Dobby36

Thanks for sharing the article, @TLCOhio ! we picked the Ritz Carlton for our stay in a few months, primarily for its location with views of the bay and steps from Raffles. Looking forward to exploring. The JW sounds like an excellent option too!

Tagging @AllTheSun for the report back, as requested. See post above!

OK, I feel a bit sheepish. While I still contend that the info sent ahead by HAL was skimpy on details, the process couldn’t have been more intuitive. There is ample signage, all the way into the nearby city streets which directs folks to “zuiderdam, 30” or “zandam”. the boarding and Check in was smooth, and quick. Multiple folks checked to ensure we didn’t have our “Z” ships mixed up. All the Uber and taxis seemed to stream in and out as if they knew exactly where to go. We walked from the Manoir Morgan, across the street from the Frauntenauc (spelled wrong, I know) and it was all downhill less than a mile and easy even with large rolling luggage. We could see the shop from blocks away. HAL also provides a free shuttle to the edge of town to get you out of the industrial/port area if you prefer. It stops at the drawbridge and runs to the terminal every 10 mins or so. We took it venturing back out to town and then walked in on the return with no problems.

Thanks for all the pics and info. We are going to check out of our hotel and make our way down to her in a couple hours - the live preview got us so excited to get on!

Agree, there are no fees as long as you cycle money through the tables or slots in sufficient amounts related to what you charge your room account. I’ve often used it somewhat as an atm…but after a dozen rounds at the roulette wheel in the hopes of doubling my “atm withdrawal” 😛 the amount lost/gambled needn’t be in the thousands to garner good discounts on future cruises or free rooms. I’ve often (and my mother, partner, friends sailed with) gotten some freebies and future offeres or discounts and none of us would be considered high rollers in a land casino. I assume more helps, however!

To me, It’s clear as mud! Haha From our roll call and the port site we know Zuiderdam is slated to be at 30. But we also read it seems that could be behind a secure area that you get to after a terminal checkin process somewhere else nearby? I also see this on the port site that says it’s accesible by foot and taxi,..

They have a “premium” seat class that’s closer to the front of the plane than economy, is slightly more legroom, offers a free alcoholic drink during drink service (when available) and slightly earlier boarding. It’s generallly a good value but obviously not first class. Bag fees are waived if you book with An Alaska card, (they have a good companion fare in card too) or if you are AA oneworld elite. they are my fav domestic airline, but I’m biased as they have service from San Diego’s newer terminal and are the only carrier flying nonstop to my most frequent destination.

so nice to see this, as I will be on next week! Yay. im not a huge techie, but I noted your screenshot says “sever:Seattle” Do you know if that means you get the US version of websites onboard? The reason I ask is on past cruises when booking a new one onboard, I can’t get info from HALs site, as it defaults to the EU/German HAL site no matter what I try. Which results in me having to compare all voyage options with those flimsy paper printouts from the future cruise folks LOL(and lacking pricing!)

When we got off there last a couple years ago there were so many folks handing flyers for $free play and the casinos were easy to find and well,armed along the main strip to the right when exiting the port area. Not sure I recommend one over another. We tried three throughout the day, they all has ship crew there spending money like proverbial sailors in port! All were moderately sized, and quite smoky. But fun times had to be sure.

Thank you! I was looking forward to the cooler temperatures up north but my weather app has so many days showing 80-plus! Oh well, excited nevertheless and thankful for HAL superb laundry in the event of some sweaty days! 😄

I would check out the South America board, as it looks like you are doing a SA circumnavigation from FLL. There’s lots of info there on tours to see penguins, things to do in Buenos Aires, Lima, etc. You may also get value from the Panama Canal forum. we cruised South America with HAL earlier this year and enjoyed penguin excusión to Bluff Cove on the Falkland Islands but there are many. If you are using the web browser to “manage my trip” on the HAL website, you can read reviews of past cruisers experiences with HALs official excursions. The descriptions in the navigator app don’t provide reviews. I take them with a grain of salt but they are helpful. since you are only a few months out I wouldn’t delay, especially in the Falklands or other popular places where vehicles and guides may limit tour capacity, so best of luck and get to reserving! 😉

