Epicureangirl

I took the non alcohol package in December. Totalled up separate charges afterwards, would of cost over $1000 if i paid as i sailed. Cost of an 11 day package with grats was $220. mocktails water galore (evian) and specialty coffees are my fav. In the MDR the beverage person gave me 6 bottles of water for my fridge and always thru in a can of coke for my son.

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The fine print on those packages always say that everyone in the stateroom must take it -- is that not the case?

Well, now I am curious what this sofa bed is like in a stateroom for 3 (I assume rooms for 4 have a different setup). On Volendam, the sofa doesn't actually pull out -- it flips over in place, so that you have a mattress instead of the sofa cushions. My daughter said it was very comfortable. I was hoping it would be the same, because then it doesn't take up any additional room.

Oh the mention of Lavash made me remember something... the basket I got at Pinnacle Grill (after ordering something from their Tamarind menu) was full of warm shrimp chips -- a jumbo version of the kind you get in Chinese restaurants. They served them with a sweet chili sauce. Not gourmet, but I love them anyhow. Please don't let me know how they're made -- I don't want to know! :')

I second the comment on the coffee. Having their French-press coffee is a wonderful way to end the evening.

It quite possibly will be too cozy for the 3 of us at 225 sq feet, so I might have to get rid of my daughter to make room for the flowers. Or my mother. It depends... :')

I love being surrounded by flowers, makes it more homey. But you're right, I will lay my eyes on this room first to see if I can sacrifice the space.

Hmmmm. I think the liquor menu would be the make-or break here. :confused: From the old thread, it sounds possible to switch your hard liquor for some more wine, but I wouldn't be surprised if the ones you choose from are quite cheap. Good to know about the flowers, I was looking for a more substantial arrangement this trip. Since that thread is quite old, I think I'll double-check the offerings before going any further. Especially since the price has gone up, I may be better buying everything a la carte. I don't really need tea in my room anyhow.

Thanks so much.

In HAL MDR's they bring that little metal pot -which has pretty well cooled by the time it gets to the table - with the tea bag next to it. Save your bag for the Lido so you can almost do it right.

I hate to resurrect a dying thread here, but this is still the case. During afternoon tea it was hard to get very-hot water. I had a better chance if I was early for tea, that way it had just been poured into the carafe (I have a feeling they fill 50 at a time, and then it sits).

It was also comical when I mentioned that I don't take my tea with cream and could they please bring me milk instead. Here I was expecting a little silver pitcher of milk, instead I got a full tumbler of milk. Needless to say, I made a mess trying to pour it. :rolleyes:

It was hard for me to remember to bring my own tea bags, and I sadly ended up drinking Bigelow many times. I even asked for PG Tips, but there were blank stares.

Despite all this, I would do it again. The Dining Room is so relaxing and quiet during Afternoon Tea, it really is a lovely break in the day.

Hopefully your next PG filet is better, but I am reading of a lot of inconsistency in the PG as of late. More things in PG were a hit then a miss for me this past trip, but YMMV. Happy dining!

Thank you so much RuthC -- I'm so glad you have posted because I wanted to THANK YOU for one of your old posts about this cabin. That is how I made the switch to 549 in the first place!

As this is only a 7-day, and my mum is a light-packer I don't think the reduced closet space will be an issue -- thanks for that great piece of information though.

The proximity to the stairs will make it easier to pop on to the LP deck -- thanks for pointing that out.

Do you happen to recall if there is a fridge in the stateroom or is that (still) only for suites? I had noticed that on occasion, the larger rooms on older ships have had a fridge in place of a side-table near the sofa.

Thanks so much.

I had not noticed this under the "Gifts & Indulgences" section (of the HAL My Reservations > Purchase) before:

Do you think there's any value there? I'm not sure how to estimate a few items -- chime in if you know what they might cost on HAL.

As for estimates I'm thinking:

• Two Bottles of Wine $?
  
• Two Bottles of Liquor $?
  
