luv2travel06

A "few years ago" we were required to attend both musters. Things have changed.

Thanks for the insight!

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How cheap was the cruise?

 

 

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We had originally booked the cruise as a different itinerary, then HAL switched the Veendam to Cuba itineraries. When we rebooked, we were able to keep the same 14 day fare of $1499 (Cuba itineraries were priced higher) and they gave us $225pp obc (when you add the $250 shareholder credit, that’s a lot of obc to spend-and we had to pay for the Cuba excursions early due to selling out).

I hadn’t thought about the reduced price and the obc until just now, so I guess they figured we already got a good deal and gave the upgrade to someone else. I’m not complaining that we didn’t get the upgrade, but we are a little disappointed based on past experience.

We booked an inside guarantee for our June Mediterranean cruise and now the outside guarantee is only $100 more. Hmmmmmm...do we take a chance on a possible upgrade or pay the extra $100 ? Decisions, decisions....

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What exactly did you book?

Booked inside guarantee. N is the lowest category, found out MM is next, we got M at the very front of the ship.

We always figured we had less chance to be upgraded if we select a cabin when we book, so we generally book guarantee if we can. Not as lucky this time.

Looks like HAL is selling out the Cuba cruises.

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We generally book inside guarantee cabins to save money so we can cruise more often. :D This option seems to be available on HAL more often than other lines.

We usually get upgraded to an outside cabin or have paid $100 after final payment was due to be upgraded to a balcony. Our best score was on our Fathom cruise last year: we paid like $299 for an inside guarantee and were upgraded to a balcony on the highest deck!

Unfortunately, our luck ran out. We received our cabin assignment last night for our upcoming b2b Veendam cruise. It was the lowest? 2nd lowest? cabin category on the ship. Oh well.

We will be visiting Havana and Cienfuegos on the Veendam soon.

We booked ship excursions for both ports, but are we required to? If we do an excursion that meets the requirements in one port, are we free to do our own thing in the other?

If we only have to do one tour that meets the requirements, does it have to be the first port or could it be the second?

We will be visiting Havana and Cienfuegos soon on the Veendam. We have booked ship excursions for both days.

How much Cuban currency do we need for tips?

Also, we have no idea what prices might be for souvenirs, etc.

What would be a reasonable amount of Cuban currency have on hand?

Do not remember that we could skip the drill on the 2nd leg of our Eurodam b2b a few years ago.

Doing Veendam b2b at the end of the month. Will hope for the best and watch for a notification now that we know it is possible. May ask at front desk if no notification.

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We also cruised to Bermuda on HAL's Veendam. The main reason we chose it was because it docked in Hamilton. It was very easy to get around. Enjoy your cruise. Bermuda is beautiful.

Ditto.

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The taxpayer $$$ were not used to help these US citizens get their lives back. They are still, to this day, without power and fresh water. So how did all those tax $$$ help the US Citizens of St. Thomas ?? The tax $$$ were used to quickly repair the tourist areas and facilities. In Texas, the tax $$$ were not used so tourists could take bus rides and see the massive flooding, they used tax $$$ to help the citizens restore their communities. Maybe you misunderstood my post. People getting the simple basic needs to live, like power and water take precedence over hurried band aids so tourists can buy their tee-shirts and souvenirs..

The logical progression of repairs is to start where the most residents and businesses are first and the most remote areas last, not the reverse order. The port happens to be in the area where repairs would start. It aids recovery efforts when cruise ships can return carrying tens of thousands of passengers every week who pay port charges and spend money in shops whose owners can use the money to effect repairs to their properties and purchase needed supplies.

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There will be one free bottle of water for each guest in the cabin who is at least Gold.

We are red and each received a large bottle of water on the Splendor last week. Never used them. Left them unopened in the cabin. Carnival’s website says red and above get a bottle, says DD.

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Never got a senior discount on HAL but have received AARP discounts on NCL.

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I already purchased a day pass at the Marriott resort, so I'm pretty locked in to that.

We have taken a taxi from Havensight several times and just used the beach for free.

If we did a day pass next time, how much is it and what does it get you?

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Since you've only done Caribbean cruises any Med cruise would be memorable. I personally would recommend one of the 12 night sailings out of Barcelona including Venice or the Greek Isles.

We are planning a Med cruise next year for our anniversary as well, having never been to Europe.

We are maybe looking for something that sails between Barcelona and Venice.

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Google maps says 19 min. Probably doesn't account for traffic.

If you are just going for the beach, is Lindbergh Bay Beach an option for you?

Or what about the ferry to Water Island for something different? We want to do that the next time we dock at Crown Bay.

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We have been cruising for many years, and we both always still get a thrill when we walk up that gangway to board.

I love it no matter what. It is what it is.

Helaine

Absolutely agree!

And...

....still get a thrill when we sail into port, even if it is St. Thomas, where we have been so many times before.

....still get a thrill when we sail out of a port toward tomorrow's adventure.

....still get a thrill docked at a port as we enjoy our lunch with spectacular views.

....still get a thrill watching the sun set into the sea every night even though we live close enough to watch the sun set into one of the Great Lakes every night.

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We checked on a fall 2018 Prinsendam cruise on a travel website that was listed at just over 1/2 the HAL website price, but it did not say the whole fare was non-refundable, even in the terms and conditions, unless you found the obscure link where it was mentioned....and we were clicking through the payment process. I actually found out by calling and found the link after that.

