Trapper44

17 minutes ago, skatelady said:

My question is about transferring a booking made on the HAL website to the big box TA that gives you a gift card to use in their stores when you come home.  Everything I've found in search is several years old.  Has anyone done this recently?

I called the big box TA and requested the transfer paperwork. She emailed it to me with the big box TA info filled in. I completed my portion and emailed it to HAL. I called the big box TA three days after emailing the paperwork to HAL and we completed the transfer over the phone. This must be completed within 60 days of the date you booked the cruise. Very easy and simple.

9 hours ago, mobilemac said:

We recently learned about these OBCs and have applied and been verified for our upcoming cruise ... my wife for the AARP OBC and me for the Military.  Will we need to apply and be verified for future cruises, or is our eligibility now permanently attached to our Mariner accounts for future bookings?  Thanks.

Both need to be renewed every year. Even though you may be retired military you still need to renew annually.

2 minutes ago, jmbstudios said:

 

 

Thank you for the reply.  I think the fixed dining will be the way to go.

As far as priority boarding, we will be helping with my dad and getting him on the ship as best we can.    We just want to make sure they will allow this.  Not looking for a free ride.

I will have to tell them about the laundry service.

 

What are the benefits to them in the Concierge Lounge?

 

I appreciate the tips.

If you are not able to change to Fixed dining the Concierge in the Neptune Lounge would be the best bet for getting it changed onboard. There are two of them and they can work magic sometimes to get things for you. There are light snacks and drinks available during the day. Unfortunately, you will not be able to use the lounge as it is reserved for Neptune Suites and the Pinnacle Suite. Depending on the ship your parents will be able to eat breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill.

6 hours ago, rwethereyet1969 said:

 

 

Thank you for the detailed reply.  To clarify, could my DH take both of our cards and have one drink applied to each card without me being physically present?

Often, I or my wife will leave our card with the other to order two drinks. We have never had a problem doing that. We also have often ordered two drinks using one card without a problem. It usually is at least several days into the cruise when we have ordered two drinks, so it may depend on the ship and/or the waiter.

On 3/10/2024 at 9:49 PM, Grandmaanne7 said:

Can milkshakes be purchased/ordered anywhere else onboard, specifically Volendam?

Not sure about ordering onboard Volendam. My suggestion would be to do as we did for our Granddaughter. We pre-purchased a drink card in her name for the cruise. She received a very nice card, with her name on it, to use during the cruise, and it served as a great souvenir of the cruise.

On 12/21/2023 at 3:03 AM, POA1 said:

The Rolling Stone bar menu. FWIW, there are less expensive Chardonnays than the $12 Kendall Jackson. Just ask.

 

 

We were onboard Rotterdam in November. I drink Buffalo Trace on the rocks so decided to try a Whiskey Smash. Liked it so well that I had several every day after that. My point is that they were less than the $11 limit on the SBP because I was never charged for any of those drinks. In fact one bartender wanted to make me one with Makers Mark. The price on your list is $12 so the price of that drink did go up. I would not call Buffalo Trace a top shelf drink.

On 11/12/2023 at 11:56 PM, PointsNerd said:

Has anyone heard anything about changes to the December 3rd Panama Canal Sunfarer itinerary?  The site shows that the original ports of call are the same.  Would they announce to booked guests via email or would they just update the website?

On the October 22nd Sunfarer, we received a letter a day or two before entering the canal, stating that all canal excursions were cancelled. I understand that about the same time on the November 12th Sunfarer the captain announced that all excursions were cancelled for the canal. On ours we still went thru the lock into Lake Gatun. Almost as soon as we were in the lake the captain announced that the canal had requested, we go back out due to upcoming traffic. So, we turned around and went back out the same lock we had just left. We were inside the canal less than 30 minutes. Judging from these two cruises I doubt Holland will make any announcements unless they eliminate the canal.

11 hours ago, mafig said:

When is the Club Orange party?

On the 22 October cruise it was 1 November. The second Wed. of the cruise and the night we were in Falmouth, Jamacia.

If you log into your HAL account and select profile, you can scroll down and it tells you you have $100 credit. It also tells you when you need to renew it. The verification is only good for one year. The military should be automatic when you book another cruise.

