Thoman
Second Mate
Carlsbad, California
Joined 09/2013
9
Cruises10
Reviews408
Helpful VotesRetired from Healthcare industry in 2013. We have always traveled, and now are doing it full time.
Upcoming cruises
Past cruises
February 2024 - 14 Night Japan Taiwan & The Philippines (Yokohama To Hong Kong) Cruise on Westerdam
Enjoyable Asia cruise
we enjoyed this cruise very much. The ship was very nice, staff was so nice and they work so hard. Our ports of call were very interesting, and our excursions were great. We saw alot in every port, and things that we had not seen in other places in the world. We enjoy Holland America cruises, as they are not real fancy, but simple and the food is always very good.
December 2023 - 11 Night Southern Caribbean Wayfarer (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Eurodam
August 2023 - 14 Night British Isles Explorer (Bergen To London-Greenwich) Cruise on Viking Jupiter
February 2023 - 15 Night Hawaiian Islands (Los Angeles Roundtrip) Cruise on Crown Princess
Enjoyable sea days
We liked this cruise for the sea days, and being able to relax. Cruising is changing and we are seeing alot of things that they are cutting back on. Not like years ago, and the fees are increasing accordingly. Just be prepared for added expenses, but the experience is still wonderful.
February 2020 - 14 Night Cape Horn & Strait Of Magellan (Buenos Aires To Santiago) Cruise on Coral Princess
Outstanding...one of our best!
We loved the cruise and the weather we encountered at the end of the world. Some of the ports were better than others, but that was expected. It was interesting to learn more about these countries and the struggles they have to put up with.
January 2018 - 3 nights on Diamond Princess
Diamond Princess in Sydney
We enjoyed the cruise due to the great weather, most exciting cruise thru the Fjords, with crystal blue sky.
We liked the ship but it was not our favorite. We have been on a lot of cruises, so we know the ones we like. We still book the destinations, rather than the ships.
AmaDara
Sail date: March 27, 2017
We had a wonderful time on our Mekong River cruise, and AMA Waterways was just great. We had taken a Viking last year to China and this one was even better than Viking. We enjoyed the luxury but at the same time, the destinations were very interesting. The crew was very responsive, warm, and greeting all the time. This trip can be a bit tiring if you are not prepared for that. There are a lot of things to see and you need to be able to do a lot of walking, and climbing if you want to experience it the most. We loved it, and we met some very memorable friends on this trip that we will keep in touch with forever. Overall, unless you have an aversion to seeing Vietnam, this is a beautiful place, and the people are very welcoming. 64% of the population is 35 years or younger, and they do not like their government either. Hopefully one day they will be more free, but they are making great strides in their well being. Cambodia was also very interesting, and they are having more issues of rebuilding but are also improving. Just a great trip!
Royal Princess
Sail date: July 23, 2022
Overall this was a great time for our family. we were able to bring our two older sons with us for the first time, and they had not cruised before. They thoroughly enjoyed it, and had no preconceived notions, so for them it was great as well. We all had a wonderful time, and enjoyed all of our ports together. For my wife and I, we had been there 2 times previously, but our sons had not been to Alaska. They especially loved it.
Norwegian Star
Sail date: August 23, 2013
We were very lucky to cruise in late August 2013, when the weather was very unseasonal and warm. It was a picture perfect 70+ degrees everyday. We had never been on NCL before, and the Star was a very nice ship. We liked the freestyle dining, and there were alot of options. We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise, the ship, and most importantly the destinations. I would recommend this ship and cruise to anyone who is flexible, not looking for perfection, but overall very good. This is not a cruise for someone looking for "top gourmet" food. There was a tremendous choice for music on board, and the performers were all very good. They had a selection for everyone, so if you wanted to dance, sing, be quiet and listen, you had those options. The cities we visited were very interesting, lots to see, and tended to keep you on the go constantly. It was a really good time, and we enjoyed it very much.
Westerdam
Sail date: February 17, 2024
we enjoyed this cruise very much. The ship was very nice, staff was so nice and they work so hard. Our ports of call were very interesting, and our excursions were great. We saw alot in every port, and things that we had not seen in other places in the world. We enjoy Holland America cruises, as they are not real fancy, but simple and the food is always very good.
Coral Princess
Sail date: February 20, 2020
Outstanding...one of our best!
We loved the cruise and the weather we encountered at the end of the world. Some of the ports were better than others, but that was expected. It was interesting to learn more about these countries and the struggles they have to put up with.
Crown Princess
Sail date: February 15, 2023
We liked this cruise for the sea days, and being able to relax. Cruising is changing and we are seeing alot of things that they are cutting back on. Not like years ago, and the fees are increasing accordingly. Just be prepared for added expenses, but the experience is still wonderful.
Viking Helgrim
Sail date: May 29, 2022
we enjoyed the cruise very much. We were on the go all the time, so be prepared to get tired. Early bus tours and late after dinner evenings. We were worn out after we got off.
