Cruise4food

9 hours ago, teachermandoug said:

As Club Orange rolls out, does anyone know if it’s on Zuiderdam yet?

This PDF from HAL lists all the dining and entertainment venues per ship. As advised in this thread, only Pinnacle class ships have Club Orange dining.

HAL Ships at a Glance Chart

35 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

If the Volendam went into Tracy Arm, arrival in Juneau would be seriously delayed.  The small boat tour is probably really intended for those getting off in Skagway but is a nice option for those doing the full 7-day loop as well.

Now I see their decisions are based on available days. As you described, my Volendam trip was 7 days, while later Zaandam went 14 days. We did Tracy Arm as a sea day on Zaandam and afterwards cruised slowly through the night for Juneau. 

On 6/7/2019 at 9:20 AM, Dog Drool said:

Do we know what port HAL is going to now that Cuba is out?   It would be nice to go to some different ports like Grenadines, Grenada, or St Barts.

As one who had a Veendam cruise to Bermuda booked, and then canceled, when she was re-scheduled for Cuba, I offer that Bermuda would be a good choice for future Veendam cruises. What I found odd was that the first visit to a Cuba port by Veendam was in July, seems a tad hot. Perhaps they wanted to take travel agents who would then promote the Dec January cruises?

12 hours ago, CMDE said:

“As an above poster said,  take the HAL tour on the smaller boat up to Tracy Arm Fjord....absolutely stunning scenery and well worth the money!  I would recommend the Volendam.”

 

We loved our cruise on the Volendam, and definitely agree with the posters who suggested the smaller boat up to Tracy Arm. It was the best excursion we’ve ever taken on a cruise. 

On my Volendam 2016 Alaska cruise, we transferred at sea to the (optional) smaller excursion boat for Tracy Arm. Too many bergs in the channel prevented cruise ships from making the journey that July. However, on a later Zaandam 2018 cruise, we went all the way up to glacier's edge in Tracy Arm and back out. Either way to see the arm, or both, will be well worth it. Even if you book the excursion and the cruise ship takes you up anyway, you will get a much closer look with a local tour guide on the smaller boat. Read your itinerary carefully when you are close to sailing to see if the Tracy Arm will be included on the big ship.

2 hours ago, doone said:

I, too, always feel like I am at home whenever I step back on a HAL ship........there is something classy about that blue bottom hull.....I think I may just stick with what I know works for me, sailing on HAL..

Well said. I will be sailing on Maasdam for the third time this July and should get the 100 day recognition. The staff, the crew and the passengers make for such an enjoyable experience each time I have sailed HAL. When I see some of the inflammatory posts, especially for the same voyage on which I have sailed, it is apparent to me that the complainer could not have been on the same ship. At least that is my conclusion.

24 minutes ago, Lovely other said:

Is that lunch only for singles or those of us that are not single but cruising solo for whatever reason ? 

The lunch is a set of reserved tables in Main Dining Room during one of the sea days. The MDR is typically only open for lunch on sea days. And yes, even two married people travelling without spouses, sharing a cabin, would be solos. There is not a formal check to confirm.

Sorry, I did not mean to imply that your cousins are married to each other. OOOPS! 😂 😱

I have only traveled on Holland America Line and cannot compare with other lines. I describe the solo organizing as low key. There is one perhaps two meet ups formally scheduled early during the cruise. After that, it is up to the passengers to arrange events and visits, say all going to the piano bar one evening together, or to have evening dining together. The most popular and well attended is a singles lunch during a sea day, which is formally listed in the Daily Schedule cards/on-line app. Upon arrival at the MDR, state that you are a solo and you are  sent to the singles reserved tables.

I have never seen an evening solos dining arranged by HAL. You do not have to be a true solo traveler to participate. A single in a larger group is equally invited to the single/solo events. You just cannot bring your 8 married cousins with children along. 😱

29 minutes ago, Cruise4food said:

On Pinnacle class, the equivalent two rooms are category I-11057 and I-11058. View out the window is definitely not ocean-view but is more than the typical Interior has. I have stayed in lower promenade on S and R class. Mirror plating is less effective on these Pinnacle windows.

My mistake, they are category K for Holland America booking on Pinnacle class. The HAL facts uses the I code. Got the two mixed up.

43 minutes ago, Kruzer Zuker said:

Look up NA IQ10043 or 10044 as an example.  

On Pinnacle class, the equivalent two rooms are category I-11057 and I-11058. View out the window is definitely not ocean-view but is more than the typical Interior has. I have stayed in lower promenade on S and R class. Mirror plating is less effective on these Pinnacle windows.

