potatopotato

In the bottom right corner of a comment, there is a heart button that has different reactions. You can click that instead of commenting if you want to quickly send a like, thanks, or haha. When you get that "soandso reacted to a post" notification, it means someone hit that button on something you said.

I need to reschedule two dining reservations (for different times at the same restaurants). In the app and on the HAL website, I only have the option of cancelling and rebooking. I tried using HAL's chat, but the agent couldn't do anything and said to change it on board. Wondering if it is best to a) call their customer service instead, b) cancel and rebook if the new times I want are still available (worried about possible issues from booking with dining credits), or c) just wait until I'm on board. Thoughts or advice on this matter?

11 hours ago, richwmn said:

To some degree it will depend on the way the cruise was sold. If the cruise is only sold as a single cruise (say 7 or 14 days) without a turnaround the comic will have new material for each show. However, if what you are looking at is two cruises back to back, you will probably see the same material for each of the cruises.

For example:

Zuiderdam did a 7 day Christmas, followed by a 5 day New Year, then the World Cruise. A comic was aboard for the holiday cruises and the first part of the World. He did one night for each segment and the shows were pretty much the same.

Oh that is an excellent point! Our cruise is a single 7 day trip, but this is interesting info for the future!

I saw on a recent daily program that the comedian performed one night in BB Kings and one night on the World Stage. In general, do the comedians change their jokes for different venues? The title of the shows didn't indicate that the sets were different. Debating if it is worth going twice for our upcoming cruise (assuming the guy is funny).

For reference, this was Warren Hall on the Koningsdam. 

I was able to book dining 6 months out. I hadn't paid my final bill yet at that point. I was able to book both my free HIA reservation and a paid one as well.

I saw on the Ships at a Glance on the HAL website that there is a bar called Taste. Did that replace Blend?

18 hours ago, Ms. Alpha said:

On Koningsdam right now and was disappointed to not see the usual rotation of Lincoln Center Stage.We will have to wait and see if there are any classical show on the World Stage 

@Ms. Alpha I was curious about changes after dry dock. Is Blend now gone?

Check out the attached PDF. It was just updated at the beginning of April, and it comes from HAL's website. The Lincoln Center Stage has been removed from the previous PDF, but the other venues you mentioned are still listed.

hal-ships-at-a-glance-04-03-2023 (1).pdf

37 minutes ago, Torquer said:

Very interesting.  In all our years cruising with HAL we never came across this document before.  What web page did you find it on?  What I find most interesting are the few subtle differences between ships of the same class, that I didn't realize existed.

Here's the link: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/cruise-ships.html

The PDF is in the intro paragraph at the top

I attached the previous version here for reference

hal-ships-at-a-glance-12-27-22 (1).pdf

12 minutes ago, lissie said:

What is pickle ball? Is is an American thing? 

Definitely an American thing. It's basically mini tennis with a plastic ball. Super popular right now

Downloaded the PDF for Ships at a Glance and saw that it is a brand new update! There seem to be quite a few changes. Wondering if anyone knows what some of the new additions are. Here are my call outs:

• Taste is new under bars/lounges. Blend is gone. Curious if Taste will replace Blend or if it is something different.
• Art Studio and Game Room are new. Wonder what spaces those will occupy.
• Lincoln Center Stage is gone. We knew this was coming, but all ties to it have also been stripped from the website.

I'm sure I'm missing other changes, but these are some I noticed.

hal-ships-at-a-glance-04-03-2023.pdf

I noticed there is a daily program section in the app. Does this become available at the same time as the paper copies (i.e. the night before) or is it available in advance? Does the program in the app get updated if there are changes, or do you need to rely more on the paper copy? Curious to hear any thoughts on the paper vs digital option. Thanks!

Thank you everyone for all of the advice! You all have given us a ton of input and I really appreciate it. We have decided on the Allure, especially because we got it for a steal from our travel agent!

Considering a Mexico trip for my husband's 30th birthday on RCI. Torn between the West or East coast itineraries. I've only been to Cozumel for a college spring break trip, otherwise totally unfamiliar of the ports. Cost is very similar for itinerary and flights, so that is not a factor. The trip would be in October, so I'm concerned about hurricane season (not sure if this is a concern for just the East or both). The itineraries are below. Appreciate any advice on the itineraries or the ships!

