dogo88

12 hours ago, Sea girl 23 said:

Dogo:I’d rather go someplace touristy-and on a land tour *and* stay in a hotel with working plumbing/a/c than that particular crap shoot.😂

Don't disagree with what you say, though land tours can have their own set of problems.

When we were young we went on a cruise on an older ship in the  Caribbean and most of the ship had no A/C for almost the entire week. Actually was an old HAL ship that was sold to a new cruise line. Slept on the deck at night. We did get a free cruise for that which we gave away. Never did sail on that line again. 

With so many other cruising options available both on HAL, and other lines, seems like a bad decision to repeat a cruise on a ship that you have experienced issues on. And only you can decide if it's worth the chance.   

18 minutes ago, Sea girl 23 said:

Hmmm PV “touristy”. I’d rather be on a ship with everything working (most of the time)than be “I have to get to  get to(insert  the name of out of the way place) on a rust bucket ship.”

For some the nostalgia and memories of the older ships is enough to ignore issues and not consider them a bother. To others it's unacceptable. It would have to be a very special itinerary for us to go on a "rust bucket".  Never say never, but probably not. There just are to many other selections out there. 

Thanks for the info. We sailed on her in 1990. 

We would be disappointed if HAL stops using Tampa. We've sailed out of there twice over the past few years and enjoy the town and how HAL handles embarkation from Tampa compared to Ft Lauderdale, which we found was like a zoo. Plus HAL does the Central America ports in the spring from Tampa. Which we found more refreshing and interesting compared to the overly commercial Caribbean ports. 

I guess we'll just have to use another cruise line. 

37 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

We will be there on our April cruise on Rotterdam . Decided for this port to just check our the entertainment at the port building & peruse the vendors wares  We have zero desire to get on a local prop plane 

Obviously your choice. But this trip was marked as a "bucket list" trip by our Dr who had done many of these out of the way trips. Our trip was not on a local prop plane but a legit local airline. Plane was a 20-30 passenger turboprop. Two pilots and two stewardesses, clean and comfortable. 

I too was a bit apprehensive but after posting questions here on CC one reply from a very nice member listed her concerns and the research she did on the airline especially since her husband was a pilot. It's been a few years and I'll see if I can find the link. 

Ok, here is what she told me back in 2015:

Hi Dan,

Your wife can relax! go to the TAG (Guatemalan airline) web site for a photo of the plane. Below is the description. This is the largest plane in their fleet. The plane looked new and well maintained. The seats were leather and the interior was white, giving it a spacious feeling. We had a pilot and co-pilot and a TAG flight attendant....who gave the preflight instructions in Spanish, then in English. It was exactly the same as any US commercial flight as far as instructions. I can understand your concern....I asked a lot of questions before the cruise, calling HAL. My DH ( who didn't go) was an AF pilot and then worked in aerospace wanted info. I was very comfortable with the plane and professionalism of the crew. I have flown on smaller planes than this on Delta.

I would not hesitate to take this tour again....it was fascinating. Our tour was divided up at Tikal, and there were only 7 of us and the guide, so he took us through the jungle to more sites that the other larger group. Our vans were allowed to drive all the way I to the main plaza of pyramids, saving about 45 minutes of walking time. I hope this helps! Karen

The Saab 340 A twin-engine turboprop aircraft is made in Sweden, Saab Aircraft has two General Electric engines of great power, which makes it one of the safest aircraft in its category, has a spacious cabin with seating for 34 passengers ample seating for passenger comfort, bathroom and necessary for board service equipment. This aircraft has a pressurized cabin system with active noise control cabin, reducing noise giving more comfort for the passenger. This aircraft also has the configuration option to air freight.

Capacity: 34 passengers

Number of aircraft available: 4

Maximum capacity: 8,085 lbs. (3,670 kgs.)

It was expensive over $1000 for two. But you need to understand what was involved.

