Trapper44

We were on the same cruise as Joekerstef. Did not notice and plumbing problems nor did we hear of any. We were in the tropics and had a problem with the A/C in the Suites area. The main cause was several suites that left their balcony doors open 24 hours a day. This overloaded the A/C for all others in the area. Yes I had several brag to me they were enjoying the sea air! This should not be a problem on your proposed cruise. We did experience the vibration mentioned in several threads. This bothered the wife more than me. Not sure of the cause as it also occurred when we were in port and worse in specific areas. My guess would be one of the engines. The crew was fantastic and made this a very enjoyable cruise.

That does look like a very interesting cruise and I cannot think of a ship I would rather do it on!!. .

The other side of the argument. The SBP for our last cruise was over $1200 each. We decided to get a wine package (one to three glasses) for dinner. We also purchased $350 worth of beverage cards. We had decided that if we wanted a cocktail or a drink we would order it. We both love coffee but not the "specialty" type just plain coffee. Our waiter kept us full of coffee, water, and V8 juice at breakfast. We did enjoy pre dinner drinks and after dinner drinks when ever we desired. We did bring a few bottles of water onboard for our room and purchase a couple of the 2 liter bottles onboard. So for an investment of 600 to 700 dollars we had all the drinks we wanted rather than spend $2400 to $2500 for the SBP. Short version is YOU need to decide if you want the SBP. It was included on our Alaska cruise and I will agree my wife did enjoy looking at the list of drinks and saying "I have never had one of those. Wonder what it tastes like." It caused a lot of alcohol to be wasted!

We were told to look for someone wearing a RED vest. Spotted one and asked him where to go. He grabbed our bags and made sure we got on the bus. We did the double Denali and enjoyed the park tour very much.

Hi, I have never cruised on Holland America. We are looking forward to our cruise on the Noordam. I just want to know what prior cruisers think of the Speciality Dining Rooms vs the Regular Dining Room. We have booked the speciality night called"RUDY'S" - a French night speciality at the Pinnacle. Also has any one dined at the Italian restaurant? We are dining one night at the Pinnacle as the Steak and Seafood restaurant. Also, does the main dining room change every night or just certain items change evey night? Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

Diane

Cruising for a week (Seward to Vancouver) after a week on land in Alaska

We sailed to Alaska on the Noordam last May/June. Thought I would add our enjoyment of the Canaletto. We enjoyed it so much my wife wants to eat there for her birthday on our upcoming cruise. We had read about the Gnocchi and it did not disappoint!!. We enjoyed all dining choices that we made. One thing I enjoyed on our land portion was rain deer sausage. I had it for breakfast and we had it on a pizza in Anchorage. The rain deer burger was also good. You are smart in doing the land first with the cruise to "rest" up and relax.

The sip and savor was near the Pinnacle Grill. The cellar master gave a little description of the wines served. There were two from which you can pick and they change each day. The location will be in your daily schedule that will be left in your stateroom every night.

 

 

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Thank You!! We will look for It.

We just disembarked the Maasdam on Sunday. We were on the 14 night return to San Diego from Lima, Peru. It was our first time sailing this ship and very much enjoyed our cruise. Although it is smaller from our experience we never had problems finding chairs at the Lido for breakfast nor lounge stairs by the pools. We had very warm weather and enjoyed the back pool . There is a smoking area near the back pool but oftentimes no one was smoking. The entertainment was better than on other trips. Andrew the piano player had good crowds and would have music trivia. The 5pm sip and savor cost $5 for a glass of wine paired with an appetizer. On this cruise, not only was there a cellar master dinner but a wine lunch. The wine lunch cost about $30 and included wine per course. It was a surf and turf menu. There are a few lounge chairs on deck nine just below the back pool that are always open.

 

 

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Where was the sip and savor? that sounds nice pre dinner.

OP asked à simple question. Yes there are times when getting off the ship is not a simple easy quick event We had problems due to gangway being moved and ships crew drill. Everyone was cutting into line when it did start to leave ship. Short version we missed the bus. As it was booked thru ship money was refunded and we were given a list for comp. excursions. Would have been nice to have had priority.

We also use a third party insurance. Last year we used HAL cancel for any reason for a 13 day Land Sea to Alaska. This time researching insurance requirements for our 20 day Panama Canal cruise I found a website that had many suggestions/recommendations. One of which was to get primary medical insurance vice the secondary insurance that most medical insurance is. Found a policy, with many higher limits, for not much more than we paid for the Alaska trip. A cancel for any reason rider could be purchased for less than $250. It is also door to door and covers us for the entire time we are gone.

We also stopped for make your own sandwiches, salad bar, and cookies. Our stop at the war memorial was cut short due to a Memorial Day program. We arrived at McKinley Lodge and were able to book the dinner show that night. I hope your room is like the one in the pictures link. Ours was not.. Ours was very much more "rustic" and much smaller. The bedroom had a double bed and a single bed. Each were next to the wall on opposite sides. There was 24 to 36 inches between them. There was not enough room for the suitcase so it went back out to the sitting room on the couch.

