Storyline Travel LLC helps couples plan premium cruise vacations. We are Travel Specialists creating stories through travel adventures. We focus on helping clients design their next journey full of memorable experiences to enjoy and share for a lifetime.
Thank you for the question. Gluten-free options are available. Please let your server know before eating and they will provide you with the options available. Enjoy your cruise!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience of The Retreat. I am currently looking at booking and its not very clear whether the 'premium drink package' that comes with a suite is only able to be used in the Retreat Lounge or whether you can also use for included drinks when dining at Luminae. Please can you confirm if you were charged extra for drinks at Luminae? Thank you
Thank you for the question. All of the Retreat areas are treated the same and you would not be charged. I would be happy to help with any further questions, just email me at Alex@StorylineTravel.com
Was on Koningsdam 2022. Many of the Lido buffet area chairs were showing wear and tear (vinyl ripped and peeling up). Hopefully they fixed/replaced those chairs.
Thanks for the question. Holland America states the larger Inside Staterooms are Spa Inside staterooms located on Deck 10. The size ranges from 170 to 225 sqft. For more information, including diagram pictures, email Alex at Alex@StroylineTravel.com
Our next cruise is in January, when I booked it the plus package was offered at $45/PP PD. We don't drink but we like soda and specialty coffees. So I added up the different items we would use and compared to the plus package it was close to the $45 a day. I do not think we would get the package at $60 PP PD.
Thanks for the comment. Princess has made some changes to the Princess Plus package, so adding up what you actually use is what we do with our clients. I know Wi-Fi is big for us. Enjoy your cruise!
So if you take out the card key to shut off the lights at bed time, the power goes off in the room? What if I want to charge my phone overnight? That won't work?
Thank you for the question. A card must remain in the slot while in the room to provide power, but you have light switches to allow for the lights to be turned off. Therefore, you can charge phones or have alarm clocks. We only removed the key cards when we left the room.
When dropping-off luggage at port, is there a 'special' porter for suite guests? Or do you simply hand your luggage to any of the porters there and then access the RETREAT line for security & check-in.
Thanks for the question. Luggage drop off was not separate, any porter would take your luggage. The Retreat separately designated area began as you entered the terminal.
Thank you! This meal was in Le Bistro. The dish with the covered lid was the Mediterranean Sea bass (Filet de Loup de Mer). Most entrees are served this way with a ‘revealing’ once all dishes are on the table. The Coq Au Vin does not have the lid since it is served in a different style dish.
Thanks for the question! You will be assigned an area with different table options and the same server team. The crew were great at addressing our requests.
We will be on the Ruby next June, 2025 on a 22 day cruise to Alaska. We have a balcony cabin now but may upgrade to a mini suite later on if available.
we only travel on Holland America, we are older and don't need all the gimics that other lines have, we book an inside cabin as we are rarely in the room during the day, id like to find the inside one that has a sofa
Thanks for the comment. Holland America is a great partner. Feel free to schedule some time and we can help you find that perfect stateroom. www.StorylineTravel.com/schedule
Great Video! I appreciate all the details you provided in the room tour! This layout is a great amount of space for my upcoming 12 day transatlantic cruise, thank you!
Thanks for the question, it's a great one. Recently, Celebrity Cruises changed to a butler team approach. For our experience, we had a "primary" butler with support from his team. However, the number to call was a team number and any of 4 butlers could have responded.
@@storylinetravel that kind of sucks. That was one of the selling point for getting the retreat suite. I have one coming up. Guess how are we going to tip if it’s a team vs a dedicated butler
Paying separately on our next 10-day cruise is better for us. It comes to a little under $600 separately but it would be $1,200 if we did Princess plus. It's a no-brainer not to do it.
I'll be taking my first cruise with NCL Encore later this year. I appreciated the video about NCL Encore's complimentary dining. I've pre-paid the gratuities for the duration of the cruise. Do these gratuities go to both the room attendant and the restaurant servers? The foods at these restaurants are compliment, do we need to give a tip to the server every time we eat there? Are the gratuities automatically billed to our room?
Thanks for the question. Your pre-paid gratuity takes care of your room steward and the dining team in the main dining room. If you enjoy a specialty drink or specialty dining, an additional gratuity would be added. Enjoy your cruise!
I took my very first cruise on the Koningsdam to retrace the experience my father had destination wise years prior. I was on the second out of Vancouver after Covid Cruise. It was a wonderful experience and one I would like to repeat soon. Sadly I find the changes/elimination of things like the music walk selection which made the Koningsdam appealing to me in the first place have changed or been eliminated in so short a time. I was always dismayed that the "Party was over before it began" so to speak with the curfew mentality which ended nightlife hours long before life ashore experiences.
You said at the end that you can add the princess plus option to the other travelers in your room. Do you happen to know how much each additional person is?
Thanks for the question. The Third and Forth passengers will a daily rate. Currently, the rate is $60 per person per day for Princess Plus or $80 per person per day for Princess Premier.
Wasn’t there a time where they had a half curtain pulled back from the couch area and the sleeping part, maybe this is a newer room, the balcony is incredibly tiny,
Using a scapula makes so much more sense than using an actual antler. A single moose antler can easily weigh 40 lbs. Imagine trying to scrape a tree with that. Love the shade she threw at Texas. That was funny. Capitalism is built on the idea that treasure is in the eye of the beholder. It's not hard to imagine how that trade relationship was formed: "You want the stinky water weasel that my dogs insist on getting sprayed by at least once a week?" "Yes! Their pelts are worth so much money back home!" "...Okay, I can get it for you, I guess. But it'll cost you." "Name your price." "Those beautiful glass beads." "...These cheap little things that we have to pay people to take off our hands?" "Yes! Just imagine the beadwork we could do with them! Minks for beads. Deal?" "...You and I are gonna get along just fine."
