Welcome to Calling All Ports, a destination for cruise travel enthusiasts! Join us on our journey around the world as we explore the most breathtaking ports of call, plus share insider tips for making the most of your cruise experience. Our videos offer detailed explorations of the ships on which we sail... with a focus on the food, accommodations, and fun.
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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.
Comprehensive, definitely, though ultimately lacking in its objective.Viewing through somone else's very specific lens does not make it easy for anyone else to determine if a cruise line is for them. Interestingly in a reply to a post, you say you will travel RSS again,despite an in-depth dissection of the entertainment, or in your opinion lack of. Having identified, in your review, the entertainment options on your itinerary, the observation of not wishing to sit through any more 'third rate, comedy,magic shows', whilst your opinion, is somewhat pointed. It is of note that you had in your group, family members who had achieved Gold status with Regent ( excess of 75 nights ), was there a pre cruise booking conversation with them about your 'night owl' requirements?. They would have reliably been able to inform you that post 11pm RSS doesnt have extensive options available. It isnt great that a number of your party experienced illness post an excursion. Was the result of this an 'upset stomach',diarrhoea as opposed to 'food poisoning'? Was the medical centre on board any help?. Moving forward,perhaps it can be considered a salutary experience in being aware of one's local environment and to not eat, in the future, any dishes that contain a "mystery meat"?
I TOTALLY AGREE ref LINCOLN STAGE CENTER CLASSICAL ENTRN sooo extremely disappointed 👎 BEEN a Holland American cruiser many, many years in general LOVE the product 🛳️
We just purchased Club Orange for the first time. When we were booking a cruise on Eurodam last month, the future cruise consultant urged us to do it - and it actually saved us money in the long run. We are looking forward to checking it out as the benefits on the Pinnacle class ship will likely outweigh the minimal costs.
@@callingallports I am curious to know how it saved you money in the long run. I am not being sarcastic but genuinely asking. My husband and I are booked on the Nieuw Amsterdam in April 2025 and want the best experience possible. Thank you
We saved $20, but ended with a higher grade cabin. Not sure what that difference in price would have been, but I’m guessing a few hundred dollars. I think you’ll appreciate the perks, though. Would love to hear about your experience once you’ve completed your cruise. Nieuw Amsterdam is one of our favorite ships!
I have a chance to get an upgrade for my wife and I for 49 dollars each for an Alaska cruise. On the aft view, how was it to see the glaciers and the other scenic views? Right now, we have the balcony rooms.
We loved the aft because you get to see what both sides of the ship experience. We also love looking at the wake. Regardless of what you choose, you’ll get fantastic views either way. Make sure to go out on the bow for Glacier Bay day though.
@@callingallports I got the vista suite but all that they had left was one on the port side. So I figured what we missed going, we could see returning. Thanks for the tip about Glacier Bay day. We are arriving a day early and staying at the St. Regis. I hear you can just walk to the port, but not sure about that. The only thing that concerns me is that we have a flight out on the day we arrive back at 1:15pm. I hope that is enough time because I hear that it is hard to get to the airport. Thanks for the reply
@@wayneout I think you’ll have plenty of time with a 1:15 flight. Disembarkation requires less patience than embarkation.l and you should be off the ship with more than enough time. We had a port cabin on our last voyage and l saw tons of whales from our balcony. You’ll have a great trip!
I'm not a five star mariner .. yet, but I do love HAL. I love the size of the ships, and I hope they don't get bigger than the current pinnacle class. The crew is fantastic, the food is great. Service is outstanding.
Very useful and appreciated your comprehensive and fair review. Clearly lots of strengths but came across that old fashioned in understanding what luxury means now eg vegan or vegetarian options as good as the rest. Frankly, gaslighting/denying a genuine concern in order to avoid any possibility that you might be crazy compensation seekers or litigation hounds pretty much is the opposite of customer service at any level. And for goodness sake, Mick Jagger is 81!
Thank you so much! Apologies for taking so long to respond to your wonderful comment. Hopefully Regent HQ pays attention to what people are saying and makes changes to current/future fleet - most of them are pretty minor, too. It’s a great line, but with some changes it truly would be exceptional.
Loved this! As always, a unique perspective on a popular destination. How long was your cruise - 7 days? Which ships have you done Alaska on now, and do you have a preferred line?
Thanks Lesley! We just got off Holland America Eurodam for our third cruise of Alaska. Holland America does such a fabulous job with Alaska enrichment it is hard for us to think of another line to sail with. Our first cruise was with Regent and that was great on many levels, but we’d love to find a balance between small ship and an Alaska focused sailing. This cruise was a 7 day, but we’d gladly take a longer one!
