3rdGenCunarder

I've been to Norway twice in the summer, and I agree that if you're only going one, or going for the first time, that's the better bet. I'm doing QV in October-November in hopes of seeing the Northern lights. Sunrise at the northernmost ports is after 8:30 and sunset is before 4 PM, so not optimal for sightseeing. And yes, try to find a cruise that goes to Sptizbergen. You know all those people who brag about being in (or sailing by) Antarctica? Well, at Sptizbergen you're closer to the North Pole than they got to the South Pole. (No penguins, but you might see caribou)

I shall toast you in absentia. Or Miami...

Ahh, that makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

That was my first thought, but I checked whatsinport, and there were 3 HAL ships listed, including Zaandam. FLL can usually take 3 HAL ships, but there are 2 X and 1 RC and 1 Princess on the list, too. So maybe one of those is taking a berth that HAL would have had. is more than they can take. Zaandam is smaller than NA and Eurodam, so I guess it makes sense to move/inconvenience the fewest people.

Has anyone else had a message from HAL changing a cruise departure from FLL to Miami? I got this email this morning. I'm okay with it. It means I can spend a night or two in South Beach with an easier transfer to the cruise port, but I have never sailed HAL out of Miami. I apologize for the spacing. I did a cut and paste. At least I was able to get the font down to a normal size and not humongous!!! Please be advised that your upcoming Zaandam voyage departing on Saturday, February 3, 2024 will now sail roundtrip from Miami, Florida rather than Fort Lauderdale, Florida as previously scheduled. PortMiami is located at 1015 North America Way, Miami, Florida, 33132. Guests with a Holland America Line pre- or post-cruise hotel package or transfer will be taken directly between their Fort Lauderdale hotel or the airport and the pier. Guests with independent transfer arrangements should adjust their plans accordingly. Our arrival and departure times in Miami have been adjusted to allow time for transfers to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), so existing air schedules do not need to be adjusted. For guests with Holland America Line's Flight Ease Air, we have lifted your flights from your booking to adjust the itinerary in our system, and they will be available again after August 30

Couldn't agree more. Any other travel I book for myself. Even flights to a cruise and pre-cruise hotel I take care of. But my TA has access to more info than I can find, especially the Advantage Fare, which HAL's website doesn't show. I don't like guarantees. Like OP, I fret too much about it. My "need to know" is way too strong for that uncertainty.

Skip Legal Seafood and go to Yankee Lobster. Great lobstah rolls!!!!

Did I miss something that was deleted since I was online earlier? All I see from OP is that they were told no cabin was available, no mention of categories.

Are the balconies teak? I thought they were some kind of vinyl that looks like teak decking. The picture definitely looks like something was patched. This appears to be at the corner, looking toward the narrower side area. @urqu3, was the larger part of the balcony patched like that, too?

I think they did have a logo store a long time ago. it might have been in 1990, when we were in California before our first Panama Canal cruise (QE2).

I was in a corner aft on K'dam on deck 7. No smells, no engine noise. But in the right (or perhaps I should say WRONG) sea conditions, that ship rode badly. Slammed down on the sea at the back. It was a lot of random bangs and shudders.. Other people have had cruises where it didn't happen at all, so it isn't constant. But we had a few days of it. I'm a good sailor normally, but one day it was so bad, I couldn't go to the MDR because that's at the back and I was tired of the slam-bang, so we had dinner in the Lido, midships and no problem. I hated the bathroom because the shower was tiny. The layout of a corner aft is different from the ones along the side. I'm told that the aft corners on K'dam vary from deck to deck and 7 had the worst bathrooms, so you might do well on 4, 5, or 6. Take a look at cabin descriptions on halfacts and see what you can learn about size and layout of your various possible cabins. Pinnacle Class | HAL Cruiser Information (halfacts.com)

@urqu3, are you still on the ship?

I got a look at the new canal from the visitor/info enter a few years ago. and you're right about there being less to see. On the drive to the center, we went over a low bridge--it was actually the top of a lock gate, and I didn't realize it until I was up on the hillside, looking down. The gates slide, which is less dramatic than the two leaves slowly opening. And instead of an eye-level look at the mule (and maybe a wave from the driver!), you have to look down to the water to see the tug. I'm looking forward to a transit of the new locks on Queen Anne in 2025, just for the sake of doing it. But there's a sort of romantic sense of history about the old locks that I will miss. And if you want a spectacular locking (without mules), check out the Welland Canal. There's a flight of 3 locks with a 40-foot drop/rise EACH. And because the locks are shorter than the Panama locks, you get a real sense of a steep drop.

