happy2cruise2016

Our flight home from Miami doesn't leave until 9:30pm. We will have a group of 7 people and are looking for options to spend the day. Has anyone used DayPass and what areas would be good to look in for things to do. 

We were also on the NS on Christmas Day, traveling with our three grandchildren and were in the World Stage for the Santa arrival event. Prior to Santa's arrival, the Entertainment Director did a great job of keeping the children engaged with games. Hot Chocolate and Christmas cookies were passed out. There were children there from infant to teenagers. Once Santa arrived they asked children to come down by age group to take a picture with Santa and receive a gift. The younger children received a stuffed animal with Holland America branding...I saw several children carrying them around during the rest of the cruise. The older children received an insulated tumbler/water bottle with NS branding. One of my grandchildren chose to sleep in and was sad she decided not to go when she saw what her siblings got! I did see a few parents taking pictures behind the photographer...they were possibly blocked, but no one was telling them they couldn't. They also allowed families to come up at the end for group pictures.

I think the thing to remember is that the event is for the children and I think every child there had a good time...even the moody teenagers seemed to enjoy themselves. The only people I saw upset were a few babies who weren't sure about Santa!

In the past year we have been on Nieuw Statendam, Ruby Princess, Koningsdam and Celebrity Eclipse. While none of them were perfect, we found things to enjoy on all of them and we had fewer issues on the HAL ships.  Our cabin on Celebrity was forward on deck 7 and there was quite a lot of noise, especially anytime we docked or were tendered. The food was very mediocre and the only dessert worth eating was ice cream. There were several different issues on Princess that took multiple trips and calls to Guest Services to get fixed. The food was better than Celebrity, but Holland food was better than both. The issues we experienced on HAL were minimal and addressed quickly. 

I know we go on vacations and expect everything to be perfect and it is disappointing when things happen to make our experience less than perfect, however it is key to remember we are on vacation and look for things we can enjoy in the midst of our disappointment...we could be at home having to go to work, cook, clean or do laundry!

You can't get any closer than the Pan Pacific...take the elevator down, walk down a hall and you are there!  It is a little pricey, but worth the convenience of not having to worry about getting to the port the day of the cruise. We called for our bags to be taken down and they were there in less than five minutes and the bags were in our room on the ship when we got on. We took an Uber from the airport to the hotel when we arrived as we weren't sure how far we would have to walk from the Sky Train.  It is a pretty easy walk and we took the Sky Train back to the airport after the cruise. Lots of choices for food in the area.

We are sailing on Celebrity out of San Pedro and flying into Long Beach Airport the day before our cruise. Would it be better to stay at one of the hotels near the airport or in San Pedro?

Another question along the same line...we have two rooms booked with no special rates involved. My daughter and 14 year old granddaughter are in one room and my husband and I are in the other. My husband doesn't drink due to medication he is taking, but my daughter and I  enjoy several drinks a day. Would there be a problem changing me into the same room as my daughter to purchase a beverage package and then book my granddaughter  with my husband...then change rooms once onboard. Both rooms will be on the same credit card for onboard expenses.

Our family of 8 is spread out over 3 staterooms and will have the HIA promotion on our upcoming cruise. We want to book dinner reservations at the Pinnacle Grill and want to be at the same table. It appears we have to make a separate reservation for each stateroom to use our dining credit. Is there a way to link these reservations to be able to be at the same table? I believe I have seen some type of form or a number to call on this forum before but can't fine it now. Thanks for any help you can give.

I know that Club Orange includes priority check in...does that mean embarkation? We have Club Orange for an upcoming cruise out of Port Everglades and our boarding pass has our boarding time at 12:00 with group D and it does have Priority Boarding at the top. Will we be able to board earlier than 12:00 or do we need wait to board?

Are shorts allowed for men in Club Orange for breakfast?

Do you remember what size this tree was on the Rotterdam?

