syesmar

16 hours ago, cruisn71 said:

…The Captain came on for the noon announcement and explained the timing of the Eclipse and that they will point the aft of the ship towards the sun to maximize the deck space for viewing.

I see on HAL’s FB page they will be livestreaming from ms Koningsdam during the eclipse (stream begins at 1:30pm EST). Sounds like a wonderful cruise so far! Thanks for sharing your adventures @cruisn71
 

Livestream link here:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/280694885081850/

4 hours ago, jakkojakko said:

Thank you. I did an extensive search going pages back to where I knew I saw it last and it wasn't there. They must have put it back up again.

It’s still visible at the link in my last post. However, it has been recently locked so it won’t stay on the front pages much longer.

3 hours ago, jakkojakko said:

And yet that cannot be found anymore!…

Here it is. If it was removed, it’s back up now. 

Does anyone know if the departure time changed from the original itinerary? I’ve witnessed fellow passengers who were unaware when times got adjusted, despite announcements and signage. I’ve also witnessed passengers who would go by an itinerary’s departure time forgetting that All Aboard is earlier.

On average, approximately how many passengers get left behind per 7 nights while sailing? I understand it probably varies greatly by destination and other factors, but am curious.

As an aside tip, if you visit Canaletto for dinner, they serve Gelato.

@BobbiSox I have taken foldable Coleman chairs several times on international photography trips. I didn’t have a problem when flying American Airlines. ymmv, but that was my experience. They were in our checked luggage. The chair cases rather resemble a tripod case.

On 3/12/2024 at 12:52 PM, cbr663 said:

It states under FAQs: …

"If HAL does not confirm guest on the Cruise’s standby list at two (2) days prior to the Cruise’s depart have two options…."

On 3/12/2024 at 12:54 PM, melissy123 said:

From the FAQ:

 

If HAL does not confirm guest on the Cruise’s standby list at two (2) days prior to the Cruise’s depart have two options….”

HAL needs to proofread this and make the necessary edits.

A few years ago I called the Mariner Society about this issue and was told if you’re within 3 days of the next star AND your cruise is 21 days or longer, you can call and request the early upgrade to receive the benefits for the duration of the cruise. It has to go through an approval process.

I will miss the lunch on embarkation day in the MDR. Outside of tea time, it’s about the only time DH will agree to a meal in the MDR (mainly because of how lengthy meals can be, plus the Lido has so much variety). Although I must admit, after our last embarkation day lunch in MDR, we did find ourselves in the Lido perusing the dessert options.😀

I agree with those who say the excuse of not being well attended is a weak argument, in light of the fact it wasn’t well publicized. Those little touches of having a quiet place to dine amidst the hustle and bustle, having some space to think and prepare for the days to come after the morning’s check-in was really nice, in my opinion. 

On 3/8/2024 at 9:20 AM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I saw a similar thing in Ocean bar on Zaandam last month…. 

…Like he had some kind of right to their table. And the women moved!!!! I'd have told him, "If you can hear the music just fine over there, I hope you enjoy it." 

Oh, my! I definitely would not have budged either! I remember how offended the people trying to get our seats/game board were. It’s like they had a stakeout nearby and were trying to stare us down and make us uncomfortable so we’d move. One of the oddest moments aboard, but hey, it gave me a story and an unforgettable memory!😉

Here’s an older Thread with some suggestions: 

It’s been a number of years, but we have stayed at the Inntel, now MaasHotel, in Rotterdam a couple of times. 

On 3/6/2024 at 10:09 AM, Fly and Sail said:

We received a free casino comp via the HA status match in a Visa Suite for which I booked a 12 day Med cruise….

What is a “HA status match”? Thanks!

On 3/6/2024 at 8:20 AM, *Miss G* said:

 

I got left behind for breakfast!  I have been on only one HAL cruise where the clock wasn’t adjusted for port time.  When we arrived at the Pinnacle Grill, the Maître d‘ told us they were closed and we had to go eat in the Lido.  😭

Oh! I would imagine it can get confusing if the ship’s time is different than the “real” time! Thanks for sharing😀

On 3/1/2024 at 4:43 PM, Heidi13 said:

 

Regardless of how many warnings and notices are posted, for pax on shore leave, it is still an additional risk factor that could be easily mitigated.

On 3/1/2024 at 5:17 PM, jljcruise said:

I bought a cheap analog watch that I wear on cruises. I set it on ship's time (verified each time we disembark) and then don't have to worry if some satellite changes our phone or tablet's time to local. I just find it an easy fix to the problem of worry about getting back at the correct time.

For those who have experienced a cruise that uses a “ship’s time” that differs from that on land, do you find more passengers get left behind on such sailings?

On 2/23/2024 at 5:44 AM, hokie_fan said:

I has something strange happen yesterday. I was curious about the flights that I had and if there would be a way to select seats. (knew that was a long shot) so I logged in and chose "View Flights". It allowed me to choose an airport, and then I stopped at that point realizing I was not going to access my flight. Later I looked at my remaining payment to find out the flight portion of my balance had been removed and I only owed for the cruise.  I called HA and was told that I had cancelled the flights. They were absolutely sure that I did.  I can't imagine that choosing "View Flights" would have cancelled what I had.  Seems there would have been some message to warn me?  Anyway, they were able to rebook the flights, but when I got the confirmation, the inbound was a different flight. I had sent them my confirmation, so I am not sure what happened there. Guess I will be on the phone again today with my fingers crossed.  Getting nervous!