Basically you leave the ship on a bus and that takes you to an old military airfield where you board a turbo prop plant for about a 45 minute flight into the country. Then you take another bus for about an hours drive to the ruins. They give you a couple of hours to visit. Then onto the bus to a small cafe for local lunch. Finally the bus ride to the airfield, return flight and bused back to the ship. We were the first off and last on that day.

I can't say enough times how great that trip was. We plan on doing that tour again. If you are unfamiliar with Tikal just Google it. When we went they told us they believed to have uncovered only about 10% of it. Current articles discussing the new technology using LIDAR they believe there is way more to uncover. Here's a link from NatGeo:

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/02/maya-laser-lidar-guatemala-pacunam/

We've been there twice on HAL. Both time took tours. The first time we went to Tikal. Expensive but awesome. Worth every penny we paid. The second time we took a tour up the river and visited a school. Again very worthwhile tour. 

The Central America ports are way different than the typical Mexican and Caribbean ports. Bit run down but the tours offer you a chance to visit the locals in a non commercial location. The people were gracious and friendly. Wished HAL offered up more tours down there.  

15 minutes ago, DocJohnB said:

 

While you may have a point regarding "criticizing" HAL, I and many others on this board and other boards would disagree.  While it may be acceptable to "criticize" a product or even a person's thoughts, it is not acceptable to attack that person or product WITHOUT expecting disagreement, especially from folks who know more about the subject.

 

The OP immediately attacks the group as a whole with her "creative dissonance" verbiage.  Then she follows it up with unfounded, unverified facts of her own choosing.  Finally, she ends up attacking the veracity/knowledge of posters with personal knowledge of problems she is only guessing at.

 

So, yes indeed, she did make a cardinal sin of posting - but it is not the sin to which you allude.

 

And, BTW, I am not a long time regular of the HAL boards, but have been around the C/C boards for a while.

 

Don't disagree with what you posted. But over the years if anyone posts negative on the boards they get static for fans of the line. Happens on all  the boards. And sometimes a negative review or statement is the posters perspective. Arguing with them with snarky posts won't change their mind, for them it's a valid belief. Fortunately many do respond with comments like: " Sorry you had a bad cruise".  HAL defenders just seem to be a bit more passionate in their defense. 

On 10/28/2018 at 2:55 AM, Sea girl 23 said:

How to say this without getting banned.. well,imma say it anyways:

 

There is a HUGE amount of cognitive dissonance going on on these boards.Or willful “I don’t want to hear anything bad about HAL..ever.”

 

This is why I choose to cruise on the “newer”(I know the Westerdam isn’t that new but she was the last ship I was on) ships. I’d prefer not to have to deal with “ship happening”. Not that I can’t be flexible(I can) but toilets not working(*especially* toilets not working) is a deal breaker for me.

 

I’ve never really noticed shabbiness on any of the ships I’ve been on but as I said earlier,I primarily am on newer ships.

 

The takeaway here:Don’t discount people’s experiences and say  “ship happens”. That’s ridiculous.Doesn’t matter how long the cruise is.It’s unacceptable.

 

Every time the topic of “Is a ship too worn out” comes up there’s always a few people who say that say they wouldn’t cruise on those ships because of issues that they’ve had on them.I think that’s a fair comment.

 

Do your due diligence and do a LOT of research before you book a cruise(that goes without saying..) Caveat Emptor,y’all.

 

And disregard the overly glowing “(insert name of ship here” is wonderful,and I’ve never had a bad experience on her” reviews and posts on Cruise Critic.The posts that tell the truth(as much as some here don’t want it to be)are just as valid. 

 

OK,this was way rambly but I had to say it.

 

Not to keep the pain ongoing, but don't disagree with what you've said here and further down this thread. But you made a cardinal sin. You criticized HAL and came back for more. The small cadre of long time regulars on HAL never forget. 

