New to Holland America? This is for you...AKA "HAL For Dummies"

Hi, we decided to cruise again after a 15 year "sabatical". Booked for a week on MS Rotterdam to Norway. HAL is filling my inbox with pre-cruise stuff they feel we need to buy. Not sure if we should - but quite reluctant to do:

 

We will plan our own shore excursions. It used to be to leave ship 45 min after docking to avoid the rush. IS THAT STILL VALID?

 

We will not make Restaurant reservations for the grills and what not - guess we can do "on the fly" during the cruise. IS THAT STILL VALID?

 

We will not buy beverage cards or packages (are there still soft-drink bev cards available?) and bring some bottles of our own wine. Water and ice-tee availabe for free. IS THIS STILL VALID?

 

I could not find a proper time for first=main seating. What is the timing?

 

Are they still serving dinner / buffet on the Lido?

 

OK - lost of Qs - lets hope for some As to get us cruising again! Thanks Forum from Stefan, Gabriele and Axel

I don't think you need to wait 45 minutes to avoid the rush but it probably depends upon the port.

As to your wine question - you are allowed to bring one bottle of wine per person (legal drinking age as IRL stated) at embarkation without charge for in room consumption. If it is taken to a public area, you will be charged a corkage fee (same as what it was back when I believe).

You CAN bring other bottles of wine on board or in port but you will be charged an $18 corkage fee per bottle and you may take those to public areas (just don't remove the sticker). You can also opt for HAL to hold it for the cruise for you and return to you at disembarkation time and not pay a corkage fee.

We are taking our first HAL in 9 days . We booked late and were offered an upsell to a Handicapped Lanai Cabin, so this is a cruise with many firsts .

-Are Accessible cabins so different . They explained it is bigger then usual and has no bath (good!) . Anything else?

-Any comments about Lanai cabins ? We are below the customer service desk . Concerned about noise . Also we were told there is no mini table outside . Pity - Where will my drink go ? What's it like being right on the promenade ?

-Veendam is a small old ship . Does it seem like a small old ship ?

-Can you get a standing dinner time with Open Seating ? We have done this on other cruise lines by asking the Maitre'D upon boarding .

-Canaletto Restaurant ? On Veendam is seems carved out of the Lido . Does it seem part of the Lido ?:( Food ?

-Is there a fee for getting money at the casino ?

-Anyone have a recent Veendam "Daily Guide" ?

-How late can you go to the Mariner Embarkation Luncheon ? We won't board until 1:30 ish .

Thanks for all the great info (especially Kazu(Jaqui),Lizie, Ruth and especially CrewNews (Roger) for your links to pictures and menus . Sounds like a Academy Award speech .:o

We are taking our first HAL in 9 days . We booked late and were offered an upsell to a Handicapped Lanai Cabin, so this is a cruise with many firsts .

 

-Are Accessible cabins so different . They explained it is bigger then usual and has no bath (good!) . Anything else?

 

-Any comments about Lanai cabins ? We are below the customer service desk . Concerned about noise . Also we were told there is no mini table outside . Pity - Where will my drink go ? What's it like being right on the promenade ?

 

-Veendam is a small old ship . Does it seem like a small old ship ?

 

-Can you get a standing dinner time with Open Seating ? We have done this on other cruise lines by asking the Maitre'D upon boarding .

 

-Canaletto Restaurant ? On Veendam is seems carved out of the Lido . Does it seem part of the Lido ?:( Food ?

 

-Is there a fee for getting money at the casino ?

 

-Anyone have a recent Veendam "Daily Guide" ?

 

-How late can you go to the Mariner Embarkation Luncheon ? We won't board until 1:30 ish .

 

Thanks for all the great info (especially Kazu(Jaqui),Lizie, Ruth and especially CrewNews (Roger) for your links to pictures and menus . Sounds like a Academy Award speech .:o

I will try to help a bit.

Accessible cabins are laid out differently so you can lose a sofa or other things in order to make room for wheelchair manoeuverability.

You can make reservations if you are on open dining but the reservations are limited to certain times.

