BermudaBound2014

22 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

It is the whole company. I tried to view cabins on Cunard yesterday and had the same issue.  They really need to ditch their IT contract

Maybe not the entire company? I had zero problems with Carnival. It was one of the best web sites I've used. Super user friendly and intuitive. 

14 minutes ago, zoomer1956 said:

Cabins D3331-D3370 deck 3

 

All the D's on Deck 3 appear to be completed . It looks to me like H3367 and H3369 in the number sequence are the old style. Can you confirm that the two H cabins in that number sequence are new style bathrooms?

Strangely, none of the deck 2 cabins are showing the upgrade bathroom on HAL's main page. I agree, the deck plans for the zaandam are a mess 🙂 

6 minutes ago, bkennedytx1 said:

You would think a cruise line could at least have a decent website to book excursions, reservations etc.  I continually run into this. error 503.  Get your act together, HAL.

It's been a consistent error for at least 12 months. I can think of no excuse for the errors to still be occurring after this length of time other than lack of dedicated funding to correct the problem.

It used to be that MSC had the worst website in the industry, but not anymore. HAL is the only site I am forced to use incognito with. If I didn't like HAL's longer itineraries so much, their lack of care to the website may be enough to drive me away from the product.

@boatmad I agree that the bathroom update shouldn't make or break a cruise! But, if given a choice, I would prefer the upgraded bathroom as some of the recent photos of the old style are really bad (cracked tile, missing grout, etc...).

What is weird is that the pattern for upgrading is so random. There must be a story behind this. Either they didn't have time, didn't have money, didn't plan for this renovation and added it in at the end. Someone must know the rational :). 

If you are thinking of booking a Zaandam cabin best to look at the HAL site and select a cabin with an asterisk as it appears to me that those have officially been upgraded. Looks like zaandam is going in for a drydock in Jan 2025 so hopefully they will get to all the rooms.

PS: To add to the confusion none of the balcony cabins have an asterisk, but I 'think' those have all been upgraded (I haven't been researching those cabins so I'm not sure). Only the two HH cabins on deck 7 show asterisks. 

5 hours ago, sambamama said:

 the whole purpose  of the studio is to supplement the small cabin.  

NCL has allowed exceptions in the past for solo travelers staying outside the studio cabins since one of the purposes of the studio lounge is to provide a meeting place for fellow solo travelers to socialize. 

In addition, NCL has introduced the solo balconies and solo ocean view cabins on some ships and specifically allow access to the studio lounge for those cabins.

https://freestyletravelers.com/blog/ncl-solo-balcony-cabin

You can still drive to Hana however the backside of the road to Hana is still closed. Slated opening July 26th (but we all know how that goes). Also, October is a long time away. The backside of the road to Hana can wash away with any major storm so you would need to check the morning of the drive.

As mentioned, you can still drive the road to Hana. Just turn around when you hit Hana and circle back the same way (you can go as far as Charles Lindbergh's grave but turn around there).

Locals prefer you stay off the back side to Hana even when it is open as some is one lane and there is lots of talk that that your rental car agreement does not allow you to drive the back side to Hana anyway, so there's that.

15 hours ago, boatmad said:

We were on deck 3 on Zaandam last fall. I thought I had done my homework and we would have updated bathroom.  Very disappointed to find the old tub and tile.  Loved the ship, loved the cruise but it was a negative.

thank you for sharing your experience.

When you selected your cabin, did you specifically select one with an asterisk * on the HAL deck plan? 

11 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

That is really perplexing.  Volendam and Zaandam are sister ships and should be relatively consistent.  I wonder if Zaandam didn’t have enough dry dock time to do it ?  

Darn- If anyone knew I thought  it might be you. And 
perplexing is the perfect word! Time is one hypothesis. I was thinking with a bit less optimism. 

Based on recent videos, it sure does appear that there are a slew of cabins that did not get upgraded. What’s super strange to me is the inconsistency within the same categories. Booker beware 😉 

Thank you Kazo,

The Zaandam deck plan is different. Here is the deck plan I'm showing directly from the HAL site.The key specifically shows  'shower only' rooms (that key does not appear on the volendam deck plan you provided above).

