renee00

The library on the Rotterdam in August was excellent! There were lots of books I was interested in, although I ended up just reading from (and donating to) the book exchange.

I really liked the Ocean Bar. The staff were very helpful and conscientious. They made sure to always clarify how the beverage package worked and with what drinks you'd pay extra.

How weird, my page looks the same except there are no ONBOARD STATEMENT links. There's just nothing other than the list of past cruises. I had always wondered why HAL didn't seem to make account statement available, and now I'm wondering even more why they're only available to some people!

We got the offer for a cruise in August 2025! Definitely not doing final payment this soon for $100.

My soy allergy is very mild and I can have small amounts without setting it off. I haven't had any problems in the different dining venues, although I haven't tried Tamarind or the sushi place. I would love to hear if they can accommodate soy allergies.

Adding an update here: we just booked a cruise for the 3 of us. It included HIA for guests 1 and 2. My PCC told me that we aren't required to buy HIA or a beverage package for guest 3. Although we could add it on for $50/day. I hope this stays correct because it wouldn't be cost-effective for us to do so (my dad doesn't drink very much at all).

Oh neat! I'm eyeing that 7 day Rotterdam to Reykjavik itinerary.

Yeah, I would say that was the biggest negative for us. We loved the fact that HAL dealt with all the logistics but we didn't care for how controlled everything was.

Yes, but that was with regular stops, so not 8 hours of driving time. This was also a year with major road problems (it was completely impassable right before our trip), so I don't know if it takes less time when the road is in better shape.

Here were my experiences a few months ago doing the Y4L cruisetour. We loved it overall!

For what it's worth, we were able to do Whatsapp video calls with the HIA Surf Wi-Fi. I don't know if FaceTime is blocked like some streaming apps, but we had no problems with Whatsapp.

We did chocolate surprise a month ago on the Rotterdam. A lot of different chocolate covered things, like nuts and fruit. Some clusters of white chocolate covered crunchy things (that looked like the photo from @Crew News). Most was good but not very special, although there was a lot of it so everyone had as much as they wanted. There was also an absolutely outstanding mini chocolate cupcake. It was perfect with intense chocolate taste and a delicious heavy chocolate frosting. All that chocolate plus an excellent BB King's band made for a fun evening.

I have no clue. It wasn't overly packed with people when we arrived (there were 2 groups of 50 ahead of us waiting to get in line, and empty seats for another 2-3 groups of 50), and it seemed like a reasonable wait to get through. I thought it was a very efficient embarkation.

I had a 12:30 assigned check-in time in Amsterdam last month, with an 11am hotel checkout time. Our hotel was a bit further away, and we arrived at the port around 12. They were taking around 50 people at a time to get into the check-in line, so by the time we got to check-in it was right around 12:30. Check-in took 5 minutes, no line at security, and then we walked right on board. So keep in mind that you'll want to arrive a bit early anyway, as the bottleneck part was getting to the check-in.

I had some ticketing issues with FE a few months ago, and my PCC took care of it quickly.

Oh wow, that was a great price for the 3rd person. This gives me hope for whenever I book this future cruise I'm planning!

Does anyone know how HIA works with 3 adults in one cabin? I can't find anything on HAL's website about this situation. I understand that if you purchase the cruise with HIA included, it's only for guests 1 and 2. Is the 3rd person then required to buy a beverage package? Can that 3rd person purchase HIA at the $50/day add-on rate? If only guests 1 and 2 have HIA and book the included specialty dining reservations, can guest 3 be added to those reservations by paying for them?

The basic requirement for men is a collared shirt and slacks. No jacket/tie required.

I posted a short review of my experiences a couple of weeks ago. I really enjoyed the meal. It was fun to try so many different kinds of things, and my mom and I sampled each other's choices too.

Yes, I've had no trouble reserving the MDR for whatever nights I want. Although it's usually only 5pm that they offer, not 5:30pm. My last cruise, a few weeks ago, they even let us keep the same wonderful window table and waiter. I made the reservations as soon as we boarded (no line at the dining reservation table), but requested the same table after the first dinner.

Have a great cruise!

That's my favorite too!

It was Werner Timmers. I hope I get to cruise with him again.

Day 8: Amsterdam We did a quick Lido breakfast before disembarking around 9. I probably shouldn't have been surprised that most of the ship decided to disembark at the same time (there definitely weren't many early birds on this cruise!). It was a long line wrapping through the music walk, but it moved steadily. The captain and senior crew were there to wish every single guest goodbye, which I thought was very sweet. This was the most involved ship captain I've ever seen. We then needed to kill the day in Amsterdam before checking into the Sheraton at the airport. We dropped our luggage in lockers at the train station. I've got to warn everyone: these were the most convoluted lockers I've ever seen. The system was baffling and there were no clear instructions anywhere. But we persevered and finally set off with our bags safely stowed. Saturday in Amsterdam in August was complete chaos, so packed everywhere. We decided to visit the palace, and that ended up being quite the treat. It was a fascinating tour that you followed on a audio headset as you went from room to room. We greatly enjoyed learning about the history and the amazing artwork there. Then we did some final shopping, successfully retrieved our luggage, and took a train to the airport hotel. The Sheraton is nice, with large rooms, and very conveniently located at the airport. Tomorrow is home! Thanks for following along with my trip, everyone!

Our instructions say self-assist is from 7:15-9:15am. Enjoy your cruise!