If you charge to your on board account at the slot machines in the casino, there is no charge to get cash. I believe there is if you do it other ways, but I can't vouch for that as I have always used the slots thanks to advice on the boards here.

Veendam is an older ship but so are several in HAL's fleet. Some of us enjoy them the best.

Mariner's Embarkation Lunch is usually over with by 1:30 p.m. (and sometimes 1:00 p.m.) however the Lido will be open.

any time I have eaten in the Canaletto, I have seen the food brought from the Lido kitchen, so I have always surmised that is where it is made.

There are lots of On Locations (daily programme) and pics of cabins available however we are not allowed to name the site here. try googling a bit ;)

We were on the veendam in may...in a lanai. Love the concept but unfortunately they were repairing the lifeboat outside our room and couldn't use the lanai for the 3 days we were docked in Hamilton .

 

Canaletto Restaurant ? On Veendam is seems carved out of the Lido . Does it seem part of the Lido ?:( Food ?

 

Thanks for all the great info (especially Kazu(Jaqui),Lizie, Ruth and especially CrewNews (Roger) for your links to pictures and menus . Sounds like a Academy Award speech .:o

The zuppa in the Canaletto was filled with flavor and lots of seafood. My veal piccata was thin with a tangy lemon sauce that made it a perfect entree. I ordered a half portion since I was dining by myself. When you review the menu, I'm certain that you will find something that will tickle your anticipation.

Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad that I could be of help in your cruise planning.

Glad to see a re-do of your post. Accuracy is so important when sharing information with HAL newbies.

I personally enjoyed Canaletto - some regulars will say it's not worth the extra charge, but it's all subjective. The only complaint I have is there is too much food with the sharing plates.;)

We are taking our first HAL in 9 days . We booked late and were offered an upsell to a Handicapped Lanai Cabin, so this is a cruise with many firsts .

 

-Are Accessible cabins so different . They explained it is bigger then usual and has no bath (good!) . Anything else?

 

-Any comments about Lanai cabins ? We are below the customer service desk . Concerned about noise . Also we were told there is no mini table outside . Pity - Where will my drink go ? What's it like being right on the promenade ?

 

-Veendam is a small old ship . Does it seem like a small old ship ?

 

-Can you get a standing dinner time with Open Seating ? We have done this on other cruise lines by asking the Maitre'D upon boarding .

 

-Canaletto Restaurant ? On Veendam is seems carved out of the Lido . Does it seem part of the Lido ?:( Food ?

 

-Is there a fee for getting money at the casino ?

 

-Anyone have a recent Veendam "Daily Guide" ?

 

-How late can you go to the Mariner Embarkation Luncheon ? We won't board until 1:30 ish .

 

Thanks for all the great info (especially Kazu(Jaqui),Lizie, Ruth and especially CrewNews (Roger) for your links to pictures and menus . Sounds like a Academy Award speech .:o

A post on the main forum helped me to find a great website with a lot of photos of cabins, menus and all sorts of information. There may be a photo of an accessible cabin there, I can't remember. I was looking for info on a different ship and found what I needed. You have to google HAL cabins. Sorry I can't help you on the other stuff, I'm new to HAL too.:)

Are you able to select the DVD's from your TV or do you need to obtain/request them from where they are kept? We found the list of available DVD's but watched our own DVD's so didn't look into it further.

On the ships we have been on, there has not been on-screen ordering available. I think you need to get them from the Front Desk. I don't know if that is something the concierge could do for you, as we didn't bother.

Are you able to select the DVD's from your TV or do you need to obtain/request them from where they are kept? We found the list of available DVD's but watched our own DVD's so didn't look into it further.

You can pick them up yourself at the Front Desk, or call to have them delivered.

I expect Neptune Suite passengers can ask the concierge.

Thanks so much for the quick response Ruth and Cow Princess.

Anyone has the address CCL Stock Cert. for OBC?

Anyone has the address CCL Stock Cert. for OBC?

As per instructions, we tend to fax it - here is what I have -

World Cruise Reservations

Fax 1-206-281-0627

That fax has done the trick for us :)

emails are not liked. They will email a confirmation but they don't generally accept emails as proof.

Thank you for the fast answer.

Know I could count on this site.

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned here, but trays are no longer provided in the Lido.

 

Select your table - in the Lido, at the SeaView Pool or Lido Pool - and then go through the food line.

 

Signature and Vista class ships have a larger Lido than the smaller ships...but the same selection.

 

Sometimes at the late night buffet in the Lido (starting at 10 PM), HAL's signature pea soup is available. Also many other light (and not so light) bites....

It's interesting to me (have not ever been on HAL, but will be next year) that they do not provide trays in the Lido!

Once you get to your table, do you go back and forth 2-3 times to get a plate of what you want?

How does it usually work for all of you who have been on HAL before?

Thanks.

Once you get to your table, do you go back and forth 2-3 times to get a plate of what you want?

That's pretty much it. Makes it very difficult for those of us with mobility problems.

The trick is to pick something easy, like a glass of juice or water, on the way by, then find a place. Leave some things to save your place, and head off for the main meal.

Many of the ships use a large platter type plate, so you can mix several things on it, which reduces the number of trips back and forth.

As per instructions, we tend to fax it - here is what I have -

 

World Cruise Reservations

Fax 1-206-281-0627

 

 

That fax has done the trick for us :)

 

emails are not liked. They will email a confirmation but they don't generally accept emails as proof.

I send a copy to my TA who emails it to HAL - maybe its different for TAs.

I send a copy to my TA who emails it to HAL - maybe its different for TAs.

nope. I'm sure my TA would do it, but by the time I send it to her, why not just send it straight to HAL? she does enough stuff for me IMO. I get my reply from HAL and she sends me my updated obc. Works well for me :)

I just booked (on Tuesday!) a very last minute cruise on the Zaandam to Seward out of Vancouver sailing Sunday. I usually fly up to AK every summer but I'm tired of airport hassles so I was thinking of taking the Alaska Ferry from Bellingham to Whittier. However, the fare with a cabin (with no bathroom!) was almost the same as the cruise. I really thought I had sailed HAL before but they couldn't find the info, so it was great to find out in this thread that my prior Princess and Carnival cruises were enough to get me into the Embarkation Luncheon. I read all 16 pages and there's a ton of good info. Looking forward to it!!

Are upsells or upgrades sometimes available after Express Documents are available?

Are upsells or upgrades sometimes available after Express Documents are available?

More often that is most likely when they become available for the first time.

Express documents are available about 50 days before sailing. Guarantee assignments aren't anywhere near to being attended to at that point. Upsells, followed by upgrades, come shortly before the guarantee assignments are made.

More often that is most likely when they become available for the first time.

 

Express documents are available about 50 days before sailing. Guarantee assignments aren't anywhere near to being attended to at that point. Upsells, followed by upgrades, come shortly before the guarantee assignments are made.

Ruth, it's so great to get information from someone as knowledgeable and helpful as you. Thank you! We are at 50 days 8/2 and I was wondering why I saw Signature and so many Neptune Suites left. We are in an SY Suite. Are contacts made or are upsells automatic? Do you always lose your current promotion when you are offered/accept an upgrade?

Upgrades aren't "offered" or "accepted". They are just given, and you don't have a lot of choice in the matter. You can ask your TA to attempt to get your cabin back, but generally, if you have given HAL permission to upgrade, then they have the right to place you in any higher category cabin they choose to.

Upsells are offered to you, either directly or via your TA depending on how you booked. The price, and any other conditions, are set out, and you decide whether or not the terms are acceptable. If so, you let HAL know, and hope you weren't beaten out by others getting the same offer. If not, feel free to make a counter offer.

Ruth, it's so great to get information from someone as knowledgeable and helpful as you. Thank you! We are at 50 days 8/2 and I was wondering why I saw Signature and so many Neptune Suites left. We are in an SY Suite. Are contacts made or are upsells automatic? Do you always lose your current promotion when you are offered/accept an upgrade?

not Ruth, but you don't usually use your promotions.

upgrades are rare, but possible. Those categories usually try to be upsold first. so $ for the cabin. Having had upsells in the past, we have never lost what we already had.

Thank you Ruth and Jacqui. I kept a copy of your responses for my records.