athome_atsea

Received the below notice this morning with specific boarding times for the Koningsdam leaving Port Everglades on 4/7. We are 4-star and usually arrive at the terminal around 11am with plenty of time to get into our cabin before going to the MDR for lunch. Does this mean if we were to arrive at 11, we wouldn’t be able to board until 1pm? Never received a notification like this before. Thanks for your advice!

We would like to provide you with important information regarding your sailing. To enhance the check-in and boarding experience, we ask that guests arrive at the terminal based on the following times. Guests who have booked a transfer or hotel package with Holland America will be provided a check-in time at the airport or hotel.
1:00 PM - Deck 7 & Deck 10 2:30 PM - Deck 5
1:30 PM - Deck 8 & Deck 11 3:00 PM - Deck 4
2:00 PM - Deck 6 3:30 PM - Deck 1
We invite our 4 and 5 Star Mariners, Pinnacle and Neptune Suite guests to arrive anytime between 1:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. Boarding will commence shortly after check in. All guests must be onboard 1 hour prior to sailing. We
appreciate your understanding and cooperation, and look forward to welcoming you onboard.

So helpful, thank you everyone! We'll plan on lunch in the Lido, and if not, Dive In :)

Does anybody know the MDR and/or Lido hours for ships departing from Seward? I've booked the HAL bus transfer from Anchorage to Seward, which leaves Anchorage at noon, so I would assume we arrive at the Seward port around 2:30/3pm. Will there be any lunch options onboard at that time? We're 4-star mariners and normally go to the Mariner Lunch in the MDR but I'm thinking it will probably be long over by then...

I absolutely loved being a kid on HAL cruises! If you travel on a 7-day Caribbean itinerary at peak family travel times (Christmas/New Years week, Spring Break), there will be a fair amount of kids - up to 200 to 300 on a 2000-passenger sailing. If your cruise is longer or outside holiday times, your kids may be just two of a few young ones, which is awesome because they'll get extra-special treatment. The staff are amazing with kids. They'll make animals out of napkins and all sorts of origami and teach them some Indonesian or Filipino words.

The Club HAL program is great as well - and completely free - and provides some fun activities throughout the day and a dedicated kids' space with computers, board games, video games, etc.

Kid-friendly food can always be found - even if you're in the Main Dining Room and they don't see anything on the menu they like, just ask, and the staff can make anything.

I've taken this cruise on the Maasdam both ways - starting in Boston one year and starting in Montreal another year. Both are great! I didn't really notice any differences in the cruise itself. It just depends which way you can find cheaper airfare :) I did really enjoy exploring Montreal, so either way you take the cruise, be sure to spend a day or two in Montreal before or after!

I love the Maasdam and her sister ships... compared to the newer ships, they're quite small (1300 passengers) so the experience feels more intimate. If you're a fan of smaller ships, you'll love it! In fact, the smaller ships work best for this itinerary because there is a bridge near either Quebec City or Montreal (can't remember which) that is quite low, and the Maasdam barely clears it! Since the itinerary has you in port much of the time, I didn't feel like the ship was boring or lacked amenities of a larger ship at all. Maybe if you were taking a transatlantic or something you would get stir crazy, but this itinerary has you in port nearly every day. There are a lot of cozy places to read or watch the scenery of the St. Lawrence River go by!