grsnovi

After being booked under the pool and listening to them drag deck chairs around, I've gotten pretty particular about where I'm booked.

In my 16 years of cruising HAL...

Thanks catl331, in my 11 years I'd never noticed, likely because I only managed to look at times when they only had a single deck plan for the ship I was sailing.

I have to admit that in all my years here I don't think I've ever looked at any of the stickies...

...HAL has sometimes CHANGED the categories...

I wonder how they do this since I can go look at a deck plan and see the stateroom categories.

We sailed on Silversea and they didn't mention it, but...

I'm not saying that boxed wine is inferior but I wouldn't expect that Silversea's typical clientel would be drinking wine out of a box... :)

Seems a rather harsh stance taken by both sides in this. Since the only thing at stake was OBC being offered to anyone after the OP's attempt to get OBC it seems HAL's position was sorta like cutting your nose off to spite your face. On the other hand, the OP's position appears to rule out HAL for a practice they are likely to encounter in the future with any other line now that the global economy has strengthened. To my view seems to have been an unfortunate encounter for both parties.

After reading the linked article it makes me wonder if the quality of the fuel purchased during this last season differed from what the lines were previously able to purchase. I have often wondered about stack emissions. Glad they're being monitored.

RNB! Great review! Although we've been to Alaska 3x we'll be taking the kids and grandkids along with us next summer - I'll be sure to have everyone read your review so they understand Alaska on a big boat...

During our time on K'dam this past June the screen was pretty much dedicated to World Cup soccer matches. We rarely spend time at the pool anyway so it wasn't an issue.

On Koningsdam in June our muster drill was to inside lounge areas not outside under life boats however this may be due to the difference in the K'dam's "promenade" from other ships. Our last muster on the Eurodam was outside under the life boats. No life jackets these days...

What are the chances that this will impact the 2019 itineraries? I don't want to put money down today if the Eurodam won't be allowed into Glacier Bay next summer.

It's been a while since we did this itinerary and Cyn says if we ever do it again we won't bother getting off the ship. In Cabo we did a snorkel (where they dumped us into a bay that was loaded with jelly fish - after a few stings everyone was out of the water and grumpy). In Mazatlan we did a "salsa and salsa" where we made salsa, drank tequila and learned to Salsa dance. In PV we crewed on an America's Cup yacht in a "mock" race against another similarly crewed yacht - which would have been fun had anyone besides us been actually doing any of the work (the downside to being the youngest on that particular shore excursion).

In re-reading this thread I saw that I said I'd report back... We had a great cruise to Norway on the K'dam this past June. Starting with lunch in the MDR my wife had no problems with gluten. We ate in the Lido on most mornings although we did room service on debarkation day. The Lido was much better on K'dam this trip but you still need to be mindful. Dinners were mostly MDR and you'll get a menu tonight for what you'd like tomorrow and it will be prepared GF (or there will be a GF substitution if that isn't possible). We really like Tamarind and her GF concerns were addressed and Tamarind remains one of our favorite venues. In the past you did need to flag your GF concerns to HAL prior to your cruise as posted earlier in this thread that is no longer required but you should certainly mention it during your booking process - your TA can make sure that you'll get a GF meal on your flights. Once on board, minimally let your server know ideally let the dining room manager know. Ask in the Lido, the servers have typically been made aware of the issues associated with Celiac, GF and other food allergies. Is it possible that you'll be glutened? Sure but as long as you're mindful and minimally engaged things should be fine - at least that has been our experience. HAL has been getting better and better about this.

Cut from their web page:

Special Diets and Meals: Kosher*, Passover Seder dinner, salt-free,fat-free, baby food, diabetic and other special dietary needs can be accommodated only with advance notification. For special meal arrangements, please contact the Ship Services Department at 1-800-541-1576 (or email: hal_ship_services@hollandamerica.com) at least 90 days prior to departure. While we try to fulfill all requests,it may not always be feasible. Holland America Line reserves the right to substitute products when specified brands are not available. An additional charge may be applied. Reconfirm any special requests with the Dining Room Manager after you board.*Kosher meals are prepared off the ship in a kosher kitchen, frozen and brought to the table sealed in their original containers. There is no kosher kitchen on board, nor do we have kosher dishes, utensils, pots or pans on the ship.Cooking facilities on board are not considered kosher.

