Jimbo20000

Hi all, I'm considering booking a 15-day on the NS in 2025. There are 7 consecutive days at sea crossing the Atlantic from Bermuda to the UK. Does HAL add any activities, lectures, or enhancements for all those days at sea? Thanks much! Jimbo

Hi all, anyone have any wisdom in this? We had been booked on a 10-night HAL NS Baltic cruise for June 15, 2021. I just received an email rebooking us to Nieuw Statendam’s 24-Day Jewels of the Baltic & Iberian Adventure (voyage J155A), departing on August 22, 2021. Anyone have any recent experience with the deployment changes?  HAL is wonderful, but is this a mistake? 10 nights to 24 nights with no fare change. Any insights before I call HAL?

Thanks much!

Excellent suggestions here, if I may add one more.

As posters have mentioned, NEVER pull cash advances from an ATM as the fees are outrageous. However, one of the giant discount brokerages going by the name of "Chuck" offers a free bank account and Visa ATM card with absolutely no fees, no foreign transaction, bank-level exchange rates, and full reimbursement of any and all local ATM fees charged. I've used the card abroad (including Asia) for several years, and it really is the best product out there. If I remember correctly, there is no minimum balance either, so you can just transfer funds into the account online from your other bank before travel. I imagine they offer this account hoping you will someday open a brokerage account with them as well, but it is not required.

I have been able to buy individual bottles of wine in a bar down the hall and take it to the cabin. I noticed the bar prices for the unopened bottle was less than half of any of the room service, MDR, or pre-board available wines. Yes, it was a lesser "brand," but fine for us. This was on the Maasdam last year. Was this just a very friendly bar tender, or is this common practice on all HAL ships? I'd add our terrific cabin steward was happy to deliver wine glasses for the duration.

A very individual thing - but we love the Lanai Cabins on the older HAL ships. For a price just a bit higher than an OV, and often much much less than a traditional balcony, one has the largest balcony space in the world, extending completely around the ship! Comes standard with amazing views, reserved deck chairs, and superb people watching. There are drawbacks. If you are introverted you may not appreciate the passers-by, and squatters have been known to ignore the reserved signs on your chairs.