JeannyJ

We've finally reached the big

Time to get shopping!!

A very newbie question, I know! We got the HIA for our Alaska cruise (on Volendam) in July, and I was wondering how it works. We got it primarily for juice at breakfast, pop with our meals and specialty coffees on cool days. I know we get 15 drinks a day with it but how do the waiters/baristas know not to charge us? This is never part of vlogs about drink packages and I'd like to not look like a total noob and hold up the process when ordering. My husband thinks I should just wait and learn as we go but there are some surprises I don't care to have. In my books it's ok to know as much as you can going into something as big as a cruise.

It's final payment day AND we are FINALLY in the double digits!!

LOL I won't need more reason to sleep in but a comfy bed with pillows that don't aggrivate my allergies will add to my desire to be lazy!

Thanks. I found an online store that sells HAL bedding and it says the pillows are goose down but the duvets are immitation. So I thought I better ask the people who'd know for sure. And I've thought about bringing my pillow but we have a few stops before getting getting to Vancouver (we live 2 provinces away) and I don't want to risk leaving it behind somewhere or having it get lost with our suitcase *knock on wood*.

So I've been climbing through posts and can't find anything newer than about 2010. So I'm going to ask, as a newbie, what kind of bedding do they use on HAL ships? I'm really allergic to feathers and would rather not keep my husband and neighbors awake snoring or worse yet have to sleep on the loveseat or sitting up. I'll have Benadryl with me but I'd really love it if their pillows and bedding are hypoallergenic! We're going to Alaska July 12-19 on the Volendam.

I have the same mobility trouble as your clients and we are going to Alaska on the HAL Volendam in July, sailing out of Vancouver. Holland America has a unique ability to dock closer than bigger lines because of the size of their ships and how long they've been sailing to Alaska (70+yrs). In Skagway we're docking closer to the cruise terminal because of this and the same for our stops in Juneau and Ketchikan. HAL is also one of the lines to be able to tour in Glacier Bay (Volendam will have 9hrs there). They have accessible rooms in all of the room categories but they can go quickly. We booked in January and were lucky to get the last abulatory accessible ocean view room. HAL and Princess have been sailing to Alaska the longest and often have special perks and permissions because of this so I would check both lines for the itinerary they want and then talk to the cruise line directly to find out about what accessible rooms and excursions they have available.

It does, thank you! We're celebrating our 25th anniversary on board, and it's our first trip without our kids in about 17yrs so I want to be sure we can enjoy the cruise without our usual trip concerns.

I have been doing all kinds of searches to see if I can find any posts about how HAL ships are for big and tall passengers. My husband, and I, will be on the Volendam in July and as excited as we already are we're a little nervous about how accomodating HAL ships are for for people like us. He's a tall guy and has basically accepted he'll have to duck in the shower and that his feet will hang off the end of the bed, and as a large person I'm expecting bruises from theatre seats with narrow seats and arms that don't move, and dining room/buffet seating that is the same. I know lots of cruise lines have adjusted their rooms and seating to make their ships more accessible for larger people but I can't find anything about the Volendam or HAL in general. Am I in for a cozy/tight trip to Alaska or will we be ok?

We're going to be on the Volendam, in July, for our 25th anniversary and I am wanting to decorate our door too. I am thinking of doing something simple with our names for all week, and something a little more special for our big day. I haven't gotten a straight answer about the door being metal or not yet so am taking some command hooks just in case. I don't want to cause a scene with anything too showy but I am proud to be celebrating 25 yrs with my husband and have no problem letting others know! I say have fun, and decorate away 😊 As long as it lays flat to the door, or wall, and isn't a fire hazard you should be good to go.

I think we'll see what our TA can dig up when we make our final payment next month. I'd also like to book our flights with her too but we'll see the trip our kids will be taking at the same time is causing some headaches at the moment.

