Also of note, I am able to get my work email using the ship wifi. I was able to prior to 2018 but then it stopped since it was secured by VPN. For some reason on this ship it is working. Not sure if they are allowing it again, or it works because my package on this cruise included the premium internet, not just the surf package. 
 

it was a welcome change back. 
 

if there is anything else I can find out for anyone, please ask. The service is generally improving as the days go by and we are having a good time and enjoying the ship. 

Today we are in Boston. It was about a mile and half walk to beginning  of the historic district so we took an UBER from the Raymond Flynn marine port to the north end, stopping at Regina’s Pizza and both Mikes and Modern Bakery for some delicious Italian pastry. Weather was a bit cloudy but in the 70s and a great day to be out and about. After that, we walked back to the ship to work off some of those calories.  
 

There was a 3,4 and 5 star Mariner reception on the first sea day for 30 minutes with some bubbly. We were told that there would be no other Mariner breakfast, brunch or other events (except maybe for higher stars- I am close to 4 but not quite there yet). 
 

I am attaching below the Where and Whens so far (4 days) 

We did go to tea again this afternoon after getting back on the ship. They offer the same items each day and the cream and scones are excellent. I was glad they offered tea even though it was a sea day. 
 

I also noticed in the Where and When for today that it had hours for breakfast in the dining room, even though it did not show on the Navigator app.  We wanted a faster option so did not go but nice to see-perhaps there was feedback HAL listed to. 
 

Breakfast and lunch in the Lido have been busy when it is the only option, but honestly not as crowded as other ships I have been on pre-pandemic.  At most I have seen maybe 2-3 people in line at a station and you can still get around without bumping into a lot of people.
 

Of note, the Lido had a fresh crepe station available yesterday; a nice, different option.  

to catch up on Day 1 and 2…

We ate in the main dining room on the first night for dinner at 6pm.  The food was well presented and, in my opinion, to Holland America standards. Service was slow and ordering a bar drink was an endeavor but it was the first night of service in 2+ years so really not bad at all. We both had pork chops with huckleberry jam. 

After dinner we went to the HAL 150 years show narrated by Cruise Director Ian. If you are a HAL loyalist it is a can’t miss. Ian was a great host and I learned a little about a lot of things 
 

Last night we also ate in the main dining room for dinner (7:30) on dressy night. They had the special menu on silver paper. Nice choices and our food was delicious. My sister and I ordered the mushroom risotto and the filet and shared. Both were very good. Bar service was improved as well as table service, and the meal took about 20 minutes less than the first night.   
 

The show last night was One Step Dance Humanity, and we elected instead to walk around for a bit and then read before sleep. So, i cannot comment on that but have heard several others say it was very good. 

We had a Pinnacle reservation set for Day 7 but noticed on the app that it was changed. When we inquired, they said the Pinnacle was closed that night and they rescheduled us to tonight. We also noticed that the Canaletto is only open on 3 nights. Could be that the Pinnacle is reserved for some reason. 
 

The staff has been almost universally friendly and welcoming. It seems many of them are not rusty from being off, but are new to cruise ships altogether. The friendly attitude helps as they want to learn. As always, the more you put into getting to know the crew and appreciating the service they provide, the better service you receive.

The bar staff in particular need more training. On Day 1 we ordered drinks that were missing one or more ingredients. If I did not have the drink package, I would have been more unhappy about it. We have provided feedback in the app as we have gone along, both good and bad while it is fresh in our minds. 
 

We have also ordered coffees each morning at the Explorations Cafe. Lots of choices and everything ordered was very good. 

Classical duo confirmed to be joining in Boston, at 2 sets per evening. At the coffee talk with Ian this morning, they noted the piano player was sea sick last night, and the classical duo was delayed due to “family and visa issues.”

At the coffee talk, Erica, the media manager,  joined and talked about how the Where and When is put together. She also mentioned that we are on the smallest ship of the fleet, but have the most passengers this week at just over 1,000. 
 