8 hours ago, seaworthy1 said:

New to HAL.  Noticed on HAL's website if you could "verify" veteran and AARP status you could get obc.  I "verified" , now what?  How do I get the obc?

If you log into your HAL account from the website, you can see if you are verified and registered. Go to My Profile. then Furure Cruise Credits. If you scroll down, you will find Onboard Credit. Your Military OBC should show up there. When you book a new cruise, it will automatically be added to your OBC.

2 hours ago, statsman said:

Yes, perhaps I wasn't clear with  my question. WDW1972 worded my question better.

On our last cruise we had HIA. I found that it was easy to just order a double pour when I ordered at first. They usually brought two carafes' and poured them into one glass. My account was then charged for two wines.

31 minutes ago, Leo-the-fox said:

You are right, Kazu. However, the problem is, after both of us have the HIA, which include the drinking pkg, HAL will force us to buy the same level drinking pkg for the third person. My point is, if the third person really have to have the same level drinking pkg, they should add the extra charge to our fare automatically at booking,  just like when booking a hotel room, sometimes they charge extra for the third person living in the same room, they will automatically add the charge to the booking, not at after you checked in.

Is the third person over the age of 21? Our experience with an 18 year old Granddaughter was I had to pay for her to dine at the Specialty Restaurants and for her excursions when she was with us using our HIA dining and excursions. We did not have to purchase nor did they charge me for any kind of a drink package for her. 

On 4/28/2023 at 8:32 AM, PaperSniper4 said:

For our October 2023 cruise, I can see an OBC of $100 but I cannot tell if that is a military OBC or a CCL stockholder OBC. Anyone know what the ID means at the link above?

 

 

When I called HAL and inquired about the OBC that was showing on my paperwork, I was told that the "Shareholder" OBC did not appear until you were onboard. That is my experience since.

2 hours ago, Banditswife said:

so once you are approved for the military OBC, do you need to keep submitting it for each cruise?  Does your Travel agent do this or do we?

Once you have applied you can log into your HAL account on the website. Select My Profile, find Future Cruise Credits, and then Onboard Credits. It should show $100 and a Must Sail By Date. Not sure if that means you must reapply before then or what. It has been added automatically to a cruise we took last November, and also shows on the one for this November.

1 hour ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

If the smoke affects other areas, perhaps HAL needs to move the smoking area.

I would think this poor horse is dead by now. Please stop beating on him. You are not going to change this to what you want, at least not right now.

7 hours ago, Moriah said:

 

For me, it's not much of a perk.  As i said, it's quiet. That's about it as far as why it would be "better" than eating elsewhere.  And if you are in any kind of hurry, don't eat in Pinnacle OR MDR.  Get room service or eat at the buffet, where the food is fast, delicious, plentiful, and fresh.  I'd rather have an omelet cooked right in front of me on the Lido than order one in the Pinnacle and wait half an hour for it to arrive cold.  But that's just me.  I'll let others chime in now 🙂  In any case, you will love your Alaska cruise in a Neptune Suite! 

This is the opposite of our experience of eating every breakfast of a 25-day cruise in the Pinnacle Grill. As we were being seated, our waiter greeted us. Our coffee, water, and juice were there within minutes along with a selection of rolls etc. As soon as we were settled either the hostess or our waiter was waiting to take our orders. Our food was there before we had a chance to finish a roll. It was always very hot. I have eaten in the Lido when not in a Neptune and it took longer standing in line, for the food, than it did in the Pinnacle on that trip. It may have been the hostess and the waiter, but they made eating in the Pinnacle a very special "perk". I agree that a Neptune Suite is a fantastic way to enjoy an

Alaska Cruise.

On 2/26/2023 at 10:46 PM, bvocruise said:

My wife and I are heading to Alaska next July and will sail the NA from Alaska to Canada. We are splurging for a Neptune Suite and are interested in a SB corner on the port side of the ship. We wanted deck 7 but it is already taken. Our options are deck 4, 5, 6, or 8. We currently have the deck 6 one on hold. Our friends cruised in it awhile back for the same route and loved it. I've heard the one on deck six is the worst room of the bunch and it super small compared to the others.