Various sites have stated that the 'shower only' rooms are the ones that have been upgraded (the tub removed). It's a very random pattern and it doesn't seem to matter the cabin category. Some HH, Some H, Some E, etc..,

I was hoping someone could explain why HAL was inconsistent with upgrading the Zaandam, UNLESS of course, the HAL website is totally incorrect and 100% of the Zaandam cabins have had the upgraded bathroom???

28 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I have had lobster in the lido on other cruises.  HAL has decided to offer in the lido whatever is available in the MDR with very few exceptions.  We have found some delicious options on the lido which were not available in the MDR

Thanks Mary, as you know I'm doing a very close BTB next year. 22 days on Oosterdam (not a legendary cruise) followed 2 weeks later on the Koningsdam for 35 nights (a legendary cruise).

That's why I"m interested in the differences between legendary and non-legendary.  🙂 

12 minutes ago, AerynSun_JohnCrighton said:

Cool. I didn't see it on menu someone posted a link to so was trying to future out where to go for a must do drink in am.

It's been my experience that any coffee menu that includes latte, also includes mocha latte :). In the dutch cafe they were just using Herseys chocolate syrup, but it still did the trick 🙂

12 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

When did California get the jurisdiction to pass a nationwide law?

I'm sure you are aware that California can not pass a nationwide law. Here's a little bit more information on California new hidden fee law and it's relationship to federal law if you are interested: 

https://www.gtlaw.com/en/insights/2023/10/california-bans-hidden-fees-effective-july-1-2024

I said  California's new law 'sprouted' changes to the way cruise ships price, meaning it was a catalyst for change to the cruise industry.

"....thanks to California’s new “Honest Pricing Law,” major cruise lines will have to include all additional costs in their prices come July 1st.

Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, and Carnival Cruise Line are among the major operators that will soon be affected by the law. Once the law goes into effect, these operators will be legally required to include the cost of taxes, port expenses, and any other additional fees passengers may be subjected to while on board."

https://www.timeout.com/usa/news/this-new-law-is-changing-cruise-line-pricing-as-we-know-it-052024

18 hours ago, Swash Buckler said:

Mocha is available in the Crows Nest

21 hours ago, AerynSun_JohnCrighton said:

I didn't see Mocha on that list. Can they do Mocha? I need chocolate in my coffee. Can't stand it otherwise.

Mocha latte was available in the Dutch Cafe on the Koningsdam last Feb/March 

I'm just curious, but does anyone know the story behind the random bathroom upgrades on the Zaandam?

I'm looking at deck 3.It appears that the asterisk * sign signals shower only, so am I correct to assume those bathrooms have been renovated? If so, I can't find a pattern to why particular rooms were upgraded and others weren't (even within the same category). This is the forward of deck 3. I put a red dot on the shower only cabins. The aft of deck 3 is equally random. There must be rational and I'm betting someone on cC knows 🙂. Anyone??

2 hours ago, richwmn said:

I understand that, but the law wouldn't have been passed unless either a substantial number of people, or the right people, complained about the pricing structure.

 

Just a side FYI: The law wasn't directed at the cruise line pricing structure. The law is directed at eliminating all hidden fees which have been on the uptick lately. Cruise lines just have to abide.

There are two new hidden fees that have cropped up in my world post covid, the first is a 4% "behind the scenes' charge in restaurants. Touted as going to kitchen staff, dish washers, etc... Unfortunately, the staff I have spoken with stated that this fee is not being passed along and is kept by the establishment. Many people don't even notice it's there. I'd just like to see more transparency on the fee itself, and accountability on where it goes.

Another fee I would like to see made very visible are credit card fees when dining out. Maybe they have been around in other places longer, but it seems that credit card usage fees at restaurants popped up over night here, and most restaurants we visit have zero notice listed anywhere on the menu.

22 hours ago, WriterOnDeck said:

I've had one every night so far on this Ultimate Alaska Legendary Cruise -- perhaps a differentiator for the "legendary."

I think it might be related to legendary cruise. We had chocolates every night on the Legendary Hawaii/Tahiti. Have you had lobster at the lido yet?

13 minutes ago, Sea42 said:

Source?

It’s true. Sprouted from California’s transparency bill (SB478). Lots of articles have been published. 

Here's a link with a bit more information on what to expect with this new partnership.....

"As night falls on Gala Night, guests can retreat to the comfort of their cabin and be greeted by the "Sweet Dreams" turndown service, featuring the irresistibly smooth Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles or Sea Salt milk chocolate truffles once per cruise."