They noted the partnerships with Microsoft and America’s Test Kitchen ended, but starting with the Zuiderdam dry dock this December the Microsoft Studio would be turned into a full library and reading room on the larger ships. 
 

No matter the issues, we are grateful to be on board again. The Zaandam is an older ship and creaks a little more than I am used to but it is freshly painted and newly refurbished. The mild inconveniences on HAL are still a better experience than the other lines I have sailed with.  
 

We have been moving pretty fast, at night getting to 26-27 knots to make it to Boston on time tomorrow morning. Even during day, we have been averaging around 20-21 knots. 
 

Sharing photos below of the ocean bar where the band plays,  the mix lounge that has 2 bars and several seating areas, and the explorations lounge where there are talks, music and games. Please forgive typos as I am typing on a small screen. g

There is a happy hour at 4 PM in the Ocean bar and the Crows Nest. There is also a late night happy hour at the Seaview pool at 9 PM. It is buy one, get one 25% off. I believe on my last sailing in Dec 2019, HH was buy one get one for a $1. I am fortunate to have the drink package and have sampled a number of drinks. 
 

While the Lido was crowded today, my lunch of noodles and peanut pork satay was very good. Afternoon tea was also very tasty and the service was good. One of the best I have experienced on HAL after many sailings on many ships.  My sister and I have been wearing our masks in public areas since we got on board except to eat and drink. I’d guess only 15-20% of others are wearing masks. All the crew are as they are required to do so. 
 

The cruise director said we are picking up some musicians in Boston, so there is hope yet for a string quartet. 
 

There is no billboard or music walk on Zaandam but they have an area on Deck 5 for piano and other live music and a separate bar area named Mix. They had dancing music there last night. 
 

Another plus- there is a full library of travel, other non-fiction and fiction books available to borrow. Also, new games, and puzzles and plenty of room to work on them. See pics of that area. 
 

sharing other pics of the vista cabin, dining room (to see colors) and explorations lounge areas for information, as well as the tea tray. 
 

tonight is the first dressy night or whatever it is called now 😀

I am also disappointed with lack of a dining room lunch option. It made the Lido very crowded today at Lido since it was a sea day.  We always enjoy Pinnacle for lunch as well and it is not open for lunch at all on this 9 day cruise. 
 

Here are some pics of the Crowe’s Nest. Very nice soothing new color scheme. Will post more as I get around the ship. 
 

I am in a Vista suite on deck 7. Bathroom still only has shower/tub combo, no separate shower. I was very surprised that the TVs were not upgraded during the recent dry dock. There is a 30ish in TV in our room between the bed and seating areas on a swivel stand. No on demand channels that I am used to on HAL. Only news channels and maybe 4 other channels showing the same movies all day. It still has a DVD player underneath it. 
 

This is the first time I have been on the smaller class ships like Zaandam. I like the smaller ship for navigation and the coziness. I am still getting used to the changes in where certain venues are located.  For instance, Explorations Cafe is on Deck 5, not paired with the Crows Nest. Dining Room is on Deck 4 and 5. 
 

Heading to afternoon tea shortly. Very glad they still offer that, and Navigator app says it will happen on port days as well. 
 

Easiest ever embarkation in Ft. Lauderdale yesterday. Dropped off at port. No lines, and porter took our bags quickly. We had completed and received a “ready to fly” on the Verifly app the day before embarkation. There was a special line for those with Verifly and no line. We then went through metal detectors. 
 

Next we were given a paper to fill out to supply our ArriveCan verification code and turned that in (since we had pre completed that too). Next was a machine that scanned the boarding pass and passport, then up the escalator to have the embarkation photo taken and on to our room. Keys cards were in an envelope outside our door. 
 

Cruise Director Ian said this morning at Coffee Talk that there are 1,010 passengers on board, compared to a stated capacity (if there are 2 people in each cabin) of 1,432. About 600 staff on board, compared to about 800 at full staff. It is very nice to not have crowds of people in the Lido, at the show etc. the largest gathering so far was the l8ne at guest services on Day 1. Lots of issues with Internet access. 
 