31 minutes ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Is there a sofa in 4104

Stateroom I-4104 has an open circle code which means it is rated for three people, and third wheel gets the sofa. 

See the Deck 4 page in the Deck Plans here.

Deck Plan Nieuw Statendam (4104 same on Koningsdam)

4 hours ago, tpbs said:

 

Thank you for the reply, we are on the Nieuw Statendam this August in room 11057. Enjoyed looking at your pictures.

Try not to memorize them too much. Your room 11057 is a mirror image and you may bump into things when you first board. 🤗 😭

2 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Is there a sofa?

No sofa in 11058.

43 minutes ago, tpbs said:

 

Where is the TV placed in this room? Thanks:)

Looked for a pic but never shot one of that wall. The TV is wall-mounted just to the right of the window. While sitting at the desk the TV is at your left shoulder.

Does this kind lady still work on ms Zaandam? She had an office just down the hallway from Explorations Cafe. 😉 🤔

23 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I've never seen wines run out during a cruise, but if you're at the end of a restocking cycle that could happen. What does happen is that the list online isn't always up to date. If some wines on the list become unavailable,  then they substitute. Like kazu, I wait until I'm on board and see the actual list before I choose a package.

 

You "select one bottle at a time," meaning you don't have to make all your choices on Day 1. But you may have more than one bottle open at a time. If one of you wants red and the other wants white, then it's OK to have two bottles going. The wine stewards will store open bottles for you, or you may take one with you to finish in your room or on your balcony.

 

Thank you for the information. Exactly the details I needed to know. 

7 minutes ago, School library lady said:

There was a quilting group on our cruise to Hawaii last November on the Eurodam. They were set up in two-three rooms on the same deck as the shops. If I hadn’t been walking by I would never have known they were on the ship.

Same for a quilting group on a 14 day Alaska cruise. They had a permanent presence in one meeting room near Explorations Cafe/ Library. A couple of times they hosted an open-house for other passengers to visit.

I have seen portions of the Crow's Nest reserved for a group (not quilting), and on rare occasions, the entire Nest.

6 hours ago, DougK said:

3) Wine packages. As best I can tell, there's no advantage to buying in advance.

About to purchase a first wine package for a 21 day cruise. As I understand, a 4 bottle package has perhaps 10 or so bottles from which to select, after you board. On previous cruises, based on sharing a table with others who had wine packages, you select one bottle at a time. Towards end of the voyage, the selection list is shorter as the popular brands run out. 

This is an extract from the listing and price for a spa pass to the Relaxation Area on an upcoming Maasdam cruise. Not sure why the name is generic “14+” for a 21 day cruise.

Thermal Suite 14+Day Pass OVERVIEW

An escape from  …   Enjoy a 14+day Thermal Suite experience during your cruise with this pass.

$229.00

This map is for the Montreal HoHo bus. The pickup point appears to be outside the Pointe-A-Calliere museum along the street very close to the T-1 berth of the cruise terminal. If the water level is down to normal, you should be at that spot. If not, you can expect a shuttle from the container dock to the same location.

Montreal Hop On Hop Off Bus

21 hours ago, lij1972 said:

It gives me hope that when I'm on this cruise next week that it will make it to Montreal and I won't have to worry about getting on a bus.  

If your boarding is also at berth T3, then you may have a short bus ride from main terminal to the T3. High water in Montreal prevents the ship from going under Jaques-Cartier bridge. But a taxi could take you all the way as per "take a taxi to Terminal T3. Tell the driver to use the Pie-IX boulevard entrance to the Port of Montreal." That Pie-IX is pronounced locally as " Pie Neuf" where neuf  (noof) is french for the number nine. See the port of Montreal link above for the latest on your boarding day, T1 or T3.

3 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

Plus, HAL is very generous in rounding up - for example, if you spend $1300, you likely (but not guaranteed) will get 5 credits.

 

The calculation must be extremely complicated. My Dec cruise has had spending points set as first 2, then down to 1 and then up to 3. I am afraid to look this weekend. The number might be zero.

4 hours ago, SempreMare said:

  It was only in the PDF attached in my email.

If you are into keeping every PDF from HAL in a folder for the cruise (most of us are) look for “AN” in the file name for Air Notification and for Booking Confirmation, you want “BC”. 

1 hour ago, PandaBear62 said:

2 excursions, the thermal  suite, soda package and Blend

Those will count, whether you pay in advance or during the cruise. A small number of items do not count during the cruise, booking a future cruise, a cruise deposit, a cash advance. 

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