We're going to Alaska and as much as I'd love to renew at one of our stops (we're in Juneau for 1/2 day on our anniv) it wouldn't seem fare to do that much without our kids. And HAL has a renewal package that will get all that too but unfortunately we can't afford it so I'm trying to come up with other ideas to make the day special beyond eating at one of the specialty dining rooms. Our kids will get us the Happy Anniversary package that comes with flowers, balloons and photo credits and I'm hoping I can get the chaplain to do the renewal for free (or cheaper at least) some place nice on the ship ... hopefully at sunset. I'm hoping our TA was able to dig up some ideas too 🤞

Yeah the prices made me a little concerned when I was looking yesterday. I did see the YWCA hotel listed on trivalgo so I'll have to take a closer look. We were really hoping to not spend a whole lot of money before the cruise so for sure looking for a room below $300 (under $200 if we can) so we can afford to still get a cab to the port if we have to and make a run to Walmart or a convenience store for stuff we don't want to take on the plane.

We're sailing out of Van, on the Volendam, in July. We live in Saskatchewan, but will be flying to Van from Calgary the day before we sail (or I want us to) and we need a place to stay. I would love to be able to stay at the Pan Pacific or one of the Fairmonts but we just can't afford it. Is there such a thing as a hotel downtown, or near the airport, that's affordable and has a shuttle service to the cruise terminal? If we can't find one we'll be flying in at 7 am the day we leave and taking a cab to the terminal hours before we have to be there.

@lobsternightthanks for the chaplain idea. I'll have to see if there's one on our ship and if they'll do it. I'm finding cruising on a budget to be very limiting LOL Like finding a hotel in Van that we can afford and that has a shuttle to the cruise terminal. 🤔

That will be a wonderful way to finally get your wedding! We can't afford that package so I'm hoping we can still find a way to do a renewal without it. If not we still have a really good day planned and hopefully we can get a pic taken along the railing at sunset or something romantic like that.

Yeah I knew it has to be flat and held on with a magnet. That's part of the reason I'm having trouble nailing something down. I've seen lots of pics on Google and Pinterest of doors that have stuff on the frames and even hanging from the ceiling for celebrations. But I'm not really interested in something more than a simple sign on the door with our names and anniversary. I've got magnets of whales, etc for notes and stuff that will be used in our room, and have my eye on a white board for the door the rest of the week but I want to make our anniversary special in case the crew doesn't actually get the message.

We would love to but it's just outside of our budget. Our TA said she'd tell HAL about our anniv and see if there's a way we could do a renewal without the package but so far we haven't heard back from her. We are planning to have a renewal ceremony at some point but it'll probably have to wait until our whole family is home at the end of the summer ... our kids are travelling at the same time we are.

Our first cruise is in July (Alaska 12-19 on the Volendam) and I know it's too soon to do any real shopping so I'm busy making lists of what we'll need and linking to where I can get them online or in a store. I've pegged onto some great places for personalized door signs and magnets so now I'm wanting to find a place where I can get, and personalize, lanyards or card holders. I'm also looking for ideas for decorations for our 25th anniv (day 3) that will be allowed. We're going to get a bunch of LED candles and our kids are getting us the Happy Anniversary package (flowers, balloons, and a photo credit). We're in Juneau that afternoon/evening so I don't want to get too overboard but I'd still like to do something in our room and to our door if I can. Thanks in advance for any ideas, tips and links you can give.

This whole subject makes me itchy and a little anxious LOL I've never run into bed bugs before. How do you know if you have them and where do you check? And if you do how do you go about getting rid of them on a cruise ship?

Oh wow that looks like a yummy tower of treats! These pics might be enough to tempt my hubby to join me for tea time 😊

We're sailing round trip from Vancouver so we won't be going to the island. But some day I'd like to do high tea at one of the big castle hotels (either in Victoria or Lake Louise) for some old fashioned classiness. I will bring some of my favorite teas, unless they give you a choice of teas, so I can go easy on the black tea and caffeine levels.

Thanks everyone! We decided to go another way to be sure we can be back on board in time to get ready for our anniversary evening plans. But should we return to Alaska in the future we'll remember to check for local offers to compare to the ship's excursions 😊