We've sailed on HAL for most of our prior cruises but that is slowly changing as we expand out to  other newer ships. HAL has a lot we like, but as has been pointed out, here and on other threads, the older ships tend to have more issues. We have sailed on the Maasdam a couple of times. Once in her early years and a couple of years ago. On that trip we had issues that I have posted about previously with toilets and air. Both being critical items on a cruise. We also cruised on the Zaandam last May and had no major issues. And that may be the crux of the argument. 

For those that experience a problem on a cruise their opinion of the ship drops. For those that never had a problem they tend, many times,  to not give full credit to the poster who experienced it, since their experience was totally different. I have read many threads here on CC where someone posts about an issue and many pop up and say the poster is exaggerating. And there are those that unless the ship sunk would treat every cruise as wonderful. Bless them. 

So after experiencing issues on the Maasdam our position is that unless the itinerary is awesome we will not sail on her. Yet because of no issues on the Zaandam we'd sail on her in a heartbeat. It may not make a lot of sense to others, but since we've spent our money on a product, and it wasn't up to what we expected, we'll try somewhere else. 

2 hours ago, cbr663 said:

To answer OP's question, no, the service charge is not mandatory.  You are free to adjust the service charge as you see fit.  Please see this link from HAL's website for instructions on how to do so: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/faq.shipboard-life.is-there-a-hotel-service-charge-gratuity-tip.html

Second this. Tipping is a personal decision. Many posters have given you the pros and cons of removing or adding to the HSC. It's your decision after you process these facts and opinions.  

On our honeymoon cruise in 1978 on the SS Rotterdam, we were on the typical 7 day cruise offered at that time. NYC to Bermuda then onto Nassau and back to NYC. And as typical in September there was a hurricane. So on this trip HAL decided to reverse the cruise so not to directly go through the hurricane and just skirt around it. Otherwise they may have cancelled it. Which was rare.

We bounced and pitched for the first evening. Dinner attendance was sparsely attended and the limited shows they offered in those days had the singer sitting on a stool instead of standing. Funny to watch the stool slide across the stage with the singer keeping balance. But we were young and this bouncing and ship movement wasn't that bad. Only downer was we had an inside cabin in the stern and they had the ship running as fast as they could. Those props were boom boom booming all night.

A year or so later we were on another cruise again out of NYC but this time it was only to Bermuda. It was on a new upstart line who had bought old HAL ships. I believe it was the old Volendam or Veendam and renamed The Bermuda Star. Had a lot of HALs silverware and linen. But was an inexpensive cruise. Being young and poor it was just right.

This time there was a hurricane and we had no choice to go through it. I guess they could have cancelled the cruise but a new line can't afford to lose a trip and they went.

We had a midship cabin which had portholes and had the waves washing up onto them. Up in the crow's nest they had a grand piano which was tossed across the room and broke up some glass panels. But the piano stayed together. We sat and watched the bow of the ship go under the waves time and time again. Reminded me of those old Humphrey Bogart movie "Action in the North Atlantic". But being young made it more fun than disconcerting.

So we sit up in the Crow's Nest watching the seas and notice a small sailboat nearby also heading into Bermuda. Sails down, hatches closed tight and bouncing like a cork in a pail. At that point we were very glad we were on the cruise ship.

Did our heads go up and down on these cruises? Yup, along with the rest of our bodies.

My other half and I love Koningsdam and are looking forward to cruising on Pinnacle II (Nieuw Statendam). Although I don't have trouble with the website, I'm amused by the HOURLY emails regarding an EXC tour left in my cart.

 

In the past two days I've received over 36 "notification" emails.

 

I'm ready to pay for the shorex once HAL offers a discount! [emoji3]

 

Maybe I should remove it from my cart...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I believe the OP is being sarcastic on getting a discount.

We agree with your sentiments . We have done 80 past cruises & we have also found that some of the older ships can have plumbing & kitchen problems .even some of the newer ships have kitchen help problems with food delays MDR in the evening . It all boils down to management good or bad .:rolleyes:

 

From my perspective the Maasdam definitely is a smaller vessel & less pax & that is good in embarcation & the debarkation in ports . She doesn't have the bells & whistles of the newer HAL ships so we would do other things like more gym , pool time ,trivia ie ;)

Good luck with whatever you choose.