More to come.  

I used Rapid Test and Trace this morning for my Zaandam cruise. Very easy. The test results email they send does not have a QR code, but was able to upload on the the Verifly app.  It was manually reviewed and approved in minutes. 

Received notice today that no testing available at disembarkation for my Montreal disembarkation on May 21.  We are not flying out same day so no impact but very stressful for those that are. 
 

In planning my pre cruise test, I went to book on iHealth yesterday for a virtually monitored test, but website says out of stock. Given that and HAL news, I wonder if they know something we don't about testing requirement changes. Seems unlikely given rise in cases but fingers crossed. 

I am very excited to be on this cruise too. First post-Covid after similar itinerary being cancelled twice, in both 2020 and 2021. 

and being the first group on ship post drydock- great new carpet smell!

I chose the email delivery option and had the gift card and bonus cards within 5 minutes of completing the order. I received one email that was a receipt only; a second email that contained the purchased cards and a third email that had all the bonus cards with links attached to click and view the cards. 

Ugh… on a larger purchase, it is not ideal for them to give them all to you in $25 increments. 

I opened a few of my $25 cards and it says to show the web page on your mobile device or click on the button to display on your mobile device (both would require Internet access to open the e- card from your email. The third option is to print them out and show them. 
 

From these three options I presume the person you are presenting it to would then have to key in the card number that displays and the PIN included. 
 

Since Internet is not always reliable on board (if you apply to these a shipboard account while on a cruise) i would take a screenshot or photo of the display of the card including the account number and PIN and save to my photos to show the person I am presenting it to. 
 

I guess you would have to read off the card number and PIN to someone on the phone to make a payment pre cruise. 

For the record (see paste from HAL website) and for example, if you purchase a $500 gift card, you will receive a $50 bonus promo card as your 10% “offer.”  You are not getting 10% off your purchase and paying $450 for the $500 gift card.
 

Not the same as the AARP option when you get 10% discount on purchase based on prior post. You only get the bonus card when you make a gift card purchase in increments of $250 or $500. The promo cards expire 6/30/23 as previously noted. The actual purchased gift card does not have an expiration date. 
 

Still a deal, especially for those who do not have access to AARP, but good to know the conditions and plan your purchase based on how much you might need for final payment considering the bonus card. 
 

from HAL website 

When I view bookings from the my account page, I see tiles with my upcoming cruises listed but it does not show the itinerary. I only see that for the closest cruise from the home or plan tabs. 

That includes the 18% gratuity. The price is $49 per person and the gratuity is $8.82 getting you to $57.80 (they give you the benefit of the 2 cent difference I guess). 

Just called and after a brief 10 minute hold the HAL PCC was able to add the OBC for my existing reservation (cruise is in October so not close to final payment yet). She did have to message a supervisor for approval but noted they have been receiving a lot of calls about this and the numerous other 72 hour sales that have been popping up. 
 

so glad the post helped others!

I see on the website today that there is a 72 hour sale that includes $200 OBC. I booked a cruise to Alaska last week under have it all and received stated perks of the sale except the OBC. It says in the fine print that it applies to new bookings only. Has anyone tried to rebook to get this extra OBC?

PSR, maybe you could call HAL and ask them as a hypothetical “what would happen if…” then you could be sure. For clarification given previous comment, my second person was a no show, I did not cancel ahead due to timing. 

Can’t answer as to insurance implications (did not have any) but a few years ago this happened to me on a HAL Alaska cruise. When my cabin mate cancelled after final payment, I did not pay any extra fare and in fact received back the port charges for the cancelled person. I was always paying for both fares so did not harm the other person. The HAL cost of the cruise with both people had already been paid so they did not view it as two separate fares collected. 
 

Would  be different if cancellation occurs before the full fare becomes nonrefundable but still should receive credit for the nonrefundable portion and then pay the difference. 
 

