FlaMariner

Fortunately, all of the current ships have a very reasonable laundry service that does not require you to haul your undies down the hall like in the dorm.

Two HAL cruises since the unpleasantness. Had the 72 hour health statement to complete online. No health statements at the pier. On one (Rotterdam, Amsterdam, 10/21) we were swabbed up the nose rather harshly by a very tall Dutch lady and we were only permitted onboard if we were Covid negative. On the other (NA, Port Everglades, 12/21) we had to submit our vaccine status and negative Covid tests. (I'm having a hard time visualizing anyone at the pier (or on the 72 hours statement) stating they are ill....Do people really check off "yes, I am here and I am sick?".....I'd be very curious as to how that plays out)

I'd probably prefer Oceania too but that's way above my pay grade...... Enjoy the Zuiderdam!

Don't tell anyone but we really like the VF's on deck 8 forward. Nice, quiet hideaway area and only one floor from the gym/spa and lido food! VQ's (spa deck 10) are nice and quiet also.....We had those once and we did not mind the smaller balcony. We never noticed that it was.......and again, only one floor from the gym/spa and lido food! Also, just to clarify the reference to VF to VQ...that's all categories in between those categories also, so the upsell offer they gave me was for anything above VH in the verandah category. Have fun with the deck plan!

Go to www.hollandamericaline.com Click "Already Booked" Click "Check in" Enter the data and off you go......the health forms are a part of "check in".

Nope. VH are the obstructed view ones, I believe. VF thru VQ are not obstructed.......

adding this to the mix..... We are on the NS 11/18 7 night..booked inside guarantee.....just called the upsell area.....was quoted $299 pp for non-obstructed view (VF thru VQ)...... The upsell price is more than we paid for the cruise.....LOL. No for now.

GOOD NEWS. Thanks for sharing.....just deleted my app!

NICE! when do you sail?

My understanding (and experience) is that if you buy a paid upgrade to a suite, your points are based on your original booking cabin. In your case, if you originally bought a signature suite, you should get double points.

Yep, this was a long time ago when we paid for the upgrade.......way before the "recent unpleasantness"......We learned two lessons: 1). the entry level suite is not worth the $$$ to us. 2) and no double Mariner points when you upsell....... When we make it to 5 stars on our bellies, we will know everything! LOL!

I learned the hard way that if you buy an upsell to the suite level, you do not get the double Mariner points.

14) The atrium was like being at the food court in the mall or the Cleveland Marriott lobby 15) Lido/pool deck is LOUD with movies and gambling stuff playing even during the day 16) hydro suite pool is tucked in the inner area of the ship with no windows....hyrdo pool not as good as Pinnacle HAL. not nearly as nice as HAL with the seating areas, windows, other features (ice bucket), etc.

Looking thru the Mariner list of benefits and yep, no more Mariner Lunch....that was up until recently, the Mariner Brunch.... Am I missing something? There is the "Mariner Society Welcome Onboard Lunch" which we all know is just the MDR being open for lunch on embarkation day. I'm fine with this. Minus the champagne, the Mariner Lunch was really just lunch in the MDR. Of course, we will miss the marathon race to mow everyone down to grab a table for two by the window.....And then there is the opportunity to swipe champagne from the empty tables. We are guilty of both. We live for our tiles so glad those are still included. Our hope is to one day tile all our bathrooms and kitchen with HAL Dutch tiles. 4,487 to go! LOL.

1) Had to beg nightly for fixed dining, same waiters. (we did it but wore us out) 2). No decent live music (even jazz club band was not what I call jazz) 3). Had to arrive at 11am if wanted to eat at the pizza restaurant (that was not as good as the rave reviews) 4). Room was sparse....balcony cabin with open closet, no furniture to sit on, smaller deck space 5). Lido buffet was a treasure hunt daily.....had to go here, there and yonder.....difficult to get eggs....slow service...could not grab coffee/water.....orange juice glasses were tiny....food not good. 6). no decent laundry package. dorm room DIY haul your undies down the hall. LOL. 7). Medallion to do stuff did not work......was a marketing joke IMO....Medallion pre cruise was a frustrating waste of time and energy I can never get back. 8). Key card is the size of a quarter....lost it on day 2 9). Pool deck does not have retractable wall...could not use when bad weather 10.) Lido burgers were like school carnival 11). Breakfast in the MDR had limited menu with just one daily special. 12). Internet did not work (lots of growling passengers) 13). Nowhere to walk when raining (no promenade walk around deck...tried it once and got reprimanded for being out there) That's off the top of my head.....I'm sure there are more.....This was from our Princess Sky TA in March. Staff was good.....but can't explain why but HAL staff is a notch above...that is there "secret sauce" in our opinion. ....nothing fits us better than Holland America Line.....We've sailed Carnival, Celebrity, NCL and Princess over the years and we know where home is for us.

We are now FREE TO CHOOSE....which is how interpret "highly recommended" Yahoo! Verify deleted. Cruising in November with no more foolishness!

Yahoo! My November cruise requires no more of the foolishness!!!!!! Deleting Verifly......good riddance...What a mess.

So I emailed Jack's Shack and got a quick answer back from Jack......all good: "Yes, tell the beach staff or bartender you are using credit card (not Discover) Jack"

Here is the HAL fine print from the online TA we use regarding HAL deposits.....Look likes there is quite a wide range...... Deposit and Final Payment Cruise Deposit Amount Alaska, Bermuda, Caribbean, Canada/New England, Europe, Mexican Riviera, Panama Canal and 16 to 18-day Hawaii voyages $350 to $2900 per person All other sailings, including holiday sailings, 30+ day transatlantic voyages and segments of 30+ day transatlantic voyages $350 to $2900 per person Note: Select promotions require full payment at the time of booking.

Our experience as well..... We "left the reservation" and cruised Princess last March....never again.

Good move and hope we get to see it on our upcoming cruises......

Do it! The kids will love it and family cruising creates the best memories ever.

FREE BEER

From our two cruises since the unpleasantness: We've gotten the coupons for the free Mariner Cocktail. It's a nice drink but not sure what it is. We could use the coupons anytime during our cruise. And we did. We've gotten an invite to the Mariners reception.....It was on embarkation day (at Billboard Onboard on one cruise and the Crow's Nest on another) and involved getting a free drink of which we did enjoy. We have 3 Stars on our bellies so, according to the Mariner benefits chart, we will no longer be invited to the Mariners reception but we will still be granted the free Mariner Cocktail coupon. I'm good with whatever and glad to be boarding a 'dam ship. For those that want to read the fine print, this is the Mariner benefit chart that spells this out....as well as all the other Mariner benefits by belly stars. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/mariner-society.html

Nope but makes sense...LOL. oh well........no wonder it doesn't already exist.