I'm sure you will get a lot of post from folks that love the ship. Negative comments tend to draw fast a furious responses in many of the threads on this board. We've been on the Maasdam a couple of times over the years. Once when us and her were young and recently when we both are getting older. We had problems on the last cruise, and while many now tell these boards that all is ok, we will pass on a cruise on her unless the ports are worth the chance of encountering any problems.

I will admit a lot of the experiences folks have on the older HAL ships are hit and miss. For example, we were on the Zaamdam this past May for two weeks in Alaska and had a great time. The Zaandam is about the same age as the Maasdam. Yet others here on this board complained that the ship had issues on the following cruise.

Older ships bring issues that the newer ones don't have. From dining venues to activities that older ships can't match, to maintenance problems that newer ships haven't experienced yet. We try and spend our cruise dollars wisely, there are many fish in the cruising sea. We decided a while ago, based upon comments on this board, to branch out to try other lines and were pleasantly surprised at the offerings. So we aren't exclusive HAL customers anymore. YMMV.

What an awesome thread. Lots of interesting perceptions and views on what is and what isn't acceptable.

This is way better that the jeans in the dining room discussion. And way better that the usual "What time is second sitting?" or "How much is a bucket of beer?".

But seriously, there are way more spectacles around the pools that are harder on the eyes on any given cruise than topless on an out of the way deck.

LOL, great topic and discussion.

Every cruise has a bunch of boobs on it. Some you see and some you don't. Now you may see a few more!

Personally I'd rather they have another specialty restaurant. But that's just me.

Hi cruisers,

 

I posted a video on Youtube about 3 months ago regarding the HAL beverage package and beverage policy.

 

It is located here

 

We just returned from a 7 day Alaska cruise on the Westerdam. I have posted a short "update" to that video here:

 

 

The second video includes a few things I forgot in the first video and an update to some of the comments I have received.

 

Hopefully these two videos will help clarify any questions you have regarding the "drink package". We feel that if you can get it with the Explore4 package at a discount, then it is a good deal. Even if you are not a heavy drinker. But sometimes the Explore4 package is not a good deal and just ads the drink package to the price at full price. In that case you have to decide how alcohol you drink.

The beverage package also covers water , San Pellegrino and non-alcoholic beverages. That should be included in the calculation.

Add DW and I to the list of those who go back and forth between HAL and Celebrity. The two are very comparable in many ways and neither has any serious shortcomings. If you enjoy Solstice-class ships, you're bound to enjoy the Nieuw Amsterdam, especially if you've found a tempting itinerary. I heartily recommend that you give it a try.

Totally agree/ We've done mostly HAL cruises but branched out to others a couple of years ago and found some real nice ships. Only been on one Celebrity cruise but it was excellent. We've got another scheduled for next March. One item we really miss on the longer HAL cruises is the lack of alternate dining venues. The Nieuw Amsterdam is a great ship. We'd go on her again.

I am new to HAL with a Nieuw Statendam cruise booked for April 2019. Will HAL email me when there is a discount on the Beverage Package and Shore Excursions? I receive these periodically from RCI and Celebrity. So far, no emails from HAL.

Like you said, we get the discount emails from RCL almost on a weekly basis on our upcoming cruise. The percentage almost never changes. HAL doesn't do this, as other have remarked. But, if your cruise now offers, or will offer the Explorer 4 package as you get closer to sailing, you can ask your TA to inquire what the upcharge would be. We did that for last May's Alaska cruise and were pleasantly surprised that the add on price was way less than if we had just purchased the SBP.

As far as shore excursions are concerned we've never seen HAL offer any. But they have lowered their prices somewhat. I guess the local tour operators continue to cut into HALs customer base and they are responding.

