3rdGenCunarder

I over-analyze things, too. But a lot of work up front makes the actual trip much better and easier. Your first post was quite rare. It was clear that you had done a lot of homework. So many people just post "What's a good cabin on Konignsdam?"

Luggage direct is so worth it! You will likely be in the first group to disembark after the "self disembark" passengers go off, so there should be no lines at Immigration check. In FLL last month, all I had to do was walk up to the kiosk, let it check my face and I was okay to go.

Ahh, you stirred up fond memories of QE2. When she cranked up the engines, accelerating out of port, the vibrations at the stern made all the glass tchotchkes in the aft shops play a jingling tune. And when the vibrations hit just the right frequency, resonance would make one of the sets of elevators (E, I think) shake. If you ever get a chance to sail on QM2, stand in the lower hallway aft of the atrium. You can feel the thrum of the engines. It's the only spot that reminds you that you are on a magnificent machine. I guess for me, HAL is a combination of the comfort of Grandma's house and the joy of being at sea. I like HAL's Vistas best, although they do lack Tamarind. I'm not sure what it is, but I just like the layout and feel of the ship. I had the same feeling about Cunard's Vista, Queen Elizabeth.

This was taken from the glass elevator on Eurodam, but it's about the same indent as the Pinnacle ships.

That's why I always book cruises through my TA. HAL doesn't show the advantage fare. Just best price and HIA. My TA always finds the advantage fare for me so I can compare that to the HIA fare. She said she resists booking nonrefundable deposits, especially if it's far out. People assume they won't need to cancel, but if they do they're unhappy about not getting the deposit back.

Why doesn't the onboard package cover HMC? If they can get your charges to your account, they can also clear them. Is there some Bahamian law or tax involved?

By adding things, do you mean purchasing tours, meals, etc? Check your itinerary on the website. If they show up there, they should make it to your Navigator eventually.

The view from the aft cabins is wonderful, BUT Koningsdam is one of HAL's largest ships. If you have a senior who walks slowly, I would advise against aft cabins and try to be closer to midship. CO, Lido, and (usually) gangways are closer to midship. Look at the deck plans to see which options are close to elevators. Although you're likely to have a smooth ride, given that you're doing the inside passage, I would still say to avoid the aft cabins. I had the bounciest ride ever (except for a big storm in the North Atlantic) aft on K'dam. When the waves come at the stern, that ship slams and bangs down on them. I don't see the big attraction to the spa cabins. You get a yoga mat and I think that's about it. If you expect to use the spa a lot, like a pass to the thermal suite, the forward cabins are convenient for that. But the spa cabins do not include a pass to the spa.

I don't remember for sure, but I think I was able to log onto wifi and the internet on my laptop without going through navigator after the initial setup. After I had problems with my laptop, I used my phone to check email. As Kazu said, there's a prompt to say that another device was on the account and did I want it to be logged off. I said yes and was able to log on with my phone and no additional charge. I suppose if you say no, it will offer to sell a second plan for a second device to be used at the same time as the first. I have to say, HAL isn't clear in their descriptions. The plans are for "one device." HAL should say "one device at a time," because that's how it really works.

I saw the Discovery in Australia. At first someone said that it was the old "Love Boat," but then we were corrected. Those "old girls" were built to last. Discovery made it to 44, Love Boat to 41. The France (later Norway) sailed for 41 years. QE2 almost made it to 40. But now so many people want to sail on the newest ships with the most bells and whistles that people look at a ship built 20 years ago as "too old."

Most of the "content" for my recent cruise didn't show up on the Navigator until close to sailing, less than a week out IIRC.

No, the industry hasn't recovered. And cruise lines may be looking at customer reactions and retention to see if the current staffing levels are "good enough" to get by, so tell them what you think when you get the survey. I could see the cost cutting and reduced staff on my recent cruise. Not surprising, given how much money the covid pause cost the cruise lines, but nothing I noticed "ruined my cruise." So, for me, at least the industry is back to the point where I can get on a ship and go somewhere.

There's a place to check in for tours on HMC (the HAL tours), and I suppose if you get a last-minute urge to do something other than the beach, you might be able to get a spot on a tour from them. But they won't have anything more than the ship has, so there's no point in waiting.