• Beverage Card $50
  
• Flowers $50 (if they give you a half-decent bouquet)
  
• Complimentary laundry and pressing (7 per day) $49
  
• Robes $100 (assuming they don't make you share ONE bathrobe!)
  
• Daily Canapes or High Tea delivered to your stateroom $?
  
• Pinnacle Dinners $62
  
• Special Disembarkation Privileges $0
  
• Breakfast at Pinnacle Grill $0 (unless it is more special than the dining room options)
  

There are several things on this list I'd already be buying without a package (bottles of wine, beverage card, flowers, laundry, Pinnacle dinners). Not sure about the food delivered in room (I'm sure the selection is better at afternoon tea).

Thoughts?

The filet's are usually my go-to (I usually find ordering the 10oz, I have a better chance of getting mine to the rare side of medium-rare, which I like).

For sides, I enjoy the shoestring fries with truffle aioli or whipped potatoes, sides are fairly traditional so don't stand out to me.

Crab cakes as mentioned, are nicely done too and you can often get these at lunch (which is a bargain).

I love the Grand Marnier Chocolate Volcano Cake, soft, hot and 'properly' chocolatey served in a porcelain terrine.

For Tamarind, I'm not sure if they will rotate the menu and offer it (or if it is only what you posted above), but I like the Satay appetizer. The sauce is spicy though -- so if you only like sweet peanut sauce, it may not be to your liking.

Enjoy!

I'm not a fan of the Beef in PG. The change of Beef purveyors by HAL has resulted in a steak that lacks "beefy" flavor according to my palate.

I hadn't heard (read) this mentioned before. Is this fleet-wide, or does it depend on the itinerary? :confused: We quite enjoyed the filet on our Singapore-Hong Kong itinerary last month. I think I'm pretty picky.

I had a reservation for two people on the Veendam, and had carefully selected an interior stateroom on the Lower Promenade, so I was only steps away from going outside. We will be docked in Bermuda for 4 days, so thought it would be nice to see what's going on, without the noise & light at the dock.

I then thought to invite my mother along (a first time cruiser), and now we are 3 to a cabin, so I want the largest possible cabin without buying a suite.

Based on recommendations on this board, I found the main deck to still have available one of the largest Interior staterooms (K548 & K549) which have a sideways orientation to the hallway. I moved my reservation this morning and paid the difference (though I had to give up the LP location). I believe I am at about 225 feet now (the max for this category).

So finally (yes, I do go on), if I was to try and find an Ocean View that accommodates 3 persons and is even LARGER, which rooms should I be looking for? Is there anything larger on the Lower Promenade (which I would love to get back to).

The Ocean View categories max out at 255 sq feet -- but is that only for the accessible rooms?

PART 2 :D

If I can't find a larger Ocean View to switch my reservation to, should I make sure I take the Guarantee note off my room so that they do not move us? I am guessing that as a category K, I could be moved to even a J which would be a smaller interior cabin.

As an aside, last month I was upgraded to a HUGE Ocean View accessible room, which was great for 3 people. I booked directly with HAL. Would you "roll the dice" hoping for an upgrade you like, or lock-down the Large K Interior stateroom that I have booked?

If you read to the end of my post, I thank you for your patience! (y)

Linen shirts washed and pressed by HAL are what dreams are made of (especially now that I'm home).

Sodas come to about $2.30 inclusive of the tip (it may depend on the ship, but even though it says fountain drinks we continually got cans). We bought a couple of $50 beverage cards (for a discounted $25 each), which kept my daughter in soda for 15 days -- at the end of the cruise we had to help her finish the last card.

My espressos were $2.01 and cappuccinos weren't too much more. I found all drinks very reasonably priced. We also are wine-drinkers, and the by the glass options wouldn't have sufficed day after day, so I would still be buying bottles or paying corkage to bring my own (which the package would not help me with).

Once you factor in your time in port, it may actually be hard to drink enough over the week without having to consciously overcompensate on your sea days.

