Daniel A

I took my first Holland America cruise last year.  I was surprised to learn that HAL does not have self-service laundry.  You can either do your laundry while in port 😝 or you could either pay by the bag or get a laundry package.  On a 35-day cruise, the package worked out very nicely for us.  You can send your laundry out on Princess, but it gets very pricey.   I've also seen complaints from elite CC members that the complimentary laundry can take days to come back.

3 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Not necessarily so.  Many choose not to wait until the end of the cruise.

I understood that.  That was why I qualified the statement and used the word 'usually.'  My point was that a crew member should not expect a tip at the beginning of the cruise.  I tend to disagree with @Sthrngary about giving a portion of the tip on the first day.  Would you tip a waiter or a waitress in a restaurant before they took your order?  That said, I will admit that I will give a generous tip to a bartender upfront as that has produced very good results for me in the past.

Last month on Emerald Princess, we had to go from deck to deck to find a free washer.  Once we found one, the token machine was out of tokens (this happened about four times in different laundry rooms)  when the token machine was out, you had to go all the way to the Passenger Services Desk to purchase tokens.  By the time you returned, someone else was using the machine.  Lesson learned: pre purchase however many tokens you will need so when you find a free machine, you can use it right away.

1 hour ago, COcruise said:

I have not but it doesn’t hurt to ask 😊 if you are polite and tip well I’ve found the butlers will go above and beyond where they can (if possible)

The butlers should go above and beyond regardless of any upfront tips.  That's their job.  They usually get their tips at the end of the cruise anyway.

18 hours ago, grmmybtty said:

We used the same thing for the ATW on Insignia where storage for 6 months was a premium. We also used heavy duty magnets to hold our jackets on hangers from the ceiling over the back of the couch.

Would magnets stick to the walls on Insignia or just the ceiling?

1 minute ago, Charles4515 said:

They would have had to have stopped at a distant foreign port. They can't violate the PVSA. I don't know which one they stopped at on their sailing but when I did New York to Miami on another cruise line we stopped at Aruba. The three ABC islands are distant foreign ports under the PVSA and the most likely stop of stops on a New York to Miami itineray. 

That's what I was assuming as well.  Cartegena and the ABC islands work but it seemed to me that Aruba is a long way to go for a cruise leaving from NY to Miami.  It's like when years ago NCL was cruising the Hawaiian Islands and needed to go to Fanning Island to qualify for the PVSA closed loop sailings.

7 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Don't miss the cruise, call a cab.

Last year, we arranged for a cab to pick us up 6 AM at the Holiday Inn at Palm Beach airport just to take us to the airline terminal there.  It never showed up.  We had an 8AM flight to San Diego and at 6:45, we were able to hitch a ride from a construction worker leaving the hotel.  Cabs aren't always reliable either.  💁‍♂️

On 3/3/2024 at 12:29 PM, Travel Lady in CT said:

That's disappointing since extra storage is SO very important when you're on the ship for 6 months.  I believe you can still hang hooks on the ceiling, but I'll need to verify that.

We have used this:

Amazon.com: MAX Houser 6 Tier Shelf Hanging Closet Organizer, Closet Hanging Shelf with 2 Sturdy Hooks for Storage, Foldable (Grey) : Home & Kitchen

We attach the hooks to two very strong magnetic hooks stuck to the ceiling.  It will fold up and fit inside your luggage.

DW & I will be taking our first "O" cruise later this year.  We will be going to Bermuda in a Penthouse on Insignia.  I have two questions:

First, are the walls and ceiling metal so we can use magnets?  (We have a portable shelving unit that suspends from two magnets attached to the ceiling.)  

Second, does anybody know if the Insignia will be able to (and will) open the casino while docked in Hamilton?  I thought I read that Bermuda permits cruise ship casinos to operate during certain hours while staying overnight in port.

TIA

1 minute ago, RocketMan275 said:

We  used to be arrive at the port as early as possible.  Sometimes even before the doors open.  

