BumperII

Stopping by to say hello.

Is this your first HAL cruise? If not, you can sign into the HAL site and find out quite a bit.

I really wonder about that answer you received from your TA. We use a large on line TA, and every time we book a cruise we get a three or four page email with all the details including price, taxes, details and all perks. The first time any TA gave me an answer like "Its not in my notes" would be the last time I dealt with that agent.

We have a Vista Suite.....port side aft near the elevator...

 

I have read that stewards will stash your suitcases if you ask....they probably stick them in empty cabins nearby....

I think the stewards have run into this before. On our very first cruise they simply put the smaller suitcases inside the larger ones and slid them under the bed. Things were a little tight until we got everything stowed. My guess is you will be fine.

You can take on as much wine as you like, in carry on, for $18 a bottle. One bottle is free if you drink it in your cabin. No more than 750ml per bottle....no beer or hard stuff either. I will be lugging this 37 lb box around - good exercise!

Thanks, that is exactly what we have been reading. I was wondering if they relaxed those rules on the longer cruises. Looking forward to your next update.

Very interesting introduction. I can't wait to hear how you made out with all that luggage.

Does HAL offer a different restriction on wine limits for the world cruise? Our longest cruise was three weeks and they would not allow us to board a case of anything containing alcohol.

We are looking forward to hearing about your experiences, all of them, what works and what doesn't. Bon Voyage !

When we started cruising in 2002, the answer to all of your questions would have been yes. Probably 95% of the passenger men would be in black tie. Such is no more.

The first formal night will include the introduction of the ship's officers and captain's toast.

Other than that, formal night is more like prom night, get dressed up so the ship's photographers can take pictures to sell you. Then it is pretty much like any other night.

Bumper reporting in and lurking as usual.

Hate to rain on your parade, but IMHO there is no such thing as an "attractive" credit card offer.

The only way to make a credit card work for you is to pay it off every month and carry a zero balance. Less than two percent of credit card users can do that.

If it looks that good to you, don't be surprised if one day you find yourself paying 29% interest. Read the fine print.

Once we discovered dinner in the Lido, we stopped using the MDR completely.

Couple of reasons. Noon meal is usually our big meal, we like to eat a light supper.

Lido is particularly good on nights when prime rib is served. You go right up to the cutting station and it is carved to your order. If you want a cut an inch and a half thick, they will do it for you. And you get the degree of rare you like!

The table service seems to be much better. When you are finished with something, it gets cleard away quickly.

The choice between Lido and MDR is the difference between buffett and banquet meals.

For fine dining, the Pinnacle Grill is really something special.

I've stayed at the Hilton downtown, as well as at the Hilton Airport. Both hotels were fine, and I would recommend either of them.

 

I find that after flying west all day I'm too tired to do much of anything, so am happier just going to the airport hotel, checking in, having supper, checking e-mail (the Airport Hilton has free computers in the lobby), then going to bed early. It's a short free shuttle ride from the airport to the Hilton Airport property.

The concierge has arranged a Town Car for a morning transfer, and the charge is reasonable.

We have been doing something very similar. and it really takes the tension out of travel. Actually, they ran out of town cars and sent us a stretch limo! First and only time we have ever been in one.:D

I really like a good Cioppinno. Happy to hear you enjoyed yours in Pinnacle. :)

I'm invited to dnner with friends at a favorite restaurant that serves a great Cioppinno and now I am sure that is what I will order.

 

The cioppinno is now my favorite too, but it used to be the flaming seafood skewer.

Went to the HAL site to do a booking and it is adding 'computer-ese' before each question and category. This is making this very difficult to use especially as needing a larger font for my older eyes. Is anyone else seeing this or having a similar issue??

 

Sent HAL an email about a possible glitch or to ask that they put it back to a more user-friendly format.

Just about the time I figured out how the last web-site worked and learned how to find what I was looking for, they changed it. They claim it is the new and improved website.