I would find buying a drink package more stressful, because I would be trying hard to make the numbers work. Then again, if I made the numbers work, I wouldn't be stressed at all... but definitely drunk most of the time. :')

Unless they change the safe type from cabin to cabin, as of two weeks ago the Volendam has the magnetic strip. As long as it fits what you need, either would be fine with me, not sure about the OP though.

I skew my priorities towards wine... and enjoy having room for souvenirs and new purchases on the return trip!

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Thanks!

Now, I wonder what the dimensions of the door opening is? Sounds like there might be room for an iPad, and that’s about it!

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I had 4 bottles my last trip (in Wine Skins) in the same checked bag and no issues. I was worried about them surviving multiple hops from Canada to Asia, but I guess those bubble-wrap wine sleeves do their job well. I brought my bottles to the dining room on the first night to go into wine storage, and they charged corkage each time I opened a bottle. It was all very smooth and no luggage delays.

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I’m not sure what category it was, it was an ocean view on the Verandah deck. It was a handicapped room so had the zero entry shower. It was the largest stateroom on that level, so I was very happy (we had 3 in our room that trip). This room had not been updated, other than the carpet and bedding accents. It had a fridge though, and I’m not certain if that is standard or not on this ship. I was surprised to learn they aren’t standard on all HAL ships.

The actual shower valve and water pressure was great though, but it was a very dated looking bathroom (immaculately clean though).

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You can use US currency and coin in Canada ... but your change will be in Canadian money. You don't really want that because 1) Canadian money is worth less than US money and 2) you can't use Canadian money in the US.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my home bank can easily provide me with Canadian money. Just yesterday I spent $247 American to buy $295 Canadian. So start with your own bank and see what they can do for you. You can travel prepared!

Point 1 is not really an issue. It is an exchange rate that floats up and down every day. Maybe by the time you take your trip it will be worth more than USD ;) They don't exchange your money at par, you will get a fair exchange rate from both Canadian and US banks -- the percentage lost over the posted rate is negligible. The exchange rate you have to worry about is from the stores if you're making a large purchase or are paying with big bills. Then you're losing a little more each time you buy something.

It is only when a currency market makes a big move (and you have a lot of foreign currency) -- then you might lose or make money by the time you exchange it back into USD. I doubt this is the case here unless they plan on buying real estate (now that would be fun!). Usually what you need in cash is pocket change if you want to try out public transit, and money to tip a valet (if you are staying in a hotel) -- almost everywhere takes credit cards.

FYI Re: safe size on Volendam

Per HAL customer service, the measurements are 21cm H x 21cm D x 35cm W. They couldn't say what type (keypad or magnetic strip).

Well, it's definitely the magnetic strip, so now to convert the measurements to inches for our US friends... ;)

I think it was the choice of the words "you people". The inference is condescending in nature.

I thought it was just because they were two separate posters and they didn't want to address them by their user names or write a longer sentence ;p Now if someone referred to me and my husband as YOU PEOPLE, then. :mad:

Hahahaha. Nice to hear you got that offer, even if you turned it down. Gives me hope that one might come my way.

I took it as curiosity too -- it doesn't make sense to get a cabin you don't want... but there are a few times when this has happened for me.

On my first cruise, it didn't occur to me that one location would be better than another (outside of having a a preference for a balcony/window/inside cabin). Then the next cruise I knew I wanted a balcony, but I didn't know to look at the deck plans above and below me to avoid the noisy spots.

Of course, this is in the 'olden' days where there weren't easy ways to do your research and be educated by others who have "been-there-done-that". Now, the only time I book a room I don't want, is if I love the itinerary and the price is incredible (usually when its non-refundable just like the OP). Then I HOPE for an up-sell (which I've only read about but never received), or an upgrade from HAL (frequently). Each cruise, I learn a little more about my own preferences and get a little fussier. :rolleyes: I may have to start booking early too!

Great information, thank you!

I did read on this forum that someone sent a bag with specific instructions for hang-to-dry, and that it was done that way. (or maybe it went through the machine, but still looked great so they didn't know the truth of it). I really don't know though, I can't imagine them having the space to do that. I do love their laundry service though.