Dutchman48

Agree. Have also stayed there. You will enjoy the and the area around it.

No. We typically booked through flight ease and arrive two days early and booked our transfer with HAL. All we ever do is when we arrive look for a HAL rep and ask what time we should check in for the transfer on cruise day. On the few occasions we did not see a rep when we have arrived early, we just show up at the airport between 8 and 9.

Yes, That is what my wife and I are doing. Yes, there are cheaper ways, but I find it less stressful to let Holland take care of me. We stay at the Airport as we find it is easy to get around the city from there during our pre cruise days. Just prebook the transfer so they have you on the list at the airport.

Agree. There are no ports available on the ships TV to connect to. Also, to the best of my knowledge the turn off the blue tooth and Wi-Fi connections.

No. The only thing that effects points are: 1 Days Cruising (1 point per day) 2.On Board Spending ( 1 point per day for each $300 spent on board) 3. Bonus (1 point per day if you are in a suite) HAL's web site has a good explanation on it web site. Below is a PDF of what you get for each star. Mariner Society Amenities.pdf

They announced a possible hit of 10 million due to the Bridge collapse in Baltimore. They will be home porting out of Norfolk till further notice.

Was told on last cruise that menus seen on cruise pre cruise are the generic fleet menu. The actual daily menus on the ship can vary slightly depending on where they are sailing and what is available at the time of sailing. I will say I find the sample menus a good representation of what you will see on the cruise. There are usually a few local specialties added to their standard fare.

Wife and I did the 39-day version last year and loved it. Based on that experience we booked the 30-day Japan collector voyage across the Pacific this year. Others have answered your question pretty good. The longest stretch 6-days at sea was after leaving Hawaii. We found there was plenty to do but was glad when we hit Vancouver.

On similar cruise. Received the same email for our cruise (30- Day Japan and Pacific Crossing) and assume it has something to with Japan or our stop in S. Korea as we have never been asked to two have two copies of passport. As for the rest of the email they have always recommended you make a copy of your passport as a backup if you loose it.

Had Military credit on both cruise last year. Did have to go through Sheer ID last year, like others I had submitted my military info a long time ago, just needed to comply with new system. All I do is tell my TA to have the credit applied at time of booking. Have three cruises pending and credit is visible on each. Only complaint I have is HAL does not show a breakdown off credits just a total for each person. Not hard to figure out as wife's shows what come with booking and mine has the add extras (military & shareholders).

Like others have said we have not seen behind the scenes advertised on any of our cruises since the pandemic. We did get to take a tour on a recent cruise but that was set up as part of a tour package for a large group booked by travel agency.

Have not fished in Norway but have fished in other places. As I like to Fly Fish, I found contacting a guide service in the region I am going for help makes life easier. Also, after bringing all my gear to Australia and Germany I found it was easier to get a guide that would provide the right equipment for the fish we were going after. Not sure what type of fishing you do but link below explains about permits. Fly fishing in Norway | Where and how to fly fish (visitnorway.com)

Have found it by the ice-cream station at lunch time on almost every cruise I have taken with HAL. To me it is the best desert on the ship as I will have it most days(even go up to lido for it if we have lunch in the MDR)

Have stayed in multiple Neptune suites on both Vista and Panicle class ships and enjoyed the immensely. That being said on the Zaandam and Voleendam we opt for the vista suite as the cost differential between the two is more than I am willing to pay. Would consider an upgrade offer but not at the price we see at time of booking.

I totally agree. There is a significant up charge to pick a specific room. If they change my room to any other room without my consent, I expect the upcharge refunded. I understand utilizing their cabins as efficiently as they can and have no problem with not showing certain available when they open up bookings. However, once they open up rooms to everyone any reason for a room change should be explained to the customer and agreed to.

Have used them in the past when I want to print out something such as may on board statement.

Wife and I have lunch in the MDR about 50% of the time on embarkation day. I will say that most times it is not well attended, so I can see the logic of using the manpower elsewhere on such a hectic day. Will miss the quite mealtime especially on turn over days of a B2B cruise, but if it helps with making embarkation day smoother it's a good move.

ON a recent B2 B booking we saw different cabins available for the different legs at time of booking. Our TA saw the same options and was not able to get HAL to give us one room (of our choice) for the entire cruise. We booked separate rooms for each 14-day segment and asked out TA to keep an eye out for when HAL unblocked the rooms. About the time final payment was due she notified me I could have one of the rooms we booked for the whole cruise. Moving cabins between cruises is doable, but an inconvenience for both the passenger and crew. So I was not surprised HAL reached out to us prior to assigning guaranteed rooms.

It is usually reapproved as part of the annual meeting. Stock Perks may have requested it to fall in line with the calendar year to simplify things.

Like others have said the standard Letherman is a no go, sometimes it gets passed through most times not. My work around was to switch to the Leatherman micra, i lost the pliers but have the other tools. No issues with any screening since i switched to it over 10 years ago.

It has been my experience if you choose the higher package, there is no issue. I normally get the Cellar No. 3 and have had no problems selecting a wine from a different package. Also suggest waiting to you board to purchase your package. This has two advantages. First is due to supply or area sailing wines in package can vary. The second is you can speak to the wine steward on available wines as well as confirming you can get a wine from a different package.

Have been on both ships and enjoyed them. As others have said the cost difference is due to ship size and number of balconies. Since you mentioned an Ocean view over a Balcony I would lean towards the Zaandam. The ease of access and the number of outside viewing areas is better.

Third time isa charm.

Have booked both ways, and each has pros & cons. Aft: Loved the aft on an Alaska cruise for the big balcony, had both aft view and port side view. Negative more noise, motion and vibration. Size difference was noted but not an issue. Near Lounge: Our overall preference. Less motion (close to center0, noise, and vibration. As I feel the coffee in the lounge is the best on the ship, being close to the lounge is a plus. My advice is unless your itinerary is cruising based ( Alaska, Norway Fjords), closer to the center of the ship would be better.

As others have said you have plenty of viewing spaces. Was on the Zaandam in a balcony cabin last year going around Iceland. After seeing how many observation places were around the ship we opted for an ocean view cabin for an Alaska cruise this August, rather spend the extra money on excursions. With the easy access to outside platforms all over the ship you should be fine with an inside cabin.