Very well organized
Viking Emerald
Sail date: June 04, 2015
We just completed the Viking trip to China that started in Shanghai and ended in Beijing. It included the terra cottas in Xian as well as the 3 gorges dam on the Yangtze. It was an excellent trip and really well done by Viking. We had not been on a Viking tour before, but it was definitely a great experience. We plan on going on more in the future. We were able to see all of the important things in China with this tour, which was well organized, great tour guides, and the weather cooperated for us as well. The fellow travelers we had on the trip were also great, and we thoroughly enjoyed their company. I would highly recommend this trip for anyone who wants to see all the highlights in China with a great tour group. All of the hotels were 5 star, and excellent. The in country flights that we took were also convenient and top notch. We loved it.
Veendam
Sail date: September 02, 2017
Canada thru the St Lawrence seaway
We love to cruise! We love Holland America and the destinations were so fun. The size of the ship was perfect, and it was a very nice ship. Everything was well done, and the staff great. we went for the destinations and not the cruise line, ship, but it all worked out fine.
Diamond Princess
Sail date: January 25, 2018
We enjoyed the cruise due to the great weather, most exciting cruise thru the Fjords, with crystal blue sky.
We liked the ship but it was not our favorite. We have been on a lot of cruises, so we know the ones we like. We still book the destinations, rather than the ships.
Cruise tips
Westerdam
We liked the size of the ship and it was only 1900 passengers, so nothing seemed crowded except the buffet on sea days.
Tender location as no dock. That can be problematic in bad weather. We were lucky with the sun shining and calm seas. We like Maui the best over the years, but we did not go on this cruise for Hawaii.
It was at least an easy place to dock for the ship as it was right in the main bay for Lihue.
Crown Princess
Nice ship with alot of nice areas to sit and congregate.
Weather was bad, so restricted visit. We never got off the boat.
Just a big city. Been there a million times, so no big deal.
If someone has never been to Hawaii, this place is a dump and not one you want to visit. Kona is the nice area for Hawaii.
Drop off point....nothing place.
Not much to do here.... the rail is nice, but after that, the town takes 10 minutes to see.
It is getting larger every time we go there.
Always amazing.
Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia
We came in early to enjoy the city
We visited this right at dinner time, and we did not see it. Also, the weather was terrible, so we would not have gone outside anyway.
Royal Princess
Do not expect many specialty restaurants, especially no Asian. Also, if the like to have access to a Library or game room, there are none.
We have been there 3 times now on cruises, and it is a quaint little town.
Viking Helgrim
Nothing extraordinary about this ship....
Loved this volcano town....as well as Puerto Varas. The lakes and mountains were beautiful.
A typical dump of a port for freight. It was 75 miles into Santiago.
We had to turn around due to high winds and huge waves. We went up the Beagle Channel.
Could have skipped this town......boring
Nice city
Run down city with not much going on. They had a penguin tour that was poor.
Even though it was raining and foggy, it was still fun to see.
Port Stanley, Falkland Islands
This was our favorite and most interesting port. King Penquins were the highlight as well as the ride out with our quite. Learned alot.
Ushuaia, Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina
Very unique town. Loved the king crab in town too.
Another depressed city.
Coral Princess
Small library with just a few chairs, and you had to get there early or you could never get a seat to read. They camped out in them all day.
Enjoyed driving around the area, and seeing the local museum that was excellent.
Big city, but a good walking city
Diamond Princess
One thing we enjoyed was the big screen TV out at the pool area. we had nice warm weather on our cruise, so they showed movies most of the day, and into the night if you wanted to watch. It was fun. We did get to watch the Super Bowl all day on that screen, and it was great. They made popcorn, and appetizers for us so it was fun.
Beautiful day to visit, and had a good time
Port Chalmers (Dunedin), New Zealand
OK town, not that exciting.
Weather and high seas , we could not tender to get in.
Art deco town that was so cool. Beautiful day as well. Small town, and not a lot to do except walk around town and see the way they rebuilt this town after an earthquake.
Beautiful beach front town that we did a hike to the highest point above the coast with great views.
Highlight. Great walled city. Very beautiful, and lots to see
We always love Boston
worthless
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
small and cute town. Nothing much to do but visit city and have a great lunch outside.
Beautiful town. Had some great places to walk and eat, museums were nice.
quaint town, loved the lobster.
A big town, but we enjoyed seeing it on a hop-on-off bus.
Veendam
This ship is very nice and a nice size. We loved the simpleness of it, and everything was easy to access.
AmaDara
Food is very good, and they will also attempt to meet any food issues you may have.
We disembarked here and got on a plane after a brief bus tour of the area.
Again every tour was interesting.
We did not see Wuhan, as our trip was modified due to an accident on the Yangtze before we got there.
That was really beautiful, and amazing to see what they did here in moving all of the people that were displaced.
scenery was great.
Not here long..interesting.
Viking Emerald
The boat was very comfortable, but do not expect a "cruise ship" experience. This is a standard river boat. China also has some hot and muggy weather, along with smog in their big cities. We found that this time of the year it is not bad, and we also had rain only one day.
Not enough time there. The cruise in and out of the bay was about 2 hours and really fun to watch, You are cruising right by the shore.
We stayed for several days before near the Stroget, and it was so fun. Loved the city and easy to get around. We walked everywhere.
Most expensive city in the north.
Will want to go back and see that city
Norwegian Star
We suggest you try every one of the specialty restaurants. they all have something different to offer, and they do a very good job in preparing it nightly.