FlaMariner

I am the OP.....our Oosterdam cruise is now T minus 9 days and no port changes thus far. News reports (or lack of news reports) indicates things have simmered down in Peru and other ships have been docking. We are "locked and loaded"......ready for our first trip to South America.

It's true....we've been awakened to the captain talking to us very loudly in our bedroom......I forgot the issue but for emergencies, you will hear it loudly and clearly in the stateroom.

Understood. Enjoy the journey!

Me thinks the binoculars sitting next to the the coffee machine would be non-existent for those of us in steerage......Me thinks those perks (binoculars and coffee machines) are only for suite folks?

Not us. We began with HAL when the kids were pre teens and they preferred it over our previous numerous Carnival cruises. They are now late 20's and have earned 2*s and they now choose HAL on their own. Also, our Thanksgiving Nieuw Statendam cruise was full of multi generation families...as were we. It was good to see...Lots of kids and they never bothered us.

It is. Never would I ever order/eat/fix pea soup......except on HAL. It really is delicious and they know how to make it great. Even if you think you would never eat your peas, I suggest you try it on the ship.

A FREE upgrade.....Very nice and enjoy the Nieuw Amsterdam.....she is a fine lady.

We spent two weeks on the Nieuw Statendam in November and enjoyed it all....Ship was spotless, service as great as ever and we enjoyed the food.....Billboard Onboard, Rock Room and the movies on lido deck were our favorite evening events.....Check out the thermal suite if you are into that. Have fun

OK, dumb question....but can I get the directions on how I would add a screen print to a post? Thanks!

That's what we do....We rarely buy anything pre-cruise and then we have gift cards credited to our OBC account once onboard by visiting guest services (we bought a bunch of gift cards when they had the 10% bonus).

Exactly^ We've done this as well.....easy. Just have everyone go to guest services first thing when boarding and get everybody the key card they will need.

The refund policy for shore excursions..... ....from the HAL website, this: Cancellations for pre-paid tours are allowed up to 3 days prior to cruise embarkation and will be refunded to the credit card used for the purchase. If within 3 days of embarkation, all changes/cancellations must be done onboard the ship and refunds will be applied to your onboard account. If the credit is not fully utilized during the cruise, the balance will be paid to that passenger by the ship's Purser at the end of the voyage. If cancellation occurs onboard after the cancellation deadline for specific shore excursions, a 100% cancellation fee will apply. and then this if HAL cancels...again from the website: In the rare instance that tours are cancelled by Holland America Line or the tour operator, the full amount will be refunded within four to six weeks after the voyage ends. My interpretation from all this is that the refund would go back to the original form of payment (gift card) unless within 3 days of embarkation and then handled onboard via onboard account....but perhaps you may want to call the shore excursion number and ask if this is vital to know.

Thank you!...looks like a good month for Holland America Line.....

Tried but obviously failed in attempting to post a screen print of HAL Caribbean 7 night cruises for the remainder of March into April....Most were listed "sold out" with just a few available.

Does this look like they are struggling for passengers for 7 night cruises? Prices are not cheap either. (I realize this is anecdotal but the comment made me look) SoldOUts.pdf

So we have a "universal adapter" that reminds me of a rubics cube and it worked in Europe.....So that should be good for Chile?

Log into the Barclays card site, go to "rewards and benefits" center go to "redeem my points" go to "redeem now" if you want stuff like thermal suite, pinnacle dinner etc or go to "statement credit" if you have HAL charges on your statement and you want to use the points for a "statement credit"

For us, I cannot make the math work..... We do not want/need internet, we do not use HAL shore excursions, we are fine with the surcharge free food/dining, we are fine with surcharge free coffee and we enjoy our mariner discount for the wine package and happy hour drinks...... But everyone needs to get out a pencil and figure out if it is a good value........And glad we have choices.

I have the card. I've had it for many years. We've stopped using it because the redemption value is lower than other cards. It is easy to redeem....and the best redemption amounts are when you use it to purchase a HAL cruise or HAL onboard account because you use the card to buy and then you go in after it posts and you can redeem the points as a credit to the card account. Here's the chart from Barclays regarding the best redemption values......You have to spend a lot to get the highest return for points on a cruise...and the highest amount is only 2.5%. I so wish they would increase the value and if so, it would be my card for everything. As it goes right now, BofA gives me more cash back when I buy a HAL cruise than the Barclays HAL card offers. Holland America Line cruise transactions with a value of $4,001 or more offer the best redemption value. For example, 200,000 points may be redeemed for a $5,000 statement credit toward an eligible Holland America Line purchase. Holland America Line purchase amount ($50 or greater) within last 180 days = Redemption points value $50 to $499.99 = 1% $500-$1,499.99 = 1.25% $1,500-$2,000.99 = 1.50% $2,001-$4,000.99 = 2% $4,001+ = 2.50%

We prefer fixed dining because: no lines, no packed elevators, no packed passages...... we simply go to our table and the iced tea is waiting, the not finished wine from the night before is waiting and I'm welcomed back. Also, the waiter knows it is ok to take my order first as Her Majesty takes a while to make a decision. When it is dessert time, the coffee comes without asking. On day 1 in the afternoon, we take a short visit to the MDR and find our table so on day 1, we go straight to the table. We enjoy fixed dining because we never have to wait or stand in line and it is efficient with the great wait staff....Plus, they are fun to get to know. Glad we have choices and YMMV!

It's on my cruise confirmation from the TA.

You do put down the persons name and cabin number.....and then by the time we are home, there is an email receipt with the info...and you can see it on the Holland online account. All linked. I'm not certain how tight the controls are regarding other folks getting a FCD but perhaps others might come along w/better info......It's worth finding out.

My understanding is YES, they do have to be onboard. (We were on the NS over Thanksgiving with the adult kiddos so I bought FCD's for all and have no idea when we will use them but we will....eventually)

It's an awesome service....to add based on our experience. Ask the room steward for a couple of extra forms and bags when he introduces himself on day 1....So that nothing stops you from sending another bag in.....We get into a routine of sending it out daily.....and sometimes twice especially right before they cut you off near the end of the cruise. Not required at all but we do toss a couple of dollar bills in our dirty clothes bag for those folks in the laundry room. We never add any comment on how we need our laundry done and whatever they do works great for us. The "business case" for us is such that we each only travel with a carry on suitcase w/4or 5 changes of clothes only and "rinse and repeat". Makes packing and traveling so easy. It took Her Majesty a time or two to adjust to that but she is now a believer and advocate. If you are not the spouse who usually does the laundry, do not say "honey, I really like the way they do the laundry and was wondering when we get back home if you would like to fold it like this, wrap it in tissue and put it in a basket with a thank you note?" That will not go over well. And finally, after our next cruise we will have 4 stars on our belly and thus free laundry is within our grasps. We will celebrate this noble achievement with a glass of wine from Sommelier Package #1 at 50% off once we board that first 4* cruise! Enjoy the cruise and the laundry service!

So on our Thanksgiving Nieuw Statendam cruise, the blackjack minimum was $25 until my two kids (20 somethings) and I walked past an empty blackjack table and said "the minimum is too high" and the head lady behind the counter called us back and opened it up as $10 minimum. We had a blast playing...It did not take us long to loose our money but it was very cool sitting at the black jack table with my adult kids. I was most appreciative for them opening up the table to take our money. LOL.