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What cruise were you on when you saw Sirena? We’re boarding Prima today, heading towards the Dockyard.

You’re very welcome - thanks for watching!

Fantastic! Where are you headed?

I love that story! What ship were you on?

The Compass Rose crew went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of. Jorge (the maître’d who is now on Grandeur) was THE BEST!

That's fantastic! Would love to know what it was like back then!

There is no limit on baggage. You can take as much as you can handle/carry. FWIW, two suitcases per person fit fine under the bed.

Oh and queen mary was good too. Fish and chips and carbonara and pizza at that little gem outside buffet was great. Hope u didn't miss that

We're really looking forward to sailing on Prima next week. Looks like you'll be disembarking in NYC - perhaps we will see each other at the terminal! What's your favorite spot on the ship?

Fish and chips on QM2 was fantastic. We missed the pizza - guess we have to take another crossing! 😂😀

Yeah I did think about u guys when disbarking but was off a 9am. I guess my favorite area was behind the starbucks looking out to the ocean with a latte. U guys will love it. Alot of variety in food and specialty restaurants good. I was impressed with that ship.

@ we’re still figuring out our favorites spots, but we’ve been having a great time. Crew has been fantastic and we’ve been eating well. And the cruise director is one of the best we’ve ever had. No complaints so far.

Thanks for sharing your love for HAL!

Fantastic! Where are you off to in November?

Thanks so much for your comment, we really loved reading your insights. And we especially loved your framing of older ships as "established." (We may start using that term, if you do not mind.) We have 5 HAL cruises booked through 2026 and are curious about how much the line will change over the next 18 months. Hopefully, they will hold on to the remaining Music Walk venues they have and do not change/cut too dramatically - the switch from BB King's to Rolling Stone on Eurodam was extremely disappointing. Even though it was the same space, it didn't have the same vibe (and the music selections were often less than ideal). Just took a look at some photos of Rotterdam V,. Must have been an amazing ship to sail on, although we can't imagine you remember too much of that trip. Thanks again for taking time to comment, we really appreciate it!

@@callingallports Sure, by all means use the term "established" ships. The Rotterdam V lived as a Premier ship (renamed Rembrandt) for many years and I did at least get to tour it when it docked in NYC in the 1990s. Not much was changed, thankfully. I remembered some things and also I still have pictures from the sailing. I won't be surprised if the HAL ships start to change as well. The cruise industry execs run a business and businesses aren't that interested in tradition vs. maximizing revenue.

Really is disappointing!

Thanks for sharing your positive review of Sirena! What was the first Oceania ship you were on?

We went on Nautica on a Mediterranean cruise in 2018. We had a great time.

It doesn’t need to be an either or. Regent needs to up their entertainment game. We don’t need to be up past midnight, we just need enjoy the entertainment on offer.

@callingallports i don't really Question the cruise operators. I'm sure they've hired out consulting companies to provide them with expert advice on these matters.

Yes, but many luxury travelers are also very health-minded and like lighter, plant-based options. Oceania's Aquamar Kitchen is always packed, those eating there range from young children to septuagenarians, octogenarians. Some cruise lines like to embrace plant based options, other lines need work incorporating more diverse menus.

@@callingallports Yes, right or wrong health choice is not the reason ships need to offer more vegetarian options, they need to do it to keep the profits coming in if the population desires it.

You’re absolutely right. Just from an economics perspective it would be a win.

I've heard from some people who have sailed on Regent more recently that there are more special diet accommodations available. Still, Regent have some work to do. We found that Oceania, mainly Vista, is fantastic with their plant-based offerings, however. We're sure you will have a great cruise on Silver Nova - beautiful ship!

Fantastic! Let us know what you think! And if you have Olivera and Rey as your cabin stewards, you’ll be well taken care of!

The Crow's Nest is fantastic, great place to sit and relax.

Just looked up your itinerary, it’s a good one! We’ll be on Explora II at that time - seems like we’ll both be in St Lucia on the same day!

@callingallports OMG lol, that's funny. we're going zip lining that day in the forest,scared😬.yea,we like the intenary, we like the St. barts stop the most. lol Maybe we will c you guys lmao

Thank you so much, we really appreciate it! When and where are you going? And on what ship?

Thanks so much for your comment! Seems like you are getting ready to soon sail on Rotterdam! I'm not 100% certain about the movies, but I think there were a couple of screenings on our Alaska cruise. Unfortunately, I am not near my daily schedules to double check. As far as ice cream/gelato, there are only pay options at non-meal times. Not sure what nationality you are, but in the US, we tend to say Holland. But Holland is one region - so the Netherlands is technically correct. Have a great cruise!

Good to know, thanks!

Thanks for your comment! It is amazing to us that a newer ship has less storage, but the other perks are worth it. Curious, which cruise are you looking at?

