syesmar

We've stayed at the Inntel Hotel in Rotterdam a couple of times. Once we took a tram over to the cruise terminal, another time we walked over the bridge. It's been a few years, so read recent reviews, so I don't have vivid memories due to staying there just one night each after an international flight, but I do recall we had enjoyable stays and were comfortable with no complaints (and returned a second time). Agree that the Hilton at Schiphol is very convenient when flying out of AMS (we also stayed there upon arrival last time prior to our cruise that sailed from AMS). Loved our stays there.

+ If it had not been Shabbat, Saturday, there would almost certainly have been more independent travelers, with a number taking the train and/or public buses. Grateful everyone made it back onboard as quickly as they did.

Question: I recall in the past, some passengers who used Flight Ease reporting that their held flights were canceled after browsing/checking for alternate flights. Has this glitch been fixed?Thanks!

In cases of cancellations, delays, etc., is it best to contact Flight Ease customer service for rebookings, etc., or is a passenger able to speak directly with the airline? EDIT: saw the Post by @terrydtx after posting my question. Thanks.

It would be convenient in the future for guests to have an option to enter their details online. If not, I would imagine those who wish to turn it in to someone on board, e.g., front desk, etc., can also do so (not necessarily when departing for the day, agree that would cause delays if everyone did so). Agree. Grateful the ship was able to locate everyone as quickly as they did. If it had not been on a Saturday there likely would have been more independent travelers and complications. Wishing you all aboard Nieuw Statendam the best for the remainder of your sailing!

Thanks for the detailed info. I have had overnights in Barcelona, Venice and Istanbul and never had to turn in any info and there were no curfews that first evening, but I was curious if it was different for Haifa or Ashdod. I wonder if they’ll update their policy in the future to request that guests leave their details when overnighting off the ship during a visit with an overnight in port? All the Best!

An additional note: There were rockets in Tel Aviv prior to the buses leaving at 8am. And air raid sirens went off in Jerusalem at 6:30am. Glad you are okay. Hope you enjoy the remainder of your cruise.

That’s good to know. I do leave a detailed itinerary with phone numbers for our independent excursion companies and guides with our emergency contacts, and definitely will continue to do so after reading this. I think in the future I will make an extra copy for security, too, as another poster suggested. I wonder if uploading such information into our HAL account (if such an opportunity existed) would be helpful in these types of situations. I know that some passengers choose to overnight independently to make the most of their time while in Israel for 3-4 days. For those who have done this independently, are you required to inform the ship of your hotel and itinerary details?

@CNSJ This whole situation in Israel is heartbreaking. Prayers for all involved. I lived in Jerusalem as a student and have wondered how cruise passengers who do their excursions independently without a guide would know if they needed to return to the ship. I would imagine taxi drivers and bus drivers would advise passengers. I can only imagine how much more difficult it would have been to recall passengers had it been later in the day or not a Saturday when more transportation options would have been available. Were there any instructions prior to leaving the ship on what to do in such a situation? Grateful the passengers made it back to the Nieuw Statendam. EDIT: I was typing the Post above when you posted about what time the incursions began and what time you departed the ship. It would have seemed wise for them to at least warn passengers about the rockets. It is surprising to me that buses were permitted to depart at 8am.

Loved when they did the BBQs….what wonderful food we enjoyed especially at the Salmon Bakes in Alaska, the BBQs in Istanbul and Santorini, each with their own unique regional dishes and decor! Great memories!

😁 Singing “Love in Any Language” at the end could get nostalgic. Fun times! I agree discontinuing the disembarkation talks is better now. I still have a paper Chef’s Hat from our first cruise that they gave all the MDR diners that night. + I remember the stewards having some sort of line and illustrated assembling food (was it a salad?) in an entertaining way. Maybe someone has an old video to share? I always enjoyed the Dutch Chocolate Extravaganza, too! Although it was often quite late in the evening, perhaps a different time would have been more feasible. It was quite the event!

So the specialty restaurants have had a recent price increase? That’s unfortunate if so.

