bar put us to sleep so we were gone by 11:30. We sat out on our balcony and had a drink before we went to bed, and for the first time we slept until room service knocked on the door at 8:00. Why don't they call first??!!
When we had dinner inthe Pinnacle we both had the pinnacle cut filet. I don't recall what else was on the menu because that's what I was looking forward to. We may go back again tomorrow night if we can get a reservation. The chef at the Pinnacle, John Desouza, is a great guy and a great chef.
The food is comparable I think on HAL to NCL. But it does come out consistently hot. The buffet has stations similar to NCL, seems to work well. Breakfast at the buffet is good (I can't be bothered with the DR) and we usually skip lunch or just split a sandwich.
It's a beautiful day at sea today, so I think I'll spend some time in the sun with my book and MP3 player while I still can.
Well, I'm off to the explorations cafe for my daily iced latte -- I don't think I'll finish my coffee card before we debark, unless I plan to drink 6 coffees in the next two days -- I'll be wired and won't have anything to do!!
____________________
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"I'll take the deck of a ship any time..." Jimmy Buffett
Majesty 10/00 & 01, 7/03 & 04, 5/05, 6/06, 9/06, 7/07 Dawn 11/04, 10/05, 3/07 Spirit 11/06, Dream 7/08 Noordam 10/07, 3/08
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hstrybuf
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| Joined: | Sat Jun 17th, 2006 |
| Location: | Kansas |
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Posted: Thu Nov 8th, 2007 10:05 pm | 23rd Post |
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| Relaxing sounds good! I've wondered about Grand Turk since we've never been to that port. Margaritaville would be just fine with us.
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Deb - Research, research, research!
My pics: http://community.webshots.com/user/hstrycrsr
Liberty 10/07; Miracle 10/06; Navigator OTS 10/04; Legend 04/04; Grand Princess 09/03; Dawn Princess 01/03; Enchantment OTS 10/02; Destiny 01/02; Sensation 10/99
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Welove2cruise2
Casual Cruiser
| Joined: | Sun Feb 18th, 2007 |
| Location: | Massachusetts USA |
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Posted: Sat Nov 17th, 2007 08:16 pm | 24th Post |
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Well, we are back, unpacked, the laundry is done, and I’ve made it through a short (though very long) work week... Disembarkation was slow because we had to go through immigration again; we didn't get off the ship until around 11. Had I known it would be so late we wouldn't have gotten up at 6 a.m.! We had coffee and juice delivered to our cabin, and then went up to the Lido for breakfast. Afterwards we sat in our stateroom and watched most of a movie before our color tags were called.
On Thursday after I posted, I put on my bathing suit, grabbed my mp3 player and book, and headed up to the stern pool deck for some sun. Around 3:00 it was like someone turned the thermostat down 20 degrees  ! The clouds, wind and rain came, and everyone headed for cover. That was the weather for our last sea day as well, though the seas were dead calm all the way home.
Thursday night was our third formal night. We were dressed for dinner earlier than usual for our 7:45 reservation, so we headed to the Ocean Bar for a drink. Wait staff was all over the ship, serving hot and cold hors d’oeuvres – I guess because we headed straight to the dining room after we dressed we had missed this!
Friday was a pretty quiet day; we slept in, had a late breakfast, and just wandered around the ship looking for something to do (no luck). Friday night after dinner we went to the Vista Lounge to see the karaoke finals – there were three people left. That was over around 10, and suddenly DH wasn’t feeling so well (he’s been having stomach problems for the last several weeks, and I think the tiramisu did him in), so we headed to the cabin, watched a movie, and called it a night. I had really wanted to visit the Ocean Bar one more time, but that didn’t happen…
When we got back to Providence, we discovered the battery in our car was dead! Fortunately we were at a bus depot, so one of the mechanics came out and gave us a jump-start. DH thinks either the dome light or one of the map lights was left on. We were home by around 4:30...
Some final thoughts:
Of course it was difficult to NOT make comparisons between this cruise and our previous (12) NCL cruises.
The ship was absolutely beautiful, elegant, and well laid out. It was very simple to find our way around after just a day or two. Our cabin was the best! We loved sitting out on our balcony in the afternoon or evening just watching and listening to the wake – it was mesmerizing! The glass at the railing on the balcony was always clean, too! Though I have no idea when they cleaned it…
The food (with the exception of the salmon that one night) in the main dining room was great – comparable to or in some cases better than we’ve had in the main dining rooms on NCL, and as previously mentioned, consistently hot. The Pinnacle Grill was as good as Cagney’s with about the same menu offerings – only a bit more expensive. There was also a sommelier dinner one night at the PG for $65 per person that we thought about doing, but then forgot to make a reservation. I thought I’d miss all the different dining venues offered on the bigger NCL ships, but there was such a variety of foods every evening that I was always happy with my choices (I did miss the Blue Lagoon though...). And we sure cut down our on-board expenses by not going to pay venues! Once we figured out that we could make reservations (as a matter of fact, after our third dinner in the dining room our waiter made sure we had a reservation at his table every night) dinner “as you wish” worked out great.
I love the Explorations Café! I could get my daily dose of iced coffee  (or latte, or whatever else I wanted) and purchasing the “coffee card” was definitely the way to go. I still had three coffee punches left when we disembarked, but as far as I know if we cruise again on HAL I could probably use it up. The coffee card was, I believe $26 (10 punches), which worked out to be about a 15% savings. They also sold drink cards, which are only worth the expense if you use it for “signature cocktails” – those costing $7 and up. I used mine for a simple mixed drink and the server told me (and he was right) I should save it for the “good drinks.” (The card worked out to be something like $6 per drink, with 10 drinks on the card – I bought two.)
