cwd79

Thanks for the info. Wouldn't the cabins in 1019/1015 hear the Billboard Onboard music? 

Hi. Anyone have any insight on the J Cabins on Zuiderdam on Main deck? Specifically 1019/1015/1018. Those are considered Mid Ship even though they are closer to the outside elevators and super close to the Main Stage. Main concern is the noise from the Main Stage and the Casino above. Thanks for any insight. There will be three of us in the room. 

I stayed in that cabin on the Zaandam and I am the one who took those pictures from our August 2023 cruise. Would not hesitate to stay in that room again. Very spacious.

For those that have taken this cruise, do you recommend springing for a balcony (I usually do interiors)? I've been eyeing the Jan 7th 2024 cruise but been hesitant to jump on it as worried about the Drake Passage crossing as I don't do well with rough seas. But I can only imagine it would be worth it. 

For myself I always have an issue using Chrome once I click on a cruise I want or want to price out a cruise. I get a server error. I cleaned out my cookies, rebooted etc. Still no go. I was able to get around that error when using Chrome Incognito up until a few days ago. I am now getting the same server error. I started using Microsoft Edge internet browser and haven't had any issues so far. 

Couldn't agree more. Hubby and myself are in our early 40's and we have been cruising with Holland  for the past 12 years. We love the older crowd and have met so many wonderful people in our travels. 

My husband is a scotch drinker and his favorite it Balvenie. They usually don't have that to pre-order so we wait until we are on board as it really depends what they have in stock on the ship. He calls room service and sees if they have a bottle of Balvenie he can purchase outright. Half the time they do have it and when they don't he gets another single malt brand. He drinks it in the room or will pour it in a glass and enjoy it while we are eating or walking about. Super easy. 

I've had to call several times into Holland over the past few weeks as I booked online and needed the Welcome Back OBC promo added to my booking. I had asked my PCC but she always tells me to call reservations. The three or four times I've called I am directed to a call center with rep's that try but you can tell they are new or just don't seem to understand what you're asking. I am polite as can be and bring my patience. A simple call that normally should take no more than five minutes usually takes about 30 min. 

5 minutes ago, Ready2go11 said:

I received the NCL but not the HAL one. I added a few offers to my list to replenish back up to 100 total and hopefully HAL will eventually show up. 

Same thing for me. I went thru all the offers and kept refreshing and still nothing on HAL. But got the NCL one. Hopefully will get it soon. 

Has anyone had any experience on the Volendam in one of the sideways shaped interior rooms? Specifically 2619. I saw some blank spaces around the cabin and wondered if there is a lot of noise? Thank you

We played Craps every night on our 11 day cruise that ended earlier this month on the Zaandam. Can attest that there were no vigs on place bets. We bet the pass or do not pass line etc. 

10 minutes ago, 0106 said:

@CruiserBruceThank you for this wonderful thread, all of your insights and your willingness to answer our questions.

Have you seen NFL football in any bars or on your TV?

 

@Heidi13I looked at the schedule @VMax1700kindly posted.  According to the schedule, there is no NFL football shown at sea, only in flight.  That being said,  I was on the Rotterdam last year for Super Bowl and it was shown on the big screen by the Lido pool.  I am hopeful that we will be able to see the NFL games somewhere on the ship on Rotterdam TA this year.

 

@Kate45The service you received from your room steward is unacceptable.  Did you speak to anyone about it while on board? I have always had superior service from my room steward but if I had an issue, I would report it.  I use the Navigator app, for the example, I needed new batteries in my TV remote.  When I returned to my room they had been replaced.  I use it every night to compliment at least 1 employee who has made my cruise special too.

We were on the Rotterdam in Nov and Dec 2022 and they showed NFL games on TVs at some of the bars. 

We have a 7 day Caribbean cruise scheduled for Feb that has Key West listed as a port. We have never been there and solely booked the cruise for that port. We have had three cruises with Holland America in the past 10 years that had Key West as a port on the cruise itinerary but never actually ported. Either the port was changed at the last minute or some other reason we couldn't port there. We've decided if we don't make it there for the fourth time, we are going to fly there instead lol. 

I get that message every day and the only way I have found around it is to open another tab in incognito mode and then I have no issues. No idea why that works for me. 