I second the recommendation of that tour team. We had a lovely experience with them. i didn’t stay in Valparaiso, stayed in Santiago. But I think it was the better choice. Valparaiso was a bit on the rougher side. Certainly felt safe in the daytime with a guide but not sure I would have wanted to venture out alone after dark. In Santiago I would (and did) as it was a gleaming, bustling city at least from the experience in the area we stayed in (Las Condes) earlier in 2023.

We used this company in March. They were fab. https://puertosanantoniotours.com guide was great, made multiple winery stops and had lunch along t he way. Also did some walking in Valparaiso for the street art and he was full of interesting facts and knew nice overlooks and haggled with us to get better pricing from street vendors, etc. was able to accommodate multiple hotel drop offs or airport drop offs from our one van at end of day. We organized a group through our roll call.

and there have been quotes from CCL leaders to the same point: https://thepointsguy.com/news/carnival-corporation-cruise-ship-orders-on-hold/

Same! Appreciate the photos and notes. We will be on the same ship next month. Well, next week actually!

We had dinner with a couple who forgot to print their boarding pass and couldn’t get the app to work on their phones during the last cruise. They said it was a matter of just waiting for a supervisor or someone to come and help the check in agent figure out what to print from their end and verify identification. that leads me to believe it wouldn’t be the end of the world, it obviously happens somehow. But perhaps be prepared to wait a bit longer at embarkation.

The bar code will also show up on the navigator app, if you’ve logged in and accessed your booked there. No printing required!

I would have the same concerns and either have a back up plan, or added cushion time in case you need to be bussed, etc.

I agree. I don’t think the rise of such incidents on land (at least in US) tends to translate 1:1 to cruise ship environments because of the general secure nature of travel by ship, and likely also the passenger demographic. I suppose depending on port calls the experience could vary wildly but even then I imagine it would be isolated incidents when risk has been invited into the equation, not a targeted tragedy like we’ve seen at gay bars, pride events and house who display the pride flag, etc 😞

@NanaJPB even better! It’s one block down but much nicer and newer. Enjoy

I got that “high volume” auto-reply email too, when I submitted mine earlier this month. For me, they still replied in one business day. Hopefully they will for you too!

i still see the article about it on HAL site: https://www.hollandamerica.com/blog/recent-articles/whats-new/onboard-credit-offer-for-aarp-members/ to find the page where you verify AARP status, hit “cruise deals” from the top menu bar, then select “community appreciation offers” or click here: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/cruise-deals/community-appreciation-cruise-offers It’s there along with military deal, teacher, etc.

FWIW, I was on the same ship a few months ago and there were toilet issues. Luckily (maybe because of highest floor?) ours seemed just to not flush well/lose pressure, and nothing foreign certainly came back up thank goodness! However, I distinctly remember the charming Captain making a joke to the effect of “sorry to those of you who’ve had plumbing issues. Oosterdam, she’s an older lady. And those of us who are older often are familiar with such plumbing troubles” or something to make light of it during his captains talk. He was being funny, but did acknowledge it and apologize. This was late March. I hope they are doing their best until the October dry dock can provide a fuller fix, but obviously there are issues. As others have said it could be quite local due to foreign objects disposed of too.

https://eatsleepcruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Pinnacle-Grill-Lunch-Menu.pdf try this link above. The best part is that the items are largely different than the dinner offerings so it’s something different to explore. I can reccomend the burger, the Cioppino, and the prawn appetizer! (My Pictures are from Oosterdam this spring: cheese plate for dessert, Cioppino, and prawn starter)

Thanks for sharing the brunch menu! I’ve only seen it offered once on my trips, and I forget why it wasn’t ideal to make it there for us that day so I’ve never been. Lots of interesting options that stray from the usual breakfast and lunch offerings! Impressive.