I didn’t care for the Internet manager on board – he was too “by the book” for me. I had trouble getting on line for a few days – very slow connection, and then the PC’s were freezing up on me. If that had happened on NCL, the Internet manager would have been happy to remove the charges. Not this guy! I also previously mentioned the HALCats sitting at the bar – that was unbelievable! Also, one afternoon, a bartender came on duty at the Sea View bar and I SWEAR he was drunk! Staggering around, slurring his words! I’ve never seen crewmembers drinking with the passengers on a ship before – but it was prevalent on the Noordam. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I’m leaning towards BAD.
The drinking water on the ship was not good – you could smell the chlorine in it (ruined our scotch!!). I was glad I brought a 12-pack of Poland Springs with me to mix with our scotch in our room! Drinks were reasonably priced and the bartenders we’d become friendly with poured more liberally than the ones who didn’t know us. I didn’t like how they made a cosmopolitan – they crushed a wedge of lime in the cocktail shaker, so when your drink was strained into a martini glass it was cloudy. I like mine without the pulp, thank you! I had to tell the bartender how to make a raspberry cosmo! They also didn’t have limoncello or Alize (I was looking forward to a limoncello or passionate martini). Oh well, I guess we can’t have everything! There were three mixology classes during the cruise, and unfortunately I missed all of them.
There is a mini-bar in the fridge – the first thing we did was have our cabin steward empty it out! There is a charge to use the spa – I believe for two people it was $250 for the cruise (we didn’t bother).
The buffet had really good food for breakfast and lunch. One day I had the thai food (chicken and pad thai) and it was yummy, but a lot more than I usually eat for lunch. I just happened to be walking by, saw what they had, and had to try it! Also, they make GREAT cookies. And why does the ice cream on a cruise ship taste so much better than at home??
It was annoying that I couldn’t go to the buffet at around 5-5:30 and make up my own plate of cheese, fruit and crackers to take to our cabin (they did have it at the lunch buffet, but that closed around 2-2:30). The cheese plate from room service is puny, with just five or six small pieces of cheese (some that I didn’t like) and a couple of grapes, and that was also what they had at the buffet – plates already made up. However, we just doubled up on the cheese plate order from room service, and ordered some bay shrimp cocktails (tiny shrimp, but really YUMMY) and we were happy enjoying our appetizers and drinks on our balcony!
I'd say about 1/3 of the passengers were truly geriatric -- over 70, but the rest were in the 30-65 range. They were all very pleasant and polite -- no wheelchairs crashing into us, kids playing with the elevator buttons (by the way, the elevators were the fastest I've ever seen! And there were plenty of them -- I think 14?), and just all around nice people.
People did adhere to the dress code every night, though by the second or third formal night there were less tuxes and more suits and sportcoats. It didn't appear that people were frowned upon for their dress (that I could see). I brought three "formal" outfits with me, and the rest of the time wore cocktail dresses (and the last night dockers and a top). To be honest, I'm not all that observant, so I could be off base on the way people dressed, but I can say I didn't see anyone in jeans and a t-shirt in the dining room with the exception of the first and last nights.
All in all, we had a great, relaxing vacation, despite the missed port and the weather. And our only complaint, which was echoed by many of the passengers and is really a major flaw for me, was the entertainment (or lack thereof) and activities that we’d be interested in (and that didn’t charge a fee). I would have liked to see more live entertainment by the pool and better music at night. If it wasn’t for Manny, Edsel and Edwin in the Ocean Bar (and the sometimes pretty good, but sometimes pretty bad, City Lights band) we’d have gone crazy!
Oh, one other thing -- I thought there would be a mutiny on Sunday afternoon -- everyone was anxiously waiting to see if they would show the Pats/Colts game -- forgetting that we were on "island time" so the game actually started (for us) at 5:00! We had gone to our cabin because it was getting ugly in the sports bar (just kidding) and sure enough, at 5:00, ESPN changed to CBS sports and we were able to watch the game!
So then the question you’re all asking is – do we cancel the March cruise? We honestly haven’t completely ruled out that cruise, mostly because of the great price we got and the great cabin (another stern VA, this time on deck 7) that we have booked. I’ve been researching cruises from mid-February to mid-March (the only time I can get away until after the first of July) on NCL, and they can’t come close to what we paid for the March cruise on the Noordam – and that doesn’t even take into account the expense and hassle of flying to Miami or New Orleans! And yes, even with the “fuel surcharge” it’s still less expensive. We’re thinking, we know what to expect the next time, and we’ll plan accordingly – more books to read (or check out from the library, which was amazing) and just relaxing on sea days instead of wandering aimlessly looking for something happening! And of course we’ll spend a lot more time with those great bartenders in the Ocean Bar!
Questions?
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"I'll take the deck of a ship any time..." Jimmy Buffett
Majesty 10/00 & 01, 7/03 & 04, 5/05, 6/06, 9/06, 7/07 Dawn 11/04, 10/05, 3/07 Spirit 11/06, Dream 7/08 Noordam 10/07, 3/08
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hstrybuf
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| Joined: | Sat Jun 17th, 2006 |
| Location: | Kansas |
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Posted: Sat Nov 17th, 2007 08:26 pm | 25th Post |
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| Thanks Peggy! From your descriptions, it looks like we would enjoy HAL. Sorry you had trouble connecting to the Internet, but glad you enjoyed your first sojourn with HAL.
____________________
Deb - Research, research, research!
My pics: http://community.webshots.com/user/hstrycrsr
Liberty 10/07; Miracle 10/06; Navigator OTS 10/04; Legend 04/04; Grand Princess 09/03; Dawn Princess 01/03; Enchantment OTS 10/02; Destiny 01/02; Sensation 10/99
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