Now, we agree with graphic guy.  No need to sit/stand for a couple of hours to board maybe 30 minutes earlier.   

Arrive at 0900, board at 1115.

Arrive at 1100, board at 1130.

DW is always afraid of a last-minute traffic incident which would delay our arrival at the terminal.  On our last cruise, the hotel shuttle broke down and they needed to get a replacement shuttle from another hotel in another nearby city.  We did get there (eventually....) but DW was so stressed that it ruined the whole embarkation day experience.  If this had happened with the last shuttle from the hotel, we might have missed the cruise, so we arrive early and are content to wait around a bit.  Happy wife, happy cruise!  😁 

On 4/4/2024 at 8:37 PM, basor said:

Since this particular itinerary was not a round trip New York but a New York to Miami itinerary, they changed the ports but the embarkation and debarkation ports stayed the same. 

Do you know how your cruise was able to embark in New York and disembark in Miami without violating the Passenger Vessel Services Act?  Did you stop at a "Distant Foreign Port" designated by the PVSA?

Thanks.

11 hours ago, roddy good boy said:

We tip the assigned day butler, steward and concierge on the last morning of our cruise, separately.  There are all kinds of opinions on how much each should be tipped. I tend to err on the side of over tipping. But, you decide what works best for you. 

Regarding tipping - I always seek out the people I want to tip on the second to last day.  My thinking is that they are EXTREMELY busy on disembarkation morning, they can be difficult to locate, and they don't really have the time to hang around waiting for any gratuities that may be coming their way.  I know many others do the tipping on the last morning, but I'm one less cabin they need to worry about.  It's nice because the crew member has the luxury of spending a little time with you when you give the tip that day. It makes for a nice, relaxed visit.

Plus, I'm also extremely busy on disembarkation morning as well.

On 4/17/2024 at 3:44 PM, Daniel A said:

In September on Getaway, we had to sit with our carry-ons in the Haven Lounge until all of the Haven cabins were ready.  I did note you said 'usually' - I guess it all depends on the ship and the concierge.  The checked luggage did arrive fairly soon thereafter, interfering with my enjoyment of my beverage on the balcony!  Ugh!

 

I guess the Haven checked luggage gets priority as well as the passengers.

CORRECTION:  I'm not sure that it matters much, but the September sailing was on Breakaway, not Getaway.  Sorry if I caused any confusion with bad information.  🥺 

4 hours ago, rbxlady said:

We sailed on the Epic on 3/31 and were walking on the ship around 10:50AM, so if I were doing that sailing again, I would aim to arrive around 10:15AM to get through the thing where they have to take your picture and check your documents, then get a cup of coffee and a snack in the Haven lounge but also not sit around for too long.

@Barney Gallagher -- @rbxlady has a good idea if you are looking to arrive at the port and be on board swiftly.  That will minimize the time you would spend in the Haven VIP waiting area in the terminal.  Often, when you arrive in the Haven lounge in the terminal, the concierge and/or assistant concierge will greet you and make any dinner or show reservations you would like to have.  My preference would be to plan on an extra half hour so I have time to take advantage of this perk prior to boarding the ship.  There will almost certainly be a line of other passengers standing in front of the concierge desk upon arrival in the Haven proper.

It all depends on your personal preferences.

As long as we're also discussing luggage here, in addition to my luggage tags, I print a couple of sheets of paper with my name, home address, destination information, cell numbers, and emergency contact phone number.  I place that sheet on top of everything inside the suitcases so that if the id luggage tags get ripped off the luggage, they can find more information once authorities open the luggage.

Before I retired, I used to just place my business card in the luggage but now my old office would say "Dan who??"

6 hours ago, graphicguy said:

As far as luggage, one of the nice things about sailing in the Haven is they usually let me drop my luggage off in the cabin, even though the cabin may not be ready, yet.  That beats hauling it around the ship.

