luvs2travl

Has anyone been on the ms Maasdam this year (2019) in a lanai stateroom?  We are 4-Star Mariners, but have never cruised in one of the lanai cabins before. we are on the EXC Alaskan Cruise leaving June 18th from SF.   Is there a fridge in the room, and do you know how many outlets there are?  Thank you in advance.

Smooth Sailing

Luvs2travl

The 2017 Voyage of the Vikings will leave Boston on August 2nd, 2017 on the ms Rotterdam, and will be a 38-day round-trip. We just booked it on board the Amsterdam on our December Hawaiian cruise. Hope to see you then. It was selling out extremely fast, tho`

Another easy tip I employ here in the US while grocery shopping: I use the child safety buckle on the shopping cart to buckle in my purse. I just thread it through the strap on my purse and pull it tight to prevent anyone from grabbing it from the cart. I try to get a cart in the parking lot and do all of that by the car before even entering the store. If no cart is near-by, I make sure I either loop the strap over my neck with the purse in front of me, or hold it in front of me with the strap double-looped over my wrists.

About 3 years or so ago, we had a rash of purses being snatched from women walking to or from the store (this was occurring mainly in the large WalMart store areas and Mall parking lots), or out of the cart while shopping. I attended a Women's Conference where a great seminar was given by one of our local policeman on safety issues for women. This was one of the tips he gave and I've been using it ever since.

Smooth Sailing:)

I bought a passport holder that's about 5" x 7" (bought it at the airport) a has a cord to wear around one's neck. Very lightweight. It fits credit cards, some euros and my passport. I tuck it under my shirt and hide the cord inside the shirt too. So far, so good.

 

We did a Collectors Cruise on the NA last fall. Out of Barcelona. On the ship, we heard that a man was traveling on the turn around day on the bus in BCN and had everything stolen. Credit cards, cash, passport, driver's license, all ID's...he had EVERYTHING with him.

We do the same thing. DH also has his camera on a wire-wrapped cord that cannot be cut and grabbed. We never take a purse, wallet or backpack when going ashore. We don't do the "beach thing" (too old:p) so no worries there. I have a belt that holds my water bottle, and our passport holder contains our ID, one credit card each, ship's card, and a small amount of cash for tips, etc. Got our passport holders online and we love them. Ours have a special lining that prevents those carrying the latest in technology to scan credit cards, passports, etc from doing so.

It's always a good reminder to watch for "staged" incidents. There are even signs up in the train stations in Paris, London, etc to watch for pickpockets. So sorry that this happened to you, and here's wishing for safe travels for everyone.

Smooth Sailing!:)

Prepare to be spoiled to all other cabins. Free laundry, pampered in the wonderful Neptune Lounge, that HUGE cabin with your own private dressing room, breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill every morning, ........and so much more.

It will be well worth your wait. Congratulations on your booking. We've been on the Westerdam twice. She is a beautiful ship and you will have a great cruise!!

Smooth Sailing:):)

We used luggage direct, highly recommend it. Which is different from luggage forwarding.

 

Luggage direct is provided to print your boarding pass and take your luggage to the airport, you don not see it again until you get to your final destination airport.

 

Luggage forwarding is a different program which mail or fed ex your luggage home to your house.

 

Luggage direct is about $19 a person.

 

Luggage forwarding is about $125 a bag depending on how far they send it to your home from the ship.

 

We walked off the ship early, breezed thru all the check points without luggage, grabbed a cab and made it to the air port in plenty of time to catch our 12:00 plane.

 

Only slowdown was clearing security in the air point, lines at SeaTac were very long and slow.

 

Enjoy your trip

Sorry. Luggage Direct is what we used. I couldn't think of the proper name and I thank you for the correction. We filled out the paperwork nearly a month ago on board and since this was the first time we had used this HAL service, I didn't realize that there was such a drastic difference in the nomenclature. I thought I had described the program correctly in my original post (#6) so that the OP would understand what I meant. I didn't mean to misinform or mislead anyone by using the wrong name.

As usual, CC is right there to correct any discrepancy.

Smooth Sailing:):)

That sounds like a good deal! Did you get this service pre-cruise, or while on the ship? And was the HAL shuttle included in that, or was that extra?

The Luggage Forwarding/Boarding Pass Deal was offered on board about 1week into our 2-week cruise. Paperwork was delivered to our cabin to fill out & return to the front desk. It is charged to your onboard account.

We purchased the HAL shuttle service through our TA along with our cruise package, but you may purchase the airport shuttle on board if you choose to wait. It is not included in the Luggage Forwarding service.

It really was an immense time saver - no playing "seek & find" with luggage at the terminal, no waiting in line at the airport to check luggage, and being in the first group off the ship was great.

Smooth Sailing:):)

We were off the Amsterdam on Sunday morning at 7:40 AM and had a HAL shuttle to the airport. We were through the security at the airport and at our gate by 10:00AM......plenty of time to catch our flight. You should be just fine.