We have booked with Carnival 2x where the deposit was non-refundable. They were both reduced deposits when we made the reservation. The first time we lost $50pp of the $100 deposit when we changed cruises. The second time we cancelled the first week of a b2b due to a health situation and the deposit was applied as an obc to the second week of the cruise.

Will be interesting to see if HAL shows some flexibility. But we will be certain to ask TA in future if deposit is non-refundable!

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At the airport with nothing to do for a few hours. I'll try to answer any questions you have. :)

We were on the Adonia. You passed us on the way back to Miami, but few people were at the airport when we got there. What time did disembarkation start for you?

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I'm very disappointed in HAL! It appears our Rio/Carnival/Amazon cruise in February is cancelled as well. What extremely poor customer service on HAL's part. We cruise a few times a year and take one long cruise a year. We were going with another couple who is a frequent cruiser on HAL. This would have been our first HAL cruise. Now we will never cruise with HAL. They have not even bothered to contact me to let me know our cruise was cancelled. Just horrendous concern for their potential and new customers. There's too many other good cruise lines out there. Adios HAL.

The NCL Pearl was chartered out from under us one time, so we had to reschedule. It happens, but a longer cruise such as yours required more time to research and plan.

Our 14 day January 5 Veendam cruise was also cancelled. We did not hear directly from HAL because we booked through a travel agent. Your cruise was planned around an event, it appears. We had chosen ours because it included an island we had not been to. Since we have not been to Cuba either, we may just go on one of the new itineraries.

Best wishes for finding a suitable replacement!

Princess and Celebrity are both nice, but if it is a cruise of 7 days or fewer, you will always be likely to have more kids on board. And whatever cruise you choose, there could be a group booking that includes a large number children, teens, or even more objectionable people! :)

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Good Morning.

 

I just received the following e-mail from HAL.

 

We are happy that you will be on board Noordam on April 27, which is King's Day, a national holiday in the Netherlands in honor of King Willem-Alexander's birthday. With our company's deep history and roots in the Netherlands, we are proud to celebrate this day on board Holland America Line ships around the world. King's Day is marked by various festivities throughout the Netherlands, and a common theme is an abundance of the color orange, the national color of the Netherlands and the Dutch Royal Family. So as you prepare for your cruise, we encourage you to consider packing something orange to wear on April 27. Whether it's an orange hat, tie, socks or necklace, your 'touch of the Dutch' will fit right in during our King's Day celebrations.

 

Has anyone experienced King's Day on board a HAL ship?

 

B

So...how did it go?????

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Old San Juan is a very pretty city with some historic sites. If this is your first trip there and it is not too hot I'd just walk its streets. You can start going to St Cristobal fortress and then from there to El Morro fort. Views from both fortress are beautiful, as well as streets.

 

Another nice excursion is to El Yunque rain forest, but it is only if you have a time for OSJ itself.

Good suggestions. There is a nice walkway along the edge of the bay all the way to El Morro. If you go to El Morro, the cemetery is a "must see"!

We also visited the Bacardi factory one time and booked a sunset cruise with a local vendor another time.

You can climb aboard the hop on/hop off "train" and not hop off until it completes the full route.

We thoroughly enjoyed a frozen mojito across the street from the pier.

Our last time there we visited a small Museum of the Sea and an antique store in Old San Juan.

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In the US a fee like that is not allowed by Visa, Mastercharge or any CC. But cruiselines can offer a discount for echeck.

 

 

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I believe the agreement with retailers changed a couple years ago such that stores can now charge more for customers paying by credit card where they could only offer a discount for paying with cash in the past. It was part of a larger package of rule changes. Most retailers don't surcharge for payments by credit card for fear of alienating customers, most likely. In the past they were not supposed to set a minimum amount for a credit card transaction either. If I remember correctly, these rule changes came out of a suit over processing fees (in the U.S.)

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Thank you. I may ask them (via social media) why they do this. And I know the answer is because they can :D

Offsets foreign currency conversion fees charged by credit card company?

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Good Morning.

 

I just received the following e-mail from HAL.

 

We are happy that you will be on board Noordam on April 27, which is King's Day, a national holiday in the Netherlands in honor of King Willem-Alexander's birthday. With our company's deep history and roots in the Netherlands, we are proud to celebrate this day on board Holland America Line ships around the world. King's Day is marked by various festivities throughout the Netherlands, and a common theme is an abundance of the color orange, the national color of the Netherlands and the Dutch Royal Family. So as you prepare for your cruise, we encourage you to consider packing something orange to wear on April 27. Whether it's an orange hat, tie, socks or necklace, your 'touch of the Dutch' will fit right in during our King's Day celebrations.

 

Has anyone experienced King's Day on board a HAL ship?

 

B

"The Dutch Store" may be able to help you celebrate.

http://www.thedutchstore.com/webstore/home.aspx?topseq=1

I found the following relevant products:

Orange hat #162601 for $15.99.

Orange hat # 162603 for $19.99.

Orange scarf #162605 for $19.99.

Large wooden tulip - orange #196205 for $2.99.

Small orange soccer ball #162632 for $13.99.

Orange shopping bag #16170 for $3.99 doesn't have a picture.

Compact umbrella #4561102 for $14.99 is shown in orange.

Orange banner #162525 for $7.95 is out of stock.

Large banner #162620 for $19.99 is out of stock.

Being of Dutch heritage, we wish we could be there to participate in all the fun!!

That was a local law that changed a couple years ago.

Not in Dania beach, where we stayed:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/dania-beach/fl-sb-alcohol-sales-sunday-dania-20170228-story.html

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