You navigate around the search by clicking on the "edit" buttons to the left. Where it shows deck 7, if you click "edit" you will see the other decks that have availability for your category. You can use these edits to change location, deck, cabin. But it may not show full availability. Alternate,but long, way is to search for a specific cabin number. It will tell you if that cabin is available. Short way, call a travel agent. Their system allows them to see all available cabins.

Ooh! I love audiobooks. I've walked many a mile on deck listening to a book. Who's the reader?

Yes, McCullough's book is a great warm-up for the canal. On Eurodam this winter (partial transit), they showed a couple of documentaries about the construction of the canal. Lots of vintage photos. Definitely worth seeing.

NOOO! Just close the doors to all the bars and ask passengers to give the secret password (which can be found in the daily programme, of course).

I'm sure your behavior would have matched the occasion, as I have often seen with kids on Cunard. I love to see families all dressed up for formal nights and having their photographs taken.

Thanks for the review! I agree that Tamarind is wonderful. I was on Eurodam last winter, and I have to agree that service in Pinnacle needed improvement. Perhaps they were/are short staffed. MDR lunch is not spectacular. I go on the first day because I like the quiet time after the rush to get to the port, check in, etc. It's a calm start to the cruise. Otherwise, I have a salad bar lunch in the Lido most days. I think HAL's salad bar is great. And it's a healthy lunch. Well, until I go to the Mexican station and add some quac and chips...

The locomotives that guide the ship through the canal locks are called mules, a reference to the animals that did the job on canals a long time ago. Panamax for the old locks is less than 1000 feet, What Are Panamax and Post-Panamax Cruise Ships? (cruisecritic.com)

I agree, ask to be moved. And since you've started a record of complaint, call Guest Services if it happens again and ask someone to go to your cabin then to hear it at its worst, not at a time when it isn't bad. This is surprising. I've been as low as 5 in an aft cabin on various Vistas, including Westerdam, and not had vibration issues. I hope it isn't a sign of something wrong with the ship.

I think the Rotterdam is too long for the old locks, so you would be going through the new ones. If so, a boat ride through the old locks would be worth doing, to watch the "mules" in action and watch the gates open and close. If you want to really appreciate the canal, that's worth doing. I've done partial and full transits, and I have done other excursions, but the canal is the main attraction for me. Take another look at the itinerary. Usually, the ship is in the canal area for only one day. HAL breaks out the various stages--entering the locks, in the lake, going back out through the locks, etc. But it all happens on one day. I guess they're listing the excursions for all of those stages, but it's all that one day. Yes, there is some hassle to the excursions. You leave the ship by tender while it's in the lake. You cannot take independent tours because only people on HAL tours will be allowed to use the tenders. After your tour, you will end in Colon. Depending on the timing of your tour, your could get to Colon before the ship and have to kill time in the duty-free or Casino (to avoid the hot climate). There isn't anything to see our do around the port, and it isn't a great area.

I find it surprising that the price structure is the same for Pinnacle ships and non-pinnacle ships. Although I didn't like the CO dining room, for most people, the smaller room with better service is a nice improvement over the MDR. Yes, on other ships, CO passengers get the extra dinner entree in MDR and a priority line for open seating, but that doesn't seem like equal value.

There are three entrances to Moynihan. One has a ramp down to the concourse. The others enter at the upper level and you take an elevator down t the concourse. Moynihan is easy to get around. I haven't taken the ship's shuttle, but I expect that the bus would drop you at one of the side entrances--just don't go up the stairs, because that takes you into the post office! The potential problem is being dropped off at the "old" Penn Station. Not homeless people (Penn is getting cleaned up these days), but logistics. The two parts of the station connect, but it's a circuitous route. Not all entrances have elevators down to the concourse (they have escalators and stairs) and there's a lot of construction going on at the 8th Ave end, so managing luggage could be difficult. I would get a taxi or Uber. That way you will be sure of being dropped off at a convenient spot. And you wouldn't' have to wait for the bus to fill.

I don't consider the spa cabins an upgrade over an aft view. I think HAL makes the spa cabins a special category to sell cabins that are not in a good location or have smaller balconies or other minus points. BUT they're spa cabins! Near the spa (but don't include a spa pass, just a shorter walk). And I think you might get a yoga mat and maybe a little fountain that makes soothing sounds.