The excursion through Denali, the next day, was fantastic! You will be assigned a time for you to meet your bus for the tour. You will see many animals and the bus driver will use a high powered camera to project the camera view onto small screens that drop down so everyone can see. Those near a window will be able to lower the window so there is no glare from the glass. You will be able to purchase a DVD made from the camera on your bus. If you are lucky you will get to see the entire Mt. Denali. Even with the "rustic" room I would go back again.

Our first trip on HAL was on Noordam, to Alaska, with an aft wrap around. Even with it being the end of May we were able to sit out on the balcony as we were protected from the wind most days. We did spend much time out there just watching every thing go by. Eating breakfast at the Pinnacle Grill

It just seemed like a much more laid back experience than the Lido or MDR. We are sailing on MS Maasdam in April but she unfortunately she doesn't have them.

Tell your parents to go for it and enjoy!

Only at embarkation although zi think if you are on a HAL winery excursion you get to bring another.

For others just to clarify it must be carried on. If in checked bags it will go to the naughty room but wont be released until the last night of the cruise even if you say that u didnt carry any on.

 

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Thank You That makes sense but I was hoping.

Is it just one bottle corkage free per cruise or can you bring a bottle at each port?

Going with HAL next May to Bermuda. Booking X-Line next November to the Caribbean. Discovered that on X-Line, the liquors we enjoy are on the Premium list, so will upgrade to that level. Have been trying to find which liquors are on the Classic/included in Explore 4 list on HAL, which are included with our pricing. For some reason I can't seem to locate a list of liquors included on both packages like I can find on the X-Line website. It is right there plain as day on the X-Line website so you can choose. Am I looking in the wrong place on HAL website? Would like to make an informed decision, but need to see the list first. I am not as fussy as DH. He likes good bourbon, and will not drink Jim Beam. He at least wants one of his go-to drinks: Jack Daniels. Can anyone direct me to a list of liquors on both packages so we can see which one is best? Thank you for your help!

If he enjoys Jack Daniels ask him to try Buffalo Trace. Was very surprised to find it on Noordam but was told that HAL had just started carrying it. It is very difficult to find outside the state of Kentucky. It is on the Signiture drink package. It has not been listed on any of the drink package drinks.

Bigwally's calculations were per person. He is correct; the cyber sale perks are not worth the additional cost - in his situation.

\I just came back to check if he had said per person. Sorry for the incorrect post.

No good for us - would have been an increase of $280pp plus another $26pp in taxes/fees, with the 15 days of gratuities and $25 beverage card being worth about $228pp.

Since you said us I guess there are at least two in the cabin. Aren't gratuities $13.50 or $15.00 per person per day? If so then a 15 day cruise would be $13.50 X 15 days X 2 people = $405.00 just for the gratuities. A Suite would be $45.00 more.

We're going to be on Rotterdam next month and we want to book a specific seven day cruise for next year while onboard. We've never booked a future cruise while on board but we've heard about getting OBC and other perks by doing so. We are then planning on transferring our booking to a big box TA to also take advantage of their OBC. After reading this thread I am totally confused. Is my plan any good or should I do things differently? What is ZPM, do I need it, and how do I get it?

 

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That is exactly what we did! IAW the big box TA we have our OBC from HAL and the OBC they gave us. She did tell me to be sure that the OBC from HAL is used first as it is "use it or lose it" and the OBC given by box store will be refunded if it isn't used.

We went this past May/June. We received lunch on the bus to Denali. We received lunch on the 7 hour Denali tour. All other meals we had to buy. The Lodge lobby area was nice. The best I can say about our room was an old neglected Motel 6 with worn out mattresses from Kmart. They describe it as "rustic". Others had to wait up to 45 minutes to get someone to come operate the elevator at night. These were mobility handicapped people.

Another question....is ginger ale available?

It was from the bars by the glass or a 20oz bottle from Room Service, on the Noordam this past May.

We were in 8147 this past May on the Noordam. The balcony is large! It doubled our time facing the Glacier when the ship was rotating. That was the only time I noticed the people up above. The best part was I lost @ 10 pounds that my DW said was due to walking aft to the cabin! We enjoyed it so much the DW insisted on another Neptune for our next cruise through the Panama Canal.

How will the viewing be from one of the aft facing Neptune suites (with the wrap-around balconies)? I was hoping that with the wrap-around balcony we wouldn't have to worry about finding and holding seats anywhere and could come in/go out at our leisure.

We had an aft Neptune last May on the Noordam. With the wrap around you can double your time facing the glacier as the ship rotates. We were on 8th deck right below Lido Deck so we could hear the speakers from the Lido Deck. We were able to dress warmly and stay out of the wind for the most part. I was so excited about what I was seeing that I cannot remember if I was cold. I did run up and grab a couple of sandwiches for lunch.