In September on Getaway, we had to sit with our carry-ons in the Haven Lounge until all of the Haven cabins were ready.  I did note you said 'usually' - I guess it all depends on the ship and the concierge.  The checked luggage did arrive fairly soon thereafter, interfering with my enjoyment of my beverage on the balcony!  Ugh!

I guess the Haven checked luggage gets priority as well as the passengers.

20 hours ago, MarkieMarkNYC said:

Maybe the OP can change the title of the thread to Luggage Preferences.

👍 A quick response or two was fine, but the thread drift is getting out of control.

17 hours ago, NclCruiuser said:

saw a video suggesting somehow marking your luggage for easier identification at disembarkation port (NY). Suggestions?

Thanks.... Steve

I use two different colored pieces of duct tape.  (I use my high school colors - blue and yellow)  I'd stay away from using common colors such as silver, and fluorescent orange or green.  I then cut two strips about one foot long for the base color and one one foot color for the top color.  I then cut the top color strip in half lengthwise and run each of those strips down the middle of the base color.  I put one across the top and back of the suitcase and then I place the other strip across the front and a side so that I can see the personalized duct tape on the suitcase from any angle.  (Whew! 😄) Here's what one of mine looks like:  I can always spot my bag from a distance whether on an airport turnstile or a cruise terminal warehouse.

@Sthrngary and @graphicguy - Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.  😉 

2 hours ago, NclCruiuser said:

have a question about booking dinner at the specialty restaurants. Just picked one I wanted and tried to make a reservation, but it was going to charge my credit card. Found out I had to wait till I was on board to use the on board credit (duh). Given that I can't make a reservation till I board, will the concierge be able to get me a date/time that works for me? I see already that a bunch of time slots are already booked. Don't want to find only available time slot is 9:30. Anyone found this to be an issue?

 

Thanks... Steve

Our concierge was able to book a table for four at Cagney's when it said it was full, but the concierge can't work miracles.  My advice is that if it is a special occasion and a must have, go ahead and charge it, if it's just to enjoy a particular restaurant, the concierge will be able to find something for you.

I don't know if this would work, but you might be able to a) ask the pre-cruise concierge to help, or you can usually book reservations at embarkation in the Haven lounge in the cruise terminal.

b) reserve a table with your CC and once onboard try to work with the concierge to cancel the CC booked reservation and have the concierge immediately re-book it using your OBC.

The worst they can do is make you walk the plank or get keel hauled.  😬 

Wouldn't this thread drift be better located here?

2 hours ago, Oakman58 said:

 

Oh please!  The ship would have had to redeploy the steps and platform they use for normal tender operations.

That coast guard vessel sits too low in the water (not enough freeboard) to align with the platform designed for embarking and disembarking passengers from ship's tenders.  They still would have needed to climb a rope ladder thus being endangered.  YOU'RE WELCOME!  😄 

When the local Coast Guard boat took them out to the Dawn, this is how the LATE 8 would have needed to reembark the Dawn.  Keep in mind, there was a pregnant passenger and a paraplegic in that group.  Does anybody want to question the Captain's concern for his  passengers?  Rules are rules for a reason, even if the local coast guard doesn't know them.  I'm also including a photo of the Sao Tome Coast Guard boat that took them out to the Dawn.

Here's the Coast Guard Ship.  The LATE 8 would have needed to climb the same ladder the harbor pilots use.  Enough said?

11 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

 Saw a brief mention that they took the LATE 8 shopping instead of returning to the tender on time.  Nothing like getting a little kick back from a shopping spree.

If that were the reason for missing the boat, then why are the Campbells being so evasive about that being the 'issue?'  If it was the tour company that caused this through their fault, I'd be screaming bloody murder at the tour company, not the cruise line.

50 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Here's one that has a 100% on-time guarantee - There are others...

 

 

https://www.spaindaytours.com/spain-shore-excursions/

 

 

The advertisement is misleading.   Nowhere does it say they are guaranteeing on time returns,  the are only claiming they have a 100% record of returning on time.  There's always a first time, just ask the six that were with the Campbells.