Incidentally, they also reduced on board credit previously stated since there was only one person in the cabin, even though I paid full cabin fare. Look at your confirmation to see if the OBC was per person or per cabin, it you have OBC and it was per person you will lose amount allocated to the second person 

Pre-covid HAL would award bonus nights towards star status, at one per day, when you had the drink package.  With the drink package being given as a perk on almost every cruise booked these days, can anyone who has sailed in the past 3 months confirm that you still receive that bonus night?  
 

I recall in the past that drink costs were posted to your ship account then immediately subtracted so you received credit even though you were not paying for them one by one. 
 

This answer will determine whether I hit 4 star this year or not!

For years I was able to work remotely and log into my company VPN, no problem. However all that changed in 2018 without warning. No one on that cruise (Neptune concierge not guest services) could tell me anything about a policy change.  When it happened a second and third time I knew what to expect. 
 

Sadly, lack of access does impact my cruise schedule as I am unable to get my work email for data privacy reasons. Mail has to go through the secure VPN which is blocked even on my phone and iPad  🤨

Thank you for the replies. It sounds like there is a lot of inconsistency which isn’t surprising giving the number of cruises that have been canceled, the variety of different situations and the duration of this event.
 

i will just be glad i am not the one who has to deal with mess- unhappy customers, stranded employees, the media portrayal, the financial impact and most importantly the underlying health and safety issues!

I almost always purchase a future cruise deposit (FCD) when I am on board since it allows me to book a new cruise with no other deposit required and allows for extra onboard credit. When my May 2020 cruise was canceled, I elected the future cruise deposit option to get the extra 25%. I was then expecting that my taxes and fees would be returned to my credit card. They were, however; it was short $200.

When I called HAL about this, they said they could not tell me why it was short of what I was expecting on the phone and I had to contact my TA who could call HAL and then the TA could explain it to me. A few weeks later, after contacting my TA they finally received an answer from HAL, who said it was because I used the future cruise deposit for the cancelled cruise. 
 

Since the FCC option was provided as a credit in full for the cancelled cruise fare (including the previously paid for FCD the same as my other cash payments were for the cancelled cruise) they essentially forced me to purchase a new FCD. I already have 2 upcoming cruises booked and a handful of FCDs so I do not need to add more. The 25% extra FCC was generous to allow them to hold my money longer for the cancelled cruise funds but i am not willing to give them additional free loans. 
 

I feel like this is a tad underhanded since all communications about cancelled cruises said you would receive a refund or FCC with other taxes and fees refunded to the card it was charged to. I also am disappointed they couldn’t tell me this in the first place when I called HAL directly  
 

Has anyone else had this happen to them? Was anyone able to successfully challenge it? 
 

Thank you!
 

FCC for my fully paid but cancelled May 2 Canada/NE cruise received via email soon after I officially filled out my preference form for the amount I thought it should be. 
 

$280 of $480 paid for port fees and charges were refunded to my credit card earlier this week. I called HAL to ask why i didn’t receive the remaining $200. The Phone rep said she could not discuss finances with me and I had to call my TA who could explain it. The phone rep did confirm how much I paid in port charges and taxes and how much of a refund I was given. 

3 days later online TA has not answered my email or voicemail. 
 

Anyone else had this happen or know what is going on?

Thanks for the reply. Just to confirm, you are talking about Bags VIP and not Luggage Direct?  I have used Luggage Direct several times by signing up via the form in my stateroom, but this would have the bags delivered directly to my home, not to the airport for my flight. 
 

i searched for Bags VIP service in the boards but did not find any recent posts on this. 
 

thanks!

Has anyone used Bags VIP luggage delivery service off of a cruise?  I see that American and Jet Blue offer this service, and HAL references them as an option too.  Some online reviews are poor for delivery of airport baggage but wanted to see if anyone has had a post-cruise delivery experience to share. 
 

We hope to use after a cruise ending in Boston in May and I would like our bags delivered to my home directly from the ship since we would like to spend some time in Boston before boarding a late night flight. 
 

Any thoughts on this service or another you have used post cruise for this purpose is appreciated!