I’m very happy to hear they rolled that back! Thanks for the info @cruisemom42

I missed the info on that. Was that in the MDR or specialty restaurants? How many can currently be ordered?

@USN59-79 Here’s an old Thread with many of the abbreviations:

Thanks. Are you saying there was no Priority Line at check-in?

I have a funny story (at least to me:>) about tea time at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria. It was 2007 and we spent time in BC prior to our very first cruise. We had heard so many good things so we wanted to go (I even had a coupon so how could I resist!). We had been warned it was a hearty meal so we decided to go later in the afternoon so the Tea would be both our lunch and dinner. We had been told it was all-you-can-eat and our server told us that he would be happy to refill items as needed. We “cleaned house” so to speak of the first Tea Tier as we hadn’t eaten in 7 hours and were extremely hungry. When the server returned later, my husband said, “we’ll take another one!” The server then dramatically proceeded to gasp, grab his chest in disbelief and took a step back. We then realized we had committed a faux pas. The server said he would be happy to bring items one at a time but he couldn’t bring out another tray all at once. So we ordered our seconds one by one. We still get a good laugh when we think about that day at the Empress. Although the cost was considerably less then than it is now it was a splurge for us and we quickly realized the value in cruising, as back during those years, HAL’s Royal Dutch Tea was excellent and actually comparable to what we experienced that day at the Empress. Fun times!

In these circumstances, does HAL honor the original amount of days for Mariner Cruise Day Credits? I know the number of credits received can be a factor for some when choosing a sailing.

I know the subject matter is about having a phone ONboard, but I did want to give input, as others have, about how helpful a working phone can be during a cruise. We took many cruises and seemingly did just fine without an international plan for years (although we’d usually scramble to find a strong enough wifi signal when in port so we could check an email or pay a bill, etc.). Then we did a land-based trip for a month or so in a country where we had lived as students and realized the value of having a working phone with internet. Compared to the past, we had so much more freedom, information at our fingertips, live “real time” traffic maps when driving, and the ability to call and confirm logistics info like opening hours, etc. It was so efficient and made traveling so much easier that we said we’d never travel internationally again without some sort of phone plan. Our next cruise, we purchased an inexpensive sim card/plan from Amazon and we were so glad we did. (We weren’t able to make calls or have internet access aboard the ship while out to sea, but while on or near land and when the ship was docked). I’ve been able to book last-minute car rentals when original plans changed, make calls, and get notified when our flight was canceled due to weather [if I didn’t have internet, I would have been caught off guard at the airport and not known the airline was planning to put us on separate flights home (somehow there was a glitch with our frequent flyer tickets and our records got separated from one another). The calls and texts from the airline came through in the wee hours as the ship was arriving in port for disembarkation. Knowing this, I was able to have a list of available back ups when I arrived at the airport and it worked out to our satisfaction (the airline’s phones were down but ordinarily I would’ve been able to handle it all over the phone as I had done on the aforementioned land-based trip when that return flight, too, got cancelled). Just wanted to share my personal experience of how having some sort of plan has greatly benefited our travels, been a real timesaver on numerous occasions and given us more tools for additional spontaneity.

I am so glad to hear and see this! Loved the Indonesian Tea Times!

For whatever it’s worth, the HAL “Know Before You Go” page still says this under “Dining Venues,” sub-section “Other Delightful Dining Options”: Classic High Tea once per cruise. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/faq/know-before-you-go.html I also miss the Royal Dutch Teas and Indonesian Teas! Do they still do the Cupcake Teas?

@Clummus On which ship are you sailing?

@mattR There have been a number of changes with HAL over 19 years. Some have been mentioned here and here and here. Just thought I’d pass the threads along in case you wanted to read more. Happy Planning!

Thanks for the info. I would be willing to walk it to visit again if other transportation wasn’t available. I think there were 2 bus options when we visited and it was easy to navigate.

@Hlitner We took a bus there from Monaco a few years back and from one of the stops connected with another bus to Villa Ephrussi. It was one of my favorite days ever. I’m not exactly sure where tender passengers would be dropped off; do you have an idea of how far the walk might be to Villa Ephrussi from the tender drop off?