Dan

We recently returned from a cruise on the Koningsdam. Prior to departure, I had looked through Cruise Critic to try and determine if the "by the bag" laundry service offered by HAL was worthwhile. A key question was how much laundry would fit in the laundry bag. It turned out to be quite a bit. In the interests of social media, I will share my laundry list:

 

• 2 shirts
  
• 1 pr shorts
  
• 5 T-shirts
  
• 3 undershirts
  
• 7 pr underwear
  
• 8 pr socks
  

There was room for about 20% more clothing in the bag. The secret to the bag's capacity is that it is made out of stout cloth, with a drawstring closure. You can stuff things into it long after it appears to be full.

 

HAL will launder a bag for $30 in Europe and $20 in the Caribbean. We were in the midst of an extended trip and found the service to be very worthwhile. As others are noted, the laundry is returned within 48 hours (ours was 24 hours). Everything except underwear and socks comes back with a tiny cloth number strip stuck on the waistband or hem. The strip is about 1/4" tall by 1.25" long. It can be peeled off. Anything that will fit on a clothes hanger will be brought back on a hanger, including undershirts. The two dress shirts in my load were permanent press. They came back without wrinkles, but I don't think they had been pressed. I don't know how harsh the washing conditions were - we did not take chances with delicate items.

Seems about right based upon our own experiences. But, and there always is a but, throw in a pair or two of men's jeans and you will loose a lot of space. Men's jeans and sweatshirts just seem to fill that bag quickly. We take less clothes, opt for the unlimited package and send off a bag a day. At the end of the cruise we had a suitcase mostly full of clean clothes. They do cut it off on the last day prior to embarkation.

Glad you thought the ship was excellent. Did you find was geared to seniors or were there things for teens although probably not many were sailing in May?

Ship was full. Not a lot of kids since school was in session. Loaded with seniors? Not as many as I would have expected. Lot of middle aged folks say around 50-60ish. There was much to do for all ages. Tours were varied and very informative. We did a lot of walking (our choice). Not many whales in May but we knew that.

We did the 2 week trip up to Alaska from Seattle last May on the Zaandam. Awesome time. Typical Alaska weather where it can be rainy one day and sunny the next. Ports and ship were excellent. Looking forward to doing Alaska again. But wouldn't do a one week trip. Way too much to see and do in only one week.

Dan

Op, have no fear.

 

You do not have to tip on top of tipping. It's not required or expected.

 

You will pay 15% for your drinks and daily HSC of $13.50 or $15 pp depending on your cabin category.

 

that's it. No need to do anymore but...you might be so impressed with some service (ie your cabin stewards, your dining room stewards, a bartender or server) that you want to. And if you do, no matter what the amount, it will be appreciated.

 

It is NOT and expectation or a requirement. Some of us do it because we choose to based on the service we get. Others choose not to. It's all good :D

Excellently explained. This is our approach too.

Dan

We are on a 24 day TA cruise in October. Can't quite decide whether to take the laundry package or use the stuff a laundry bag.

Any photos of the laundry bag would be appreciated.

It's $20 a bag full or $7-8 a day. We filled a bag a day. Package was definitely worth it for us. YMMV

Dan

We got the same notification prior to our May 6th Alaska cruise. I sent HAL an email asking about this delay in boarding and indicating the time advertised were close to the end times that the ship advertises you need to be onboard. Their response was that since we were prior cruisers on HAL we could come at 11:30 but no earlier.

We got there at noon and there was almost no line. Embarkation was fairly smooth and quick. But it was fairly obvious that many had boarded way earlier than 11:30 since the ship was relatively full of new passengers walking around in the different venues.

We were also one of the earliest to disembark after the cruise since we selected self disembarkation and low and behold we actually saw many new passengers getting dropped off and heading into the entrance at 9am. I'm sure that they were not getting onboard at that time, but clearly folks are heading to the ship in Seattle quite early.

Seattle is a pretty nice port. Embarkation and disembarkation were fairly smooth and nothing compared to craziness of FLL or Miami.

My advice? Go when you wanted to and the worst that can happen is you'll wait a bit longer.

Dan