We booked the New Year's cruise on Koningsdam leaving on Dec.26 before everything started.  We are hoping to be on it as we already had a July family cruise on Disney cancelled.

Make that Seth Wayne.

It was just posted on the Holland Facebook page by Seth Holland that all passengers are off the Zaandam and only a few are left on Rotterdam.

Thank you for such a good review of your family cruise.  We will be going on Koningsdam later this year with our family, including our 10 and 12 year old grandchildren and it is great to hear about the experience in Club Hal.  We have also been on Disney cruises with the grandchildren and they are at the age that the Disney "magic" is not as important as it once was. We have been on five HAL cruises and loved all of them so we are hopeful they will enjoy them, too. On our last Disney cruise with them they said their favorite part of the cruise was spending time with the family and I think HAL will give us the opportunity to spend more time with them.  We agree on the newer ships...love the layout and style!

As others have stated...life is too short to sit around and worry about something that "might" be.  As we get older we realize our years to travel are getting shorter and shorter so we have no thoughts of canceling the two cruises we have booked for June and December this year and are already looking for something for early 2021...probably not to Asia!

We stayed in cabin 8089 and I was a little worried because it was under the Lido Pool area. It ended up being right under the counter area at the Dive-In so no noise early or late...only time we heard anything was during busy lunch hour, but we were rarely in our room at that time and it was only minor noise at that. The location was great...just a short walk out our door to the stairs and one floor up to Lido Market...very convenient to grab a cup of coffee or snack. My husband even went up to get something to drink while I was getting ready for one of the Formal nights and came back with a plate of lobster tails as an appetizer!

Koningsdam Billboard Onboard also had a self-serve buffet type line set-up with different appetizers during afternoon Happy Hour...can't say if it was everyday, but was there the two times we went.

If you are flying in the day before your cruise and are staying in Port Canaveral that night are you able to take the Disney bus from the airport that day, or does it have to be the same day as your cruise?

Yes, they were on the two sea days.

I would agree with most of this review. We did not experience any issues with the Lido, however we tended to eat fewer items that didn't require a tray. I was able to carry a cup of soup and salad easily...loved the salad selections! I also enjoyed the made to order stir fry. We tended to scope out the selections and didn't usually get more than one course at a time or one person got one course and the other got another course. We also had a good experience in the Main Dining Room with only one evening lasting two hours and that was mostly due to the good conversations going on at our table. We had anytime dining and ate most evenings around 8:00 at shared tables with 4-8 people...we met some really delightful people. I also enjoyed the chocolate pretzels at the New York Deli and the it was hard to chose my favorite Gelato!

We enjoyed all of the entertainment venues. I have seen many complain about the lack of dancing on the Koningsdam, however a large group of all ages were dancing every night at BB King's...many different styles of dance happening. The Lincoln Center musicians were excellent and we enjoyed the production shows in the World Stage. I do think there might have been a few more options for relaxing music around the ship...the Crow's Nest seemed to be quiet most of the day/evening, except during Happy Hour.

Our room, a VA veranda on the 8th floor was comfortable and conveniently located. I was a little concerned being under the Lido Pool area but there were no issues with noise and it was easy to run up for a snack or something to drink. Yes, the toilet was at an odd angle, but it was not really a problem for us. The shower was wonderful!

I've seen posts from people about how horrible the cruise was or that they were bored and I have wondered if they were on the same ship. The weather was very rocky and many of us had an adventure even getting to Fort Lauderdale due to the airport shooting. If you go on a cruise with expectations that everything will be perfect you will be disappointed every time. I heard several people complaining to the crew about the weather and wanting to know what the ship was going to do for them to compensate them for the inconvenience. For the most part, the crew was gracious and tried to respond in a positive manner to these demands...not sure I could have been as nice as they were to some of the people!

The bottom line...the ship was lovely, the food was good, I didn't have to cook or clean and I was never bored. Was it perfect...no, but it was a great week of pampering and relaxation and I would happily sail on the Koningsdam again!