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4 hours ago, Djptcp said:

My husband said the last time we were on the Rotterdam the library was gone. We are sailing on her this Sunday and wonder if anyone lately has seen a library on the Rotterdam again? We will bring our own paperbacks and my Kindle has new books downloaded, so we will be set. Just curious about the Rotterdam.

 

As a retired Librarian I am happy to see support for our libraries. They are for everyone and free.

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.

1 hour ago, richwmn said:

Note the link "ONBOARD STATEMENT (PDF)

click on that and you will see your final statement.

YMMV

 

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.

2 hours ago, Chips401 said:

After reading your review, the land trip sounds very regimented.  We may rethink our plans.  We were planning on the tour Y3c. Not crazy about the early mornings and long bus rides

 

 

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.

6 minutes ago, Chips401 said:

Am I correct in reading the bus ride between Whitehorse and Dawson was 8 hours?  

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!

5 hours ago, isosika said:

I've been looking at Wi-Fi for our upcoming 21-day.  HIA is $2100 for the 2 of us but only includes the Surf W-Fi package.  We would like the Premium Wi-Fi package (FaceTime with grandkids).  Is there a way to upgrade to the Premium Wi-Fi if we decide on HIA?

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.

6 minutes ago, badtwin said:

Could it possibly be there is a bottleneck because too many won't wait until assigned check-in time?

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.

41 minutes ago, VermeulT said:

I dealt with this on my recent March cruise.  We paid for HIA for the first two in the cabin at time of booking.  Later I could add HIA for the 3rd person for $200 (7 day Caribbean cruise) through the website.  With the 1 x $100 in shore excursion and 1 x Pinnacle plus wifi and regular drink package it was a no brainer.

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.

11 hours ago, bajae said:

Is it possible to reserve a time in advance with anytime dinning? For example, have a two top reserved at 5:30 each night?

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.

25 minutes ago, Trish Traveler said:

Thanks so much for the great review!  We will be enjoying this same itinerary in two weeks!

Have a great cruise!

9 hours ago, oakridger said:

 

You didn't ask me specifically but for special occasions Veuve Clicquot is my favorite champagne! 

 

 

That's my favorite too!

4 hours ago, CNSJ said:

Who was the Captain?

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!

24 minutes ago, badtwin said:

If you have time to notice, what is the earliest time one may self-disembark in Amsterdam?,   I need to book a cab for a ride to the airport and I was wondering how early I could schedule it. 

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