We also used HAL`s Luggage Forwarding program so our checked bags were sent directly from the ship to the airport. The next time we saw them was when our plane landed in Houston. We left the ship with our carry-ons only. With this program, the ship also gets your boarding passes for you, so all you have to do is once you arrive at the airport, go straight to the security check-in line. We flew home on Southwest, and we received boarding passes with Group A, seats 3 and 4, the first group to board the plane. The price for this service was $19.95 per person.

We thought the the price was well worth the time and trouble it saved us, plus we were in the first group off the ship. We had a continental breakfast in our cabin before we left the ship, and had time for a nice, leisurely lunch at the airport before our flight left.

HAL did a super job with this service and we plan on using it again on our future cruises.

Smooth Sailing:):)

I was able to buy two soft drinks (canned soda), or two specialty coffees at the same time as long as I had both my and my husband's cards with me. If I had only my card, then I could only buy one drink. They have to keep a running declining total on each card.

Since we were together when we had cocktails or after-dinner drinks, we each presented our cards and obviously incurred no problems. James and April at the Explorations Cafe knew us quite well, which helped. Neither of us are beer drinkers, so we didn't use the cards for that.

Having those cards really helped on our onboard charges. They were noticeably less then on other cruises.

Smooth Sailing!:):)

We just saw him on the Amsterdam on our Alaskan cruise a couple of weeks ago. He was very funny and we enjoyed his performance very much. This is such sad news. Our deep condolences to his family and all who knew him.

They must have really jacked up the price of Grey Goose. It was $6.95 on the Noordam in March. :eek:

 

EDITED: I just realized that you are talking about a Goose Martini.

Right. A shot of Grey Goose on the rocks is $6.95, just like the Jack Daniels. I ordered a Grey Goose Martini and it was $9.95. I began ordering just the house vodka martini before dinner and it was $6.95.

The card was also good for the "drink of the day" which was usually $5.95 or $6.95, as well as after dinner liqueurs such as Drambuie or Sherry. There was no way we even came close to using the 15 drink per day per person, but we sure did notice a sizeable savings on our final bill from having this card!

We are just off the two week Alaskan cruise on the Amsterdam, and were given the Signature Drink Cards as perks by our TA. These cards were great. You can buy up to 15 drinks per person per day, alcoholic or or non alcoholic, as long as each drink is $7 or less. My husband used his for all specialty coffees in the Explorations Cafe, both with liquor and without, and also for capucchino in the main dining room. We used them in all the lounges, as well as to purchase drinks in the Queens Theater before the evening shows.

They will NOT be good to purchase premium liquors such as a Grey Goose Martini, ($9.95), but it did buy my husband a shot of Jack Daniels on the rocks, @$6.95 . It cannot be used for the mini-bar purchases in your room. We found these cards to be an exceptional value, and plan to purchase them in the future if we don't receive them as perks again. Many thanks to our great TA for these cards, as well as for all the other invaluable services she provides.

Smooth Sailing!:)

We are just off the Amsterdam, and are also interested in the 20-21 day cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Vancouver (or the reverse), for 2016. The Future Cruise Director, Jeanni, told us that because HAL is selling the ms Statendam and the ms Ryndam to an Australian cruise line in 2015, that the cruise itineraries from 2016 are slow in coming out as they are being revised to accommodate the loss of these two ship.

She advised us to check the website weekly. We did an open on board booking to take advantage of the low deposit and the OBC`s but are continuing to check for the Panama Canal 2016 itinerary. We want an SA Suite, and those fill up quickly.

Smooth Sailing :)

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Sometimes on the first two mornings of a cruise when the ship is in Code Orange, the concierge may tell you Pinnacle is not open for breakfast. They are sometimes mistaken. If you wish to go, call and ask Pinnacle if they are open. More often than not breakfast is available for the guests.

 

Elitist? People pay for it. It is no more elitist than anything else someone pays for. Someone pays for a cabana on Eurodam etc,,,,,, that is what they chose to spend their money on. Someone else pays for a pricey helicopter excursion in Alaska. Someone else chooses to spend more money for a pricey cabin and breakfast in Pinnacle is included in that price. We all spend our own money our own way.

 

Right on, Sails! Hardly elitist. Peace and quiet, almost always seated by a window and served by a great wait staff ..... We love it. Yes, we do pay for it as part of the price of our cabin selection, as others pay for things that they enjoy just as you so rightly expressed. We enjoy a peaceful morning without having to listen to the clanging of dishes or an over abundance of loud conversation. Just our little quiet time and as with anything, just our opinion.

Still praying for you,friend.

May Smooth Sailing find you again very soon :)

We've always used a TA. On our upcoming cruise she got as a great upsell to a Verandah Suite, $500 in OBCs, a free dinner at the Pinnacle Grill, and a beverage package that gives us 15 free drinks per day (drinks must be under $7.95). Hard to beat!