I’m new to cruising. RC, Disney, carnival, and others are overwhelming me on everything. I am looking for a cruise to relax. Thank you for covering on what this cruise line is for. I’m in my 30s and I love the look of this cruise line. To me, it seems like you can just board and relax. I also love the idea from the cruise line where you can ship your luggage to the ship before you board. When I book, I’m looking into this option, not sure if you covered this in another video.
Regent is definitely a board and relax cruise line. And Splendor is a gorgeous space to relax in. But you should also take a peek at Oceania Vista, another great laid back option. We have never used the luggage service, but know of some who have used it successfully. We’re nervous about not having our luggage make it on to the ship, so we’ve always handled it ourselves. Thanks for watching and commenting- we really appreciate it!
@@callingallports I’m looking at booking back to back cruises on explorer in Asia. But your video made me more relaxed about sailing on this line. Other videos are overwhelming me, but yours was a great balance of right information and opinion. I love it. Thank you again.
We were on the Vista in March and loved it. You two could have traced our steps with your 11 things to do. We just got off the Sea Ray (Silversea) and it didn't hold a candle. Great video.
We’ve been wanting to try Silversea so your comment intrigues us. What are some things that Oceania does better? Thanks so much for your comment, we really appreciate it. BTW, which March sailing were you on?
@@callingallportsWe sailed on the Vista March 9, 2024. Oceania has their act together about food preparation and service. Their venues felt authentic and produced high-quality and good-tasting food that seemed thoughtful and intentional. The Silver Ray has some issues in that department. Hopefully, they will work it out.
@@pictureretirement2953 We were on the very same cruise! We agree with you about Oceania. The food is consistently high quality and the staff is fantastic. We'll try Silversea at some point. Hopefully all will be worked out by the time we sail.
@@callingallports That's hysterical! We probably crossed paths. I was in Baristas at least twice a day - and don't get me started on the ice cream. We weren't wild about the ports of call on that particular cruise, but we didn't care as we were in need of a good pampering...great work on the videos.
Here are my comments based on two cruises on HAL in the past two years. For the record, we will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam for two weeks in the next month. The issues that we have are: 1) HAL is like the "Tale of Two Cruiselines." If you are on the Pinnacle Class, you get BB King, The Grand Dutch Cafe and other perks. On the small ships, you do not. 2) The entertainment in the Grand Theatre is underwhelming and repetitive, especially on longer and B2B cruises. 3) The enrichment talks other than Alaska, are just Powerpoint presentations delivered by the cruise director. 4) When the buffet closes at 11:30 pm, all entertainment is over and the ship is a ghost town. 5) The "served" buffet is OK but does not allow you to select tasting portions no matter how swet you talk to the staff. The positives that we see: 1) We walk a mile on the promenade deck every day and its is great that it wraps all the way around the ship. 2) We liked the library that has been brought back to some of the ships. 3) The MDR is generally excellent as long as you skip the first night's dinner which is always frustratingly disorganized. The food has always been great and the service efficient. 4) Service is professional and top notch, second to only Celebrity among the seven lines we have cruised. 5) You can always sit with people at dinner which allows you to make a lot of new friends unlike a lot of the mass market cruise lines. 6) If you are budget cruisers with very flexible schedules like we are, there are some great deals available on HAL (not even including the standby program).
Have never sailed on Holland America, but we are about to book a Caribbean cruise on the Nieux Statendam. Have sailed on Celebrity 27 times and other cruise lines as well, including Viking. Have you sailed in an inside cabin on this ship?
We’ve never sailed in an inside cabin, but only because we’ve been able to get decent balcony prices. 27 cruises on Celebrity is impressive. What is your favorite ship of theirs?
We sailed on the Koningsdam last August to Alaska an loved it. We're sailing again the first of September this year to Alaska, An we have booked another sailing the end of September next year. We love Holland America Cruise Line
We’ve actually heard Oceania cruise directors and officers pronounce it both ways, so even if oh-she-ann-e-ah is the “correct” pronunciation it perhaps isn’t as definitive as that?!?
I took two HAL cruises. Alaska and Mediterranean 10 day round trip balcony Rome. Both fantastic! I have ADHD high functioning autism (hard to detect in women sometimes) and a smaller ship like HAL isn’t stressful! There’s always a nook to get away by yourself and rest, and I never felt like I was in a crowd of people. Don’t get me wrong though, there’s louder music and quieter music to my ear, brighter and dimmer places too. However, other options are available and I can have a good time. Cruiser like me can consult ahead of time to avoid a noisy room location or scented shampoos and soaps in the cabin (these are migraine triggers). Cruise lines are aware of special needs.