Don't count on the snorkel by boat. It was cancelled in January, and when I checked with the shorex desk, they said it's cancelled for the whole season. I hope they cancel the call for the Carnival ship. Even with two HAL ships, it makes things crowded.

Because Zaandam is a smaller ship, there will be fewer/different entertainment options than on the larger ships. With HAL making changes to the entertainment program, what I've experienced on the smaller ships could be different by September. For me the only downside to the smaller ships is that the spa doesn't have a hydropool, just a jacuzzi. I will miss the hydropool on my next HAL cruise (Zaandam), but the itinerary will make up for it and then some. The other difference that comes to mind, and this is really picky, is that the Pinnacle Grill is dark. It doesn't have the windows that Pinnacle has on the larger ships. On the upside, it's a shorter walk to wherever you're going. For the problem with the booking, call HAL and explain the error.

That was the situation with the train. When Covid made crossing the border difficult, the deal was the train had to go a small distance into Canada where there were double tracks and they could move the locomotive to the front of the train. But nobody was allowed to get off.

Maybe not to customers, but HAL should have known and planned better.

I have enjoyed all of my cruise stops in Victoria. Butchart Gardens is gorgeous, but tours don't give enough time if you are really into gardens and flowers. I did a ship tour once, and the guide impressed on us that we HAD to be back at the bus on time or we would be left behind. So we were constantly checking our watches. The second time, I took the shuttle bus, back when they still allowed you to go back on any bus. It was so much more relaxing and I could literally stop and smell the roses. Victoria is a lovely city to just walk around in. I've done a couple of "foodie" tours and they were fanstastic. And for those whose cruises do get to Skagway, take the train! And have a beer at the local microbrewery.

Wow, that is WAY oversold! That's 360 "extra" people. I didn't realize there are so many trip/quad cabins. I'd like to give HAL the benefit of the doubt and say they didn't know they would be short 200 crew, but they should have been able to make some projections based on their issues with hiring and placing crew. They KNOW holiday cruises are popular (and lucrative), and they want to make as much money as possible, but they should also KNOW that these cruises involve a lot of extra work for the crew. I think they only looked at the passenger numbers ($$$!) when they should have kept an eye on crew numbers, too. There have been suggestions that HAL should take a ship offline and redistribute crew, but that isn't realistic. But HAL could hold back some cabins until closer to final payment when they have a better idea of staffing. If staffing is good, put more cabins on the website. Maybe they have to be sold on sale, but at least HAL would be selling a product that is up to their standards.

I think transfers are included in the cost of the cruise, but I find it interesting that the "included" transfer does not appear, although the overpriced bus tour transfer is listed. I think that the "included" transfer/tour options are worked out at the cruise line's "desk" at the pre-cruise hotel instead of being booked in advance online. Given the state of AQV's IT department, this could turn out to be a good thing. I hope you have planned on having a few days in Chicago. It's a great city!

@Seasick Sailor, I love your little champagne wire chair!!!!

In this case, I don't blame HAL. Like any other mass-produced ceramic item, the tiles are ordered in large batches of a single design. The factory may have a done a run of one design, say the one for Vistas, so those ships would have them (unless HAL messed up on the delivery). Other designs may be further back in the factory's production queue and HAL won't have those until the factory gets caught up.

Are you looking at the itinerary that comes up when you do the "find a voyage search?" Those haven't been updated yet. Click on one of the "premium" (extra cost) excursions, and you will be bounced to the page where you can find the excursions for your cruise and other cruises for your ship. I've looked at several and they all are missing a day and Mackinac Island is showing for a different day. I guess they're in the process of updating it.

On Eurodam last month, they said the tile program was being suspended due to supply chain issues. There was a letter explaining this delivered along with the daily program one day. I don't know about the medallions, but there was no Mariner brunch on my cruise. If there was any ceremony, I don't know about it. But I think only people getting medallions are invited to the ceremony, so I wouldn't have heard about it as I'm not due to get any "hardware" soon.

I think the Vista cabins with the bed near the windows are only on the Pinnacle class ships. Take a look around HalFacts to see what the various cabins are like.