Just went on an Alaskan cruise on there in May this year. The food was atrocious and so was the service. Our room steward was great. They literally couldn't even boil hot water to serve me a hot cup of tea. It came out lukewarm, so after two times I gave up. Pinnacle Grill served great steak, but the sides were lukewarm. Luckily it was a free meal that we got as a bonus with our cruise. The lido buffet is a terrible setup. You can't get your own food and it's set up like a galley style, so it's super crowded and very difficult to move. That food was much worse than the dining room. You can't even get your own drinks and you have to chase down a waiter for one. The entertainment was pretty bad, except for BB Kings. Rolling Stone was horrible. They were so out of sync and when they let the older lead guitar player sing it was disastrous. I hear these bands are thrown together for a short time and are expected to get their act together quickly. The band in BB King seemed very tight and that club was packed every night. They had the orange party there as well which says something for their ability. They had the dance floor full. Shops are sorely lacking. I waited until the last day when the prices were discounted and used my ship credit. Casino is tiny and wreaked of smoke, and had weird slot machines. It was my 14th cruise and my first and last on Holland.
Sounds very similar to our 2023 summer cruise to Alaska. Although it was a good destination, the ship and crew did not make it a good memorable experience.
I appreciate your video, it was very helpful!! Did you ask for/receive a third chair for the balcony? Also, was the room comfortable for the three of you?
Hi and thank you for the question. We did not ask for a third. If one is available, the room steward will bring one. Unfortunately, they can’t guarantee one for. However, I would absolutely ask. We were comfortable with 3. We did ask for the sofa to be returned when we expected to spend more time in the room.
Thanks for the question. I would recommend adding an adapter to your packing list. There are outlets near the headboard that can be used for charging your phone.
They have big tubs of ice cream sitting on a pan of ice. By the time they scoop the ice cream for you, it was a melted mess of a ice cream soup. Other cruise lines have their ice cream tubs in freezers. It was so silly to see how they try to keep it cold.
@@darrellgritten4398 I have just noticed this difference between HAL and NCL. We very much enjoy the self service and end up dining in the buffets more than 75% of the cruise vs sit down service restaurants. I think it might be the almightly profit issue where most people take too much food and not finish it then goes to waste.
We had the opportunity to talk with a few of the performers and new performances are on the way. If not already live, they should introduce the new shows this summer.
Great question! Based on my experience on the Regal Princess , wind was not a big issue. There are plenty of wind breaks and if you get the cabana, you have even more wind protection. The question would be ‘how likely are you to hang out on deck with weather in the upper 50’s?’ Alex and I are both cold natured, so we would not pay to lounge around outside in the 50’s. However, we have friends who find that temperature just right!
to bad about the crows nest it used to be chic and inviting.. don't really care for the look now.. will see if i like in person. but looks like a cheap cafeteria now..
I agree. This was not the best idea, and it does give off a cheap cafeteria vibe now. We get enough of changes that are not well thought out in our daily lives. People who are happy with the way things are usually make up the majority, and change just for change sake or to justify having a job often doesn't work well when no consideration is given to this fact.
My experience was no smoking or vaping inside the sanctuary area and I did not notice any around the adult pool either. There was an outdoor smoking area by the Terrace pool (deck 17 aft).
Thanks for this post. I worked there 20 years ago and this really is a blast from the past. It's interesting to see how much it has changed in two decades.
For our sailing, the single loungers were $20 for a half day, the cabanas were $140 for half day, and the poolside cabanas were $50 for a half day. Full day for single loungers is $40 and cabanas were $220. I actually don’t know the full day price for the poolside cabanas!
@storylinetravel I have an upcoming cruise on the Magic, and I have the second seating and was looking for a reason to keep that seating or move it to first seating.
We usually try for early seating because it fits our normal eating schedule at home. We sailed on the Disney Dream in January and we had late dining because early dining was all booked up. It was still enjoyable! In fact, you may find fewer young kids at the late dining time. (If that matters to you). It also felt less crowded. There were several empty tables around us. The wait staff were just as interactive and entertaining!
We don't drink and probably wouldn't do the classes or some other perks so we would need to try really hard to break even. If you drink much, it is probably a great deal. The unfortunate policy of allowing two specialty meals per sailing -no matter how long the sailing- is ridiculous and unfair. If I was taking a three-day cruise, I might consider the Package but on a longer sailing, why would you pay the same for a lot less.
You make great points. It is one of the primary reasons we partner with our clients and learn about their trip before offering an itinerary and options.
Regal looks fabulous in this video. We've only just discovered your channel, and are really enjoying all its travel content. Happily given you guys a Subscribe 👍and scattered our likes 👍👍 and will be returning for more of your travels and voyages 😃
We are curious about Holland America, not having sailed with them before, and would most likely make them our choice for cruises in North America, Canada, Alaska etc, so this was interesting to see.
A great discussion and insight. We have still to take a river cruise, but living on the edge of Europe, the options are quite considerable. For you guys in North America particularly, these voyages and this travel option is a perfect way to immerse yourself into centuries of history AND just chill while some amazing natural beauty floats by.
