Toofarfromthesea

Thank you so much.

Late to the party, but I have an upcoming cruise in Jan. for which I have HIA. When can I book dates for my specialty dining from the package and any additional ones I might want to do? And then, do I do that on the app? Or through my TA? Or directly by calling Holland America? Thanks for any info you can provide.

Can you buy liquor in the shops to have in your cabin rather than to take home?

This is great info for me because I'll be on a Hawaii cruise and there are a LOT of seadays. Thanks!

Are you the guy behind that site? It's a terrific service, so if it's you, thanks!

I like this site, but it seems like some of the links go to completely different photos. Like if I click on MDR Breakfast Menus I get the Tamarind menu. Does anyone else experience that? I always wonder if anomalies like this are real or do they occur because I am using a Chromebook to access it.

Do they have that onboard?

You might find this helpful for an overview:

I have mild lactose intolerance and one of the things that does me in is ice cream. Do they have any lactose free ice cream substitutes? Because a lot of desserts look like they are much better with ice cream. Sadly lact-aid doesn't seem to work for me.

I was on an Alaskan 14 day cruise on Zandaam about 5 years ago. Do they still have the piano bar? That was our go-to every evening.

I find the pricing to be inexplicable. If you are a solo on a 13 day cruise it is 13 x 25 =325. If you are a solo on a 14 day cruise it is 14 x 15 = 210. In what world does this make sense. When I bought it for my upcoming 17 day cruise as a solo I assumed it would be (13 x 25) + (4 x 15) = 385. What a pleasant surprise when it was 255, 17 x 15.

Hmmm, I'm going to be taking a long range trip on Amtrak from Flagstaff AZ to St. Louis and back, and something like this would be very handy for bringing food on the legs where I can't access the dining car. I assume I can find this on Amazon?

Wow, this thread is amazingly helpful and so many of you are so generous with your time and expertise. I'm not exactly a HAL newby, having done a 14 day Alaska cruise on Zandaam about 5 or 6 years ago, but this time around I'm sure it will be much different. I booked a 17 day Hawaiian cruise for Jan/2024 on Konigsdam with Have it All and Club Orange. And I've become a widower and this will be my first time sailing solo and first time sailing since the recent unpleasantness. I'm not a typical cruiser, since for me it's always been about being on the ship way more than the ports. I think the only port I think I will get off for is Honolulu, where I've booked a Pearl Harbor excursion, as I am very much a history buff with WW2 being a period of particular interest to me. I did go back and read the last month or so of this thread so as to not exasperate people by asking something that was already asked and answered 4 times in the last month. But I still have questions. As I said, I have the Have it All package. I believe it comes with the Surf Internet? Are there any sites that can be streamed with that package (I am a bit of a YouTube junkie) or would I need to upgrade to the streaming package. And if I have to upgrade does anyone know the cost? And is it better to do it pre-cruise or onboard? I've already figured out how to download stuff from other streaming services so I can watch it offline. Am I correct in assuming that having the 2 speciality dining nights does not preclude me from buying a dining package, and if I do so I can go to the Pinnacle Grill once on my Have it All package and once on my purchased dining package? And since I probably want to wait to make that decision until I get on board and get the lay of the land (or, rather the sea) am I correct in assuming that I can buy the dining package onboard. And, crazy question, is there such a thing as a lunch specialty package? I'm a pretty big guy, so what is the largest size of the regular or CO bathrobe. I got the thermal package because I love me a hydrotherapy pool a K-dam's looks very nice. So if I don't fit into the largest provided size I'll have to buy one and bring it with me. And what's the situation on having laundry done? Cost? Quality? Any restrictions on what they will launder? And can you specify that you want certain items ironed? I notice that you can get a cabana for the length of the cruise if you buy it pre-cruise. Anyone know what the cost would be for a 17 day cruise? Finally, I know there is a West Coast Ports forum, but that seems to be dominated by Seattle discussion. So my question is about recommended hotels where you can park your car and stay a night and then leave your car there for the duration of the cruise - with a cruise port shuttle. My 2 previous cruises pre- pandemic were on MSC in their Yacht Club and I know this will be very different. So I appreciate any and all answers you can give me. Thanks. Cheers!

Is that like a collapsible insulated ice bucket this or is it electric? I'm assuming the former.

When I've lived in a place with bad tasting water I've found that the combination of a water softener and a reverse osmosis system gives me excellent water. And I've read on these forums that tap water on cruise ships is treated similarly. But it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that zing (of ice).

I'm not a big extra tipper for room stewards but this would bring an extra tip from me. I'm from AZ and my refrigerator's freezer has an ice bin that essentially gives me unlimited ice, so ice cold water has become a necessity for me.

Way late to the party, but thank you so much for all of the hard work you put into this. I just finished reading this straight through. I am considering this cruise next January and this has been extremely helpful. Good karma points for you.

I'm sure if someone wanted to refare at the higher fare the cruise kind would let them. 🤑

I wonder if someone who is not on a drink package and who is buying their drinks a la carte can order and get a double and simply pay for 2 drinks. As I've gotten older I find I drink less and if I cruise again I doubt if I'll get a package. It makes no sense to me to pay $5-600 for a package and drink $1-200 worth of drinks.

In my only experience on Holland America I found them very accommodating on alcohol. We were on a 14 day cruise on Zandaam in Alaska, pre-COVID, and we became regulars at the piano bar. I really liked the guy who played and sang and from time to time I "bought" him a drink. I told my regular waiter to charge it to my cruise card, but he never would, he treated it as a drink on my package. I'm usually not one to do much end of cruise tipping but both the piano guy and my waiter got very nice envelopes the last night.

I always thought the one drink at a time was intended to combat people "sharing" their drink package, which obviously doesn't apply here. I don't see the point of limiting a neat drink to one ounce. That's not even a shot, which by common usage is 1-1/2 oz. Even if you're on a package that puts a daily limit on your number of drinks you should be able to order a double and count it as 2 drinks towards your daily limit.

You've been given several alternatives, but I'll offer another. https://www.amazon.com/European-Adapter-FOVAL-Mountable-Extension/dp/B09BZ972Y4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=SK2GCOJLESMC&keywords=european+british+plug+extension+adapter&qid=1692069236&sprefix=european+british+plug+extension+adapter%2Caps%2C169&sr=8-1 It works on European, UK, and US sockets. But its real advantage is that it has a cord that takes its wide variety of sockets away from the wall socket. I've never liked the "cube type" adaptor because of the socket congestion it causes at the wall socket.

It takes a tremendous amount of work and organization to get 10 million followers. So in that sense they earned the freeby, separate and distinct from disclosure issues. As to feeling ripped off, one of the surest way to make oneself unhappy is to look at stuff someone else has that they don't have.

If you are new to cruising you may be putting too much importance on the size of the cabin. I think most would agree that the size of the cabin is one of the less important factors in choosing a cruise line. Food, onboard activities, ports, entertainment, etc. are more important for most folks. Having said that, in very limited cases size can be relevant, even a deal breaker. I just encountered that when I was looking at Azamara. I really really liked almost every aspect of one of their cruises. Unfortunately I am a pretty big guy and some YouTube videos made it clear to me that the size of the shower was completely untenable for me. I'm still trying to get info on access to the showers at the gym, but have heard contradictory things. But the size of the cabin, though relatively small, was fine.

Thant YOU for a good topic.