tartanmom

We were on Zaandam for the 2022 holiday cruise and will be on again this year. The New Years Eve party held outside on the Lido was a highlight for us. The Ocean bar musicians really earned their paycheques that night and we enjoyed the music and dancing. If it gets too crowded, go up to the Sport deck where you can still see and hear the party but there is more space to dance. As for kids onboard I think there were around 50 last year and most were under the age of 12. All were as well behaved as the adults 🙂 Never had any issues with pools being taken over (by adults or kids...lol) The smaller ships and longer itinerary usually means less kids and a more sedate vibe as compared to the craziness we have heard happens on the new, bigger ships. I'm sure you will have an amazing cruise. Never heard of an ugly sweater contest.

We were in 6113 last year for the holiday cruise. Cabin had been totally renovated/updated and every thing was like new. Of all our cruises with HAL, this was the nicest, "newest" cabin we have ever had.

Thank you . This is exactly what I needed to know.

Our cruise is still a ways off -- 100 days but contemplating booking a few shore excursions soon. On our previous cruise we left it too late and some of our top picks sold out. We do have a lot of OBC including the HIA package with $200 shore excursion credit. Just wondering if we book something now, and then change our minds can you just cancel and then credits are adjusted? I know that they could possible add more excursions as the sail date gets closer but is there any penalty if you cancel/change your mind weeks before the cruise starts?

As the title indicates our cruise ship will be in Barbados on Dec. 25th. Does anyone know of any beach clubs that might be open that day? I would like to prebook now to assure space.

Try different browsers and the app. We have a cruise booked for Dec and 50% of the time I looked at my account online it would say HIA not available with booking and the other 50% it showed availability with pricing. I did add it yesterday via Google Chrome however it still showed unavailable in Safari. Very frustrating!

Yes, and the HIA package does include the speciality dining perks, wifi and a excursion credit. Two of us will definitely be getting the HIA package so if I have to buy it for her too it is what it is. She isn't a big drinker of anything other than water so HAL will be making a profit off her. 😀

Thank you for the info. Much appreciated.

I've got a cruise booked with 3 adults in the room - one of whom doesnt drink alcohol. Can I book HIA for 2 of us and then the non alcoholic package for the 3rd? Or is HIA required for all passengers on the booking?

In general, when is the best time to phone HAL to see if there is an upgrade offer available? Last year we had booked a holiday cruise and I phoned a few days before departure and was able to pay (what I thought) was an very reasonable price to upgrade to a Vista suite on the Zaandam. When I phoned there was only 1 suite left and the agent said something along the lines of "you've left it late. There is only 1 suite left". We have the same cruise booked for this December and I would be interested in upgrading again. I assume the price to upgrade would be better closer to the departure date when the suites are still unsold but I also don't want to potentially miss out by leaving it too late.

Does the HIA promo including gratuities only apply to 1st and 2nd passengers? We have 3 in our cabin (all adults) and have a holiday cruised booked.

That is atrocious customer service from HAL. I'd be livid. Perhaps call again and see if you get a different answer from different rep.

We ended up booking the cruise only fare and then the HIA package separate. $300 refundable deposit, OBC credit included. Like you we are saving approx. $500 per person.

According to the HAL website, the HIA package can be added to cruises for $50/pp per day. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/deals/have-it-all/have-it-all-upgrade.html

3* Mariner here yet I'm confused with the pricing for an upcoming cruise. The fare difference between HIA package and basic fare is over $1300 pp. Wouldn't I be better to just book it without and then add it on for $50/pp per day which works out to be $800? Can the HIA package be added to any cruise or are there restrictions?

Thank you everyone for your input. Much appreciated.

100% agree. And I also want under 1500 passengers...lol. Sometimes I think my cruising days with HAL are numbered.

Have been on many of the HAL ships but never the Volendam. We are considering the 12 day Mexico and Sea of Cortez holiday cruise and I have a question with regards to availability of promenade chairs for those not booked in the lanai cabins (which are apparently sold out). The promenade deck chairs are my happy place every afternoon for a few hours before dinner. With some of the chairs reserved for those in lanai cabins, how hard is it to fine two chairs side by side in the afternoon? Are there still enough chairs for other passengers?

My husband and I are contemplating booking a holiday cruise on the Zaandam. Our (adult) daughter would like to join us but will not be able to confirm her vacation leave time until the Fall. Is it possible to add a 3rd passenger to a booking at a later date? Or do I risk having the original booking cancelled and then rebooked out a potentially higher fare?

On our Zaandam cruise last month they were adding excursions pretty much up until the time of embarkation. However once onboard there were no new offerings. Just check the app or website every few days before you board.

We were in 6113 (Vista Suite) a few weeks ago for the holiday cruise. It had a jacuzzi tub/shower.

Last Zaandam cruise a lady thought it was fine to bring her portable speakers to the Lido pool. So besides listening to the HAL speaker music we were listening to her rap with explicit lyrics. We asked 2 different HAL staff members to sort it out but they both looked at us with a deer in the headlight look. They refused to get involved. Thankfully the lady left after an hour or two and the speaker never reappeared during the cruise. I can't imagine the stress of having a Retreat cabin and then dealing with what you did.

Any info on where these tvs are located for the Vista suites on deck 6? Is it in the livingroom area on the shelf where the old tv was? Or is it flush mounted in the dark wood panel (as above photo shows) which is located at the foot of the bed? Hubby and I battle over the tv all the time. I like to go to bed early and he loves his tv. We both enjoyed the set up on the Zaandam last cruise where the tv was in the livingroom and I could go to bed and pull the curtain between us.

We were able to book one room for adults and one for kids (15, 12) on the Prinsendam. The key to doing it was that the rooms (401 and 403) were connecting rooms with a private corridor. We had to do the booking direct with HAL and were told that under normal circumstances there had to be 1 adult ( I think min age 18) in each room but due to the uniqueness of some staterooms on the Prinsendam they would permit it. To the best of my knowledge none of the current HAL ships have any staterooms that meet that criteria.

We were on the same cruise and were so impressed by your son and the band. What a hard working, fabulously talented band! Of all the entertainment, the Ocean Bar band was our favorite. Does he ever get a day off? We used to joke that HAL would shut down at 10pm but not on this cruise. There was a crowd in the Ocean Bar to hear them play until 11:30pm every night and they kept the dance floor filled for hours on New Years Eve. Your son was also the stand out in the Billboard Show on the World Stage . He is a brilliant singer and musician. Please thank him on our behalf for helping to make our cruise so wonderful.