@hokie_fan I recall this was an issue in the past, where just checking flights could cause a cancellation. Here is an old Thread about it, along with tips:

 Hope you got the flight you wanted back!

4 hours ago, Roz said:

 

In the past I had no problem asking to share a table with others, but lately (post-Covid) I've found more people reluctant to do that.  When I approach them I get "the look", or they make up some vague, bogus excuse such as we're waiting for friends, or that seat is already taken. 

 

I've noticed more and more posts on Cruise Critic asking about 2-top tables and how to avoid eating with other people or just socializing in general.  Posters cite social anxiety, fear of meeting new people, depression, etc. as the reason they want to avoid others.  Silly me, I regularly ask other passengers to join me at trivia, mealtime, on excursions, etc., not knowing I'm possibly causing someone to have an anxiety attack.  

You do you. My hesitancy to share tables started before the pandemic. It seemed we were always getting sick when we traveled, and cutting down on table sharing was a precaution we took at times. Other times, we might need to privately discuss something going on in our lives at home.

I don’t mind it someone asks us about our 2 empty spaces, but would hope that if we declined there would be no offense taken.

On 3/1/2024 at 10:32 AM, Hlitner said:

…Folks are not "entitled" to use a chair/lounger just because they think it is their right!  DW and I still remember a time, on Princess or HAL, when we were enjoying breakfast (with another couple) in the Lido.  A lady came over to our table and said, "I am sorry, but you need to move so our knitting group can sit at this table."  DW politely replied that they were welcome to the table after we had finished our breakfast.  The lady was not satisfied and pointed out that her little knitting group always used "their table" in the morning.  And no, we did not relinquish the table until we were finished with breakfast.  The "knitting group" found another nearby table, but were not happy!

Reminds me of a time we were in the Explorations Cafe late at night and there was a table with a game board embossed on its top. I believe it was chess, and I hadn’t played chess in ages. We were enjoying the game, but I have never been an avid player so it was taking me longer to make moves than someone who was a regular player. But I was having fun nonetheless! A couple of people younger than me (which was rather unusual at the time aboard HAL😃) came over to tell me they needed to sit where we were because they played the game every night at a certain time and we were interfering with their schedule. I can still see their antsy looks and body language.

I have no issues with calling attention to a legitimate chair hog, but to attempt to bounce someone else from a seat just because they want it is not cool in my book!

On 2/27/2024 at 4:54 PM, syesmar said:

…We then tried being familiar with the menu in advance and ready to order as soon as we sat down and telling them we were in a bit of a hurry. On that sailing it seemed to work…

On 3/1/2024 at 5:03 PM, Crew News said:

…When meeting my MDR waiter for the first time, I let them know that I will leave in 60 minutes whether I have had every course or not.  My NA October MDR complete dinner service times were 57, 52, and 49 minutes.  On the Eurodam last month, my dining times were 52, 49, and 43 minutes (best time in all of my cruises).  Meal courses can be staged at the wait stations and served within minutes of finishing each course.  Just ask….

I have found that letting the server know our time parameters works for us, too. Thanks @Crew News for your helpful advice!

13 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

We have just returned from 22 nights on the Oosterdam….

On one night we were seated for 1 hour before our orders were taken, service was generally very slow and it seemed to me that there were staff missing compared with other cruises we have been on….

Thanks for sharing your experience! That’s a very long time to wait. Years ago, one cruise we started experiencing long delays on the front end, too. We then tried being familiar with the menu in advance and ready to order as soon as we sat down and telling them we were in a bit of a hurry. On that sailing it seemed to work, but I will admit the majority of our dinners after that sailing were in the Lido. (Also agree with the comment that isolation for illness may have played a factor on your sailing).

In the past, I found the V-2go site is good for printing my itineraries. It has lines I can keep when I paste and I can add items like excursion contacts, etc.

What is an acceptable length of time to be away from the lounger enjoying the pool?

@Trish Traveler I am SO happy to hear about an upcoming Indonesian Tea! I used to enjoy them so much, as well as the Royal Dutch Tea.

Thanks to HAL for bringing this back!

Here’s a Thread with info on HAL’s teas.

9 minutes ago, 81Zoomie said:

…Never could find the expedited line….

We have encountered this before at AMS. Usually at security. Only once was at the check-in counter where passengers were attempting to re-book our canceled flight, staff ignored the AA Priority Lanes completely so there was absolutely no time savings. The next day when we eventually flew out, the lane was functioning and everything went smoothly.

While I have done this before and made it, the last time we traveled through Amsterdam the airport was not efficient. Though we were in Business Class, AA did not honor the Priority Lane for our canceled flight (to re-book), it was a free-for-all. We’ve also had issues in numerous trips not being able to access priority security lanes (my point is, even if you have some built-in strategies that should save considerable time, it doesn’t always work out).

We have done the train to the airport many times, and have flown in/out of Schiphol, Rotterdam, Brussels and Paris after cruises ending in the Netherlands. Last time we took a taxi to Schiphol (due to a time crunch) and rather preferred it.

Also, one cruise our planned disembarkation was 7am, but it didn’t begin until 8am due to some logistics hiccups arriving. 

Have a great cruise!