I hadn't heard about BBQ King theater leaving. I don't know anything about the other two. We have top Elite on Princess but love Holland America so much that we might do more with them. I like a Rolling Stones theme. We will find out in two weeks. Third HAL cruise. Best wishes!

We're very disappointed about many of the changes made to HAL ships, but we still love them overall. One reason why I would still book HAL for the Panama Canal is the access to the bow. We sailed on a luxury ship through the Panama Canal and were so disappointed we had to watch the locks through glass windows. We decided that after that cruise, the next time we would sail on Holland America.

Thanks! When we first dined at Morimoto, we were not charged for extra entrees nor desserts. The second time we dined there, we were too full to find out.

@callingallports thanks for the information.

We would definitely upgrade if we were on a longer sailing like yours. We just didn't have the time to spend enjoying the spa or getting full use of the laundry service. And yes, the priority reservations is a nice perk. Let us know what you decide!

@@callingallports Thanks for the advice, made the change this morning.

Thank you so much! We'd love to hear what you think of Sirena after you sail!

Thank you! ❤️ HAL!

Thank you so much! When we were on Eurodam in August, we felt a big difference in the music offerings. BB Kings is now Rolling Stone and it just didn't feel the same. The talent was still there, but we missed the music focus - the set lists were all over the place. We'll be on Nieuw Statendam in March and are looking forward to the separate venues once again. But we'll keep sailing the older HAL ships too, there are just too many positives on HAL's Signature class ships!

Will have to go back and check our daily schedules, but we think there were solo gatherings. Will get back to you!

Glad to hear BB King's still has a strong presence on the Pinnacle class ships. We'll be on Nieuw Statendam in March, although our itinerary isn't has fantastic as your Iceland and Greenland cruise. What was your favorite port?

@@callingallports While Iceland and Greenland were interesting, those were places my husband really wanted to see. I really enjoyed the Shetland Islands, Inverness and Edinburgh!

We’ll see what we can do! What specifically are you looking for?

@callingallports no rush as I was on queen elizabeth once before so I have a good idea but appreciate the gesture for sure. I am taking prima back to nyc so big trip. Look forward to more of your videos.

We're on Prima in November for a sailing out of NY. Let us know your thoughts when you return!

Thanks, Lesley! Not sure about the other R-class ships, but we're looking forward to finding out what Regatta's is like in May!

​@@callingallports Ooooh, that sounds interesting! What is your itinerary?

Tokyo to Hong Kong - can’t wait!

​@@callingallports That will be fantastic, and you are getting in Xiamen!

We're really pleased with the itinerary overall. We're really looking forward to all of the overnights on this sailing, lots of chances to take some dinnertime food tours!

You are absolutely right - Holland America is wonderful for destinations. I guess that is why we have five future cruises booked with them. Although we are quite envious of your cruise in January - what a fantastic voyage!

We hope you love sailing on Sirena as much as we did. We’re are you headed next spring?

@@callingallports around the Iberian peninsula to Cornwall then Dublin.

Sounds fantastic!

Thank you so much! We really appreciate you waiting it out.

We really do love Sirena - where are you off to?

@@callingallports just got back from 14 day on Mediterranean aboard HAL Osterdam. Not going anywhere for a while, but always thinking ahead!

14 days on Holland America sounds pretty fantastic to us. Hope you had a great trip!

Thank you so much, we really appreciate your kind words!

Thank you so much! We love Sirena - although it’s an old ship, there is something special about it. We’re actually dropping our Sirena ship tour tomorrow morning! Where are you headed on Sirena?

@@callingallports we're going to be going to the Caribbean.

@@callingallports I chose Oceania cruises because it was a smaller ship, and we've done a lot of the larger ships. We are really looking forward to it-I'll look for your Sirena video in the next couple days!

What a great itinerary for Nieuw Amsterdam! Alaska on HAL is second to none. We hope you love it!

That’s wonderful, thank you! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

We didn’t have a bathtub in our cabin, but perhaps there is one in penthouse and above? Noise was not a problem for us on Vista, hoping the same when we sail on Allura next year. What is your favorite spot on Marina?

​@@callingallportswe've had 2 cabins on Marina. Both had a tub and a shower. Neither were penthouse or suites. Being on the ship for longer cruises (31 and 45 days) we sampled pretty much the entire ship except the casino. We got to know many of the crew and they greeted us by name. So to answer your question, in a negative manner, the worse department on Marina is Destinations.

Thanks so much! 28 days in the Far East on a HAL cruise? Sounds fantastic! The hardest part is the wait, but it will be here soon enough!

Alaska is truly magical. Thanks for watching and commenting!

Fantastic! We were able to eat there again when on Eurodam last month and are happy to report it was another excellent dining experience. Please report back with your review!

Which itinerary are you looking at? And what do you like to do when on board a ship? I may be able to provide a bit more perspective if I know just a bit more.