 

I ruled out deck 8 because it is underneath the Lido Deck and could be loud. We are also concerned about cigarette smoke since the main smoking area is there.

 

The one on deck 4 looks really good but is quite a ways from the lounge.

 

We are open to any advice or pointers. My agent is checking in case the people for deck 7 cancel is that is supposedly the best one on the ship.

The smoking area is on the Starboard side and even sitting on the Seaview deck Port side, on the NA, we didn't notice the smoke. As for the SB on deck eight, we had the one on the Starboard side. It was a different class but was a cruise to Alaska. We only noticed noise from the Lido deck when we were in Glacier Bay and we were making just as much noise. A side benefit of the aft cabins, for Alaska, is a lot of the wind and cold are blocked while you are outside. Our cruise was in May and we were still able to be on our deck whenever we wanted without dressing like you were going to the North Pole. A light jacket or sweater was all that was needed. All aft cabins are quite a distance from the lounge, so we actually lost weight that cruise by getting in plenty of walking.

10 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

I am looking at a stateroom, on Deck 4, directly above the GDC and/or Guest Services.  Anyone have experience with staterooms in this area?  Worried about noise and smells.  The stateroom is also just outside of the midship elevator banks, but I do not believe that to be a problem based on past experiences being near elevator banks on other cruise lines.

We were right above the Dutch Cafe onboard the Koningsdam, for 25 days. Never heard or noticed any noise. As others have said very convenient to get a cookie or a bowl of Dutch Pea soup. Would not hesitate to book there again as we enjoyed the location.

2 hours ago, LVinTennessee said:

I admit, I’ve only been booked on this cruise for 2-3 weeks, but I have seen no other excursions since booking other than the ones I’ve already mentioned. I don’t even see a clamshell rental.  I made sure I don’t have any filters set, and I clicked “see all excursions,” but still nothing new. 
Do you mind to check your app, Greenspout, to see if you see something that I’m not?

Are you looking for the excursions via the Navigator app or via your HAL account on the HAL website. If you are using Navigator it usually doesn't reflect the correct current info for your cruise. Even when I was onboard for a b2b (collectors Cruise) the info for the second portion did not show up correctly until that portion started. Some have reported that their info appeared a week or two prior to their cruise.

50 minutes ago, TGCRUISEO said:

I have never seen a Carnival and Holland America shop at HMC the same time. 
 

does not happen

 

 

We are scheduled onboard the Rotterdam in Oct. There is a Carnival ship scheduled to be at Half Moon Cay with us. 

2 hours ago, TxNewbie71 said:

I have looked all through the HAL website and the search for this site and cannot find an answer.

Does anyone know if there are fans available for use in the rooms or should I bring a small portable one?

We will be on Rotterdam. 

 

I called Ship Services at 1(800) 541-1576 and requested one. It was waiting in the room. Once it was on a stand and another was a desk fan, not sure what type the Rotterdam has.

19 hours ago, fasterflier said:

 

If you log into your Holland account, select your cruise, select Cruise Activities, select Beverages, at the end you can order a gallon, that will be waiting in your room. Have done it every cruise and a gallon is $2.95.

On 1/23/2023 at 11:56 AM, Overhead Fred said:

Can anyone verify that the Club Orange cost is non-refundable? As in "I cancelled a cruise and did not get my CO $$ back" not just somebody at HAL said it wasn't (since we know you often get different info from HAL every time you call😉)? 

 

Thanks!

I had a cruise booked using Club Orange. My card was charged for the 28 days of Club Orange. We later canceled that cruise and the money ways refunded to my card a few days later. In my case it was refundable.

7 hours ago, Crew News said:

After 4 days of inquiry, nobody aboard had heard of a 12-Day Panama Canal partial cruise on the Rotterdam.  I do see a 12-Day one year from now.  My HAL menus are only for the current season.  Check back next year.

Thank You for asking. Our cruise is October of 2023. 

Since we share a love for the Fruit Crisps are they available, by request, nightly? On your website you list a 10-day menu and a 11-day menu, what do they use for a 12-day cruise? We have a 12-day partial Panama Canal cruise booked on the Rotterdam.