CNSJ

3 hours ago, cccole said:

Athens Gate Hotel

We stayed there post cruise on the same trip.  Be sure to ask for a room WITHOUT the view.  The rooms with a view are on the major street side of the hotel.  Noisy.

Breakfast is in the rooftop restaurant, incredible views of the Acropolis with great lighting from the rising sun as you enjoy your morning meal. 

On 7/6/2024 at 10:36 AM, RClark6369@aol.com said:

someone might have a recommenation for these in Athens or Piraeus.

We stayed at the Phidias Piraeus Hotel for two nights before a HAL Eastern Med cruise in 2023.  It was clean and renovated.  The staff was great.  I arranged an airport pickup through them and they had a free shuttle in the morning to get me to the cruise port.  

I book a Piraeus Food Tour the day before the cruise which was very nice.  

Piraeus has nice restaurants alongs its semi-circular waterfront and we felt safe and enjoyed the atmosphere.  It is a few short blocks from the hotel to the restaurants.  

3 hours ago, RClark6369@aol.com said:

and added $125 EasyJet connection into Athens.

Just be sure to understand the costs with EasyJet.

You pay for everything and they are sticklers for weight and size of luggage,  Its not a long flight, but its not Delta I assure you!!

On 7/6/2024 at 3:18 PM, Gibbie42 said:

smoked old fashioned from the Ocean Bar

Superb!!!!

Yes, you have it right.  I just did this in May 2024 on Rotterdam.

It's not just the Signature Suites on Deck 6, it's all the cabins adjacent to the outboard (port and starboard amidships - glass) elevators.  This impacts Decks 5, 6, 7  and 8.  This is why these cabins are often the last to fill up. It's a Signature Class and Vista Class issue only.  

Another reason why allowing an "auto upgrade" or selecting a "guarantee" cabin can be taking a chance.  While no balcony is completely private by any stretch, these are much less private.

3 hours ago, Mary229 said:

The past few times I have gotten my refund to the credit card on file NOT to the original form of payment.  You can always get cash too. 

Yes, HAL will use the credit card that you set up your check in.  In too many cases the original form of payment (which may or not be a credit card) is no longer a valid account, etc.

12 hours ago, Cruiser Sean said:

Thank You to those that provided helpful context and suggestions. I'll pray for those that felt the need to attack, as you probably have bigger problems in your life, and chose this post as a negative outlet. I simply wanted to post in a forum on cruise "critic", and relay our cruise experience. I'm not expecting anything from HAL, I only requested a manager callback to provide our feedback directly and ultimately be removed from HALs future calling list. HAL had an opportunity on the cruise to issue an appropriate remedy, and in our opinion they failed. I wish the best for all future cruisers. Have a wonderful day.

Feel bad that you had a difficult and unpleasant experience with your HAL cruise this summer.  Everyone has their own experiences, thoughts, and opinions.  If you had a bad cruise - that's for you to determine.  My only suggestion is one I have a hard time myself following: Try not to let 20% of things going lousy ruin the rest to the point you can't enjoy yourself.  I am not saying that you had an 80% good cruise, but I try to not let things that get me or my wife a bit upset ruin the rest.  

I am not a HAL cheerleader, and have my own experiences with how things can or should be done.  After cruising many lines regularly over the past fifteen years of regular cruising, I think they do a very good job for the price point. But that's my opinion.  You are entitled to yours and this is the place to vent a bit.  When others nit pick your comments, and tell you "how you should have handled it" I call it Cruise Critic Critic where we critique the critique.  If you were ever in the nuclear Navy, that would make sense.  

I once listened to a woman complain for fifteen minutes on a $1.50 overcharge for a drink, and how she would never again sail with that cruise line because of it.  I know she was sailing in a suite on that cruise that must have cost close to $10K per person.  Letting a $1.50 charge ruin your $20K vacation to me is losing touch.  Not saying you are doing the same.

Happy Fourth of July and from this retired Navy Submarine Sailor, Thank you for your service Soldier.

I used the "no one wants to pay more for a middle seat" rule/philosophy/gamble on Jet Blue.  If it's 3 across, I pay for extra legroom seats in same row, aisle and window.  Few people will pay extra to get middle seat.  Airlines fill the extra legroom seats last when assigning seats to basic economy ticketed folks.  If flight 100% full, they will put someone there, and I'll offer them choice of aisle or window to sit next DW.  If they really want middle - they can have it. 

Coach on an Airbus A330 or Boeing 767 has seats with only two, which is actually my preferred route.

23 hours ago, sambamama said:

Give me JetBlue entertainment any day!!

We just flew JetBlue from US East Coast to Amsterdam.  Great flight both ways.  

Large screens on backs of seats in coach.  As a bonus, we had an empty seat between us both ways!

We have crossed from Seattle to Hawaii (first part of a transpacific in October) and found the sea days to be great.  We made great use of the balcony.  For this trip, as its roundtrip from west coast, port or starboard side makes little difference as you'll have the Sun on your side one way or the other.

Recently we have also seen them setting up Specialty Coffee service in the Pinnacle Bar.  No fear, you can get your morning fix!