Unfortunately, I am neither new nor improved. I too am having an awful time trying to find a booking that wife and I both would like. After giving up, the darn thing sends me an email asking me to finish booking.

Back to the TA.

We have sailed out of Vancouver at least a dozen times. Just for the record, we would never consider trying to make either of those flights on disembarkation day.

Couple of reasons: Vancouver is a long way to travel. It is a beautiful city with many tourist attractions, beautiful parks, wonderful theater, and plenty of fine dining. From the east coast, that is a long way to go without taking some time to visit.

For reasons unknown to me air travel from Vancouver is about twice as expensive as the flight to Vancouver. What we have been doing lately is flying into Vancouver and then flying home from Seattle - Tacoma. Highly recommend taking a little extra time to enjoy both of these cities.

OK, finally made to to roll call on time! Hello everyone

Our very first HAL cruise was a last minute booking on the beautiful and elegant Maasdam. The stateroom was simply what was left, but it made no difference to us. This was among the most enjoyable and most memorable cruises we have ever taken. The Christmas holiday was fully celebrated including midnight mass arranged to include both the crew and passengers with music performed by the musicians. There was a full holiday dinner with decorations and caroling.

This was the cruise that got us hooked on HAL.

Curses! Foiled Again! Spent too much time raking up leaves and missed the sail away! Maybe next time.

Two wrongs may not make a right...but three lefts definitely do.

 

Scott & Karen

Hopefully happier employees because they just got a raise. :)

Well deserved and Long overdue.

Reporting in to say hello to everyone and echo the word of thanks to the chief for the timely reminder!

Just keep on sailing!

Wish I could be of more help, but beyond recommending the Tammirind as an absolute must, I'm lost. Here's why. We dined there several times with two other couples, and I think we have seen just about everything, and everything was delightful.

Just go and enjoy!

I think it's a great idea. Too many times it's not the service. I get tired of hearing how people are on a tight budget. I'm on a budget too but stiffing the staff isn't part of my budget plan.

I couldn't agree more!

We prepare a budget for every cruise, and we always allow for the HSC in addition to extra tips for extra service. The best cruises are those where I am on my best manners, using Please and Thank You generously.

I use the cabin tap water. In order to avoid any scale, I empty, rinse and refill the resevoir every day. Works fine.

Can a non alcoholic drinks package be bought on Nieuw Amsterdam. I wanted one that includes non alcoholic cocktails

Thanks

My recollection is that the discounted beverage card applied to everything, including alcoholic beverages, and we simply didn't order alcohol.

Situation resolved.

 

It took two weeks, and several phone calls, but Holland America did refund the addition day's charge for the Thermal Suite. It was credited to my credit card today.

OK, HAL is pretty good about addressing this kind of complaint, but two weeks for a $36.00 error is a bit much.

We have learned to stop by the front desk every other day of a cruise to get a copy of the bill. That way, one of us can usually remember every charge without reconciling the receipts. And HAL is to be congratulated on the accuracy of the bills, especially since they started using the room key card for tracking.

I don't make a special trip of it, just if I happen to be passing through the lobby and the desk isn't busy, I stop to get the statement.

The most common mistake we get is a wine tasting charge posted to our bill. Although invited, we never, ever attend these things. (DW won't drink alcohol, and I can't for medical reasons.) Hal has a habit of charging this to the bill and then removing the charge as a complimentary credit. Other than that, I don't think we've had a disputed charge since the new system was put in place.

One way or the other, we prefer to have everything resolved before disembarkation. Two week to straighten out a bill is too long.

You have never really has lobster until you have been in the ports of a Canada New England cruise. In Bar Harbor there are a number of restaurants at the top of the hill that feature the lobster rolls.

Every port after that you have access to lobster shacks where they haul the lobsters out of the water and into the steamers. Leave your coat and tie aboard the ship. A real lobster eater can eat a three pound lobster without touching the untinsles. This part of the world has the best cold water lobsters. It would be a sin to go all that way and not sample the local cooking ashore.