happyglobetrotter

Went to Indonesia and Bali on multiple visits with HAL ships. Never applied for a visa before. HAL provides a blanket visas to all passengers for a minimal fee and it is added to your statement on board without any pain or worry. Absolutely NO need to request an Indonesia visa before your trip. Also for the Australian ETA, the best and less expensive way to obtain it is from https://www.easyeta.com.au/ easy, fast and less than $10 USD per person. We have used their services close to 10 times already.

Around noon, we had a knock on our door and an officer handed us two special magnetic pins with the 150 years of Holland America Line as a gift from Gus (Antorcha). The card said it was a token of gratitude for being a member of our President’s Club. Nice touch. I read your comment about the pin. Funny that they waited so long to hand them to you. On the Grand South America, they were in out stateroom on day 1 (Jan, 3rd) and we wore them during the entire voyage. They are not available to anyone else than the crew and the PC members. The one they sell for the general passengers are also gold and dark blue but the colours are inversed. Not the same pin.

We have received a small collapsible suitcase on the Grand South America. It is in a light material, grey and without wheels, It folds to nothing, so easy to take home. Not the same than the sport bag (suitcases) we have received on previous world cruises. Much lighter and smaller.

The extra points you received have to be for spending while on the ship. They are not suite points, look at your Mariners's history in your account and see if they are under suite or spending credit points. Vista suites on ZAANDAM do not give extra points. I am absolutely sure. You can also verify with your TA, unless it it an error.

Just make arrangements at the front office. We have had left over bottles between cruises on 2 different ships. We have done it before. When you check in on the new ship and the X ray attendants see your wine through the X ray machine, they will send you to the desk to pay the corkage fee... but with previous arrangements, they will have your name on a list and they will allow you to just walk on, with your wine bottles free of charge. Based on previous experience.

All Mariners with a 4 or 5 stars status or above, suite people and Club orange passengers, also do not need a tender tickets and can usually just walk to the tender platform. However, on some cruises with a lot of 4 and 5 stars (like more than half the ship as it happens on grand voyages or longer cruises), sometimes, the 4 and 5 stars also need to pick up a priority tender ticket. Then there are 2 designated locations to pick up the tender tickets. One for priority, the other for regular passengers. I have seen this happen.

As confirmed on a previous cruise by the Pinnacle manager. The Mariners' discount is for the specialty dinner regular cost (charge), not applicable to any upcharge, extra charge or surcharge.

When a stop of the itinerary is cancelled, it is mostly because the port authority do not want the ship to stop there for any reasons (security, health safety, size of ship, or any operational reason they may find). The title of your post is unfair and unjustified. HAL is not welcome in Key West on the day you were supposed to go, why blame HAL. Key West cancelled the HAL stop, nothing to do with the fact that you booked at the same time.

The Maasdam that had been purchased by a Greek company spent 2 years docked... But now it will be starting a new life in France. It will sail mainly from Marseille and Le Havre but first will undergo a massive multi millions euros refit. Recently acquired by Compagnie de croisières de France. https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/28451-former-maasdam-arrives-in-france-for-cfc-refit.html?fbclid=IwAR1e-DIMvVd_EoSpCtAtaLb4Gr3vYcC4SEZrW3FzV2scDdGmeP1DoQ5poqI

I am not the front office LOL

If the crew is not coming back to any of the ports using this currency, it is a useless for them. Please pay in USD. Keep your change for your own cruises if you ever return. not forget that small quantity of a foreign currency is expensive to convert (for you and for them). Much more appropriate to give them money they can easily send home or spend on the ship.

How many pins do you need or want ? Just ask for one at the front desk on your next cruise. If you qualify, you will get one on the spot.

You should try yo convince all the passengers on quarantine on many HAL ships right now that the pandemic is over.... Variants are more and more contagious and some people still get sick from C all over the world.

The good news is that you do not have to purchase it.

If HAL is guilty of something, al lot of passengers also are (I see it daily on our cruise right now). They are guilty of 'I do not care it is just a cold'... which is not true for quite a few people. If there are 5 persons in an elevator, all wearing masks (and obviously more careful about being sick), why would a non-mask wearer just push his way in without asking the others if it is correct for him to so so. Impolite, careless and rude in my opinion. HAL is recommending masks, and it means they suggest that you wear one and they they want you to wear one. And for those of you who say that masks do not work, it is because they are not worn properly, not the right type, etc. Medical staff caring for Covid patients wear masks. People walking around a ship should wear masks because there are a lot of sick persons.... You mention 10%, it could easily be more. And then, you want HAL to continue to pick up the bill entirely for all the people who do not care... this is not possible. Many many persons do not think they will catch it and act as if the threat has disappeared. The real true story is different and vacations can be ruined especially on B2B cruises or longer voyages. Covid malfeasance is very common with passengers.

No offence but Labrador is not a province. It is part of Newfoundland.

Who is the hotel director on Zaandam right now ??? We will board Zaandam beginning of Sept.

Generally speaking, the WIFI connection is much better crossing the Atlantic than crossing the Pacific ocean. Last March, on our way to Hawaii, we lost service for almost 3 full days, both ways.

Have spent 3 world cruises on verandah deck, our door exactly in front of the entrance to the elevator lobby, never heard a thing.

Even if called vista suites on Zaandam, the regular veranda are not suites per se and do not produce double credits. We have done many world cruises on Amsterdam, same as Zaandam, in a veranda *vista suite* as they call them but this type of cabins on the R series DO NOT double and they are not included in the double points. On Zaandam, double points start with Neptune suites.

It also depends how much you have paid for the cabin. If you have a 'deal' price, upsells are more expensive or just go not happen.

You only get double points for a suite when you pay the posted or advertised price, never for an upgrade or an upsell regardeless of the amount paid. You are correct again.

Crystalspin is correct. Everything you get on a ship which normally has to be paid for is added to your stateroom bill with an immediate minus amount if they are complimentary (as in your case with HIA). Example: you get a $9,95 drink. Free with the HIA but it is still added to your account as a 'purchase' and immediately substracted, There is a different billing system for HAL internal accounting as compared to the one you see on your statement. Another example, you get the 'free' wi-fi package under HIA or otherwise (because of Mariner status or cabin grade) and the special 'internal' bill includes $269 purchase even if your own bill statement does not show it. So the credit days you get in the end are based on 'revenues' even if you do not have to pay for them because you prepaid them or get them complimentary. Is that clearer for you ?. You can always go to front office and ask to see that 'different' bill. I have seen them before and they include all 'expenses and revenues' even if you do not have to pay for them, and even if they do not show on your own statement. PS Sometimes though, your bill may still show laundry $0.00 or in-room service $0.00. It is very generous of HAL to give you the non-paid expenses to add for your day credits and Mariner's status.

It is not based on what you paid but on what all the 'free' perks amounts to.

You get points for 'spending' even if the expenses are included in the Have it all. Ex. crew incentive included, you still get the $$$ in day credits, same for drink package, complementary meal at specialty restaurants. etc. These points are referring to prepaid (in a package) expenses.