We've been with the same TA for years now. We do onboard bookings to get our cabin choice & the OBCs from HAL, but she always manages to get us some additional great perks. The longer the cruise, the better the perks. She constantly checks the cruise prices for any changes there as well.

We have had some dealings with the cruise line directly, both HAL and Princess, and both have been quite friendly and knowledgeable. Unfortunately, they don't offer the perks,and if course, to some, that makes no difference. But, we love `em!

Smooth Sailing Always!:):)

I am so very saddened to hear of your tragic loss. Our prayers go out to you and your family. May the Lord give you solace and comfort.

Blessings always.

Nancy and Warren

Hi

 

On the 14 day cruise how many people send out clothes On first when they ask you not to. then onthe last two days of cruise?

 

On Alaska cruise you are in Victoria day 13

then port in Seattle day 14.

 

So you are paying for 3 days You are not able to use the service

 

Mary

We've sent clothes out the afternoon after boarding (1st cruise day) with no problem. We get them back the following day. No one has ever told us that we couldn't do that. I call the cabin steward and he comes and picks up the bag. We send our laundry out each day after that. It really cuts down on the packing.

It is correct that the last two days of every cruise, the laundry service is not available. Technically, it's only one day, because the last day cruise day is debarkation, and I don't count that as a cruise day, even though the cruise line does. :D

For some, this service may not be worth it, but it is for us. I do hand-wash my female "upper garments " but send everything else to the ship's laundry & I've not had a problem with shrinkage, fading, lost garments, etc. Maybe we've just been lucky, but we love the service and it takes a load off my mind not having to worry about spending half a day sitting in the laundromat, then ironing my clothes. Just my humble opinion;)!!

Smooth Sailing Always :)

Laundry is promised within 48 hours.

 

Our experience has been 24 hours if your steward receives the bag early in the day.

This what we have found as well. We get our laundry to our cabin steward ASAP and we have even gotten it back the same evening. Not the usual, but it has happened once or twice. Guess it depends on how busy they are on each particular day.

We asked that our cabin be cleaned as early as possible because we are up and out by 7:00 AM. I leave the laundry on the bed all bagged and tagged, so I guess he gets it out early, too!

Smooth Sailing!! :)

Nancy

P.S. I also love that HAL has make-up mirrors in their cabins, too!

Have never encountered a problem with any of the hair dryers on HAL ships. But, my hair is fairly short and dries quickly. Anything I don't have to pack is a " plus" for me, and a hair dryer is something I never bring along. Nearly all hotels have them as well.

Smooth Sailing! :)

Just got off the phone with Ship's Services and pre-purchased the Unlimited Laundry Package. I got the wash, fold and press package and total cost for our 14-day cruise was $154.00. We will have laundry from a three day pre-cruise so will have a load to send out the first day.

It may sound like a lot dollar-wise, but it's worth it to me not to have to spend my vacation time sitting in a laundromat waiting for a machine, then waiting for clothes to wash & dry. Turn-around time for your items to be laundered, folded/pressed is 24 hours. We get back on board from a day of sightseeing, and our clothes are back in our cabin ready to be put away.

Ships Service rep told me that this would also include pressing only service that will be needed for our dress clothes for formal nights.

Thanks to all who were so helpful!

Smooth Sailing:):)

Nancy

Quick question - Is the laundry package laundry and pressing, or just wash & fold? We've only been in a Neptune Suite which is laundry, pressing & dry cleaning, but I was curious as to what the laundry package includes. Thanks!

It includes laundry and pressing. Necessities are folded and used to be brought to your cabin in a nice wicker basket. Don't know if the basket is still being used or not. No dry cleaning included in the laundry pkg.

And thanks to Glen as well. I just love the folks on the CC Boards. I have always received help and good advice from so many of you.

Thanks again, Glen. We will be on the Amsterdam & I'm sure it will be the same on board that ship, too.

Smooth Sailing!!:)

Nancy

Thanks so much!! Yes, we have also used this service several times and I was hoping that it was still available. It's the first thing I buy when we get on board if we're not staying in a deluxe suite, and this time, we couldn't get one, so I'll need to purchase.

Our next cruise, we will be Four Star Mariners and then it'll be always free. YEAH!!!

I'm going to take your advice and call ships services and pre-arrange it this time. One less thing to do when we get onboard.

Thanks again, Larsen. I so appreciate your kind and prompt response.:)

Nancy

Is HAL still offering the unlimited laundry package? It used to run about $9.00 a day per cabin. Due to illness, it's been about a year since we've cruised. We are going with another couple & were telling them about the laundry package. Their travel agent told them that they no longer offer that and only have the "Stuff a Bag" for $20.00 a couple times per cruise. Hope that's not true!!

Thanks in advance for any information you have.