pirate_dad
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Posts posted by pirate_dad
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There are a couple things i have noticed post-covid.
They skipped out on the towel art. I only got it 2 times in 3 cruises in my vista suite and I asked for it for the kids.
The main dining room has cut back on the silverware and glasses normal used for a MDR place setting. No salad fork, bread plate etc... I think it makes the experience less grand. The food has been a step down in quality in the MDR. I eat now in Club Orange mostly. They cut out the NY Strip steak option and only do it on occasion or you can get the $40 dry aged. I think it is a bunch of little things that combine to make the overall experience cheaper (for lack of a better word). If you hadn't cruised on HAL prior to COVID you probably wouldn't notice but if you had it is noticeable. I just think they made some cuts in areas that really don't save them a lot of money but impact the experience. I am getting on a ship tomorrow so I will update but in Nov it was the above... I would also say Club Orange is definately worth it.
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I can confirm that you can upgrade. I went from a VB Deck 4 to a Vista Suite when I added Club Orange so you can go from a verandah to a suite. I don't know if you can go from a top Vista Suite to a Signature Suite.
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Food and Crew. Balconies and rooms are very good
It would be nice if they had more outdoor places like bars and restaurants its what i like about Virgin and Celebrity. I also like the music and more upbeat atmosphere at the pool. BBC Earth is boring after the 2nd day.
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Food and Crew. Balconies and rooms are very good
It would be nice if they had more outdoor places like bars and restaurants its what i like about Virgin and Celebrity. I also like the music and more upbeat atmosphere at the pool. BBC Earth is boring after the 2nd day.
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I am going to guess the next ships will target the GenX crowd. I suspect the do more open plans and have eating and drinking outside more. That seems to be the trend. I would guess Celebrity is probably where everyone will eventually go seems to be popular with GenX and younger Boomers.
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The only place to get a coffee on the Koningsdam or NS that is REAL coffee (not American crap) is in the Dutch Cafe and you have to ask for a Rotterdam Drip... My mother knows the dutch name for it and asked for that and its 100x better than any coffee you get on the ship
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I don’t see bingo on the app for my up coming cruise. Is holland America still doing bingo?
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I have a 22 and 21 year old and they spend most of their time hanging at the bars late night with the crew and entertainment staff
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Browser has nothing to do with calls to a database. Where it shows up on your browser window and if its legible does. The system they use for booking excursions, gifts etc is just horrible.. 6 days now of it not working for the Koningsdam sailing the 22nd of December. See proof below..
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They are having database problems for the past 5 days or so. The excursions, gifts and beverages are not loading from the database. I do not know of a single company that lets something like this happen to a pseudo ecommerce site for that long. It's incredibly amateurish and just tells me they need to invest more into IT. Even the shipboard digital services are lackluster except video on-demand. It's actually embarrassing. As the CTO of a large company they really need fire some people.
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Probably not a good idea to go there any way. Not a lot of good feelings towards Americans right now since they believe we are heavily influencing their election. (Basically one of the parties believes we are supporting an overthrow)
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We are on the HAL Koningsdam on the 22nd. It supposed to stop in Dominica... How long will they wait to change it? We were the first cruise ship on St Martin last time and they should have skipped it. There were areas that were very unsafe.
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Quick question for those who have booked air through Holland America. How do you get your tickets? Are they sent in the mail? I have never booked through the cruise line before and was wondering how this works?
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Well, I don't know about you guys but I can afford to go on a cruise 1 time a year until I retire. It's going to take me 20 cruises to get to 5 star which translates to about 20 years.. I will have retired by then. I think the # of days to get to 5 star is crazy high. I guess perspective is everything 🙂
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I get the quieter and less crowded part but if the menu is the same its coming from the same kitchen so why pay more for it. The main dining room didn't bother me on the Koningsdam and I loved the view out the back window of the ship. If the food is prepared differently/better cuts or comes out of a different kitchen with better chefs then I might buy into it but it seems like an awful lot to pay for ambiance.
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I saw the new article giving a preview of the new ship and had a couple questions regarding something mentioned in the article about 'Club Orange'. The article didn't explain it very well but it seems that it is a separate dining room for Suite guests but access can also be purchased. Then I read that it includes concierge services and priority tendering. It got me thinking that this is a service upgrade to Suite comforts without the Suite.. Am I reading this correctly and what is the upgraded cost? Finally for those who have been Suite passengers could you tell me what the difference was in the quality of the food or menu when you ate in the Pinnacle?
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For those who are interested in seeing what the double sized balconies look like in Room 4154 and the one down from it. Pictures are attached.. (it also includes activity booklets for the 11 day cruise as well) I hosted a party for 15 on our balcony no problem... Everyone just had to file through the room.
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Here ya go.. 11 Day Cruise last January on the Koningsdam... I also included shots of room 4154 which has the double balcony incase anyone wants to see how big it actually is. There are two rooms like this on the ship. Grab the room if its ever available you can have a party out on your balcony.
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my son is 6'2 and he slept on the sofa bed on the Konigsdam on the January cruise no problem for 11 days we were in room 4154 which had the double sized balcony. FYI if you get up to go to the bathroom at night DO not get the vista suite or your gonna have to crawl over him to get to the bathroom. The verandah is the best you just cant get to the balcony while he is sleeping or the bed is out
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Quick question... I have been looking at the cabins on the Kdam and I was wondering where you store your luggage while on the cruise.. Do they fit in the closets or can you store them elsewhere
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This is the largest Balcony's on the ship minus the Major Suites.. Its a Balcony Cabin and has a double sized Balcony.. This one is 4154 and is the one i booked for my upcoming cruise and there is another right next too it.. There is a stairwell between the two rooms giving the extra size Balcony... Needless to say I would not upgrade unless they gave me a suite.
https://imgur dot com/a/1eSJt
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Are you saying you got to drink with Jerry Van Dyke? Stay home, how can you possibly top that! LOL!
Yeah I was 23 and one of the few young ones on the ship so i was up late at night and just about every evening after everyone left those two would show up and we would play Blackjack and drink. Some great stories from Vic about the Vegas and Jerry was one of the funniest guys i have ever hung out with.. They actually were the ones who told me to get in to the entertainment business which i ended up doing and retired from after 20 years. Never saw them again after that but one of the best cruises i have ever been on
Updated Internet Speeds - HAL Niew Statendam
in Holland America Line
Posted
Internet has been upgraded. Facetime, Zoom and Google meets are now useable. I ran a Speed Test today while in the Atlantic. Results below. Finally useable Internet onboard