FlaMariner

Prices for us are still quite the deal.....especially with the 50% Mariner Discount..... Package one is $14.25 a bottle (8 bottle package) + 18% tip on $28.50 = $19.38 a bottle......That's less than $5 a glass (4 pours to the bottle).......(somebody double-check my math) Enjoy the journey....and the onboard wine prices!

Yahoo! I'd call that a win! Good for you for filling out the form and giving it a try......

Our experience is that we select our own "check in" time by arriving at the port when it works for us ........Post Covid, we've never paid any attention to the "check in" time and we have been welcomed to enter the embarkation area at Seattle, Port Everglades 2x, the Netherlands and Chile. (The line moves rather fast now with the face recognition and keys at the stateroom) Disclaimer: YMMV. Enjoy the journey.....

Try by hitting the X in the top right....Once I tried to "abandon" after the log on credential requirement, the app then gave me the option to upload the statement.

So I was never asked for my booking number.......did I miss something or is that not needed?

I would not cut it that close..... Why? We have taken many an Amtrak train (mostly on the east coast/Florida) and trains can be horrendously late. I did look up the Surfliner on time stats and it looks positive....something like 83% on time (stats were from 2022)....which is good. But we know Murphy's law of travel..... We love train travel but that connection would be too stressful for us......Ride the train down the day before or earlier. Check the Amtrak schedule again....I did see earlier trains....I picked a weekday in February and the Surfliner has a 9:04am and 10:04am arrival from Los Angeles......We'd be on the 9:04am arrival and that would give us time to get to SD if the bottom fell out early am in Los Angeles. Enjoy the journey........

Looks like the new Morimoto restaurant came out of the NA dry dock......The press release has it near Tamarind..... https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/news/2023/December/news-12222023-morimoto-by-sea-opens-on-holland-america-line-ship-nieuw-amsterdam

Whether you have the email or not, it never hurts to pass along the promo codes (ZPM or VPM) to your TA when booking a new cruise to see if you qualify......No harm, no foul.

Tiles were plentiful on our March 2023 Oosterdam & October 2023 Westerdam cruise. The collection is out of control. Time to tile the bathroom.

Her Majesty wants to know if they still assign you a Lady's Maid? She needs help unpacking and getting dressed for dressy night. (this post is not serious)

I've never seen the welcome back OBC in my account on HAL. I am eligible for the welcome back OBC presently (dis-embarked 10/15) and received the email but it is never listed in "my account" or anywhere else I have seen online. I've always taken advantage of (and have previously received) the welcome back OBC if I meet the criteria (booking a new cruise within 90 days (or around then) of dis-embarking). Whether you have the email or not, it never hurts to pass along the promo codes (ZPM or VPM) to your TA when booking a new cruise to see if you qualify......No harm, no foul.

From the HAL Mariner website page.....for whatever it might be worth.... How quickly will my Cruise Day status be updated after I return from a cruise? Seven to ten days after your cruise or Cruisetour ends.

Looks like the answer is no.....from the Mariner Society page on the HAL website: Can I extend my benefits (such as the 25% or 50% discount at select food and beverage outlets) to shipmates? No. Benefits are intended for the personal use of the applicable guest and those sharing a stateroom with the guest on the same booking number. Not applicable to groups. Holland America Line reserves the right to limit benefits if necessary.

Please do not tell anyone but we head way down the beach early and keep walking past all the clamshell rental folks and other fellow passengers and we find nice beach chairs under the trees and if we are lucky, sometimes we enjoy the surcharge free hammocks......(last time was November 2022) Lugging beach equipment to the ship, off the ship, on the tenders, down the beach and reverse would not work for us.....We carry our HAL tote bag with our beach towels and suntan lotion and that's enough stuff for us. Enjoy HMC....it's paradise on planet Earth

From our experience in Verandah cabins.....when you walk in to the cabin it is bathroom, bed, sitting area, balcony....in that order from cabin door to the ocean......You are only a few paces from the bed to the potty. Enjoy the journey......

Me thinks that is a very positive sign.....My logic: the associate has reviewed and cannot find a reason to deny so had to send up a level for final decision and payoff. Thank you for keeping us updated.....I am rooting for you!

Embarkation Lunch choices based on our experience.....and the ship (some do not have all venues) MDR Lido Buffet Dive In Dutch Cafe NY Pizza Taco bar on Lido ....and yes, ordering our Dive In burgers (& NY Pizza if on your ship) on the app is very efficient especially when busy.....fetch your table and a drink and then it is ready for pick up and you pass by all the buzzer people leaning against the wall. No matter what is open, we have never gone without substance and lots of choices and it has been delicious. Enjoy the cruise........

@kazuyour memory is good! That's always been our experience as well.....(both get the welcome back OBC and one gets the CCL stock OBC) and was true as of our October 2023 cruise. Enjoy the free OBC......

We were on the Westerdam in October and on the Oosterdam in March and we enjoyed pizza at the lido buffet.

https://thepointsguy.com/guide/what-is-cruise-wave-season/#

Yep, we were on the Westerdam in October and we had fixed sitting. We were on the "upper level", deck 3/Promenade of the MDR. If you are looking for a table for two, I highly recommend the tables along the railing. Great views of the lower level and no nosy neighbors. Enjoy the Westerdam.....we did!

Both guests get the offer......Her Majesty and I both got the emails (actually each got them twice) after our 10/15/23 Westerdam dis-embarkation. It did take a few weeks for them to arrive. Seemed like it was later than usual for the emails to arrive. We've got a cruise booked in April and both of us qualified for the offer (from a previous sailing, not this most recent). I've learned from the wise folks here that you can always pass along the promo codes to your TA (ZPM or VPM) when you book the next cruise to see if you qualify. We hope to use the offer when booking during wave season.....I think the expiration date is late January. Enjoy the journey......

We booked our April 2024 & October 2024 cruises during the 2023 wave season......mid January....and those prices have turned out to be the lowest..... We have cruises picked out for 2025 and our plan is to wait a few weeks and book (hopefully based on prices) during wave season 2024. It's a crapshoot but based on past history, we seem to do well during wave season.......sometime Black Friday but not this year.

From my recent experience w/Flight Ease, I was able to book seats once I made final payment and then asked the TA to go ahead and request the air ticket......Then I could go in and find a seat. That was on Air Canada. On another previous trip, the flight was on British Air and they charge a fee for any seat requested in advance so we never requested seats and did just fine w/wherever they put us. If I had a question about getting confirmed seats, I'd direct it to my TA to handle.

Agree...and yes, love the free laundry........but for us, we are tile hoarders....We can't help it and probably need counseling but we HAVE TO HAVE OUR HAL TILES to continue on. Our storage room overflows with HAL tiles......back in the day we were guilty of taking tiles left on the tables after the Mariner's lunch.....It's an addiction. We obviously need help.