So, it does appear as if they treat kosher differently. I know that we didn't manage to alert HAL 60 days in advance this last cruise but our TA knew that my wife wanted GF. I suspect the issue would be critical if you were celiac v. making GF a choice. They bake on board so there is wheat flour in the galley but the new kitchen on the Koningsdam is laid out very differently from the older ships.

If you care, you can eat lunch in the main dining room if you board early enough on embarkation day. Most folks seem to dash to the Lido. We enjoyed a very relaxing lunch in the Koningsdam's MDR this past June in Amsterdam. Also, depending on your tastes, be sure to try the Tamarind which is billed as "Pan Asian" and we've really enjoyed eating there on Eurodam and Koningsdam. The K'dam is HAL's largest (at the moment) but we didn't think it was gigantic... I really enjoyed some of the Lincoln Center classical performances and there was a pretty spectacular musical/video presentation/show in the main theater one night on this last cruise.

DW is not celiac but has eaten GF for the last 4 or 5 years because gluten does make her sick (but not life threatening). Initially there was a requirement to notify HAL prior to the cruise - I'm not certain that is still a hard and fast rule but it would certainly be prudent. We generally eat in the MDR and notify the dining room manager of her preference. Usually the first meal needs to be selected from what your server will know to be (or checks to be) GF. There after you will get a menu for the next meal asking you to select and that meal will be prepared GF (unless it is impossible for them). My wife always felt left out at dessert time but this last cruise was much better as far as GF desserts. GF in the Lido can be hit or miss but that has also gotten a lot better but you can't assume that the Lido is going to be safe if you're celiac. Generally if you notify your server (or if you call to make a reservation in a specialty restaurant on-board) you'll be fine. DW ate GF in Tamarind this last trip on K'dam.

Nieuw Statendam will also have a Tamarind on the Panorama deck. We like Tamarind for the total experience. The food is certainly the main draw however the dining room is also beautiful and the dining staff is first rate. When we get around to sailing on the Nieuw Statendam we'll certainly eat in Tamarind again (although I suspect our next encounter will be on Eurodam next summer).

...We like the flavor but don't want our mouths on fire!

I would suspect that you could order anything and that your server will inquire regarding hot hot or mild you would prefer. I recall we were asked. You might also just say that you're worried about it being too spicy and get suggestions. In my experience the service in Tamarind on both the Eurodam and Koningsdam was excellent - this included advice on the menu offerings.

Cyn and I have eaten in Tamarind several times. This last time out I had the Ginger and Garlic Wok-seared Lobster and it was awesome! I don't remember what she had, I think the Korean Duck Breast.

We were just on K'dam (4111) and our balcony had a clear view (have to lean out to see a life boat).

Another vote for Tamarind. We will always eat at Tamarind one night if there is one on the ship.

Pinnacle Grill (if you like steak).

We also don't care to spend extra for Canaletto - it isn't that special.

We do like the MDR (main dining room) and typically eat dinner there.

We did Norway the last week of June. The weather was gorgeous and I picked up a little sunburn. That said the week prior the crew mentioned they had nothing but rain. You need to be prepared and pack for warm, wet and cold and then dress accordingly in the morning.

Correct me if I'm wrong but don't first time HAL cruisers get tiles during the Mariner lunch anyway? The luncheon is held on the last "at sea" day and by then wouldn't first time cruisers be considered Mariners by HAL? I'm pretty sure we rec'd tiles on our 1st cruise.

HAL provides great robes and there are hooks on the wall. There should be plenty of room in the closet for your jackets. We usually bring a plastic shoe organizer that hangs over the closet door in which we keep toilet sundries that we like handy but not clutter the limited space in the bathroom.

There was another long thread about this recently. The consensus seems to be that at some point in the future HAL may begin to use the suggested times however currently whenever you arrive at the pier you will be processed through, given a number (if boarding hasn't yet begun) and once boarding begins, they will call groups by the assigned number. I would imagine that if you arrive at the pier by 11 or 11:30 you will be on board by 12 or 12:30 (and your stateroom will most likely be ready and your luggage may already be there). Enjoy Alaska!