Thank you so much for your insight, we really appreciate you sharing your experience on Holland America as a passenger with ADHD high functioning autism. We know your tips will help others who require quieter places or need to avoid migraine triggers. If you think of anything else, please do not hesitate to comment again - your information is invaluable!
Yes. People with invisible disabilities can purchase a special lanyard on Amazon to wear at the Airport. Many airports are trained to recognize the lanyard symbol so you don’t stand in lines and can receive assistance. Some airports have sensitivity rooms that are quiet and are not so bright.) (Google invisible disability trained airports for a long international list)
A question! We’re sailing on the Noordam for the first cruise with HAL ( my wife and I). If we brought on a future cruise with HAL our kids and grandkids, is there a good kids program that you know of? Thanks Vern H
Love that you’re bringing the family on Noordam! We don’t have any kids, so we can’t vouch for the program onboard. But the space looks great. The kids will likely have fun with or without the program - they’ll just love traveling with you! Thanks for watching and commenting! Diana
Great video - have subscribed! We did Alaska on Regatta in 2019, and looking forward departing from NYC to Bermuda in September. We love the atmosphere on the R class ships, but would really like to try one of the bigger ships as well…good excuse to book another cruise!
Thanks so much! We love the R Class, but also love Vista. We had our eyes on that NYC sailing, but sadly it’s during the semester and we have to teach then. But maybe we will just go to the port and stare jealously. 😂 Let us know what cruise you book when you get back from the September cruise!
I just completed HAL 7 day Alaska cruise. Enjoyed The Crows nest vibe and excellent service. The food variety was great. The quality was unimpressive. I think most opf the meats were frozen. The best fish meal was fish and chips which were fresh caught Pacific Cod.
Shame about the quality of the meats, yet it seems like they are doing a great job with their fresh fish program. Thanks for your input, really appreciate it!
Awesome and very informative video. Loved it from beginning to end. So informative and video is great. Thank you. We’re going this August on Oceana Vista couple of rooms down from yours.
We loved our concierge room, if you book the aft rooms they come with extended verandas you each get a chaise and at night with your night cap the cashmere blankets are luxury touch. With all the new added drawers unpacking is a breeze…organization is the key, leave your shoes etc in your suitcase easily accessible under the bed a tip for some. I am an over packer and everything was unpacked. Bring some things already on your own hangers helps too…and extra magnetic hooks always welcome. Service and laundry if planned can be very welcome after hot excursions, plus we try and work out each day and workout clothes laundered is a treat…plus each floor has self serve laundry. As for the spa deck, we went up every day, and on at sea days was a huge luxury! As you a tell we are Oceania fans…the food, none better. Riviera and Marinas refurbs are excellent as well.
Thanks for the tip about the aft cabins, we love extended verandas. We love the design of the new closets, we wish they were just a tad bigger. But that's a minor quibble. We are overpackers as well and found that everything just fit. We need to remember that with the laundry, we do not have to bring that much. (But we probably will anyway.) Thanks for watching our video and commenting, fellow Oceania fan!
@@rovercoupe7104 sorry for all the questions, we just like to know more about what people think. And since 'smart' is subjective, we would like to know how you define smart - what clothing does/does not fall in that category and why? Really just curious as people are very passionate about dress codes.
Thank you for such a well thought out vlog. Dress code will ALWAYS be a point of contention with people today. I worked for American Airlines, a lifetime ago; you know, when you dressed up when you flew, AND the people who brought you to the airport dressed up. Won't ever see that again, I fear. Enough about that! Today' "dress code" is ever-changing and I like to dress up, but not everyone is me. One last thing before I bore you to death, I like to wear a tuxedo on "formal nights", one night on Celebrity, someone asked me why I was wearing a tuxedo on "casual" night. I answered, "I'm from Boston...this IS casual." Thanks again, and I love your graphics!
Your responses are never boring! We appreciate your perspective, as it’s similar to how we feel. Dress codes should reflect current trends. But people should never be deterred from dressing to the nines! We were recently on Cunard, and while the formality was just a bit too formal for us, we loved seeing people in their tuxedos. It’s interesting to see how the different lines approach formality, even more interesting to hear cruisers’ takes. So thank you for commenting, we loved reading it!