"Lindt Sundae including vanilla ice cream topped with a custom-made Lindt chocolate sauce, as well as Lindt chocolate tulips one night per cruise in the Dining Room on the Dutch Day dinner menu."

https://stockhouse.com/news/press-releases/2024/06/20/holland-america-line-partners-with-lindt-to-savor-special-moments-on-board

Aloha Florin,

First and foremost Happy Anniversary! I do empathize with you. The thing I think I may be most upset with is how I was treated by front desk, more so than the room change itself.

I hope the rest of this post is accepted with the kindness it is offered. I mean no disrespect.  May I kindly remind you that we can not control external events (things like room changes), but we can control how we respond to them. I totally understand being upset, but on this day, I wish that you are able to put the negative emptions to rest and celebrate 40 years of marriage!!! That is truly a wonderful accomplishment. You are together, and on a cruise, it sounds like a very lovely way to celebrate from this outsiders perspective. 

I'll be sending you lots of aloha energy in the hopes that following some of the above advice may lead to more resolution from the cruise line. I found senior staff on the Koningsdam to be quite responsive. Some of the front desk not-so-much. No matter what happens, I do wish you a wonderful remainder of your cruise.

5 minutes ago, SeaMatesNYC said:

Lastly, it’s the same form used to move from HAL to a TA or from one TA to another. 

Form was the same, but my rational documentation was a couple pages long for the booking I wanted to transfer outside the 60 day grace period.

Here is how simple the form is for those transferring within 60 days of booking (for anyone interested).

It's very easy to move a reservation booking agent within 60 days of the initial booking. One page, no more than 5 lines to fill out just like was stated above. It really couldn't be simpler. 

You can transfer booking agents outside of 60 days of the initial booking but that process requires documentation. I did this one time as I had ample documentation showing the TA to be pretty much incompetent. 

Personally, I would never move a booking to HAL as I am a firm believer in using an agent for the substantial perks they offer, but some prefer to deal directly with HAL and that's ok too :). 

Agree. Steve is the man to go to for any insurance questions. I also work with Deanne out of the office. Been working with them for a couple decades. They know their stuff.

6 hours ago, sandiego1 said:

 I believe only a few  cards cover trip cancellation or interruption. 

There are many Credit cards that cover trip cancellation and interruption. The only additional insurance I purchase is health. However; the devil is in the details. I spent a good bit of time researching this last year and shared my results with CC. Insurance is a very strange world indeed.

On 6/14/2024 at 1:44 AM, sandiego1 said:

According to Steve (Trip Insurance Store), the insurance we purchased WOULD cover the cost of the gift cards if we need to cancel for a covered reason after the final cancellation date. If we cancel before then, HAL would credit the gift cards (ie not refund to cash or my credit card).

 

The key word here is 'purchased".  Many travelers do not purchase trip insurance, and instead rely on the travel insurances provided by credit cards. In which case, gift cards may (or may not) be refunded in the case of cancellation. Based on my research, it's fuzzy at best. I would suggest anyone using gift cards read the fine print to understand exactly where/when gift cards are protected. I

The use of gift cards always comes with some level of risk. the most dangerous is obviously insolvency, in which case all gift cards would likely be wiped clean. The least could risk be the simple hassle working out refunds. I have never been a fan of the language in the T&C of gift cards which states that HAL gift cards can not be 'reloaded'. It's a gray area to me, and just because HAL has a history of refunding to the gift card, does not mean that policy is protected in the contract when you purchased.

I'm fairly risk tolerant, and I do use gift cards, but I would never buy them far in advance of a sailing. I just don't see any benefit in that case when there is a plethoria of work arounds to buy more than 5 gift cards a month. 

20 minutes ago, JimDee363636 said:

I'm in one of those solo OV cabins on the lowest deck of the K-dam for the Oct. 22-26 Vancouver to San Diego repositioning cruise. The cost was $394.00, plus taxes and port charges---a couple hundred dollars less (at the time) than a solo inside would have been. These cabins are under the theater, not the music walk, so most nights there will be nothing going on directly above you after 10:30PM at the latest.

 

I'm looking forward to the experience.

 

Jim

I had 1011 on the K-dam and absolutely LOVED that cabin! Super roomy and no noise. Great cabin stewards too. Enjoy 🙂

There is a 25% solo supplement on the Koningsdam in October if anyone is interested: