crystalspin

You don't get other "suite perks" in a Vista Suite* on either Z'dam or K'dam, just more room and on the Zaandam MUCH more storage. And the double Mariner points if booked at published rate (not an upsell or upgrade). But they are lovely cabins. * This is also true of the Signature Suites.

On top of the good advice you've received above, the 5-day/4-night description is disingenuous: Cruises do not have a day without a night -- guests must be off the ship by 9:30-10am on final "day". And rarely get to board in time for lunch on Day 1. So a 4-night cruise is almost a 3-day/4-night cruise. So right off the certificate is taking license with the truth.

June definitely still works. Two of our AK cruises were in early to mid-June. The earlier one we did not do whale-watching in Juneau, because I had booked it for Seward (we went on to do two weeks self-driving in Alaska). The whales around the Kenai peninsula were SO active -- happy to be back in plankton-rich waters of the north! The second we did a 7-day R/T Vancouver and did a three-part Mendenhall/whale/salmon dinner ship's excursion. Whales were also very active with many breaches. FWIW -- the third cruise was mid-July and we did the ship's "scientific" whale watch which was interesting, but the whales were not as active nor did the boat try to get near them. However, on the otter-watching boat trip in Sitka, a whale surfaced VERY close to the boat and spouted!

The medical part of HAL's Platinum Cancellation Protection Policy does waive pre-existing conditions and only needs to be purchased before penalties begin to accrue. If the fare has a non-refundable deposit, that is immediately. With most refundable fares, it is Final Payment Date. For some longer cruises, the penalties start sooner than FPD. HAL is very good with special diets. I agree that you should select Fixed Seating, so that they can find you with tomorrow's menu to select what courses are wanted that CAN be prepared safely.

I have seen that too, but not explored the reason. Your theory is as good as any! When you see HIA more expensive than Bare-bones then $55pd, it is because it also includes a refundable deposit.

Here is the second half? https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2956193-zuiderdam-june-29-2024-july-20-2024-viking-passage-from-ijmuiden-amsterdam-to-boston-21-days/#comment-65882247

CruiseDeckPlans says: Cabin: 174 sqft (16 m2) Balcony: 46 sqft (4 m2) The balcony may vary, as can be seen on the deckplan, and I believe the aft Verandahs gain a couple internal feet for the curvature.

Scopalamine patches are still available in USA by prescription only. As far as Dr.Spin knows, they are not generic and the trade name is TransDermScope. They are quite expensive and have significant side-effects. If the infirmary on ship has them, you would have to be seen by the ship's doc and be prescribed to receive them. They would not be for "purchase on board" by just anyone. Also, I have never heard of anyone receiving such an Rx on board.

You will have one each included dinner in Canaletto and in Pinnacle Grill. You will not be able to order a latte in the Lido during breakfast, but you can use the elevator! I may be wrong about the toaster... but no one has corrected me.

We sailed a B2B on the K'dam over New Years 2022-23. It was the MDR that was crowded! We ate all meals in the Lido (saving several specialty restaurant dinners), always able to find seats and mostly with lots of space between other diners (we were avoiding contagion even then). There were no circulating alcoholic beverage servers, but there was a small bar on each side of the ship where you could fetch your own. Stewards with pitchers did refill water/lemonade/iced tea. We also like the Tamarind upcharge restaurant, which is not on the Zaandam. OTOH we sailed the Zaandam on a 14-day Alaska cruise, and it was just perfect for that. The Oceanviews on the Lower Promenade are just steps from the largest balcony on the ship -- the true promenade! Just be sure not to book under the MDR galley on Deck 4 as they cook all night!

The larger cabins in a category are almost always the handicapped version of the rooms. (Exception being the large J & K insides on the Main Deck.)

Hi again Jenni! The cruise I mentioned booking for January 2026 is actually a B2B (back-to-back) combination of two cruises, both R/T (round-trip) out of FLL (Fort Lauderdale) on HAL. I think HAL will be a good fit for you by the criteria you mentioned. Our cruise is comprised of a 12-day cruise plus a 9-day 'leg', first is partial transit of Panama Canal, second visits the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) AKA "southern Caribbean". Those destinations may not be what you are thinking of for a Caribbean cruise, but I would suggest you do look for something at least 7-days and preferably longer, and not during Spring Break times. The shorter later spring cruises sometimes attract a party-crowd, commonly called Booze Cruises.

Third-party travel agents lose commission $$ if your fare decreases, PCCs do not. Just saying. I mentioned above my PCC getting me a lower fare when I upgraded to a Vista Suite; I did not mention that it was Launch Fare, months after launch, when the price had gone up significantly. And she did it without me asking -- I was expecting to pay the full and current fare.

Seems like that would qualify as "full-service" that OP doesn't want.

US$55 pppd for all days that have a night, i.e. the stated length of your cruise.