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14 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Let's see.  First the flights were done through HAL.  Now Delta "arranged" them".  Hmmm.

 

Sorry.  The fact of the matter is...you picked the flights.  Either by explicitly making the selection, by agreeing to the option presented to you, or by your initial decision that you would accept whatever the cruiseline would provide to you.

 

As for a "package" - you may actually be worse off with a "package", as they are often put together using bulk tickets that come with significantly more restrictive fare rules than what you would buy yourself on the open market.

 

Caveat emptor.

Thank you all for your input.  |Probably will be cancelling trip, not necessarily because of the flight situation.

1 hour ago, waterbug123 said:

 

Maybe, but it's not guaranteed.  If that flight is full they will not bump someone else off to put you on the flight.   If there are other passengers who had delays and need to get on that flight, and they have status with the airline or purchased a ticket in a higher fare code, they will likely be accommodated before you are.

 

 

Actually if the flight is full and someone is being reaccommodated from a prior flight that had delays, they may not even ask if there are pax willing to be bumped.   Bump offers are more common when a flight is oversold.  That's different from a flight just being full, and someone from an earlier flight wanting to be moved to that flight. 

Will matter if the flights we purchased came as a package.   By that I mean the flights were arranged by Delta.  I did not pick the flights.   I would hope that they would know the time is short and would be prepared to accommodate the passengers that have connecting flights since that is their plan??   Should I dream on!!!

We have booked with flight-ease Hal and supposedly they will be responsible to get us to Vancouver.  Our PCC has tried to assure us that will be well.  We are too old to have to worry about things like this.  I would really like to change the flight, but she says it will be okay.

8 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

 

A couple of days before my flight, I check out FlightAware.

FlightAware gives you departure and arrival gates for PAST flights. You can get historical data to help you determine what the odds are of if you will have to change terminals. (remember, this is historical data. Don't set your clock by it.) You can also check FlightAware during your flight to see where your next flight is boarding.

Usually, if the connection is going to be tight, flight attendants will ask for everyone to stay seated so those with tight connections can debark the plane quickly. If you ask them to politely.

If you miss the connection, how much of a problem to get on the next flight available.  We know there is one 2 hrs later, will we be put on it?   Our connection to our cruise is the next day, so that is not a problem.

We have a flight booked with Delta - DTW to Vancouver, BC with a layover of 44 minutes in Seattle.  My question is it possible to change planes in 44 minutes and have your luggage follow you on the same flight and arrive in Vancouver at the same time.  We have booked through flight ease with Hal.   We were told the gates are close and should be no problem, but????   

do you think it will work out??   /btw the flights are Delta's schedule

On ‎3‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 5:08 PM, foodsvcmgr said:

Just off Koningsdam 10 Day Southern Caribbean yesterday.

Having previously sailed this ship two years ago, the range of improvements since then are striking. First and foremost it is very apparent to someone such as myself working in the hotel F&B industry that there has been a huge customer focused service initiative and training. First night in traditional late seating the waiter says "please let me know if there is anything special or different you would like and I will try to get it for you", wine stewardess says "we are here to make your Holland America experience special", asst. maître d' stops by daily, WOW the service attitude has just gone to a new level.

 

A quick overview of my other experiences:

Embarkation - Despite being "suggested" to arrive mid-afternoon, we arrived at 11:15, whisked our way through and were enjoying lunch in the MDR at 12:10. Cabins were ready upon boarding.

 

Food - Noticeable improvement since our last HAL cruise. Interesting to see the generic MDR dinner menus are now heavily themed to Caribbean dishes, lighter foods. fish, etc. in keeping with the itinerary. Old favorites and Everyday selections offered as well. 

Best Pinnacle experience we have had in a while and excellent dinner in Tamarind. Our food in Canaletto was fine but getting tired of the odd menu format and the buffet location of the venue so will give it a pass next cruise.

Outstanding variety and quality in the Lido for breakfast and lunch. 

Dive In runs rings around the competition, NY Pizza was just ok.

 

Entertainment - Rolling Stone is a home run. I am 60 and the age range onboard is mostly 55-75, so no longer the kid onboard LOL. Great to see the sea of white heads in the Rolling Stone nightly singing, dancing, and having a fabulous time, SRO every show.

Billboard much better than two years ago, Lincoln Center unfortunately no where near as good, obviously depends on the skill and enthusiasm of the individual performers ship to ship, cruise to cruise.

Superb virtuoso pianist in the World Stage one night. And yes, I can confirm the singers and dancers are no more.

 

Ports - My favorite Caribbean itinerary, ABC's to me by far the nicest and cleanest islands, made better by great weather.

focused 

Ship - Immaculate from recent drydock.

 

Staff - Great service in cabin, dining, and bars. I'm sure that Capt. Darin Bowland is responsible for setting the tone onboard, great guy.

 

Other Notes - Received our 100 day bronze medallion this trip, very nice ceremony.

The new app works great and is very helpful looking up daily programs and menus and checking your account.

Only a few books left in the library, mostly focused on the Caribbean region.