You can call and have it added. I’ve done several casino cruises within the past two years and see same thing online. Doesn’t allow me to add. I called and had it added no problem. 

Just got off the Zaandam on an 11 day cruise and we played Craps every night in the casino. My hubby is a long time Craps player but this was only my second time playing. I quickly picked it up and frankly I'm not the quickest tool in the shed and if I can figure it out I am sure many other people could. Some nights we did very well and other nights not so much but in total we came out ahead and had a great time. The casino crew on the Zaandam are top notch. A very good idea about doing tutorials for Craps or other table games to bring in more business. 

8 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

I just booked a casino offer (not a free cabin but only $199 for an Inside) and found two interesting items (IMO):

 

First, in the recent past it was difficult to book a specific cabin rather than take a guarantee.  This time we were finally able (even online) to select our own cabin.  Of course we had to pay a bit more for this, but the end fare was very good and not that much more than the guarantee rate.

 

Second, I booked an aft view balcony cabin for LESS than I would have paid for using Club Orange to upgrade the guarantee, by about $45 pp.  In the past, purchasing Club Orange was the way to go as it would save me $100 or more per person. Since the ship was not a Pinnacle class one, the value to me was minimal for Club Orange.

 

It seems that HAL has made some good changes in how they are handling casino bookings and I am happy to see this.  Still needs some work, but its improved fro prior cruises.

 

That is very interesting and good to know. Was this a new offer you received in email or a casino rate you found under your mariner number while searching for cruises?

Currently on the Zaandam and there has been classical music played in the Explorer's Lounge several nights. A Piano player and Cello player. They've played many classical numbers. 

29 minutes ago, cwd79 said:

Prince Edward Island today. Weather is rain all day. We walked off the ship and see the Zuiderdam is also in port. Walked over to 'The Gallery' this is a coffee shop/bakery about 7-8min walk from port. I go every time we come here for their yummy Magic Bars. Completely worth getting soaked. 

Also want to mention on the way back from 'The Gallery' we stopped at the Receiver Coffee shop which was only a three minute walk from port, they have a wonderful Butter Tart that I am seriously contemplating going back out into the rain to get another one for later. 

Prince Edward Island today. Weather is rain all day. We walked off the ship and see the Zuiderdam is also in port. Walked over to 'The Gallery' this is a coffee shop/bakery about 7-8min walk from port. I go every time we come here for their yummy Magic Bars. Completely worth getting soaked. 

We've been content with the Lido. Some good choices, some bad. If we don't like something then we try something different. We prefer the Dive In on Pinnacle ships. We have loved the salad station so far. We do wish there were more choices for fruit in the morning, but oh well. 

Weather in Corner Brook this morning wasn't too bad. No rain but windy. Ventured out and walked 15 min to the downtown area and found a Tim Hortons. Where I live in the states there aren't any and I grew up in Buffalo and used to love going to Tim Hortons as a kid. Enjoyed some donuts and walked around. Nice area. At port there was a man playing guitar and singing. It was a nice welcome into town.  

Cabin 1877 - Midship - Loved the layout. L shaped and huge for an interior. No cabins on either side. There is a storage area on one side that has an employee stairwell and storage for some things. You can hear things moving about during the day, but very quiet at night. If you stay in your room during the day you will hear things but we didn't hear anything after the first night and slept very well. Also, one of the disembark areas was right next to the room so if you sleep late in the morning or prefer to spend quiet mornings in your cabin, then avoid this room. Lots of noise and chatter from people coming on and off the ship etc. Didn't really bother us as it was super convenient to get off the ship and they blocked our hallway so people couldn't line up in front of the cabins. But if you don't like noise during the day and not a fan of a possible disembark area being right near you once or twice during your cruise, then avoid. We loved the cabin. Cannot beat the size of it for an interior. 

Around 6PM there was some classical music being played in the Explorer's Lounge and it sounded like a piano and Cello or Violin. It sounded beautiful. I was sitting in a comfy chair looking out the window on deck 5 near the Mix Bar and could hear the live classical music. 

I'm also on this cruise. Portland is lovely. Decided to go exploring on my own and I like to go to local bakeries wherever we port. Took a 20 minute walk to Two Fat Cats Bakery. Phenomenal. Ordered about 7-8 items. Took a bite from each of them and each one was very good. No disappointments. Highly recommend. Beautiful weather today.