43 minutes ago, Ileneilene123 said:

I would also like to know if people report having trouble w/ drinking the ship’s tap water? Meaning, stomach issues? This will be our first cruise, on the Zaandam. 

We have drank and brushed teeth with HAL shipboard "tap" water in our stateroom, and had water in multiple venues for 15 years without incident.  Short of a CPAP `machine I think you can consume water on the ship without fear.  It tastes fine.

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

Pathetic as it may be I could live with only salad, popcorn and chocolate 

Let's all be honest.  We cruise for the tote bags**, and Mariner's Tiles.  **Especially the Club Orange tote bag.  The rest is of less importance. 

4 hours ago, POA1 said:

I love that term! It might work better if you hyphenate it or remove the space.

 

"We really need to start looking at that October 2025 cruise now. You know how cabin-picky we are."

I can hear you @POA1, Cabin-Pickyness if it can be measured, runs strong with us.  To satisfy DW, there's the list of requirements:

• Cabins above and below
• Balcony
• Not rear facing - and not too far aft
• Not to far forward
• Not near elevators/stairs
• Nor near crew work stations

Class-Pickyness has evolved:

• First choice:  Pinnacle Class (note that also makes a VA cabin amidships possible without Deck 8 bing considered)
• Second Choice:  Vista Class (Not a huge Tamarind Fan) - Seems less crowded than Signatures
• Third:  R Class.  Once our favorite.  Perfect size, but hate paying for suite to get a balcony.

Keep Cruising

50 minutes ago, Billthekid said:

For some reason or another, I still have my cruise ship tux rental sizes listed in my cruise file.  It may be time to toss it.

In some cases, our sizes may have changed! 😇

Sure Lindt truffles are great...but agree that a chocolate maker from Holland would have been more fitting for the Holland America Line.  

As for the Swiss Navy....it's a Lake Flotilla that is part of the Swiss Army.  

4 hours ago, TRLD said:

There are also restrictions by zone. They cannot fill all 3/4 cabins to 3/4 in a given zone, even if they are under their total maximum and other zone are below their max.

 

This might be a driver as they allow 3/4 passenger cabins to be sold as guarantees.

I am surprised it took this long for HAL to reign in couples booking staterooms that can hold three of four.  I can only imagine if I booked a hotel room with two queen beds for two people to be told that they moved us to a room with one king, to make room for a family of four.

HAL should have grandfathered all booked cabins, then announced the new plan.  Someone in the business office should have known better.  

Since HAL reads all the cruise critic posts on this site (not sure who they pay to do it) - read this "Don't make changes like this midstream - always grandfather for your loyal clientele!"

2 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Good for you. Great plan. I love those complementary 5* stop overs, but shhhhh or the secret gets out 🙂 

Since the Fiji tourist board helps fund Nadi, Fiji (NAN) stopovers, I think they will be around for a while.  As for Hawaii, I have never seen cheaper fares from Left Coast of USA to the Hawaiian Islands.  Can we thank Southwest for this?  Not sure if Alaska-Hawaiian airlines merger will impact this. 

24 minutes ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Book early if you want that cruise...😀

And especially if you are cabin picky!

3 hours ago, terrydtx said:

we now fly BC or FC

Agree with this SKI trip concept, but I am still having trouble with the $8 to 10K Business Class fare to AUS/NZ from USA.  Since we are in no hurry, SFO to HNL (two nights in Hawaii), HNL to NAN (Fiji), a nice few days there in Fiji, then NAN to SYD.  Even at great 5* resort hotels in each stopover, the price is so much less than the direct route which at 15 hours is too painful in economy.  Enjoying the ride!

Reading posts on Cruise Critic, combined with my own recent few cruises and from family members, it seems that Holland America is selling cabins and filling up ships.  I know there is also a push for filling 3rd and 4th beds in cabins that can handle them.  What are the observations of those sailing recently or aboard ship now?

If true (ships selling well), we should see prices staying on the higher side, and shore excursions filling up much earlier.  This is good for the industry.  Perhaps it's just the last of the boomers (I fit that description) deciding to spend their kids' inheritances***.  The fears that COVID would stop people from cruising did not materialize long term (for now). 

***Recently a fellow traveler explained to me..."I fly business class, because otherwise my kids will."  

2 hours ago, doone said:

but I don't dwell on those things they no longer do

Good comments @doone.  US Domestic airlines used to provide meals on two hours flights and free drinks in economy.  Today I may have to pay for a beer and bring a sandwich on board, but I am paying a great deal less once you factor in inflation.  I don't dwell either.  Its 2024. 

Twenty years ago HAL didn't have Tamarind, Rudi's, or Club Orange, nor the Navigator App, high speed internet service or wide screen TVs.  Things change some good, some bad.  

I too try to enjoy the best of where we are today.  I sail HAL because it's good value and good service.  I would cruise half as much if I sailed Seabourn or the Gucci suites on NCL or "Grills" accommodations on Cunard.  

Size matters.  Not just smaller ship usually = better service and less crowds, but staterooms.

On Princess I need a mini-suite to get a loveseat/sofa.  HAL has that in just about every class of stateroom.