Congrats on your big upcoming anniversary! Here are two big factors that lead us to choose Holland America for our Alaska trip this summer. They aren't HAL exclusives, but food for thought.

1. Glacier Bay as a stop. Everything I've read online said this was an absolute must do (I haven't been yet, but I trust Cruise Critic and other bloggers). Only Holland America, Princess, and a few select Norwegian ships are allowed to enter here.

2. Price for departure port. It was cheaper for us to fly to Vancouver and stay overnight than it was just to fly to Seattle. Not sure if where you are flying out of will be a factor for price, but Vancouver is generally cheaper to sail out of due to their port fees and whatnot that get baked into the price. This price difference alone will fund our excursions.

Thanks all! This has given me some good information to take into consideration

We chose Vancouver over Seattle mainly for the price. It was cheaper for us to fly to Vancouver and stay overnight than it was to go to Seattle. It was crazy, and the flights were almost the same length nonstop. Not sure if where you are flying out of will be a factor, but Vancouver is also generally cheaper to sail out of due to their port fees and whatnot that get baked into the price. This price difference alone will fund our excursions.

OP you truly made my day! I guess if you go in the winter and one is hibernating then you can pet it?

In all seriousness, the only time I've ever seen a "petable" grizzly was from an animal trainer who had it since birth and trained it for the movies. The ones in the sanctuaries and rehabs are all still considered to be wild animals.

Three main factors for why we chose the Koningsdam for a round trip cruise:

1. Glacier Bay. Everything I've read online said this was an absolute must do. Only Holland America, Princess, and a few select Norwegian ships are allowed to enter here

2. Price. It was cheaper for us to fly to Vancouver and stay overnight than it was to go to Seattle. Not sure if where you are flying out of will be a factor, but Vancouver is generally cheaper to sail out of due to their port fees and whatnot that get baked into the price. This price difference alone will fund our excursions

3. The Ship Itself. The thermal suite is supposed to be great, and the food is known to be top notch. Not to mention the great music entertainment. We don't have kids (yet) and wanted a quieter, more adult-oriented experience. While HAL does have kids clubs, it is a much less kid focused experience (thanks to the lack of waterslides and other activities). That being said, if you want all of those over the top activities like Boston mentioned, then this ship might bore you

My husband and I are taking our first trip to Alaska in June. We are docked in Skagway from 7am till 8pm. Since we are at port for so long, we really wanted to maximize our day and be off the ship as much as possible. Based on the costs of excursions, we could either take the train ride in Skagway and spend the rest of the day sightseeing in town or we could take the ferry to Haines and sightsee in both towns. Wasn't sure which would be best for us. I've heard great things about the train ride but wonder if it is worth it. We live in Colorado, so we often experience high vantage points on mountains from hiking and skiing that might make the train redundant to what we see at home. The ferry seems like a great opportunity to experience more views from the water, but I worry that Haines doesn't have much to do. Appreciate any advice!

Considering the 11 night trip on the Prima from Southampton to Reykjavik next year. Definitely want a balcony, but not sure if it's better to be on the port or starboard side (or if it doesn't matter). Looking at the map view of the itinerary, it seems like both sides have their advantages depending on where the stop is. Any advice?

1 hour ago, njsmom said:

what is the Tracy Arm excursion of which you speak? Sounds interesting

Here's the link to it: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/shore-excursions/TAC/83701.html

It takes you right from the ship at Tracy Arm and gets up close to the glaciers. It drops you back off in Juneau at 3ish

We decided on the Koningsdam out of Vancouver for next summer. What sold us was the itinerary. Booked the excursion to go into Tracy Arm, so that becomes a bonus extra stop before Juneau! I also like that it starts and ends in Vancouver. It made it easy to book flights, and traveling out of Vancouver is simple if you need to fly. Coming back from Vancouver gets us home much faster.

I saw in a comment from HAL on their Instagram that some itineraries for the Koningsdam in Spring 2023 were cancelled because the ship is going into dry dock. Any idea why?