Stella1250

We took the upsell from SY to SB on Koningsdam for 6/25. $1100 for two with an added $400 OBC. So really came out to $700, which was $350 each. Not too bad, and we got the rear facing Neptune Suite Navigation Deck 8.

We stayed at Pan Pacific before the cruise, and Four Seasons after. I think that the location of the Four Seasons allows you to better see Vancouver. It is more centrally located. That being said, both were really nice.

That HAL website is a nightmare! I have yet to go into it to do anything and have it run smoothly.

We are on the Koningsdam 6/25, and just received that email. We were told that our boarding will commence at 12:30. We are in an Neptune Suite, so I am hoping that we will be able to board earlier. We land in Amsterdam at 6:00 AM! I suppose that we can drop our luggage off and wander around town a bit.

My neighbor uses them all of the time. I, however searched the sale rack at Macy's for my upcoming Koninsgdam cruise. Since we still like to play dress up on a cruise ( both wore uniforms for work ) I found a really nice long, black and silver gown for $45.00. Much less even than Rent the Runway. It folds up into a little 6" cube for packing, and doesn't wrinkle. To each his own, but I really like getting dressed for special occasions.

https://www.americanexpress.com/lacidc/iccsite/pdf/Platinum_Card_Summary_of_Travel_Insurance_Benefits.pdf

Here it is Hank.

I don't know which card you inquired about, but the paperwork with my card specifically includes $100,000 in medical benefits and 1 M in repatriation benefits, as well as a host of other things.

Who did you work for? I am CBP.

I live in New York. Just got that card and all of those benefits are included. I called and spoke to someone to be sure before I applied. I just got tired of paying for ins. for each trip.

Koningsdam June 25th Fjords cruise. 7 days out of Amsterdam. Celebrating my 60th birthday! Ugh. I never thought I would be this old.

I totally disagree about the spirits in a drink. I can tell a cheap triple sec over Cointreau in my Cosmo every time.

I think that the difference may be the spirits. I love Cosmos, but only made with Ketel One and Cointreau. Using these liquors brings the cost of the drink above the $8.00 mark, so it would be covered under the Elite Plan. However, since I only have maybe one or two a day, I will just use my OBC to pay for them. Anyone who would drink more of these kind of drinks would probably benefit from the increased allowance.

American Express Platinum card. 2.5 million medical, trip cancellation, evacuation etc. $550 per year.

Hello! We are on that cruise with you. Have already bit the bullet and purchased the Flam Railway thru HAL. We did the narrow line RR in Alaska, and didn't want to miss this one. I know that some tickets are kept for point of sale on the day, but I really wanted this one. We are looking at all of the options for the rest of the ports. From what I have read, in Oslo the ship docks right near downtown, so we are just going to wing it. If I find anything for the other two, I will post it here. See you in June!

Hello! We are also on that cruise. Hoping for good weather, but will be prepared for anything!

From what I understand, the situation on the Promenade Deck may not be HAL's fault, and we may have to get used to it on all new ships. Because of the Concordia disaster, all new ships must be built with a different lifeboat configuration. Because of this, the traditional Promenade Deck had to be redesigned to fit this new design. I read an article that the ship building companies had to redesign the lifeboats in order to make it easier for people to get to them and be rescued.

I know what you mean. After a driving tour of Scotland three years ago, I have paid quite a lot for a glass of single malt in a restaurant!

Actually, good wine is pretty darn expensive on board HAL. For a bottle that I pay around $40 - $45 for, they charge around $125 - $150. I am going to bring 4 bottles and pay the $18 on each. That should do for all of our dinners.

My husband and I are very young 60 somethings. We took a HAL cruise 12 years ago and said NEVER AGAIN! We felt like we were in an "adult home". We are not looking for anything extreme, but welcome the changes to a younger geared cruise. We are booked on the K 6/25, and hope we like it. Coming into the 21st Century is never a bad thing.

Ok, I just bought a great wine carry bag on Amazon for $8.99. It carries 4 bottles and has almost perfect reviews. I plan on putting it in a checked bag, then quickly removing it at the airport for carry-on to the ship. I will probably use it quite often to bring wine to peoples homes. It protects the bottles and keeps them chilled.

Ok, the next question is about purchasing wine in Amsterdam's airport. In order to get it on the plane, we would have to put it in checked bags, then move it to carry on. I don't want to do that!

Has anyone purchased wine at the airport after their flight? We arrive at 6:00 AM, so I don't even know if anything is open.

I submitted a doctor's letter to HAL saying that my husband could not drink alcohol, and he was not required to purchase any package.

You can also buy a wine package that includes so many bottles. I have found, however, that I do not usually like the ones in the packages. You may wish to look at what is available on the HAL site. Perhaps you will like what is in the packages, which may save you some money.

So, I can bring 4 bottles and pay the corkage for either 2 or all 4 to drink with dinner? That sounds reasonable as the wines on board are quite expensive. I think that will do it. Thank you.

Can you bring wine in checked bags. We would like to bring some nicer wines and will pay the corkage fee at dinner.