10 PM happy hour still held in Crows Nest.

Casual nights very informal, Gala nights a few tuxes, maybe 20, in MDR at least most men wearing a suit or sport coat, many with ties.

You can no longer bring a portable fan , mine was confiscated upon boarding, picked it up on the way out.

Disembarkation very smooth, my group was 8:30-8:45, called at 8:32, in cab within 20 minutes to FLL thanks to electronic passport app.

 

Bought my FCC's - just hoping my next HAL cruise will measure up to this one. Any questions, please ask.

 

 

 

We totally agree with your review.  We were on the Koningsdam for a TA cruise last Oct. and enjoyed the cruise very much.  The Rolling Stones and a change to the performances in the BB King and the Lincoln centre were announced.  We also bought a Future cruise for this fall, but on the Noordam.  Thank you

We did not hear any noise from the world stage.  The ride was fine.  We had a little windy weather, but the ride was fine.  The balcony with the wind was not to good to sit out in though.   We normally do not book that far forward, (we booked a guarantee obstructed view deck 4), but were assigned this cabin.   We would do it again.

20 hours ago, RoyalVisit said:

We cruised on the Koningsdam in Jan 2017 and had stateroom 4022 on Deck 4 (category VB) which had a massive balcony but it is about half overlooked by the staterooms above. We loved it! 

We were in 4033 (Oct. 2018) and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  The size was just fine and especially the balcony.

We wish you the very best.  Love from us.

3 hours ago, Roz said:

Lots of companies and industries have gone out of business because they misread the market, and/or were out of touch with their customers.  Just because someone works in an industry doesn't make them an expert or indicate they have their pulse on their customers' needs and opinions.

 

Roz

Sorry, I suppose your right.

It is now reported to be leaving at 17:00.   Must have just changed.

it is amazing how much smarter some of you are than the people who work in the industry.

Thank you for taking us along with you.  Have enjoyed the cruise very much.

38 minutes ago, Jareds_mommytoo said:

We are leaving soon on the nuiew Amsterdam, we had actually looked into booking a second cruise for easter on the same ship. We were told to wait and book it on board, now i am glad we didnt book. We will be booking somewhere else. There are lots of other places who want our travel money 

Before deciding, I would suggest following up on the NA cruise by finding out if the comments on this thread are true.  Something about this whole discussion bothering me is, I have not yet ever ordered a second entry (other than the second lobster on our last cruise) because most often by the time I have got to end of my dinner I am full and the second entry would be waste.   I am fairly sure that if there is something you dislike about your (first) dinner (not cooked, cold, etc) it will be exchanged without any extra charge. 

We are just waiting for someone to tell us that they have had been charged $10 more or been told that if (I) the waiter brings you another entry they will charge you for it.   "Wow" I can almost see a big "discussion" exploding in the MDR.  

2 hours ago, 0bnxshs said:

We were in 1091 on the other side of the ship and could not hear BB King's at all, so I doubt you'll have any trouble with that.  You'll find my photos of the cabin on HALfacts.  You'll be closer to the very quiet mid ship elevators and atrium, just the internet center there so no problems.  We found it easy to get to the GDC and Music Walk.  Think you'll enjoy.

Size wise, how does this cabin compare to an inside cabin on the size deck?

1 minute ago, Fouremco said:

I've read all of the related posts and have yet to see anyone reporting that they were charged the $10 or were at a table where someone else was charged. There are lots of possible explanations, but maybe it just isn't such a big deal to those on ships experiencing the trial.

Thank you, that is what I was wondering too!!

16 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

If you read through this long thread you will see that several CC members have posted that this has been printed on the daily menus in the MDR and they were reporting while on the cruise. Also HAL has confirmed on FB (see post #306) that this is being done currently as a test on 4 HAL ships. The test will be evaluated at the end of this month and a decision will be made whether to go fleetwide.

Thank you.  I hope that it will not include asking an extra lobster on the "Surf and Turf" dinner.   I asked for an extra one for the first time on our last cruise and got it.  Won't do it again if it does.

Is there anyone who has actually experienced the $10 charge?  So far all that has been written is that there may be a charge.  My apology if I missed someone's experience.   We were on the Koningsdam last Oct-Nov and our experience was way different than we are reading here.  The size of the portions in the MDR were more than acceptable and very pleased with them. 

1 hour ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

 

We eat a lot in the Pinnacle -- the servers there get to know us.  Before I would order the crab lags, I would ask if they were small or large.  They were honest with me and a couple of times I did not get them as they were tiny.

 

They are cut in half and you are given a fish fork to dig out the crab.  

 

A finger bowl of water was provided at the end of the meal.

Was the meal worth the effort, I mean did you get enough crab legs and meat?

OH NO, I just saw flashing red lights.  I hope there is  no health problem.

Is the price for a solo cruise double the price of a cabin?   I thought the solo would be higher, but not double?  I truthfully hope I never have to find out, but God Bless those of you who do it.

One truck there now 4:36 PM.

Looks like all is ready to drop the lines except for the white trucks!!

Glad to hear that the "luggage direct" service is now available on the Koningsdam.  It was not last Oct-Nov. on our 2018 TA cruise.